Hey, guys. I finally updated again. Sorry it takes so long but I just have a lot of school works that needed to be done and I haven't even finished half of them. I plan on skipping on the campus tour today and going back home earlier. I really could use the rest since I couldn't sleep since 3 am because of the power trip we had.

Anyway, irrelevant as that was, enjoy the next chapter. It's a bit overdramatic but I had nothing better in mind at the moment and I didn't want you guys to get bored. R&R. :)

The silence hung heavy around the dimly lit kitchen. Not a peep out of Deidara the whole way home. Sakura's voice had been heard but only when she was telling him to slow down because she couldn't catch up to his brisk walking. And now, at dinner, Kisame had joined them. He and Sakura exchanged humorous tales about their missions and threw inoffensive yet witty insults at one another. And until now, Deidara's voice remained in his throat while Sakura—who was obviously trying her best to ignore the brooding blonde adjacent to her—and the shark enjoyed their exchange of stories.

He couldn't eat properly too. The reason he'd kept his mouth shut until now is because he didn't really know how to explain why he pulled her out of the bookshop with rage. It was a good thing she hadn't asked as well. Maybe she knew he didn't want to talk about it that's why she never brought it up. Or maybe he'd just startled her too much with his anger and she didn't want to talk to him at all for the rest of the day. Either way was acceptable—as long as she wasn't intrigued by the cause of all that.

He was jealous. He would never admit it to her or the shark but he sure could admit it to himself and all because he knew there was no one who could hear his thoughts right now. His companions were busy talking to even notice the deep-in-thought look face he'd made since the beginning of the meal.

He was oozing green with jealous because that Dino-guy had made her laugh and he couldn't—not that he could remember. And if he did ever make her laugh before, she was probably doing so half-heartedly. No one liked being kept hostage even if the authority assigned was as lenient as he was so it wasn't such a blur to him as to why he'd never seen Sakura laugh like she did with the brunet. Sure, Kisame was making her laugh right now but that was a different story.

Dino, he was as good-looking as he gets and he could see the first time they'd stepped in that shop that the guy obviously had an eye for exotic beauty. But what he'd noted back earlier was how Dino searched for her curves under the thick of her—technically his—cloak. The guy was a dick for not even letting his eyes linger on her precious emerald orbs for at least ten seconds.

Sakura laughed, her eyes creasing as she looked to Deidara from the corner of her eye. He'd been like that since they left town. Kisame barged in without even bothering to warn them and it was fortunate for them—for Sakura, anyway.

He was mad at some diplomat slash collector who'd been eyeing Samehada ever since they began negotiating. Apparently, the guy planned on killing Kisame and taking the sword as an addition to his collection. And apparently, Kisame tended to be a little touchy when it came to his precious chakra-consuming weapon. Of course, he killed the guy and his subordinates in an instant and ran all the way back here, hoping Deidara had something for him to run his sword through other than Sakura and the explosives pioneer himself. Suddenly wary, Sakura offered to make a nice dinner for Kisame if he promised to join them and not stick his swords into their organs. The swordsman frowned at her, "I am not that much of a monster, Sakura," but then ended it with a chuckle and a smirk.

And now, she found herself enjoying this amusing conversation with Kisame. How exactly his stories were worth remembering, she didn't know. But what she did find amusing was the fact that Kisame was easier to converse with than she'd estimated. He never ran out of stories to share—that's for sure. But she supposed, after a working with Akatsuki for over a decade, that the shark could have made about several dozens of books telling the reader about his journeys and highly unusual experiences as a ninja. She found Kisame funny and could tell that he was very quick in thinking—especially when it came to counters at her mocking.

"Hey, kid," Kisame suddenly turned to Deidara. "Everything alright in your head?" The eldest saw how Sakura's hearty expression changed and how she took in the last spoonful on her plate and excused herself to the restroom, leaving Deidara and Kisame alone in the kitchen.

The younger man waited to hear the bathroom door shut before he explained. "Sakura, she's… She's getting to me." It was ironic how he'd just denied and pushed away every idea Kisame threw at him about the girl and yet, here he was now, finally admitting. "This afternoon, she left the restaurant and said she had to look for something and never came back, yeah. When I found her, she was with the owner of the bookshop we visited yesterday."

"You're jealous," Deidara shot him a glare but was secretly wondering if he was that easy to see through. "You're practically turning as green as her eyes, man! She really struck you this time, huh?" Aqua eyes wandered away from his face and on his own half-empty platter. Realizing that he wasn't getting any form of response, Kisame continued, his tone becoming somber. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Deidara merely shook his head. "Nothing," he briefly answered, knowing Kisame would understand.

