Silver Lining

Chapter Five: The Denial Twist

"I didn't think you made anything that didn't blow up or transport," Sakura said. For the past few hours they'd lounged around with the windows open to let in the ocean breeze, and for a while now she'd been watching Deidara mold little figurines out of his clay, not with his bloodline limit but with his hands and fingers. He was quite a good sculptor by natural talent alone, and she enjoyed watching him create little works of art. Although he didn't consider them works of art because they didn't move or explode and had no other purpose. He was simply bored.

Deidara shrugged indifferently. "I don't usually. But the clay gets dries out if I don't do something with it, and it's not like I can set off even the smallest explosions around here."

"You're a very good artist," she told him. He smirked arrogantly, of course, because no one thought that more than he did. "Even in the traditional sense. Do you do other things besides sculpt, like draw?"

He frowned a little. "Not really. I mean I can…but I don't, because it's not real art. Sometimes I sketch out designs for my creations, but most of it is trial and error with prototypes, yeah," he said, focusing on the surrealist dragon he was making and not looking at her.

"Would you ever draw me, or sculpt me?"

Deidara stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. "The true beauty of a living thing can never be captured or expressed through static form. The life of a thing is what makes it beautiful. No artist could ever do you justice, Sakura," he said seriously.

Sakura looked away self-consciously, feeling like she should have known he wouldn't like the idea. She felt silly for bringing it up. "I understand."

Deidara studied her profile. Her beauty was both classic and unique. Many artists would love to try and capture her likeness, but they would all fail, because it was the energy she radiated, her spirit and the fire in her eyes that made her such an exquisite creature. The musical sound of her laughter, the way her hair blew in the wind, the way her eyes sparkled like jewels when she got excited; all were fleeting moments that became their own little works of art, different every time. She used to be so full of those little moments, but now they were rare. That brevity should make them more beautiful, more artistic…but it felt wrong, like she was hindered and restrained from being truly glorious. Deidara didn't like the idea of sculpting her, but he also knew that it would likely make her happy, make her smile or even laugh, and that would be the true art. "Still, I guess I could do it sometime if you really want, yeah," he said finally.

Her expression brightened. "Would it blow up?"

He laughed. "If you want it to."

Sakura thought for a moment. "It would be cool to see it go off like that clone of yours did, back in Wind country when we first met."

"I'm surprised you'd actually want to watch yourself blow up."

She shrugged. "Ever since I became a medic I get fascinated by really strange things. I guess I'm a bit odd like that."

His smile softened, and he quietly said, "I like that about you."

The moment stretched, and Sakura felt the need to say something before it got awkward again. "So…we should probably head out soon. How do you want to do this?"

Deidara knew she'd changed the subject on purpose. Again. But she was right; they did need to get started. "Actually, I had an idea earlier." He reached for more clay from his pouch and this time he worked it with his bloodline limit, infusing it with chakra. A moment later he held his closed hand out to Sakura.

Curious, she opened her palm, and made a sound of pleasant surprise as a tiny white mouse dropped onto her hand. The clay creature twitched its tail and began to crawl slowly up her forearm. "It's adorable," she said, turning her arm as it climbed until it balanced near her elbow. "What's it for?"

"It's for getting into small or heavily guarded places unnoticed, yeah."

Sakura smiled knowingly and picked the mouse up by the tail, setting it back on her palm. "I thought all your clay jutsu were for explosions."

"Not all of it. The original function of my clan was as surveillance and espionage specialists. The demolition expertise came later. That thing has memory receptors like a clone, and I can control it and see what it sees through a meditative jutsu," he explained.

"That's really cool," she said, stroking her index finger along the back of the little mouse.

He smiled at her petting his construct like it was a real creature. "It's not art, but it has its uses. Basically what it means is that we don't have to actually get into the sublevel ourselves just yet. With this we can see what's down there first."

"So I guess we're staying in tonight," Sakura said. The mouse jumped off her palm and scurried out the patio doors into the night.

Deidara set himself up on the couch and folded his legs to get comfortable. He made a short series of hand seals and stilled as the jutsu went into effect. Sakura sat adjacent to him on the armchair with her legs pulled up and her chin on her knees. After around twenty minutes she was resisting the urge to fidget. She had endless reserve when it came to medical procedures, but with everything else she was rather impatient.

Deidara shifted slightly, but kept his eyes closed. "Okay I'm in."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the information that he was just now getting in, but she supposed a little mouse probably couldn't move that fast and there was quite a bit of distance to cover.

They waited some more, or at least Sakura did, since Deidara could actually see what was happening. She stared at him for lack of anything else to do, not sure how much concentration he needed or if she would disturb him by getting up and moving around. She could have sworn they sat there half the night, though in reality it was only around two hours.

When Deidara finally shifted in his seat and opened his eyes she was admittedly relieved, but she quickly grew concerned. He was frowning. "What did you find?" He looked up, and she knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Guards, yeah. Lots of them."

"How many?"

"Maybe thirty. Some are shinobi."

She was frowning as well. "That's an awful lot of security for a hotel owner and antiques collector."

"I bet these hotels are a front, yeah."

She chewed her lip in thought. "I wonder what his real business is."

Deidara shrugged. "Not our problem. This makes it a bit tougher, but all that matters is getting the sword."

Sakura nodded absently. It really wasn't any of their concern. Her days of playing superninja and trying to save the world were over. "Did you see the sword?"

He shook his head. "No. There was one room with a door sealed to the floor that the mouse couldn't get under. It requires a security code to get in. I'm sure that's where it will be, yeah."

"Then tomorrow night we need to get in that room. Did you see the identity of the head of security? Enough to recognize him on sight again?"

"Yes. I also found out he leaves for the night around eleven. He was leaving when the mouse got there or I would have waited to see if he opened that door."

