A Phantom's Heart

By: Taru Taru Animegal

Summary: Sasori's gone, and Deidara is devastated. All he has left is the puppet the red head left behind, nothing more. Or, is it…?

Rated: M for Character death, some mature themes, and Yaoi.

A/N: For my mom, who passed away not more then a week ago. And Sasodei is such a cute couple that I might actually make this a multi chapter with a possible happy ending. Depends how my mood changes. Eh.

Just for fair warning, the only thing that'll actually follow the anime plot is the beginning. I'm not even sure how Deidara dies. Does he get blown up, or does he commit suicide?? I've heard both, so whatever…

And….we start!! Get some tissues, and kiddies leave now to shield your eyes from the horrible truths of adulthood!!

(((LINEBREAK)))

Sasori was putting up a huge fight, one that neither Sakura nor Grandma Chiori would forget…. It… just took him by surprise.

SLASH.

SLICE.

DRIP Drip, drip…

'…It's… not possible…'

The artificial blood splattered all over the surrounding rocks, Sasori just standing there, in pain from the only piece of his human body he had kept with him. His heart was now in pieces, in more ways then one.

His own puppets, the ones he had created to be mother and father, had made him meet his demise. He wouldn't of cared much… if there was no reason to live.

But unknown to everyone, there WAS a reason for him to stay.

'I… I'm sorry… I let you down…'

Dry tears rolled down his face as he fell to the cold stone below him. He heard victory cheers in the background, only proving that he was leaving.

'…No, I won't. I refuse to break that promise…'

He soon heard footsteps, signaling everyone's leave. He didn't want to die, at least… not until HE got there. After all, HE was his only purpose for staying. There was no other reason. He had no other purpose.

'I won't let you have to go on alone… Deidara…'

With those words flowing through his head, his spirit left the puppet, leaving it as an empty shell for the one he cared for most to find.

(((LINEBREAK)))

The Akatsuki were perching on their usual meeting spot, waiting patiently for what their leader had to say.

Deidara was looking everywhere for Sasori, wondering when he was going to get back from his mission. 'How hard could it be to kill an old hag??' He thought to himself.

Soon after, the leader walked in, something wrapped in a different cloak in his arms. He leapt up and seated himself on the statues head.

"Everyone. The stakes have been raised immensely. As you all must know, Sasori had gone on a personal mission to murder his grandmother. However, what was not in his favor was the fact a medical nin accompanied her on the old one's quest up the mountains. Deidara, please stand." At this, Deidara's ears perked up as he rose, waiting for the instruction of the leader.

"…You are to be the one who will take care of the puppet until Zetsu's return in a month. His heart has already been transported to your room by Hidan. He was stricken twice."

…Deidara couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend, His partner, and his secret love… was taken from him. Saying he was in shock was an understatement. His whole chest constricted as he was trying to hold back tears that were threatening to fall. He quickly went onto the leaders pedestal and took the wooden body, running out the door all the more quickly.

He ran down the hallway, not caring if he cried now. No one was there. And the worst part was he KNEW. Even with the body in his hands, His Sasori no Danna wasn't there anymore. He quickly threw open the bedroom door, and laid the puppet on his bed.

'…I knew it… I should've told you… before you left…' Deidara felt like an idiot worth nothing… all of his thoughts were focused on what had happened not even a week ago…

(((FLASHBACK)))

"I'm leaving tomorrow night." A red head said to his partner from his desk. He was working hard on his most prized puppet, readying it for anything that might be thrown it's way. The clay artist looked his way.

"Where to?" He asked innocently, playing with a ball of the beige sticky stuff in his hands. The other sighed.

"The mountains, you brat .Don't you remember? The old hag is going up there in a few days, and I have to beat her to it." Sasori told the blonde, putting down his work of art and plopping down on the bed.

"Oh, that's right… How long will you be gone?" Deidara asked, turning to face the puppet master. Said puppet master just glanced over to the other.

"A week. Two at the most." This is what got Deidara thinking.

