Shock Value

By: visely

Warnings: Alternate mangaverse. Crack pairing. Incest. Heavy lime. If you have issues with any of these things, I highly recommend reading something else. And for those who are curious as to how this crack-ass pairing came to be, blame it on Kishimoto for making Deidara and Ino hot and so similar in appearance.

Reviews are appreciated!





The rush of water was deafening outside the open window. A fine mist billowed up from the frothing pool below and dotted the bay window with quivering droplets. Ino daringly leaned out over the windowsill, closing her eyes and shivering at the pleasant sensation of cool mist condensing onto her skin.

She hadn't realized how much she's missed Takigakure until she'd seen one of its signature waterfalls again, and this one was right outside the bay window of the hotel they were staying at.

Ino pulled back to rest her hands on the sill and gaze admiringly at the rainbow shimmering near the falls. The last time she'd visited the village had been three years ago on a previous vacationing trip, and then again three years before that. Her parents had had their first honeymoon here and loved the place, settling on it as their default vacation destination each time the topic came up.

Ino didn't mind; each visit had been memorable and fun in its own right and she was especially glad her father had decided to splurge his work bonus on the best suite this time. But then again, he'd had his reasons.

Closing the window, Ino wandered out into the empty hotel suite and plopped down into an armchair, wondering how she'd react to seeing him again.

Besides Sakura, Chouji, and Shikamaru, no one in Ino's circle of friends and acquaintances knew she had an older half-brother.

Unbeknownst to the majority of Konoha, Inoichi had spent several years in Iwa prior to marrying, having been stationed there for an extended diplomatic mission before Konoha's attempts at negotiation failed and the war broke out. During his stay, he'd developed a long-standing relationship with one of the village women.

Ino had met him only twice previously, once when she'd been nine years old and another time when she had been too young to remember. Each encounter had been brief as travels to Iwa were usually restricted.

Her father had made a sincere effort to stay in contact with his first-born despite the fact they were practically strangers to each other, part of that being the reason Inoichi had gone as far as to book the best room in the hotel. He'd invited him to spend their vacation together and had even paid his share to make up for lost time.

Last she'd heard, he'd accepted the offer. Her parents had left her in the suite to greet him in case he showed up while they were out.

Ino stood and went to glance at her reflection to make sure the mist hadn't frizzed her hair.

The sight of it prompted her to try to recall what her brother looked like.

"Deidara," she said aloud, hoping the name would stir her memory. All she could come up with was a boy who vaguely resembled her and had long, darker blonde hair. The most distinctive things about him had been his avid love for art and the unsettling presence of mouths in his palms. She laughed when she recalled her repulsed reaction and his subsequent amusement.

Suddenly, Ino heard the sound of the door opening at the other end of the apartment. She moved to grab a hair tie, quickly doing up her hair before leaving the room.

The sound of keys being set against the table carried through to the hall and she quickened her steps.

"What took so long, dad?" she demanded before entering the dining room. "I'm starving—"

She came to an abrupt stop, the tirade dying on her lips.

The boy standing near the table regarded her with the same blank silence, half his face obscured by a thick, blonde forelock. He was carrying a travelling pack and wearing a forehead protector that, at second glance, she knew she'd seen somewhere before. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he raised his arm and pointed inquiringly.

"Ino?"

She blinked, but then recognition dawned on her and she gasped before lunging forward and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Oh my God, I didn't even recognize you!" she exclaimed, oblivious to him staggering beneath her enthusiasm. "How have you been, Deidara?"

She heard him chuckle faintly and reciprocate with a pat on the back. "Hm, busy but good. Let me look at you."

Ino laughed apologetically and pulled back, beaming up at him as he took a step back and blinked.

"You look different, un."

She threw her hair back flippantly and put her hands on her hips. "Well of course. Last time you saw me, I was only an academy student."

"Yeah," he said, tilting his head to the side and studying her. "You were a shrimp back then. And you used to call me nii-san."

"You were no better!" she exclaimed, wondering if her appearance had changed so much for him to observe her at such length. "But forget about me. You must be tired. I'll show you your room."

With that, she moved to take his bags, only to have him stop her by raising a hand.

"I got it, un."

Ino blanched when a hint of pink emerged from his palm and deliberately ran over the slit to discourage her from insisting. With a shudder, she turned away and beckoned for him to follow.

"You still have those horrible things?"

He smirked as he followed her down the hall. "They're useful when it comes to my ninjutsu. I can show you later."

"No thanks," Ino said, cringing at the thought. She stopped at his door and pushed it open, gesturing for him to enter first before following.

He paused upon entering the room, looking visibly impressed by the size and accommodations. He dropped one of the bags carelessly to the floor but set the other two gently on the bed. When he turned around, he looked somewhat taken aback to see her smiling at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied, still smiling. "I'm just glad you decided to come. Dad told me you've been really busy."

He smiled humourlessly and sank onto the edge of the bed, reaching up to untie his forehead protector. "Busy, yeah. Boring stuff, reconnaissance; gets in the way of creating art."

Ino raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah, how is that coming along, anyway? I hear you're a full-fledged artist now."

Deidara nodded, pleased at her interest as he gestured to the two bags he'd set on the bed. "I'll show you as soon as I settle in, un."

Before she could reply, they heard the front door open again and Inoichi's voice rang out. "We're back, Ino! Is Deidara here yet?"

At that, Ino exchanged an amused glance with a suddenly reluctant-looking Deidara, realizing how awkward it would be between him and his father, at least for the first few days. At the same time, she felt no pity towards him whatsoever after enduring her father's anxious fussing for the past week.

Without further pause, she turned around and waved over her shoulder as she exited the room.

"Good luck settling in."

Despite Ino's eagerness to have the family come together, dinner was initially a solitary affair. Her parents had met up with some friends also vacationing from Konoha and had spent the last two nights eating out. Wary of bothering Deidara in case he was tired or busy, she ate alone for the first night, then decided she'd take him his share the second night as an excuse to catch up.

Balancing a tray on one arm, she stopped outside his door and knocked. "Hey, I brought you dinner."

At the sound of his muffled invitation to come in, Ino carefully turned the knob, pushing the door open with her foot and stepping in. When she raised her head, she stopped dead.

"Wow," she said blankly.

At least a hundred miniature clay sculptures were strewn around the room, arranged on shelves and furniture and completely covering the rug he was sitting on. He glanced up from where he was moulding another figure and a smile spread over his face at her reaction.

"You like it?"

"Wow," Ino repeated, blinking in amazement. "I can't believe you did all these."

Careful to avoid stepping on any of the sculptures, she gingerly tiptoed her way over to him, handing him the tray and deciding she'd be safer sitting on his bed. She allowed him several minutes of silence in which to eat his dinner, settling onto her stomach on the bed and taking in the variety of figurines surrounding her.

To her amusement, she noticed that he wasn't even looking at what he was eating, mechanically chewing and swallowing and keeping his focus on the small lump of clay taking shape in his hands.

"You've been pretty scarce since you got here," Ino commented, propping her chin up on her hand.

"I've been out," he said, gesturing to the window. "Testing the aerodynamic capabilities of some of my newer sculptures."

Ino stared at him in disbelief. "You've been training? But you're on vacation!"

"Not so much training as honing my artistic skills, un."

