Chapter 37

It wasn't long before Sasori and I arrived back at the Akatsuki hideout. As we walked in, I could actually take time to look around the demolished cave. Because the roof of the cave was gone, it looked similar to a giant crater now. I examined the lifeless puppet bodies lying scattered across the hideout. I kept staring at the two puppets that Kikuhana and I deflected away from Sasori. The ones Sasori said he made after his parents died…his puppet parents.

"Hatone," I snapped out of my daze at the sound of my name being called. Sasori was standing near one of the walls of the cave. I walked over to him and saw some yellow thing pinning Sasori's body against the wall. His eyes were empty. Just two black holes on a face with a blank expression. His lifeless body was leaning forward a bit and I could see many puppet features. There was a line around his neck, wrists, shoulders and elbows which I could tell that those parts of his body detached. There was one circle-shaped hole on one side of his chest and a square-shaped hole on the other side. I took one step closer and stepped on what felt like metal. I looked down and saw a black ninja headband. I picked it up and saw it was a Sand Village head band with a scratch straight through the Sand Village symbol.

"This is your headband, isn't it?" I asked Sasori. I figured that he had to have one, even though I never saw him wear it.

"It is," he answered. "Do you see this hole?" Sasori asked me as he pointed to the circle in the lifeless puppet's chest.

"Yeah," I answered. Sasori took off the burgundy coat he had on and pointed to the cylinder protruding out of the center of his chest. The front part of it was white and it had the kanji for "scorpion" written in red.

"I was a human a log time ago, and in order for me to keep living I still have my heart." He said.

"I know, you've told me and Kiku before. Your heart is your life source, in that cylinder." I said with a bit of a smile.

"Exactly," Sasori smiled back. "So what you need to do is very carefully take the cylinder that contains my heart out of this chest and put it into the empty hole in my chest there." He instructed. "Oh, and if you damage the cylinder you could probably damage my heart and I could die." Sasori added. My face went pale. This made me extremely nervous because I was the biggest klutz I knew. Sasori could tell I was starting to become uneasy. "So don't break my heart." Sasori joked with a smile to lighten the mood. I started to laugh.

"Ok, I won't." I smiled. I placed both my hands on the corner of the cylinder. I pulled on it gently until I heard something click. I quickly looked up and Sasori's face and saw his eyes go wide before they faded and went black. The body went limp and fell forward. I quickly caught the body before it hit the floor. I gulped nervously and proceeded to finish taking the cylinder out. I stood to my feet and faced Sasori's lifeless body that was still pinned against the wall. I took one step and froze when I felt Sasori's heart beat from inside the cylinder. "Sasori's fate rests in my hands…no pressure." I said out loud to myself. I stood on my toes as I placed the cylinder inside the hole in his chest and slowly pushed it in. I then heard a click and finished pushing it in. I took one step back and waited for him to gain consciousness. "Sasori…?" I called, my voice a little quiet. He didn't answer. "Sasori!" I yelled, becoming concerned. Five seconds passed before Sasori's eyes shot open and he looked around. I sighed, relived. "Hey, are you ok?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but it would be nice to get down." Sasori said.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." I laughed nervously. I grabbed the object that had him pinned against the wall and threw it aside. Sasori dropped down but landed on his feet. Sasori bent down and picked up his headband which was still lying on the floor. He put it in the square shape in his chest and closed it. "How come you never wear it?" I asked.

"I just don't feel like it." Sasori answered with a shrug. He put the burgundy coat back on because he didn't have a shirt.

"Well, we should go back to the spot to meet up with Kiku and Deidara." I announced. Sasori agreed and we started walking out of the hideout. We barley got back in the forest before Sasori spoke again.

"Hey, what exactly did you mean when you said Itachi didn't want you to come here?" he asked me. I froze in my tracks and blushed.

"Oh…well, uh—" I stammered. I debated if I should tell him about us or not. Then again, Kisame already found out. "Well, we've kind of been in…" I was cut off when I felt something land on my shoulder. It had claws, I could feel them. Out of natural reaction I screamed and swatted away whatever was on my shoulder. I saw a crow fly away from me and land on a branch on a tree right in front of me. It had a piece of paper in its mouth. I looked closer at the crow and saw it had red Sharingan eyes. I then realize the crow was sent by Itachi. I rushed over to it and it dropped the paper in my hand. I opened the paper and read what was on it.

Are you safe?

I pulled out the pen I had in my pocket and started writing back.

Yes, everything's ok. Deidara's hurt though all because he kept being reckless. Kikuhana needs to treat him. Other than that I'm fine and we should be back soon. …Thank you.

I clicked the pen and put it back in my pocket. I folded the paper and cautiously held it up to the crow. It cawed and took the paper before flying away.

"What was that?" Sasori asked me while still watching the crow fly away.

"It had a message…from Itachi." I answered with my hands behind my back.

"What's going on with you two?" He questioned.

"We're in a relationship…" I answered shyly with a blush. Sasori's eyebrows raised a bit.

"Oh really?"

Kikuhana and Deidara were still on the hunt to find Deidara's arm.

"I still can't believe you lost the use of both your arms in a 24 hour period." Kiku said out loud as she continued to look around. "But then again, it is you we're talking about." She added.

"Oh would you just focus of finding my arm, hmm?" Deidara said with an annoyed expression. Kikuhana paused and looked straight ahead.

"Shh,"

"Don't shush me just because—!"

"Shhhhh!" Kiku hissed. "I think I hear someone up ahead." She told him.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like Deidara's a goner." Tobi said as he walked over to Deidara's arm lying in the middle of the forest. The palm of the hand was facing upwards and the tongue was hanging out of the mouth. "Blew himself to bits from the looks of it, don't you think Mr. Zetsu?" Tobi said while looking back at Zetsu, who was right behind Tobi. "There are probably body parts scattered all over the place." Tobi said with a laugh.

"Get your hands off that you fool!" Deidara yelled at Tobi as he came around a tree.

"Hey! He's alive!" Tobi said happily smiling under his mask. Deidara started walking towards Tobi and Kikuhana followed him, but she stood behind Deidara a little.

"Where's the tailed beast host?" Zetsu asked Deidara.

"Don't look at me; I did my job, hmm." Deidara answered.

"Dear, dear, you must have had a close shave, huh Deidara?" Tobi asked, but in a way to antagonize Deidara. "But, you're in one piece. –Opps, sorry!" Tobi laughed. Deidara had a look of extreme irritation on his face.

"Tobi, even the Buddha looses patience when insulted a third time. One more word out of you and they'll be no doubt about the cause of your death." Deidara warned. Tobi snickered.

"You're just gonna bomb me to death, right?" Tobi said in a humorously mocking tone.

"That was the third one…" Zetsu said aloud. Deidara then wrapped both legs around Tobi's neck and started to choke him.

"Death by suffocation! Hmm!" Deidara yelled as the strangled the defenseless Tobi.