OH MY GOD GUYS. I had tkd today and it would be my first 3 hour-long class in over a month and holy shiit. I was tired, a tad dehydrated, and only had like a cereal bar to eat so I had stomach feels. But I literally couldn't complain as the girl training me LITERALLY pulled off her full leg brace so that she could show us what we were doing wrong…. Like how can you even complain with that? You can't.

Anyways I'll be typing while this whole 'tired as hell and soreness' goes away. So enjoy. Oh and thanks Anyaparks for favoritng and the ever so amazing PsychoPyro.

First Person POV is Deidara. Third Person POV is Sasori. Okay now enjoy:

"Now, Sasori, sit here and be a good boy, Grannie has important work to be done." She fixed his small form on the large cushioned seat next to the secretary's desk. He wanted to tell her he didn't need help, he hasn't needed it for a long time but he kept quiet as he allowed for her to readjust him in his seat. He stared into his grandmother's worn eyes, she caught him looking and gave a ghostly smile. There wasn't a response, not a mental or a physical one. She soon lost her smile and patted his head before exiting.

The secretary was mindlessly tapping away at the screen, only pausing every so often to eat her dinner but otherwise her eyes were always illuminated by the soft glow from the computer. He looked away from her and out the glass wall. It was nighttime but here in the capital night was the equivalent of the slum's day. It was the time when the lights were illuminating the sky in their spectrum, dressing it up as one does with dolls. Everyone said it was beautiful and he guess he agreed but he didn't like how the lights clung to his pale skin, how there was only ever the paths made that you could walk on, otherwise certain death was inevitable.

He hadn't realized the woman's typing had stopped until he heard her speak, "So, Sasori, how are you?"

"Good." He paused and furrowed his brow, "Thank you for asking." He didn't like conversations, with his grandmother's position he knew he was judged precisely on his actions and his responses, so she would be judged on her less to par grandson. The poor were barbaric, she'd say. He was a diamond, would always be and as such needed to be cool and levelheaded, an expectation on a child that she never questioned.

The woman smiled, "And your studies and competitions? I hear you won Nationals recently for both the science and art competitions. You were in the league three grade levels over your own right, for both? Congratulations."

He nodded, "Thank you. And good, I believe."

"Still number one in your school?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She whistled, "Wow, I don't know how you do it." He didn't respond, even if he should have he just didn't want to. Somehow having conversations just like these were just as stifling as the lights and this city. The people were all the same, none ever really thinking of him but as Chiyo's grandson. He didn't really identify as much beyond that, but it was okay. They would all polish is floorboards if he asked simply because he was Chiyo's grandson. He used to be someone's child and that was the only thing seeming to be what he wanted to be known as. He'd give up an identity for his parents…

A woman opened the door, her hair, supposed to be perfect, was messy and had random hairs sticking out. She was lugging an unwilling child into the room. He seemed Sasori's age, about seven, possibly but somehow they seemed worlds apart. The woman at the desk laughed, "What's it this time?"

The mother glared exasperatedly, "He says he's missing the interviews for the racers."

"I NEED TO KNOW HOW I'LL BE DOING MINE ONE DAY!" The woman at the desk chuckled again. Sasori's head tilted as he watched them quietly.

Stupid Deidara. How could someone be so annoying? At points he has even seemed tolerable, maybe even more, but mostly he's just infuriating. Like now? 'Damsel in distress'? Clearly we're not even on the same level! The more Sasori thought, the more Deidara's actions just seemed all that more irritating. Were all ground level people this rambunctious? He stilled as he considered this before snorting. Somehow it seemed like that wasn't the case and he was just stuck with a psycho. He glanced back at the white intense fog and remembered how he had left Deidara on the ground not an hour ago. Well maybe not so 'stuck' anymore. He began walking once more.

Deidara just rubbed him the wrong way too often and the most irritating thing was that it was intentional. Back in the Capital no one would have dared to say any of that to him. If he were on ground level, Deidara apparently not withstanding, everyone would hold him with as much respect as his grandmother. He couldn't even imagine meeting Deidara at Deidara's home, had it been for the first time and they weren't racers. He probably would've written him off as soon as he saw the blond and he'd get away with it too because he wouldn't be forced into a group with him. Speaking of which, he understood that at some point he'd have to meet up with Deidara somehow again or else they couldn't win but right now even thinking of it seemed way too soon.

