Thanks To: Yoru no Kuronue, ANDR01D, Exwhyzed, Neko42, ItaSasuLuvr, YoyYoy, EyelinerGirl, black55widow, and SKYE desu ka for reviewing, I love reading my reviews they make me very happy!

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Deidara eyed Tobi skeptically.

"You care about me, un?" His anger and hurt writhed just below the surface, but he still managed to laugh bitterly at Tobi, "I've told you before, Akatsuki members shouldn't make jokes, un. It ruins our image. Now shut-up so I can make you a bird, because you aren't flying on mine, un." With that Deidara turned away from Tobi. It was obvious that Deidara didn't want to discuses relationships involving him, so Tobi decided to let the issue drop more the moment. But before he did he said softly,

"I wasn't joking Deidara-senpai." Deidara threw a bit of exploding clay at him, but otherwise ignored his junior. But even though he ignored Tobi he had heard him and his words, heavy with sincerity, buried themselves in his mind. He jump on his clay bird and, without bothering to see if Tobi was on his, instructed both his works of art to take off.

The wind whipped Deidara's long blond hair around and he glared off in the distance. Rather suddenly he became aware that he had no idea where they were supposed to be going. This knowledge only served to sour his mood because in order to find out where they were headed he had to ask Tobi.

"Where is the mission, un." Deidara's voice was strained.

"We're suppose to assassinate former leaders of the Rain village that manage to escape before Leader-sama arrived and are taking refuge in the Mist." Deidara made a face. He hated assassinations, because normally explosions weren't appropriate. Sasori had always taken care of jobs like this before and he did a good job of it.

Deidara's face fell, he knew he should remain unaffected, but if he'd ever felt anything even resembling love it would have been for Sasori. There had been no romance in their relationship. The thought of sleeping with Sasori raised too many uncomfortable questions, the man was made of wood after all, but it had been like having a family member, a particularly annoying cousin perhaps.

"You could have helped me, un! Sasori-donna would…"

"Sasori would have down exactly same. He and I had very little in common. Our opinion on weakness, however, was the same."

Deidara's face grow darker. It had stung to have Itachi say those words and now remembering them allowed doubt to flourish. Deidara had loved Sasori, even though he thought the man wouldn't know good piece of art if it quite literally exploded in his face, but what if the feeling hadn't been returned? Had Sasori truly hated him? A horrid certainty that the only person he'd ever loved had hated settled in Deidara's chest.

"Senpai?" Tobi's voice brought him away from his dark musings, "What's wrong? Your face looks as though you might be ill." Deidara glared at Tobi.

"Nothing, un. " Deidara snapped.

"People don't look they've been informed they have a terminal disease for nothing, senpai." Deidara glared harder at the orange mask, and decided he hated that flat tone Tobi used when he was unimpressed more than anything else. Well anything but the speaker himself.

"I hate the Mist village, un."

"You mean you hate the mission."

"No, I hate the Mist, un."

"You have no really reason to hate the Mist; you hate the mission."

"Listen, boy, I liked you better when you were confessing your weird love. I said I hate the Mist and that's what I mean, un. It's too moist there. My hair goes all fizzy and my explosions don't work as well, un." Deidara snarled.

"Really? Would you like me to tell you that I love you again? Because it's true senpai."

"Really? Would you like me to tell you that the bird you're riding on would make a lovely C3 bomb? Because it's true kōhai." Silence feel over the pair and Deidara's mind began to wander again.

"You know if it were me, I'd never treat you like that. Because I like you Deidara-sempai, and I think you're special." Deidara wrinkled his nose. Love was a nasty business. He'd stick to the possibly unreciprocated crazy cousin love he'd had for Sasori, it seemed a whole lot simpler.

"I've decided," Again Tobi intruded on Deidara's reverie. "You don't hate the Mist, senpai!"

"Very good, I was being to wondering if you were deaf or just extraordinarily stupid, un."

"No, you don't hand the Mist," Tobi continued ignoring Deidara, "You hate the mission! I bet you're horrid at assassinations Deidara-senpai. So I bet that Sasori use to do them, and this mission reminds you of…" A loud bang cut Tobi off as the bird he was riding exploded violently. Deidara snarled as his own bird rocked with the explosion.

The smoke cleared leaving a clear sky and only Deidara. The blond looked around and swore; explaining to Pein why he needed yet another partner was going to be less in amusing.

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AN: I meant to update last Sunday but I ran out of time to write this chapter. I was planning to write it last Saturday but I had to take the ACTs and that killed my brain. As I'm sure you can tell there is a reason I normally don't write about the Akasuki, they are a pain to keep in character. So I apologize for the massive OOC-ness of this story. Thanks for reading. -Morana