TK: Greetings! I don't have much to say except that there aren't many book scenes in this chapter, either. Sorry! There are two little scenes, but it's not much. Also, due to certain content, I was forced to cut this chapter short in order to maintain the T rating. So I will suggest that this is not read while at work or class, but since the majority of the inappropriate content has been cut, you should be fine.

My Super Special Awesome Beta Reader SpeedDemon315 has read and approved all content.

If only I owned Naruto... so many things would be different. And I'd be making money, instead of writing for free. Kakuzu and I could start a business. ...Somehow, I see that more so going down as my writing becoming slave labor while Kakuzu collects the profits...

A Third Chance

TK Grimm

Chapter Eleven:

Probably a Bad Idea

Book Scene

Deidara flew overhead with the Village Hidden in the Sand below him. His clay bird made smooth, easy circles along the wind currents. As his spiders crawled along the only three guards watching the skies, he couldn't help but be taken in by the beauty of his art.

"Where is it… yeah," he said. The weight in his chest rose and fell with anticipation. He brought his hands up into his final hand sign. With the power of his ninjutsu, the clay spiders exploded the skulls of the guards.

It was fleeting, and he could only see it for a moment, but it was in that moment that Deidara felt truly alive. The rush of smoke, blood, skull fragments and chunks of brain matter fit together in a perfect masterpiece, and Deidara's spirits soared higher than his bird.

"True art," said Deidara, "…is a BANG!"

Sakura's phone rang, drawing her attention away from the book, A Third Chance. She glanced at the caller ID on her screen and saw Konan's picture smiling at her. In the picture, she was wearing her black Akatsuki trench coat. Sakura answered it. "Hello?"

"Sakura! I have great news!"

"Ooo," said Sakura, smiling in amusement. "That's my favorite kind of news."

"What a coincidence," Konan replied, her voice slightly distorted by the cellular phone. "Mine too."

Sakura was at work, so she shouldn't be on the phone for too long, but both Deidara and Sasori were upstairs in the workroom. Since the office phone wasn't ringing, she figured she could spare a few minutes to talk to her new friend, especially since Konan, unlike Ino, was not currently mad at Sakura.

She still wasn't sure how she was going to work through that with Ino. She needed a chance to explain herself, but so long as Ino was giving her the silent treatment, she didn't have an opportunity to do so.

"I'm engaged!"

Sakura nearly dropped her phone. "You're what?"

"Yeah!" said Konan, sounding a little breathless. "Who would have thought Pein would actually propose, you know? But he did!"

"Oh my god, that's amazing!" Sakura gushed. "Was it romantic? Did he get down on one knee?" She had a very hard time imagining Pein on one knee proposing to Konan properly, but the image made her giggle anyway.

"Oh, I should be so lucky," Konan replied in a negative. "He sort of just threw the little box at me and said 'What do you think?' But, I'll take what I can get. He is who he is, and I love him anyway."

Sakura snorted with laughter. "You know, it may be unorthodox, but it works."

"Yeah, that's how I looked at it, too. Listen, Sakura, I want to get a couple friends over tonight to celebrate. Would you and Sasori be up for it? I'll cook dinner, and we can bust out my birthday present from Pein."

Sakura didn't remember Pein giving Konan a birthday gift. "When did he give you that?"

"Oh, earlier that day before you got there. Wait 'til you see it. So what do you say? Coming over tonight?"

Sakura paused. She had originally been planning to go to Ino's apartment and try to talk to her, even if it meant climbing in through the window. Still, that would be a painful confrontation, and there was a chance that Ino needed more time to cool off and simmer down before she would be willing to talk.

"Sure, that sounds great. I'll ask Sasori and send you a text."

"Great! Get Deidara, too!"

"Will do! See you tonight!"

The call ended, and Sakura pocketed her cell phone. She was looking forward to seeing Konan again, and she definitely wanted to hear a more detailed version of Pein's haphazard proposal. Sakura stepped away from her desk and headed upstairs to the workroom.

After a couple of quick knocks, she heard Deidara's voice, and she stepped inside. Deidara was molding clay into a bird while Sasori watched. They both looked at her and smiled. Sakura relished the thought of being the only one that they both smiled at so readily.