There was some twigs rustling and Sasori stilled. He considered hiding but there was no real point, not with the fog anyways. There was some more rustling and then a loud crash, "OWWWW! Tobi didn't see the rock. Zetsu would have seen the rock. That's why Tobi needs to find him! Yes, Tobi shall find him and Tobi shall apologize!" It seemed like so long ago but he remembered hearing that voice from the boy in the room right before the race. If he remembered correctly then it was Team Two's person and he didn't even consider this not being correct. There was a lot of crackling as the boy had stood back up and ran away in search of his… partner? Soon the noise disappeared all together and it was silent once again.

That was weird. Very weird. Not only had Deidara and him split up but Team Two had also parted. Something told him to dismiss coincidence. He needed to think this over because suddenly it all seemed very off. The fact that the portal hadn't immediately opened and now that this were happening. He thought back to first arriving, his feelings towards Deidara had been a kinship he'd never felt and the lack of a lot of fog. But as his animosity towards Deidara grew so had the thickness of the fog. Now it was a cloaking white wall as if someone threw a blanket over him. He ran a hand through it and it seemingly clutched his hand in a loose embrace. As his hand swirled through the air it finally hit him.

This world had something about it that made it alive, something reason told him shouldn't have happened, but shouldn't reason have been discarded at the beginning of the race? This world was interfering with the racers the longer they stayed here. Quite possibly all the groups had broken up, all running around on their own with frustration that could be taken out on any single poor soul they crossed. Clearly paths were crossing as he had seen Team One and half of Team Two. He needed to find Deidara as his body shuddered through the overwhelming adrenaline that now seemed to pulse through his veins with his new revelations.

As he ran towards the river, the most probable spot of Deidara's whereabouts, he realized a final thing. This had all been intentional from the start. His feet seemed to kick into the mud harder.

Maybe there was a reason Sasori refused for us to get our water from the river after all. Actually I don't think I'd call it 'river' anymore, as the 'river' was literally as sludge-like as it looked. I waded to the top and took a giant inhale. I felt like I was swimming in pudding and not my mother's attempt at the dessert, but the Capital's rich and thick creamy delicacy. So much for getting clean, it smelled like sewage and it was a little offensive that this actually reminded me of home.

What is this anyways? Sasori leaves my side and in two seconds I'm already reminiscing of my childhood and the slums? I sincerely hope that's not what's about to happen. I mean- a loud piercing wail broke my thoughts. It was a girl's scream. The only girl was from Team Five. Team Five was in trouble.

I considered my options. The sound was coming from up swamp and not too far off from the sounds of it and I could go and aid her, but what if I got hurt too? There was however another thought that counteracted this: I was here for adventure and by the looks and sounds of it Team Five was the strongest team, if I helped them maybe I'd be in their grace. I swam to the shore and hurried up onto the mud before taking off in the direction of her yell.

He came to an erupt stop at the sound of the pained scream. It was a girl so it wasn't Deidara. Should he go? He wasn't really worried about the girl and didn't experience any 'knight in shiny armor' feelings towards her, however was it possible that it would draw Deidara? Deidara also wasn't the hero type, so probably not. He looked back in the direction he was running only to glance back over his shoulder. But if it did draw Deidara as well as the others, what then? The only three likely that would go would be Team One and her teammate if he weren't already with her…

He was torn. Deidara was the priority. Not this girl. Deidara wouldn't go to her. He started running in the same direction he had been going, 'I'm easily predicted. Just expect the unexpected and you can read me like an open book.' It had seemed like forever ago but if there were ever any words to hold truth about his partner that he discovered from this entire race… mid-step he hopped and agilely turned abruptly around, sprinting to the girl.

He made sure to look at the milky hazy ground, thinking it wise not to step on anything that would make noise. He was almost thankful he could use her screams as a guide as he was relatively far away and couldn't see anything, however it seemed to still come from the swamp and only now did he realize it was probably the heart of the place, the thought sent chills through him. Even though the air rushed through his ears, covering most noise besides the girl's screams he was acutely aware of another's footsteps heading in the same direction. Deidara! Something akin to relief coursed through him at having guessed right before they both got in too much trouble. He wouldn't call out though, he changed his direction to the person approaching, planning to intercept Deidara.

