Silver Lining

Sorry I havent updated at this site in a while, but I wasnt sure if anyone was still reading this over here, as the last two chapters recieved almost no response. While I dont base my updates off of review numbers, I do want to know that at least someone is still reading and enjoying the story. :P

Enjoy the chapter! Leave a comment if you liked it!

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Chapter Nine: An Unexpected Encounter
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When the time came for their meeting with Yotsuba, Deidara and Sakura left the quiet coastal village on the back of one of the explosives master’s flying birds. The trip was short and pleasant with a view of the ocean, the cooling wind that rushed past their faces as they flew doing wonders to ease the discomfort of the agonizing mid-afternoon heat.

As they neared the industrial town where their contractor operated and saw the smog haze and columns of foul-smelling smoke rising from the many factories the city housed, their mindsets became more somber. They glided above the crowded, dirty streets toward the largest factory complex that was Yotsuba’s base of operations.

Sakura could feel her irritation building as the complex came into site, and the thought of getting this business over with and giving their misleading employer a piece of her mind sat forefront in her thoughts. She could sense Deidara’s anger rising as well, and although he had every right to be angry, she hoped he wasn’t planning to do anything too terrible. She tightened her arms around his waist from where she sat behind him on the flying construct, and his hand rubbed over her forearm absently in return, but his aggressive aura remained. Sakura was angry and indignant at being lied to, but she could settle for a broken bone or two. After all, Yotsuba was only a small time crook. But Deidara was dangerous and ruthless when pushed, she had no illusions about the kind of man he was and had been in the past, and she was beginning to feel anxious about the upcoming exchange.

He obviously had no intention of messing around with formalities, because he flew them right over the complex wall, past the main gate and security checkpoint, and landed right in the middle of the open area outside Yotsuba’s office. Several of Yotsuba’s men approached, rather slowly as a few of them recognized the two less-than-friendly shinobi their boss hired a week ago and remembered the small ruckus each of them had caused. Sakura identified the burly man whose wrist she had broken before, standing outside the office door and glaring at both of them.

Deidara grabbed the silk-wrapped sword and jumped down nimbly. He let his chakra leak a bit, as an intimidation to the wary yet hostile men surrounding them. Sakura did the same and jumped down beside him. Even the thugs who were civilian and didn’t know a thing about chakra could still feel it when it was applied as pressure like that, and though they didn’t know what it was, they knew right away it would not be smart to mess with these two.

None of the surrounding crowd moved any closer as the two of them walked to the building’s entrance, but as they reached the small set of steps leading to the door, the man with the splint on his wrist moved to block their path.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed as she stepped into his view. “You sure you want to do that?” she asked quietly, cracking the knuckles of one hand as she glared up at him.

He glanced down at her, and she could see the tiny glint of apprehension in his eyes before he looked back to Deidara. “You didn’t think you’d be getting a warm welcome after what you did to two of my men last week, did you?”

Deidara locked his icy eyes onto the bigger man’s and fixed him with a smirk that promised very unpleasant things. “We have an appointment with your boss. If you’re smart you’ll move now, yeah.”

Sakura could clearly sense the man was intimidated, but either pride or sheer stupidity kept him rooted to the spot, and he snorted derisively at the veiled threat.

“Just because you two are some special shinobi the boss hired don’t mean you can do whatever the hell you want. You got some balls barging in here like that. And you,” he turned his attention to Sakura, fixing her with a sneer, “me and my men offer to show you a good time and you give us nothing but attitude, yet you’re runnin ‘round with a guy like this?” He looked her over slowly, his eyes lingering longest on her legs and chest. “The offer still stands, sweetheart; ditch the girly-man, and I’ll give you the ride of your–”

His boastful words were abruptly cut off by a sharp groan of pain, and his mud-colored eyes widened in shock at the kunai protruding from the top of his meaty thigh. Deidara shoved the man out of his way, and he fell to his knees while clutching his bleeding leg. He gave him one last glare and a malevolent smirk before turning his back and heading through the door.

