Disconnected
Sometimes Deidara thinks it would have been easier.
It's not like he was that much older then her anyways.
He would have found a way to make it work.
This was his life, his past, his happiness, his mistake.
She was his princess, so what happened?
So disconnected, going through the motions again. You don't really know me To out of touch, out of touch to touch you. Its too hard to just move on.
You never listen to me
You cannot look me in the eyes
Now you struggle to see
Why its so easy to push me aside
I no longer believe that you were ever on my side
How could you know what I need?
When I'm the last thing on your mind.
So disconnected, everything goes over you head
So disconnected, you got me hanging by a thread
So disconnected, when will this cycle end?
I don't think you ever even tried
We're on the same routine
and you say you never have the time
Who do you want me to be?
Do you want me in your life?
I feel so incomplete, you left me to far behind.
Its easier said then done.
"Sang"
The young blond boy quivered silently at the sound of his name, or at least, the name he was given by the cruel man. He confined his tears tightly inside his cerulean eyes. His stomach churned inside until he felt sick. He began shivering vigorously, automatically dropping the small sharpened tree branch he held in his hand.
A sharp pain struck the bone thin boy stiffly on his back. He yelped loudly, standing up immediately as he rubbed the spot on his back that had just been whipped. He backed up fearfully, looking at the ground in shame. His eyes gleamed a silver colour in the dark candle-lit room. Nothing could ever force him to look upon the frightening older man who glared at him with whip in hand.
"Sang" the deep voice called out again. "What have I told you about drawing in my home?" his question boomed unnecessarily across the room.
The blond sighed, but nevertheless recited the same phrase for possibly the hundredth time in his small lifetime. He hid his face behind the short bangs that just met his eyes now and choked out: "Paint is bad, timber is good." The actual statement itself was much longer with several other larger words that he didn't quite comprehend at his young age. So he simply shortened it, mainly out of annoyance for repeating it so many times by now.
The man however, did not look satisfied. "How am I going to make you remember this? Do I need to punish you?" he threatened. The tears the small boy was previously holding back started pouring out at that instant. His high pitched screams only seemed to further anger the older man. "Quit being a girl and take it like a man. You might as well grow your hair out at this rate!" the man exclaimed, chuckling at his own comment as he chased the boy.
The rest of the night was a chase for Deidara's life. He was almost certain he was to actually die that night.
The next day he woke up, unaware of where he was, but apparently, he was saved.
He knew he was starting new now, it was going to be different, better even, but he still couldn't shake his fears, habits and restrictions from before. The man who saved him was much less frightening. The man always wore a smile on his face, for one, but it wasn't just that. He was tall, thin, clear skinned, he didn't reek of alcohol, and for some reason, anyone could feel safe around him. He wore a headband on his forehead with the villages symbol on it and a large vest.
It was an awkward relationship in the beginning, neither of the two in which would talk to each other. The older man would smile, and the blond boy would bashfully stare at him at a loss for what to say or feel. The man would leave him some prepared food each morning and with a wave, he'd leave, not returning until promptly at twilight. The man would return at night and make sure the blond boy would fall asleep safely in the bed he prepared. This became routine for about the first month or so.
The blond boy longed to draw like he'd usually do, but the restrictions he used to live with prohibited him doing so, and therefore he was still frightened. But this scared him the most, the act of never being able to express himself again just because he feared what others would think or what would happen to him. He wouldn't allow this to happen.
The blond was much more eager one morning to finish his breakfast. He patiently awaited the man to take his leave, restlessly shaking. Once the man was out of sight, the boy scurried outside. His hibernation inside the house made him highly affected by the sun's bright rays. It was like he was experiencing the outdoor nature and air for the first time all over again.
Nevertheless he sprinted for the nearest tree in hope of finding a nice pile of dirt to sketch on, but instead, he found that it had rained the previous night, and all that was left was a messy puddle of mud. The boy frowned upon the sight, but hopelessly, he began sprinting ideas in his head. Anything for the art.
The man returned again that night, only this time to find that the boy was gone. He allowed himself to stay calm, although he had to ponder as to where he could have ran off to, he never left the house since the day he brought him here.
As if the boy was reading his mind, he heard the front door open and shut swiftly. The blond boy strolled lazily over to the man, head down. What the man saw, made him laugh. The blond was covered head to toe in thick dried out layers of mud.
The man laughed at the boy's usually neat short and shaggy blond hair that had been transformed into a deep brown spiky mess.
He smiled. "Deidara" he said suddenly, earning him a perplexed look from the blond.
"Well, I need to call you something, don't I? Do you like it? I can pick something else if you'd like" he questioned.
