And a new chapter!

Chapter eight: Twisted feelings

Several days had passed since the tape accident. Several very useless days. Deidara refused to speak in the endless interrogations between him and Ibiki, and it didn't matter how hard they tried. As soon as Ibiki or Tsunade even coughed, Deidara clenched his jaws together and held his lips closed firmly. It was a pure hell for Sakura as well.

Sometimes they cranked up the heat in the interrogation room so high that there were little rivers of sweat running down Sakura's back and forehead. And several times they had plunged Deidara in ice cold water, holding him down for so long that Sakura started gasping for air as well. And after a while, they locked them up in a small room without windows or lightning for two days in a row, with merely water and bread to live on.

Tsunade had checked on them every hour, assuring Sakura that it would be over soon, and that she had nearly found the solution to the chains. But every time she said it, it sounded less convincing, and after a while Sakura had asked her to stop saying it as it made her depressed. Also did Deidara.

When they were in their apartment Deidara still refused to speak. The only things he said were things like "I'm hungry" or "I need to go to the toilet" – she always hoped he wouldn't say that – and further he remained silent. He was grumpy all the time and whenever Sakura said something, he growled and turned away from her. At first she found it delighting but she started to miss having conversations with people. Normal people. Not crazy, murdering blood lusting criminals, and especially not the one she was attached to. And what didn't exactly make things easier was the conversation she had had with Tsunade the night before. In the middle of the night, so that Deidara was asleep and she could talk without being heard.

-Flashback-

"Sakura…? Are you still awake?"

Sakura blinked a couple of times before answering. "Hai. I am, Tsunade-sama."

"That's good. There's something I want to discuss with you. It concerns Deidara."

Sakura worked her way up half, careful not to tug the chains too hard as she knew that that would wake Deidara up. Tsunade sat down on the other edge of the bed and looked at her hands.

"I think you have noticed that we cant seem to get Deidara talking," Tsunade said after a short while. Sakura simply nodded.

"I've talked about it with several of your friends and also with Naruto." The Hokage looked at Sakura and Sakura noticed the tense air around her. She started to feel uneasy. "And we've thought up something that might get Deidara to speak."

Sakura swallowed. "You mean… by torturing him?" She asked, her voice merely a whisper. To her relief, Tsunade almost immediately shook her head.

"No, not by torturing him." She sighed. "It's very hard for me to ask you this, Sakura, as it shouldn't be done by any shinobi or kunoichi. And you also need to realize that you can say no to this suggestion." She took a deep breath and then suddenly grasped Sakura's free hand, clenching it tightly. "We wondered if, maybe, you could get the information out of him, in a way only you can. In a way only a woman in your current situation can."

Sakura's eyes widened. "But, Tsunade-sama, I thought I had told you… I can't read Deidara's thoughts like he can read mine. I can hardly feel what he's going to do!"

Tsunade shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Sakura."

And after that, something cold wrapped itself around Sakura's chest, troubling her breathing and making her sweat in the cold night. She swallowed hard, and then felt Tsunade's hand tighten around hers.

"What I ask from you Sakura, is… is…" Tsunade now looked at her. "Is that you get close to Deidara. Real close." Sakura felt the palms of her hands getting sweaty, even the cold chained one.

"In what kind of way?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"…intimate."

The shock that had followed had been too worse to describe. Her heart had not only missed a few beats, her insides seemed to be torn to pieces and her eyes started to leak tears she didn't wanted to show. Her hands trembled uncontrollably and soon she lost the ability to speak as her throat felt thick with tears.

"You can say no to it," Tsunade said, bowing forwards, trying to make the girl feel easier. "It's your free choice. I cant and I wont force you into anything. Its just… a suggestion."

But Sakura knew better than that. Tsunade had gotten desperate. She simply couldn't say no to this suggestion. It was weak and very unlike a ninja to do, but as she looked into the desperate eyes of her Hokage, she knew that she had to agree. She had no choice.

"I'll do it," She whispered, her voice squeaky like an old door. "I'll do it."

