A/N: To make up for not posting a chapter yesterday, I'm uploading two today, you lucky people :P

Well, lucky if you like it so far anyway. Please let me know how I'm doing!

Enjoy :D


It had been almost 24 hours since their run-in with the bandits from the forest.

Akira still hadn't woken up and Deidara was beginning to think the worst. Her breathing seemed to have stabilised though, and as the old man had said, her body would probably need a while to recover, especially after what she'd gone through.

He stomach growled, and he cursed himself for declining the food the elderly couple had offered him earlier. He debated with himself for a while about whether or not to see if there was anything leftover, but decided against it when he heard Akira mumbling something in her sleep. A little startled, he stared at her for a few long seconds before deciding it had been his imagination.

But then, her eyes flickered. Disorientated and considerable groggy, her sapphire iris's struggled to focus on the yellow-haired figure perched on a worn, wooden stepping stool next to her.

'D-deidara?' She grimaced as the pain hit her like a train. 'Owww…'

'Yeah, you might wanna take it easy for a few days… You're not in the best shape, yeah.' He frowned and pushed a glass into her hand. 'Drink,' he ordered. She sipped the water and groaned when the stale flavour reached her throat.

Wincing as she shifted onto her elbows, she felt the springy mattress twang beneath her and she began to recall the events from the day before. Her shoulder ached and chest felt tight and constricted, and as she moved to sit up her head throbbed.

'Careful… You hit your head pretty bad, you know. Must've been when that sick bastard knocked you down,' He glowered momentarily before forcing himself to exhale slowly.

Her hand drifted involuntarily to the back of her head, where she ran her fingers over a rather large and tender lump. She was suddenly very aware of a dimly flickering log fire opposite her bed. Above it, the mantelpiece was crammed with picture frames and small ornate statues of wolf packs and fox cubs. Beside it, a washed-out-looking armchair sat in the corner beneath a thick layer of dust, as though it had not been touched for years. As her gaze edged around the room, absorbing every detail in her surroundings, a strange feeling of familiarity arose within her.

'Where are we?' She asked the blonde.

'We're in the Waterfall village,' He said cautiously, trying to gauge her blank reaction. 'Tobi wouldn't quit nagging me about getting you medical attention straight away, and the only option really was here…'

It was only now that she noticed Tobi's absence, and she felt a pang of guilt for her lack of concern. Her eyes scanned the room once again looking for the perky teenager.

'Tobi's out annoying the villagers, yeah,' Deidara muttered as if reading her mind. His expression softened unexpectedly when he mentioned his partner. 'But he was pretty worried about you, yeah. I should probably go let him know you're awake,'

He left without another word.

So they had arrived… It took a few more minutes before she clicked and realised the room she was lying in was hers. Sure enough, on closer inspection she began to recognise faces in the frames and her memory sparked as her eyes rested on the neglected armchair. They mustn't have changed a thing since I left… But where were they? She shook her head before she allowed herself to assume the worst.

Something shifted in the doorway and her eyes snapped to the culprit.

'So you're awake then,' the voice was kind and hoarse, and as she stared at the withered man before her, she felt a small droplet trickle down her cheek.

'Tenma…'

She had never called her adoptive parents 'mother' and 'father', because she felt it would have been disrespectful to her real parents memory. However the bond she shared with them was nothing far from real.

Tenma enveloped his arms around the injured girl and hugged her like he'd never let go. 'It's been so long. What made you return?'

'I heard that you were asking about me,' she sniffed and dried her cheek on her sleeve. 'I thought maybe something had happened and you were in trouble.'

The old man smiled, a sad glint in his eye, and patted her on the head. 'Don't you worry about a thing for now. I have missed you so much, I just wish you'd have visited us before now,'

'I would have but… I didn't want to return a failure! I wanted to do something with my life, something you could be proud of… I guess this is the complete opposite of what I was hoping…' She played with her hands, feeling ashamed of the state she was in.

To her surprise, he chuckled. 'You should have seen the look on my face when I saw those boys carrying you into the village like that. I was about ready to murder them both on the spot!'

'He nearly did as well!' A feeble woman's voice entering the room made them both jump. 'He thought that they were the ones who had hurt you so badly, although, now it's clear to see that was definitely not the case,' the laugh lines curled upwards beneath the woman's eyes as she offered Akira a small smile. Her adoptive mother seemed somewhat, nervous to be around her, but Akira brushed it off as her imagination. After all, as she had not seen them for four years!

'Alyssa is right, that boy has barely left your side since you arrived,' Tenma winked at his daughter as both of her eyebrows lifted into her fringe.

Tobi chose that moment to come bounding in and crushed her into a bear hug. 'You're alive! Tobi knew that this was a good idea, he did! He said 'Deidara Senpai! It is for the best and she requires medical attention right away!' '

And so his story continued, for most of the night actually, much to Deidara's dismay. They had all relocated to the living room, where Akira had laughed all night, Tobi had never shut up and Deidara had sulked. The old couple had sat back, seemingly content just to watch and listen, smiling as they watched their daughters eyes light up.

When they woke the next morning, Akira was already up making breakfast. The blonde Akatsuki member had attempted a short argument with the stubborn girl, telling her that she should be resting not cooking, but he had sufficiently lost the battle and surrendered to a seat at the table.

'What are you making Akira-chan?' Tobi piped up.

'Pancakes!' She grinned, excitedly.

'Pancakes?' Deidara scoffed. 'That's hardly a breakfast choice.'

Her face fell and he cursed himself for coming across so aggressively. He had meant it to be light-hearted, but for some reason it had been just the opposite.

When they had finished, the old man had suggested that the two boys head out to collect some more wood for their small fire that had burned out overnight.

Once alone with her parents, she turned to them and frowned. 'Alright, what's the real reason you were looking for me?'

The couple exchanged nervous glances and remained silent. Eventually, Tenma spoke up. 'It was about a year ago…' His voice was quiet and calm, giving nothing away. 'There was erm, a disagreement, shall we say… Between the Waterfall village and the Sound village. All over some stupid plot of land that divided our towns,'

He paused, and his wife took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze to encourage him to continue. 'They invaded our village, burnt down our buildings and murdered our people…'

Akira could hardly believe what she was hearing, and it pained her so much that she had not been there to defend her family. 'Were you hurt…?'

The old man nodded slowly. 'I was fighting front line, so I wasn't there protect her when she needed me the most…'

Alyssa cut him off. 'It wasn't your fault, Tenma, you know that. I had been helping the children escape through the passageway behind the Taki Waterfall when a group of Sound ninja spotted us…'

Unsure of where this was leading, Akira shifted uncomfortably on her chair, her face a twisted mixture of concern and anger. Tenma was the one to continue.

'They fired a few kunai armed with paper-bombs at the rock wall, and it caved in burying Alyssa and several children beneath it,' His face contorted with agony as he recalled the horrific memory. 'We got them all out alright, but she was lucky to survive with only a minor head injury, or so we thought… It was only in the following weeks that the extent of her concussion was revealed.'

'The truth is Akira… I have no memory of anything from before the accident,' Akira felt her blood run cold as she stared at the people she called her parents. The dire reality that her mother figure had no recollection of her at all was unbelievable. Unable to think straight, her mind reeled back over the previous day to how Alyssa had been with her.

The actual truth was, this whole time, Alyssa had been going off stories that her husband had been telling her from the past. He had spoken of their daughter so often and so fondly that Alyssa already felt like she remembered her.

It was then that Akira realised the reason they had been searching for her. Her ability to project memories was all the hope they had left.


A/N: DUH DUH DUHHHHH. There will be more fluff in the upcoming chapter :) Stick with me :D x