He succeeded in getting there before Deidara did but only when he was close enough however did Hidan's face emerge from the fog. At first the albino skidded to a stop and looked down with shock at the teen that had literally appeared out of nowhere almost as if he was the there the entire time. But then a sadistic grin graced his features and Sasori felt his throat clench as he almost stopped breathing.

I have only ever heard a scream of that much caliber from Sasori and the reminder made my legs turn to jelly beneath me. I almost fell from the loss of power in my legs but luckily I was right by the noise. It no longer came from in front of me but to the side. Somehow this far away it would seem just as impossible to not help her, as it was to not help Sasori.

There was a large whack on the top of the water and her screams became gurgles. That was right about the time I waded in. The water wasn't deep as it came to my hips and since there was still the solid white wall I could only hope to come across her or for her to resurface. My hands stretched out in front of me, "Splash the water if you hear me! I'm here to help, un!"

I looked around in all directions. To my slight 11:00 there was a large dark shadow. At first I thought it had been her, about to be propelled through the air but I leaned forward squinting, just in time for my face to get smacked with a large scaly tail. Immediately I saw stars, almost blacking out as pain I have never felt before rushed through my face, especially my nose and everything just felt really heavy. I processed this all in the second before I was shot underwater through the impact. Water rushed through my probably broken nose and the water resisted my weight just enough for my head to gently bounce back from the soft sand and algae.I clamped a hand over my nose. You need to get up or you will drown. I knew that but at the moment it seemed as impossible as asking me to shoot fire out of my hands under this water.

Without the fog you could see underwater and just as something told me to break the surface it had told me look at what was underwater.

I don't know what I expected to be happening when I heard her screams, maybe Hidan or Kakuzu terrorizing her but that wasn't anywhere near it. The only thing I could compare it to was one of the aliens I had seen ten years ago at the race, a giant murky green eel-like creature with a monstrous face straight out of a children's book and between it teeth, that seemed the size of my forearms, was the girl, still struggling to get out of the hold of the monster. Although she struggled it seemed impossible and her free hand kept slipping and each attempt to become free would look more drug like. She's dying. The sight allowed some clarity to the situation and I swam to the top gasping for air and coughing out the water. The actions were like piercing daggers to his throbbing head, now intensified without the water's pressure.

I hadn't allowed myself to be there for longer than a couple seconds though as I swam over to the deeper part of the bayou hover above the creature and the girl. Almost as if sensing my presence the beast arched it's slimy body up causing me to be projected off but as I went under water again I purposely went lower into the riverbed, groping for one of the bigger stones. My hand gripped a particularly sharp one that caught my attention after my palm was caught and slightly cut. After securing it in my grasp I shot through the water toward the beast.

The girl, who I would forever respect, had not given up fighting even though she was clearly on the verge of collapsing. Her movements would become slower and slower… until they just stopped all together. I tried to breath stroke even faster to her. The beast didn't seem to pay me much mind but glared with it's heated and hateful eyes. And that's what I wanted; I reared my arm back, painfully aware that the water and my own breath holding skills were fighting against it, when I smashed the edge that had pricked me into the giant eye.

The giant-eel creature let go of her and immediately I reached for her torso, trying to best avoid the stomach-clenching wound on her arm. The beast let out a pained and angry wail that sent vibrations through the water and I had to look away. Fizzing bubbles erupted as it thrashed around, the large tail becoming like a weapon (as if wasn't one before) one that we had to avoid. She was like a weighted sand bag in this torrent but I refused to let go. My lungs felt like they were on fire but maybe that was the fire I had needed all along?

I broke the surface gasping once again and fumbled with her keeping her head a float before beginning to awkwardly swim at an angle, my entire being screeching protest but my mind was winning the battle. I kept glancing back and could see the waves coming off the spot with the beast and tried to swallow the goose bumps rising at what it was capable of. As soon as I got to the shallow part and my feet could touch the sand I ran with her, lugging her up to the shore before I got her out and was able to personally climb out. I tried, as gingerly as I could, to drag her up farther however my body soon collapsed and gave way as I fell to the ground on all four, retching up the vile water I had swallowed.

