Hey hey folks! A couple of things to say in advance of this chapter: excuse the Japanese moment, I just couldn't resist. Deidara's catchphrase just sounds better that way! I won't be repeating it a lot so if it does bother anybody you should be aware it's probably a one-off. And I've been officially informed of the Pein/Pain thing but for the sake of consistency I'm currently sticking with the spelling I started with. If you'd rather I didn't then let me know in a review and I'll go with the majority vote - I don't mind either way. And now for the obligatory thank-you's! Thanks everyone who's reading, naturally, thank you to Junky for your detailed review and super-thank-you to my super-reviewers, the regular gang: missmridvika, demon lilith, Devil'sLittleBabyGirl, Aiko of the Akatsuki and Nutella's Biggest Fan (you qualify for reviewing earlier chapters and reading the whole story so fast!) many thanks to all of you!!

Disclaimer:

No ownership is claimed in the writing of this story.

Study In Contrasts

Hand-in-hand we wove around trees and bushes in the dark. I couldn't see half the obstacles we avoided, Deidara clearly knew this path well. We didn't talk as we went, there was something magical about this forest, which was getting more and more dense the further in we went, and the cloudy night sky becoming less and less visible through the ever-decreasing number of chinks in the leaves above. Some kind of spell.

It felt like we'd been walking for about ten minutes when the atmosphere shifted. I couldn't tell you what it was, perhaps the leaves above had finally become dense enough to block out every trace of the sky, perhaps the tree trunks themselves were closing in, it could even have been the grass and shrubs on the ground, reaching up in a more sinister way, but all of a sudden the magic of the trees seemed to take on a darker feel.

Holding onto Deidara a little more tightly, I started to wonder if he even knew where we were going. What if he just thought it would be fun to get hopelessly lost in a mysterious forest? What if we were trapped here, without food or any way of contacting the outside world?

Without warning, we stopped. Deidara turned to me, his eyes the only really visible part of his face, and his teeth when he spoke. "You okay, yeah?"

"Uh..."

"I know it's a little creepy, but we're almost there now. Hn." He pulled my hand carefully to his face and kissed the palm lightly, grinning at me before turning and leading me away again.

The trees were still scary but, as I'd suspected, talking had broken the spell. It was dark, and still a little menacing, but it didn't feel like it was out to get us anymore.

A few minutes later some kind of light became visible up ahead. Deidara turned to smirk at my confused expression and pulled me forward more insistently. We came out of the trees and into a clearing that was about half the size of my house. To one side was what looked like a large shed, just a little more sophisticated. It had a window in the front door, and that's where the light was coming from. Pulling me toward it, Deidara fished a key out of his pocket and swung the door open, letting me through first.

I realized what it must be as soon as I got in. One wall was occupied by a long, rough wooden table. There was a potter's wheel at one end and sculptures in various stages of being painted scattered along shelves. There were cupboards too, and a lower table in the middle of the room surrounded by cushions. In one corner was a sink, and next to that a mini-fridge plugged into the single wall socket. This was Deidara's studio.

Turning to him with amazement, I waved a hand round at the room. "This is... so cool."

He grinned widely, and again he seemed suddenly younger. "Thanks. I like it."

"Is this just in the middle of nowhere? I mean, who owns this land?"

"My dad, actually. The forest isn't that big, it's long but narrow, and it's all on his land, yeah."

"Do you come here a lot?"

"Pretty much every day, hn." His eyes traced the room.

"Even when you're not staying at home?"

"Especially when I'm not staying at home, yeah." Deidara said airily, "Now. Take a seat." He indicated the cushions around the low center table and I sat down.

"What's the plan?"

"I don't really have one, as such," Deidara admitted with a shrug, "But I do have food in the fridge and I figured we could pick up the question game again, hn. And if you get bored you can have a go with some clay." He sat down next to me and I leaned over to peck him on the cheek.

"It's perfect."

Deidara blushed a little. He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, looking unbelievably cute. "Glad you think so."

"Whose turn was it to ask a question?"

"Yours, yeah."

I thought about it for a moment. "When was the first time you lived away from home?"

"When I was six my parents sent me here to live with my grandparents for a while so they could decide whether they were going to divorce or not, hn. The first time I lived away from home by choice was when I was ten and I ran away to stay with Sasori for a while." Deidara's voice was low and matter-of-fact.

His head was bowed, eyes seeming to trace the edge of the table. I frowned worriedly, not really sure what to say. He saw me looking at him and laughed, reaching out an arm and pulling me into a hug.

