AN: Aanndd...Sakura's back from college! ...for a while, at least! :) This may or may not mean we'll upload a little more frequently. You can probably blame me if we don't though...although, we do get inspired when you guys write reviews to us! (Wink wink nudge nudge) Anyway, I'll not keep you from reading our next chapter! Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 31: This Is Totally Not Childish... Really!

"JUICE BOXES!" the green-haired girl shouted as she ran through the halls, around the corridors, and into the kitchen. "JUICY JUICY JUICE BOXES!"

"What's all that commotion, un?" Deidara questioned to himself as he looked towards the kitchen door, eyebrow raised in great curiosity and confusion. "Is that Aina?"

"Sounds like it," the priest confirmed with what little mental capacity he had.

As if on cue, the medical kunoichi slammed the door open, still running at top speed, only to start sliding across the tiled floor instead. Right in Deidara's direction. "JUICY JUICY JUUUUUUUU~~~"

"Ohhh sh-GAH!"

THUMP!

"GACK!"

"Whoa!"

"OH FRACKING SH-"

KRSHGLDSLFKAHDOGK!

"Ack! Gomen!" Aina scrambled up whatever words she could muster, doing her best to get up off the floor.

"What the freaking crap, Aina?" Hidan yelled, struggling to get his rear end out of the trash bin.

"JUICE BOXES!" she cried out in defense. "I was excited for the juice boxes~!"

"What I want to know is why you were running in socks, un! That freaking hurt!" The blond rubbed the small of his back, stepping away from the corner of the counter he was forcibly slammed into.

"Gomen ne!"

"Where did you even get fracking socks anyways?" the silver-haired man asked, now on his feet and trying to wiggle the trash box from his behind.

"Christmas..."

"You lucky fracking duck..."

"What kind of ninja gets socks for Christmas, un?"

"I do," Aina simply answered.

"That doesn't even make any sense, un!"

"Does too... my feet get cold..."

"Inside, un?"

"Yes, inside. Tiles get cold! Why do you think Pein-sama wanted a bathroom rug?" she asked, then blinked. "Wait... did he even get his rug?"

"I... wouldn't know, un..."

"Crazy. He hasn't even brought it up..."

"Maybe because he bought one himself?" Hidan suggested.

"Makes sense..."

"Anyways, back to the topic, un!"

"What was the topic again?" the girl asked sheepishly.

"You crashed into us, that's what!" Hidan shouted, waddling about the kitchen in an attempt at freeing himself.

"Oh, right! I am really sorry about that! I didn't think I had that much momentum going..."

"Just...try to be more careful, un."

"I can't make any promises! Now, where are those juice boxes..."

"Really, Aina? REALLY? I have a trash can on my-"

"Is there a problem here?" Sasori asked, leaning in from the door frame.

"Aina, that's what!" the Jashinist bursted.

"Let me take a guess. She came running in here in socks, slammed Deidara into the counter, ricocheted off of him into Hidan, who proceeded to get stuck in the trash can?"

"Dang~! That was pretty much spot on!"

"Well, my room is only a few feet down the hall..."

"Is everything ok?" a small voice asked from behind the puppeteer. "Deidara! You're bleeding!"

"Oh, I would be, wouldn't I, un?"

"Wait, you're bleeding?" Aina practically screamed.

"It was the corner of the counter, un!"

"GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!" the green-haired girl repeated over and over as she rushed over to his side. "I can help, I can help!"

As she began to heal him, Sasori walked over to Hidan, who was now trying to use the leg of the table to get the can off him.

"Need some help?"

"NO! I mean, I suppose...yeah, help would be nice..."

:::::

"POPCORN! POPCORN!" Aina shouted as she made her way back into the kitchen. "POPCORN POPCORN POPCORN!"

She let her feet slide across the floor with the help of her socks and stopped just mere centimeters away from the counter in front of her. The medic reached up into one of the cupboards and grabbed a few packs of popcorn, ripping the plastic away from them and setting one into the microwave. After shutting its door, she reached out for the 'popcorn' button...

"Oh, wait!" she paused, her hand stopped in its path. "Emi said not to use the button! Oh well, I suppose I'll have to press the buttons manually. What a drag..."

Beep beep beep beep.

Huuuuuuuummmmmmmm...

Aina grinned a bit to herself, ecstatic about the small event to come. She decided during the wait, she would get her medic companion. Heading out the door, she skipped along the hallway. "Emi~ Emi~ Emi~!" she chanted in sing-song until she reached said girl's door. "EMI~!"

"Ah!" a small scream came from inside as Aina slammed open the door. "Oh! A-Aina...!"

