Upside-Down

TK Grimm

Chapter Eight:

What Love Makes You Do

Sakura came back into the living room and saw Deidara turn off the television set. He looked at her for a moment before taking his coat out of the closet by the front door and putting it on. He didn't say anything, but he already knew whatever Sasuke said had upset Sakura. She wasn't smiling or embarrassed like she was a few minutes before. She had more of an expressionless look on her face and just seemed down about something.

She started putting her shoes on, and by the time she had finished the strap on her heels, Deidara was all set and leaning against the wall, waiting for her. "Who's car are we taking?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Can we take yours?" Sakura asked. Judging by her tone, she seemed reluctant to ask.

"Sure," he replied. They walked out the front door and got in the black Trans Am that was sitting in the driveway. Sakura was still being quiet, but Deidara didn't say anything about it. It wasn't any of his business to ask. He pulled out of the driveway just barely, but that's when he saw a single tear slowly make its way down her cheek. That was it for him.

Driving back up, he parked the car again and took out his keys. It was quiet for a while. Sakura didn't have to ask why he stopped; it was obvious. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down as she wiped the tear away. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly.

"What for, yeah?" Deidara asked. He turned his head to face her, waiting for her to say something else.

"You shouldn't have to see me like this," Sakura told him, rubbing her eyes. She was finally calmed down, so she placed her hands in her lap.

"Crying?"

Sakura nodded slightly. "Yeah…" Another tear escaped, making her clench her fists tightly in frustration with herself. "He just… It's like he doesn't even have a heart at all!" Before she knew it, she was crying. Deidara leaned over the seat and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Sakura clung to him miserably, begging for whatever comfort he could offer her.

"What did he say?" Deidara didn't really want to know; he had a feeling whatever it was Sasuke said was going to make him go to his flat and bash his pretty little rich boy face in. Or make him explode… he added as a second thought. However, he knew that Sakura needed to vent, and that was his main purpose in asking.

Sakura's arms were secured around Deidara's neck, and his were around her waist. Why was it that whenever she embraced Sasuke, it was either half-heartedly returned or not returned at all? And yet, with Deidara, she felt nothing but the comfort and protection that she wanted and needed. "He canceled our plans again for tonight."

"Hasn't he done that every day this past week, yeah?" Deidara couldn't help but mention. Not that he minded Sasuke not taking Sakura out… he just didn't like the effect it was having on Sakura. In the back of his mind, he realized he was meddling with their relationship and frowned at the thought.

"Exactly!" Sakura cried, burying her face in his neck. "I know I shouldn't complain; he's busy, he's got work… but shouldn't I come before all of that at least once? And that client he has… what was her name…"

"Karin?" he offered. He knew he wasn't helping the situation… but he was only human. He wanted Sakura to get over Sasuke. He wanted her to move on and find someone new.

"Yes," she said bitterly, pulling back slightly. Her hands rested on his shoulders, but her gaze was averted. "Her. She just came into his life and is all over him! He doesn't even notice at all! And every time I mention it, he says I'm just jealous…" Sakura leaned forward, resting her forehead on Deidara's chest. "I know I sound like a whiny little girl… I try to keep it all inside, I really do; it's just… after so long, I need to let it all out. I'm sorry I dumped all of this on you, Deidara. I didn't mean to…"

Deidara held her chin in one hand and brushed away a few of her tears with his thumb on the other. "Don't worry about it… yeah," he said. "If it makes you feel better, you can rant about this any time."

Sakura finally managed to smile, thanks to him. Deidara did a lot for her, and all she did was cry about Sasuke. She wanted to make it up to him… she had to make it up to him, somehow. "Thank you," she said softly. She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek before settling down back in her seat. Buckling her seat belt, she said, "Let's not keep them waiting." I will make it up to you, Deidara, she thought with determination.

Deidara paused, relaying what had just happened in his head a few times before it finally sank in. He nodded and started the car back up. "You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine," she told him reassuringly. Her green gaze traveled to the window. There was no stopping the next thought that passed through her mind.

What if I wasn't dating Sasuke… but instead Deidara…? She inwardly sighed; Sakura couldn't think like that. After all, Deidara wasn't interested in her that way. Absent-mindedly, she wondered what type of woman Deidara was interested in. Obviously not someone as nagging and whiny as her. "Hey, Deidara?"

