Chapter 2 - Crimson morning

The Akatsuki base was dull and quiet. Tobi hadnt been in his customary good boy attitude for days now. He had fixed his mask with some of Deidaras old clay, but things just didnt feel the same.
The whole base seemed to be submerged in the silence of mourning. Itachi was even quieter and more reclusive than usual, Kisame was reduced to saying something, regretting it, then mumbling something about getting some sake before he would get up and leave. Kakuzu stopped grumbling about finances, or lack of them, and even Hidan rarely uttered a curse, carrying out his Jashinist rituals in near silence.
And Tobi& Tobi would never be the same. The hate, it clawed at him, like a ravenous beast. Willing him, no, forcing him to go after the brat that had killed his senpai, his partner& But he resisted the call of revenge, and waited.
And what troubled him the most was the absence of art. He still talked to Deidara, because, true to his word, his spirit never left him for long. Deidara would often make small explosions for entertainment, to lighten the oppressive mood a little, but they were silent, nothing more than a flash of light. Tobi was often obliged to use the remainder of Deidaras clay under his partners instruction. But it was never the same, and it never would be.
Also, to Tobis utter confusion, nobody else could see Deidara, or rather, his spirit. So, to his slight amusement, Deidara would often stand behind Pein and pantomime his every motion. While Tobi would have to suppress the fits of laughter that this brought, to the confusion of the other members and to the anger of Pein.
Even Zetsu, who talked to himself on a regular basis, was surprised when Tobi had an entire conversation with a patch of air in front of him, or himself, it was hard to tell. When asked whom he was talking to, Tobi calmly replied, Deidara-senpai. Before walking off, leaving a befuddled Zetsu looking after him with surprised golden eyes.
But hatred and revenge is never forgotten, and Tobi still held the scorched scope when he was sure nobody was looking. And he would still sob silently at night under his orange and black spiral mask, and Deidara would watch over him in silence, sad that he could no longer comfort his partner and brush away his tears. And so the days dragged on in agonizing monotony until a week passed.
Tobi snapped. At the urging of Deidara, he had fled the hideout. The other members found out when Zetsu, being an early riser, found a small note pinned to his bedroom door with a shuriken.
Sorry Zetsu-san. Deidara and I have gone off to find and kill that brat, the youngest Uchiha. Dont worry, Tobi will try to be a good boy and not make him suffer too much. If anyone needs us, well be in Konohagakure.
~Tobi
Each Akatsuki member had a similar note attached to their door, thanking them and telling them not to worry. As Hidan put it, Jashin have mercy on that poor idiot, hes finally gone insane. Everyone listened to this comment and nodded solemnly. This had happened before, even though technically they werent supposed to get too attached to their partner. But, much to Peins consternation, it did happen and much too often for his liking. It was hard enough finding replacements for one member, but two was almost impossible.
Eventually everyone was sent off on their respective missions, while ordered to keep a lookout for Tobi and to retrieve him if he was found. Zetsu shook his head sadly and went off to scout; Itachi was pondering the meaning of the youngest Uchiha. Pein was left to consider possibilities for new partners, and that always made him dejected, because it meant hours of sifting through paperwork. Konan sighed and followed Pein, she always needed to make sure he didnt get too frustrated, or the weather could go from sunny to miserable in three minutes flat.

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