The tassels on Deidara's straw hat were being whipped about by the wind that was blowing all around him. A thunderstorm was nearing and Deidara knew it. The need for shelter came above the need to complete the mission in his mind. He and his partner Sasori had agreed to meet up the next day because Sasori had stated he had some business to take care of so Deidara didn't see the harm in taking the night off and checking into a hotel.

The streets were empty and the only sound that could be heard was the soft pit-patting of the starting rain and his footsteps against the stone beneath him. His mood was a mix between indifference and annoyance. Walking in the rain was not on the top of his "Things I love To Do" list.

Deidara growled under his breath as he passed unopened shops and restaurants. Continuing on in this weather was becoming quite tiresome. Just as he was about to round a corner, someone said from behind him;

"Spare change, sir?"

Deidara's brow furrowed in confusion and he turned. A figure with a plain black cloak was sitting up against the door of a shop with a small, circular ceramic, handle-less cup in their hand. The hood of their cloak was pulled up over their face and so they were unidentifiable. The stranger's leg was bent at the knee in front of them and they tapped a steady rhythm on the ground with their foot. The rain from above poured down harder yet the stranger didn't make any attempt to get up or even move into a different position. Deidara approached cautiously.

"Excuse me, un?" He asked, moving the tassels away from his face so he could eye the stranger.

"Do you have any spare change, sir?" The stranger answered and shook the cup in their hand. A few coins could be heard jingling from inside of it. Deidara narrowed his eyes and moved closer. The stranger's aura wasn't threatening in the least. In fact, it was rather calming and drew Deidara in. He looked the person up and down before saying;

"No. I don't have any, I'm sorry, un."

The stranger tilted their head back only slightly and the hood slid down a few inches, leaving their eyes exposed. Deidara felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him. Piercing emerald eyes watched his ice blue ones. Somehow, somewhere inside of him, he felt as though he had seen them before. The green entranced him and a memory found it's way back into his mind.

Their team leader walked in front of them, being sure to look each one in the eye as he passed. His presence sent chills down their spines.

"I've been told that one of you has been feeding classified information to enemies of this village. If the traitor confesses now, the others will not be penalized." He said. Deidara's heart practically stopped. How could their sensei have found this out? How could this have happened?

Deidara didn't dare look at his other two teammates. He knew that Takeshi was blaming him and if he had any proof that he had actually done it, he would've told sensei. Deidara wasn't sure what exactly his other teammate was thinking at the moment. Kihaku had always seemed to like Deidara and he didn't think that even if she knew what he had done she would rat him out.

"Well?" Sensei snapped. Deidara felt himself begin to sweat and he attempted to swallow a large lump in his throat. He felt Kihaku shift beside him.

"The traitor is me, sensei."

Deidara's head snapped over to his left and his eyes widened as he stared at Kihaku. He diverted his eyes to his sensei whose expression was just as surprised as his.

"Y-you? Kihaku-san…you're the one?" Takeshi asked in amazement. Kihaku turned to him and watched him with empty eyes.

"Hai." She responded then stood up and walked over to their sensei. Their sensei shook his head and gripped her shoulder tightly, leading her towards the exit. Before they made it out of the room, Kihaku turned around and looked straight into Deidara's eyes. Her large green eyes held sorrow and a hint of something else that he had never seen there before. His heart sunk. How could she have taken the fall for him? How could she give up her freedom so he could have his?

Deidara opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out. When he finally decided on what he wanted to say to her, she and their sensei were gone. Deidara sighed loudly and stood up and was immediately grabbed and shoved against the wall with a kunai to his throat.

"Listen to me you little piece of shit. I know that it was you. I know you betrayed us all. How could you let Kihaku take the fall for you? Why would you let this happen?" Takeshi screamed in Deidara's face as he pressed the kunai against his throat harder, nearly drawing blood. Deidara shoved Takeshi forcefully away from him.

"Get out of my face, un." Deidara hissed and made his way out of the room and away from his fuming teammate.

"I'll make this right, somehow, un…" He whispered to himself.

