Itachi stared down at his hands in the pale moonlight. As soon as his parents had arrived home Sasuke had jumped on them and told them about Itachi's new 'pick-up girlfriend'. Nothing Itachi had said seemingly went through his parent's thick skulls. Immediately they took his cell phone and text messaged her, telling them that she and Itachi were no longer together. Then Sasuke took the phone and cheerfully rubbed it in her face. Then Itachi got his phone back and messaged her himself, telling her he was sorry. By now she'd probably already cried her heart out.

He hated himself so much. Izaki had lost so much in her life. She'd had to cope with so much devastation and heartbreak. The last thing she ever needed was to suffer this blow. And he didn't even know what Deidara had done to her yet.

- - - - - - - - -

Sasori finally had a sit-down talk with Chiyo. It was the first time in years they'd done anything like this. But, honestly, she needed to know the truth about his friends. Izaki had changed from the bright and smiling girl when she had first met Sasori. Through all the damage that'd been done to her she'd finally changed herself to who she knew she was. Despite the fact she'd cut herself and wrote graphic death stories Sasori had stuck with her till she was finally calmed down enough to avoid the acts she'd committed before.

"So…Deidara and you are technically…going out…" Chiyo said slowly, wanting to make sure she heard herself correctly. "And Izaki went through…a phase…in her life that defined herself…and turned her into the person she is now. Oh, and she's also going out with that Itachi boy."

"Yes."

"Sasori…how did this all happen without me seeing it?"

"I can't answer that because I don't have an answer to that, only you do." She nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess I should write a note to her tomorrow for you to give to her, then." Sasori brightened considerably.

"If she'll take it…"

"Let's just hope she will. Otherwise you can tell her I'm only a bit sorry, Sasori Akasuna."

- - - - - - - - -

The next day Izaki had to be yelled at by her mother to get up and go to school. Truthfully, if she had a choice, she wouldn't have gone at all. Resentfully she got up and dragged herself into her natural routine of the day. Silently she slung her bag over her right shoulder and walked out the front door.

The way to school was hell. Deidara was waiting for her when she passed by his house. He just sneered at her and attempted to trip her. He ended up following her all the way to school shouting insults at her back. It was only when he yelled:

"And your sister is a drunken—" He cussed there. Izaki had turned and grabbed his throat, slamming him against the lockers with her eyes blazing.

"Mizuki has issues that you will never understand. I have issues you will never understand either. So shut your mouth because you have no clue what you're talking about when you talk about my sister like that." Her voice was icy cold and she looked about ready to severely hurt Deidara. Her hand resting at her side trembled slightly and the one holding Deidara up tensed slightly. The blonde stared down at her through his lone azure eye.

"Try me, yeah. Nothing could be worse than what I go through, yeah." Izaki dropped him and turned away. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"I've heard that too many times to count. And you think it's all about you, ne?" her voice was hoarse yet level. "I've got to get to class." Then she walked away. Deidara felt guilt piercing every part of him. He'd tried to turn Sasori and Chiyo against Izaki. It didn't feel right, though. Nothing felt right.

- - - - - - - - -

The partners Mr. Umino assigned made Izaki want to just walk out the door of English class. She was paired with Itachi and Deidara was paired with Sasori. The other paired students all knew each other so they were perfectly fine together.

"Begin," droned Mr. Umino. Izaki went back to her notes and didn't even say a word. Itachi glanced at her and sighed inwardly. The girl looked about ready to fall to pieces any second. She was intensely studying her notes as Itachi looked at them over her shoulder. At last, she spoke.

"Do you think it would better to do two papers, find what things we both agree on, and write the final paper based on that?" Her tone was strained and quiet. Itachi stared down at his hands in his lap.

"I guess that would be a good idea…though…" he paused and glanced up at Izaki. "…I don't know much about art, honestly." Izaki glanced up at him.

"That's the area where Deidara, Sasori, and I clash most of the time," she said thoughtfully. "Deidara thinks art is short-lived. Sasori believes art is long-lived. And I feel art is more of something that lasts eternally, which isn't the same as what Sasori believes, long-lasting." It was a good thing they were allowed to talk during this time or else the pair would've been kicked out by now and failed on the assignment. Itachi, for the first time Izaki ever saw him do, smiled slightly.

