Chapter 29: Distractions

Hikari's Pov

Need to hurry… Carefully pouring the cool golden tea into a cup was very difficult and I couldn't get it to pour without irritating my injury. Furrowing my eyebrows, I was about to just completely ignore my hand and just pour when a noise came from the doorway.

"You need help, lady?"

I whirled around and was surprised to see the little kid from earlier. He looked highly disinterested in helping me out, by I didn't really have a choice right now. Using my good hand, I motioned him over quickly.

"That would be very nice of you." He started over. "And I would really appreciate it."

The kid shrugged and easily poured the tea into the little cup. He set down the pot and looked back to me smugly. I arched an eyebrow at him and went to reach for the cup when it was abruptly taken by Tsunami.

I nearly panicked when she brought it to her lips. "Wait! That's medical tea for sensei!" Her eyes instantly widened and the woman set it back down.

"Oh. Sorry about that." She grinned sheepishly and I let out a relieved sigh. That could have ended badly. "Do you want me to take it to him for you?" She gestured to my hand. "It would be better for everyone."

It only took me a second to think about it.

I could get Kakashi to drink it without suspicion. And all I had to do was let Tsunami bring it to him.

My smile was thankful and inside I was cheering my good luck. "Can you please, Tsunami?"

The woman nodded and took the cup before sliding the door open and entering Kakashi's room. I made sure to keep out of sight. My back brushed against the wall, my cheek pressed against it. If Kakashi sensed me, everything was over.

"What are you doing?" I froze.

I'd forgotten all about the boy in the room. He stared at me like I was crazy and I gazed back. I sidled along the wall until I was far from the door.

Act Hikari. It's just a kid.

Out of reflex, I rubbed the back of my head with my good hand sheepishly. His dark beady eyes still didn't leave me. His small arms folded over his chest.

"I was just uh…practicing my skills!" I put up a finger and grinned convincingly. "Yeah! I can't let Kakashi-sensei or anyone else see me or I fail my test!"

The boy scoffed and his eyes narrowed. "I can see you lady. You failed."

I hesitated at the sharp comeback. Didn't see that coming. He sure has a mouth on him. My hand fell back to my side and we both just looked at each other.

"Huh. Guess I did."

I took him off guard when I only shrugged and smiled. Dark eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed even further in confusion. Honestly, the look wasn't intimidating. If anything, it made him look like a pouting child.

I smiled. He's just like Naruto…I think I'm going to like this kid.

He flinched when I gently patted his striped hat. He tried to smack my hand away but it was already gone. My grin broadened at his feisty behavior, only fueling his glare.

"I'm impressed. You're a sharp boy." His eyes widened momentarily, but I caught the shock and disbelief inside. I raised my good hand again and smoothed out my bangs. "I mean it. You could grow up to be a great leader someday…You just need to work on that mouth of yours a bit."

Rolling his eyes, the boy scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'll fix that when you beat Gato."

My eyes widened. His smirk was all I needed to see.

The young boy didn't think that we could defeat the powerful billionaire. He didn't think we could win this fight. My eyes narrowed in determination. I was never one to back down from a challenge. This was no exception.

"Deal." I stuck out my hand and the boy blinked, clearly taken back. He looked at my hand then back to me, his expression unreadable.

Finally, he scoffed, but took my hand and shook it once reluctantly. "Fine lady, but I know you're gonna lose."

"It'll be my pleasure to prove you wrong." With that said, I turned back to the doorway. Was everything going as planned?

The boy gave me a sideways glance before walking to the sliding door. I nearly panicked when he started opening it.

"Stop worrying lady. I won't let them see you."

I hesitated, eyebrow arching. "Why would you care if they saw me?"

The kid smirked again and I refrained from rolling my eyes. He was a loud-mouth alright, but his cocky attitude was reminding me a whole lot of Sasuke from weeks ago. His hand gripped the sliding door firmly, the smirk growing.

"'Cause I want to win." He shrugged in a bored fashion. "And you'll need all the training you can get if you want some chance."

