If you didn't read the new Prologue, I suggest you do...

It's been awhile.

(nods coolly)

It's been awhile…

Deidara checked himself out in the mirror before putting on a shirt and jogging down the stairs. He entered the kitchen with a small smirk to greet his mother, and sat down next to his brother at the island table. He reached in the fruit basket to grab an apple right before his mom could place a proper made breakfast in front of him. She furrowed her brow at her eldest son.

"I made you breakfast already," she said, putting the plate in front of Naruto now.

"I'm not real hungry, yeah," he replied biting into the cold fruit.

"Thanks, mom," Naruto sputtered with his mouth already stuffed.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Naruto," she lectured with a smile.

Deidara cut his eyes over at his younger brother with agitation; he was happy he was leaving this place. He preferred being alone; to be exact, to be without a brother that got on his nerves just by seeing him do the ridiculous things he did, and not hearing his mom keep reminding him to take his pills every day. She treated him like a psychological distorted baby. Yes, he was insane, but he didn't need to be reminded of it every single minute of the day. Plus, she only made sure he was on the meds so he wouldn't relapse. The pills didn't work, anyway, and he felt she was starting to catch on to him.

He never took the pills but instead flushed them down the toilet.

He didn't want to get any crazier.

"Good morning, everyone," Minato greeted coming into the kitchen.

He had a newspaper under his arm.

Naruto didn't look up from his plate and Deidara just stared as acknowledgment. The Chief of Police kissed his wife on her cheek with smiling eyes. Kushina beamed warmly, and placed a plate with pancakes and eggs in front of the seat he was taking.

"Thanks," he said grinningly.

The redhead nodded.

"I'm going to go get the mail," she said, glancing at her oldest son.

Deidara groaned getting up from his seat, and headed towards the refrigerator.

Minato began reading the comic section.

"Did you take your pills yet?" he asked nonchalantly.

The artist took out an ice-cold bottle of water.

"Mm," he droned against the plastic container's opening.

Minato looked up from the paper.

A small unsatisfied smirk emerged.

"What does that mean?"

"I did," he lied tersely.

His father gave him a skeptical look, but decided to drop it.

He knew Deidara didn't like to be pestered about his medication.

Kushina came back into the kitchen shortly after tense silence filled the air of the kitchen. She set three envelopes on the counter, two of them being bills and the other being Naruto's new school roster but he was too into his food to even care at this point. She scanned the only thin packaging that came in the mail, and it was for Deidara.

"Who's that for, yeah?" he questioned nosily.

"You."

He walked over to his mother's side.

"Who from?"

She shrugged.

"It doesn't say."

Deidara cocked his eyebrow and swiftly took the package away from her. It was definitely for him. It had his name with "URGENCY" next to it written repeatedly all over the front of the package in big childish writing. The wide envelope looked like it was defaced before being sent.

"Don't open that, Deidara," the redhead urged, "It could be dangerous."

Without delay, he began opening his mail messily, returning to his seat.

His mother frowned at her son's disobedience.

"Deidara," Naruto interjected, "What's in the package?"

Exhaled, irritated.

The 18 year-old was really angry that everyone was on top of him today.

He was moody this morning for some reason.

Maybe he was actually sad about leaving.

He reached into the envelope and took out something he least expected.

Photographs.

"Are those pictures?" Kushina asked over the running faucet.

She was washing the dishes.

"Yeah," he responded blankly.

His slate eyes stared with amazement at the photo on top in front of him. There were three children in the picture, but only one was fully visible. It looked like the child with black hair on the end was taking the picture and put his thumb over his face and half of the other minor's, which looked like a girl from a her cheek structure. But it still could've been a guy because he…or she had short hair. Deidara wasn't that interested in that child but more in the one whose face was clearly seen. He had a huge grin with shut eyes, and that right blonde hair.

It was him.

"Well, I'm going to go take Naruto to get a haircut," Minato said.

He smiled as Naruto stood up and rubbed his thick blonde locks chaotically.

Kushina smiled at her two children leaving.

"Let me see," she said taking a glance at the picture from Deidara's side.

Her brow rose.

"That's you."

He frowned since he figured that out already.

"When you were nine, I think…"

She cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't remember this picture," she muttered to herself.

She pointed inquiringly to the one whose cheeks were only shown.

"Who's that girl?"

"So it is a girl, yeah…?"

"Of course it is," she mocked, "She's wearing a sundress."

She sneered.

"And I'm sure you wouldn't be holding a boy that close."