Ino shook her head, half out of admiration and half out of annoyance at his apparent lack of interest in conversation. She'd always wanted a sibling to talk inane things over with, simply to escape from the stresses of shinobi duty. Now that she finally had her opportunity, she wasn't about to let it go to waste.

She cleared her throat.

"So, Deidara…"

"Nii-san," he reminded her absentmindedly, scrutinizing the sculpture.

Ino raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Do you have a girlfriend? I never had a boyfriend. Dad's overprotective and won't let me date."

He snorted faintly. "Don't have time for that nonsense, un."

"Oh come on," she said playfully. "You can't tell me no one got your attention over in Iwagakure."

The comment did nothing to dissuade him from analyzing his work, but at the impatient and exaggerated clearing of her throat, he raised his head.

"Art is my first, last, and only love," he said flatly. "Besides…"

Ino idly watched him run a clay-caked thumbnail into the model to create relief in the surface. His visible eye was dark with focus, tone factual when he continued.

"People are tied down by convention. They don't understand my art. And if they're incapable of appreciating my work, then they're not worthy of having my attention." He raised his head, looking at his model with satisfaction. "Boring, average, predictable people…they're poison to an artist like me, un."

"Mm," Ino conceded, regarding him curiously. "Don't take this the wrong way, but…you remind me of those eccentric, artistic geniuses we learned about in school. The ones who never married, dedicated their lives to art, and died alone."

If she thought he'd be offended by the comment, she was wrong. He looked pleased.

"I like the way you think, un."

Ino laughed lightly. "But then again some of those guys had seriously messed up love lives. But that's what you want, right? The unconventional?"

He shrugged. "I don't think about it."

"Give me a break. You can still appreciate a pretty girl, right?"

"Of course. An artist can appreciate beauty in all forms."

Ino smiled slyly and pretended to primp her hair. "Well, then you must appreciate me very much."

He snickered at that, not taking the bait and presenting her the clay model instead.

Ino leaned down for a closer look, gazing appreciatively at the detail he'd put into the tiny dove in his hand. "That's beautiful."

He nodded, content with her response, and lowered his arm as she propped her head back up on her hand.

"You know, our art forms are pretty similar."

"Hm? How?"

"I guess because neither of them lasts forever. In ikebana, you get a really short window of time to appreciate the flowers because they die so quickly."

He paused, considering her words. "That's true. But there's one big exception, un."

"What?"

"Come here."

Ino blinked at the abrupt request but sat up anyway, climbing off the bed as he brushed his sculptures aside to make room for her. Once she'd settled down in front of him, he raised his hand, fingers clenched tightly around something in his palm. She was surprised to notice that his expression had become oddly serious.

"You know what makes my art different?" he asked, watching her intently.

Ino slowly shook her head, eyes lowering towards the clenched fist he held motionlessly between them, as if offering her something.

He raised his other hand and slowly curved his index finger in a 'come hither' motion, the visible blue of his iris electric in the dim light. Hardly aware of her actions, she leaned closer, staring at his closed fist in intrigue.

He grinned.

"Shock value."

His fingers splayed open and a ball of clay exploded with a loud crack, vaporizing in a flash of heat and flame.

Ino reeled back with a shriek, landing unceremoniously on her behind as he fell back towards the bed frame, laughing hysterically.

Momentarily stunned, she stared at him as he slumped against the mattress and shook with mirth, muffling his high-pitched cackles in the bedspread. Slowly, she regained her composure, eyes narrowing into a half-hearted glare as she scrambled to her feet.

"You asshole, you scared the hell out of me," she snapped picking up a cushion to fling at his head.

It connected with his shoulder and he raised his head from the bedspread, lips quirked in a wicked grin.

"That's what makes my art special, un."

Offended by his lack of concern, she crossed her arms and scowled.

"You think it's funny to scare people half to death?"

He shook his head, rising and moving towards her. She watched curiously as he pulled back the thick blonde forelock that obscured a scope of some kind. He pressed something on the side of the metal contraption, adjusting the lens until a dim, grainy picture projected onto the wall.

"Not 'funny,'" he said calmly as she gazed at the picture in silence. "Beautiful."

Her face stared back at her, illuminated an eerie blue by chakra-induced flame; it was caught in a mien of shock at the instant his clay had exploded, eyes only slightly wide, lips only slightly parted. The muscles in her neck and shoulders were lax, a strange contrast to her surprised expression.

No, not surprised. There wasn't really a word for the look on her face. It was a fleeting emotion, one comprised of the exact moment her nerves were shot with sensation and her body awaited the physical recoil.

She was looking at the instantaneous reaction her body had had to the impending explosion. She was looking at animalistic instinct and helpless fascination, looking at an expression so fleeting it had no name.

"See that?" he asked, tone suddenly soft and appreciative as he pointed to her vividly lit eyes, running his finger down to the side of her slightly slacked jaw. "Awe towards my art in its greatest moment. Your reaction is a direct representation of the inspiration that conceived it."

He was silent before he let his arm drift back to his side. "It's beautiful, un."

Ino slowly looked at him and the way he stared admiringly at the picture.

"You're a freak," she said.

He grinned. "You love it."

"No," she said vehemently, trying to resist smiling back. "You could've at least warned me. You almost gave me a heart attack."

He shook his head and pressed the button on the side of the scope. The image vanished from the wall and Ino couldn't help but wonder if he'd save the picture for private viewing later. The thought was slightly unsettling.

"That would defeat the purpose," he said, returning to his circle of sculptures. "Art is a bang. Art is fleeting, changing, and unpredictable."

"Is that why you never get bored of it?" Ino asked after a moment of silence, glancing once more at the various models.

"Something like that," he agreed, following her gaze. "Life is transitory and can't be spent ruminating on—"

"Boring, average, predictable things," she interrupted, finishing for him. He blinked and looked at her, not missing the slight edge in her voice. She sat down on a nearby armchair, features suddenly unreadable.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm boring, average and predictable?"

He didn't answer right away, thoughtfully working clay between his fingers. "That would depend."

"On what?"

"Whether you can prove that you're not."

Deidara expected her to protest or at least be affronted by the blunt response, but she merely blinked before a small, enigmatic smile crossed her face.

"Is that a challenge?"

He raised an eyebrow. "If you want to interpret it that way."

"Fine," she said simply, reverting back to her cheerful demeanour. "I'll try."

Deidara wondered if this was some form of passive-aggressive behaviour he'd have to put up with for the rest of the week, but she got up and strode back to her seat on the bed without the slightest hint of animosity on her face.

"Did dad ever tell you about our clan's ninjutsu?" she asked eventually.

"A little. You're mindwalkers." He paused and glanced at her, sizing her up. "How much can you do?"

"That's a secret," she replied whimsically, examining her nails. "But if I were you, I'd keep my guard up."

Despite himself, Deidara smirked. "Why? Are you planning on looking through my mind?"

She shook her head innocently. "Of course not. I'd never use ninjutsu on you."

"Then what do I need to worry about?"

"Nothing. Just keep in mind that I'm very good at reading people."

He glanced at her after the cryptic response, trying to glean some meaning from it as she pulled a pocket mirror from her pants and smoothed back her hair. Intrigued, but not concerned, he let the comment slide.

After considering what she'd said, he couldn't help but muster some curiosity as to what she was privy to seeing when she invaded the confines of one's mind. Were the majority of minds alike in their blandness and unoriginality? Was she capable of accessing the unconscious, or merely able to rake the surface?