My eyes narrowed, albeit in mock anger, and he walked into the room with that same irritating smirk plastered on his face.

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. Darn kid.

The faint sound of sipping caught my attention.

Eyes widening I quickly cracked the door open a bit to look inside.

"What?! Are you stupid?! There's no such thing as a hero!" My eyes widened even further on the boy. What had just happened? What was he shouting about? Of course there were heroes.

"WHAT?!" Naruto stood up and waved his fist at the boy threateningly. Luckily, Sakura was able to grab him before he did anything stupid.

"Stop it, Naruto!" She shook him firmly, but the angered look was still marred on his face.

The small boy scoffed. "You should go home if you don't want to die."

Complete silence… I looked to each individual in turn to see their reactions. Tsunami and Tazuna looked bewildered that their son/grandson would say something like that to the ninja. Naruto's glare had increased ten-fold and Sakura's face looked a few shades paler. Sasuke leaned against the wall nearby, eyes intent but otherwise, he was unaffected.

Kakashi didn't have a chance to hear what he'd said.

He swayed forward before catching himself with one hand.

Sasuke caught the gesture and looked at our teacher sharply. "Kakashi?"

I watched him fall back, catching the knowing look in his eye before he fell unconscious. He knew that I was a threat to this mission and I couldn't let him reveal that. That would only cause panic and stress that we didn't need, especially with our team as weak as it was at the moment.

That was my time to enter. I could make it with all the panic setting in. I stood in the doorway, startling everyone but Tsunami and the boy when I spoke.

"It's alright, guys. The tea makes him sleep. He'll be better when he wakes up."

All eyes snapped towards me, most wide. Sasuke's own were narrowed, but they changed to normal when I looked over. What was he thinking? I made it in time, didn't I?

I just hope that Sasori's temporary memory wipe works. If Kakashi wakes up and remembers everything, I'm going to be restrained for questioning in Konoha.

Or worse.

The tension in the room was unbearable. Everyone seemed to be either staring at me or gazing with worry at our teacher. Fortunately, Tsunami released the tension when she reached for Kakashi cautiously. She felt his forehead before smiling up to me.

"Looks like your medical tea is working. His temper's gone down tremendously since this morning."

Smiling, I knelt beside her to confirm. All eyes on me.

Why do they all keep staring? It's unnerving.

Sasuke's scrutinizing look was the hardest to ignore.

...

Later that Night…

"The shower's all yours, Saku-." The kunochi was out the door before I could finish. I grinned and shook my head at her antics. Naruto and Sasuke had taken a long time and there was only one shower in the house . It was already going on midnight.

The rest of the day had been hard. I was forced to act like everything was perfectly normal and that I was completely innocent in all that I did. It wasn't easy. It's not going to be easy to continue. I felt like every step I took was numbered, as if one false step would pull me under.

Fear and worry would rise in my chest every time I caught a look from my teammates. Every once and a while, one of them would look at me with a question in their eyes. It wasn't a hostile look, but the expression of curious interest was unnerving.

It was even harder to act normal with Sasuke trailing me. Sometimes he made it blatantly obvious by just walking and talking with me, other times he tried to observe me from a hiding place. I always detected him in those places, but I never called him out.

I needed him to trust me more than he trusted Kakashi… that task was already finished.

Now, I just needed him to put more faith in my actions. I know he trusts me now.

I tossed my dirty clothes into a corner for later. I stepped in front of the mirror and let out a shaky breath.

Nervous fingers lifted. I hesitated, but slowly untied the robe. It slid to the floor and revealed my bare body.

Every time I looked at my figure, I was amazed. For all the battles I'd been in, all the fights, brawls, and conflicts, I only had one scar.

And that one scar was laced across my skin before I had my first training session.

A birthmark perhaps. I'd never know.

It sliced right over my heart. A weird place for the mark? Definitely. But I didn't question it. It didn't cause any pain so the only problem was physical appearance and even then, I didn't care. It was only visible if someone was looking for it. Hardly anyone knew about it anyway.

