Disclaimer: Go backwards.
Chapter 20:
Kai sighed looking at Tala's sleeping form. Around five in the morning, was when Kai had declared the spree of shoot 'em up games over, and tucked a barely awake Tala into bed. Tala was too exhausted to protest, and his eyes were red from crying. At some point during the hour of midnight, Tala had confessed something to Kai, something that made Kai concerned about the redhead's sanity.
"I'm trying to think of a solution for you, but I've got nothing." He muttered, laughing a bit as Tala pulled the covers over his head, and muttered back something along the lines of 'let me sleep, I'll worry about this later' only to sit up and tell him to keep thinking of a solution.
"I know. I've never let you down before Tal, and I'm not starting now." Kai knew Tala hadn't heard him. He smiled as he left the room, prepared for another day, and locked the door of his suite behind him. For now he'd let Tala sleep. Perhaps food would give him the energy to think of a solution.
"I'll be back later dearest, try to enjoy yourself, Kai won't bite." Hiro said, after setting Deidara down.
"Can't I come with you?" Deidara asked.
"You'll be bored. Trust me, Kai has to have something that can entertain you." Hiro retorted, and kissed his forehead.
"If I don't something is seriously wrong." Kai said, as he came down the grand staircase.
"Where's Tala?" Hiro and Deidara asked together.
"Sleeping." Kai replied, simply.
"I figured." Hiro said, knowingly.
"You'd best hope Tala's sanity is back at the end of this visit, because I will keep him here if it isn't." Kai said, frankly.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hiro bit back.
"He tries to appear strong, but I'm willing to bet he's pretty shaken about Madara's suicide." Deidara said suddenly.
"He was, I fixed that problem. This is a much bigger problem. I'm not sure I can fix this one." Kai retorted, clearly not happy to admit that he couldn't help his friend.
"This has something to do with Itachi doesn't it?" Deidara asked, and Kai blinked.
"What makes you think that?" Deidara was right, but Kai wasn't about to let him know that.
"I can see it every time Tala looks at him, and every time Itachi looks at Tala. They're totally in love with each other." Deidara replied.
"If you call wanting to tear Itachi limb from limb loving him then yes." Kai resisted the urge to laugh. Tala in love with Itachi that was a good one.
"I'd recommend Tala see a therapist, but that's just me." Hiro said.
"We both know Tala would sooner jump off a bridge than see a shrink." Kai countered.
"Itachi is practically a peasant right now. You're telling me Tala still wants to see him even more hurt?" Deidara was slightly repulsed by his boyfriend now.
"Much more hurt. Tala may be an asshole, but he's never thought quite so maliciously before. I think this might be the first time that Tala has ever actually hated someone." Kai retorted, suppressing a sigh.
"Why not just order a hit on Itachi?" Deidara asked, surprising both Hiro and Kai.
"Isn't that obvious? Tala is worried about you hating him." Kai wondered how far the blondness really reached inside Deidara.
"I hate Itachi just as much as Tala right now, if not more. Why does everyone assume I still give a damn about him?" Deidara snapped, rushing up the stairs Kai had just descended, leaving a string of curses and damnations in his wake, as he headed to the third floor.
"I'd say that's pretty clear cut, wouldn't you?" Hiro eyed Kai with a silent command.
"I'll talk it over with Tala when he wakes up." Kai retorted, smirking.
"I will see you later. Take care of him for me, and Deidara too please." Hiro said, letting the front doors close behind him.
"This is going to be a long two weeks." Kai said, sighing heavily.
Around noon Deidara headed for Kai's suite, to tell him lunch was being served. Kai didn't answer, so Deidara rang the bell. The fact that Kai had one, was a little creepy. Deidara wondered momentarily, how much money Kai's family actually had. There was no answer for a while, so Deidara rang the bell a second time, and a third, and a fourth. When he was about to ring the bell a fifth time, Kai opened the door, and moved aside to let him in.
