[Natsume's Point of View]

With Deidara and Tobi gone, it was just Kisame and I. As the smoke dissipated he clapped a hand on my shoulder. I flinched a little at his forwardness and was surprised by his worried look. "Did you come here willingly? Because if you're just his prisoner, I'll personally escort you home."

I took a step back. His concern made me feel uncomfortable. "No, I came to stay with Deidara."

He still looked worried. "You shouldn't have," he murmured. "It's not safe here for girls like you."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked suspiciously.

He turned and walked further down the corridor. "I'll show you where his room is. I suggest you stay there and wait for his return."

I hesitated for a moment as I looked around nervously. I couldn't hear Deidara or Tobi anymore; they were too far away now. I had just met Kisame, how did I know he wasn't going to take advantage of my momentary lapse in security? He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "You have much to fear here…but not from me." His expression softened as he smiled kindly. "I won't hurt you. You have my word."

I was still skeptical. What good is the word of a criminal? Still his friendliness seemed genuine and I didn't have any other option at this point. So I decided to take a chance and nodded as I approached him. He nodded in turn and continued to lead the way. As we walked I looked him over curiously, especially at his broad sword. It was so massive, I bet it weighed a ton but he didn't seem to mind the burden. He noticed me looking at it. "This is Samehada."

I gasped and covered my mouth in complete shock. He stopped and frowned at me curiously. "You're the wielder of Shark Skin?" I asked in surprise. "Thought to be the most terrifying of all the Seven Swordsmen's blades?"

He grinned, flashing all of those terrible teeth again. "So you've heard of him then. I am most honored."

"My mom used to tell me stories about the Seven Swordsmen," I whispered as I swallowed nervously. "Of their honor and loyalty to the Mizukage…they were men of valor. Of them all she said that you were the greatest."

His expression softened. "Your mother and I...used to be very close. It pleases me that after our separation she still thought well of me." His gaze drifted away thoughtfully and he was silent for a moment. It was almost like he was lost to the past, swallowed up in memories of a better time. Then he stirred himself and continued walking. "This way."

I opened my mouth to speak but quickly shut it again. It was too soon to ask a question that personal. He noticed and said, "You may speak freely."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "But I don't understand why someone as heroic as you…"

"Would be here in this Den of Thieves?" He chuckled. I nodded. He shrugged his shoulders and grunted. "Honor, valor, and loyalty are important qualities. But what do you do when the system you serve is corrupt and hypocritical? I was a Shinobi of Kirigakure, sworn to protect my country and its people…and yet I was often expected to sacrifice my fellowman to do that." He shook his head in disgust. "That is not a way to run a country or to be treated. So I left, it's as simple as that."

I bowed my head in thought. I wasn't sure what to think. I expected every Akatsuki member to be insane but his logic made sense. Then I remembered that he also said that he and mom used to be close…I wonder what he meant by that? What does it really matter though? It's obvious that he cared for her at some point, what else did I need to know? Sometimes the past is better left untouched, it tends to stir up unpleasant memories. So I resolved to leave the subject be. We didn't talk again until we arrived at a door. He keyed in a coded password into a panel beside the door and it slid open.

I looked at him warily. "How do you know his password?"

"He entrusted it to me so I could refresh his art supplies whenever he is on prolonged business."

I stepped inside and looked around. This room was pretty small but I recognized a few artist things that would have belonged to him. I turned around to see Kisame still standing in the doorway. "Rest for tonight but tomorrow you must leave," he said firmly.

I frowned at him and was tempted to tell him to mind his own business. But I couldn't forget about his deadly reputation either. However heroic he used to be, he could be nothing less than a villain now. Instead I bowed my head respectfully. "Thank you Hoshigaki-san. Good night."

He chuckled softly. "You're every bit as stubborn…" he murmured. Then he turned around and left as the door slid closed and locked automatically.

I looked around the room again and grimaced. This room was far too small for two people. There was one bed, one dresser, one desk and chair, one narrow closet, and one window with frosted glass so you couldn't see the outside; that's it. I opened another door to see it was a bathroom, that's good. I wouldn't have liked the idea of a community bathroom. This room was also small but the porcelain bathtub looked inviting after such a long journey. I closed the door behind me and looked in the cabinet under the sink to find fresh towels and bath beads. I laughed at the idea of Deidara actually using these. Still I bet he wouldn't mind if I used some. I tossed a couple under the running water and watched them burst and dissolve. A sweet and salty scent filled the air, very reminiscent of the ocean. I stepped into the water and lay in the tub as the water splashed over my toes. When the tub was full enough I reached up with my foot to turn the water off. Then I sighed as I rested my head back against the lip of the tub. I was enveloped by the rich scent of the bathwater and how warm and soothing it felt against my skin. It felt so good and it brought a smile to my lips. I closed my eyes and felt myself beginning to drift off. Then I heard the bedroom door slid open followed by Deidara's voice calling out for me. "I'm in here," I called back.

He opened the door and stepped inside. He still looked upset. "That Tobi can be such a pain, hm!" He grumbled.