"Good. He will have the access code, so we wait for him on his way out and grab him. I can take care of getting the code from him."

He nodded, but he was curious. "How?"

"High level medics can do a lot more than heal when it comes to the human body."

Deidara gave her a mischievous smirk. "That can be taken a lot of different ways, yeah."

Sakura shrugged. "Take it however you like; it's all true."

He gave her an amused 'oh, really?' look, but he didn't comment further.

Sakura grew troubled again. "I have a feeling there's more to this sword than we knew about."

"I agree."

"Yotsuba knows," she said with a frown.

"Probably."

"He has to," she grumbled, shaking her head. "That's the reason he wanted high level ninja for such a seemingly simple job—because low level ninja would fail. And he offered a ridiculously high payout so that people like us would be willing to do it."

"And he didn't mention it because even though the payout is good, he knew we would still demand more for the additional hazard, yeah."

"I'm gonna break his lying nose when we deliver his stupid sword," she said darkly.

Her temper was as bad as Deidara's, if not worse. "Go for it, yeah. Just make sure I'm there when you do."

Sakura stood up with a yawn and stretched her arms above her head. "I think I'm gonna get ready for bed. That heat today made me really drowsy." She headed into the bedroom and closed the door to change. She put on the new pajamas she'd bought that day—a pale aqua tank top and matching shorts made of light cotton, simple and comfortable

When she came out again, Deidara was certain he'd pissed off some god somewhere and that god had decided to get back at him by letting Sakura find that outfit and then wear it around him. Kunoichi invariably fell into two categories: those who had no clue their usual clothing choices were often…distracting, and were only concerned with comfort and flexibility, and those who knew full well and did it on purpose. He was pretty sure Sakura was one of the former, but he really didn't want to think about it either way.

With effort he tore his eyes away from that little glimpse of exposed tummy above her waistband and walked past her into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He changed into loose jogging shorts and then went back out. Sakura was perched on the back of the couch with one leg up, stretched out with her knee bent slightly to inspect a bruise on her shin, leaving him an eyeful of toned inner thigh.

Sakura finished healing the bruise and looked up, saw her partner look resentfully at the ceiling as if cursing the heavens and then promptly whirl back into the bedroom. A small smile curled her lips, because she'd seen the way he checked her out before going to change. She didn't think there was anything remarkable about her sleepwear—they weren't that revealing and certainly not in the sexy lingerie category. Now she wondered if buying these pajamas was a bad idea.

When she entered the bedroom Deidara was already in bed, lying on his back with his arms behind his head. They looked at each other for a long moment, just a bit hesitant because this was the first time they had both gone to sleep at the same time and things today had been…interesting.

She turned out the light and got under the covers on her side of the bed with her back to him. "Goodnight," she said quietly.

"Night," he murmured.

For the first time since they started sharing a bed for this mission, Sakura was acutely aware of Deidara lying near but not really close to her. She could feel his bodyheat on the perimeter of her senses, and she kept feeling a strange compulsion to turn over and face him, or to move a little closer to seek out that sense of comfort she'd felt earlier. But this was not a hug on a public street, this was cuddling in bed alone with him she was thinking about. It wasn't good to even entertain the idea, so she stayed where she was and focused her breathing, willing herself into slumber.

Deidara stared at her back for several minutes, until her breathing evened out and she appeared to be sleeping. Then with a last baleful glare at the unseen forces against him, he closed his eyes and waited to fall asleep.

Sakura groaned softly as pale morning light tried to pry through her eyelids. She'd been having a really good dream, and now she couldn't remember it. It was comfortable and warm in the bed and she was tempted to stay there all day, curled up in the soft sheets and—

—cuddled against her very attractive male friend.

Like the first time, Sakura managed to temper her startled outburst down to a wide eyed cringe. Apparently they'd both shifted in their sleep this time until they had come to be in their current position. How the hell did this keep happening in such a huge bed? Her forehead pressed against the hollow of his shoulder, his arm somewhere above her head. Her arms were tucked against her chest but his other arm rested on her hip, and her knee was over his a little. It wasn't too bad, not as alarming as say, spooning…but it was enough to bring heat to her cheeks and a flutter to her insides.

How annoyingly cliché, she thought as she tried to figure out how to untangle herself without waking him. She removed her knee from where it lay over his and shifted slightly. She had shared a bed on missions with male teammates before and this had never been an issue.

Maybe wasn't about clichés and coincidences. Maybe it had more to do with subconsciously seeking out what she really wanted.

Well, it didn't matter what her subconscious may want. Sakura was not going to let it happen.

Irritated and unprepared for it as it was, she knew it hadn't come out of nowhere. Eight years ago, on that last night in the old fortress where she'd spent her final days with Akatsuki, she had sought Deidara out to say goodbye. She'd broken down and cried, and he held her and comforted her. Something had shifted between them that night; she had seen it in his eyes, and she'd felt drawn to him and wondered why it hadn't happened earlier. If Sakura hadn't already been involved with Itachi, if he hadn't been waiting for her that night, what might have happened? If Deidara had kissed her there by the fire, would she have responded? Could they possibly have become lovers that night, even knowing it would only be once?

Yes.

There was no point denying it, just as there was no point denying the attraction between them was still there and getting stronger with every passing day they spent like this, pretending to be married and in love. But it didn't matter. Sakura could keep up appearances with the flirting and handholding for the sake of the mission, but she could not let it go to another level with him, or any man, ever again. Especially not Deidara, because he was already too close to her, she cared about him too much already as her only remaining friend. She couldn't handle it if—

Her shifting had the opposite effect than she intended, because Deidara suddenly mumbled something unintelligible, his hand flexed over her hip, and he opened his eyes to stare directly into hers less than a foot away.