The boy nodded his head several times approvingly, and he himself even giggled. The man continued smiling. "Well alright Deidara, let's get you washed up. I hadn't realized you had such a thing for mud"
Deidara searched his pockets and carefully pulled out a small dried out object. It was a small clay figure he made out of the mud, a small bird to be precise. The man was incredibly surprised at all the amazing detail the small artist put into it, and with just a pile of mud! Still, he was truly impressed, causing another smile to plaster on his face.
"I never knew you were such the artist, Deidara-Kun" he noted, patting the boy's dirt encrusted head. Deidara smiled brightly.
As he promised, the man gave Deidara a long bath, scrubbing hard and wondering just how in the world this boy could have gotten every inch of him covered in mud. He never realized how bone thin the boy was- he took a mental note to feed him more often.
He stopped at the sight of the boy's hands.
He'd seen them before, and always attempted to ignore them, but now they were placed right in front of him, and the boy was too busy splashing around to notice his obvious stares. The mouths on his hands were closed, but once in a while a tongue would loll lazily around the rim of the 'lips'. The man shivered. The weirdest thing about it, was that he found large amounts of dirt stored inside them too. Had Deidara been trying to feed them?
His mind filled with many questions about how life must have been like for him before he came.
Suddenly, a large splash soaked away his thoughts, and a set of blue orbs taunted him innocently. He smiled.
Either way, those hands...this boy would make a good shinobi.
Six Years Later.
"What are we doing here?" the now eleven year old Deidara asked. His foster father simply replied "We're on a mission of course" with a smile. Deidara rolled his eyes playfully. "I knew that, but why are we here?" he asked. His father sighed. "The mission was assigned to go to Konoha, that's all" he answered the best he could.
Deidara could only shrug it off, returning to play with a ball of clay absently.
He had grown only slightly in the last five years. He remained short and naive with too much childish charm left in him to this date. Even after already graduating from the Ninja Academy at age ten, he still liked to think that he would go on missions to save a pretty princess from the cruel captives of a dark dragon, and he was the handsome knight. Yes, for a shinobi, he had an overly active imagination, and sometimes his father wondered if he'd ever grow up.
It was challenging to get mad at the blue eyed boy, and that may be an obstacle for him as a shinobi. His father often worried he would never be taken seriously. Nevertheless, Deidara proved to be a smart boy, even if his skepticism was...different. He passed the academy with relative ease, and he seemed to be willing to be a successful shinobi, even if he had other things in mind.
Deidara wanted to be an artist. He put in extravagant effort to make that point clear to anyone who knew him now. He seemed to easily pick up the habit of sculpting, and although it became inconvenient and messy, he did have a phenomenal talent at it, and no one could deny it.
The blond continued picking around with his clay as they walked to the village's entrance. His father talked to the guards at the front, and he followed closely behind as they advanced to the gate. Once inside the village hidden in the leaves, Deidara put away his clay in a small tan burlap bag that hung off his shoulder, meeting his hip.
Eager over nothing but a mere D-Ranked mission, Deidara still bounced around the town. His father chuckled slightly. Deidara has always had tons of energy and drive lately, even over the smallest things, all and all, the boy seemed to enjoy the tiniest things in life nowadays. That was the leading reason he knew he'd become a great shinobi someday.
Deidara had run around the village all day, constantly keep at least two steps ahead of his jounin-level father. He run up, practice a kick or two in the air, or perhaps throw a perfect punch to a nearby object, and then slow down again to make sure his father was still right behind him waiting.
The pair finally approached a large white building that could be seen past another black bar gate. As they got closer, several other older off-white houses could be seen behind the white house. Altogether the whole place looked out of place in the village, it was too fancy.
Anticipation growing, Deidara quickly snatched the package from his father, and while avoiding the man's protesting yells, he sprinted to wards the gate playfully, giggling.
Once he arrived at the gate, he realized he had a predicament. The gate was locked, of course.
Feeling defeated, Deidara slumped over the bars, grabbing on to one with his free hand. But from the other side of the gate, he could hear quiet footsteps crossing the perfectly landscaped grass. It was a girl.
She was defiantly younger then him, but she was about the same height since Deidara was short for his age. Her hair was about the same length also. She strolled around what looked like a court yard, carrying a faded purple blanket. She looked to be waiting for something, or looking.
She didn't seem to notice him as he waved.
"Hey!" Deidara cried out. The girl instantly turned in his direction, startled. Deidara smiled. He liked the way she walked towards him, it was so graceful and pretty, it was like she was dancing. His heart jumped, maybe she was- "Hey, are you a princess?!"
The girl looked taken aback. She grabbed onto her blanket tighter. "Ano...no" she managed to say, with difficulty.