Every time Deidara struggled for something, it only led to disappointments and Kisame knew the blond didn't want a repeat of any of that anymore. When Itachi looked down on him the first time they met during the 'recruiting,' he tried to do something about it and almost happened to blow himself up. That time Kakashi had been chasing him and found little hope for escape, he attempted to do something about it and ended up losing an arm. When he'd lost the most valuable thing he had left, he did something about it and looked for it and instead found himself falling endlessly in her gaze every time she would look his way. And now that he realized he felt something for the girl, he wasn't going to do anything about it this time.

It would only lead to trouble—for both him and her.

"Well, it turns out this little love story won't be happening after all," Kisame mused. For someone like him, anyone would be astonished to find out that Kisame actually hoped for the boy's happiness. He deserved it, after all… For not joining Akatsuki anymore. "What are you going to do if she leaves unexpectedly?"

"As bad as I want to keep her around," he started, "I still stand by my nothing, yeah."

Her footsteps on the stairs had them cut the conversation. Instead of returning to the kitchen where she had no business to finish anymore, she slumped on the couch in the living room and sunk herself in deep thought. As soon as both men cleared up the mess in the kitchen, Deidara bid her a silent goodnight and retired in his room while Kisame joined her on the couch by sitting as far as he could from her.

He pulled a scroll from inside his cloak and tossed it to her. Without looking, she caught it with a hand and opened it with her free one. A letter from Tsunade?

Sakura, your team will be sent to fetch you and escort you back to Konoha. They will be in that country in two or three days tops.

You've had us so worried that your own team almost begged on their knees to let me let them go and take you back.

We are not sure of your location so I've had Kakashi track you by his ninken dogs.

Sakura didn't know why but she had a feeling that something about her sent message might have seemed a little off to them and that's why Tsunade had let Team 7 find her. Maybe the method of the mail's arrival raised questions as well. She didn't even know how Kisame had gotten the mail delivered so fast and how a reply arrived just as quick. Whatever it was that had her shishou and Team 7 agitated, she didn't care. All she knew was she had to get out of here—and soon.

"They're coming. I need to leave," Sakura mumbled. Her head snapped to Kisame's direction but she could barely see any traces of surprise—if there were any. She figured as much. Kisame might have been a great companion tonight but she doubted she grew even a little on him.

Kisame didn't respond at once and let her have her moment. Once he decided her time was up, he faced her, his arms crossing against his chest absently. "What about Deidara? You haven't healed him yet and that's the reason he's kept you here."

"I plan on healing him but—" She thought about it. Deidara… He was confusing as he could possibly get, he was short-tempered and was a little dramatic most of the time. He's unreasonable. But something about all that made her want to know him more. She had a lot more questions for him. She wanted to spend more time with him and learn to get used to his flaws. There were a lot of things she'd yet to tell him. A lot more things she wanted to do for him although she didn't have a particular reason in mind to do so. "I have to go. I've got a day to flee from this place."

Kisame shrugged. "Do what you have to do before you leave, pinky," he said, sounding less disappointed than his eyes finally let on. "It's too bad it didn't work for you and the kid. What a couple you two would have made," he grinned playfully.

Sakura didn't want to ponder at that thought. She could only sigh inwardly as she thought to herself that maybe it really was just serendipity that brought them together. Maybe it was just pure coincidence rather than fate tying their lives together. Maybe fate only gave her a detour of some sort and she'd return to her normal life as soon as she'd left meaning that Deidara would be merely a memory to her from then on.

It was depressing how fast things were going. Not that she didn't want to go home but there was just so much she didn't get to ask nor tell him.

"It's sad how you're leaving before his birthday. And why would you leave, anyway?"

"My team—they're going to track me down."

"And you don't want them to find out about Deidara, do you?" Silence. He accepted her unspoken answer. "That's a noble thing to do for the kid but are you sure about it? Deidara told me you told Kakashi about his ass being not so dead. You've already lowered the bait. Are you sure you can still pull it out in time?"

Sakura looked at Kisame for a long moment, mechanically studying his features but was trying to figure it out as well. Kisame was right. She already told Kakashi about her suspicion of Deidara's existence and it would be foolish of her to just withdraw her statement so easily—not when things had gotten this complicated and she knew he suspected her of hiding something. She could feel it in her gut.

"You're observant and analytic, Kisame," Sakura said with a mild disgust and shock in her face.

The shark groaned at her statement. "Don't say that! It's one of the more annoying things that Itachi managed to implant on me during our partnership."

After continuing their small talk, Kisame left, leaving Sakura alone to her thoughts and after an hour of sulking on the couch about what could have happened between them was not possible now, she returned to her room and turned in for the day, a plan suddenly formulating in her mind the last minute.

()

Infuriated. He was beyond that. He was mad again. Just as soon as he woke up, thinking that it was only a goodnight's sleep he needed to help the rage die, he realized he was correct. But the problem wasn't the sleep. His problem right now was Sakura! She was gone but her hitai-ate was left on the foot of her bed. So was her kunai pouch.

