I woke with a start to a slight rocking motion, I wrongly assumed Kyo was jumping around on my bed - as he so often did in the morning.

"Get off me Kyo, I'm tired!" I mumbled, thrashing my legs around in an attempt to get him off. I heard someone chuckle darkly and my eyes snapped open immediately.

"Who the hell are you?" I was being carried by a man with short, shaggy red hair, chocolate brown eyes, a black cloak and a lovely, if slightly mocking smile. Admittedly he was beautiful, but that didn't excuse him for taking me.

"I am Sasori." he said shortly,

"Where are you taking me?"

"To join Akatsuki.

Oddly I was genuinely interested, not just scared. "What's tha-"

"The Akatsuki" he interrupted, "are an organization that I am part of. I do not know why I as sent to get you, only that Leader Sama wants you. You have no need to tell me your name, you are Sora and that is all your questions answered."

"Ok but-"

"No buts; don't bother trying to get away. It is useless."

"I know, but Sasori?"

"Yes?"

"I can walk." I giggled shyly as he put me down. I felt strangely relaxed. I was being kidnapped. Taken away from my home. Stolen. And yet, I felt fine. This man, Sasori, may be cold and snappy, but - for reasons unknown to me - I liked him. Were I to take a guess I suppose he had actually chosen to talk to me, which is always nice. Besides, I had nothing to loose. Nothing that was still mine...

I looked up, examining my surroundings. There were trees everywhere. I had never been in forest before - not that I remembered at least, it was beautiful. The sun was shining through gaps in the leaves; dappling the ground; gently warming my skin. There were birds in the trees; singing joyful songs; introducing me to new, wonderful music.

"Where are we Sasori?" I said, my voice full of wonder.

"About two hours away from the edge of the desert." he said, giving me an odd glance.

"What?"

"You just look so surprised." he chuckled.

"Well it's so beautiful. I've never been in a forest before and everything is so lovely."

"You are a strange one." he said with a beautiful smile playing about his lips, and for the first time that I had seen, reaching his eyes. * * * * *

"So.. Sasori.. Where do you come from?" I said, looking at the other redhead. We hadn't known each other long, in fact, only for eight hours, but we got on really well. I felt like I had known him my whole life - I was entirely comfortable with him. Although, I felt I shouldn't be...

"I lived in Suna."

"Oh.. How come I don't know you?"

"You never did get out much I suppose." he said with a grin, "Probably for the best, otherwise..." his smile suddenly dropped into a frown of worry.

"Otherwise what?"

"You would have heard about me." he mumbled, turning his face away from me.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll be scared if I tell you." He said matter-of-factly.

"Nothing you say will make me scared of you." I said with a reassuring smile - I honestly believed my words.

"I'm a murderer. And I'm not even really human."

"What?" I stuttered. He was right, I was scared.

"Well, I use puppets. I wanted better puppets and human puppets are stronger as they retain their chakra and Jutsus. I kill people to turn into my puppets. I have 298." He gave me a half-hearted, hopeful grin. Yet there was so much sadness in his eyes.

"Oh.." was all I could say. Sasori, who I had grown so fond of (quickly I know, but I'd been on my own for pretty much five years and I always get attached to things pretty quickly), was a murderer. We continued walking in silence. I don't know why I didn't run. I got the feeling Sasori might let me. But he looked so dejected that I wanted to stay with him. My compassion could have killed me. How ironic.

"If you're not human, what are you?" I broke the somewhat uncomfortable silence.

"Were it for me to decide, I would say I am a human who could not fully become a puppet." he said with a sad smile.

"Can I see?" assuming there was actually something to see.

"Yes." he said, taking off his cloak. He had a massive hole where his stomach would be with something coiled up inside. His head looked like it could turn the whole way around. I stared in wonder. He was amazing.

"What's that?" I said, pointing at something protruding where his heart would be with the kanji for scorpion painted on it.

"It's the only bit of me left. I am made fully of wood, all except this." He placed his hand over it dramatically.

"That's amazing Sasori!"

"You really think so?"

"Yeah!" He stepped forward and put his arms around me. "Thank you Sora." He put so much feeling into those words. It felt like he was thanking me for so much more than he should be.

"No problem." I said as he removed his arms

Sasori finally decided it was a good time and place to set up camp. It was 9pm and I had known Sasori for approximately 13 hours. We made a rather unsuccessful fire and Sasori gave me his cloak to sleep on. I curled up on it and sighed. It had been a strange day: I had been kidnapped by a murderer, who I promptly made friends with. But what did I have to lose? I had no life back at Suna. At least now I had someone to talk to.