Deidara frowned, his forehead crinkled. "Well you sure look like a princess!" he said excitedly. He meant it. He envied her smooth cobalt hair and small nose. He concluded the prettiest thing of all, were her sparkling unique white eyes.
She began to feel uncomfortable with the stranger smiling at her, as she was not accustomed to so much positive attention in such a small amount of time. Suddenly, he remembered what he was sent here for, and his face lit up again. He managed to squeeze the small package in between two of the narrow black bars. "Here you go!" he said, satisfied. "That's for you, mission accomplished!".
The smallest hint of a smile spread on her face. "Ah, thank you?" she replied bashfully.
"No, thank you!" Deidara said. The girl remained still shyly. She was too young to be willing to talk to strangers as easily as he was, but he still wanted to talk to her. "Yeah" he simply said.
"Yeah" she mumbled, barely audible.
"Yeah"
They both remained in the awkward silence, until he thought of something to ask. "What's your name?" he asked curiously, hoping she wouldn't be mad at him for asking.
"Hinata" she said.
"Hinata-Hime" Deidara whispered, trying out the name to see if it suited. He seemed to like it.
"What?" she questioned nervously.
"Hinata-Hime, I like it" he said melodically.
She smiled more noticeably, so that Deidara could indicate it easily now. "Oh!" he jumped. "I have to go, I'll be around the village for a while, I'll see you soon Hinata-Hime!" he waved as he left. Hinata only gripped her blanket tighter.
At that moment, Deidara changed his mind about what he liked best about her. He liked her smile the most.
They were all proved wrong when they thought Deidara couldn't hold anymore excitement inside of him. He was always wide awake at six in the morning. Sharp. He would already be prepared to go, jumping on his father's bed ordering him to wake up. He'd eat his breakfast eagerly and he'd whine every time his father told him to slow down before he got sick. They fell into a separate routine here in Konoha. He'd take care of the business matter's with the Hokage while Deidara would run around the village happily, always stopping by the "castle".
Today the boy wore casual attire, still completed with his Iwagakure headband. He grabbed a jacket on the way out and ran ahead of his father. He was bouncier then usual mainly because he received a small sum of money from his father to spend. The blond smirked to himself. He recalled he was meant to use this money to buy him some lunch, but he had other plans.
Shivering a tad, Deidara walked through the lively village path. There was a slight chill in the air, and Deidara hadn't quite adjusted yet to the cooler temperature of this village. He treaded on though, his course set on a nearby food stand. He asked politely for two dangos, and skipped off quickly after receiving them.
On his way to his destination, he paused in an extremely cared field. The vast tall green grass swayed majestically, and several hundreds of lavender lilacs bloomed around them. Deidara's face lit up, immediately running into the valley. He carefully held both dangos in one hand while the other picked several of the flowers. Proud of his thoughtfulness, he proceeded.
To his amazing luck, the girl was sitting out in the courtyard once again, starring blankly at the garden that surrounded the yard. She still held on possessively to the same purple blanket. Deidara wondered if she was simply tense from her princess duties.
"Hi Hinata-Hime!" he called out cheerfully. She didn't turn around as quickly as he wanted. She looked frightened. "Uh hey, yeah" he mumbled, at a loss for words again. He didn't know how to speak to a princess.
"Please let me in Princess! I have food for us!" he pleaded. Slowly, she got up. She hesitated, looked behind her, and then moved on. She let the stranger inside. He handed the Hyuuga her share of the dango he purchased, the girl smiled gratefully.
"Oh, for you" he mentioned, handing over the lavender lilacs he picked earlier. "Do you like them Hinata-Hime? I thought they matched your eyes"
She blushed. He was so kind to her, but why?
"What's your name?" she asked quietly.
"Deidara." His eyes widened at the girl's question. He felt honored for some reason, as if he deserved some award for her asking for his name. They shared their food together silently, both somewhat enjoying company, even if it was as awkward as it was. Even though her life was short lived so far, Hinata was not used to others enjoying her around and was used to silence or others ignoring her.
Deidara, however, was different. He almost always had to fill every period of silence with senseless chatter or action. The silence annoyed him.
"So Hinata-Hime, how old are you? Is your favorite colour purple? Do you have a big royal family?" he asked. The young Hyuuga looked surprised at the sudden rain of personal questions. Showered with this kind of attention though, she couldn't help but attempt to go along with the conversation, she felt slightly less timid around this blond boy.
"I'm eight" she began. The boy looked intrigued with every word she uttered, so she went on. "I guess I really like purple, white is nice too though" she said, gripping onto her blanket. "M-my family is b-big I-I guess" she trailed off. She was hoping he wouldn't ask more about her family.