“S-son of a…bitch!” the slumped-over brute growled at the back of the blond shinobi.

Sakura stepped over the once-posturing goon as she followed after her partner, and she caught the man’s pain-filled, watery gaze as she passed. “Feel lucky, asshole; he could have just as easily planted that kunai in your eye socket.” The man groaned again, and without another glance she entered the building and shut the door behind her.

Inside was empty, their abrupt and unusual arrival having drawn everyone to the yard, so they made their way to the back of the building without further interference. They stopped before the door to Yotsuba’s office to address the only guard that hadn’t run outside, but the man inclined his head and spoke first.

“He knows you’re here, you can go in.”

They entered and were immediately engulfed in the same thick haze of cigar smoke as before, and again the large figure of their contractor was sitting behind the desk, his hulking shape illuminated by the bright light through the blinds.

“My, my…you two certainly have a habit of unconventional business dealings,” Yotsuba’s gruff baritone drifted toward them.

“You’re one to talk,” Sakura replied flatly. He looked at her sharply, calculating her possible meaning, but then his focus turned to Deidara.

“So, how many of my men did you injure this time?”

“Just one…so far,” the blond nin replied with a dark smirk.

A tense moment passed as they stared at each other across the wide desk, but then Yotsuba gave a small chuckle and shrugged.

“No matter. You did what I hired you for, and flawlessly. The newspapers show no reports of a theft or disturbance of any kind at the hotel, not counting a minor incident in a nearby town. But what’s important is that none of it can be traced back to me, or you, so congratulations on a job well done. Apparently you two work well together.” He chuckled heartily and turned his attention to Sakura. “Looks like you didn’t end up having to kill your partner.” His gaze now focused on Deidara with a knowing grin. “After sharing a room for a week with this beauty either you have the willpower of a monk,” he looked at Sakura again, “or you weren’t as opposed to a little recreation as you said you were. Maybe you took my advice and had some fun after all, eh?”

Deidara’s expression darkened even more, and Sakura crossed her arms over her chest indignantly. “How is that any of your business?” she said.

Yotsuba laughed again, hearty and slightly grating. “Alright, alright, just making conversation, but I forgot neither of you are into small talk. So then…let’s see my sword.”

Deidara held his arm out over the desk and Yotsuba reached up with both hands to take the sword from his grasp. He slipped the silk covering away and his gruff expression lit up with appreciation as his eyes traveled over the length of his stolen prize. “Ahh, wonderful…” he slipped the blade free of the scabbard with a soft click, pulling it out halfway, “a truly magnificent work of art.”

Deidara snorted derisively at the last statement, but withheld from contradicting him.

After another moment of inspection, Yotsuba sheathed the blade and set it on the desk before him. He then reached into a drawer and withdrew two envelopes. He tossed them on the desk and looked up at the waiting pair with a satisfied smile. “You two were worth every penny.”

Fine words, coming from a man who withheld critical details in order to save a little cash, and the pink haired kunoichi fixed him with a scathing glare. “You did ask for high level shinobi, after all,” she said dryly.

Since he was closest to the desk, Deidara picked up the envelopes and handed one to Sakura. They both glanced inside to make sure it was indeed their contract fee and that it appeared to be the proper amount. “And you got two of the best in the world, yeah,” he added without looking up.

“The one bad thing – for a man like you – about high level shinobi,” Sakura continued, sounding almost bored, “is that they aren’t easily fooled.” Her expression hardened and she pocketed the envelope before crossing her arms over her chest again.

Yotsuba’s pleasant expression turned serious as he glanced back and forth between the two ninja.

Deidara also put his payout away and focused on Yotsuba with the same menacing glare as his pink haired partner. “Did you really think we wouldn’t notice, hmm?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” he replied in a manner that said just the opposite, but that it wasn’t a welcome subject.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t give a damn about the true reason for this mission, or about the sword and what it’s concealing. What we do care about is that you lied to us just to avoid paying us more. Going in there without knowing what to expect could have put our lives in danger,” she said heatedly.