"Emi! Come with me!" she ran in and grabbed the younger's wrist, pulling her out of her room.

"Wh-what is it? Aina?"

"We need to get Dei-Dei and Sasori!"

"Ah, o-ok...?"

Next was Deidara. Aina slammed his door open too.

"DEIDARA!"

"WHA-Aina, un? Wh-what is it?"

"Come! We fly~!"

"Wh-what...?"

"Ugh, forget you and using movie quotes on you. Come on!" Aina, once again, reached out and pulled at the blond's arm, forcing him out of his room.

"Aina, what are we doing, un?"

"You'll see~!"

"I'm mildly concerned, un..."

"I think we all are, Deidara," Emi replied.

"SASORI!"

"What is with all of this racket? What do you want?" the red-head emerged from his room before Aina could even slam his door open. "I'm busy!"

"Not anymore~!" Aina chimed.

He stared at her a minute. "...I'm mildly concerned."

"You should be, un. We are, too."

"Let's go! Let's go!" Aina dashed back to the kitchen with the three in tow. Emi and Deidara, however, had no choice in the matter of being in tow or being towed. They were dragged along. Sasori, being the worry-wort over his dear Emi, followed to make sure no harm came to her.

:::::

THUMP

Down on the coffee table, Aina slammed a stack of VHS's for the others to see.

"How do you have VHS's, un?" Deidara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't things switched over to DVD by now...?"

"This, Deidara, is my personal collection of Disney movies!" the green-haired girl grinned to them.

"Wow..." Emi's blue-purple eyes seemed to twinkle at the sight. "Do you have Beauty and the Beast?"

"Of course! I have all the classics! Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Aladdin..."

"So, you're going to make us watch Disney movies with you?" Sasori questioned, raising one of the tapes to see what movie it was.

"Yup! That's the plan!" she smiled excitedly.

The scorpion narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Oh, don't you even begin to give me that look! You're joining us! You've been locked away in your room ever since we got home from the hot springs!"

"Well, thanks to the hot springs, I'm behind my schedule for finishing my latest projects."

"Oh, come on! You even worked on them while we were there, didn't you?"

"That is completely beside the point!"

"S-Sasori..." the small voice spoke up. Both arguing ninja turned to Emi. "Do you think...for me...you could set aside a little time? This...this one's my favorite one..."

In her hands, was Beauty and the Beast. The twinkling of stars in her eyes and the slight puff of her bottom lip didn't escape the eyes of Sasori. She really, really, really wanted to watch that one with him.

"I..." a small sigh. "I think I have a couple hours."

"It's settled then! We'll watch this one first, since it's Emi's favorite! Then, on to The Lion King!"

"Let me guess," Deidara finally spoke up. "That one's your favorite, un?"

"Tee hee! Yup!"

:::::

"Tale as old as time

"True as it can be

"Barely even friends~

"Then somebody bends

"Unexpectedly"

'Huh...' a certain puppeteer thought to himself as he speculated the two main characters dancing across a spacious ballroom floor, the beast in particular. 'To be like that beast...it's kind of like myself. He is so close to Belle, but he's as close as he can be to her in that form. He wants to be human...for her. Emi...is this what it's like for us...? No, maybe Emi has it even worse. Surely, the beast must be warm...touchable. What am I? Nothing more than the makings of a tree, warped from its original being.'

"Sasori?" His thoughts were snapped in two as he came back to reality, darkened purple-blue eyes staring straight into his nearly black ones. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah... I am."

"Hm," she hummed slightly and smiled. "You seem very transfixed on the movie. Do you like it?"

"I... well..."

"Shh! We're still watching here, un!" Deidara shushed the two.

"Oh, Dei-Dei, let them have their fun," Aina rebuked.

"What fun is there if we can't even hear what's going on, un?"

"I could hear it just fine. You're the one going deaf."

"I'm not going deaf, un!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were, Deidara. I mean, come on, you use explosives every day."

"Not every day, un!"

"Just about."

"Goodness, now I'm beginning to think we're the ones who can't hear the movie," Akasuna no Sasori mumbled.

"Eh heh... I guess... maybe Deidara should get his ears checked?" Emi suggested.

"He's too much of a stubborn brat to do that, even though he should."

"I'M NOT DEAF, UN!"

:::::

"Beauty and the Beast...check!" Aina beamed as she pulled the tape out of the player. "Next up, The Lion King!"

"It's been a while since I've seen that one, un," Deidara commented as he picked up the VHS and handed it to his girlfriend.

"Well, this one's my favorite, so it's the next one we're gonna watch!"

"Alright, un!" The blond grinned as his girlfriend placed the tape into the VHS. Before the two couples knew it, the show had already started.

