The blond's feet hurried along after the other man. Deidara struggling to see him, so was following the sounds of the other's nimble movements across the ground.

He had to move fast to keep pace with this strange figure. With each step, his brain kept an internal monologue going. What am I doing, what am I doing, WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING?!

And yet, he did not stop or pause.

The two men followed upstream, the water splashing on Deidara's boots.
The wind howled through the branches; the sculptor shivered in the biting air.

With little warning, the man up ahead stopped.
Deidara sprinted forwards to catch up to him, almost colliding with his back.

"Here we are. See for yourself." The man commanded Deidara. The blond peered forwards, his arm outstretched unsteadily. He felt cool rock. Feeling around, he realised there was a fissure. Was this a cave?

"After you." Came the eloquent voice once again.
Deidara swallowed. He shuffled through the narrow gap in the rock.

He only had to walk a few steps until he came upon yet another surprising sight of the night. His eyes blinked as they were met with candlelight; it was a shock to his system after the pitch darkness of the woods.

Deidara rubbed his eyes; once he felt like he could see again, he tried to take stock of his new surroundings. He was standing in a tight cavern; there was a strange tapestry-like hangings strewn from the ceiling. A bright collection of candles were stowed away a recess provided the main source of light.

He turned to look behind him, and unwillingly let out a gasp. With the help of the candles in this cave, Deidara finally got a proper look at the man who had asked him here.

The sight was not what he expected. The other had a porcelain complexion, with a shock of deep red hair that fell in messy trails around his face. The man was shorter than he was, and wore a serious expression. He actually looked younger than Deidara was himself. His eyes were probing, deep and intense.

Deidara had never had anyone literally take his breath away like this.
In contrast, the other figure didn't react at all to seeing Deidara in the light. Instead, with barely a look at the blond, he moved over to a nook in the cavern and pulled something from it. He faced back towards the sculptor and held out a scroll.

"If you're serious about art - here's something I promised earlier."
He loosened a finger on the scroll so that it unfurled in his hand, one end dropping to the ground.

The sculptor never broke his stare as smoke emanating from the scroll. He clenched his jaw as his brain wrestled with was what happening before his very eyes.

A creature manifested in the air, cerulean threads emanating from points on this thing.
The hair's on the back of Deidara's neck stood to attention as a chittering emanated from the being.

Oh shit - It's ALIVE, the blond thought as he staggered backwards, bouncing against the wall of the cave. He needed to get the fuck out of here. In his haste, Deidara collided with something behind him; he tripped over a stool and fell as his legs gave way under himself.

The student shook to the ground, this time, fright finally overcoming him. He tried to steel himself for pain and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Don't panic; I'm not going to hurt you." The other man almost sounded bored as he looked down at the blond. "Neither is Karasu…"

The sculptor opened his eyes in alarm. He brought a shaky hand up to his face, trying to force some oxygen into his lungs. Still, the redhead just stared down at him. He almost implied as if he was pitying Deidara, like he was someone to look down his nose at from lofty heights.

The sculptor eventually managed to breathe again, trying to make sense of what was going on.
The blue beams of light were actually connected to the man's fingertips. He held his hand outstretched as saw Deidara connecting the dots in his mind. With a flex of a finger, the creature moved, spinning this way and that.

Deidara panted, understanding a little more. He was controlling this thing.
"…Just who, or what, are you, un?" The blond gawked at the redhead.

The redhead raised his eyebrows. He actually smirked. With another wisp of smoke, the creature vanished, Deidara staring aghast at where it had been just a second ago levitating.

"That was rather rude, calling me a what. I have a name, you know." His lips were curved. The redhead bent down and lifted the stool up, putting it upright. He saw Deidara still hadn't stood; perhaps he was too frightened to move. With a sigh, the redhead crouched down.

With his action, he saw the blond recoil again, and realised that he might have scared the living daylights out of this one…perhaps a change of tack was in order.

Deidara for his part was frantically trying to remember if anyone had slipped him something in his drink; perhaps all this was a hallucination, he would wake up soon, face down on the rug in his dorm room.