My chest was heavily moving up and down as I glanced at her through the curtain my hair had created. Her skin was looking horridly pale due to both the loss of blood and the white mist. Just as I fumbled for one of the larger leaves to cover her wounded arm, which made my stomach summersault within me numerous times, something wrapped around my ankle and I was shoved into the ground, being dragged backwards. I dug my hands through the mud, the earth coming into the beds of my fingernails but to no avail. I tried wiggling my body every which direction but it kept me in a vice like grip that I couldn't break.

How do you even fight one of these? At least you're familiar with a human's body and they're about your size but this was monstrous. I had never even imagined we'd be fighting creatures like these in the race. I had no hope of escaping but that didn't mean I'd stop. I still clawed at the ground, trying to kick at the tail that had wrapped around my leg. My free leg kept getting wet, kicking at the surface of the water. If I was to get too far into the water then I'd be like her only worse as no one would come to my rescue.

Only someone did. At first I hadn't realized but there was a giant arching movement of steel and the tip of the tail that had been holding onto my leg was cleaved off. The beast withered in agony only for seconds before the tail had disappeared underwater with wrathful waves left in its wake.

I lay there gasping and frozen for a bit, surprised that my life hadn't ended as I thought for sure it would have. Was it Sasori who saved us? No. Sasori didn't have a knife. I looked up and when I did I was more surprised by the fact that the fog was dissipating more than I was on the person. The fog was definitely still there but its' intensity had dialed down to where I could see shapes in the far distance and could see Team Five's guy standing there holding a cleaving knife covered in a gooey orange substance.

Standing there he was the epitome of cool and power, the way there wasn't a single scratch or mark on him and the way his almost dead eyes regarded me. I shivered more from his eyes than the monster in the water and had no doubt in my mind that if forced between the two then I'd taken the overgrown seafood any day. He only looked at me for a moment before turning his attention to his partner. He knelt down to her, and held her arm in his, almost as a gentle caress.

Shakily I got to my feet, coughing. I rubbed my forearm at my mouth, ignoring the sewage and bad fish smell of my clothes. I stumbled a bit in the direction away from the bayou but stopped and glanced back at the pair, cocking my head to the side, "She swallowed a lot of water and needs the covered up and attended to, un."

He glanced back at me, his odd purple eyes bearing into me before nodding once and looking back at her, leaning down for what would be mouth-to-mouth recitation. When his mouth connected, the girl turned over and retched out what looked like gallons of water. She shook from weakness but still held her partner's gaze with the same power he looked at her with. She looked down at her wrist a feebly pointed at the Jumper.

I glanced down.

There was a pointer on the map.

And it was close.

All I needed now was to find Sasori.

Almost as if reading my mind there was a "DEIDARA!" And it sounded like that of a prey's yell.

A fist collided with his jaw, "Shut up, Prissy." The voice growled. Blood overwhelmed his mouth and pulling a Deidara he spat it in the both larger and older man's face.

He took a deep breath, "DEIDARA! DEIDARA! DEI-" Again he was punched but this time in the stomach. He coughed, kneeling over, the twine-tied restraints restricting and cutting into his stomach and chest and the grass being painted with his blood. He was irritated Team One's idiot got the best of him, from the very beginning using his overbearing strength to beat Sasori. He was irritated he needed Deidara. But most of all he was mad that it wouldn't be the other way around as he had expected, after all he was better than Deidara and his words now held no value.

He tried flexing his arms and tugging upwards but al that had happened was the burning from the rubbing of the restraining self-made rope. "Ha, look at you. How did you even get here? Mommy and Daddy's help?" Hidan taunted. Sasori froze and glared at him murderously but otherwise there was no response. Hidan laughed cruelly, "Oh? Was I right? Did I hit Jackpot? That'd explain why you suck so much."

There was no words Sasori wanted to say to him, only he wanted to see that man dead and he wanted it to be by his hands. Again he tried jerking his arms but it didn't break.

There was rustling as someone ran into the clearing and Sasori looked up eager to see the blond. However once again he got it wrong. It was Kakuzu. His steps were slowing. Hidan looked behind and grinned, "Hey, Kakuzu, you're just in time for the show."

