||| [T] h e [C] a f e |||^Itachi Uchiha^|||-Chapter Twenty Four-

Chapter Twenty Four: Captivation

"Love is great when you find someone to give it to."
~Chris Myrick

~*~

"Well..." She placed her cigarette box down on her night stand, "Are you going back to the base?"

"I rather not, but...they might be looking for me un. Especially your boyfriend." A little bit of red began to form on her checks. Boyfriend? Maybe we are that. We have gone out a few times, dates? I did always like him. The blush darkened. & we did have S.E.X! Maybe... "Mariko- hey Mariko are you listening to-?"

"Huh?" Deidara felt like smacking his forehead but decided the moment was not worthy of it. Besides, he always managed to smack himself to hard.

"I asked you if I could 'stay the night?'" She froze.

"I-I-I...wait what! That's crazy talk man, you are a former member of this village and if they find out-" Deidara puckered his bottom lip and began to whimper. "Never in my life time have I seen a grown man make a puppy dog face."

"I'm not a grown up yet un, I'm sixteen-don't be confusing me with the new Tsuchikage un. Ew sick." Mariko tilted her head.

"Sixteen?" He nodded, "I thought you were much older then that."

He smiled, "So can I stay un? You can trust me."

"I'm not to sure about that, and trust isn't what I'm worried about. It's them Finding. You. Here. This could put both you and me on the chopping block."

Deidara sighed and then stood up, "I see un. Well, I really do hope that your relationship with Itachi works out-Even though he is an S-class criminal. Heh, who is also, is in our world's most famous bingo book for what else? Murdering his clan, except for one, his little brother Sasuke Uchiha- who he keeps alive just to have him suffer every night and day only thinking of the hatred bottled up inside of him. Yeah, the black ops are sure as hell going to ignore the fact that he, one of the most dangerous criminal alive, visits your little cafe on a daily basic un. Deep in my heart I know that even after all that little Mariko Kain and Itachi Uchiha will be able to keep their relationship a secret from the world un. I truly do wish both of you the best of luck un." He stood up and walked over to her window. Angrily pulling the glass up and sticking one foot out the window, Deidara waved to her and smirked, "Sayonara."

"Wait-." She called to him before he had jumped out of the window. Her eyes starting to get teary "Don't leave."

He brought his leg back in and closed the window, "You have a point. I know I'm swimming in dangerous waters but when people care about people they are willing to sacrifice their lives for each other."

He squinted his single blue eye at her, hopping she would blow up any second but then she did something that changed that feeling, "and since Itachi cares for you I guess I can too. You can stay, but only for tonight."

"Well that's different un."

& then he smiled.

~*~

Usually Mariko wouldn't let any boy join her in the bedroom unless she had truly cared for them.

But Deidara was an exception and in a way he had surprised her.

It was a bit strange when he had refused to sleep on the floor, but other then that he hadn't pulled a single stunt in her.

He didn't touch her,

Breath near her,

And sleep near her.

Instead, he had stayed near the edge of her mattress with Misuki, he was silent and he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night just to get a little something something out of her. This is the long run, had helped Mariko find a certain liking towards the blonde, and gain just a tiny bit of understanding of him.

Deidara had woken up early and surprised her with breakfast.

Scrambled eggs and toast-which she ate happily.

"Well, it's been fun Mariko un. But I think I should go now." She escorted him to the door. "It's still dark out so getting away will be simple enough un."

~*~

Kyou's P.O.V

I had taken my sister's advice and decided that I had to go a bit further in expressing my love towards Mariko Kain. The last time I brought over a basket of goodies she had told me in great detail how much she really appreciated it. I figured that because I gave her the muffins last time it wouldn't hurt to do it again. Even though Mariko had rejected my offer to go out with me the last time, my sister had told me her mother had just died and that was probably the reason why she didn't consider it. So I decided that the best way to confess my love was to start small.

& that's why I decided on baking her muffins.

All night I had planned on how to deliver them too her.

I could give them to her at work, but then Kasumi might want to sell them.

I could always go over to her house in the afternoon, but I would think it might be a little awkward,

So I settled on leaving them on her door step with a note reading 'Your secret admire'.

& as cliché and lame that sounds, it made me feel like he had a bubble inside of him.

So I had found my way to her house, occasionally checking behind me just in case someone would see me and tell them that I was the one who gave her the muffins.

I finally found myself facing her house and walked up the path slowly. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

You can do this Kyou, you can really do this. She's probably sleeping. No, most defiantly sleeping. It's five in the morning! No sane person would be up this early, well except you. But that's different.

Suddenly her door swung open and I squeaked, nonononono.

But it wasn't her at the door it was...it was...

He locked his blue eyes at me and in one second I found myself against the mossy surface him on top. He had straddled me in-between his legs and reached back into his pouch tied around his waist.

"Deidara no." Someone hissed, "Don't hurt him!"

It was her, in her silk pyjamas, holding a tea cup in between her hands. Despite the position I was in I couldn't help but blush at her sight.

So this is what you look like in the morning my dear Mariko.

The blond had gotten off me and pulled me up with him. He pushed his way past Mariko and threw me onto the floor in her house. I held my arm in pain and rolled over off my stomach and to my back where I saw her entering in with the blonde. The door was closed behind them. I looked down at the basket I was bring over for her to see that my body weight had crushed everything. I noticed the note and jammed it in my pocket. The blond haired man had squatted down and hoisted me up by the collar of my shirt.

"Deidara leave him alone, he's a co-worker at the cafe! Don't be reckless like that; you nearly scared him to death." She glared at him but he still didn't release the grip around my collar.

"He knows about me, he needs to be eliminated un."

"No, no he doesn't." She turned her attention to me, "Kyou I know this seems-."

"You have a terrorist in your home." Deidara smiled proudly at the statement, "I-I-I...Mariko!"

"Kyou please calm down." Calm down Calm down.

"I can blow him up if you want un? I'll clean up his blood and all after-."

"There will be no blowing up anything."

"Just one small explo-." She frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Kyou I need you to keep this a secret."

As crazy as it seemed,

I knew that the only way I can obtain her love was too-

"I'll keep it a secret...Miss Kain."

"Good boy, un." Deidara smirked.

"I'm older then you." He released his grip from my shirt.

________

HE KNOWS :)

Thanks for reading.

Smooches~