"You're only eight? I thought you looked older!" She sighed, he was content enough with the family topic for now.
"H-how old are you?" she asked, she found herself becoming just as interested in the boy as he was with her.
"I just turned eleven" he said, smiling.
"And you're a ninja?" she asked a little more enthusiastically.
"Uh huh" he said proudly, nodding his head. He crossed his legs, rocking back and forth gently. "It's pretty alright I guess. I get to travel a lot and stuff" he trailed off. "Are you going to be one too Hinata-Hime?"
"Oh" she mouthed. Her headed tilted downward. "Y-y-yes" she stuttered. The young Iwa-nin frowned. "Do you not want to be one?" he asked sternly. "I-I d-don't know" she muttered, looking behind her again. Deidara continued frowning at the girl. "You know" he began. "I really want to be an artist, but I was kind of forced to be a shinobi. I suppose it was because my chakra levels are high, and I was meant to be a good shinobi, but all I really want to do is make great art" he admitted easily.
"Well, maybe you can do both" she suggested. Hey, that's an idea. "Yeah, you're right! You're too smart Hinata-Hime" he approved. She faintly smiled.
Deidara exhaled deeply. He flung out his arms over his head and crashed onto the grass beneath him, on his back with legs spread. Hinata imitated his action, lying beside him. They stared at the fluffy clouds overhead, each pointing out what shapes they could make of them. Deidara looked over in the girl's direction. She seemed to be occupied thinking of something.
Finally, she spoke her mind. "Deidara" she swallowed after speaking his name. "Why are you here anyways?" she asked. She didn't intent for it to sound mean, but she was confused.
"Well I've never met a princess before" he replied. Hinata gave him a cute, perplexed look. "But I'm not a true Princess" she mumbled. She was an heiress, not a Princess, but she often felt like a fair maiden trapped in a tower. She was too young to understand just what an heiress was though, and sometimes, deep down, she liked to pretend she was kind loving princess. She smiled. "You're silly Deidara"
He shrugged. She wasn't too convincing that she wasn't a princess.
Suddenly, the Hyuuga heiress stood up, alertness was written across her features. "You have to go. My family is back, and I'll be in bad trouble" she whispered, almost childishly. Deidara sat up, confused, but recognizing the urgency. "Can I come back someday?" he asked. The girl nodded. Satisfied, he left while still sneaking one last glance at the 'princess'.
He did come back.
Every time he came he'd be accompanied with another purple lilac to add to her growing collection. He'd come whenever he had the chance. He'd usually pass by everyday, but he learned to come only when the girl sat outside, which wasn't as often as he desired. In fact, it was pretty rare to see her outside and alone, so he'd simply put the flower near the gate entrance and try again the next day.
Unfortunately, like all routine situations in Deidara's life, things changed.
For one: this mission he was sent on in Konoha turned out to be less then the innocent task he expected. His foster father was assassinated in the middle of a delivery, and Deidara managed to escape. He had once again managed to save his life, but he didn't feel so lucky. Two: Hinata's father had found out about their secret meetings, but whether that was good or bad, Deidara did not know yet.
He was lost again. He wanted to become a great shinobi now, in memory of his foster father's dreams, but there was no way in doing that if he could not find a way to return to Iwagakure. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind staying here in Konoha as he grew such a strong attachment to it in a shorter time then Iwa.
He got his wish.
They were back for him. The anonymous murders of his late foster father returned the very next day. Deidara never would have understood coming to Konoha was such a bad thing, but their villages were enemies, and they were after them all along.
But why? His father was nicer to him then anyone else, and he himself was nothing more then a genin. He didn't stand a chance.
He heard the two hunter like nins whisper to each other. His blue eyes gleamed in fear. The only thing he was capable now, was to run, and that is exactly what he decided to do. Not once deciding to glance back, he ran. Unfortunately, he wasn't the fastest of shinobi, and he was easily caught.
He screamed for help. The two Konoha nin approached him dangerously. He was a sitting duck, it would be too easy to kill a boy of his thin structure, why do it? The two began playing with him, in a twisted way. They whipped him several times, listening to the boy cry and yelp in pain.
Deidara endured the intensifying pain. He held onto his last string of hope, and for him, hope apparently came in the form of a princess.
"Hey!" he heard her tiny voice shout.
Then he passed out cold.
One month later.
Everything was warm. He felt flushed as he attempted to open his eyes. The first thing his eyes met was the large white blanket he was wrapped in, which could possibly explain his feverish temperature, but then his eyes quickly adverted to the young Hyuuga leaning above him, anxiously noticing the signs of his awakening.
"Hinata-Hime" he whispered weakly. "I remember..."
