Upside-Down

TK Grimm

Chapter Twelve:

The Right Decision

Sakura's black trench coat was draped across her shoulders to keep her warm. She sat on the sidewalk path just outside her front door, waiting for Deidara's car. She swallowed hard, wondering what she was going to say to him. I'm going to apologize first off… she thought. That seemed the best way to start it. She had to tell him she was sorry and make things go back to the way they used to be.

Her green eyes drifted down to her left hand and the slightest smile crossed her lips. She had taken off the diamond engagement ring Sasuke had given her. I'm going to call the wedding off… I love Deidara… I realize that now.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw two headlights coming down the street. The car was black – that could only mean that it was Deidara's right? Sakura squinted her eyes to try and see better, but she didn't have to. It pulled into her driveway, and after a few seconds, Deidara stepped out. He closed the door and turned his head slightly, looking at her for a moment.

Sakura didn't even hesitate. She stood up and ran to him as fast as she could. She was barefoot, so her feet hurt when they hit the concrete, but that, among so many other things, didn't make a difference. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in his chest. Deidara immediately hugged her back, waiting to hear her speak.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry…" Sakura miserably clung to his coat, the one that matched her own. "I was mistaken… all this time, I was… I was…" Finally managing to look up, she met his gaze, "Not Sasuke… no… Deidara, I…"

Could she say it? Now that the time had come, and she had braced herself for several full minutes waiting on the porch… could she really say that? Could she leave Sasuke behind… for Deidara?

"Sakura-"

"No, wait!" Sakura pleaded, interrupting him. She bit her lip with uncertainty. "Deidara… I know you think I just wanted you to come back… because I feel bad, but that's not true! That's not it, I promise! I…" She tried and tried again to fight back the lump in her throat. "I need you, Deidara… I can't imagine living like this for the rest of my life, where every time we see each other its just a simple 'how have you been' and then we go our separate ways…

"I need more than that," she continued. "Deidara, I need you! I need you in my life, I want you to be part of my life!" Deidara's eyes slowly wandered to Sakura's left hand. He visibly tensed when he saw that the engagement ring was no longer on her finger. Slowly, his gaze returned to Sakura's, and he waited for her to finish. "I realize now… I know it took me a long time, and you must be so furious with me or sick of me or something, but… but now I know… Deidara, I love you."

As much as he would have liked to be the mature, controlled adult, Deidara had abandoned these good intentions quite a long time ago, especially now. He took Sakura by her shoulders and turned her around, pinning her against the Trans Am. Gripping her chin in his hand, he brought her lips to his.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, responding immediately. If she had been told freshman year that she would be kissing Deidara, cocky senior artist Deidara of all people, she would have punched that person. Hard. Now, it was all she could think about. The kiss was, for lack of a better word, demanding. The hand that had previously taken hold of her chin slowly moved to her neck, holding gently yet firmly at the same time. Sakura couldn't help but run her fingers through his hair.

Both of them were in such a trancelike state, they didn't notice the porch lights come on at the apartment next door until a, "HOLY SHIT!" rang through their ears.

"Damn it," Deidara cursed, looking towards the other house to see Hidan grinning at him with his arms folded across his chest.

Sakura turned her head slightly and her eyes widened. She recognized him from Kisame's party, but couldn't place his name. Regardless, it appeared Deidara was sending him a death glare, but Hidan didn't seem too bothered. "That party wasn't enough for you, huh, you sly bastard," Hidan smirked.

Deidara rolled his eyes, "Point being? …Yeah."

Hidan shrugged as he laughed, "Fuck that – just don't let Itachi's bro find out or he'll be pissed." Without another word, he proceeded with taking out the trash. It was probably the reason he left the apartment in the first place.

Sakura saw another figure in the window, but as soon as she squinted her eyes for a better look, the person closed the shades. "Kakuzu," Deidara said, seeing where Sakura's eyes had wandered.

