A/N #1: Quick note, we're going to switching back and forth in time during this chapter. Hopefully, I did a good enough job that it won't be too confusing.
A/N #2: And yes, this is a weird middle chapter because I'm OCD about chronological order and it felt weird calling it chapter 6 when it takes place at the same time as chapter 5... But I digress... ENJOY!
Chapter 5.5. Home
Shick.
"Do you regret choosing me over him?"
Shick.
"I swear, not even for a moment, have I regretted choosing you, Sasori."
Setting down his chisel, Sasori reached up and pulled down the adjustable lamp hanging over his workbench. Then, releasing the metal clamps that held in place the long wooden pyramid he was working on, he removed the structure and lifted it up to the light, inspecting it closely for any unwanted grooves or knotches. When he found none, he picked up a piece of sandpaper and began carefully smoothing the wood's surface. After a few minutes of sanding, he lifted the pyramid again, this time to blow off any residual dust before returning it to its place between the metal plates and tightening the harness.
Once it was secured, he pulled on a pair of thick leather gloves and sat back. After scrutinizing the wooden piece one last time, he then raised his hands to form a few quick signs, ones which he'd long since memorized, and watched as a bright white string of chakra formed between his index fingers. Then, aligning his hands with one of the ridges of pyramid, he silently guided the chakra string down, dragging it through the hardwood with ease until it hit the metal baseplate lying underneath.
Releasing his chakra, Sasori immediately loosened the clamps and removed one of the halves, setting it aside while he laid the other flat and repeated the process. When he was finished with each half, he turned his attention to the large puppet sitting beside him.
Of his new collection, it was one of his favorites, as well as one of the first he'd made since being revived. He had named it Tamonten, and, in many ways, the puppet was very similar to Hiruko. Designed specifically for defense with a hardened back shell made of camelthorn, it was also well-equipped for combat, featuring an extendable tail made of iron and tigerwood, both doused in his own specialty poison and riddled with spring-loaded hidden compartments. What made Tamonten different from Hiruko, however, was that puppet had its own reservoir of chakra, sealed inside a core not unlike the one he'd once possessed.
The addition, a feature he had since included in all of his newer puppets, was an idea born directly from the stories Sakura had told him about her journey to obtain the Byakugo no In - only implemented to a much smaller degree. Its purpose, though, was not meant for healing like hers. Rather, the seal he placed on his puppets was engineered for the sake of extended battles, providing him not only with the ability to draw on the additional chakra during battle, but also use it to manipulate other puppets through a master puppet.
It was an honest attempt, he had told Sakura, to learn from his fight against her and his grandmother. Yet another example of the effect both women had had on his life - both of them.
Deactivating Tamonten's security features - because his grandmother had always warned him as child that a puppet was a weapon that could be manipulated by anyone who tried hard enough - with a single hand sign, Sasori pulled the puppet's arm into his lap. Then, grabbing a pair of pliers, he set about loosening the puppet's wrist joint, intent on replacing the steel-tipped wooden claws that had been damaged during his last mission.
It was routine maintenance, something he had grown used to over the years of dealing in puppeteer ninjutsu. It was like second nature to him, the methodical tweaking and tinkering, greasing the cogs and adjusting the small mechanisms within his beloved puppets. His hands moved without thought, like clockwork, twisting gears and pulling at pins and wires, inspecting and testing every hidden trap and carefully placed weapon.
So, it was no surprise that, as he silently worked on the puppet whose existence was so heavily influenced by his pink-haired lover, his mind drifted to her and the unexpected series of events that brought him to the present.
Sunagakure ANBU HQ - Three Years Ago
Kami... His head hurt.
Beep.
What was that noise?
"Day 3, Afternoon Report... tolerated the removal of his breathing tube... doing well on supplemental oxygen..."
Beep.
"... ECG has shown no signs of arrhythmia and pulse oximetry is within normal limits..."
Someone was talking. They sounded... familiar.
Beep.
He felt a brief pressure on his finger.
"... adequate capillary refill."
Beep.
Where the hell was he?
"... adequate hydration via IV fluids... weight maintained on tube feeds..."
Beep.
Kami, that noise was annoying.
"... He has yet to regain consciousness..."
Beep.
Suddenly, he felt a light wave of warmth wash over him, from his head to his toes.
"... chakra regeneration is slow by constant... flow is uninterrupted... on suppressors..."
Beep.
He felt his right arm being lifted, followed by a light weight hitting near his joint. The act was repeated with his left arm, then each of his legs.
"...reflexes are intact, no signs of muscle atrophy..."
Beep.
He felt another pressure on his thumb, this one increasing steadily until there was a sharp pain in its place.
He groaned softly.
"...pain sensation intact..."
Beep.
Suddenly, the voice drew nearer and he felt a gentle tug at one of his eyelids and saw a bright light.
He groaned again.
That DID NOT help his headache.
Beep.
When his tormentor repeated the process with his other eye, he growled softly.
Beep.
The voice that followed this time was hesitant.
"... pupils... equal, round... and reactive to light..."
Beep.
He relaxed slightly when he felt the hands leave his body and the presence hovering over him move away.
Beep.
The soft sound of scratching filled the air, pausing every so often to be replaced by the light echo of footsteps and a few more mumbles.
Beep.
At last, he heard a small sigh.
"... Patient has remained unconscious throughout the duration of the exam. This concludes the afternoon report for Day 3."
Beep.
Listening closely, he waited for the sound of footsteps to fade, the owner no doubt walking away, and the quiet click and thunk of what he could only assume was a door being open and shut. Then, after several seconds of silence and that wretched beep, he sighed in relief.
However, when he felt a warm hand settle carefully over his chest, he tensed.
"Addendum to Day 3, Afternoon Report..."
Cracking open a tired eye, he glared at the blurry figure standing over him.
Beep.
As his vision cleared, he became acutely aware of why he recognized the voice floating above him.
"Little... Girl..." he rasped.
Green eyes glimmered victoriously at him as the owner raised her voice recorder and smirked.
"... the patient is awake."
Glaring silently at the smirking kunoichi, Sasori watched as the woman stood up straight and lowered the recording device. Then, keeping an eye on her from out of the corner of his eye, he sat up and surveyed the room.
Four walls, low ceiling, no windows, dimly lit... and one steel door.
"ANBU cell," he concluded, the words coming out harsh and strained.
Ignoring the glass of water held out to him, as well as the young woman holding it, Sasori turned his attention to the bed he was currently strapped to.
Thin white sheets, adjustable plastic guard rails, cheap single mattress...
