Chapter Twelve

'It's so beautiful.'

Nakiro smiled widely as she looked around the street, observing all the different kinds of decorations in the area. There were all sorts of banners and bright colored lanterns, balloons and streamers lining the streets, music was playing on every corner, different types of entertainers showing off their talents to anyone they could, game stalls with tons of different prizes, people selling foreign foods from other countries; the teenager managed to forget all her troubles in that small moment. Another smile graced her lips as she walked further down the street, her hair dancing in the gentle breeze as she looked around, searching for her partner.

After Deidara had left their room, Nakiro had went about getting ready for their evening at the village festival, all the while her thoughts focused on the possible date. She wasn't sure if that's what it was because the blonde had not used that word, however, why else would he tell her to dress up for him? Her instincts were practically screaming that it was a date and she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted it to be. She enjoyed Deidara's company and cared for him greatly, the possibility of falling in love with him had her feeling uneasy, for her heart belonged to Itachi. She was on edge to put it simply, however, the more she thought about the possibilities, the more she contradicted herself.

She continued going back and forth with her thoughts, arguing with herself about her feelings, about the things she knew were right before her eyes. She knew that she had some sort of feelings for Deidara and they were growing with each day that passed, she'd tried putting a wall up to keep him from getting too close but it'd crumbled away. She had to admit the truth to herself but she continued backing out, wanting to stay loyal to Itachi and the love she had for him. At the same time though, she wasn't sure if she should hold onto him any longer. As much as she loved Itachi, he'd left and she hadn't seen him in over three years, three years was a long time. Who was to say that he hadn't moved on and let go of her, there was no way to prove it and the more she thought on it, the more it seemed plausible that he'd let go of what they'd once shared together.

As much as she wished it wasn't true, she knew it leaned more towards that than Itachi holding onto his love for her. It'd been so long since they'd seen each other and even right at the end, he'd pulled away and distanced himself from her before leaving Konoha, perhaps he'd let go of her before he'd left. Why would he say goodbye to her if he'd let go of her though? Was it just meant to be a kind gesture or had he still cared for her at that point, if he had then would he still care now, three years later? He hadn't even tried to get in contact with her once since he'd left, did he even know about what had happened to her clan, what had happened to her parents, did he think she was dead? If he thought she was dead then she was almost sure that he would've moved on, why hold onto someone you'd never have the chance to be with again? She was at a stalemate with herself, wondering if it was even worth the effort to continue holding onto him, especially since she had Deidara.

Deidara had been wonderful to her since the day they'd met and began working together, sure he was a flirt and cocky at times, but those were qualities that made him who he was and she wouldn't want him to be anything other than his true self. He always made it a priority to make sure she was doing okay, he never kept her out of the loop when it came to business and taking on contracts, and they'd spent many a night learning about each other. Not just things related to being a shinobi or their missions, things about who they were as people. The bomber pressed to learn everything he could about her, he was interested in knowing her likes and dislikes, favorite foods, her past, he even knew the name of her first pet. When she looked at him, she could see the devotion he held for her, perhaps she needed to just let what could happen, happen.

At the same time though, was she truly ready to take that step? Was she ready to open herself up in that way again? What if it wasn't the same, what if things didn't work out between them? She wouldn't just be losing her partner and ally, she'd be losing a dear friend. She could feel her soul drop at the thought of losing the blonde, trying her hardest not to fall into that black abyss of depression.

'It's not going to happen, I just need to keep this to myself and not mention it to him.'

She nodded a little to herself at her choice, weaving around the kids that were gathered around one of the game stalls, being careful to avoid bumping one of them as she scanned the street for her blonde partner. She wasn't sure where he could be hiding, she'd made sure to be in her real form for the festival so he wouldn't have any problems finding her but now, she couldn't find him. She huffed silently to herself, torn between continuing her search or abandoning it all together. There were so many crowds of people, how was she going to manage to find him, especially when she couldn't talk?

She bit down on her lip nervously, deciding she would continue searching for him, he wouldn't have just stood her up after all so she couldn't do the same to him. Nakiro moved further through the crowd, observing the different stands as she walked and finally made it to a less crowded area after a few minutes worth of walking. The area seemed to be focused more towards the likes of smaller children, there was face painting and a few people making balloon animals for children. She could feel a small smile come to her lips at the sight of the innocence in the eyes of the children, she couldn't remember a time where she'd ever had that look, she'd always been more mature for her age than most.

"Ano..." Nakiro blinked curiously when she felt a light tug on her summer kimono, looking down at the little girl before her. "Are you a princess?" the girl asked, smiling brightly. The teenager returned the girl's smile and shook her head slightly, feeling confused when the little girl pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "You look like a princess." she commented. "Only princesses have perfect hair like yours." Nakiro felt another smile come to her lips at the words, watching the girl as she looked her up and down. "You don't have a crown, that's why you aren't a princess!" she assumed excitedly, waving her arms above her head. "Stay here, I'm going to find you one so you can be."