"Say," she said, "what are you two up to tonight? Oh, working like usual? Then let's go out!"

She hadn't given them time to actually answer, but both of them looked amused.

"What's got you so giddy… yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Konan and Pein are engaged, so they want to have some friends over tonight," Sakura explained. She couldn't remember the last time she was this excited for a night out. Since starting university, she'd been constantly busy and didn't have much time for her friends. But now, it was like she was getting a piece of that back.

Sasori considered. He could tell Sakura really wanted to go. "We can go tonight, if you like."

Deidara scrunched up his face. "Does that mean you two will be playing happy couple again? …Yeah, no thanks."

"Aw, come on, Dei," Sakura whined. She sat down in front of him and crossed her legs. "It won't just be that. I'm sure the guys will be there. I think Pein would rather die than go on a double date."

"As would I," Sasori agreed with distaste.

"And Konan specifically asked for me to bring you, too," Sakura added.

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad, then," Deidara conceded. "I'll go… yeah."

"Great!" said Sakura. "Tonight, then."

Sakura left them to continue their work, and she returned to her desk. She still had a couple hours before the studio closed, but her work load was light that day, so she was finished with everything she needed to. As such, she took it as a perfect opportunity to read more of A Third Chance.

A lot of things had happened since she began reading again. Without Ino to talk to in class, Sakura had plenty of reading time. She read about Sasori's new partner in Akatsuki. The fact that his name was Deidara was another similarity, but when she read the two of them bicker about art… it threw her for another loop. There were so many uncanny parallels between the book and real life that she almost wondered if the book was some kind of cosmic joke being played on her to test her beliefs in science and the like.

Sasori and Deidara were sent by their Leader to go after the host of the One-Tailed Beast. It was Gaara. Sakura knew that Gaara was Temari's younger brother. To think that even he was in A Third Chance… it was just unreal.

They'd succeeded in capturing Gaara alive and were making their escape. The chapter had ended there, and Sakura turned the page to the next chapter.

To her complete shock, the character named Sakura was back. Except, this time, it wasn't the young girl from the Sand Village. This Sakura was different. She was a couple years older, around sixteen, and smarter and more confident. She was from a place called the Leaf Village, Konoha, where she had been training as a ninja for as long as she could remember.

Sakura toyed with the idea that maybe the Sakura of Leaf was actually the Sakura of Sand but reincarnated. About twenty years had gone by since Sakura of Sand was killed by the Third Kazekage, and this girl was a teenager. Maybe that's what the writer of the book intended, was for Sakura to be reincarnated. But now, Sasori was older and even more cruel and monstrous than he ever had been before. The real Sakura wondered if this new Sakura of Leaf would be able to sway him.

She wondered if Sakura of Leaf had any memories of her former life at all.

Book Scene

Haruno Sakura pulled on her black gloves. She flexed her fingers and made a fist, feeling her chakra movements with absolute precision.

Tsunade was watching her with keen brown eyes. Her blonde hair shifted in the wind as she folded her arms over her chest. "The Sand Village is three days away. When you get there, I don't want you and Naruto doing anything rash, like engaging Akatsuki in battle." The Fifth Hokage gave Sakura a stern look. "Are you ready for this? …Sakura."

Sakura glanced back at her teacher from the corner of her eyes. She didn't reply. Instead, she faced forward, and with a mighty cry, she brought down her fist into the ground below. With the force of an earthquake, the ground split and crumbled from her monstrous strength.

"The question is," she said, "are they ready for me."

Sasori was there to pick Sakura up from her house around eight in the evening. They rode together in Sasori's Ferrari with pleasant conversation. This time, they didn't have to give Deidara a ride to Pein and Konan's house because he finally fixed whatever was wrong with his car, so it was just the two of them.

"You really like Konan," Sasori noticed. He glanced at Sakura's happy expression from the corner of his eyes before switching his gaze back to the road.

"I do," said Sakura. "She's very friendly, for one, and she's very funny. I don't know; she's just so cool."

Sasori looked amused. "She called me the day after the dinner party and went on for some time about how much she liked you and how happy she was that we… were together." His voice faltered at the end there.

