A crow stirred in her nest. The sun was rising to a very misty morning. The crow ruffled her feathers, preparing for the long day ahead of her, and to wake her chicks. Today they were going to learn how to fly. One chick made it's way to the edge of the nest, trying to avoid the congestion of the nest as of late. Seeing this as an opportunity, she nudged her chick over the edge of the nest, and turned, preparing the next one. As this chick fell, he became slightly nervous. He spread his wings and flapped, but he was not flying. He kept trying to flap, as instinct was , but he only picked up speed as he dropped to the cliffs below. He plummeted, a black blur against the canvas of kaolinite. He was near ready to stop flapping and accept his fate when something hit him. It was not a smash, as if he had at last reached the bottom of this lethal descent, but rather a soft bump. The crow was surprised by the curious sensation he now felt. He was no longer falling, but flying, but he was not moving his limbs at all. He was sure that he should be flapping his wings, but he was also sure that he was flying. He looked down to see if anything visible was aiding him, and for sure, something was. He was surprised to find this unusual white bird carrying him, as opposed to a sibling, or his mother. This kind of bird, the chick had never seen before. He'd never seen a bird this white, and he began to fear for his life again, not knowing whether this bird was going to save him, or eat him. He flapped for his life, hoping this time, he would ascend. His renewed attempt lasted for a minute or so, but alas, even with this frantic urgency, it was futile. He was trapped atop this potential predator. Resigned to this fate, he attempted to rest, as his attempts at saving himself had worn him out completely. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was himself getting dumped into the now empty nest.

The white bird returned to its perch, which happened to be Deidara's arm.

"You're definitely the last one, I'm really tired!" Deidara sluffed into the house. With blinking eyes desperately trying to remain open, he bumped into, then opened, his bedroom door. He ran across the room eagerly awaiting the warmth and softness of his bed. When he reached his bed, he crumpled onto it. However, he felt something other than his sheets and blankets, something warm and squishy. He jumped up in surprise.

"Deidara! Where were you? I woke up at four in the morning and I went to check on you and you weren't there! I was so worried! Where were you!?"

"(yawn) I was training. My birds were really good to(yawn)day! I saved a real bird from being crushed! (yawn)"

"OK, but next time, tell me. Or better yet, take somebody with you. I wouldn't want anything happening to you, Dei-chan." Slurred and tiredly he responded

"Grampa, I wanna show (yawn) mommy and daddy my birds." He rubbed his eyes, in an attempt to remain awake long enough to finish his thought. "When will they be back from fighting? (yawn)"

"I don't know Deidara. You must be really tired, I'll let you sleep now." He rose from Deidara's bed, and walked towards the door.

"Night-night Grampa."

"Goodnight Deidara." and he closed the door behind him. Deidara flopped onto the now unoccupied bed, and was out immediately. As he slept, the mother crow flew by his window.

Kaoru jumped from a boulder and continued on her path, panting as she went. Her blon hair was disheveled and her body covered in blood, and bruises from the many times she had missed a boulder in her way, or had failed to notice a rock on the ground and tripped.

"Sis, you're so absent-minded today!" The man caught up with his sister. "How can you have forgotten the layout of these rocks? You used to go blindfolded!" Growling, she whipped around and snapped

"SHUT UP JIN!! To be honest, I don't know how you could have forgotten from a week ago!"

" God, you don't have to be so harsh, I was just joking. I know it's hard. especially since you have Deidara now, but try to cheer up a bit. It will help."

"I know, I'm just a little sensitive now. I'm sorry I snapped at you. C'mon, we're almost home. I've gotta talk to dad." They continued walking home.

"So how are you gonna tell Deidara?"

"I don't know. I was thinking not to tell him for a while, at least until I compose myself." The two siblings climbed up the cliff on top of which their father's house stood, as Kaoru had deemed it necessary to go there before stopping at her home to rest.