"Yeah?" he answered, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Um… just wondering, you know," she began evasively. "What do you look for in women?"

Deidara was late on hitting the brake as a red light came up and had to force the car into a quick halt complete with the brakes screeching and everything. "Huh?"

Sakura blushed and quickly turned her head. "Well, I was just, uh, curious, that's all. I mean… err, what qualities do you find attractive?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him grinning at her with a raised eyebrow. Sakura turned to face him and glared at him, "Don't you dare say looks alone, because that's just lame."

Deidara sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "Guilty." The light turned green, so he proceeded towards the Elixur. "I don't know, I guess she'd have to be smart, yeah. Not like nerdy or any of that, but not stupid." Sakura nodded, listening attentively. "Definitely not a pushover, yeah," he said, knowing full-well that Sakura had no idea he was describing her. "She'd have to have an attitude, and yet be able to be sweet and caring and all that crap at the same time, you know?"

"Sounds like a nice girl," Sakura said with a slightly disappointed smile. She should have expected as much; there was no way she'd ever live up to those standards. She just wasn't good enough for him, that's all.

"Oh, and she'd have to be into art," he added with a grin. "At least a little."

Sakura chuckled, "Oh, of course."

"And let me guess," Deidara continued with perfected ease. "You like your guys to be spoiled little rich boys with cocky attitudes and no respect for their women."

"Ouch."

He flashed her a smirk, "Just messing, yeah," before turning his gaze back to the road. There was a slight pause for a moment before he asked, a bit more hesitantly, "So are you gonna fix things with Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied, a frown crossing her features. "I guess I am."

They didn't say much of anything for the rest of the car ride. Elixur wasn't much further, though, so it was a short trip. Sakura pointed out Hinata's white Mustang GT, and Deidara parked next to it. He looked at her for a moment, making sure she was done crying. Sakura looked in side view mirror to make sure she had cleaned herself up and then smiled at him, nodding her head. They got out of the car and walked through the front door.

Immediately, a woman in a punky black mini dress walked up to them with a beaming smile. "Hey, you made it!" Even though he hadn't seen her since high school, Deidara recognized Temari. She had this signature hairstyle where she put her hair in four spiky ponytails at the same time. She also had a thing for fishnet and dresses. Judging by her expression, she recognized him as well. "Wow, Deidara, how are you? It's been, what, three years?"

Deidara nodded, "Yeah, that's right. I'm… surviving," he grinned. "What about you?"

"Engaged," Temari said, showing him her ring.

"Oh, Temari!" Sakura squealed. "That's so pretty! Every time I see it, I get so jealous!"

"Nice," Deidara said. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, guys!" Temari replied. "I appreciate you coming out here today to help me out. At this rate, I'll be able to open this place up… let's see, today is the 16th… if I'm lucky, maybe by April 11th next month!"

"That's great, Temari," Sakura smiled. "I saw Hinata's car outside; is Ino here yet?"

"Not yet. She should be, soon, though. Let's see… hey, Deidara, you follow me; I've got something you can help me with. Sakura, Hinata's working with the lighting – you could start there if you want."

"Sure thing," Sakura said. She looked at Deidara, "Call me if you need anything."

He raised an eyebrow, "Rest assured; I'm all grown up."

Temari chuckled, "Oh, I believe it." She and Deidara headed down the hall and entered one of the doors. Sakura passed the hallway and kept going to the main room where Hinata was using a remote control to determine which lights were which colors.

"Hinata!" Sakura called, waving her hand.

Hinata turned her head and smiled, waving her free hand. "Sakura, you made it! You think you can help me out?"

"Sure," she replied.

"O-okay," Hinata said. "I'll stay here and check the lights. Can you, um, go up top and move them when I say? It's really hard with just one person."

"Not a problem," Sakura assured. She walked towards the back of the dance room and climbed up the ladder. Sakura mentally applauded herself for wearing pants that day instead of a skirt or dress. It would have been more than awkward to climb something otherwise. When she made it to the top, Sakura walked over the steel bridge and waited for further instructions. "Okay, I'm here. Which one do you want me to move?"