Sakura looked down at her lap. "That's… very nice of her."

"…You feel bad for lying."

"You can read me like a book."

"Sometimes," Sasori admitted. He pulled his car into the driveway and turned the key to turn it off. Then, he looked at Sakura. "Sakura… if you don't want to do this…"

"No," Sakura said quickly. "It's okay, really. I promise it's okay. I mean—so long as you're okay with it."

Sasori nodded. "She's stopped nagging at me to get a girlfriend, which was the intention. But I don't want this to be another source of stress for you." He reached out then, and Sakura's eyes widened. It looked as if he were about to touch the side of her face. Sasori's hand stopped at the last second, though, and he lowered it. "Let's go," he said.

They unbuckled their seatbelts and got out of the car. Pein answered the door when they knocked, and Sakura was reminded of his proposal to Konan. A wicked grin spread over her face, one that she found she couldn't force down no matter how hard she tried.

Pein saw this smile, and he narrowed his eyes. "Konan's been girl-talking with you, hasn't she?" If possible, Sakura's grin widened, and Pein let out a sigh that could have levelled buildings. "Women." He stepped aside so that Sakura and Sasori could enter.

After slipping off their shoes in the entryway, Sakura hurried into the kitchen. When she saw Konan, she made a high-pitched squee-like sound in her throat and threw her arms around the older woman. Konan giggled happily and hugged Sakura back.

Pein and Sasori walked into the kitchen. Pein shook his head at the sight and opened the fridge. He grabbed a bottle and tossed it to Sasori, who caught it in his left hand. Then, Pein leaned against the fridge looking none-too-impressed. "Are you girls about done giggling at my expense?"

"I don't know," Sakura said as she pulled back from Konan's hug. She was still grinning evilly. "I have this wonderful image of you on one knee professing your love, and I can't seem to un-see it."

Pein's silver eyes snapped to Konan. "I did no such thing."

"I didn't say you did," Konan insisted. She raised a hand to her mouth to cover her grin. "But it does happen to make quite the mental image."

Pein scowled and looked at Sasori. "It's good you showed up. I need another man, or I'd be outnumbered by those two." He gestured to Pein and Konan with his thumb before adding to Sasori, "No homo."

Sasori twisted the cap on the bottle and said, "Indeed." He took a drink, watching Sakura interact with Konan. She looked so happy, he noticed. For whatever reason, that made him happy.

"Speaking of homo," said Pein. "What's with that smile?"

Sasori's eyes widened. "It's nothing." He put on his best blank expression and left the kitchen for the sitting room. The television was on some movie about fighting robots. It wasn't Sasori's idea of entertainment, but it was better than wherever that conversation was going to end up.

Not everyone from Akatsuki came over that night. Deidara showed up a little late, and the only other ones who joined them were Hidan and Kisame. Before long, the robot movie was more background noise than anything else, and the seven of them were seated in the sofa and loveseats around a coffee table that held all their drinks.

Sakura brought two glasses of some green-colored drink into the sitting room with her. One, she set down in front of her seat, and the other, she offered to Sasori.

Sasori eyed the glass suspiciously. He usually didn't drink cocktails because they were too sweet. "What's in it?"

"It's just an apple martini," Sakura insisted.

Sasori didn't seem very convinced. The drink was green after all.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Do I look stupid enough to spike your drink?"

"Not quite," said Sasori. "But that's probably why Konan would pick you."

Sakura stared at him. "Not quite?"

Sasori shot her an amused glance before finally accepting the drink. He sniffed it once, and then he took a small sip. It really did just taste like a martini—albeit dryer than he'd expected it to be—with a hint of apple. "It's good," he told her.

Sakura beamed at him and sat down next to him on the loveseat. Choosing where to sit was difficult. She didn't want to sit too close because she wasn't actually Sasori's girlfriend. But she didn't want to sit too far away, because it would be suspicious.

No one seemed to notice, though.

"I can't believe you're getting married," said Hidan. He shook his head, looking at Pein with sympathy.

"I know," said Pein in a deadpan voice. "She already took sandwich privileges away. Asking for marriage is like asking for the sex to disappear, too."

