Last week Itachi received a short lesson on how to use his Mangekyou Sharingan, and celebrated his twelfth birthday with his girlfriend. We also got a peek into Aya's dark soul.

Thanks for all the reviews and favs, and to all my favorite lurkers

This chapter marks one year of writing this fic. You know, even though I have it all outlined, I didn't think it would be this long. xD

The first part is directly related to an event in a previous chapter of this story.

The second part is from Manga Chapter 359.

Also check out the bonus one-shot I posted, it's a deleted scene. Read the story to see why I deleted it. It's called "Broken Heaters Warm Hearts" and stars Itachi (11) and Sasuke (6).

Disclaimer - Kishimoto owns Naruto. I own… nothing xD

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Chapter 52 – Art is a Bang!

"Itachi… you look like shit." Kisame bent over and looked his partner in the eye. Or rather, the small portion of the eye that was not covered by a heavy, swollen lid. It was morning and they were meeting up in the lobby of the hotel they had been staying at for the last three days while on a stake-out mission for the Akatsuki. The mission was over and it was time to leave.

"I'm fine. Just tired. I couldn't sleep last night." Itachi scratched his arm through his cloak. Then scratched it again. "I took a soldier pill, so I should be fine soon." He yawned once and shook his head, trying to clear it.

Itachi had woken up an hour earlier because he had been scratching his arms in his sleep, and it was starting to hurt. Moving slowly into the bathroom, eyes barely open, he was shocked at what greeted him when he looked into the mirror. His chest and arms were covered in small bumps and in places they were raw and bleeding due to his nocturnal scratching. His eyes were also swollen and he could barely keep them open.

Taking a quick shower he almost fell over when he emerged from the stall as a wave of dizziness passed over him. However he had felt fine after that, except for his eyes and the itching. And he was sure that the soldier pill would keep him going until they reached Waterfall. As to what caused the strange rash, he could only conjecture and as he rubbed some anti-itch cream from his small medical kit over his chest he decided it would probably be gone soon.

Kisame frowned, looking doubtfully at his young partner. "Well, let's get going then. We have to meet up with Sasori in Earth country in a few days."

Leaving the hotel they walked out into a sunny spring morning. Tulips and daffodils lined both sides of the one-road village making it look very friendly. Early risers were out walking or stocking the few vending stalls at the edge of town. A couple old women were sweeping the wooden sidewalks, one on each side of the road, and they smiled at the man and boy as they walked passed.

Entering the woods Itachi and Kisame took to the trees, jumping from branch to branch. However, an hour later when they stopped for a break Kisame noticed that Itachi was still very sleepy. Reaching down he put his hand on the boy's cheek. Itachi immediately jerked away.

"Itachi, you have a fever." Kisame spoke in a stern voice.

"I'm fine. Now let's go." Itachi answered, annoyed that Kisame had not only noticed his condition, but had the gall to comment on it. Whatever happened to that "missing nins mind their own business" speech he had given him on their first mission?

Itachi had been feeling worse as the morning wore on, with alternating waves of nausea and dizziness. He wanted nothing more than to hurry up and get to their destination. After scratching his arms and chest he took off into the forest. Kisame followed, shaking his head in frustration. If there was one thing he had learned it was that Itachi had a stubborn streak.

Six hours later they were nearing the border with Waterfall country when Itachi, who was still in front of Kisame, suddenly missed the branch he was about to jump onto and plummeted to the ground.

Cursing, Kisame jumped down from his branch and caught the boy in his arms, landing deftly on the ground in a crouch. "Dammit, Itachi! What the hell is wrong with you!" He looked down and saw that Itachi was unconscious. "The hell?" He put his mouth next to Itachi's ear and yelled his name, but the boy didn't respond. He growled under his breath, angry at having been put in this situation.

Looking around he mentally placed their location on a map he had memorized. He knew the area from a mission a few years back and remembered that a small cave was about forty-five minutes away, coincidentally in the direction they were already headed. Jumping back up into the trees he high-tailed it for the cave.

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Large, dry and completely made of stone the cave was about a thousand square feet. It did not look natural and Kisame suspected that Stone nins had made it as a refuge during the last ninja war.

Kisame laid the still-unconscious Itachi down and tried once again to rouse the boy, but was unsuccessful. Noting that he had a high fever and his face was covered in sweat, Kisame removed the boys cloak, shirt and sandals and set them aside. Turning his gaze for a closer look at the boy he gasped. Itachi was covered in hundreds of small bumps along his arms, chest, and a few were now on his face. There hadn't been any there when he had caught him earlier. Kisame grasped Itachi's chin and forced his mouth open. There were also bumps on the inside of his cheeks and the back of this throat.

