Wow… Gomen for the delay on this one. D:

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Scattered Clouds, Disappearing Mist

Same Day, Different Lives

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Akatsuki no Deidara fought back the smirk as he slowly eased himself backwards into a more comfortable position, millimeter by eager millimeter. The grass underneath his body was cool and pleasantly caressed his uncovered skin, helping to ease away the almost unbearable heat from the hot sun overhead, as well as the vulnerable feeling of being laid out openly on the ground. The softness supporting his head was a welcome support, and the fact his face wasn't being pressed into the ground from aggravated hands gave him slightly more courage as he shifted back again.

Just a little more…

"Deidara."

He winced at the warning tone, his blue eyes slowly looking upwards at the annoyed face to whom the voice belonged.

"I told you not to move."

A playful, apologetic smirk crossed his face.

"Sorry Sakura-chan. Just trying to get comfortable, un."

She sighed and reached down to poke his forehead, the rarely uncovered skin prickling at the contact. Her small giggle gave him the opportunity to fully scoot back into her lap, until his head rested snugly between her legs, his eyes closing in bliss.

"Comfy?"

Deidara couldn't help but smile at her mocking tone.

"Very much, un."

"Can I fix your chakra system now?"

"Fix away."

Even though his eyes where closed, he was sure she had rolled her own down at him, and tried not to let his smirk widen as her fingers tenderly touched the sides of his head, right above the outer edge of his blonde eyebrows.

"It's important you remain perfectly still, ok?"

"Un."

Relaxing into her completely, Deidara succumbed to the gentle rolling of her fingertips on his skin, the delicate pulse of her chakra easing him into a meditative state. He could feel her healing jutsu ease down into his flesh, past the cardiovascular system to the chakra network intricately weaved around his most vital organs. Sakura's unique green chakra seeped into his own, speeding down the system and fixing the vein walls, until his own chakra effortlessly moved throughout his body once more, the broken connections of his newly attached arms fastening quickly to his body.

Her power left and her hands stopped glowing, her fingers halting their calming rotations.

"How does that feel Dei-kun?"

Consciousness gradually seeped back into his foggy mind, and, with some effort, he opened his eyes, feeling like he had been sleeping for a lifetime. Groggily, Deidara lifted up his arms and clenched his hands into fists, the tongues on his palms licking his fingers teasingly, making him smile. He allowed chakra to creep into his fingertips until he could feel the unimpeded flow swirl underneath his skin.

"Feels great, un."

Her hands fell free from his head as she sighed in relief, her emerald eyes dark as she forced herself to relax.

"Well that's good. I didn't know if my chakra could fix yours without harming the air supply you call a brain."

"Hey! I resent that un!"

Sakura laughed, the sound proving infectious.

"If you're already getting defensive, I guess you can't have lost too much air-"

"Sakura-chan!"

"Oh you know I'm kidding baka," she giggled as she pushed down on the bridge of his nose, making his blue eyes cross. "I only make fun of you because I love you."

He folded his arms over his chest, pouting playfully up at her before giving into laughter.

"You have a funny way of expressing love then, un."

Her bell-like giggles joined in, chiming merrily with his until hers died away, and she quieted, suddenly somber.

"I'm sorry about Danna. I… I didn't want him to die."

"Un."

Deidara slowly raised himself off her lap, his unbound hair cascading over his shoulders in blonde waterfalls. He turned to face her, frowning at her clasped hands on her knees.

"Dying is part of this business Sakura-chan, un. All of us will have to go sometime."

She smiled sadly over at him.

"You sound like Itachi-sensei."

At her words he made a strangled face, making her chuckle. He smiled at the sound and then stared up at the blue skies above, his thoughts drifting to his late partner.

"Just remember Sakura-chan, un. Life is only beautiful because it's so fleeting, so transient."

He ruffled her bangs, happy when she playfully swatted his hand away, her face brightening slightly.

"Leaving a thing of eternal beauty for the future…? Yeah, right. All he did was get killed… un?"

"Yeah."

Deidara leaned back onto his elbows, smirking at the sunlight radiating off his face.

"You know, you shouldn't feel bad about Danna. When we found him, he looked pretty peaceful, like he was asleep un."

Sakura nodded, smiling fondly in remembrance.

"He was happy. He died with a smile on his face."

The blonde looked over at the pinkette, a sudden frown tugging on his lips.

"But why did you have to give his ring to the brat, un?"

"Leader-sama told me to."

"Does he have fighting experience? Can he even fight?"

The kunoichi shook her head at the doubtful look on his face, and poked him on the forehead, a habit she had gotten into to cheer him up.

"Why else would Leader-sama want Tobi in the organization?"

"Maybe the brat threatened to keep whining until Leader committed suicide just to block out the annoying sound, un."

Sakura snorted then started to laugh, and his face pulled into a strange pout, which only fueled her giggles.

"Why are you laughing? How do you know he won't try to kill us all with his pitiful whining, un?"