Hinata put her free hand on the side of her mouth to help project her voice. "The one directly to your left is a blue one. It's not as bright as the others, so I'm thinking it should be more towards the back."

Sakura looked at the railing and spotted a pair of worker's gloves that someone had left there before. That would definitely help; these lights got hot after a while. She put them on and went back to the light that Hinata designated as the blue one. After adjusting it, Sakura called out, "Try turning it on so we can see if it's pointing in the right direction."

Hinata flipped the switch on the remote control and a blue light beam shot from the large bulb. It pointed at a corner towards the back. "Don't worry, that's fine," Hinata said. "The lights all have a function where they can move back and forth, see?" She pushed another switch and the blue light swayed from one corner of the room to the other slowly.

"Good idea," Sakura said as Hinata turned the blue one off. "Are you going for complimentary colors with the lighting or just random?"

"Mostly random, but I don't think it should be too off. Like the orange light shouldn't be close to the green – those colors just don't go together."

"Okay, gotcha. What's next?"

Hinata flipped a few switches on and off until she found the right one. "Okay, the light that's on right now, yes, that red one there. Move that towards the front with the other red one so they criss-cross." Hinata turned the lights off when Sakura found them so the heat wouldn't be too much. She and Ino had far too many hot-light experiences during previous days they had helped Temari out.

"Hey, thanks again for helping me out," Temari said. She was hanging up curtains in one of the VIP rooms while Deidara helped with most of the big stuff. He first pushed the chairs into the rooms – Elixur had 2 VIP rooms – and then pushed things in place and helped with electronics. "I haven't seen you since high school, so it's really cool of you to do this."

"It's no problem, yeah," Deidara replied as he reached behind a refrigerator to plug it in the outlet. "What gave you the idea to open this place back up?"

"This city needs more fun things to do," Temari explained, tugging on one side of the red velvet curtains to get them even. "I was shocked when they shut this place down a few years ago. Besides; I'm twenty-two and engaged. I need to live a little more before I start thinking about settling down and having kids and all that. Sakura thinks otherwise, but she's still been a great help."

Deidara stood up and patted off his jeans, looking at the fridge. He opened it to make sure it was operating, and after feeling a slight bit of cold air beginning to form, he shut the door. "Sakura doesn't like the idea of a club?"

"No, it's not that," Temari said. She hopped off the chair she was standing on to help her reach. "She keeps telling me that I should take it easy; and since I'm the first of us girls to get married, she's been really excited about the kids idea."

"She likes kids, huh?" Deidara mused. He and Temari looked at the curtains from a further point of view to make sure they were aligned evenly before continuing their conversation.

"It's not her fault," Temari mentioned regretfully. "I mean, she can't have any, so I can't say I blame her for wanting to be around others."

"She can't have kids?"

Temari covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh, I thought you knew." She shook her head once and smiled, "It's no big deal; she's taking it quite well. Anyways, that should cover the VIP rooms. Thanks a lot for your help, Deidara. It's hard to move big stuff without a man around to help out."

Deidara nodded, "Anytime… yeah."

The two of them left the room and proceeded past the main entrance to the dance floor. Hinata was fumbling with a remote control and a pink blur rushed across the bridge near the ceiling. Hinata looked up towards Sakura and said, "I found it! The purple one is in the far right corner, see?"

"Yeah, I see it, thanks, Hinata!" Sakura called out.

"Hey, how's it going?" Temari asked, her hands rested on her hips.

"G-great!" Hinata said. "This is the last light!" She noticed Deidara looking up at the light arrangement and blushed slightly. "H-hi, Deidara. Do you remember me?"

Deidara looked at her for a moment, trying to place her face in his head. "Oh, Hinata right?"

"That's right," she replied with a smile. "Good to see you."

"You too, yeah."

Sakura made it to the last step on the ladder and walked over to them, looking at Temari. "Hinata and I arranged the lights in a random, slightly complementary style. You can set them to back and forth or criss-cross motion, and it turns out pretty cool."

"Awesome!" Temari exclaimed. She turned and faced the back, "Shikamaru! Can you dim the white lights?"

Her fiancé's voice came through the speakers, "Ne… sort of troublesome. What do you need that for?"