Yotsuba stared at them for a long, tense moment, and then a dark chuckle escaped his lips. “Well, I won’t deny it. I’m a collector, and this item happened to be of double interest. But you see,” he patted the sword on the desk with a large rough hand, “Shingo didn’t know that anyone knew about this beauty’s little secret. He never saw it coming and still has no idea who took it. I’m sure he feels like a fool now, but it was his mistake to not guard it better. And I knew you two weren’t likely to encounter any real trouble…after all, I know who you are…both of you,” he looked pointedly at Deidara as he finished, his expression smug and unapologetic about deceiving them.

“Then you should already know we aren’t the kind of people you want to screw with. Especially him,” Sakura said.

Deidara smirked and his expression was downright dangerous now. He didn’t care that the man knew his identity and history; there were very few people still alive who wanted him dead enough to come looking for him. But he didn’t take well to being threatened or manipulated, no matter how minimally. “You’re fucking lucky I don’t take what you should have paid us for the extra risk out of you in body parts, yeah. I still might. I’m undecided,” he finished with a shrug.

Yotsuba remained outwardly calm under the very serious threat, but small traces of apprehension and fear could be detected in his posture and aura. “No need to get nasty about it. It’s just business after all…nothing personal. I don’t care who you are or who may be interested in you, just like you don’t care about this sword,” he patted the stolen artifact again, “It would seem discretion is best all around, don’t you think?”

The two angry shinobi and their contractor stared darkly at each other for several tense moments, then Sakura straightened and made a grudgingly conceding gesture. “Fine. You got what you wanted. We’re done.” She didn’t want to stand around arguing about money or anything else, because she had a feeling every second they remained here the more likely it was that Deidara would kill the stout businessman. She turned and put a hand on his arm, making sure her tone was casual but placating at the same time, “Let’s go.”

He glanced down at her, but his sinister expression didn’t lessen. He appeared to weigh the pros and cons of dragging this out for a moment, and then he ‘tch’d’ in annoyance and turned for the door.

Sakura followed, but paused after a few steps. She turned, bringing a finger to her lip as if recalling a thought, “Oh…there’s just one more thing…”

An instant later she was standing by the desk and Yotsuba was clutching his nose in both hands. His brain finally registered the lightning-fast action and he emitted a loud groaning wail as blood began to seep through his fingers.

“That, is why you don’t fuck with elite shinobi.” She leaned down further and tilted her head to murmur right in his busted face. “You should thank me that this is all you’re getting you fat bastard, because he wanted to kill you,” she finished contemptuously, then stood and moved back toward her smugly grinning partner.

Just then the door burst open and the lone guard from outside appeared, obviously drawn in by his boss’s pained outburst. He held a hand radio, intent on calling for backup if necessary.

Sakura’s gloved hand clenched in a fist, ready to knock the guy out before he called for help.

However they avoided further fighting when Yotsuba raised a bleeding hand to halt his guard, the other still clutched to his face. “Lhettem gho.” He knew a broken nose would be the least of his problems right now if the men he had on hand tried to fight these two.

The guard lowered his radio and stepped out of the way with a wary look. Deidara gave the slightly fearful man a wicked smirk as he passed, and Sakura didn’t look at him at all as they left the office and made their way out of the building.

Outside, the large clay bird they had flown in on was surrounded by a dozen curious thugs, but they soon moved away when its creator and his pink-haired partner emerged from the building. Without paying much attention to the wary onlookers, Deidara and Sakura jumped onto the artist’s construct and a moment later were rising into the air and flying away from the industrial complex.

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They flew to the other side of town, to a cleaner, less populated area where the stench of the factories didn’t permeate the streets. They set down in the middle of a small park, and once they both dismounted the bird disappeared with a pop and a puff of clay dust.

Sakura had no idea why they had stopped or what Deidara was planning. “Where are we going?” she asked as she drew up beside him.