And on that notion, the young girl sped off in some direction, leaving Nakiro to stand there and wait for her return. As she waited, she continued looking around, hoping to spot her partner somewhere in a crowd but she had no such luck. Was he running late, had he got caught up somewhere, what if-

'Iwa shinobi didn't capture him did they?'

She could feel her spirit drop at the thought, her nerves kicking into overdrive. She had to find him, make sure that he was alright and nothing bad had happened to him, where should she start though? Nakiro could feel her heart racing, feeling fearful for her partner as she looked around for him. There was no way he'd been captured, Deidara was just as strong as he was intelligent. It would've taken a large number of shinobi to dispatch him and that in of itself, would've made quite a noisy racket and wouldn't have been stealthy in the slightest, she would've known if he'd come across any problems of that nature...right?

"You stayed put!" Nakiro looked down, a small smile coming to her lips when she saw the same little girl as before, the teenager crouched down until she was level with her. "I got this for you, it's a princess headband." the girl said, holding the jewelry piece out.

Nakiro smiled kindly and took the headband, expecting it thoroughly. Now that she looked at it though, it was more of a headband type crown than anything. The crown itself made a full circle so it would sit comfortably on her head like a forehead protector would, it was designed to look like small flowers and it was a combination of colors that reminded her of a sunset. She turned the crown in hand, the material it was made of was a durable substance, upon inspecting it further, she realized it was made of hardened clay. She felt her heart leap in her chest, Deidara was okay, nothing bad had happened to him...but, why did this little girl have something he'd made?

"Aren't you going to wear it?" the little girl asked. Nakiro nodded slightly, smiling again as she placed the crown on her head, watching a bright smile come to the girl's lips. "You look so pretty, the blonde man said you'd like it."

'Deidara.'

Nakiro felt her cheeks go warm at the thought of him, blinking dumbly when the little girl grabbed her hand, tugging on it. What was she doing?

"Come on, he wants to see you." she stated, beaming widely. The teenager nodded and moved to her feet, following behind the little girl. "I think he really likes you, he said he wanted to surprise you with something pretty." she commented, leading the way through a crowd.

Nakiro nodded hesitantly as they walked, not understanding why Deidara had sent a little girl to take her to him instead of approaching her himself, but she wouldn't question it. The bomber had a certain way of doing things, especially when it came to surprising her with things but the real question was, what was the surprise? She walked hand in hand with the little girl for a few minutes, moving through crowds of people away from the streets, finally coming across an area with a waterfall. There were quite the number of people in this area, blankets were spread out across the grass and under trees, a few shinobi were closer to the waterfall than the civilians. What was this area supposed to be used for during the festival?

"Oooo, there he is!" the girl exclaimed, pointing her finger.

Nakiro turned her eyes to the direction she was pointing to, her cheeks going warm when her red eyes met that sky blue across the water. She could feel her face burning at the grin that came to Deidara's lips and he began moving in her direction, easily walking across the water to make it to her. She felt a smile come to her lips when he winked at her before crouching down before the little girl, turning his attention to her.

"Arigato, for finding my princess hm." he told her. Nakiro smiled wider at the sound of the small child's giggle, the girl nodding her head enthusiastically at the blonde's words.

"You shouldn't have lost her." she accused, Deidara chuckled quietly.

"I won't lose her again hm." he swore, reaching inside his bag. "And this is for you, brave kunoichi." The girl released her hand when Deidara presented a clay rose to her, giggling quietly as she took the gift.

"Arigato!" she squealed, holding it close to her chest. "I gotta show Oka-san." And with that, she sped off, leaving the pair of teenagers alone. Deidara chuckled again and moved to his feet, turning to Nakiro.

"How do you like your crown princess hm?" he joked, a sly grin on his lips. She rolled her eyes at his tone, smiling softly to herself when the sincere look appeared in his visible eye. "Gomen, for taking so long to find you. I just, had some things to prepare hm." She nodded a little and placed her hand lightly on his arm, trying to reassure him that it was alright. However, she was curious, what had he been doing for so long? "Come on, I've got the perfect spot for us hm." he told her, gently taking her hand.

'Spot for what?'

She pursed her lips at the thought, wondering what exactly was going on in the area as they walked back across the water to where Deidara had originally been when she'd arrived. She noted that there were quite the number of people spread out all over the place so it wasn't as if it were something private between the two of them. Was it something that happened at the Taki festival every year, some kind of tradition? She tugged at his hand, watching as he turned his head to her, red meeting blue.

"Something wrong hm?" he teased, his voice smooth.

'He knows something.'

She pouted her lips at him, wanting him to keep her in the loop, his grin merely widened.

"It's a surprise hm." he chortled, squeezing her hand once.

