A/N: Sorry for cutting it off like that last chapter! Had to leave ya hanging! I am sooooo sorry for not updating sooner!!! Lack of net, you see...anyway..I'm back, so expect a lot more stories and updates from me. Many of you have been asking me who stole Dei...he he. If I told you guys, it would ruin the story XD. And I am so sorry for the late ass reply. I've been going through a bit of an emotional slump. Kittie has been depressed.......but....I will update! Anyways...things start getting involved. This story is only going to last another couple of chapters...sad to say.... Ja ne!


Fated Reunion

Chapter 8: The Path to Oto



Sasori had been working nonstop for a day and a half. He judged the position of the sun to be about three in the afternoon. He had half a day to get to Oto. Throughout the night, he got Hiruko up and running again, along with all of his puppet army. He even found time to perfect his Demon Night, Black Fever, Dark Corruption, and Crimson Death (1) poisons. The red head slipped on his repaired Akatsuki cloak, gently easing the poisons into the sleeves. He set the scrolls in as well before summoning Hiruko for him to travel in.

Once the huge puppet was in front of him, he popped the back compartment open with his chakra strings. He seated himself before closing it up securely. He maneuvered Hiruko to the door, unlocking the door and leaving. He quietly left through the hallway, passing Itachi and the others, minus Pein and Konan, as usual. He left the Akatsuki base and headed east toward Oto. At the pace he was going, he would be there with plenty of time to spare.

As the puppeteer walked, he couldn't help but feel slightly anxious, like something bad was happening to his blond lover. As if he were too late. That thought didn't sit too well with the red head. "You had better be alright, Deidara," he growled from Hiruko's safety. He looked down and saw his poisons positioned securely by his side. He hoped they would be more than enough. If not, he was at a loss.

A few more steps down the line and Sasori sensed a spike in chakra. He stopped walking and readied Hiruko's tail from beneath its cloak. "So...Sasori is actually following through with the letter, huh?" came a female's voice. It sounded as if she were all around him, thanks to the echo it produced in the forest. The echo was leveled out, so it was difficult for him to tell where it was coming from exactly. "Who would have thought that Sasori of the Red Sand, the famous puppeteer, had a weak spot for an insignificant brat from Iwa?" she coaxed.

Sasori felt his anger rise as he listened to her ramblings. He took the time he had to attempt to locate her. The effort proved successful. Hiruko's tail shot out to the right, heading toward an oak tree. The tail pierced the wood and the tree came tumbling down. There was a small flash of movement that emerged from the tree, jumping to the right. The Suna born sent kunai flying in the direction, hitting trees on the way like a dart board.

Laughter sounded from the unknown female. "What's wrong? Too fast?" she mocked as if speaking to an infant. The woman darted in the clearing. She stood at 5'4, with a pale complexion. Her eyes were the softest brown and her hair the darkest red, almost blood red. She could have passed as Sasori's sister. Her hair reached to her shoulders, the black bottom layer reaching to her calves. She donned Oto-styled clothing. The gray long sleeve shirt, resembling Kimimaro's, and the pants that resembled Tayuya's. "So...you're really hung up on this blond, aren't you?" she grinned, already knowing the answer.

Sasori remained silent, not bothering to waste his time on an insignificant worm such as her. He glared at her through Hiruko, secretly readying his weapon barrage. She sent a kunai flying at him, hitting Hiruko's tail, thanks to Sasori's ability to multi task. He smirked and sighed as he triggered Hiruko's weapon barrage. Kunai and shuriken flew toward the girl, who seemed to be rather startled. She cursed silently and started to flip out of the way of the incoming weapons, deflecting a few and backing away as it ambushed her. Her back hit a tree, causing her to look back out of distraction.

At the present time, a kunai ripped through her right upper thigh, pinning her to a tree. Another pierced her left shoulder, while shuriken settled in her stomach, collarbone, and pelvic region. She screamed out in pain before Sasori sent a deliberate kunai flying into her forehead, snapping her head back and ending her life. Once he stopped the firing, he growled. 'I see...delay tactics. They wish to weaken me and use up all my chakra and supplies so I will be defenseless against Dei's captor,' he thought to himself as he proceeded on the path to Oto. Whoever is behind this obviously thought things through perfectly.