He looked at her with an unreadable expression and didn’t answer right away. Then he shrugged and looked off in the direction of the nearest street. “Nowhere really. I just thought we might find a place to stay for the night or something…since we don’t have anything else to do, yeah,” he said.

Sakura simply watched him for a moment. Was he trying to stall? Could he be trying to postpone the moment when they would have to figure out what to do about their situation? It was hard to tell with him, and if that’s what he was doing she wasn’t sure whether to take it as a good or bad sign. But one more night was one more night, and she certainly wasn’t going to question him about his motives for wanting to drag it out. “Ok,” she replied casually. He gave a small nod, and they began to walk in the direction of the street.

They walked several blocks under the brutal sun, and when they spotted a small inn up ahead they decided that just about anywhere was good if it got them out of this exhaustive heat.

They reached the corner and were about to cross the street when Sakura paused, her attention focused on something down the alley. Deidara followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at. It was a dog, a street animal by the look of it. It was rummaging through the contents of a knocked-over trash can, looking for a scrap of a meal. It was somewhat of a pitiful sight, but it didn’t explain what had caught her attention so sharply. But then it moved to the other side of the rubbish pile and he saw it; the pronounced limp in its hindquarter. He looked a bit closer and could now see the dog was badly injured, one of its back legs was mangled and bleeding, obviously broken.

The dog looked up and noticed them then. It didn’t run, but its ears fell back against its head and it emitted a long, low whine. Sakura kneeled down and made a small noise to the animal, and it whined again and wagged its tail once in cautious greeting. She reached out then, and continued to beckon the pitiful creature in small words voiced in a calm, soothing tone, and the dog began to slowly and cautiously limp toward her.

Deidara stayed still and watched her coax the injured dog. As it – she, he could see now – drew to a stop in front of Sakura with her tail between her legs, he saw the extent of the injury and frowned slightly. The poor thing looked like she’d been run over by a wagon. He wasn’t exactly soft-hearted, but he did hold a small affection for certain animals. All of his clay creations were animals after all. He continued to watch as Sakura carefully reached out and pet the dog’s head, eliciting several cautious tail wags and another pleading whine. She continued to stroke over the head, neck and shoulders to soothe and calm and build trust, and after a moment she began to pet down the animal’s side toward its hips and the injured leg. The dog seemed happy just to be getting affection from a human, and she allowed Sakura to inspect the injury though she whined nervously. “Shh, you’re ok,” Sakura murmured soothingly.

As he watched the pink haired medic heal the injured dog, a small smile formed on Deidara’s features. Not thirty minutes ago, she was the badass kunoichi who’d broken the nose of a man three times her size without blinking. But now here she was all soft and compassionate, healing the leg of a strange stray animal without any hesitation. She really was amazing.

When Sakura was finished, the dog tentatively put weight on its leg and once she realized there was no pain, she stood on all four legs and wagged her tail happily. Sakura giggled mirthfully when the dog licked her face. “You’re welcome. Just stay away from horses and carts from now on, ok?” She gave her a few more gentle pats before standing up.

The dog took a step forward and pushed her nose to Deidara’s knee, finally saying hello to the male. Deidara grinned in amusement and reached down to pat the dog on the head, scratching behind her ears and receiving several tail wags and a lick on the wrist for his attention. The dog moved away and began to walk around, testing her restored leg, eventually breaking into a trot and disappearing around the corner a minute later.

Sakura smiled satisfactorily and readjusted her pack on her shoulders, then noticed the appraising way Deidara was looking at her. “What?” she asked amiably.

He simply shook his head and smiled, reaching around her waist to pull her in. She moved readily, hooking her fingers behind his neck for leverage as she rose up to press her lips to his. He held her against him a moment longer before they turned and continued toward the inn.

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Sakura sighed heavily and wiped her gloved hand across the back of her sweating neck. It was early evening but the sun was still up and it was still miserably hot. Why exactly had she volunteered to go out and get dinner?

