It was the bright light of the morning sun peering into the cave entrance that awoke Deidara. He grunted, rubbing a hand in his eye to rid himself of his dried tears from the previous night. He had had another of those dreams...about his mother, about his old life. He still felt like the hole would never fill. He yawned, stretching bruised muscles and tired limbs. Standing, he gazed outside, stretching in the morning sun and taking in all around him. Suddenly, last night's events played in his mind.

"Hey...where's Yoko, un?" He turned, looking into the cave. Bushio was just starting to get up, popping joints as he stood. He rubbed his tired looking face as he walked over to the other boy, looking around himself. "You have any idea where Yoko is, un? She was supposed to wake me up!" Bushio glanced at him, and shrugged.

"She probably forgot to. She's probably asleep somewhere, under a tree or in a bush or something. Come on, we can go find her. I'm sure she's just fine," he said. Deidara nodded hopefully. Together, they climbed down the steep bank of the mountain, reaching the bottom.

"YOKO!" Deidara yelled her name, but just received a reply from his echo...and a clout on his head.

"Baka! Why the hell did you do that? Now everyone around here knows that we're here!" Deidara rubbed his head, glancing ruefully at Bushio from the corner of his eye.

"I was just trying to help, un!" Bushio grunted, turning and glancing around at his environment. Glancing down, he made out Yoko's tracks from the others that littered the ground.

"She went that way. See? Here's her tracks. Her feet are smaller...and her shoes have that pattern to them," he said, tracing the pattern on the ground. Deidara scratched his head.

"How do you know about the pattern on..."

"Come on!" Bushio grabbed his hand, propelling him down the path and through the bushes, eyes alert to danger...and to their lost teammate. It was a time later when they finally found her.

"Yoko!" Deidara ran to her side, fighting the sticks and twigs as he wrestled with the bush in front of him. She lay within, blood oozing from a gash on her forehead and a cut on her lip. Her body was covered in bruises. Whoever had hurt her had made an example out of her. Deidara grunted as he grabbed her arm, trying to pull her from the dense foliage. Bushio walked over, grabbing her other arm and yanking. Together, they managed to pull her from the bush, laying her gently on the ground.

"Who...who could've done this, un?" Deidara glanced up at Bushio, who shook his head.

"I don't know...but they must have been strong..." Suddenly, Yoko coughed, coming up and hacking. Deidara crouched back, allowing her to vacate her lungs of liquid. When her fit was over, she sighed, laying back against the boy as he created a back for her to lean on. She smiled, turning her head slightly.

"Hey...Deidara...thanks..." She coughed again, more blood coming up. She wheezed air in, trying to commit her body to the daily necessities of life.

"Yoko...who did this to you?" Deidara took a quick glance at her body, grimacing. Her arms and legs were covered in bruises, and she could hardly breath. It wasn't looking good.

"A couple of guys...caught me off guard...sorry..." She coughed again, staring up at Bushio. "Bushio-kun...I'm..."

"Did they take your scrolls?" Bushio fixed her with a glare, and she lowered her eyes, shame purely written on her face.

"Bushio! Stop that, un! She's hurt, and scrolls should be the last thing on your damn mind!" Deidara took his shirt off, ripping it so that it was longer. This he draped over Yoko, who gladly allowed him to fold it over her.

"I said...did they take your scrolls?" Yoko looked up at him, smiling.

"Yeah...yeah, they did. Took both of them...couldn't stop 'em...tried...sorry..." She coughed again, letting her head rest on Deidara's knees.

"So! What do we have here?" A Chunin examiner jumped from a tree, landing next to them. Yoko glanced up, then began trying to get up, but couldn't find the strength. The examiner looked at her and her teammates, and then shook his head.

"She looks pretty bad...but, rules are rules." He bent over, looking her in the eye. "Young woman...do you have a scroll?" Yoko just stared blankly at him, and he repeated the question. "I said...do you have a scroll?" She continued her silence. He clucked his teeth, standing up.

