It was a day after the school trip, and everyone was back home, safe and sound. Deidara and Hinata were in the classroom after school one day, just enjoying each others' company while she did her homework.

"So what did Sasori-sensei want?" Hinata asked.

"What?" Deidara was confused, since Sasori hadn't called him that day.

"Yesterday. When we were at that restaurant. Sasori-sensei called you and you went into the bathroom to talk to him." Deidara thought for a little more before remembering.

"Oh... That."

-:-

"Hello?"

"Deidara! Oh god, you'll never guess how stupid I was just now!"

"Sasori? Why? What happened?"

"So me and some other teachers walk into a bar, right?"

"This isn't the beginning of some stupid joke right?"

"Dammit, Deidara! This is serious! I almost blew our cover -- er, well, I don't know if I didn't... Well..."

"Slow down. So you almost blew our cover for..."

"Our ages! I told them I was 18!"

"Now why the hell would you do that?"

"I was drunk! But they were too, so I don't know if they heard me right, but you know what kind of drunk Itachi is! We're in deep shit!"

"Itachi was there? Shit!"

"Exactly!"

-:-

Deidara leaned back in his chair, trying to look relaxed. The look on his face gave him away once again. "It was nothing," he said. "Sasori just... kindagaveusawaybygivinghisagetosomepeopleatabar." Unfortunately for him, Hinata caught all that. "Oh! What does that mean? Are you going away now?" She asked, worried. Deidara shook his head. "I... don't know. Itachi-sensei was there, so there's a chance we might have to quit this job..." He kept one detail to himself. Hinata walked to him, taking his face in her hands. "Where will you go if you quit?" Deidara grimaced; that was the exact detail he wanted to keep secret. "You are such a woman." He purred, shifting his emotions and hiding them expertly. He took her hands and advanced on her, planting kisses on her face. "I'll tell you when we get there." He winked at her and went back to his seat. Hinata stayed pressed against the wall.

"I hope Itachi-sensei doesn't tell." she said, returning to her desk. "I hope he doesn't remember." Deidara added. They were silent for a while.

"Well, Hinata, we should go home now." Deidara stood up and stretched. He walked over to Hinata, who was resting her head on the desk, sound asleep. He smiled a little, running his fingers over her hair. Then he lightly shook her awake. "Mnh... Huh?" She groggily brought her head up and glanced around. Deidara caught her in a short lip-lock. She pulled away blushing. "You were sleeping, my dear?" he smirked, pulling her out of her seat. He twirled her around until she was completely awake. When they were at his desk, he pulled her into a hug. "We should go home, before the gates close in on us." he let her go to pack her things.

"I don't wantto go home yet, Deidara-sensei!" she whined, slinging her bag reluctantly over her shoulder. "Oh? You don't want to finish your homework, watch television, have dinner with the family and eventually crawl into bed to dream of me?" he shoved all the papers on his desk into his briefcase. "I could dream of you," Hinata said, walking with him out of the classroom. "But that's a long ways from now, and I don't know what to do until then." she gave him a look. Deidara let his previous smirk resurface. "Okay, then..." he stepped over to her slowly, pacing around her observantly. "So you want to finish your homework, watch television, have dinner and eventually crawl into bed... with me?" he slid his hand into hers, swinging their arms idly as they walked out of the school. Hinata thought about it. "Hmm..." before she could say anything, they were already well on their way to Deidara's house.

"I don't think I showed you around last time." He said, hanging his coat up in the closet. Hinata shrugged out of her own jacket, draping it over a chair. "Not that there's much to see around here, but..." he led her through the living room, through the kitchen, and into his open study, which, to a normal person would be the living room (you know, instead of the first living room at the door, which would be the dining room). In his huge study was a computer surrounded by piles upon piles of papers and important documents. On the top shelf of his computer desk was a large assortment of computer programs and music CDs. On either side of the computer desk were shelves packed with books. On the floor were bags of crumpled papers, books, and scattered (important) papers that fell from the stacks above.

"Sorry for the mess. I assure you, though, that I know where everything is." Deidara said as they stopped to marvel the heap of papers and literature. To prove his statement, he began naming the things in the room, starting with what was behind them.