She replied with a barely audible, "Oh," and watched Hidan go back into his apartment, giving Deidara one last 'thumbs-up' sign. Before he could come out with some sarcastic comment, Sakura took his hand and led him back to their own apartment. She gave him a quick smile and reached for the door. When she turned it and it didn't open, her eyes widened upon realization. "Uh-oh…"

There was a pause that lasted about three seconds before Deidara burst out laughing. Sakura had literally locked herself out of her apartment. "WOW," he said enthusiastically as he fished his keys out of his pocket. He was still laughing as they walked in, closing the door behind them.

"Oh will you stop laughing!" Sakura said, blushing furiously. She put her hands on her hips for emphasis to her mood and tried her hardest to glare at him.

Deidara quickly sank to his knees, holding his hands in laughter. Sakura finally caught on that the more flustered or temperamental she acted, the funnier it was to him. She at last gave in to her own giggles and pulled Deidara up by his arm. "You jerk…" she mumbled, smiling despite herself.

Deidara looked up at her for a moment, laughter replaced with this goofy grin that Sakura raised an eyebrow to. There was a pause for a few seconds until he took hold of her hand and pulled her down on top of him. He turned her over so he was on top and kissed her again like he had before.

As he pulled away and started making a trail down her chin and neck, Sakura couldn't help but giggle, "You like… strange places, Dei. Y-your c-c-car," she shuddered when she felt his hands slide down her body. "The… the f-floor…"

Deidara finally moved back to her lips and said something along the lines of, "A bit… flustered… tonight… yeah?"

Sakura grinned and took hold of him switching their positions so she was on top and in control again. She leaned in and whispered, "Only a little."

Sasori glanced at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment before returning his gaze to the chess game in front of them. "It's possible."

Ino smirked as she finally made her move, using the queen as an offensive to attack another of Sasori's pawns. "I agree. It's… an interesting concept."

"What brought it to your attention?" he asked quietly, studying the board with perceptive amber eyes. Ino was doing well on offense, but as such, she kept her defenses down. He could end the match quickly enough if he put effort into a strategy.

"Hinata, actually," Ino said with perfected ease. "Earlier today, she and Deidara ran into Sakura in the parking lot. I heard it was… full of sparks."

He was quiet for a moment, the slightest of smiles revealing itself. "You certainly love to gossip, don't you?"

"Naturally," Ino replied.

"Naturally," Sasori repeated, looking at her again. He returned his gaze to the board and changed the positions of the castle and the king.

"I didn't know you could do that," Ino said suddenly, staring at the board.

"As long as you haven't moved the pieces beforehand," Sasori told her. "If there's nothing between them, you can turn them around like that, creating a defensive shield around the king."

Ino looked at it for a long time, teal eyes gazing at the protected pieces. After several minutes, she finally said, "There's a negative effect of that move, though."

Sasori looked at her with interest, curious to see if she really had figured it out after seeing it only once. "Oh?"

"Yes," Ino nodded, looking up to meet his gaze. She pointed at the pawns in front of the king, "Now the king is backed into a corner. An offensive player would call that a trap."

"Perhaps."

Ino looked at him with an inquisitive expression. "You know, talking to you is just like playing this game."

"How so?" Sasori asked, using every ounce of willpower to hide the amused smile.

"You're always thinking six moves ahead," she said rather irritably. "I don't know how you do it. I can't even manage that in this game."

"Clearly," Sasori mused, looking at the untactful positions of her pieces.

"Hey!"

Sasori put his hands up defensively, "Nothing, nothing. Go ahead, Ino; it's your turn."

Ino eyed him for a moment before looking at the board, wondering how best to use Sasori's castling move to her advantage. She was an offensive player, so she could use it like a trap. For what it was worth, he had practically cornered his own king. Taking the opportunity, she passed the bishop along a diagonal set of black squares until it neared the king. "Check."

Sasori didn't take his eyes off her as he effortlessly moved the king over one square, leaving it dead in the corner of the board. Ino returned his gaze, trying to find out if he was planning any secret moves. There's no way he'd let her win so easily… right? Nah…

"You know," Ino said, bringing up conversation. "It wouldn't surprise me if Deidara was at her place right now."

"Again with the gossip?" Sasori asked, obviously finding his company entertaining.

Ino shrugged, playing the part, "I'm female."

"Clearly."

Ino's eye twitched for a moment, "I do hope that's a compliment."

