14

In just a few more days she'd be with him again and as much as she hated being vulnerable it was something to look forward to, something that made her want to be better.

She also found herself walking into a nearby village, it had been a long time since she'd last been around other people, the dim lights that surrounded the city seemed to call her name, it was breathtaking. She walked carelessly around the shops, stopping at an art shop.

A beautiful young woman greeted her; short black hair, delicate frame, and big sparkling green eyes, Aline sighted, true beauty was hard to ignore.

She ended up taking a canvas, a few oils and some brushes. This would be the perfect way to greet Deidara. The woman handed her a bag with the things she'd purchased.

"Not many women wander around so late" she said while handing Aline the bag. Aline grinned, it was right, most women wouldn't be found wandering alone, but then again most women weren't S-ranked criminals.
"I know" she replied smiling at her.
"You're not from around, are you?"
"No, not really"

The woman looked a little concerned, as Aline made her way back to the door. She hastily approached her. Now that she had a closer look she could tell the woman must be around her own age, 18. 19 at most.
She grabbed her arm, and looked at her closely.

"It's getting late, are you going home alone?"
"Yeah"

Aline didn't know why the woman even cared, what was it to her if a costumer was leaving alone? It annoyed her a little, mostly because it wasn't everyday she found a woman whom she felt competed against her own looks, she looked down at her hand which still was grabbing her arm, a little too tightly.

"I run an inn nearby, maybe you'd like to spend the night there, all the rooms are taken but I have an extra bedroom."
"No, really, I'm alright"
"I insist"

The woman looked at her pleadingly, why did she even care? But the truth was the village was really beautiful, maybe spending the night wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Well, in that case..."

The woman closed the shop and took Aline's arm, leading her to the inn.
It had a beautiful decoration, for what she could see not only was the woman beautiful, but she also had an amazing talent, murals decorated every room, sunsets, dragons, flowers, fire. It was extremely beautiful. Fire… explosions… Deidara! Why did she miss him so much?

The woman offered her something to eat and drink, which she politely refused, she didn't mean to trouble her hostess, but once again the woman insisted.

"My name's Hitori Otamu."

As Aline learnt a few hours later she was a well-known artist from the village. An artist prodigy, she had been painting since she was 5 and now at 19 she mastered every technique and held impressive control over each brush.

The next morning Aline grabbed her bags, and made her way back to the headquarters, not before promising Otamu she'd show her some of her own art. This only made her want to be better that much more, and as soon as she got home she locked herself in her room sketching madly, and finally starting what would have to be her masterpiece.

A few days later her work was done, and she stared at it contently, placing it near the window so it could dry faster, tomorrow she'd visit Otamu again, maybe she didn't have so much experience, but her ninja skills and natural talent had created a work even Otamu would envy.

She woke up before sunrise, feeling extremely excited, everything was planned, she'd go to the village, buy food, show off to Otamu and come home to start working on Deidara's welcome night. She had missed him terribly and the anticipation of seeing him tonight made her heart feel like it was beating off her chest. Sasori knocked on foor, last night she had intended to show him her work, but he had been working on a puppet.

He entered her room and looked at the painting by the window, why was he so silent? She had expected him to compliment her work or at least tell her it was horrible, but not to stare at it silently.

"And well?"

He looked at her with a vague hint of sadness on his eyes, as if he felt sorry for her.
"True beauty lies in things that last forever, never rotting or fading."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was it even an opinion on her work? He smiled vaguely, the same look on his eyes and picked up several photographs that were on the floor.

All of the Akatsuki were there, every moment captured perfectly, goofing around, cooking, cleaning, drinking, he couldn't help but notice Deidara was on almost each and every one of them, one picture was missing though, he looked at the portrait again. Deidara was sitting down working on a sculpture, his hair was down, his eyes focused with some sort of manic gleam that captured the instant of creation, the perfect harmony. And that missing picture was on the floor next to its painting.

He smiled and handed her the photo album, closing the door as he left. He had left her with a weird sensation, what was with the pity look? The feeling left as soon as she looked to the painting, it looked exactly like the photograph, Deidara would love it. She was sure of it.