Chapter Seven

"So I'm only the third person you've ever shown your true form to hm?" Nakiro nodded in agreement, looking up at the blonde through her lashes. "What about your parents? Siblings? Clan hm?" She shrugged slightly before writing down a few words, showing him the page.

The last time any of them saw my form was when I was young, right before I mastered it. So it was right before I turned five.

"Why'd you want to hide that hm?" he pressed, she shrugged again.

It's safer that way, easier to go about your life and missions.

"Makes sense hm." he mumbled. "Seems like it'd be lonely though. If you constantly change how you look, how do you maintain relationships hm?"

I didn't talk to very many people back home, I sort of kept to myself except for a couple of close friends.

Deidara nodded slightly, moving his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the street together. They had just entered another small village in search of a new contract to take on, the bomber must've had some informants on his side since he seemed to know exactly where they'd need to go to find work, each town or village they entered always had some type of job for them. It'd been a couple of months since they'd partnered up and began working together, taking on contracts and trying to gather information about Orochimaru, each new place was a step closer to their goal of finding the Sannin.

As the weeks had passed, she'd grown quite fond of Deidara's company and had opened up to him about what had happened to her beloved family and clan members. She'd told him the story of what Orochimaru had done to her brethren, up to taking her voice and hunting her like an animal over the past year and a half, Deidara quickly forming a grudge against the Sannin from her tale. The bomber had vowed to stand by her and help her recover her lost voice, swearing that he wouldn't leave her side as she carried out her goal. Having such a dedicated partner on her side made all the difference, she had begun feeling more like herself again with his company. She wasn't nearly as on edge and far more relaxed than she used to be, however, she knew it was only a matter of time before some of the snake's followers found her again. When that time came though, she knew that she wouldn't have to handle it alone.

She felt a small smile come to her lips at the thought and tilted her head up, finding Deidara's visible eye. He seemed focused, were they almost at the location? She turned her eyes in the direction he was looking, rolling her eyes to herself when she saw the girl he was ogling, men and their hormones. She tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, succeeding in gaining his attention.

"Nani hm?" he questioned, she pursed her lips at his words. He should've known by now what she was trying to ask, did she really need to use her book for every question she had? She felt her cheeks go hot when a smirk rose to his lips, his arm slipping from her shoulders to her waist. "Oh I see, jealous huh?" She gave him a deadpan stare before rolling her eyes, writing down her question.

Are we almost where we need to be?

He chuckled softly as he read over the words, meeting her red eyes.

"Almost hm." he replied. "Just a little further." She nodded a little and handed her book off to him, blushing darker when he gently squeezed her hip.

Another thing about Deidara, he had a very upbeat and outgoing attitude but his constant flirting was never ending. She wasn't sure if he simply got off on making her blush or if he was genuinely interested in her in that way, especially since she would catch him gawking at other girls close to their age. He never stood up a chance to make her blush however, even in the middle of a contract he'd make some sly remark towards her, almost causing her to lose her focus at times.

However, he was quite capable of being professional when the occasion called for it, particularly when discussing the terms of a contract with other shinobi. His loyalty to her however, never wavered once in their time together. There was one time in particular that he had lost his temper when a potential employer had assumed her profession was more along the lines of an escort rather than a shinobi, Deidara immediately losing his cool and blowing up a few of the man's fingers before forcing him to apologize to her. His commitment to their partnership was reassuring to her, she knew he would always have her back, no matter what the situation was.

"Kiro." She moved her eyes to his visible one, the look on his face definitely wasn't good, she didn't think she'd seen a more distasteful expression before. She tugged at his jacket again, trying to earn his attention. "I don't like this hm."

'What's he talking about?'

She tugged a little harder, wanting him to keep her in the loop. He wasn't budging though, his visible eye was locked on something, his lips pressed into a thin line, even his body language was different. She moved her eyes from his face, following his gaze across the road, stopping when her eyes locked on a group of five men. As she stared at them, she quickly noticed a few things off about all of them, the first thing being that all of them didn't have a headband to signify their village. The second, their chakra was off from a normal persons, different in a way that reminded her of-

'It's them.'

Her eyes widened in fear and she turned to Deidara, tugging at his jacket again; they'd found her again, Orochimaru hadn't given up. She had to get out of there, before they managed to recognize her chakra and came after her. They could find another contract somewhere else, she didn't want to risk being found, they had to get out of the area and fast.

'Deidara please, we need to go.'

As if reading her thoughts, his visible eye shifted from the men to her face, she mentally begged him to leave with all her might. Deidara shook his head and glanced towards an alley, instantly changing their course and leading her into it. Her breath was heavy in her lungs, her heart pounding against her chest as they walked further down the alley, what was he doing? She could've smiled when Deidara shoved his free hand into his clay pouch, relief washing over her. He'd had a plan all along, he was going to take them out so they could have a few more weeks of peace before more shinobi were sent after her.