-End Flashback-

She looked at Deidara. They sat on a small balcony the apartment had as well because Sakura wanted to get a bit of sunlight, and Deidara leaned back in his chair, staring at the blue sky without speaking. The sunlight reflected in his blue eyes and his blonde hair looked quite cool after Ino's metamorphosis. She sighed as she looked to the roofs of the city around her. What she wouldn't give to be able to know what he was thinking.

Man, Deidara thought. What I wouldn't give NOT to hear those kunoichi thoughts, hmm.

They kept flooding his brain on the most unwanted moments, like when he tried to sleep or concentrate on how to escape. He had been planning on sending a clay bird out, but the ANBU had taken his clay and for a weird reason, he couldn't mold his chakra for earth typed jutsus whenever he was in the apartment. And Sakura didn't help his concentration. If she wasn't making him crazy with her thoughts, then she would be chatting to him. She always wanted to chat with him, and if he didn't react she would simply go on babbling like he was some good friend of hers. And he was sure he wasn't.

He glared at her out of the corners of his eyes. Even though he hated to admit it, she was pretty. Her eyes were large and the green color of her irises was sparkling green, like the forests he used to fly over on his clay birds. Her nose was small and a bit jumpy but that gave her a slightly innocent look, that fitted perfectly with her nice shaped lips.

He looked at the sky again. Not even to speak over her body. The moment he ran against her in the shower, when she was showering for the first time, he had caught a glimpse of how she looked like. Nothing concrete, no details, merely an outline. He couldn't understand why she would hide her nice developed body inside large baggy jeans and shirts, and sometimes caught himself on imagining how she would look like in a short tight dress.

Like now. He saw Sakura in tight fitting jeans, with a low cut tank top above it and a naughty look on her face, and he felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards.

"Deidara?"

"Hmm."

"You… you have a nosebleed."

Deidara's eyes flew open. He quickly wiped away the evidence of his daydream – a large bloody stripe on the back of his hand – and then got up from the chair, slightly nervous.

"It's hot and I'm hungry, hmm. Let's go inside."

He was feeling quite warm but wondered if that was because of the sun. But his stomach didn't lie: he was hungry and needed some food. Sakura sighed.

"We're merely here! Besides, we've eaten breakfast just half an hour ago. You can't be hungry. I'm not, anyway, and I want to stay here a little longer."

He scowled at her and repeated what he had said before. "I'm hungry, hmm. I need food."

"You don't. Do you know when you need food? After ten days of not eating anything, or a long mission in the land of the Sand. Have I already told you about a friend of mine, Temari? Anyway, she lives there, and she tells me that the heat forces you to get hungry all the time. I don't know if she's right or if it's just a rumor, but if that's the case then I think you should never go to Suna or you would eat too much." She glanced at him and he gave her his most bored look. It didn't help.

"What reminds me, have you been eating any vegetables the last two days? It's not healthy if you haven't, you know. You could get ill easily and gain weight. Oh, and that's what Temari told me as well, because of the heat, you sweat more, and thus you lose weight easier. Isn't that great?"

"…yeah, right, hmm."

"I told Ino to go there since she's always dieting – but the trip is long and the only place you can stay comfortably is the Kazekage building. They've got airco, but Ino can't stand Gaara-san, and…"

"Please, please, would you just… shut up?" Deidara asked, closing his eyes in a last attempt to make her silent. Sakura stopped talking nearly immediate and her shoulders fell down. Then her eyes grew wide and sparkly and her face lit up.

"Hey! You just actually said something, you know that!"

Deidara gave her a death glare and quickly stopped the retort he was going to throw at her, giving her a stubborn look. Sakura tilted her head slightly and then stood from the chair. "Okay, okay, if you want to eat then go ahead – I wont." And they went to the kitchen, where Deidara shove three sandwiches inside on top speed.

Sakura felt like telling him that it wasn't good for you to do that but decided not to. On the inside, she was still way too busy with the entire "Get intimate with him" thing, and her brain was working on a way to change their current relationship. If there already was one.

"Let's make a pie or something," Sakura suggested when they sat outside again. This time Deidara turned his head very slowly and looked at her. His eyebrows were nearly flat against his eyes and Sakura giggled nervously. "Okay okay, no pie, no pie." She looked forwards again. "Let's go to town then. I know that we don't have to get the groceries ourselves, but I definitely need some fresh air and a good conversation with Ino."

