Hello you wonderful wonderful people =] My internet is being a bitch and won't let me see who reviewed, nor will it let me see the pages of my favs. It took forever to get to the stupid Document Manager T.T But I want you guys to know that I really appreciate your reviews!! Enjoy!


The next Monday, Akane did not show up at the entrance gates after school. Instead, Haru was there, holding a small box lunch stacked on top of two folded pairs of pants. Deidara did not see him as he walked out.

"Oi, blondie," said Haru as Deidara walked by him.

"Hm?" Deidara turned back, slightly annoyed at being called "blondie". "Oh, hi."

Haru held out the lunch and clothes."Here, Akane couldn't show up today. I guess her mom gave these to Hoshino sensei. He gave them to me and told me to give them to you. Confusing, I know. I hardly talk to Akane now, so...anyway, she's sick and sensei told me that her mom said not to visit Akane, to go straight home. Not that she doesn't want to see you, but she doesn't want you to get sick too."

"'Kay," said Deidara, disappointed. He took the clothes and food. "Thanks, Haru."

"Ja ne," said Haru, walking away.

"Hm," Deidara sighed and stuffed the clothes in his backpack.

xXx

Deidara sat down at a park bench. It was the same one he and Seiryu had sat on the day Deidara had gotten his hair cut. The day of Seiryu's murder.

Deidara looked down and was surprised to find himself eating the last of his rice. He wolfed down the last bits and then chewed on the ends of his chopsticks, looking at the other kids playing in the playground. Deidara could hear then calling their parents and each other's names. He wanted to play, but something in him had changed. He only felt comfortable around his little group of friends, or the "Akatsuki kids" as they were called by everyone, because they always showed up so early to school. Deep down, Deidara knew he did not belong with the other kids. He belonged with the rest of the Akatsuki, because they shared his pain. Deidara could not bring himself to call Nagato a father. Nagato was dead to Deidara. Konan, Pein, and Yahiko had all lost their parents in one of Amegakure's wars, before Deidara had moved to Amegakure. Sasori's parents had abandoned him at his grandmother's house, he had heard from Hidan. Both Zetsu and Orochimaru said their parents were dead and went no further than that on the subject. Kisame's parents had died in a car crash. Itachi was the only one who still had parents and Deidara knew that everyone, including, him envied the little Uchiha deeply.

Everyone at school had said that Deidara was taking Seiryu's death very well and it made the blonde angry when they said it, because it wasn't true. The truth was that his mother's sudden death had been tearing Deidara apart on the inside- slowly and painfully. He was grateful for Aoi, but the truth was that he could never replace Seiryu. Aoi could never be his mother, as hard as she tried. And she did.

Still, every night he found that he was crying himself to sleep. The house had now been emptied of Seiryu's comforting scent. Her now unused clothing hung in her closet but Deidara could swear that some of her clothes had gone missing.

Something wet fell on Deidara's cheek. Water. He looked up and saw storm clouds in the sky. People were beginning to leave the park. But not Deidara. He refused to go home-because he didn't have a home. A home was a place where a family lived. There was no family living under Deidara's roof. Only a murderer and a motherless six-year-old. That wasn't a home, that wasn't a family! That wasn't anything!

As if it wasn't enough, Nagato had cut off all connections with Seiryu's family, saying that they had moved and he wasn't able to pay the phone bill. None of this was true, but then again, Nagato was a skilled liar.

The rain was beginning to fall steadily now, the deep rumble coming from the sky startled Deidara and he jumped up. The sky rumbled again and the rain began to fall harder.

Typical Amegakure weather.

Defeated, Deidara began to walk out of the park. He slipped on a puddle and slammed face-first into a pole. He fell to the floor, too stunned to cry. He could taste blood in his mouth: he had bitten the inside of his cheek. He got up shakily, holding onto the straps of his backpack as if for support. It was going to be a long walk home.

xXx

When Deidara finally did get home it was eight-thirty. A thick fog had descended on Amegakure and Deidara had lost his way. He had to guide himself by the neon signs on the stores. He opened the front door and closed it behind him as he came in.

