"So, Shiori, have you decided to go for the party?" Ino asked me the moment I set my tray on the table. I haven't even sat down yet!

I scratched my cheek nervously. "Oh, about that..."

"You mean you're not going?" Tenten exclaimed, disbelief written all over her face.

I just nodded without saying anything. Come on, its just one party!

"But you must, must, must attend this! Its like..." Sakura trailed off abruptly and the four other girls suddenly stared above me with a surprised, or rather, shocked look. Confused, I followed their gaze. Is there a teacher behi-

"You're sitting with me, un." Deidara grabbed my tray and pulled me away by the wrist, then headed towards one of the free tables at the side of the cafetaria. My eyes shot between him and the girls, who were too stunned to do anything. Completely flummoxed, I twisted my wrist out of his grasp.

"Oi, you can't just drag people off like that without their permission!" I massaged my wrist, even though he didn't grab it that hard. Oh my God, people are starting to stare and whisper.

"I can if I want to." He replied simply, setting my tray down on the table and then taking a seat on one of the chairs. I followed suit, and then tried to push the buzzing from the five main tables to the back of my mind.

"Just ignore them, un." Deidara nonchantly fiddled with the ring that was on his right index, one leg propped up on a knee.

Easier said than done. I noticed that the ring was similar to the one that Itachi has, except Deidara's has the character for blue on his. "Where're your friends?"

He directed his gaze to the majestic lake that our table has granted us a view of. "Sasori-no-danna's at some exhibition, Hidan has a hangover and Itachi ditched school."

I sulked and then mumbled under my breath, "Why can't you be the one who ditched instead..."

"Did you say something?"

"N-no!" I gave a half-hearted smile, then leaned in curiously. "Then why did you-"

"Yesterday was actually kind of fun, un." He answered before I even asked, then his eyes shot to me and he smirked. "You're interesting."

I opened my mouth to ask what he meant but he beat me to it again. "Don't ask questions, un. Eat your food." He nodded to the tray, which I then pulled closer to me and started to pick at, not really having an appetite.

"Are you going to the Hokage's party?" I asked, just to start a conversation.

Deidara shrugged. "Who knows. You?"

"Nope."

"Heh. Guessed as much."

Ass. What does he mean by that? I decided to not say anything and just nibble on my rice. We sat like this in silence until the bell rang.

I slumped down on my seat, staring idly at the board while waiting for the teacher to arrive. I was resting my chin on my arms, silently lamenting that I've not seen Itachi for three days, when suddenly, an overwhelming scent of perfume washed over me.

"Hey, are you together with Deidara-sama or anything?" Riko asked in that shrill voice of hers, one hand twirling her brown locks while the other supported her arm up.

"What? No! Of course not!" I immediately shot up.

"Then why were you two sitting together during recess, you little skank!" Rika cried, visibly upset. She even stamped a foot down! Who the hell does that? And me, a skank?

"What's wrong with that?" Okay, I know what. "We are just..."

"Just what?" They scowled together.

"Just..." I trailed off pathetically. Is Deidara even my friend? I mean, I do consider him that now but I don't know if he-

"We are just friends, un." A cold voice suddenly came in and the three of us shot up to see Deidara with an indifferent expression.

"Ah, Deidara-san!" They tried to give their best smiles, which really were extremely pretty, if they aren't such bitches that is. "We didn't know-"

"And is there a problem with that?" He asked cooly with a jerk of his head, while staring down at the two of them (even though he isn't that much taller).

"N-No! Not at all!" Riko nudged her friend, her smile starting to twitch.

"Y-yeah! And we'll, we'll just be going. See you around." And the two of them scampered off. The blonde artist then set down beside me, as though nothing had happened at all.

I tried to steal a few glances at him, the silence between us awkward. Then, plucking up all my courage, I started. "J-Just now..."

"Hah?" He turned to me, an eyebrow raised.

"Just now... Did, did you mean it...?" I looked away, feeling more and more embarrassed. God, why didn't I just held my tongue?

There was a few moments of silence before he started to chuckle. I whipped my head back, indignant. What was there to laugh about?

"Oi, you jerk! Its not funny!"

"Ahahaha!" He finally stopped and then turned to me, extremely amused. "Just as I thought, you really are interesting, un."

He leaned back into his seat. "And yeah, I meant it."

I stared at him, starting to feel the corners of my lips lift.

Then, he turned back to me with a nonplussed look. "Don't let that get into your head, un."