He faked a terrified look, starting her laughter all up again. Their antics were beginning to draw strange glances from the others seated nearby at their makeshift camp, but he only grinned manically at them, especially at his arch rival seated directly across the clearing. Deidara took the moment to smugly smirk at emotionless onyx eyes, frowning when Itachi made no move to acknowledge him further than his blank stare.

"Kami Dei-kun… Stop making me laugh!"

Giving up on the expressionless Uchiha, he turned back to his comrade, aiming a poke at her side, just between her ribs where she was most ticklish.

"Give me one reason not to un!"

She caught his hands mere centimeters from their target, her laughter dying to forced down chuckles that randomly shook her body.

"You don't want me to call Tobi over here do you?"

"…you wouldn't."

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Should Tobi be Madara in this? It's not really relevant to this particular story so I dunno… *cries in frustration* Help me! DX

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Naruto Uzumaki's eyes narrowed onto the feet carefully circling his own, his breath coming out in deep pants and harsh gasps as his heightened senses scanned his opponent's body, waiting for a twitch, a jerk of muscle that would tell him when to and when not to strike.

You're not gonna come at me again are ya?

The feet paused as if on cue, their owner fell into a unique stance, steady hands up and poised in the special position. He watched calmly as the limbs fell into place then halted, egging him on to make the next move even though he was low on chakra; an unspoken challenge to which he eagerly replied with a foxy smirk.

Fine. Let's see how you like this!

With no more than a gentle whisper, a pair of kunai flew to his fingertips, his chakra induced speed bringing him deathly close to his adversary, his cerulean gaze shifting over the unmoving body. The kunai whistled on the movement-induced wind as he brought them down fiercely, the calluses on his hands screaming as the challenger suddenly moved in a swift circle, the force of exploding chakra ripping the weapons from his fingers.

Powerful chakra whizzed by his head as he narrowly dodged a sweeping hand and leapt back, seizing up his opponent with careful observation, already planning his next move before his feet even hit the ground.

Sasuke and Hinata might've had the advantage to see chakra with their Sharingan and Byakugan, but, in Naruto's case, compensation was required, and he found his nose worked just as well as any kekkei genkai.

Tapping into some of the Kyuubi's energy gave him the ability to sense chakra and where his opponent focused their energies before, during, and after a strike. This saved him as another potent blast rushed past his shoulders, driving him back under the force of his dodge, his leg sweeping out in a precise kick to an unguarded hip, the dull thud of his foot hitting flesh making him smirk before his momentum sent him careening away.

Before he could attack, however, his challenger swung for him again, forcing him to block. Chakra blared dangerously on pale hands, sweeping for the multiple chakra points all over his body. This attack was aimed for his stomach, and he knocked the hit off course, careful to pull his arm quickly away before his unguarded limb became a split-second target.

The other hand came sailing for his side, demanding him to block once again, leaving his other side vulnerable. A faint pain began to burn down his ribs and he kicked out in desperation, effectively sending his attacker a few paces backwards, giving him time to steady himself and gain ground.

So you wanna play it that way huh?

Switching tactics, Naruto commanded chakra down into his feet, speeding his already screaming limbs to an outrageous speed, using a special taijutsu technique that made him appear in one area then in another a mere second later.

His opponent simply followed his movements with the curious flicker of their eyes, not moving from the defensive stance they had sunk to the moment he had moved in effort to conserve what little chakra they had left.

We'll see how cool you are when I snag ya from behind!

He charged forward then feigned left, disappearing just as his adversary swept a chakra encoded hand towards him. Naruto landed behind the immobile form, aiming to slam his fist down between the shoulder blades in order to get the other to stumble forward.

But their movements were quicker than he had anticipated, and before he could successfully complete the blow, his attacker met him head on, aiming a deadly strike to his shoulders.

Kyuubi snarled an alert in the back of his mind and he punched forward urgently, aiming for the tired but concentrated face, his fist blocking out the fierce frown marring the features. In an instant, a glowing hand lifted his arm up, out of the way, as his assailant ducked down, aiming an exact blow to his gut before he could even blink.

"Hah!"

A flat palm slammed into his abdomen, sending the air out of his lungs in a violent rush. Naruto gasped and grabbed blindly as he lost footing and shot backwards, latching his hand around his opponent's wrist in a last-ditch effort to take them down with him.

They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and surprised shouts, uplifting a large cloud of dust as they slid to a quick stop, their bodies creating a rift through the tough earth. For a moment, Naruto could only peer up at the deep blue sky, trying to catch his breath, not noticing when the other quickly clambered off him, sitting ramrod straight and turned away.

After a few deep breaths, a large grin took over his face, and he laughed loudly, relaxing entirely against the pleasantly cool ground.

"Oh wow Hinata-chan! That was awesome!"

He flashed one of his trade-mark grins at her blushing face, enjoying the smile playing over her lips as well as the gentle giggle that issued past, wordlessly vowing to make her face beam like that more often.

"T-thank you, N-Naruto-kun…"

"I should be thanking you!"

He stretched out on the torn soil, not caring as the rough earth of the training ground bit into his scalp.

"I really needed that, after all that's happened ya know? So, thanks."

"I-it was no problem… really."

