It's been tough but they managed. Anjira was still hurt from being separated from Hiroaki but she understood that it was the best thing they could currently do for him. Thanks to Pain, the shinobi world was now perfectly aware of the Akatsuki's existence, hence making it hard for the pair to find places to stay without being recognized. They were constantly ambushed and while Deidara was always up for a good fight, he also kind of wished they had more privacy. He missed those times where they could go anywhere without being identified as Anjira could make even the most boring places fun.

He too was a bit troubled about their baby, but not as much as Anjira was. He knew that this was the best course of action and he wasn't exactly skilled in any way to handle such a tiny human being. He was more excited about Hiroaki growing older, old enough to grasp the concept of art, which he would be more than happy to teach him and demonstrate how to create explosions. Afterall, Hiroaki inherited his Kekkei Genkai, so he was sure that their art lessons would be awesome.

He could tell that Anjira still blamed herself. Hours upon hours had she sat beside their child and attempted to heal him but to no avail.

"If I had focused more on my healing jutsu we wouldn't have to leave him there."

"Stop blaming yourself, hm. We would have to leave him there anyway, it's too dangerous now that we've got bounty hunters on our tails."

"I know... I just wish I could have eased his ailment a little."

"They'll take care of him, believe me. You're a fighter, not a healer, that's why you can fix injuries to get yourself back on the field. You haven't been exposed to learn all that medical stuff. Besides, I don't think it suits you anyway. Art is not just about practicality but about beauty through the artist's perspective. Don't let your talent be blinded by guilt, hm."

She thought for a long moment before leaning close to him.

"Thanks, Deidara. For everything." She whispered and planted a kiss on his lips.

They both were a wreck, but right now all they had was one another. With the world hunting them and the Akatsuki without a leader, they were pretty much lost. The only thing they could do now was look for Kisame and hope he had more insight to this whole mess.

The blonde was still unnerved about Itachi's death and now, even Naruto had defeated Pain. Somehow, his rivals were getting ahead of him and he really needed to do something about it. He would not let those cretins who disrespected his art get ahead of him.

Although he didn't tell her, he was more than grateful that she was around, otherwise he would have lost his mind. She helped him stay creative, inspired and sane, which he needed the most during a time when everything around them was falling apart.

Even the sky didn't seem normal as they flew over the mountains. The sun radiated in a darker golden glow as the moon shifted closer.

"What is happening there?" Anjira asked, noticing the change of light as well.

"It's a solar eclipse, kinda rare. We probably won't be alive to see another one happening, hm... "

Now would be perfect, wouldn't it?

"Hey, we should have our wedding now, hm!"

"On top of a mountain during a solar eclipse? Are you sure that's a wedding, not some ritual?"

"Excuse me, I'm not Hidan, hm! Just imagine how aesthetic it would be? Don't think there's any other couple lucky enough to marry during an eclipse, hm!"

"You're right, let's do this. I just wish I had something nice to wear though..."

"Don't worry about it, you already look great, hm."

"I don't wanna wear the cloak on such a special occasion… If only you didn't tear my dress apart back then, I would have something." She stressed, rummaging through her stuff.

"But I do have nice lingerie. Do you prefer the red or black one? Or maybe white would be fitting, don't you think?"

"Uhh..."

"White it is!" She exclaimed and began changing as they landed on top of the mountain. Deidara blinked, indecisive whether to look at her or the solar eclipse.

"So, how do we go about this? Isn't it a bit ironic for us to make vows about loving each other for all eternity when our idea of life and art is fleeting?"

"I don't know, it's kind of hard to focus when you're only wearing that, hm..."

She gave him a seductive smile and inched closer.

"How about we don't make any promises to each other but declare our love to the universe? And just like you suggested, we create a grand performance. There might not be any audience but the moon colliding with the sun is our witness and that's better than anything else." She stretched out her hand. "Liven up my song with your explosions. Sing with me the song we rehearsed so long ago."

"That was a very long time ago, I don't even know if I can still sing it properly anymore."

"Don't worry about missing the right key. Just let it all out and have fun."

In that moment, the moon finally met with the sun, blocking a small portion of sunlight. Deidara nodded at her.

"Give me your best, hm!"

She then started playing her guitar and Deidara timed his explosions to her beat. Vivid colors blew up wildly in the dark daylight, a kind of light he had never seen his explosions matched to. It looked enigmatically beautiful and with loud vibrations from the music and Anjira's ethereal voice filling the air, the whole feeling of the scene was tantalizing, celestial even. That time were he was falsely enchanted by Itachi's Sharingan was absolutely nothing compared to this. The air was thick with vibrations but it felt so good to breathe. He was absolutely in love with this moment, he started shouting out loud. Like Anjira said, it didn't matter if he couldn't reach the note as long as he was having fun. He did not hold back, not in shouting nor in creating explosions and neither did Anjira. She was letting it all out and she was looking so fierce and enthralling doing it.