"Chicken Pox?" Kisame almost felt like laughing. It was ridiculous. The great Itachi Uchiha, pride of the Akatsuki and Konoha, was down for the count because of Chicken Pox. However, in rare cases it could cause severe complications, and Itachi was definitely getting worse.

Kisame sat back and considered his options. If Itachi died or was disabled by this illness he would be assigned a new partner. Said partner would probably interfere in his "extracurricular" affairs. Kisame shook his head. He couldn't let that happen. Itachi minded his own business and had a fairly mild personality. Well, maybe not "mild". The boy was very effective at killing and torture, but…

"Just admit it Kisame," He spoke quietly to himself, "you've gotten attached to the kid. He's… not annoying. Kind of like having a little brother."

Kisame wiped Itachi's face off with cool water while he considered his next move. Konoha was a day and a half away so he couldn't drop him off there. The nearest village didn't have a healer. Actually, none of the villages in Waterfall had healers. The country was destitute and the people who called themselves "healers" were either poorly trained or frauds.

"I'll contact Leader and see if he knows of any resources nearby." Moving to the mouth of the cave so he could monitor the area easier Kisame prepared to meditate. He concentrated on the Leader's chakra, calling to him.

"What do you want?" Leader's voice projected through the ring, directly into Kisame's mind. The words were spoken in his usual powerful monotone.

"I need a location check for a healer. Southern border of waterfall." Kisame answered.

"There are none. What is wrong?"

"Itachi has an illness. High fever." Kisame wasn't sure how much he should repeat. Missing ninjas didn't like to admit any kind of weakness and illness was a big weakness.

"What kind of an illness? It's okay, Kisame, tell me." Leader's voiced changed from calm to concerned, surprising Kisame.

"Chicken Pox." He braced himself, expecting laughter from the normally stoic man.

"Did you say… Chicken Pox?" He didn't laugh, but his words did hold a hint of disbelief in them.

"Yeah. I'm positive. He's developed some kind of complication and passed out a while ago. I haven't been able to rouse him since."

Leader was quiet for a few minutes, then spoke again. "Kakuzu is in the area. Meet him in Firefly town, it should be a couple hours north of where you are now. There is one hotel in town, check in after dark and don't let them know Itachi is ill. Kisame, it is vitally important that he doesn't die. Itachi is… special and you were chosen as his partner partly to watch out for him. Kakuzu understands this as well, but as you know he can be a bit… contentious."

"Yes. I will meet him there tonight." The communication was cut and Kisame returned his attention to his sick partner. He was surprised at Leader's revelation. Being put in charge of "babysitting" a young prodigy was not in his job description. Or so he had thought. He settled down to wait, leaning up against the wall of the cave, if they were going to arrive in town on time they would have to wait a few hours before leaving.

An hour before dusk Kisame quickly put the boy's shirt and cloak back on him then tucked the sandals into his backpack. As an afterthought he also removed Itachi's forehead protector and put that in the backpack as well. It might help keep him cool if he wasn't wearing it.

Kisame realized it would be easier to carry the boy if he could drape him over his shoulder, but if he vomited it would be very messy. Sighing in irritation Kisame picked Itachi up in his arms and walked out of the cave.

"You owe me big time for this, kid, and I will think of a way to collect." The boy mumbled something and Kisame smirked, wondering if he was cursing him or dreaming.

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Reaching the hotel an hour after nightfall Kisame walked up to the front desk and whispered to the clerk, "My son fell asleep while we were traveling. Didn't have the heart to wake him up."

The small, elderly man bent over the boy. "He doesn't look a thing like you."

'Ah great!' Kisame thought to himself, 'We finally run into someone with half a brain and it has to be now.'

"Nevertheless," Kisame spoke in a threatening voice, "we require a room."

"I'm not going to let my establishment be a party your twisted ninja kidnapping games, or whatever else you think you need an underage boy for." The man was getting angry. "Wake him up."

"Dad…" Itachi mumbled, "Tired. Wanna go bed." Apparently Itachi was alert enough to hear the argument and respond to the man's query. He blinked his eyes open momentarily then closed them again. The light was too bright. Itachi was vaguely aware that someone was questioning Kisame about him being his son, but he didn't know why. However, working "undercover" had become so instinctive that he answered without having to think about it.

The innkeeper looked at the boy and frowned. "Genin, huh? Not used to the long hours?"

"Up forty-eight hours on a stakeout. Clan business. Now if you don't mind…" Kisame was beginning to loose his patience and he was also worried that Itachi, who had spoken and probably saved the situation, didn't know what was going on and might say something he shouldn't. His fever was very high and delirium couldn't be far away at this rate.

