26

"Where off to, now?"

"Well, this is as they say, your party, where do you think we could go?"

"That depends on what you want"

"I want to get so fcked I'll forget my own name... Wine maybe?"

"Losing sense with elegance, are we?"

"You know what they say"

"What's that?"

"If you're going to be bad, you might as well make it good"

He led her to a small bar just a few feet away from the main building, it was almost full, but they still managed to get a small table. Vaughn got her chair and asked her to wait as he went to order their drinks.

She felt tense, and anxious, he had held her hand all night and now if only for a moment he had left, her hand was empty and she could feel the broken pieces of her heart collapsing. She allowed herself to take a deep breath as she recalled his perfect face, the blue of his eyes, he hadn't been a ninja tonight either, hair down, no Akatsuki cloak, no eye-device, no mesh shirt. She smiled sadly at this, why did it hurt so much? Why had he lied? And then she realized he hadn't lied, she never asked whether or not he had a girlfriend, she just assumed he hadn't, she also didn't ask if he had broken up with her, it was only too clear now he hadn't. How stupid could she be to believe he had left her, and why would he leave such an exquisite creature? One who seemed to worship the ground he walked on...

Vaughn came back wearing a pleased smile and sat across from the small table.

A waiter followed him short after, a bottle of wine and one of sparkling water on his tray and glasses for the drinks, he left everything on the table and smiled, leaving as soon as he uncorked the bottle.

"I thought this is something you'd like, rich and fuity" he motioned to the bottle and poured a little on her glass to sample. She took a zip.

"You have a good taste" she approved.

He poured in some more and then poured himself just a little bit.

"You're not drinking?"

"I don't drink..."

"I see... so you're expecting me to finish it then?" she smiled sexily without that being the intention.

He raised his glass solemnly, but otherwise ignored her question.

"Here's to you"

She raised her own glass and touched it to his, a soft sound of expensive glass crashing.

Deidara left short after, walking outside the building just in time to see where Aline and Vaughn were heading to, he leaped gracefully over the shop across the street of the bar and to the roof. He could see her sitting on a small table next to the glass window, her eyes looked weary, her face no longer composed, he fought the urge of running over and holding her, and he would've had it not been for the man that returned to sit on the other end of the small table.

What would he say to her, how could he make it right? He had broken up with Otamu, but the forever blurring lines they had made it a whole harder, she was his fellow artist, her Danna, not in the sense of belonging, he didn't belong to anyone, but his heart did.

His heart was on the hands of the kuinochi sitting just a few feet away from him.

He would no longer hurt her like this, he didn't want to be the reason why her eyes reflected a broken soul.

It was just a little after midnight when they left. Vaughn held the door open for her and he could see she wasn't completely sober, the slight blush on her cheeks and her mildly unfocused gaze gave her away. He held her hand again as they walked, he could see where he was taking her now. They reached Otamu's inn, stopping at the entrance. Deidara jumped off the roof gracefully, making sure Aline wouldn't be able to see him.

"So…"

He pulled her gently so he could reach her lips. It was a short kiss, gentle and sweet, she looked slightly confused and alarmed somehow, but Vaughn didn't notice. He then pulled her hand to his lips and leaned to kiss it.

"I take it you don't want to be alone tonight"

She didn't respond immediately, feeling strangely anxious, as if someone was watching. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She didn't know what to say so she said nothing. Instead she smiled and reached for the door.

"No, but I'm in love with someone else and it wouldn't be fair to you"

He smiled at her honesty and shrugged.

"I can't say that I'm surprised" he said as he held her closed and kissed her forehead gently.

He walked away looking over his shoulder once as she pretended to enter the inn, but as soon as she was sure to be out of his sight she broke into a frenzy run. There was no way she could spend the night here, in this town of all places. The alcohol's effect could only last for so long and she refused to break down in front of Otamu. She needed to be home, comforted and safe, even if for a few hours.

It was half past two when she reached Akatsuki's headquarters. It didn't make much sense for her to want to be here, knowing that Deidara lived here as well, and she was bound to run into him eventually.

The village was a strange place, she was just a woman there, nothing more. No one expected anything from her, but at the same time she didn't know how to be just a woman anymore. She couldn't remember the last time she had just been a woman, and she wondered if she ever had been. Back in her room she let her guard shatter. She wasn't one to cry in front of people, she never had been. Being vulnerable was something she only very rarely allowed herself to be, and she'd always preferred doing it alone. She didn't want anyone to know just how much it hurt, specially not him, she didn't want him to know just how much power he had over her, the power to break her, the waves of pain swallowed her eagerly and she did not resurface until she was sure the pain had made her numb. Numb enough to keep the charade up, time was the answer to everything and it could only hurt for so long, she'd get over it, just as she had got over everything else...

A soft knock on her door made her heartbeat rise, and her senses became more alert, she cleared her throat once, but her throat felt slightly soar.

"Yes?"

A million thoughts raced through her mind, was Deidara home? Could he dare show his face here, right now? A pitch of black and red caught her eyes, it wasn't Deidara of course, how could she even think that?

Itachi came inside and closed the door behind him.

He stepped inside and took the room in before focusing on the girl on the floor, the tears on her cheeks were not completely dry yet, and he couldn't help the urge to kneel beside her.

He held her tightly, something neither of them expected.

It was exactly what she needed right now, being held. She smiled into his arms and fought the tears that threaten to betray her by escaping her eyes, but she couldn't resist them, she couldn't fight anything else for the night.

He waited for her to regain composure before he loosened his grip. He held her at arms lengths and looked into her eyes, it never seemed to stop amazing him how her eyes always were so clear, he had learnt a lot about her in the past months, things he was sure not even she was aware of, like the way she squinted her eyes when confused, or weary. Or how she pretended to be tougher than she really was...

He didn't ask if she was fine, it was more obvious she wasn't, he also didn't ask what had happened, he was well aware of the former relationship of Deidara and Otamu, and he knew about the festival. He had come to his own conclusions and apparently it had all gone the way he had thought it would.

He helped her up and ignored her questioning eyes.

Just because he was a cold blooded murderer did not mean he was a heartless bastard, and whether he liked it or not, he had grown fond on the girl in his arms. She had earned his respect and though he wouldn't admit it, his utter admiration.

Itachi carried her onto the bed and placed her carefully on it, her guard was down completely now and only now was he aware of how fragile she looked, no matter how strong. And once again he succumbed into the urge of holding her. He pulled the sheets up and covered her cold body. Her red kimono was not long enough to keep her warm, or maybe it was just the way her body reacted to emotion, had her skin always been this cold? He couldn't remember.

Her questioning eyes never left his face, wondering without a doubt what had brought this on, but he couldn't answer that, because he didn't know the answer himself. Instead he laid down next to her and covered himself placing an arm under her head and pulling her closer to him. He only hesitated briefly before placing his left arm over her waist and holding her in place, close, intimately. Having her so vulnerable, made him loosen his own restraints. She closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest. His right arm holding her effortlessly so he could lock his fingers on her now loose hair. And he gave into it, closing his eyes only when he was sure she was asleep.