It was a hospital bed.
"So she succeeded," he mumbled. Then, he looked up to stare at the pink-haired medic standing nearby. "You succeeded."
"She cared for you deeply. So much so that even after everything you did... she wanted you to be given a second chance."
"How naïve," he said with scoff.
Although, when his scoff quickly turned into a fit of harsh coughing, the condescending look in his taupe eyes conveyed his opinion clearly. And when he tried to push away her helping hands, he was disgusted to realize he was too weak to stop her from forcing his mouth open and making him drink the cool liquid. His discontent only grew when his body surrendered to her, hungrily gulping down the water against his will.
She released him only once the glass was empty. Then, she continued speaking as if she hadn't just forced water down his parched throat and he wasn't scowling at her.
"Don't worry," she said with a growl as she set down the glass and turned back to him, this time with a stethoscope in her hands, "even I'm not that soft-hearted."
"Then, why did you do it - bring me back to life? Why not just let me rot in hell like I so rightfully deserve?" he asked, his words dripping with venom as he glared at her, gauging her reaction.
When she gave no outward response to his taunts, he was surprised. The little girl he had remembered fighting against would have surely risen to the bait. She would have shouted at him that all life was precious and that everyone deserved a second chance. This woman, however, didn't even seem to care about what he'd said, instead stepping up to his side and carefully placing the bell of her stethoscope on his chest.
And so, he stared at her in silence, gaze calculating, as she listened to his lungs and the beating of the heart he was acutely aware that he now had. It wasn't until she had finally pulled away from him that he spoke again.
"Why did you make me human?"
"Research," was her simple answer.
"Research?" he parroted, brow pinching as he tried to understand what she meant.
Then, it hit him.
"You want to turn prosthetics into real limbs."
When she responded with a calm "yes," Sasori almost felt the urge to smile.
"How poetic," he said instead, recalling with a surprising amount of clarity the time he'd made a prosthetic for someone else when he was a child. Then, he asked a question even he wasn't expecting.
"Is it for a friend?"
Apparently, she hadn't expected it either, if the way she paused in checking his IV lines was any indication. She recovered quickly, though, her expression returning to one of neutral professionalism as she confirmed his assumption with a nod.
Strangely, Sasori found himself nodding back and, though he was somewhat disturbed by her lack of hostility and his own docility, made no move to disrupt the seemingly delicate silence that had fallen over the room.
Unfortunately, there appeared to be someone else determined to disrupt it for him, as evident by the series of sharp knocks that suddenly sounded from the direction of the door.
Not looking up from her task, the kunoichi called for the other party to enter.
Leaning back against the bed, Sasori watched warily as the door opened and a trio of Suna ANBU operatives stepped in, followed closely by their commander. When they made no effort to hide the violent churning of their chakra, he immediately understood why they were there.
Now that he was awake and seemingly well... it was time for his interrogation.
"Haruno-san," the commander greeted, offering the petite medic a small nod before turning his gaze to the criminal sitting in the hospital bed, "How is he?"
The woman returned his nod respectfully before coming around to the other side of Sasori's bed to face the shinobi, as if purposely placing herself between the ANBU squad and her patient.
"He's doing well," she replied, stance wide as she folded her arms across her chest. "Although, not well enough to be tortured... if that is what you're asking."
"Now, Haruno-san," the commander began, his tone almost like that of a parent gently scolding a stubborn child, "the Suna Council was gracious enough to allow you to use our facilities for your research, but we also have responsibilities to uphold." Sasori could feel the attention turn to him as the man continued, "Akasuna no Sasori is a wanted criminal, a missing-ninja of our village. He does not deserve the luxury of being well-rested before we get to question him."
Though he wouldn't show it, Sasori agreed with the man. From an objective stance, interrogations were typically easier when the subject was already in a weakened state. Of course, it would take more than being in a weakened physical state to get him, or any elite shinobi worth their salt, to offer up valuable information.
Granted, depending on how long he'd been gone from the world of the living, Sasori doubted that any of the information he had would even be useful.
And, judging from the tension held within the shoulders and stiff backs of the ANBU agents in the room, he had a feeling they cared little about what knowledge he had to offer. No, they were out for his blood.
A fact his pink-haired caretaker seemed more than aware of.
"Under different circumstances, I would agree with you, Commander-san," she began, her voice calm as she confidently stood her ground, "However, because Sasori's recovery is vital to the Shinobi Union's efforts to create a reliable medical ninjutsu that is strong enough to restore the limbs of our disabled comrades... I must ask you and your colleagues for patience."
When the tension in the room immediately tripled, Sasori had half the mind to wonder if the girl had a death wish. Although, he also remembered wondering the same thing when she'd charged at him head-on during their battle, so perhaps she wasn't as foolhardy as he first thought.
Nevertheless, challenging a foreign village's ANBU commander didn't seem like a bright idea, regardless of the kind of political backing she had.
However, when one of the ANBU operatives made to step forward, obviously intent on voicing their displeasure, Sasori was surprised to see the commander intervene. He was even more surprised by the man's next words.
"When will he be ready?"
Not even bothering to look at her clipboard or her patient, the medic replied firmly, "Give me two weeks. If his condition remains stable, I will authorize limited interrogation sessions."
There was a moment, as her words hung in the air, that Sasori half expected to see the ANBU commander refuse the medic's request. However, after a few tense moments of her staring him down, the man relented. Then, he took a step back, turned to his subordinates, and nodded his head towards the door, indicating to them that it was time to leave.
True to form, though Sasori suspected they were hesitate, the trio obeyed the command and exited the room one-by-one, leaving him alone with the medic and the ANBU commander.
"Two weeks, Haruno-san," the man said sternly, meeting the kunoichi's firm gaze for a moment more before taking his leave.
And sure enough, two weeks into his recovery, Sasori began his interrogation sessions with Suna's ANBU.
To say the least, they were grueling. Although, at first, due to Sakura's vehement insistence that they do minimal physical damage to him, seeing as he was their only research subject and she had to carefully monitor his physical health, the torture they inflicted upon him was bearable because it was primarily psychological.
At least, it was until they realized it wasn't working on him. After all, that was the problem with missing-nin. Often times, they didn't have something or someone that they were fighting for. There was no one that they cared enough about or who cared enough about them to be used as a weapon against them. Their loyalty was to themselves only. And when a shinobi didn't even fear death, there was little an interrogator could do to them psychologically without the aid of an ability like the Sharingan or a genjutsu specialist.
So, when his assailants realized that their weak genjutsus and mind tricks had no effect on him, and that he had already been thoroughly messed up in the head in his previous life, they got creative.