Sasori couldn't help but grin, "Take it how you like."

"Again with the thinking six moves ahead," she scoffed, forcing herself to look away and back towards the board. She studied her pieces and prepared an attacking strategy again. If I use the queen, he can capture it with that knight. Damn… "Regardless," Ino said in a tone that stated she wasn't worried about anything at the moment, "I will admit I hope he's over there."

"Oh?" Well now, wasn't this interesting.

"Yes, actually," Ino informed, meeting his gaze once again. Her move would have to wait – besides, she needed more time to plan her attack. "Deidara would be much better for her than Sasuke."

Sasori nodded slightly, listening attentively. He looked at the board again, predicting Ino's moves with ease and planning his own. "Though I'm wondering if you're saying this as the perceptive woman with Sakura's best interest at heart… or the girl who chased after Sasuke in her freshman year."

Ino didn't even flinch. "Oh, I can assure you; that was a 'young and stupid' thing for sure. Sasuke does nothing for me anymore." She casually moved a pawn forward another step to where she would have moved the queen. Then she waited for the knight that caused her the hesitation to take the pawn.

"Check."

Ino's jaw dropped. Her teal eyes drifted back to her king and saw it a few squares from Sasori's white-square bishop. If she moved to the right, his rook could get her. With an annoyed expression, she moved the king a square to the left.

"As I was saying," she continued. "As the best friends in this situation, you and I can get a lot done here… for the benefit of the others, of course."

"Oh really?" Sasori couldn't help but ask. Toying with people was such a rare treat; he had to enjoy it while it lasted. He moved the rook up four squares. "Check."

Ino clenched her left fist for a moment before relaxing. She moved the king up a square. "Anyway, yes, really. We can… help pair them up."

"Because that's something I do in my spare time," Sasori said, tinges of sarcasm evident.

"It's something I do," Ino shrugged. "When you have a job like mine, you need entertaining little things like that."

Sasori didn't miss a beat. "Things like asking your best friend's boss out on a date."

A slightly pink hue passed over Ino's cheeks, so she quickly looked away, "Hey, hey, low blow!" She calmed herself down in a few quick seconds and returned her gaze to the board. Sasori still hadn't made his move, so she took the time to study it and make a plan. He was closing in on her like she was him, so she had to attack now.

"So what do you intend to do?" he asked, slightly curious. "That is, besides ruin your best friend's wedding."

Ino sighed, slumping in her already slouched position on the floor. "You make everything sound so bad."

"And you try to sugarcoat it."

Ino laid down on her stomach, propping her head up with her hand, her elbow on the carpeted floor. "I'll say it again, always thinking six moves ahead. Either tell me how you do that or stop, because that's just not fair."

Sasori raised an eyebrow, "It bothers you? I'm actually having fun."

"Clearly," Ino said, repeating the word Sasori had used with her own touch of sarcasm.

He paused for a moment to look at the board. Let's see… he could defeat her now, or he could toy with her for a bit more. Definitely the second option. Sasori casually used his other bishop to move to a position near Ino's queen, a slightly threatening move. "So tell me, Ino," he said. "Do you really intend to get Sakura to cheat on her fiancé?"

"Anything sounds bad when you say it with that attitude," Ino frowned.

"That wording," Sasori corrected. "The attitude is nonchalant, though technically, that's bothering you more than the wording at the moment."

Ino glared at him, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to dumb your game down a bit."

"It wouldn't kill me," Sasori agreed. "But it would take away a lot of the fun."

"And we can't have that can we?"

"Clearly," he grinned.

"Hey, Sasori, are you single?"

For the first time that night, he was caught by surprise, though the emotion merely flashed across his eyes and drifted away, again masked by a blank expression. "You're not going to ask me out again, are you?"

Ino put her hands on the floor and glared at him again, "I'm not that bad!"

"Oh, no, of course not," Sasori said, waving his hand once in dismissal. "Do forgive the insinuation."

"You must have a lot of fun talking to Deidara," Ino couldn't help but giggle. "Using all of those intelligent words on his poor little blonde head."

"As true as that statement is, you're just as blonde… technically," he added quickly. "But yes, the bewildered expression never gets old."