Naruto couldn't help but send her another smile. It was always like that when she was around; all he wanted to do was make her laugh and he himself could never stop grinning like an idiot in the process.

"I can always count on you Hinata-chan. You're the best!"

She turned away as her face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson, and he frowned, sitting up quickly and scooting up next to her.

"Hey you ok? Your face is all red. Do you have a fever? Here, let me check."

He quickly placed his hand over her forehead, frowning as her face went even darker, if that was even possible.

"Did you over do it? I knew it. I shouldn't have gone so hard on you."

Hinata quickly shook her head, the fierce movement forcing his touch off her heated skin.

"N-no I'm f-fine! Really! I-I didn't want you to go e-easy on me N-Naruto-kun."

"Hm… ok, if you say s-- Hinata-chan, your hand!"

"H-huh?"

Ignoring her confused look, Naruto gently grabbed for her left hand, grimacing at the deep gash splitting her creamy skin open, dried blood staining her calloused flesh a blackish scarlet.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry Hinata-chan."

Guilt slammed down to his core, aiding his efforts as he ripped out a piece of torn cloth from his belt pouch, tenderly wrapping the wound before she had the chance to respond. Her face went red all over again, but she was smiling at his care, clearly not used to the attention, yet not opposing it in any way.

"I must've hit you with one of my kunai," Naruto declared sheepishly as he gently tied the cloth to keep it firmly in place, his hands still warmly clamped around hers.

"I… I t-think it was one of your s-shuriken…"

He stared incredulously down at her pale lavender eyes, blinking in surprise.

"You were hurt for that long? Why didn't you say anything?"

She turned away, her blush slightly darker as she adjusted to his sudden interest.

"W-well you said you n-needed to spar… and I-I promised to help you whenever I could, N-Naruto-kun… I n-never go back on my word."

"Your ninja way," Naruto finished, nodding in recollection, his eyes locked on hers.

"Y-yes."

He felt a surge of pride then, though he didn't know where it came from, and he chuckled.

"You've really changed Hinata-chan."

A surprised squeak left her lips as his words settled in, her stunned stare making him smile.

"R-really?"

"Uh-huh. You're really strong… stronger than you used to be, and probably stronger than I am."

She turned away quickly again in an effort to hide her still burning cheeks, a small giggle rattling her body.

"Y-you don't know how much that m-means to me N-Naruto-kun."

Her voice was no more than a whisper, but he hang on every word, his eyes softening as he stared down at their joined hands.

"We need to spar more often I think Hinata-chan. Usually, I'm stuck with the teme since Sai holes himself up in the library and Kakashi-sensei buries his nose into that stupid book of his. I know Sasuke's moves perfectly, so everything's pretty predictable, and there are almost no surprises. It's nice to have a change."

"Y-yes… of course… whenever you n-need me…"

"Thanks."

A comfortable silence fell between them then, the only sounds between them the gentle whisper of their breaths mingling together as they enjoyed the stillness.

"Hey… Hinata-chan?"

"W-what is it N-Naruto-kun…?"

"Do you… do you think I'll ever find Sakura?"

The Hyuuga heiress was silent for a few moments as she gazed over at her long-time crush, her eyes somber as his face slowly fell.

"I… I think y-you can do a-anything if you put your m-mind to it N-Naruto-kun."

"Yea but… she thinks I hate her. I could never hate her. She's my teammate."

Naruto unconsciously squeezed Hinata's hand, unaware he was still holding it tightly.

"I mean sure, I don't agree with everything she's done, but… what gives me the right to hate her for it?"

"…N-Naruto-kun…"

"I just don't know what to do anymore," he admitted sadly, his head hanging in depression. "At first, I wanted to bring her back because I really liked her, and because she was my teammate. I felt like I owed it to her, if any of us wanted some happiness. But now…" Naruto glanced over at the dark-haired girl, a tender smile pulling up the corners of his lips. "Now, I need to bring her home for Sasuke. It's weird, but I've never realized just how much he loved her until she was gone. I cant imagine how hard it was for him when I left as well."

Cerulean racked over the skies, skimming the clouds yet seeming to reach even farther.

"We may not get along all the time, but we're close like brothers; we support each other. I'd do anything to see him happy, which is why I have to bring her home."

He heard Hinata take a deep breath before her other hand fell over his, and he looked up into her beautiful eyes, surprised at her smile that radiated the sun itself.

"You will N-Naruto-kun. I b-believe in you. I… I've always b-believed in you."

Her words made his eyes sting and burn in unbidden tears, and he slowly dropped her hands in favor of embracing her tightly, holding her like she was his life line, her hair soft against his cheek, her delicate scent sweeter than he ever imagined.

"Thank you Hinata-chan… thank you."

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NaruHina lovers… that was for you! ;P

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(A/N: And FIN! I hope you all liked this one. I was going to add more, but I'm getting pressed for time, I really wanted to update SOMETHING, and this has reached a word count of over 3,000 already, so if you think it's short, sorry, but the fluff should make up for it me thinks. ;P Until next time! R&R plz!)