Sasori felt a pull on his heartstrings as he glanced up at the faint pink tinted home before him. Paint peeled off the corners and small cracks were seen running up the length of the two story abode. The front door creaked unpleasantly as Sasori pushed it open. His heartbeat quickened as it always did when he stepped into his grandmother's house. The presence of his parent's still lingered in the air; he could still catch their scent in the musk of the house if he breathed in deeply enough. That thought alone usually turned him away from the place, keeping his visits brief. But today, that would not be the case. He had a purpose in coming here.

Granny Chiyo poked her head out from the corner upon hearing Sasori's muffled footsteps. Surprise lit up her face, "Sasori? But next month's rent isn't due for another 2 weeks."

"Yeah," Sasori cleared his throat, "I came for another reason."

"Oh!" Chiyo perked up, "well come in dear, I'll make some tea."

"That would be lovely," Sasori said. He didn't quite know how to put his thoughts into words yet. Maybe some tea would calm his rapid heart rate.

Sasori sat down on the blue sofa, unable to push aside the memories of his childhood. He used to sit on his parents lap on the same couch. They would read stories to him here, letting him turn the pages at his own pace so he could admire the pictures. Sasori heard the tinkling of teacups and the whistling of a tea kettle in the kitchen. He couldn't bring himself to walk into the kitchen to help her; too many memories haunted that place.

A flashback of Sunday mornings with his grandmother in the kitchen flew across his mind. It used to be their tradition to get up early and make blueberry pancakes on Sundays. Young Sasori loved to mix the batter while his grandmother hummed a tune and washed the blueberries. Then his parents would trudge into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. His dad would sneak a few blueberries into his mouth before they were added to the batter. Sasori always found it amusing how impatient his dad was. It was a trait he had inherited.

Sasori shook his head to rid himself of the long forgotten happy memory. Chiyo walked into the room holding two delicate cups full of warm tea. Sasori took his cup and thanked her, then downed half of the tea in one gulp. The warmth spread throughout his body, awakening his nerves. It was just the thing he needed.

"So, what brings you here today?" Chiyo asked him. Her eyes were already hardened in defense. Sasori never came to make small talk.

Sasori closed his eyes and began, "I know what I am now," he said solemnly.

"Oh?" Chiyo sounded confused. Her denial made his blood boil. How she could lie to him for so long was beyond his understanding.

"I'm a ninja, and you are too. You hid this truth from me for my whole life…why?" his voice had raised another pitch and he nearly knocked the teacup from his hand. He set it down on the coffee table in front of him, keenly aware that his hands were shaking with fury.

Chiyo did not look surprised, her eyes reflected sadness. "How did you find out?"

"The new apprentice I hired is a shinobi, he told me," Sasori responded curtly.

"Hmm," Chiyo narrowed her eyes, "I had my suspicions about him…well anyways, I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Sasori..." her eyes were drenched with tears to come.

"Well!?" Sasori shouted, unable to keep his voice calm any longer. The rage spilled forth, emanating from deep within as he thought back to all the lies from his childhood.

Chiyo snapped a vicious look at Sasori, and tears began to leak forth from her dark eyes, "We did it to protect you! Your parents and I left the land of the ninja behind us, and came here because it is safer for you. I had to lie to protect you! I hoped you would never find out about it…"

"You think that lying is protecting me? Protecting me from what?" Sasori's fists were balled up, he felt like punching the couch. The little restraint he had held him back.

"The land of the ninja was plagued with war. Your parents and I were war heroes. We battled for so long during the 3rd shinobi war…I know that must not mean much to you, since you have limited knowledge of the history of the ninja. But please trust me when I say that it was a horrific war, I still wake up shaking from the nightmares. Your parents loved you so much, and did not want that lifestyle for you. We were granted permission from one of the leaders to secretly leave the land of the ninja as long as we led quiet, peaceful lives among the rest of the world. We did it to protect you." Chiyo's words were firm but the tears streaming down her cheeks revealed her heartbreak.

"So my parents agreed to this too?" Sasori asked.

"Yes, it was your mother's idea." Chiyo confessed. "Your father and I agreed with her that it was for the best. We were tired of fighting an endless battle."

"And…did my parents really die in a car accident?" Sasori looked up at his grandmother, and stared straight into her eyes. He saw the answer before she said it.

"No," Sasori's heart fell apart in his chest, "They went back to the ninja country. There was an urgent matter that they needed to assist with. They lost their lives in battle against the nine tailed fox demon."

"Nine tailed fox…" Sasori's question trailed off into silence. He felt ashamed at the tears rolling down his face, he quickly wiped them away and tried to stay stoic.

"Yes, it may sound strange, but there are large tailed beasts with lots of chakra in the land of the shinobi…in fact, the reason the shinobi had to go into hiding is mostly due to the existence of the tailed beasts. One of them went rampant throughout the village hidden in the leaves, and your parents were summoned by the 4th hokage to help stop the beast." Chiyo explained.