"Hinata and Sakura finished the colored lighting; let's take a look!" Without further ado, the white lights turned off and Hinata activated the colored ones with her remote control. She turned the switches for the criss-cross and back and forth motions for a demonstration, as well. After Temari's exclamation of approval, she turned them off and the regular lights came back on shortly after. "Great job, guys!" Temari said, beaming. "We got more done today than I thought."

"Where's Ino?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.

"She called a little bit ago," Temari explained. "Said she couldn't make it. Not a big deal," she said patting Deidara on the shoulder, "'cause we had this cute artist here to help out." Deidara rolled his eyes in amusement, but Hinata and Sakura were giggling with glee. Temari yawned slowly, covering her mouth. "Well, I think that's good for today. Hinata and I have been here since ten working on this stuff."

"Still going for the 11th then?" Sakura asked politely.

"Yep," Temari nodded. "I've already got almost a full staff who's gonna work as soon as I open it. You guys should come by opening night."

"D-definitely," Hinata said.

The next morning, Sakura's alarm woke her up right on time. She got dressed in a more casual pace, happy that she didn't have to worry about Deidara taking her parking spot at work anymore. They drove together and just alternated whose car they took.

After a simple bowl of cereal for breakfast, Sakura began to wonder. Deidara still hadn't gotten up yet. Maybe he forgot to set his alarm, Sakura thought. She put her dishes in the dishwasher and headed back down the hallway to his room. It was a two bedroom apartment, so his room was right across from hers. She knocked on the door, "Deidara?"

When she didn't get an answer, Sakura quietly opened the door and peeked in. He was still sleeping. She rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself as she walked over and sat down on the side of his bed. "Hey," she said softly, poking him in the forehead. "Time for work, Dei, you gotta get up."

He rolled over, groaning in protest and burying his face in his pillow. Sakura chuckled, "Come on… we're gonna be late."

"Go without me… yeah," came his muffled reply. For some reason, his voice didn't sound the same.

Sakura tilted her head to the side, "Are you feeling all right?"

"No."

With a bit of extra effort, she managed to get him to lay on his back again. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, placing her hand on his forehead. "You do feel a little warm."

"I'm sick. So go away."

Sakura sighed, "Let me take your temperature."

"No. I'm just sick."

"Yes, and you should let me take your temperature so I know if you have a fever," Sakura said exasperatedly.

Deidara groaned again sleepily and covered his face with another pillow. "Just go away."

"All right… if you won't let me take your temperature, then tell me what's wrong with you." Sakura put her index and middle fingers on the side of his neck to feel his pulse, making sure it was normal. After a minute passed and he had a normal heart rate, she was puzzled as to what was wrong with him.

"I don't know, yeah," he said, rolling over to lie on his side. He wasn't facing her. "I just don't feel good. Tell Sasori I'm using a sick day."

Sakura tilted her head to the side, looking at him with concern. "Deidara, I'm going to medical school… You're making me worried; at least let me make sure you'll be okay."

He sighed, slowly raising up and facing her. With a convincing grin, he said, "I'll be fine. I'll call you if anything happens, which it won't."

"Promise you'll call," Sakura said, holding up her pinky finger and giving him a playful smile.

Deidara rolled his eyes and wrapped his pinky around hers for the pinky-swear promise that little kids do. "I promise. Now go away, yeah," he said, sliding back under the covers again.

Sakura smiled, "Okay. I'll come straight home after work to make sure you're all right."

"Uh-huh."

Sakura said goodbye again and quietly closed his door. She left the apartment through the garage and opened the door before getting in her car. After turning her key, a puzzled frown crossed her features. Her car wouldn't start. What on earth is going on here? she thought with bewilderment. She tried again and again, but it just wouldn't start. With a sigh, she walked back in the apartment after closing the garage door.

She peeked in Deidara's room again and asked, "Hey Deidara? My car won't start… is it okay if I drive yours?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks," she said smiling. "See you after work."

"'k."

As soon as he heard the Trans Am start up and drive away, Deidara rose up in his bed and smirked. Oh, cherry chick, you are so naïve, yeah. It really was amazing she was in medical school and couldn't tell he was faking it. He shrugged and got out of bed, putting on a pair of ratty old jeans and a baggy Led Zeppelin concert t-shirt.

