*Health*

A persons health can be amazing. They could be as they say *as healthy as a horse* or they could be extremely unhealthy. But there are also those who are in transition or are *in between*. The day my sempai collapsed was like any other day. He seemed completely fine. The picture of health. But he still collapsed right in front of me. Naturally, I panicked. I quickly checked that he had no injuries and that he wasnt trapped in some sort of genjutsu. When I finnished I picked him up and sped off at top speed for base and to the infirmary.

Zetsu seemed panicked when I told him that Deidara had just suddenly collapsed. He put him one of the beds and started attaching different machines to him. He had me leave the room to do some tests on dei and called me back in once he was finished.

*Zetsu san, what is wrong with Sempai?* I asked with a shaky voice. *Well.... He didnt want me telling anyone, but I think its time I at least told you....* he stated and I waited for the answer to my question. *Deidara has a disease that is eating away at his body. It is an unknown disease that has only been seen in .01% of Iwagakures population. They are born with it, so there has only been maybe two or three cases of it. No cure has ever been found for it.* Zetsu said looking at the unconscious dei who now had an air mask on.

*w...wha?* I think my heart stopped.... How could sempai be this sick without me knowing it? I couldnt believe what I heard.

*He asked me to never tell anyone.... when you two started seeing each other, he asked that I especially not let you know.... He didnt want you to worry about him.* Zetsu replied. I just stood there stupefied. What could I do? I snapped out of my stupefied state when Zetsu started talking again. *You probably should not let him know that you know about it tobi. It will make him worry even more.* He said. *So..... Sempai has known he was sick since he was little?* I asked. *No. We discovered it when he collapsed not long after joining the Akatsuki.... So he knew before you two became partners.... roughly he has known for about five years. When we discovered it, the disease had already destroyed his left kidney and we had to remove it.* He replied. *H...How far has it progressed now?* I asked about ready to cry. I was praying to wake up, that this was all a dream and I would awaken to my sempai sleeping on my chest as always. *all his organs are starting to fail. Its hard to say how long it will be before they fail completely. It could be a day, it could be years. All I know is that they will fail him eventually.* Zetsu said cleaning up. *I will inform leader that you two will not be going on any missions for a while.* he said leaving.

I slowly made my way over to the bed, pulling up a chair to sit in. Once comfortable, I grabbed deidaras hand and started to play with the ring that I had bought for him. I hadnt realized that dei had been awake the whole time.

*Gomenasai tobi* Dei whispered startling me. *You are awake dei?* I said taking my mask off. *hai... I heard everything.... Im sorry I never told you about it tobi.... I was affraid that if I had told you, that you would have left me because I was broken and slowly dyeing....* Dei said tears rolling down the sides of his face. I reached up and brushed them away ready to cry myself. *Dei, listen to me. I love you and always will, no matter what. I will never leave you, and I would never consider you broken.* I said now crying and holding his hand tightly. Dei smiled lightly while crying too. *I love you too tobi.* He replied quietly.

Deidara sempai and I spent the next two years happily. He never told anyone else of his sickness because he wanted to continue going on missions. But his visits to Zetsu san became more and more frequent until one day he was completely bedridden. The next few weeks I watched as his already small frame became frailer looking by the day and lost a lot of weight.... Before we could even get to say goodbye to each other, dei passed on in his sleep one night.

So here I sit, thinking back to that day. I had one last prayer for dei the next morning. It was for him to pass on peacefully. And to this day in my old age, lying here on my death bed, that he is waiting for me to join him. Then I think back about the word *health*. It is funny how fragile that word is. Someone that seems so healthy could actually be extremely unhealthy on the inside. I laugh knowing I ended up the same as dei. Some disease attacking my inside. I close my eyes. I can hear the doctors running around and all the medical machines beeping crazily.

Next thing I know, everything is quiet. I am standing at a huge gate. Fro some reason I am young again.

The gates open and out steps Dei to greet me smiling like always. The picture of health once again.