"That's an easel;" he began, pointing at an unfinished painting of a sunset. "In my spare time, I like to paint. However, spare time has become an endangered species in this house." he sighed, disappointed. "When did you start that painting, Deidara-sensei?" Hinata asked. "Uh... Let's see... a year ago?" he shrugged, moving on to the bookshelves.

"It may not look it, but those books are actually arranged very carefully. I did my research, and I organized them exactly like this; My favorite book's author's son's middle name in alphabetical order." Hinata stared at him, confused. "Er... Like, I arrange it by favorite book first, then it decends by the author's son's middle name. Alphabetically. Get it?" he smiled. Hinata nodded slowly, not getting it at all.

"That's the computer, which shouldhave a keyboard, and on top of that shelf are my CD's, organized from frequently used to... well, not frequently used." He chuckled, gesturing to the second book shelf. "Now, this shelf is organized as follows: Author's wives' maiden names." Hinata cleared her throat. "Why do you arrange your books in such a confusing manner?" she asked. "You know, in case I have to hide something in a book. If someone wants to find something, they'll have to search the entire shelf before finding it, which, I hope, they give up on doing before they find it." He left the open study and led her into the hallway. "This is the bathroom." He nodded to a door on their left. "This is a closet, this is an extra room, this is another extra room, and another one..." They had reached the end of the hall, where all the bedrooms were for guests. "But where do yousleep?" Hinata asked.

At this, Deidara smiled proudly. He led Hinata down a flight of stairs, into a dark basement. With one flick of a light, the entire room lit up. He had two different beds, a water bed and a normal mattress. In the corner he had a couch and a television hanging from the ceiling. Behind the staircase he had an entire wall covered in random posters and on a desk he had a collection of random things. Completely random things. (As in, he had empty coke bottles and a giant Lego piece).

Music suddenly started to play. Hinata looked at Deidara, who had a stereo's remote control in his hand. "This is my room." he let her walk around as he set up a place for them to sit on the bed. She was toying with the stereo, looking at what music he had. After a few songs, she found one she liked and joined Deidara on the bed. "Why do you have two beds?" she asked. "Sometimes Sasori doesn't have a place to stay, so I keep a place for him here in my room. He gets the normal bed, of course." he played with one of his throw pillows absently. They were silent for a few minutes, letting the music echo in the room. Deidara started to hum the tune, then started singing it. Hinata smiled as if she were holding back a laugh. He winked at her, getting off the bed and gesturing to her dramatically.

What A Beautiful smile
Can It stay for a while?
On this beautiful night
We'll make everything right
My beautiful Love
My beautiful Love

He was singing 'Beautiful Love' by The Afters. To her.

Larger than the moon, my love for you
Worlds collide, as heaven pulls us through
The secret of the world is written in the stars
I'm carrying your heart in mine...

He pulled her up and twirled around the room, just like in the classroom. As the song ended, he held her close in a hug. For a moment, all their problems melted away. "My beautiful love." He sighed, kissing her. They stayed like that for a while, before Hinata pulled away. "I love you, Hinata." He sighed, grinning. She hugged him tighter.

"I love you too, Deidara-sensei."

-:-

A month passed, and the two had become very loose on hiding their relationship. Sometimes Deidara would purposefully bump into Hinata in the hallways, sometimes they'd hold hands on campus, and most times Hinata would have lunch with Deidara in the classroom. Once they even kissed behind the school when they thought no one else was looking.

But they were wrong.

Another teacher, Itachi, always caught them. He'd be in the hallway where they bumped, he'd watched them hold hands across the sidewalk, and he'd see them having lunch in the classroom. But when he saw the kiss, he'd had enough. He'd had enough of seeing him and her and them together.

You see, Itachi actually had a sort of attraction to the girl, Hinata. It began after Deidara fell in love with her, when they were talking about their past relationships. Deidara began describing Hinata without mentioning her name, but he knew who he was talking about. As he listened, he started to see what Deidara saw in her. He didn't like to admit it, but he fell in love with her. And he absolutely hated the fact that she was going out with Deidara.