As Sasori walked, he sensed a spike in chakra to his left. He bowed his head and had Hiruko leap out of the way. A split second later, the earth he previously stood on jutted up in a tall spire. Once Hiruko landed, Sasori had to direct him to leap to another spot again. This process repeated several times, spires shooting from the earth rapidly, following Sasori on his path. He leaned into a tree and watched one shoot at an angle toward him. His eyes widened before he directed Hiruko to quickly move. Sadly, the bulky puppet was a bit too slow. The sharpened earth spike collided with Hiruko's right arm, severing it and smashing it to pieces.

Sasori growled inside the puppet as he was sent into a spiral. He made Hiruko regain himself as he landed on his feet. The puppeteer started to scan the surrounding areas, looking for any sign of an intruder. He had to be close. Another spire of earth shot out directly in front of him before he heard sadistic laughter. The Suna born scowled deeply before he saw a blur in front of him as the spire receded into the ground. He followed the blur with his eyes, seeing it go into a tree, then a bush, then back in front of him.

The figure was a man. He stood at about 6'3, donning black Suna pants with mesh from his knees to ankles, grey tank with mesh over it that ran to his elbows, and a black jacket over top it, without sleeves. His village headband, from what Sasori could tell, showed that he was a missing-nin from Suna. When his eyes landed upon the face of his opponent, the red head could make out brown hair, fading to a burnt orange at the tips. His orange bangs hung in his face in choppy strands. His eyes were a warm, yet icy cold orange. 'I don't have time for this...' Sasori thought with frustration.

The man smirked at him. "I see Chyuki didn't do the job..." he smirked, his voice low and deep, almost erotic. Sasori glared at him. The man laughed and shrugged, setting a hand on his hip arrogantly. "Name's Shuko. And, sorry to say, but you will not be going any further from here." With that, Shuko quickly performed hand signs. Within seconds, he smirked. His body pulled back a bit before leaning forward and spewing mud from his mouth.

Sasori's eyes widened as he quickly leaped out of the way. He had to get to higher ground. This Shuko was planning on submersing the whole ground in mud. He recognized this jutsu, but he thought that the third Konoha Hokage was the only one that knew it. In any case, this would not prove beneficial to his puppets if the mud got into the joints. With that in mind, Sasori commanded Hiruko to leap from branch to branch, Hiruko being too heavy to stay on one for too long.

When he finally found a nice sturdy branch, Sasori readied Hiruko to be put back into his scroll. Before Sasori could do that, however, Shuko sent another attack his way. When Sasori did finally look up, he saw a mud spire coming straight at him. It was either abandon Hiruko again or suffer injuries, possibly die. As much as Sasori hated to do it, he chose to abandon Hiruko. He would just have to replace him. Again.

With his quick reflexes, Sasori popped the back off of Hiruko and fled away from the branch. As he looked back, anger set in. He literally watched Hiruko be smashed to pieces again. What was it with everyone and destroying his prized possessions? Was it so hard to keep his puppets in tact for a week? Apparently so. No time to fret over such insignificant matters now, however. Sasori felt adrenaline pumping through him as he ran. That's when he realized he made a grave mistake. He forgot to switch back to his puppet body. He was currently in his human body. The one he used when relaxing and working on his battle puppet body.

Cursing his luck even more now, Sasori raised his guard higher than before. He had to be extra careful now. If he got hit like he normally did in his battle puppet body, he would surely die. Any hit was fatal. So vulnerable was he that he started to be overly cautious which would also prove to be fatal to him. Seeing this, Sasori quickly calmed his nerves and concentrated on what was the most important: finding Deidara. He only had a few hours left to make it to the designated area and time was not on his side. Thanks to all of these distractions, Sasori was under much more stress than he was used to.

Sasori glanced behind him and saw that Shuko was nowhere to be found. He cursed his luck for letting the enemy out of his sight, something he never did. The Suna born quickly stopped on a branch and closed his eyes, becoming in tune with his surroundings and being aware of any pulsating chakra in the immediate area.

Just as suddenly as he shut his eyes, he snapped them open. Immediately, his gaze drifted to the right. As soon as they did, he jumped out of the way, a spire of earth heading straight for him. Gracefully landing on a tree, the puppeteer glared at the trees from which the intrusion came. An arrogant laughter graced his ears as he stared, waiting for his opponent to give up hiding and come fight him like a man instead of using the scenery as shelter. Though he had to admit, Sasori would have done the same thing in his predicament.