Sakura snorted with laughter, but Konan merely grinned as she said, "Oh, come off it, Pein." She looked at Sakura and asked, "So you'll come to the wedding, right?"

"I would love to!" Sakura gushed. "I love weddings."

Konan nodded. "Great. To be honest, I don't really have any female friends."

Sakura's surprise must have shown on her face, for Konan took a quick drink of her martini and looked away. It made sense, then, why Konan was so eager to befriend Sakura. Shizune was more mature but awkward—she didn't really strike Sakura as the type of woman who knew how to have a good time. So Sakura and Konan really connected.

Sakura smiled at her. "You're one of my favorite friends I've ever had."

Konan switched her amber eyes back to Sakura. They were almost the same color as Pein's hair, if a little darker. "Same. Do you think you'd consider being maid of honor? If not you, then it has to be Deidara."

Deidara immediately choked on his beer, and Kisame had to pat his back to help him out. He looked at Konan and sputtered, "Are you actually saying these words?"

Sakura was laughing too hard and nearly spilled her drink. Sasori quickly took it and set it on the coffee table between the couches.

"You know," Sakura said, trying to get her laughter under control. "I'm almost tempted to refuse just to see Dei in a dress."

Deidara stared at her. "You evil cow… yeah."

"But I accept, of course," Sakura added, laughing again.

Konan looked relieved and smiled widely at Sakura. "Thank you."

"So does that mean I get to do a speech?" Sakura asked. "The maid of honor usually has a speech for the bride."

"Sure, if you want to," said Konan. "It won't be for several months, though, so I wouldn't worry about it. We'll have plenty of girl time between now and then!"

Sakura grinned. "Good, because I have no idea what I'd say yet. I'm just sort of hoping someone will stop me before I say or do something exceedingly obnoxious."

"Why?" Deidara asked. "No one else does… yeah."

Sakura's face made a grimace, and she said, "Great…"

Sasori felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards. "Relax," he told her. "I'll stop you before you say anything uncouth. If you feel me pinching your arm, maybe stepping on your toe, or even slapping my hand over your mouth and apologizing, you'll know to stop talking."

Sakura laughed and playfully shoved him with her arm. "Very funny! I didn't know you were such a comedian, Sasori!"

Konan brought her appletini to her lips with an amused expression. "Neither did I."

"So why the hell are you getting married?" Hidan asked. He opened another beer and took a swig. "She pregnant?"

"Hidan," said Konan, "it would be stupendous if you would try not to be an obnoxious asshole for once. No, I'm not pregnant. Are you the world's biggest dildo?"

Pein laughed at that, as did Hidan after a while. If there was one thing he could understand, it was people who spoke his language right back to him. He wasn't deliberately being offensive; it was just the way he was.

"So who's going to be your best man?" Sakura asked, looking at Pein. She hoped to start a different conversation so it wouldn't go back to pregnancy and dildos.

Pein leaned back in his seat on the sofa and looked thoughtful. "I haven't really thought about it. What all does a best man have to do?"

Konan answered before Sakura had to. "Well, he has to throw you a bachelor party with strippers so you can enjoy miscellaneous tits the night before you marry me." She downed her martini and set the empty glass on the coffee table. "I guess he also has to stand next to you at the altar so you don't get lonely."

"How very eloquent," said Pein. Despite the obvious sarcasm in his words, he was looking at Konan as if she were the most beautiful thing in the world, and her blunt, dry humor only cemented that fact to him.

It made Sakura grin widely.

"Sasori," said Pein. "You're more competent than most. Be my best man so I don't get lonely at the altar."

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"And make your woman stop grinning at me like that. It's ruining my manly image."

Sakura grinned even wider, looking like the Cheshire cat. "Oh no," she said teasingly, "you're doing that all on your own."

It was official. Sakura loved hanging out with Sasori's friends.

"How about we bust out my birthday present now?" Konan asked suddenly. She looked excited, and at a couple of noises of approval, she got up from the sofa and left the room.

While Konan was upstairs, Sakura looked at Pein. "Do you mind if I get another drink?"

He made a gesture that said he didn't care. "You know where the fridge is."

She nodded and switched her gaze to Sasori. "Do you want another?"