And, because they knew they had to return him to Sakura in one piece, they had started bringing along a medic to heal his wounds.
Unfortunately, as the weeks went by and his physical condition began improving, the force they used during their inquiries increased as well. When he was able to start feeding himself again, they broke one of his legs. When he was finally able to balance on his own and walk short distances, they fractured his left humerus. And when he'd finally gotten annoyed with it all and started telling them whatever they wanted to know, someone had broken his ribs.
It was obvious then, although he already had his own suspicions, that his interrogators didn't actually care about the information he gave them. All they wanted was a scapegoat, an outlet for their anger... retribution. And he couldn't blame them, which is why he had accepted the harsh treatment without complaint.
That is... until one particular operative nearly killed him.
That was when Sakura stepped in.
It had been a little over three months since he had first awoken inside the cold, dark room that was his cell. Three months of roughly the same daily routine. Wake up, eat, get poked and prodded by the young pink-haired medic, have physical rehabilitation exercises forced upon him by Kankuro, spend several hours alone with his own thoughts, and repeat it all again before being escorted to a separate room for his interrogation sessions with ANBU...
Hands and feet bound together by chakra suppressing shackles, Sasori grit his teeth and braced himself for the impact of the ANBU operative's gloved fist slamming into his gut.
With his body pinned to stone wall behind him, the hit connected like a sledgehammer to a boulder. It made him cough, violently, and the taste of blood well up in his throat.
Falling to his knees, Sasori hung his head and wheezed. If he was lucky, they'd let him catch his breath before asking him another question. Not that they would give him the time to actually answer it before beating him again.
Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.
"Shuichiro Jin-"
This time it was a foot. He could tell because he felt a few of his ribs crack as the steel-toed boat came in contact with his side. He grunted in pain as the force of the blow sent him sideways, along the length of the wall, before his chains jerked him back into place.
Turning his head, Sasori spit out the blood and bile that pooled in his mouth. Then, he looked up at the ANBU in front of him with bored eyes.
After all, responding with anything other than indifference would only encourage the shinobi to hit him harder. He knew because that is what happened the first time he'd glared at an operative who hadn't let him finish answering their question. It had earned him a broken kneecap.
He'd learned his lesson.
Cool indifference annoyed them, but anger and irritation made them giddy.
"How many sleeper agents do you have left in Suna?"
And when they decided to ask him questions that he had no way of knowing the answer to...
"Six."
...he'd learned to give them a bogus answer.
The back of his head slammed against the wall with a sickening crack.
After all... no one really cared about his answer.
He felt another fist connect with the side of his head, causing it to snap to the side violently. It was followed soon after by a knee to his stomach that would have caused him to double over if not for the chains holding his arms above his head. And when he felt the air inside the small room shift, the ANBU agent's bloodlust growing exponentially with the gathering chakra, Sasori wondered briefly if this was how the Konoha kunoichi had expected things to go.
If not... then, she really was just a naïve and soft-hearted little-
"H-Haruno-san!?"
Despite the searing pain it caused, Sasori lifted his head.
Maybe that last hit to his head had been a bit too hard, because the scene before him couldn't possibly have been real.
Standing in front of him in her long white coat, her pink locks tied back in the usual way, was the medic he'd come to know as Haruno Sakura. A friend to the current Kazekage and the esteemed apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, she had been involved in both his death and his revival.
And now, despite everything he had done, she was defending him.
With speed he hadn't remembered her possessing, she had placed herself between him and the bloodthirsty ANBU operative. Then, she had caught the man's glowing fist halfway through its extension and forced his arm to return to his side.
However, before she had the chance to speak, a deep voice rose from the newly-opened doorway.
"This behavior is grossly inappropriate, Haruno-san."
Releasing the hand of the agent in front of her, Sakura turned towards the ANBU commander and sent him a scathing glare.
"I authorized limited interrogation methods," she snapped. "This" - she gestured angrily towards the bleeding and half-conscious man behind her - "IS NOT what I authorized."
In response to her outburst, the ANBU commander glanced briefly at the crumpled form chained to the wall before turning his gaze back to the medic. Then, he shrugged. "This is standard interrogation protocol in Suna, Haruno-san." He then gestured to the second masked shinobi standing in the corner of the room. "My agents wouldn't have let him die. In fact, Hawk-san is one of your students, and one of our best medics."
Sasori watched Sakura turn her gaze towards the medic, noting with amusement how the ninja flinched almost imperceptibly under her heavy glare.
"Oh, is that so?" she asked with mock surprise, "And here I thought I'd trained my students better than to leave fractured bones half healed."
Had his head not been throbbing and his vision not been fading, Sasori might have smirked at the way the shinobi had visibly cringed in response to Sakura's acidic words. Instead, he closed eyes and, after feeling the tension around his wrists and ankles disappear, let his exhaustion takeover.
The next time he woke up, it was not to the familiar sight of pink hair and green eyes. Instead, he found himself in the company of a different familiar face.
"Kankuro," he said calmly, brown eyes lifting to meet those of the younger puppet master sitting in the chair beside his bed. "Where..."
"...is Sakura?" The man finished, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement at the mention of the feisty woman. "She's currently with the Kazekage getting scolded for the stunt she pulled during your interrogation session."
Sasori's eyes widened a fraction at the news. So he really hadn't imagined it.
"Foolish woman," he said with a sigh. "She should have let them do what they wanted."
"And let them kill you?" Kankuro asked with a scowl, to which Sasori sent him one in return.
"What difference would it make?" he asked darkly. "I have the blood of hundreds on my hands, Kankuro. I have killed people from this village, friends and family members of innocent people. If they can find solace in beating me to a pulp, who am I to stop them?"
To his surprise, the Sand shinobi didn't argue with him. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't say you're wrong... but like it or not, this is bigger than you and it's bigger than them as well."
Eyes narrowed, Sasori stared at the younger man, silently prompting him to explain.
Sitting up straight, Kankuro sent the man a pointed look. "Sakura and I spent three years researching how to bring you back to life, Sasori. The sacrifices we made... that she made... it wasn't for you. It was for the countless shinobi whose careers have been cut short and who have been cast aside and abandoned because they lost a limb in battle."
Sasori scoffed. "How noble of you."
"You're damn right it is!" Kankuro snapped, gaze hard as he stared Sasori down. "And it's for that reason that you can't die, Sasori. Because you being here, talking to me, is the only proof we have that the jutsu we developed could work... but we need to keep you alive to know if it'll work in the long-run."
