Thanks y'all for your support, Especially Kirri and Kilulu for their amazing support in my times of hardship.

I'm gonna love this chapter…teehee

Camalon: I actually loved your Idea. I had it in my head a couple of chapters ago. So, I'll do it .

Kirri Kitty: About the pairing, I might make it Lee/Kagome, but I think she'd go better with Kiba. So it's not settled yet.

Now to chapter 21

Previously on please remember:

"No, sweetheart, I just wanted to tell you that your cousin is here" she said, cheerfully

"You must be my cousin, right?" She said, resting her right hand on her waist. He nodded, smiling. Ino stretched her right hand, "You know my name but I don't know yours" she said, raising an eyebrow. He smirked.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ino" he said, shaking her hand. "My name is Deidara."

Please remember, Chapter 21

He squeezed on her hand a bit too hard, which made her flinch. Not only did he look dangerous, but he also gave Ino a bad feeling about things. She took a deep breath.

"Deidara, ne?" she said, smiling, and managed to pull her hand out of his tight grip. "I wonder why I haven't heard about you. Ever." she said, resting her hands on her waist. He laughed and tossed his head to the side, making the hair covering his left eye move a bit.

"I've been on the low for quite some time now" he said, looking her right in the eye. Ino took a deep breath. Even his normal looks are dangerous, it was almost as if he was glaring at her. Somehow, Ino felt vulnerable under his gaze.

She chuckled nervously, "hmm, I wonder why" she said, putting the stray of her hair back behind her ear. He looked down on the ground, smirking, and then raised his vision to her.

"To be honest," he said, taking a step closer to Ino, "I'm an S-ranked criminal" he said, calmly. Ino's eyes widely opened, and then she lowered her vision, being nervous of how close Deidara stood. Ino chuckled.

'An S-ranked criminal wouldn't openly tell about it, or would he?' she thought, looking up at him. She shivered when she saw how close he's gotten and how bad his looks at her felt.

Hearing footsteps up the stairs, Deidara smirked and took a step back, turning around to face the other side of the room. Asuka came down the stairs, dressed in a light yellow knee length dress and green-blue slippers, holding a towel in her hand.

"Oh, Ino, welcome home, sweetheart. I believe you've met your cousin already" she said, chuckling. Ino nodded and looked at Deidara, who was calmly standing still, looking at his aunt.

Ino sighed, "Yeah, we've already met. Interesting guy, I noticed" she said, making him look at her, raising an eyebrow. She did the same and smirked, looking away. Asuka laughed.

"This is so cute; you two look alike and act alike. I'm starting to doubt the fact that Ino's my daughter. She's probably your sister." She said, joking. She and Deidara laughed out loud. Ino looked at the two and shook her head.

'Wow, mom sure likes him more than she likes me' She thought as her mother's laughter calmed down, looking at her daughter. She smiled.

"Ino, sweetie, you know when you said you always wanted a brother? Well, he's going to be like a brother to you from now on." She said, clasping her hands together. Ino looked at Deidara who was smiling at her, having a more innocent look on his face than the expression he had when they were alone, making Ino doubt the guy's intention, she knotted her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"Really, how long are you staying here, Deidara?" she said, stressing on his name. He smiled and titled his head to the side.

"I'm staying as long as you want me to, Ino-nee-chan", he said, grinning. She smiled; shaking her head then looked at her mother before walking towards the stairs.

"I'm going to my room, mother" she said, taking the steps up to her room with a serious look on her face. Ino wasn't very fond of the idea of this cousin, who appeared out of nowhere, taking over the house. Asuka watched her daughter as she went up the stairs with a smile on her face, then faced Deidara, clasping her hands together again.

"I'm sorry, Deidara. She's probably nervous around you. It's not really that pleasant for a person to just find out about a distant relative" she said, smiling. Deidara nodded.

"Ah, it's ok. I should probably give her some time to adjust to me being here all the time" he said, smiling. She nodded, looking next to the young man. Near the couch was a small black bag with red lines, apparently belonged to the blonde.

"Come on, Deidara. I'll show you to your room. I'm sure you need some rest" she said, walking to the bag, leaning down to pick it up. She was startled when Deidara reached for it before she did.

"Please, you don't have to" he said, picking up the bag. Asuka could hear something rattle inside his bag, making her pause in her place.