It was difficult to tell from just looking at her. She was far too bubbly and vivacious for him to take seriously, yet she possessed an uncanny ability to look at him and make him think she knew exactly what was going through his head. The thought made him uneasy.

Another minute passed in silence before he spoke, keeping his voice neutral. "When you see into people's minds, what's the most surprising thing they all have in common?"

She laughed blithely and rolled onto her back, her ponytail cascading down over the side of the bed and draping his shoulder.

"It's that they're a lot less boring than you might think."

The next day brought monsoon-like rain to the region, coating the windows in an uninterrupted torrent of water and gushing from drainpipes with enough force to gouge holes in the soil. Ino was glad of it, knowing Deidara wouldn't risk ruining his clay in such miserable weather.

She passed the day at the spa with her mother before heading back to the suite in time to retrieve dinner. Deidara seemed rather averse to eating with the rest of them and Inoichi insisted it was probably because it was awkward for him.

Ino shook her head at her father's naiveté, supposing that being a parent was essentially the same as blinding yourself to your children's flaws. She, however, knew better.

It had only taken her one night in Deidara's presence to realize he had no interest whatsoever in developing familial relationships. The agreement to join them on the vacation was made for purely selfish reasons, something he was not afraid of hiding with his avoidant tendencies and frequent rendezvous during the day. He laughed sometimes at the right moments and answered most of her questions, but it was all superficial.

Not once had he asked about her life in Konoha or how she was progressing as a shinobi. His only interest in the latter subject had been out of concern for himself, but even then the subdued nature of his inquiries told her she was completely unremarkable and not really worth worrying about.

She'd be lying to herself if she said his apathy hadn't upset her, but the blow to her pride had taken precedence over everything else. It wasn't like her to take such an insult without reprisal, and she didn't intend to change that simply because he was family. Proving him wrong would simply take some time.

Upon entering the kitchen, Ino found his meal sitting untouched on the tabletop and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Slipping in and out of facades was like second nature to her, so changing into an air of breezy carelessness was easy.

"Got your dinner," she said, finding him staring restlessly out the window when she let herself into his room.

He glanced over his shoulder, pausing when he noticed her still wearing the bathrobe.

"Oh, this?" she laughed, handing him his plate. "Mom and I spent the day at the spa. You should really take advantage of the services instead of moping around in your room."

He frowned. "I'm not moping."

"Then what are you doing?" she asked dryly as he set the plate aside and sat down at the edge of the bed. "You don't exactly look like you're having the time of your life."

He muttered something unintelligible and Ino crossed her arms. "Let me guess. You're pissed off because you intended to use this whole week testing out some new art idea, and now the weather gods are conspiring against you."

His sullen silence was all the confirmation she needed. Biting back her amusement, she adopted a note of concern and moved over to sit next to him. "Look, I'm not going to preach, but you really need to relax."

She paused, allowing admiration to seep into her tone while simultaneously watching him to interpret his reaction. "You'd only need to dedicate this much time improving your art if it actually needed improvement. Personally, I think it's perfect...but I guess it can't be helped. Real artists are always their own toughest critics."

This had apparently been the right thing to say. The surliness faded from his features and he stared thoughtfully at the vast array of sculptures crowding his room. After a minute of silence, he nodded, mollified.

"There is no end to the pursuit of perfection," he said with finality. "You're right. I shouldn't rush art."

Ino smiled indulgently, surprising him when she reached out and took one of his hands in hers. She was relieved to see he kept those abominations in his palms out of sight when he wasn't using them and spent a minute examining the back of his hand, running her fingertips over the clay-caked nails.

"Your need a break, anyway," she said with a hint of reproach, taking note of dried blood in the corners of his cuticles. The state of his hands looked all the more dismal compared to her freshly manicured nails and unblemished skin, and she blinked when he reached out and examined hers with a keen, discerning gaze.

"These don't look like a shinobi's hands," he said, bemused. "They're too delicate, un."

"I told you," she said casually. "I'm a mindwalker. I take a less proactive approach than most shinobi."

He stopped his perusal when she used her free hand to touch his temple, meeting his gaze when he looked up. "This...is all I need."

There was a moment of silence where he stared at her, his visible eye penetrative and searching. She returned his gaze unflinchingly, revealing nothing beyond that small, beguiling smile. He was not dumb, she had to admit, knowing he was analyzing her with careful consideration, but she was adept enough in her own right and only returned the scrutiny.

After a while, he released her hands, sounding more thoughtful than suspicious when he finally spoke.

"You're trying to screw with my head, aren't you?"

She stood up and took a few steps towards the door, laughing. "Like I said, you have nothing to worry about. It's not like you have anything to hide, right?"

No response was forthcoming and she paused at the door before glancing at him over her shoulder.

"If you're not busy, let's go for a walk later. Just you and me."

She took his silence as acquiescence and left him to stare musingly after her.

Though the heavy rainfall did not relent, even hours later, the air was humid and each drop Ino reached out to catch felt warm to the touch. Deidara did not seem as fond of the rain as she did, staying under the shelter of the umbrella as she strayed away to take in the sights.

"What's the matter?" she called back to him from where she stood by a temple entrance. "Don't you have rain over in Iwa?"

"Not really," he muttered, narrowly avoiding the splash of a cart wheeling through a puddle. "Let's find some place to sit, un."

She didn't argue, jogging to catch up when he turned and started walking again. She collided lightly into his side in the effort to get under the shelter of the umbrella—the only one they'd found in the coat closet of the suite. Deidara spared her a look of surprise when she beamed up at him and slipped her hand into his.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, pulling him towards a patio outside a tea shop. "We're finally spending time together."

Deidara allowed her to lead the way, gratefully stepping under the awning and tossing the umbrella onto a table. "You're weirdly affectionate today."

Ino placed her elbows on the table, chin settling into her hands. She seemed to be mulling over his words as he sat down across from her.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" she asked suddenly.

Disconcerted, he slouched into his seat and looked out at the rain. "It's just strange, un."

"So it doesn't bother you."

She knew he was loathe to admit any sort of weakness simply from looking at the way his back straightened and fingers curled inwards over the surface of the table. "No."

"Good," she said simply. "Because I didn't plan on stopping for your sake, anyway."

He snorted faintly when he saw her grin and looked out at the rain again.

"You know why I brought you out here, right?" she asked after a minute of silence.

Deidara blinked, waiting for her to elaborate. Ino took her time, peeling off her raincoat and draping it over the back of her seat to dry. Once she was comfortable, she spoke plainly.

"I want to know everything about you. Tell me about your art, your philosophies, your likes and dislikes, everything."

He gave her a blank stare and Ino could surmise that prior to this moment, no one had willingly asked him about his creative endeavours, especially not in war-hardened Iwagakure. She couldn't blame him for floundering at first, being put on the spot like that, but as soon as he started on his art, his demeanour changed completely.

Ino listened with rapt attention, inwardly realizing she'd never met anyone so blatantly and shamelessly in love with his own creations. Where he'd previously avoided displaying emotion, he was an open book now, leaning over the table and gesticulating with his hands.

"The scope of my ambition exceeds everything else, especially my duties to the village. They're holding me back from accomplishing my goals, un."

Ino nodded empathetically, having done nothing but that for the past twenty minutes. He paused to take a breath.

