"Hidan,"

Deidara swiveled the chair around to face the Jashinist, who was sharpening some of his weapons. There was a whole tray of gleaming blades and sharp things next to Hidan's feet.

"Yeah? Got something to say, blondie?"

Deidara gnawed on his lower lip. Now that he had officially cut Sasori off—he could really focus on helping Hidan out with the Itachi thing. Not that he was even that interested, but it would really cover up his footsteps. The footsteps that lead him to Sasori.

"I forgot to ask you," Deidara said. "Do you have any new leads on Itachi?"

"Ah," Hidan replied almost instantly. Deidara wondered if he had been waiting for him to ask this question. Hidan held the oversized scalpel to his eyes. "I have something for you to lose sleep over," he said mysteriously, grinning widely at Deidara.

Deidara looked at him. "Yeah. Of course. Now shoot before I fall asleep and you'll have to carry me back to my room, hmmm?"

"First, I won't carry you back to your room," Hidan put the scalpel down on the other side of his leg into another tray of what seemed to be filled with antiseptic. Then he picked up a razorblade. "I'd stab you until you wake up...or until you die,"

"Haha," Deidara said sarcastically.

"Second…when Kakuzu and I went to go cut of some guy's head again, we bumped into this kid,"

"K…kid?"

Hidan laughed and rolled his eyes. "I don't mean it literally. Dude, Itachi may have a lover but I don't think he's a pedophile,"

"Oh," Deidara wrinkled his nose.

"He was just standing in the middle of the road, and then all of a sudden Itachi comes out of the bushes. Says he's been following this blue-haired nut. Would you believe it? And it totally looked like they had something going on,"

"Oh, Hidan," Deidara spread his fingers out in front of him and checked out his nails. "He could have been following him,"

"Nuh-uh," Hidan wagged the razorblade at Deidara. "I could feel it. That guy was definitely Itachi's—,"

"Hidan,"

Deidara looked up. Sasori was standing there, and it seemed like he was trying to ignore Deidara's presence. He was pulling it off very gracefully.

"Yeah?" Hidan got up and walked over to the redhead.

"Your…,"

Sasori placed the blade carefully in Hidan's palm. It was very sharp, and Sasori had asked for it because he needed something to help him cut open a particularly stubborn seal.

Sasori knew he had been right from the beginning. Deidara did have something with Hidan. Not that he'd heard anything remotely suggestive come from either of their mouths, but their being together, especially after Deidara's, well, dumping of Sasori meant something right? Deidara didn't usually make trips over to someone else's room and talk to them.

Sasori felt his heart thud loudly against his ribcage in protest, wanting to deny it vehemently. They could be discussing something else. Could be. But Sasori didn't think that way. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Deidara when he left.

"Man," Hidan said, tossing the blade onto his desk. "That Sasori is a weird guy,"

"He's just a man of few words," Deidara mumbled, picking at a loose thread. "Unless he's talking about art,"

"Art splart," Hidan teased. "I don't care. I just care about his secrets,"

"He doesn't have many to keep,"

"And you would know?" Hidan fired back.

Deidara hesitated. "I don't know, un,"

"So anyway, I think Itachi and Kisame have fucked of on some mission. So it's not like I can confirm anything anytime soon, unless we find that kid again…but I doubt it. Guy like him, he probably needs to lie low, especially when his boyfriend is gone,"

Deidara sighed. "This is going nowhere,"

"No! Don't say that," Hidan got up out of his stool for a moment and stretched. "All will be revealed on Valentine's Day. You'll see,"

"Neji?"

Sasuke opened the door. It was completely silent, and the shower didn't seem to be running. He walked cautiously across the room, just in case Suigetsu had silenced Neji or something and was waiting to pounce out at Sasuke.

Sasuke pushed open the bathroom door slowly. No one. His heart pumping was loud in his own ears. He walked over to the sink and saw a note, all folded up, with its sides exactly lined up. He opened it with shaking fingers.

Sasuke,

I can't stay with you. I had to think about this a lot, but…this is what I have come to.

No, Sasuke thought. He continued reading.

I thought maybe this could have been a new beginning for us, and I appreciate all the explaining you have done to me in an effort to win me back…and you have, emotionally, but as you may well know there are certain barriers that prevent us from truly enjoying ourselves. You're a missing nin, and you're not on good terms with Konoha. At least officially; you have many friends here, still, thinking about you. But if anyone sees you—you're arrested, and I will probably be stripped of any title I may have by being with you.

You can't care about that, Sasuke said, as if Neji could hear him. You can't take reputation over me...can you?

I'm heading back to Konoha. I've already been gone too long. Everyone will be suspicious.

I hope that our paths will cross again. But if not, good bye, and take care.

Neji.

What? No 'I love you'? Sasuke read the letter again and flipped it over, but it was blank on the other side. He looked around the bathroom: there were no signs that showed Neji had even taken a shower.

Wait! Sasuke thought in his head. He folded the letter up quickly and tucked in in his pocket. He went outside and opened the drawer under his bed, taking everything out. He sheathed his katana and put on his black jacket. If he started now, maybe he could catch up to Neji. He flew downstairs, his coat whipping around his heels. He tossed the keys onto the reception counter. There was no one there, but they would figure it out.

Sasuke made one more stop before he left the town.

The shopkeeper looked up, surprised at how Sasuke looked. Like a man on a mission.

"Would it be a problem if I have the orchids now?"

The guy looked at Sasuke in bewilderment, but nodded slowly, as if he understood. He probably did.

"Just a moment,"
He swiveled around on his chair and entered a back room. Sasuke's heart was racing way ahead of him.

"Here,"

The shopkeeper handed Sasuke a large thing wrapped in delicate paper inside a bag. Sasuke knew the bag hadn't been part of it, but that the shopkeeper had put in there for him. There was a drawstring around the sides of the pot to secure it. Sasuke held it carefully. He exchanged a look with the shopkeeper that said everything.

"Thanks," he said. He fished around in his pocket for some money and put a sizeable amount in the tips box. "Thanks for helping me,"

The shopkeeper smiled gently. "I'll help anyone whose lover is on the run," he said. Sasuke nodded. "Bye,"

And with both his arms around the orchid lily pot, he ducked back out again.

"Sasuke," the shopkeeper said to himself. "What a guy,"

"Sasori no Danna,"

Sasori looked up. Deidara again.

"I don't want to see you right now, brat,"

Deidara watched as Sasori clamped a lid over the pot full of reddish, earthy powder.

"But I have something to expl—,"

Sasori looked up at him. What was he going to explain? That he was now fucking around with Hidan and not him? Well, he wasn't gonna hear it.

"Whatever,"

Deidara paused for several moments.

"You're not allergic to Paralyzing Dust," he declared suddenly. Sasori froze in his movement.

"I saw it. That was Paralyzing Dust, and you aren't allergic to it,"

Sasori looked up slowly. "So what?" he asked, even though he knew full well what Deidara was hinting at.

"So…you were crying," Deidara pulled on that loose thread again. "Why?"

Sasori sat back on his butt, not saying anything, his hand resting on the lid he'd just put on the pot.

"Sasori?"

Deidara took a step forward.

"Can you just go away?"

"Not until you tell me what's up,"

Sasori frowned some more.

"Isn't it obvious…what's up?" he said slowly, his voice dotted with hurt and nerves.

Deidara had a hunch, but he—

"I like you Deidara," Sasori said.