"All it proves is that your generation is too soft-hearted. Had this taken place ten years ago, I would have been executed the moment the jutsu was declared a success," Sasori countered with a scowl, shaking his head slightly. "It's a wonder any of you made it through the war."
Irritated, Kankuro grit his teeth and growled, "Look, I don't care if you'd rather be dead. And I don't care if you think letting those ANBU beat you to death is a good way to atone for your sins. All I care about right now is seeing this through to the end, which includes keeping you alive and getting this afternoon report done for Sakura. So, sit up before I have to make you."
Silently, Sasori obeyed the command, although his discontent shown clearly in his eyes. Although, as he leaned forward, he was surprised that his body didn't ache like it should have after being beaten the way he had.
"She was pissed when I came to tell her that Gaara wanted to see her, but she threatened to kill me if I didn't let her finish healing you first." Kankuro explained as he placed the stethoscope on Sasori's chest. "You're just lucky that I'm more afraid of her than I am of my brother."
Sasori raised an eyebrow at the comment but stayed silent, patiently letting Kankuro maneuver him as he saw fit to perform the rest of the exam.
It wasn't until he was laying back against the bed and Kankuro had stood to check his IV lines that Sasori spoke again.
"So, I am nothing more than your guinea pig now?"
Unsympathetically, Kankuro nodded. Then, as he picked up a new bag of fluids to replace the old one, he added, "but you're also human, Sasori... And because you are, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about."
Hearing the soft rustle of fabric, Sasori looked up to see Kankuro holding out two very familiar scrolls.
"The Mother and Father puppets..." he began, only to be cut off by the redhead.
"Keep them."
Eyes widening, Kankuro looked down at the scrolls and then back at the puppeteer with uncertainty. However, before he had the chance to argue, Sasori spoke.
"Although my body is no longer made of wood and metal, the life that I live now is not my own, so I am, in some sense, still a puppet, Kankuro." His gaze shifted from the old scrolls to the younger jonin. "Additionally, I found peace in giving these to you... I was able to move on... So, I must ask that you continue to carry out my will and pass those puppets down to the next generation, please."
Seemingly surprised by the former Akatsuki member's request, Kankuro slowly returned the scrolls to his hip pouch. Then, turning back to the IV stand, he resumed his task. As he worked, Sasori took the opportunity instead to ask him a question.
"Once I have recovered, and you have the information you need for your research, what will happen?"
"You will have a choice to make," Kankuro replied. "You can either sign the treaty that the Shinobi Union formed with the remaining members of the Akatsuki... Or you can be tried as a criminal in Suna."
"You mean executed," Sasori retorted blandly.
Picking up the clipboard Sakura often used to write her notes, Kankuro nodded. "Yeah."
Staring thoughtfully down at the white sheets covering his legs, Sasori asked Kankuro to tell him about the treaty.
"Well, you can thank Naruto for it more than anyone else... After we learned that the hunt for the jinchuuriki was actually the work of Madara Uchiha, rather than the will of the Akatsuki members themselves, Naruto insisted that the situation wasn't much different from shinobi acting on the orders of their Kages.
"And when you look at it from that perspective, it seemed wrong to punish all of you for the actions of one shinobi. Not to mention the amount of time we would be wasting trying to track each of you down."
Kankuro heaved a small sigh as he flopped back down into the chair beside Sasori's bed. "As a result, our Kages decided to present the remaining Akatsuki members with an offer. Be hunted down and tried by your respective villages for your crimes... or disband and agree to a specific set of operational regulations."
The raised eyebrow and intrigued look Sasori sent Kankuro encouraged him to continue.
Holding up his thumb, Kankuro began. "First, you can never return to your village."
Sasori nodded. That made sense.
"Second, you can't initiate combat or engage in the field with shinobi from the Shinobi Union."
Sasori vaguely wondered how that one would be enforced but nodded anyway.
"Third, you cannot accept missions or engage in any activities that would directly interfer with the affairs of the Shinobi Union."
Sasori had a feeling that stipulation came from the village councils.
"That's broad."
Kankuro shrugged nonchalantly before holding up a fourth finger.
"You'll be assigned a supervisor chosen by the Kages. You'll be required to check in with them annually."
Sasori made a soft sound of annoyance. "A babysitter."
"You're a wanted criminal, dude, you'll have to suck it up if you want to your head to stay attached to your shoulders," Kankuro replied bluntly.
When Sasori sent him a weak glare, Kankuro lifted his pinky and continued, undeterred.
"Lastly, should you want to ally yourself with a member of the Shinobi Union, you'll be required to first return to Amegakure and help with their recovery."
Sasori frowned slightly. "And after that?"
Beside him, Kankuro hummed thoughtfully. "I can't imagine that any of the shinobi villages would take you in... So, I guess you could go wherever you want. Although, most of the former Akatsuki members have stayed in Ame."
"That's just because it's easier and the people of Ame are used to us," Sasori said with a sigh. Then, a thought occured to him. "For how long have I been dead?"
Choosing to ignore the peculiarity of the question, Kankuro took a moment to think. "Excluding the time you were under the Edo Tensei... six or seven years?"
"Who's left?"
"Of the Akatsuki?" Kankuro asked. "Aside from you, Hoshigaki Kisame and Deidara... and there were two newer members that joined towards the end of the war... I think their names are Kumijiro and Hatsuko."
"And those who stayed in Ame?" Sasori asked curiously.
"Everyone except for Deidara... Although, I think Kisame left shortly after you were revived."
Brow furrowed, Sasori was about to ask Kankuro how he knew so much about the movements of the former Akatsuki members when they heard voices arise from the other side of the cell door. Then, when the door opened to reveal a rather frustrated looking Sakura, they fell silent.
"Oh good, you're both here," she said with a sigh of relief. "I have news."
Curious, both men watched her reach into her hip pouch and withdraw two scrolls. She handed the first to Kankuro before unrolling the other, which appeared to be a storage scroll, and setting it on the table beside Sasori's bed. Then, she turned back to the two men and put her hands on hips while Kankuro read aloud the first lines of the scroll she'd handed to him.
"Due to a conflict of interests on behalf of the ANBU forces of Suna, the result of which being that the safe recovery of Akasuna no Sasori cannot be guaranteed, I, Sabaku Gaara, as the Godaime Kazekage, in coordination with the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade, am granting Konoha's Haruno Sakura and Suna's Sabaku Kankuro... permission to oversee the transfer of Akasuna no Sasori... into the care of Konohagakure..."
Kankuro looked up at Sakura in shock.
"We're going to Konoha?!"