She focused on trying to sense the chakra of the other shinobi, waiting for them to be surrounded in an instant. Deidara must've been thinking along the same lines, his visible eye was glancing in all directions, however he didn't look threatened in the slightest. She just hoped that they wouldn't draw the attention of any Iwa shinobi that could be lurking around, Deidara's techniques were ostentatious and not the stealthiest.

"We've got company hm." Her eyes widened when the five shinobi appeared before them, Deidara pulling her to stand slightly behind him, attempting to hide her from their view. "Nani?" Deidara growled, removing his hand from his pouch.

"The kunoichi is a wanted criminal, hand her over."

"Not happening hm." the blonde retorted. Nakiro peaked out from around his arm, taking hold of the material of his jacket absentmindedly.

"You will be given a substantial reward if you comply."

"No." he repeated.

"Step aside."

"Why don't you go ahead and tell us where the snake is and save us some trouble hm?" Deidara replied cheekily.

"This guy..."

"Kill him!" Within a millisecond multiple explosions rang out, clouds of smoke hanging in the air, patches of skin and red soaking the sides of the alley where the shinobi once stood, bodies littering the ground.

"Let's move hm."

Nakiro nodded in agreement and focused her chakra, jumping up onto a roof of the building next to the alley, Deidara right behind her. They ran across the roof together, hopping over to another building and finally landed into a street of people, managing to blend in with the crowd. Deidara casually took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as they weaved around people, catching a glimpse of some shinobi running in the direction of the explosions that had just went off moments before.

She lowered her eyes, squeezing Deidara's hand once as they moved through people, finally slipping into a small tea house. She followed Deidara through the building to a more secluded and private section, taking a seat next to him at the table. His hand was still wrapped around hers as he brought her book out of his bag, passing it over to her. She quickly flipped to a clean page, writing.

Arigato, for saving me.

Deidara chuckled quietly, shrugging his shoulders.

"You didn't need saving, I know you could've taken them hm." he chortled. Her cheeks went pink at his words, trying to play it off as best she could.

You didn't have to help me then.

"We're partners hm. It's my job." he said easily, turning towards the waitress approaching the table. "Two orders of Gyokuro tea hm." He turned his eye back to Nakiro, she felt her cheeks going hotter at his gaze, a smirk forming on his lips. "Anyway, our employer should be here soon to provide the details of our contract hm." She nodded slightly, glancing around the room for anyone watching them before looking back at the blonde. "Do you need me to keep watch or do I get to actually see you do it this time hm?"

She felt a smile come to her lips and tapped her chest once, signifying that he didn't have to keep watch for her. His grin widened as he propped his elbow on the table, leaning his cheek into his hand as his visible eye focused on her, waiting for her to change. She inhaled slowly, focusing her thoughts on what she wanted to alter before finally deciding on a look, concentrating. Almost immediately, the red of her eyes began shifting, the color changing to a green. The turquoise color of her hair lightening into a shade of white blonde, the waves bouncing up into perfect ringlets around her chest, her skin tone darkening from porcelain to more of an ivory, a few freckles popping up on her cheeks. Nakiro moved her eyes to Deidara, green meeting sky blue.

"Wow hm." he murmured. "Your hair."

She felt a smile come to her lips when Deidara tugged on one of her curls, watching in amazement as it bounced right back into place, her hair seemed to fascinate him the most out of all the changes she made. The possibilities for a new look for each village were endless, being able to hide while still being out in the open, she enjoyed being part of the world again.

"I like that look better than the last one you tried hm." She nodded in agreement, a smile coming to her lips when he tugged on another curl. "Keep this one for a while, at least how curly the hair is hm. You look like a doll." he observed, a sly smirk coming to his lips.

Nakiro rolled her eyes, turning her attention to her book; she wasn't going to be his arm candy. Furthermore, with Orochimaru's followers on the lookout for her, she didn't need to keep the same look for too long. They had finally recognized her real form and put two and two together, if she was going to stay off the radar then she'd need to change more often than she had previously.

It's safer for me if I don't stay the same all the time.

"Demo, your real form-" She put a finger to his lips, easily stopping his words; she needed him to let her explain her reasoning. She felt her cheeks go warm when he gently pressed his lips against her finger, kissing it once; her heart skipped in her chest.

It's easier for me to keep my chakra hidden in my real form, that's why I've opted for it for so long. He's catching up to me though, I need to keep changing and stay hidden.

"So there's no other options then hm?" he guessed. She shook her head, knowing that this was the safest option for her. "Alright, looks like they're here hm."

Nakiro moved her eyes from Deidara, locking on a couple of men that had just entered the tea house, they looked as though they were from the neighboring village. Their waitress had just returned, setting the glasses on the table but not without glancing at Nakiro more than a few times, confusion reflecting in her eyes before she walked away from the table. The teenager shrugged it off, not phased in the least by the behavior, she was used to it from back in Konoha.

"So you're Deidara." Nakiro blinked curiously, watching the shinobi take their seats across the table from them.

