Silver Lining

Chapter Three: Partners in Crime
-


Sakura was awoken by a low distant rumbling sound and a small vibration. She lay there for several minutes feeling for disturbances or anything that would give her cause for alarm, but there was nothing, so she figured it must have been a small earthquake. Nothing to get excited about; she’d heard they were not uncommon in this part of the world.

She also realized that Deidara wasn’t in the room. He must have gone out for some morning errands, and she selfishly hoped he would bring food back with him because she didn’t feel like going out to eat. She lay in the bed lazily, feeling no inclination to get up or be productive in general. She had never been a morning person, and after being chief medic to a village engaged in a violent and bloody war for the better part of five years she had learned to thoroughly enjoy a little downtime. Looking over at the empty space where Deidara had slept she couldn’t help but feel a little silly at her earlier thoughts. It really was no big deal after all and she didn’t know why she had worried over it even briefly.

Some kids were shouting down in the alley below the window. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she did notice the street outside was a bit noisy for morning. Then she looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and gave a small start. It was after two pm. She had slept all night and most of the day away. That knowledge still didn’t make her want to get out of bed, and with a yawn she stretched out and continued to lay there. She wasn’t lying when she said she was exhausted the night before, and the after-effects from being heavily drugged probably played a part in that.

Deidara returned a while later, carrying a paper bag under one arm and several folded parcels in plastic under the other. He chuckled at seeing her still in bed and she gave him a sheepish smirk and sat up as he kicked the door closed behind him and moved to drop the parcels on a chair.

“How long have you been gone?” she asked.

“Couple hours. Why?”

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? I could have gone with you.”

He shrugged casually. “You were pretty tired, so I let you sleep. I didn’t do anything major, yeah.”

“What are those?” she indicated the square objects he’d just dropped.

“Luggage. We can’t check in for a week-long vacation at a resort with just our backpacks,” he said simply.

Smart thinking. “But they’re going to be empty…”

He shrugged again. “Doesn’t matter; no one’s going to handle them but us. They’re just for show, yeah.”

She nodded, but then tilted her head in thought. “But we’ll probably need to get a few things to put in them eventually, like clothes to wear around the resort and town. We don’t exactly dress like civilians,” she pointed out.

He nodded. “We can deal with that when we get there, yeah. What we’ve got now will be fine for tonight with a couple adjustments.”

Then she noticed he’d already made his; his clay pouches were gone as were his weapon holsters, and he’d removed the leg guards so that his dark pants fell un-tucked over his boots. He really did look normal. Almost. And she knew for a fact he only appeared to be unarmed. No ninja was ever willingly weaponless.

“Hey, did you feel an earthquake a few minutes ago?

He looked at her blankly for a moment. “Nope,” he said, and turned to rummage in the smaller paper bag he’d brought.

She frowned a little. “Hmm, I thought I did…what’s that?”

“Breakfast, yeah. Or lunch I suppose,” he said, taking two sealed cups of coffee and a small box of pastries out of the bag. He handed a cup and then the box to Sakura and sat down on the bed next to where she sat still under the covers.

“Thanks,” she said with a small smile.

He watched her as she took a sip of her coffee and made a face, then dug around in the bag until she found the sugar packets and added them to her drink. He’d noticed that all of her smiles were small like the one she’d just made and never really reached her eyes. Even if they were real, they didn’t light her up the way they used to, and the big bright ones were gone completely. Her expressions now ranged between amused smirks and dry, sarcastic laughter. He knew why; her teammates were all famous in the shinobi world and he had heard news of their deaths one after another, and he knew they had been like family to her. He felt bad for Sakura, he didn’t like seeing her like this and even though he wasn’t directly at fault for any of it, he still felt guilty by association. Guilt wasn’t something he was used to feeling. Ever. And that bothered him.

After the small lunch Sakura finally got out of bed and got ready for their trip to the resort. The mission really began tonight, and she needed to prepare mentally and physically. For the physical part she altered her attire to look more casual; leaving her long gloves off, removing her medic apron and weapons – making sure to stash a few kunai into her boots- and donned the simple black miniskirt of light material that she had for occasions like this over her shorts. She could pretty easily pass as a civilian woman this way, albeit a rather tough-looking one. She would have to get some clothes that weren’t black once she got there to try and soften her look a little.

