How many days had passed since Itachi arrived here? Ten? Seven? Seventy-two? He had no idea. Che. He should've counted in tally sticks on the wall near his bed. Ah, that's right. There is nothing to do that with. This place sucks.

"Blink, Itachi, or you'd get a dry eye." Kisame's brotherly voice reminded the teen of his incessant staring at the wall near his bed. This time he was at it for three minutes without blinking.

Itachi batted his eyelids slowly to get used to the sting before rapidly opening and shutting them to accumulate tears faster. Then he opened his eyes and proceeded to stare at the same spot on the wall again.

Kisame rubbed his face with a tired sigh. It was no use getting the raven to blink like a normal human being, that was why his eyes were always red. Why was he even bothered? It wasn't as if he and the younger teen were related any way so it was none of his business.

Just when Kisame was lamenting about how loud the silence was being in his room, the session bell rang for their art therapy session.

Now don't get Kisame wrong, he had never particularly jumped for joy at any therapy session that this stink hole provided but with the recent development in his room he gladly took every opportunity to bail out. Not that the other people he was going to meet were fascinating anyway.

"Come on Itachi, the wall is not running away."

Itachi looked from the wall to Kisame and back to the wall again as if weighing his options– Kisame couldn't tell with the kid– before he finally lifted himself up from his bed and walked out of the room.

"Come on Kisame, we would be late for art therapy." Itachi said after him much to the tall boy's displeasure. He really shouldn't be hearing that from Itachi's mouth!

Mentioning it would only start something he would rather not get into though so Kisame just sighed. "Yes master." He mocked and followed behind Itachi.

Kisame wasn't normally this tolerant. Okay that was a lie. Kisame tolerated a lot of nonsense from other people. He was once likened to a pressure pot that explodes when a lot of pressure is applied in it and whoever did that comparison was correct.

Right now he was putting up with Itachi but he was sure there would come a time that the raven would cause a reaction in him. An explosive one. Shit he was beginning to sound like Deidara.

Speaking of the blond, he was in an heated argument with Sasori about the true concept of art. Again. Those two never failed to amaze Kisame by beating themselves up over the same thing over and over again. Did they ever get tired?

"No way danna, un. Art is most beautiful when it's fleeting and short. It passes by in a flash and leaves everyone that saw it in awe and wanting more. It gives them amazing memories un!" Deidara was yelling into Sasori's face while the later calmly pushed him away.

"What's the use of having memories when you can just appreciate it forever? Beautiful art is long lasting and eternal, something you appreciate over and over again."

"I disagree, un!"

Uh oh here we go again.

"Let's ask the others what art is, you'd see how wrong you are danna un!"

They did this every. single. time. they came down for group art therapy and dragged the other inmates with them. Everyone's responses are always the same. Everyone would come to a general conclusion after hearing each other's views about art. Everyone would bond and become buddy buddy throughout the therapy session.

But does this mean that the exact same thing wouldn't happen during another art session? No. Absolutely not. Because something would always happen that would bring up an argument between Sasori and Deidara again. And the cycle would begin all over.

"What is art, un?" The first person Deidara asked was Tobi. The raven who had been listening attentively to their conversation all this while cheered when he was finally given permission to speak by his senpai.

"Tobi thinks art is crayons! Oh oh, and colour pencils!" Tobi said excitedly while Deidara and Sasori deadpanned.

"Forget I asked." Deidara would definitely forget he asked and ask him again come next session. "Obito what about you un? What's art to you?" While the blond seemed to be speaking to the same person it wasn't quite true. You see, there are two Tobis or should we say, Two Obitos. You'd learn more about the both of them in future chapters but just know this; Obito is way smarter than Tobi.

"Rin. Rin is art."

Forget what was said about Obito being smarter. He's obsessed with this girl called Rin that nobody knows. You'd learn more about her in future chapters too.

Seeing that the raven was not giving satisfactory answers Deidara and Sasori decided to ask other inmates what art was to them.

"Money." Kakuzu simplified in one phrase.

"I am art." Yahiko, the ever narcissistic inmate, huffed like it wasn't even a question. Deidara rolled his eyes at that which was creepy because his bad eye made the action look like something directly from an horror movie.

"A perfect figure 8 body!" Konan gushed. Hmph, model wannabes.

"Oxy." They probably shouldn't have asked Nagato. Now his withdrawal symptoms were kicking in due to the unfriendly reminder that his drug stash got confiscated.

"Che. You fucking losers have no idea what real art is!" Hidan sneered. "You see, when blood is dripping down your hands there's nothing more thrilling than that." And the silveret proceeded to give detailed descriptions of his occult activities which nobody listened to.

"Kisame what about you un?" Deidara asked the blue skinned boy who grinned. Of course he was going to say the same thing he said every art session! Everyone was doing the same thing, right?

"Prison riots are real art to me."

"Ugh!" Deidara facepalmed so hard that the side of his face that he slapped was beginning to look like his scar. They were all so useless! "Do I even want to ask Itachi un?"

Itachi blinked back at the blond. What is art? "Dango."

"Dango?" Deidara asked, baffled.

"Dango." Itachi repeated. "The harmony between the flavours, the chewy texture, the sweet taste of the sauce, the subtle charred taste, the beautiful colours of the dumplings, ah yes! Dango is pure art!"

"Forget I asked." Deidara deadpanned. "Forget I asked any of you." He turned to Sasori. "In the end you're the only one that understands what true art is, Sasori-danna. Even if our views are different I still respect you un."

"I guess your tastes are not that bad either." Sasori also acknowledged Deidara and they instantly became brothers in arms.

The chapter should end like this, right? In peace and harmony even the therapist didn't show up the entire time and the wards kept referring to themselves as inmates as if they were prisoners. No! Because at that moment, Tobi decided to ask the cursed question he always asks after every argument session.

"So is art eternal or fleeting?"

"Ah? Of course it's fleeting!"

"It's eternal, obviously."

Deidara and Sasori said at the same time. They faced each other, scowling after hearing the other's response and the cycle began again.

***

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-Star.