"Yes! She does have a scroll!" He glanced over at Bushio, who produced a scroll from his pocket. "See? She had me hold on to it when she guarded us at night. That damage is from a fight that we had previously. She just needs to rest...but she does have a scroll!" The examiner glanced at them all, and then back at Yoko.

"Is this true, young lady?" Yoko glanced at Bushio, watching as he grimly nodded. She smiled, catching the scroll in the air with her hand as he chucked it to her. She held it out to the Chunin examiner.

"Yep! Here it is...right here!" He glanced at them all again before standing up.

"Alright...fine. Whatever. You have two more days left up here, so you better start crackin'!" With that, he let off a smoke bomb, disappearing in the haze and leaving the three Genin in a bunch. Yoko smiled, looking up at Bushio from where she lay on the ground.

"Thanks...Bushio-kun..." He sneered, turning around.

"I didn't do it for you. Something is bugging me...something about the way these things are run. I just think we should stay together is all...that's all!" He walked a distance away before sitting down on a rock, glaring over at the other two. Deidara glared back, and then began rubbing Yoko's shoulders, feeling the knots and tension in them. She sighed, leaning back on him.

"Thanks, Deidara...that feels good..." Slowly, she closed her eyes, allowing the tension to leave her body. She was soon snoring softly. Deidara watched her, and then looked back at Bushio.

"So...what do we do now, un?" Bushio glanced at his partners, and then took stock of the situation. Thankfully, the guys they had beaten yesterday had scrolls on them. He took one of the scrolls out, glancing at it. He had two, minus the one that he had given Yoko. Deidara had two, and Yoko had the one, so they had five between them. Somehow, without Yoko, they needed more. He glanced at her, giving himself the affirmative of her inability to stay in the action. With the way she was wounded, she wouldn't be able to fight at all. That he was sure of.

"Well...what do we do now, un?" Deidara brought him back to the present, and he put the scroll back in his pocket.

"I guess we wait. We need more scrolls, and the best thing we can do is go looking for them. In her weakened state, she's useless to us...so it will be up to us to do this together!" Deidara grinned, nodding.

"Don't worry, Bushio! We'll kick ass, un!" Bushio grinned back, standing up and cracking his joints.

"Well, shall we?" He walked over, picking Yoko up off the ground and placing her on his back. Deidara stood, brushing himself off, and the two boys, and their unconscious partner, made their way through the forest of boulders and bushes.

It was a while before they found what they were looking for. They stooped, and Bushio set the unconscious form of Yoko down as he and Deidara crept behind a rock outcropping. Below them, they watched as two other teams duked it out. Bushio watched silently, taking in every move that each person made. Deidara contented himself with the way that the players in the combat moved. Fluidly they struck out, snapping back with kunai and shuriken, shrinking back to do a jutsu or two, and then attacking physically again. Deidara shook his head, wonder in his voice.

"Wow...that's how a fight looks, huh? I never really thought about it until watching it, un!" It was much better to be out of the fight and watching then in the fight.

"Deidara...how much clay do you have left?" Deidara shrugged, reaching into his pocket and feeling.

"Umm...I have quite a bit. Why, un?" Bushio turned to him, urgency in his eye.

"I need you to do something..."

Below, the two teams of three stood, watching each other. Both teams looked equally exhausted. "So...you guys...give up...yet?" One boy on the left stood front, cocky, yet heaving in air into his lungs. Another on the right grinned back.

"Yeah...I don't think so!" He attacked, throwing a kunai, which the other evaded. He threw his own, but another on the team stepped in the way, dealing the kunai a blow and sending it flying away.

"Hey guys! Can I watch?" Alone, Deidara sat on a rock, watching the two teams. The six looked at each other, and then back at Deidara.

"Hey...what do you think you're doing?" Deidara stared back at the boy who had asked.

"Just seeing who I need to beat once you guys are done, that's all, un!" The teams looked at each other again, and one boy grinned at the others.

"Hey, why don't we beat that kid up first? Then we can get this taken care of. Sound good to you guys?" The other three nodded, grinning. The boy's own team also agreed. The six turned, looking squarely at Deidara, who was grinning at them.

