Sunday was a blur. Sasori slept in too late and ate too little. His body felt weak, and his heart continued to ache. Angered thoughts of Deidara's betrayal swam through his mind uneasily. Every touch, kiss, and tender phrase from Deidara over the past few weeks had been a lie. Sasori had been seduced by the sexy blonde's deceptive words and lustful tricks. Sasori wondered what else had been a lie…had anything been real at all?

It took all of Sasori's willpower to get out of bed on Monday morning and go to work. He half expected to see the honey-blonde haired fiend walk through the front doors to take back his pottery class. But Deidara did not show up, and his absence hung over the art shop like a ghost.

Sasori was constantly reminded of the lack of Deidara by almost every inquisitive student. "Where is Deidara?" they all asked with wide eyes. Sasori grimly told them all that he had quit. "What? Why would he quit?" they asked in disbelief. Sasori then narrowed his eyes at them and ignored their questions. Somehow, he managed to get through the work day.

It had been the most exhausting day of work in his life. Getting through each class with a façade of happiness drained the life out of Sasori. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry and then yell out in rage. The resentment and grief he kept tucked inside all day needed to be acknowledged. He let his body fall forward onto his couch, and then the tears he hid inside all day rolled down his cheeks slowly. He tasted the saltiness in his mouth, he bit his lip and scrunched his face in an attempt to stop the irritating tears from flowing.

Sasori cursed Deidara and he cursed himself. He punched the couch cushions as tears streamed down his warm cheeks. "Stupid Deidara!" he yelled. He was mad that Deidara actually left. He was mad at himself for telling Deidara to leave. He was mad that Deidara lied to him. He was mad at himself for falling for Deidara's tricks. He was mad at everything.

He was gone. The fact settled in deep in Sasori's soul, and lay there at the pit of his uneasy stomach. He had pushed away the one true happiness in his life. Sure, Deidara had lied. Perhaps everything he said and did was false. Deidara had used him. But Sasori couldn't deny that he was happier when Deidara was in his life. And now, he would never see him again.

All the hopes and dreams Sasori had planned on didn't turn out the way he intended. Deidara had told him that he wanted to stay with Sasori, no matter what happened in his future. Now that was all changed.

Sasori had opened up to Deidara, and let himself feel vulnerable in front of him. He had been honest with him from day one. He had let Deidara know his secrets, and his past. He had exposed everything hidden to Deidara. Only to Deidara. He had never in his life felt comfortable enough with anyone else to share in his secrets and desires.

Underneath the surface, Sasori was falling apart. His breathing became restricted as his chest pulled and tightened with the pain of sorrow and loneliness. He was so lonesome he couldn't bear it.

Sasori dried his eyes and decided to go for a visit to his grandmother's house. He wasn't sure if he could talk to her about Deidara, but he was hopeful that being in the presence of someone who cared for him would make him feel better.

…

"Sasori?!" Chiyo was surprised to see him standing on her doorstep on a Monday night.

"Hi granny," Sasori said awkwardly. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, now he wasn't so sure if coming here had been a good idea. "I thought maybe I could have some tea or something. I didn't come over yesterday…I was busy."

"Oh sure, come on in," Chiyo said brightly. She still wore a confused expression but welcomed the redhead with open arms. Sasori sighed in relief and stepped into the cozy house.

As they walked past the foyer, Sasori caught a glimpse of something brightly colored from his peripheral vision. He turned towards the staircase and saw a pink t-shirt laid out over the dark wooden railing, sticking out like a sore thumb. It was Deidara's shirt.

Sasori immediately turned on his heel, "he's here?!" he cried as he bolted for the door. Chiyo ran after him, catching up to him outside of the house.

"Sasori wait!"

"Why granny!? Why is he staying with you?" Sasori demanded. He wasn't even careful about keeping his voice down, he half wished that Deidara was upstairs listening in on the conversation.

"He had nowhere else to go," Chiyo stated, clearly sympathetic towards the blonde.

"He was supposed to go home! Back to his shinobi country!" Sasori spat back. A fiery rage had summoned up from within.

"Sasori calm down," Chiyo walked forward, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her hand aside and cast her a livid glower, his brunette eyes growing darker. "He's still trying to finish his mission. He was out all night looking for Sasuke after you left him alone in the woods."

"So, he still loves him then? That's it?" Sasori's heart sank as that thought perched in his brain.

Chiyo looked like she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her grandson, "Sasori, stop sulking around and holding grudges. You held onto the fact that I lied to you for so long, and our relationship was broken for so many years as a result! We can't get those years back. Don't do this to yourself again."

"Me!?" Sasori asked incredulously. "He's the one-!" He couldn't even get across in words what he was trying to say. It was obvious that his grandmother had already heard Deidara's side of the story. Her opinion was saturated with his lies. He was beside himself with anger at Deidara for going to his grandmother's house of all places.