He was interrupted by a door slamming into the perpendicular wall. A taller adult male walked into the room. He had long dark brown hair, his face was solid with a mean streaked look, but he had the same eyes as Hinata. He looked down monotonously at the blond. A slight nod could be detected if you looked close enough.
"We'll keep him around for you Hinata" he said quietly, looking directly at the smaller Hyuuga. "You need a companion, he'll do for now, if he obeys." This time he shot a look at the boy, who strained to sit up straight, nodding. "I'd pay for him, but since he has no family, he should just be grateful I'm letting him stay." he glared stubbornly at the boy. "No funny business" he hissed under his breath to the boy. He left just as quickly as he entered.
Deidara frowned forlornly. He felt a wave of depression surpass over him like a thunderstorm cloud following his around. Once again though, he found sunlight from the girl sitting next to him, smiling weakly and nervously.
"You saved me" he whispered. She turned red, looking away. Her father would have to get some credit for that part as well, but it was difficult for her to convince him to help the boy, but she decided not to mention all of that.
"You really are my princess" he said. The depression in his voice was easily noticed, and it saddened Hinata slightly. He looked serious. "One day, I'll be your knight in shining armor, and I'll come to your rescue." he whispered again. Hinata didn't know what to say.
"I didn't know you didn't have a family" she squeaked. "It's okay, I never knew them" he mumbled weakly. Being young, she didn't know how to handle the situation in the mature manner she wanted. Deidara caught a glimpse of the calender behind the girl. He had been knocked out for quite sometime now. "How long has it been?" he asked softly in a low groan.
Hinata began counting on her fingers. "A lot of days!" she whispered sharply. "Niisan says over a month" she mumbled unknowingly. "You've woke up a couple of times, but you couldn't remember a thing. Then you'd fall back asleep and not wake up for a long time. I was worried!" she shrugged, gripping on the edge of the bed Deidara lied on. The blond sighed and thudded onto his pillow again. "That's a shame, I missed my own birthday" he muttered. He didn't look as upset as he said.
The Hyuuga opened her mouth to say something but paused when she realized the boy had already fallen asleep again. Gently, with a fragment of hesitation, she kissed the boy's forehead. When she got hurt, someone would kiss the spot she got hurt and told her to feel better. Her father said he was going through a "depression" and that "there was something wrong with his brain." She didn't see the logic of it all, but she hoped kissing the closest thing to his brain would make him feel better.
One month later.
Deidara got over his depression slowly, but surely. He'd wake up every once in a while like Hinata said, but every time he got up things progressed better. His Hyuuga owners decided to give him some space, but all he wanted was their company. Eventually he got up for good, feeling refreshed, but slightly changed from the experience. Overall, Deidara could be compared to a spring, even when he was put down, he'd always bounce back up.
His main threat to get him up was because Hinata's father (Hiashi was his name he had learned) continuously complained that he was not going to live here to spend his whole time lying around, another reason was that he discovered Hinata's birthday was this month. He had already missed his twelfth birthday and there was no way he would miss her's too.
Deidara soon learned that if Hinata was princess, then Hiashi was king, and such a dominant tyrant was to be obeyed. His first impression of the Hyuuga was that he was incredibly selfish. The Hyuuga clan was the wealthiest among all of the people in Konohagakure, and it seemed to rub off on most of them. They all were similarly stubborn and snobby, in his mind. With the exception, of course of Hinata. He was treated like long lost cousin to the family, he was often ignored, he wasn't a slave, but he was to obey every rule of the family.
Hinata's little sister was kinder then most. Hanabi was her name. She at least talked to him more then anyone in the mansion sized house. She was a lot more sociable then her older sister even though she was younger and simply just liked playing with him by showing her various toys and ninja weapons. Deidara often got annoyed with her after a while, but he felt forced to get along with everyone in the clan, and compared to before, this was the biggest family he has ever technically been a part of.
Deidara found himself searching around the large home one day out of pure curiosity. He tried not to wonder to far in hope that he wouldn't be scowled at for looking in any unknown prohibited areas he may encounter. He only glanced in the series of rooms in the area to not take any extra risks. Finally he spotted Hinata's room. He only sneaked a short peek inside, and innocently turned away once again, only to see that the girl was standing next to him on the other side of where he stood.
Startled, Deidara jumped slightly, his shinobi reflexes kicked in high gear. She stared at him oddly, blanket still in hand. Did she take that thing everywhere? Hinata had recently been training hard in order to become a shinobi while he was in bed, and he questioned why she still carried a blanket around. He decided not to ask, but instead, attempting to think of another topic. "You're birthday is coming up soon Hinata-Hime!" Duh. She nodded. "Is there anything you want?" he asked, calmer.