Aki was just returning from waking up Deidara, who was tailing him, when he heard a knock at his door. He ran to the door, followed by Deidara. The door was open for no longer than a second when a loud shout was heard.

"MOMMY!!" Deidara ran up to his mom's legs and raised his arms in anticipation of being picked up. Kaoru started to push him away and make for her father, before a prodding from Jin clued her in to her confused son's waiting arms. "Mommy?" said Deidara, wondering why his mother had ignored him, as she turned and lifted him into her arms.

"Of course! My little Dei-chan!" Deidara was burying his face into his mom's neck, when she started to put him down.

"Mommy, where's my kiss?"

"Oh yes!" and she kissed him on the cheek. She lowered him to the ground, and she and Jin fully entered the house. Aki closed the door and began to question his daughter.

"Why did you come. . ."

"Mommy! I made birds. . ."

"Not now Deidara!"

"But mommy. . ." Jin approached his nephew.

"Deidara, lets go outside and you can tell me how your time with Grampa was."

"OK."

As they shut the door to the kitchen behind them, Deidara asked

"Uncle Jin, what's wrong with mommy?"

"She's tired."

"O.K. . . So I made birds that fly! They fly! Just like Daddy's! Do you want to see, I saved a bird this morning!" Chuckling, Jin answered Deidara

"O.K. Deidara, lets go see. I see that you still haven't learned to talk any slower!"

"Oh I did!" guiltily, he shifted to "But I guess I forgot." He took Jin's hand and as they went around to the back exit of the house in Aki's room, Deidara mentioned "Uncle Jin, I ate an apple! Grampa got me an apple!"

"Those must have been some birds to call for that special an occasion! Okay Deidara, let's see what you got there." Deidara took his free hand and bit off some of the soft, white rock that comprised the surrounding cliff-side.

"Chewy - chewy, gonna make a birdie!" sang Deidara as the mouth ground up the clay and molded it. After about ten seconds of chewing and chanting, He opened his handmouth and a small white bird appeared and took off. Jin watched as the bird circled Deidara's head and then his own. He was amazed at the quality from a toddler, of which he himself could never achieve. He began to flash back to another time when he stood before a flying white bird. He remembered it as if it were yesterday.

"Kaoru, look at. . ." Jin suddenly heard Deidara pleading, and his flashback was gone. "Uncle Jin! Uncle Jin! Do you like them? Aren't they amazing!? Do you like them? Do you? Do you?"

"Yes, they look just like the real ones."

"Do you think that Daddy will be proud of me?" Jin felt a sharp pain the heart at the sudden mention of his brother-in-law. Looking at his nephew's bright face and joyful eyes, he did not envy his sister's task of breaking the news. He took a deep breath, put on the largest smile that he could, and said

"Yes, Deidara. Very, very proud of you."

Meanwhile, inside Kaoru was talking with her father. After Jin and Deidara had left the room, Aki spoke up.

"Kaoru, what's wrong, you look worn. You should be home resting. I'll watch Deidara for anoth. . ."

"Dad, something terrible happened." The solemn wave struck Aki and he offered his daughter a seat at the table.

"What happened to him?", now realizing the significance of his daughter returning without her husband.