Deidara groaned. "We are outside now, aren't we, hmm? Isn't this fresh air?"

Sakura shook her head and then got up from the chair again. Deidara remained seated and Sakura pulled the chain hard. "Come on, don't act so childish, Deidara-kun."

The words where out before she realized she had said them, and she clapped her free hand in front of her mouth. Deidara gave her a very, very interesting look and then – thank god – got up from the chair. "I'll go with you then. Don't expect me to talk against one of your friends or anything."

Sakura was about to say "Oh, don't worry, they wont talk to you anyway," but realized in time that that wasn't really a kind thing to say and she shut her own mouth.

"Are we going or what, hmm?"

"Oh yeah, right, let's go."

They left the Hokage building and Sakura took a deep breath of air. For some weird reason, the air felt better here. Unlike the always muggy apartment, the air was fresh and cooled her sweaty forehead. "I like this kind of weather," She sighed as they started walking through the streets. They walked as close to each other as possible, trying to hide the handcuffs.

Sakura tried not to think about the things people could think about a girl and a guy wearing handcuffs. Too perverted.

"You know," she continued. "when the wind tickles your face and blows through your hair."

Deidara snickered. "When I fly on one of my clay birds it feels like that, hmm. I don't have to wait for the right weather. A sunny day is enough, hmm."

Sakura froze slightly when he started about himself. This was the first time he actually spoke of something else than daily needs, and she felt like maybe even bringing this conversation to the point she wanted: Akatsuki. She felt slightly relieved as she realized that, if she succeeded, she wouldn't have to get intimate with him.

"Do you like to fly then?" She asked, trying to keep her voice the same as before. He grinned. "What do you think, hmm? Of course I like flying."

His voice slowly faded away and he looked at the sky, lost in his memories. "I used to fly together with Sasori-danna, and after that with Tobi as well, hmm," he muttered, obviously more to himself than to Sakura, but she could hear it. He looked down at his feet and then the clear feeling of guilt washed through Sakura's insides. She gave him a worried look and stopped walking, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Oy, are you alright?"

he frowned and shook his head. Then he suddenly seemed to realize that he was actually talking to a hostile, pink haired kunoichi, and Sakura saw the shield close again, being followed by a lot of hatred.

"What reminds me, hmm," he hissed, leaning over her. "You killed Sasori-danna. Together with that granny, hmm. And now that Jinchuuriki friend of yours killed Tobi as well…" his eyes became slits.

"you would have done the same if you had been in my position," Sakura said back, trying to let her voice sound normal and not irritated. "you can't blame me for doing it… although…" she swallowed. "I wouldn't… I don't think I can blame you for blaming me."

He gave her a slightly puzzled look.

"OY! YOU! Keep your filthy fingers of Sakura-chan, you exploding freak!"

Sakura closed her eyes. There was no doubt about who that was. Naruto. Deidara gave the blond ninja an examining look but decided that it was enough and leaned back again, putting his free hand in his pocket while his chained one hung relaxed next to him.

"Konnichi wa, Naruto," Sakura said, sounding tired. "It's alright. Deidara-kun and I… I mean, Deidara and I were just talking. Nothing to worry about!"

Naruto gave her a what-the-fuck-were-you-just-saying look and Sakura giggled, waving him off with her free hand. "Nothing, nothing…!"

"Anyway, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, obviously ignoring Deidara on purpose, "I would like to invite you to Ichiraku's tonight. Ino, Hinata and Lee are coming too. What do you think? Sounds great doesn't it!"

Sakura sighed. She couldn't say no to this either. She hadn't seen her friends for almost a week now and really needed some contact with them – besides, saying no to this would really insult Naruto and she didn't want to make him disappointed. "Okay, sounds good. What time?"

"So you're coming? Really?"

"Yes, we are."

"AHUM. I didn't hear myself saying that I would come too, hmm."

Sakura glared at him and then thought as hard as she could. Please just come with me. I promise it wont be too bad. Naruto gets angry easily – besides, you can eat some more ramen there. You know, the food we had at our first night in the apartment?

He seemed to need to think about that one until suddenly his face lit up. "Oh, ramen!" he said, and Sakura noticed a slightly cheerful tone in his voice. "In that case, I'll go with you, hmm."

