Chapter 3

She awoke the next morning to the feel of Sasori's hand gently shaking her shoulder. "Temari-chan," he called, shaking her a little rougher now. "Get up, Temari-chan, or we're going to be late."

Moaning, Temari forced herself to sit upright. She stretched, yawning away the last ties to sleep still binding her subconscious. Upon looking out the window, she realized that the sun had yet to rise. The blonde repeated this to the scorpion as she fell back against the bed.

"I know, but I'm not exactly sure when Deidara will arrive, so I want to be sure we get there before he does..." he mused, holding his hand to his mouth in a small thinking posture.

"Deidara?" Temari replied with a wrinkle of her nose, "That sounds more like a girl's name..." She looked over to the Akasuna.

He shrugged. "I don't know what he looks like, so I couldn't say. But I'm certain my boss said it was a guy..." his voice drifted off in thought. "Anyway, get up. We're leaving now."

Temari relunctantly obliged, grabbing her fan and strapping it over her shoulders. Sasori grabbed the bag of fruit and did the same, as though it was weightless. "Lead the way," she said to him, heaving a sigh. She was ready to go, but she was not a morning person.

The two Suna nin left their village to the west, hoppinh the border. They jumped through the desert in a way that convinced Temari that they were going in circles. She voiced this to the scorpion, who smiled and replied, "That's because we are. I don't want you to be able to get there - or back - without me."

Hmm, Temari thought, he's already analyzed my personality and predicted things I would most likely do in this situation.

What impressed her thos most was that he had been right.

They continued on uselessly for about an hour before Sasori stopped her and created the seal for Chakra, shouting, "Kai!"

Suddenly, Temari was able to see a cave sprouting out of the ground. Once it was completely up, Sasori began to walk inside and beckoned her to follow. Warilly, she obliged, following him into the black abyss of the cave that was the entrance to the Akatsuki lair.

Sasori led her further inside, and suddenly everything was nicely illuminated with Chakra-powered light. She could now see that the dave was set up like a hotel; each hallway was littered with doors on either side, with people's names written in kanji on them. They finally approached a door with Sasori's name inscribed on it and entered.

Inside, Temari saw what she knew to be completely Sasori; to their left was a desk scattered with papers, to the right a worktable covered with puppet pieces and vials filled with a purple fluid Temari assumed to be poison. Against the far wall opposite the doorway in which they stood was a small bed, furnished with a blanket and pillow.

"Home sweet home," the redhead exhaled as he walked inside. Temari followed after him, taking in her surroundings. Upon further inspection, she noticed another door to the right side of the room, in front of the bed. She approached the door slowly, studying it. "It's a closet, Temari-chan." Sasori told her, seemingly annoyed at her curiosity.

"What's the other door over here?" she asked, approaching the door to the left of the room.

"A shortcut to my partner's room," Sasori murmured. He sat at the deck with the puppet things on it and began fiddling with them. "I'll be notified when he's here, so make yourself comfortable while we wait." He heaved a heavy sigh at the word 'wait.'

"Hn," Temari murmured as she sat on Sasori's bed. She fell back against it, and exhaustion enveloped her again, causing her eyes to flutter dangerously. Her will to stay awake quickly faded, and soon, Temari found herself falling...


"Temari-chan," Sasori hissed from above, "get up. We have to go greet Deidara."

Temari's eyes shot open as she sat upright and asked, "I didn't fall asleep, did I?"

Sasori nodded otherwise. "Only for about half an hour, though. Now, come." he turned to leave.

Temari quickly followed after him as he walked out of the hall, not wanting to get lost in a place full of S-class rogue nin.

They walked down the halls silently, through a few doors and around a few corners. Temari didn't bother trying to remember which way they went - she had a feeling Sasori was leading her around in circles again.

Eventually, though, they stopped at a perfectly black door with nothing written on it. It opened immediately, without someone on the other side.

Shivers threatening dangers ran down Temari's spine, standing the hairs on the back of her neck on end. The room they walked into seemed normal enough, but it scared her nonetheless. Perhaps it was just how 'perfect' the room was set up; in the middle was an office desk and chair, behind it on the right a file cabinent. To the right of the room was a small chair on which a blone - male? - was seated, jiggling his legs in anxiety as he doubled over slightly, biting his fingernails. Beside him was a small wastebasket.

There was even a plant in the far corner.

This place definitely gave her the creeps. It was just too damned perfect.

"You Deidara?" Sasori grunted, pointing at the blonde.

For the first time, Temari was able to make out the details of the blonde's face as he looked up to meet Sasori's gaze. His left eye was covered with large frontal locks of hair, the other a beautiful shade of blue. His heair was a bright shade of cornstarch yellow, and Temari had to admit she liked how he tied it back. The male had a large mouth, which was currently frowning. "Only if you're Sasori, un." he countered.

"Tsk," Sasori replied, turning his back on Deidara, "Let's go, then."

"Finally," she head Deidara murmur as they exited the office. "That place gave me the creeps, un."

Temari chuckled weakly. "Me, too. I'm Temari, by the way."

"Deidara," the blonde answered with a happy smile. "Are you new here too, un?"

"Oh, erm, no...I mean..." her voice drifted off in confusion.

"She's with me," Sasori gruffed from ahead, "not a member."

"So you're with Sasori?" Deidara asked devilishly as he held up his pinkie finger.