'It's probably the wind, or just my imagination' she thought, standing straight. He carried the bag over his shoulder. She smiled and went up the stairs. Deidara quietly followed.

In a couple of seconds, they were in front of Deidara's new room. Asuka unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a tidy room with one bed to the right, the window opposed to the door and the closet on the left. The sheets were white. Deidara figured this room was a totally new one, making him smirk.

"Welcome to your new room. I'm sure you'll like it" she said, ushering for him to get inside. He nodded and walked in, looking around the room. He smiled.

"I love it. Thanks, Ma'am" he said, putting the bag on the bed. Asuka, still standing at the door, leaned on the door frame and laughed, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Please, Deidara, you don't have to be too formal. Just call me aunt, or auntie, or even Mom. It would sound nice." she said, chuckling. Deidara turned his head sharply, glaring at her.

"You're not my mother" he said, angrily yet quietly. Asuka gulped, her breath got caught in her throat. He glared at her one last time before turning his attention back to his bag. A couple of seconds passed with an uncomfortable silence.

"But auntie sounds great" he said, smiling, and then chuckled. Asuka exhaled, resting her hand on her chest. For a moment, she feared him. She watched the young man unzip his bag but stopping half way, and then looked at her by the corner of his eye.

"Can I have some privacy, please?" he asked calmly. Asuka chuckled nervously.

"Y-Yeah, sure, make yourself at home" she said, walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. She leaned on the closed door, breathing heavily.

'What in the world has happened just now?' she thought, leaning off the door, looked at it before walking off.

Deidara, still glaring at the closed door, moved his attention back to his bag as soon as he felt her presence disappear.

"Humph" he said, smirking. He picked up a large conical straw hat with a small spike-like bell hanging from it out of the bag. Deidara flicked the bell with his index finger, making it move back and forth. He slowly turned around, walking towards the closet, the bell ringing along. He opened it, revealing a top shelf and some hangers on the bottom part of it. He put the hat on the shelf and rested his hands on his waist, laughing to himself.

Ino's room, a few minutes later…

Ino was sitting on the bed, painting her toe nails pink. Although it's not her favorite color, she liked how it never shows unless you pay attention to the person's toes, which is not something people usually do. She was listening to some music on her CD player when someone knocked on the door.

Through her headphones, she could hear a faint knock on the door. She put the nail polish brush in its container and took off the headphones. The knocking continued.

"Come in!" she said, blowing on her toe nails. She looked up to see Deidara, standing at the door.

"Here you are," he said before paying attention to what she was doing, "doing some girly stuff!" he said, pointing at her toe nails. She smirked and looked at his purple-colored fingernails.

"Yeah, girly stuff!" she said, chuckling. He looked at his own fingernails and blushed, crossing his arms. Deidara looked away, then looked back at her and smiled.

"Fine, I take it back," he said, making her nod respectfully, chuckling. "because you don't look very girly" he said, covering his mouth, and laughed. She glared at him, getting up and walked towards him. She stood in front of him, crossing her arms.

"What is it you want now, Deidara?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He smirked.

"I want you," He said, pausing, and pressed his palms against each other and resting them on his lips, as if he's thinking. Ino's eyes widened. 'Want me?!' she thought as he looked down, then at her again.

"I want you to take me on a tour around town. That way, I can get to know it much better" he said, pointing his clasped palms at her. She sighed and chuckled.

"Sure, no problem, if that makes you stop bothering me" She said, smiling. He shook his head and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Ino crossed her arms. "He's a spoiled brat. I can already tell." She said, going back to the mirror, checking her self in it and then going towards the door and out the bedroom.

Konohagakure streets…

Ino and Deidara walked side by side along Konoha's streets. She was telling him all about the village; the history, the Hokages, the most respected elders around town and of course, Ninja education.

Deidara was getting kinda bored; listening to speeches wasn't his thing. He was looking around for something catchy, but found none. 'Man, this village is peaceful, too peaceful' he thought, but they were cut when Ino snapped her fingers in his face.

"Are you following what I'm saying?" She said. He looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"Yeah, t-totally." He lied, earning a look of disbelief from his cousin. He shook his head and looked ahead, almost tripping on something that passed quickly right in front of them. He looked at the running furry animal, raising an Eyebrow.

"W-What is that?" he asked, looking quizzically at the very unsurprised Ino. She looked at him and chuckled.