It was probably a bad idea, but Sasori rather liked the taste of the martini and found he could go for another one. It was better than the bottle of beer Pein had given him earlier. "All right," he agreed.

Sakura took their glasses into the kitchen. She poured Sasori a new martini, but a peek in the fridge showed her a pitcher of something peachy-looking. Sakura picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled delicious. "Hey, Pein," she called to the living room. "Is this Sex on the Beach in the pitcher?"

His reply was a simple 'yeah' that reached her in the kitchen. Sakura poured herself a tall glass of that with ice. Then, she put the pitcher back into the fridge. With the two drinks in hand, she returned to the sitting room and offered Sasori his martini.

He thanked her and took another drink. Sasori was fairly sure he wasn't feeling any affects from the alcohol, so he deemed it safe enough to continue.

Konan returned to them then with something that Sakura did not expect. It looked like a giant test tube out of a science show with a large sphere at the bottom. Several artistic blue etchings were in the glass, and a small tube stuck out of the side of the orb at the bottom. It actually took Sakura a moment to realize what it was.

It was a bong.

Her jaw dropped rather comically, and Konan grinned. "Pretty, isn't it?" she asked. She sat down on the sofa between Pein and Kisame. She set the glass bong on the coffee table. Then, she materialized a lighter out of the space between her breasts and looked at Sakura. "Have you ever used one of these before?"

"Uh…"

The warning bells went off in Sasori's head. "Konan, I don't think—"

"It'll be fine," Konan insisted. "It's easy. I'll teach you."

Sakura had never smoked marijuana in her life. In fact, she'd never even touched a cigarette (save for the time she pulled one from Deidara's mouth and stepped on it, but she was pretty sure that didn't count). Granted, she knew weed had a few medicinal purposes if used sparingly, but it was also illegal in most places.

Would it be rude if she refused it? She didn't want to lose her new friend because she ended up being the odd one out in this situation. But at the same time, she wasn't really sure if she was comfortable with it. Sakura had never really been peer pressured into something before, but she had a feeling that that was right where this was going.

"Um," Sakura started. "Are there any long term or short term effects?"

Konan looked surprised. "You mean you've never—oh." She looked at Pein and offered him the lighter instead. "You guys get started. Sakura and I are going to mix up another drink in the kitchen."

He nodded and took the lighter.

Sakura didn't really want another drink, but she was happy for the excuse to miss out on using the bong. It was very intimidating, and she was a bit afraid of it.

When they were alone in the kitchen, Sakura told Konan, "I already have a glass of Sex on the Beach in the living room."

"Oh, that's okay," said Konan. "I'm going to mix up a daiquiri though, if you want one of those, too."

Sakura thought about it. "…Strawberry?"

"Of course."

She really couldn't refuse. "Well, okay."

Konan reached into a cupboard and took out a blender. She set it down on the countertop and began filling it with ice. "I hadn't realized you'd never smoked before, but I should have asked. But I can understand your trepidation, given its reputation."

Sakura looked away. She felt a little embarrassed. Konan could probably tell.

"The truth is, there are no chemically addictive substances in marijuana," Konan told her. "I mean, if you smoke a joint every day for months and then stop, you will feel the need to have one. But that's a habitual addiction. You can get addicted to anything if you make a habit of it."

Konan turned the blender on, and it crushed the ice. They couldn't talk while it was running because it was so loud. When it was over, she flipped the switch and turned it off. Then, she began mixing the actual drink. "Basically, what will happen as you smoke is you will relax and your mind will stop thinking and worrying about ten different things at once. You'll enjoy whatever you're doing, and it'll occupy you completely. Colors will be more vivid, music will sound deeper and more intense, things will taste better, and you will probably find everything hilarious. It's as simple as that."

Sakura frowned. That sounded almost… innocent. "Then why is it illegal?"

The older woman gave a slight shrug and poured the strawberry daiquiri into two glasses. "Keeping it illegal gets the government votes. It's a plant, and it was made illegal originally by some health scare with hemp. Honestly, smoking cigarettes is way unhealthier for you. Google it, if you don't believe me."