"What? Are you guys done already, un?" The six charged, kunai to the front as Deidara simply stood there. As they reached him, he jumped back, creating his handsigns. The six Genin in front of him reached the place he was sitting at the exact same time...as the place he was sitting exploded. They flew through the air, and as they tumbled, Bushio dealt each a kick that landed them on the ground, stunned. One Genin, less hurt then the others, rolled on the ground, kneeling and eyeing the two boys. Deidara grinned.

"Hey! That was a great plan, Bushio!" Bushio smiled, releasing his jutsu and making his clones vanish.

"Yeah, it was way too easy. These guys had no idea..." The boy on the ground watched them both, and then his hands flew up, making handsigns.

"Earth Release: Earthen Avalanche!" He thrust his hands into the ground, burying his palms into the earth. A roar from above caught the boy's eyes, and they glanced up as a storm of earth, rock, and shale tumbled down on them. The other Genin laughed as he walked over to where Bushio lay, half buried under the rubble.

"Thanks! Now I don't have to waste energy beating those other guys. Ha!" He knelt down, checking his pockets for scrolls. Then, Bushio crumbled. The boy stood, glaring down at the pile of rocks. His hands came up, and he made more hand signs as three shuriken shrieked in, catching him in the side. However, his jutsu was complete, and a log fell to the ground, transfixed by the shuriken. The boy hid in a nearby bush, watching the scene, waiting for Bushio to show himself.

"Heya!" He turned, jumping from the bush as Deidara popped his head up, smiling.

"Damn it! Take this!" Throwing more kunai at Deidara, he failed to see Bushio, who shot up from the ground. Catching the leg of the Genin, he pulled him down to his level, punching him heavily in the stomach and twisting, flinging him into the ground. Then, he used the boy as a landing pad, bringing both feet crashing into the Genin's unprotected head. He went out like a light. Bushio stepped off, wiping a hand across his perspiring brow.

"Great job, Deidara. Well done!" Deidara exited the bush, his hands behind his head and a smile on his face.

"I bet we have tons of scrolls now, un!" Bushio smiled, nodding as he began searching the other boys. Deidara stooped, checking the one closest to him. He whooped as he came up with two. In all, the six Genin had twelve scrolls. Dividing them evenly in half, Deidara and Bushio pocketed their six scrolls, sticking them into the bags they wore.

"Come on, let's get back to Yoko, un! She'll be glad to see us with so many scrolls now!" Deidara hopped up the hillside, coming to where they had lain Yoko for the present. She was still out cold, slumbering peacefully. Bushio came up from behind, glancing at her before snorting.

"She's still asleep, huh? Whatever..." Deidara picked her up gingerly, throwing her over his shoulder. Together, the two boys made their way back to the cave.

Night had fallen as Yoko awoke from her dreams, looking around sleepily. An owl hooted outside, and she glanced into the darkness of the world. She could hear crickets chirping, and she smiled as the feral sounds of the mountain invaded her senses. It was warm, but not uncomfortably so.

"So...you're awake, eh?" She turned her head to where Bushio sat, poking a fire with a stick to bring it higher. She sighed, and nodded back. He grunted, still poking at the fire.

"Where's Deidara?" She glanced around for the boy, but couldn't see him.

"He's outside, trying to find water. He said that he thought he knew where some was. I wasn't going to stop him. It was nice to be left in peace," he said. She sighed again, glancing down at her legs.

"Bushio-kun...I'm..."

"Save it!" She inhaled sharply, staring up at Bushio who had gotten up from his crouching position. "You went off into the night without telling anyone, and you got your scrolls taken from you...AND you got beaten in the process. All of that was your own damn fault!" She listened to his words, each syllable taking something from her. "How you feel...and how sorry you are. I couldn't give a crap!" He turned, staring at the back of the cave as he tried to calm down. Yoko began to realize something, at that moment, that she had never realized before. Bushio and her...would never be. The fatalistic view of devotion that she had shown him from that point under the tree to this was nothing but a young girl's attempt at love. It was a fruitless venture...met by fruitless gain. A tear fell from her eye, and she managed to brush it off.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I let the team down...it would've been better if I had just gotten taken off the mountain," she said, almost to herself. Bushio turned, snapping.

