Naruto Shippuden Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Preferable Path to Perfection is You ❯ Reflective Weather ( Chapter 10 )

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 10: Reflective Weather

Deidara had vanished.

Normally Itachi would simply shrug and take the moment as a quiet one earned to study, but instead he found himself sitting in the windowsill watching the front gate. The weather was threatening rain and while Itachi was old enough to know rain wouldn't melt you, he was mildly concerned for his companion.

He refused to believe he was sitting in the windowsill waiting for him because he missed him, because that just wasn't true at all.

As night was beginning to draw in, Itachi finally saw a familiar blond figure push open the gate. He slipped off the sill and headed to open the front door, glancing curiously at Deidara as he beamed and stepped inside the house clutching a manila envelope.

"I stopped by my place, yeah," Deidara explained, putting a hand to the front door to halt Itachi's attempt at closing it. "I was expecting a letter and it's arrived- are you up for coming out for a coffee or something? It's important."

"Important enough to warrant a trip out?" Itachi asked dubiously. "It looks like it's going to rain."

Deidara nodded earnestly, beckoning eagerly with one hand. "Come on," he urged. "I'll explain everything."

They found themselves in a quaint coffee shop on the edge of town, sipping coffee while the inconspicuous envelope sat on the stained table between them. Itachi found his eyes flickering between it and Deidara's happy smile, wondering when he would be privy to its information.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" He asked eventually when Deidara was simply staring into his own coffee, hands clasped and eyes wistful.

"I got a scholarship," Deidara eventually spoke, meeting his eye. "For an art college. They're interested in me because apparently I'm unique, yeah."

Itachi knew he should have been smiling at that moment but he froze reaching for his coffee cup, hand shaking slightly as he registered those words.

"Where is it?" He asked, recovering and clutching the handle a little too tightly.

"The next town over," Deidara replied. "You thought I was going to have to move away? I wouldn't, yeah."

"Not even for your art?"

Deidara shook his head firmly. "Some things are more important than my art."

Itachi raised an incredulous eyebrow, raising the coffee cup to his lips. "Like?"

"You."

Itachi choked on his coffee, eyes shooting up to Deidara's soft smile. He opened his mouth to speak but Deidara's eyes changed, taking note of something out the window behind him. He turned, wondering what had just captivated him over their conversation.

"It's going to storm," Deidara spoke up, sounding excited at the prospect.

"Congratulations," Itachi eventually told him when they were once again gazing down at the envelope together. "That's really great news. We should celebrate, right?"

"That's why we're here," Deidara shrugged. "You prefer coffee over anything else, after all."

"This isn't about me," Itachi scolded lightly, standing and heading back to the counter. Deidara watched him curiously, eyeing the cake he returned with and placed down in front of him.

"What's that?"

"A cake," Itachi replied, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Cinnamon. Enjoy it."

"It better be as good as your brother's," Deidara complained as he took a bite, eyes lighting up positively at the taste. Itachi took that to mean it was, turning his attention back to his coffee.

"Deidara?" He spoke after a moment, running a thumb across the handle of the coffee cup nervously. "Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"About your art. It's what makes you happy- why wouldn't you pursue it if the opportunity arose?"

"I am, yeah."

"I mean... You said you wouldn't move away."

"Well, no," Deidara shrugged, finishing the cake happily and shrugging. "I feel like I belong here. Are you saying you would in the same situation?"

"No," Itachi replied immediately. "I wouldn't. Someone has to keep an eye on my brother, after all."

"What about me?" Deidara asked, cocking his head to the side curiously and watching Itachi carefully.

"What about you?" Itachi echoed. "Are you asking if I value having you around? I'd have kicked you out if I didn't."

"Itachi," Deidara sighed, finishing his coffee and standing. "You're dense, yeah?"

"What-"

"The storm," Deidara spoke over him. "I want to celebrate by enjoying the storm. Join me."

It wasn't a request- it was an order. Itachi stood, wrapping his coat tightly around himself and following the artist out the door and into the windy night. Deidara was pulling his camera from his bag, fiddling with the exposure settings before beckoning to Itachi.