Its been a week after that day. Deidara and I would sit together in classes, and whenever the other Akatsuki are not here, he would come and force me to sit with him in lunch and recess too. Okay, so I feel like some sort of second-option for that, but for some reason I don't really mind it. In fact, I felt more and more comfortable with him, and we can sometimes talk non-stop. I mean, Kurenai-sensei once had to tell us to shut up (okay, she directed it to me, but I know she meant the both of us)! I found out that he once studied directly under Onoki-sama (the Tsuchikage) during his middle school period, but ended when he got more involved in the arts, something that the Tsuchikage didn't appreciate. He told me more about his pottery and clay, while I told him more about my Koto and music. So, overall, we've gotten quite close (well, that's what I think anyway), but unfortunately at the expense of my friendship with the Konoha girls. And another sad thing is that the last time I saw Itachi was 10 days, 6 hours, 47 minutes and 35 seconds ago. Okay, I didn't actually count the minutes and seconds but you get my idea.

I sighed as I closed the closet door shut. Talking to Deidara in class today earned me detention. I mean, who the hell gives detention for that? I bet Asuma-sensei had some kind of quarrel with Kurenai-sensei, that's why he's so pissy. He made me sort out the bottles in the chemistry lab closet! And it was tough. There was this shelf that nearly toppled when I opened the door. Yes, it was that crampy. I was exhausted when I finally finished, and to make matters worse, some kid told me that Gai-sensei asked to meet me at the gym. Something about height and weight taking.

I was about to turn when I realised that my schoolbag's strap was caught in between the door. Oh God, you've got to be kidding me! There's no way in hell I'm gonna open it and risk that shelf falling over me, so I decided to just pull it out.

Holy crap. The door's closed tight! I took a harder pull, but it's still stuck. So, gathering all my strength, I gave the hardest yank I could, and stumbled backwards. Yes, its finally free! But I think I collided into someo-

"WHAT THE FUCK? ARE YOU TRYING TO FUCKING CASTRATE ME?"

Oh my God. I know that voice. I timidly turned around to see a very pissed off Hidan...

...Who was clutching painfully at his crotch. Oh my freaking God, did I just elbow him there?

"I'm so sorry!" I cried out. "I totally didn't mean to do that! I didn't know you were behind and I didn't know that I would hit you...there..." I trailed off helplessly. Oh God, why, why, why did my elbow have to connect to his...area? And why did it have to be Hidan?

"Jashin-sama, it freaking hurts!" He gasped out agonisingly. I couldn't have hit him that hard, could I? "Look bitch, you're lucky that I have to rush to meet that dickwad Kakuzu, if not I would have fucking massacred you, okay? Ngahhh!"

I have no idea who the hell is Kakuzu, but I'm eternally in his debt, if not I'm very sure that I'll be dead by now. Damn it, why didn't I just open the goddamn door? Having that shelf crashing down on me would be 10 times better than this!

He straightened up, still flinching heavily. "If... If I end up impotent..." He raised a finger threateningly at me. "If I end up fucking impotent, your pussy will regret it, got that?" Then he stalked off, hobbling slightly.

My...my pussy will...regret it...? What the hell kind of warning is that? Nevertheless, I quickly grabbed my wretched bag and ran off to the gym.

And that was how I officially met Hidan.

"Gai-sensei!" I called out to the empty gymnasium, which contained a bigass pool that has like 5 sections of varying depth. And which school has heated swimming pools?

I walked along the edge of the pool, staring into its crystal clear water. This is strange, Gai-sensei is never late. He is like, enthusiastic about everything! Did that kid get the wrong information of something? Maybe he-

A sudden force pushed me and I fell into the pool with a big splash. Thrashing around violently, I re-surfaced into the air and gasped. Then, using a hand to brush water and soaked hair away from my eyes, I saw Riko and Rika sneering down viciously at me from the edge.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I shouted, trying to keep myself afloat.

"You deserved it, you stupid little girl!" Riko screamed. "Sticking around Deidara-sama like that."

"Yeah!" Her friend joined in. "Listen, just stop embarrassing yourself and him, okay? Have fun when the polo team comes in." Then, they just tittered off.

"Oi, oi! Come back!" I swam to the edge and pushed myself up, nearly falling back due to the weight of my water-logged clothes. Oh my God, those two horrible, despicable sluts! I looked down helplessly at my soaked uniform. What am I going to do? I can't go home like that! And neither can I stay here in the gym. If the polo team comes in for training, they'll see me and give me hell because they're all really touchy about people swimming in the pool with clothes on. Something about dirtying the sacred water and cursing their luck or whatever. Tsk! I glanced around, looking for a solution. I can't call my father to come and pick me up because he's at work!

I heard some footsteps near the entrance. Oh my God, the polo team's coming in! Okay, I better get out of here first, then think of a way.

I really want to scream out in frustration, or cry. Why is it that I'm the only one who gets all this shit? I looked down at my clothes again, and they're still as wet as before. I've just managed to get out of the gym without anybody seeing me, and am heading towards the back gate from there. Hopefully nobody's hanging around the garden at the back of the school, because I really look like an idiot, with my hair dripping wet and all. A breeze blew past, causing me to sneeze violently.