The move had taken place over the span of two weeks. The first was spent in Suna, during which he had been visited by both Sakura and Kankuro periodically as they hurried to get everything organized and discreetly packed up for the transfer. Meanwhile, the second week had been devoted to traveling to Konoha, which had taken significantly longer than usual due to his physical condition and lack of chakra.
He could still remember how Sakura had jokingly asked him if he was ready to go, both of them knowing how rough the journey ahead of them would be. However, the memory that stood out most in his mind was the look of surprise that had crossed her face when he'd asked if he could first see his grandmother before they left.
The Suna elders had been against, she had later told him, stating that he was no longer a part of the village and therefore had no right to visit the deceased councilwoman. Nevertheless, Sakura, infuriated by the callousness of their words, had gone to bat for him yet again, and she had won... all so he could get a little bit of closure.
Shoulders covered by a thick beige travel cloak, Sasori looked down at the gray headstone inscribed with his late grandmother's name.
"Hey, Old Hag... it's me... your 'good-for-nothing grandson'," he said calmly, his gaze focused on the bouquet of white lilies that Sakura had laid down before she had stepped away to give him some privacy. "You got your wish, you know... that foolish little girl who helped you kill me... she brought me back into this wretched world as a human lab rat."
Crouching down, he reached out and placed a hand on the stone. "Yeah, you heard me right... I'm no longer a puppet... all of my hard work has been reversed by her and the Kazekage's brother."
His fingers brushed gently over the familiar chiseled characters of her name. "He tried to return the Mother and Father puppets to me, you know. I suspect it was because he wanted me to have a little more time with them... but I think they are better off in his hands."
Sasori then placed his hand on the sand beneath the gravestone, grabbed a handful of it, and watched as it poured out through the spaces between his fingers. Then, he turned his gaze back to his grandmother's grave.
"I... have decided to start over in this life..." he said softly, his voice barely audible above the gentle desert wind. "I can't promise to be a hero... because we both know I could never become someone like that... but... I will try my best to do better this time around."
As a warm breeze washed over his back and blew away the remaining grains of sands in his palm, Sasori felt a small smile grace his lips.
"So, please, rest easy... and don't haunt me from the afterlife..."
Standing slowly, Sasori spared the grave one last long look before turning away to join the pair waiting for him in the distance.
"... Obaa-chan."
When they had arrived in Konoha at the end of the second week, they were met at the gates by a squad of ANBU and the Hokage herself.
And while their presence hadn't surprised him, it was the fact that they weren't the only ones there that did.
In addition to Tsunade and the ANBU, there were several others present that day that he had grown to know over the years. In particular, he could distinctly remember Ino, Kakashi, and Naruto being among the welcome party.
He'd thought little of it at the time, though, having passed the group off as just some of the many people the Sakura had endeared herself to coming to welcome her home. However, when he'd watched the group of shinobi welcome Kankuro with equally friendly jabs and grins, he had wondered if it was another generational difference. Although, as his time in Konoha went on, he began to realize that it wasn't. Rather, it was because there was something special about the kunoichi in charge of his recovery - and he had been determined to figure it out.
Unfortunately, due to her responsibilities at the hospital and his improving health, their encounters had been limited only a few times a week. And if he had been honest, it had bothered him.
That being said, the three months he had spent recovering in an underground ANBU detention cell in Konoha had been significantly better than in Suna. Mostly because, unlike the cruelty he had endured at the hands of Suna's ANBU, the majority of Konoha's operatives had left him be, carrying out their duty of guarding his cell without complaint. And for that, he was silently grateful.
So, when his six months of observation were up and he was given a clean bill of health by both Sakura and Kankuro, he signed the Akatsuki Treaty. And, in an effort to repay the favor, and as an excuse to observe Sakura outside of their usual patient-provider setting, he had volunteered to accompany the pinkette on Konoha's annual medical campaign.
"Are you sure you want to come with us?"
Setting down the boxes of medical supplies he had pulled out of a large storage scroll, Sasori turned his attention towards the medic standing a short distance away.
"If I hadn't wanted to come, I wouldn't have," he replied easily, making his way back across the room to continue unpacking.
"I know," Sakura replied as she flipped through the pages of inventory attached to her clipboard, "but, I just don't understand why. I mean, you're finally a free man, you could go wherever you want."
Sasori shrugged slightly as he picked up a kunai and cracked open another box. "Being free doesn't mean there aren't still people who want me dead, and in case you haven't noticed," he stood up and made a show of the lonely kunai in his hand, "I don't have much to defend myself if I get attacked."
"And you expect one of us to defend you if someone comes looking for your head?"
No. He didn't. In fact, he had a feeling the Konoha shinobi would be more than happy to offer him up as sacrifice if the situation arose.
Opening another box, he said instead, "A wolf who hides amongst sheep is safer than one traveling alone in the forest."
There was a moment of silence before she answered. "That's assuming the hunter cares about the sheep."
Sasori resisted the urge to roll his eyes, because her concern was understandable, even though he doubted any hunter-nin would be foolish enough to attack Sakura's group in order to kill him.
"No bounty hunter would risk offending one of the Shinobi Union's founding villages just to capture me, Sakura. Furthermore, even if one was stupid enough to attack your group to get to me," causally tossing the kunai in the air, Sasori met her gaze firmly before catching the knife with ease, "I won't let you and your comrades get caught in the crossfire."
There was a surprising amount of sincerity in his eyes as he spoke and, just as Sakura was about to open her mouth and respond, a loud shout rose from outside of the supplies tent, interrupting them. They shared a brief look of concern before dashing out of the tent.
Once outside, they found themselves amongst a crowd of civilians and shinobi, gathering steadily in the direction of the village entrance, the air tense. Looking around, Sasori grabbed a hold of the first leaf ninja he could find, pulling the young chuunin over to him and Sakura with a swift tug of his chakra strings.
At first, the boy panicked upon seeing the puppet master, but he relaxed quickly when he recognized the pink-haired jonin standing nearby. "Sakura-san!"
Stepping forward, Sakura grabbed the boy's shoulders lightly and focused her gaze on him, "Kota-kun, what's happening?"
The chuunin pointed in the direction of the village gates, his voice uneasy, "One of the villagers said they saw a pair of shinobi at the village gates... they were wearing black cloaks decorated with red clouds."
Sakura's gaze snapped immediately to Sasori's, green eyes hard with worry.
Sasori frowned, then turned his attention to the chuunin. "Did they have any other distinctive features?"
Kota shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't ask. I just ran to get Sakura-san as soon as possible."
