The young Uchiha slowly bent through the barricaded door, his flexible body easily dodging the large wooden planks. He took a deep breath, his red eyes adjusting to the dark. The old house creaked eerily as his feet padded throughout the building. His silky triangular ears twitched at the sounds. The house was gray and dirty, but that's all it was. It didn't seem that scary to him. Sure, once in a while the fact of being alone in an abandoned house would get a little creepy, but it's not like there were ghosts everywhere you looked. The mature twelve year old gazed about the lonely living room, his face pitying the old broken family photos on the dusty mantle. Their eyes sent shivers up his thin spine. Perhaps tonight was one of those creepy nights after all. His long black tail nervously swung from left to right, as he began to ascend the rickety staircase. His sensitive ears could pick up thunder in the distance, causing the boy to cringe. Rain. He hated getting wet. He shook his head, continuing up the stairs. The higher he got, the darker it got, and his eyes were having a hard time focusing. A small drop of sweat slipped down his face. There's nothing scarier than not knowing what's one foot ahead of you. He spread out his arm, his tail shooting straight up at the feel of something cold. His heart pounding, he sighed. " Just a door knob..." He thought. His pale fingers clasped the knob and turned, it's rust giving a good bit of friction. Finally, the door creaked open, the sharp noise sending his cat ears flat against his head. He quietly stepped inside, his heart pounding. He jumped at the sound of the sudden onslaught of rain, the storm seemingly appearing out of nowhere . "Has it been going on for a while...?" He seemed to always lose track of time in this place. The black haired boy spotted what looked like a bed in the corner if the room. " I guess I could rest there till the storm ends..." He padded swiftly to the bed, his tail swinging curiously around himself. His ears , however, continued to twitch due to all the sounds of the storm. He shed off his sandals, and deftly climbed onto the mattress, curling up into a ball. His sleek frame shivered in the cold air. His heart pounded. A flash of lightning lit the haunting attic, frightening the young Uchiha. Thunder shook the house itself, causing the boy the screw his eyes shut. All of a sudden, a giant explosion could be heard , far louder than the rest of the thunder. The attic door swung open, slamming loudly into the wall, and popping off it's hinges . The Uchiha boy screamed, frantically jumping under the covers, his ears and tail quivering in fear.
" AHAHAHAHAHA ! " Loud laughter filled the room as the storm died down. Itachi could hear footsteps against the wood floors from under the thin blanket.
" What is that?" The Uchiha quivered, resorting to keeping as quiet as possible. The loud thumps stopped, and a young voice made Itachi's silken ears pop up.
" I know you're there. You screamed like a girl, and your tail is showing." The confused Uchiha quickly retracted his tail, a small blush rising to his cheeks. He slowly lifted the covers to see who it was that had scared him so. His red eyes met with bright sky-blue orbs. Standing in the middle of the room was a young boy about Itachi's age. He had a smug look on his face, and a hand on his hip. Itachi's eyes widened as he saw the blonde's yellow, puffy ears and medium length yellow tail swishing playfully. The blonde flipped a bang away from his eye, smirking at the scared boy.
"Well? You gonna quit hiding, un?" Itachi's heart dropped. He slowly removed the blanket from his shivering form. He outstretched his legs and sat up, staring at the floor boards in embarrassment. The energetic blonde bounded over to the quiet boy, practically crashing onto the bed beside him. "So...?" His voice was taunting, " What's a SCAREDY CAT like YOU doing here?" Itachi's ears went sideways at the name calling. His tail nervously flicking at the tip, he turned to the blonde.
"Isn't that what I should be asking YOU...?" With that comment, the flamboyant blonde pouted. Itachi continued his reasoning. "How old are you, anyway?" The boy's yellow tail stuck straight as he huffed and crossed his arms.
" I'm busy practicing art! And I'm 10, un!" With that, he stood. " I always come here to practice, " he chuckled " besides, this place is already falling apart to begin with!" Itachi eyed the loud boy, his sleek ears pointing up.
