A/N: OMG! You guys are so amazing! I might cry. T_T Thank you so much for all the reviews. Hugs for everyone! And a new chapter too!

Artist's Alley

Chapter 16

I had to be dreaming. There was no way this could really be happening; it was just way too good to be true. I would have liked to have pinched myself, just to make sure, but that probably would have been a little weird with both of my parents and Deidara looking at me while they waited for my response.

So instead I just nodded. "O-of course! I'll be on my best behavior, really!"

My father sighed, looking like he still wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, and turned back to Deidara. "I guess we should discuss the details. Please come inside."

Deidara stepped over the threshold and as soon as he was in, my mother was fawning over him. "You must be tired from standing for so long. You should come sit down. Would you like some tea?"

I rolled my eyes as Deidara graciously accepted her offer and she hurried off into the kitchen, making a point of wiggling her hips as she walked. This was so embarrassing. Why me? While she was doing that, my father, Deidara, and I headed into the living room where Deidara took a seat on the couch and my father on the chair. Since those were the only seats in the room, I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if it was okay for me to sit next to Deidara or if I should sit on the floor. I really wanted to be close to him since I was still scared things might go wrong. It still seemed like I was dreaming. First of all, Deidara actually wanted me to come back? Was it really because he thought I had potential? That didn't seem likely, which meant there must be some other reason...right? But maybe I was overthinking things.

And that aside, it was pretty amazing that my father was actually agreeing to this. He had been so angry when I first came home after running away to live with Deidara. I was surprised he hadn't tracked Deidara down and dragged me back home in the first place, but maybe my mother had calmed him down some. Thank god for that. Now here I was with Deidara sitting in my living room, having a civilized talk with my father about letting me go back. Yep, life is definitely full of surprises.

I guess I was lost in thought for awhile, because I was suddenly aware of my father calling my name with a distinct hint of irritation in his voice. I blinked back to reality and turned to him. "Sorry, what?" I asked. I could see Deidara barely containing a snicker and made a point to ignore him. Maybe I wouldn't mind sitting on the floor after all.

"I want you to go to your room," my father said.

My eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Now now, Nakashima-san," Deidara said. "Remember, you promised your parents you would behave, un."

I pursed my lips in annoyance, and right at that moment my mother came in with the tea and took the open seat on the couch, scooting over so that she was way in his space. Just looking at him as he leaned back ever so slightly and tried to hide the grimace, it was easy to see his discomfort at the situation. "Here's your tea, Iwato-sensei," she cooed. I was a little surprised my father still wasn't noticing, but I guess he really was just that oblivious.

"Fine," I said. "Enjoy your talk with my father and mother." I smirked at him and whirled around, shoulders back, as I made my way upstairs. Finally I was getting the chance to torment him for once, and I was fully enjoying it. It served him right.

Time dragged by while I sat in my room, waiting for my future to be decided. A thousand what-ifs kept stampeding through my head, like what if my parents decided not to let me go after all, or what if Deidara changed his mind? Or what if this was all some elaborate revenge plan of Deidara's? Maybe he would get me away from the safety of my parents' home, and once he had me to himself, he had all sorts of horrible things in mind for me! Okay, I'll admit it. Some things never change; my wild imagination being one of them. But can you blame me?

Anyway, almost two hours passed while I waited. I made a few attempts at sneaking to the top of the stairs to try and overhear what they were saying, but all I could hear was some inaudible mumbling and my mother's occasional squealing laughter. I'm not kidding when I say 'squealing.' She sounded like some kind of pig or something! It was disturbing. I had never heard my mother laugh like that. I almost wondered if Deidara had had enough of her creepy flirting and had started torturing her or something.

When I realized that I wasn't going to be able to hear anything useful, I gave up on that and retreated back to my room, where I waited with bated breath. I tried to busy myself reading or studying, but I was too distracted with worry to focus, so in the end I resorted to a staring contest with the clock. Finally, when I was just starting to realize that it was almost dinner time and I was hungry, I heard footsteps on the stairs and someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I said anxiously.

My father opened the door and I bit my lip nervously, waiting to hear the decision. "Alright, young lady," he said in his best, 'I mean business' voice. "We need to discuss some things."

I nodded, bracing myself for the lecture. "Okay."

"Your behavior the past few months has been deplorable. You've snuck out multiple times, run away from home, lied. Your mother and I have talked about it, and we both agree that we can't just let you get away with this sort of behavior. We don't want to see you become some sort of juvenile delinquent."

My heart sunk with these words. This was what I was afraid of. They had decided not to let me go after all. "Okay," I mumbled, trying to blink back the tears.

He sighed. "That being said," I glanced up, hope sparking in my heart, "we realize that this behavior was only a result of your strong desire to become an artist, and we do want to help you achieve your dream if it's really possible. So, we've decided to let you return to the training program."

"Dad!" I squealed, jumping up and throwing my arms around him. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll be good, really!" I let go of him and started dancing around the room, barely able to contain my excitement. Actually, I felt a little guilty knowing that this whole training program was a lie, but I was too excited to care too much. I was going back to Deidara!

"Okay, Kaya, calm down. I'm not done talking."

"Yes, sir," I said, and obediently returned to my seat on the bed. I looked up at him expectantly, still swinging my legs back and forth like a little kid, unable to contain my excitement.

"Iwato-sensei will be coming to pick you up in two weeks. Until then, you will keep going to school and maintaining your studies. You'll be allowed to go out on weekends, but other than that, we expect you to come home immediately after school everyday, and absolutely no sneaking off or disappearing. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," I repeated, hoping he would hurry up with this lecture so I could celebrate.

"Okay. That's everything," he said. "Your mother is fixing dinner, so come down and help her soon."

"Help her?" I repeated. Seriously? Didn't they know that letting me near an oven was a bad idea? Something bad always happened whenever I cooked. If I wasn't trying to set the house on fire, I was getting kidnapped by dangerous gangs.

The look on his face told me he also didn't think it was such a good idea. "Your mother insists that it's time you learn how to cook. I think she just wants to spend time with you, so humor her, okay?"

"Sure thing," I said. He finally started to leave. Now I could have a few moments to myself to celebrate! I wished I could call Mitsuki and share the news with her, but considering my parents didn't have a phone and I wasn't allowed out of the house, I would just have to wait for school tomorrow. "Hey, Dad," I said, stopping him. "Since I'm going away, can't you guys get a phone now?"

He let a sigh of exasperation. "I'll talk to your mom about it, but I don't know if she'll agree. You know how she feels about phones." I giggled and he winked at me before closing the door behind him.

When I could no longer hear my father's footsteps, I let out a cry of happiness and started to jump around the room. I turned on my mp3 player and started to dance just to get the excitement out of my system. It was really happening! Deidara had actually decided to take me back, and my parents were somehow actually letting me go! I couldn't wait for the next two weeks to pass so that I could finally see him again.

After a few minutes, I remembered that I was supposed to be helping my mother cook for some crazy, bizarre reason. I turned off the music and took a few deep breaths to compose myself. The composure didn't last long, because the next thing I knew I was racing down the stairs and prancing into the kitchen. My father gave me a look with his eyebrows raised as I passed the living room, but come on. Of course I was excited, even if my parents didn't know the real reason. I hadn't even thought about drawing or painting, or anything to do with my dream of becoming an artist. The only thing I cared about was Deidara and the fact that I would be living with him again. And despite the fact that he was a perverted jerk who liked to tease me, and that he was a murderer and an ex-gang member, I couldn't wait.