When she emerged from the bathroom she stood with her arms out for Deidara’s inspection. “Good enough for a normal girl?” she asked.

He looked at her for a moment, and the first response that came to his mind was that there was nothing at all normal about her and that was a very good thing in his opinion, but he kept it to himself and simply grunted his approval.

She nodded and went about her business, making sure her pack was in order and completely missing the way his eyes followed the sway of her skirt hem and traveled over her more revealed legs as she moved around.

They went over the mission plan again and thoroughly worked out their cover and the story of how they supposedly met and fell in love and all the other details they might be asked by various people they met on their ‘honeymoon’. It was a strange conversation to be having but they managed to get it all worked out without any awkward moments or –noticeably- strange stares, and when the time came they headed downstairs.

Sakura stood outside the hotel entrance as Deidara took care of the checkout, leaning against the wall and ignoring the pre-dusk heat as she used her heightened shinobi senses to eavesdrop on a group of local teenagers conversing on a bench a few yards away. A few minutes later the bell of the door clinked and she turned to see Deidara come out and look over at her. “Ready?” he asked.

“Yep,” she said, pushing off the wall and following him out into the main street.

They walked a ways until they reached a more isolated area and stopped. Deidara reached into a small pouch on the side of his pack and after a second he tossed something small and white into the air. A moment later there was a giant clay bird next to them. Then he noticed her staring at him with a suspicious and appraising expression. “What?”

Her eyes narrowed a little. “I overheard something interesting while I was waiting for you outside the hotel.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhm. Apparently there was a small commotion in town this morning. The kids said an owner of a local bar was sent to the hospital with his nose, jaw, both of his arms and all of his fingers broken,” she drawled.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Huh. He must’ve really pissed someone off, yeah. Sounds like he had it coming.”

Her eyes narrowed a bit more. “Hmm. And then a short time after that, some mysterious circumstance caused the building that same bartender owned to suddenly explode.”

“Really? That’s strange. I wonder if that’s what woke you up earlier,” he said nonchalantly, but she could see he was now fighting a wicked smirk.

She was fighting her own smile at this point. She couldn’t help but be amused and a bit touched by his chivalrous although admittedly violent actions. “I just hope no one died in that explosion…” she alluded.

He shrugged. “I doubt it. Places like that aren’t usually open until late afternoon. I’m sure it was empty, yeah.”

She did smile faintly now, accepting his indirect answer to her indirect question. “Good.”

“You know, I also heard something interesting while I was out this morning.”

“What’s that?”

“I heard that last night five of the local workers were found severely beaten in a back alley, and two of them were in comas.”

“Really? They probably messed with the wrong person. This town seems like a pretty dangerous place, it’s a good thing we’re leaving,” she said casually.

They eyed each other for a long moment, both fighting amusement at their little game of insinuation. Then they both lost it and laughed.

He leapt up onto his bird with well-practiced ease and offered a hand down to Sakura. She stared at the giant clay construct with slightly widened eyes. She hadn’t really thought about what she should have known would be their obvious method of travel, and she felt a bit nervous at realizing she was going to have to ride in the air on this thing. She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, letting him steady her as she jumped up next to him.

He could see her hesitance but simply smirked at her and kneeled down in his usual flight position. The bird’s back was fairly wide so she knelt beside him rather than behind, placing her hands flat on the clay surface. It was soft and pliable under her fingers, and even a bit warm. She didn’t know why that surprised her, but it did.

He smiled at her experimental testing and touching of his creation. “Pretty artistic, huh?” She looked up at him with a soft smirk. “You ready?” he waited for her small and slightly nervous nod. “It’s gonna jerk at first so hang on, yeah.”