Deidara had enough sense not to rummage through her kunai pouch but for some reason, his curiousity got the better of him and wanted to see if the kunai that Sakura had mentioned in her letter and during their conversation over lunch—afterwhich, she left, he reminded himself—was among the kunai she had taken along with her.

He sat on the bed, the pouch on his lap. It snapped open and what he was looking for immediately caught his eye. Despite what he understood, there wasn't just one of it but four stacked neatly at one side of the bag. They were slightly longer than the regular kunai. He carefully pulled one out and marveled at its simple yet complex design.

It rebelled against the color of the traditional kunai with its color being the cleanest shade of white. The base of the kunai along with the ring at the end was kept but the blade was designed in another way. It was divided in two parts though both were designed similar with one another. The design mimicked the shape and curve of fangs. It was thick at the bottom and stretched and curved to one side until it slimmed to the pointed end. It almost looked like an imitation of an ocean wave chasing another—like a sickle with two blades… The blades reminded him of the ones on Hidan's weapon.

"Rummaging through pinky's pouch, eh?" Kisame mused from the doorway. "I don't think she'll be all too happy when she finds out you're snooping around in here."

"It's my house, Kisame. What the fuck are you doing here, anyway, hm? Did you want something?"

The bigger nin chuckled and adjusted Samehada's strap. "I had breakfast here and Sakura was more than happy to make me one… At least, I think she was. Either way, she makes great omelets, did you know? I'll be on my way now."

The blond was immediately in front of Kisame before the gigantic man moved from the door, "She made you breakfast?"

Kisame lifted both his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. "Jealous?" Deidara snorted, spinning her kunai on his finger. The shark eyed it for a moment but didn't say a thing. "She was sort of in a hurry though. Little pinky said something about going back to the bookshop and—"

The sound of the word was enough to send the blonde back in his rage as he stormed out of the house and look for Sakura.

"Idiotic little punk," Kisame chuckled, shutting the front door behind him as he watched Deidara's silhouette fade into the forest. "Didn't even remember to change out of his sleeping clothes or brush his hair… Or his teeth."

()

"Really, Dino," Sakura said in a somber tone. "I'm really sorry to have bothered you this early."

It was surprising how a lot of people seemed to know where he lived. But then again, by the size of the town, she assumed that every resident knew everyone else in town. She at first assumed that Dino was famous but if he were then his business would be blooming like flowers during the first week of spring. But even Dino knew that the bookshop was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"It's fine," he said, his tone gentle and comforting. She always liked his voice. "I assume you're here alone and your companion won't be breaking in here due to jealou—"

"He doesn't know I'm here," Sakura cut him off, not wanting to hear whatever he had to say about Deidara. Honestly, she didn't really want to think of him right now. The reason he had pulled her out was obvious and the reason he kept quiet during the rest of the time was even clearer but that was something she didn't want to ponder on. She didn't want to know if her suspicions were correct or not. It's not like she didn't care—she just didn't want to know.

Dino smiled at her as he went in the back of the store to look for the light switch. After flicking it on, he went behind the counter and pulled out Sakura's package and set it on the countertop. "He likes you," Great. Sakura didn't want to think of it let alone hear it but she didn't grow mad at the clueless bookkeeper. "I can tell from the first time you guys came in. And I can tell he doesn't really like me given the way he looked at me yesterday before you left."

"I won't be with him for long," she murmured under her breath. "And that's probably a good thing…"

Dino was a civilian but he was no fool when it came to lying. He looked at her indifferently, as if he wanted her to know that he knew. "You're falling," he mused, turning to the cash register, knowing that if he looked to her, he would only find a glare fixated on him. "And you probably didn't want to admit that, did you?"

"I've been with him for a couple of days, Dino. I won't disagree with you if you say he looks good but he's not right for me, if you knew the situation. Seriously."

"You're a kunoichi, right?" He finally said, his face remaining calm as if he'd figured it out from day one. "And he's probably the enemy and that's why you don't want to think about it. By the way, I know he's a shinobi too. And before you ask, I found out when I first looked at both your hands and when you asked for supplies. Not many civilians know what to do with a scroll, you know? And the reason I know you don't come from the same place is because the guy's been coming and going for months now, sometimes with that freakishly blue guy, and you recently joined them. You don't look like you came from these regions either. I should know. I travel a lot and it's only last week when I came back from my journeys."

Sakura remained silent for a while, taking in all he had said. For a civilian, he was quite observant. Civilians were not taught to be paranoid like shinobi were and it kind of shocked her that he'd taken note of the smallest details like she would every time she found a new acquaintance.

