A/N: Hey guys, I'm back!! Thank you for the wonderful reviews!! I just about had a heart attack when I saw that someone actually reviewed, but then I remembered that having a heart attack is probably a bad thing, so I settled with crying tears of joy -blows into tissue- Thank you! Zozo-chan, Deidara is 9 years old and Sakura is 8. I know that in the actual series Deidara is 4 years older than her, but I changed it a little bit to fit. And Iridescent Rain, The characters are a little bit different because they are still kids, and Deidara gets cockier and more Deidara-like as he gets older. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter: 2

Tonight is the last night of Deidara's stay in Konoha, and he wished it had never come. He had never really had a home in Iwa, and he didn't have anyone to call his friend. Now that he had finally found one in Sakura, he found that he didn't want that bond to break, that it was killing him inside to know that tomorrow morning he may never see his best, and first, friend ever again. The friendship they had was strong, far stronger than anyone thought could ever happen within six weeks, and it was a rare sight to see one of them without the other.

Deidara tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep, remembering the day after their fateful encounter...

~Flashback~

Deidara was nervous. He had met Sakura yesterday, and he was scared that she had changed her mind about him, that she had gone back to her old friends and abandoned him, like all the rest. He shoook his head, and opened the door of his hotel, and closed it behind him, walking in the direction of the Ichiraku ramen place, where they had planned to meet. Hoping she would be there, but also scared that she wouldn't, he walked at a slow pace. Why was she his friend anyways? He was a monster. Sighing, he dismissed that thought from his mind, and sped up a little bit.

When he was almost to the restaurant, he saw her sitting on one of the stools, chatting and laughing with the cook. He bit his lip, and nervously fiddled with the end of his shirt. Gathering his courage, he walked into the little shop, and smiled as Sakura turned her head at the noise that he made. A bright smile lit up her face, and all of his nervousness washed away at the sight of her. She wouldn't abandon him.

Sakura gave him a hug, and they ordered some ramen for lunch. They laughed and talked as they ate, and Deidara felt truely content for the first time in a long time. After eating, he and Sakura took off for another adventure. Smiling, Deidara realised that he didn't care why she was his friend, just that she was, and he knew he would do anything for her friendship.

~End Flashback~

Deidara smiled at the memory, knowing that on that day, Sakura had truely gained his trust, without even knowing what she had done. That day was the day that he had started to change. He no longer thought that he didn't belong anywhere, that no one wanted him. He still thought the world was a cruel place, but that there were people in it that were different, people like Sakura.

He got lost in his thoughts again, back to the time when he had earned Sakura's trust in return...

~Flashback~

Deidara smiled as he neared the park that he and Sakura were meeting that morning. He walked with a bounce in his step, excitement radiating from his very person, happier than he could ever remember being. It was two weeks after he and Sakura had first met, and the two had become inseperable over the past 14 days.

The blonde-haired boy was almost at the park when he heard a quiet, sobbing noise. Startled, he looked around to try and find where it was cooming from. Finally, he spotted whomever it was sitting on the bench across the park from him. Frowning, he decided to go and see what was wrong or if he could help. When he got close enough to the bench to see who it was, Deidara froze, eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

Sakura.

He was beside her in an instant, and held her, whispering comforting words to her. He was stunned at how sad and upset she was. He had always thought she was this strong, impenitrateable wall, that nothing anyone said would hurt her. Deidara realised that he was wrong, that she was human, and couldn't be strong all the time.

So, he held her, for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. Finally, after she had calmed down a little bit, he asked her what was wrong, why she was crying.

"N-Nothing's wrong, D-Deidara-kun." Stuttered Sakura, stifling a sob as she spoke. Deidara sighed and tried again.

"Tell me what's wrong, Sakura-chan, yeah." He said softly to her, his tone practically begging her to talk to him, to stop crying and smile again. He loved her smile. Even when she didn't respond, he said nothing, and let her tell him on her own time.

Sakura turned her head away from him, sniffling away, and trying, but failing, to blink back tears. She stopped trying to hold it in, and started to sob again. After a few minutes of hysterical sobbing, she slowly started to calm herself, and looked back at Deidara, ready to speak.

"W-Well," She started, her voice throaty from crying, "I was sitting on one of the swings, waiting for you to come, when Keigo and Haru appeared." Deidara stiffened, and his eyes narrowed at the mention of the two boys. "They asked me if I was still hanging around you, and when I said yes, they started to yell at me, and told me that no one liked me, that I was nothing but a big forehead, that I was ugly, that I was nothing, and that I wouldn't get anywhere…"

Deidara was angry. He was angry at those idiots for hurting Sakura like this, for telling her lies. But most importantly he was angry with himself, because he knew that if Sakura hadn't protected him that day, this would never have happened.

"… This is my fault, yeah." Deidara said at last, guilty for his part in her sadness. "They said those things because you're friends with me… I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan, yeah."

