Silver Lining

Happy New Year everyone!

I know I said I wasn’t going to do any more illustrations for this fic, but I guess I fibbed because there are still moments that I love and think should be captured. So there are 2 more pics on my Deviant Art page, one from last chapter and one from this one, and I will probably do at least one more before the end. XD

Now that the holidays are over I will update on schedule until this story is finished, which (so far) looks to be another 3 chapters.

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Chapter Eleven: Advice from a Shark
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The fisherman emerged from his modest house and stood on his porch with a faint smile. The sun had just begun to set on the horizon, and the cooler air of evening was slowly replacing the heavy heat of afternoon. A peaceful, hazy lull was settling over the area, and he could already hear the crickets beginning their evening song in the thick grove of trees not far from the house. The fireflies would probably make an appearance tonight as well. Nights like these were perfect for napping on the front porch.

But first things first. The tide would be coming in soon, and it was the perfect time to cast a net off the dock in hopes of a good catch in the morning. He could also smell the rain. It was still a ways off, but his keen nose told him it would be here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. He chuckled to himself; summer storms always brought in the best hauls. That thought in mind, he made his way toward the shed on the side of the house. He grabbed the net hung on the outside wall and hefted it over his brawny shoulder, and then turned to make his way down to the nearby shore.

However he hadn’t even gone ten feet when he heard a strange flapping sound some distance away, and quickly drawing closer. It rang familiar, but it took him a second to identify the noise before a wide grin spread across his sharply angular features, and a moment later he felt the tingle of familiar chakra.

He made his way back around the house to the spacious open area he considered his ‘front yard’, and just before he rounded the corner he heard that familiar airy pop indicating his unexpected guest had landed. He approached the blond man standing with his arms crossed and a cocky smirk on his pretty-boy features.

“Yo,” Deidara greeted with a laid-back tilt of his chin.

“Well, well…I wondered when you might be showing up again,” Kisame replied with a toothy grin. “What’s it been…a year? Year and a half?”

“Something like that, yeah. Don’t tell me you missed me, old man.”

The shark nin gave a sharp laugh. “Only when I’m drunk, kid. So what brings you out here? Just in the neighborhood?” he asked as he lifted the net from his shoulder, intending to toss it onto the porch as the idea of fishing fell to the back of his mind.

Deidara shrugged. “If you consider a couple hundred miles to be in the neighborhood, yeah.” His smirk widened to a sly grin. “Actually…a few days ago I found myself a stray hellcat, and I thought you might want to say hello.”

Kisame’s brow rose in surprise as he recognized the term, and his silver eyes widened a moment later and the net dropped forgotten from his hand when the ‘hellcat’ herself emerged from around the far side of the house where she’d been waiting with her chakra masked.

“Well I’ll be damned…” he muttered in amazement, grinning ear to ear at the pink haired kunoichi walking toward him.

Sakura quickened her pace and a wide smile spread across her features at the site of the huge shark. Giddy and impulsive, she jumped on the giant man and squeezed her arms around his broad shoulders in a bear hug, her feet dangling nearly a foot off the ground. “It’s good to see you again, Kisame!” she said with a laugh.

Her strength elicited a grunt from the shark but he laughed heartily at the petite woman hanging off of him. He gave her back a few friendly pats. “Likewise, princess.”

Deidara laughed quietly at the amusing scene, and a moment later Sakura dropped back to her feet, her smiling at the use of the old misplaced nickname she only tolerated from the shark. She took in his appearance, noting the changes the last eight years had put on him. For the most part he looked exactly the same, only his hair was a lighter shade of blue from sun exposure and a few emerging strands of gray. There were a few more wrinkles around his strange silvery eyes, but it was to be expected for if she remembered correctly, the shark nin was well past forty.

Her expression sobered somewhat and she gave Kisame a light shove to the chest, and because he wasn’t expecting it he actually took a couple steps backward at the impact. “I thought you were dead, you know…” she said in mock-anger, but her eyes glinted playfully and a small smile was on her lips. “I’m glad you’re not.”