Sakura considered this. She liked to think she was adventurous enough to try anything once. Maybe one time wouldn't hurt, as long as she never did it again. "And you promise there are no side effects?"

Konan offered her a daiquiri. "Only a temporary high. After that, nothing. You'll probably have more side-effects from that one daiquiri than you will from smoking a little pot."

Sakura accepted the icy pink drink and took a sip. It was delicious. Finally, she said, "Okay. I'll try it. But just this once."

Konan grinned at her and led her back into the sitting room. The curtains were drawn closed over the window, and there was a bit of a haze of smoke toward the ceiling. Sakura noticed a peculiar smell, but it wasn't too terrible. She sat down next to Sasori and wondered who all had smoked from the glass bong on the table. She wondered if Sasori had.

"Are you all right?" Sasori asked her.

Sakura managed a small smile and a nod, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Sasori seemed to sense that she was uncomfortable. He reached toward her, and Sakura didn't react because she was sure that he would lower his hand again. However, this time, he gently brushed her pink hair back behind her ears. The contact was soft and surprising. Sasori's hand lingered for a moment before he seemed to realize what he was doing.

He pulled away and looked in another direction.

The room was pretty quiet, for one—quieter than Sakura had ever heard these Akatsuki guys ever be. She wondered if that was a side effect.

"Everyone reacts to it different," Konan explained, as if she could guess Sakura's train of thought. "Kisame here spaces pretty hard." She snapped her fingers in front of his face, and his yellow eyes snapped to attention. He made some sort of grumbling noise before staring in another direction and zoning out again.

Konan picked up the bong. She held the bottom with her left hand and the top with her right. "I'll show you how to do it. First, you're going to press your mouth to the opening here. Then, you need to light it, right here." She pointed to the small tube sticking out of the round base of the bong. The tip was cone-shaped, and it held a few greens. "Once it's lit, you breathe in and fill your lungs. When you see this turn cloudy," she pointed to the top of the tube part, "you should probably stop. So you lift this piece here," the lifted up the small tube that held the marijuana and pulled it out of the slot in the bong's base. "Then you breathe in the last of the smoke and you hold it in as long as you can."

Konan put the smaller tube of marijuana back into the bong. She pressed her lips to the opening and held the lighter over the herbs. With a flick of her thumb, the lighter caught fire, and she began breathing in the smoke from the bong. The glass became very cloudy, and Konan lifted up the tube with the marijuana. She took one last breath and lifted her head from the glass. Sakura could tell she was holding her breath. She slid the small tube back into place and offered the bong to Sakura.

Sakura accepted the bong and the lighter. It was heavier than she thought it would be. She looked inside and said, "There's water in here."

Konan nodded, and when she spoke, smoke passed through her lips. "There's supposed to be."

Sakura looked at Pein. He was watching her with an almost curious expression. In fact, most of them were watching her. She supposed this was the moment of truth.

Sakura pressed her lips to the opening at the top of the bong and she lit it up. Breathing in was… strange. It had a very light, almost funny sort of taste that she couldn't put her finger on. At the first sign of the glass turning cloudy, she quickly lifted the small tube out of the bottom and finished what was left. Then, she held her breath and offered it back to Konan.

The trouble was, it burned a little, and soon, Sakura found herself in a coughing fit that lasted for several seconds. Sasori offered her the frozen daiquiri, and Sakura gratefully drank from it. The chilled drink helped soothe the burning in her throat, and she breathed heavily for a moment.

"That was…" she struggled to think of a word. Why were no words coming to her? She could place the feeling in her mind, but nothing came to her lips to give it a name.

Konan passed the bong to Hidan, who said a quick, "Fuck yeah," before taking his hit. He lasted considerably longer than Sakura, but they were all a lot more used to it than she was. From what Sakura remembered, most of them did this back in high school.

"How do you feel?" Konan asked.

Sakura furrowed her brow. "I'm okay."

Pein grinned at her. "That was a baby hit. I think she needs a bit more."

"Hey, be nice to Sakura, yeah?" said Deidara. He was pouting and swaying a little in his seat. "She's just a baby."

Sakura frowned at him. "I'm not a baby."

Deidara offered her a sloppy grin. "But you're so cute… yeah."

