Author's note: My first fan-fic!! Um... well, I also have this story posted on my deviantart and Quizilla! so... yeah...

Disclamier: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, this is a fanmade plot. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Rain splashed harder to the muddy ground as their destination grew closer. The mission had been to steal a scroll of jutsu and to kill anyone that prevented them from doing so.

Deidara's feet stuck in the mud, making a shluchk noise everytime the blonde took a step. The straw hat had kept Deidara's head dry, but the rest of his body wasn't so lucky. The black cloak held tightly to Deidara's think frame. "So... you said we're getting a scroll, right, Danna...un? Where it is...un?" The ex-Iwa nin asked, trying to be helpful. Sasori hesitated and gave Deidara an annoyed glare. "Look for a large building." The redhead answered simply. Deidara nodded.

The blue-eyed boy moved his left hand up to the scope on his face and began to adjust it, looking for a large building. He shivered when his wet cloak slowly slid down his arm, exposing his skin to the cold air and rain. The blonde spotted two large-ish buildings. "What color is it, Sasori no Danna...un?" Deidara asked. Sasori looked at the demanding blonde and noticed the scope. "Oh...it's blue." Sasori replied when he realized Deidara could probably find it alot faster than he could.

Sasori waited for the blonde's answer as he continued to drag Hiruko through the mud toward the small, upcoming village. "Found it...un." Deidara remarked proudly when the large blue building came into view. Sasori scoffed impatiently. "Which way is it, brat?" Sasori asked. Deidara stopped at the insult. "Deidara...un. That's my name...un." The blonde objected. Sasori sighed. "Whatever! Which way?!" He asked impatiently. Deidara sighed, then just pointed in the direction of the building.

The redhead moved Hiruko as fast as possible...he hated to keep people waiting. They both approached the building. It was indeed blue... the walls had cracks in it and plants were growing along the sides and in the cracks. "This looks right..." Sasori mumbled to himself. Deidara snorted. This looks like some old lady's house...un. What is this "scroll of jutsu" a cookie recipe...un? Deidara asked himself.

"Stay here." Sasori ordered the blonde. Deidara sunk emotionally slightly, but nodded, and watched his partner enter the building alone.

The blonde heard a few crashes, bangs, thuds, whams, whacks, and screams a few minutes before Sasori emerged from the structure carrying a few scrolls. "Hold these." Sasori demanded as he shoved the slightly dampened scrolls into Deidara's hands. "Damn... they broke part of Hiruko..." Sasori growled, mumbling a few curse words under his breath. "Hiruko...un...?" Deidara dared to ask. Sasori sighed. "I'll explain another time, brat." He replied quickly.

The blonde let out another sigh and only then did he realize that he was shivering. Sasori paused. "I'm finding us a place to stay." He told the blonde in a softer tone, continuing to pathetically drag the broken puppet along. "Are you hurt, Danna...un?" Deidara asked, seeing Hiruko pathetically moving itself around, still thinking the large puppet was actually Sasori. The redhead just scoffed at the question.

Dragging Hiruko along, Sasori came to an inn at the corner of the quiet village. He requested a room, and the two of them were led to a decent sized room in the far left corner. "Close the door and lock it, brat." Sasori commanded as he hauled himself, inside of Hiruko, into the room. Deidara glared at Hiruko for the lack of his given name again, but did as Sasori asked and closed the door. Clicking the lock into place, the blonde sculptor turned back to his partner for explanations. Deidara sat on the obviously newly cleaned floor, for it smelled like cleaner.

The blonde leaned back to lie on the wooden floor, his back touched the ground. He shivered, remembering his soaked clothing. Deidara quickly removed the drenched cloak and grabbed a blanket that was folded neatly in the corner of the room. The sculptor stared at the intricate stitches on the plain blue blanket until he heard a loud KACHLUNK. The ex-Iwa nin quickly looked up to see that half of his partner's body had seemingly fallen to the floor. "D-D-Danna?" The blonde asked in surprise. There was no answer from the person in question. A small black lump slinked out from Hiruko. Two hands popped from the darkness and began to pull pieces from Hiruko. "Danna...un?" Deidara asked cautiously as he approached the black lump. "What, brat?" Sasori asked in a much younger voice than he had inside Hiruko. "Um, Danna...un?" Deidara asked in confusion. The blonde took a handful of black material and pulled. "Hey!" He heard Sasori protest, but the blonde just stared at what was before him.

After pulling of the black cloak, Deidara saw that it revealed vivid maroon hair. He saw that Sasori was indeed wearing his Akatsuki cloak as well, so Deidara finished pulling of the extra black layer. Sasori realized what the blonde was doing and turned to glare at the blonde. Deidara stopped when he realized the redhead's beautiful red eyes looking at him. Sasori had amazingly long, dark eyelashes. His eyelids half closed in almost a lazy sort of way. The expression in this eyes somewhat hinted a glare, but the blonde saw the I don't care about life anymore look in his eyes, a dead sort of look... along with some sadness that Deidara couldn't make sense of.

"Oh, um...Danna...un..." Deidara stumbled, his tounge feeling loose in his mouth so he wasn't able to speak correctly. The sculptor was surprised that Sasori had a... pretty appearance; contrary to his attitude. "Wait...un! You said you were thirty-six...un! There's no way...un!" The blonde objected. It was true; the redhead looked like he was around teenager age. Sasori scoffed at Deidara's remark. "I don't age physically." Sasori told the other shinobi. "How is that possible, Danna...un?" Deidara asked. The redhead paused in fixing his puppet. "I'm... a puppet." Sasori confessed softly, his head turned away from Deidara. Sasori went back to working on Hiruko as he let his last comment sink into the blonde's head.

"A puppet...un?" Deidara ventured, speaking each word slowly. "Yes." Sasori replied quickly. "Then... how are you living, Sasori no Danna...un?" The blonde asked cautiously. "I'm not, in a way..." Sasori started, a grim smirk playing on his lips, "I have a human heart, it's the only thing that can keep me alive... and the only thing that can kill me." The puppet master finished darkly. The blonde felt this was a tender subject, and that saying the wrong thing would mean certain death at the moment...but still, Deidara couldn't help but to venture further and test his limits. "So... you can't feel, Danna?" Deidara asked softly. The redhead shook his head solemnly in response.

Deidara felt sympathy for the other man and almost went to hug the redhead when he realized three things. One: Deidara didn't know Sasori that well; two: Sasori wouldn't even be able to feel the gesture; and third: Sasori would probably murder him if he did. The blonde sighed and settled himself on the ground, not sure of what to say to Sasori. Silence filled the darkening room, seeming to make the air heavier and colder. Deidara held his breath and realized that he was the only one breathing. Yet again, Deidara felt sympathy wash over him, but he bit his lip to keep it inside. The sculptor wrapped the plain blue blanket around him and dared to move himself a few centimeters in Sasori's direction.

The redhead realized the other shinobi inching closer and panicked. He didn't want anyone else close to him. He promised himself. No more bonds. Maybe he had already opened up too much to the young blonde... but Sasori felt some kind of twisted comfort in talking to Deidara, so he calmed down before speaking. "Go to sleep, brat, we are going to leave early tomorrow morning."