She looked like she might have put some thought into it, but she still quickly answered "I don't know." He couldn't really blame her though, with this much money, she probably didn't need anything else. "Hinata-Hime, do you like your family? You seem to stutter and become shy and nervous whenever they are mentioned." he asked suddenly. He mentally slapped himself for going out of line asking her that, but what's done has been done now.
The Hyuuga opened her mouth to say something, but instead grabbed the boy's hand and led him into her room, closing the door behind her. She jumped onto the edge of her large king size bed, Deidara followed, leaning against the bed post. "My family is strict. No one talks to me, but I'm still talked about a lot. I don't get it" she explained. Deidara stared at her with wide eyes. "So this is why I'm here. You're dad wants to make sure I keep an eye on you? Does he think you behave badly?" he wondered out loud. She did a semi-nod. "I think so, but I'm still not sure. You're the only one who talks to me anymore. Everyone else thinks I'm useless"
Deidara snapped back. "You are not useless! You saved me! You are a princess, and don't let anyone tell you different!" his voice was a tad too loud, so he calmed down, muttered a polite apology for the outburst.
"Let's go do something" Hinata suggested uncharacteristically. She smiled, dragging her blond companion by the hand again.
The rest of the week was, for lack of better words, nice. As restricted as the Deidara felt in the Hyuuga home, nothing could - or really wanted- to stop him from being with his Princess. Together they did meaningless activities that only children could find any real pleasure in. Most of their time was spent outdoors, away from other members of the family. They would try to guess the names of random passersby, chase the rabbits, and make ice cream out of whatever materials they could find.
Deidara was a slave to her. He really had no choice as he felt like he was constantly being watched. Whatever Hinata wanted to do, he would gladly do along with her. He liked to think of himself as more of a knight then peasant though, and something inside of him enjoyed the chase of it all.
To her father's request, Deidara tried helping Hinata perfect her shuriken throws. He patiently taught her the best he could, although he thought he was too young and inexperienced to be a proper teacher, and although Hinata was a hard worker, she wasn't the top class student. Deidara thought she was too young to be so worried about shinobi stuff already, but then again, the greatest shinobi were genins at the age of six. Maybe he was just being protective.
Nevertheless, he could sense that her father was pushing her beyond reason for her to become a great kunoichi. He declared the training session over.
"Hinata-Hime, would you like me to teach you how to make sculpture out of clay instead?" he asked. She smiled. It was spoken on her face that she preferred clay to training significantly at the moment.
He smiled warmly. Hinata couldn't help but notice how mature he has become since he began living with her, even if he was still a child, she felt like he was years wiser then her. Her father could do that to people (her cousin for sure), but it's probably just the amount he experienced in his life already, he's seen much more in those three extra years. He still looked young though, and his childish side shined through with the eagerness he had when pulling out his clay. Now it was Hinata's turn to smile.
It only took a matter of minutes before he completed a perfectly detailed bird sculpture, if Hinata would have blinked, she would miss the whole thing. He held up the finished masterpiece proudly right in front of Hinata's face. "Do you like it?" he asked joyfully. "It's cute" Hinata said. Deidara dropped it in her lap, pursing out his lips cutely. "Then it's for you"
"Happy Ninth Birthday Hinata-Hime!"
Deidara pounded on the door loudly. He was personally assigned as the heiress' wake up call, and it was just want he needed. He knocked on her door crazily until the Hyuuga came out, fully dressed for the special occasion.
She wore a frilly light blue dress, with a blue ribbon tied into a bow in her hair to compliment it. Her eyes sparkled with hope, hope that today would be fun, exciting, different, but of course, that would only be possible with Deidara.
The blond was in awe of the adorable white eyed girl. If she couldn't look anymore like a princess, he didn't know what to think. "You look pretty" he blurted out suddenly like a desperate kindergartner. Her face illuminated red five shades darker. "Thank you" she said innocently.
He tempted to grab her hand like she would do to him sometimes, but he refrained from any trouble. He wasn't allowed for any "funny business".
"So what would you like to do today?" he asked. She seemed to have ignored him, instead she searched her room for a few moments, and returned with a small object in her hands. "Do you like it?" she asked, handing it to Deidara.
He examined it closely. It was a clay bird, or at least an attempted one. The left wing was lopsided - that bird was flying nowhere- and the beak and eyes were smashed together and one of the legs was broken, but it was still obviously a bird, and it was admirable. He smiled. "I love it!" he cried. She smiled. "Then that one is yours" she said, giggling softly. "Now we both have one"
"That we do" Deidara agreed cheerfully. His face turned slightly serious again. Hinata finally noticed that he had something hidden behind his back, the usual notification that he had a gift for her. "Here you go Princess, I didn't know what else to get you." He handed her the gift as he stared at the floor, tracing his foot back and forth restlessly.