Honestly it was because she had wanted a few minutes to herself, to try and figure out what was going on and what was going to happen. For all her years of experience with cryptic men, Deidara was surprisingly difficult to read. Perhaps it was because his behavior was completely different from what she was used to figuring out. He didn’t hide his emotions, but he wasn’t exactly open to talking about them either. His moods were easy to read, but it was his intent and motives that were hard to interpret. She should just ask, but she was almost afraid of hearing the answer. So far she hadn’t had any luck in sorting out her troubled thoughts, and now the smell of food was distracting her.

She peered up at the signs of the nearby food stalls, and her stomach growled eagerly at the smell of tempura. With Yotsuba’s payout and the leftover pocket money from the mission she could afford to eat the best cuisine she could find for months, but tempura was her favorite, and she found herself drawn to the stall offering her beloved fried indulgence.

“If you’re looking for tempura, I know a much better place a few blocks down.”

Sakura whirled around at the sound of the dry voice addressing her, and her jaw dropped as she identified the speaker.

“Temari…” she said slowly, shocked to see the former Sand kunoichi.

“Sakura…quite a surprise to run into you here, of all places,” the blonde woman said with a smirk.

“Yeah…” Sakura replied with a small incredulous laugh.

“You in a hurry? If you have a few minutes I can show you that other tempura place and we could catch up a bit…maybe have a drink,” she offered casually.

She had some time. Deidara wasn’t expecting her back right away and she did want to talk to her old comrade and find out what had been happening since she’d been gone. “Yeah, sure,” she said, and fell in to step beside the taller woman.

Temari led her to another part of the shopping district and Sakura saw the promised tempura stall, much larger and significantly cleaner looking than the previous one, but they stopped instead in a small café across the street from the greasy food stand. They sat down at a table in the back where it was cooler and ordered iced tea and a plate of dango.

Sakura noticed the owner of the place seemed to vaguely recognize the curvaceous blonde, and when their order was brought out Sakura took a sip of the blissfully cold beverage and fixed the other kunoichi with a curious look. “You seem to know your way around this place pretty well. Do you come here often?” she asked.

Temari shrugged. “Often enough I guess. This town’s production and shipping industry are vital to Fire country, so I come here occasionally with another ambassador from the Daimyo’s camp to meet up with the mayor and city council to make sure everything’s running smoothly and ensure no one is using the ports for illegal business like drugs, human trafficking, that sort of thing. I’m here for the next week and a half for inspections,” she explained, then picked up a stick of dango and leaned back in her chair as she took a bite. “So what are you here for?” she mumbled through chewing.

“I just finished a mission, so I’m staying in town for the night before heading out again,” she said casually. Temari gave a small nod and continued to watch her with interest. “How are things in Konoha?” Sakura asked after a moment.

“Better. Much better. The rebuilding is nearly finished. Money’s scarce with the limited missions, but when hasn’t it been?” Sakura smirked knowingly at that, and Temari continued with a small grin. “There are finally enough kids for a new academy class. You know usually a first-year class is all kids around six or so, but because of so few births in the last several years, this new class ranges from five to ten year olds. So my two girls, Masaki and Akane, are both in the same class as Kazuki and Toshio.”

Sakura smiled wistfully at hearing the boys’ names. “How are they?” she asked quietly.

Temari gave a small laugh. “Exactly like their fathers…brilliant and rowdy. They fight all the time, but they’re the best of friends and it’s nearly impossible to separate them for anything. They both have crushes on my girls, though I’m not sure which one likes which,” she laughed, and Sakura laughed as well. “Toshio recently discovered he could see through walls with his Byakugan, so you can imagine the trouble they’ve been getting into. They’re a handful, but Hanabi is a strong woman and a tough kunoichi, and she keeps ‘em in line. They’ll be excellent shinobi one day.”

Sakura smiled thoughtfully, and Temari watched her for a long moment. “You’ve been gone over two years, Sakura…are you ever planning to come back?”

Her expression became clouded. “I don’t know. I never planned on staying away forever, I still don’t, but I know right now I’m not ready. You of all people can understand that, right? I can’t return to Konoha for the same reason you can’t go back to Suna,” she explained tiredly.