"I won't say you're right about your assumptions," Even if you are, "But yes. It's kind of like that. Where I come from and where he comes from… It's like a never-ending war and—" She trailed off, not wanting to give any more about Deidara and her supposed-to-be relationship with him. "I just can't afford to get things messed up. Not like this, anyway."

Dino smiled at her, finishing his business with the cash register and pushing the box toward her. "Then you best be on your way soon."

"This will be my last visit here," she informed, a hand landing on top of the box to pull it near her. "Thank you, Dino."

"You're welcome then, Sakura." His eyes lingered from her to the window. Outside was a man who looked like he'd been dragged out of bed. If it weren't for the long blonde hair, he swore, he wouldn't have recognized the guy. "Are you sure he doesn't know you're here?"

Sakura tensed, noticing his troubled gaze over her shoulder. Suddenly, she felt it too—a pair of eyes burning through the thick of the glass and on her back… Or at least it was her back she thought Deidara had been staring daggers at. "He didn't." Her eyes remained fixed on Dino's, finding him having a hard time looking back at the man outside. She could see he was wavering but kept a brave front quite well. She sighed, hugging the small box and finally, with one last glance at the very brave man who returned Deidara's glare, she turned her heel, knowing that Dino's firm but obviously struggling expression was the last face she'd see from him.

As the door shut behind her, she moved to Deidara's side, facing him while he continued to stare inside the shop. Knowing It was pointless to even call his attention because he would either ignore or snap at her, she shook her head and started towards the exit of the town.

Deidara followed not too soon.

It was torture. Less than a week ago, they'd been enjoying themselves in a spa and now, they were back in action. Last night, they left Konoha and arrived in Kawa no Onsen Machi just before the sun rose. They did not stop, not for food nor water.

Sasuke, as Naruto had noticed, was restless and Kakashi had yet to tell him what really went down that night the blonde had come to Sasuke's apartment to pick him up. He'd heard yelling as soon as he arrived on the Uchiha's doorstep.

The darkest of the three was furious. He didn't want to admit that he might have been careless as to forget to affirm the death of the explosives master. Come back to Konoha or not, Sasuke was still an Uchiha and their pride was one of the many things that Kakashi had found very irritating—especially during situations like this. Only about ninety-nine percent of the Uchiha population would admit they committed a mistake… And this time, with Sasuke being the remaining Uchiha, Kakashi was damn sure he was not a part of the one percent.

After breakfast, Kakashi and his companions were already on the edge of the forest. In a split second, Kakashi had summoned his most trusted ninken, Pakkun.

"I think you'd know by now that we're looking for Sakura," Kakashi started, obviously wanting to find Sakura before anything happened to her… And before one of his teammates did something reckless like go ahead of them, find Sakura and if ever she was with Deidara… Kill him again. "Find her," Kakashi commanded, tossing the strap of Sakura's bag on Pakkun's foot.

The ninken sniffed, taking in and memorizing the scent for a few minutes before looking around. His ears flinched as well as his nose. And what seemed like an eternity ended when Pakkun announced four words. "I've got the scent."

As much as Deidara wanted to avoid questions from her, he was unfortunate that Sakura finally had enough of his unapparent temper.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?" Sakura said, slamming the door behind her with the hand not holding the box against her chest. When they left the village, she was still ahead of him. Angry, Deidara walked past her and advanced several steps from her which Sakura made a big deal of because he was making a big deal out of her seeing Dino.

Deidara whirled around and shot her a glare so piercing that it made her feel like she was actually shot with a kunai. "Nothing, pinky," he snapped, his voice tone raised. He seemed to have adapted to Kisame's nicknaming. Though she would have exchanged banters with the teasing shark out of fun, there was nothing amusing about this situation.

"Oh," she dropped the box gently on the couch and crossed her arms and leaned back a little. "So you're not jealous that I prefer spending time with Dino rather than in this playhouse?" He saw the look in her eye. Her fear and experience was now overwhelmed by fury… Which was caused by him.

"Please," Deidara scoffed. "I've slept with hundreds of women before and—"

Sakura rolled her eyes at that and the blonde stopped, noticing the rude action. "What's that have to do with this? With me? If you were about to tell me that I can never be one of those women you've spent the night with and they're so much better than me, then I won't give a single damn. But you can't tell me that you haven't had strange thoughts since yesterday!"

"Why?" Deidara raised a brow, suddenly appearing smug. "Did you?" She had no reply to that but her answer was clear to him. She was right as well. Last night, before he had gotten to bed, she and her naked body were the last things he thought of before he drifted into a deep slumber. "And if you somehow assume that I did have thoughts because of a little skin, then you were wrong! It began way before that! Way before our meeting in Kawa no Onsen. In fact, your body had nothing to do with…" He noticed her widen her eyes. And his did too once he realized what he had just unconsciously admitted to her.

