[Deidara's Point of View]

As I lay awake during the night, too excited about tomorrow to be tired, I thought about how strangely Natsume had been acting tonight. Why would she be angry about me hooking up with Airi? She had come on pretty strongly and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted just a little. I loved the attention she gave me…but it was also shallow and air-headed. It lacked the witty bite that Natsume had. I wouldn't settle for less so I had to leave before I lost my patience completely and hurt her feelings. Granted I probably did when I ditched her but it was better than exploding at her angrily. Wait a minute I'm getting sidetracked. I was thinking about Natsume remember?

First she was angry and then she was relieved. But why? It didn't make sense unless…a wide grin spread across my face. She must be crazy about me! Mad in love just like the movies! So I better make my move tomorrow and make it official. Naturally at that point I couldn't sleep anymore so I got out of bed. I had to make my plan of attack (so to speak), knowing her she's gonna try to distract me. But I'm a shinobi, we don't get distracted.

Around dawn I took a shower, dried my hair, and rummaged through my clothes for something to wear. Normally I don't really care what it is but this time I wanted to make a statement. I tried on several outfits and posed in the full-length mirror as I strutted my awesomeness, flashed sexy smiles, and practiced new pick-up lines. I knew she had a thing for bad boys so I settled on a pair of long black shorts with chains attached to the pockets, a slimming black tank top and black and white arm warmers. I looked soooo bad! There was no way she'd be able to resist me now.

Completely starving, I went down to the dining room for breakfast. Natsume wasn't there yet. She tends to sleep in, I think. Chieko and Masanori were there, she was sitting on his lap with her arms around his neck. They giggled and whispered to each other like teenagers. It was a weird sight given their age, but pretty sweet at the same time.

"Ah good morning Deidara-kun!" Masanori called out cheerfully as I helped myself to the food set out on the table. I nodded in greeting with a smile.

Chieko blushed modestly as she started to climb off his lap. She was probably embarrassed to be caught being so intimate. Masanori wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. "You don't have to go just yet, stay a little longer."

"But surely…" She looked at me warily.

"I don't mind," I waved her concern aside.

"Any progress with Natsume yesterday?" He winked conspiratorially.

I smirked as I remembered that sexy kiss in the ocean yesterday. I hope to score another one of those today too. But I could hardly share that; he'd probably kill me if he knew. "A little more, we're going to the carnival in town today."

"Oh that should be fun," he nodded.

I was halfway through my meal when Natsume finally entered the room. Surprisingly she was dressed in sweatpants and a wrinkled t-shirt. Her hair was mussed up and lazily pulled back and she wasn't wearing any make-up. Still she looked as fabulous as ever, seriously I don't think she could ever look bad. My heart raced when our eyes met. She silently looked me over and I flashed her a winning smile as I causally flipped my hair over my shoulder. She was welcome to look at me all she wanted.

"I didn't take you for a goth," she said simply as she turned away to get breakfast.

I glared at her, red in the face. "This isn't goth, hm!"

"Eh close enough," she shrugged as she took a seat on the other side of the table. She looked over at her dad and grinned deviously at them. "Look at you two love birds."

"Natsume!" Chieko blushed as she covered her face.

"You're super cute together," her friend reassured her. "So does that mean we'll live here permanently?"

I dropped my chopsticks and stared at her. No! She can't live here! I wouldn't be able to see her that often if she did!

Thankfully Masanori shook his head. "No, I still have a business to run in Iwagakure."

"But what about Chieko?" She protested

"I'll be joining you once I find a suitable replacement for me," Chieko said. "Besides I have friends in Iwagakure that I've been meaning to visit for years. This would be the perfect opportunity."

Natsume looked crushed and turned gloomily back to her meal.

"Surely Iwagakure isn't that bad," I frowned.

"I never said it was," she said looking up at me. "But it's nothing like this place."

"Alright you've got me there," I confessed. "I'm really gonna miss it when I leave."

"That reminds me," Masanori said as he turned towards me. "Your dad sent me money to get you some things that you'll need for training. Why don't we plan on doing that tomorrow?"

"Sure why not?" I shrugged.

"How long will you be gone for?" Natsume asked curiously.

"I doubt the shopping will take more than an hour or two," I teased with a wink.

She groaned as she rolled her eyes. "C'mon you know what I meant."

"About a year."

She was surprised and her eye went impossibly wide. "For real? But why?"

"It's a very dangerous technique to perfect," I said as I took another bite. "One wrong hand sign or the wrong amount of chakra applied and I'd blow to smithereens."

"You don't look very worried about that," she said in exasperation.

"I'm not," I said confidentially though my hand trembled ever so slightly. "Because I know I can do it." She looked at me thoughtfully with a frown but didn't say anything. I bristled at her lack of belief in me. "You think I can't, hm?" I challenged.

"Overconfidence is nothing more than pure recklessness," she said as she looked shrewdly at me. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that you're a little scared. It doesn't make you a coward, it makes you human. I know you Shinobi go on and on about being big and brave but deep down you're only human."