"I bet," Ino said, feeling slightly irritated at the 'blonde' comment, even if she had walked right into it. She took this time to capture the bishop with her queen, just as Sasori had expected. "What a waste," she sighed. "These are handy pieces."

"I suppose they are."

Ino shrugged and added the piece to her collection of captives, mentally noting that Sasori was still watching her. She was beginning to catch on that he was toying with her, but didn't say anything on it. "Do you think Sakura will still choose Sasuke? Even now?"

Sasori paused for a moment, reading Ino's expression and choosing the best way to answer. "She's getting married in a couple weeks."

"I know, I know… on the thirteenth," Ino sighed, averting her gaze for a moment. Ino looked at Sasori again, admiring his absolutely perfect angelic features. His amber eyes were on the chess board, but it made it easier that she didn't necessarily have to deal with eye-contact as she watched him. She sat up slowly, slyly changing positions so she was closer to him. "You know… it wouldn't be as bad as you think if you went on a date with me."

Perfectly timed, Sasori moved the queen to block the king yet again. "Checkmate."

Ino sighed, sinking to the ground again. "Ouch."

"I'm free Sunday."

Shocked teal blue eyes looked up at him. She blinked several times before asking, "R-really?" Ino quickly sat up again and regained her composure, "Oh, of course! Sunday's great!" There was a short pause before she asked, "No more mind games, right?"

Sasori gave her what could only be identified as a mischievous grin. "Only a little."

Sakura continued the kiss that Deidara had started, slowly moving her hands over his shoulders to help slide off his coat. Deidara had already removed the ribbon in Sakura's hair, letting the perfectly combed pink locks rest freely against the sides of her face. Sakura pulled away just a moment for air, but it was long enough for Deidara to regain the dominating position and turn her over on her back.

"Ow!" she exclaimed suddenly, reaching underneath her. She pulled out her flip flop shoe that had been left behind earlier that day. "Rolled over on a shoe," she chuckled.

Deidara rolled his eyes in amusement, putting his hands under Sakura and helping her lift herself off the ground. They both stood up, regaining their senses. Sakura's hands rested gently on his chest, her green eyes sparkling with delight. Deidara couldn't help but grin at her; she could elicit that expression without even trying.

Suddenly, the song 'Temperature' echoed through the kitchen, easily heard from the entryway, which was part of the same room. Deidara's face turned from the cheeky grin to a dull void, blocking out everything except a slight scowl. Sakura gave him an apologetic smile and walked to the kitchen table, picking up her phone. It was Sasuke, just as the ring tone had revealed.

Do I answer it…? she thought. Sakura had never once hesitated to answer the phone if it was Sasuke. That was when a few other things crossed her mind. She was engaged, whether she wore the ring or not. She was engaged to the man she was in love with for years… and here she was, kissing Deidara just moments before.

Sakura's hands trembled. The ringer slowly ended, signaling she had missed the call. She looked at it for a moment, completely ashamed with herself. She had never cheated on anyone before, and always thought of the simple idea of cheating on someone despicable. And yet… what had she just done?

She couldn't help but tense when she felt Deidara's hands rest on her shoulders, his chin on top of her head. "Sakura… this has to stop, yeah…"

Sakura turned around and looked at him, shocked. Of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn't one of them. "Deidara…?"

He managed to give her a half smile, tilting his head slightly. "You're getting married, yeah? Don't let this little crush on me get in the way. You have to do the right thing."

Her lips parted slightly in surprise. "But, Dei, I-"

Deidara shook his head once, still offering a weak smile. "This isn't what you want. You don't belong with me… you belong with him… yeah." He pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring the traitorous voice in his head that told him to change his mind. For once, he was going to do the right thing. For once, he was going to be the mature one… the adult.

Gently running his fingers through her hair, he said, "I know you don't love me… and that's fine. Sakura, you need to be with someone you love… yeah. Sure, that rich brat isn't the greatest, but you wouldn't love him if you didn't see anything in him." Deidara pulled away slowly and took hold of Sakura's chin, tilting it upward so Sakura met his gaze. "I want you to be happy."

"But what if I'm-"

"-And I know you'll be happier with him."