Hi readers! You are AWESOME! I've got the day off today so hopefully ill have another post for you a little later.

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Internal Affairs

Chapter 24: growing stronger

Ino quickly followed her 'newfound' brother to the door of the cafe, when suddenly he came to an abrupt stop, causing her to run right into his back. "Gah!" She said, rubbing her nose.

Deidara whipped around to face her with large and glistening blue eyes. "I'm so sorry." He started. "I was so busy being angry with my, with our father, that I never even took the chance to be grateful to have you as my sister." He said before wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace.

To Ino, it was a little strange feeling him hugging her that way, and seeing him act so kind and so soft. It was yet another side of Deidara she hadn't seen before. She had never seen him act so angry and passionate, and then she had never seen him act this way. She hugged him back, laying her head on his chest and for a moment it seemed as though the world stopped. "I wish we could've grown up together, Dei."

The blonde man pulled away from his sister and looked down at her. "Dei?"

"It's what I'm gonna call you now!" Ino chimed with a smile.

"Alright, but only because it's you." He teased before walking out of the cafe. "So let's take my car."

"You're serious about confronting dad?" Ino asked, following her brother to his white Hummer.

"Absolutely. There are things I need answers to, I need to know why he abandoned me and my mother." he said as he opened her car door for her.

The blonde girl climbed in and looked down at him. "Do you think, after this, you could help me find my mother?"

"We can always try, Ino."

"No, I won't take her." Said Sasori, one of the highest ranked fighters in the area. "I'm not training her. I know who she is, and who her father is. And who her husband is. If she loses, they will blame me. I don't want that on me."

Tenten frowned a little and looked down, feeling a bit rejected.

"We won't blame you if she loses, that I can assure you." Orochimaru hissed. "I wplus be more concerned for your life if you didn't take her on as your student. Aside from that, we will pay you generously for it." Orochimaru glanced at the brunette, he didn't like the look on her face one bit. He was determined to do whatever it took to get rid of it.

The flame haired man contemplated Orochimaru's words carefully before going to Tenten and circling her. "Hmm," he said, scratching his head before taking a swing right at her face.

Orochimaru's eyes widened and he lunged forward, but Tenten had blocked the blow easily, his worries put to rest.

"Not bad, little girl." Sasori smirked. "Fine, I'll take her as my student. I'll haveto access where she's at before I can tell you when she'll be back in the ring." He stated. "But I guarantee we will get her there.

"So, you're on your way right now?" Sasuke inquired.

Ino munched on a French fry before replying. "Yes, I need to mediate. I don't want them killing each other. "

"Well, good luck. Sometimes Deidara gets a little out of control. Be careful, please Ino." Sasuke plead through the phone.

"I will, I promise." She said, with a smile in her voice as she leaned back in the seat.

"Okay, please call me if you need me. I'll be down there if you need me to. You know that." He instructed.

"And you know that if I need you, I will call."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Sasuke. Give the twins kisses for me." Ino asked softly.

"I love you, Sasuke!" Deidara shouted teasingly.

"Screw you, asshole!" Sasuke said before hanging up.

Ino frowned and glared menacingly at Deidara.

He briefly glanced over at her. "What?"

"He called you an asshole." Ino giggled.

"Well, I'm afraid most of the time he's right."

"No, that can't be true, Dei." Ino encouraged.

"I'm kind of a selfish jerk. I tend to only look out for myself." He replied as he kept his eyes focused on the road.

"I think you know that isn't true. You care so much about your friends, about Itachi and Tenten." Ino said with a smile as she patted his shoulder.

"No, I really don't." He said plainly.

"What do you mean, you can't look at me and tell me you don't care one bit about Tenten, that's a flat out lie! And what you're doing for Sasuke and I!?"

"I.. There's an unknown history between me and Tenten, and what I did was not caring at all. It was selfish. So, I'll leave it at that. And I did this for you and Sasuke so that I wouldn't have to be alone anymore. I deserve a bitch like Sakura." Deidara admitted.

"Wait a minute, you have a history with Tenten? Does Itachi know?"

"No, and he will never know." Deidara replied.

"What makes you say you deserve Sakura, because I don't think it's true." Ino asked, curiously.

Deidara opened his mouth, signaling to Ino that she needed to feed him first before he would talk, so she stuffed a fry in his mouth and frowned at him. "You're my brother, you need to tell me these things!"

"Fine, fine..." He said before sighing loudly. "Don't you dare tell anyone this story." he warned.

"Okay, I won't." Ino assured.

"I was 18, Tenten was 16. She was doing really well in the fighting arena. She never lost, not once. I watched her a few times before finally asking her out. Surprisingly, she said yes."

"You two dated all those years ago." Ino blinked in disbelief.

"It's been ten years. But yes, we did and God, I really fell hard for that dork." he smiled nostalgically.

"Dork, I can't imagine Tenten being a dork at all." Ino said quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh but she really was." He said with a chuckle. "A hard ass dork, really scary but so silly too. She was amazing. When she was close to turning 18, these two men started watching her closely."

