Blossom in the Wind
Writer's Trade Fic

“Hurry up, un!”
“One minute, Deidara-sempai!!!”
“That’s what you said ten minutes ago!’ the blonde shinobi rolled his eyes, staring intently at the locked door. “For God’s sake, Tobi! I don’t take as much time in the bathroom, and my hair is about three times as long as yours!”
The door remained stubbornly silent, and very infuriatingly, still locked.
Sighing in defeat, Deidara slumped against the doorframe, blowing up the bang over his left eye in frustration. Cerulan gaze fixed stubbornly on the copper handle, he mentally began counting.
I will give him thirty seconds, un…
Ten….
Twenty…
Hands on his palms began to hungrily devour clay from the sculptor’s pocket, chewing eagerly.
“Tobi, it would be a shame if I had to blow the door up. I seriously don’t feel like listening to Kakuzu bitch…” Deidara called out in a casual voice, fingers sculpting the final touches on a tiny bird in his palm.
A small ‘eeeeep!’ erupted from behind the door. A couple of crashes and mad footsteps later, the lock clicked, and a very flustered masked face poked out.
“I’m ready!!”
Biting back a chuckle, Deidara pocketed the bird. “Took you long enough, un.”
The smaller member shrugged and brushed past the sculptor to collect his bag and hat lying on his bed.
The blonde mimicked his shrug before scraping his messy bangs into a ponytail. Slapping his hat on, he peered through the paper chains at his partner.
“OK. Have you finished your beauty check?” he asked, a little sarcastic tinge to his voice.
“Of course, sempai!”
“Good. Let’s go, un.”
“Sempai?”
“Yeah, un?”
“…what was the mission again?”
…
“Don’t tell me you forgot already!” the sculptor stared in disbelief at the embarrassed boy, intently fiddling with the tiny chain hanging from the bamboo hat.
“Erm…” he replied intelligently.
“Leader-sama told us both THIS MORNING…”
“I was…erm…asleep, sempai…”
“Asleep. On your feet.”
“I am very talented at many things, Deidara-sempai!”
With a defeated sigh, shoulders slumping, Deidara pulled out a scroll from his bag. “I’ll bet…” he groaned before tossing the scroll at Tobi. “Here. Read. I will be back in five minutes…”
Before closing the door, he heard the masked boy make a confused noise. He peered over his shoulder. Despite having his features covered, he could tell Tobi was staring at the paper with absolutely no clue to what was going on.
“You’re holding it upside-down, Tobi…”
“Oh…yeah.”
Kami…the blonde thought, closing the door behind him.

A refreshing breeze, drenched with the scent of the forest nearly swept across the countryside. The long grass swayed in the wind, the endless sapphire shy only stained by a few wisps of cotton-like clouds.
Deidara closed his eyes briefly, drinking in the quickly fading scents of the day. Unintentionally, he let out a content sigh.
“Sempai, can we stop for a bit? I am getting tired…”
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at the lagging boy behind him.
“I swear Tobi, you have the stamina of a slug…but fine.” He remarked, shaking his head, the tiny bell tingling.
Hearing this, Tobi bounded up ahead, the prospect of stopping soon sounding too good to wait.
Rolling his eyes, the sculptor followed him.
NOW he is fast, un…

“Sempai? Is there anything you’re really scared of?”
Inwardly sighing, Deidara gripped the branch a little harder, steadying himself.
“Why would you want to know, Tobi, un?” he muttered, swinging his legs.
“I am curious…”
“Wow. Newsflash. That’s something new…” the blonde muttered, plucking off a tiny budding flower from a nearby branch. He idly twirled it between his fingers.
“…I am scared of…erm…poisonous animals. I hate snakes, un.”
“Why? They have pretty scales.”
“yeah, but they’re slimy, and they bite you…”
“You and Orochimaru-san would have been great friends…”
Chuckling, Deidara leaned back, his voice turning a little more serious.
“I am scared of…sickness. Of…time…” his voice trailed off. Hazy blue eyes stared blankly at the tiny blossom in his palm, the hand mouth carefully holding it steady.
Another gust of wind suddenly swept along the two figures on the tree. Sweeping the long blonde bangs over Deidara’s face, he was glad to hide behind a sudden makeshift mask, with his fears and himself suddenly so exposed.
“Sempai, what do you mean, time?”
“…why are you asking me these things?” he muttered, turning his head away, embarrassed.
“Cuz I am interested, sempai! And I can see it’s important for you!”
Unwillingly surrendering, Deidara’s gaze returned to the tiny flower.
“I am scared of time…because it destroys everything. Hope, beauty…life.” His hands closed around the fragile little petals, as if wanting to preserve it, shelter it from the iron clasps of time ad decay.
“But sempai…isn’t that the whole point of your art?”
“Eh?!” Deidara faced his pondering partner, bewildered.
“You always say art is fleeting. So if there was no time, and it didn’t do what you said, you couldn’t have your art…could you?”
Slowly, the other nodded.
“I guess so, un…” he looked away, visible eye studying the distant mountains.
Slowly, almost cautiously, Tobi inched closer to his silent sempai. Carefully, a gloved hand closed around the clenched one.
Jerking at the contact, Deidara whirled around to face the unreadable orange swirl.
Slowly, Tobi’s hand gently pried Deidara’s fingers open, revealing the flower again. He then eased his grip.
“Let it go, sempai.”
For a minute, Deidara just studied his partner. Then, with a sudden move, threw the blossom in the wind.
Fluttering in the gust, the petals danced, caught in the rays of the sun peeing from behind the clouds. It circled around their heads before a new gust of wind swept it away beyond Deidara’s mechanical sight.
Silently squeezing the masked boy’s hand, Deidara leaned back against the tree, his signature grin lacing his lips once more.
Tobi swung his legs over the branch, humming something under his breath.
“What are you singing?” the sculptor murmured, struggling against the sweet temptations of sleep, the fresh scent of the woodlands dulling his tired senses.
“Something I heard Zetsu-san sing in the shower.”
“…Zetsu sings in the shower, un?”
“Yes! He has a very pretty voice. Only don’t tell him I told you that Deidara-sempai.”
With a shake of his head, Deidara smiled.
“You’re secret’s safe with me, un.”