"And shinobi are the worst. They're taught to purge themselves of emotion and that doesn't sit well with me because art can't be created without passion. The entire system is archaic and was cooked up by a bunch of philistines with no appreciation for art. It disgusts me."

"Mm," she offered noncommittally, sparing a glance at his cold, untouched tea. "I know."

"Nobody gets it," he continued, voice growing quiet with bitterness. "They look down on my art because they don't understand. No one understands."

Ino observed him over folded hands, taking in the way he stared in discontent at some point on the table. She waited till she was certain his diatribe had ended, then reached out to rest her hand over his.

"I do," she said calmly, careful to avoid sounding pitying. "Being gifted is a double-edged sword. It's a tragedy, really, how so many artists have their work acknowledged only after they die."

He stared at her, blinking as if he'd come out of a stupor and finally realized she'd been listening to him the entire time.

"What?" he said blankly.

"I understand," Ino repeated, pulling her hand back and shrugging. "It's a hard life, being an artist. People don't appreciate what they offer the world until they're gone."

An odd look crept over his features, something between scepticism at her sincerity and earnestness to accept it at face value. She couldn't blame him for gravitating towards the latter, not when he was so obviously desperate for support and she was such a damn good actress.

"I haven't shown you my real art, have I?"

Ino blinked, taken aback by the grin that spread over his face. "No, but maybe we should wait till the weather's bet—"

He didn't let her finish, seizing her wrist and barely giving her time to grab her coat before he pulled her out into the pouring rain. Ino haplessly tried reminding him of the umbrella but he paid no heed, apparently unaware of the downpour now.

Ino gave up trying to hold her raincoat over her head, growing drenched within minutes and following him till he took her to the wooded enclosure surrounding the hotel. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, not once turning his head to see if she was keeping up as he manoeuvred his way through the trees and finally emerged into a clearing.

She came to an abrupt stop behind him, eyes widening when she took in the deep craters marring the pasture. Before she could ask, he turned around and presented a clay sparrow in the palms of his hands.

"Watch," he said triumphantly, forming a seal and raising his hand before his face. To Ino's immense surprise, the clay bird suddenly extended its wings and shook off the rain, flapping a few times before taking flight. She watched it, fascinated as it careened towards a large, dead tree towering over the clearing.

"Marvel at its last moments," Deidara said over the rain. "Take it in!"

Ino did as she was told, gazing fixedly at its small, streamlined body and wondering what he meant until his voice rang out.

"Katsu!"

A sphere of fire engulfed the tree before she heard the deafening explosion that followed, the force of the blast obliterating the trunk into splinters and filling the patch of dreary, blue sky overhead with blinding light.

Ino stumbled back, flabbergasted and trying to maintain some form of composure even though the blast had left her nerves completely shot. Granted, she'd listened to him talk about his art form for thirty minutes, but hadn't taken his excessive use of the words "bang" and "explosion" literally. No wonder he thought the stunt with the exploding clay in his room had been so funny; it was nothing compared to this.

Deidara dropped his hands and turned towards her expectantly, smile only widening at the sight of her shocked expression.

"How was it? That was only my weakest grade of clay, un."

Ino somehow managed to close her mouth and calm her nerves before attempting a response. She had never seen him this alive, the smile and brightness in his eyes possessing an almost manic quality.

Realizing she couldn't keep him waiting without giving herself away, Ino took a slow breath and exhaled, sounding weak with awe.

"It's...amazing."

She looked at the ash and shredded leaves drifting serenely back to the earth, some of the detritus collecting at the bottoms of the craters. Then she turned her back to it and met his gaze, voice softening in marvel. "It's amazing."

It seemed to her that although he'd been craving adoration for his art for as long as he could remember, now that he'd finally received it, he didn't know how to react. That was her more optimistic interpretation of his silence. The second, less pleasant interpretation was that he'd seen right through her false praise.

The way he simply stood there, arms hanging by his sides and staring back at her with a look she couldn't place made it impossible to tell.

Biting her lower lip, Ino considered what to do next before deciding to take a gamble and approach him. He didn't move or speak in the time it took her to reach his side, and daringly, she reached out and gripped his sleeve, lifting her head to look him straight in the eyes.

"Thank you for letting me see it," she murmured sincerely, and it only took her one look at his face to know she'd won him over.

"Yeah," he said finally, appearing almost dazed by her praise and what seemed to be the sudden realization he was absolutely soaked. "Yeah, it's...there's a lot more where that came from, un."

She mustered just the right amount of eagerness and tightened her grip on his sleeve. "Promise to show me later?"

He didn't even need to answer; the look on his face suggested that he'd died and gone to heaven.

Ino honestly began to wonder if it was safe letting his ego inflate to an even larger size than it already was, but decided the end result would be worth it. She linked their arms together and steered him back towards the hotel, continuing to regale him with gushing praise.

It was difficult to maintain the pretence of adulation when she wanted to tell him he was completely out of his mind. But she kept it up nonetheless, realizing the effort was worth it when they changed into dry clothes and he didn't immediately disappear into his room.

"Hey."

Ino looked up from where she'd been towelling her hair, now dressed in an old, oversized t-shirt. She broke into a smile at the sight of him in her doorway.

"Hey, come in."

He hardly let her finish speaking before entering and immediately taking a seat on the rug (an odd quirk of his, she noted idly). He jumped straight to the point.

"My art would reach its full potential outside a controlled environment, wouldn't it?"

"Of course," she said, affecting a tone of righteous indignation. "Your art is spontaneous and can't be restricted to one place. It must suck for you in Iwagakure."

"You have no idea," he said emphatically, eyes narrowing at the mention of the village. "They see me as more of a demolition expert than an artist, un."

"Then they're a bunch of idiots," Ino declared, striding over to join him on the floor. "It's a wonder how you put up with it."

That was all the incentive she needed to send him off into another long, passionate diatribe. She humoured him effortlessly, never giving the impression of losing interest and knowing that he was gradually beginning to view her with respect and possibly even liking—all for reasons revolving around him of course, she noted cynically.

It was a testament to how distracted he was, even an hour later, that he didn't notice her turning her back to him and reclining until the back of her head was resting in his lap.

"Continue," she said, looking up to meet his surprised gaze. "I'm listening."

He paused, the sudden interruption seeming to throw him off his train of thought. He shifted imperceptibly beneath her.

"What time is it?"

"Ten something," she said lazily, closing her eyes. "Are you tired? I was hoping it wouldn't get too late for me to make a request."

"Request for what?"

"A sculpture. Of me. Can you do one?"

He stared at her. "Now?"

"Not if you're tired, of course. It can wait till—"

"It's not that I can't," he interrupted. "The detail and anatomy need to be studied first. My chakra does the moulding for me when I have the design memorized."

She was silent for a moment. "How long does it take you to memorize something?"

"Depends. Not usually more than a couple minutes, un. I don't make anything new until I know I can make it perfectly."

"That's all it takes?"

"Yeah."

Ino opened her eyes and looked up to meet his gaze, voice soft.

"Then study me."

He fell silent, staring at her as she turned her head slightly and closed her eyes again, feeling a few strands of hair fall over her face. "Take as long as you want."

Despite the silence and lack of movement, Ino knew he couldn't resist doing as she'd asked, feeling her skin prickle at the sensation of his eyes trailing over her form. Honestly, who in their right mind would resist? She inwardly smiled to herself as she pictured the vision she made draped on the floor with her head in his lap, legs bare from the knees down and t-shirt dipping over one shoulder.