“Still feisty as ever, eh?” he said, looking over her shoulder at his partner.

“Feistier,” Deidara replied with a grin. He walked over and stood next to Sakura, who met his gaze with a soft smile.

Kisame had bent to pick up the dropped net, and when he straightened and saw the two shinobi standing close, a sly knowing grin spread across his features.

“You gonna invite us in or what?” Deidara asked.

He tossed the net onto the porch and appraised them a bit more before answering. “I suppose, since you came all this way,” he teased. He moved toward the door and opened the screen, holding it open and nodding at them to follow. “You two hungry? I make great sushi.”

Sakura glanced at Deidara, who smiled at her and gave a nod in testimony to the shark’s statement. “Sounds great,” she said, grinning as they crossed the threshold into the house.

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Kisame’s boast was well merited. Dinner was surprisingly excellent, especially since Sakura remembered him being terrible in the kitchen. But apparently he was quite good when the food didn’t actually have to be cooked. Or maybe he was only good with fish. Whatever the case, the meal was delicious, and afterward the three of them went outside with a bottle of sake and sat in chairs on the porch to enjoy the beautiful summer evening.

“So, now this Yotsuba guy wants you both dead,” Kisame reaffirmed his understanding of the story the two had relayed to him, “even though you told him you didn’t care about the sword or what he wants to do with the scroll?”

Deidara and Sakura both nodded somberly. “My thought was that he’s trying to prevent us from going to Shingo and selling him the name of the person who hired us to steal his sword. It’s a good assumption on his part, actually, because after the way he deceived us I was seriously thinking about doing it,” Sakura said sourly.

“That or he’s trying to erase all evidence of his theft, and any outside knowledge of the scroll’s existence, and intended to kill us from the start, yeah,” Deidara added with a frown.

“It’s probably all of those reasons,” Kisame said. “What did the scroll say?”

“We don’t know. Neither of us can read Mist’s encryption. But from the look of it, it’s almost definitely a forbidden suiton jutsu,” Sakura answered.

Kisame nodded thoughtfully, as the scroll was of obvious interest to him.

“Tell you what; after I kill that motherfucker I’ll bring you the scroll, and you can tell us what it says, yeah?” Deidara said darkly.

Kisame snorted indignantly. “Bring it to me? Oh hell no, kid, don’t think I’m not in on this one,” he said with a sinister, razor sharp grin.

“I thought you were retired, old man,” Deidara said, his smirk turning just as wicked as the shark’s.

“I am. But even a man of leisure such as myself needs a little excitement. Samehada too; it gets cranky if it doesn’t get a little exercise now and then.”

“You may be disappointed. Yotsuba’s status as a former shinobi is barely worth mentioning, and his men are only hired thugs. I doubt it’s going to be much of a fight,” Deidara said.

Kisame merely shrugged. “Don’t matter to me. And you never know; obviously the guy has a few decently skilled men on his payroll if he sent those assassins after you, and once he finds out you two didn’t die in that explosion he’ll up his security. Things may get interesting after all. Besides…we’re partners,” he finished simply.

Deidara nodded in acknowledgement and his lips curled in another smirk. Sakura smiled thoughtfully as she read the underlying tone in the shark’s words that spoke of the friendship the two former Akatsuki shared.

She was glad Kisame wanted to help them. Taking out Yotsuba would be as easy as sneaking into his office or home and killing him quickly, but she knew without asking that Deidara had no intention of making it that simple. Or that painless, at least not for their double-crossing contractor.

After the attack they had slept the day away – or at least she had – in that cave and then headed to a small village for the night to clean up and refresh their supplies before travelling to Kisame’s the next day. But before they left the forest, he had blown apart several dozen trees and boulders to release some tension and anger, not to mention make up for all the restrictions he’d had to deal with on their mission. He had already been angry at their deception and slightly resentful about leaving Yotsuba alive, and the attempt on their lives had pushed him over the edge. That was a very dangerous thing to do, when it concerned a former Akatsuki.