"Isn't this a really bad idea?" Itachi pointed out. "Can't we just enjoy it from my living room window?"

"Are you crazy?" Deidara countered. "Storms are fleeting and beautiful, yeah. How can you enjoy one inside?"

"Because I'm a normal person?" Itachi muttered to himself.

"I know just the place we can go," Deidara remarked as the rain began to fall around them, pattering softly on the ground as light thunder rolled above them. "Follow me, yeah?"

Deidara took them to the same bridge they'd gone to the first night they went out- Itachi was rather disappointed to realise there was no shelter underneath it. It was just the roaring river, seemingly a lot more violent that day thanks to the weather.

Deidara already had his camera out, poising it towards the sky as Itachi leant back against the bridge and attempted to wrap his coat more around himself. He was freezing- the rain was cold and the wind even colder, leaving him wondering why he didn't just head home.

Lightning cracked across the sky and Deidara snapped a photo, grinning as he lowered it back down again.

"I need lots of photos," He explained as he pointed the camera back to the sky. "It's hard to capture lightning sometimes."

Itachi tilted his head back, closing his eyes to save himself getting an eyeful of rain. He leant his elbows back against the top of the bridge's side, leaning back against the wall and simply waiting for Deidara to finish.

"Aren't you going to watch?"

He cracked an eye open to glance at Deidara, who had stopped taking photos and was eyeing him curiously.

"Should I be?" He eventually ventured with.

"That's why you're here?"

No, Itachi mentally disagreed- he was here because he'd somehow let this idiot into his heart and he'd managed to take over it, along with the common sense area of his brain.

"I'm here because you asked me to come," he said simply, closing his eyes again. It sounded suspiciously like admitting a flaw in his mind but he beat it down- even if it was, Deidara had now witnessed him being imperfect and practically encouraged it.

"I'm glad you did," Deidara replied, snapping another shot. "I'm always happiest when I'm sharing these things with you."

It took a second for Itachi to process those words. Deidara was back to happily snapping photos, apparently not too worried about his admittance.

Itachi had never wanted to wrap his arms around someone and kiss the life out of them so badly until that moment.

"You're shivering- are you cold?"

Itachi hesitated, almost about to insert the generic perfect answer expected of him that he was fine, but changing his mind. "Freezing," he admitted.

Deidara immediately slipped the camera around his neck, blowing into his hands and pulling up Itachi's own, rubbing them gently. Deidara's hands were slick with rain and not much warmer but Itachi wasn't concentrating on the reason behind the gesture right then- just that it was happening at all.

"You are pretty cold, yeah," Deidara remarked, frowning slightly in concern. He reached out and put his arms around Itachi, pulling him close and resting his head on his shoulder. His breath was warm on the back of Itachi's neck, leaving the elder man shuddering slightly and resisting the urge to pin him against the bridge and do unspeakable things to him.

He opened his mouth to speak, swallowing to moisten his suddenly dry throat. His heart was racing and he suspected Deidara might even be able to feel it, pressed tightly up against his chest and breathing steadily in his ear and rubbing circles on his back gently.

He needed to speak, say something, do something- anything.

"I'll be fine," he eventually spoke, slowly pushing Deidara off. "Just take your photos so we can get out of here soon, alright?"

Deidara did as instructed, leaving Itachi to mentally curse himself for his lack of action. He had the perfect opportunity right there to put a stop to all the feelings in his head and he had given it up! Why?!

He sighed, biting his lip slightly and looking back up to the heaving sky. It was because he couldn't face the idea of upsetting the balance he had on life by officially introducing Deidara into it. Did that mean he was now doomed to feel this way and never be able to say anything?

By the time the following hour rolled around Itachi was not in a good mood. He had many reasons to be in a terrible mood, but one stood out the most right then. He was an idiot.

It was the right decision. That was what hurt the most- he'd glided along, knowing his feelings and just hitching his hopes on one day being able to find the perfect time and place to tell Deidara and have all his problems fix themselves so they could live happily ever after.

