"Tobi...?"

"I'm sorry it has to be like this Deidara-senpai." Tobi said as he continued to pack his things.

"You can't, you can't be leaving!" Tears began to fill the blonde artist's blue eyes. "You can't just leave!"

"I know it's not enough just to say I'm sorry, but I am."

"No! Don't leave..." Deidara grabbed Tobi by the arm. "If it's my fault for making you want to go please tell me. Don't leave me alone... if you do, I won't..."

Deidara tried to hide the hurt but Tobi was able to see through his act. If it couldn't be read on his face it could be in his voice. He pulled his beloved friend into hug. "I'm sorry, but we're better off this way." With that Tobi grabbed the bundle that all his belongings were in and exited the headquarters leaving Deidara in confused and afraid in his room. After awhile he just collapsed to the floor asking himself 'Why?'

--

"Deidara get out of your fucking bedroom! Leader wants to send to you a mission with Itachi." Hidan yelled and hit his fist against the door.

"Shut up Hidan I'm coming!" Deidara wiped away a few of his tears trying to hide from the others that he actually the village idiot. He was looking forward to his mission though, he'd get to take out his anger on whoever was the target of the mission and verbally abuse the high and might Itachi Uchiha. What a bonus.

He put on his cloak and met Itachi at the front of the headquarters. "Let's go." Itachi said in his usual emotionless tone.

"Uchiha bastard." Deidara mumbled under his breath. Before he could take another step Itachi had pinned him to the walk by his neck.

"If I were you... I wouldn't push it. Sure leader doesn't allow us to kill off other members, but what he doesn't know..." Itachi took out a kunai and began to press it against Deidara's stomach.

"Itachi!" A harsh voice called from behind. It was Pein. "Let Deidara go." Itachi loosened the grip he had on his neck making Deidara fall to the floor coughing. "Now get going."

Without another word Itachi put his kunai back in his pouch and walked out the door. Deidara got up rubbing his neck a little bit because Itachi had practically rubbed it raw. He groaned. 'Crap, Itachi's in one of his moods...' When Deidara got outside Itachi took off and he got that a the que that they were off.

--

The mission was farley easy, rob a high security bank. It was probably Kakuzu's idea... Itachi made Deidara do most of the work since he was the team leader on this. Deidara was tired and all he wanted was to get back to the headquarters and sleep. Unfortunately he wouldn't get that chance anytime soon...

He had let his guard down and that small moment of insecurity allowed him to be pinned to a tree by multiple kunai.

"What the!" He shouted in surprise. One kunai had just barely missed his head, but cut his cheek and began to ooze crimson blood.

"Beautiful..." Itachi whispered into his ear. He finger traced Deidara's scar wiping the blood onto his finger. "Some people don't seem to know how much they can learn about a person with just a single drop of blood."

"Get away from me you Uchiha brat!" Deidara yelled at him while also trying to free himself from the from the kunai.

"Tsk, tsk." Itachi taunted. This wasn't like him. The Itachi Deidara knew hated him. They both hated each other. "You never seemed to mind 'Uchiha Brats' when Tobi was around." Itachi glided his lips over Deidara's cut. He winced. It really hurt. "You're mine now..." Itachi whispered in Deidara's ear and liked up some of the blood.

"Can you at least tell me why he left... why did Tobi leave the Akatsuki? Why did he leave me?" That was a question he usually asked himself. He didn't want to cry in front of Itachi. He didn't want to show him any weakness, but he cared more about Tobi then his pride. "Please tell me!"

"He left because he was fed up with you." Itachi answered simply. Of course he was lying. He wanted Deidara to despise the only person who he thought cared for him. He wanted Deidara to fall back on him so he could tell him everything was alright and he could finally hold the blonde artist in his arms. Itachi wanted him to know he cared, that he could care. "You thought that all his time he actually cared about you? No, he despised you."

"D-despised me?" Deidara couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't see through Itachi's lie, he was too blinded by his feelings for Tobi... Love? He used to think it was love… but now all he knew was that it was all a lie. "I hate you… I hate you!"

He used all of his strength to loosed the kunai. When his arms were free he began to batter Itachi's chest with his fists. The Uchiha just pulled him closer. "Forget about Tobi." Deidara's tearing eyes widened. "Forget about him. You'll be better off when you do. Instead I'll take care of you. I'll love you and I'll be there when you need me. Just tell me that you care for me like I do for you."