My chest however, was a very noticeable thing. It was a sickly purple color all around the ribcage area. The coloration wrapped around my body and ended at the middle of my back.

I poked it, tensing when it shot a pain through me.

The bones were healing well, but it would still be a few days until they would be completely sealed together.

I groaned when the simple twist of my body was painful. Fracturing bones was annoying and I was glad that this was the first time it had happened.

Sighing, I let my hands rest just beneath my breasts and called upon a powerful healing jutsu. Soft green light surrounded my hands and the purple color slowly vanished. I felt so much better. The bones were tightly fixed (not completely healed though) and the swelling was down.

Good. Just a few more days and I'll be back in perfect condition.

Cough!

My eyes widened and I quickly picked my robe up from the ground. I wrapped it around my body hurriedly and sprinted to the window across the room. It slammed open and I shot my head out into the darkness.

There was nothing.

…Hmm…

"I know I heard something..."

Footsteps padded down the wooden porch. At this hour?

I turned to the right and to my surprise, I found my favorite knuckle-headed ninja walking along the porch, head bowed. Blinking against the night, I narrowed my eyes at him in question.

"Naruto?"

"Wah!" His head jerked up, his eyes wide. "Oh! Hey Hikari!"

"Naruto, what are you doing out here? It's late. You should get some rest."

"Oh, uh, right!" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was just waiting for that jerk, Sasuke to let me in the room." His eyes dilated. "He locked the door and won't let me in! I don't know what the heck his problem is!"

"Hmm…maybe it has to do with you "accidently" eating all the lasagna at dinner."

"That really was an accident! Tsunami said it was all for me!"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "She was kidding, you dork!"

He crossed his arms and stood in front of me with a pout. "I thought she was serious."

"It was a whole pan! Sakura and I had to run to town to get take out because there was nothing left! And you even ate my leftovers too!"

Naruto's pout increased and he mumbled something about "that idiot Sasuke" and "stupid sarcasm" under his breath.

"He didn't have to lock the door on me…I kind of need some clothes beside this bathrobe thing." His eyes traveled to my own robe and he blushed furiously. "Oh…uh. I guess you need to get dressed too. I-uh. I'll go see if it's unlocked yet, so uhm. Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right." Grinning, I reached out and ruffled his hair gently. "Get some rest. We're going to be leaving soon."

"Uh…alright. N-Night, Hikari."

"Goodnight Naruto!" I waved after his quickly retreating form, giggling at how his face had burned red when he saw what I was wearing.

Hmm. Guess it was only Naruto passing by…but he didn't seem off edge. He didn't see me without my robe on. Good. That would have been a little awkward.

I shut the window and reached for my nightgown. Stripping the robe again, I swiftly put it on.

My head band was already untied and I pulled it out of my robe pocket and set it on top of the vanity before I threw the robe into the pile of dirty clothes. I let my damp hair lay over my shoulders and onto the purple night gown. My necklace was soon unclasped and it slipped down to sit in my palm.

I grinned down to it, running my fingers over the beautiful fan design. It was gorgeous.

My first birthday present… I was so happy when Sasuke gave me this…

My eyes closed and I took in a breath. Could I look inside without feeling pain? I doubted it.

I opened the locket.

Two pictures laid inside. One on the left, the other on the right, each holding a precious moment.

On the left was a picture of me and Sasuke.

Back when we were smaller. Little Sasuke was on my back, his smile blinding and his grip tight around my neck.

My face was a little more disfigured.

My mouth and eyes were wide open and my hands were flinging about as I tried to stop myself from falling. Sasuke had just jumped on me and I wasn't expecting it. Itachi had snapped the picture, knowing exactly what was happening.

I laughed lightly at the memory.

My eyes wouldn't leave the young Uchiha's face for several moments. All the lines of worry and anger didn't exist back then. Only his bright smile and his outgoing spirit.

He was so cute when he was little.

You're not even two years older, Hikari. You were little back then too.

…True enough.