Deidara opened the fridge in the kitchen and took out a beer before heading out to the garage. He opened the tall garage door for extra light and set his drink on a shelf by a bunch of tools. He opened the front door to Sakura's Tommy Kaira and reached down under the dash, feeling around for a power cord. His fingers reached the ignition power converter and plugged it back in.

Checking the keys, he started the car and it started up right away. He smirked as he turned it off. Sakura didn't have a clue that nothing was wrong with her car at all. After putting in an old Ozzy Ozbourne CD, he walked back into the house for a moment and brought a box into the garage from his room. Deidara sat down on the ground by the side of the car and fished through until he found the right materials. A paint brush and silver paint to start.

Sakura sat down in the driver's seat of the Trans Am, relishing the feeling. She was in a classic hot rod – that belonged to a very sexy artist. Starting the car, she had a smile on her face the entire time to the café where she usually met Ino and Hinata. She still had the stupid grin on her face as she sat down in her usual spot.

"You look rather cheerful today," Ino smirked. "Stay up late with Sasuke last night?"

Sakura blinked, realizing she never did call Sasuke the day before. "No, actually. I forgot to call him, too. Oh well, he'll get over it."

Ino's jaw dropped. "Forehead, are you feeling okay?" she asked, reaching over the table and feeling to see if Sakura had a fever. She felt normal, so Ino sat back down.

"I feel fine," Sakura insisted. "But I think Deidara's sick; he's missing work today."

"Oh, what's wrong with him?" Hinata asked with a concerned frown.

"Not sure," Sakura said, sinking slightly in her chair. "He's real stubborn – wouldn't let me take his temperature, either. I'm really worried, but he promised he'd call if he needed me, so I guess I'll have to go with that."

"How come you drove his car?" Ino asked, curiosity evident.

Sakura sighed, slumping even further in her seat. "I think mine broke down. It wouldn't even start today."

"Wow, everything's falling apart," Hinata said sullenly. "Are you going to, um, take it somewhere to get it fixed?"

"No, Deidara's really good with cars," Sakura said, managing to sit upright. "I'll ask him to take a look at it when he feels better."

Ino raised a delicate blonde eyebrow, studying her best friend perceptively. "Must be handy to have him around."

"Yeah, it's great," Sakura smiled. "He's really fun; it's too bad you couldn't come to Elixur yesterday. Deidara was there, too."

Hinata nodded, smiling sweetly as well. "Yes, he helped Temari move a bunch of heavy stuff. Sakura and I finished the lights, too."

"Oh, that's good," Ino said. "I talked to Temari on the phone last night; she said she's opening it hopefully April 11th."

"That's right," Sakura replied.

Ino paused again, still studying Sakura inquisitively. "So… is Deidara still as hot as he was in high school?"

"H-huh?" Sakura panicked. "I don't know! He's my friend! I'm dating Sasuke, I'm not allowed to check out other guys."

"Sure you're not allowed to," Ino continued with ease. "Doesn't mean you don't anyway. Come on… what do you think, Hinata?"

Hinata blushed, looking away towards the window. "W-well, he is… very attractive."

A sly grin crossed Ino's features, "I thought so. Hmm… speaking of which, how did Sasuke react when you told him you and Deidara were living together?"

Sakura nearly choked on her coffee. "Well… about that…"

Both Ino and Hinata's eyes widened. "You didn't tell him?"

"No," Sakura said miserably, curling herself into a ball and hiding her face. "I couldn't! He'd get so mad!"

"No… you think?" Ino asked, voice dripping in sarcasm. "Sakura… you do realize that you're dating Sasuke and not Deidara, right?"

"Of course I realize that!" the pink haired woman retorted. "How could I not?"

Ino shrugged, holding her hands up defensively for a moment. "Just something to think about, you know. Which one means more to you and all that."

"Deidara and I are just friends," Sakura insisted.

Hinata's quite voice spoke up, "Well… you two are rather close…"

Sakura sighed, "Guys, I really don't need this right now… Besides, even if I was interested in Deidara – which I'm not – nothing could happen. He's not interested in me."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Ino mumbled.

"You what?" Sakura asked having not heard her clearly.

"I said I saw the big dipper," Ino said quickly. "You know, that constellation. I was bored last night and just looked at the stars; you'd be surprising how relaxing that is."