“So what about this other guy…Shingo?” Kisame continued as he poured each of them another cup of sake.

Deidara shrugged indifferently and downed his cup in one gulp. “What about him?”

“He doesn’t know we were the ones who took his sword,” Sakura said.

“Yeah, but it’s probably likely that he will in a few days. This Yotsuba guy wants you dead. Shingo will too if he finds out it was you. So it’s probably safe to bet that Yotsuba will find a way to tip him off because if they are both after you, it majorly increases the odds that you’ll actually be killed next time. Also, if the blame is placed on you, then Yotsuba won’t have to worry about Shingo coming after him,” Kisame explained somberly.

Sakura chewed her lip anxiously. “Well…if we just don’t go back to southern Fire or the island nations…

“It ain’t a matter of disappearing, princess. You’re both well known and easily recognizable shinobi, and if anyone really wants to put the resources into finding you, they can. Unless you want to go live as hermits in the mountains or something.”

“Fuck that. I’m not gonna run or hide from some pathetic cut-rate crime lord, or anyone else for that matter, yeah,” Deidara countered irritably.

“Then the only option is to take them both out,” the shark said with a wicked smirk.

The room was quiet for a long moment, then Sakura sighed. “I don’t want to run or hide either. And I hate to say it, but I think you’re probably right. Shingo will know soon and once he does, this won’t end until they are both neutralized,” she said with quiet resignation.

Sakura wasn’t a fan of vengeful retribution, and she would prefer to take out their threats quickly and cleanly, but she knew in this case there was no talking Deidara down. He was furious, and he would be ruthless and cruel when it came to dealing with their attempted murderer. Now that Kisame was in on it, they would probably lay waste to the entire complex. She knew what they were in the past, what they still are beneath the surface. Wolves amongst sheep, content for the most part to be docile, but still dangerous, and not at all hesitant to bite back when pushed. In a way, Sakura was a milder version of the same. She too was a shinobi, born and raised in the dark underworld of society, and she knew how situations like this worked. She just sort of wished it didn’t have to be so brutal.

But that wasn’t the real reason she was worried. The real reason was the attention this was sure to bring down on them. Or more accurately, on him. When she talked to Temari, she had convinced the skeptical kunoichi that Deidara was finished with making large-scale trouble and it was okay to leave him in peace. Then that very night, the hotel they were staying in had blown up. Temari was still in that town on ambassador duties and would have heard of the explosion by now. Sakura hoped the investigation would show they had been attacked first, but she knew it still raised suspicion about the man she had vouched was no longer a threat to society. And now…Deidara was planning to go back there and kill Yotsuba and probably anyone who tried to stop him as well. Two violent incidents involving explosions within days of each other in a town Deidara was known to have been in…it wasn’t hard to figure out where the initial blame would fall. Guilty until proven innocent, due to his past and infamy. And the problem was he would only be innocent of half of it.

She pushed her worried thoughts aside for later and drank from her cup as the conversation continued.

“So when do we do this?” Deidara asked.

“There’s a storm coming in from the east, and it’s gonna hit sometime tomorrow,” Kisame said. They knew he had to be right because he could smell water from ten miles off and he was never wrong about changes in the weather. “Your birds can’t fly in the rain and there’s no big hurry at the moment, so once the storm passes we can gather information and make a battle plan.”

“So is it ok if we stay here until then?” Sakura asked the shark nin.

Kisame stared at her blankly for a second and then burst into loud barking laughter. “What the hell are you talkin’ about, girl? Of course you’re staying here! It’ll be just like old times, except without all the angst and impending doom.”

Sakura laughed softly and looked over at Deidara, who was also smiling.

“I want a rematch on our drinking contest, princess. And no burning it off with chakra this time,” he continued, a pointy-toothed grin still set on his features.

She laughed again. “Finally figured it out, huh?”

“It only took him two years, yeah,” Deidara said with a wry smirk.