Temari’s expression sobered at the mention of her home village. “I get it, believe me. There’s nothing left in Suna for me; the place is practically destroyed and my brothers are dead. I understand why you can’t face returning to Konoha just yet, but you know you can’t stay away forever. You owe it to those boys, more importantly; you owe it to Naruto and Sasuke to be part of their sons’ lives and tell them stories about their fathers,” she finished with a pointed look.

Sakura sighed and blinked several times, suppressing a sudden tide of emotion. “I know…and…I’ll try to stay in better contact from now on…but it’s still too soon, Temari.”

The blonde kunoichi gave an accepting nod. “Well, they’re just now entering the academy; so it’ll be a few years before they will really need your influence.” Her expression suddenly turned critical. “I understand your need to make a new life for yourself because I did the same, but I sure didn’t think you’d choose to do what you’re doing now…”

Sakura frowned. “What exactly do you mean?” she asked slowly, sensing an unpleasant turn in the conversation.

Temari crossed her arms over her ample bosom and fixed Sakura with a penetrating look. “The truth is; running into you at the tempura stand wasn’t an accident. I saw you earlier today…and I waited around to catch you alone.” The pink haired kunoichi stiffened and her eyes narrowed slightly at the implication. “What the hell are you doing with him, Sakura?”

“He was my partner for the mission I just finished,” she answered evenly.

Temari’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then her dark green eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What was the mission about?”

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as well and her frown deepened. “Is this why you brought me here? To grill me?” she asked with a hint of anger.

“Not exactly. I’m just highly curious as to why you’d be running around with one of the world’s most notorious S-class criminals…one who’s supposed to be dead, by the way.”

“I just told you; he was my mission partner. I didn’t know he’d be my partner, and I sure as hell didn’t know he was alive until I met him for the job.”

Temari shook her head incredulously. “And you actually worked with him? After everything he’s done…everything you’ve been through because of Akatsuki…I mean what the fuck, Sakura?” she said, her voice rising slightly.

Sakura glared at the woman across from her. “I’m not gonna fucking sit here and be interrogated by you, Temari, nor will I have my motives and loyalties to Konoha questioned. You know me better than to even think something like that. Either listen calmly and be as objective as possible…or I’m out of here,” she said firmly.

Temari glared back at her. “You can’t really expect me to be objective about the guy who invaded and nearly destroyed my village and then killed my brother,” she said darkly. The two women stared at each other for a long moment, and then Temari emitted a frustrated sigh. “Fine, whatever. I’ll try to stay rational…just get on with it,” she muttered.

Sakura took a deep breath and thought on where to begin. “You asked about the mission…the contract was an undercover heist for a private antiques collector, simple as that,” she said with a casual shrug.

Temari frowned incredulously. “You…and that guy…doing an easy job like that? That’s kind of hard to believe, you gotta admit.”

Sakura sighed heavily. “I do medical work when I can, but it’s not always available so sometimes I do other jobs. I work to live…I take missions that pay well, but aren’t too dangerous. He does the same. Believe it or not, he’s just an independent nin now, same as I am. And you know damn well what his name is,” she added reprovingly.

The blonde waved dismissively and rolled her eyes. Sakura frowned at her. Neither of the women were the nice-girl type and this conversation would go nowhere fast if they both kept up the attitudes.

Finally, Temari spoke up again. “I would wonder why you didn’t try to kill him yourself when you saw he was alive, but now that I think about it I remember hearing something about your…experience…several years ago.”

Sakura nodded. “It’s true; Deidara was there eight years ago when the Akatsuki kidnapped me. I told Shikamaru all about it when he became Hokage because we were still at war with them at the time. I don’t know how much he told you but I’ll tell you the whole story, then maybe you can understand.”