Sakura offered the anxious chuunin a small smile. "Thank you, Kota-kun, we'll take it from here. Go and join the others and keep the civilians back."
The boy nodded before turning and dashing back into the crowd, leaving Sakura and Sasori alone in front of the medical tent.
"Do you think they mean any harm?" she asked hesitantly as she turned to face the tense puppeteer.
Sasori shook his head. "No," he said as he stared off in the direction they had seen the chuunin run, "but we should go and see who it is."
Nodding in agreement, Sakura followed close behind as Sasori strode ahead.
Using his chakra strings, Sasori gently moved civilians and shinobi out of the way, ignoring the pointed stares and murmurs as he parted the crowd. He hadn't mentioned it to Sakura, but he already had an idea of who had come to village, and when the crowd finally gave way to the entrance of the village and the sight of two familiar figures, he relaxed.
"Kisame. Deidara." He announced as he stepped out of the crowd and stopped in front of his old comrades. "What are you doing here?"
He could feel Sakura appear at his side when Kisame spoke, the shark man's narrow eyes glimmering with annoyance as they looked over the revived puppeteer.
"We're here to take you back to Ame," he replied gruffly. Then, making a show of placing his hand on Samehada's hilt and readjusting the sword, he gestured towards Sakura and added, "If you don't mind, squirt."
Sasori watched quietly as Sakura's eyes narrowed and she folded her arms over her chest. Then, after eyeing Sasori critically out of the corner of her eyes, she jabbed a thumb in his direction and spoke. "He's not my responsibility anymore, so you'll have to ask him."
Across from them, Kisame grinned toothily while Deidara snorted. Then, the blonde pyromaniac sneered at Sasori, "So, are you coming or not, yeah?"
Sasori raised an eyebrow at the blonde's lack of respect, to which Deidara scoffed, "I'll start calling you 'Sasori-danna' again when you're a little less pathetic."
Irritably, Sasori flung the kunai in his hand at the blonde's head, grumbling to himself when Kisame stepped forward and batted the knife away with his own. Although, the Kiri missing-nin didn't stop there. Instead, just as Sasori pulled the kunai back into his hand with his chakra strings, Kisame dashed forward towards the redhead.
Sasori met him halfway, the blade of his kunai connecting with Kisame's for only a second before he dropped to the ground and swept a kick out at the man's legs.
Above him, Kisame let out a bark of laughter and jumped.
"Ha! You can't possibly think that-" When his legs stayed rooted to the ground and Sasori's heel made contact with the side of his knees, Kisame cursed. "-f*cking chakra strings!"
A second later, Kisame's knees buckled and Sasori appeared behind him holding a kunai to his neck. Behind them, Deidara snickered.
"Oi! Can it, blondie!" Kisame barked. Then, shoving Sasori's wrist away from his carotid artery, Kisame added, "And get that thing away from me, you've proven your point."
Retracting his arm, Sasori returned Kisame's glare before letting the former Akatsuki member stand.
"Just because you can fight, doesn't change the fact that you have to come with us," Kisame said lowly before trudging back over to the smirking Deidara and grabbing him by the collar. Then, after roughly pulling the blonde explosive expert along with him, he shouted over his shoulder, "You've got two minutes to get your goodbye kisses out of the way before we come back to drag you away," before disappearing into the woods.
Sasori scowled after the pair for a moment before turning back to face Sakura and the rest of the bemused crowd.
Looking down at the smirking pinkette, he sighed.
"At least I won't have to worry about bounty hunters now," she said with an amused smile, which only spread wider when the redhead glared at her.
However, rather than indulging her, because he knew Kisame was just waiting for an excuse to come back and humiliate him, Sasori calmly extended a hand towards the jonin.
"Thank you, Sakura," he said when she accepted his hand and shook it.
She smiled at him faintly, nodding respectfully as he released her hand and took a step away. "You're welcome, Sasori."
He nodded back at her. Then, after scanning the faces in the crowd behind Sakura, he nodded again before turning his back on the group and slipping away into the forest.
Setting aside the damaged set of Tamonten's talons, Sasori picked up one of the new wooden wedges and a ball gouge. Turning the tool over in his hand, Sasori took a moment to trace the faded characters etched into the wooden handle with his thumb, a faint smiled passing over his lips.
Despite what many believed, his grandmother, though she had failed to cope with loss of his parents, had shown him love when he needed it most. It just wasn't in the form of hugs or kisses or by making homemade food like other grandparents. Instead, she had taught him how to make and control puppets, ensuring in her own strange way that he would never really be alone.
Unfortunately, it had taken both of their deaths for him to finally realize it.
Pressing the lip of the tool into the base of the piece in his hand, Sasori silently returned to his task, carving out of the wood the groove for the knuckle joint. Then, after ensuring that the piece fit properly over the metal-plated knuckle of the puppet's index finger and moved across the surface with ease, he repeated the process with the other pieces before moving on to the next step of the repair.
Exchanging the ball gouge in his hand for the gimlet sitting on his workbench, Sasori picked up one of the wooden pieces and pressed the screw-end of the gimlet into the center of the piece. Then, twisting the rod with practiced ease, he drilled a hole through the length of the block, waiting until he saw the tip of the screw emerge from the apex of the piece before removing it and replacing it with a thin steel wire. After tying the wire tightly with the help of his chakra strings, he then gave the other end of the wire a hard tug.
Once he was confident that the knot was secure, Sasori threaded it through the hole in Tamonten's index knuckle. Then, flipping the puppet's forearm palm-side-up, he unlatched the forearm compartment and pulled the wire the rest of the way through. Pulling the wire taut, he then secured it to one of the internal bolts before doing the same with the remaining pieces.
Closing the compartment, he was just about to attach his chakra strings to the arm and test the new claws when he heard a soft rustle of leaves outside his window.
Turning his head, Sasori watched quietly as the branches of the tall cherry tree behind Sakura's apartment shook slightly with the landing of a bluebird, the bright color of feathers hidden safely by lush green leaves.
According to Sakura, the bird had taken up residence in the tree about three years ago, around the same time that he had arrived in Konoha, and had yet to leave, choosing to come back every spring without fail.
The comparison was hard to ignore.
After all, once his mandatory six months of service in Amegakure had elapsed, he'd also returned to Konoha without a second thought.
Standing in front of the large green gates of Konoha, Sasori watched silently as the Godaime Hokage and her ANBU guards approached him.
Folding her arms over her chest, Tsunade glared down at the redhead. "You came back," she said flatly.