"I'm beginning to think the same damn thing!" She hiccuped, and then smiled, looking up at him. Slowly...painfully almost, she said the words that she never thought she would ever say.

"I'm sorry I am such a burden, Bushio." With that, she turned over on her side, staring out into space before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. Bushio watched her for a while before going back to the fire. He couldn't grasp the full meaning of what she said. She was a burden? Didn't he just tell her that. Just as sudden was the drop of the kun suffix of his name. Did that mean that she finally understood him? His desire to be alone? He smiled, to himself.

"Hey! I found water, un!" Deidara hopped into the cave, bringing three canteens full of water with him. Bushio looked up, nodding.

"Where you find it at?" Deidara grinned, setting the water down.

"Remember that guy who used the earth jutsu? He uncovered a well, un! I got lots of great tasting water from it. Try it! It's damn good, un!" To prove his point, he uncapped one of the canteens, taking a sip of the water. Bushio experimentally took a sip of his, nodding his approval after putting the cap back.

"Here, Yoko. Try some of this...you'll love it!" Deidara handed the bottle to Yoko, who had woken up when he arrived. She tried some of the liquid, smiling warmly and tucking the bottle under her.

"Thanks, Deidara...you're...really something, you know?" Deidara stared quizzically at her for a second, but shrugged, turning to the other items he had brought. He had blown a few birds out of the sky earlier in the evening, and had found a nest of dove eggs. He brought out his finds, setting them next to Bushio.

"Here...make something out of it!" Bushio glared down at the birds and eggs, and then up at Deidara.

"You're the artist...make something yourself!" Deidara glanced at him, and then back at Yoko.

"Ohhh..." He took a backstep, sighing to himself and then straightening his shoulders. Then he turned around, pointing at Yoko. "You need to act like you're thirteen. This whole stupid idea about being useless is pissing me off, un!" Then, he turned to Bushio, who glared at him. "And you need to act like a team player! You're pissing me off to, un!" With that, he turned and stalked out of the cave, walking into the cool night breeze...more for the sake of the situation than the anger that he felt. Hopefully, with him gone, they would resolve their differences, because he truly was distraught at the way his team was acting.

"Hmm...I wonder if I should do something while I'm out here, un!" Deidara began pulling together a fire, starting some twigs and leaves to burn, while he set out one of the birds he had secretly kept. He plucked it, humming a song that his mother had taught him when he was little...something that always seemed to relax him in the crib.

"You will taste good, my unfeathered friend!" With that, he spit the bird on a stick, setting it on the fire to roast while he hummed. Taking a drink of his water, he sat back, watching the fire glow. Suddenly, he began to feel uneasy, sensing eyes watching him. He kept calm, staying in his position until the intruders revealed themselves. He began to turn his meal, keeping the edges from being burnt. After it was cooked, he brought the stick to his mouth, about to take a bite.

"Well well well...looks like we have another one, eh?" A voice from behind him made him turn his head to the left. Two nin were standing behind him, glaring down at him from a rock. He smiled, saluting them.

"Yo! How you doing, un?" They turned to each other, smiling.

"Hear that? He wants to know how we're doing. What do you think we should tell him?" The other sniggered, glancing back at Deidara.

"I think we should tell him that we're about to kick his ass as badly as that girl last night!" Deidara scowled, standing and putting his bird down.

"You were the ones who beat up Yoko?" The nin on the left smiled.

"Is that her dumb name? She was a horrible fighter...barely lifted a finger against us. It was a shame to have to beat her to a pulp. Oh well, you can't pass this test unless you're good...and she wasn't. Hahahaha!" He laughed, holding his sides. His friend just stared at Deidara, the same grin on his face. Deidara smiled back.