"That's right hm." the blonde replied. Nakiro could've scoffed at his tone, she could tell he was already bored, they hadn't even been told what they'd be doing and he was already tired of talking.

"I was told your jutsu is capable of destroying anything."

"My jutsu creates art." he retorted.

'He's going to lose his temper, again.'

"Heh, cocky aren't you?"

'You've got to be kidding me, he's going to push him too far.'

"My art is flawless, the true form hm." Deidara huffed, his tone distasteful. "It's fools like you that should learn to appreciate that."

"Listen kid-"

"Baka!" Nakiro placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder at his outburst, shaking her head when he met her gaze, trying her hardest to tell him not to lose it.

'Pull it together, we need this. Don't let their arrogance screw with you.'

She could easily see how frustrated he was and with how much she'd learned about Deidara in their time together, she was capable of understanding why he seemed to lose his cool towards potential employers. His jutsu wasn't just a technique to him, it was his art. He had so much passion and love for it that he was more than willing to die for it, he'd so much as told her that himself. Other shinobi just saw it as a technique, they didn't see it the way that he did, for them it was just a means to get what they wanted. For Deidara though, it was his life. She knew how important it was to him and for that reason, she wasn't going to let other people treat it as just a weapon. Nakiro squeezed his shoulder once, trying to calm him as best she could and held up her index finger, telling him to wait quietly for a moment.

"Demo-" She hardened her gaze slightly, he shut his mouth instantly at the look, not saying anything else as she turned her attention to her book, writing.

You'll apologize to my partner for your rude behavior and show his art the respect that it rightfully deserves, unless you'd rather find someone else to take on your contract. Go right ahead but I guarantee you that no one else can complete it to the adequateness you desire.

She turned her book to face the shinobi, pursing her lips as they read over her words, she could feel Deidara's gaze locked on her as she stared them down. Normally she didn't get involved in the conversations Deidara had with potential employers but he was her partner, she was even beginning to consider him a friend. He'd had her back since they'd started working together so she would have his as well, his art was important to him so that meant that it was just as important to her. Her hostile behavior towards them had more than likely confused the blonde, he'd never seen her act in that manner but she knew that he would understand when she could explain it to him. She usually wasn't that way but the one thing that would trigger it, was when she felt like someone she cared for was being disrespected.

'If these guys are smart then they'll apologize to him.'

She watched with a heated gaze as one of the men nudged the book back towards her, his eyes bouncing between the pair of teenagers before finally speaking.

"I apologize for my ignorance, the pressure of war between our villages has me on edge. Please accept my apology."

Nakiro turned her eyes to Deidara, he still had the same distasteful look on his face but she wasn't going to let him hold onto it, this would lead them one step closer to their goal. She moved her hand from his shoulder only to place it over his hand, squeezing it gently. His eye quickly flicked to her, studying her expression before his gaze returned to the man.

"Fine hm." he huffed, sounding grudging.

'Ugh, he's so stubborn.'

"We very much need your help." the other man chimed in. "We've heard how powerful your...art is."

'At least he caught on.'

"It is, isn't it?" Deidara mused.

"And we know that you're the best suited for what we need done." he continued. "There's no one else that's better qualified."

Nakiro felt a smile come to her lips when Deidara's expression shifted to his usual overconfident look at the man's words, the praise obviously going to his head. She could feel her cheeks go warm when he leaned back in his chair slightly, his hand moving under hers, entwining their fingers as he held it. He was definitely back to himself, flirty and cocky. However, she wouldn't complain, she preferred him this way over pissed off any day.

"Alright hm. What exactly do you need us to do?" he asked, moving some blonde away from his face.

"There's a small temple just south of here." the man began, Nakiro took a sip of her tea. "It sits right on the border of this village and ours, it's been a sign of peace between our villages for many years."

"And?" Deidara pressed, sounding bored.

"We need it destroyed." the other finished.

'Nande?'

"Easy enough hm." the blonde replied, sighing softly. He turned his attention to Nakiro, blue meeting green. "What do you think?"

She nodded a little, agreeing that they should take it on. It was something simple and wouldn't take up a considerable amount of time, perhaps they could stay in the area for a few days and gather more supplies before traveling to a new location. She turned to her book, quickly writing down her thoughts, Deidara reading it over her shoulder.

"When does this need to happen hm?" he asked.

"Within the next few days."

Nakiro turned to Deidara when he squeezed her hand, she could tell by his expression that he was trying to ask if that was alright with her. She nodded agreeing, feeling content that he continued to keep her in the loop even though she wasn't directly calling the shots. However, it looked as though there was something else occupying his thoughts, a certain light in his visible eye as he looked at her, something that she couldn't place. In a way, it almost reminded her of...him.

"Consider it done."

Author's Note: Another chapter done! And it's early this time because I just couldn't wait. I had alot of fun writing this even if things are moving kind of slow. I hope you all are enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!