The right picture made my breath catch.

I put a hand to my mouth to stifle the cry but my eyes watered no matter what I did.

It was a picture of me and Itachi.

We were at the meadow talking one afternoon after training. We had both ended up lying down for a nap. Somehow, we ended up together.

His strong, left arm wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me flesh against his firm torso. The top of my head fit perfectly under his chin, my nose tickling his throat. My arms wound around his neck, pressing me against him even further, and my small hands were strung in his silky hair.

Small, happy smiles in our sleep.

We were both happy. You could see it in the freaking picture!

One tear dripped down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away.

No more crying, Hikari. Move. On. Itachi Uchiha doesn't feel that way for you anymore. You've got to let it go.

My smile and chuckle were only mocking. Mocking to my own thoughts.

I sat back in the vanity's small chair, head hanging over the top. My eyes trained on the ceiling, not really taking it in while I stayed with my thoughts.

Wow…I haven't thought about Itachi like this these last few weeks. At least not as much as usual. Even so, he still managed to get one little tear out of me and he wasn't even here to do it himself. I don't know what's been going on between us, but it seems that he's actually, honestly trying to build a relationship with me. Is that even possible? Itachi Uchiha wanting to be my friend again? …But why would he start now? That doesn't make any sense. … Hmm. Maybe the stress level of performing so much has finally made him insane.

I chuckled lightly when a mental picture of a crazy looking Itachi popped up in my head. I shook my head swiftly and sat up in the chair properly.

Back on topic, Hikari. You need to find out what he's up to. He isn't the kind of person to wake up and decide one day that he wants to be "friends" with someone. He plans everything out to the very last detail. He's thorough in absolutely everything that requires encounters with other people. This isn't any different. What is he planning? …How long has he been planning? Could he have known that Pein was going to send us to Konoha?

I sighed irritably and shut my eyes. "Whatever he's planning can't be discovered right now. Maybe when I get back to Konoha."

If you can even walk around freely when you return. Who knows what will happen between now and then. Having an infinite supply of memory wipe potions wouldn't support anything. Kakashi would grow suspicious that much faster if he had to keep taking them even after he recovered. I don't know I'm going to do when that time comes.

What can I do?

There was a faint knocking at the door. "Hikari?"

I jumped at the familiar voice and quickly stuffed my necklace in the vanity's drawer, shutting it loudly.

I didn't realize that part of the clasp was hanging out…

Whirling in the chair, I stood quickly, knocking a vase over on a chest, but I quickly caught it, placed it back on the table, ran to the door and opened it. "Hey Sasuke!"

Sure enough, the Uchiha stood in the doorway, eyes fixated straight ahead. His hands were folded over the deep blue bathrobe, much like the one I had been given, he had received from Tsunami. I must have looked a mess because he looked at me strangely, eyebrow arched.

I let go of the door and twiddled my fingers in front of me, looking to the floor.

"So umm…you need something?"

"Yeah…it's about Kakashi. "

I nearly froze. Oh no.

I gave the boy a curious look, tilting my head in innocent confusion."What about him? Is something wrong. You need me to check up on him?"

His look was just as questioning when he responded. "No... Tsunami asked when she should give him more of the…medicine."

"Oh. Um. Well I'll show her how to make it in the morning and we can give it to him then. That it?" I saw his mouth begin to open, but I didn't let him speak. "No? Alright then. I guess I'll see you in the morning. 'Night Sasuke."

A hand curling around the door kept me from shutting it. Brown eyes met with black as he took a step forward. His hand stayed firm when I pushed a little harder. Eyes narrowing, he fully stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

My own eyes twitched in irritation. "You need something?" When he didn't answer, I shrugged and sat down on my bed. "If you don't, can you please go? I really need to get some sleep. I've been missing out these past few nights."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Hm?"

The bed dipped down when he sat beside me. He looked at me with a mixture of concern and suspicion, an expression I didn't care for.

"Ever since dinner, you've been acting depressed."