"You're acting kinda weird, Deidara," Sakura said.

When the bong went full circle and made it to Sasori, Sakura almost expected him to pass. She just couldn't imagine someone as elegant and suave as Sasori smoking weed of all things. And yet, to her surprise, he lit up and took a good amount of the smoke into his lungs and held it there. Then, he passed it to her.

Sakura clumsily held the bong and the lighter. "Um…"

"I'll light it for you," Sasori said. Smoke passed between his lips as he spoke.

"Thanks," said Sakura. She meant it. It was awkward to hold both the bong and the lighter and be able to pull the tube of marijuana out at the right time.

He nodded and waited for her to press her mouth into the top of the tube. Then, he lit the herb and watched Sakura breathe in the smoke. When she'd had enough, he pulled the smaller tube out, and she finished. He slid it back into place when she raised her head, smiling at him.

He couldn't help but smile back, and he didn't take his eyes off her to pass the bong to the next person.

"I feel… kinda strange," Sakura said. She giggled loudly and smacked her hands over her mouth to quiet herself down. For some reason, she felt very lighthearted and happy. She looked over at Sasori and found herself taken completely in by his eyes. "I don't know how to explain it. I just… feel… so damn good…"

Sasori's eyes widened when she leaned toward him, and he instinctively leaned back. "Sakura?"

"Fuck," said Hidan, laughing. "I wish I had her tolerance."

"She's never smoked before," Konan pointed out. "Of course it's not going to take much! And she's been drinking."

"It's not a bad thing," Pein said, sounding amused. "But it makes me want to take four or five hits just to catch up to her."

"No shit," said Hidan. His voice was strained from trying to keep the smoke in his lungs and still speak. He passed the bong to Kisame, who took a nice long hit before passing it to Deidara.

When it got back to Sakura, she had Sasori light it again for her. By her third hit, she considered herself an expert. "This isn't so bad," she said, her voice louder and higher pitched than usual. She passed the bong back to Hidan and grinned proudly. "You guys think you're such badasses. But I can handle this, no problem."

Pein couldn't help it. He laughed. "I like her," he admitted.

Konan grinned at him. "So do I."

Sakura wasn't the only one getting stoned. She began to see all the little differences in everyone. It seemed their eccentricities got exaggerated when they were under the influence—though whether it was from the weed or the alcohol, Sakura couldn't tell. It probably varied.

Hidan and Pein started to arm wrestle, both making vulgar, cocky comments to each other. Kisame seemed to zone out staring at the simplest thing. Deidara wouldn't shut up, constantly babbling about whatever thought hit his mind. He would even switch subjects mid-sentence. Konan was prone to a giggling fit that landed her on the floor in a mess of laughter.

And, the most confusing of all, was Sasori. Sakura didn't know if he was drunk or high or both, but whatever he was, he couldn't seem to stop touching her. Sakura leaned in to his touch, her heart soaring with giddiness when Sasori ran his thumb over her lower lip.

"You are so beautiful," Sasori said, as if he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," said Hidan. He was sitting on the floor near Pein while the two of them arm wrestled.

"Me, too, if I have to listen to any more of that," Pein agreed. He and Hidan both couldn't stop squinting, as if they couldn't open their eyes all the way. By this point, the cloud of smoke had grown and made a sort of hot box effect in the sitting room.

"No, I'm really—" Hidan cut off and ran for the bathroom.

Konan laid her head down on Pein's lap and giggled relentlessly. "That's what he gets for drinking that much. That's why I only had one."

"You had two," Pein reminded her, looking down at her with a fond smile.

"Did I?"

"Oh my god, guys, I am so hungry right now," said Deidara. He looked around the living room, and when he didn't find any food within sight, he got up and went into the kitchen.

Pein stared blankly at the archway from the living room to the kitchen for a moment before saying, "I feel like I should stop him before he eats all my food, but I can't seem to find the willpower to get up."

"Tell me about it," said Kisame.

Hidan emerged from the restroom at that time with wide eyes. "Guys, guys," he said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I just had an epimoney."

Deidara returned with a jar of peanut butter, a bag of doritos, and some ketchup. "What's an epimoney?" he asked, squinting at Hidan through the haze of smoke.

