Metamorphosis

What lead him home to the place he betrayed, the place that could have been nothing but the sand that now blow through his hair before clearing. It was nothing to him.

Then why; now that he was the walking dead did he return.

Redemption from his old ways?

Yearned for the sense of somewhere to return to?

A home?

What did it matter now that Akatsuki lay dead.

But they weren't dead, they were more alive now then ever before.

As if anyone had noticed yet.

But she did…

--

The wind brought a gentle gust of sand as it danced around him slowly reviling Sunagakure. He was far enough to watch as the sun pelted onto the buildings letting them slightly glimmer. It was a flitting thought he could careless for: the beauty of his old village. He could have kept walking, go into the village at least… when was the last time he saw it? Oh yes, with Deidara, when they kidnapped the Kazekage… then I died.

'What am I still doing here?'

"Hey." A soft spoken voice stated. He turned his head slightly, his eyes widened for a moment, comprehending the women behind him. Her unique pink hair and sea foam eyes that could only befit one person. His murderer.

"You going to Suna or what?" She had spoken once again, hinting his speechlessness.

He looked back to the village then towards her once again. "I don't know yet."

She smiled slightly at the idea of the man's dilemma. Truly it hadn't been much of a surprise that the kunoichi had not recognized him. His red hair had slightly faded as the sand painted it with its dirt and earth, as well as his face not yet subdue with wrinkles but still held an air of wisdom. He was in his original body, right before he had turned himself into a puppet, and become his own puppeteer.

Pein had revived the Akatsuki as the body they held before their heart had ever stopped. But they weren't Akatsuki anymore which explained his change in clothing. Pein is dead, their leader is dead. Yet he revived his subordinates for what purpose?

And so the pink-haired kunoichi, Sakura Haruno stood by him not knowing he was suppose to be dead.

"Your going to get sand all over you dress like that, here." She said as she began removing her scarf, and wrapped it around his neck and head, shielding him from the sudden winds of sand. He didn't stop her, it wasn't as if he'd truly needed the scarf, he'd lived in harsh terrain for years this was nothing but a light breeze on a summers day. But as if he'd felt paralyzed by death so long that the slight brush of her hand was so welcoming onto the cold of his skin, that he'd done nothing. "What's your name anyways?"

It would have been simple to give himself an allies, like as if it was for the seer entertainment of her reaction to who he was he spoke with sudden intensity. "Akasuna no Sasori."

Her soft smile faded slowly in sudden realization but she didn't look quite surprised as he'd hoped she be. "I knew you looked familiar…" she looked to him almost angry but her eyes viewed differently as if she could easily break in tears. "Why are you alive?… what are you even doing here…"

He slightly tilted his head away from her gazing back towards Suna. "I don't know." He answered truthfully, he didn't know but really he couldn't have care much: he was breathing, just that.

"Don't turn your back on me!" She acted as if she wear to hit him firmly holding her fist, before loosing it, as she noticed that he began to walk towards the sand village. "What are you…" she said blankly as he continued to ignore her. "You cant just go inside and pretend they will let you in with open arms! Pretend that I will let you set one foot on Sunagakure!"

"Sakura…"

She hesitated and calmed quickly, surprised he even took the effort to remember her name. Yet he stopped in his tracks still not facing her, it slightly pissed her off that it didn't seem like he wouldn't take her threats seriously but she stood her ground and listened.

"How long has it been…"

It took her a moment to realize what he meant but she answered. "Three years."

"I've been away that long…" Then he continued to pace forward.

"Stop!" She demanded her fist curled tightly as he ignored her. "I told you to stop!" Her brows furrowed angrily at his lack of attention. "That's it!" She raced forward her palms glowing with hot chakra. She pulled the scarf that she knotted around his neck and pulled him to face her before throwing a hard punch at his face making his body nimbly fall a few feet away in the sand. She was slightly surprised at his lack of defence he'd place for himself. Like he'd wanted to mock her ability, or maybe he'd simply hadn't or couldn't avoid the blow? But that was impossible… but so is him being alive.

He arose on all fours as he faced back toward her the blood made it's way from his mouth. He took his hand to wipe the crimson substance from his chin before speaking. "That hurt kunoichi, I haven't felt pain in decades." He slowly got to his feet, understanding full well that his body had not yet fully recovered from death. And so his face ached more then what that punch should have felt, now it was substantial… he was alive.

"Good, cause the next one will hurt more." She stated gripping him on his shirt as Sakura swung another punch to his face causing him to fall to the sand once again, this time droplet's of blood stained the earth beneath him. He got up slowly, smirking as he looked towards her. "You could do this all day, just to prove I'm alive."

"I don't care if your alive or the walking dead, your not going to step foot into this village, not while I'm here…" And she ran to him head on and landed her fist onto his stomach and quickly with her other hand held onto him so he wouldn't hit the ground, she punched his stomach again and again before setting one on his face letting him go so that he could land on his back. "Go back to your fucking grave!"

He noticed the more she punched him the less chakra she used, and he was grateful, he felt himself in so much pain that the sudden shock of the new sensation of agony filled him but he held back his yells, instead he brought about a groan he could not contain. He panted on the sandy floor hearing her footsteps come closer. "I cant fight back…"

"I know you have no chakra reserves and you move so slow anyone would be ashamed to call you Akatsuki." She knelt down by him she noticed his blood staining her scarf that he'd worn but she quickly dismissed it as she stared soberly to him. She was a healer after all seeing someone in pain is what was her reputation to fix, and even a bad man didn't change her feelings of that concept. "Answer me why are you still alive."

