As darkness descended, a group of suspicious looking jounin entered the Ice village. There were 8 of them (Zetsu would have blown their cover for sure) I walked behind with the unconscious Lizze over my shoulder. We'd limped and stumbled our way here through the gathering dusk, confident on my plan. I guided them through the centre of the village, past the frozen rivers and ice turrets, over bridges made of ice shining like diamonds. Then finally I lead them through the passage to my home.

I opened the thick stone door to my tower and invited them all in out of the rapidly dropping temperature. I shared my tower with no one but my companion so there was no chance of being discovered. I made sure she was laid down on her bed upstairs, comfortably out of range of our plotting. Coming back down the stairs I noticed they'd sat down in my living room and a roaring fire was burning in the grate. When I appeared in the doorway they looked up suspiciously, as if expecting me to betray them. A multitude of different coloured eyes regarded me. Purple, blue, glowing green and yellow with rings of Rinnegan. A strange bunch.

I flopped down onto a spare bit of sofa next to Pein (I'd learnt names on the long walk back) and looked about me. Nobody seemed willing to make the first move.

"The rokubi – where do we find him?" asked Sasori

"I'll show you on this map," I said laying it out and pointing. We all crowded round and bent our heads over the large drawing. We are here, I pointed at the residential towers, and the palace is just here, I placed my finger over the centre of the map. We move through the town like a group of ninja from the academy on a training exercise. Then enter the castle through the ballroom, here. As I moved my hand it caught Hidan's arm, and I felt a jolt stronger than that I felt with Lizze. I raised my head and caught his eye for a mere second before looking away. Mission first. The mission must come first. I decided I needed sleep; my lightning-rock healing bracelet could not heal tiredness away.

"Here you can look at this tonight but I want to get this done tomorrow before the neighbours realize I have a load of fake jounin living under my roof!" I laughed and the others smiled.

I left them slouched in my lounge and went to sleep, tomorrow I would betray everything I'd ever known, the prospect exited me almost as much as watching Hidan in the forest. As I slipped into a dreamless sleep, he was the last thing on my mind.

Sasori lay awake again. Partly because he couldn't believe his puppets had failed him today, party because he was in a woman's house and didn't feel comfortable, partly because he was lonely. Normally he slept next to Deidara and the sound of the bombers snores lulled him into dreams every night without fail. But there wasn't room in here for everyone and he'd gone upstairs. Sasori was struck with an idea, he didn't care whose house this was, he was going to have Deidara tonight. In the semi-darkness he picked his way through the sleeping S-ranked criminals. He crossed his fingers and prayed they wouldn't wake up, his constant clicking and whirring must have woken them already. Curse being a puppet! Just as he reached the door a voice called out to him,

"Sasori, where you going ?"

"Bathroom..." he replied hastily

"What-ever" the voice said sarcastically.

Sasori turned to find Itachi glaring him down, "you're going to find Dei-chan aren't you, you bastard"

"Don't pretend like you and Kisame aren't at it" Sasori shot back coolly and left the room before Itachi hit him.

He climbed the stairs quickly and searched for the room his partner was in, locating it on the next floor. He let himself in, closed the door and leaned on it breathing heavily.

"Wha?" A confused voice asked from the direction of the window. Sasori moved over to it and sat down on the blanket covering Deidara.

"It's just me, forgot to say goodnight" he murmured quietly so the others in the room wouldn't wake up. Deidara met his long lashed eyes and saw meaning there. He stroked the redheads face and rose to his feet taking the others hand. Glancing around them he indicated this was the time but not the place. Together they escaped outside into the chill of the Ice village night.

Sasori located a cosy place under a fir tree where the snow hadn't got and he rolled under waiting for the blonde to follow. Deidara took one last look at the frigid stars and thanked whatever god might be watching, then he too crawled under the dark green spines to meet his partner in their secret place. Unknowingly he rolled right into Sasori's waiting arms which were cold. It was a pity he was a puppet but such things had their advantages, no foreplay was needed to get him ready for entrance. With one more glance from those beautiful brown eyes, Deidara was flipped onto his stomach, and he could feel his cloak being pulled from his back. The midnight piercing chill enveloped his senses and made him shiver with cold and excitement. Tough hands felt up and down his chest while his loose trousers were removed, "Sasori no danna!" he moaned in anticipation.

"Enough already," the puppet master muttered from out of Deidara's sight. He leaned forwards and put his fingers into the blonde's mouth. When they were thoroughly warmed and moist he removed them. After a pause, the bomber gasped when the two fingers were forcefully pushed into him. He bit his tongue to stop from crying out and waking everyone this side of Konoha but still Sasori kept on. The motion he chose was driving Deidara into euphoria,

"Ready?" he asked, his voice giving away the feeling of tense pleasure that was coursing through him. Deidara only nodded weakly in response. Sasori shifted his weight and scissored him, making room for himself. The blonde felt himself being entered and this time he ready screamed, he screamed until his throat was sore. He screamed with pleasure and pain, he screamed for Sasori and himself and the beautiful partnership they shared. Sasori kept up a rhythm until Deidara reached a climax and released his seed all over the pine needles. The position was awkward and it hurt a lot but the whole experience was better than life itself. How could they live without each other? Breathing heavily he rose and curled naked in Sasori's lap wincing slightly from the pain. His cloak was draped carefully over his lithe frame and Sasori rocked him.

Snow descended from the white heavens and fell all around them as they sat entwined. The moment would stay perfectly preserved in both of their minds as long as they lived.