I Live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I know it's been a long time, I was very busy with college. I intend to make it up to all of you! I will beat my muse into submission if I must!

There will be other things happening for me on so keep an eye out for them!

"The days seem to be flying by, and I've begun to wonder when this will all come crashing down."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Hmm."

"Deidara-san?" The door to his room closed sharply, indicating that, yes, he was still angry with me for winning that laser tag game, and that my (very disheveled) picture now hung next to Itachi's in the main hall of the arcade. You'd think that after a week of not talking to me, and the fact that he had dragged me there, would have some influence, but that didn't seem to be the case. It was actually starting to get a little frustrating, seeing as we lived together and he would barely look at me.

On the plus side of things I was selling more of my paintings, and had finally managed to get a part time job at a local craft store: Which meant I was able to pay the rent, and not go into debt! Kakuzu had also handed me a check for some prize money which I had quickly put into the cookie jar for safe keeping.

"Really, is it that horrible that I actually won?"

Hearing no response from behind the door I made my way back to the kitchen in hopes of finding something to settle my queasy stomach. I hadn't been feeling good for the last few days or so, and my roommate was not helping. I opened the fridge and looked at everything we had only to close it again because nothing really grabbed my attention. Plus we were out of a few necessary items.

Deciding it was better to get what we needed instead of waiting to see if Deidara was going to stop being a stubborn bitch and go with me, I threw on a coat and grabbed the small plastic bag we used to hold the collective grocery money and walked out the door. The grocery store was only a few blocks away, but you'd be surprised to what can happen in just a few blocks.

Halfway down the stairs I let out a cough and tried to bundle myself tighter in my coat in hopes of escaping what felt to be an oncoming cold. I jumped down the last few stairs and walked down the street letting my eyes wander for inspiration, now that the days were starting to get colder it was harder for me to find things I wanted to paint. The autumn colors were pretty and all, but they just weren't what I was looking for at the moment.

Thanks to Deidara's huffiness I was able to sneak in some personal time with his PS2, more specifically his game Okami. The artwork was absolutely brilliant and I loved how everything flowed so easily into itself. It actually made me switch to a more traditional style for a while and I was having fun with it. June and L had been my first subjects, the traditional style with the two of them curled up together on the couch had actually sold very fast, and afterward I had discovered there seemed to be a high demand for those kinds of paintings so I adapted and just left things up to fate.

I entered the small store and made my way to the items we needed, before deciding to just browse for a little while so that I could kill some time, and not be in a quite house with a bitchy roommate. By the time I left I had two bags of groceries instead of just one plastic one, and had decided that I needed to pay a visit to some other shops in hopes of getting more inspiration. Two hours later I made my way back to the apartment and was given the surprise of finding my roommate asleep on the couch. I slipped my shoes off and quietly padded my way to the kitchen where I made quick work of putting everything away without making to much noise. When I finished I gathered the paints that I had purchased and dropped them off in my room before sitting on the couch with what little space had been left by Deidara.

I stared at him for a moment and watched as he murmured and turned in his sleep, and then I don't know what came over me. Suddenly I was leaning over him watching intently for any sign that he might be waking up, but he simply remained asleep, oblivious to the girl above him. I wondered what it was like to kiss someone like him, being his roommate I knew all about his habits, but I didn't really have any clue about romance. I'd always been too busy trying to survive for that.

With a sudden surge of courage I closed the few inches between us and…kissed him…it was....different...he smelled like cologne and the earthy clay he worked with. His lips were soft and I could fell the breathe leave his body through the small space between them.

I sat up abruptly feeling my face flush crimson, what had I done? I flung myself off the couch and toward the door, throwing on my shoes and jacket even as I heard Deidara let out a yawn and sit up calling my name. Throwing myself out the door at top speed I managed to make it down the five flights of stairs in record time and then I was running, faster than anyone ever expected me to be, down the street and then I was headed toward my secret spot.

I got there faster than what I usually did, but then I usually came here when I was depressed about something. Now as the abandoned hotel came into view I found myself filled with enough energy to take on an army. I ran up to the side of the building and leapt up, catching an old windowsill that had long since lost all the glass and swung myself inside. Inside was barren of all but the most wrecked furniture, the walls had lost their color ages ago but they bore long scratches that had nothing to do with squatters. I tucked myself into a roll and came up running scurrying past broken doors and straight into the main entrance of the hotel.

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath leaning on my knees for support. Once I had enough air in my lungs I swung myself onto the railing and leaped into the air. I turned and caught myself on a rope I had strung between the first level and the third, using it to swing myself to the next rope some twelve feet above me. There were ropes tide off at various levels and angels giving off a spiderweb like effect to the room. I continued this for a while twirling from one rope to the next in an effort to calm myself down, though it didn't do any good.

With a sigh I landed on the ground and began to go through the familiar hand motions of what I hoped would calm me down. I threw a tube of paint onto the floor watching it spill across the old tile before I made the final seal and it transformed into two replicas of myself. They looked at me and smiled before pulling out kunai and leaping toward me in tandem. I leaped back and drew my own kunai blocking their blows and delivering my own in turn. We quickly made our way back onto the ropes balancing precariously as we exchanged blows, one of my clones disappeared when I sent her falling to the ground with a well placed kick to her stomach where she returned to a puddle of ink upon impact.