Something flew past him and collided with the wall. It fell to the floor with a dull thunk and lay there. It was a shoe.

"And where were you?!" came Nagato's slurring voice.

He was drunk. Again.

Deidara looked around, the whole house was dark except from some light coming in from one of the windows, which was how he had been able to tell that the thing Nagato had thrown at him was a shoe. He quietly tried to feel his way to the stairs without crossing the living room so he would not have to face Nagato and his fist. He had been quite happy from not having to greet it in quite a while.

"Don't even...try to get away," Nagato mumbled, and Deidara heard him get up from the couch. Uh-oh.

Deidara made a run for it, he ran up the stairs and locked himself in the first room he could find. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He had stayed out too late and now Nagato was mad. It was his fault, he was so stupid!

It was now that Deidara realized what room he was in, and he did not like it. He did not like it at all. He was in Nagato's room and he could not think of a worse place to be right now- Nagato had the key to this room. He was doomed, Nagato would find him. If only he had run to his own room! He could hear Nagato's footsteps coming up the stairs and he dived under the bed shaking with fear, trying to hold back his tears, trying so hard not to sob out loud.

"I know you're in there," Nagato said from behind the door.

Deidara shut his eyes tightly, clenched his fists and jaw. He was so stupid! Stupid, stupid stupid!!

Nagato's POV

I got the key from my pocket and opened the door. Stupid brat, didn't he know I had a key? He knew he wasn't allowed in my room- no one was allowed in my room. That's why it's called my room!!

I walked inside. Great now I had to find the little fucker. Where could he be? Hiding, like the little coward he was. And that's when I saw him. It was so obvious- so stupid! It was hilarious. He was hiding under the bed and his right foot was sticking out from under there. What an idiot. Really. Leave it to a total shithead like him to not check if his feet are sticking out. Genius.

I grabbed his foot and pulled him out from under the bed, holding him two feet off the ground. He screamed, what a girl. He looked at me, his stupid girly eyes wide with fear, and raised up his arms to shield himself. Like that helped, he was a scrawny little faggot, he couldn't hold anyone off! He was weak, like a little girl and I proved that the first time I punched him in the stomach.

His arms dropped and his eyes shut tight, he sobbed and gasped for air. I saw how desperately he coughed and how pale he'd suddenly become. I had to resist the urge to laugh.

"So...where the fuck were you?" I asked, shaking him. He gave a loud cry, probably afraid that I'd drop him. So I did.

He fell to the floor, head-first, onto the carpeted floor. There was a weird pop, probably from his neck, and he lay still on the floor. I poked him with my boot.

"C'mon, get up," I said. "Get up- AND ANSWER ME!!"

He coughed softly and sat up, trembling. He seemed to be unable to lift his head correctly, he tried, winced, then looked back down. I grabbed him by the hair and made him stand up- hell, if he didn't do it, I'd do it for him. Sissy. It didn't hurt that much.

"I was- I was...lost," he replied, speaking to the floor. I released his hair and watched as his knees began to tremble.

"Lost?! Are you stupid?" I roared. How the fuck did he get lost, if he walked home every day?

"The fog...I c-couldn't...couldn't see," he said, sniffling. Tears ran down his face.

He only let out a small squeak when I slapped him. It was a hard one- small droplets of blood sprayed my wall. I watched him as he grimaced, blood leaked out of his mouth and ran down his chin. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor, crying loudly. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

"Sorry's not enough. You think you make the rules around here? You know what I say! Either come home before six, or DON'T COME HOME AT ALL!"

He raised his head off the floor with his trembling arms and nodded. Blood dripped onto his shaking hand and he swallowed, breathing deeply.

"Get up," I said. "Get up and get out."

He struggled to get to his feet, clutching the sides of my bed for support. He stood, his head facing the floor, his whole body shaking. He began to walk to the door, looking quite drunk himself. He stopped at the door and mumbled something inaudible.