Perhaps…not.
The blond was reminded he was very much still existing in reality as he felt the cool touch of the other man's fingers against his cheek.

As he held Deidara's face, he took in details of this young man's countenance; he had tanned skin, and long, bright hair that peeked through the wool hat he wore. One eye was obscured by a long fringe. The redhead was curious to see if there was another eye under there. He brushed the fringe to one side, and was met with two-troubled orbs staring right back at him.

Hmm.

"What did you think of my art?" He asked finally. The redhead could not disguise a trace of hope in his tone. Finally, he might have found someone who would understand.

"Art-Art?!" The blond spluttered. "That-that thing was your art, un?"

The redhead's expression hardened. He dropped hold of the sculptor's face.
Maybe not this time. Shame. This one was… a little interesting, at least.

Disappointed, the older man got to his feet again. He walked away from Deidara.

The blond staggered upright as the redhead walked away, thoughts once again hurtling through his head. The other man sat down at what looked to be some desk, pulling the stool under him. He unfurled more documents on the desk, and began reading.

The blond took stock of what else made up this cave; there was the tapestries he saw initially, but now there was markings of carving tools, papers, books scattered around. A hollow in the wall had logs piled up, the wall looking charred behind.

This guy….he lived here, out in the woods.

Deidara's heart was pounding. What the hell…What was this guys agenda?
He realised with the other man's stony face, he may have offended him. The blond wasn't sure if it was safe to try and make a getaway…he might try and placate the situation, and then leave peacefully…. Or so he hoped, anyway.

Deidara pulled at the end of his long hair and took a deep breath.

"Uh…look sorry if I said something wrong, un." The student began hesitantly. "I'm just really fucking…scared, un." He t tried to stop his voice from becoming a whine, yet the syllables shook at the sculptor formed the words.

The redhead sniffed, and picked up a piece of paper on his desk.

Deidara swallowed, trying to chose his words carefully. "I wasn't expecting your art to be like that, un. Took me by surprise."

This time, the redhead looked over his shoulder at the blond. He blinked slowly. Huh. Interesting, indeed.
He sighed, and looked sideways at Deidara. Abruptly, he began speaking one more. "It may have been remiss of me to think humans would understand straight away; but there we are." He stretched a little, and roved his eyes over the man. The blond was covered in mud. His face was flushed, likely with a mixture of fear and cold.

The redhead rubbed the back of his hair, and stood up once again. He walked over to the blond and unzipped the younger man's soaked jacket.

As the redhead removed his coat, Deidara baulked at the touch, but daren't move.

The shorter man watched him with a curious expression. He directed his eyes towards the logs and they immediately burst into flames.

This time Deidara really did yell as he sprang backwards. The redhead just gave him a condensing look, his eyelids heavy.

"What the fuck is going, on?!" The blond rounded on the redhead. "Who the hell are you, un?"

The younger man's enlivened response seemed to illicit a glimmer of amusement in the redhead. He draped Deidara's jacket over the chair, and then leant against it, watching the sculptor carefully as he began to speak.
"…I'm a demon."

Deidara pulled his hat off, twisting the wool beneath his fingers as followed the crackling embers. It was easier than looking at the other man right now.
So…a demon.

Right. Right, ok…A demon.

Deidara took a shaky breath, and dared a glance back at the other man. The redhead returned an expectant look; he was poised for more questions, it seemed.
When the sculptor could form a rational thought, it strung together at how…normal this guy looked. I mean really; this guy was even slighter than he was?!

If it wasn't for the manifesting puppetine figures out of thin air and summoning fire…he would have laughed.
Deidara didn't feel like laughing right now though.

If anything, the blond's legs felt weak. He must have looked like he was about to drop because before he knew it, the redhead had grabbed his chest and sat him down roughly in the chair. The man sat on the table, a little elevated from Deidara.

After what felt like eternity, he said simply. "You want something to drink?"
Deidara glared at him; until he saw his pale fingers ball into a fist; once he had unclenched the hand, it opened up reveal a small cup; steaming liquid filled to the brim. He handed it wordlessly to the blond.

The student didn't accept straight away, he eyed the cup nervously. The redhead sighed. "It's just tea." He said in it a monotone voice, as if reading the sculptor's mind.