Forget art. From a man's point of view, she doubted he could find many sights more appealing than that, even if the subject in question was his half-sister. The fact remained that she was beautiful and knew it, and she was keen to make sure he knew it, too.

A few minutes in, she felt like he wasn't telling her something, the inkling coming with the realization that he couldn't possibly get all the angles from his perspective.

Keeping her voice as neutral as she could, she spoke.

"You can touch me. I don't mind."

She could only imagine the look on his face and resisted the urge to grin. It took several seconds before she felt his fingertips skim her jaw line, tracing it meditatively. Then he touched her neck, running his fingers down the length and feeling for the contours before moving elsewhere.

Ino had to hand it to him for being so professional, though she doubted he was exercising the same objectivity he did with his other subjects. It was obvious in the way he avoided going anywhere past her collar, keeping his touches light and brief.

The entire process was rather lulling and she found herself dozing, opening her eyes only when he shifted.

"It's done, un."

Drowsy, she sat up and stretched before turning around, going abruptly still at the sight of the sculpture in his hands.

Speechless, she took it from him.

It was completely different from the others she'd seen, the majority of which had been abstract representations of the real subjects. This one practically looked like a cast of her, including every fold in the fabric of her shirt and even the few, wavy tendrils of hair lying over her cheek. She could see the slight depression above her collarbone and the delicate bone structure in her hands, the detail all the more impressive in light of how small the figure was.

Her admiration didn't need to be feigned. "That fast...I can't believe you..."

She mouthed wordlessly for several seconds before looking at him, positively glowing with adoration. "It's beautiful, Deidara."

This time, he didn't seem surprised by her reaction. He merely grinned.

"It's nii-san. And I know, un."

To Inoichi's delight, Deidara stopped holing himself in his room and spent nearly the entire remainder of the week exclusively in Ino's presence. Wanting her parents to continue their vacation without her, Ino assured her father that they were getting along wonderfully, convincing him to spend time with his wife instead of worrying about them.

And though Deidara no longer treated her like he was tolerating her out of necessity, the fact that he sought her solely for the sake of validating his artistic merit only motivated her to keep up the front. So she did, never giving him the slightest indication of anything beyond starry-eyed wonder.

In the midst of all that, she deliberately found excuses to get close to him, whether it was leaning against his side or resting her chin in the crook of his shoulder while watching him sculpt. He had incredible composure and, beyond his bouts of momentary tenseness, never gave the indication that the bodily contact affected him.

But she knew it did, conscious of the way his gaze lingered on her whenever she entered or left the room. The combination of physical affection and endless praises towards his craft would have been irresistible to anyone else, so it was with savouring enjoyment that she pressed her chest into his back in a hug from behind and wondered what exactly was going through his head.

It was only on the second to last day of their stay at the hotel when she decided it was either then or never for her to go ahead with the last phase of her plan. She waited till her parents had gone to bed before showering and changing into her nightgown.

Once her hair had dried, she stood in front of the mirror and thoughtfully examined her reflection.

The gown was a soft, gauzy material and off white in colour, comfortably loose on her frame and ending just past the top of her thighs. She adjusted the thin straps and removed her hair clip, combing through the strands with her fingers. What she was doing here was no different than what she did every night at home, but it was usually at this point she'd lock her door and go to bed. No one had actually ever seen her in her negligee as it was something she wore out of personal preference and comfort.

But then again she knew it was a risqué little slip of a thing that flattered her body obscenely well, and it was for that reason she intended to leave her bathrobe behind when she left the room.

Ino checked herself in the mirror once more before shutting the light and stepping out into the dark hall. She did not doubt that Deidara was still awake, learning over the past week that he tended to stay up much later than the rest of them working on his sculptures.

She stopped outside his room and knocked twice before turning the knob and letting herself in. She found the room dark save for the glow of the bedside lamp. Deidara was standing in front of the mirror by the dresser, putting his hair back up. From where she stood, she could see that it was still slightly damp from the shower.

"What are you still doing up?" he asked without turning around.

Ino watched him take the red hair tie from where he'd been holding it between his lips and twist it around the blonde plume on top of his head. She closed the door and quietly engaged the lock with a flick of her finger. Then she casually sauntered over to his bed, climbing on and moving to rest against the headboard.

"I'm bored. What are you still doing up?"

"You can't ask me that, un."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm older than you."

She laughed sardonically. "As if that makes a difference."

He didn't reply, but she could see the flicker of a grin in his reflection. She took a moment to take in his appearance, realizing he'd changed into his night clothes. The attire consisted of navy, cotton pants and a sleeveless top. The latter had a slit cut down the centre of the neckline, revealing the toned flesh underneath.

The pillows propped up behind her were enough of an incentive to lean back and get comfortable, and anticipating his reaction, she stretched out her legs and crossed one over the other.

"Deidara?"

He made a disapproving noise in his throat. "I keep telling you, call me nii-san."

She ignored the remark. "If you're not going to bed, can I stay for a while?"

"If you want," he said indifferently, dropping his hands from his hair and turning away from the mirror. "I'm not…"

He trailed off when he caught sight of her lounging against his pillows, innocently twirling a lock of her unbound hair around her finger. Though his moment of pause lasted for only a second, she did not miss the way his gaze dropped to her bared thighs and the hemline that rested just inches past her underwear.

"I'm not tired," he finished, glancing away and moving towards his travelling pack. Ino looked at him amusedly, impressed with his poise and the way his voice had faltered only slightly at the sight of her attire.

She watched him take a seat on the floor and pouted when he withdrew the weapons and a whetstone.

"You're sharpening your kunai? Can't it wait till tomorrow?"

"I've got a mission in two days. Procrastination will get me killed, un."

"Don't be so melodramatic." He glanced up when she leaned forward and smiled mischievously. "Come on. Let's play a game."

He stared at her, eyes flitting over her form in an almost wary way. "What kind of game?"

"I'll show you. Put that stuff away and come over here." She patted the spot next to her, moving back to sit on her knees.

His gaze lingered for a moment, expression unreadable, before he slowly stood. Moving over to the bed, he took a seat next to her, the mattress depressing slightly under his weight.

"It goes like this," she said, offering him her hand. "I close my eyes and you draw a picture. Judging on how good it is, I should be able to guess what you're drawing."

At that, his interest was piqued and he leaned forward to take her hand. Ino obliged him by closing her eyes, feeling a fingertip come to rest in the centre of her palm.

With careful, measured movements, he began to trace the outline of a picture on her skin. She re-traced the lines in her mind's eye, trying to discern an image from the sensations. He was halfway done before she guessed.

"Is it a cat?"

His tone was smug. "No."

Her brow furrowed and she tried to concentrate on the image once he'd finished. She bit her lip. "Do that last part again?"

She heard him snicker faintly before he re-traced the shape. The second time around, the image became clear and Ino opened her eyes.

"A pig!"

"Heh. Right."

She reached out and gave him a light shove. "Jerk. Making fun of my name. It's your turn now."

He extended his arm and Ino beckoned for him to close his eyes as she glanced down at the deep slit in his palm, briefly wondering if it would open and snap at her fingers if she touched it.