She didn't want to hear it from him. And though it was indirect, she certainly caught up with his meaning. She looked away from him, not wanting to see whatever expression he had now because of the slip-of-the-tongue and not wanting him to see hers. "Before we met, you already..." She trailed off, not really knowing where she was about to go.

She didn't want to believe his words. She didn't want to believe he'd been thinking of her even before he'd run into her in Kawa no Onsen. Neither did she want to believe that she'd been thinking of him ever since. And the fact that he crossed her mind frequently since yesterday did not help her at all. She wanted to blur it all out as a manipulating lie but the way his words faded in his mouth when he realized what he said and the way he seemed to be surprised at his own words were enough proof that what he had told her was true.

She didn't want to think of it. Sakura was leaving tonight and she didn't want to talk about this. If what he was saying about himself was true and he very well accepted it, it wouldn't be hard for her to accept what she thought she felt at the moment as well. That's was what she was afraid of. If there was a chance that they felt the same, it wouldn't work out anyway. And if they didn't well, that still didn't make things easier.

Finally, after making up her mind to push the matter aside and make it seem like she didn't get where he was going, she looked up at him. It was difficult not to keep a straight face when his was so confused… So angry, regretful and restrained all at once. "Tomorrow," she mumbled, her voice threatening to crack. "I'll heal you tomorrow."

With a firm nod, Deidara quickly made his way past her and climbed to the second floor. She remained still until she heard the door click silently. She slumped on the couch, beside the box, and looked at it for a moment, wondering what to do with it now that she and Deidara seem to be on bad—technically worse—terms. She couldn't just nonchalantly hand him the gift and greet him a casual happy birthday. Nothing was as simple as that with the two of them.

With a sigh of defeat, she took the box and entered her own room as well.

The box had been set on the other side of the bed, out of Deidara's view if he ever thought about entering her room and apologizing or explaining which was highly unlikely. She grabbed the hitai-ate and stared at it for a while. Konoha. If they knew Deidara was alive and she was with him right now, what would they have her do?

Obviously, they would try and get her to stall until a full ANBU squad arrives to incapacitate him just enough to carry him back to her village for interrogation, torture and possibly a sentence to death. Though, now that she thought about it, there was a small chance that the latest of the choices could be omitted from the list since he didn't actually pose a direct threat to Konoha. Kidnap and kill Konoha's allies? He would be pardoned for that. He never did get the opportunity to take one of Konoha's shinobis and even if he did, he failed miserably.

Which was a good start. In his previous life, he never really did do anything to Konoha. And now, he chose the path of a civilian—though she hardly considered a guy with a bloodline limit concealing his very own existence from the rest of the world a civilian. But still, it was better than actually reconciling with his old organization, right? This way, he didn't do any harm. He would hardly want to because of the attention he would gain. And attention was the last thing he wanted now.

If she just left him here, without a trace, it would be easier for everyone. It would be easier for her since he wouldn't have anything to follow in case he had this unlikely urge to go after her. And it certainly would be easier for him since she would leave no track for her comrades to trace back to him. She would make sure there would be no evidence of her ever spending her time here or stepping in this country. She was determined to keep Deidara and this little place in the shadows, hidden from her teammates. He didn't deserve to be exposed—not anymore, at least.

There were a dozen ways her escape could go and she had to think of a full-proof escape. It was going to be a long afternoon.

She didn't come down for lunch. She hardly felt hungry anyway. She'd made so much breakfast this morning and was ashamed to let it all go to waste. She knew Deidara wouldn't risk his intestines exploding so she simply sped up her metabolism as she ate more than the shark ever could and left what she knew Deidara could finish on his own.

Though by the way he looked when she walked out of the bookshop this morning, she was sure the meal she left for him remained on the dining table and was now cold.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Deidara had just finished the meal he'd just seen when he went down to make lunch. Kisame was right. She did know how to cook a decent omelet. He wondered how that was when he had very limited food supply. But then again, his blue-skinned friend might have brought her what she needed.

After finishing the breakfast-turned-cold-lunch, he stepped outside, leaving the whole house to Sakura, knowing that she wouldn't dare to come out and make lunch for herself if she knew he was there. He went to the little paradise, relaxed for a few hours and much to his surprise, when he'd arrived home, there was no evidence that Sakura ever left the room he'd given her.

The dining table was clean. The unwashed dishes he'd used earlier were still on the sink. He attempted to feel for her chakra and then realized she was asleep in her own quarters. When his eyes finall registered that the unlit kitchen was suddenly dim since he last set foot in it, he switched the lights on and continued to make dinner. For the two of them.

He wasn't the greatest cook in the world though Kisame begged to differ. He only made what he could out of the ingredients he had in store. Tonight, it would be chicken soup and a loaf of bread. It was all he had. But he made sure that the chicken soup made up for the lack of food.