"What did I tell you about worrying about me, hm?" I laughed with him despite myself and he kissed the top of my head. "Now. My question to you. Why are you so worried about Sakura?"

"I think... she's in an abusive relationship."

"Abusive in what way, hm?" Deidara asked carefully.

"Emotionally, and physically as well to a certain extent if the bruises on her arms today were anything to go by." I felt bad saying it, like I was betraying Sakura somehow.

"Isn't she going out with the Uchiha in your year? Itachi's little brother, hm?" I nodded, "Well I wouldn't put it past him. He's probably a twisted freak like his brother, hn."

"Itachi's twisted?"

"Is that your question?"

"No," but I'd definitely have to remember to come back to that, "my question is... what are your parents like?"

"Complete opposites, yeah. Dad's a bit of a business tycoon, totally ruthless, cares about money a lot. He cares about family too, but he sees money as an extension of that. Taking care of his family financially is his primary way of expressing love, hn. Mum's a bit more of a free spirit, she's softer than dad. Sweeter."

"Did you get to choose who you stayed with?"

"Yeah right, hn. Dad said that he was in a better position to raise a child. Mum agreed – she said she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of taking on the responsibility alone. So I moved here with him and mum stayed in Iwa."

Deidara's eyes were narrowed, and when I looked it was as if I could see all of the confusion, all of the hurt that he must have felt as a seven year old being in the middle of all of this. And underneath that, something else. Something more dangerous. I reached out, pushing his hair aside to get a better look, and he closed his eyes with a shuddering breath out.

"It's my turn to ask a question, yeah." He said in a soft voice, leaning his head slightly into my hand. I stroked his head gently. "What was the story of your parents' break-up?"

"Do we want to try to move into lighter territory?" I asked casually, and Deidara smirked.

"Sure. Just after you answer my last question, hn."

"Fine," I sighed, still stroking his head, "They stopped getting along, dad cheated on mum with someone he knew at work, mum found out and told him never to darken her door again. We should keep an eye on the time."

He glanced up and I followed his gaze to a clock on the wall above the door. Twenty to seven. Deidara sat up, "I've just thought of something to show you, yeah. Come on."

Offering a hand, Deidara pulled me to my feet and I followed him to one of the shelves against the back wall. It was full of sculptures, some of birds, some of insects, a couple of strange shapes with what looked like outstretched wings wide open mouths and eyes. They looked like they were screaming.

"This one will do, hm," Deidara grabbed the one I'd been fixated on and studied it from a few different angles.

"What are you planning on doing?"

He just grinned and handed it to me – it was unexpectedly heavy, Deidara had made lifting it look easy – and chose another similar one for himself. I followed him outside, mystified.

When he put his sculpture down on a sawn-off tree stump I was still none the wiser, but when he went back inside and returned with a sledgehammer I started to realize what was about to happen.

Deidara offered me the hammer with a slightly maniacal look in his eyes, "Do you want to go first? Hn."

"No thanks. Should I be worried about getting hit by the pieces?"

His grin just grew wider at that. "Probably, yeah." And he swung the hammer down.

Okay, I'll admit: it made a very satisfying smashing sound. Like glass, but slightly denser. I have no idea what it looked like, I hid my eyes behind my hand. What can I say? I've never been keen on the idea of blindness-by-clay-shard.

When Deidara turned to me his expression was gleeful. "Isn't that amazing, hm? Geijutsu wa bakuhatsu da."

"What does that mean?"

"Art," He handed me the sledgehammer, "Is a blast. Your turn, yeah."

I hefted the sculpture onto the stump, still covered in the debris from the last one, and lifted the hammer. I gasped as it fell, smashing the sculpture into tiny pieces, scattered around the clearing. There was something amazing about it, all those little bits of what, just moments ago, was a single entity. And I was behind the force that had caused that. There was a perverse feeling of power in the destruction, and I could see why a young boy who felt helpless in the face of his parents' decisions over his future would take it up as a sort of hobby.

Peering over my shoulder at Deidara I saw him watching me with a heady combination of awe, pride and lust.

"Okay, I can kind of see why you enjoy doing that."

He laughed, his blue eyes clearing a little, and ambled over to stand next to me.

"What do you do about all of the pieces?"

"I gather them up and recycle them back into useable clay, hn. I'll do that later though. Want something to eat?"