Kisame simply chuckled in reply and downed another cup of sake. He fixed an appraising silver gaze on the two younger ninja. “You’re both welcome to stay as long as you want. It’ll be nice to have some company again. Although, I only have one extra room…but I’m guessing by the way you two make eyes at each other that won’t be a problem,” he said with a mischievous grin.

Sakura gave a small, almost shy smile, but Deidara fixed his partner with a blatantly shameless smirk. “Not at all,” was his smug reply.

“No surprise there,” the shark laughed.

They sat on the porch talking for some time, until the sake bottle was empty and it was well past midnight.

The sake had given Sakura a warm and pleasantly fuzzy feeling, and the crickets in the nearby thicket were soothing to hear, and she soon found herself growing sleepy. She also knew that the two partners would probably want to talk alone and catch up or guy-talk or something like that, so she stood with a yawn and stretched. “I’m getting pretty sleepy, I think I’m gonna go get ready for bed.”

“Down the hall, last door on the right, and the bathroom’s across the way,” Kisame informed her.

“Ok.” She let her hand run over Deidara’s shoulder as she passed him, but he caught her hand before she moved away and gently pulled her downward until she was bending eye level with him. His hand caressed up her arm and he tilted his face toward hers, holding no reservations about showing his affection for her in front of the shark or anyone else. Sakura was very pleased by that and smiled as she leaned in to softly kiss him goodnight.

“I won’t be long,” he murmured quietly when their lips parted. She gave him a small nod of acceptance, and he loosely held her arm as she moved away until her fingers slipped from his grasp and she disappeared into the house.

When he turned his attention back to Kisame, the shark was grinning from ear to ear.

“So, you and Sakura, huh.”

His lips curled in their usual smirk and he gave a faint nod. “Yep.”

“About time.”

Deidara merely made a small huff. It wasn’t like he’d had any opportunities with her in the last eight years. True, he could have gone looking for her, but he wasn’t going to interfere with her happiness, and once the war started it wasn’t safe for either of them and he wasn’t sure if she would even want to see him again.

Kisame noticed the younger man’s lack of usual smart comeback, and fixed him with a long appraising look. When he spoke his tone was quiet and absent of the usual teasing lilt. “You know…I have a bit of a soft spot for that girl, so this would usually be the part where I would say I hope you’re serious about this …” Deidara’s pale eyes sharpened intently, but the shark ignored his partner’s warning glare and continued, “but I think it’s pretty safe to assume even you were surprised by just how serious you are about her,” he finished with a knowing smirk.

The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Deidara finally answered.

“It’s Sakura,” he said simply.

Kisame gave a small nod. Those two words explained it all. “I know. Your feelings for her were pretty obvious from day one. Honestly back then, I was sure you would be the one to make a move on her, not Itachi.”

“Maybe it would have been better if I had,” the blond mused quietly.

“No. The thing with her and Itachi…they both knew it wasn’t gonna last. She knew it would be over when the fight came so she was emotionally prepared for it, and Itachi, well…he knew he was gonna die. But if it had been you…the tie wouldn’t have severed so clean. The tie didn’t sever at all in fact because look at the two of you now. Her feelings for you would have interfered with her loyalty to her village and her friends and being involved with you back then would have put your lives in danger from both sides. It happened the way it was meant to.”

Deidara stared at him for a moment and then huffed a small exasperated laugh. “How are you so goddamned wise all the time, hmm? You’re not even all that smart.”

The shark simply chuckled. “I may not be a genius, but I am very observant and I’ve been around a long time. I could always tell when you were thinking about her, you know. Even after years passed, you still got that same look on your face,” he teased.

The blond snorted indignantly. He did not get a ‘look’ when he thought about her.

The shark expected that exact reaction from his partner, and he laughed quietly. “Well I think it’s good you two finally got together. So what are you gonna do now that you finally got your hellcat?”

His brow furrowed slightly. “Am I supposed to do something specific? I’m not planning on the white picket fence and a bunch of kids if that’s what you’re talking about,” he said flatly.