"You know, one of those fuckin', uh, realization things."

Sasori looked as if he were concentrating very hard on thinking of the word. Finally, he said, "…Epiphany."

"Yes!" said Hidan. "Did you know, did you know, that soap was made of fat? We wash our hands with fat, man."

Deidara looked as if his whole world had just turned upside down. "Holy shit."

"That's what I said!"

Sakura yawned loudly. "I feel so heavy." She lifted her right arm, and it felt like it weight twenty pounds more than normal. Her whole body felt as if gravity was working against her. She leaned into Sasori and giggled.

Konan looked up at her from where she was laying on the floor. "I think someone might be ready for bed!"

"Noooo," Sakura whined amidst her giggles.

Konan tried to rise into a sitting position, but she struggled and flailed her arms, laughing. Pein pushed her up. "Don't worry, Sakura!" she said, slurring a little. "You can stay here tonight! It'll be like a sleepover."

"I love sleepovers," Sakura said giddily. She took Sasori's hand and said, "Come with meee. We can have a sleepover, too!"

Sasori smiled fondly at her, and Konan spoke excitedly, "Yes, of course! You two can have the spare bedroom."

Deidara whined. "Why don't I get the spare bedroom, yeah?"

"Because Sakura's a lady!" Konan retorted.

Sakura snorted with laughter. "Hear that? I'm a lady."

"Then I guess I need to tuck this lady into bed," said Sasori. He slowly stood up, and he felt the blood rush to his head. Perhaps he'd had more to drink than he realized. Or maybe it was more to smoke… when did he stop counting?

Sakura was still sitting on the couch. She wrapped her arms around Sasori's waist from behind. "Nooo, Sasori! I'm too heavy! You'll have to drag me!"

"Sakura," Sasori said, his voice heavy with amusement. He knelt down in front of her, grinning like a fool. In his hazy vision, Sakura's smiling face as all he could see.

Sasori wasn't sure how he and Sakura made it to their room. There was a distinct lapse in his memory there, but he did remember pressing Sakura against the closed door and leaning in to her. He pressed his nose to her neck and actually nuzzled her.

"Sasori," Sakura breathed. "I don't know if I'm drunk or high or whatever, but I am so comfortable right now."

She felt his lips murmur against her neck. "So am I." His breath was warm.

Sasori wasn't sure what had possessed him to lose his usually perfect control, to act on so many impulses, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He brought his face up to Sakura's and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as fiercely.

Sasori lifted Sakura by her thighs, and she locked her legs around him. He pushed her up against the door and kissed her again. Sakura had always been beautiful, he knew, but it was one of those things that he'd considered forbidden. Look but don't touch, like a work of art.

Feelings were just things that Sasori usually tried not to acknowledge anyway, but it seemed his intoxication gave him other ideas, ideas that he frankly lacked the willpower or desire to refuse.

Even in his half-aware state, Sasori was surprised to see just how eager Sakura was for this. She slipped down from the door and led him toward the center of the guest bedroom. There, Sakura was content to kiss Sasori everywhere while she undid his belt and the buttons of his shirt. Piece by piece, she had new grounds for her lips, and Sasori made quick work of her clothes as well.

Perhaps in the back of their mind, behind the haze of marijuana and booze, there was a tiny voice saying that this was probably a bad idea, but neither of them seemed to be listening. Sakura ran her fingers over Sasori's shoulders and down his arms, relishing the fact that he let her be closer to him than anyone else. Sasori, who hid his emotions, who shunned affection and displayed discomfort at touch, was allowing Sakura to touch him as he touched her.

It was liberating.

Sakura tossed aside his belt and pulled him with her onto the bed. They met each other with sharp, biting kisses as they tore off pieces of clothing. Sasori ran his fingers up her spine, and her back arched into him. He brushed her pretty pink hair to one side to kiss, suck, and bite at her neck, and Sakura latched onto him with her thighs. All thoughts of patience spiraled out of his mind, not that Sasori had been very patient to begin with. He dragged her hips closer to his, and they both became lost in the moment.

There were a lot of things that night that in retrospect were probably bad ideas.