She braced herself with chakra, and with a sharp lurch the bird leapt off from the ground. The tilting motion continued as the enormous wings stretched and flapped and they began to lift up into the air. They rose higher and higher, and in a moment Sakura could see the rooftops of the town below. She noticed Deidara smirking at her in amusement, and she realized she was digging little finger holes into the semi-soft clay from gripping so tightly. “I’ve never been up this high before,” she explained self consciously.

He grinned at her. “Relax, yeah. I wouldn’t let you fall.”

Sakura gave him an appreciative look and eased her grip a little. They continued to rise into the air until the buildings appeared smaller than her hand and she could see the entire town below, and then the bird pushed forward and they began to move away.

As the swaying and rocking of their ascent smoothed out into a steady rhythm of flapping wings Sakura‘s nerves calmed and she began to look around at the ground below. It was incredible; she could see the entire landscape stretch out before her, the treetops of the tropical forest she had walked through, and small rivers lacing across the open fields. The sun was setting and they were gliding not far from the coast, she could see the ocean stretch away into the horizon. Up here the ugliness and hardship of the world seemed distant and insignificant. From up here everything was beautiful, and she felt incredibly liberated. There was a serenity to it; the gentle flap of wings and the sound of the wind in her ears, the warm evening air rushing over her face and body, exhilarating her. She felt free.

She looked over at Deidara and her breath hitched a little, and she soon found herself staring. His long hair was blowing in the wind and catching the last light from the sun, the same golden light played on his fair skin and there was something in his countenance and aura she had only seen once, that day on the moor as they watched the sun set from their high position, only now it was much more prominent. There was a lightness to his expression that pronounced his youthful features, his pale blue eyes were bright with some inner joy and there was a small peaceful smile on his lips. She thought about his preference for creating birds in his art and his anarchical and nonconformist personality, and it seemed to make sense now. She knew exactly what he was feeling in this moment because she was feeling it too, and she felt as though she could understand him better than before.

He felt the uplifted change in her aura and looked over to meet her gaze. “Like it, hmm?” he grinned, raising his voice to be heard over the wind.

“This is amazing!” She was smiling, real and heartfelt for the first time in years and she was so caught up in her surroundings and the thrill of flying that she didn’t even notice.

But Deidara did.

Her eyes were large and more expressive than he’d seen the entire time they’d been reunited, sparkling like emeralds as she took in the view. She looked happy and seemed to have forgotten a bit of her sorrow and depression. He knew what it was like to have the world fall away with every rising meter, and it made him happy to know he had taken her away from her troubles and pain even for just a moment.

There was something in the way he was looking at her she couldn’t recognize or give name to. It gave her a pleasant feeling, but at the same time something in her subconscious was nagging her and made her unsure what to think and she felt the sudden urge to look away before those piercing eyes saw any deeper.

The clay bird suddenly hit an air pocket and jolted them sideways. She made a small squeak of alarm and instinctively grabbed Deidara’s arm. He wasn’t fazed in the slightest by the sudden motion but he held onto her upper arm to steady her with an amused smirk. “Don’t be so nervous, yeah. I told you I’m not going to let you fall,” he said a little quieter than before, the space between them after the jostle close enough cut out some of the wind.

His words somehow rang on more than one level, but she didn’t want to think about it in anyway but the obvious and simply gave him a small nod. She was secretly thankful of the excuse to break out of that strange spell of a moment and when she let go of his arm she returned to watching the horizon in silence.

He didn’t get what had come over her and caused her to shut down. Then again maybe he did. But he didn’t want to think about it and so he concentrated on guiding the bird toward the town where the resort was located. She had always made him feel and think about things he never had before and wasn’t used to and she was doing it again after less than a full day. He never held it against her but it bothered him and deep down he didn’t like it.

The remainder of the short flight was quiet, though comfortable. The resort was less than twenty miles from where they had been and they were there in a little over half an hour. They landed a small ways outside of hotel property since their method of travel wasn’t exactly normal. The giant clay bird vanished with a loud airy pop and a scattering of clay dust and they pulled out their superficial luggage and removed the plastic wrappings. They each stuffed their real packs into their suitcases, removing and pocketing anything they might actually need on their person, and set off down the road toward the entrance gate.