"Ah! Well, then let me take you right up to…" The man checked the register for a moment before continuing in a soft voice, "Room 24. Follow me."

After the clerk left Kisame let out a sigh of relief. He was very glad he had taken Itachi's forehead protector off. If the innkeeper had seen that the two of them wore different symbols he would have had to use force to get a room. And that would mean leaving town before the body was found. While Itachi was light for a boy his age, Kisame still didn't enjoy lugging him around the countryside.

The medium-sized hotel room had two twin-sized beds, a small table with four chairs and a couch. There was also a full bathroom. Quite luxurious for the area, actually, and Kisame had a passing thought about what kind of people usually passed through Firefly. However, he had other things that were more important to think about.

Itachi started to thrash around as soon as Kisame laid him on the bed. "Shit, Itachi. Stay still." He sat down next to Itachi and removed his cloak, shirt and pants, then put him under the blankets. Itachi kept mumbling and moving around. "Your fever is getting worse and you're starting to get delirious."

"Shisui… Aya needs you…" Itachi pleaded.

"Shisui is going to see Aya right now." Kisame answered, not know what else to do. He remembered Shisui from the mission two or three years ago in Mist. He was Itachi's older cousin and, as he recalled, they were very close. More like brothers. But he had no idea who Aya was.

"Oh good." Itachi settled down and Kisame straightened him out again and adjusted the blankets.

"I need a drink. Where is Kakuzu?" Kisame left the room in search of a bottle of sake and some take-out. Knowing Kakuzu he wouldn't show up until much later.

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Around midnight there was a knock on the door. Kisame blinked his eyes at the sound, suddenly realizing he had fallen asleep. Glancing across the room at the other bed he saw that Itachi had thrown off his blankets and was shivering. His body was covered in sweat and his face was red.

Standing up Kisame opened the door and Kakuzu walked past him, stopping at the foot of Itachi's bed. "Yep. Chicken Pox. He's a goner. You know, he does have a large bounty on his head. What do you say we split the difference?"

"What do you say, you heal the boy and I won't tell leader what you just said." Kisame sneered at the man standing in front of him. Kakuzu was wearing his Akatsuki cloak, but the front was open, revealing blue pants, a black shirt and a white scarf that wrapped around his mouth and nose like a mask.

Kakuzu stood looking at the boy with his eerily iridescent green eyes for a couple minutes then removed his cloak and backpack. Setting both on the floor he sat down on Itachi's bed with an air of annoyance.

"Where's your partner?" Kisame asked, suddenly wondering where Mitaka was.

"He also had a high bounty on his head. I decided to cash it in." Kakuzu spoke without emotion and started rummaging through his small pack.

"So both Mitaka and Shun are dead." Kisame spoke quietly. Word of Shun's death had already drifted through the Akatsuki a few weeks earlier. The now ownerless ring was the reason they were on their way to Earth country to meet up with Sasori. A recruit had been chosen to replace Orochimaru and Leader had asked Itachi and Kisame to accompany Sasori in retrieving him.

Kakuzu brought out a small book and leafed through it, then wrote out a list. "The kitchen probably has these items. Go get them." It was an order and Kisame curled his lip in anger. However, arguing would get them nowhere so he turned around and left the room, list in hand.

Kakuzu wiped Itachi's face off and placed a small piece of paper on his forehead. Activating a seal with a series of hand signs the kanji on the paper disappeared and reformed as the number "103". The man sighed in frustration. Placing his hands a couple inches over Itachi's chest he concentrated on sending healing chakra into the boy. The fever dropped to 100 and the raw skin where the boy had scratched healed. However, when he "looked" at Itachi's lungs he shook his head and cut off the chakra.

"Believe it or not I do have better things to do with my time than look after brats. Especially Konoha brats. Although, I guess since you are an Uchiha and not Senju I'll cut you a break and not charge you." Kakuzu still fumed over his failed mission, the one that, so long ago, made him a missing nin.

Assigned by Waterfall to assassinate the First Hokage of Konoha he had failed. Upon his return, half dead and badly demoralized, he had been disgraced and imprisoned by his own people. After escaping (and wreaking havoc on the village in the process) he had met up with the now-wandering Madara. Madara, it turned out, had left Konoha shortly before Kakuzu's assassination attempt. The Uchiha had tried to assassinate the first Hokage a few months later, also failing. Kakuzu felt a small (very small) amount of "kinship" toward the elder Uchiha after that, and willingly joined Akatsuki as their treasurer. After all, he believed his goal was the same as Madara's: revenge.