Sakura looked alarmed, and a little bit saddened, at his words. Her nose crinkled, like it did when she didn't agree with something he said, or when she was thinking hard.

"No, it is not your fault." She said firmly, her eyes regaining their old fire." I chose to be friends with you, and if those are the people they really are, I'm glad I chose you over them." She argued, smiling at him through her tears.

Deidara smiled at her, said a small, but sincere 'thank you', and hugged her.

"Besides," He said, bringing a hand up to brush away her bangs. "Your big forehead is who you are. It makes it look like there's more in there than there is." He said teasingly.

She giggled, and hit his arm. "Thanks, moron."

He smiled back at her, just happy that he was able to make her laugh…

~End Flashback~

After that day, Sakura trusted Deidara with everything. Her secrets, her feelings, everything. In the short time they had been together, they had become closer than some people do their entire lives.

It was around midnight by now, and he still couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Sakura, her laugh, her smile, her face...

He remembered one day when they got hungry after a day of adventure and decided to eat at the dango shop. Deidara didn't know who or what started it, but once they were done eating they had an epic battle with the remaining sticks. He remembered the lunches they had almost everyday at Ichiraku ramen, and how the cook already knew them by name. He smiled at the memory of Sakura paying, while he laughed at her, waving his bright neon orange bracelet in her face, only for her fist to be aquainted with his skull.

Deidara sighed at the memories, knowing that he would never forget them, that they may fade in his mind, but never will he forget.

He brought his hand up to fiddle with the ring that hung around his neck on a silver chain. He grasped it, and thought back to where it had come from...

~Flashback~

Two days before Deidara had to leave, he and Sakura were up on the Hokage monument, sitting on the Yondaime's gigantic head. They were watching the sunset, silence between the two of them. They both knew that tomorrow would be their last day together, and that they may never see each other again.

Sakura sighed, and looked over at Deidara. He had changed, since they became friends. He was more open, and outgoing, and he wasn't shy around her anymore. Deidara had become far more confident in himself, and for that, she was happy. She smiled as she thought about the changes in him, and she knew that he meant more to her than anyone ever had.

She blushed as that thought went through her mind. He meant more to her than just a friend, he was her first crush. While Sakura knew it was stupid to like him, she couldn't help herself, and she never acted on it.

"Are you ok, yeah?" The sound of his concerned voice immediately snapped her out of those thoughts.

"O-Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She asked, stuttering, embarrassed by her thoughts.

"Well," He started, "your face went red and I thought you might be sick or something, yeah…" As he spoke, Sakura's face only got more and more flushed, and a worried frown formed on his face as he watched her.

"Oh, well, it's ok, I'm not sick or anything, it must be the wind." She finished lamely. He nodded at her, not really believing what she said, but understood that she wouldn't tell him.

"Sakura-chan, I was thinking… Because I'm leaving soon, I was thinking we could get something for each other… You know, to remember each other, yeah…" He spoke nervously, nervous that she wouldn't want to. "But, only if you want to, yeah, I mean, we don't have -"

"Yes." She cut him off. "Of course we can! That's a great idea, Deidara-kun! I was actually thinking of something like that… what do you have in mind?" She asked excitedly, smiling at his sweetness, her heart beating a little bit faster.

Deidara smiled, trying to think of what to get her. They started brainstorming, and decided it was best if they got each other the same sort of thing, and that they should buy them together the next day, so that they didn't get something that the other wouldn't like.

Eventually they settled on getting each other an oversized ring that hung on a chain around their necks. They thought that if it was too small, it would easily be lost, and that it would break easier.

It was Sakura who came up with the ring idea, but it was Deidara who thought of getting them oversized, and to get a chain to hang them from, so that they could wear them as necklaces.

"Great!" Exclaimed Sakura, smiling brightly, obviously excited. "We'll get them tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," He smirked, "Just make sure to be there on time this time, okay? I don't want to have to wait for three hours for you again, yeah."

Sakura scowled. One time she's late, one time! And he goes on about it forever. She rolled her eyes, 'How dare he!' raged inner Sakura, while she silently agreed with her. Then her scowl turned into a prominent smirk.

"Heh, just make sure you don't eat the merchandise again."

Deidara's smirk instantly vanished off his face. One day, about three weeks into his visit, they were at the marketplace, looking at some nice jewellery. He had picked up a relatively cheap metal chain bracelet, and the hand on his mouth ended up eating it. When the merchant who was selling it asked where it had gone, Deidara had blushed a bright red, and stuttered out that his hands at eaten it. He had to pay for it, and had spent the rest of the day thoroughly embarrassed, and Sakura had teased him mercilessly for a few days about it.