"Yeah," Sakura said softly. "Okay, well, I gotta go, guys. Have to get to work."

"Ask Sasori out for me again!" Ino pleaded.

Sakura slapped her forehead in annoyance, "How many times must I say this? I'm not going to ask my boss if he'll go on a date with you!"

"Why not?"

Sakura sighed exasperatedly. She said her goodbyes to her friends and left the coffeehouse, heading to Akatsuki Studios. "What are they thinking," she muttered in annoyance as she drove down the road. "I can't like Deidara that way – I'm dating Sasuke. How dare they think otherwise! I love Sasuke, not Deidara! Sasuke!"

She frowned as she came to a red light, her eyes wandering to the beautiful phoenix painted on the hood of the Trans Am. "Deidara…" Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I can't help but wonder if things would be different if… well, if we were a couple… and not me and Sasuke."

The light turned green, so she tapped her foot on the gas pedal and continued on her way. Running a stressed out hand through her hair, she sighed again. "What kind of girl has feelings for two guys? Ugh, I'm such a horrible person… I can't believe I have a crush on Deidara. Damn it!"

Sakura kept her left hand on the wheel, but reached over to the dash and turned on the radio, begging for some sort of distraction. She didn't care what station the radio was on, as long as some noise or music or whatever passed through her ears. To her luck, it was on the rock station playing a Mötley Crüe song, one of Deidara's favorite bands.

Without you
In my life
I slowly wilt and die
But with you by my side
You're the reason I'm alive

She cursed and changed the station to the next one. "No damn love songs."

It's raining men!
Hallelujah it's raining men!
Amen!
I'm gonna go out
I'm gonna let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!

It's raining men
Hallelujah it's raining men
Every specimen!
Tall! Blonde! Dark and lean!
Rough and tough and strong and mean!

"Ugh," Sakura groaned, changing the station again.

I never had a dream come true
Till the day that I found you!
Even though I pretend that I've moved on
You'll always be my baby

I never find the words to say
You're the one I think about-

"Damn it, I said no love songs!" Sakura yelled, whacking the Next button again. This was the last straw. If it played another stupid song to ruin her day, she'd lose it.

Your arms are my castle
Your heart is my sky
They wipe away tears that I've cried
The good and the bad times
We've been through them all
You make me rise when I fall

Cause every time we touch-

"That's it." Sakura turned the radio off and had a scowl on her face for the remainder of the ride. She parked in her usual spot and sat there for a moment to calm down. When she was relaxed again, Sakura got out of the car and walked inside the building. She was the first one there, as usual, so she booted up the computer and started turning the lights on.

The bells on the front door chimed as Sasori came in, looking as calm and serene as ever. Sakura smiled at him, "Good morning. Deidara won't be here today."

"Oh?" Sasori asked as he hung his black coat up on the coat rack.

"Yeah, he's not feeling well," Sakura said with a frown. "My car broke down this morning, too. When he's feeling better, I'm going to ask him to take a look at it."

"Sounds like a rough morning."

"You have no idea," Sakura sighed as she finally sat down in her chair at the front desk. "At least I don't have class today," she added with a chuckle.

Sakura got home around 4:15. The garage door was closed, but she heard rock music coming from it. She parked the Trans Am and walked inside the apartment through the front door. Deidara must have heard her come in, for he emerged from the garage soon after. "Hey," Sakura greeted, walking up to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he replied.

"That's a relief," Sakura said. "You had me worried. What's going on in the garage?" Deidara paused, searching his mind to think of something, but luckily, Sakura jumped to a conclusion. "Oh, are you fixing my car? Wow, Deidara, thanks! You're great!"

Deidara scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a stupid grin plastered on his face, "A-heh-heh… err, yeah. Sure thing." He inwardly sighed that Sakura was clueless as she was at times like this. "How was work?"

"Great," she answered, walking towards the garage. "Lets take a look at my car, shall we?"

Deidara quickly stood in front of the door, leaning against it and laughing nervously. "Uh, no, not a good idea, yeah. Lot's of tools and stuff, and it's dirty in there. I'll tell you when it's fixed, how about that?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side, confused. "Oh, okay. Sure. When do you think it'll be done?"

"Hopefully tonight."

"Great!" Sakura said brightly. She walked back over to the entryway and took her shoes off. "Any ideas for dinner?"