Itachi moaned in his sleep as Kakuzu untangled the sheet from the boy's foot. He had somehow managed to completely wrap it around his ankle. Itachi kicked in an unconscious attempt to free himself from whatever was restraining him. Kakuzu sighed again as he dropped the appendage and stood up, throwing the sheet on the floor.

Kisame walked in a minute later with a small bowl of dried herbs. "They had everything. Where do you want it?"

"Put it on the table and get me some boiling water." Kakuzu dug through his pack again and pulled out a mortar and pestle and started to grind up the herbs. He also pulled out a multi-compartment plastic container and measured out five different powders, dropping them into the herb mixture.

Meanwhile, Kisame plugged in the in-room electric kettle. Soon it was whistling as steam escaped through a small hole in the spout. Carrying it over to the table, along with a chipped white ceramic cup, he set both down in front of Kakuzu.

"Now comes the hard part… getting a bitter drink down the throat of an unconscious person. Without choking him." Kakuzu dropped a small amount of the herb mixture into the cup and filled it about a quarter full of the hot water. Stirring to combine the herbs and water he held it up, sniffing. "Perfect." He handed the cup to Kisame.

Kisame took it and walked over to Itachi. "If he's shivering, why don't we cover him up?"

"He has a fever of 100. If it goes up any more you'll be submerging him in ice."

"Humph. Okay. Well, Itachi, here it goes. It probably tastes bad, but you need to drink it." He put a little bit on the boys tongue and watched as Itachi subconsciously swallowed, then made a sour face. After about the fifth sip Itachi finally opened his eyes.

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Blinding light seared at Itachi's eyeballs as he slowly opened them. The first thing he noticed was that his mouth tasted awful. The next thing was that he had a horrendous headache. He felt a cup being put up to his mouth and realized he was being held up by someone with warm arms. Turning his head away from the cup he saw Kisame looking down at him and frowning. Itachi shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Come on Itachi, just a little bit more and you can go back to sleep." Kisame's matter-of-fact voice held an edge of irritation as he held up the cup to show him. "It's medicine, it'll make you feel better."

Itachi reached for the cup but his arms were too heavy to lift. Kisame tipped the cup into his mouth and Itachi drank the rest, grimacing in the process. "What's wrong?" Itachi asked in a weak voice.

"You have a very bad case of Chicken Pox." Kisame answered, smiling.

"Impossible. Vaccinated." Itachi struggled to get the words out. His voice was hoarse and cracked as he spoke.

"Well, it didn't work." Another voice sounded from the periphery and Itachi turned his head to see Kakuzu sitting nearby at a table. "Take this medicine every four hours until it's gone. Even if you feel better, keep taking it. You should be up and about and ready to return to work in two days. There is enough medicine here for five days."

"Why so long?" Itachi asked.

"You have some abnormalities in your lungs. It might be caused by the illness, but it might be something else. Have yourself checked out when you return to Konoha." Kakuzu stood and started to pack away his things, then left without saying anything else.

Itachi drank some water then lay back down on his pillow. He wondered what Kakuzu had meant by "abnormalities". He wasn't coughing or anything and his chest didn't hurt. He was just tired, his skin itched, his joints ached and he had a headache. And now instead of cold, he was hot. Closing his eyes he quickly drifted back to sleep.

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Two days later Itachi was sitting at the table in the small hotel room feeling very conflicted and embarrassed. Kisame had looked after him, even going so far as to get medical assistance. It was the last thing he would have expected from a missing nin in Akatsuki. So how was he supposed to feel? What was he supposed to do? It was possible he would have died if left alone in the woods. Kisame may have saved his life.

He always felt a little more relaxed around the big man. Kisame didn't place many demands on him or require his attention. He would talk for hours and not care if Itachi listened or not. He lectured him occasionally, but it was never without cause, and his advice was usually useful.

Itachi sighed. Kisame was a violent man, that much could not be denied. He enjoyed murdering with his giant sword but always held back when Itachi asked him too. He would be upset for a short time, but always shrugged it off without holding any grudges. But still… he wasn't like Kakuzu who killed every single partner he had, or Sasori and Orochimaru who had killed tens of thousands of people, or Pein and Konan who were in league with Madara. Even the late Shun and Mitaka were extremely violent people who were wanted in many villages for horrendous crimes.