"I-I read something about the nine tailed fox in one of the ninja stories by Jiraiya…in his story it was sealed inside a person named Naruto," Sasori said. He was trying to wrap his mind around the fact that theses tailed beasts actually existed.

"That's right…Jiraiya's story is part fiction and part reality. The nine tailed fox was indeed sealed inside a baby boy named Naruto the night that your parents died. They helped to steer the beast away from the village, and in doing so, saved thousands. Your parents were skilled puppeteers, much like yourself. But their puppets were life-size and used in battle. They were expertly skilled in the art of shinobi puppetry." Chiyo explained with a twinkle in her eye.

"Are you also a ninja puppet master?"

"Yes," Chiyo admitted, "I am. But I haven't created anything with these old hands in years."

"What did you do with all your puppets?" Sasori asked.

Chiyo smiled curtly and set down her tea on the table. "Follow me," was all she said as she got up and led Sasori out into the small backyard. There was a garden shed in the back, old and rickety. As a child, Sasori was never allowed into the shed because his grandmother told him he could get cut on a nail or get a bad splinter.

Chiyo opened the squeaky door to the shed, and Sasori finally got a glimpse into the contents. Wooden puppets, all life-sized, were laid out carefully in the shed. A table in the back was strewn with gears and gadgets for puppet making. Sasori's mouth dropped open.

"These are your ninja puppets?" he asked, carefully stepping inside to touch one.

"Yes, but be careful. They have ninja weapons stored inside. They are manipulated with chakra threads." Chiyo said.

Sasori admired the craftsmanship immensely. He felt his heart hammer and drum happily in his chest as he took in all the tools and gadgets neatly lain out on the table. A longing took over his body, he simply had to learn the art of ninja puppetry. He turned to his grandmother, "can you teach me?"

Chiyo's eyes widened with shock, "You want me to teach you how to create and manipulate ninja puppets?"

Sasori nodded enthusiastically. His parents may have died, but he felt there was still a chance he could reconnect with his grandmother. Perhaps he had held a grudge against her long enough. After all, she was only trying to do what was best for him as a child. He knew she truly loved him.

Chiyo smiled, "of course," she replied. Sasori felt the pent up anger he had been holding for years release from his body. He finally felt ready to forgive his grandmother, and create new, happy memories.

…..

"There you are, I've been waiting for you, hm," Deidara jumped up from the couch when he saw Sasori return home from his visit to his grandmother. "How did it go? You were there for several hours."

"We had a lot to talk about. And she's teaching me ninja puppetry," Sasori said. He was grinning from ear to ear. There was still so much for him to learn, and he couldn't wait.

"What?" Deidara was taken aback, "But I thought I was going to be your shinobi teacher?"

"You can still teach me other things, there's a big learning curve for me. I know most ninja enter the academy at age 6 or 7. I'm several years behind," Sasori said while walking into the kitchen. He began searching the fridge for something to make for dinner.

Deidara came up behind Sasori and squeezed him in a hug from behind, "That's right," he agreed, "I'll still teach you chakra manipulation and ninjutsu. There's a lot for my sexy student to learn." He kissed Sasori's cheek.

"When can we have our first lesson?" Sasori wanted to know. His mind was no longer on the food in the refrigerator.

"Hm, I was going to teach you a few things today, but you got back later than I expected. I require food first," Deidara said with a smirk. He reached over Sasori into the freezer and pulled out a box of frozen chicken and shook it in front of Sasori's face. Sasori rolled his eyes and shook his head, then took the box of frozen chicken and began to prepare it.

…

Deidara and Sasori distanced themselves from town in a small clearing in the woods for Sasori's first lesson. Deidara explained the finer points of chakra control and then demonstrated by concentrating chakra in his feet and walking up a tree. Sasori watched in amazement.

"Now," Deidara smirked from atop the tree, "it's your turn."

"You want me to walk up a tree?" Sasori asked, raising an eyebrow. The sun was beginning to set behind Deidara's form, but Sasori could clearly see the smug expression on his face.

"Yeah Danna, you can do it. Feel the chakra build up in your feet. It will take some time, but I'll be up here waiting," he laid down lazily against a tree branch, "when you make it up here, I have a surprise for you," he winked seductively.

"What kind of a surprise?" Sasori wanted to know.

"Tsk tsk," Deidara wagged a finger at him, "you'll have to reach the top to find out." Sasori rolled his eyes but then began his practice. He closed his eyes, searching for the faint hint of chakra within his body. He was still learning how to detect it's presence. Then, he concentrated on his feet, trying to will the chakra to flow down his body and encompass his feet.