- - - - - - - - -

Sasori glanced over at Izaki and Itachi chatting away about art. Deidara was sulking and not doing much at all. Sighing, the red-headed teen poked him and told him he was going to see Izaki. Then he slid out of his seat and walked over to Izaki. He sat down on the floor next to her.

"Hi there, Izaki, Grandmother Chiyo says she's pretty sorry 'bout yesterday," Sasori told her softly. The black-haired girl smiled down at him briefly.

"It's alright. Everything just happened quite fast yesterday," she assured him. He nodded slightly.

"Yeah…Deidara seems kind of lost…" he added thoughtfully. Izaki glanced up briefly at the blonde. He was blankly staring ahead into blank nothingness and the only signs that he was living was the rise and fall of his chest as well as an occasional blink.

"Well, maybe we should talk to him later."

"Wait—what happened?" Itachi said with his usual emotionless tone. Sasori blinked at him with emerald adorned irises, now seeing him for the first time since he'd come over to talk to Izaki.

"Oh…Deidara tried to put Grandmother Chiyo on his side against Izaki but failed miserably." Sasori said it like he would talk about the weather, casually and in a very bored tone. Itachi stared at him. Had everyone around here lost their mind?

"Then my parents breaking me up with Izaki probably didn't help her cause?" he sighed cautiously. Sasori had been staring at the floor until Itachi spoke. Deidara seemed to hear the words too because he shot a death glare at him. The bell, thankfully, rang. The bad news was the next class was with Mr. Hatake who didn't care what the hell they did. And they had it with Itachi. Kisame was sick today.

Deidara and Sasori (surprisingly) managed to pin Itachi to a wall. Deidara was holding him by the throat, his lone eye full of rage.

"I swear I'm going to break your face for breaking up with Izaki, yeah," he snapped. Itachi stared down at him through blank twin coal eyes.

"It was my parents. They'd told me to stay away from girls for a month. I forgot. I was going to try and explain to them after school today."

"You better. Or Sasori and I will punch your stupid face in, yeah. Izaki is our friend, yeah, and we will personally kill anyone who decides to mess with her. If I must, I will do it myself and kill the person on my own. Is that clear, yeah?" Deidara said harshly. Silence settled uncomfortably over them. Slowly Itachi nodded. "Good." Then the blonde dropped him and he landed with a loud thump. The bell rang for the second time that day. It was time for lunch.

- - - - - - - - -

The rest of the day passed by till Deidara and Izaki were walking Sasori home. Chiyo cast Deidara a confused glance before herding Sasori inside. On the walk to Deidara's house they talked.

"Why'd you do it?" Deidara looked up at the sound of Izaki's voice.

"Do what, yeah?"

"Try to break apart Sasori and I, insult me all the way to school, and then stand up for me against Itachi…"

"Oh…that…I don't know, yeah."

"Maybe you're a girl and having mood swings before—" Deidara punched her in the arm lightly.

"Haha, very funny Izaki, yeah," he said sarcastically. They were at Deidara's house now. His father was, for once, waiting for him by the gate. Izaki could clearly see Deidara stiffen slightly at the sight of his ego-maniac father.

"Deidara, it's great to see ya home…" his father called out, his words slightly slurred. There was a drunken haze over his eyes. Izaki instinctively grabbed Deidara's wrist. She tugged lightly.

"Actually, Mr. Averett, Deidara and I were just stopping by to let you know he's coming over to study with me," Izaki interjected as politely as she could muster. Mr. Averett narrowed his eyes at her.

"I want Deidara home." Izaki stared at him through level violet eyes without flinching. Her gaze clearly said the words that Deidara wished she wouldn't say. All Deidara wanted was for Izaki to go home and leave him here to face his father.

"No." The blonde quickly ducked in front of her.

"Dad…" He was shoved aside roughly and hit his head on the gate with a resounding thud. Mr. Averett was close enough for Izaki to smell the alcohol in his breath.

"Listen to me. Nobody, and I mean no one, refuses me," he sneered. Izaki still went unfazed.

"No, sir, you listen to me and you listen hard. I will call social services and the police if you do not put down that bottle of sake and get out of that stupid haze you're in." Deidara was just barely conscious enough to recognize the tone in Izaki's voice. It was a tone she only used when she was sick and tired of hearing someone talking crap to her. "Furthermore, sir, I do believe it's time I leave with Deidara and make sure he's okay unlike you because you just leave him there, beaten and scarred, and not even caring. Good day to you." Then she walked over, picked up Deidara bridal-style, and stalked off.