Then there was Kisame. He had left Mist because he had taken out a Daimyou. Pretty tame in comparison to the rest of Akatsuki, when you thought about it. The village seemed to look past his other "activities" of shredding his adversaries with Samehada. Other villages had put him in their Bingo books because of the aggressive nature of his attacks. He could take out dozens of shinobi on his own, without backup, and had done just that on several occasions. But his exploits still didn't match up to the others. When Itachi thought about it, they seemed pretty normal for an advanced jounin.

So why was he in the organization? What was Madara's reason for recruiting him? Or did Kisame have his own ulterior motives and was using Akatsuki to obtain some sort of personal goal? He spent the time he wasn't with Itachi traveling on what he called "business", but what was he really doing?

'In order to stop Madara, I'll probably have to kill Akatsuki. That probably includes Kisame as well. But… maybe if he isn't really loyal I won't have to.' Itachi was beginning to hope he wouldn't have to kill the shark-man, but Konoha would have to come first. That was the bottom line. And if Kisame got in the way…

The door opened and Itachi jumped, then looked back down at the table and frowned, annoyed at having been startled. Kisame smirked. The boy had been acting uncharacteristically shy all day. He thought that if he left for a while and gave him some time to think Itachi would have gotten over it. Apparently not.

"It'll take us three days to get to where Sasori is. We'll leave in the morning." Kisame sat down at the table, placing a bag of take-out in between them.

"Yes." Itachi answered in a calm voice, then looked up. "What do I owe you for the last two days?"

"I'll let you know." Kisame laughed at Itachi's confused look.

"Would you like money? I would be more than willing to pay you." Itachi didn't like the idea of a debt hanging over his head.

"You know I'm not into money. No point. We're shinobi, Itachi. That means we'll die young, making the accumulation of money a waste of time. Now eat. You should eat some meat to build up your strength. Really, I'm beginning to think you're a vegetarian. Doesn't your mother ever serve steak?" Kisame laughed again.

"Not really. She doesn't cook much meat. I never thought twice about it though. Even though she can afford it, she complains about how expensive it is." He accepted the proffered chicken and started to eat. He quickly realized he was very hungry and dug into the food like a man who had been starved for a week.

"Hmm. I guess that's pretty normal for mothers. By the way, how is Shisui?" Itachi jerked his head up from his meal, surprising Kisame. It wasn't that odd of a question was it?

"Why do you ask?" Itachi asked guardedly.

"At one point you called out to Shisui, telling him Aya needed him." Kisame saw no point in covering up Itachi's feverish ramblings.

"Is that all I said about him?"

"Yep. You were pretty quiet, really." Kisame wondered why Itachi was so defensive.

Several minutes passed and Itachi finished his meal. He didn't want to talk about Shisui, but since Kisame had known him, perhaps he should say something. Especially considering how helpful he had been the last two days.

"He's dead. Suicide." Itachi was surprised to see a twinge of sorrow in his partner's eyes. It was brief, but it was there.

Kisame was very surprised by the news. He remembered Shisui as being a cheerful, dedicated boy who stuck close to his comrades. On the other hand, he also knew a little bit about clans, being from one himself, and the expectations and stress often drove young ninja to desperation.

"Sorry to hear that." Kisame finally said.

"Aya was his girlfriend."

Kisame nodded in acknowledgement. He remembered that Itachi's other friend, Yota, had died during that Water country mission after being ambushed by rebels. Itachi had avenged the boy by taking out the remaining rebels single handed.

'I wonder how he avenged Shisui? Or is that why he is in Akatsuki?' Kisame's thoughts turned contemplative and he spent some time lost in his own memories.

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Traveling west for three days gave Itachi had a lot of time to think. While he could come to no conclusions concerning Kisame, he did realize that being partnered with him made it easier to move between Konoha and Akatsuki. Kisame didn't mind having to meet up with him in Fire country for missions and was quite accomplished at avoiding the Konoha ninja's who patrolled outside the village.

The other thing he though about, well, perhaps the correct phrase would be "fumed over" was a memory of when he was five years old. He had been in the hospital being checked over so he could be certified "healthy" for school.

"Roll up your sleeve kid, and I'll give you your vaccinations for school." Itachi looked at the man like he had just sprouted a second head.

"I'm not wearing a shirt." The boy said, put out. His mother stifled a giggle. The medic looked up with shock.

"Oh, sorry. I'm a little frayed at the moment." He tugged on his white tunic to straighten it, then opened a glass case and stared at a piece of paper. Using his index finger he pointed to several items on the list then pulled three bottles out of the cabinet. He also pulled out three syringes and filled them with vaccine.

"Okay, little boy, I'd appreciate it if you don't attack me when I stick you with this pointy needle." Itachi was starting to get mad. Mikoto smiled as she guessed why this man was having such a bad day. He obviously had no bedside manner. He injected Itachi's left arm with the three needles. The boy didn't so much as twitch. He was looking the medic in the face, but the man refused to meet his gaze. "You're done. You can go."