"Sasori, Deidara truly cares for you. He was looking for Sasuke out of vengeance, he was so angry after what happened that he wanted to capture Sasuke right away and hurt him. He came at my door early Sunday morning, and I couldn't just turn him away. He was a mess. I talked him out of trying to find and beat up this Sasuke, his mission is to simply capture him." Chiyo explained.

"Huh, likely story." Sasori said.

"Sasori, I know you won't listen to me, but please just talk to him. I didn't intend to get involved with your love life, I'm sure you can handle this on your own. Please try to give him another chance." Chiyo said with warm, pleading eyes.

"I can't talk to him now. I'm leaving." Sasori said stubbornly through gritted teeth. He turned around and left his grandmother looking crestfallen at the doorstep.

He had taken only a few steps around the corner when he heard the creak of the door opening again and hurried footsteps chasing behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He looked on ahead of him, and murmured, "what do you want?"

"Danna please, turn around and talk to me hm," replied Deidara's soft voice. Sasori felt a crack in his heart as the familiar pleasant sound waves danced through his ears.

Sasori turned around slowly, and stared up at the lone figure standing in the darkness. His golden blonde hair stood out among the night as the moonlight reflected off of it. His features delicately shimmered in the faint illumination. He looked perfectly breathtaking, as usual. The sight drew painful memories at the forefront of Sasori's mind.

"I want to apologize again Sasori. I am truly sorry for lying to you, really." Deidara stated. He was standing tall and firm, it didn't look like he was in danger of crumpling on the floor in a mess of tears again. He was poised with fortitude, ready to do or say whatever it took to win his Danna back into his good graces.

"I believe you are sorry. But that doesn't erase the fact that you lied…everything was a deception," Sasori stared daggers into those blue orbs, but Deidara's expression did not falter. He was determined to get through to the stubborn redhead.

"Not everything Sasori. My feelings were real the whole time."

"The whole time? Hm? So even when you first entered the art shop and began to toy with my emotions and flirt with me senselessly? That wasn't fake?" Sasori shot the questions out in rapid fire.

"Sasori, I had every intention of duping you to get to Sasuke to finish my mission as quickly as possible before stepping into that art shop. But the moment I walked through the door and saw you on the other side, my plan was out the window. I never saw anyone like you. I never met anyone like you before hm." Deidara's words caused Sasori's heart to jump madly in his chest. He was angry that Deidara still had that effect on him. He wanted desperately to be rid of the blonde so he could be left alone to brood in his anger, but the blonde's words were slowly pushing past the thick defensive wall surrounding Sasori's emotions.

Deidara resumed speaking, placing deep emphasis on each syllable, "Sasori, I care for you very deeply."

Sasori felt the bricks of his defense wall begin to crumble. He had to get out of there quick before he gave in to Deidara's deceitful language tricks. Because that's what it was, wasn't it? All another lie, a made up story? He turned from Deidara once more without another word and began to run home, moving his legs as fast as he could through the shaded night. He heard a faint cry from Deidara, "Sasori wait! Where are you going hm!?" but he kept his head down and sprinted out of there, not daring to look back.

He felt like a scared child. Deidara's words resounded in his mind, driving him insane. "I care for you very deeply," the cunning blonde ninja had said. Sasori chewed that line through his mind again and again, wondering why Deidara would say such a thing. If the ruse was up, and if Deidara truly didn't care about him, then why would he bother to say this? How could this lie help him get closer to his goal of capturing Sasuke? Maybe, just maybe, Deidara was being truthful? Did the blonde genuinely fall for Sasori?

Sasori stopped his impulsive sprint and leaned forward to catch his breath. His heart begged him to turn around and go back to Deidara. His brain refused, saying that there was too much risk, warning him to protect his fragile heart. His heart had been hurt one too many times, his brain reminded him. His heart squeezed his chest, raising up memories of every passionate touch and kiss from Deidara.

Sasori already knew which side he would take, even if it meant possibly jeopardizing his feelings once more. He sided firmly with his heart, and turned on his heel to walk back to his grandmother's house. Perhaps his grandmother was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He needed to stop holding grudges. He would forgive Deidara, if Deidara's feelings were sincere.

Sasori walked back with a spring in his step, and he almost didn't catch the barely audible shuffling behind him. Someone was following him.

He whipped his head around, eyes alert and scanning through the thick darkness. He surveyed the area for several moments before realizing that no one else was in sight. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. He cautiously turned around, ready to head back on his quest for Deidara.

A muffled scream escaped his lips as woolen fabric shrouded his vision. A rank sack had been forced over his head and his hands were grasped tightly and shoved behind his back harshly. He kicked and punched, but to no avail. He felt thick, tight rope dig into his wrists as someone pulled them together in a knot. He began to scream, hoping that Deidara was still within earshot.

A loud clunk echoed in the silent night, and Sasori felt a sharp stab of pain on his temple before lulling into unconsciousness.