/\/\/\/\

Half an hour later we'd pretty much demolished the indoor picnic Deidara had set out. I'd watched carefully for any signs of that half-crazed look coming back, but it was so completely gone that I started to think I'd imagined it.

Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, leaning on Deidara a little, in his art studio. I couldn't imagine anywhere I'd rather be. Sakura was still on my mind, those bruises on her arm shaped like hand prints, but my brain seemed to have filed that issue under 'things to sort out later'.

And I did intend to sort it out, or at least try.

I moved my head to rest on Deidara's shoulder with a slight sigh.

"You okay, yeah?"

"I'm great, actually."

Deidara chuckled. "Not thinking too much? Hn."

"Do I ever?"

"No. In fact, you're probably the least thoughtful person I know."

I laughed, acknowledging the sarcasm, and let my eyes drift shut. "You smell nice. What's your favourite colour?"

"Where was the link between those two comments, hm?" Deidara laughed, "Thank you, red. Is this the return of the question game or just random fact-finding?"

"Question game. As always. I just thought we should be trying to ask some more traditional first date questions."

"Okay then. What's your favourite film, hm?"

Now, let's be fair. It was warm in there, dark outside, I was on my first ever first date and having a great time, I was super relaxed. I also had my phone on silent which, in hindsight, probably wasn't a good idea. But really, is it any wonder I lost track of time?

There was an insistent buzzing coming from my jacket over in the corner which, and I'm not proud of this, I ignored at first. It stopped, and then it started again a moment later.

"Actually," I stood up with a frown, "that might well be my mobile."

The buzzing stopped when I reached the corner and I fished out my phone from the pocket.

Two new messages, two missed calls.

"Oops. What time is it?"

Deidara looked up at the clock, "Ten to nine, hn."

"Oh crap." I read the text messages.

"Hey Ino, just wondering whether you're almost back." at ten past eight, and "Where are you?" at thirty-five minutes past.

"This sucks," I groaned, "I need to get back. How long does it take to drive back to mine?"

"About half an hour, yeah." Deidara said, standing up and grabbing his jacket from the table, "I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault. I should have kept a better eye on the time." I smiled at him, "I was just enjoying myself so much I forgot."

Deidara grinned broadly, leaning over to kiss my neck. "That makes two of us." he murmured, sending a pleasurable shiver down my spine. "Now come on, we'd better get moving, hn."

We left the little cabin, Deidara pausing to lock it behind us, and went as quickly as we dared back through the forest. Which is to say that Deidara moved pretty fast and I stumbled along pathetically after him, the only thing keeping me going at more than a crawl being his hand tugging mine steadily along.

At one point I tripped over an unexpected tree root, and probably would have fallen flat on my face if my other hand hadn't been grabbed suddenly, Deidara pulling me back to my feet with a grunt of effort.

"Gotta be careful around those roots, yeah."

"You think?"

He just laughed, taking the halfhearted irritation in his stride, and led us speedily onward.

When we eventually got to the car I slid into the passenger seat with a sigh of relief.

"You know that path ridiculously well." I commented as Deidara started the engine. "Do you ever go to the studio from the other side of the forest?"

"Not often." he admitted, "See, this entrance to the property is actually closer to the school, hn. Since I found it what I usually do is come here when my last class is over, then I either go up to the house or get on a bus to Pein's."

"Does your dad know about it?"

"He knows it exists, yeah. I don't think he knows that that's usually where I am if I'm not home."

"You said before that you weren't living at home because of your dad's girlfriend. Is that always the reason?"

"Uh..." he frowned, "In short, no."

"What about in long?"

He cast an amused glance in my direction. "In long, it's for a lot more reasons that make a lot less sense. It's about... feeling like I don't fit there. Like there's an empty space in the puzzle that is my dad's life, and I don't fit, and if I spend too long with him he'll start filing me down until I do. It's not on purpose, it's just his way, hn."

I nodded sympathetically, "I think I can understand a little of that."

"It's all fine though," Deidara reassured me, "so long as I don't spend too much time with him, yeah."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it, hm? We get along okay, I know he cares about me, he's just not that good for me as a dad."

I shook my head, "I'm sure that's very unhealthy, somehow."

Deidara just laughed, "I know I've said this before, yeah: don't worry about me."

As if it were that easy! "You clearly don't worry about yourself that much, so somebody has to! And besides, I'm not actually worrying about you. Just thinking about you... a little anxiously."

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days, hmm?"

"Oh shut up."