"Konohas Yellow Flash. We surrounded a boy from Konoha, and he passed out. The next thing we knew, the Flash was there to protect him. He was killing us off like flies! Everybody down, bloody. It was a massacre. He came up behind Ryu and killed him before either of us could do anything about it. Oh dad! When he fell, it was as if the world moved in slow motion. My heart just burst when his blood splattered across my face! I was able to keep the Flash away from me by using a clone, but I could hardly think after that. I think I tried to use my petrification technique, but it was all seems like such a blur. I know I got knocked out at some point by somebody throwing boulders, and that's all I remember of the battle. When I came to, the Flash and the boy were gone, and everybody, every last one that I saw, was dead. I went and I watched him, dead. I didn't know of anything else. All I saw was his cold, lifeless body. I was even doing my medical techniques, even though I knew he was dead. Just sat there enveloping him in my chakra for hours, weeping and weeping. Heaving sobs of sorrow, dad. I was in a void. I barely thought at all. It was as if the world didn't exist anymore. Mindless grief. I don't know, but somehow Jin heard about it and found me there. He had to tear me away, screaming and sobbing and flailing like a child torn from her mother. It was terrible, I had to leave him there, far away in the Grass Country. It was terrible. Terrible. Terrible. . . Terrible. . . Terrible. . ." She kept repeating, falling from a light sob to an utter weep. "TERRIBLE!!" Aki looked at his daughter, who was shaking with unabiding sobs. He had never been much good at comforting his children, but he always gave a valiant effort, especially now that Kaoru was choking on her tears.

"Kaoru, sweetheart, it's going to be alright. We're all here for you. Just let it all out. This must be so difficult for you, but you've always been strong, you can pull through this and be alright.

"But daddy, what am I going to do about Deidara?" "Be strong. That's all you can do. Be strong for Deidara. Be strong and we'll all make it through just fine."

"Thanks daddy." She continued to sit there and sob until she had dried out her supply of tears, a half hour later. She kept reminding herself that she still had Deidara, and she felt a bit better.

A few days later, Deidara was in his room in his home. He was playing with his birds. "I'll name you Aki after my grampa! Fly Aki, fly!" Aki flew around Deidara's head and his room. He even picked up a rock off the floor and ate it. He finally landed on Deidara's window-sill, and stared out the window. "It might be lonely flying alone, so I'll make you a friend." Deidara reached into his bucket of clay, felt around, and huffed "Humph! I used the last of it." He suddenly shifted back to gleeful. "But not to worry! I'll go out and get some more!" He jumped halfway across the room to the door, but as he went to open the door, he heard a knock on the other side.

"Deidara, mommy wants to talk to you, can I come in?" He opened his door and Kaoru walked in. She walked to and sat on his bed. She beckoned him to sit by her.

"Come sit on mommy's lap." He, confused though he was, came to her and settled himself into his lap. Kaoru took a deep breath "Deidara, do you remember when I told you that da. . ." Now, the bird dubbed Aki flew off the window-sill and Kaoru took a breath mid-sentence and quickly changed subject. "I see you've made another bird"

"Yes, I named him Aki, after Grampa."

"Aw, how sweet." She chanced to see his clay bucket. "Oh, you ran out of clay. I'll go and get you some." Deidara, now really confused by his mother beating around the bush, asked as she started to push him off

"Mommy, you said Daddy would be home after you, but when will he be home?" She stopped mid-motion and thought "Oh god, I guess I have to tell him, now." She pulled him back into her lap.

"Well Deidara, he, he, he's never coming home."

"He's gonna keep fighting forever!?" He cried distraughtly. With as calm a demeanor as she could manage, she sighed a long sigh, and tried to explain.

"No, um, er, oh! Remember that bird that you told me you saved?"

"Yes."

"You know what would have happened if he had gotten squished, right?"

"Yeah, he would have left and gone to heaven."

"Well, Deidara, daddy went to heaven."

"But people don't come back from heaven!"

"Yes. Daddy's never coming home."

"I'm never going to see him again?"

"No. I'm sorry Dei-chan." Beginning to cry, Deidara gasped out

"Mommy, why did daddy go to heaven to be happy when he had us?" Deidara looked up at his mother, blue eyes glistening from the tears. She returned the gaze, anguished even more by her son's despair."Did he not love us?" She cradled him, her cheek against the top of his head and comforted him

"Of course he did, but the fire country didn't think so. It was the Yellow Flash that sent him to heaven."

"Mommy, I miss daddy."

"I know Deidara, me too." As the two sat crying together, the crow chick finally flew, past the window of Deidara's room.