Deidara looked closer.

He didn't notice his arm over her shoulder.

Kushina giggled as she began walking out of the kitchen.

"What, yeah?" he asked quickly.

She faced him with a smile.

"You look so happy."

Deidara sighed with the merest frown at his mother's departing comment, scrutinizing the picture even more as he walked into the living room. He plopped on the couch lazily, his eyes never leaving the snapshot, which was poorly taken. One thing caught the blonde's eye.

His left eye didn't have its scar.

Besides the fact that it expresses himself, he also wears his hair over his left eye because it has a scar over it. The scratch wasn't big or hideous, but it's out of the ordinary and very recognizable so he keeps it veiled. It's just a small slash that comes diagonally down towards the left—most of the mark is on his eyelid. He can barely see out of that eye and hates that he can't remember how it got there.

It probably—did happen years before he was 11.

He can't remember any of them.

The ceramicist started focusing more on the girl in the picture even though he couldn't see her whole face. If his mom is correct, and he was nine, the little girl in the picture had to be about six or seven. No matter what age he was in this, she definitely looked younger than him. Deidara didn't recall his mother ever talking about a girl he hung out with when he was younger. Then again, she doesn't talk about anything before he was put in the institute.

Every time he asked, she'd change the subject.

Soon, he just gave up trying to remember.

Deidara blinked out of thought and went back to the picture before him.

The girl was blushing.

And if he looks closely his head is tilted in her direction.

With those gestures and that grin, he must've liked that girl.

And she liked him back.

He smirked at that.

"Deidara," Kushina called from upstairs.

He placed the pictures over his stomach.

"Yeah?"

"When does your train leave?"

He checked the clock face on the wall that was over his family's photo.

His train would be here soon, so he would just finish looking at the rest of the pictures later.

Deidara smirked at his younger brother's face in the print.

Naruto was grinning extremely hard.

Just like his father.

--

What was the definition of loneliness?

Here.

It always got lonely in this place. It was always quiet in this white room. The walls were painted white, the hollow base was white—everything was white. The room had no ends; she could run aimlessly forever and the white path would never stop. There were no windows or doors. She wondered how she was still alive without air. But then again, she wasn't real so she didn't need what people needed. She was never hungry and she never went crazy like a person would if they were stuck in here.

This place always gave Hinata an empty feeling. Locked up seven years in this place was the cause of that. She didn't even know what she looked like. In her younger years, her hair was short, but it grew since then, of course. It stayed its usual deep midnight blue. She didn't even know if her birthday passed or not, all she knew was that she was eight when she last spoke to Deidara and that was seven years ago.

In this place, she developed dull—but entertaining—habits. Sometimes, braiding her hair was all she could do for fun since there was no one she could really to talk to. Tobi would come and visit her every now and then, but that never compare to talking to Deidara. She wondered what he looked like every day. She wondered if she'd ever see him again, even though she knew he didn't want to see her. But maybe he changed since then.

She was so confused.

What was she?

Where was she?

"Hinata!"

The dark-haired teen jumped at the juvenile high-pitched voice. She took a breather and turned around with a smile to greet Tobi. He always just popped up out of nowhere, and she never knew how he got in and out.

"Hi, Tobi," Hinata said.

The 20 year-old held a healthy grin making small wrinkles form on his temples. Tobi hardly frowned, and never scowled. Unless he was his other self, which wasn't so friendly and was very flinty. Madara never came to visit her, but he had no reason to; they barely knew each other. Hinata watched her energetic friend sit next to her as he adjusted the white bandages around his head that covered his left eye.

"Is your eye okay?" she asked.

He laughed.

"What eye?" he asked jokingly.

"Tobi…"

He ignored her seriousness and changed the topic.

"Madara and I think we know where this place is."

"Really?" she asked extremely interested.

"Yeah, and we think we know how to reach out to Deidara."

Her hear skipped a beat.

That was impossible. She knew she or Tobi could never speak to Deidara again! She didn't know how to get out of this place that she was in, and Tobi already tried contacting Deidara several times. He told her what happened every time. He would call him, but Deidara couldn't hear his voice over the receiver. However, every time Madara called, Deidara could hear every word.

This was impossible.

"H…how?" Hinata asked shakily.

"We sent him pictures…!"

An instant frown formed.

"He said I was a terrible photographer."

"Pictures of what?"

"The pictures we took when we were young," Tobi answered, "He might actually remember us."

Hinata looked down with saddened eyes and a smile.