Temari went a deep shade of red, unable to say anything.

"Tsk," Sasori answered, "how immature of you to think that way. How old are you anyway, brat?" He didn't bother looking back at him.

"I'm not a brat!" Deidara whined. "I'm sixteen, un."

"Hmph. A brat."

"How old are you?" Deidara dared to challenge.

"Nineteen," Sasori gruffed. "Here, put your hand on the door." Temari noticed that Sasori's door was right next to this one.

Deidara obliged, and both blondes watched in amazement as his name etched itself in gold letters on the white door, in a way exactly like Sasori's. "Enjoy your room, yadda yadda yadda." The Akasuna gave a wave of his hand in dismissal as he walked into his own room. Temari followed silently.

Sasori heaved a heavy sigh when Temari closed the door behind her. He sat at his worktable and made to resume progress on his puppet, but thought better of it - for some reason - and craned his head back to look up at the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Three...Two..."

On what should have been the 'one' count, Deidara walked through the door connecting their rooms. "Oh, cool!" Deidara said with a smile, looking over his shoulder and into his room.

Temari laughed. Sasori groaned.

Deidara walked back into his room, then through the door and into Sasori's again. "The rooms are connected, un!"

Sasori closed his eyes as his grip on the bridge of his nose harddened. Temari laughed again and offered Deidara a fruit as she reached into her bag and grabbed one for herself. "Okay," he agreed warily, walking over to her. She handed him a peach and took a bite of her own.

The blonde gingerly held the fruit with just his fingertips, carefully keeping it as far away from his palms as possible. He lifted it to his face, opening his mouth and preparing to take a bite.

A crunch was heard as a bite was taken out of the peach.

From his palm.

"No!" Deidara wailed, "Not again, un!" He quickly took a bite out of the peach, shouting, "No, you're not supposed to eat that!" Deidara quickly put the peach into his mouth and turned to his palms, digging out large bits of peach.

"What was that, brat?" Sasori snapped, advancing on the blonde.

"Nothing!" Deidara answered a little too quickly, abandoning his hold on the apple and shoving his hands behind his back.

"There's something on your hands," Sasori prodded as he continued to corner the blonde, "I saw something."

"N-no," Deidara stuttered, having backed his way into a corner. "no, you didn't. There's nothing - "

Mercilessly, Sasori grabbed behind Deidara's back and forced his hands open, feeling the blonde's palms.

"Tsk," Sasori said after a while, backing off the whimpering blonde, "I'll be back later." he left them, closing the door behind himself.

Deidara slunk to the floor, sobbing as he revealed his hands again and stared down at them.

Were S-class rogue nin supposed to cry?

"I blew it," he moaned, resting his head on his knees, "My very first day, and they ruin it for me, un." His whole body shivered, and she knew he was trying his hardest to keep his tears hidden from her.

Carefully, Temari approached the blonde and kneeled down in front of him. "He's always that invasive," she murmured, talking about Sasori.

Deidara looked up to her, the eyeliner on his visible eye smudging badly. He sniffed weakly, wipping his finger across his nose. "Bet you think I'm weak, huh? Boys aren't supposed to cry, right, un?" He looked away.

Temari held a new peach in front of him, close enough for his mouth to take a bite. "I don't," she murmured softly. "It's okay to cry. I don't judge people based on the strength of their tearducts."

He looked up to her at that, his expression a little surprised. Temari waved the peach in front of his face, and he warily took a small bite. The blonde gave a small, thankful smile as he chewed on his bite. He whiped the tears away with the back of his hand, exposing his palm.

There wasn't anything there, save for a faint scar that ran horizontally across. It was hardly visible, even with Temari's close proximity.

Just what, exactly, had Sasori seen?

"Deidara-kun," Temari whispered, looking away, "can I ask you something?"

"Un," he answered with a nod.

"What...did Sasori-sama see?"

A pained expression took over Deidara's face again as he looked down to his palm. With a sigh, he showed her.

Now, his palm harbored a mouth where the scar had been. It opened, showing its teeth as it stuck its tongue out at her.

"I have one on either hand," he murmured, showing her his other hand. "I would've just told Sasori...no...danna if he hadn't cornered me, un. I hate when people force me to show them."

"What exactly do they do?" Temari asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she gently took his hand in hers, setting the peach down, and ran a finger along the mouth. He shuddered before answering,

"Well, they help me to create my art, un. I feed them clay, and they incorporate my Chakra into it. When the art is finished, I can use them for all sorts of things, un. Like flying. With these, I can create a bird large enough to hold me and fly all I want, un."

"That's interesting," Temari murmured with a nod, inwardly thinking, Sasori's gonna hate this guy. "Here," she said backing off him, "go freshen up before Sasori-sama comes back." She stood and lent him a hand.

"Un," Deidara agreed as he stood. "Arigato, Temari-chan." He left through the door connecting their rooms.

Sitting on Sasori's bed, Temari took a bite out of the peach she had shared with Deidara. She had a feeling things were about to get interesting.


A/n

Translations:

Deidara asked devilishly as he held up his pinkie finger. - In Japan, it is custom for couples to show their adoration for one another with their pinkie fingers.

Arigato - Thanks

You know, this may be a new obsession coming along! DeiIno will forever be in my heart, but this is definitely another one of the best pairings I have ever written.

Besides my yaoi, of coure :)