"You should be more careful with those explosives," I scolded. "You could have killed him."

"What do you think I was trying to do?" He asked sarcastically. "Gaw! He gets on my nerves so badly sometimes! He's so immature!"

"Like you were any better," I said dryly. "Chasing after him like that."

He scowled. "You should be even angrier than I am about it."

"I probably will be once the humiliation wears off." Then I giggled. "Still, it was a little funny."

"No it wasn't!" He contradicted.

"Oh relax already," I groaned. I was beyond exhausted at this point and let out heavy sigh.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked as he knelt down beside the tub. His brow knit with concern and those handsome blue eyes revealed how worried he was.

"I'm just tired is all," I murmured as I felt my eyelids sliding closed. I felt his lips press against my forehead which brought a small smile to my face. I opened my eyes partway to see his handsome face so very close to mine. I pulled him in for a soft kiss. "I love you Dei Dei."

"And I love you too," he whispered.

"Now I just have to ask, why do you have bath beads? Isn't that rather girly?"

He reddened slightly. "Well yeah…but the smell reminds me of you so…uh…yeah, hm."

I blinked in surprise. "It does?"

He nodded. "I never wanted to forget."

I blushed slightly, both out of pride but also out of shame. When he left I had despised the reminders and went out of my way to avoid them…even giving up on my art. But he had done the opposite. He treasured those memories and did what he could to keep them alive. I felt guilty and my gaze lowered sadly.

Then he stood up. "I'll get us something to eat for dinner. What sounds good to you?"

I forced a side smile. "Just about anything as long as there's lots of it."

He chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. I'll be back."

He closed the door behind him and I resumed enjoying my bath. After the heat started to get to me, I quickly washed up and let the water out of the tub. I was in the middle of toweling off when Deidara returned with the food. I could smell it from under the door and my mouth watered. I quickly dressed and went to join him.

There was a lot of food and I ate my fill while he took his own bath. I looked around the room again, wondering just how I was going to fit into this place. After all it was clearly meant to be a single room for short periods of use. Nothing in this room indicated that he stayed here very long. There was next to no personal belongings, just some clothes and supplies. Again I made a face. Perhaps Kazuhiko's parting advice to get a place of my own wasn't such a bad idea. Especially when Deidara goes on missions, I'll want to stay somewhere else. When Deidara came out, he wore only a pair of pants. He was drying his hair with a towel and I just stared at him. He noticed and smirked. "What's with that face?"

I didn't know what to comment on first. His arms…what happened to his arms? Stitched on with such thick thread and discolored skin too? And why did he have such a huge tattoo on his chest? I was speechless as I tried to think of what to say. He drew closer, sat beside me, and gently elbowed me in the side. "C'mon out with it, hm."

I gingerly reached out to touch the stitches. They felt coarse and harsh under my smooth fingertips. The sections of discolored skin felt wrinkly and foreign to his own naturally soft skin. "What happened?" I asked softly.

"I lost both of my arms in battle. But they were able to sew them back on so it's no big deal."

I frowned in disagreement. Losing a pair of arms seemed like a very big deal to me. Was he just trying to be brave again or had the trauma passed? "And what about the tattoo?"

He grimaced at this and looked away. "It's not a tattoo."

"What else could it be?" I asked as I gently touched it.

He flinched and moved away as he started to pace. "It's…well you see…hm...well it's a long story."

I sat up on the bed to get comfortable. "I'd like to hear it."

He stopped pacing and looked at me so vulnerably. I could see that he was worried about how I would handle the truth. I nodded encouragingly. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath. "It all started after you left."

I listened in wonder as he explained Ryo's plan for him to steal the kinjutsu for the sake of impressing me. My face fell and my bottom lip trembled. "So it was my fault…" I whispered in a shaky voice.

"No!" He said firmly as he grasped my shoulders. "No it wasn't your fault! I knew deep down that you wouldn't have approved. It was a moment of weakness on my part and Ryo-san exploited it to his advantage."

I frowned. "He used you?"

He nodded and went on to explain his plan to use the money from selling the Kinjutsu to run away with me. I shuddered involuntarily and drew a shaky breath. It terrified me to think of how close it had come to happening. That would have been a nightmare. "What happened to him?" I asked.

Now it was Deidara's turn to look upset. "I got so angry at being tricked and was so scared at the idea of him having you that I lost my temper…and murdered him."

I stared at him in absolute shock. "You what?"

He looked ashamed. "It was wrong of me. I…I was so angry and desperate that I acted without thinking. That was my second mistake."

"What happened next?" I asked warily, not sure if I really wanted to hear anymore. But I had to. If we're going to stay together, we need to be honest with each other. That means I'll have to share my secret too, though I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out yet.

He told me about how Uchida the advisor had placed a genjutsu on him. I blinked in confusion. "What's a genjutsu?"

"Ah that's right, you're not a Shinobi," he said. "Well basically it's similar to hypnotizing someone, only far deadlier."

"How is deadly?" I asked. "Hypnotizing someone is nothing more than an illusion, a trick of the mind to make something appear to be that isn't."