:::::

"I'm surrounded by idiots," the lion character named Scar muttered, his vowels in the word 'surrounded' being dragged out a bit. It was only convenient enough to the laughing foursome that one of the idiots came in during the duration of the line.

"HAHA! That's frackin' hilarious!" Hidan bursted into a fit of inane manly giggles. "I like this guy! What movie is this?"

"The Lion King!" Aina chimed her answer.

"Dude! I've wanted to see this movie!"

"Wait, you mean to tell me you've never seen this?"

"Naw, I was busy being a ninja."

"Weren't we all being ninja's when this came out, un?"

"Some of us were just working harder at it than you," Sasori commented, never looking away from the screen.

The green-haired ninja looked at the red-head, her brow raised slightly. "Are you suggesting some of us weren't being good ninjas?"

"You seemed to turn out just fine. That comment was more directed at Deidara."

"WHAT?" Deidara shouted. "What's that supposed to mean, un?"

The scorpion simply shrugged his shoulders before continuing to watch the movie. The blond simply pouted before turning back to the movie himself. Hidan plopped down next to Aina on the sofa, leaving enough space that the bomber wouldn't object to him being there.

:::::

"586... 587... 588..." Kakuzu thumbed through a stack of bills in his hands as he made the journey to his room. "589... 600.. 601... 602... 603..."

"IT MEANS NO WORRIES! FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS~!" Loud voices nearly boomed through the other room, causing Kakuzu to drop the ryo he had just held in his hands just a moment ago. Dollar bills floated to the ground. Everywhere.

"Ugh... I'm surrounded by idiots..." the miser grumbled. Why did he always have to be surrounded by them? Why? Was it really so hard for Fate to let him be around normal villians? Was there even such a thing?

"You know, you all could act normal and a little more civilized like me and keep quiet when you watch a stupid..." he looked at the screen, seeing a boar, a meerkat, and a lion singing, "...kids show... I should have known."

"'Eeeeey! 'Kuzuuuuu!" Hidan grinned, a boom of laughter escaping after his words. "Come on, don't be senile! It's a cool movie! And there's no such thing as normal!"

"I'm living proof of normal," Kakuzu retorted.

"If Kakuzu is normal, then everyone else must be all stitched up just like him," Emi said thoughtfully. "I didn't know everyone else had five hearts either..."

The miser simply stood there, his left eye twitching. His hands clenched together into fists, ready to attack the little ninja.

Both Deidara and Aina bursted into laughter. The green-haired girl was the first to calm down enough to speak. "Emi...that was...beautiful!"

"How'd you come up with that so fast?" Hidan asked, smirking. "You know, if you weren't taken already, I'd probably take you for my fracking self!"

:::::

"Do we have popcorn yet?" Hidan asked, holding an icepack to his face. They had managed to stop his nose from bleeding, so now it was time to stop the swelling.

"Just a few more seconds," Emi responded, waiting by the microwave.

"You know, did your boyfriend really have to sock me that hard?"

"Well, you did make a suggestive comment..."

"But still! He knew I was frackin' kidding, right?"

"One would think by now you'd realize I'm a very literal person," a new voice entered as Sasori opened the kitchen door.

"If you're such the 'literal person,' shouldn't you have been able to tell I said I wouldn't take her because she's fracking taken? I swear, sometimes, I wonder if you don't just sit there waiting for some lame-crap excuse to pummel me."

"For all you know..."

"Both of you!" Emi burst, causing both to look her direction. "Can we please just be friendly to each other for a couple hours?"

"Gomen, Emi," Sasori was first to speak up, walking over to give her a small hug.

Hidan's purple eyes looked away from the two. "Yeah, gomen."

A gentle smile played on her lips as the microwave beeped. "Arigatou! Now, let's get back to the movie."

:::::

"So..." Deidara started. "How much longer do you think they're gonna be, un?"

"Hm, well, popcorn only takes a couple minutes, so I'd say we have...two minutes. Why?"

"We could rearrange the furniture while they're gone in that time, un."

Aina giggled to herself. "That would be amusing, but I'm kinda comfy here," to emphasize her point, she snuggled herself up against the blond.

"I'm...kinda comfy here too, un."

The two continued watching the movie. The lions Simba and Nala were having an argument, and it looked like their newly redeveloped relationship was already crumbling.

"Hey, Deidara?"

"What, un?"

"Can I have that pillow, please?"

"You mean this one?" he held up the small black pillow.

"Yeah."

"Hm...why would I want to give it to you, un?"

"Because I asked nicely?"

Deidara stayed still a moment, seeming deep in thought. "What do I get in return, un?"

"My love?"