'Everyone else seems to know what's going on though.'

She huffed silently to herself, wishing he would just tell her what was going on but he seemed to be enjoying keeping her in the dark. If the surprise was that important to him, she couldn't be upset with him and ruin his fun, she'd just have to deal until it happened. She moved closer to Deidara as they walked, taking his arm with her free hand as they moved around people, smiling to herself when he caught her eye. She could see the excitement in his visible eye, as though he was planning something spectacular for the two of them.

"Here we are hm."

She blinked curiously, realizing he'd led her to a more secluded area but they were still close enough to see the main waterfall. The small field was abundant with many different colored wildflowers and a pond, swans were gliding across the water, not seeming bothered by their presence. There was a small breeze in the air, making the flowers appear to be dancing slightly, it was beautiful. She turned her attention to Deidara, tilting her head to the side when she noticed he was spreading out a blanket on the grass. Were they stargazing this evening, the sun was setting so maybe he'd planned to watch the night sky...or maybe they were watching the sunset? What were they doing here?

"By the way hm." She moved to sit next to him on the blanket when he tugged at her hand, blushing darkly when he ran a finger down her cheek. "You look beautiful Kiro." he murmured, a small smile on his lips. She smiled shyly and scooted closer to him, leaning against him when his arm moved around her back, her head on his shoulder. "I brought your book for you hm." Another smile came to her lips at his thoughtfulness and she took the book from him, opening it up and wrote.

So what are we doing here? What's this big surprise?

Deidara chuckled softly, nuzzling his cheek against the top of her head.

"It's a contract." he admitted. "Demo, I was able to make it a surprise hm." She blinked dumbly, not understanding what he meant by that. How had he managed to get a contract that could be a surprise for her? It made no sense.

I don't understand.

"You will." he said easily. "You're about to see it hm." She pursed her lips at his words, not understanding what he meant, what was she supposed to see? He chuckled when he saw the look she was giving him and raised his free hand, pointing in the direction of the waterfall. "Watch right there."

She nodded hesitantly and turned her attention to the waterfall, a shy smile on her lips when Deidara squeezed her hip gently. She moved her head from his shoulder when she saw what appeared to be different winged animals flying above the waterfall, they'd seemingly popped up out of nowhere. At the distance they were, she couldn't begin to differentiate the species of all the animals in the growing darkness but they seemed to be doing some type of flying routine in the sky. An inaudible gasp passed her lips when a loud bang echoed in the air, an explosion of lights erupting in the sky. With her mouth agape, she stared in awe as another explosion of different colored lights appeared in the sky, causing a domino effect, more lights appearing in thin air. She whipped her head around to Deidara, blushing darkly when she saw the grin on his lips.

'This is what he was planning the whole time.'

Now she understood, the contract he'd taken on was a display of fireworks for the Taki festival, he'd used his art to accomplish all this. He'd planned the whole thing and had more than likely been preparing the fireworks for a few days, using his art to create different types of flying animals that would explode in an array of various colors in the sky. That also explained the vast number of people in the area, the fireworks must've not been a normal thing that occurred during the festival, it was a special treat for the citizens of Takigakure. And not only that, Deidara hadn't told her because he'd wanted to surprise her. Her cheeks went hotter at the thought, her blush darkening when his grin widened.

"I remembered how much you loved the lights from the butterflies when we first met hm." he commented, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "I wanted to make something grander for you to enjoy."

'Dei...arigato.'

She could feel the warm feeling in her chest at his genuine gaze, his sky blue eye locked with her red ones. She could see all the dedication he held for her, how devoted he was to her, how much he cared for her as they stared silently at each other. She finally knew the truth, he was falling in love with her...the feelings she was currently battling against inside herself, he'd already embraced those inside him. He'd done all this, just to put a smile on her face, he hadn't put on fireworks for everyone, they were for her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest at the revelation, unsure of what she should do. If Deidara had accepted that he was falling in love with her, should she do the same?

"Kiro." She snapped out of her thoughts when he cupped her cheek, his fingertips softly caressing her skin. "You're so important to me hm." he murmured, her heart skipped at the confession. "I never imagined I'd ever care for anyone but myself, yo-you've changed me." Nakiro swallowed nervously at his words, her breath caught in her throat when he leaned his face closer to hers, still staring deeply into her eyes. "Nakiro."

His voice sounded like velvet, the way he said her name made it sound enchanting, she could hear how loving his tone was. She blinked dumbly when he leaned even closer, his arm tightening around her slightly, his face barely an inch from hers, she could feel his soft breath against her lips.

"Nakiro...I..."

'I know, I do-'

"Iwagakure no Deidara, you're under arrest!"

'No.'

Author's Note: There always does have to be an interruption when it comes to feelings huh? Sorry for being a jerk but the next chapter makes up for it. Promise!