After a few moments of his silent meditation, he began to walk up the tree, placing his feet precariously on the bark. He made it only half a foot up before falling back to the ground. Deidara watched from above but did not give any suggestions. Deidara had warned him that in learning ninjutsu it took a lot of individual practice. One couldn't simply learn how to become a ninja from reading directions in a book. It took hard work, patience and perseverance.

With each step Sasori took, he learned from his mistakes. He could feel the chakra flowing through his body, and he focused more intently on moving that chakra to the soles of his feet. He continued to walk up the tree, but would continue to fall down after a few steps. He made it up a fourth of the length, then he was able to walk up a bit farther. Soon, he was able to walk up half the tree's length before falling into the dirt once more. Progress was slow, but also tangible. Each time he walked up, he focused on Deidara's blonde hair. The desire to reach out and grab that hair gave him the determination to keep trying again and again.

The sun had finally set, enshrouding them in darkness. Deidara could still make out the faint illumination of Deidara's blonde strands, blowing lightly in the cool breeze. He eyed it once more while feeling his feet flow with chakra. He walked up the tree slowly, focusing his energy on his feet.

He made it past the half point and felt his heart beat faster. He was going to make it this time, he was sure. He closed his eyes to keep himself from distractions, and thought only about the chakra energy in his feet. When he opened his eyes again, he was level with Deidara, still standing sideways on the bark of the tree.

"Yes!" Sasori shouted. Deidara smiled and grabbed his shirt, pulling him up on the branch.

"Good work," Deidara said. He was still holding a fistful of Sasori's shirt. He pulled Sasori in closer. "That technique took me an entire day to learn. I'm impressed that you did it in just a few hours."

"So, what's my prize?" Sasori asked, desire thick in his voice.

Deidara flashed a sly smile before pulling Sasori into him forcefully. He crushed his lips against Sasori's, letting his tongue explore inside Sasori's mouth. Then he parted, panting heavily. "I'm glad you asked," he said as he bent his body down.

Sasori leaned himself against the trunk of the tree as Deidara undid his pants and pulled them down with ease. The moonlight bounced off of Sasori's erect member. Deidara began by licking up the length slowly, and then mouthing it entirely. He moaned as he worked, slurping up the pre-cum and tightening the muscles in his mouth. The warmth and tightness of Deidara's lips against his taut member made Sasori's heart pump fast, sweat glistening upon his brow. Sasori had never done anything naughty like this in the open woods before, and he felt a sense of heightened excitement because of this.

Sasori's body began to shake, and he let out a low groan as he neared climax. Deidara moved faster, sucking in harder and deeper. Sasori couldn't hold back any longer. He let out a loud moan and felt a shiver run up his spine as he came. Euphoric trumpets sang in his mind as the pleasant sensations of his orgasm took over all other feeling in his body.

Deidara stood up, wiping his mouth and grinning. "Mmm," he purred, "You definitely deserved that little treat, my student." He kissed Sasori lightly, curving his lips into a smile. Sasori smiled back into the kiss, still feeling slightly out of breath.

"Now, let's see if you can walk back down," Deidara said as he jumped off the branch swiftly and ran down the tree. Sasori blinked, surprised by Deidara's quickness. He focused his chakra energy back in his feet and made his way down the tree slowly. He did not falter or fall, he made it down the tree successfully. He punched the air when he reached the ground, he was glad to have mastered his first ninja lesson with Deidara.

Deidara locked his fingers with Sasori's and the two of them walked home, chatting about ninjutsu and chakra techniques. When they were close to home, Sasori wondered, "when are you going to go looking for the Uchiha's brother?"

"Well, he's been cloaking himself and his chakra pretty well, I haven't been able to detect him thus far. But I do know he is the cause of the black fires in this town. The next time a fire appears, I'll be ready," Deidara's voice had changed from his usual sexy and silly demeanor to a more cold, bitter tone.

"There's no way to find him unless he creates another fire?" Sasori asked.

"Oh, there are other ways. I'll be focusing on my search for him starting tomorrow actually. I mean, I'll still help out around the shop, but afterwards, I'll have to begin my search. And then maybe later we can have our next lesson," Deidara said. There was still a hint of resentment behind his words as he spoke about searching for the rogue ninja.

"Yeah, that's okay, I understand," Sasori said, "finding him is more important than teaching me, our lessons can wait."

Deidara blinked at Sasori, seeming to come out of a daze. He kissed Sasori on the cheek and squeezed his hand. Sasori looked at him, "What was that for?" he asked.

"Well, you're just so understanding…I like that about you," Deidara said.

Sasori smiled, not sure what to say. He wasn't used to flattery. Deidara began to hum a tune mindlessly, seeming to forget about his imminent search for the rogue ninja. Sasori laughed at him, taking a mental snap shot of his gorgeous figure. It had been an amazing day, a day that Sasori never wanted to forget.