Sakura could see he was startled, but he was better at controlling his reactions than she was because he didn't flinch or jerk at all. His eyes slowly traveled down to focus on where his hand covered her hip, and he blinked and moved it away with more casual control than she would have managed. Then he looked up at her with a sheepish smile that could probably melt girls where they stood—or lay, as it were—if the situation wasn't so awkward.

"Uh…sorry," he murmured.

Sakura had forgotten she'd been trying to move away, but she quickly remembered herself and scooted back with as much nonchalance as she could muster. "It's okay. I think I'm the one who moved in my sleep in the first place," she fibbed, and got out of the bed before any second thoughts to lie back down came to mind.

Deidara sat up and stared out the window with a mildly irritated expression. He was better at controlling outward reactions than she was, but it was clear he was having the same freakout on the inside. With an agonizing inner cringe Sakura pushed away the thought of why he possibly wasn't getting out of bed yet. Without another word to him she grabbed a change of clothes and escaped to the bathroom.

Deidara watched her go and then fell back against the bed with a frustrated groan.

Having tense little moments and then brushing them off and acting like nothing happened was becoming a pattern for them, and they were doing it again this morning. The awkward sense of forced casualness always wore off soon though, because they really did get on well, and it was no time at all before things were just fine and they were acting and talking normally again.

"So what should we do today? Since we don't have plans until later tonight," Sakura said casually, disguising her words so the other restaurant patrons didn't overhear anything they shouldn't. They'd slept in late due to their midnight espionage and were having an early lunch.

"Something not boring, yeah." Deidara shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "You pick."

Sakura rolled her eyes a little and smiled. When it came to art or when he was angry Deidara was highly energetic, often volatile, and sometimes downright maniacal. But when not dealing with one or both of those things, he was ridiculously laid back. "Hmm…why don't we just hang out on the beach? I mean we've got our own little strip outside the room, and you can't vacation at the beach without going to the beach, right?"

He laughed lightly. "I guess that's true. I don't know anyone who's been paid this much just to sit around and relax all day, yeah. This really is a vacation."

Her brow creased slightly. "That remains to be seen. We may have our work cut out for us after all. But I don't want to think about that now. I just want to relax today." She smiled at him.

Deidara grinned back. "Me too, yeah."

They returned to the room a while later and Sakura made her way to the bedroom. "I'm going to change real quick."

"Okay," he said, and merely pulled his shirt over his head.

Sakura took in an eyeful of toned torso, disguised as a playful glare. "Men have it so easy," she said, and shut the door.

Deidara wanted to seriously argue about that, because when she came out it was practically torture to see her in that bathing suit. She was wearing a black bikini with a short semi-sheer sarong over the low-cut bottoms that – much to his torment – tied at the hips. He'd never before been attracted to a woman and made a conscious effort to keep his hands off, so to speak. Sakkura was his friend and he respected her, but she sure as hell wasn't making it easy.

She grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the sofa. "Ready?"

Deidara swallowed carefully and nodded. She walked out the patio doors and he followed, trying hard not to stare at the curve of her hips and ass under that little see-through skirt.

The beach was fairly secluded, only a few other couples from the bungalows were present. They located a good spot a little ways down the strand under the shade of a thick palm tree. Sakura spread the blanket over the smooth white sand, and Deidara sat down and leaned back on his hands. Sakura stood next to him but didn't sit, instead looking out at the clear turquoise water. She reached down and untied her sarong, which just happened to be at Deidara's eye level, and dropped it onto the blanket.

She looked down and quirked a brow at the strange expression on his face. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing," he mumbled, and she turned and strode down to the water's edge. Deidara watched her wade into the water with her fingers down to touch the surface of the gently rolling waves. When she was waist deep she turned and beckoned to him enthusiastically, and he heard her shout at him in invitation. Smirking, he rose and made his way down to the water. He waded in knee-deep and she moved toward him, stopping several feet away with a mischievous grin.

Suddenly Sakura swiped at the surface and a torrent of warm salty water splashed over him, and a peal of musical laughter rang out as she tried to move out of his range. Deidara laughed and splashed back, and the war was on.

Sakura jumped onto Deidara from the side and he spun around to throw her off, but she held on and tried to push him under. Her feet had no footing because he lifted her and turned suddenly, grabbed her by the waist and tackled her. They both crashed under the surface and got into a minor grappling match beneath the waves. When they broke apart and came up for air he laughed at her because she got water up her nose, she laughed at the way his sopping hair looked, and their little war was on again.

When they tired of their water battle they walked back up to the blanket. Deidara lay on his back and Sakura sat back on her hands with her legs stretched out beside him, and the hot summer air dried them out in no time. When his fingers stroked lightly up the back of her arm she was mildly surprised, because it was the first time he'd touched her without the pretense of their cover, but she couldn't say she didn't like it. She smiled softly and he continued the caress.

After a while Sakura turned to look down at him, and he gazed back with his usual expression—more than a smirk but not a full smile. She reached down and gently moved a stray strand of hair away from his face, but the tender moment was ruined when her fingers caught in a tangle.

"Sorry," she said softly.

Deidara rose onto his elbows and reached behind his head to remove the tie keeping half of his hair up, but winced as the semi-dry strands caught and pulled. Sakura tucked her legs in and with a slight shift of position she reached out to carefully work the tie free for him, then ran her fingers through gently to work out the tangled mess.

"Thanks," he murmured. When he sank down again he lay with his head in her lap, and she let him.

His long hair splayed over her bare thighs as his head rested near her tucked knees. "I remember what it was like. My hair nearly reached my waist when I was younger," she said as she gently finger-combed the thick strands.

"Why did you cut it?"