Deidara's lips twitched. "If that's true, why don't…why don't you have some too, un?" The blond offered, testing the waters ever so slightly, although his guard was somewhat still up. This guy was seemingly making an effort to calm him down.

The demon gave him a deadpan expression.
"Please; if I wanted to poison you, I have other means."

Deidara widened his eyes. Well…it seemed he wasn't out the woods yet; literally or metaphorically.

When the student still hadn't drank anything, The redhead crossed his arms, looking haughty. He grudgingly opened up to his guest "…I don't have one because I don't need to eat or drink anymore. Just—Just drink the damn tea, it will warm you up." He grumbled.

For the first time, Deidara was struck with a twisted kind of sincerity from the redhead's words. His mouth opened slightly, taking it in. The sculptor held onto the cup with two hands, once again thinking how incredulous this situation was.

Here I am.
Having tea.
With a demon…

Deidara took a sip. It did taste good. The brew breathed warmth into his core.

He eyed the redhead now with more an intrigued expression; curiosity was overpowering uncertainty at the moment. The blond also remembered with a shamed squirm the arousal he had felt briefly at the way the redhead had spoken to him, back before he had seen him properly.
That thought took hold for a moment, as the sculptor's face warmed without his assent. Something in that tone of voice was making his middle writhe uncomfortably.

"…"

"…What is it?" The demon quipped; he felt like the blond was staring at him.

The sculptor took another draw of tea, trying to cover those thoughts from the redhead's prying eyes. Trying to change the subject, he remembered a phrase from earlier; in the now more calm atmosphere, something clicked in his mind. "You mentioned it earlier…but you didn't say what your name was, un."

The redhead raised his eyebrows slightly; the haughtiness eked away slightly. He looked away towards the fire. Deidara hung back from speaking again; the redhead seemed to be weighing up something.

"It's Sasori." He said, rushing the words out.

Deidara's ears pricked up.
Sasori?

He mouthed the word in his lips, not making a sound, as echoes of thought reverberated in his brain. The name was synonymous with the creature he had formed with the garnet coloured earth in his clay; his Scorpling.

Was it a coincidence? That such a thought would inspire Deidara after using the clay…

As he matched the intensity of Sasori's eyes; he wouldn't say for certain it was.

For the first time, the redhead looked unsure. His brow furrowed, eyes heavy.
Why did the blond react to his name like that? Come to think of it…

"…And you are?" He asked quietly. He hadn't asked the same of this stranger.

The sculptor took a long draw of tea before answering, keeping his eyes fixed on the demon.
"…Deidara." He said firmly, drawing his lips from the cup. He noticed Sasori's eyes followed the action.

The puppeteer's lips curved slightly. Deidara, eh? Unusual name.

"So-" The blond enunciated the single syllable, drawing it out as he tried to draw a semblance of thought from his brain. "Uh…what do you want from me, un?"

Sasori blinked. "I thought that was obvious?"
Deidara shook his head slowly.

The redhead sighed, looking towards the ground as he spoke softly. "You spoke of art, I thought you would enjoy seeing mine. That's all."

The blond felt like he had been hit by a truck. "That's…that's all, un?" He paraphrased back at the demon.

"That's all." Sasori repeated in monotone, lifting his head back up.

Deidara shrunk into his chair, taking a gulp of his tea.
For the first time seeing meeting the redhead, the sculptor finally stopped berating himself for having come into the woods this night.

•••

They talked; time slipped past.
Deidara found his guard tumbled down as he conversed with the demon Sasori. By this time, he was cradling his third cup of tea, knees brought up to his chin. His eyes were alight, tiredness nullified by what he was experiencing.

They had discussed art, although with such vast differences of onion on the matter, Deidara felt like they had only cracked the surface of that debate.

He was beginning to understand a little of the redhead's chosen form as Sasori explained.

"I make puppets, like the one you saw earlier." He gestured upwards. The blond's azure eyes shot up. Scrolls were curled up around the upper reach of the cavern. With a click of Sasori's fingers, they unfurled, and in that same whoosh of smoke, these creatures appeared in the air.