“It wasn’t what I meant, and somehow I don’t think Sakura is the kind of woman who wants that either. But you gotta have something in mind…I mean what are you gonna do, be a shinobi until you’re old and grey or die? Drag her around with you and live the same screwed up lifestyle you’ve always known?”

“Maybe we’ll just live here and mooch off of you forever, yeah,” Deidara replied sarcastically.

Kisame chuckled and shrugged. “I wouldn’t care. It’d be nice to have the princess around again, and after all these years I’ve learned to tolerate your ass,” he jibed, evoking a smirk from the younger man. “But I’ve said it before; people like you and me …we don’t really expect to have the option of retiring or settling down or even living to a decent old age. But we got our second chance six years ago and you convinced me to take it, and every day I’m glad I did because if I hadn’t I would certainly be dead and I gotta admit I like the simple kind of life I’ve got going now. But for some reason I can’t figure out, you went right back into it again. You’re lucky you’re not dead yet, and I know you know it. And somehow, now you have a third chance, man. That’s unheard of for people like us. You ain’t getting any younger, kid. You’ve got a great girl at your side now, and maybe you should take advantage of this one.”

Deidara didn’t respond right away, his gaze turned inward, and a long moment passed before he spoke. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, old man,” he said quietly.

“Well, maybe you’ll actually listen this time, eh?”

He looked up at him and now a smirk formed on his features. “Maybe I will. Are you finished with the life lesson now, dad?”

The shark laughed, flashing his pointed teeth. “For now. But call me that again and you’re dead, pretty-boy.”

Deidara’s smirk widened to a lopsided grin. “My girl might have a problem with that. It’s not really a good idea to piss her off too much, yeah.”

Kisame chuckled again and leaned back further in his chair. “Speaking of her…I’m wondering how you two managed to meet up like you did. How did she react to seeing you again?”

“Well she obviously thought I was dead, so she was really surprised, and even though we were glad to see each other again it was a little awkward at first, considering everything.”

“Makes sense. But why would she take up a freelance contract? Isn’t she still a Leaf nin?”

“Technically, yes. I’m pretty sure she had permission because she wouldn’t just abandon her village, but she left Konoha after the war and I guess she’s been doing available work to get by for the past couple years, yeah.”

Kisame nodded thoughtfully. “Probably needed to get away. From what I heard over the years through the shinobi circles, the war must have been pretty rough on her …how was she when you found her?”

Deidara’s brow furrowed as he thought about how she had been only a little over a week ago. “She was a mess. Like a shell, like she was just existing and not really living, yeah. She thought she had nothing to live for. Her village was nearly destroyed and she lost all her friends…and she doesn’t know I know this but she was also involved with one of her teammates…”

Kisame’s eyes widened. “Which one? Not the runt Uchiha…”

He shook his head. “No…with Hatake Kakashi.”

The shark’s eyes got even bigger. “The Copy Ninja? Really…well, I guess that makes more sense than little Sasuke-kun…but damn…knowing how emotional she is, she must have been torn apart by all that happening in just a few years.”

He nodded, and his frown deepened. “Exactly. I knew why…but I couldn’t fucking stand to see how self-destructive she’d become. That thing that makes her special, that fire, it was just…gone, suffocated under all that pain and grief. It was so wrong for someone like her to be that way, yeah.”

“Well she seems pretty happy now. So what changed her back again…you?” he said with a sly grin.

Deidara’s smile was surprisingly absent of its usual smugness. “I guess so, yeah.”

Kisame nodded sagely. “Good. I guess she needed you. And I think you probably needed her too, kid.”

Deidara didn’t reply, but his silence and the expression in his unfocussed eyes were answer enough for the older nin who knew him well.

It wasn’t difficult for Kisame to notice his partner’s unusually somber, almost brooding demeanor since he and the pink haired kunoichi had arrived that evening, nor was it hard to see how strained and tense he looked. Something was weighing heavily on the normally easygoing blond. “You know…Sakura is cuter than ever, but you kinda look like shit for a man on cloud nine,” he remarked pointedly.