She sighed at the memory. "Well, during the survival stage of the chuunin exams I was attacked by a Sound kunoichi and at one point she ended up grabbing me by the hair. She scorned me for having such well kept hair; it was obvious I was more concerned with being pretty than being a ninja. It really pissed me off because she was right. I was tired of being weak and useless and shallow, so I grabbed a kunai and cut my hair off just above her grip, which happened to be at my neck. It's been short ever since."

He grinned up at her with a gleam in his eyes. "You cut your hair off in battle with a kunai? That's so hot."

She gave him a look. "I was twelve."

"It's the concept, yeah."

Sakura laughed quietly and continued working the tangles out of his fair hair, pushing it back from his brow and massaging his scalp lightly. After a while he closed his eyes in contentment.

She used the opportunity to study him closely. He really was incredibly handsome, so much that combined with his long hair, he got flack for looking too pretty at times. Sakura didn't think he looked effeminate at all; his features were fine-boned but had definitively masculine angles. His lips were not thin but not full either and they naturally turned a bit at the corners, making him look like he was always smirking slightly. Unless he was frowning, but that was when his trademark frown-pout would emerge, and she'd always found that to be adorable as well. Deidara was so relaxed, his breathing so even that she wondered if he'd dozed off, but he opened his eyes a moment later and looked up at her drowsily. His eyes were so striking; they were the clear blue of a cloudless sky, almost lupine in their pale intensity. Up close they were actually quite pretty.

"Falling asleep?" she asked with soft smile.

"This is really relaxing, yeah. No one's ever done this before," he said quietly.

He probably wouldn't have let anyone do this before. He was comfortable with her, a big deal for someone who'd been a missing-nin over half his life. It made Sakura happy to know he trusted her in that way. "You have such beautiful hair," she said as she ran her fingers across his temple. "A lot of girls would kill for hair like this."

"Including you?"

She huffed a softly. "Nah…I don't think I'd look very good as a blonde."

Deidara shifted a little, squinting up at her in assessment. "I don't think so either, yeah," he agreed. He reached up and held a lock of her hair between his fingers, stroking it gently. "Besides, this color is perfect for you: unique, unforgettable…beautiful." He paused, realizing where he was going with this, and a playful smirk curved his lips. "But I've always kinda had a thing for redheads."

Sakura's heart melted a little at his words, and she stared at him for a long moment before looking away toward the water. This was getting to be too much. It was going too far and it needed to stop before something happened that couldn't be brushed off. What they were doing right now was already more intimate than necessary, and there wasn't even anyone around to see it. This wasn't playacting for their cover—they were doing it because they wanted to. She shouldn't have allowed things to get this far. It wasn't fair to make him want what she couldn't give.

His fingers brushed her cheek, and she tensed and closed her eyes. "Deidara…" Her tone was soft, but the message was clear. She let her hands fall away from his hair.

Frowning slightly, Deidara lowered his hand back to his chest. It clicked then, what her issue was. It wasn't that she was holding some latent anger toward him for his part in her tragic past. She wasn't reluctant to be his friend—she was reluctant to be more than that. She pulled away whenever they started getting too close. "What are you afraid of, Sakura?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," she said stiffly, and they both knew it was a lie.

"Then what's the problem?"

His eyes had gone from drowsy to piercing, and she looked down at the blanket rather than at him. "Nothing, Deidara. It's been a very long time since we last saw each other. I'm not the same as I was then." His eyes narrowed, and she could tell he didn't believe her. She sighed. "We shouldn't complicate things."

He shook his head faintly. "Then don't complicate it."

Sakura couldn't argue with him without explaining herself, and she wasn't willing to do that. She huffed in frustration and refused to look at him again. "I think you should get up now," she said quietly.

Deidara irritably sat up, not bothering to keep it from looking like they were arguing. Sakura could feel his resentful stare, but she refused to look at him.

After a minute he stood and walked down the beach toward their room, his patience with her run out.

Sakura fought the urge to go after him. She was filled with a bitter sense of disappointment. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted things to get this way between them. It was unfair to lead him on when she couldn't give him more. She had ruined their peaceful afternoon, she may have ruined the credibility of their cover, and she fought down the creeping worry that she may have damaged their friendship as well.

Sakura didn't return to the room for several hours, and Deidara was beginning to wonder what happened to her when she finally came back.

The second she walked in the door he could tell she'd been drinking.

He gave her a hard look. Drinking alone at the bar in a resort for couples was not a good way to reinforce their cover. "I was just thinking about going to look for you," he said.

Sakura shrugged indifferently and dropped the sandy blanket by the door. "I'm a big girl."

Deidara rolled his eyes and turned away. If that's how she wanted to be, fine. He didn't know why she was so upset, it wasn't like he pinned her down and tried to kiss her. She was never adverse to affection before. In fact, when they first met it was he who had been thrown off by how casual she was with physical contact. This drastic change in her must have a pretty serious foundation…and he didn't want to be an asshole about something that was obviously very difficult for her. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier, yeah," he said gruffly.

She paused, and then made a vague gesture as if to brush her thoughts off. "It's fine. This mission's been getting to both our heads, that's all," she said dismissively.

He grunted and gave her an appraising look as she leaned against the back of the couch. He smashed the clay he'd been working in his fist. He really wanted to blow something up right now, but that was not an option because their cover had already taken enough of a beating for one day. The repression of his art only irritated him more, and so he tossed the lump of clay on the coffee table.

"I'm hungry," Sakura said offhandedly.

Deidara knew she wasn't drunk, but she'd had enough that he could smell whatever fruity liquor she'd been drinking and her cheeks had a slight flush. "Want to order—?"

"No, I want to go out," she cut him off.

He glared at her for a second and then sighed. If they were going to go to dinner they had to go now, because they didn't have much time before tonight's job. "Let's go then, yeah," he said as he got up and turned to the door.

She walked toward the bedroom instead. "I need to change."

