Sealing the Deal

The Morning After

Deidara wakes up to the sound of rustling. He yawns and stretches, then he stops himself when he realizes he's not alone.

"Ah," Obito says as he puts on his armor, "you're awake."

Deidara opens his mouth to say something, but he snaps his mouth shut.

Obito gives him a sad look and gestures to the door. "I have to go help Master Madara with something," he says. "It's something I must do every day." When Deidara nods, he continues and says, "I already asked if my brother could show you around the estate—"

Deidara takes in a deep breath.

"—but he said he's busy today, so I asked my youngest instead."

Deidara huffs.

"Oh, do you not want either of them?"

Deidara nods.

Tobi thinks for a moment. "What about his wife, then? Maybe you'd appreciate it more if you can spend your time with another girl."

Deidara nods quickly.

His husband smiles. "I'll tell them to fetch Sakura then, okay?" He then points to another door. "The bathroom is there," he says, "if you want to get ready before seeing her again. You can ask for servants to help you, too, if you want. Just open the door and ask. They don't mind."

Obito grabs his sword and attaches it to his belt. He turns back to his wife and nods. "I have to go now," he says. "I'm sorry that we can't spend all our time together today. I do want to get to know you better still, but my duties call. I promise I'll make it up to you tonight, okay?"

Deidara just nods.

Obito seems to sense his hurry and nods once again. "I'll be going now," he says before leaving the room.

Deidara hears a hushed conversation outside the door, where he can just barely make out Tobi asking the servants to ask Sakura to come to greet his wife instead of Sasuke, and then an array of footsteps heading to different directions.

He heads to the bathroom and sighs. He grabs a cloth and dips it into a bowl of water. He scrubs his face aggressively, until his skin starts to burn a little, and tosses the towel against the edge of the bowl.

He goes back into the bedroom and pours himself a cup of water to drink. Moments later, he hears a soft voice at the door.

"It's me, Sakura."

"Come in," Deidara murmurs.

The door slides open and Sakura hurries in. She shuts the door behind her, and she makes her way toward him.

"How are you feeling?" she asks. "Are you okay?"

Deidara struggles to nod. He stands up and wraps his arms around her. She hesitantly returns the hug and pats him on the back.

"Did he do something to you?" she asks when he doesn't let go. "Did he...?"

"No," Deidara says. His voice is hoarse. "No, he didn't," he says. "You're right. He's a nice guy."

"I'm glad," Sakura says, "then are you okay?"

Deidara shakes his head. "I don't know," he admits. "I feel very tired, hm."

"Why is that?"

"I feel like, as a brother, I should support Ino no matter what," he says, "but I also feel like I shouldn't bear this burden for her."

Sakura looks at him, her expression unreadable. When she doesn't immediately answer him, he shakes his head again. "Forget I said anything, yeah," he says. "You should teach me how to—"