"Two men?" Ino inquired.

"Itachi Uchiha, and his father, Fugaku." Deidara explained. "So, when they realized I was in the way of their 'plan' to make Tenten Itachi's wife, they offered me money and a position at their upcoming company. Which is where you work now. Foolishly, I took it and left Tenten without another thought."

"You did that to her, for money?" Ino asked, sadly.

"Yes, because ultimately I believed that I would end up alone just like I started out. I still regret that decision, but it is way too late to take it all back now."

"I know what you mean." Ino admitted, looking at her brother with downcast eyes. "Sometimes, I regret leaving.. An old friend behind without helping him when he needed it most. And then I hurt him yet again when he did come back into my life."

"Ah, doctor boy." Deidara smirked.

"Yes, but his name is Neji." Ino corrected.

"Do you still love him?" Deidara inquired curiously.

Gasping, Ino pointed to a house on the left side of the road. "You're gonna miss it!"

Tenten was extremely nervous, getting in the ring with this champion fighter. She felt old, even though he was her age.

"Don't five me those eyes, Uchiha, I can tell you're scared shitless right now!" Sasori boomed.

Tenten looked even more frightened before glaring at him angrily. He's a lot like dad, she thought to herself before taking a stance.

"Loosen up a bit, you're too tense. It's gonna hurt when your opponent punches you!"

"That's not-" She started before being cut off by her new trainer's fist colliding with her face. Growling, she cocked her fist back and began swinging angrily at him, causing him to smile and deflect her.. But shockingly, she managed to land a right hook, and he stumbled back.

Orochimaru watched, on edge. Sitting on the bench, his leg continued to bounce up and down nervously as Tenten and Sasori continued to spar.

"Have you grown attached to your newfound toy?" Kabuto asked his master as he sat beside him.

"No." Orochimaru spat.

"It sure seems to bug you when she gets hurt." Kabuto prodded.

"It's none of your damn business. She is simply something I use when I need her. That is all."

"And if she weren't to comply with that, sir?"

"You know, I would kill her family just like I killed the Uchiha's."

Deidara yanked the wheel quickly, and turned into the driveway of the house before they missed it completely. "Gees, you could've warned me sooner!"

"You were talking! Sorry!" Ino frowned before getting out.

"It's okay." Deidara said, after getting out and walking to her. "I'm nervous." He admitted sheepishly.

"Deidara, don't be. Just try your best to stay calm, because it should come as no surprise to you that my father has a very bad temper. Like someone else I know, so if you get mad and start to raise your voice, so will he. Believe me."

Deidara nodded at her instructions and took a deep breath. "Okay, I think I'm ready."

This time, Ino nodded and she took his hand. She squeezed it lightly before walking with Deidara to the front door and knocking.

After a moment of silence had passed, the front door was unlocked and then swung open, revealing their father. Inoichi looked at the two with wide and questioning eyes, he couldn't be sure if it was his son or not.

"Dad, this is Deidara. He wanted to meet you after all these years. " Ino stated.

"P-please." Inoichi said after gasping quietly. "Come inside." he stepped out of the way for the two blondes to enter into his home before he closed the door behind them.

Deidara looked around, seeing pictures of Ino on the wall nearly everywhere. "Quite the proud parent, I see."

"Come sit down, and let me explain things to you, son." Inoichi said sheepishly.

Oh no. Ino could see the anger welling up within her brother, so she gently took his hand. "Come sit with me." She said, leading him to the living room and sitting beside him on be couch that faced a reclining arm chair. She clung to his hand.

Inoichi came and sat in that very chair and clasped his hands together. "Let me start by saying that I am so sorry that I haven't been in your life."

"I know you weren't in my life, not one bit. You were simply a sperm donor for my mom. What I want to know is why." Deidara demanded, letting go of Ino's hand.

Please don't kill each other, please don't kill each other, please don't kill each other. Was all Ino could think.

"Your mother refused to let me be a part of your life when she found out that I was married. Don't you dare think that I didn't try!"

"Did you know that she died, when I was only two? They looked for my father, but there wasn't a record of one. I think you were just a coward! You didn't wanna lose your perfect family, so you didn't bother trying with me or my mom!"

"Dei, please calm down." Ino plead, trying to take his hand again.

"Don't you dare assume you know what happened when you don't, boy. I did everything I could to be a part of your life, but I couldn't. Your mom was so angry with me. I don't blame her. She was a saint, and I wish I could've done more for her. She closed me out, got a restraining order and everything. You think the courts would've allowed me to have you after your mother passed knowing she had a restraining order against me?"

"Did you try?" Deidara asked, voice now hushed and hand in Ino's hand.

Inoichi broke down in tears and nodded rapidly, "I did, I had a lawyer and everything, but there was nothing to be done. And during all that time, Ino was born. And I was so caught up in getting you, her mother felt neglected, and she left, leaving Ino and I behind."