He left the soup heated on the stove to prevent it from going cold as he waited for her.

But after half an hour of waiting, he got to his feet and marched to Sakura's room. He didn't bother knocking on the door because she was probably asleep. But unlike he assumed, she was upright on the foot of her mattress, looking deep in thought as she watched nothing on the floor. She was probably too consumed in her own thoughts to even realize he had just entered. Not actually enter since a third of his body did not get to enter the room.

"Dinner," he said, barely even hearing his own voice. But it did get Sakura to notice him. Her expression was calm yet somber, as if he'd just interrupted her praying in front of a grave. "Just come down if you feel hungry."

She nodded faintly. "I am," she reluctantly admitted.

He knew he didn't have to wait up on her. She knew her way to the kitchen and it would be just damn awkward if he led her there and he knew it would just make him seem like he was treating her as some kid. He didn't want to do that—mostly because he didn't want a chakra-boosted fist drilling on his face.

She was only a few steps behind him when he entered the kitchen. He'd gotten her a bowl and everything while she settled herself on one end of the table. He handed her the spoon and the bowl and she began filling it with the chicken soup he'd set in the middle of the table.

Not a word was said throughout the meal. Deidara and Sakura were aware of the uncomfortable weight that their silence bestowed upon them but just let it be knowing that the situation could be much worse. They could be throwing porcelain bowls and well-sharpened knives at each other for all she cared. And he preferred the awkward lack of exchange over Sakura beating him to a pulp.

After the meal, Deidara took her plate. She didn't immediately leave the kitchen. In fact, she didn't leave at all. Even while he was cleaning the dishes, she was still sitting on the end of the table and he could feel her eyes on him. He could sense that she was giving of a sad aura which was quite questionable. But anything was better than her raging aura, that's for sure. When he finished, he didn't leave the sink at once. Instead, he continued to let the water run on his hands. He wished to wait for her exit but since it wasn't happening anytime soon, he turned off the faucet and faced her, meeting her uncertain stare with a collected one.

"Tomorrow, right?" She nodded quietly. "Okay then," he started for the door. "Goodnight."

She didn't respond until he was out of earshot. "Goodbye," she whispered to no one in particular.

She stayed in the kitchen for another hour, watching the squirrel that landed on the window sill. She called on to it. It was an animal and animals could sense danger. She was nervous it wouldn't come to her and thought it may have picked up on her brute strength and her bad temper. But after a few minutes of pleading the creature with her eyes and small gestures of the hand, it finally hopped off of the sill and scurried its way on the top of the dining table.

She fed it bits of bread. She was aware that the forest didn't have what the squirrel wanted and that was the reason it was taking in whatever she gave it.

She never did see squirrels around Konoha. Or maybe she did and she didn't bother remembering.

The ticking of the clock grew louder compared to the squirrel's noises and so she turned to the doorway and looked at the wall clock hanging on top. It was already half-past nine. Sakura tried to find Deidara's chakra. It was replenishing, she could tell, though regularly. It wasn't the one you'd feel when on a battlefield and you could apparently feel the enemy molding more chakra. No, his chakra replenishment was stable.

He was asleep.

In a fluid move, she had the squirrel in both hands and released it back into the forest through window and shut it before leaving the kitchen. She stealthily made her way back to his room.

She closed the door as quietly as she could and made her way on the bed. There was no light in the room save for the natural source that went through the window and on his sleeping face. With the lighting working the way it did now, he looked younger under the pale moonlight. His features seemed smoother—more innocent. He didn't seem like the cold-blooded Akatsuki he'd been before. Maybe he never was what most people thought he was and the reputation of Akatsuki and its deeds merely preceded him.

No, she wouldn't dare think like that. He killed Gaara.

But that was in his previous life, her inner countered. It had been a while since it spoke back to her. Whenever inner Sakura would voice her opinion, it was usually because Sakura herself refused to believe in what she knew yet afraid to admit was true. Inner Sakura would just remind her of what she really thinks and how she really feels. And that was the last thing she needed right now.

Gently, she set herself on the side of the bed where Deidara was facing. He felt the mattress shift under her weight and slowly opened his eyes only to see a beautiful maiden sitting before him. It took him a while to recognize the pink hair that turned purple as she blocked the moonlight of the window in the darkness.

"Sakura… What—"

She hushed him and they both exchanged unreadable looks for a while. She was reluctant to leave him the way she was going to but she had no other choice. She didn't want him coming after her. And she wouldn't give him a reason to. "I'm sorry," she said, pressing two chakra-enhanced fingers on his temple and putting him into a state similar to coma—only it lasted for about a few hours.