As they entered the elaborate gates and walked down the wide path lined by palm trees and tall standing torches Sakura couldn’t help but be amazed. The place was enormous. The hotel itself was multi-winged and at least six stories. Along the beachfront there were smaller buildings separate from the main hotel; a row of suites with ocean views. Palm trees and tropical flowering plants were everywhere, and even from this distance in the fading light of dusk she could see that the beaches were white and the water was a clear turquoise color. She would have dreamed of coming someplace like this for her honeymoon once, long ago when she still envisioned such things for herself. Irony seemed to be the flavor of the day.

When they were still several yards from the lobby entrance, Deidara slowed his pace and turned to her. “You ready, Ayame-chan?” he asked with a teasing smile. He angled his elbow outward in a gesture for her to take his arm and act like the loving wife she was supposed to be.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes and sigh. This was so weird. She put on her game face; an adoring smile that was entirely fake and didn’t hide the slight glower in her eyes. “Of course, Tarou-kun,” she said sweetly, and linked her arm in his.

They walked the rest of the way to the hotel entrance arm in arm, and she nearly laughed when he very uncharacteristically opened the door and held it for her. Deidara’s brand of chivalry ran along the lines of breaking the noses of her offenders, not holding doors and pulling out chairs. This could be amusing.

The interior of the hotel was even more impressive and extravagant than the outside. An enormous fountain depicting mermaids frolicking amongst dolphins and other sea life dominated the center of the grand lobby. The ceiling was open to a glass roof six stories up, with alcoves recessing into the many wings of the hotel where the rooms were located. The support columns along the side of the lobby appeared to be marble, more miniature palm trees and tropical plants could be seen just about everywhere, and everything was lit in an ambient golden light. One look and Sakura knew her contractor must be paying a fortune for this little heist, and if it was still cheaper than trying to buy it from their target, it must be a very valuable sword indeed. That led her to notice the large decorative banner for the gala event hanging on a far wall over a small recessed café.

They stopped in front of the reception desk and waited for someone to notice them. A moment later the clerk appeared, a plump mousy-looking woman with slightly graying brown hair and a nametag labeled ‘Janice’, and she greeted them with the typically over-bright smile of one who worked in hospitality. “Good evening, how may I help you?”

“Reservations for Yamada,” Deidara said.

The woman nodded and pulled out some paperwork attached to a clipboard from under the desk, tracing a finger down the list as she searched for the alias. “Yamada…Oh! Here we are. Ahh, honeymooners!” she gushed, beaming at them.

Two fake smiles were the only reply.

The receptionist simply continued pulling all of the different registration information and paperwork out from different places under the counter. “Now, your reservation is for one of our ocean-view honeymoon suites, yes?”

Sakura and Deidara both glanced at each other in a split second of shared surprise, and she tried to keep her eyes from widening at that new bit of information. Yotsuba really was going all out for this!

Deidara gave a small chuckle and casually draped an arm over her shoulders, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “That’s right. Nothing but the best for my Ayame-chan,” he grinned at her, and she could see the sadistic amusement behind his gaze. Sakura returned his look with a simpering smile. She noticed he was consciously refraining from using his speech quirk. She also noticed his hand stayed where it was on her shoulder.

She didn’t particularly mind though; it wasn’t their first or their closest contact by any means even if it was a long time ago, and ‘Janice’ was positively eating up every honeyed word and gesture they made.

“How adorable! I just love watching all of the loving couples that come here, especially when it’s young love. This is the best job in the world for an old romantic like me,” she said as she passed the paperwork in need of signing and a pen to Deidara. Sakura tried not to roll her eyes at the woman, and she could imagine the blond man next to her doing the same. “Now just fill these out and sign them. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, Yamada-san, I’ll be back with your concierge info and room keys.” She bustled off through a staff door behind the desk.