"Well...I can't say that I'm Yoko...but I can gladly fight you, if you want, un." The boy on the left looked at him, smiling.

"Hehehe...we're gonna beat you so bad you're stupid mother will feel it." It was the wrong thing to say. Deidara grimaced, clenching his fist.

"Don't...you dare...say anything...about my mother...ever again, un!" The boy on the right put in his two cents.

"Hehehe...What? You mean, like how old, ugly, and fat your dumb mother is?" The boy on the left smiled.

"Yeah...or how she falls down every time she gets up?"

"Or how your mother is a lazy, useless, stupid, ugly..."

"ARRRRGGGGG!!!!!!" Deidara had had enough. Throwing caution to the wind, he threw himself at the two...who sneered, raising their kunai.

"Hey...come get some food if you want it..." Bushio was picking at his bird after roasting the lot that Deidara had brought. Yoko turned slightly, glancing at the food and him, before turning back over.

"No thank you, Bushio...I'm not hungry." He grunted, continuing to eat. When the silence finally invaded his mind, he spoke his thoughts.

"Why do you always have to be like this, hmmm?" He continued eating. She didn't reply until a while later.

"I don't know...I guess that's how useless I am...I'm always in the way, never helping." He grunted again, looking at her.

"Don't say that. You helped before, remember? Come on, eat something, will ya?" She still didn't move. Finally, he sighed, holding his head in his hands as he fought within himself.

"I'm...I'm...sorry, alright?" She straightened, turning over.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry, ok? Geez, don't make me say it again, because I won't!" He turned back to his bird, eating it slowly. She stared at him, and then inched forward, taking a roasted bird gingerly and nibbling on it.

"This...is very good, Bushio. Thank you." He nodded, taking a sip of water. Then, he poked the fire.

"I guess we should sleep. Deidara is up, somewhere. He can keep first watch. He can wake me up for second. You need your sleep." He lay down, closing his eyes. She gazed at her half-eaten bird, putting it down and laying down herself. A night breeze swept through the cave, and though the fire burned merrily against the gloom of the dark, she found herself chilled. She shivered, her teeth chattering slightly. Suddenly, a jacket was thrown over her, and she felt the warmth instantly hit her body. She looked up, surprised, as Bushio turned over.

"You need it more then me. Now...goodnight." She smiled, laying her head back down. About ten minutes later, she heard him shiver, trying to warm himself.

"Yeah...showed you, didn't I?" Deidara stood over the two beaten nin, heaving as the fatigue of the battle swept over him. He had used nearly all of his clay, and almost all of the chakra he had left. He knelt, going through their possessions. He came up with an astounding fifteen scrolls from between them. He shook his head. So, they must ambush lone nin and steal their scrolls...like they did to Yoko! He stuffed the scrolls in his pack, returning to his fire as the sounds of feet walked close.

"So..." the Chunin began, but Deidara simply pointed to where the two lay. The Chunin nodded, walking over and grabbing the boys. "Looks like they're done. I'm off. Well done, kid!" He left as fast as he had arrived. Deidara picked his bird up, looking sadly at it.

"It's cold, un!"

As the morning sun glowed above the fields, Deidara made it back to the cave, crawling up to the lip and sitting there, enjoying the sun. He got up, walking in. He smiled at the scene, going to the fire and poking it with a stick.

"I knew those two would make up, un!" He decided that he would let them sleep a little longer. They looked too cute, anyways. Bushio snored softly, Yoko's arm draped over his chest. Deidara grinned, warming his arms up a bit after the long night. He would give Yoko back her scrolls...at least she would feel better then.

WOW! This took me two whole days to finish...four sessions of sitting down and writing...and 8 pages long! I must really like you guys. Ok, if you like this chapter (which I know you do) then review. Next chapter is The End of the Second Trial: The Tsuchikage's Announcement! See you there! Oh! I would also like to thank you all! I now have 5k hits on this story! Almost rivalling another of mine! But nowhere near as cool! Thanks to all! AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT!