Match
Chapter 3
Summary: Deidara explains…
A/N: This story contains inconsistent use of the "-san, -chan, -kun, -sama", and so on titles, because I constantly feel the urge to revert back to medieval/Victorian English titles. This chapter will be VERY confusing, because of a flashback that lasted longer than I expected. Also, I realized the asterisks I put to indicate POV-shift don't show up on here, so from now on I'll indicate POV-shift using something else.
In addition...! I was looking through several other fics, and I noticed the name Suzume in there, too! Suzume seems to be a popular name in Naruto fanfic-dom...
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto… Deidara would truly be a woman, instead of just looking like one.
"You're Suzume?"
"No! I'm DEIDARA, un!" Deidara said, emphasizing the "dara" part and tossing his hair for emphasis (though that last part was done subconsciously).
"Hey, what the hell's going on here?" The heavyset man that Deidara had defeated earlier shouted.
"Yeah, what's the big idea?!" Someone else yelled from the back of the crowd.
"Why does that woman look like you?!"
"Why do you look like a woman?!"
"Shut up, un!" Deidara snapped, glowering at the audience.
"We want answers!"
"Tell us what's going on!"
"Yeah!"
"That's right!"
"Yeah! Tell us!"
Deidara heard Sasori sigh deeply, closing his eyes.
"Mob mentality." He said, shaking his head.
"I know, un! They're so impatient! I'm going to go get a drink! I'll see you later, all right, un?"
Sasori's eyes snapped open, and they flared so dangerously that Deidara decided it was best to escape while he still could.
The blonde already had one foot on the top step of the mini set of stairs at the back of the stage when the redhead grabbed a fistful of his hair and prevented him from going any further.
"Ow, un! What's with you and pulling my hair, anyways?"
"You owe me an explanation, boy."
"That's good! Hold him right there!"
Sasori wheeled around, turning Deidara with him, and the two of them saw that the front rows of the audience (a.k.a. the men that had competed to marry Suzume, or win her enormous dowry, or both) were spilling onto the stage, leaping over the railings and using the steps at the front.
Deidara saw the man that was supposed to be his "father" running down the stairs past him and Sasori.
"They seem pretty mad! Hope you get out of this one alive!" He shouted, disappearing through the restaurant door.
"Huh? Hey, wait! You have the carriage, un!" Deidara shouted. That ungrateful little- after all the money he'd paid the man, too! The crowd would be upon him in a few seconds, and they looked absolutely menacing.
He felt Sasori release his hair and grab onto his arm instead. "Come on, brat! We have to hurry!"
The redhead took off into the restaurant, pulling Deidara after him. They rushed straight through, knocking over tables and chairs, the mob following close behind. Since he was being dragged by Sasori, who was surprisingly fast, the next few minutes went by in a blur for Deidara. They burst through the back door, into a small alleyway, onto the main street, through the marketplace. Things were flying everywhere, stalls were knocked over, and people rushed to get out of their way, while from behind them came cries of shock, anger, pain, as the mob stumbled and fell on the wares that had fallen from the stalls, or crashed straight through.
Deidara was running faster than he'd ever run before in his life. "S-slow down, un!" He finally managed to gasp out after they had turned yet another corner, into a dead-end alley.
"Doesn't look like I have a choice, does it?" Sasori answered, breathing heavily himself. He let go of the blonde's arm (which was probably red and bruised by now, considering how hard it had been to hold on while running through crowds of shoppers). Deidara was bent over, his hands on his knees, gasping for air.
"Do you… think… we've lost them… un?"
"For now. If we step out of this alley, they'll see us right away." Sasori was scanning the area for possible escape routes.
The alleyway was littered with sticks and branches of various sizes. There seemed to be an abundance of bamboo sticks, and what looked like frames for doors or garden arches. Next to Deidara was a wooden wagon filled with logs, and behind that was a large bamboo mat. It was stiff, and part of it draped over the wagon handles, covering a part of the wall and reaching all the way to the pavement. Sasori approached the wagon and lifted a corner of the mat.
They could hear shouts and strings of unintelligible words growing louder and louder. Deidara straightened up again, wiping the sweat that was pouring from his face with his large sleeves. He grabbed a stick that was leaning against the wall and held it in front of him like a sword.
"We can use these to fend them off, un!" He said excitedly, swinging the stick through the air with a swooshing sound.
