Naruto Shippuden Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Preferable Path to Perfection is You ❯ Flawless Perception ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

Chapter 3: Flawless Perception

Was that the doorbell?

Itachi covered his head with a pillow, sleepily trying to block the noise out. It was still dark- who was ringing his bell relentlessly like that at such a time of the morning?

He sat up halfway, glancing at the clock on the side next to him to read half past five on the illuminated display. He groaned and laid back down, the sensible part of his brain telling him his early morning visitor was most likely Deidara. It wasn't a surprise that he was on the doorstep considering his parting words the day before, but why so early?

Itachi pulled himself up and grabbed his dressing gown from the back of the door, slipping it on as he made his way to answer it. His visitor had taken to just holding their finger on the bell and not letting go- clearly, they weren't going away any time soon.

"Deidara," he said sharply as he opened the door to be greeted by a set of inquisitive blue eyes and a bright smile. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Deidara cocked his head, looking mildly offended. "Good morning to you too."

"It's five thirty am, Deidara."

Deidara shrugged, apparently nonplussed. "I don't sleep much, yeah."

"You can stay for breakfast," Itachi sighed, stepping aside to let Deidara in after a moment and resisting the urge to respond that he liked his sleep so please go away now.

Deidara grinned and happily stepped inside, looking rather accomplished about something. Had that been his plan all along, Itachi wondered? He shook his head and closed the door, leading the younger man through to his living room. It was too early for such complex lines of thought but he was far too polite to turn the other way after he'd ventured all the way to his place as such an hour.

Once he had Deidara seated at the living room table he stepped out into the kitchen- it was adjacent to the table so he could still see and speak to his surprise visitor.

"What kind of things do you eat?" He called, opening his fridge.

"Aren't you going to show me a perfect breakfast?" Deidara called, a cheeky hint to his voice.

Itachi closed the fridge and opened the bread bin instead- the idiot could get toast and like it for that comment. He quickly fixed two coffees, making Deidara's like his own as he waited for the toast. If he didn't like it Itachi was sure he would complain, after all- he was lucky to be let in the house, let alone staying for food.

He practically threw the plate of toast and coffee down on the table and collapsed into the chair, running a hand through his loose hair and tucking it behind one ear. It was way too early in the morning, it really was.

"This tea tastes kind of funny."

Itachi looked up at him, clearly confused. "That's because it's coffee, not tea."

"...Oh. You should have said, yeah."

"You should have been able to taste- never mind."

He wasn't going to drag himself into an argument over something so petty and obvious. He picked up a slice of toast instead, wondering if he was going to fall asleep at his desk that day- by the time he'd arrived home, quickly glanced over his studies and got to bed the night before it had been approaching around one am.

Of course he wouldn't fall asleep- that would imply he wasn't perfect. He bit back the thought that technically being unable to function on the little sleep he'd had when Deidara could was a flaw- he really needed to get a grip on that complex of his sometimes.

"Do you not sleep?" He asked, realising Deidara must have had about the same amount.

"I told you, I don't really sleep much. I can survive on about four hours a night."

"That must be useful."

"It's just one of those things I learnt to do."

Itachi was perceptive. The tone Deidara had spoken with was clearly a bitter one, and he wisely dropped the subject. He wasn't about to start prying for details on the other's life, despite feeling a little more at ease with his presence by now.

"I'm going to take a shower," he told Deidara as he finished his coffee. "Help yourself to the kitchen if you still want anything."

Well... He only had himself to blame. He had said Deidara could help himself to the kitchen if he wanted anything, and that was precisely what he'd done.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe and running a towel through his hair. Did he really want that question answered? His kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it- a rather floury, strangely sweet smelling bomb. He'd only been gone fifteen minutes! How had this happened?

"I'm making a cake, yeah."

Itachi blinked a few times, draping the towel over his shoulder and pulling a cake tin from the cupboard. He dropped it on the side with a clang, pre-heated the oven and walked out of the room without another word. Why was he going along with this again?

When he was confronted with the cake itself nearly thirty minutes later he really did wonder why he hadn't put a stop to the atrocity before it happened.

"What was it supposed to be?" He asked, eyeing the rather sad, flat looking cake on the wire cooling tray.

"Coffee cake, yeah. You seem to like coffee."

"That doesn't explain why it's blue."

"I found some food colouring."

"I imagine it wasn't in need of being found if it was in my cupboard. It wasn't lost."

"I thought it would be interesting."

"Deidara," Itachi shook his head, pointing to the pitiful cake. "It's bright blue. How much of the bottle did you use?"

"...All of it? How much should I have used?"

Deidara grabbed a knife from the nearby block as Itachi looked skyward in silent prayer, attacking the cake and cutting a piece off. As he tried to pick it up to eat it, Itachi slapped his hand away lightly.

"You can't eat that," he said firmly.