Sakura busied herself with looking around the grandiose lobby while Deidara filled out the forms with his non-writing hand still draped around her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly a moment later when he began absently rubbing his hand along her shoulder blade and upper back, his knuckles running in indistinct patterns over the cloth of her shirt. This was not necessary contact, but she couldn’t deny that it felt nice. There were many people around even if no one was interacting with them directly, so it was important to make it as convincing as possible. Then his fingertips absently trailed over a spot on her lower back and a shiver went down the length of her spine. Okay that felt a little too nice, she thought, and it was compounded by Inner Sakura starting to purr in her mind. No one had touched her in a way that wasn’t combative in well over two years until yesterday. She had always been such an avid supporter of simple human contact when she was younger and she supposed she might have subconsciously missed it. But the entire concept was weird and confusing and she wanted to pull away but she couldn’t because this was their cover and he probably didn’t even notice what he was doing anyway.

He may not have been thinking about what he was doing, but he noticed her reaction and when she tensed slightly his hand stopped moving. But this was a job right? She had agreed to do it and she would do it to the best of her ability. They needed to look comfortable like this, not forced. Body language gave a lot away and if their actions looked tense and insincere it could cause problems if the wrong people were looking, namely Shingo’s guards. She had already spotted two of them lurking near another staff door some distance away. Deidara surely had as well and that was probably why he had started it in the first place. So without looking at her partner she leaned into his side, resting her head on his chest as she slipped her arm around his waist and to his credit as a shinobi he didn’t even glance at her or react in any noticeable way, simply continued his writing as if used to such affection from her. For the mission, she thought while ignoring her still-purring inner self, and continued gazing around the room as his hand began to move over her back again.

A couple minutes later the receptionist retuned, smiling sweetly at their new posture, and Deidara slid the completed paperwork back across the desk for her. “Here we are then. These are your room keys, and this is information about our concierge services. Just dial this number here for any of the options listed, including room service. And these are your tickets for the exhibition next weekend, as arranged with your reservation.” She laid the different items out carefully, separately pointing to each of them as if they wouldn’t be able to figure out which was which. “Now, the ocean view suites are in a separate building so I’ve called for a bellhop to escort you. Ah! There he is now,” she gestured to a man in a staff uniform standing to the side. “Please enjoy your stay with us,” she beamed brightly.

Deidara merely nodded and grabbed the items she had laid out in one hand and turned away, taking Sakura with him. Sakura managed a smile at the reception woman and a quiet “thank you,” as she was steered toward the bellhop by her ‘husband’.

“Good evening,” the uniformed man greeted with another over-bright smile and a small bow. “I’ll be escorting you to your room. Would you like me to carry your bags for you?”

“No, thank you, we can manage,” Sakura said politely before Deidara could answer, since he wasn’t so good with the pleasant formalities.

The man nodded and turned with a gesture for them to follow. He led them through a side exit and along a long path lined with small lanterns in the ground. They passed a large swimming area, a gym facility with a beauty salon and massage parlor, and several more amenities to pamper and please guests including a very fancy looking restaurant. They passed the main resort complex and entered a more isolated area lined by palm trees and more softly glowing lanterns. Sakura could hear the ocean now and guessed that several hundred feet on the other side of this building was the beachfront. In front of the building housing the suites was a private and secluded rock garden with more exotic flowering plants and a pond. It was quite lovely, and she decided she really wouldn’t mind spending a week here. And she had an old friend back in her life and she’d be spending time getting to know him again during their stay. She began to think this mission may turn out to be quite nice after all.

But she was brought back to the reality of the situation when their escort stopped in front of their room and used his staff keycard to open the door. He turned on the light and stepped back, standing aside to let them enter, and as they crossed the threshold he flashed them another smile. “Please enjoy your stay. And may I say what an attractive young couple you make. I’m sure you two will be very happy together.”

Deidara’s hand stiffened slightly against her lower back, and Sakura’s face went completely blank as she fought the derisive frown wanting to form there. Yeah, because mutual attractiveness is what really makes happy couples. She plastered yet another falsely sweet smile on her features and slipped past the bellhop into the room.

When the door closed, Sakura and Deidara both let out tired and slightly annoyed sighs, and he removed his hand. They glanced at each other and he smirked at her, and she couldn’t help but give a small dry laugh at the absurdity of it all.

