AN: Hey, another bonus chapter! ^^ This one is actually written by Sakura! *GASP!* Most have been written by me, but I think this is the second one she's written! Hopefully in a day or two we'll have another chapter up as well! So, enjoy!

Bonus Chapter: A Breath of Fresh Air

A small grumble escaped from Emi's lips as she did her best to keep her body as still and stiff as possible. One wrong move, and not only would she make noise, she would alarm those around her, possibly causing them to come after her. That was the last thing the young medic nin needed.

But why did this have to be so uncomfortable?

It was so hard for her to adjust. Especially with Aina's arms and legs sprawled across the bed, leaving Emi with barely a few inches of space. The elder rolled over, taking the entirety of the blanket with her and leaving the younger with just the pjs she wore. And having just about the majority of the Akatuski male population yelling in the other room wasn't so pleasant either.

'How am I supposed to sleep?' Emi sighed quietly, trying to close her eyes, to wash out the noise with her thoughts. She curled her legs up and closer to her chest, so as to get a better sense of warmth…

Kick!

"Kyaa!" Emi landed onto the floor with a small, but hard thud. She waited a moment to make sure no one was startled awake or alarmed. One thing was for sure, Aina slept like a rock, despite the fact she just kicked her kohai off the bed. The younger sighed and sat up. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep, she decided. Emi stood up and headed on out of the room, deciding that some fresh air would help her.

The young kunoichi shivered slightly, crossing her arms together in attempt to warm up from the cool summer night's air. She was thankful it was only because of an occasional breeze. Sighing, she looked around her and continued to walk around the area. Maybe a walk would tire her more.

"What are you doing up this time of night?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

She gasped lightly and turned to meet brown eyes, gleaming in the moonlight. "Oh, Sasori no Danna! I… I couldn't sleep. I thought a walk would help."

Sasori cocked his head to one side slightly. "Did Aina take the blankets and kick you off the bed?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"I just know these things…"

"Uh…?"

"Just don't ask questions."

Knowing she wasn't going to get anything out from him, she decided to shrug it off. She'd ask Aina or Deidara later. "So what are you doing out here?"

"I was working on my puppets."

"Oh? Outside?"

"Everyone wouldn't like it if I worked on them inside. And you wouldn't be able to sleep. Pein-sama wouldn't like the mess either…"

"True… Not that I was able to sleep anyway."

The red-head shrugged and gave the girl a faint smile. "Well, as cliche as this sounds, I'm kind of… happy that you couldn't sleep."

The younger blushed a shade of red, but returned his smile. "I suppose I should be happy you can't sleep then."

Sasori chuckled, turning his attention back to his work. "It's something I don't miss."

Emi fell quiet after his reply. A train of thought chugging through her head. "Sasori no Danna?"

"Yes, Emi?"

"How come you don't miss sleeping at all?"

He smirked gently. "I thought you knew very well why? It's a waste of time to me."

"Haven't you ever wished to sleep?"

"…Once. Recently. But otherwise, not at all."

"Oh…"

Silence fell over the two. The Scorpion of the Red Sand could tell that his girlfriend had more than just that on her mind.

"You seem to have more to say."

The girl's purple-blue eyes shot up from their gaze upon the ground, snapping out of thought. "Ah…? I, well… No…"

"After all the times we tell you, Emi, you still persist," Sasori sighed lightly and turned to her in his seat, a look of slight amusement on his face. "You make for a very bad liar."

This caught the girl red-handed. Emi figured she wouldn't be able to walk away without saying a word to her danna. So, if give in she must, give in is what she will do.

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, becoming a puppet, I mean…"

Brown eyes blinked. He had never once thought of that day he made himself into a puppet. Sure, the success he thought of, but really, what was the point on being obsessed with that success alone? But back to her question…

"Becoming a puppet, you say? Well… it did hurt a little, I can't deny that. But once I got into the body I possess now, I felt absolutely no pain."

"No pain? Not at all? Because a wooden body can't feel anything?"

Sasori nodded. "The body is something that can feel because of the brain. Pain is a stressor."

"But… how did you do it?"

Reluctance overcame the puppeteer. In reality, it was quite a bit of an interesting picture. Graphic, most definitely, especially if something were to go wrong. The puppet master decided he would put in as little details as possible for the spotless young girl standing before him, awaiting his answer.

"It was a complicated procedure," he started, "and again, quite painful at first. But in the long run, it wasn't too hard at all."

"Oh, was it really?" Emi asked curiously, sitting down beside him.

He nodded in turn. "Yeah. It's just long, is all."

"I see…" the girl replied, suddenly yawning. The next thing Emi felt was a pat on the head.

"You should get some rest."

"I suppose I should…Wha?"

Sasori stood up, wrapping his arms around the small frame of the girl and holding her bridal style. He smiled gently. "Go ahead and close your eyes."

Emi could feel her face heat up a bit, but she nodded nonetheless, leaning her head against his chest and closed her eyes. The puppet master smiled at the younger and walked back to the hotel room.

By the time he reached the bed she shared with Aina, he noticed that she was completely asleep. A small chuckle rumbled through his throat as he managed to move Aina's sprawled body to the side and set Emi down next to her, tucking her under the covers.

"Good night, Emi," he said lowly, gently caressing the side of her face. He paused and stared at his hand; a sudden, yet blatantly obvious realization coming to mind.

He couldn't feel her.

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AN: Daw, poor Sasori. It's ok. We still love you anyway, Danna! I really enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you guys did too! Please feel free to leave us comments, whether you've been reading this for a while, or if you're just starting, we love to hear from you guys! Sanku!

~Nino and Sakura!