Chappy two is up (: I'm glad I got reviews :D Some of the reviewers have nice DeixIno stories...so check em out ppl! This isn't really a big plot chapter; I'll be working more on that in the next one...this is just to set up the mood for Ino and Deidara's relationship. Oh, and the tofu ice cream exists. It's so amazing...anywho R&R onegaishimasu.
Back at the hotel, Ino jumped on her bed. She had planned to take the whole week off and just relax in Tokyo, but now she would have to return ASAP and try to get settled as fast as possible. According to the will, the house in Tokyo went to her automatically. So she was back to where she started from. That was just peachy.
She closed her eyes, but it seemed as if a knocking came at her door right after that. She checked the hotel's digital clock by the drawer and realized that it was already six in the evening. Getting up, she checked her make up in the mirror and opened the door. In front of her stood—
"Deidara!" exclaimed Ino. She wasn't hoping to see him so soon. "How are you?" He was out of suit, now dressed in a white T-shirt with a picture of a bird on it semi-covered by a half zipped up in a black Rocawear jacket and black jeans. He decked black converses, and the black fingerless gloves were still on.
"Well, I'm doing okay, but…you haven't had dinner yet have you, un? I would feel so much better if you graced me with your presence tonight, yeah," said Deidara. He grinned at her.
She smiled back. "Sure. I'll have to change first, though. You wouldn't mind waiting for me in the lobby?"
"Course not, un. I'll see you in a few minutes then."
"See you," said Ino, closing the door as he gave a little wave and walked off. Dinner with Deidara…dinner always ended with something sweeter than dessert…but no, it was just the first date. She had her own set of rules for dating that she obliged to, and even a guy as cute as Deidara couldn't make her break them. Anyways, if she cracked the first night, Sakura would never let her live it down.
Rummaging through her one of her suitcases, she pulled out tight jeans from Citizens of Humanity, a yellow silk Bebe blouse, and shiny leather pumps from Coach. After getting dressed and spraying herself with a little bit of Miss Cherie by Dior, Ino touched up her make up, grabbed her Fendi handbag, and left for the lobby.
She found Deidara sitting there patiently for her in one of the chairs. "You get ready pretty quick for a girl, yeah," said Deidara, smirking.
"I didn't want to keep you waiting," she said, giving him a flirtatious look.
He laughed. "Ready to go?" She nodded. He offered her an arm and she accepted. As they were walking out of the hotel, he asked, "Where would you like to go, un? I'll treat."
"Well…I am on a diet…what about sushi?" she suggested. "I've never tried the rotating sushi bars before…"
"Alright, I actually know a place, un. Kisame no danna loves sushi, and we've eaten at this place at least three hundred times, yeah."
"Is Kisame-san a lawyer, too?" asked Ino. The lights in the city were popping up and more people flooded the streets. The smells of cooking food came from nearby stands.
"Well, he's more of a businessman, un," explained Deidara. "The firm doesn't just fight in court. We're a huge corporation and I think we own at least fifteen percent of the businesses in Tokyo, un."
"I bet the pay is really good."
"Not if Kakuzu's your boss. He's like a dragon, always hording all of the money, un."
"Aw, poor Dei-chan," cooed Ino.
"Not when I'm with you." He looked down at her.
She burst out laughing and punched him in the arm. "That was so corny."
"Hey, you gotta give a guy props for trying, yeah!" They stopped in front of a restaurant. "Right in here." They entered, walking through the glass door.
"Irasshaimase!" greeted the employees of the restaurant.
"For two?" asked a waitress.
"Hai," replied Deidara. She showed them to their seat in front of the moving counter. When they sat down, Deidara asked, "Do you want anything to drink?"
Ino shook her head. "Green tea's fine." [In sushi bars in Japan, and most other places, green tea is complimentary. Plates of beautiful sushi moved along the rotating belt, so many different colors on top of a mound of white rice. "Oooh, this looks good…" she grabbed a plate or four.
"So were you from here originally, un?" asked Deidara, grabbing a plate of sea bream sushi.
"Yup," said Ino, swallowing a mouthful of rice and fish. "Now I'm back in good ol' Tokyo…" There was a hint of sarcasm in that last part.
"What, you don't want to be here, yeah?" He had caught that sarcasm. Also, he noticed that for every plate he ate, Ino had already eaten two.
"Oh, don't get me wrong or anything, I love Tokyo. The excitement, the fashion, the people…but…haven't you ever felt like you were being smothered at home, and you just want to escape? It's hard to explain, and I'm pretty bad with words…but like, I just want to get away from everyone's expectations and start all over…" She grabbed a few more plates from off of the belt as Deidara soaked in what she had just said. He would've thought she'd have no problem standing up to everyone's expectations. "But enough about me, I talk too much. Where are you from?"