The other clone leaped back and began to flick through several seals before dropping to the ground and slamming her palms against the floor causing the whole building to rumble and making me lose my balance. I twisted easily enough and landed on my feet before running over to the abandoned desk and grabbing a scroll from underneath the counter. The clone hesitated when she saw what I had grabbed but shrugged and pulled out a hidden bamboo tube from under her shirt, I copied the motion and we both began a new set of seals. She dropped to the ground and began to paint something, though I couldn't tell what it was, I in turn finished off the last few lines for a large ice hound that then leaped off the page at my command, a cold wind trailing behind it.

My clones own creation, something vaguely resembling a ferret though it was far to big and had lightning cracking from the end of it's tail, leaped forward baring sharp teeth and a small pitchfork. The ice hound let out a low growl and sent an icicle flying toward the living painting.

We stayed where we were, watching as the two tried to gain some kind of advantage in their scuffle, lightning and ice flying through the air. The clone let a smile cross her lips, she had something planned and I was certain I wasn't going to like it. She put her hands together in a sign that I couldn't quite place, but knew I had seen.

When the ferret faltered in its' attack I knew what she was doing. The sign was one I'd seen Deidara use when he'd dragged me out to see him launch off a few fireworks. I quickly ducked for cover and winced as hot air passed over the top of my head. There was the sound of ink splashing to the floor and then silence fell as we tried to decide what to do next. What I wasn't expecting was for my clone to come descending from above with a kunai at the ready.

I rolled out of the way and twisted the handle of the brush I was using, revealing the knife hidden underneath. She charged at me again managing to nick my shoulder before sweeping my feet out from under me. I managed to strike out with the knife and catch her across the throat causing her to splash into a puddle of ink at my feet.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and leaned against the wall to catch my breath. There was surprisingly little damage to the main room, with the exception of a few scorch marks and some melting ice, there wasn't much I needed to do to make sure the building wouldn't come down anytime soon. Once I caught my breath I collected my jacket from behind the old reception desk and slipped it back on. With one final look around I made my way out of the building and began to walk back to town, feeling much calmer about everything, but I was still unsure of what to tell Deidara or if he even knew what I had done.

By the time I reached the shops the sun had already set and I was starting to feel a bit better about everything that had happened. On my way back to the main part of town I noticed that there were banners hanging from building to building, announcing the two week long festival that would be starting in the evening. Startled by the fact that the festival was starting early this year I quickened my pace in hopes of speaking with several shop owners in order to show my paintings.

I stepped out onto the main square and froze in my place. Before me was a very familiar albino and her contrast, making out, in the middle of the square. My mouth opened and closed several times as I tried to comprehend the fact that these two had somehow gotten together. I was half tempted to scream but restrained myself with the help of a well timed hand covering my mouth. What the hell were Kirrei and Itachi thinking?

"Best leave the two of them alone," I was dragged down the street and released so that Saiya could straighten out her dress. She was dressed impeccably for just being out on the town, a classic little black dress that just barely fell to her knees and had no straps, I was surprised to see her in a dress because I was sure she didn't own one. Her hair was pinned back as well creating a very fancy look that gave away just what she was up to.

"Ah, Saiya are you meeting up with Sasori-san by chance?" Saiya stiffened at my comment but then relaxed and nodded. Surprised I reached out and rested a hand on her arm before softly asking, "but didn't you say he was too dangerous to be around?"

She turned her head away from me and mumbled something incoherent before looking back and nodding. Not understanding why she would meet with someone she considered dangerous I asked her the same question.

"We have much to talk about. It has been nearly seven years since we last saw each other and certain circumstances have changed."

"Are you sure Saiya?"

She hesitated a moment before a look crossed her eyes that I hadn't seen before, like something predatory waking up and rearing its head to test the air after a long sleep. It was no wonder why I had seen her as a King Snake. Saiya quickly returned to her normal cool self and reassured me once again that she would be fine, then with a wave she turned and disappeared into the crowd. Feeling left out of the loop I decided to give up for the night and return home.

Deidara was waiting for me in the kitchen when I got back. He looked at me long and hard before dropping his head and heaving a sigh like he was about to do something really hard. Curious I leaned against the counter and waited to see what he was going to do. We stayed that way for quite a while, and I began to wonder if I should just leave or say something to make him talk.

"I'm sorry, un."

I felt my eyes widen slightly at his proclamation but said nothing. He continued on explaining that it was frustration with everything that had happened that had made him snub me for the last week, and that he was also sorry for dragging me to the warehouse in the first place. When he was done he stared at the window for a long time before I finally cleared my throat and told him to look at me. Deidara did so reluctantly, but I made sure to hold his gaze so that he would get my message loud and clear.

"What you did was just plain mean. You ignored me because I managed to do something you haven't been able to do yourself yet. I understand that you didn't mean to get so riled up about it, but you did…That being said, I forgive you." Here he opened his mouth to make some kind of comment but I held up a hand to stop him. "Deidara, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the most athletic or competitive person around, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. And I'll tell you right now that being in that maze brought up a lot of unpleasant memories for me, which is probably why I won, I will not tell you what happened to me though. After what you did you don't deserve to know."

For a moment Deidara stood stunned, I felt bad about it, but he needed to know. There were very few things that made me angry or distressed, but he had managed to do both. And those feelings were always the ones I wanted to avoid, I had to avoid them or I'd become the monster that my father had always wanted me to be.

Here it is folks the next chapter! Feel free to tell me if I've made any mistakes, no matter how many times I look it over I always miss something. More to come soon!

Mist123