Hands raised in attempt to show that he meant no harm, Sasori looked up at the woman and nodded. "I did."
The Hokage eyed him skeptically. "Why?"
"Would you believe me if I said that I hated Ame?"
Tsunade snorted. "I would... but that's not really why you're here."
Sasori shrugged nonchalantly. "No, it's not."
The blonde glared at him faintly before heaving a sigh and waving her hand toward the ANBU operatives. "Someone go and inform the council members, the rest of you can escort him to my office. I have to stop by the hospital, then I will be there."
Twenty minutes later and Sasori found himself standing in front of the Godaime Hokage's desk with two of Konoha's eldest shinobi, a handful of clan heads, two ANBU squads, a brunette woman he didn't recognize, and Sakura.
Elbows resting on top of her desk, her hands steepled in front of her, Tsunade stared Sasori down and spoke. "State your purpose."
Withholding his amusement, Sasori briefly scanned the occupants of the room, his gaze lingering for a moment on Sakura, before returning to the Hokage. Then, inclining his head, he replied, "I want to join Konoha."
"NONSENSE!"
All heads snapped in the direction of the pair of seated elders, in particular to the frail old woman who had stood with a speed remarkable for her age. Although, it was the utter hatred the shone in her gaze that surprised Sasori the most.
"Absolute. Nonsense!" she shouted, raising a wrinkled hand to point accusingly at the redhead. "It was one thing to allow him into our village under ANBU guards for your apprentice to finish her research, but to let him join Konoha... I cannot agree to that!"
Raising an eyebrow, Sasori turned his gaze back to the Hokage who was staring at the elder. Then, as the tense silence in the room continued, during which he could hear the hushed words of agreement float amongst the clan heads, he decided to offer a compromise. After all, he hadn't actually expected to be welcomed into Konoha without bringing something of value to the table.
"I would like to offer my services as an information broker," he said calmly before turning back to face the Hokage. "During the past six months, I have been reaching out to my old contacts and many of the relationships are intact. I imagine, given your desire for peace, having such connections throughout the nations might help you and your allies spot issues before they can... fester."
"And who's to say you won't betray us by providing us with false information?" asked the other elder, Mitokado Homura.
"And for what reason would I do that? The war is over, the Akatsuki has disbanded... I have no reason to be dishonest." Patiently, Sasori added, "Furthermore, providing false information would be an obvious breach of the treaty that I signed."
The female elder, Utatane Koharu, scowled at him.
"And how do you expect us to be at ease knowing you are residing here, a criminal amongst our innocent civilians. You once killed your own comrades and turned them into human puppets," she asked harshly, the question causing a soft murmur to rise amongst the clan heads.
"As part of the treaty I signed for my freedom, I promised to cease using humans as materials for my puppets."
"And you expect us to believe you? What proof do we have that you won't go back to using people?" she asked with a laugh of disbelief. "Furthermore, what makes you think we would even trust the words of a criminal like you?"
For a moment, Sasori was tempted to ask them if they had proof that Sasuke Uchiha wasn't also out doing nefarious things, but before he could retort, another voice spoke up on his behalf.
"If you can't trust him, then trust me."
Eyes widening a fraction, Sasori turned his attention to Sakura as she stepped forward from her place by Tsunade's desk to face the room.
"With all due respect, Haruno-san-" Hyuuga Hiashi began placatingly, only to be cut off by Yamanaka Inoichi raising his hand to stop the man from continuing.
"Let her speak, Hiashi-san," the man said as he leaned forward and gave the pinkette a small, encouraging smile. "Sakura, out of everyone, has spent the most time with him, her opinion on this matter should be heard."
Sakura smiled gratefully at the older man before turning to address the room. "I understand your concerns regarding Sasori-san, especially given his history, but during the past year that I have known him, I believe that he has changed for the better."
Homura scoffed softly from his place beside Koharu, "Changing for the better does not mean he can be trusted."
Turning towards the elder, Sakura replied bluntly, "Then explain to me why we allowed Uchiha Sasuke to rejoin the village so easily. It certainly wasn't because we trusted him."
A tense silence fell over the room at her words, and even Sasori was surprised that the jonin had the guts to voice his own argument. Although, after a few seconds, when a loud laugh erupted from behind the Hokage's desk, from the Hokage herself, Sasori wondered if all Konoha shinobi were crazy.
"It's about time someone brought that up," Tsunade said, the smile on her lips a mix of amused and proud.
The sentiment was surprisingly echoed by a few of the other clan heads with Inoichi mentioning specifically that they had not only promoted Sasuke to the rank of jonin upon his return, but had also allowed him to rejoin the village's military without so much as a probation period.
"But Uchiha Sasuke is the last of the Uchiha line." Koharu argued, "A bloodline that must remain inside of Konoha and must be preserved."
"What you really mean to say is that even though Sasuke could easily betray us, he's too valuable of an asset to keep him restrained and chained down," Nara Shikaku replied bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
"By that logic," Inuzuka Tsume drawled from her place beside Shikaku, "we should be thinking of Sasori-san in the same light. He is the grandson of the late Lady Chiyo, though he does not have a bloodline trait, he is an expert in poisons and puppet ninjutsu. Additionally, we all know firsthand the extent of his information networks... he could serve to be an invaluable asset."
"Uchiha Sasuke has always been a member of this village, Akasuna no Sasori, has not!" Koharu argued. "If we let him join the village, we might as well be inviting the entirety of the Akatsuki!"
"If the argument you're making is that we shouldn't let a murderer into our village, than you might as well expell all of our shinobi," Shikaku fired back, already looking bored with their conversation. "And if you're going to try and split hairs by saying that Sasuke's crimes are less significant than Sasori-san's, just save us all the headache and don't bother."
Koharu sent the Nara a sharp glare. However, before she could retort, a new voice rose from the table of clan heads.
"Personally, if Sakura-san, as Sasori-san's assigned supervisor, agrees to monitor him while he is within the village, I would be open to the idea of allowing Sasori-san a probation period."
All eyes turned to Akimichi Chouza. His eyes, however, where settled on the young kunoichi standing beside the Hokage. He gave her a small nod.
"What do you think, Sakura-san?"
Despite the surprise at being singled out evident in her eyes, Sakura met the older jonin's gaze calmly. Then, she turned her gaze to Sasori, holding his stare for a long moment before turning at last to look at her mentor.
"I will do it," she said. Then, after receiving a faint nod from Tsunade, she turned her attention to the village elders. "I will oversee his activity during this probation period."
Koharu frowned at the medic, but it was Homura who spoke. "And how do you plan to do that?"