"You see that cat? It belongs to a very fat lady. It keeps running away from her every year" she said, stressing on the last couple of words, "It's probably sick of being squeezed to death by her. Believe me, their reunion," she said, raising her index finger. "it is not a very cute scene" she said, shaking her head as she remembered how the woman squeezed the life out of the poor animal. Deidara raised an eyebrow and then laughed, making Ino laugh along.

"What's so funny?" someone said, making Ino and Deidara turn around. Shikamaru stood there with a smile on his face. Ino's face lit up while Deidara wasn't very pleased of the newcomer.

"Shikamaru, how's it going?" she asked, smiling. He replied with a bored expression on his face, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing much" he said, turning his attention to Deidara who was glaring at him like it was the end of the world. Shikamaru stared at him and raised an eyebrow. Ino decided to break the staring contest.

"Uh, guys. Wouldn't you like to be introduced to each other?" she said, standing in between the two, finally turning their attention to her.

"Deidara, this is Shikamaru, my teammate and one of my best friends" she said, looking at Shikamaru and smiling. "Shikamaru, this is Deidara, my cousin. He's just arrived to Konohagakure" she said, smiling. Shikamaru had a puzzled look on his face; he opened his mouth to speak, but Deidara knew what was going to be said.

"Her father is the only child, but I'm a distant cousin of hers, to answer your question" He said, smiling. Shikamaru mouth hung open. 'How the hell did he know?' Shikamaru thought. He closed his mouth, biting his bottom lip, and then cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Konoha, Ino's Cousin" he said, extending his hand. Deidara looked at it for a moment, and then shook it with his.

"The name's Deidara. It's easy to memorize. You don't look like a slow person" he said, pointing at his own head with his other hand, making Shikamaru squeeze at his hand a bit too hard. Deidara squeezed back. Ino looked back and forth between the two, noticing then tension between them. She rested her hand on theirs, making both of them relax.

"Now that you two met, it's time for us to go. See ya later, Shikamaru" she said, pushing Deidara along with her. Leaving Shikamaru alone, sighing.

"This kid is troublesome. Good luck with him, Ino" he mumbled, turning around and going to his main destination.

Ino and Deidara

Ino pushed Deidara down the street, making everyone look at them. She stopped, stopping him as well. As soon as he turned around to ask her, he got a smack across the head.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked, angrily. He rubbed the side of his head, having an innocent expression on his face. He then glared at her.

"I was being serious. The guy couldn't pronounce my name! He's a stupid one" he said, looking away. Ino gasped.

"I can't believe you say that about my best friend. You're mean! You don't even know the guy!" she said, crossing her arms. He looked at her with a disgusted expression, crossing his arms as well.

"I can't believe you say that about my best friend. You're mean!" he said in a girly tone, mocking her. Ino's jaw dropped, making him laugh.

"Relax, Ino-Chan. And to be honest," he said, getting closer to her. "you look cute when you're angry" he said with an emotionless expression on his face. Ino stared at him. She couldn't help but to look into his eyes, those grayish-blue eyes of his. She tried to move away but couldn't. He smirked.

"What's the matter, Ino? Can't resist me?" he said, leaning forward, their lips centimeters apart. She tried to move her head away but she couldn't. She felt that people around them started to disappear one by one.

'What the hell did he do to me?' she thought, closing her eyes, wishing he'd go away. In a few seconds, she opened her eyes, to see him looking innocently at her.

"You think I'd do that to you, Ino-Chan?" he asked, smiling evilly at her, taking a step backwards. "I'd do that, but not in front of all these people" he said, turning around and continuing on his way, leaving Ino as confused as a deer in the headlights. He stopped and turned around.

"Are you coming or what?" he asked, smiling at her. Ino took a deep breath and exhaled it, walking carefully to his side.

Half an hour later

Ino has taken Deidara everywhere a person can go to. They ended up on top of the Hokage Mountain. She sat under a big tree and lied down on the ground, sighing heavily. "This is tiring" she said, closing her eyes. Deidara, standing over her, looked down at her and crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Hm," he mumbled, looking away, "and you call yourself a Chuunin-ranked ninja" he said. Ino opened her eyes and rested her elbows on the ground, leaning on them. "I don't think I ever told you that I'm a Chuunin now, did I?" she said, smirking. He laughed and sat down next to her, bringing his knees closer to his chest, and leaned his chin on them. A peaceful moment passed with no words from the two. Ino decided to speak up.