There was only a single red ribbon obstructing the gift, but otherwise she could tell it was another clay sculpture. Cautiously, she removed the bow making sure she didn't break the present. The sculpture was of...her. No doubt he had spent several nights on this, she guessed weeks. It was almost a perfect replica. She even had the same innocent gleam in her eyes. For some reason, she thought she looked older in this particular project, but she appreciated it nevertheless. To Deidara, a work of art was the best gift he could manage to give.
Acting on impulse, he hugged the Hyuuga tightly, who hesitantly hugged back. It was a short hug, but a tight and caring one. Hinata smiled. "You know Deidara, I'm glad I got to know you, and I'm glad it's you that my dad picked to have you stay with me. If it was anyone else, I would have no friends." she admitted. He smiled, feeling once again like he's been truly honored.
"I have to go see my father now, but maybe later we can have some cake" she said before leaving in her little dress.
"Sounds sweet" he answer hopefully.
She hasn't come back yet. Why hasn't she come back yet? Where is she?
He has waiting for his Princess to return for seven hours now, and the eerie silence of the home was driving him insane. He walked off his impatient frustration until he heard the voice of Hyuuga Hiashi.
"Find her now!" he demanded. Deidara peered around the corner in order to see who he was talking to. There were several masked men in the room, all in uniform. "How could you even let this happen?!" he screamed at what Deidara recognized to be the ANBU troops. There was a large lump in Deidara's throat now. Something went terribly wrong.
Just at that moment, Hyuuga Hiashi charged out of the room, eying the blond as he passed. Without turning to look at the boy he said: "Hinata is gone. She was unprotected and now she's not coming back. You can leave." Deidara watched in horror as the man walked away.
The word that hurt him the most was "unprotected." He felt that he had failed his duties as her knight, but he had no idea what happened to her in the first place.
His eyes welled up with tears, but none of them fell down his face. He had to run. He had to fulfill his old foster father's wishes. He was going to become a strong shinobi and he was going to rescue his Princess no matter what it took, because at this point, this was his life's sole purpose.
He ran as fast as he could to Iwagakure.
Deidara went back to Iwagakure, joining a three-man team and easily becoming a chuunin the same year. He was happy with his progress, but empty. His passion for art only grew stronger, and many became annoyed by his endless ranting about it. Of course, it was nothing more then an excuse for him to keep his thoughts together.
He had overheard information in a local village that Hyuuga Hinata had returned safely to Konoha a while back. The boy thought he would be happy at this news, but he wasn't the one who saved her, and he still wasn't at her side.
Four Years Later To put it simply, Deidara had changed much more noticeably in the couple of year, physically and personality wise. His blond hair has grown past his broader shoulders and was kept in a low ponytail. He was growing expeditionary as well, but as always, he remained thin.
He was sixteen now, so he obviously faced the obnoxious puberty stages as the young man that he was. His voice often cracked, he was getting taller by the day, he gained a certain cockiness in his attitude that was sure to piss off anyone older then him, but with it all he was simply hoping the development of a more muscular build then the skimpy one he has been stuck with all along.
His art had taken a whole new level. After becoming a Jounin, he wondered through different countries on assigned tasks. He had found a way to manipulate his chakra into his sculptures to create various degrees of highly dangerous explosions. Now, a newly hired terrorist bomber, he was free to put his "art" to use when needed while earning the needed money.
There was nothing Deidara enjoyed more now then his art. He found himself easily slipping from social contact with others and all together forgetting about people in general. When they were around, he wouldn't shut up, but without anyone, he felt lonely. He had his art, most people just let him down. At least he could say that he tried. Alas, he was still young, and he often felt lonely.
His life was fairly basic. He slept wherever he could, ate sparingly- a main attribute to his thin attire- and would continue producing the artistic explosives he was hired to make. Simple enough, but not enough for the young artist.
Lately he had been troubled. Ever since that damn raven haired man showed up at his job. Deidara didn't know anything about this mysterious man, but he did know he knew something about Deidara, and he wanted the blond to come with him. But why? Deidara certainly wasn't accepting the request without answers first. Sadly, the man was stubborn. He only showed up once, but Deidara counted on the promise of his return.
But now he has been having nightmares each night, and it was always about something different. Sometimes they were simple horrible flashbacks, other times it was an alternate twists to events he has lived, where everything was better but eventually was shattered before his eyes, and sometimes he'd see that man that intruded in his job that one day, and he'd suddenly be consumed in darkness.