Those eyes. Her eyes. He knew those eyes.

Deidara backed away from the figure he assumed was Kihaku.

"Sir, is there something wrong? Is there something I can help you with?" The person asked. Their mouth was visible and the ends were turned up in a what might be called a smile. Deidara stared in disbelief. He couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening.

"Kihaku-chan, un. Kihaku-chan, is that you, un?" He whispered as the courage to move towards the figure again manifested inside of him. The person finally stood and pulled the hood completely off of their head. Deidara's stomach tied into knots as he looked at her. She looked just like what he imagined a slightly aged Kihaku would look like. Her short onyx hair that barely reached the bottom of her ears framed her face perfectly and her regal facial structure made her eyes look even more divine.

"And if it is, Dei-chan?" She countered his question with one of her own. The nickname confirmed his suspicion and he removed his hat and walked closer to her, making them barely six inches apart.

"Then I owe you one hell of an apology, un." Deidara laughed sadly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I let you take the fall for something that was entirely my fault, un. I should've taken responsibility and faced the consequences. Because of me, your whole life was probably ruined, un. What did they even do to you, un?" Deidara cursed himself over and over again for his past mistake. Kihaku shook her head and grabbed his hand gently.

"Nothing that I wasn't able to get over. I was exiled and have been living on the streets ever since. It's not as bad as you may think. And don't feel bad, Dei-chan. I did what I did because I wanted to, not because I felt like I had to or anything." Kihaku said. The rain fell even harder and their clothes were almost completely soaked. Deidara pulled Kihaku against him and held her tightly.

"Why would you do that, un? I am so sorry…" Deidara said. Kihaku wrapped her arms around him loosely and enjoyed his warmth. Kihaku looked up at Deidara then leaned up and whispered directly in his ear;

"Because I was in love with you, Dei-chan." Deidara felt his heart flutter for just a moment before her words really sunk in. Was. As in, past tense, used to, before, not anymore. Deidara searched her face and noticed that the rain rolling down her cheeks resembled tears.

Was it possible that Kihaku showing up so suddenly in his life again changed the way he felt about her? Changed the way he looked at her? He seemed to think so and brushed Kihaku's bangs away from her face so he could gaze into her dazzling eyes. Butterflies seemed to start to fly in his stomach as he continued to look into her eyes.

"'Was', un?" Deidara whispered as he hoped that she would prove him wrong and confess that she was still in love with him. Kihaku bit her lip and gripped his cloak tightly.

"Was…and maybe still am. I guess we'll have to find out…" Kihaku responded and raised herself up on her tip toes then planted a firm but gentle kiss on Deidara's lips. Deidara kissed her back and pulled her against him tighter, pressing his lips against hers with much more force as he tried to assert his dominance. Kihaku tangled her fingers in his hair and allowed a soft moan to escape her lips. Deidara groaned quietly in response and tugged her cloak gently. The two broke apart and Deidara stroked Kihaku's hair. With the angelic smile she now wore on her face, the rain that rolled down her cheeks resembled tears of joy instead of tears of sadness.

"I think I want to spend forever with you," Kihaku whispered as she felt the love she thought she had repressed for him flood her heart.

"Forever is a long time, un." Deidara whispered in reply. Kihaku nodded and pulled him in for a kiss once again.

"I believe I can handle that…as long as I'm with you, Dei-chan." She spoke after they pulled apart. Deidara smiled at her and leaned his forehead against hers, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small, clay bird and handed it to her.

"This is for you. I promise you it won't explode, un." Deidara laughed huskily as he handed it to Kihaku. Kihaku gasped and held it close to her, remembering all of the times she used to watch Deidara make clay creations when they were young. Kihaku looked up at Deidara and smiled shyly then kissed his cheek and said;

"I think that I still love you, Dei-chan." Deidara smiled and nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

"Well I know that I love you, Kihaku-chan, un." Deidara said and kissed her rosy lips with as much passion as he could muster.

The two spent the rest of the night kissing in the rain, discovering just how much they loved each other. Distance truly does make the heart grow fonder.