"I thought that was unconditional, un?"

"It is," the green-haired girl smiled to him.

"Then you gotta pick something different, un."

Aina thought about it for a moment. "Fine, you wanna play that game..." she leaned closer, causing his blue eyes to widen slightly.

Before he knew what was happening, her lips gently pressed against his own. Completely stunned, this gave the medic nin the opportunity she needed. Yanking the pillow from his loosening grip, she readjusted herself back to using him as a back-rest.

"Well, that was an awkward time to come back," Hidan commented, standing at the doorway with Emi and Sasori just behind him.

"What was that all about?" the scorpion asked, wrapping an arm around Emi, who seemed just as stunned as Deidara.

"I wanted my pillow was all."

"You would do something like that to get what you want," Emi remarked.

"He~y, hey!" Aina cried out in defense. "At least I don't do anything worse than that! And besides, Itachi is probably far worse!"

"For all you know..." came Itachi's voice from the other side of the room as he passed quietly by. Everyone just stared after him in an awkward silence.

"You know... he really makes me wonder..." Hidan started.

"I don't want to find out what it is he does, un," the only blond in the room shuddered slightly.

"Well, anyways, I think we should continue watching the movie," Sasori stated, leading Emi back to their rightful places on the couch, popcorn in hand. Hidan came to join them, sitting in the next available seat rather than the couch... near Sasori.

"Good choice, Hidan," the Scorpion of the Red Sand acknowledged.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Puppet Boy..."

:::::

Hours later, the small group of Disney-loving (well... Disney-loving and Disney-curious) Akatsuki members were found, still sitting there into the late hours of the night, finishing up yet another Disney favorite, Pinocchio.

Deidara looked over and found his girlfriend dozing off against him and her pillow. She had probably seen the movie quite a few times to be able to fall asleep near the end of it. Then again, it wasn't The Lion King, her favorite movie. His eyes slowly scanned the room and found that Emi, too, was already fast asleep against his Danna's wooden chest. The puppeteer had his arms wrapped protectively, yet idly around her, brown eyes glued to the movie before him.

Next into Deidara's vision was Pinocchio turning into a real boy, all thanks to the beautiful blue fairy. A silly thought tickled the blond's humor of the movie. He wondered- as outrageous of a thought it may be-if Sasori no Danna was, too, turned into a puppet by a beautiful blue fairy way back when. If there are such a thing as bijuu and jinchuuriki, then maybe fairies existed, too! But that was a silly idea. Albeit, very possible, just not probable.

"Emi is asleep," Sasori suddenly stated, adjusting her before standing up with her in his arms. "I'll be taking her to bed."

Deidara blinked, and looked over at the movie. The credits were already rolling. When did that happen? He must have been thinking too deeply.

"Alright, un," he nodded to his partner before turning to his green-haired girlfriend, starting to adjust her as well.

"Hmm?" she mumbled as she instantly awoke from the movement.

"Oh, gomen, un."

"Wha? What's up?" Aina asked, tiredly rubbing an eye.

"The movie's over, un. Want me to take you to bed?"

"Please?"

A smile came across the blonde as he nodded in reply. For some reason, Aina was very adorable when she was sleepy. He wrapped his arms around her and stood up, holding her bridal style, and carried her to her room.

"I like this," Aina suddenly yawned.

"Being carried, un?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm glad, un. I like carrying you."

"As.. you... should..." she yawned again, dozing back to her deep slumber. The bomber couldn't help but chuckle.

"As I should, hmm?" he mused to no one in particular. "I guess I really should, un."

:::::

Sasori's brown eyes glanced out the window just as the sun was rising. The sky was a beautiful orange as the sun was starting to be visible over the tree line. After taking Emi to her room for the night, the puppeteer had retired to his own, only to spend the entire night restlessly pondering. He found he couldn't even concentrate on his art!

His mind only let him think about what it would be like to be human. What would it be like to be flesh and blood again? How would it feel to hold Emi's hand, to stroke her cheek, run his fingers through her hair? Would she feel soft, like silk? Would she be warm? Maybe he'd be able to feel her breath tickle his neck as he held her close to him; or maybe even feel her heart pound against his own...

"Well, you're up early!" Sasori heard Aina exclaim through his closed door.

"Yeah, I dunno what woke me up, but I'm up now, un," the blonde responded, Deidara being the person Aina was probably addressing.

"Wanna come eat breakfast with me?"

"Sure, I'm hungry. Maybe we can make eggs this morning, un."

"Yeah! Let's make scrambled eggs with toast!"

"Do we have bacon, un?"

"I dunno. Let's find out!"