"Do you suffer from a case of split personality?" she blurted out, gaining a glare from the blonde guy. She laughed out loud. "I mean, sometimes you freak me out, yet other times you act like a little kid" she said, looking at him and smiling slyly.

"You're interesting, where have you been all my life?" she joked, laughing. He chuckled and stretched his left leg, leaning his right elbow on his right knee. Deidara looked at Ino who was staring at the blue sky. He had to admit, she was a pretty young woman. In his opinion, she had a beautiful hair, gorgeous eyes and one hell of a body.

'That's too bad' he thought, smirking. He got up, dusting off his pants. Ino looked up at him.

"What's wrong? Going home already?" she said, sitting up. He nodded and looked at her, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm a bit tired and I need some sleep" he said, dusting off his hands, and slipped them into his back pockets. Ino got up and dusted off her pants.

"You know your way home, don't you?" she said, putting her hands behind her back. He looked at her quizzically.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ino laughed and ran off. "Then you won't get lost because I'm going somewhere else." She said, waving at him. He stood there, shook his head and walked down the steep pathway while Ino ran as fast as she could, knowing exactly where she would find the person she's looking for.

In one of the Seafood restaurants

At 11 am in this quiet peaceful day, Shikamaru was having a meal at his favorite restaurant, eating mackerel and kelp, with a cup of water aside. He was about to eat the first bite when someone snuggled his neck, choking him.

"Agh" he managed to get out, looking with the corner of his eye. He eventually smiled when he saw Ino, she looked over his shoulder with a smile.

"Hey, Shikamaru, Having a good meal, I see?" she said, looking at his plate. He raised a piece of his kelp in her face. "Do you want to share?" he asked, making her quickly back away. Ino wasn't a big fan of seafood, making Shikamaru use that fact to his advantage sometimes.

"Nah, I'll pass" she said, going to the other side of the small table, and sat in front of him. He picked up a small piece of the mackerel and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly, VERY slowly. Ino rested her chin on her hand and watched him eat. He looked up from the plate to her, swallowing

"What? Can't a person enjoy their meal peacefully?" he said, grabbing the cup of water, and took a sip. Ino chuckled and waved her hand in the air.

"I'm sorry, forget that I'm here" she said, looking to the right side of the restaurant. Shikamaru chuckled.

"I was kidding, Ino. We've always had lunch together. Order what you want. It's on me." he said, making Ino smile and shake her head. "I'm not really hungry. Maybe some other time, Shika-kun." She said, smiling sincerely. He nodded and continued his meal, but stopped after one bite. Ino looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" she asked, leaning forward on the table. He looked at his plate, sighed and then looked up at her.

"Ino, about that cousin of yours," He started, poking his meal. Ino tilted her head to the side, waiting for Shikamaru to continue. "I don't like him, he's giving me a bad feeling" he said, picking up a piece of the fish he's eating and ate it. Ino's eyes narrowed as she looked down, drawing circles on the table with her index finger.

"Me too" she whispered, making Shikamaru put down his chopsticks and intertwine his fingers. He leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands.

"How come?" he asked, studying Ino's worried expression. She sighed and looked up at him.

"I mean, in one day, I realize that I have a distant cousin, and it took my mother more than 17 years to figure that out. I bet dad doesn't even know about him" she said, crossing her arms and leaning backwards, turning her head to the side. Shikamaru nodded and leaned forward.

"Ino, I want you to promise me one thing." he started, making Ino look back at him. "Never, EVER, let your guard down around that deodorant kid." He said, deliberately mispronouncing Deidara's name, making Ino laugh.

"Don't worry about me, Shikamaru. I'll take care of myself" She said, smiling. "Oh and about Deidara, I want to apologize for what he's said." she said, blushing in embarrassment. A cousin of yours mocking one of your best friends isn't something that happens everyday. Shikamaru laughed.

"C'mon, don't mention it. If I cared, I would've dealt with it back then.." he said, smiling, "Do you want my opinion?" he said. Ino nodded for him to continue.

"That guy has some troublesome issues." He said, laughing out loud. Ino shook her head before laughing along with her best friend, not noticing that Deidara, not far away, was watching her every move

Done!

This chapter might be short. But I got so bored that I HAD TO finish this today. LOL

I love Deidara in this Chapter. No InoGaara fluffiness in here so bare with me today.

Please review