Deidara was pestered, no longer able to focus. He had been daydreaming of something bigger, better. He wanted that adventure he desired when younger. On cue, that damned mysterious man showed up, this time accompanied with two other strange men.
Before Deidara could assume a fighting stance, the man spoke. "I have an offer for you" he said. Deidara stumbled slightly over his confusion, but recovered quickly, feeling embarrassed to show clumsiness around what seemed to be three dangerous men. Deidara crossed his arms over his chest angrily, signaling he was at least paying attention.
"Our leader has requested that you join the Akatsuki" the short raven haired man said. Deidara stepped back in surprise. The Akatsuki? The most feared criminal organization in the land? What do that want with him? Deidara wasn't an angel, but he wasn't ready to be associate with that bunch. There was no way he would lets these...creeps...decide his fate. He was sick of it.
"Akatsuki huh? Hell if I care about that! Don't interfere with my enjoyment of art!" he exclaimed.
The strange hunched over man spoke next. "So I really have to make this brat my partner?" he muttered in his raspy low voice. Deidara groaned, feeling insulted even if he didn't care for what they thought about him. He was only trying to show his disapprovement. The man looked away, disinterested. "He's got spunk, but he's the kind that ends up getting himself killed before you know it" he said.
Getting himself killed? Is that what he has come to? The more he thought about it the more he realized how truly ruthless he has become. He was a rouge ninja with no home and no care for anything but his art.
The mysterious short black haired man spoke in defense of the blond. "It's the leader's orders. His abilities will serve our cause..." he spoke quietly, but still in Deidara's earshot.
"You know my abilities already? Who are you anyways?" Deidara demanded. Furious now, he could feel his fist curling up, the mouths on his palms licked his lips. How much did this damn man know about him anyways, and how long have they been watching?
The tallest blue skinned man spoke up then. "You have been involved in anti-nationalist terrorist cells in surrounding countries, causing a number of explosions. Correct?" he said. Deidara felt himself growing more confused and annoyed with each correct word the man uttered. "For what reason would a rogue ninja like yourself do such?" he asked.
"Reason?" Deidara began. "Why would I need one of those?" he asked. The cloaked men remained silent. "I merely take on contracts to blow things up, with my art that is, hm" he explained, not liking the word "terrorist" attached to him.
The hunched man seemed curious now. "Your art?" he asked, odd masked face crinkled.
Deidara searched his bag, pulling out a small clay spider sculpture. "Behold!" he said as he revealed the object. "The product of pursuing refined line work matched with two-dimensional deformation!" he explained. "This is my art" he said with pride, not being able to stop, he continued. "But my art doesn't end here. None of my works are static. When they have physical form, they are a little more then just models, hm" he paused. "But this explodes" he said eagerly.
"Art...is a bang." he announced. The three other man glared back at him, obviously annoyed by his cockiness like every other person that witnessed his speech about his art.
After a few moments of silence, the black haired man stepped forward. "Enough already, I'll take care of this" he stated. Deidara, alert now, stood his ground. Suddenly, the man's black eyes snapped shut, once opened revealed the swapped colour. Menacing red eyes glared back at the blue eyed art enthusiast. He couldn't help but be overwhelmed with an uncomfortable fear in confusion of those murderous eyes.
"You want to fight me?" he asked. The man didn't show any acknowledgment, but simply replied "If I defeat you, then you'll join the Akatsuki" he said coldly. Deidara growled fiercely. "Don't underestimate me, or my art!" he yelled.
He had another horrible nightmare last night. It all started again with those damn sharingan eyes, and suddenly she would be there as a fallen victim to his own works of art. There would be a small tiara in her hand as she lied there lifeless. Deidara would be in a knight's armor, but it would suddenly break in front of his eyes, falling to the ground in ashes.
Then he would hear her voice calling for him, blaming him.
And every time he woke up, he swore he could still hear it. Every time he woke up, he would long to go see her. He has only been part of the Akatsuki for a week, and it wasn't anything it owned up to be. Deidara thought it would have always been easier to just stay in Konoha. It would just have been easier. He could have lived with his Princess and have his happily ever after. It's not like he was that much older then her. Of course, he was never the one that wanted to be bounded by fate, and a certain king wouldn't have allowed it.
But now...now he was a rogue, a missing-nin with no ties or reasoning. Now, he was no longer bound by the family, and now he could claim his princess...that is...if she excepted him. What would his princess think if her knight in shining armor was a more of a dragon now?
Deidara would just have to go and find out.
There will be a second part to this, not the past, but more of a "what if" type of thing.
It will have tons of DeiHina fluff, promise. :)
-Megzx