I narrowed my eyes. "How are we all supposed to feel? We just found out that Zabuza is most likely alive and after all our hard work..."

I had been filled in on what my team and Tazuna discussed in my absence, all of it unsurprising. I'd heard it all before, but I was now fully aware that this situation was getting more complicated by the second. Everything was stacking up.

They all knew I had a connection to the masked boy.

They all felt a sympathy for me that I didn't deserve, thinking that a friend had betrayed me.

How ironic. I'm the one they feel sorry for. If they only knew better.

I had deliberately lied to Sasuke and promised something completely false.

Kakashi knew that I was betraying Konoha and I would eventually have to stop giving him the memory wipe potions.

I was still lying to everyone about who I was and our enemy could expose me at any second.

I was the current leader until Kakashi recovered.

I had to make sure that my teammates didn't kill each other.

I needed to make sure that Kakashi continued to forget.

I had to keep up this façade.

My heart was aching to see everyone back at the HQ. I really wanted to go home right now and talk with Deidara and Sasori. Especially with Pein. I needed to sort out all my feelings for everything.

AND…I had to deal with all the stress in everything by myself.

I couldn't handle all this much longer. So many secrets. So many lies.

I need to be alone to clear my head. I need to plan and put things into sequence, get some things straightened out before I move forward.

I let out a breath and managed a small grin to Sasuke. "…I guess I shouldn't be acting this way. You all have to deal with it too. I'm being selfish."

He shook his head and rested a hand on my shoulder. He squeezed it once in sympathy. "Maybe. But you're role in all this is more…stressful than ours. You have more to think about."

I chuckled lightly. You have no idea.

"Yeah... I guess. I just need some time to clear my head. Sorry to snap at you."

He only nodded. "I understand. You don't need to apologize."

Smiling, I stood up and grabbed my bag. I set it behind the dressing wall and started to strip out of my bathrobe once again to put on the other clothes.

"Yeah, I do. I'm gonna get dressed in my night clothes, put on a coat, and some slippers, and take a short walk along the ocean. It'll clear my head."

Sasuke stood and his gaze shifted to the window, giving me privacy. "You want to go now? It's late and it's too dark."

"But the dark is calming. It'll make me feel better." I tied the last string and threw on a sweatshirt before stepping out from the wall to put on the warm shoes. "You coming?"

"You want me to?"

"Sure. Besides, Naruto's probably plotting some sort of revenge for you locking him out of his room."

The Uchiha smirked. "Probably...I'll be back."

I let out a sigh when he left the room. Why had I asked him to come with me? This was supposed to be a time to clear my head. Not fill it up again!

"Uggh…ah well. It'll still be calming. Walking along the beach with the moon hanging in the sky and all the sparkling stars... And it'll just be the two of us. Finally."

I desperately needed some peace and quiet time to think. He probably needed to get away from the others before he ripped their heads off too.

I chuckled at that and quickly scribbled down a note for Sakura then set it on her bed. I could just imagine her face when she read that Sasuke and I were taking a walk. Hopefully she didn't come storming down the shore to find us.

I shuffled out of the room and slid the door shut behind me. The boys' room was just down the hall and Sasuke was quickly stepping out and shutting the door, a smirk on his face. A resounding bang and cursing followed from inside the room. I think the thrown object shattered. I arched an eyebrow curiouly.

He sighed and stuffed his hands in his new black sweatshirt's pockets. "Naruto's a total moron."

Smiling, I led the way to the door. "He's always good for a laugh. Did you tell him we were going out?"

I noticed that he stuttered before speaking. "G-going out? …No. It's none of his concern."

He fell in step with me as we rounded the corner.

"Let's hope he doesn't go searching the whole island for you, then."

"Psh. Why would he do that? We hate each other."

Yet, I could see a faint light in his eyes when he spoke of the other boy. I grinned. Naruto was finally getting to him in his own way. The same thing was working the other way too. Lately, I was seeing traces of friendship spark between and I was glad.

They needed each other.