"What?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"I hate you," he repeated, his voice loud and bold. He then walked out of the room and into his own, slamming his door hard.

xXx

Normal POV

The next day, Nagato left the house early. For what, Deidara did not know. He had simply woken up to find himself home alone.

This was a good thing. Deidara did not plan on going to school. He needed to make a phone call, a very important phone call because he was sick of Nagato. He was sick of getting treated like an animal. Nagato was going to pay.

Deidara got out of bed, looked around his room, and winced. He let out a gasp of pain and froze. His neck- he had really hurt his neck. He remembered that Nagato had made it pop the day before. What had he done? It hurt so badly and Deidara didn't know what to do. He figured he was going to have to be very careful.

And now to carry out his plan.

He grabbed the phone book from the hall closet and the phone from Nagato's room. Then he headed down to the dining room, sat at one of the chairs, and began to flip through the phone book. He couldn't wait.

A few hours later, he was walking down the street, heading towards Kashi Shop to see if Akane was better and to take his mind off Nagato. Deidara arrived there a few minutes later, barely avoiding the rain that was beginning to fall. Aoi let Deidara in, saying just how glad Akane would be to see the little blonde- he'd help her recover so much faster.

He stepped into the shop, the bright light illuminated his face and Aoi gasped. Deidara's cheek was swollen, as was his lower lip. She asked what had happened to his face but the blonde insisted that he had fallen off the swings at school. That was the end of that, Aoi did not ask again.

He burst into Akane's room, she was sitting on her bed, reading. Her hair was droopy and lifeless, her usually rosy cheeks pale. She was picking at a bowl of soup, staring into it as though she might find the cure to her cold somewhere in the bowl, swimming alongside the chicken. She looked up as Deidara entered the room. Her face brightened considerably and she placed the soup aside.

"Dei-kun!" Akane exclaimed joyfully.

"'Kane-chan!" Deidara ran to her and they hugged.

Aoi's footsteps could be heard walking around the kitchen. Deidara sat on Akane's bed. She stared at the bruises on his face and made a face, as if debating whether or not to ask him about them. At last she came to an agreement with herself and seemed to have decided not to ask him.

They talked for hours. Akane smiled and she looked so much better, Deidara was the medicine she needed.

"Now," she said. "I've got to ask you something."

Apparently that agreement with herself consisted off putting off the questioning until later.

Oh, no.

"What is it?" Deidara replied uncertainly.

Akane hesitated. She knew he hated being asked about anything to do with his dad. "Your...your face..."

Deidara smiled. "The bruises...it's fine. I can take it- he'll pay for what he did to me Akane. He'll pay dearly, you know..."

Akane's POV

I winced. Those were not the words of a normal six-year-old. For the first time I questioned Deidara. I questioned Deidara and his sanity. Yes his sanity. That sparkle in his eyes. It was not happiness or any emotion that I knew. It was scary, though, and it appeared in his eyes the moment he had said it. What did he mean by "he'll pay dearly"?

Deidara had seemed fine when he had come into my room but now he seemed- different, scary even. He was somehow older, older than six, older than ten. Not mature, but he was older in a way.

What had his dad done to him? How bad had he hurt him, not on the outside, but on the inside?

My mother used to say that children have very strong souls and it takes something ultimately powerful to break them. When a child's soul was broken, she said, that kid was never right again. Is this what had happened to Deidara? Had he been permanently changed...had I lost him forever?

I stared into his eyes and he stared back- the odd sparkle was gone. But...had it ever been there in the first place?

What was he planning? He worried me deeply. His answer had been so...sudden. So matter-of-a-fact that it seemed almost rehearsed and did not fit in with the situation. He was so serious, I could see no lie behind his eyes.

But, then again, he had become a master of deceit.

----------

Hm. Kind of short. I'm thirsty and I can't find my kitten. What is Deidara planning? How will Nagato pay? Will Deidara's plan turn out alright? Will I ever get off my lazy ass and find my kitten and a drink? All of these questions and more will be answered in chapter 10 of Sweet Childhood Memories! Until then R&R por favor! Gracias! =]