A myriad of blank faces stared down at the blond. No two were the same; each manifestation having some different feature, body, even weapon, to it's neighbour. The blond soaked up their appearance, his mind seeing, and working steadily on believing.

Puppets, then. The blond's breath was short, yet he forced his way through the limited breaths to get some air into his lungs. He nodded, unable to speak right away. He lowered his eyes, meeting the redhead's gaze.
Sasori seemed curious that the art student had lingered so long on his creations. Hmm. This guy might actually have some intellect about him.

After a while, Deidara asked how a Demon came to be here in the woods. Sasori was initially vague on details, but he did let one particular thing slip - a detail that the sculptor fixated on.

"Wait so hold on; you're telling me you've been around here for hundreds of years, un?" He called out, enthralled.
By this point, Sasori was tinkering with a leg joint, moving the knee so it twisted correctly. "Kind of." The puppeteer half-agreed with the blond. "It's not really…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I haven't been cognisant for all that time."

Sasori realised he had not satisfied the blond with that answer. He rolled his eyes slightly as he continued. "I was sealed here many years ago. When then happened, it was…experiencing nothingness; nothing for an age. I woke up a couple of decades ago. I was only young when I got sealed away, so that's why I look like this." The redhead made an off the cuff gesture to his torso. He realising Deidara was watching his movements as he worked on his artwork. He cleared his throat; he still wasn't used to being stared at.
"…Why do you care, anyway?" The puppeteer added as an after-thought.

The blond actually scoffed, and set his cup down on the table. "You're kidding…right? How many other people meet a fucking DEMON?" The blond paused, following up with "…Not least one a mile away from their home, un." He was almost exhausted having to explain this to Sasori.

Deidara shook his head, bemused. He stifled a yawn; perhaps he actually was exhausted. He still had not slept.
The redhead's gaze lingered on the sculptor as saw evidence of the blond's sleepiness. It would surely be daybreak, now…

"…You should go." The redhead said, with a lofty tone.

Deidara raised one eyebrow. "…I can just leave, un?" He almost choked on the sarcasm.

Sasori didn't say anything, carrying on with the modifications to the piece he was working on.

The sculptor took his silence as a yes. He stood up slowly. Feeling awkward, he had no idea how to draw this surreal exchange to a close.

"Uh…thanks for the tea, I guess." The blond mumbled. It was only polite….right?
Damn. He was concerned for niceties when hours earlier he thought this guy was going to be wearing his skin.

Sasori seemed to chuckle under his breath at that. This guy…This Deidara.
"Sure thing." The redhead replied, his own tone deadpan.

Deidara tugged his wooden hat back over his head. He hovered before leaving the strange cave-like dwelling, his gaze finding Sasori's back. He felt like he was in a fever dream; what was reality and what wasn't anymore sure was blended.

The blond's temple thudded; he made his mind up and slipped out of the crevice, finding his way back outside.

Deidara scrunched his eyes up as sunlight seemed to blare right in his face. He stumbled through the branches; taking throaty breaths in the cold air. He had no idea where he was, or what time it was…

Panic simmered in his core as Deidara realised he wasn't sure how to get back to his dorm. He had blindly followed Sasori last night.
Fuming, the blond threw his hands up against his head. Urgh, why had he been such an idiot!
He went back to berating himself for following the demon in the first place.

The student was about to kick the ground in exasperation when he felt a chill against his neck and earlobe. The sculptor froze, his voice catching in his throat.

Keep going left…over the water and up the bank.

A voice spoke in his ear. The sound was minute; if there was anyone else around, they wouldn't be able to hear over the squalls of wind.
Yet it sounded to Deidara like Sasori was leaning right against him, directing him. A whisper in his ear.
The blond whipped around, however the demon was nowhere to be seen. Deidara's eyes were frantic as he roved over the rocks, the trees…but no. The redhead had not followed him out here.

It had to be…more demon-magic shit. More fucking….eurgh. Deidara didn't even have the strength to pull the thoughts together; it was enough he was still standing right now.

He sniffed, and wrapped his arms against his chest, shielding agains the cold. The wind hurried him forwards, his steps following the path the redhead advised.