"Hey… Where're you two goin' so late?" Tazuna's voice was slurred and we knew he'd been drinking again…and heavily at that. At least half a dozen empty sake bottles were scattered around the couch he sat on.

I flashed him a grin and gestured to the ocean a half mile down the path. "We're just going to take a little walk along the ocean to clear our heads. We should be back within an hour. Tell Naruto if you need anything. He'll find us."

The older man let out a loud belch and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. He laughed heartily and dropped his bottle by the others.

"Takin' a walk? Just the two of ya? Haha! I doubt walkin's all you two'll be doin' at this time of night! You better only be kissin'! You're only a couple of brats, so no othastuff, 'k Sasuke?"

My whole body flushed crimson.

Sasuke's did too.

OH. MY. GOD.

"Hehe. Well, 'night lovebirds. I'mma goin' to hit the stack. Have fun with each otha ."

And with that pleasant little greeting, he left the room.

Sasuke and I stood didn't move from our spots.

I don't know if I could.

……Wha…what did he say? Did he just-? Me and Sasuke and THAT? HOLY CRAP! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT MAN THINKING! I'M FOURTEEN! HE'S THIRTEEN! WE'RE NOT EVEN IN A RELATIONSHIP! WHY WOULD HE EVEN IMPLY THAT WE WERE GOING TO GO OUT AND HAVE…HAVE….HAVE THAT?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SASUKE KNOWS WHAT THAT IS?!

I dared a look at the Uchiha from the corner of my eye and knew something instantly.

He knew about the "other stuff" Tazuna was referring to.

His cheeks were painted a fiery red and his eyes were as wide as china plates, mouth gaping. He looked completely frozen in place and I didn't blame him. I probably looked the same.

His lips parted, but nothing coherent came out except for a few choked sounds, "I-I-I…"

I looked to my feet, trying so hard to force down the blush. "I-um…well…um uh…you wanna hurry up and go now?"

He manage a nod, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and shuffled slowly after me.

It was dead silent the first ten minutes of our walk. Only the sound of the waves and the occasional call of a seagull broke the barrier.

We but stood as close to the edge as possible without being in the sand. The last thing I wanted was to fill my slippers with the grainy stuff. Sasuke seemed to have the same train of thought.

After another ten minutes, I finally spoke up.

"So…what do you think about Kakashi training us in his condition?"

His gaze shifted from the sand to me. "…It'll be interesting. I'm wondering what exactly he plans to show us. Hopefully something useful. All the kunai and shuriken training and those constant spars with Naruto are getting boring."

I chuckled. "Is the great Uchiha Sasuke complaining?"

He scoffed and shoved me with his shoulder. My eyes crinkled in mirth and I quickly stepped back to walking in synch with him. He was in a good mood, despite the awkward comment earlier.

"You're getting sick of it too, you loser."

I laughed again and playfully cuffed him in the back of the head. "Hey! I thought we were passed the whole "loser" stage in our friendship."

He smirked. "Not until you stop acting like one. So…never then."

I narrowed my eyes playfully. "You are such a jerk sometimes, Sasuke."

"And you're an annoying brat all the time."

"Love you too."

I steadied the boy when he tripped over a large rock that was hidden in the dark. My hand clasped around his shoulder and I threw him an amused smirk.

"Watch it."

"Hn." He moved away from me and stuffed his hands deeper into his sweatshirt's pocket's, hair shadowing his eyes.

We continued in a companionable silence for a while longer. I for one was enjoying the peaceful night. The light breeze and smell of the sea was soothing to my heart. Just walking under the silver moon made me feel so much lighter. I took in a deep breath, inhaling it all in. It was perfect outside.

"Hikari…"

"Hmm?"

"About earlier... what Tazuna was saying."

I felt my cheeks flush crimson once again and I waved a hand as if to ward it off.

"Pfft. Don't take any of it to heart Sasuke. That man was drunk out of his mind."

He nodded.

I felt his eyes shift over to me seconds later. "Drunkenness usually brings out the truth…Tazuna thinks we're together..."

"Well…we have kissed before..."