"Don't make light of his skills Natsume," Masanori scolded gently.

"I wasn't," she said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and stood up. "But I'd hate to see him get blown up because he's being an idiot with an ego."

I reddened with shame but bit my tongue to keep from losing my temper. I didn't want to start our date off being angry. She noticed anyway and wore a soft smile as she approached me and rested a hand on the back of my chair. "Don't take it the wrong way kid. I wasn't trying to bruise your pride. I just want you to return in one piece."

"So you're worried about me then?" I asked teasingly.

"Don't flatter yourself," she smirked as she tweaked my ear and I winced painfully. "So you ready to do this thing then?"

"Of course," I said as I sprang out of my seat.

We said goodbye to Masanori and Chieko and left the dining room side by side. We silently walked out the front door and down the stairs. As we walked into town, she finally spoke. "By the way, I owe you a thank you."

"For what?"

"For your role in getting Dad and Chieko together," she said as she looked at me gratefully. "If it hadn't been for you they'd probably still be only dreaming of each other."

"It wasn't hard," I shrugged but inwardly I glowed at her compliment. "You could have done it."

She shook her head. "No, I'd never do that." I looked at her in surprise and she wore a rueful smile. "I've always known that Chieko loved Dad. They were childhood friends, but she still supported him when he wanted to marry Mom." Her voice faltered at the mention of her mom but she pushed past it. "They've always been friends but I didn't think Dad felt the same way about her. I wasn't going to intervene. If it was going to work out, it would happen naturally. I wasn't going to be a part of it."

I thought about that for a moment. "So does that mean you secretly don't approve?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. I just don't think it's my place to play matchmaker. Adults don't like to be set up anymore more than teenagers do."

I nodded. That made sense. As we walked on, we saw lots of other people on their way to the carnival too. I worried that we might run into her friends but thankfully they were no where to be seen. At the entrance I handed over our tickets. Once inside we looked around at the spectacle before us. There were all sorts of rides, game booths, concession stands, balloons; a smorgasbord of festivity. "So what do you want to do first?" I asked.

She tapped the side of her chin in thought. "Well let's see…" Then her eyes lit up and she pointed up ahead at a fun house. "That one!"

My shoulders dropped down a little. I thought for sure she'd be a roller coaster girl. This kind of thing is just plain dull. Still she eagerly grabbed my hand and dragged me towards it. If it made her happy, it was enough for me. There were funny mirrors that distorted our reflections and we took turns laughing at each other. She pointed at one that made my head look huge. "Ah so at last your ego is shown."

I made a face at her but then pointed at another one. "Look at that one!" I cried out in mock wonder. She turned to look into a regular mirror that softened the edges a bit with a nice glow to it. I came up close behind her and rested my hands on her upper arms. "A true angel," I murmured in her ear. She silently looked at us in the mirror. Her expression softened and then she looked over her shoulder at me. Our lips were just an inch away and the moment begged for closure. I leaned in to kiss her lightly. Her lips tasted so very sweet and I longed for more. Sadly she pulled away with a smile and hurried to the next section of the fun house.

I followed after her into a large room that looked like some kind of obstacle course. I went down a flight of stairs that suddenly flattened so I fell and slid down until they re-emerged as stairs again and I was thrown off. I regained my footing quickly but Natsume still laughed. I reddened in embarrassment. "I thought this was supposed to be a fun house, hm," I grumbled. "Where was the fun in that?"

"Oh c'mon lighten up," She grinned from ear to ear.

Then suddenly she fell through a hole that just opened up. I reached out for her but it closed up as quickly as it had opened. "Natsume-san!" I cried out as I tried to force it open. It wouldn't so I pounded it with my fist.

I put my ear to the hole and could hear her laughing. Then the hole opened up again and I fell through it head first. I didn't quite land but rolled around and around this…well…whatever it was. I couldn't quite see where we were but it seemed like a giant tube that just rolled continuously. She grabbed a hold of my hand and we spun together and laughed as we jostled and bumped into each other. Eventually it slowed to a stop and we lay there trying to catch our breath. Side by side and hand in hand. She sat up first and rubbed her eyes. "Wow that was fun! There's the exit; it looks like we got out early."

She crawled out of the tube and I followed. She was right, there was a door marked exit and we stepped outside. "Ok you pick the next thing," she offered.

This time I chose a roller coaster ride. For the rest of the morning it continued on like this, each taking turns for different things. We went on all kinds of rides, both slow and fast, and tried several of the games. We probably got a little too competitive with that but we won lots of prizes. There was also a subtle game going on between us as well. I kept trying to make my move and she kept turning it around on me. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in me; she just seems to get a kick out of making me blush. Like when I bought us lunch I purposefully only got one pair of chopsticks. When she remarked on that I pretended to be surprised and then shrugged it off. "I guess we'll have to share then."