"And what do you suggest we do once they've got us backed up against the wall with no place to run? Those men had swords and other various pointy, shiny weapons, if you didn't notice." Sasori said, without even looking up. He seemed to have found something of interest.
Deidara scowled, still gripping the stick. "I don't know. Maybe we could climb onto the roof, un?"
The voices were starting to get loud enough that they could hear what the men were saying now.
"Hey! I think they went into the alley!" The familiar, loud voice of the unusually large suitor rang out.
Sasori spared one glance upward to the roof. Why hadn't he thought of that?
"Too late now. Get in!" He lifted the bamboo mat higher and pulled Deidara underneath it, behind the wagon, slipping in after the blonde and dropping the mat back into place. The gap that was formed between the mat, the wagon, the wall, and the floor formed a small, "cozy" little nook that wasn't visible from the outside.
However, it was too small, and certainly not cozy. The lack of space made it impossible for both of them to sit comfortably. Deidara, who had gone in first, was practically curled up into a ball against the wagon wheel, his knees drawn tightly to his chest. Sasori was left with no choice but to squeeze in front of him, one knee next to Deidara's right leg, drawn up to his own chest (a crouching position), and the other (which was supporting most of his weight) on the ground, pressing down on Deidara's boots. He placed his arm against the wall over the other boy's head to maintain balance, and the overall effect was incredibly awkward, as if they were about to embrace or something equally intimate and scary.
Deidara gulped, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. It was really hot in here, and they were both wearing layers of clothing. Plus, this man that he had barely met a few hours ago was now huddled over him, their faces so close he could see his long, dark, lovely eyelashes- oops, scratch that last part- though those were some nice lashes- long and thick, like a woman's…
"Um, Sasori, un?
"Shhh! They're here!" Sasori had his head turned to the bamboo mat, as if he wasn't even noticing how cramped up they both were, what close proximity they were in.
There was the sound of boots crunching against twigs and pavement. About ten men at least were now standing in the alleyway, mere feet from where the two of them were hidden in their tiny little space.
"They're not here." One of them said.
"They've got to be. Where else could they have gone?" The big guy was talking again.
"Maybe they went up on the roof?" Another guy said.
"Or in another direction."
"If that's the case, then the others have got 'em. Check the wagon first. It's the only place they could fit."
There was the sound of swords poking and logs being tossed out onto the floor. Deidara breathed a small sigh of relief. Thank goodness the wagon itself was big and heavy, or else it would've given way and exposed them.
"There's no one here!"
"Strange. Maybe you're right. They had enough time to climb onto the roof. We'll go up there and head over to meet the other boys back at the restaurant."
Deidara heard the group of men shuffling past them and the sounds of shingles clattering against each other under the weight of each man that leapt up. When the last clattering sounds faded away, Sasori finally threw the bamboo mat off, and they both stood up super fast, ignoring their aching bodies screaming out at the sudden movement.
"Well, now that that's over with, you have some explaining to do." Sasori turned to his companion, who was brushing himself off. "First off, I have to confirm something. You are a man, right?"
Deidara looked insulted. "Of course I'm a man!"
"Then what the hell were you doing dressed up as a girl looking for a husband?"
"Oh, that. Un, that's kind of a long story." The blonde said nervously, suddenly very interested in his hands. He saw Sasori lean back against the wall across from him, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not that eager to get home at the moment. Start talking." So Deidara sighed, and began to repeat the events of the past few months…
"Well, you see, un, a little more than two months ago, I was officially engaged to be married."
"Engaged? As in, I-will-marry-this-woman-in-a-month engaged?" Sasori asked, incredulous.
"Of course! What other kind of engagement is there, un?"
"Aren't you a bit too young to settle down, brat?"
"Don't call me a brat! But un, that's what I told them- my parents, un- but they said nineteen is a good enough age to marry!"
"Huh. I wonder what you did to deserve this fate…" Sasori mused, not really expecting an answer, since it was an inevitable fate for most wealthy young men in this place. Though it was true that Deidara was being forced into a marriage a year earlier than the norm.
"Nothing, un! And according to my parents, that's the reason I'm supposed to marry right now! All I did was mess up one shipment, and they called me lazy and unmotivated and convinced themselves that by marrying, I'd actually gain newfound responsibility and a sudden desire to take over the family business." The blonde stopped for a second to catch his breath. "They own The West Wind Shipping Co." He said in response to the other's questioning look.