Deidara glared at the closed bedroom door. The woman was impossible.

She came out a minute later wearing a short black skirt, a purple sleeveless blouse, and her knee high boots.

"Let's go," she said, as if she was the one waiting for him. Deidara frowned at her back as he followed her out the door.

Dinner was frustrating, to say the least. Sakura talked incessantly about random things neither of them cared about, for the sake of their cover as much as to mask her own turmoil by pretending nothing was wrong.

It was obvious to Deidara that something was wrong. If the fact that she kept going on about irrelevant things wasn't enough, then the fact that she was now on her third fruity and over-decorated cocktail since they came to dinner was a clear sign. He'd seen her like this once before, when she'd gotten drunk in that bar with him, Kisame and Tobi. This wasn't angry Sakura, this was confused and upset Sakura trying to block what was troubling her with alcohol. She'd been torn up over getting involved with Itachi back then, and Deidara had been the one to carry her up to her room when she passed out while Uchiha was off sulking. Well, she couldn't pass out this time—they had a job to do in less than an hour.

"How many of those have you had, hm?"

Sakura shrugged and stirred the drink that smelled of mangos. "Of these? Three…but they had these really good strawberry ones at the cabana by the beach," she said flippantly. She was starting to slur her words slightly. She snickered at his reproving look and sucked a large gulp through her straw in deliberate insolence.

"Did you forget we have plans tonight?" he said pointedly.

She waved her hand dismissively and then used the same hand to flag down the waiter and motion for another drink.

"Sakura…" he said in a low warning.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I didn't forget…s'fine. Don't be so uptight."

He sighed heavily, thinking he could use a really strong drink himself right about now. But at least one of them had to stay sharp. When the waiter brought Sakura her drink, Deidara asked him what time it was. Sakura gulped the fruity concoction without bothering to use the straw and snorted as some of it dripped down her chin, making her giggle tipsily. The waiter answered ten-fifteen, and then quickly left with the warning glare from whcih Deidara conveyed quite clearly that his 'wife' was cut off.

"We gotta go, yeah," he said irritably and stood up.

Sakura nodded and stood up as well, or tried to as she swayed on her feet. Deidara grunted impatiently and moved to her side to hold her steady, she snickered some more and finished off her drink with a loud slurp, and then he led her out of the restaurant.

They made it around the corner to a more secluded walkway and he let her go as they stopped. "Hurry up and burn it off, yeah. We don't have much time."

Sakura just stood with a look of consternation on her flushed features. Then she broke into another fit of snorts and giggles. "I can't."

He looked at her sharply. "What?"

"I can only burn off alcohol before it sets in. Once I'm intoxshi…intoxicated…I can't control chakra as well and I can hurt myself if I try," she explained sheepishly.

Un-fucking-believable. He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn it, Sakura…this is just fucking great, yeah. You just had to get wasted on tonight of all nights."

She glared at him. "Oy! It's your—"

"Listen," he cut her off. This was not the time to go into that, especially not with her being drunk. "Just head back to the room okay? I'll go by myself."

She shoved him in the shoulder. "No way! I'm going with you! I'm not that drunk…and besides, you need me to do it."

Deidara grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her further off the pathway into the shadows. "Keep your voice down, damn it." There wasn't any time to argue, but she was as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be. "Can you even do what you were planning to do? You remember this is a stealth operation, right? Will you even be able to mask your chakra completely? Because if not then we can't even get down there."

"I said s'fine. I'm not some novice chuunin, y'know."

He refrained from telling her that was exactly what she was acting like, as it was likely to make her yell and hit him. A punch from a drunken Sakura who couldn't control her chakra was not something he wanted to experience. It didn't look like they had much choice. "Did you remember to bring what you needed, hmm?"

She nodded. "Mmhm. See?" She grinned and pulled one side of her skirt up to reveal several kunai and a few things from her medical supply strapped to a holster high on her thigh.

Deidara gave an inaudible groan and looked away. Just because he'd seen her in a bikini didn't mean he was jaded to her lifting her skirt and flashing him, especially not when that firm, silky-looking thigh was strapped with sharp weapons… He stepped back onto the walkway, pulling her after him by the elbow. "Fine. Let's go."

He began to seriously consider aborting the operation and trying again tomorrow when Sakura slipped a bit on the stairs leading down to the basement, especially when she giggled at her fumble. However once they reached the basement she seemed to have collected herself somewhat, and they quickly made their way through the underground corridors to the sub-basement access door.

It was locked, but a simple bolt lock was no obstacle for any ninja past their first academy year. Once inside, they silently moved down the sublevel stairwell about halfway, Deidara unscrewed the light bulb for that landing, and they melded into the shadows on opposite sides to wait. They didn't have to wait long; they'd cut it closer than expected with their arguing and Sakura's fumbling, and it was only a minute or two later that they heard the door at the bottom of the stairwell open and the sound of someone ascending the stairs. A large male by the sound of it, and he was whistling. Deidara signaled to Sakura that this was their target, and she readied herself.

A minute later the whistling man reached their landing, and as he turned to go up the next flight Deidara sprang out and threw his elbow around the man's neck from behind. Deidara brought him to the floor and pulled him into the corner with ease, though the man was twice his size. The burly man couldn't cry out because his windpipe was being pressured, and he couldn't struggle because that pressure could easily become lethal with a simple flex of Deidara's bicep.

Sakura stepped out and kneeled before the prostrate man. She removed a small phial of liquid from her leg holster and held it up to inspect in the low light from the landing below. The man's eyes widened in fear and he did begin to struggle then, his face turning an ugly shade of red from the pressure at his throat.

"Hurry up before he passes out!" Deidara hissed.

Sakura held the phial up to eye level and made a face. "Does thss look clear 'r yellow t'you?"