"Tobi," she started, "I don't want to force him to remember me…"

Nothing would be the same.

"It's okay!" he said happily. "Just watch!"

Hinata sighed from emotional exhaustion and looked up to see the bouncy Tobi pointing erratically forward. She didn't have the heart to tell him that this was all worthless and there was no way of getting out of this place. No way, no how. Hinata knew she was being more pessimistic than usual, but being trapped in this place for too long made even the merest hope vanish.

But a small twinkle in her eyes appeared at the sight of a door forming.

"I knew it!" Tobi yelled standing up.

Hinata slowly got up as well, her eyes big as day.

Was that truly a door, or a mirage?

Tobi eagerly ran up to the door.

"The pictures worked!"

She was blown away.

"Come here, Hinata!"

She grabbed at her locks nervously and treaded over next Tobi.

He looked at her with anxiousness.

"I can't touch it," he quickly said without breath.

Her big stayed on what she thought was her exit.

"What?" she said surprised and shocked.

She knew it was too good to be true.

"You try…!"

He quickly grabbed her hand, forcing it to make contact with the knob.

His visible red eye lit up with joy as her pale ones widened with suspense. She gripped the metal and was surprised at the cold feeling, something she hasn't felt in forever. She hasn't felt in forever. So this door was her way out? It made no sense, but it was still an exit. She wondered where it led to. Out of here, maybe, but where was here exactly?

With hesitation, Hinata pulled the door open.

But just to be brought down again.

On the other side was another white room.

"What is that?" Tobi asked.

It was a mere door, without a destination.

Just a plain old door.

"Nothing, I guess," she replied sadly.

"No," he said.

He inched near the door.

"That."

Hinata looked at her friend with confusion. What was he talking about? She eased closer to the other side as well, and began to realize what he meant when he said "that." He wasn't talking about the other white room, but he was talking about the voices coming from it.

"I don't want to go to the festival," a sassy female voice said.

"But it'll be fun," another woman urged cheerfully.

The white room dwellers heard a snooty scoff.

"Spare me!"

Tobi grinned from ear to ear at his friend.

"W-what…?"

She was too confused to speak clearly.

"Go…!"

Hinata stared at her carmine-eyed friend with panic. He had that look as if he was about to do something ridiculous.

"Tobi, I think we should—"

In a quick move he pushed her forward into the room, her eyes shut tight. She hit the floor quicker than she thought, becoming even more disappointed. It was just another white place. She was getting sick of seeing white. Hinata fluttered her teary eyes open and instantly jumped back from a shoe in her face. There were others.

"Tobi?" she called while sitting up.

Her mouth dropped at what she was seeing.

People.

"I said I don't want to go to the festival!"

Hinata looked up at the familiar voice.

There were two blondes standing there bickering.

Just like the two people she and Tobi heard before.

She scanned her surroundings. There weren't a lot of people. All of them were bundled up with their heavy coats and scarves. Some even had hats. Everyone was in a hurry, and some just sat on a bench like they were waiting for something. Hinata winced at a loud screeching noise that felt like it was right next to her ears. She realized that it was so intense since she was on the ground. She quickly stood up and stared at the machine that made the noise with unsettlement.

It was a train.

She looked around.

This was a train station.

"Look," an old lady shouted happily, "The train's letting everyone off!"

The old man next to her smiled, his skin creased.

"I know, we haven't seen Saki in forever."

Pale periwinkle eyes watched as the doors from the train opened and more people started rushing out. Most of them were old, but some young adults and children got off as well. A sage-eyed brunette ran onto platform and searched around crazily with her head moving from left to right. She stopped seeking with big eyes that landed right in Hinata's direction. The shy teen backed up frantically when the happy girl ran towards her without signs of stopping.

Whoosh.

Hinata grabbed onto her chest with fear instilled into her.

"Hey, Grandpa!" Saki cried joyfully as she hugged the man.

Hinata couldn't even grasp onto what just happened. The girl just ran right through her like she was nothing. And it made her body feel cold. So cold it almost hurt. All those years in the white room, she had on a basic white summer dress that had grown with her body. With all these people bundled up, it must've been cold outside, but she couldn't feel it until that girl ran through her.

Hinata slowly extended out her hands, only to realize that she was faded—a transparency.

So, that meant she was an illusion?

Who's?

Her breath stopped at a blonde getting off the train with a cigarette in between his fingers.

A blush appeared on her crystal clear cheeks.

His.

Humph, dramatic irony XD

Much different, ey?

Or is it not…yes?

O.o

Review please.