Sasori nodded in recognition. West Wind was the largest shipping company in the capital, and indeed the country, if he remembered correctly. What he couldn't figure out was why on earth someone would be so unwilling to take over as the owner of that place- the benefits were enormous.
Most of the country's citizens delivered and shipped their goods through one of West Wind's various ports and warehouses, which were spread throughout the country, and were always continuously expanding. Even the officials at court did their business through the West Wind Trading Co., but Sasori wasn't surprised that Deidara was never introduced there. His parents were hardly ever in the capital, and most business transactions were conducted through some lower-level supervisor, a different one at each location.
"Why don't you want to take over West Wind?" The redhead asked, fixing a pointed stare upon Deidara, who was searching around in his pockets for something, and did not notice Sasori's eyes upon him.
"Business isn't really my thing, un. Too much organization, endless calculations and planning, and kissing up to people from different departments and different companies just to get them to sign a new contract with your company. Un, I'd much rather concentrate on my art. There's no people-pleasing in that area." Deidara said nonchalantly, finally pulling out a handkerchief from inside his coat and tying his hair back into a ponytail with it.
"So they're hoping that simply by marrying, you'd give up your art and be interested in the company instead."
"Un!"
After he had failed to finish filling out the order forms, and the shipment hadn't arrived on time as a result of his carelessness, the West Wind Shipping Company lost a potential long-time customer, a man who owned an antiques business, and would have paid good money to ship his wares safely, had Deidara not fallen asleep and lost the forms.
His father, in particular, was furious. In business, a move like that could cost a fortune, and West Wind was big on reputation.
Deidara had been sorry at first for losing his parents an important client, but after being yelled at for 45 minutes straight, he just felt annoyed. What was one customer, anyways? It wasn't as if The West Wind had any real rivals. For all he knew, the man might just come back to their office after he realized there were no other good, reputable shipping businesses around.
"-lacking in ambition, you lay around the house doing absolutely nothing all day!" Deidara snapped back to reality in a flash at his father's words.
"You think I laze around all day, un? You and mother receive logs of my progress in my studies weekly, and you know I've never been behind! I even go out nightly to build up my networks, like you wanted!"
"And what do you think the other young masters are doing at their houses? Your schedule is very basic, Deidara, and as for your idea of a network, I can't say I think much of it. I know you go out to useless parties every night and don't get home until after three. I saw you coming in through the back door yesterday, and don't think I don't know that that's the reason you fell asleep and lost the order this morning!"
"T-that's not true, un!" Deidara said angrily. "I wasn't at a party last night! I was at the unveiling of the legendary golden swan statue at the Uchihas'. I wanted to draw inspiration for my artistic endeavors, un!"
"An unveiling which ended with one of Uchiha Itachi's wild entertainment-fests, no doubt. I wish you'd just stop using this "interest" in art as an excuse for everything-"
"Why- do you think I'm pretending to like art? What do you know about my interests, Dad? All you've ever cared about is business!"
"Don't use that tone with me, young man! Your mother and I try to keep up this business so that you can have the best opportunities and privileges available, and you aren't taking advantage of it at all, from what I've seen!"
"Well, I'm sorry you wasted your time, then, un. I'm going home now. I don't feel well."
Deidara stalked out of the warehouse, ignoring the stares of the workers who were unloading sacks and boxes nearby, and purposely letting his father see the fat teardrop leaking out of the corner of his eye. He knew the effect this would have on his parents. For as long as he could remember, every time he had gotten in trouble, all he'd have to do was let a few teardrops fall, and immediately his parents would cease scolding him, thinking that his misbehavior had something to do with the fact that they'd left him in a nanny's care since he was born, practically. Ah, guilt. How he loved to take advantage of it.
Too bad this time his parents' guilt had turned around and smacked him in the face. That evening, his mother came to his room and told him the news.
His parents were searching for a suitable wife for him.
"Your father and I understand that you may be bitter towards us for not being around to take care of you when you were younger. We were not very good parents, but we do know that it's never too late to start over."
And so on, so on. Apparently, they hoped to save him before he made a mess of his life. They understood that they couldn't force the task of taking over and managing an entire company on him this soon. First off, he had to learn to be responsible. And what better way to be responsible than to settle down? Once he was married, and had someone to love and care for, he'd want to provide the best life possible for her, and that was when, they hoped (his mother had used the word "hope" often throughout her speech), he'd be ready to join them in the world of business and shipping orders.