Deidara looked at him sharply, but then he exhaled slowly in a tired sigh. “I haven’t really slept much the past few days, yeah,” he murmured irritably.

“I know it’s probably been a while since anyone was hunting you, but it’s not like you to get so stressed about something like this.” Kisame gave him a long, appraising look before continuing, “So I’m guessing this is less about you…and more about her.”

Deidara stared at the shark for a long, quiet moment, debating whether or not he wanted to talk about it. But they had been partners for a long time, and the shark nin was the only one besides Sakura he actually trusted, so with a heavy sigh and a troubled frown, he related the details of that night.

“The night we were attacked…we took out those assassins no problem; they were nothing for two shinobi like us, yeah. But one of them didn’t die right away, and he used the last of his strength to detonate an entire stack of exploding tags.”

Kisame’s eyes widened. He knew that no matter how elite and powerful a person was, no one could withstand something like that happening.

“Sakura couldn’t see him from where she was. She was coming toward me and she walked right past him as he set them off…I tried to get her out of the way, but…” he shook his head and his brow creased as the moment replayed itself again in his head, “we got blown completely into the next room. We both could have died, and Sakura…she came really close, yeah,” he said quietly.

The shark nin understood perfectly now, but remained silent as his partner continued.

“Afterward when I came to, I searched for her through all the debris. I kept calling for her but she didn’t answer…I eventually found her buried under half the wall. She was unconscious and bleeding badly from a nasty head injury, and when I saw her like that…I thought she was dead. I pulled her out of there, and then I could tell she was alive but she still didn’t respond and for a moment…I thought I was going to lose her. I was…” he took a deep breath, “it really scared the hell out of me.”

Kisame gave a small, somber nod as the younger man finished. He knew from years of experience with the reckless blond that Deidara was a stranger to fear. He was never concerned about his own safety, so to hear him say he was afraid for Sakura, that the thought of losing her scared him…it spoke volumes. A knowing smirk formed on his angular features at the subtle changes in his partner. “Yeah…I hear love will do that to ya,” he said slyly.

Deidara looked up and met the shark’s silver gaze, but he didn’t deny it or otherwise make a reply, and after a moment he looked off into the trees.

Kisame’s smirk only widened and turned slightly sadistic. “That explains why you’re so wound up about this whole thing. No doubt, that Yotsuba guy’s death won’t be pretty, eh?”

His expression darkened into a sinister scowl. “Slow and painful, yeah.”

The shark replied with a dark chuckle. A few more minutes passed as they sat quietly, but Deidara’s somber mood had become even more pensive after that conversation, and eventually he stood up with a small stretch.

“I’m going to bed,” he said gruffly, and turned for the door.

“Hey.”

He paused and turned to look at the shark again.

“Relax, man. She’s safe here, you know that. We’ll take care of this, and then you two can live happily ever after,” he said quietly, pointy-toothed grin present as usual.

Deidara stared at him for a long moment, then gave a small accepting nod and went inside.

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When he entered the dark bedroom at the back of the house, he removed his boots quietly so as not to wake the kunoichi. He pulled the tie free from his hair, then removed his shirt and hung it over the back of a chair before moving toward the bed.

Moonlight filtered through the small gap in the curtains on the window. Unhindered by other light sources like in a city, here it was unusually bright and cast pale blue shadows across the room. He had always liked the light in here, especially at night. This was technically his room, it was his when he lived here and Kisame hadn’t changed a thing over the years. The shark probably always knew he would come back someday.

He sat on the edge of the bed and angled himself to look at the sleeping woman. While living here before, he never would have thought he would be sharing this bed with her. Had a nice dream or two about it, maybe, but never thought it would actually happen. But here she was. She was sleeping on her stomach, her face turned away from him. The moonlight cast a lavender hue to her coral tresses and illuminated her smooth pale skin, and he reached out to twirl a silky lock between his fingers before trailing them lightly down between her shoulder blades. She didn’t stir even a little, and a soft smirk curled his lips as he continued to watch the gentle rise and fall of her quiet breathing. She was comfortable with his presence, she felt safe and secure in this place, and so she slept deeply and unguarded.