"…Ne, Sasori no Danna… When you were little, did you ever love anybody?" He aske unexpectedly. He turned to the window and blushed. He couldn't actually belive those words came out of his moth.

"…After my parents died, no." The elder stated simply, his face never changing. 'But I do love you…' Sasori thought to himself at the end.

"Why do you ask anyway? Don't tell me you're so foolish as to believe in love." Sasori added, just to emphasize on the Your-Still-Inferior Image.

Deidara's breath hitched. He had hoped Sasori didn't see right through him. But at the same time, he had wished he could just tell him the truth.

…But he knew he couldn't. He knew that if he told the red head, he'd either have to live with rejection, find himself a different partner, or be killed right then and there. Sasori wouldn't take it lightly, nor would he EVER return his feelings.

Which is why his only solution was to lie.

Deidara soon scoffed. "Why would I believe in such a stupid thing? I don't go looking for girls, I blow them up. It's just my nature."

Sasori knew for a fact that Deidara was lying. Itachi had told him nearly two months ago about the blonde's true feelings. Now, if he could only have the courage to tell him the truth…

"…Deidara?" He said quickly, turning his head to look at the other. Deidara took his eyes off the window. "Something wrong?"

Next thing that happened was a real shock to both of them. Sasori gave the clay artist a small, but genuine, smile.

"…No, but we should be getting to bed. Goodnight, brat." The red head said before laying his head down on the black and red pillos of his queen sized bed.

The next morning, Itachi had told the blonde that Sasori had left 8 hours earlier then he was supposed to.

(((ENDFLASHBACK)))

Deidara had been lying on his own bed for nearly an hour, tears falling down his nearly blistered cheeks uncontrollably. He kept taking glances to the empty puppet, wondering when and if it would spring to life, knowing full well the awnser.

"Why… Why couldn't you have let me go with you…" He said to himself. He felt now like his own body had been drained of life. He'd been wishing the whole thing was a nightmare. But he knew it wasn't. His Danna was gone, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Because, if you had gone with me, you'd of died, too." Deidara jumped at the sound of Sasori's voice ringing through his head. He thought that he was going crazy.

"You're not going crazy, brat." The voice said again, this time more embodied. Gentle arms wrapped around Deidara's waist, cradling the blonde in comfort.

Deidara, However, was shaking. He felt like Hidan had put something in his food and he was having hallucinations. Even if Sasori had appeared to him as a ghost, there was no way in HELL that he would be comforting him. Hugging him. Anything like that.

"Who… who ARE you!?" Deidara said, a bit louder then he should have. The voice chuckled a little, before tightening his grasp around the clay artist.

"It IS me, brat. Did you really think they'd let me go to Heaven OR Hell? You know very well I'd take over one or the other." Sasori's ghost said. Deidara shook his head.

"I won't… I refuse to believe it… There is NO such thing as an afterlife…" Deidara said, tears falling out of his eyes again. Sasori quickly rolled his eyes and turned to face the other. He cupped the boy's cheek in his transparent hand.

"Deidara. There IS such a thing, and I really am right in front of you. Hidan did not put anything in your food. I'm right here." Sasori decided to prove it and wpe away the tears Deidara was shedding.

"Danna… how… why…??" Deidara said, looking now into Sasori's full face, even though transparent.

"I couldn't leave you… Deidara… you are the only one on this planet who could see, hear, or feel me now. Because there is only one regret I have of ever leaving this world…" The elder said slowly, as to let Deidara take in all this info. He wasn't exactly the quickest when it came to registering things in his mind. Sasori knew he might literally have to spell it out for the blonde. And he was more then willing to do it if became necessary.

"…And that regret… Is not being able to show you how much I really love you." With that said, Sasori crashed his lips into the younger as to let all of the pent up emotions out at once. Pain, Sadness, depression, lust, and most important, love, was all blended into that simple jesture. And Deidara could feel it.