Tentatively, she pressed a fingertip to the edge of it, relaxing when it remained closed. She'd hardly finished the outline of the shape before he spoke.

"Bird."

"You peeked," she said indignantly when he opened his eyes and smirked.

"It was obvious, un."

She pursed her lips, and instead of offering him her hand again, she turned so her back was facing him and swept her hair to her front.

"On the back this time," she said when he made no reaction. "You can draw a bigger picture this way."

There was no movement from the other side. Just as she began to wonder if he found the prospect uncomfortable, she felt a fingertip settle against the top of her spine. The touch elicited a faint sense of pleasure and it was difficult to contain the gratified shudder that nearly ran through her when he began tracing the shape, touching her shoulder blades and drifting as low as the dip of her spine.

She resisted answering simply for the sake of letting him continue and spoke only when he'd finished and pulled his hand back.

"Butterfly?"

"Yeah."

She turned, smiling triumphantly and gesturing for him to turn around. "Your turn."

He seemed reluctant to turn his back to her but did so anyway, stilling the moment her fingertips settled against his back. She used the index fingers of both hands, each starting at his shoulder blades and tracing in identical, yet opposite directions as she outlined the image. She didn't miss the emergence of goosebumps on his arms when she passed over his lower back.

The design was rather complex and it took him a while to answer, but when he did, he sounded absolutely certain.

"Deer."

"You're good at this," she said grudgingly, dropping her hands.

"I'd be a crappy excuse for an artist if I wasn't."

"Let me try one more. Turn back around."

He grunted in annoyance but turned around anyway, eyes already closed. Ino edged closer, feeling a nervous flutter settle into her stomach as he waited. Despite her nerves, she spoke playfully, tone betraying none of her anticipation when she reached out.

"If you get this one right, you'll get a reward."

He quirked an eyebrow but kept his eyes closed. "What reward?"

She smirked, letting her fingertip come to rest against his sternum. "I'll call you nii-san."

He tensed at the touch, instinctively opening his eyes to see her waving a finger at him in admonishment. To her satisfaction, he closed his eyes again, shutting them tighter than before. With that, she began tracing a senseless array of spirals and lines, grazing purposefully against the dip in the neckline to test his reaction.

There was no response except for the slight narrowing of his eyes, but that simply could've been from the fact that he couldn't figure out what she was drawing.

"Do you want a hint?" she asked after a while, when he'd said nothing. "...It's what's special about your art."

His concentrative look faded at that, realization bleeding into his features at the same moment Ino's fingers moved too low and grazed over a black, spiral seal beneath the fabric of his shirt.

There was a sharp intake of breath and his hands instantly flew up to seize her wrists. Ino didn't give him the opportunity to do anything beyond that, meeting his surprised gaze for only a fraction of a second before abruptly leaning in and pressing her lips to his.

He froze, grip slackening at once, then instantly jerked away. The expression on his face was priceless, shock and disbelief merging with an ill-concealed, morbid sort of fascination as she looked at him and burst into laughter.

The giggles visibly threw him off and his shock gradually lessened into bewilderment, as though it occurred to him that the entire thing might have been an accident.

"What the hell was that?" he finally said, motionless where he sat.

"Do I really need to answer that?" she asked, smiling beatifically as she traced circles on the bedspread.

He merely stared at her, too surprised to form a response.

"You know how you're reacting now?" she continued in that light-hearted tone, even as she leaned forward on her hands and knees and crawled towards him. "You're reacting in the socially acceptable way, like anyone else would in this situation. You're reacting how your mind tells you to react when you're faced with something morally questionable."

As she expected, he didn't move, keeping tensely still when she crawled up next to him, bringing her mouth close to his ear.

"I know you think I'm a naive, simple-minded girl, but I've been in there," she murmured, gesturing to his temple. "I know how people think and the sorts of secrets they have, the kind they don't even feel comfortable telling themselves. I've seen the dirty, immoral things they shove into the backs of their minds. I know that even though I'm your sister…"

Her hand settled on his leg and ran up his thigh, fingernails deliberately snagging in the fabric to feel his muscles jump underneath.

"You look at me," she whispered. "I don't have to be inside your head to know that. You look at me and think things a brother isn't supposed to think, and you push them deep down, like any other person would."

She gripped his shoulder and before he could react, she'd swung her leg over him and settled into his lap, hands splaying over his chest. "Now imagine if you didn't. Imagine just living off of impulse, like an animal. You know how it feels, that guilty pleasure you get in thinking of something bad before you push it away. So I want to know, when I touched you like that…"

She ran her fingertips over his shirt to emphasize her point, leaning in toward his ear. "When I kissed you, before you decided it was wrong…did you like it?"

He made no reply, frozen beneath her caresses.

Ino smiled knowingly, looking up at him through her lashes. "Did you like it…nii-san?"

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, throat tight. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"Right, you can't move, can you? Don't worry. It's just something I've been developing as a disarming jutsu. The paralysis is only temporary."

His lips moved to speak but she beat him to it.

"When? When you had your eyes closed. Why? I think that's pretty obvious..."

Her hands pushed into his chest and his back hit the mattress, the impact followed by the rustle of the sheets when she straddled him. Deidara stared up at her, seemingly too stunned to react as she smiled coyly.

"You're not the type to submit so easily."

She had to give him credit for overcoming his shock long enough to consider the situation and quickly glance towards the door. Ino gently touched the side of his face, turning his head back toward her.

"You're underestimating me," she said with mock hurt. "I took care of that as soon as I got in."

It pleased her tremendously to see him reassessing her in that moment, eyes flicking over her frame in calculating wonderment. Even though she hadn't given him any real reason to be concerned, he seemed uneasy with being at the mercy of someone else.

Ino pouted at his obvious consternation. "You shouldn't be so suspicious towards your own sister. I'm not going to do anything you don't want. Though, I won't lie, what you said a few days ago really hurt my feelings."

He overcame his apprehension long enough to stare at her blankly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She gave him a look. "You know. When you lumped me together with every other average, boring person in the world without even bothering to get to know me. You acted like you cared, but I saw right through it. You think I'm a nobody."

The fact that he didn't try to argue only vindicated her and she smiled humourlessly.

"We have a lot in common. I'm proud, I don't like to lose, and I like being underestimated even less. But being treated like I'm average?" she paused, a frosty note entering her voice. "I hate that. I could just ask you to apologize, but it's probably better to change your opinion of me firsthand, isn't it?"

She leaned closer, pausing at his look of trepidation and offering him a thin smile.

"Keep this in mind," she said sardonically. "I'm still a virgin and probably a lot less depraved than you, but I can set my morals aside when I have to. Seeing the kinds of unspeakable things going on in people's heads—it desensitizes you after a while."

His fingers moved by his sides and realizing she hadn't much longer before the jutsu wore off, she lowered her head near his.

"Don't think you know me," she said softly, feeling him stiffen when she brushed the tip of her tongue against his ear. "You want unconventional? You want shock value?"

She purposefully pressed herself down against his hips in a fluid rocking motion, hearing him draw a sharp breath before lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"I'll give it to you," she murmured.

At that, he mustered enough will to move his arms. Before he could do anything, she gripped his wrists and pinned both by the sides of his head, leaning forward till her loose hair draped his neck. His stunned expression did nothing to deter her, and slowly, while keeping the eye contact in the darkness of their proximity, she loosened her grip on his wrists just enough to slide her fingers upwards and lay her palms flat over his.