Deidara rolled his eyes angrily. "It's fucking yellow, now just do it already!"

She quickly popped the end off the little capsule to reveal a hollow point needle. "Move yur arm, I need to get at 'is neck," she said impatiently.

Deidara released the chokehold, instead pulling the man's head back by the hair and holding a kunai to his jugular. "Don't even think about struggling," he growled.

Sakura reached out and patted the distressed man on the head. "S'okay. It'll be over soon then you can go home," she said soothingly as if talking to a child about to get his first shot. Then without warning she jammed the needle into the side of his neck. The man gasped and grunted, and several seconds later he went completely lax.

Deidara looked around at the brawny man's face to see if Sakura may have actually just killed him. But their captive was awake, though looking rather out of it. "What is that stuff, hm?"

Sakura smirked. "A drug that inh'bits the brain's abil'ty to form lies, combined with a fast actin opiate to keep 'em from strugglin. You never used stuff like this in…um…y'know?" She trailed off, not wanting to say ANBU or Akatsuki in front of their captive.

Deidara grinned deviously. "Nah. We just beat 'em till they talked, yeah."

Sakura snorted and shook her head. "He should be ready now." She looked at the groggy man. "What's yur name?"

"Komura Hiroki," the man slurred lazily.

"How old r'you?"

"Thirty-three."

"What'd you eat for lunch today, Hiroki?" Deidara gave her a strange look at all the random questions, but she ignored him.

"Onigiri and egg rolls."

"What's the access code for the door at the bottom of these stairs?" she asked in the same even tone as the rest of her questions.

The man hesitated for a second, but then answered, "Six-four-nine-one-seven-five."

Sakura glanced up at Deidara with a satisfied smile, and he smirked approvingly at her. She patted the big man's head again. "Good boy, Hiroki. Now what's the code for the sealed door inside the sublevel?"

His frown deepened and he squirmed a little, but the drug was too effective for someone not trained to fight such things. "Three-seven-two-nine-four-six," he mumbled.

Sakura grinned. "There now, see? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," answered Hiroki. Deidara laughed under his breath at the man's forced honesty.

The tip of Sakura's index finger began to glow green and Hiroki's eyes widened in fear. "Shh, this won't hurt," she said, and pressed her finger to the base of his skull. Nothing appeared to change and after a moment she removed her finger. "I bet yur ready t'go home, huh?" The man nodded. "Looks like you had a long day, Hiroki. I bet you jus wanna get home and have a few drinks to relax, don'tcha?"

Hiroki nodded again, and Sakura motioned for Deidara to let him go. He did reluctantly, and the big man stood up and began to walk up the stairs.

"Night night, Hiroki," Sakura said with a sly grin.

He gave her a small wave over his shoulder as he lumbered groggily up the steps. "Night."

When he was gone Sakura turned to see Deidara giving her a strange look. "You sure it's ok to let him go like that?" he asked warily.

"Mmhm. He's harmless now."

Deidara screwed the light bulb back in, and it flickered on. "What the hell did you do to him?"

Sakura squinted under the brighter light. "I blocked his short-term mem'ry. It'll only last a few days, but right now he's gonna go home and prolly get drunk, so he won't think it strange that he cant 'member an'thing that happ'nd between leaving work and waking up t'morrow."

Deidara smirked and gave her an appraising look. "You medics are kinda scary, yeah."

She gave him a devious smile. "I already tol' you, I can do just bout anything I want to your body with my chakra."

His eyebrows shot up at her obvious innuendo. She was obviously still drunk, which was further demonstrated a moment later when she stepped forward and leaned against him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gently stood her up straight again, sighing. "Come on, we need to get this over with, yeah."

They descended to the bottom of the stairs and stopped before the door. "Hey…are there any secur'ty cameras in there?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"No, I checked last night, yeah. They don't use anything that will leave documented evidence of what goes on down here." He stared at the door, grumbled something under his breath that Sakura couldn't make out, and then turned to her. "Are you able to cast a wide range genjutsu right now? I'm not very good at casting them, only countering them, yeah."

She paused for a moment, assessing her faculties. "Yah. S'not as compl'cated as medical stuff so yah I can do it. Why aren' you good at it?"

He frowned. "I hate genjutsu. Mind games and tricks…that's not art. If we knew the sword was in there tonight and didn't have to stick around for a few more days I'd just blow this damn door off. This sneaky shit isn't my style, yeah."

"And tha's why yur a notorious wanted nin," she said pointedly. He simply grinned. "Enter the code," she said, and formed the seals of the genjutsu.

The air shifted around them and Deidara's left eye twitched reactively. He entered the first six digit code. The little light on the keypad turned green and he opened the door. Inside, the guards at the desk and a few in the hallway were simply standing or sitting in place and staring at nothing. Sakura's skills were impressive even while drunk, and he felt a bit more at ease after that. He led the way down the halls to the sealed door, passing a few more spaced out guards on the way. He entered the second code and they quickly slipped inside.

Several display cases full of ancient-looking artifacts covered the floor, and the walls were lined with shelves displaying more precious antiques. There was probably the value of a small country in this room. But there was no sword; it seemed as though it wouldn't arrive until just before the exhibition, possibly meaning it was more valuable than everything else in this room.

Sakura became highly interested in a row of gleaming ancient weaponry, a giant double-headed battleaxe in particular. Deidara grinned at the image of the petite kunoichi wielding a weapon like that—taller than she was and more than half her weight. With her it was entirely possible, and as scary as that thought could be, he also thought it rather sexy. Then he remembered she was drunk and in a room full of priceless antiques, so he pulled her back to his side.

Sakura stated the obvious. "Well it's not here."

"I can see that," Deidara replied dryly. "Look." he pointed to a large vent on one wall. "Later in the week this place will be swarming with extra security and a genjutsu may not cover them all. But if we can get in through there we can grab the sword before the show, yeah."