"Danna…" The boy mumbled as he caught his breath. The tears started to appear once again.

"Please… don't leave me yet, Danna… I…"

"I'm not going anywhere. I have a plan, and I need your help to fulfill it. It will be dangerous, but it'll be worthwhile. Will you help me, Dei-Koi?" The ghostly figure said. Deidara nodded, and laid himself on the bed. Sasori moved above him, and started petting the blonde locks while in deep thought.

'I hope this will work… for Deidara's sanity, if not my own…' He looked down at the boy. 'Tomorrow will be something; I'll make sure of that.'

(((NEXTDAY)))

Everyone got up early, as usual, to meet in the living room. Or the "Front room" as the leader calls it. Deidara, as usual, was sleeping in, trying very hard to ignore the calls coming from his bedroom door.

"DEIDARA!! THE LEADER WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD!!" Kisame said while banging on the door. Deidara covered his face, knowing full well that Itachi would break down the door sooner or later.

"Just get up, brat. If he knocks down the door, my plan goes down the drain." The red headed phantom said on top of the window sill. Deidara yawned, deciding to at least signal his awakening.

"HURRY UP!!" Kisame called as the pair stomped down the hallway. Deidara got up, not bothering to change his clothes (Knowing fully that Sasori was watching him) and pulled out another cloak from the small closet. The phantom smirked.

"What's the matter, Dei-Kun? It's not like I haven't seen you in your birthday suit before." Deidara's face turned bright red as he walk on his heels to the door. The red head sighed and walked (or flew) behind the other, following him out to the other room.

"Deidara, Must we punish those who choose to be tardy?" The leader said from the other side of the room.

"No, Leader sama, I won't be late again…" Deidara looked to the floor, ashamed of being late the third time that week.

"I was right. You'll never be able to wake up on your own, will you?" The phantom said from his usual spot. The blonde had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling at Sasori. And luckily, Itachi was the only one to notice his change in behavior.

"…Take a seat." Deidara moved to his usual spot, right next to the pantom no one else could see.

"…as we discussed last night, Deiidara's partner took a fall against his grandmother."

"Took a fall, my ass." The phantom said out loud, making Deidara turn his head abruptly.

"Something wrong, Deidara?" The leader said. Deidara shook his head, and shifted himself more to the middle.

"… as I was saying, Deidara will have to find a new partner. We can not have him doing missions on his own. We wouldn't want to have a repeat of this incident, now would we?"

"No, leader sama…" Sasori could hear the sadness in Deidara's voice.

"It's ok, Dei-Koi. I'm right here. Don't cry in front of the others." Sasori rubbed Deidara's back to comfort him. The blonde looked up.

"Is there a certain person I will be looking for?" He asked, staring at the leader. Pein stood up.

"Yes. If you have taken close look at Sasori's finger, you will see that the ring has been stolen. You have until Zetsu gets back from his assignment to find the person who took it."

"Yes, leader sama."

"Dismissed."

Deidara stood up and glanced over to his left, catching an evil glint in Sasori's eyes. He shuttered at the thought of Sasori torturing the others…

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to anything… much." As soon as Deidara heard that, Sasori turned over the table and the food landed all over Pein. Sasori smirked at the Leader's face.

Luckily for the blonde, Sasori was by Kakuzu when he flipped the table over…

"KAKUZU! You WILL clean this up!" The leader roared, standing up and running to his room. Kakuzu looked up from the pile of money lying in his lap.

"What happened?" He asked to himself. He shrugged, and headed back to his room.

"Hn. Deidara." Itachi said from the other side of the room, gesturing him to follow. Deidara nodded, and followed the other to his bedroom.

Deidara took a seat at the edge of Kisame's bed, Sasori right next to him.

"You can see him, can't you?"

(((LINEBREAK)))

A/N: Read, Review, Flames are Kyuubi's… I'm going to sleep. Today I really have no clue why I started writing this… but one thing for sure!! There is a pepsi calling my name!! runs into the other room

Thanks for reading!!