A/N Well, looks like I was too tired when I posted this to write this up...

I don't own naruto or the characters or the idea and I'm still cheesed off (yes. Cheesed) about the fact that I have to post that on a FANFIC site. cough FAN cough nyeh?

Anyway, one more note: I don't know if this is going to lead into an actual "relationship" between Deidara and Tobi . I'll see what happens with it, but whatever happens, it'll be written into it well, rest assured. No random "omg so teh smexy" here. ;D It's aaaaalll organic.


The wind danced through his ponytail as Deidara flew through the sky on the clay bird. It was an amazing day, not too hot, nor too cold, nor too windy, nor too wet. In fact, he might have said it was perfect, if not for the swirly orange mask he could see jumping around out of the corner of his eye.

Tobi was bouncing playfully with all the pent up energy of a four year old on crack. After their previous mission, an assassination, they'd been trapped in an underground cavern for a week due to a series of "coincidental" cave-ins. (A/N cough explosions cough)

"Senpai! How much longer 'till we get back?"

Deidara sighed. "Five minutes less than the last time you asked, un."

His partner must have sensed that Deidara's patience was nearing its end because he stayed silent instead of saying his usual bit.

Why me? He thought to himself. After all, it was Zetsu's fault that he'd gotten in. Or so Deidara liked to think. I'll get him back for this, he grumbled to himself as they flew through the air. Oh, the art he could unleash! Just you wait, you overgrown salad bowl!

"Why are you smiling so creepy?"

Deidara's mind returned and he saw Tobi's mask peering towards him.

"Mind your own business!" He glared at him. Why was it that Tobi annoyed him more than anyone else could? If I can just tune him out... "Hmph."

---------------------------------

Night fell and Deidara's eyes lingered on the stars as he lay down to get some well-needed sleep. Tobi was already snoring soundly -yet another thing that annoyed Deidara. He tried to get his mind off of his annoyance and get some sleep.

The stars... Pure and simple art. An endless explosion. He yawned a long drawn out yawn and shifted over a bit. Suddenly, he saw a strange shadow in the trees. It was vaguely human shaped... and then it was gone.

There's someone there? He stayed still. Maybe it was just a squirrel? No, he was sure it had been a person.

Slowly, as to not be seen by whoever it was, Deidara moved his hand over to the bag of clay resting on the ground near by. Quietly, slowly, the mouth on his hand took the clay and turned it into a small explosive spider. It left his hand and crawled through the grass.

Hehehe... he thought, as is invisibly made its way to the sihlouette. Deidara waited for movement again, just to make sure. A few silent moments whisked by and he began to doubt if he had actually seen something. Then there was movement. Bang... Deidara set off the explosive.

The sound of the bomb woke Tobi up with a start, but Deidara payed no mind to his partner. Instead, he waited to see if the intruder had been cought in his trap. He sat up and looked around the area. Nothing, yet.

He reached over and grabbed the bag of explosive clay, shiftin his position to a crouch. "I don't think that finished them, whoever they are... hm."

"Come on out!" He called in an overly friendly voice. "I know you're there, un."

Only silence greeted him. His eyes followed every shadow that was cast by the shifting trees in the night wind. Come on... I saw you.

"Senpai, what's going on?"

Deidara turned and shot a sharp look at Tobi. "Shhh! There's someone here, so keep an eye-."

Suddenly, from behind him, Deidara heard footsteps. Deidara dove out of the way just in time for an attacker's sword to miss him. The attacker swiveled on the spot and stabbed at Deidara. Deidara grabbed onto the attackers wrist and diverted the attack. The other man fell to the ground and scrambled up quickly.

Deidara quickly looked him over. He was tall and thin, with dark green hair that tumbled over an indescernable headband. He was dressed in an ensemble of black and more black. He tightened his grip on his sword and glared at Deidara as he sprang foreward for another attack. Deidara prepared to counter it, but stopped mid motion when he the attacker's course was altered.

"Tobi! Look out!"

Tobi tried to move out of the way, but was slow to react and the blade impaled him through the chest. The attacker pushed Tobi back with a kick and the orange masked Akatsuki member fell to the ground. Deidara reached into his bag and pulled out a few small spiders.

"You're gonna regret that!" He tossed the explosives at the attacker and they latched onto his leg. Damn you, Tobi! If you live through this, I'll kill you! However, before Deidara could detonate them, he shook them off.

"You're the one who's going to regret," said the attacker as he skidded away from Deidara. "I hate the Akatsuki... One of your members killed my family!"

As he spoke, he threw a handful of shuriken at Deidara. Deidara dodged them, but behind them was another wave he had not seen. Most of them slipped by him, but one caught him in the right shoulder. He gritted his teeth as he pulled it out and flung it to the side. With his other hand, he reached for the bag of clay.

I hate close range fighting, he thought to himself as the mouth on his hand bit into the clay. He glared at the attacker. Why is he just standing there?

