A/N: I apologize for missing an upload yesterday. We had a bonfire for the kids. S'mores and all that. Now onward!

Chapter 2

Artists

It wasn't often that the Akatsuki were housed at the organization's home base of Hidden Rain. Especially all at once. For one thing, none of their members were social butterflies. You could stand in the hallway all day and not see half of the people present. For another, they were a working group, and quite often they were all on various missions at once, either keeping a finger on the pulse of the world or running missions for money.

So on this particular rainy day in the Land of Rain, we find one unhappy Deidara sulking in his rooms. Not that he didn't like them, but he was feeling cooped up. He didn't want to hang out in the common areas for fear of an encounter with Itachi, but he didn't want to stay here by himself, doing nothing. It was too nasty out for flying, and he had absolutely no desire to clean his quarters.

Flopping down on his bed with a groan, he let his head hang upside down off the edge. His mass of blonde hair fell to the floor in a silky waterfall, the edges undoubtedly swirling around in the light dust. Twisting his face to the side, Deidara caught sight of the edge of a wooden box peeking out from underneath the bedframe.

Curious, because he couldn't remember what he stored inside, he rolled to his stomach and pulled the box free of its cave. It was plain cedar, with no exterior markings and a simple hasp with no lock. With a deft movement, he flipped the lid up, gazing at the contents inside. The corner of his lips twisted upward. It was an artist's starter kit, like one you would get a kid for his birthday. Cheap paints and cheaper brushes filled one side, while a mini rainbow of chalk, colored pens and paper adorned the other. And tucked in one tiny corner was a small packet of modeling clay.

The sight of the clay triggered his memory and he knew where the box had come from. He had been on a mission in a small nowhere village. He was seeking a missing ninja that was particularly difficult to locate, even for the Akatsuki. The inn that he had stayed at was run by a single father, his daughter a plain, doe-eyed thing of nine with the compassion of a saint and the curiosity of a cat. As in most similar situations, she was doted on by her father, and she had the run of the place, but by some miracle, she somehow managed to not be spoiled.

He remembered that it had been a day similar to today. The rain was pouring down, and he just didn't feel like battling the elements to return home soaked and empty-handed. So he decided to stay in that day, but the increasing humidity soon drove him from his room and into the common lounge area. There was only one other guest around, a sour looking old man that kept completely to himself.

He had barely sat down before said girl was in front of him, eyes wide and full of questions. What did he do, where was he going, how old was he, was he married, what was his favorite color, and on and on the interrogation went. Each question was asked with the politest of sincerety, so he had to be nice and answer. He couldn't even remember half of the lies he told her, but the one truth he told was that he was an artist. She hadn't seemed to really react to anything he said, but when she deemed her investigation closed, she announced she would be right back, and fled the room.

Just when he thought she had forgotten about him, she returned with two wooden cases in her arms. She set them before him and opened the top one, proudly displaying the contents. It was an artist's kit identical to the one he had now, and she asked if he would show her how to use the things inside. She proclaimed that her father was busy taking care of everyone and she was glad she had found a real artist to teach her.

He couldn't bring himself to disappoint her, so with the decision now firmly out of his hands, Deidara set about showing her all of the things in the box, explaining what they were for, and a little bit on how to use them. When he said that working with clay was his favorite, she insisted that he show her how it was done. So they each took a piece and he showed her how to mold it into basic shapes. The end result was that she had a decent looking cat and he had an owl that was more than respectable. She admired it so much he let her keep it, and in return she insisted he take the other art kit with him. They spent until supper working at it, and by the time the call to eat came, she had tried everything in the box under his tutelage.

Less than a week later his mission was complete, he returned to Hidden Rain, and the box was shoved under the bed to be summarily forgotten. Now he was staring at a minor yet significant scrap of the past, pristine with echoes of her innocent enthusiasm.

Idly wondering where her life had taken her, and ploughing through all of the possibilities, he opened a pack of the clay and started thoughtlessly turning it in his fingers. He didn't even look down as he worked, just let nature take its course as he stared out the window at the fat droplets rolling down the pane.

An hour later there was a soft knock on the door, followed by a soft voice as Konan announced that lunch was ready if he wanted to eat. Without answering, Deidara rose from his spot on the bed