"No." Itachi crossed his arms and sat very still.

"No? Why not?" The medic's voice had a twinge of panic in it. This was turning out to be a very bad day.

"I didn't get my lollipop." Mikoto turned and looked out the window again stifling her laughs. Itachi had such a sweet tooth that there was no way that medic was leaving without giving him his candy. The medic looked at the boy for second, went over to a jar, grabbed several lollipops and slammed them on the examination table.

"Here! Take your god-damned lollipops!" He walked out of the room mumbling about ungrateful kids, leaving his paperwork behind.

"He gave me six candies, Mother!" Itachi had a big smile.

"Well, then, put your shirt on and we'll go home." She smiled as they left the room.

The incompetent fool was supposed to have given him several vaccinations. Itachi wondered which ones and if that was actually what he had received. He now suspected Chicken Pox had been missed. But what else? Was he going to catch Measles or Mumps now as well? Why hadn't any medic in the following years noticed a discrepancy? He made a mental note to consult with Dr. Yakushi on his return, then find out if that medic was still employed at the hospital.

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"Itachi, Sasori should be in one of the caves up ahead." Kisame said as he stopped walking and looked over the terrain. Central Earth country was a dry, rocky desert with almost no vegetation. Ahead of them was an area of rocky spires and deep canyons. A mountain range was in the distance, about a hundred miles away. Very little rain fell in the area, less that a quarter inch every year. The harsh wind blew dust around and both Akatsuki had covered their heads with fabric to protect their faces and eyes. They could still see through the loose weave of the white cloth, though, so it didn't block their vision. Luckily, the summer heat was still a couple months away so the temperature was tolerable.

Making their way into the canyon they used chakra to sense for enemies or Sasori, who in truth was probably only one step above being an enemy. The wind was stronger in the narrow canyon and they had to struggle at times to stay upright. The area was almost like a maze. The canyon cut around the bottom of massive rocks, sometimes leaving paths as narrow as six feet wide.

"I can feel his chakra." Itachi yelled above the wind. "It's straight ahead." Kisame lifted on hand to signal he had heard him, then they both continued walking. Soon they saw the puppet-master standing at the entrance of a cave, waiting for them.

"It's about time you showed up." His gravelly voice was grumpier than usual. "I've been stuck here for two weeks."

"And you loved every moment of it." Kisame walked into the cave and saw puppets scattered all over. It was one big workshop. Obviously Sasori had spent his time tinkering. "And for the record, we are on time. In fact, you said to arrive tomorrow so we're technically one day early."

"My spies have been tracking the boy and they have arranged for him to be at a local temple tomorrow evening at sundown. Why leader thinks a hyper-active mad bomber would…" Sasori continued the statement by mumbling to himself as he turned his puppet body and re-entered the cave.

Itachi stared at the scene before him. The cave had a few human-sized puppets laid out on the ground. He stared at them with his Sharingan and immediately noticed that their chakra systems were intact. There was only one way that could be and Itachi suppressed an urge to shudder. He looked over at Kisame and saw that the shark-man had come to the same conclusion via Samehada.

Sasori gave a short laugh. "I'll put them away." He was greatly amused at the intimidating effect his human puppets had on people. Pulling out a scroll he formed a series of hand-signs and the puppets disappeared, only to reappear as arcane words written on the parchment.

Finding an area next to the wall Itachi sat down and pulled some coal out of his pockets and started a fire. He needed to take the last dose of his medicine and as bad as it tasted, it was ten times worse with cold water than it was with warm.

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The temple took two hours to reach. It was located on top of a mesa that was reached via a narrow road cut into the rock. When they reached the top they saw about fifteen buildings arranged in a rectangle formation. Two bald monks wearing white pants and shirts with orange fabric draped over one shoulder were standing watch at the entrance. Kisame stepped forward and gave them a warning.

"We are conducting a meeting here shortly. Do not interfere and your chances of survival go up dramatically." He reached back and put his hand on Samehada's handle for emphasis. The two bald, orange clad men nodded once and ran toward a two story building opposite the temple and rang a bell. About five dozen monks and priests appeared. Most were small boys as young as four or five. They were all herded into the building, and some of the smaller children started crying in fear when they saw the three Akatsuki watching them. Older men picked up the crying children in an attempt to comfort them, and to get them out of the way faster.

Itachi watched them without expression. He wondered if the building they had run into had an exit, perhaps into an underground cave. "Is this an orphanage?" He asked.