Kakuzu glanced over at Sasori. When he spoke his voice was full of malice, "Team Four? Where's the blond? Fight?"

Hidan's grin widened, "He wasn't with him! Can you believe our luck?"

"Go fuck yourselves." Sasori hissed. Immediately he was punched again and saw stars. Hidan's fist was about the size of his head.

Kakuzu growled, "You're at our mercy, kid."

"Excuse me for forgetting my manners. What I meant was drop the fuck dead." Again he was punched. His head began to sag.

"Would you believe this fucker and his nerve?" Hidan asked incredulously.

Kakuzu snorted, "The brat just needs to learn his lesson anyways Hidan I came looking for you. 10 minutes ago the pointer on the map appeared."

Sasori's head poked up and for the first time he noticed the fog was dispersing. He could now see the shapes and make out the closer one's details. They were in a clearing. The teams were getting together. He was right. Now all he needed to do was wait out for Deidara. He looked up and behind the two of them and was almost about to actually smile. Or maybe he didn't have to.

I held the whip in my hand, having gone back to our old spot for it. It wasn't too wet so it was perfect. I was ready to do some damage. Adrenaline was allowing me ignore to ignore my own injuries, thankfully. As I approached, I couldn't hear Sasori's voice anymore but Team One's dumb and dumber were speaking. "He wasn't with him! Could you believe our luck?"

"Go fuck yourselves." I almost stopped in my steps. It was Sasori's voice, tired but defiant. I smirked; even in this situation Sasori wouldn't be afraid. He was one worthy guy to be my partner.

"You're at our mercy kid." I snorted a laugh. These guys didn't know Sasori. I slowly crouched and the clearing they were in was becoming clearer and clearer. They were on the edge. Sasori was attached to the tree and hovering above him were the two monsters. Their backs were facing me. I grinned and crept forward, slowly and quietly.

"Excuse me for forgetting my manners. What I meant was drop the fuck dead." There was a crunching noise at the sound of the punch and I empathetically cringed for him because it sure looked like he wasn't about to.

"Would you believe this fucker and his nerve?"

"The brat just needs to learn his lesson anyways Hidan I came looking for you. 10 minutes ago the pointer on the map appeared." I had made my way to the edge of the clearing and my hand tightened its grip on the whip. This was going to be fun.

Sasori glanced up and we made eye contact for the first time. In that moment, as clichéd as it sounded, time stopped and words were exchanged in the blink of an eye. Not I am sorry but a mutual understanding. We both knew our part. I crept as quietly as I ever had.

Before either noticed our shared look Sasori glared back up at them, "What lesson is there to learn from you two? Stupid people exist? Thanks but no thanks." I had to ignore the urge to laugh. When trying to stall Sasori sounded like me and it was flattering.

Hidan spluttered, "Excuse me? Do you not get that we're going to FUCKING KILL YOU?"

"I wasn't actually sure you two were smart enough to know how to do that. Although thinking about it you don't really need much to know how to kill. After all humans can kill. So I guess you can too."

Hidan looked from Sasori to Kakuzu, just as I got close enough to aim. "Do you believe this ki- HOLY FUCK!" Hidan screamed in pain, his hands maneuvering to his bloody back after I had let it rip and fly through the air. I rolled forward, ducking from their view as Kakuzu turned to look behind them and, since I was even closer, jumped up and snapped it against Kakuzu, at this range it actually wrapped painfully around his torso and broke some of his suit, allowing for the blood to soak through.

Whack. Hidan was screaming. Whack. Whack. Whack. Hidan was sprawled on the ground, drenched in his own blood. I reared my arm and raised it before snapping it back down across his face. His squeal of pain was empowering. I hope he learned his lesson.

I turned around to deal with his partner Kakuzu but he had disappeared. I glanced over at Sasori and he muttered out, "He left. He's not hiding. That wimp." I nodded and quickly began to untie Sasori. Without the restraints Sasori sagged, crumpling forward like a doll and I rushed to hold him up. I never knew it but he was really small, like bones in my arms. Was he the smallest in this race? Even after carrying the girl he felt almost weightless.

He was breathing heavy and he allowed for his head to droop on my shoulder. His matted hair was tickling my nose. "Sasori, un?"