"What happened to you?"

My vision cleared up and I saw none other than Uchiha Itachi a few feet away from me, a slight frown on his handsome face. Crap! I brushed hardly at my hair, as though it would dry more quickly.

"I slipped on the water and fell into the pool, hehe." I gave an embarrassed laugh, though feeling terrible for lying to him. He doesn't need to know what really happened.

Itachi just stared at me with an unreadable expression, so I just blinked and tried to give the most convincing hehe-sorry-for-being-clumsy expression. "Um, I have to go home now. See you around."

"Wait." I looked up to see him walking into the gym that wasn't far from us, and returning with a towel in hand. Then, he lifted it and dabbed at my left temple, while I stared wide-eyed at him.

"Be careful next time." He told me tonelessly, though I seriously doubt that he bought my lie. He handed the towel to me, and then shrugged off his school blazer and set it over my shoulders. "Call a taxi. You'll catch a cold if you take the bus like that."

And then, he just walked off.

The full effect of what had transpired reached me only when I'm in the cab. My face was hot, my heart beating at 180mph, and my smile wider and happier than a lottery winner. In fact, I even viewed Riko and Rika pushing me into the pool as a good thing! This is seriously a blessing in disguise! I could replay the scene over and over again and swoon with joy each time. If I were at home alone now, I would be squealing and twirling around. Probably throw flower petals in the air too.

Okay, so dad will kill me for spending on cab fare, and the taxi driver was looking disdainfully at me through the rearview mirror, because I'm dripping water all over his seats, but I don't care. The only thing that matters is this blazer that's draped over my shoulders now.

Author's Note:

Okay...this chapter is...so...GENERIC! LOL. Okay, I have a secret thing for cliches, alright? XD And I'm gonna try to wean off Shiori from the Konoha peeps now, and get her to warm up to the Akatsuki. It'll take awhile though, cos she can't possible just abandon her friends, right? :/

Here're some review replies (sorry if I couldn't reply them all... ._.):

HMOrange216: Hey! Yep, I've watched Ouran (OKAY AND I CAN'T HELP BUT SAY THAT THE LIVE DRAMA ACTORS DO NO JUSTICE TOWARDS THE MANGA/ANIME! D)! Yeah, I get inspirations from there too! Haha yeah I know! Deidara and Shiori are so fun to write about, but I'll also admit that I like Itachi better hehe, but that fact might/might not affect the ending. ;P

Joanna Davis (omg I like your name): Yeah, my head's filled with air at the moment, so maybe my stories will be too... ._. haha, a fight eh? Hmmm *puts on contemplative face*

Tsukiyomi Zakuro: Yep! Shiori really likes to daydream and fantasize LOL (but you gotta admit, it is kinda fun to do 8D) So glad that you like her and my stories! :D Yeah, Deidara is a spoiled brat, huh? And good guess btw. ^^

KushiHime: HIGH FIVE FELLOW K-DRAMA FAN! Haha I'm gonna start on Playful Kiss, and definitely try your reccomendations!

alicelouise'x: Haha yep! It'll alternate between the two of them for now, until I feel that their relationship has been uh, stabilized... lol (can't think of any other word. x_x) thanks for your support!

Spazm: Oh thank god! I was afraid that I didn't manage to convey Shiori's feelings properly, and that her character would be one-dimensional... Hope you don't find her too much of a ditz too! XD

Akatsuki's Bitch: thanks! :D

potterhead26: glad you like the story! ^^

jennyz (hey, my nickname is Jenny too!): Haha I'm (very secretly) voting for Itachi too! But at the same time, I really support Deidara! X_X

blankmoon: I LOVE HIM TOO HAHA.

xXxBlackRoseOfSOuthParkxXx: Yeah, he is eh? But asses are fun to write (OKAY THAT SOUNDED WRONG)!

Chamomila: I'm gonna learn to type at the speed of light! XD

Glitterthorn: MINHO IS SO FREAKING HOT. Watch the drama, and you'll be able to donate like 5 litres of blood from excessive nosebleeding. *_* Haha Deidara or Itachi...

And thank you so much for the reviews and support, people! WE'VE HIT THE 50TH MARK! *throws confetti and blows on trumpet) Seriously man, I feel so happy! :D LETS INCREASE IT SHALL WE? *gets shot for being greedy*

Oh and I forgot to mention that in the previous chapter, the We Want Your Secret DVD got its name from one of the Naruto Omakes, because I couldn't think of anything else. Well, it does sound like a drama title, right? 8D

And the fillerness should end by either the next chapter or the one after. So bear with it!

Okay, gonna go eat my fried potato now. Until next time! :D