"Some are orphans. Most of the boys are from devout families that believe one year of a man's life must be spent in service to God. The people in this region are very religious. They send the boys when they are still young so it doesn't interfere with the family's productivity." Sasori explained calmly. "I didn't realize there were this many people here, it's so remote. The nearest settlement is almost a full day's travel for a civilian."

The trio walked across the compound. The trees planted around the perimeter of the mesa created a very effective wind screen. The shrubs and flowers were well tended and there was even a grass lawn. It was a completely different world from the barren desert below.

Entering the temple they walked to the back and Itachi folded his hands and bowed respectfully to the deities. Kisame followed his example a few seconds later. Sasori, however, snorted in disgust and turned around to watch the entrance.

The interior of the building was about 1500 square feet but had a very high ceiling. The doorway was large enough to drive an ox-cart through and went all the way up to the ceiling. There were no doors. Through the doorway they could see the building the monks had disappeared into, a few trees, and the mountain range beyond. The floor was so highly polished it resembled a mirror more than wood. Three sides of the room were fenced off with statues of deities placed every few feet.

The statues themselves were famous in Earth country. The deities were dressed in old fashioned armor. A stone circle about six inches wide and three feet in circumference stretched from mid-back to a foot above their heads. Stylized flames were carved into the stone circle and extended over it. Inside the circle was a thin sheet of red material, onto which was painted another black circle with three black tomoes superimposed over it.

The image of the clean, almost sterile temple with the warlike deities standing motionless was quite a paradox. Itachi saw a plaque on the wall by the door and read that they were five-hundred-year-old statues from the royal residence of the last emperor.

"Someone's coming." Kisame said as he moved to stand next to Sasori at the back of the temple. Itachi walked over to stand next to Kisame, and all three faced the entrance.

Moments later a twelve-year-old boy with vivid blue eyes, long blond hair tied in a loose ponytail and wearing a Stone village forehead protector walked slowly into the temple. He had been looking around the compound, curious about the lack of monks. He wore all black. A fishnet shirt peaked out from under his white-trimmed yukata and his pants were short, only going mid-shin. His clothes were obviously too small for him and not very clean. He wore simple, worn-out sandals. The boy was shorter than Itachi by a couple inches.

He stopped a quarter of the way into the building when he saw three people standing in front of him. A hunched over middle-aged man appeared, almost, to be laying on the ground. Next to him stood a tall giant blue shark-man with a massive sword attached to his back. The last person was normal looking, a boy about his own age.

"Welcome, Deidara. We have been waiting for you. We are Akatsuki." Sasori's gravelly voice was not especially welcoming, but it wasn't hostile either.

"Akatsuki?" The boy dropped his hands to his sides and clenched his fists angrily, "The hell? Never heard of it. Get lost! I'm here to look at the art."

Sasori shifted his gaze to his two companions and complained, "Why do I have to get stuck with this kid? He's feisty enough, but he's also the sort that ends up getting himself killed off."

Itachi spoke calmly, "Leader's orders. He has talents the organization requires."

Deidara creased his brow, "You already know about me? Who are you, really?"

Kisame's stern voice answered him. "You are a terrorist bomber involved in several anti-nationalist terror cells throughout the surrounding countries. You have been linked to a number of explosions, correct? What reason would a rogue ninja like you do such things?"

"Reason? I need one of those?" Deidara cheered up and gave the trio a big smile, "People hire me to blow stuff up… with my art, un."

"Your art?" Sasori snapped angrily.

Deidara pulled out a white sculpture that had eight legs and two large eyes. It was his personal version of a spider. "Behold! Aren't you impressed?" His voice was full of pride and he continued to speak in a cheerful, boastful voice. "The product of pursuing refined line work matched with two-dimensional deformation! Un. This is art! But my art is more that this! My art is not static! In their physical form they are nothing more than models, un. But my art explodes! And with that explosion its essence is propelled to greatness. At that moment it becomes the work of art that I intended!"

The boy paused for a moment, then held the sculpture in his right hand and lifted his left hand, palm out. In the center of his palm was a mouth, and it was sticking its red tongue out at the three Akatsuki. "And it's in that fleeting moment of grandeur that I see true art, un. Art is a bang!"

Sasori sighed, "Damn. He's annoying."

Kisame looked down at the floor, bored, "Is he done yet?"

"Who knows…" Itachi took a step forward. He was bored as well. He remembered the kid from his first Konoha mission years ago. The boy was bruised, demoralized and willing to sell out his comrades due to spite. The Deidara that stood in front of him now was completely different. He was arrogant and probably on the fast track to the grave but he was cheerful. And, oddly enough, he hadn't recognized Itachi.