It was exactly why he brought her here. This was the one place where he knew for certain they would be safe, where they could figure out a real plan and not have to worry about being attacked in their sleep again. He had been on edge the last two days, unable to sleep fully and always on the lookout for more assassins. It was like being in Akatsuki again, only more stressful because this time he was concerned for someone besides himself. Nearly losing her like that had awoken an instinctive need to protect her, to make sure she was safe. He knew he didn’t need to; she was one of the most powerful ninja in the world, and she would undoubtedly kick his ass if he tried to shelter her, not that he would anyway. But he didn’t want to lose her, and he couldn’t help feeling overprotective. So he had brought her here, knowing his partner would help them. He hadn’t expected Kisame to want to participate in the actual battle, but he was glad he did.

His thumb stroked lightly across her skin as he thought about the conversation a short while ago. Kisame really hadn’t told him anything he didn’t already know, and hadn’t already thought about a dozen times or more.

He knew how he felt about her. He had been thinking about it over the last several days, about just exactly how much she meant to him, and exactly what he wanted with her. He had first started to realize the truth behind his feelings on that last day in their room at the resort, in that quiet interlude, that transcendent experience that surpassed every work of art he’d ever made. But nearly losing her in the attempt on their lives had brought everything into sharp focus, and now it was clear as crystal in his mind.

He loved her.

He did, and had maybe for a long time now. He didn’t know when it started, but the more he thought about it the more he realized he had probably loved her since that time eight years ago when she had been their captive. It would explain a lot about the way he had always been with her, including why walking away from her had been so hard. Of course he wouldn’t have realized he was in love with her because he hadn’t known how to identify that emotion, having never felt it before. Even though he now recognized it and accepted it, it was still a bit overwhelming to him that yes, he actually was capable of loving someone besides himself, and yes, what he felt for Sakura was indeed real love.

He had pondered the possibility that he was simply obsessed with her in an artistic sense, because he loved all those little things about her that were, to his mind, art: her laugh and the light in her eyes, her fiery temper and spirit and the amazing art they created together. But he also loved her warmth, her big heart and her generosity, her intelligence and courage and her willingness to look beyond labels and appearances. And most of all, even though it scared him at times, he loved the way she made him feel when he was with her.

She made him feel calm, at ease, trusting in a way he could never be with anyone else. She made him happy, not because she made him laugh or did things to please him, but in the true, heartfelt sense of the word where he just felt better when she was around. She accepted him, exactly the way he was. For all his arrogance, deep down inside he knew there were things about himself that were not worth bragging about and that he should not be proud of. He was morally ambiguous, overly volatile and obviously insane. He had no idea what she saw in him, from day one, to make her care for him like she did. But she did see something, and he was profoundly grateful to her for looking past his darkness to the man he was underneath, and he would make sure she never regretted it.

His fingers ghosted over the smooth skin of her back once more. He wasn’t ready to tell her yet. But he would, soon. Because she deserved to know, and because he didn’t want her to question where she stood with him ever again.

The exhaustion of the past two days was creeping up on him again, and he emitted a quiet sigh. Careful not to disturb her, he removed his pants and slipped beneath the covers. His hand caressed up her bare arm as he fitted himself against her smaller form, and Sakura stirred and made a small pleased sigh.

She whispered his name softly in her sleep, her subconscious reacting to his presence, and she shifted slightly to nestle back into his chest.

Deidara smiled and pressed his lips to the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. Finally able to relax, his thoughts drifted away as he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, the woman he loved wrapped securely in his arms.

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A/N: Awwwww! You all knew he loved her already, but it’s nice to see him actually admit it, right? Also, everyone’s favorite shark-man is back! XD

I’d love to hear what you all think! Don’t forget to check out the art the last 2 chapters, see you next week!