"Anything," Deidara sighed. He realized he skipped lunch that day because he had been painting Sakura's car.

"Okay, I'll see what we've got in the fridge."

"I'll be in the garage… yeah," he said, opening the door, walking through, and closing it very quickly. Sakura looked in that direction with a puzzled expression but shrugged nonetheless. Maybe it was a guy thing.

She picked out a few things to make for dinner, settling on a homemade pizza, and started setting everything up. When it was all set, she put it in the oven at 425 degrees and turned on the television set to help pass the time. The oven dinged, signaling the timer she set was up, so Sakura walked over and checked to make sure it was ready. Leaving it set out on the stove to cool off, Sakura turned off the oven and walked to the garage door.

She knocked on it a few times. "Deidara?"

After a while, the door opened. "Yeah?" he asked. It was only open part of the way, so Sakura couldn't see past him. Yet for some reason, there was a big blue stain on his jeans.

"What happened?" Sakura asked with a baffled expression.

"Err… nothing," Deidara said quickly. "How's dinner coming along?"

"Oh, it's ready, just needs to be cut," Sakura replied with a smile. She furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion, "Are you all right? You're acting kinda weird…"

"I'm fine, yeah," he said, coming into the kitchen and closing the door before Sakura could peek out into the garage. She wasn't sure before, but now she was positive. Deidara was hiding something, and Sakura was bound and determined to find out what it was.

After dinner, Sakura started cleaning off the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. By the time she finished with that and turned back to where Deidara was previously sitting at the table, she frowned. He was already gone and back in the garage. He better not have made my car even more broken than it already was, she thought with a raised eyebrow in that direction.

Pushing these thoughts aside, she took a damp washcloth and wiped the table clean. Afterwards, she returned to the living room and watched TV for a while. Another hour passed, and Deidara still hadn't left the garage. "What is he doing out there," Sakura mumbled in slight annoyance.

With a sigh, she turned off the television and walked down the hall to her room. Sakura picked out a pair of comfy silk pajamas and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Deciding to take her shower a bit early, also to help kill time until he was finished with whatever it was he was doing, she turned on the water and waited for it to get to the right temperature before stepping in.

Shower completed, she slipped in her pajamas and returned to the living room. Eventually, Sakura settled on watching Best Week Ever on VH1. At least it was funny and could take her mind off things. If Deidara's mystery garage project wasn't enough, while in the shower, Sakura was reminded of her debate with her friends earlier that morning.

I can't believe Ino is suggesting that I have to choose between Deidara and Sasuke. Deidara is my friend, Sasuke is my boyfriend. Simple as that.

As soon as the thoughts passed through her mind, the garage door opened again. Sakura looked over the edge of the couch curiously as Deidara finally emerged, closing the door behind him. She shut the TV off with her remote control and stared at him from her position on the couch. From an outsider's point of view, she probably looked like a curious little kid, examining an animal of sorts and waiting to see what it would do next.

Deidara washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and after toweling them off to dry, he leaned on the counter and looked at her with a smirk. "It's been driving you nuts, hasn't it?"

"Ye-esssssss," Sakura moaned, sliding down the couch. She quickly stood up and rushed over to him, "Can I see now? What did you do? Is my car fixed?"

"Yeah," he said simply. He gestured towards the door with a wave of his hand. "Go for it." Sakura squealed with delight and sprinted towards the garage door. "Oh, Sakura," Deidara added. "Don't touch; it still needs to dry."

Sakura tilted her head in confusion but shrugged and nodded, continuing her way out the garage door. She froze as soon as she saw her car, jaw dropping in shock. A silver dragon was painted on the side of Sakura's Tommy Kaira, going from the edge of the front door to the rear end of the vehicle. It had several yellow accents with a few small touches of blue and green, perfecting the color combination. It was extremely professional and perfectly mirrored on the other side.

She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she slowly brought her left hand up to her mouth, using every ounce of willpower to hold in her glee. Sakura just looked at her car, smiling with watery eyes. She felt Deidara's arms wrap around her from behind as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "So… will this do?"

Sakura whirled around and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Deidara's arms were around her waist, his blue eyes looking down at her with his usual smirk. "Glad you like it… yeah."