Entwining their fingers together, she bore down and ground into him once more, breath hitching at the friction between her thighs and gradually building on the measured movements until she'd established a slow, sensual rhythm.

For the first several seconds, there was absolute silence save for the gentle rustle of fabric and their shallow breathing, neither able to break the mesmerizing pull of eye contact in the midst of something so obscene.

Secure in the belief that her parents would remain oblivious, she counted the seconds till he broke under the pressure, timing it against his increasing mobility. She had to wonder at herself, though, for the heat rising into her face and the perverse pleasure she was getting from knowing the only thing separating them from their parents was the door and its flimsy lock.

That, and then there was the knowledge she had dominion over someone older and far more powerful than her, someone she had pinned, completely helpless, beneath her. The thrill she got from that only helped intensify her pleasure, and biting her lower lip, she swallowed the sharp gasp building in her throat, compensating with tightening her grip on his hands.

She listened to the chafe of fabric grow more insistent, hardly aware that the increasing pressure on her hands was him starting to squeeze back. Eyes closed, she let her lips part and couldn't control the moan that slipped through, wondering if he could feel the heat of her through their clothing as keenly as she could feel him.

Selfishness and desire for that wonderful feeling accumulating inside her made her oblivious to the fact that her shallow gasps were gradually merging with his, that it was because he shifted beneath her and was pushing back that the sensation went from feeling good to feeling incredible.

It always amazed her to see how quickly people abandoned the morals they'd lived by their entire lives once faced with the right provocation. The taboo was delicious in its unspeakable ineffability, tempting but easy to resist as long as you didn't force aside your inhibitions and take a long, objective look at the impulses you were desperately trying to bury.

It didn't take much for them to cast off ethical principles and she guessed it was because they lacked the familial bond between siblings. Relations that simply existed by name were easy to shed and sometimes all it took to shatter one's resistance was the first, shocking plunge towards immorality. The rest simply followed.

Eventually, Ino released her grip on his hands and fisted her fingers into the bedspread, emitting a short, stifled cry in the damp skin of his neck. His arms instantly surrounded her, fervently pressing her down against him as she rocked harder, breaths picking up speed, each inhalation tinged with low moans.

His fingertips dug into her back, mussing the gauzy material of her nightgown. The cloth bunched and dragged upwards beneath his palms, nearly tearing beneath the force of him pushing her down into his hips.

Ino gasped and arched her back at the sensation, only to bite her lip and melt back into him at the feel of his hands running up her back. "Nn—"

She pressed her cheek to his, groaning appreciatively as one of his hands dropped to her hip, eventually descending to run over her thigh.

"Nii-san," she said breathlessly, all too aware of how his fingers twisted into her nightgown at the moniker. Her breath caught in her throat and she dropped her head into the crook of his shoulder, voice growing weak with pleasure. "Nii-san…"

Slowing the feverish pace, she listened for him, wanting his moans and soft pants and the confirmation that she was capable of reducing him to a pile of shaking nerves. She raised her head, feeling goosebumps erupt along her spine as he slid his hand into her hair and she drank in his appearance.

His skin gleamed with a light sheen of sweat and matted blonde hair clung to the hollow of his throat and the crests of his cheekbones. The sight of him finally losing his composure, breathing hard and unevenly like that, with his brow contorted and eyes squeezed shut was nearly enough to bring her over the edge.

But it still wasn't enough. She reached out with one hand and cupped his face, the touch prompting him to open his eyes and meet her gaze. The vivid blue of his irises had darkened to an almost inky colour, and as they looked at each other, emotions like shock and awe flit through them, eyes widening in the realization that this was his sister, his sister grinding into him, his sister making him feel like this.

The look on his face made the pleasure burst deep and hard inside her, and giving up all semblances of restraint she rocked into him with renewed vigour, relentless in her pace and the way she watched him completely lose control over his inhibitions.

Her climax came suddenly and unexpectedly. One moment the pleasure was coming in rhythmic waves, and then it intensified into a sensation that made her body grow numb before it succumbed to a paroxysm of ecstasy. Her first instinctive reaction was to grip helplessly at the bed sheets, the second and more uncontrollable reaction to scream. Some small, coherent part of her mind reminded her to stifle it into his neck and the sound of his name still reverberated loudly through the room.

She was gasping shrilly into his ear and still reeling from her climax when he pushed forward and rolled them over. Pinned beneath him, she became the embodiment of indiscriminate lust, throwing scruples aside as she gripped fistfuls of his shirt and pulled, meeting him halfway in a searing kiss.

She moaned wantonly against his parted lips, tangling her fingers into his hair and feeling her head spin at the jarring, hot slide of her tongue against his.

Perhaps she'd given herself too much credit in thinking she could resist the pull of hedonistic impulse once she'd given herself up to it, because in that moment, she wanted to.

In that moment, she arched encouragingly into him when his hand slid up her thigh and his fingers hooked into the side of her underwear, when she swung a leg around his hips and felt him rock forcibly into the hot dampness between her thighs.

Her hands had slipped up his shirt and her underwear was sliding down her hips when the knock cut through the haze of senseless gratification like a knife. They froze simultaneously, both turning their heads towards the door as Ino's mother's voice sounded through the cracks.

"Deidara, do you know where Ino is? She's not in her room."

The question seemed to snap him from his stunned reverie. Still trying to catch his breath, he quickly glanced down at Ino before looking back at the door, answering as calmly as he could.

"Yeah. She's with me."

"Ino, it's late," her mother said impatiently.

"I'll go to bed in a little bit," Ino said breathlessly, without breaking her gaze with Deidara. "Promise."

Despite the sound of silence and receding footsteps, neither moved until they heard the bedroom door click shut down the hall.

As soon as it did, his eyes flickered downward and his expression contorted into a grimace. "Shit."

Ino didn't get to ask, turning her head when he rolled off of her and leaned back on his elbows, wavering for a moment before he gave up and let himself collapse onto the bed.

She turned towards him, tone somewhere between amusement and sheepishness. "You know, it's a good thing she knocked when she did."

At that, his grimace intensified and he closed his eyes.

"Just go," he muttered after a while. "I need another shower."

"Why?" she murmured, smiling knowingly as she ran her fingertips over his thigh, lingering at the obvious source of his discomfort. "I can take care of that for you."

His eyes opened at that, plainly exhibiting disbelief, but by then she'd leaned in and brushed her lips over the underside of his jaw.

"Just lie back and relax. I think it's only fair I return the favour."

Without giving him the chance to respond, she rested her weight on her elbow and lowered her head to lay a trail of kisses over his neck. She had to smile when she noticed his fingers slowly fisting in the bedspread, knowing the light caresses must have been torture considering the state he was in. Grinning, she purposely parted her lips over his racing pulse, nipping lightly and watching his knuckles turn white over the fistfuls of bedspread.

In the midst of all this, she slipped her hand up the front of his shirt, feeling him jump slightly at the sensation of her fingernails gently raking over his abdomen. Before he could recover, she draped her upper half over him and kissed him, hard.

This time, his lips remained sealed and she felt him stiffen in the way he had when she'd first done it. It was understandable considering the intimacy of the gesture, yet paradoxical when she thought back to what they'd done when caught in the heat of the moment, when he'd uninhibitedly opened his mouth to the hot sweep of her tongue and aggressively pinned her to the bed.

