Prologue

Tobi stood outside his senpai's door, staring at the wooden block. It seemed to hate the masked ninja today, as it wouldn't let any of his words be sent to the other side.

"Senpai? Please. C'mon! Let me in. Tobi wants to comfort you!" Tobi really wanted to help Deidara understand: understand that what happened that day already passed, and that there was nothing he could do to reverse time. But Tobi never knew how to get the words out to his senpai right. He'd always try his best to say the right thing, but no matter what, it seemed that every little thing Tobi said ticked Deidara off.

"Comfort?" a voice from beyond the wooden blockade called. Apparently, the door decided to be nice to Tobi, because Tobi was a good boy! "What's there to comfort? I'm fine, Tobi, GO AWAY!"

"But, senpai-"

"I SAID, GO AWAY!!!"

Tobi lingered in front of the door for a little bit longer. He decided to be a bit defiant for the moment--but just for Deidara's own good. He grabbed the door handle and twisted it slowly, trying not to make any noise. Tobi opened the door and stepped inside. This was, however, partly his room after all, so shouldn't he be able to go inside whenever he wants to?

Tobi walked across the room to the bed where Deidara sat, facing away from the entrance. The blonde was grasping his legs in a sort of fetal position up against the far corner of his bed.

"Senpai…" Tobi cooed. He didn't know what to do to help Deidara--and he definitely didn't want the young artist to get pissed again and try to blow his head off. He had to be careful with what was said.

Deidara slowly turned around to face Tobi. "Wha-…What are YOU doing here, hmm?? I told you, you baka……GO AWAY!!!" The blonde started to get testy; Tobi now had to be extra careful.

"Senpai, please!" Tobi sat next to Deidara. "Please, hear me out. You don't have to say anything, just listen!" Tobi waited for the blonde's response, but Deidara, for a change, sat there quietly, waiting for his masked partner to say what he had to.

"Senpai. I know you don't want to hear this, but what's been done is done. Tobi knows how bad you feel. Tobi feels bad, too. But Tobi tries to look past all that sadness and see the brighter, happier side of life! You should, too, Deidara-senpai!" Tobi grinned underneath his orange, swirly mask.

"What's the use, un?" Deidara replied as he sank his head to his knees. "Not only did Akatsuki lose a valuable member, but now the only happiness that kept me charged throughout the day has been pulled out from underneath me and burned in front of my very eyes…"

"Senpai! Don't talk that way!" Deidara was startled at Tobi's little outburst. He shifted his head up a little to look at him. "Don't talk like that! It will just make matters worse-"

"How can things get any worse than they already are!" Deidara spat back at him. He hated the fact that Tobi always tried to help, but never bothered to try to see things from anybody else's point of view. "I know I couldn't do a goddamn thing. I know that what's happened has happened. And I know that I can't reverse fucking time! But God damn it, Tobi, stop acting like it wasn't Sasori no Dana that just got fucking KILLED!!!"

Deidara was fuming by this time, almost literally steaming from the top of his head. Tobi could feel the heat of his senpai's anger and rage boiling around him.

"Senpai…I'm sorry. But…there's nothing-" Tobi began.

"What part of 'I know' are you not comprehending?" Deidara stared into Tobi's one revealed eye with intense emotion. For some reason, he just felt like crap right now and just wanted to be alone. "Please, Tobi. Just…leave me alone for right now…okay, un?"

"Alright, senpai. But…Tobi needs his beauty sleep, now, so if Deidara-senpai doesn't mind, Tobi will go to bed now, okay?" Tobi bounced happily a little, causing Deidara to get jerked around on his bed.

"Tobi…I want to be-" Deidara figured that his obnoxious partner would not leave him alone if he were in the same room as him. "Never mind, un. I'm just going to go outside."

And with that, Deidara stood up and walked out, leaving a sad and confused Tobi sitting on his senpai's bed. Tobi watched him leave until the closing of the bedroom door blocked his view of the blonde; he sat there for a while until he concluded that Deidara wouldn't be back for some time, and decided to wander the hideout for a little bit, searching for another poor soul to annoy.