Eyes flickering to Sasori's briefly, Sakura responded with ease. "I will have him assigned to the research and development laboratory at the hospital. Currently, it is my month to oversee their projects, so I will be able to keep a close eye on him there. Depending on the length of his probation, I can have his role adjusted as needed so that I can continue to watch him and serve the village."
"And how do you expect to monitor him outside of the hospital?" Hiashi asked. "Surely, you can't watch him 24/7."
Inwardly, Sasori cringed at the idea of being under 24/7 surveillance. And while he also wondered how Sakura was going to manage keeping tabs on him every hour of every day for the duration of his probation, the kunoichi apparently had an answer.
"I have an extra room in my apartment, so he will be staying with me while he's not working at the hospital."
Eyes wide, Sasori joined the rest of the occupants in the room in openly staring at the pinkette. She, however, stood firm in her decision. And, to prove her commitment, she turned towards the elders and asked them to set a timeframe for her new roommate's probationary period.
Stiffly, Koharu shared a look with Homura before replying.
"One year."
If the extended time period bothered her, Sakura didn't let it show. Instead, she turned to her attention back to Sasori and extended her hand to him.
"So, what do you say, Sasori-san?" she asked him with a small smile. "Think you can deal with me for another year?"
Smirking faintly, Sasori reached out and clasped his hand with hers, shaking it firmly.
"It's going to be an interesting year."
And it had been.
Over the next year, they had grown closer, learned to live in a shared space and had come to trust each other. And slowly, they had grown fond of one another, often teasing each other during their sparring sessions and bantering as they made dinner together.
Then, at some point, something changed. He wasn't sure when or how or who had started caring for who as more than a friend first... and he didn't care. All he knew was that he didn't hate the half hugs and playful pokes. And that he wasn't bothered by her friends randomly stopping by to chat or drag her, and subsequently him, out for a night on the town. And when she had drunkenly kissed him after he'd brought her home from Ino's New Years Eve party... well, he hadn't minded that either.
Glancing up the small picture frame he kept hanging by his workbench, the one holding a picture of them when she had forced him to give her a piggyback ride at her birthday party this year, Sasori smiled.
Then, after folding the last blade back into the thin wooden sheath inside the back of Tamonten's forearm, Sasori carefully secured the metal latch on the compartment and lifted the remainder of the puppet's arm. Then, fitting the metal internal rod back into the core of Tamonten's upper arm, he twisted the limb into place and reached for his screwdriver. He had just finished tightening the anchoring screws and greasing the puppet's joints when he heard the jingle of keys and felt the soothing wave of Sakura's chakra permeate the apartment.
Setting Tamonten aside and re-engaging its security system, Sasori unfolded his legs and pushed himself to his feet. Then, after wiping his hands on the rag he kept hanging from a hook on the edge of his workbench, he went to the door of his workshop and slipped out into the hall. A short walk down the corridor and he turned past the living room and into the kitchen, where he found Sakura standing by the sink with a small bouquet of white daffodils in her arms.
"Welcome back," he said softly as he entered the room, taking a quick peek inside her basket before joining her at the sink. Bumping her lightly with his hip, he chuckled softly when the pinkette turned and placed a kiss on his cheek in return. Then, watching her twirl away with her flowers and filled vase in hand, he asked her if something good had happened while she was out running errands.
"Aside from meeting Ino for lunch, running into Hinata at the teahouse and grocery shopping with Kakashi-senpai... No, not really."
Sasori raised an eyebrow at her as he washed his hands, watching over his shoulder as her cheerfully flitted about the kitchen putting away groceries.
Two years ago he returned to Konoha because Sakura had piqued his interest. She was unique, both as an individual and as a shinobi, and he had wanted to understand what made her who she was.
But why had he stayed? Why, when he'd spent so much of his previous life content to be on his own, when he'd finally obtained some semblance of freedom and had made peace with his demons, did he choose to spend this second chance at life beside her?
Because he was a selfish man... and for once in his life, he wanted to be happy.
Wiping his hands dry, Sasori glanced at the tiny woman as she began setting out the ingredients they would need to make supper.
Because Sakura made him feel more alive than he ever had before... because she represented everything that hadn't existed in his previous life.
Where he had grown up in a world plagued by death and war, she had had the luxury of knowing peace. Where he had abandoned his family and his village for the selfish pursuit of immortality, she had stayed and selflessly dedicated herself to becoming strong enough to protect the people she loved. Where his experiences had turned him into a cold and callous puppet, she had remained warm-hearted and nurturing amidst adversity.
When she looked up at him and smiled, he returned it.
Sakura was the light that had dragged him out of the depths of hell to give him a second chance in the world of the living. Her world.
And while there were still moments when he thought she would have been better off if she had just left him behind, that she should have just left him to rot in an underground ANBU cell like he deserved, she changed his mind. She would take his hands and force him to look her in the eyes, and then she would remind him that he was human, not a medical experiment or a lab rat, human. And she would tell him firmly that if he really wanted to repent, to atone for what he'd done in his previous life, then he needed to prove it with his actions in this life.
So, when she needed a hug after a tough day at the hospital, he was there. When she needed a shoulder to cry on when a patient died, he was there. When she needed someone to carry her home from the bar after she had drunken too much with her friends, he was there. When she needed someone to just sit quietly beside her on the couch as she rambled on about some nonsensical thing Naruto had done that day, he was there. And when she needed someone to welcome her back, to make her apartment feel just a little less empty and a little less lonely, and to make her feel like she was worth something, he was determined to be there.
Because Sakura had done for him what no one else had since his parents died... she had created a place for him in a world that didn't want him... she had given him a home... and so much more.
So, when she called him over to chop vegetables while she filleted the fish, he went to her without hesitation. And when they curled up on the couch together after eating dinner and she remarked that it really was great to have him home, Sasori smiled and pulled her impossibly closer.
"It's good to be home."
A/N #3: So, I wrote this chapter because I felt that there were still a lot of unanswered questions about how Sakura and Sasori ended up in their current situation. I mean, even though this is an AU, I can acknowledge that Sasori's personality is different enough from the canon that I felt it important to explain why his world view changed so much. I also felt that it was important that the information came from Sasori's point of view rather than Sakura's.
Hopefully, it did the trick!
Anyways, PHEW! That was a LONG chapter! I'm not going to lie, about 75% of the way the through, even I started to get a little lost and I feel like it got a little wonky in some places. But, alas, I made it through and I really hope you all like it because I worked very hard on it!
Thanks as always and let me know what you think!
~Smash41KMF
- 01.23.2021