Well, that really was just for fairytales, wasn't it? Only in this twisted tale he was the broken princess with a perfection complex that ruled his life and Deidara was a knight in slightly dented, scratched armour who kept getting lost in his quest to save the damsel.

"Itachi...?"

Deidara was staring at him, the concern from earlier returning. Itachi wanted to snap at him but he knew that was unfair- it wasn't his fault that he was feeling so wretched, after all.

"Are you done?"

His voice was level and didn't betray anything negative. He was the master of hiding how he really felt so why should now be any different?

"I can be if you really want me to be, yeah."

That wasn't what he wanted at all. Itachi exhaled in frustration, leaning back against the side of the bridge once more. This was Deidara's celebration- a strange one, but still his. Itachi wanted the idiot to be happy and free and doing completely outlandish things that always made him smile inside, not caged up with him in his small garden.

He smiled despite himself at that metaphor, glancing across at Deidara. He was looking a little upset, so Itachi pointed up at the sky above them and cocked his head.

"It's still stormy," he pointed out. "So why are you looking at me and not taking photos of it?"

Deidara thought for a moment before snapping a photo of Itachi, grinning and pointing the camera back at the sky. Itachi pushed himself off of the side of the bridge, walking over to where Deidara was leaning forward against it further down and joining him.

"Do you want to go back?" Deidara asked after they had been standing close together in comfortable silence.

"How much longer do you want to stay?"

Deidara thought about that for a moment, looking up as lightning forked across the sky in front of them. He fingered the edge of the camera around his neck, giving Itachi a sly glance.

"I'd stay all night if I could."

"No," Itachi replied flatly. "I was hoping on a compromise."

"Don't you see the magic in a storm?" Deidara argued, pointing his camera back at the sky.

Itachi folded his arms against his chest, once again trying to wrap his already-tight coat even tighter around himself.

"Don't you see how cold and wet it is?" He countered.

"You really can complain when you want to, can't you?"

Itachi faltered on giving an answer. Complaints were imperfect, weren't they? Was he really doing that...?

Screw that, he told himself. He was going to be more relaxed around Deidara so he could entertain the idea of a relationship with him.

He would become more comfortable, even if he had to force his own hand and make a list of every single imperfection bothering him at that moment. He blinked a couple of times at the thought, a wicked grin crossing the edge of his lips. That was a rather tempting idea.

"You know," he began. "I'm not going to argue with you about this anymore. We are leaving- do you know why?"

Deidara pouted, but indicated he was listening.

"It's about minus ten thousand out here and just in case you didn't notice, there's rather a lot of rain around," Itachi began, halting as Deidara held a hand up.

"That's the point, yeah."

"Deidara, be quiet."

Deidara snapped his lips closed, blinking slightly in shock.

"I am so cold I'm surprised I can even think straight," Itachi continued, glaring at his companion for good measure. "My teeth hurt because I can't stop shivering."

"I already tried to warm you, yeah," Deidara muttered, sounding suspiciously like he was whining. "I can try again if it'll shut you up."

His comment went unnoticed as Itachi continued. "If we were lost or something then I'd gladly accept that, though I wouldn't be very pleased-"

"You're not even listening are you?"

"-however, we're here because you decided you wanted to drag me out to stand around and watch you take a million photos-"

"Idiot, yeah. How oblivious are you?"

"-most of which you're going to discard because they won't show the lightning you want anyway and even if they do you probably won't be satisfied. Do you understand now why I'd like to go home?"

Deidara stared at him for a moment, sighing resignedly. "That doesn't sound like much of a compromise."

"Deidara!"

"Fine," Deidara shrugged, looking momentarily overwhelmed before hiding it speedily. "Whatever you want, yeah."

Itachi smiled to himself as they walked away, feeling accomplished. Now that was complaining. It had taken all his concentration but he had managed it, and he had got his own way to boot. He was feeling so achieved he completely missed the defeated look in Deidara's eye as they walked along silently towards their unofficially shared home, pelted by the pouring rain as they went.

Chapter End