Realizing it would take gradual coaxing to work him back into that state, she relieved the pressure of her lips and brought up her other hand to trace his jaw line, continuing the caress under his shirt and steadily inching her hand downwards.

The methodical touches seemed to have an effect on him, and vindicated, she deepened the kiss, using the moment to ease her fingertips under the waistband.

Though she'd successfully distracted him, he still tensed at the feeling of her fingers drifting that low, seeming ready to voice his opposition until her hand slipped down the front of his pants and all coherent thought flew out of his head. She didn't wait for him to recover from the shock, moving her mouth down to the dip in his shirt and beginning a slow, steady series of strokes.

Deidara released the bedspread and fisted his fingers into her hair, all resistance bleeding out of him. Ino watched, pleased as his eyes drifted shut.

She had a feeling, despite the obvious favour she was doing him, that he resented her for it. It was easy to see he had a severe domination complex and now that he was depending on her for release, he seemed even more reluctant to voice his appreciation, let alone cut loose his inhibitions.

Ino smirked, knowing of no better way to change his fixed mindset than to shock him out of it.

Deidara's eyes flew open when she tugged his pants down over his thighs, hardly realizing what she was about to do when, suddenly, her hand was gone and in its place came something much softer, wetter, and exceptionally hotter. Reflexively, he shoved the back of his hand into his mouth to stifle what would have been an embarrassingly loud noise of approval, lowering his gaze incredulously to meet hers when she momentarily lifted her head.

"Whatever you do, nii-san." she said, eyes glittering, "don't hold back."

Then she lowered her head again and Deidara felt himself sink into a mindless oblivion of pleasure, thoughts of morality, the possibility that they could be overheard, and Ino in all her appalling, enthralling, minx-like glory meshing to form an incoherent blare of noise in his head.

He struggled to find some semblance of control over his emotions, but then she'd make that soft, murmuring sound in her throat and he'd helplessly fall back into the thought jumble. Snatches of contemplation leaked through intermittently, only furthering his stupefaction.

she's calling me nii-san and has her mouth on my—what the fuck are we doing—where the hell did she learn that—her mouth on—calling me nii-san—i can't believe she's—will hear us—ino—her mouth—ino—i'm—

The pleasure from this was incomparable to what he'd felt before. Overwhelmed, he released the rumpled bedspread and blindly searched for something to grip, anything to latch onto to gather his bearings because...oh fuck—

He swallowed a curse and tilted his head back against the pillows, compulsively gripping the metal bars of the headboard behind him. He was so immersed in ecstasy that the only thing he could do between heaving gasps was stare disbelievingly up at the ceiling and think:

Dear God, is she really a virgin?

The fact that she knew exactly when he was nearing release did nothing to assuage his doubts. She drew up once more, reinstating the use of her slender fingers as she leaned forward, eyes shining with euphoria as she watched him reach his peak.

It didn't take long. His fingers seized around the railings and for one ephemeral moment his expression mirrored the one he'd captured on film—eyes bright and slightly wide, jaw slightly slack, conveying something between awe and shock and fatalistically awaiting the impending explosion.

Ino leaned forward, allowing him to embrace her with crushing force when he came and muffle his guttural cry into the side of her neck. She closed her eyes in satisfaction, basking in the shallow pants and tremors that followed, remaining silent until his grip slackened and he sagged back into the mattress.

She made a contented, humming sound near his ear as his breathing slowed, drawing herself out of his arms long enough to pull his pants back up. Then she tugged the duvet over them both before settling back next to him and draping his arm around her.

Once she was comfortable and nestled against his side, she nudged him gently in the ribs.

"Please, remind me again," she whispered teasingly, "Who's boring, average, and predictable?"

Deidara didn't answer and didn't have to.

The way he simply stared at her in muted, awestruck wonder was all the acknowledgment she needed.

Ino shielded her eyes against the blinding sunlight, pausing a moment to shoulder her travelling pack before continuing down the path leading back to Takigakure's entrance. Her parents could be heard conversing ahead, their faint laughter drifting back to her.

The last day had been spent packing and they'd left early in the day for the trek back home. Fortunately for Ino, neither of her parents had noticed her sneaking back into her room in the early hours of the morning and she hadn't been in Deidara's presence again until now.

"Come to Iwa with me."

Ino glanced over at him, slowing her stride and smiling in an incredulous sort of way.

"I can't. You know I can't."

He matched her pace, looking further on to ensure her parents were a fair distance ahead before he gave her an impatient look.

"Yes, you can. Just take an extended leave of absence from your village, un."

Ino shook her head again and adjusted her pack. "My parents would never allow it. Why don't you come to Konoha instead?"

He sounded annoyed. "I'm on notice. Not allowed to leave the village unless it's for missions, un." He paused and looked ahead again, goading her at the sight of the road junction splitting the paths between Iwa and Konoha.

"Come back with me. None of them gets my art the way you do."

Ino fought off the urge to sigh. "I'm touched my opinion means that much to you, but I can't."

They reached the junction before he could reply, the following moments awkward and uncomfortable as Inoichi moved to give his son a hug goodbye, but reconsidered midway and shook his hand instead.

"This is always the worst part. Thank you for joining us, Deidara. I'm glad you and Ino got along so well," Inoichi said, oblivious to their furtive, exchanged glances.

"Yeah, dad," Ino suddenly added, reaching out and clasping her arms around Deidara's. "I loved spending time with nii-san. Can't we come again next year instead of waiting so long to see each other? We could get the cheapest rooms and I wouldn't even care."

All three of them stared at her, surprised.

"Well..." Inoichi said slowly, trailing off and looking between his wife and Deidara for input.

Ino looked beseechingly at her mother, who smiled helplessly in return and shrugged. "Well, if it makes you happy, I don't see why not."

"What do you think?" Ino asked hopefully, meeting Deidara's gaze and tightening her grip meaningfully.

He looked put off for not getting his way, but the prospect of seeing her again within a year sounded better than nothing.

"Yeah," he finally answered grudgingly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her beaming smile. "Fine."

"All right, excellent," Inoichi said, pleased with the unexpectedly quick agreement. "I'll send you a telegram about it same time next year."

Deidara merely nodded and Ino looked imploringly up at her parents. "You guys go ahead. I wanna say goodbye to nii-san."

They left them at the junction and started down the path, glancing over their shoulders once more to wave goodbye. Ino waited till they were out of earshot before releasing Deidara's arm and pouting.

"Don't be mad at me," she exclaimed when he gave her a faint scowl. "Once a year is better than nothing. You couldn't honestly expect me to leave Konoha like that. It's impossible."

In spite of her reasoning, he still looked reproachful. Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with words alone, she leaned forward and clasped her arms around his neck.

"Think of it this way," she said quietly near his ear. "Next time we see each other, we're all going to have to share rooms. So be reasonable. Unless you want to sleep with dad."

"You wouldn't," he muttered lowly.

"I would," she countered, nipping his earlobe. He stiffened immediately, appalled that she'd do something like that twenty feet from her parents.

"Ino," he hissed under his breath, sparing a paranoid glance at Inoichi's retreating back. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just screwing with your head," she whispered teasingly.

Ino then dropped a kiss on his cheek and drew back, smile widening at his surprised face. She raised a hand and waved, backing away before she turned to follow her parents.

"See you next vacation, nii-san."