He shook his head. "No…while the illusion is fake, its effects are real. If you're caught in a genjutsu your will is not your own and your actions are forced. I didn't want to open that scroll. I had wanted to return it and take responsibility for the theft and Ryo-san's death. Instead Uchida-san forced me to open the scroll and its effect is now permanent. Then he made me destroy Iwagakure. Part of me was destroyed along with it," he said in a hushed voice. "It was torture to be so powerless."

I looked at his chest markings. "So that's part of the Kinjutsu?"

He nodded. "And these too."

He held his hands out towards me, palms up. I didn't see anything at first but then nearly jumped out of my skin as two holes opened up. No wait…they weren't holes…but mouths. They hissed softly as they lazily flicked their tongues out. I pressed a hand against my mouth in horror as I stared. I've never seen anything like it. They looked so monstrous. Then I realized that he was watching my reaction with a sad expression. He was sensitive to my repulsion and I could see that I was breaking his heart. I quickly spoke. "I'm sorry Dei Dei; they just caught me by surprise that's all."

"It's ok," he said sympathetically. "I was scared of them at first too. But I've gotten used to them. They're actually really useful."

"What do they do?" I asked cautiously.

At this he brightened. Apparently he was proud of whatever it was they did. "Check this out," he said eagerly. "You'll love it."

He grabbed one of the pouches he'd worn strapped to his hip during our journey and brought it over. He sat on the bed beside me and unzipped it. There was a big lump of clay inside. He put his hand in the bag and the mouth on his palm opened up and greedily ate some. My stomach flip-flopped; it was gross to watch. Then he drew his hand back and held it up towards me again. It continued to chew and then spat it out in the shape of a tiny bird. I stared open-mouthed as it flapped its tiny wings and flew around the room.

"That's…incredible," I said in awe.

He chuckled. "I thought you'd be impressed. But my art does more than move around." He brought his hands up in some sort of sign. "Katsu!" He said and it suddenly exploded. Granted it was a tiny one but it startled me enough that I jumped into his arms. He laughed as he held me. "Pretty awesome huh?"

"What is it with guys and wanting to blow things up?" I grumbled.

"Oh c'mon!" He said in exasperation. "You've got to admit it's impressive."

I hesitated for a moment. "I'll admit I like the idea of art coming to life. It's always been a dream of mine," I confessed. "And yet…you're using it to kill people." I pulled away from him and turned away. "I can't approve of that."

He was silent for a moment. There was nothing else to be said about it and I think he knew that. On this point we'd never agree and I knew this could very well be a deal-breaker. If we were to stay together, I'd have to accept the fact that he was a murderer. That left an ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt his arms gently wrap around me and I looked at him over my shoulder. "I can't change what I've done," he murmured. "But I love you Natsume. Can you accept me the way I am?"

I swallowed nervously. "But which are you? The boy I grew to love or a killer?"

He looked a little sad. "I've changed a lot but really you're being unfair in your labels. It's not that black and white. You do realize that I killed while I was a Shinobi in Iwagakure right? What did you think I did in the Explosion Corps, hm?"

I blinked in surprise. "You killed then too?"

He nodded. "It's part of what it means to be a Shinobi. We have to kill those who threaten to destroy what we're striving to protect. I'm just doing my job here like I did then."

I hadn't thought about this before. In fact…I'd never thought about what it is that Shinobi do. Maybe I was being a little judgmental. "But why work for Akatsuki? They're the worst of the worst."

He lowered his gaze as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "I was forced to after I lost a duel…to Itachi Uchiha."

I sucked in my breath. "He's here?" I asked hoarsely.

He stiffened. "You've heard of him?"

I nodded. "I heard all about him from his little brother during my stay in Konoha."

"He has a brother?" He asked skeptically. "That can't be right. He massacred his entire clan."

"He spared him and challenged him to get stronger for the sake of getting revenge." I remembered my conversation with young Sasuke. That poor kid…he seemed so smart and yet was entirely consumed with dreams of revenge. That's no way to live. He had even shown me a picture of Itachi. He looked so gentle with such kind eyes. It was hard to imagine that he was capable of such atrocity. Everyone in Konoha both revered and feared his abilities. Truly he was a heartless killer if ever there was one.

Deidara chuckled darkly. "That sounds like Itachi-san. He gets sadistic pleasure out of messing with people's minds." He was quite for a moment. "He's very dangerous Natsume. Out of everyone here, he's the most deadly. His attacks are subtle; just one look into his blood-red Sharingan eyes will render you powerless. He has the power to control you for however long he wants. If you ever see him, run away. You don't want to mess with him." His grave tone scared me and I trembled in his arms. He gently shushed me as he hugged me tighter and kissed my cheek. "Don't worry; I'll protect you."

I cracked a side smile. "I know you will."

"Now I don't know about you but I'm exhausted," he yawned. "I have to make my report early tomorrow so why don't we turn in for the night?"

I nodded and we lay down side by side. I liked how it felt to lie in his arms, so steady and strong. His breathing grew slow and deep as he drifted off to sleep.