Naruto sniffed. "Don't think that I like inviting you, you exploding freak," he hissed. "If you weren't chained to Sakura-chan then I would kill you right now, dattebayo." And he glared at Deidara, who glared back.

"Oh yea?" Deidara asked, his voice dark. "Then please let me remember you that you actually were the one to suggest using these chains, hmm."

Naruto swallowed and was obviously thinking of a suitable retort when Sakura decided that it was enough. "Stop it, you two," She said while stepping between them. "Just stop it, okay?"

Strangely enough, this remembered her of her time in Team 7, when Sasuke and Naruto used to argue about even the slightest things. She always had to stop them from fighting, and doing this again but this time between an enemy and her best friend felt very strange.

Naruto grumbled and Deidara sniffed. Then they both turned around, causing Sakura to twist at the spot by the sudden movement.

"Fine," they both said. "But I wont talk to him!"

Sakura sighed. "No I'm sure you don't. Now Naruto, if you would just let us, Deidara and I have to do some shopping." Naruto gave her a wide grin. "But, but, why don't you come with me, Sakura-chan?" he asked, and Sakura sweat dropped.

"What exactly are you going to do," She asked. "Because I don't feel like eating ramen at this time of day."

Naruto shook his head even before Deidara could say that he would like a steaming portion of ramen, and he started speaking. "No, I was thinking about doing some training on the training grounds. I bet Neji and Lee are there as well, and I've asked Gaara to come there too-"

Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was actually asking an explosive expert to fight with him and he swallowed. Sakura noticed but before she could speak Deidara did so.

"How do you mean, Gaara, hmm?" he asked, a sharp undertone in his voice. "That guy was as dead as a mean could be, hmm! I know brcause I saw him die! I even sat on his corpse, hmm!"

Naruto gave him firstly a killing glare for bringing that up again, followed by a triumphant smirk. "Well, we revived him! And I do remember that I beat your ass hard, dattebayo!"

Deidara frowned and Sakura felt rage sweep through her, obviously coming from Deidara. "Um, Naruto, I don't think it'll be a good idea for Deidara to train together with Gaara-sama. You see, I don't think Gaara will just say "Oh, fine, I'll forgive him". Don't you think?"

But Naruto was blind for the risks of his plan. "Oh, that'll be alright. He has learned to control his anger and stuff after the Akatsuki ripped his Shukaku out – I'm sure he wont do a thing."

Sakura shook her head but Deidara stepped forwards suddenly, standing right in front of Naruto who didn't budge for even an inch.

"What?"

"Let me fight that Kazekage kid. Taijutsu, hmm. No genjutsu or ninjutsu. Plainly hand to hand combat."

At first Sakura thought that Naruto was going to reject, but when she saw a wide smirk appear on her friends face she knew that he wasn't going to do that.

"Ossu," he said and he punched the air. "Then let's traaaiin!!"

Sakura felt a bit ignored and stumbled after Deidara who had gotten as hyper as she was only used from Naruto. This time, the energetic waves coming from him didn't affect her as well and she felt more and more uneasy as they raced towards the training field just outside the city.

Neji… Lee… even Gaara-san… they've all fought or at least seen Deidara. I hope Tsunade-sama informed them about our current situation or things might go terribly wrong. She shivered. If that isn't already going to happen. Gaara… I don't think he has changed a lot…

Deidara glanced over his shoulder. "Still worrying, hmm?" he yelled as they passed the village gates and Naruto greeted the guards who greeted back. Sakura nodded, a deep frown etched in her face. Do you really think it's a good idea to fight with the Kazekage of the sand – again? You beat him once but this time…

He rolled his eyes. "I cant use my explosives, hmm. You guys from Konoha took my clay so explosives are out the question. And he'll only fight hand to hand, he wont use his sand." He seemed to think that over. "Or, at least, he better, hmm. But he doesn't seem the type to cheat with the rules. Besides…" A sneaky smile crept on his face. "I want to beat him again, hmm."

Sakura sighed. Guys and their pride.

Hope you all liked this one :) I've already started on the fighting scene but it's harder than I thought it would be. Anyways: See you all at the next chapter!

(btw: Feel free to R&R and I don't own Naruto)