He frowned for a moment, putting a tentative finger on the cake. Something wasn't quite right with it apart from its ridiculous colour. Deidara had ignored his warning and was happily eating a slice, seemingly confused about something as well.

"I think I missed an ingredient," he mused, taking another bite.

Against his better judgment, Itachi took a tiny piece off the edge of Deidara's slice and tested it.

"Maybe... Vanilla essence, yeah?"

"No," Itachi replied, grabbing a glass and filling it with water to get rid of the taste. "You missed the sugar."

Deidara processed that for a minute before shrugging and finishing his slice, apparently not too worried about the lack of sugar and the presence of an alarming amount of food dye.

"Your teeth are blue," Itachi pointed out. "And your lips."

Deidara shrugged, giving him a blue smile and heading off into the living room. Itachi followed, making a mental note to never leave Deidara alone in his house again.

Deidara had followed him home from college, apparently oblivious to Itachi's subtle glances that clearly indicated 'why are you following me home?' Regardless, Itachi had let him in the house and was currently working at the living room table while Deidara sprawled himself across the sofa. The artist wasn't interfering with his studies so Itachi didn't see the harm in letting him stay.

"Don't you have any work to do?" He asked, not looking up. Last he had checked Deidara had been lying on the sofa seemingly deep in thought about something.

"I am working, yeah."

Itachi threw him a glance to see he had his sketchbook out now, tuned to something in the room sketching furiously. He frowned- it seemed more time had passed since the last time his gaze had wandered than he had originally thought.

"What are you drawing?" He asked conversationally, putting his pen down. He put a hand to his forehead, closing his strained eyes slightly. The early start and lack of sleep had taken more out of him than he had thought, leaving him with a mild headache that was steadily getting worse.

"Your coffee cup."

Itachi blinked, looking across at him in surprise. It was just a plain white coffee cup- what was so special about it?

"Isn't that boring? I must have something more interesting here you could draw."

Deidara flipped the sketchbook round so Itachi could see it, noting the nearly complete drawing showed a chipped coffee cup. He frowned, guessing there was supposed to be a message here that he was clearly missing.

"Why is it chipped?"

"It represents the only consistent flaw of yours that I can see," Deidara said easily, turning back to the picture and missing the glare Itachi sent him. "You try to be perfect but yet you're always drinking that stuff, yeah. I see a caffeine dependency."

"I like the taste," Itachi argued, not wanting to think about the possibility Deidara was right and there was a flaw he had missed. He had them all covered all of the time!

Then again, he'd never thought of himself as dependent on the stuff.

He stood, picking up the coffee cup despite Deidara's protest and tipping the contents down the sink. He'd work it out later, ignoring the part of him that was a little shaken that he'd been seen in an imperfect light with evidence.

"It's getting late," he prompted as he walked back into the living room. "Since you woke me up so early today, I'd like to go to bed."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?" Deidara replied, snapping his sketchbook closed. He put it in his bag, giving Itachi a small wave and a smile as he headed for the doorway. "Thanks for letting me stay though. Same time tomorrow?"

He was seeing himself out the door before Itachi could protest that he didn't want another five am wake up call, leaving the elder man to sigh and seat himself back at the table. He glanced down at the work in front of him, reading the words but seeing only nonsense now. He couldn't concentrate and the headache certainly wasn't getting any better, either. Still he stayed, feeling as though he'd spent too much time socialising therefore he was behind even though he really wasn't.

He read the same line over and over a few times before standing with an agitated sigh- it was definitely time for bed. If he was getting up before daybreak again he probably needed an early night anyway.

As he was about to crawl into bed after showering and cleaning his teeth, he had an afterthought to check that Deidara had closed the front door on his way out, slipping out to the hallway to check it. It seemed shut but he felt the need to re-open it anyway, knowing he'd just worry about it unless he was the one to close it.

Just as he was about to shut the door he stopped, frowning slightly at something rather out of place in his front garden. There was a reasonably sized tree in his garden, currently sporting a new addition much to Itachi's surprise as he stepped out onto the path to inspect.

What was with this guy? Itachi stood and observed Deidara asleep in the tree for a moment, quite unsure of what to do. He didn't want to leave him there- he might fall and hurt himself for a start- but did he want to invite him back inside? He really didn't know him well, despite the fact they'd been nearly chained together for the last day or so.

Eventually his conscience overtook him and he called the man's name gently, hoping he could wake him without startling him. It did- Deidara stirred and glanced down, looking a little sheepish that he had been discovered.

"Are you stalking me?" Itachi wanted to know as Deidara clambered down to his side.

"If I wanted to stalk you I'd have hidden in a cupboard in your house rather than leaving, yeah."

Itachi beckoned to him as he walked back up the path, sighing as he went. "You'd better come back inside and talk."

Deidara followed without a word, staying silent until he was sitting back on Itachi's sofa looking rather awkward.