The voices began to fade, and Sasori was left in silence again. He wondered if Emi was up yet. It was possible, since she did like to wake up fairly early, but maybe with the events of last night, she would need a little extra sleep.

It was then that he realized, it had been over twenty years since he'd actually slept. He had closed his eyes, yes, and he'd let himself rest, but never had he truly slept since he changed himself.

He had never eaten in these past twenty years, either. What do eggs taste like? What about toast, milk, ramen...? It had been too long for him to remember.

A fierce fire of determination burned in his eyes as he abruptly stood up from his chair, practically forcing it to fall over on the ground. He quickly made his way to the other side of the room, where a file cabinet stood, searching through the drawers until he found an old discolored manilla folder.

:::::

"Well, even without the bacon, that was still a good breakfast!" Aina grinned, walking down the hall with Deidara.

"Mhm! We're pretty good a cooking, un!"

"Except for you with that toast! You burned it!" she giggled as a pout found its way onto the bomber's face.

"I thought you were watching it, un!"

"I was watching the eggs! Don't worry about it. At least it was only two pieces. I don't think Kakuzu will notice."

"Ick! That'd be bad, un!" the blonde grinned at the thought of the money miser yelling at them for two pieces of burnt toast in the trash.

"That would be. Well, I'm gonna do some studying. Pein-sama brought me a cool medic book from the Ame archives that I've wanted to see for a while."

"What's it about, un?"

"It's about the effects of chakra use to pregnant women."

"Wha...?" a blonde brow rose in confusion. "Why, un?"

"For Konan. With that baby on the way, we'll want to know about stuff like this. I don't think it's safe for her to mold chakra with the baby in her, so I figured I'd read up on it for her."

"Oh, right. She is pregnant, isn't she, un?"

"Yup! So, maybe this afternoon we can train together? I'd like to brush up on my kunai skills."

"I think my skills are pretty sharp, but I'd be happy to help, un."

"I'll see you later then!"

"Mhm. Have fun, un," he smiled to her one last time before heading down the hallway.

"Will do!" she responded, turning the knob on her door to enter it. Sitting on her desk was the book she was looking for. Just as she picked it up to open it, there was a knock on her door.

Confused, she set her book down and headed for the door. She opened it to the sight of a familiar red-head. "Sasori...?"

"Might I talk to you for a moment, please?"

"Um, sure. Would you like to come in?"

"I would, thank you," he said as he quietly stepped in, closing the door behind himself. "I, um...I have something I'd like you to look at."

He extended the folder out to her, letting the green-haired girl take it. Wordlessly, she opened it, looking at the papers.

Her brown eyes widened with realization. "Sasori...this is..."

"It's all the documents about how I managed my puppet body."

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, sitting down at her desk to observe the papers closer. After a moment, she abruptly stopped, turning to look at the puppeteer. "There's a reason for you showing me this, though, isn't there?"

"Yes, there is," his eyes wandered their way to the ground. "I...I want to reverse the process."

Aina simply looked at him for a moment. "You want to be...human."

"...Yes, I do," he whispered.

The medic nin turned back to the papers. Thankfully, they were very detailed, and there were even quite a few pictures and diagrams to accompany them. "I don't want to make any promises to you, but I'll definitely see what I can do."

"You are the best medical ninja I've met. I'd even venture to say you are better than my grandmother and well on your way to surpassing Tsunade. I know if you cannot do this, then I am asking the impossible."

The girl's cheeks flared up with the compliment. "Sasori..."

"I only ask that you try. I know you may not be able to do this. I just appreciate your willingness to attempt."

A smile found its way onto Aina's lips. "Don't worry. I'll see what I can do."

Sasori stood up, Aina following suit and walking with him to the door. "Arigatou, Aina-sama."

"You know I don't like honorifics, Sasori."

"I know, it's just...this means more to me than you know."

Aina took a step forward, embracing the redhead in a hug. "I know."

"Take care, Aina-sa-" Sasori paused a second. "Aina."

The young medic resisted the urge to laugh. "I will. I'll let you know when I figure anything out."

"Arigatou," with the wave his his hand, Sasori exited the room, gently closing the door behind himself.

Aina found her way back to her desk, further looking at the documents.

"You know," she began to herself. "I know they say love makes you do crazy things, but I think Sasori's made that more true than anyone else," a gentle smile made its way onto her face before she completely immersed herself in her new task.

:::::

AN: Oh, snap! It's been a while since we've progressed the story, hasn't it! So now the question arises: Can Aina change Sasori into a human? And what will Emi think...? Snap!

Well, please feel free to leave us comments, we love them reguardless of being praising or critical! ^^ Arigatou!

~Nino and Sakura!