"On a side note, I solved the mystery of how Sakura and Sasori said almost exactly the same thing to each of us when they were telling us to get a move on, hn."

"Okay, but before you tell me I'd like to make it clear that I'm aware you're changing the subject and am making a conscious decision to let you."

"Good for you, hn." Deidara snorted, "Now: apparently due to the layout of the vents or something, everything said in the girls' toilets can actually be heard by people in the boys'. Sasori heard you, Sakura and Hinata talking and used pretty much the same speech on me later. Your friend should take that as a compliment, Sasori's quite careful with words."

Intriguing. And embarrassing.

"So he heard the entire conversation?"

"Apparently, yeah."

I was suddenly getting flashbacks from out little chat.

"Oh, she does." Sakura answered for me, "But she lurves Deidara." … "Okay, not love. She's obsessed with him though."

"Hold it! I don't even know for sure that I like him!... No, really. I mean, what if it's just that I miss the attention?"

"And... uh... how much did he relate to you?"

"Not that much." Thank Kami for that. "Why?"

"No reason!" I laughed uneasily, "It's just... you never want people to hear what you say about them, do you?"

"Perhaps I ought to go back and see whether Sasori's willing to tell me any more." Deidara teased.

Oh dear. I sank down a little in my seat. I hope Sasori has a bad memory.

/\/\/\/\

Deidara stopped the car outside my house, leaning over to give me a kiss goodbye.

"I'll see you on Monday, hn."

"Yep." I smiled, "Thanks for tonight, I had a great time."

"Me too, yeah."

I got out of the car, shutting the door behind me, and headed for the gate, turning around to wave at Deidara. He rolled down the window to call out before driving away, "Hope you don't get in too much trouble! Hn."

Laughing, I waved him off, then turned to the front door. I let myself in, looking around as if clues about mum's anger/worry levels would be written on the walls.

"Ino?" mum came through from the front room, "Why are you so late?"

"I'm really sorry, I completely forgot what time it was."

"Why didn't you let me know when you were on your way?"

Oh. Now that would have been a good idea.

"I genuinely never thought of it," I admitted, "I'm new to this 'letting people know where I am' thing."

Something told me that mum wasn't impressed.

"Ino, I am not impressed."

I grimaced, "I'm really sorry-"

"You said that already," Mum interrupted, and something in her tone really put my back up.

"Look, I apologized. It was an honest mistake – a stupid, honest mistake – and I don't intend to do it again. But if you start-"

"If I start what?" Mum asked indignantly, "I'm your mother, I have every right to worry about you when you come back an hour and a half late from a meeting with a strange boy! I even have a right to be angry, when you didn't even let me know-"

"I let you know a hell of a lot more than I used to!" I shouted, and she laughed out loud.

"Oh, well done!" She said sarcastically, "Yes, you can have some points for telling me you'd be out, and who with, but I don't think it's unreasonable-"

"Well I do!"

"Don't interrupt me!" She snapped.

"Hypocrite," I retorted.

"Stop being a brat..."

I tuned out the rest of her sentence, struck by a sudden feeling of deja-vu.

"Tell you what," I said firmly, cutting her off mid-flow. "I'm going to go up to my room. There's no point in us having this conversation now, we're too stressed out." See! I can be a grown up too! I turned around and walked, calmly, out to the hallway and up to my room.

Predictably, mum was knocking at my door within ten minutes. I went and opened it myself and she came in, sitting down on my bed with a chagrined expression.

"I really am sorry I was so late," I said, sitting next to her.

"I know. I didn't mean to overreact, I was just so worried..."

"Worried about my safety or worried that I was going back to old habits?"

"Both, really."

I nodded, I could understand why that would worry her.

"I probably won't be doing that – the going back to old habits one," I said lightly, and she raised an eyebrow at me – her way of inviting further details. "It wasn't particularly fun. Well, the parties were, but I can take that up again when I get my Spanish and English grades up some more. But punishing you caused almost as many problems for me. Now that I'm not angry with you anymore I don't have any reason to want to start all of that up again."

Mum seemed to consider this for a moment, "Okay. Well... that's good."

I grinned, "Hug and make up?"

After a moment of surprised silence mum wrapped her arms around me, and I returned the gesture.

"By the way," she asked as she pulled away, "did you have a good time?"

I felt the grin steal across my face as I nodded. "Yes. A very good time."

"I'm glad."

She left, closing the door gently behind her, and I lay back on the bed to review my evening. I had a funny feeling I wouldn't sleep much that night.