I have finished this one. I'll get the next one up as soon as possible. Until next time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing


Ch. 17: Not Again

"You're village should have destroyed my body while they had the chance," Sasori informed her.

Aya began to tremble and she couldn't look away from him. Did this guy never die? She took a step in retreat. Sasori didn't move. He just kept watching her. When she'd finally had enough silence, Aya shouted, "What do you want from me?"

He walked forward slowly. Aya used all her will power to keep herself from running. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Sasori seemed amused with this. As if to test her will power, he reached up and pressed fingers to her forehead. Then she realized something. The fingers on her forehead weren't the fingers of a puppet. They were real. She looked up at him in surprise.

"You're...real."

He dropped his hand. "A side effect of being brought back to life. Easily taken care of."

"Why would you want to take care of it?" she asked curiously. "What's wrong with being human?"

Sasori glared at her. "Human's are weak and pathetic. Relying too much on others to fulfill their lives. Even your Kazekage depends on others. The very people that hated and shunned him are now his reason for living. As a puppet, I need no one."

Aya frowned. "There's nothing wrong with depending on others."

"That thinking is what makes you an easy target for the Akatsuki. Look around you. Those you depend on aren't here to save you now." Sasori grinned. "You're trapped this time."

"I was afraid of that," Aya grumbled.

"Aren't you afraid?" Sasori asked with some confusion. This girl didn't respond to life threatening situations in the normal way.

Aya considered his question and shook her head. "Nope. I was at first, but that was because I thought you were dead. Gave me a little bit of a shock. That's gone now though.

"You should be afraid for your life, Ayame."

"It's Aya, and what good would being afraid do me? Would you let me go if I was scared?" When he shook his head, she shrugged, "Then why be afraid? I won't give you that satisfaction." Aya glared. "Though, I am annoyed with myself. Bad guys have kidnapped me once already and what do I do? I wonder out of the village. Brilliant Aya. Really should receive an award for that one. Something like the 'Getting into Life Threatening Situations Through Stupidity Award'."

Sasori tilted his head. "You're a strange girl."

"I know. I've been told that before. Gaara is always telling me he'll never understand me." Aya chuckled a little. "I don't even understand myself sometimes."

He stepped forward again. "Well, It's time to take you to Amegakure."

Aya frowned. "Why are we going to the Village Hidden in Rain?"

"That's our home." Sasori smirked. "You've just been kidnapped again, Ayame."

"Call me Aya," she said again absently. Her mind was racing through the possibilities. As far as she could tell, there was no way out. All she could do was cooperate. With an annoyed sigh, she said, "Fine. I suppose there's no choice right now."

Sasori's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're not going to fight?"

"I'm not a fighter, and I'm certainly not dumb enough to think I could beat a well trained shinobi like you." Aya smiled ruefully, "Out running you really isn't an option either. It was pure luck that I escaped the last time."

"It seems you don't need help after all, Sasori," a new voice stated.

Aya looked past Sasori to see a man with silver hair slicked back from his face. His eyes were an unusual shade of purple and held an arrogance of a man who knew he couldn't be beat. Like Sasori, he wore the Akatsuki cloak and his village's headband with a slash through it. This man also wore a strange necklace. The pendant was a circle with an upside down triangle in it.

Next to the silver haired man was another Akatsuki member. This one was almost entirely covered from head to toe by clothing. He wore a hood on his head and a mask covered the lower half of his face. The masked man was taller than both of the other members. His eyes were just as unusual, if not more so, than the guy with silver hair. "Do you still want us to travel with you?"

Sasori considered Aya for a moment. "Yes. She's a tricky one and I don't want any mistakes. We need Shukaku and she is the best way to get the beast."

"I can't believe you think this little girl is going to give us trouble," the silver haired man said with a sneer. "She's not even a shinobi."

Aya gave them her sweetest smile. "Of course I'm not going to give you trouble. I want to live."

She saw the masked man consider her just as Sasori had. "Don't underestimate others, Hidan," the masked mans told the man with silver hair. "Or have you forgotten how many time's you've lost your head because of underestimating an opponent?"

Hidan looked at the masked guy in shock. "You're taking her seriously, Kakuzu? Really? A little girl? A civilian?"

Aya took a step away from them and considered running anyway. She looked at each of them and forced herself not to move another inch. If they developed a false sense of security, maybe she'd have a chance later. She looked at them and wondered what they would do now.

"Are you going to come peacefully girl?" the one called Kakuzu asked.

"I said I wouldn't give you trouble as long as my life was on the line," she replied calmly.

His eyes narrowed. "You were right, Sasori. She doesn't respond to danger in the normal way. Does she had a kekkei genkai or something?"

"No. Her clan is one of the most skilled in the village but there is no kekkei genkai that anyone is aware of."

Aya really wished they wouldn't talk about her like she wasn't there. It was annoying. "I don't have a kekkei genkai," she told them. "It's just practicality. Fear won't do me any good right now so why bother?" She walked towards them and stopped in front of Sasori. Her eyes met his. "By the way, I'm cooperating for now. But if you think for one moment that I'm going to let you use me against Gaara, you're sadly mistaken."