"Out with it," Itachi hinted when they'd been sitting in silence for a few minutes. His voice wasn't unkind, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious for an explanation.

"Well..."

Deidara was twirling a strand of hair around his finger nervously, not meeting Itachi's eye. As Itachi was about to prompt him again, he spoke.

"I didn't want to go home."

"Why not?"

"It's... Lonely. I live alone and I've liked your company, yeah."

Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly at that, confused. "Deidara," he said quietly. "I think you have the wrong idea about me. I'm really not that nice."

"No, you are," Deidara argued, finally turning to him. "You've let me hang around and even if you weren't trying, you've made me feel wanted, yeah. That's... I'm not used to it."

He fiddled with his hair again, looking away. The admittance was clearly difficult for him to make, and Itachi felt a pang of sympathy for him. He didn't dislike Deidara at all- he'd been a little frustrated with him for pointing out things he really didn't want him to, but overall he had no problems with him and didn't mind his company. No- he enjoyed his company, and truth be told it had made him feel less lonely too.

"Do you want to stay the night?" Itachi asked after a moment's consideration. "I can't have you sleeping in my tree."

"I don't want to impose, yeah."

"But you don't want to be alone."

No response.

"Spend the night."

It was now an order, not a question. Deidara still looked uncomfortable but he nodded in agreement, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"I need to go to bed," Itachi said when Deidara had been silent for a while. "I'll see you tomorrow. If you want a blanket there's probably one in the airing cupboard- it's the door next to the bathroom."

Deidara nodded wearily, so Itachi got up and left him alone on the sofa to sleep. His night hadn't ended quite how he had expected, but he still felt quite satisfied. He flicked the light out and lay down, hoping he would sleep easily that night despite the presence of another person in the house. A person that had practically destroyed his kitchen when last left alone for more than two minutes, he reflected with a smile as he fell quickly into much welcomed slumber.

When he awoke the following morning he found Deidara sitting on the edge of his bed, sketchbook in hand and studying him intently. He jumped, sitting bolt upright with wide eyes and sending Deidara a sharp glare.

"You look so relaxed when you sleep, yeah," Deidara told him, closing his sketchbook. "But I can't finish it now because you moved."

The room was pretty light, prompting Itachi to glance at the clock. The red illumination told him it was just gone half past eight and practically fell over himself to get out of the bed.

"You turned off my alarm?" He asked, sprinting to his wardrobe and slamming it open. "We have to leave for college in the next two minutes or we're going to be late!"

"Of course I turned it off," Deidara frowned, getting up off of the bed. "I didn't want you waking up while I drew you."

"Get out so I can get changed!"

Deidara did as requested as Itachi changed, glad that he'd bothered to shower the night before. Opening the bedroom door he hurriedly grabbed a glass of water and threw all the notes he'd made the night before together before placing them neatly into his bag, snatching his car keys from a hook by the front door and shooing Deidara outside.

"Get in," he indicated the car, jumping into the driver's seat and willing himself to wake up faster. Deidara jumped in the passenger seat, barely shutting the door before Itachi was pulling the car out of the space.

"It wouldn't have mattered if we were a little late, yeah."

"Yes it would," Itachi replied firmly. "I have a perfect attendance record."

"Of course you do," Deidara replied with a grin. "I'm really not surprised. You could have just said your cat ate your car keys or something."

"I don't have a cat."

Deidara exhaled heavily and rolled his eyes. "It's a metaphorical cat, Itachi," he replied knowingly. "I thought you were supposed to be intelligent."

"Telling them my non-existent cat ate my keys is absurd."

"It's a metaphorical cat," Deidara reminded him. "Not a non-existent one."

"Just be quiet else you can walk."

"Fine by me," Deidara agreed airily. "At least I don't have a complex about being late."

"Deidara?" Itachi spoke wearily, rubbing a hand across his eyes as he stifled a yawn.

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking else a cat won't be the one to eat my car keys."

It was only when they pulled up with a few minutes to spare did Itachi relax, parking the car outside the gates and taking a second to lean back against his seat. He grabbed his bag from Deidara's feet, rifling through it for a brush and hair tie.

"I'll see you, yeah?" Deidara said as he opened the car door. "Thanks for the ride."

He hopped out of the car and closed the door, seemingly quite happy as he walked towards the college. Itachi watched him go, tying his hair back and inspecting his reflection in the rear view mirror- as suspected, he looked like he had just spent the night sleeping in a bush. He sighed and forced himself out of the car, running his hands across his face as he did so.

As he was walking to his first class, a sudden realisation hit him that the idiot could have been right. He could have killed for coffee right then. He mulled it around in his mind, narrowing his eyes in thought- what did that fall under, then? An imperfection or a quirk?

A quirk, he decided as he entered the room and sat down with sixty perfect seconds to spare. It was definitely a quirk.

Chapter End