Sakura frowned in thought. "But…we don't know what time or even what day it's coming in."

Deidara reached into his pocket and pulled out a small amount of clay. He closed his hand and a moment later there were three small spiders on his palm. "These can stay here and let me know when the sword is delivered. It'll probably be the day of the show, or the night before. We can take it then." Sakura smiled and touched one of the spiders before they jumped from Deidara's palm and skittered away to hide among the many objects lining the shelves. "We're done here. Let's head back, yeah."

They made their way out of the sublevel and basement level without incident and Sakura released the genjutsu when they got to the ground floor. But as they were heading through the administrative offices they had passed to get to the basement access, they had to duck into one of the many cubicles to avoid the patrolling night security. Two guards passed down the far hallway and after a moment they were clear again. Deidara grabbed Sakura by the elbow and pulled her from where she was slouching in the office chair, and she accidentally bumped a plastic pencil case on the desk and knocked it to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Shit," Deidara hissed. He hauled her after him to make a fast exit, as that noise would surely attract the guards, but the patrolling guards were currently in the hallway that marked their way out. He quickly found a door to one of the admin offices that was unlocked and pulled her inside, closing the door with a soft click.

"Sorry," she blurted rather loudly.

"Shh!" he hissed, and clamped his hand over her mouth while pressing her against the wall.

Several moments passed, but it still wasn't safe to open the door yet. Sakura's hands had grasped Deidara's shirt at his waist when he pinned her to the wall, and now her fingers were moving against his sides as she fidgeted.

He jerked slightly and the hand not holding her mouth shut grabbed one of her wrists and pushed it away from his side. "Quit it," he whispered harshly next to her ear.

Sakura looked at him curiously and giggled against his hand. "r'you tcklsh?" she mumbled through his fingers.

He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the feel of her lips moving against his palm. She tried to tickle him again with her free hand, and he pushed her further into the wall with his body, pinning the wrist in his grip next to her head with a warning glare. Her eyes widened slightly and she stopped.

Several more moments passed, but Deidara thought he heard the guards in the direction of the cubicle they had been in so he still didn't move. But then Sakura did something that made his eyes widen, and his whole body tensed.

Her lips moved over the mouth on his palm, only this time she didn't say anything. He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore it, but then she did it again, and this time her mouth opened. "Sakura stop that," he whispered in her ear. He actually felt her shiver a little, and curiously wondered if he had just done that to her. He smirked at the thought.

She did it again, and now it wasn't random lip movement but a very distinct motion and…oh gods was that her tongue?

His eyes snapped to hers and there was a very mischievous glint in that jade gaze. She was either trying to make him let go or had something entirely different in mind. "S-sakura…" he stuttered plaintively as he unconsciously pressed further against her. He pressed his forehead into the wall above her shoulder and made a tiny whimper when she gently pulled his skin between her teeth. He was fighting hard to keep that mouth closed and after a second more of her dirty trick he jerked his hand away and glared at her.

Sakura smirked indolently and her free hand trailed up his side, making him jerk again.

He grabbed her other wrist and pinned it up as well. "Would you knock it off?" he growled.

Sakura grinned at his indignant and slightly frazzled expression, and then stuck her tongue out at him.

Deidara sighed and rolled his eyes for the tenth time that night. "You're such a troublesome woman," he groaned.

Sakura bit her lip. He sounded just like Shikamaru, and he was wearing the frown-pout, and it was just too adorable—she snorted and burst into giggles.

There was a muted 'did you hear that?' from outside and down the hall, and Deidara glared at a guilty-looking Sakura like he wanted to strangle her. "Fuck…" he hissed, and looked around for something…a way out…anything. They could hear footsteps now as the security guards neared their location. There was no other way out of this room. They were going to get caught, and they couldn't knock the guards out for the same reason they had to sneak into the basement and get out undetected.

Deidara huffed in frustration and fixed Sakura with a look that was hesitant yet urgent at the same time. His grip on her wrists tightened and he appeared to be bracing himself for something. The footsteps got louder and they could hear the door down the hall open. Theirs would be next.

He looked her in the eyes and Sakura knew what was about to happen. It was one of the oldest and most effective spy tactics, and they really had no choice. "Sorry," he mumbled in advance, and the next thing she knew his lips were on hers. She emitted a small squeak and it took a second for her intoxicated brain to register, but after a moment her wide eyes slipped closed. This was just an act, and he wasn't really even kissing her, more like pressing his mouth against hers, but still it was…really nice.

After a moment she made a soft sound in her throat and her lips slackened. Deidara's eyes opened briefly at her reaction, and then widened in surprise, for although their lips were already touching, Sakura suddenly relaxed against the wall and her mouth opened…and she kissed him.

Deidara gave in instantly, slanting his mouth to kiss her for real. He couldn't even remember how long he'd wanted to do this. Years. Since the night he'd opened up the about himself as she healed his arm in his parents' bedroom, maybe. The circumstances were a bit different from what he'd envisioned, but her lips were as soft and full as he'd imagined. Deidara didn't know why she changed their little act into a real kiss, and he knew she may revert to her earlier distance at any time, but he wasn't going to question it. His tongue teased against her bottom lip and she opened her mouth with a soft sigh that made him groan and press into her. She tasted like mangos. If this was going to be the only time he ever kissed her he was damn well going to make it worthwhile.

Sakura's head was spinning, and it had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with the fact that damn this guy could kiss!She fleetingly thought she should have known; he was undoubtedly great with all three mouths. That thought made her entire body heat up, and she mewled softly and pressed forward into him as he tilted his head the other way and deepened the kiss. His lips moved so expertly over hers, his tongue gliding so sensually into her mouth that she couldn't even think straight. She'd all but forgotten what they were doing there in that dark office, when the handle of the door suddenly clicked.