After putting herself under the influence of her medic mode, she began tending to Deidara's injuries while he lay lifelessly on his own bed. She first started on the minor scars and eventually worked her way to the most serious of them all—the scar on his back. It wasn't pretty but it was nothing she hadn't seen before. Life as a medic gave you a full-access pass to all kinds of injuries that ranged from little cuts to gruesome organs that have been pulled out of the human system through the mouth. And there had been worse cases.

It only took her about half an hour to finish him up. When she healed the last of the battle reminders, she laid him in a comfortable position and pulled the covers to his chest. With one last look, she left his room and went back in her own for a brief moment to tie on her hitai-ate, place the box in the middle of the bed and grab her kunai pouch before she escaped into the dead of the night.

Little did she notice that when she'd hurried to grab what little she left, a single kunai slipped out of the pouch and landed on the bed with its tip first like she meant to stab the bed. It was placed near the box as if she intended on leaving it all along. She failed to notice it due to the fact that Kisame randomly showed up in front of Deidara's doorstep and she was worried the shark would knock at anytime. She had to get out of there fast and therefore missed the kunai slipping from the bag.

()

Kisame was never one to enter a house without anyone opening the door for him but somehow, when his banging on the door or yells for attention were unanswered, he knew something was off and kicked the door off its hinges and let himself in.

The house was still and he noticed the kitchen light was left on and so he switched it off after setting the package he'd. He was a bit disappointed to not find the kunoichi in there, kaing him another batch of omelets. But then again, he didn't really feel her chakra anywhere within his range.

Alarmed, he ran to Deidara's room and woke the blond roughly, kicking his sides with his sandals. "Hey, birthday boy, get up!" Kisame yelled right in his ear. Still, it wasn't enough. He intended to shake Deidara's shoulders but as soon as he touched the younger man, he sensed some of the cherry's chakra. It was faint and weak, probably fading over the hours, but it was still in his system.

He grunted as he pulled Samehada off of his back and placed him beside Deidara's bed. "Okay, pal. Suck only the foreign chakra in his body, okay?" Samehada's scales moved ever so slightly and did as told. Kisame wasn't aware of his sword's ability to eat chosen chakra from a system until a few months ago when he fought with a schizophrenic shinobi who had two types of chakra flowing through his system. Samehada clearly disliked it at one time and even spit it out but when the opponent changed personalities, Samehada practically drooled when he got the taste of its chakra.

In minutes, Deidara was stirring, his eyes shutting further before opening them fully.

"Rise and shine, sunshine. I've got both good news and bad news for you," Kisame said.

Deidara paid only half attention to the shark while he rubbed his head and focused the other half to remind him what happened last night to give him such a headache when he'd been woken up by the elder man. And suddenly, it dawned onto him when he moved to face the window. Her easily influenced hair in the darkness…

"Sakura," his eyes snapped open causing his headache to push further.

Kisame rubbed the back of his head and looked at Deidara as if he was expecting him to lash out for what he was about to say. "Actually, that's part of the bad news," he started. "I can't sense Sakura anywhere near this place. She's gone, man." Kisame knew. He talked to her the night before last night and she told him she needed to leave. She could see her reluctance but she pushed through with it anyway. Leaf. They were more stubborn than most nins realize.

Deidara now looked warily at the other man in the room. "What's the good news then?"

"It's your birthday and I have cake in the kitchen," answered Kisame cheerfully.

The blonde groaned. It certainly did not help the way he reminded him it was his birthday and the one person he wanted to spend it most so far was now gone.

He walked briskly out of his room and slammed Sakura's door open. Kisame followed after. "Dude, it's my room again now that she's gone so be careful with the door?"

"She put me to sleep last night," he thought out loud and Kisame intended to listen to every word. "She went in my room and put me to sleep last night."

The swordsman patted his back. "No worries, Deidara. She might not have wanted you to know she was leaving."

Again, it dawned on him. It didn't hurt. Kisame was patting his back and it didn't hurt one bit. He stepped back in his room and stripped to the waist in front of the mirror. After examining her handiwork, he stepped out of his room and entered the other quarters where Kisame remained in. Deidara gestured to his wholeness as if saying, look at me! Even Kisame was surprised to see Deidara's body free of battle scars. They both bathed in that little paradise once and seeing that scar on his back was more than enough for him to not want to see it anymore.

"She left something for you, though," Kisame finally said. Deidara removed his focus on his body and finally fixed his eyes on the box on the bed. He was too shocked to even notice it before. But he could see it now.

He recognized it. It was the reason he'd glared at Dino yesterday. He saw him handing it to Sakura and was jealous that Dino actually got her something. But if she left it here, in the middle of the bed for him to purposely find, then it probably wasn't for her after all. And it was still closed. No evidence of her ever opening it.