"We'll see," Sasori stated.

They all froze when they heard a female voice call out, "Hey, Aya. Are you here?"

Aya's eyes widened in fear. Temari. "No! Don't come here! Run, Temari!" she screamed before Sasori could stop her. It didn't matter. Kakuzu moved very fast and before the wind mistress knew what was happening, Kakuzu was behind her with an arm around her throat.

"What do we do with her?" Hidan demanded.

"Kill her," Kakuzu stated.

Aya's mind moved at lightening speed. "No! Don't!"

"And why not?" Hidan said with a wicked grin.

"Because she's Gaara's sister," she said quickly. "Why have only one hostage when you can have two?"

"It's easier to guard only one prisoner," Kakuzu replied as he considered what she said.

"Surely the three of you are enough for two girls, one of which isn't even a shinobi," Aya said with growing fear. What if he killed Temari anyway? She couldn't let that happen. "Or are we really that difficult to handle."

Kakuzu and Sasori exchanged a glance. Kakuzu nodded and began taking Temari's weapons. Aya let out a relieved breath. They weren't going to kill her friend. Kakuzu shoved Temari over to Aya. The wind mistress met Aya's eyes. "What is going on?"

"We're being kidnapped," Aya told her cheerfully. "Isn't it great?"

"Aya, something is wrong with you. How is being kidnapped good?" Temari demanded.

"We aren't being killed. I was scared for a moment there."

Temari looked at Aya in disbelief. "I don't think I want to live in your world anymore. It sounds a little on the crazy side."

"I know. But we're alive and that is always good." Aya looked around them at the Akatsuki members. "Alive means we're not done yet. We still have a chance."

Understanding filled Temari. Aya wasn't happy about being kidnapped. She was happy that they were still alive to escape later. She nodded in agreement. "Right."

"Let's go you two," Hidan snapped out. "I want to get this over with. As far as I'm concerned we're babysitting."

Aya and Temari walked between them. The artist quickly learned quite a bit about the men around her. Hidan and Kakuzu spent a great deal of time bickering. She shook her head at them frequently. Those two were like children. The girls stayed close to Sasori, the only one that didn't creep them out on some level. He also became their protector when Kakuzu lost his temper. It was perhaps on the fourth day when Hidan had crossed some line in the sand with his commentary on Kakuzu's bad habits. Kakuzu turned to Hidan and growled, "That's it." This growl was immediately followed by an attack.

Sasori grabbed Aya and jumped away. Temari followed his example and jumped away with them. Aya let out a squeak of surprise and closed her eyes. Once she felt the ground beneath her feet again, Aya opened her eyes and looked around. Her eyes focused on Hidan and she had to swallow a scream. He was headless and yet his body was still standing. Not only that, but his head was talking...well complaining.

"What the hell did you do that for, you hot tempered asshole?" Hidan's head demanded of Kakuzu. "Reattach me to my body already."

"Serves you right," Kakuzu snapped out. "I should leave you like that." Despite what he said, Kakuzu did place Hidan's head back on his body and reattached it.

"He was headless," Aya whispered so she wouldn't scream. "Shouldn't he be dead?"

Sasori looked at her. "So you can' be scared."

"No. Just freaked out. Headless people should be dead. Dead people shouldn't be able to talk."

"Kakuzu, Hidan," a new voice came out of no where. Aya spun around and saw a man...well, not a man. He looked remarkably like a plant. The plant man continued, "We need you two to deal with some shinobi near by. Pain said to let Sasori handle the girls."

Kakuzu frowned, "I don't know that we should leave him alone with them. One of them isn't normal."

"Pain's orders," the plant stated.

"Alright, Zetsu. We'll take care of it."

Hidan's grin was pure evil. "Finally, a fight. I've missed the smell of blood and sounds of screams."

Aya shuddered. "Okay. Maybe that one scares me. He's insane."

Hidan turned that smile on her. "See. She is normal after all."

Hidan and Kakuzu walked away and the plant man vanished. This left Aya and Temari alone with Sasori Akasuna. They looked up at the puppet master. He met their gaze. Aya wished she knew what he was thinking. The Red Sand seemed off and had since he'd found her in that cave. It was almost like he was fighting with himself. Sasori looked away from her and kept walking. Aya considered just staying there or turning to run away. She sighed and continued walking. He was faster and stronger than she was. Her only option at the moment was to see what would happen next.

"Come," he ordered. He turned away but Aya had caught a glimpse of something in his eyes.

"You're in pain," she commented without thinking.

He spun around. "What?" he growled. "I'm not in pain. I feel nothing."

Aya took a step back and held up her hands. "My bad. I just thought I saw pain in your eyes. Ignore me."