"What's wrong, Sasori of the Red Sand?" the voice of Shuko came, sounding as arrogant and fluid as usual. His figure emerged from the sanctity of the trees and stared up at the red head with a cocky smirk. "I would have thought you were better than this. Running? What happened to your bravery? What happened to your battle tactics? Never in a million years would I have guessed that Sasori, the famed puppeteer of Suna, would ever abandon one of his prized possessions.-"

"Silence. I tire of your insolent remarks," the red head spat. This only succeeded in deepening the arrogant smirk permanently etched into the other Suna-nin's face. Sasori thought over his options. He still had multiple poison bombs, poison viles and kunai, poison needles, each tipped with a specific poison. A mixture of the poisons would surely kill him swiftly. It was just the matter of hitting him with it. Could he really hit him in this condition? In his puppet body, he seemed to be much faster, it being lighter than that of human flesh. Sasori was a delimma. No matter his decision, he would use poison.

Shuko laughed again. This brought Sasori out of his reverie, sending a glare full force the insolent brat's way once more. Man this idiot was annoying. What was he laughing for anyway? "You are too predictable, Sasori."

Thrown off a bit by this, Sasori quirked a brow. His auburn eyes widened as he realized what was behind him. He sucked in a breath before quickly leaping out of the way. He wasn't fast enough. The spire of mud and rock pierced his left side, spilling blood onto the branch below and ground even further below. Sasori growled in pain as he clutched his side. Poison was definitely out of the question now. He cursed his luck. 'Damn it. Hold on, Dei.' Shuko's laughter rung in his ears as he landed on the ground, falling to a knee. Blood ran freely from the wound in his side, soaking his Akatsuki cloak, his Suna pants, and soiling the dirt next to him.

The arrogant Shuko slowly started to walk toward him. His options were running low, Sasori knew. He would either have to use the poison now, take the antidote on the way, or die here, without seeing Deidara one last time. The stubborn red head refused the second option. As far as he was concerned, that was not even an option. Sasori slithered his arm hidden by the cloak out of the sleeve and quickly grabbed three poison needles. Careful not to prick himself, he returned his arm to the sleeve once more, his expression steady and never changing.

"To think. My name will be remembered for killing the famous Sasori of the Red Sand, the famed puppeteer whose name is known all throughout Suna as a legend," Shuko gloated. "Can you see it now? I'm welcomed back into the city, you die here, I kill the Kazekage in name of Orochimaru's apprentice, Orochimaru's apprentice becomes Kazekage and rules your pathetic homeland."

"It's your homeland," Sasori growled. "I abandoned that miserable place from my memories as soon as I stepped foot from that village. As for your future...I see it ending-" Sasori's arm darted up like a striking cobra, flinging the poison needles at Shuko- "now." Shuko's eyes widened as a needled pierced his neck, sternum, and stomach. As soon as they made contact, he knew he was dead. Sasori's poisons were nothing to be reckoned with. If he were lucky, he would die soon. Shuko remembered everyone boasting that Sasori's poisons were the most deadly and the most painful thing to ever happen to someone. Once the poison hit them, they wished for a swift death. Too bad it never came to them.

Sasori stood as Shuko fell to his knees, grasping his neck and stomach. The deadly criminal stared at the weakling before him, watching as the Crimson Death made Shuko bleed through his pores. Seeing that the combination of poisons were doing their work, Sasori limped past him and broke into a wobbly sprint. He had to make it to Deidara before it was too late. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to the blond brat that captured his heart so quickly and effortlessly.

As he looked around, the Akasuna noticed that he was about to cross the line into Oto. It was then that he skidded to a halt. Orochimaru's base wasn't in Oto itself, but off to the side. So, Sasori quickly changed direction. He darted off toward Orochimaru's base with much haste. A few more yards of running and a kunai was thrown at his feet, forcing him to skid to a halt again. He growled in agitation. These interruptions were getting rather annoying. Sighing, he lifted his head toward the trees where he sensed the chakra flow the strongest.

As soon as his eyes landed on the three figures in the tree, his breathing hitched. Among the three people in the tree was a raven haired male, standing at 5'6, a white streak in the left side of his bangs. He donned Oto clothing resembling the Sound Five, that annoying purple rope bow completing the horrid outfit. His eyes were the most golden amber Sasori had ever seen. The man's eyes matched that of Deidara's hair. That man wasn't the one that caught his attention though. To the right of the man was a woman with brown hair that reached to her ankles, pulled back in the style of the Hyuuga's. Her eyes were even the same snowy white as the Hyuuga clan's, showing she was a missing nin that chose to desert Konoha and join forces with Orochimaru's apprentice. She stood at about 5'1. Even then, that wasn't the person that caught Sasori's attention.