"I'm fine, just give me a moment." He muttered. There was silence. "I thought you would head over to the girl so I was making my way over there when I ran into him." I blinked; surprised he would be the one to break the silence.

I glanced down at the knocked out and bloody form of Hidan, "Yeah, how is it that we keep running into those two, huh?"

I could feel his lips form a ghostly smile against my shoulder but it soon left, "Was I right?"

My brows furrowed, "On what, un?"

"Did you go to the girl?"

The giant eel creature flashed through my head, "Oh yeah I did and let me tell you, I am never eating seafood again, un." He raised his head questioningly but I looked around instead, "I can tell you on the way. Here hop on my back, I'll take us to the portal." He shook his head, "Listen, Sasori, I'm not going to think any less of you but I'm sure I can vouch for the both of us that we've had enough time spent here. Don't you think?"

There was a pause before Sasori finally grumbled out his consent and I was able to shoulder him. He weighed so little. The first thing out of his mouth was, "You're really wet and smell awful." I laughed but otherwise ignored his comment.

As we walked we exchanged stories. I told him how he was right and that I went because it was Team Five and we could use them being indebt. I told him of the giant eel and how immediately after the pointer was on the map again and the fog was disappearing. He was silent at first, soaking it all in. Then he spoke too.

"I think the fog didn't disappear because of the eel but because Team Five reunited."

I didn't get what he was saying. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… the fog grew as our dislike for each other grew and then disappeared when we got together." I looked around. He was right there was even less fog then before, it was like the first few days again, you could see practically everything. He continued, "I think it wasn't just us. Earlier I saw Team Two's guy looking for his partner and then Team One was split up too and you saw team Five being split up. It's this place I think, the fog fuels and creates animosity in the teams. But once one of the teams reunited the pointer showed up? Then they planned to test our endurance from the beginning." He concluded.

I mulled this over. It seemed crazy but accurate too, also Sasori seemed to have a sixth sense for this stuff. He even came to conclusions similar to the one I made earlier, although he seemed to have filled in the final pieces, making a complete picture. "Oh. So are you saying our words to each other weren't our own, un?"

I felt his face shake on my shoulder, his nose brushing against my neck making it tickle. "Not exactly, I just think it amplified those thoughts."

I grinned, "Oh good because I really do think you make a good damsel in distress." He snorted, whether in amusement or irritation I didn't know. I glanced down at the Jumper. We were here. I set him down and he swayed just a little. I looked into his bruised and swollen dull eyes, "No… I mean it. When I was younger the fact that there was no one who could be my equal, who could keep up with me, would bother me. It was really boring but somehow you being my partner really does make it all come together. I don't think I would like having anyone as much as my partner as I do you, even if they are stronger, because although we are opposites and come from different parts of our world, I feel like this was for the best, even our fighting and stuff. It's the best outcome." It sounded weird as it came from my mouth but I meant it. I wanted Sasori as my partner even if he could be an ass, as this world had proved.

He looked at me for a really long time before slowly nodding, "Yeah."

I huffed out a heavy breath; "You're supposed to say it to me now, un."

He looked away, rolling his eyes, "I definitely haven't known anyone like you before. That's for sure." The way he said it could have a double meaning.

Again I huffed out a heavy breath. "Is that a good thing?"

He pointed his Jumper at the tree and tapped it, a portal swirling to life. He looked over at me, "Who knows? I think you said enough for the both of us, Deidara."

I glared, "You know what? Never mind I take it back, un."

"Oh no." He said monotonously. I growled, grabbed his wrist and began to drag the broken baby doll to the portal. Just as I stepped through I glanced back over my shoulder at him. He was staring at my hand on his wrist. I shook my head and jumped through, dragging him along.

Somehow I forgot the feeling of the jump and even weirder, finding this a missed feeling.

Of course that didn't stop me from tumbling through the sky because that's how these portals work. I walk through one reasonably and come flailing from the sky. Although so long as this one didn't have monster eels and manipulating fog then I think I could handle it. Although I'm pretty sure that thought was very wrong and very far off.

A/N: Okay I am done! Finally, see long? Guys my 3-foot long snake got loose and apparently slithered into the same room as me for hours and I never noticed. If that's not my dedication to writing for you guys and my addiction to the Internet summed up in a sentence then I don't know what is.