"I suppose we'll have to," She agreed as she took the chopsticks from my hand and feed me a piece. I was a little disappointed as I chewed. I had been hoping to feed her. Then she suddenly pulled me in for a deep kiss. I nearly jumped out of my skin and would have fallen out my seat if she hadn't been holding onto my face. Then just as suddenly she let go and sat back as she chewed. Wait a minute…I moved my tongue around my mouth. It was empty now. "Hey!" I protested as I pointed accusingly at her and she just laughed and swallowed.

Other times that afternoon I would manage to get her in my arms. I tried to be sensitive of her reaction. The last thing I wanted her to think was that I was trying to seduce her. She'd lean into me with a soft kiss and when I was distracted she'd tie the chains on my shorts to some nearby fence or pole. I wouldn't know until she hurried away with a laugh. It was a little annoying but only made me want to try harder. But sadly towards the end of day I wasn't any closer than I had been this morning.

And then we walked into him.

He was just a random passerby to me but Natsume stood absolutely still as she stared at him. He bowed his head in mock respect as he looked her over. "You look nothing like the vixen I met at that party. You've fallen far without me, haven't you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Far from it Ichiro."

I stiffened at this. So this was the guy who hurt her. Somehow I wasn't surprised to see that he resembled Ryo: tall, dark-haired, handsome, and a complete jerk. Is there a theme here?

He completely ignored me as he took a step closer to her. "Admit it, you've missed me."

She smirked as she folded her arms across her chest. "You'd like to think that wouldn't you?"

"Now don't be that way baby," He reached out to touch her cheek and I caught him by the wrist and glared fiercely. He looked me up and down. "And who are you?"

"Her date," I said through gritted teeth.

He laughed in my face. "This is supposed to be my replacement? This little brat?" His gaze returned to her again. "That's pathetic. Why would you settle for a boy when what you need is a man?" She didn't say anything but I could tell she was furious. He looked back at me again as he pulled back. "A word of advice kid. Don't be fooled by her beauty, she can't put out at all."

I slammed my fist into his face and knocked him off his feet. Natsume squeaked in surprise and I knelt over him as I grabbed a hold of his shirt and raised my fist again. "Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you! I wouldn't dream of taking advantage of her! Guys like you who are only after one thing make me sick! So show some respect and apologize for what you did to her!"

A crowd began to surround us and he scowled at me. "I'd rather die."

"That can be arranged!" I punched him again, this time in the stomach so hard that he coughed up blood. "Now say it!" I demanded.

"I'm sorry!" He choked out.

I kicked him aside and took Natsume's hand and led her away before I was tempted to pummel him. The crowd fairly jumped out of our way and we left the carnival altogether. The fun mood was gone and now that my temper had subsided I felt guilty for ruining that. I stopped and turned to face her. I opened my mouth to apologize but she threw herself into my arms and hugged me tightly. "Thanks for defending me," her voice trembled in my ear. "You didn't have to."

I hugged her back, enjoying how she felt in my arms. I gently stroked her hair and her cheek felt warm against mine. "Of course I did. You're someone worth defending," I whispered back.

I held her like that for a while until she at last pulled away. "Why don't we go for a swim before we go home?"

I nodded and this time she took my hand and led the way. The sun was just setting by the time we arrived and the beach was surprisingly deserted. But maybe that was because it was the carnivals opening day and everyone was there. The breeze from the ocean was warm and salty as I sat down in the sand to remove my sandals and shirt. Unsurprisingly she stripped down to her underwear again. I lowered my gaze modestly as we swam out together. We splashed and dunked each other and had a general good time. I noticed though that there was a gleam in her eye and her face radiated with happiness. Why the change? Was it because I defended her? It wasn't that impressive.

As it grew darker she drew closer and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Thanks for today kid, I had a great time."

I smiled as I cautiously wrapped my arms around her waist. My fingertips were delighted to feel her bare skin. "So did I," I said softly as I leaned in to kiss her.

This time she didn't shy away and kissed me back. She leaned into me and I felt her curves pressed against me. My senses screamed for more as my hands gripped her tightly. I struggled to control myself but her eager touch in return wasn't really helping things. The kiss quickly grew more passionate and I broke it before I completely lost control. "I won't take advantage of you," I panted softly.

"But you're not," she whispered in the corner of my mouth. "So don't worry about it." She took my hand and rested it against the clasp of her bra. I looked at her nervously as her gaze was tempting. "Go ahead."

My cheeks reddened again and my fingers trembled. I couldn't bring myself to undo it no matter how much I wanted to. She giggled softly at my panic and unfastened it with a satisfying click. Now relaxed, the straps started to slide down her soft shoulders. My heartbeat faster as her bra slid off altogether. I closed my eyes with pleasure as her chest pressed against mine once again. I felt light-headed as her softness, her warmth, her incredibly sexy essence threatened to over-whelm me. This was really happening. The two of us alone in the ocean and about to make love. My heart pounded loudly in my ears and I groaned as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of my shorts. She started to pull them down when my heightened sense of euphoria overcame me and I fainted dead away.