Temari stepped between Aya and Sasori. Her eyes burned with rage. "Don't you dare scare her. It's not her fault that you actually have feelings now. Maybe you should try dealing with them rather than being a coward and getting rid of them this time," she snapped out. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Jerk."

Aya looked between them and sighed. Those two were not going to get along. She hoped they got a chance to escape soon. Otherwise, Sasori and Temari might kill each other.

Sasori looked up at the sun and saw that it was beginning to set. "We'll set up camp here."

The girls nodded and began the process of preparing for the night. Later, Aya stared into the fire. Absently, she asked, "Why did you join the Akatsuki, Sasori?"

"Why not?" he replied with the shrug. "I had no reason not to join."

"Sure you did." She didn't see his surprise as she kept staring into the fire. "You cared about your grandmother. And your parents. They were loyal to Suna. Aren't they the reason you were so lonely and sad? Does working for the Akatsuki honor their memory or something?"

"That's none of your concern," he snapped out. What was with this girl? How did she see what others couldn't? Even Pain hadn't realized how much agony Sasori's emotions were causing him. Yet this girl, who wasn't even a shinobi saw it. Not only that, but she saw the cause. "You should be more concerned about your friends. They're walking into a trap."

Aya's head came up and her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Konoha has recently received information on the location of the Akatsuki base. It's wrong." Sasori looked between two girls. "They'll be ambushed by our people."

"Then why kidnap us," Aya demanded. "Gaara and Naruto are both going to be at the attack."

"We'll use you and the fox's girl to lure the away from the others," Sasori replied at he watched her. He still couldn't figure Aya out. When it was her own life on the line, she didn't seem concerned. But when Temari's or Gaara's life was in danger, she was terrified.

Aya stared at Sasori. "Why? Why do you want to hurt Gaara? Hasn't he suffered enough?"

"Everyone suffers," Sasori replied as he stood up to pace. "Life is full of tragedy and pain. Gaara knows that better than anyone."

Temari's eyes narrowed. The puppet master seemed to be having problems. His eyes were troubled and filled with pain. The wind mistress decided it was time for a little talking of her own, and Sasori wasn't going to like it. She wasn't worried. Temari could hold her own. So, she stood and placed her hands on her hips. "What? Can't handle you're own problems so you hurt others?"

His head jerked up and his eyes met hers.

Aya looked up at her friend in surprise. "Ummm, Temari. Maybe you shouldn't say things like that. Might make him angry."

Temari didn't even acknowledge what Aya said. Aya's soft touch wouldn't work in this case. Sasori needed a good kick in the ass and she was just the kunoichi to give it to him. Temari almost grinned. She was going to enjoy this. She was not finished with Sasori Akasuna. "Oops. I forgotOh, poor Sasori. You're parents were killed by the White Fang and you became a monster to run away from your pain. What a coward."

Sasori's eyes seemed to burn with rage.

The wind mistress grinned now. "Like you're the only person who's suffered." She walked forward until she stood toe to toe with him. "Let me tell you what Gaara has suffered through, Sasori. My brother has been alone all his life. His mother was killed giving him birth and he had the live with the guilt for that. To add to that, the entire village hated and feared him. They treated him like a monster and he became one."

Sasori turned to walk away but Temari wasn't having it. She followed him.

"To add to his problems, the third Kazekage, our father, sent assassins after Gaara. His own father tried to kill him. Can you imagine how that made him feel?" Temari grabbed Sasori's arm and made him face her. Red clashed with turquoise as their eyes met. "Now tell me, Sasori. Do you have anything to complain about? You had your grandparents who loved you. You could have made friends if you wanted. You could have even been one of the best shinobi in the village. Compared to what Gaara has suffered through, your life has been heaven. Now you're going to add to my brother's pain just because your parents were killed when you were a child." Temari sneered. "You really are a coward."

Sasori said nothing. He just glared at her.

Temari smirked. "What is it, Sasori? Cat got your tongue? You suddenly run out of things to complain about?" She released him but didn't back down. "Does it make you proud to know that you're killing people who are already miserable? Do you feel powerful, Sasori, making others more miserable than you?"

His eyes burned with rage now and his careful control gave an audible snap. "No, I don't. Is that what you want to hear? I don't feel proud." He raked frustrated fingers through his hair. "I don't know what I feel anymore. One moment I'm in control and know exactly what I want. The next moment, I'm feel guilt for what I'm doing. Ever since I got my body back, my emotions have been a mess. I'm torn between my emotions and logic now. That's what I wanted to avoid by becoming a puppet. Does that satisfy you, Temari?" he demanded.

The wind mistress smiled. "Yes."

Aya blinked for a moment and then stood. "If it bothers you so much, Sasori, why do it?"

He sighed and sat back down next to the fire. "What else can I do? I'm an S-class criminal."

The artist looked at the fire for a moment. Temari watched Sasori. He seemed to be in misery and it tugged at a corner of Temari's heart that she usually tried to ignore. This time, she couldn't ignore it. She sat next to him and said softly, "You could come home."


That's it. Don't forget to let me know what you think.