"He seems... Interesting..." Truth be told, the Uchiha wasn't used to being around people like him. Where he lived, he was expected to always be courteous and quiet. Never scream, or talk back, and to not have an attitude under any circumstances. As he watched the blonde kick around trash in the attic, he figured this kid would break a ton of those rules. He shook his head, and quietly piped up. "What's your name...?" The blonde whirled around, stomping his foot in exclamation.
"The name's Deidara, un! And I'm the greatest artist on earth!" Deidara's tail swished from side to side in excitement. Itachi stared, wide-eyed. Deidara could tell the older of the two was definitely deprived. He smirked. He stomped back over to the bed and sat. " You don't talk much do you?" A small blush rose onto Itachi's face as he shook his head. "Humph." The blonde flopped down, folding his arms behind his head. The yellow triangles on his head spread out, enjoying the sounds around him. Itachi sat pin straight beside him, lost in thought. The blonde hummed. "Well that's ok..." A yellow ear twitched, " cuz I'm a loud mouth that won't shut up. At least, that's what my dad says." Itachi's ears flattened a bit when Deidara's tone became solemn. His heart felt flattened too. Itachi knew what it felt like to be scolded at by his father. He shifted awkwardly toward the blonde.
"So you come here...to get away...?" The timid Uchiha felt a little anxious putting his own feelings out into the open. The blonde popped open one blue eye, a sad smile on his face.
"Yea...I guess you could say that." The boy sat up, his yellow tail stretching out. "But mostly I come for my art! My special ability never before seen!" An embarrassed chuckle escaped him, as his ears twitched. "My art is something else that causes trouble with dad too..." Itachi frowned. Deidara caught the boy's expression out of the corner of his keen eyes. "What's wrong...?" Itachi's sleek black ears twitched.
" All my father ever wants from me is my ability..." Deidara looked down, scuffing up the dust on the attic floor. There was a long silence between the two.
"You must be something special then, huh...?" A small grimace appeared on his lips. "My dad would like you...A perfect kid. Not a "defect"..." Deidara's eyes grew dark. He stood suddenly, his tail twitching angrily. "Well I can be just as good as any genius out there! Even YOU!" The boy growled. Itachi's eyes widened, not expecting this kind of reaction. "Who are you anyway?!"
Itachi's onyx eyes blinked nervously, his tail swishing from side to side. "I-Itachi Uchiha." Thunder rumbled in the distance from the previous storm. Deidara stood still. Itachi squinted in the dark, swearing he could see the young boy trembling.
"Fine..." Deidara's yellow ears were plastered to his blonde head. "I'll be better than any stupid uchiha!" The ten year old's voice cracked as he yelled. "You're all too perfect for your own good! You make kids like me seem like IDIOTS!" Tears welled up in Deidara's eyes, and he thanked the creepy house for it's darkness. "And then you cry about it... Being wanted for your talent..." A growl escaped his lips. "I WISH my father gave a shit about what I do..." A tear finally fell, and the blonde sat on the floor. He trembled, remembering the horrible fight they'd had just hours before. Itachi gulped. He concluded that there were far worse things going on with this kid. He stood quietly, his pale skin practically glowing in the dark. He padded to the boy on the ground, and placed a hand on his small, shaking shoulder. Deidara continued to cry, sobs wracking out of the lonely boy's chest.
"I'm sorry... Really. Whatever I did to trigger these emotions, I'm sorry I did it." Itachi glanced around the room for a moment, letting the kid tire himself out. Finally, after about ten minutes, the crying fell silent. Itachi stood frozen, unsure about what to do definitely didn't want to make him explode again. He bent slowly, sitting beside the blonde on the planked floor. He thought hard about what he should do before he spoke.
"I know you've vowed to prove yourself better than me... " he kept his voice low, to comfort, "but I think you could use a friend." His words shocked Deidara, his cerulean eyes widening. Itachi thought about his friends. "When I'm sad... Friends help." Deidara shifted to glance at the Uchiha.
"I don't have any friends..." He responded quietly. Itachi gave the younger of the two a smile. He took the blonde's arm, and helped him stand up. The rickety attic groaned as deidara took steady footing. Itachi looked down at the boy who was a foot shorter than him, and smiled again.
"You do now. "