She took another deep breath. “It’s like this; you know how Gaara used to be…how violent and dangerous he was…how he killed so many people with almost no provocation?” Temari frowned slightly but nodded, and Sakura continued, “But it turned out that on the inside he wasn’t a monster, he was just driven to become what he was by circumstance and eventually when you got to know him, when he let you get to know him, you realized he was human just like the rest of us and eventually he became a good man. Well, that’s sort of how it was for me with the Akatsuki. No one was more surprised than I was by how well they treated me under the circumstances. Sometimes it was like I wasn’t even a hostage. I know some of the Akatsuki were true monsters, barely even human anymore, but the four I knew…they weren’t that bad when you really got to know them. They did bad things, yes, but what shinobi do we know that hasn’t?” she said pointedly.

Temari stared at her for a long moment, then sighed and made a grudgingly conceding gesture, because she knew the pink haired kunoichi was right. Her brother had been the perfect example of that fact.

“Nobody knows this, but I’ll tell you now because it doesn’t matter anymore. Deidara was brought into Akatsuki by force, he didn’t get a choice. I’m not saying that excuses the things he did, but it does put a different perspective on it. He went along with them willingly enough, but he wasn’t part of the trusted inner circle and was pretty much left out of the loop and merely given orders to follow. And if it helps any to know, he told me once that the explosion that would have destroyed Suna was a calculated bluff; he was counting on your brother using the last of his chakra to absorb it. He’s not your normal average guy by any means, and he is a little crazy, but he’s not the wild maniac everyone thinks he is.”

Temari continued to watch her almost skeptically, but Sakura could see she was thinking carefully about what she’d just heard. “We became friends during the time I was held captive. Real friends, more than just someone I could stand to be around in a screwed up situation. We made a connection, and it was really hard to let go when I returned to Konoha. I was very sad when I heard he died, so it’s true that when I saw him again and realized he was alive, I was very happy.”

“So you’re telling me that…”she caught herself, “Deidara…despite everything he’s done, is really a good man,” she said flatly, her expression cynical.

Sakura was quiet for a moment, and then a small smile graced her lips. “Well, he’s far from being a saint…but yes…he is a good man,” she said quietly.

“So how long have you been sleeping with him?”

Sakura’s jaw fell open and then snapped shut and she glared indignantly at the blonde kunoichi. She didn’t respond, and Temari’s eyes widened slowly as a look of disbelief came over her features. “Fucking hell, Sakura…the way you defend him…and the look on your face when you talk…you’re in love with him, aren’t you?” she accused, the distaste clearly evident in her tone.

Her jade eyes went wide and she stared at the blonde in shock. Her brow creased and she looked away with a troubled expression, and she was quiet a long moment as she pondered the blunt words. “I…I don’t…” She sighed and met the other woman’s olive gaze again. “He makes me happy, Temari…” she said softly. “You understand how big that is, don’t you? I lost everyone I ever loved and I thought I’d never be happy again. You remember how I was…”

Temari’s expression softened somewhat and she gave a small nod. “Yeah, I remember. It was like you were just waiting to die and join them. When you left, honestly, a lot of people thought that’s exactly what you’d gone to do.” She sighed tiredly and her expression turned appraising once more. “No accounting for taste…but, that guy really makes you happy, huh?”

Sakura smiled again and nodded. “He does. He saved my life, more than once. He’s good to me, he makes me laugh when I thought I no longer could, and he makes me want to live a real life again. He’s very important to me. I owe him a lot,” she finished quietly.

The two women were silent for a while, Temari processing everything the pink haired woman had told her, and Sakura thinking about the blonde’s blunt questioning and just exactly how true it might be.

Temari broke the long silence, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table as she met the younger woman’s gaze again. “I understand. Of course you know I’m going to have to tell Shikamaru that he’s alive, and that you’re with him,” she informed evenly.

Sakura’s eyes widened with slight alarm. “There’s no need to make a big deal out of this…The larger shinobi world thinks he’s dead, and for all intents and purposes there’s no harm in keeping it that way.”

Temari’s expression hardened. “I’m not in the habit of lying to my husband, Sakura, and I don’t intend to start for the likes of him,” she said firmly.