Deidara couldn't help but scoff at these words. His parents were the last people on earth who should be talking about love and companionship. Even though they seemed like the perfect power couple on the outside, they knew, and he knew, that their romance (if there was any romance to begin with) had gone stale many years ago, and now their relationship was strictly that of two business partners. They stayed together not because they genuinely loved and cared for each other, the way they wanted him to love and care for his new wife, but because if one of them left, the company would fall apart, and they couldn't bear for that to happen. Their real love was for their business, and that meant that they could put up with being a happily married couple in front of the rest of the world.
Too bad that didn't stop them from finding him a bride anyways. His parents were amazingly good at this sort of thing. To them, it was probably like signing another business contract, sealing another deal.
Within two days, he found himself following his parents and Lord Hyuuga Hiashi around the Hyuugas' spacious gardens, filled with expensive, exotic plant species, and endless winding walkways.
By his side was Hyuuga Hinata, who had her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes down-cast. Deidara sighed. This was going to be a very quiet, awkward marriage.
At last, Hiashi stopped and turned to Deidara's parents.
"Let us go inside and discuss the wedding plans now, shall we? We'll leave the two children here so they can get to know each other a little better."
Deidara and Hinata spent the next ten minutes in absolute silence. He had lost interest in the garden a long time ago- there wasn't so much as a sculpture around- just endless vines and plants everywhere. Hinata, he noticed, kept glancing, almost anxiously, at the pathway to the left of them, as if expecting someone to appear any second.
And someone did appear at the end of the ten minutes. A boy with messy blond hair and a huge grin on his face came striding down the path, a package in one hand.
Deidara remembered going with Nanny to this boy's run-down little house when he was younger. She had said that the boy's name was Uzumaki Naruto- he was an orphan- and Deidara knew that he now worked as a delivery boy.
"Good afternoon, Hinata-chan!" Naruto waved to Hinata, then froze when he saw Deidara standing next to her, his grin disappearing.
Deidara saw that the Hyuuga had turned bright red. "N-Naruto-kun!" She looked frantically, almost fearfully, over at Deidara.
Naruto saw the look, and walked stiffly up to her, nodding his head in acknowledgement when he passed the other blonde.
"Here's the package Cook ordered. Please give it to her for me. I have to go deliver some more now. Good day." Before he turned away, Deidara saw the look of hurt in his eyes. Hinata looked as if she wanted to rush after him. She had one hand outstretched, but dropped it limply to her side after a while.
"P-please don't tell anyone about this, Deidara-san." She said in a small voice. These were the first words he'd heard her say since he'd arrived.
"Un, don't worry about it. I'm not here to break lovers apart, though. Just remember that, un." He replied.
Hinata shook her head. "It's- it's not like that. We aren't really in a r-relationship."
"Mmhmm. Okay, then. I'm going to the outhouse, un. See you later." Pfft. Hinata-chan? Naruto-kun? He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard a wealthy young lady like Miss Hyuuga address a delivery-boy in that fashion. And since when did delivery boys address their clients' daughters so affectionately? He chuckled to himself. This would make it so much easier for him to get out of the wedding…
Ten days before the wedding, and the Hyuugas were staying over at Deidara's house. The invitations were to be sent out the next day. This was his last chance…
……….
2:36 AM. Perfect. Deidara eased himself off his bed and crept out of his room, shutting the doors gently behind him. On his way to the courtyard, he managed to bump into a table and two chairs, and knocked over a stack of baskets and several sticks laying near the door. The amount of noise he'd made wasn't enough to wake up the whole house, but it was sufficient in order to rouse its lightest sleepers.
With a coil of rope slung over one shoulder, and a plastic stool tucked under his arm, the blonde made his way to the big tree in the middle of the courtyard, with the bushes surrounding it, the one he'd picked out several days ago. He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him, and as a result, didn't see the other person who was backing towards the tree from the other side of the courtyard.
"Oof!" The person who'd bumped into him let out a small scream. Deidara quickly lit a match and brought it up to their faces with a swift upward motion.
"D-Deidara-san?"
"Hinata?"
Additional A/N: Sorry about the length, guys. I just felt I needed to make it longer to provide details before I cut it off. I had the first part (before Deidara's flashback) written about two days after my last update, but it just didn't feel complete. Thanks for the feedback, by the way. I appreciate it. :)