So, tired of seeing them happy together, he walked straight to the Principal's office after seeing them kiss. It was a long walk, which gave him more time to think. If I tell the principal that Deidara is having relations with a student, he'll get fired. If he gets fired, they'll be separated. If they get separated, she'll be sad. he paused. When she's sad, i can comfort her. And she'll fall in love with me. And that'll be that. He opened the door to the principal's office. He was sitting at his desk, looking at some important documents for the school.

"How can I help you, Itachi-sensei?"

"I have to tell you something. It's about Deidara-sensei." Itachi took a deep breath. Maybe I'll tell him about Sasori's age as well. Just to get more competition out of the way."...And Sasori-sensei."

-:-

Deidara and Sasori glanced nervously at each other as they walked down the hall towards the Principal's office. They knew what was coming, even though it had been a month since they started anticipating this dreadful event. Well, no matter how long they waited, the moment had come, and they had to face it like men.

They sat in the two chairs in front of the desk, waiting for the principal to turn their way. He did, after a few minutes, delivering a glare that pierced through their entire act as grown-ups. "Deidara-sensei, Sasori-sensei." he greeted flatly. They nodded in return. "A faithful employee of mine has informed me of a certain problem involving two young teachers." He paused to observe their reactions.

Itachi.Deidara and Sasori thought.

"I will start by addressing the less serious problem, which is your age." Sasori winced. "Now, I have only been told of Sasori's age, but I am beginning to suspect you as well, Deidara-sensei." He glanced at the both of them. "I have been told that you, Sasori, are very young. Much too young to be handling a teaching, let alone students your age." The principal scratched his head, still trying to comprehend that they were teenagers still. They acted so much older. "You're eighteen, correct?" He asked to confirm. Sasori slowly nodded, feeling the guilt that most teenagers have when they've done something wrong. He looked down, ashamed. Deidara gave him a sympathetic look.

"Now, Deidara-sensei," he said, suspicion dripping from the suffix. "I will not question your age - though the answer looks quite obvious - my faithful employee has said that you've been dating a student here." He glared at Deidara, who was brave enough to stare right back. "I don't care how old you are; Teachers are absolutely forbiddento date students." Deidara grimaced. There it was again, that stupid restriction. The same thing that made Hinata resist him in the first place. He bit his lip.

"Furthermore," he continued. "Teachers are not allowed to be under the ages of 25." Sasori and Deidara braced themselves for the predicted final words.

"Due to lying about your age and having inappropriate relations with a student," Inappropriate. That's a new word for it.Deidara thought bitterly. "I am relieving you two of your jobs as teachers. You're fired."

Sasori abruptly stood up and left the room, unable to take the pressure and guilt he felt. Deidara stayed where he was.

"Please pass on to Sasori that he has one more day to pack his things. As for you..." The principal looked Deidara up and down. "How old areyou, Deidara?" he asked. "Nineteen, sir." Deidara gulped. He wanted so much to just run out of that room and scream his lungs out. But he couldn't. He made this choice long ago. "Nineteen..." The principal sighed in a disappointed tone. "So young, so young." he muttered. After a beat, the principal continued. "You, too, Deidara, have a day to pack your things. And..." he trailed off, giving Deidara a look. When it hit him, Deidara mentally shook his head. Anything but that!"You have to break up with your student girlfriend." Deidara shifted uneasily in his seat, hiding his intense frown with his fist. With his other hand, he gripped the arm rest, trying his best to hide his extreme discomfort. The principal frowned. "You may go."

Deidara immediately stood up, shoving the chair out of his way as he left the room. The door slammed closed, and the principal jumped in surprise.

Sasori was sitting in the waiting room outside the office, his head in his hands. Deidara stomped out, plopping himself down next to him. Sasori quickly wiped his tears - apparently he had been crying - and looked at him. "What now?" he asked in a cracked voice. Deidara patted Sasori's shoulder. "It's not the end of the world." he said quietly. He was still a bit angry from a few minutes ago.

"But it could be the end of mine."

-:-

Meaning, 'The world may not be ending, but my world might.'

OH GAH.