Sasori began to laugh slightly a rare sight to see from such a stoic character but never the less he found her question some what amusing. "I told you, I don't know, even I don't hold all the answers…" Sakura was infuriated by then but she claimed herself rapidly as she began to place a chakra filled hand onto his chest. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "It's as if you can't produce chakra anymore… its completely gone no indication of chakra ever being created throughout your system…"

He smirked. "No more Jutsu's huh?"

"You're an actually human as well no more wood and steal… I'm going to take you into cavity the Kazekage will deal with you." She stated as her hands chakra began to disappear.

"I've been to hell and back, there is nothing anyone can do to match that."

"We try." Sakura smirked. "Now get up."

Sasori began to rise before hissing the pain from his broken ribs which now presented themselves. Sakura instinctively wrapped his arm around her neck helping him rise to his feet then she began to walk nicely in pace with his footsteps. It irritated him that she had beat him to the point that he could not even get up, just to make sure she knew he couldn't defend himself. Ridiculous the thought to feel pain and the touch of everything around him, he felt weak now that he wasn't an everlasting artwork no more, but mortal. The ability to age and rot was what he dreaded, though he did die. But he wont make that mistake again. 'I cant be a ninja now that I know my body fights against me.' He thought silently.

"Sasori, shut up and don't say anything, understood." Sakura demanded though Sasori could careless of her orders. It irked her but she let that pass as they came close to Suna's gate.

"Ah Haruno Sakura, the Kazekage is expecting you- and who's your friend?" The guardsmen spoke friendly, all knowing of Sakura's great talents that helped salvage their people in one way or another.

She spoke kindly smiling letting no interest in them knowing that she was carrying a rouge ninja from their village. "He's a friend, he's pretty wreaked up by the wind."

"Yea careful about the sand storms out there, you could have died; good thing you were along side ms. Haruno though." The guardsmen stated smiling back towards Sakura.

Sasori said nothing to the man, instead Sakura started walking him in. "Well I'll see you around fujimo-san!" She replied waving him with a hand as she continued through the crowd of people, there seemed to be preparations for a festival soon to come, and it gave Sakura time to reminisce of her childhood when she want to celebrations with her father and mother.

That was before Sasori cut through her thoughts. "Why didn't you leave me for them to handle, where are you taking me brat."

Sakura glared towards him for a moment before sighing. "I'm taking you straight to the Kazekage, I don't want you to come up with anything while I'm not around." Sasori smirked she still believed he was insanely strong even in this condition. It was flattering she overestimated his abilities.

Sasori began to straighten out his back so he didn't need to lean on Sakura for support. But the pain from his ribs stung out once more and he groaned and hissed again and again before Sakura stopped and placed a healing hand on Sasori's abdomen. "Stop trying to fix everything yourself your just going to cause more pain."

Sasori ignored her instead he focused on the slight healing of his bones it was a simple relief, she hadn't healed it completely considering the situation but just enough that he didn't have to lean against her too much. It didn't take long to reach the Kazekage's building every ninja let her pass easily knowing her appointment at the establishment. They walked a flight of stairs that made Sasori hesitant but none the less he was able to counter it. Sakura opened the door into Gaara's office and placed Sasori down onto a chair.

Gaara eyed them suspiciously. "Sakura, who's…" Sakura unravelled the scarf around Sasori to revile his entire face. "Akasuna no Sasori…"

Sasori gave a 'hn' in response not particularly liking the thought of prison at the moment. But instead Gaara stood to walk towards them, as Sakura spoke. "I had found him in front of Sunagakure, he has no chakra or any sign of ever being such, as well as a weak body stability; he has no possibility of performing any taijutsu, but I wounded him slightly just in case." She had explained confirming any information she'd gathered. "I theorized Pein must have revived the Akatsuki as he revived the dead from Konoha only months ago, before he died."

Gaara nodded, pondering her information before answering her. "Your mission here in Suna was that I explained to you the sudden appearances of the dead Akatsuki. This includes Kisame, who was found in the land of mist as well as both Hidan in grass and Deidara in stone. You were to take up the responsibility in the capture of Sasori considering you have fought him before; and discover the sudden weakness they were found with."

Sakura was not much surprised of the contents of her mission. She nodded in response. "Understood."

"Sakura you'll have a apartment, while Sasori will be in the medical building. You'll begin your investigation as soon as you can." Gaara said softly. "If you need anything just ask."

"Thank you Kazekage-sama. I mean Gaara." Sakura smiled still forgetting his annoyance of friends calling him of his high ranked title.

Gaara nodded and dismissed her, a Suna guardsmen took hold of Sasori and escorted them both to the medical building Sasori will be kept prisoner in.

The building was a sense of security for her, of home, after all, considering she practically had lived there. People could have said it wasn't healthy to work too much. But it was far from work, it was a passion to save lives to help. It was her home, the large family she'd do anything to protect.

Sasori on the other hand wasn't too thrilled to be confined in such a place, but it was steps better then jail cells. So he sat onto the white covered bed as if to test the spring. "Well its no coffin." He'd stated sarcastically.

Sakura in turn rolled her eyes. "Lay down get some rest, heal those wounds of yours."

"I've been asleep for years, I'm too tired to go back to bed." Sasori smirked, yet he laid on the bed anyways careful not to place too much pressure on his ribcage.

"Just be a good boy; I'll be back tomorrow." Sakura stated, it was irritating how now that he was proven weak and defenceless he could be treated as a mere child. He clenched his jaw slightly when she turned to leave and the door shut and locked tightly. He took a visual around the room: completely white with no sight of a window. Looked like they were taking any necessary precautions, as if he'd even contemplated the idea of suicide. You cant live forever if your dead.

Instead Sasori lifted his head back, letting the silence of the room invoked him. Suddenly and irksome sound alongside an unfamiliar feeling erupted from within him.

"I'm hungry."

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A/N: Comments and or feedbacks are always appreicatated :)