Slowly, he sat on the foot of the bed and pulled the box to him but his eyes lingered on the kunai that was carelessly dropped on the mattress. She hurried to leave, didn't she?

He opened the box, hoping there was nothing in there to jump at him or claw him in the eye. What his eyes saw calmed him and excited him at the same time. It wasn't what he thought it was… Was it? Deidara pulled it out of the package and held it with both hands. It was certainly big for a snow globe, wasn't it? And it probably cost a lot. It worried him yet flattered him to no end at the moment.

"Well, look at that," Kisame mused. "The little pink hell left a birthday present for you," he continued to tease. "What's that?" He suddenly asked, pointing to the blade on the bed. "Looks like a miniature version of Hidan's sickle… One that you can actually buy from a souvenir store because the resemblance is quite remarkable."

Deidara pulled it free from the mattress and took the sight in. "It's one of her kunais. She must have dropped it last night when she…"

None of them spoke for a moment. The house was suddenly very quiet and very lonely again without the pink headed woman prancing around and coloring his home. Kisame left the room and returned immediately with Deidara's cloak in his hands.

"What kind of a gentleman would you be if you didn't try to return it to the girly, right?" He suggested with a smirk.

()

There was no stopping ever since she started running and leaping through the tree branches last night. And now, she was worn out and was drained of her chakra. She needed to crash somewhere.

It was sometimes past noon and the sun was beating on her, feeling like her own fists. She'd already crossed the border of the Rain and was now in the country where Sasuke and Deidara fought for their lives. She would try and find the nearest village and settle there… She would probably arrive there some time before dinner and from the sun's position, she could see that she was somewhere in the southern region of this country.

It would be best if she just kept pushing through since she'd travelled north all night. She should probably change her route and go hunt for the nearest village.

After quenching her thirst on a river a few miles from the border, she started sprinting again. She wanted to get to the nearest village as quick as possible, avoiding any bounty hunters or hunter nins that might come from her. Now was not the time for a battle considering how she'd just spent two-thirds of her chakra on running away.

She felt bad that she had to leave Deidara like that. Was he awake now? Probably not. He wouldn't wake up for at least another hour or two. It was cowardly of her to heal him in his sleep but the fight yesterday really complicated things and the she didn't want him to burn a hole on her while she tended to his scars. The last thing she needed was accidentally looking up to his blue eyes and suddenly feeling caught up in them like she was most of the time.

But she wouldn't deny that Deidara was possessive in an arrogant yet sweet manner. But she was not his yet and vice versa. He had no right to pull her away like he did—like he was claiming her as his own. She wasn't even sure he wanted to go down that road but one thing's for sure now; she was not going to see him again. Ever. And from here on now, she might as well forget about it and move on.

However, something kept her from forgetting Deidara and everything that he almost said. Something she didn't even want to think about. And so, pushing the thoughts aside, she readjusted the straps of her boots and was on her way once more.

It was probably around 5 pm when she finally caught sight of a small village. "Finally," she muttered to herself. "I'll get myself something decent to eat tonight." She snorted at the thought because just last night, she'd had the best chicken soup ever… Made by one of the finest chefs in Akatsuki.

She had to celebrate his birthday for him, one way or another. Kisame mentioned the other night that he'd be bringing cake the next time he visited and she doubted he was kidding at that time. Though it wasn't obvious, the shark felt some sympathy for the man who owned the clay house.

Sai, Yamato and Kurenai took longer than expected. When they first arrived in this village and checked in the most decent inn around, the owner approached them during the night and asked them to stay a bit longer because his wife was to give birth in a few days.

It caught Kurenai's attention and she immediately asked the Hokage for permission to watch the miracle happen. Reluctant as Tsunade was, she gave in to Kurenai and told her this was coming out of their pay. None of her companions seemed to care as they too were eager to see it.

Some time past 6, Yamato asked Sai to fetch them some dinner. The artist complied and left the inn to hunt for food.

It wasn't long until he found a restaurant that sold a decent pack of tempura and some sushi. As he made his way back from the shopping district, he'd found interest in something—someone rather—that looked achingly familiar. "Sakura," he muttered under his breath. He was about to approach her when he saw her walk out of a restaurant but dismissed the idea when he saw her forward to the residential area of the village.

He followed after her stealthily, hiding behind every pole he could squeeze himself into and masking his chakra to prevent her from suspecting anyone around.

He watched her while she watched the inside of the houses from their windows. She moved from one house to the other until she reached for the door and knocked on it. His eyes narrowed, waiting for whoever it was to come out of the house.

As the door opened, and the light illuminated from within the home, he could clearly see it was a civilian woman about two or three years older than Sakura. And before he knew it, Sakura had taken her down with medical jutsu, looked around for caution, and carried the woman's body with her.

That was certainly something you didn't see everyday.