"Enough. I'll fight him." Itachi wanted to get it over with before Kisame or Sasori decided to take things into their own hands. There was a house full of young monks nearby and he didn't want to see them get hurt. He hoped that if the house had a secret passage the monks had enough sense to use it, just in case.

Deidara frowned at him, partially insulted over his great speech being ignored, and partially concerned about what the boy was about to do. He watched as Itachi formed his Sharingan. 'What is with those eyes?' He wondered.

He suddenly smiled. "You wanna fight me? Don't underestimate me or my art! My ninjutsu is the very pinnacle of artistic accomplishment, un!"

Itachi maintained his stony façade and spoke calmly, "If I win, you'll join Akatsuki."

Deidara reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a clay centipede at the same time he threw his already made spider at Itachi. Itachi reacted by jumping backward at the wall behind him. Deidara put the first two fingers of his right hand up to his face and said "Katsu!" The word was one that evoked concentration, usually used by monks to help them with their prayers. Deidara had "borrowed" it, reasoning that he needed the same powers of concentration.

The back wall exploded, falling away to leave a gaping hole. Itachi dodged the explosion, skidding a few feet away from the hole. He stood shocked as he looked down at his feet and watched as a large centipede climbed up through the wooden floor and wrapped around his body.

"Is that all you got?" Deidara smirked. He was pleased that the fight was now about to end, in his favor. After all, he never lost. If these guys had done any research whatsoever they should have realized that and known better than to come after him.

But…

Why was Itachi smiling? Didn't he realize he had lost?

"You should take a closer look at yourself, first." Itachi said, looking straight at Deidara.

Deidara suddenly realized the centipede was wrapped around his own body and not Itachi's. Shocked he stood stock still, his hands motionless in front of him.

Kisame gave a short laugh. "That was a close call. You were just about to blow yourself up."

"As I said… he won't last long at all." Sasori said bitterly.

Deidara finally spoke, "Genjutsu? When?"

"From the beginning. You got caught from the moment you looked into Itachi's eyes." Kisame answered, his pointed teeth showed menacingly as he smiled at the boy in front of him. He had heard that Deidara was almost as good as Itachi, and he had to admit the boy's reputation made him sound powerful, but he wasn't impressed. He silently wondered if the boy would die from exploding himself or if Sasori would kill him first.

"Ah!" Deidara said in defeat, realizing that in his arrogance to expand his art he had skipped training in the one area his past sensei's had continually tried to stress on him. He was a Genjutsu type, they had told him, and he could become quite good at it if he trained. But Deidara did not consider Genjutsu art and refused. Now he was paying for it.

Looking up Deidara saw Itachi standing in the opening that had been blown into the building. The boy, who still had his sharingan activated, was standing on a pile of rubble with the exposed boards, wire mesh and plaster crumbling off the wall around him. Two of the deity statues stood on either side of him. The setting sun was directly behind Itachi's shoulder, creating a yellow halo around his body.

Deidara was suddenly struck with how much Itachi looked like one of the statues. A work of art the likes of which he had never seen. This was real art.

"Humph." Deidara suddenly came to his senses and buried his face in his hands. 'How could someone else's power do that to me? It was pathetic. I refuse… I will never call that art!'

"You lose." Itachi stated plainly.

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Next week, Deidara "settles in" with Sasori, and the two Akatsuki teams go on a combined mission.

The third databook revealed Deidara's age as two years younger than Itachi, so that is something else I messed up on xD So I figure Deidara probably wasn't actually recruited until after the massacre which is why Itachi looks so tall in the manga (that had been bothering me). So then, I wonder if Sasori had another partner (or partners) in between Orochimaru and Deidara who got killed and that's why he was grousing about Deidara acting like someone who would get himself killed off quickly.

Also, considering Deidara's ability at deflecting Genjutsu during the Dei/Sasuke fight I am assuming that Deidara must be a Genjutsu type, but didn't study it because it wasn't "artful" enough for him. Remember, Sakura is a Genjutsu type and was able to deflect Kabuto's Genjutsu during the Chuunin exams in the stadium.

And Kisame? Why is he in Akatsuki? I keep wishing the manga would hurry up and explain. It would be nice if he wasn't really a "bad" guy and Kishimoto spared him… but that's probably just wishful thinking. Anyway, I hope him watching over sick Itachi wasn't fluffy. I wanted to show the odd "friendship" (if you want to call it that), that the two have.

Please review! This is the one-year anniversary so it would be great if everyone reviewed! Anonymous is accepted.