“I’m not asking you to lie about it. I just don’t want you to make it seem like… like he needs to be eliminated or something. I mean think about it; it’s been six years since he went off the radar…if someone of his infamy and skill was making real trouble, don’t you think Konoha would have heard about it by now?”

“I suppose, but that doesn’t mean he won’t start if given the opportunity, say if another group bent on world domination pops up, or whatever. He’s dangerous, and the crimes he’s already committed are enough to warrant his capture,” Temari replied.

Sakura’s gaze became slightly pleading now. “I only met him again a week ago, and we’ve only been…together, for a few days. But I know him, better than anyone. He has no worldly ambitions…he never really did…and as far as I can tell he hasn’t done any major criminal activity in years. He’s not a threat to Konoha or any other hidden village anymore. The rumor of his death wasn’t a fluke, Temari; he wanted out of Akatsuki…he wanted to disappear. He just wants to live his life as normally as a shinobi can. Please don’t start a manhunt for him. Please trust me on this,” she finished with quiet urgency.

Temari watched her for a long moment, and then sighed. “I do trust you, Sakura. That’s the only reason I sat down to talk to you about this instead of sending a message straight to Konoha. You’re a smart, strong woman, and I really don’t think you’d get your priorities all twisted by some guy you’ve fallen for, so I know you’re being honest with me. I can see he makes you happy, so I guess I can admit there must be something decent about the guy, and I get that you’re trying to protect him and the new life you’re trying to carve out for yourself.” She gave the younger woman a long, appraising look. “If you say he’s not a threat anymore…I’ll believe you.”

Sakura sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

The blonde woman waved dismissively. “You’re welcome…I guess. But I’m still going to tell Shikamaru.”

“Temari…” Sakura’s brow creased in concern again.

“I have to tell him, Sakura,” she said resolutely, but a smirk curled the corners of her lips. “I have to tell him because he’s my husband. But…not everything my husband hears is heard by the Hokage…” she said slyly, her smirk widening.

Sakura smiled faintly as she registered the other kunoichi’s meaning, and she couldn’t help but feel relieved and grateful to her. “Thank you again, Temari.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied with a small smile and brushed her frizzy bangs away from her brow. “Those of us who survived…we have to find a way to move on, and live for the sake of those who are no longer with us. And if by some chance a person finds a way to be happy again…then they should take that happiness and run with it, and no one has the right to judge them for it,” she finished quietly.

Sakura looked at her for a long moment and then nodded wistfully. Temari was a wise woman despite her rough demeanor, and they understood each other because they had both been there in their own ways.

Eventually Sakura straightened in her seat and spoke again. “I really should go. I came out to get dinner, and if I don’t return soon he’s going to start to wonder.”

Temari nodded. “Alright.”

“It was good seeing you again, Temari. I’m glad we got to talk,” Sakura said with a small smile.

The blonde retuned it. “Yeah. So am I.”

“Tell Shikamaru I said thank you…for everything. And tell him I will keep in contact more regularly from now on. And…give Hanabi and the boys my love,” she finished quietly, standing and straightening her medic’s skirt.

“I will,” Temari replied, standing as well and hefting her fan from its position against the wall. “We all hope you’ll come back to Konoha someday. Who knows, Shikamaru is ridiculously laid back about these things, so you may even be able to bring him, with you…if you keep him out of trouble from now on,” she said pointedly, a dry smirk set on her features.

Sakura chuckled and couldn’t help but be pleased with the possibilities her words invoked, even if it was getting a bit ahead of things. “I’ll do my best,” she replied with a grin.

A long moment passed as the two kunoichi took one last look at each other. Then Temari held out her hand in farewell. “Take care of yourself, Sakura,” she said.

Sakura reached out and grasped the other woman’s gloved hand in a firm grip. “I will.”

And with that, Temari headed down the street, her enormous fan slung over her shoulder. Sakura watched her disappear from sight, then sighed and crossed the street to the tempura stall with a smile.