"I'm from the small village of Subashiri in the Yamanashi Prefecture, near Mt. Fuji, un. It was pretty boring, but that was where I learned how to sculpt." He poured them some tea and took a sip.
"Any siblings?" The man next to her was staring at her pile of plates that were continuously growing.
"Nah, my parents couldn't even handle me, yeah." He was already full, but it didn't look like Ino was finished just yet. She called that a diet?
"A little hell raiser, were we?" she smirked. Maybe just one more plate…
"Me?! Never!" Deidara feigned innocence.
She laughed. After piling her last plate on top of her victorious mountain, she said, "Finished!"
"You know," said Deidara, after counting all of the plates, "you ate triple what I ate…" He suddenly felt less manly. "Diet my ass, yeah."
He was funny; she had to give him that. "How about some dessert?"
"Just as soon as I pay the bill, un." He wondered where she put all of it. When the waitress counted all of the plates and wrote down their total, he nearly had a heart attack. His wallet certainly felt lighter…
The two left the shop. "I know this place with the best ice cream. It's made from tofu, and, like, the guy flips it over and, like, it doesn't fall over!" He wanted to laugh at her enthusiasm about ice cream staying on the cone, but just nodded as she pulled him towards the ice cream shop. "Daddy used to always take me here."
An old man was hunched behind a soft serve ice cream machine, serving a mother holding the hands of her daughter in front of them. When it was their turn, the old man looked at Ino for a second and suddenly, he exclaimed, "Yamanaka Ino!"
"Hello, Mitsuru-san," said Ino, smiling.
"It's been ages! How are you doing? I heard about your father, that must be why you're back."
"Hai, but I'll be moving back. I've missed your ice cream. Speaking of which, can I have two cones?"
The man noticed Deidara. "Ah, a new boyfriend?"
"We're just friends," smiled Ino. "Oh, Deidara, this is Mitsuru-san, Mitsuru-san, this is Deidara."
"Nice to meet you, Deidara," said Mitsuru. "He's a handsome one, Ino."
"Mitsuru-san!" laughed Ino as Deidara colored slightly.
The old man just chuckled and turned around to get the ice cream. He came back with two cones topped with creamy beige ice cream. "Here you are, on the house. Think of it as a welcome back gift."
"Arigato, Mitsuru-san," said Ino, grabbing the cones and handing Deidara one. "I'll see you around."
"Sayonara, Ino," said the old man as the two left the shop.
Outside, the sky was a dark blue and clear. There were no stars. The city lights were too bright. "Look, Deidara!" Ino flipped over her cone. The ice cream didn't fall over. She took a lick. "Yum!"
He took a taste. It was super thick and good, but a bit too sweet for his taste. "Tofu, eh?"
"Yup," replied Ino. "I almost love it as much as matcha pudding."
"You have a sweet tooth, don't you, un?"
"Yeah, I was really deprived of sweets as a little girl. My mother was afraid I'd get fat, so my father would have to sneak me some." The two continued to lick their sweet.
"Was your mother at the will reading?"
"Nah, she died from breast cancer when I was thirteen." Music flooded the streets as street performers and bands began setting up and playing.
"I'm sorry, yeah. My mother died when I was young, too." He wrapped an arm around her. "Enough about the morbid stuff, un. Let's go watch a band or something."
The two spent the rest of the night talking and meandering around the streets, stopping at stores and boutiques that caught their (mostly Ino's) eyes. It was soon nearly midnight. "It's getting late," said Deidara as they were walking towards the hotel. "Did you have a nice time, un?"
"Totally," replied Ino. She truly did have fun. She had thought Deidara to only be a pretty face, but he was actually quite well rounded and funny. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"That's something, coming from you, un." They were going up the elevator to her room.
"So you'll be the one to escort me back to Osaka, right?"
"I did volunteer, yeah." The elevator dinged and they got out, now walking towards her room.
"You don't have a girlfriend, do you?" They were now only a few doors away.
"I don't really do relationships so well, un. For me, everything is like art: always fleeting, yeah." The two were in front of her door now.
"That's a shame." She unlocked the door and went inside. "Thanks for everything, Deidara-kun." She waited to see if he would try to kiss her. He didn't. That was another thing that set him apart from the rest of the guys.
"Night, Ino."
He was about to walk away, but she tapped him and he turned around. She gave him a small kiss, said, "Good night," and closed the door quickly behind her.
Deidara stood outside her door, touching his lips.