Deidara looked up at Itachi. "I…" His hands moved up Itachi's and he began closing the space between their faces. "I…" He stuck a kunai in Itachi's back, attached was a paper bomb. "I hate all Uchihas!"

Deidara jumped onto a branch of the tree and ignited the paper bomb. He sighed with relief as he watched Itachi become consumed by the blast. Not wanting to stay there much longer he began his way back to headquarters. He didn't really know how he was going to explain why Itachi wasn't with him, but he'd figure out something.

"Deidara!" A voice shouted from behind him. His eyes widened. How could he have escaped that?

Itachi was right behind him and his sharingan had a look of betrayal and murder in them. Deidara began to run faster hoping that he'd able to out run Itachi.

"Deidara!" Deidara was pushed to the ground. Itachi fell on top of him and straddled his waist. "Don't think you can escape me that easy you spoiled bastard." He grabbed hold of Deidara's cloak and began unbuttoning it. "I could have killed you, but I didn't... It's very tempting. If you were anyone else right now you'd be dead."

"Get off of me!!" Deidara screamed obviously angry at the Uchiha.

"Make me." Itachi finished unbuttoning Deidara's cloak and began to kiss his neck.

"I-itachi stop it!" He blushed. Tobi used to do the same thing.

"Please... I want you so bad." Itachi breathed into Deidara's neck. He worked one of his hands down to his pants while the other one took out his ponytail.

"St-stop..." Deidara couldn't argue that he wasn't enjoying himself, but it just felt wrong. He hated Tobi yet he didn't want to betray him. "Stop Itachi, please..."

Itachi was kicked off of Deidara. "Get away from him!" A familiar voice yelled at Itachi.

"You had your chance Tobi and you left!" Itachi argued back. Deidara quickly collected himself and wrapped his cloak around him.

"Tobi..."

"Senpai! Get out of here! I'll hold him off."

"No! I don't want to lose you again!" Deidara screamed back.

"I don't want to lose you either, that's why you have to leave!"

"No!"

"Yes!!" Tobi commanded. "Do what I say, now!"

Before Deidara could argue back Tobi was hit with multiple kunai. His blood splattered on nearby trees and made pools in the grass around his body.

"TOBI!!" Deidara yelled for his friend. He couldn't be dead.

A hand came up and wrapped itself around Itachi's ankle and pulled him under. For a moments it was silent. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard. 'Who's winning?' Deidara thought trying not to disturb the silence. His eyes darted around searching for any sign of life.

"T-tobi...?" He muttered barely above a whisper. Nothing answered back. Not even the sound of birds chirping. Deidara stood up, his cloak still wrapped around him. He walked about two feet in the opposite direction when he heard the sound of churning earth. A glove hand popped out of the ground and pulled up a body. Tobi had won.

"H-hey senpai!" Tobi waved. "Itachi-san was strong, but I showed him!" A ting of laugher was in the masked boy's voice and though his face was covered Deidara could tell he was smiling.

Deidara looked away. He had come so close to losing him... again. He was so happy he forgot all the hatred and contempt he said he had for Uchihas. Tear rushed down his cheeks, not out of sadness, but out of joy. "Tobi..."

Tobi's happy mood changed. "I'm sorry senpai... I thought that by leaving you'd be able to move on and be able to live a happier life." He paused and walked up behind Deidara, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I see now that I was only being selfish..." Deidara only cried harder. "I understand if you hate me, but please understand that I was thinking about us."

Tobi..." Deidara whispered to his masked friend. "I could never truly hate you." He turned around and lifted Tobi's mask just enough to revel his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too senpai." Tobi titled his head and claimed Deidara's lips. He never wanted to let him go and he knew he never would. He would never make a stupid mistake like that again. After a few moments the two separated for a breath. "You know it's going to be hard to explain to Leader what happened to Itachi-san."
Deidara let out a light laugh. "Well, we'll come up with something."

Tobi brushed Deidara's bangs out of his face. "We should probably go now and... maybe later I can make up for the time I've been gone." He whispered seductively in his ear.

Deidara blushed. "Just maybe dumb-ass."

In the beginning all Tobi had to say was 'goodbye' but now that the two are finally together there will never be a reason to speak that word ever again...