He growled playfully at her, and tackled her to the side, tickling her mercilessly. She giggled and begged him to stop, wiggling and struggling the whole time. Soon, Deidara got tired of tickling her, and decided to just collapse on top of her, his face in her neck. Sakura's face lit up, burning a bright red, a big smile spreading over her face, and she was suddenly very happy that he couldn't see her head. Her heart did a little flip flop as she put her hands on his back.

"I don't want to go, yeah." He whispered sadly into her neck.

"I don't want you to leave, either." She murmured, unhappy. "Don't worry though," her voice gained got a little lighter. "we'll see each other again, I know we will."

Deidara smiled at her optimism. "We will. I promise we will, yeah."

His heart was beating so fast it felt like his chest was going to rip open, and the fluttering in his stomache was overwhelming. Smiling, he realised he didn't dislike the feeling, and was happier than he ever has been.

~End Flashback~

Deidara and Sakura had gone out the next day, meeting at Ichiraku for lunch as usual, and then went off to get each other their gifts.

For Deidara, it was tough. He didn't see anything that he thought she would like, and instead looked for something that reminded him of himself. After all, it was all about remembering each other, right? So, he had chosen a silver ring that had a bird all the way around it. The bird was the ring, and its body stretched out and around, so that the open beak touched its own tail. To go along with it, he chose a simple silver chain.

Sakura, however, took even longer. She chose a simple silver band, and went to somewhere else to get it engraved and modified to her liking. First, she had the engraver mould the band into the shape of interlocking cherry blossoms, then she had the words 'Don't forget' engraved onto them, as well as her initials. She also chose a simple silver chain to go along with it.

He fingered that necklace now, as he though about her. He knew he had changed in the month and a half since meeting her. He became more open, funny, sarcastic and all around a better person. He wanted to be with her right now, be her friend, and stay with her for as long as he lived. His heart fluttered and tightened again, only this time it didn't feel warm and good. It felt cold, and downright terrible.

Finally, after what was probably hours of thinking, he drifted off thinking of her, her ring still in clasped in his hand.

.:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:.

As the sun rose on the horizon, Deidara stood with his classmates and the ANBU at the gates of Konoha. Soon, they would be heading off back to Iwa, an agonizingly boring full four days of walking ahead of him. He already missed Sakura, and wondered what she was doing now. 'Probably still sleeping, yeah.' He thought to himself, sighing.

He sighed, and grasped the ring and chain in his pocket. He found it easier to keep in his pocket than around his neck, without attracting the attention of everyone, and he would like to keep it that way.

Suddenly, he felt arms around his shoulders, as he was tackled to the ground. Seeing as he was at the back of the group, not many of them noticed, and those who did, pretended that they didn't.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing here, yeah?" he asked, stunned and pinned to the floor by her weight on his back.

"I wanted to say goodbye." She said, sadly, tears coming to her eyes.

Deidara nodded, his mouth twisting into a frown, telling her not to cry. She nodded, and her eyes cleared.

"Now, Why don't you let me up, yeah?" He asked smirking. Sakura's eyes widened before she bolted off of him, apologizing.

"It's ok, Sakura-chan, you don't have to apologize. It's me after all." He finished, and winked at her, his smirk still plastered on his face. Just as Sakura was about to ask why the heck he was smirking, she found her answer when he started tickling her mercilessly.

"Deidara-kun! Stop it!" She yelled happily. He replied by one of the tongues on his hands licking her face, leaving a trail of saliva behind.

"Eeeewww!! Deidara!" She said sternly, hoping he would stop, only for him to refuse.

He stopped after a few minutes, and quickly enveloped her in a tight hug. They stood there for a few minutes, until the lead ANBU interrupted their moment, saying it was time to go.

As Deidara pulled away from her, Sakura held him tight, and he looked down at her to tell her he had to leave, when she tilted her face upwards, doing something that Deidara would remember forever.

She kissed him.

While it was a brief, ten second kiss, it was the best ten seconds of both Deidara's and Sakura's short lives. It was sloppy and inexperienced, their lips barely touching, but it was still amazing.

When she pulled away, blushing heavily, he went back and pecked her, again messily, and smiled at her, pulling out of her grip completely.

She watched him as he walked away with his group, through the giant gates of Konoha, and out into the forest of the fire country. She felt a warmth on her face, and realised that she was crying again.

"Until we meet again, Deidara-kun." She whispered to the wind, her hand clasped around the ring. "Goodbye."

.:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:.

Deidara didn't look behind him as he walked away, knowing it would hurt too much to watch as she disappeared. The feeling of her lips was still against his, and it made him blush, a smile spreading across his face.

He looked up into the new sky, and promised himself they would meet again.

"Goodbye, Sakura-chan, yeah."

TBC.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, it felt like a good time to end it. Now, I won't go into Deidara's life very much from this point on. That is saved for later on. The next chapter will be the time skip to just before the rescue Gaara mission. I have to re-watch the whole thing, just to make sure I don't miss any of the more important details. Until then, Sayonara (Goodbye)!!