It was pouring loudly outside of the art shop, 7 months before Deidara's arrival in town. Sasori was begrudgingly wiping off the paint stains from the floor from his earlier disorderly class. He had placed the 'help wanted' sign on the door immediately after the class, hoping for any art enthusiast or even a college kid who needed extra money to come to his aide. He would take anyone at this point.

The jingling of the doorbell alerted Sasori to the fact that he had forgotten to lock the door. "Sorry, we're closed," he grumbled from his spot on the floor.

"I'm responding to your ad," came a low and calm voice.

Sasori stood up and eyed the young man before him. He had jet black hair which framed his face with several strands sticking out in the back, jutting out in odd angles. His dark pupils quietly stared off into the distance and his lips were pressed into a firm and serious scowl. There was something quite ominous about his presence, but Sasori decided he shouldn't judge the man on first appearances.

Sasori quickly put on his best customer service smile and stuck out his hand to shake the other man's. The man grasped his hand firmly, and shook it roughly. Sasori could feel worn calluses upon his palm, perhaps he had worked at a laborious job before this one. "I'm Sasori, the owner. Nice to meet you," Sasori greeted.

"My name is Sasuke," he replied without a hint of politeness.

"So Sasuke, why are you interested in this job? I'm looking for an apprentice, I'd have you do various tasks throughout the shop, I definitely need extra help with my classes." Sasori said, trying to explain the job as best as he could.

"I can do all that," Sasuke said flatly. Still, there was no hint of flattery behind his gloomy voice. Sasori wondered if this man had any 'people pleasing skills.'

"Okay," Sasori said a little awkwardly, "do you have a resume or references?"

Sasuke smirked slightly, Sasori was surprised by the twitch in his lips muscles. He was beginning to wonder if Sasuke's lips were in a permanent frown. "Where I come from…I don't have any references. But I can show you my worth. Let me work here for a week, I'll do everything you ask of me and I'll do it expertly." His arrogance sat with Sasori uncomfortably, irritating him.

"Hm, and where are you from exactly?" Sasori asked skeptically.

Sasuke opened his mouth and then closed it. His breath hitched and then he closed his eyes and said, "sorry for my rudeness…but I can't answer that right now." Sasori was completely shocked to see a slow tear roll down Sasuke's cheek from his closed eyes.

"Wh- are you ok?" Sasori shifted uncomfortably.

Sasuke opened his eyes and replied, "I don't normally profess much about myself, but since you asked about my past, I'll tell you a few things…I ran away from my home, I did something terrible and I can't go back. I even left behind a person who loved me and deeply cared for me. I just really need a break here, I need a new start. I don't have a resume or references, but if you allow me to work with you just one week, you'll see that I'm a hard worker." Although tears streamed silently down his cheeks, Sasuke's words were definite and truthful. Sasori felt pity for him, and decided to give him a chance. If he proved unworthy, then he could always fire him in a week and hire someone new.

"Okay, you can work for me. We'll see how you do after a week," Sasori agreed. He wondered if he was being too soft, but he didn't see the harm in giving this man a chance.

Sasuke wiped the last tears aside and smiled curtly once more, "thank you, I appreciate it," he said. "And don't worry, you won't have to hear about my bothersome past anymore."

Sasori waved a hand in front of his face, "it's no worry," he said. Although truthfully, he was grateful that Sasuke wasn't going to delve deeper into his troublesome drama. Sasori hated drama.

/

Sasuke proved to be a valuable employee within the first few days on the job. He listened to every instruction that Sasori listed off, and asked few questions. He understood everything the first time, and never forgot anything. He was capable of putting the art supplies away neatly and cleaning up after every class quickly and efficiently. It didn't take long for Sasori to realize that he was quite intelligent, and Sasori wondered why Sasuke had chosen to work at an art shop.

Sasuke kept to his word about being quiet about his past. In fact, he barely spoke a word to Sasori, and when he did, he kept the conversation light with small talk. He never asked Sasori any questions, and in turn, Sasori did not ask him anything. They kept silent about their pasts. Sasuke was reserved and timely, he arrived precisely at opening and left a minute after closing. Sasori soon got used to the routine of having Sasuke around. He was almost like a robot, doing his job with minimal complaints and few errors. Sasuke was as emotionless as a robot as well.

The trial week for Sasuke soon turned into several weeks and then several months. Sasuke worked efficiently and effectively for 6 full months before his sudden departure. On the day that Sasuke left, Sasori caught him staring out the window for a long while, looking at something that Sasori could not see. Sasuke then whipped around and stared at Sasori. "I need to quit," he said unexpectedly.