They both looked around the room and their eyes went wide. “Damn,” he said under his breath, and began walking around to inspect and discover everything. The suite was huge, more than one room kind of huge. The room they were in was a well furnished and tastefully decorated sitting area with double doors leading to a large private patio overlooking the ocean. Sakura opened the glass doors and walked out, and now it was her turn to mutter in awe. There was a small breakfast table and two lounge chairs, and a little gate leading down to the beach. She could see the small white caps of waves not far off and she couldn’t help but give a tiny smile as the warm night breeze carried the scent of the ocean to her nostrils. This would be perfect if she were actually here for a romantic getaway. But she wasn’t. It was a job, albeit a very nicely accommodated one.

She heard Deidara laugh from somewhere inside and she turned back into the room, leaving the doors open behind her. She picked the first of two adjacent doors and found herself looking into the spacious bathroom. There was a large corner tub and a separate shower with glass walls, both obviously meant for two people by their size. She turned off the light and headed through the remaining door into the bedroom where she knew Deidara must be. She gawked a little at the sheer size of the bed, big enough to sleep four fully grown adults easily. That was a good thing, considering they weren’t really a couple. All of the furniture in here was made of rich polished mahogany, and the bedclothes curtains and chair cushions were all white. The large window had a recessed sill lined with more cushions and pillows and was meant for sitting and viewing what she knew would be a spectacular view of the ocean in the daytime. It was all quite striking. Deidara wasn’t in here, and she saw another doorway along the far wall and headed for it. When she got there she saw him and her eyes widened again when she saw what he’d laughed about. They were in a private botanical garden that was walled in bamboo and open to the air, and on the far end was their very own private hot tub.

Deidara turned to her with an amused grin. “I think we got the cushiest mission in the history of missions, yeah.”

“I guess so,” she smirked. “Did you see the patio?”

He shook his head and turned to go do just that. She walked back into the bedroom and flopped down on one side of the massive bed with a sigh. The luxurious comfort of it was sheer sin, and she lazily kicked her boots off and stretched out, snuggling into the cool softness. A couple minutes later she heard the soft click of the patio doors being closed and Deidara came back into the room with their bags.

“I could seriously get used to a place like this, yeah,” he remarked, setting the suitcases down in the corner. He opened his and pulled out his real pack, then turned to look at her. “You want yours?”

She shook her head groggily and he turned back to his task. This bed was obviously a sleep-trap, and she felt her eyes growing heavier with every passing minute. But her eyes snapped open with what he did next.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” he said absently, more talking out loud than actually informing her. Then he pulled his shirt off.

He was angled away from her and she was oh so glad he didn’t see her face right then. His long hair fell over his back so there really wasn’t a lot to see, but it was really the general concept of a well-built shirtless man in the room that had her attention. However he was simply going about his own business and didn’t even look at her, and a moment later he disappeared into the other room.

When he was gone she relaxed again with a heavy sigh. What a strange and confusing couple of days. She had expected a certain amount of weirdness on this mission, but she had also expected a stranger to be her partner. This was not at all what she had planned for. She was glad to see Deidara again, she did want to rekindle their friendship and it looked like it would not be a difficult thing to do as they still seemed to have that old bond, but she had to wonder if this wasn’t the best situation to try and do it in; if it would only complicate things. This reunion was sure turning out to be an interesting one, and she wondered how the rest of the mission was going to go.

When Deidara came back into the bedroom he had to smile a little; once again Sakura was already fast asleep, fully dressed and on top of the covers. She must not have been able to relax like this in a long time if a little bit of comfort and security made her so tired. He walked and looked down at her sleeping form. He smirked softly and pulled the covers out from under her legs, gently so as not to wake her, and laid them over her. He then switched off the bedside lamp and moved to his own side, crawling under the covers and once again turning his back to her and the nearly three feet of space between them, and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and her quiet breathing.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapters are gonna start getting longer now, and I hope you enjoyed this one and look forward to the next! :)