Sure enough, the attacker was just standing there, watching Deidara intently. Deidara wondered what he was planning when all of a sudden, a sharp throbbing pain shot down his arm from his injured shoulder. Shadowing every heartbeat, it spread quickly from his shoulder to his whole body.

Deidara staggered foreward and fell to one knee, trying to keep himself up as each spasm of pain tried to turn his muscles to jelly. He shot a murderous look at the stranger.

"Wh... What did you DO?...hm." Ever sound was an effort. As each second went by, with every throbbing heartbeat, the pain increased.

"Hmph... I just wanted to see you suffer, so I poisened the shuriken I threw at you." He sheathed his sword and walked over to Deidara. "And while this poison's not lethal, it's quite effective in causing pain. As you already know."

The attacker grabbed the front of Deidara's shirt and pulled him up to stand level, looking eye to eye. "I want you to feel the agony I felt every day without my family." He pushed Deidara back and threw his whole body's strength into a kick. Deidara flew backwards and skidded to a stop on the ground.

"I.. wasn't the ... one... who... -"

The pain was too much to handle. Deidara's fingers grasped the thick grass as if ripping it out could ase the pain. Every muscle seemed have been replaced by razor blades, cutting his insides to shreds. He was beyond motion, beyond speech, beyond thought. He could barely hear the words of the stranger through the sound of his heartbeat throbbing in his ears.

"Now, I think I'm done watching you suffer. After all, it shouldn't be long until you loose consciousness immediately."

Deidara felt his head being lifted by his hair and the sound of the sword being again unsheathed.

The words of the stranger were muffled by the heartbeat. His eyes were squeezed shut on their own accord. His breath came in shaking gasps.

Heartbeat...

The pain, make it stop...

The rhythm's so soft and steady...

I'm going to die now, aren't I...?

Heartbeat...

It's almost like a clock, isn't it...

I'm sorry, Tobi...

Should have tried to protect you...

Heartbeat...

Deidara was suddenly dropped to the ground. No wounds had been inflicted, but as his consciousness faded, he didn't care about wondering why.

With the blackness came freedom from the pain.

----------------------------------

The attack came so swifty that Tobi didn't register it for a moment. The stranger had attacked Tobi instead of Deidara. Why would he do that, I wonder? Tobi didn't have long to wonder, however, as he was pushed roughly backwards. He crumbled to the ground.

I hate when this happens... People are so violent! He lay on the ground and listened to the exchange between Deidara and the attacker. Tobi, of course, was perfectly fine even after the attack. He turned around on the ground, trying not to be noticed (and attacked again) by the strange man, but wanting to make sure Deidara was doing all right.

He looked up just in time to see Deidara fall to one knee. His face was hidden from Tobi by Deidara's long bangs, but he looked like he was in pain. What happened? Deidara couldn't have lost in a fight that quickly! He barely looks injured!

Tobi decided to wait a moment longer before jumping into the fight. After all, Deidara might have had some sort of master backup plan.

The moment he wated was one that Tobi regretted. The stranger went up to Deidara and picked him up only long enough to kick him back down. Tobi heard a crack upon contact that must have been one of Deidara's ribs cracking. Tobi got up just as the stranger walked towards Deidara and unsheathed his sword again. A shocked thought struck Tobi. He's going to kill Deidara if I don't do something! Immediately, cold anger flooded him. Whoever this stranger was, he'd gone too far.

Faster than could be seen, Tobi was behind the man. He grabbed the attackers sword arm and bent the wrist quickly back. A snapping noise was heard and the stranger pulled himself back from Tobi.

"You...! You should be dying over there on the ground!"

"I'm not," said Tobi in a toneless voice. "Now, what did you do to Deidara?"

The man responded with a resounding punch. Tobi's mask took the brunt of the attack and cracked, falling onto the ground. He pushed the man back, his sharingan spinning wildly. The man's eyes immedialy were caught in it's hypnotising spin.

"The sooner you tell me, the easier it'll be." Tobi bent the man's wrist back further and he cried out in pain. No one tried to kill Deidara-senpai and gets away with it...

"It-it's a poison! It won't kill him, it just causes extreme pain, among other things. It'll cure itself on it's own in a few days, I swear!!"

"Are you sure?!"

The man nodded, fear brimming in his eyes and voice. "S-sure!"

Tobi released the man, who scrambled away as fast as he could. Tobi took a deep breath and forced himself back to his regular mindset. He knelt down beside Deidara and nudged him.

"Senpai, can you hear me?"

There was no response except for the sharp gasping breaths. Tobi turned Deidara over and asked again. Still nothing.

"Maybe you'll be better in the morning," he said softly. "Let's just get you taken care of for now."

With a little bit of effort, he picked up his comanion and carried him over to where they'd been sleeping earlier. The movement must have jostled Deidara back to consciousness, at least partially. His fingers dug into the back of Tobi's shirt and spoke, although it barely registered as a pain wrought whisper.

"T-Tobi... You're... all right..."

"Of course I am!" Tobi spouted happily. "Don't you worry about me!"