Puppeteer

…

Summary:

She was beautiful, graceful and deadly, a true definition of his art. And because his art was eternal, she would not be allowed to change, ever.

Pairing:

Sasori x Sakura

Raiting:

M

Betas:

N and C

…

Chapter 1

*Klank Klank Klank*

Went her fingers as she moved them around in morbid fascination. They moved smoothly enough, only feeling a bit twitchy, if she tried to make any sudden movements with them. The perfectionist in her admitted that they were beautifully made, the red headed male had painted in every small detail starting from the smallest of scars in her fingertips, to the would-be-veins in her arms.

*Klank Klank Klank*

Went her fingers as she brought them closer to her wooden cheeks. No longer did they feel soft under her touch, all she could feel was the smooth wooden surface, no doubt painted as detailed as her hands. There was a frozen, calm expression on her carefully carved face, her before pouty lips no longer moved in the same way as they did before, her beautiful, wide smile now forever hidden behind her neutral look.

*Klank klank klank*

Went her fingers as she travelled them up from her cheeks to her eyes, her dark pink lashes appeared to still be there, as well as her slightly paler eyebrows. The frown that usually marred her features now a days wasn't there thought, apparently the red headed male hadn't thought it suited her. Her hair was the same, still pink and short, as she travelled her fingers through her bangs carefully.

*Klank klank kla-*

Went her fingers straight into the slightly bigger hands that had, apparently, been combing her hair in place. She gasped, airless, and turned her neck slightly to look up at the amused grey eyes of the red headed male. He took her hands in his own wooden ones and gave them a sharp once over.

"Do you like them?" He asked almost hopefully and pulled them to his lips.

"I…" Sakura started fearfully, oh how she wanted to gulp right then.

"I painted them red, it suits you," he said and intertwined their fingers, making Sakura see a flash of red on her nails.

"…Why?" The question was a shaky one, full of hidden tears that her eyes couldn't shed. His eyes flashed with impatience and he squeezed her hands in his wooden ones.

"They didn't deserve you," and he seemed done with the subject, almost angry even.

"Who?"

"Your legs are almost finished. As soon as you can walk, we are leaving," he ignored her quiet question and with a soft peck to her fingers, he carefully released her hands.

All the rest of her questions died on her tongue at his quiet dismissal. He clearly wasn't one to be questioned. Still, her biggest question remained.

'Why did you do this to me?'

…

Walking for the first time after turning into a puppet came to her a lot easier than she had thought. After her few skeptical steps, she started to take more confident stripes around the room. The quiet klicks and klanks her body made didn't bother her as much as she had thought they would, that or she tried to ignore them. Either way, it was working.

The red head was watching quietly as she took almost childish glee from the freedom of movement she hadn't had in a while. With a lazy smile on his lips, he watched Sakura jump around. Her bare body was a sight he found himself admiring. Her steps were agile, that of a ninja she had been for the most part of her life, still as quiet and precise as they had been when she was "alive".

He hummed and stepped away from the wall he had been leaning on, pleased that his wait was finally over.

"We are leaving," he said and with a few quick hand signals, sealed away his tools and parts that were still usable. Sakura watched him clean away his tools, feeling the need to bite her lips, but decided to wrinkle her fingers. It still felt wrong, not being able to move her lips around as much.

"Stop that", she heard and flinched, deciding to hang her arms at her sides and stare at her red painted toenails.

"Where… are we going?" Sakura asked carefully and looked at the male from under her bangs.

"We will have to move quickly. Remember to stay within range of me, you have no personal chakra core at the moment," he said and donned on his cape. He took another pile of clothing and threw it towards Sakura.

"Dress yourself," and with that he left the now empty room.

Sakura looked down at the pile of clothes in her arms, there were pants, a shirt and a familiar looking cloak. It bothered her how she wasn't ashamed by her lack of clothes, but guessed it had something to do with her new body and how it no longer felt human to her.

Why cover up a wooden frame? It's not like men would be interested in it anymore.

She walked towards the table she had been stuck on for days and laid down the garments. She slipped on the black pants first and could immediately tell they were males. The shirt came on next, a simple black tee-shirt that was a bit too long for her, also men's.

But the black and red cape seemed to be glaring her, she didn't remember much, all her memories were still in a bit of a haze, but those clouds… there was something about them. She was almost going to leave it there, when the door opened to reveal the red head.

"We need to leave," he said impatiently and looked at the cape laying on the table. He tsked and picked it up, throwing it over her shoulders in one smooth move and buttoning it up, clearly ignoring the way she flinched at his touch. When done he turned around and walked towards the door, clearly expecting her to follow.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked again, this time in a stronger tone, some of her stubborn nature shining in her glassy eyes, as she refused to take a step.

The male looked in her direction and after seeing her stubborn look, smirked, as if amused by her stubbornness.

"Home."

…

Beta notes:

N:

C:

This only took almost forever, I apologize for that, I had some personal issues to take care of 1st.

And as always, thank you all for reading and have a nice day!

R&R

TY

-Hana