Alone together (Akatsuki kittens)

Claw Games

"Jojo Christ, I don't know how to fix whatever the hell is going on with Deidara." Dalia whispered to Konan. They had given Deidara a bunch of quarters to go and play at a claw machine in order to make a distraction. And Angela was given an iPad. Yeah, she's an iPad kid, but she's only allowed screen time for 1 hour a day.

"Don't your people have mind doctors?" Konan pointed out. Sighing, Dalia rubbed at her temples. "Well yeah, but where would they even start? If Deidara reveals too much of what he... she? They?" They stopped for a second and turned towards Deidara, whom, at this point, had a stack of plushies piling up.

"Yo, DeiDei!?" Dalia called. Said person nodded slightly in response, not breaking concentration from the giant teddy bear caught in the claw, yet showing indication of listening. "What are your pronouns?" Konan asked. Deidara's lips pressed to a thin line. "I don't even know anymore. Use whatever." Was the response as Deidara went to pick up the bear and added it to the pile.

"Anyway," Dalia grabbed some Calvin Klein shirts and threw them into the kart as she spoke. "What they've been through in their childhood in Iwagakure alone will be enough to be locked up in an insane asylum. Deidara needs more than just therapy and professional help."

She looked over at the other female and watched in shock, amazement, and silent horror as Konan picked some leather articles of clothing, that Dalia was absolutely certain, were a size or two smaller than Nagato's real measurements.

She was just going to ignore that.

"Well, in order for Deidara to even begin a healing process, we'll need to stop what's dragging him down in the first place. Remove what's stopping him from growing." Konan said. "So... what's causing his dilemma? What's giving him such inner turmoil that he's stuck? What could it be?" They wondered.

"Can you say 'boy?'"

They turned towards Angela, who, up to this point, had just been chilling. She may be an iPad kid, but Dalia will be damned if she does not become the smartest kid with more common sense than Karen's kids. Ugh, Karen from the PTA. She thinks she's so cool cuz she married into a family that owns a country club. So full of herself that she believes her kids are too advanced for preschool. News flash, Karen, nobody gives a shit.

"Now say 'boys'"

"The boys." Both Dalia and Konan had lightbulbs go off in their heads. "Alright then, as soon as we get home, we'll force them to apologize to Deidara. If they refuse, we'll simply withhold their clothes and let them rot in their rancid pillowcases they call pants." Dalia concluded with an smile that promised bad intentions. Konan looked around the isles for anything that could be to Kisame's liking. "I commend you for your idea, but they're shinobi. They'll just find and steal them behind your back. They won't just listen to you just because you tell them. Believe it or not, they do feel embarrassment and humiliation." Konan said as she loaded a big-ass pot into the ever growing pile in the kart.

Where did she get it? No one will know. (She sent a clone to the landscaping section to retrieve it because she didn't feel like walking all the way over there. This trip IS entertaining and she appreciates the time away from the shit stains she calls 'colleagues,' but she is starting to get a bit nervous being out in public.)

"Ahh, but who said anything about making it easy on them, huh? Question, can your body function as an envelope?" Dalia asked. Konan stopped. Turned to look at the Dalia. And smirked.

"You're not as stupid as I thought you were."

"HEY! KONAAAAAN!" Dalia whined.

Time skip ~ On their way home

Dalia and Konan spoke softly at the front as Deidara sat in the back next to Angela in her booster seat.

"-and I don't really think he can protect me, because I know how to protect myself, but you can have him, Anji. Just keep him close when you get scared and you'll feel super brave!" Deidara said as he gave Angela the big teddy bear he had won from the claw machine game. He had all the smaller ones in a pile, but he wanted to give the biggest one to her. He felt warm in his heart as Angela looked at it in awe and quickly hugged Deidara's arm. "Tank you, DeiDei. I love you." She said with a toothy smile.

Deidara remembered a time when they used to live in Iwagakure. At that time, they were a girl. She was kept close to the Tsuchikage and his family. Her kekkei genkai was invaluable. But she didn't always live with them. She was discovered in the border of the land of stone as an abandoned baby. For a few years, she lived in an orphanage. Nothing to glance at. Just a rundown building with only three matrons. There were many orphans, though. Many of them, casualties from the previous war. The matrons could barely handle the whole lot. She didn't care much for the other kids, other than the ones that caused trouble.

They were kids of war, yet, they were going through a war themselves. They fought for attention, food, clothing, toys. Anything that had any value. Sentimental or otherwise.

One day, the Tsuchikage gave a secret order for his ANBU to scout out at the orphanage for any potential apprentices they could take. The Tsuchikage believed this to increase the power in the next generation to come, forging a stronger military that could make the other nations tremble.

The ANBU came and went, not one finding anything interesting. Although, the last one to come, Cougar, noticed something the others didn't. Noticed something in Deidara.

Despite being smaller and weaker than the other children, she posed a quick mind, and her instincts were swift. It was during a squabble that the ANBU saw her in action.

The kids had been extra rowdy that day. The food portions had been smaller than usual and that had caused many of them to start stealing from each other. It does not take a genius to figure out what happened next.

After many time outs, the left over children were let outside to play. Deidara sat on a slab of stone and watched the others with a bored expression. Cougar analyzed the scene, as a group of older kids snuck up slowly from behind Deidara, like a pack of lions, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting prey.

Though, their plans were foiled as she leapt back and kicked two boys in the face, judo flipped one on his back, uppercut another one, and as if that wasn't funny enough, she chased after and tackled the last one to the ground, where she proceeded to sit on his back. "I said I didn't take your rice!" She yelled to the boy, pulling on his hair, making him cry out. She then dusted herself off as she picked up the boys, one by one, taking them inside, and telling on them.

That was the day that changed her life.

A few days later, one of the matrons had told her that she was getting adopted. Her first reaction was skeptical. Why would anyone want her? But she didn't wonder too much as she walked downstairs to meet the person who would take her away. Only then then did she feel some sort of excitement. Finally, she would leave this awful place. Maybe she wouldn't have to fight for anything anymore.

Hello, my beautiful ducklings! I've returned and bearing gifts!

AO3 was down a few days ago, so I got bored. And came back to my ex, Wattpad. I'm here for a good time, not a long time...

or am I?
>;)