"Lunch is ready, I know. There's nothing taking place in this mansion that I don't know about. Anything else you wanted?" Kai thought back to Hiro's request for a moment. He had no trouble abiding the first half, the second he really felt non-committed to.
"Is Tala awake yet?" The blond asked, taking a seat on the couch, as Kai had instructed.
"He'll be out in a bit." Kai replied, sinking into the comfort of the one seater.
"How is he?" Deidara's concern was evident in his voice.
"He could be a lot better. I've never seen that gleam in his eyes before. With his ocular powers, he should've already killed Itachi, is all I can really think. I believe he might be scared, to live with murder on his conscience." Kai replied.
"Why don't you do it then?" Deidara wondered aloud.
"If it would help Tala, I would, and it wouldn't be the first time, I assure you." Kai replied, easily.
"You're not kidding, are you?" The blond asked, not actually surprised.
"I'd do anything for Tala." Kai answered, as though he were reciting a promise.
"You know, when you came to visit Tala with the rest of his team, I was really amazed at how well you two know each other. I thought of you as Tala's best friend, but even when Itachi and I were that close, we were never quite as close as you two are. I'd really like to find someone like that for myself one day." Deidara said, after some tender silence.
"I'm more than his best friend, I'm his guardian angel. One might even say we were twins in a previous life. That is why, if he's hurting, I'm punishing. I'm not giving warnings, when I tell his lovers, that if they hurt him, they're gonna pay, I'm giving serious threats. Hiro's lucky I have a soft spot for him, otherwise he'd never see Tala again. Not if I could help it." Kai sounded dead serious, and Deidara felt like crying. Hearing Kai's words made him realize, just how much he hated, the way his relationship with Itachi, had turned out. It made Deidara regret, his love for Tala.
"Don't think that." Kai started, knowingly.
"Don't you dare regret your feelings. A long time ago, Tala had a crush on Tyson. It was a simple crush, but Tala thought much more of it, and I took it seriously. We didn't talk for a week. I turned my back on Tala. We didn't get physical, but we didn't have to. The pain from hurting each other, sunk in, and we tried to salvage our relationship, before it became nothing. If Itachi couldn't see it soon enough, he really didn't value your relationship to start with. Tala wouldn't have been the only one, so don't beat yourself up. You're doing the right thing." Kai finished, just as Tala came out of his bedroom.
"You've been way too sappy the last few hours, I'm beginning to worry about you phoenix." The redhead said, looking down at him, smiling brightly.
"Probably, but I'm fine. I'm going to go help the old man to the dining room, you two come down when you're ready." Kai offered a smile in return, before leaving the suite.
"You seem better, but are you really?" Deidara asked.
"I'll be fine, as long as I'm close to Kai. Right now I'm a ticking bomb, and he's the only one who can truly keep me from exploding. Now about what you two were talking about, if you're really serious about such a person, I don't think you have to look much further. I'd say Sasori's pretty damn close to it. He's been there all along, you just weren't aware of it." Tala gave Deidara a quick kiss thereafter, and smiled when he pulled away.
"Come on, I'm starving and the food here is always amazing." He was suddenly pulled back down, when he'd gotten up.
"What was that for?" He asked, after a sweet and passionate kiss was ended.
"I love you." Deidara replied, hugging him tight.
"I love you too, and I always will." Tala hugged him back, and buried his nose in his soft blond hair.
"Same here, and just so you know, if you need to talk I'm always available. I'm no Kai, but you can still tell me anything. I love you, and I'll still love you, no matter what you say." Deidara told him, playing with his wet red locks.
"Even if what I have to say, is that I want to stick Itachi in a gas chamber, and watch him die?" Tala asked, resisting the urge to cry.
"You can say whatever you want, I'll be here for you forever and ever. Just call my name." Deidara replied, and seconds later he felt hot wetness on his hair.
"Thank you for trusting me, you don't ever have to hide from me. Whatever your troubles we'll get through them together." He said, and simply held Tala as he cried, gently petting his head.
A/N: Not how I wanted it to turn out but it'll do. I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see you next update. RNR!