Although very short (and slightly rushed), I present to you: Chapter 2~!

Allow me to say a few things before I begin:

1) All concepts in this story are NOT the way that Masashi Kishimoto intended them.

2) Don't flame, no matter how much you hate it.

3) Review please; I'd love to hear how I can improve. :3

4) Please enjoy!

Chapter 3 is on its way~!

Deidara ran out of energy somewhere outside the village gates, where the terrain was rocky and all around him loomed enormous, impassable boulders. Still, even with his tired feet and heavy heart, he attempted to find a way around. Before long though, the artist collapsed in the middle of a clearing with weariness, nothing left to do but sit and think, all hope almost lost. After a few minutes of letting the frantic pounding in his head subside, Deidara began to weigh his options.

He knew well that his actions could be punishable by banishment. He had known that from the moment he threw the explosive, but even so, he had never thought about what might happen if his victims might actually be dead. In fact, the more he thought about it, banishment didn't hold a candle to the punishment for murder. Death. Deidara shivered at the thought. He had never meant to kill anyone, but for some reason, he doubted that any witnesses would believe that. The artist hugged his knees to his chest, the world around him becoming suddenly cold, as if his thoughts of death had chilled the air. The atmosphere only amplified the growing feeling of helplessness in Deidara's heart, which soon began to cause panic.

"I can never go back…Never…They'll kill me… I can't go back…" he whispered slowly, each word lingering long after he had said it, hanging over his head as if to assure he wouldn't forget.

Suddenly, the sharp crack of a branch cut through the air, wiping Deidara's mind of all other thoughts except for one: "They're here. They're here to kill me." Soundlessly and carefully, the artist reached into his pack, withdrawing clay and molding it into a spider, preparing to throw it at the first sign of his assailant. Sure enough, as soon as a foot was seen stepping out from behind a tree, Deidara's explosive clay was already sailing towards the unknown figure. His attack did not reach very far, though, before it was deflected with the quick toss of a kunai knife.

"No need to attack, you have no enemies here." The figure said almost sympathetically, taking another step out of the woods.

Under the cover of the trees, Deidara still could not see the man's face, but his familiar voice caused Deidara's tense muscles to relax, and he whispered hesitantly, "…Hiroshi? Is it just you…no one else?"

His teacher smiled and sighed, "No one else…", then walked slowly over to Deidara, taking a seat on the ground next to his student.

For a while, the two just sat there silently without eye contact or movement, and the only sound that could be heard was the soft rustle of the wind and trees. Finally, voice strained and shaking, Deidara spoke. "…Did...Did I kill them?"

Hiroshi shook his head slowly. "No…only wounded…." He tried to sound optimistic, but clearly, he too had thought of what this attack meant for Deidara.

"…That means I'm okay, right?" Deidara asked, still a trace of hope left inside of him.

His teacher put his hand on Deidara's head and ruffled his hair slightly, smiling at the boy sympathetically. "…I'm afraid not, Deidara. But...You'll get through it. You're not alone in this, alright? I'm doing everything I can."

"Can we go back now..? …To see my parents?" Deidara asked softly, wanting nothing more than to run into his mother's arms. At this point, Deidara was willing to take any sort of punishment or lecture that his parents could throw at him, as long as he could just return to the only people who tolerated his art.

A shake of the head from Hiroshi extinguished Deidara's already dim hopes.

The artist choked on his next words. "…I can never go back can I?"

Nothing replied to him but silence, but there was no need for an answer; the look of grief on his teacher's face was answer enough.

"…I wish I had killed them…" Deidara growled suddenly, fighting the tears that had begun to leak from his eyes, "I wish they would all just die!" Deidara didn't know what had driven him to say it, and he knew he was being unreasonable, but for once, he wouldn't care if all the world was listening.

"That's an awful thing to say…" Hiroshi replied weakly, unable to think of a way to calm his student.

"I could have killed them long ago!" Deidara began to yell, ignoring his sensei's reply, "Maybe if I had killed them then, I could have avoided this hell that you call life! Why must I continue to live in this world where so many talk of love, or happiness, when I am being held away from those things?"

Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and said sternly, "You know not what you speak of, Deidara… You're fortunate to have a life as privileged as yours."

The boy looked down at the ground, hissing. "My life holds no privileges…only limits…Maybe it's best if I can never go back… now I have the chance to find people that listen."

Deidara's sensei stood slowly, sighed and said, "If you were searching for someone who would listen, Deidara…you never had to look far." Not expecting a reply, Hiroshi began to walk away, calling over his shoulder as he left. "…If it was only an enemy that you were able to find, then that was merely yourself."

Although the words stung, Deidara knew that his teacher was right. Deidara had for so long shut out all connections with the people that he knew, even those that he loved, fearing that he would be ridiculed. One thing that he failed to realize was that he was not only blocking out disappointment, but also happiness. In a sense, Deidara had become his own enemy. Shocked at the truth in Hiroshi's words, Deidara was left sitting in the dirt as he watched his friend begin to disappear behind the trees. "Wait!" he called out suddenly, leaping to his feet and rushing into the woods, "Hiroshi-sensei, wait!"

Hiroshi's reaction was immediate, and he turned around, smiling slightly at Deidara as he approached. "Don't tell me...you've changed your mind?"

Deidara laughed, comforted by his trainer's welcoming eyes and smile. "Yeah...for some reason, living alone and village-less didn't seem very appealing to me. ...So...we're going to make everything okay again, right?"

With a chuckle, Hiroshi knelt in front of Deidara, ruffled his hair and replied, "You can count on it."

Satisfied and for once feeling safe and protected, Deidara walked alongside his teacher, and the two joked and laughed as they always did until the village gates were in sight.

"I'll race you to the village!" Hiroshi challenged, taking off before his student even had a chance to reply.

"Augh-! Wait, I wasn't ready!" Deidara laughed happily, starting to a run.

Much to Deidara's surprise, he actually passed his teacher, who seemed to have tripped and fallen before reaching the gates. Deidara slowed to a stop and jogged next to his sensei, knelt down beside him, then taunted, "Oh come on...I haven't crossed the finish line yet, you're making this too easy!"

Deidara put his hand on Hiroshi's shoulder to try and help him to his feet, then immediately pulled his hand back with a cry of alarm, for Hiroshi's body was covered in crimson red. His neck was slit open, the wound still fresh and gushing warm blood, which now covered Deidara's hands.

From Deidara's lips escaped a sound of mixed horror and sorrow, but the startled boy couldn't even manage a cry for help before a voice cold as ice hissed in his ear and a knife was held threateningly by his neck.

"Prepare to die."