Deidara was sitting outside Leader-sama's office, waiting for his new partner to be announced. A sudden presence made him look up and find Itachi standing at the end of the corridor, staring at him. Pain's ambitions to keep Itachi and Deidara out of each other's sight had quite failed when the latter had suddenly come back from the attack of the cave with only one arm and the news of Sasori's death. Deidara had seemed just as irritable as always, especially seeing as Tobi was with him, claiming he had dibs on the blonde's right arm, but there had been something half-hearted about his glares at Itachi that had kept the Uchiha from attacking him, so Pain thought it safe enough without sending either of them away. At least for the moment.
And now Itachi was standing there, looking at Deidara with the same blank expression as ever.
"Have you come to laugh at me, hm?" Deidara asked, not quite having the energy to be angry.
Itachi shook his head and averted his gaze, staring instead at the wall slightly to the left of Deidara and looking almost shy. Eventually he said, in a voice as stern as always:
"If Kisame died I'd be sad."