This talk was getting rather uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if I enjoyed talking to Sasuke about this, especially since he was the one who Tazuna had implied that I might be kissing.

Or more.

God, no.

A thought struck me and I laughed lightly. He arched an eyebrow when I sat down on a nearby boulder. He stopped in front of me, his back to the sea and eyes intently staring to his left.

I kicked my legs back and forth like a happy little kid and held myself up with my hands at my sides.

"I was just thinking about how Sakura would feel if we were a couple. Or better yet, all the girls in the village." I made myself look completely horrified. "I think I'd be murdered in my sleep."

He scoffed. "If we were together, I wouldn't let any of those girls near you." His eyes shifted to me, half lidded. "…Or those guys you're always around."

I laughed. "An overprotective boyfriend, hm? Gosh…I'd love that…most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

"Of course. I mean…there would have to be some ground rules in our relationship, right? And one of those would be that I'm allowed to see Shikamaru, Neji, and Naruto."

He smirked, as if he thought of this conversation as a challenge to his male pride.

"When I allowed you to."

I narrowed my own eyes in acceptance of the challenge.

"You think you could tell me what to do, Mr. Uchiha?"

"…Yes. As your lover, I would be the only boy you could give attention to."

"Hm…and that would mean that I would be the only girl you would be allowed to even glance at." I leaned in slightly. "And if I caught you looking at anyone else, I'd beat you to a pulp."

"Hn. I wouldn't do that to my girlfriend. I'm not a pervert like all the other guys in the village."

"They're not all like that! There are…some, who I've found acceptable."

I missed his dark eyes flash in rage when I gazed up to the moon.

"Like who? Not one guy has looked at you without thinking something dirty."

"And how would you know that? Do you and the guys have "secret meetings" about girls or something?"

His eyes moved to the ocean, a grimace setting in. The darkness covered up his reddening face.

"…It's not that hard to see, you moron! You're just oblivious."

"Ugh. Why would they all stare at me like that? It's not like I'm any prettier than all the other girls."

"Are you blind?"

My eyes widened.

Both of our eyes connected in that moment. His were burning with a fire I had never seen in them before. And a single emotion in them was so intense that I almost reeled back.

Desire.

He took a step closer to me, hands clenching in his pockets.

"You're the most beautiful girl that has ever stepped into Konoha. Anyone could tell you that. Kakashi and the dobe would even admit it if you asked."

I felt an overwhelming urge of shyness sweep over me and I was forced to lower my gaze to my lap.

"…And if I asked you?"

"…I'd say the same."

He'd stepped closer and my head snapped up. He was still a few feet away, but it looked like he was still coming closer. My heart thundered against my chest and I couldn't breathe. It felt like my heart was burning.

His eyes had smoldered and he took one more step forward.

What was happening?

Whatever he had been planning to do was sorely interrupted when I felt two powerful surges of chakra closing in quickly.

Both of which I recognized immediately.

I threw my head to the side, startling Sasuke (who had come a lot closer) and widened my eyes in amazement. Was it really-?

I was answered when I was roughly pulled up from the rock and pressed tightly against a strong chest. Strong arms embraced me around the shoulders and waist and his chin nuzzled into the top of my head.

I responded immediately. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tightly, getting as close to him as possible.

"Hikari… god I missed you." His grip tightened and I nodded into his chest, happiness flooding over. I felt tears prick in my eyes and I nuzzled closer to him and reeled in the feeling of my heart's sudden joy.

"I'm happy to see you too, Dei. I missed you so, so much."

The hug only lasted for another few seconds before Sasuke interrupted quite loudly.

"Who the heck are you?!" And he didn't sound happy either.

"Relax boy, we are not your enemies."

That voice.

I turned my head to the right and was ecstatic when I saw sharp jade eyes glaring at me, a warmth inside only meant for me.

But I also recognized the many differences. His hair was cleanly cut and was a sharp, jet black color. His height had increased to nearly six foot and his body was evidently muscular beneath his blue and white outfit.