"What?" Sasori was flabbergasted.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, but Sasuke did not look sorry. In fact, Sasori could swear he saw anger in those dark eyes of his. He took off his smock and gently placed it on the coat rack by the door. "You've been a great employer Sasori. I do hope things turn out for the best here. But I can't do this any longer. I need to find something else."

At Sasuke's explanation, Sasori understood a little better. His resignation was abrupt and sudden, but Sasori always knew that Sasuke had never truly been interested in the job in the first place. He had just been going through the motions, doing the job to fill the void. Perhaps it would be better for Sasuke to move on and find something better suited for his talents. Sasori wished him well and watched as the strange and quiet man walked out the front door. Sasori believed he would never see him again.

/

The vegetable man at the marketplace turned out to be a dead end, as he did not know anything about the suspicious man that Deidara was after. Instead of becoming incensed about this information, Deidara merely shrugged his shoulder and linked his hand with Sasori's.

Another week rushed by, in which Deidara and Sasori attempted to spend every moment alone together. This proved challenging as the art shop continued to boom with business, each class had nearly doubled in size in the past few weeks since Deidara's arrival. Deidara was popular among the newcomers, who thought his jokes were funny and goggled at his good looks. Sasori didn't mind anymore, because Deidara was his boyfriend. He knew Deidara wouldn't break his loyalty.

When not busy at the shop, the two of them cuddled close in the privacy of their home. Sasori wondered if Deidara had pushed aside his mission for the time being. Sasori hadn't seen him searching for the rogue ninja since they became official. He wondered if the 'honey moon' stage of their relationship had swept all other thoughts from the blonde's head.

Sasori surely didn't mind, he was grateful to have Deidara all to himself every night. They would stay up late and tell stories and then have wonderful sex, sometimes several times, before drifting to sleep in each other's arms. Deidara had deconstructed the bunk bed and pushed the two mattresses together to make it easier for them to sleep cuddled up and still have room to move. Sasori was glad to be rid of the bunk bed.

Sasori was still learning various ninja techniques from Deidara, he was quite keen on someday catching up to Deidara's level. He knew it would take years of practice, so he insisted on learning something new every day. Deidara continued to treat his good work with sexual rewards, which was another reason Sasori was so motivated to carry out his training.

Everything had somehow fallen into place. The future was still murky with uncertainty, but Sasori knew that Deidara wanted to always be by his side. That thought alone put Sasori's mind at ease about their future together. He focused his energy on enjoying every moment with his new boyfriend, falling head over heels for the sexy, crazy blonde.

Their week of peace and happiness was quick, and short lived. It was interrupted on a Saturday morning by the presence of billowing black smoke in the distance. Sasori felt his heart race as Deidara's pupils dilated and his hair stuck up on end. "That's him!" he cried with an aghast look on his face.

Deidara turned from the kitchen where they were making breakfast and headed for the door. Sasori was shocked by his sudden movement. "Wait, aren't you going to eat first?"

"No time, if he's still out there, I need to go now!" Deidara yelled. He flung open the door and headed out without another word. Sasori felt the slam of the door resonate uneasily in his body. He dropped the pan in the sink and followed Deidara, eager to see the rogue ninja. Besides, he couldn't let his boyfriend venture out on his own. Deidara was possibly about to encounter a powerful shinobi, and would more than likely engage in a battle. Sasori wanted to be there to make sure nothing happened to him.

Deidara was running fast towards the fire, so fast that Sasori could barely keep up with him. The smoke was rising up from deep within the forest, Sasori set out towards it, barely able to see the blonde's head in the distance up ahead. He was pretty sure that Deidara didn't even know he was following him. Deidara had acted so quickly, it was like his mind was on overdrive.

Sasori finally reached the entrance to the thick forest just a mile outside the town. Making up for time, he decided to climb up a tree and run from branch to branch the way Deidara had taught him. Once in the treetops, he could see Deidara's figure ahead of him again, pressing onwards with intense speed. Sasori quickened his own pace. He could now smell the ashy, smokey odor of the fire up ahead. He hoped that the rogue ninja would not burn down the entire forest.

The black flames finally came into full view. The fire was smaller than Sasori had expected, and it was in a strange configuration. The fire was perfectly circular, with someone standing in the middle, their view shadowed by the rising flames. Deidara had stopped right in front of the man surrounded by fire, several feet away.

Sasori jumped down from the tree, landing next to Deidara. Deidara screeched, surprised by Sasori's presence. "Sasori? What are you doing!? Get out of here now!" Deidara hissed.

Sasori blinked at him, confused by his sudden vehemence. Then Sasori heard a dark, mad cackling from the man behind the black fire. Sasori whipped around, finally able to get a better view of the rogue ninja.

Sasuke Uchiha stared back at Sasori with a wicked smile and malicious, dark eyes.