This moment probably lasted a few minutes until the moon moved away from the sun although it felt too short, it should have went on longer but he supposed this was what made it so beautiful. Beauty found in rare and temporary things, they would never be able to do something like this again anytime soon. He used up a lot of clay but it was so worth it.

He panted, still high from the artistic spectacle that had been their wedding.

"It was perfect, hm..."

"In every way..."

He lunged at her and removed her lingerie as fast as he could. If he had her now too, all of this would be a complete paradise.

He wanted to take his time, after all it was a perfect and special occasion and both needed to enjoy themselves to the fullest but then he heard voices from the lower part of the mountain.

"The explosions came from up there!"

"For fuck's sake!" The blonde gritted his teeth. "They're ruining this perfect moment!"

"Well, looks like we had an audience after all. And if we finish them off quickly we can go right back to this. Plus, having blown up body parts around makes everything much more romantic, don't you think?"

"What are we gonna do about your morbid sense of romance, hm..."

She just grinned and put on her lingerie.

"You should really wear more than that, hm!"

Anjira ignored his comment and looked down to the shinobi climbing up the mountain.

"Enjoy the view cause you're all gonna die!" She shouted and send whirlwinds down their direction.

They were not many of them, and Deidara blew them up fast. One of them managed to get close but was quickly cut down by Anjira.

"Damn it, there's blood on my bra!"

"Just take it off, hm."

"Right..." She purred as she removed it. "Now, where were we?"

Afterwards, they looked for a nice play to stay in although their options were very limited. They came across that inn with hot springs in the snowy area and decided to sleep there. Thankfully, they were not chased out or ambushed, plus they served Ebi Chili which was Anjira's ultimate favorite so there was nothing to complain about.

For the first time in months, the pair was able to sleep undisturbed for a long time. Anjira sometimes got nightmares about Hiroaki but Deidara comforted her and she would fall back asleep right after. It was time to unwind and indulge in things they weren't able to do on the run. A honeymoon, one could call it.

After three days, Deidara believed he left Kisame for too long and decided to get back to him before the swordsman would tease him again for going on "paternity leave".

"It was all too short, but we need to get back to my man Kisame. He might know what will happen with the Akatsuki. Him, Zetsu and us are the last remaining members, hm..."

"Alright then."

"Are you disappointed?"

"A little but it's our work. Gotta do what we ought to."

"Did you enjoy?"

"Of course! How could I not? Our wedding was a true masterpiece and the few days we spent here were splendid. I can't possibly ask for a better time and person to spend it with."

He gazed at her, simply mesmerized by her mere presence. Even after she gave birth, she still retained her youthful appearance. So, she was his wife now, huh? How strange to think about it that way as he had never really thought about her with any label. She was just his. His lover, best friend, coworker, partner in crime and occasional enemy. No, label was not what connected them, it was something greater and deeper, beyond their understanding, beyond what visual aesthetics could represent.

"What's on your mind?" She asked softly.

"I was just thinking… I mean we're married, so what now? I just wanted to do it for the heck of it but does that mean something has to change?"

"Nothing has to change. We'll still be ourselves and do what we love to do the most. We can be whatever you want us to be. Not even the sun or the moon can change the fact that I'm yours and I'll always support you as an artist."

"You're right, hm. What we have is something beyond the moon and the sun. Even the universe wouldn't dare to set us apart or stop us from reaching our artistic dreams, I'll make sure of that, hm. You and I are the greatest...as lovers and as artists."

He kissed her for a long time. Right, nothing has to change, it was simply a proclamation of a choice that is now set in stone. They didn't have to do it but they wanted to show the world that their art and love were indestructible.

With a heavy heart he parted his lips from her and gestured to get on the bird. He loved her more than he could ever imagine and he wished he could do this for a longer time. Hopefully, the Akatsuki would get back on its feet and suppress the nations.

It would take several days to reach the area where he left Kisame, if he was still there to begin with. Well, time to find out.

After some time he spotted someone walking in the forest and his heart skipped a beat. Was that… Itachi? He was wearing the Akatsuki cloak and had raven black hair. It had to be him! He landed in the forest to investigate, only to nearly throw up.

It was Sasuke wearing the Akatsuki cloak.

"Is this some kind of joke?" The blonde snapped.

"It's you from before. Just because we're in the same organization doesn't mean I'll mingle with the likes of you." Sasuke averted his eyes in disgust.

"Same organization? You're not one of us, hm!"

"So clueless, no wonder the new leader didn't tell you anything."

"New leader? Who is that?"

"More useless questions. Stop bothering me or I'll kill you."

"Just like the last time you ran away with your tail between your legs and hid away from me, hm!"

"You weren't worth my time. Now get out of my way or I'll kill you."

"About time you got serious!" He hurled C1 Spiders at him.

This would make a perfect wedding gift for Anjira.