Oh, right.

The door opened and they were suddenly blinded by a flashlight shone directly at their faces. So caught up were they in their kiss that they didn't immediately stop or turn toward the two silhouettes in the doorway. Deidara finally released Sakura's wrists, reluctantly breaking the kiss and turning his head to glare at the outlines of the two security guards. "Do you mind?" he said, sounding extremely inconvenienced and not at all faking it.

The guard in the rear chuckled under his breath, but the one in front with the flashlight stiffened. "What are you doing in here?"

"What does it look like, hm?"

"You two can't be doing that in here." The guards seemed rather laid back about it, obviously thinking one of the honeymooning couples was sneaking around for some late night thrills. Which is exactly what they wanted them to think. It probably wasn't the first time they'd caught someone doing this.

Sakura slid her arms up Deidara's chest and linked them around his neck. She giggled loudly, playing on her tipsiness. "You can't tell me what I can or can't do with my husband on our honeymoon," she slurred petulantly, and defiantly leaned forward to press a kiss against Deidara's jaw.

Deidara smirked and slipped his arms around her waist, looking smugly at the guards. "My wife is a very exciting woman," he drawled.

The guard behind the flashlight wielder chuckled again, but the one in front merely grunted. "Well, you can't do it in here. This is an employee's only area. Get out of here and go find a non-restricted area to sneak into, or better yet—go back to your room," he said gruffly before backing out of the doorframe. The security guards retreated into the hallway, leaving the door open behind them.

Deidara turned back to Sakura, who was leaning her head against the wall and giving him a drowsy, sensual half-smile. Neither of them made a move to leave. "Do that again," she murmured breathily.

"Do what?"

"That thing with your tongue."

He smirked. "What thing?"

She huffed impatiently. "Just shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." He grinned and leaned in to capture her lips once more.

Sakura lost herself again in another toe-curling kiss that left her flushed and lightheaded. Why hadn't they done this before? She vaguely knew there was a reason, but right now she couldn't remember because this was damn near perfect. Her arms tightened around his neck and his around her waist until he was practically lifting her against the wall, their kiss becoming more passionate with every moment.

A minute later they heard another door open down the hall and remembered the guards were still around. With a small groan and a last lingering pass at her lips, Deidara pulled away. "We gotta go, yeah." Sakura let him grab her hand and pull her into the hall.

#

They quickly returned to their bungalow and the moment they entered and shut the door, Sakura pressed herself against him and linked her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his long hair. His arms slipped around her waist automatically, but he was confused by her complete one-eighty from earlier. "Sakura…I thought you—"

"Shut up," she whispered onto his lips. She didn't want to think about it. Right now she didn't care…she only cared that this felt so damn good, and she just wanted to get lost in him and his amazing kisses.

She nibbled his bottom lip, sighed into his mouth and pushed against him, making her intent clear. Deidara groaned softly and tightened his hold around her back, and they moved toward the bedroom with him practically carrying her. He turned her around so that he was the one guiding, but then her knees hit the edge of the frame and she tripped, giggling as they fell on the bed as. His hand moved under her skirt until his fingers met her leg holster, and he unbuckled it and let it fall off the foot of the bed before he returned to caressing up the thigh that was every bit as silky as it looked. Her hands ran through his hair and he kissed along her jaw and down her throat, nibbling her tendon and making her moan softly.

The sounds she made drove straight through him and made him want to rip her clothes off and have her right then and there. His hand slipped under her blouse and moved over her softly toned abdomen. She tugged on his shirt, trying to get him to move and take it off. He obliged and let her lift it over his head, at the same time thinking they should slow down, and probably stop altogether. There was nothing lacking in the way she kissed him—far from it. But the rest of her actions were slightly delayed and he reminded himself that while she wasn't totally drunk, she was still rather tipsy and not thinking clearly. He didn't want to take advantage of her lowered inhibitions. "Sakura…" he murmured against her lips, trying to block out the feel of her hands running up his bare back. "We should stop, yeah."

Sakura blinked and pouted in a way that made him want to take back what he just said and kiss her senseless. "Wha? Why?" she asked breathily.

He pressed his forehead into the pillow near her head in agitation. "Just…we shouldn't…not like this, okay?" he whispered against her ear, making her shiver beneath him.

"Whad'ya mean 'not like this?'" she whispered slowly.

Deidara sighed. Since when did he become a nice guy? "I would love to, yeah. Believe me, I really would…but not when you're drunk, Sakura." This was a first; most women he'd slept with had come on to him in a bar while he was on a mission somewhere. But this was Sakura, not some random woman he didn't even bother to remember the name of. If they were going to do this, he wanted to do it right.

Sakura squirmed and tried to look at him. "I'm not drunk…not really. I want…" she argued softly, but trailed off after a moment, some part of her knowing he was right.

Deidara placed a kiss below her ear and inhaled the sweet flowery scent of her hair that was mixed with the tang of saltwater. She made a small, pouting whimper and turned her face toward his, pressing her lips against his neck but not moving them. Her arms relaxed into a gentle hold against his sides, and he raised his head up to look at her face. Her eyes were closed, and he brought a hand up to her hair, gently combing it from her brow. "Sakura…what are you doing to me?" he sighed against her skin.

The only response was the soft even sound of her breathing; she was asleep.

He sat up and removed her boots but left the rest of her clothes on, then picked her up gently while pulling back the bedcovers. He got in beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, and she murmured softly and turned into him. Deidara pulled her in, buried his nose in her hair, willing the fire in his blood to still. It felt good to simply hold her, an act he'd never really given much consideration to before. He fell asleep thinking this was how they should have spent every night since this mission started, and that he would find a way to make it happen every night from here out.