Hm? If Sasori's different, then what's Deidara…?

I tilted my head from his shoulder and stared up at the boy. My eyes widened and I gasped.

His face had not changed. What was he thinking?!

His hair was different though. It was now a dusty dark brown with streaks of black in some places. Instead of being long, it was just medium length and untamed. It stood out nearly in spikes and stopped right below his chin. His left eye was still covered by a thick bang.

His body looked more fit than usual, but that could have just been the clothes he was wearing. The tight, white muscle shirt was sleeveless and it hugged every muscle, and showed his strong his arms. Fingerless gloves with metal bracers rose to his elbows on both arms.

But his face was the same!!!

Deidara slowly loosened his grip and shot Sasuke a smirk over my head. His arms still held me flush to his chest and I barely managed to turn my head to my left to see my friend.

"Little brat. What were you planning to do with that, un?"

A kunai -where the heck did he get that?!- was tightly held in his hand, his other one clenching in a breaking force. He looked absolutely livid.

"Let. Her. Go," he seethed, getting in a battle ready stance. His eyes flickered to Sasori a few feet to his right, but then his gaze went right back to the man holding me.

I knew that he knew he was outnumbered, he possibly even admitted to himself that he was outmatched. Deidara's smirk was challenging and nothing good would come out of that look.

Instead of heading Sasuke's words, Deidara's grip around me tightened once again, his hand gently pressing my head to crook of his neck. My cheeks burned at such close contact with a man.

"And if I don't? What are you going to do about it, yeah?" Deidara chuckled and nodded his head towards the kunai in the boy's. "Try and kill me with that little knife? In case you haven't noticed, there are two of us, yeah. You wouldn't stand a chance."

I felt a deadly aura resonate from the Uchiha and I grimaced widely. This was going to get real ugly, real fast if something wasn't done.

"Dayeron. Release her. We're not here to start a fight." The puppet master's voice cut straight through the night, leaving no room for disobedience.

Deidara scoffed at his teammate, but reluctantly let me go…after one more tight squeeze. I stumbled back a few steps at the loss of contact and Sasori gave the two of us an amused grimace..

"Hehehe. No…but it's still fun to torment the kid."

If possible, Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further and I swore he was about to tackle Deidara. I quickly stepped away from the now brunette man and stood back at Sasuke's side. He took a step in front of me defensively and gave the two shinobi in front of us wary looks.

Sasori and Deidara stared right back, though Deidara's look was more smug than the former. Sasori kept his more mature face calm and stoic.

Sasuke's teeth clinched when Deidara chuckled. His grip on the kunai tightened and I knew for sure that he was ready for a fight.

Before he could jump, I gripped his wrist firmly, barely holding him back.

"Wait Sasuke! They're my friends!"

He glanced at me sharply, eyes searching my own for sincerity. My own widened when he glared back at the two men, clearly not trusting them.

Deidara opened his mouth to speak, but Sasori and I quickly shut him up with a look. He rolled his eyes but remained silent. I knew he understood how important it was to gain the trust of this person, especially if he had been eavesdropping on us. He would see how close we were.

Sasuke finally came up with his decision when he reluctantly tucked his kunai back in his sweatshirt pocket.

"…Hn." He glared with a deadly sharpness back at two men, but his stance was less hostile. With a scoff, he crossed his arms and closed his moved his eyes to the moon. "Whatever."

I sighed in relief and looked back to the others.

…My relief was immediately ripped away.

Deidara's eyes were wide and completely blank…not too unnatural.

But Sasori's were the same.

Something was very wrong.

They both stared at Sasuke with a newfound knowledge…And that's when it all clicked.

They knew who this scowling boy was…and all because of his glare.

"...Sasuke."

Immediate panic flared in me and my eyes flickered from Deidara to Sasori. The man had made the same deduction. His eyes narrowed, burning fire.

"Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes flared. "What of it?"

Both Akatsuki members looked at him in utter disbelief, then looked to me and I could only nod.

They knew Itachi's secret…

This was bad.