A/N: I couldn't help myself, I've been wanting to experiment with this couple! Originally this fiction was intended to last six chapters but then I decided I wanted to pursue a different story so this is going to stay a oneshot for a while, or at least until I feel like continuing it. c:

PLUVIOPHILE

(n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days

. . .

Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend who knows you well.

. . .

It began in the rain.

Uchiha Itachi mistook the thunder in his mind to be the steady sound of a brewing storm. He glided outside with a sort of refined elegance, the likes of which was not common anywhere and was especially rare in an organization such as the Akatsuki. Akasuna no Sasori took note of this as he quietly observed the man.

They had known each other for a span of some years now, and over that time they had established a certain degree of intimacy bordering on friendship. It was a weak connection and it mainly consisted of a few carefully chosen words here and there. Itachi kept himself guarded; his thoughts were locked down as if they were diamonds. Sasori supposed they could've been; they were rare and valuable, they must have been considering the multitude of skilled shinobi after him. Of course, his eyes were probably a larger factor in that particular quest.

Ah, yes. The spinning crimson orbs were certainly fascinating but Sasori had never held any personal interest in them. He had envisioned obtaining a puppet with the entrancing kekkei genkai, simply because he enjoyed rarities - enjoyed possessing them - but the man was far more important to him at this point. The day he had fallen for the Uchiha was one similar to this, with rain hurtling down from the sky as if the apocalypse was hiding around the corner.

It took only a few words - "Sometimes I wish the world would flood."

With those very words, Uchiha Itachi had won himself a place in Sasori's collection of wonders. Whether this was advantageous for him or not was a matter of opinion. He would come to no physical harm with the puppeteer, that was certain, but that was only so long as he remained entertaining.

So far he had proved an excellent distraction, whenever Sasori had nothing to turn to, he would seek out the younger and spend his time sorting through the defense mechanisms that Itachi seemed so fond of. Never a careless word. Nothing to allow for doubt that he was anything but a kinslayer. That he belonged with them. But Sasori had doubts, and now, as he watched his fondest obsession, he realized he didn't want to know the truth.

The truth had a habit of destroying everything it came in contact with. The truth could corrupt an innocent mind, because the truth was powerful when wielded correctly. Sasori had no desire to watch the walls of Itachi's castle tumble around him, even if it meant for a few brief moments he would finally understand why the somber man acted the way he did. The results would be catastrophic - besides, risks were better suited for those with no reason left to live.

Sasori had something to live for.

The beautifully precise doll crossed the distance between himself and his companion. He rested one hand on the taller man's shoulder and did not fail to notice the way the latter stiffened. "You're losing your edge, Uchiha." The comment was delivered with a playful edge and a sadistic smirk.

Itachi returned the expression, "It would seem so."

The two stood in silence for a number of minutes, almost as though the rain had whisked their voices away. The thunder certainly seemed to scold their meaningless exchange. They often danced around this way, waiting for the other to falter in his lies, and then the winner would give a knowing smile and they would depart from each other. It had been this way since they first met in the rain and happened upon the realization that it eased both of their nerves. The steady sound was a much needed placebo: it fixed nothing but seemed to block out worry all the same.

Sasori remained patient as the constant downpour soaked through his cloak and into the varnished wood that substituted as his body. He could hear the disgruntled bickering of Hidan and Kakuzu as they fought over some happening. Hidan had a habit of 'misplacing' the money given to him by his partner which led to a debate over what was worth the entire month's allowance of yen. If the sound of their argument had come crashing into his world at any other time he may have snickered, but instead Akasuna no Sasori simply ignored them.

He had practice at doing such considering his own partner was constantly chattering about something. The brat had been born without a sense of rationality and so he was unheeding in his insistence that explosions qualified as art. It was almost laughable, were it not so annoying.

Sasori watched as Itachi's dark eyes flickered over the landscape. He seemed to be waiting for something, holding onto some hope that was slipping from his grip. His silence might have been pointless to someone else but to the redhead it had a frenzied quality that spoke volumes of the Uchiha's mood. He seemed somewhat unstable but within moments the heat in his eyes was quelled and there was no hint of any deeper meaning to the quiet.

Sasori directed his chocolate gaze back out to the rain, searching for the apparition that had caused this abnormal spur of emotion. When he turned back to Itachi, the latter was watching him. The look was so cold it sent a tantalizingly slow shiver down his spine. Thunder broke the trance and all returned to the way it was before they seemed forbidden to speak; Sasori was the first to do so.

"Do you remember what you first said to me in the rain?"

Itachi paused for a moment, frowning gently as he searched his thoughts was an appropriate answer. There was always a hesitation in speech between the two of them, the raven-haired man was never sure whether he could trust the puppeteer, never sure who was pulling the strings.

"I wished the world would flood," he answered.

"Do you still desire such a thing?"

Onyx eyes shifted back to the river that ran through Akatsuki territory. It swelled with the rainfall, threatening to drown the entire area. The thought brought some peace to his frantic heart. He had always heard that drowning was a peaceful death. That breathing water came just as naturally as breathing air if you gave it some time.

It sounded like a much easier alternative to the fate that was wrought for him by God. But everything in its own time. For now he would make the most of his time with the criminal organization so that his brother could reap the benefits later on. So that Sasuke could right all of his wrongs. It was a fitting end; the person he cared about the most would be the death of him.

He glanced at his companion who seemed to be buckling under the forced attempt to remain patient. It was quite possibly the most prominent difference between them. Otherwise neither frequently showed his emotions and both remained a cool and distant exterior. So when he finally answered, he gave the redhead the answer he was looking for, not that Sasori would be deceived by the obvious lie.

Itachi smiled. "Of course."