Between the two, the man was holding the blond that was making Sasori risk his life. In the man's arms stood a heavenly blond angel with one visible blue eye and a small blond ponytail in the back of his head. The blond was donned in a white yukata, his single cerulean eye shining with fear and pleading for help. Sasori was so enraged by this that he growled and reached into his cloak, seeking out the poison needles. What made him stop though was the sudden realization that what if he hit Deidara? The calculating Suna-nin decided it best to wait for now. "I see. Sasori of the Red Sand finally decided to show up. How nice," the man said, his liquid velvet voice resonating in the red head's ears.

"Help me, danna!" the blond screamed, struggling against the man's grasp, tears leaking from his eye. His pale hand stretched out to Sasori in a useless effort to reach him.

Sasori almost lost it. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't move. He was frozen in place. Something about this situation didn't sit right with the Akasuna. Why would the apprentice allow Deidara to be out in the open like this, knowing Sasori could just as easily snatch him up and high tail it back home? No, this situation didn't sit right with him at all. He needed proof that this was truly Deidara. When he had adequate proof that it was in fact his blond angel in front of him, reaching out to him for help, crying his name, then he would act and decide what to do.

"Why so still, Sasori? Don't you want your little bitch?" the female teased.

Sasori remained emotionless. "Kill him. I don't care. I have risked more than enough coming here for that little twerp. I'm done fighting for him. He's useless anyway," the red head said coldly, glaring at the blond in the man's arm.

This seemed to take the other two by surprise. They exchanged shocked looks at each other and blinked in confusion before looking back at Sasori. The man pulled out a kunai and held it to the blond's throat. "I'm not sure you understand...we're serious," he said, making it evidently clear by pushing the kunai harder against the blond's neck. Deidara's eyes shone with more fear, the tears coming faster and harder than before. He mouthed the word 'danna' at Sasori, his voice suddenly lost at such a horrible comment made by his lover.

The red head still seemed unaffected by this sudden awkward situtation. This enraged the female. She growled and yanked the kunai from the man's hand. "Fine. Since you won't do it, Maki, I'll do it!" she hissed.

The man seemed to stand in frustration then. "Wait one second, Kisa!" he hissed.

Sasori grew tired of their antics. He was now thoroughly convinced that they were idiots. He grabbed his three poison needles and whipped them effortlessly at the three. One landed in Maki's throat, right on his jugular, another landed on Kisa's upper thigh, hitting the artery, and the last landed in the chest of Deidara. All three gasped as they felt themselves be hit. Maki released Deidara, flinging him onto the ground. The blond landed on his knees and choked, holding his chest in pain. Tears leaked effortlessly from his eyes at the seering pain. The other two fell from the tree as well and squirmed on the ground, yelling in horror and tearing savagely at their skin at the burning sensation they were feeling.

The blond looked up at Sasori with fear-stricken eyes and gasped for air. "D-Danna...w-why?" he cried out pathetically, reaching out a hand for Sasori.

The puppet master quickly walked over to the dying blond and knelt down in front of him. "You are not Deidara," he said stoically, anger showing in his cinnamon eyes.

The Iwa-nin's eyes widened at his red headed lover's harsh words. "H-how could you say that?" he whispered in pain, fighting off the pain that was now rippling through his body. In a matter of seconds, he would be dead. His arms gave out and he fell to his stomach, curling into a ball at the overwhelming pain and whimpering.

Sasori leaned down to the blond's ear and smirked. "You may look like my Dei, but there is one crucial flaw that you missed," he whispered. "The Deidara I know, no matter what the circumstance, always says 'un' at the end of his sentences," he grinned before getting up and continuing on his way as the blond look-a-like let out an ear shattering scream.

'Hold on, Dei. I'm almost there,' he thought as he continued on the right path. The wound in his side was caked over in blood, an easily disrupted scab forming over it. Partially thankful that this body healed slightly faster than any other human's body, he let out a small pained sigh. The only thing that was making him go through this much pain was his love for the idiot brat that caught his eye so long ago.

A few more steps and he could see Orochimaru's former hide out. He let out a sigh of relief as he realized that he made it in the knick of time. He looked around for a second and saw Deidara tied to, or rather chained to, a beam to the right. The blond's eyes swelled with joy as he saw his danna, as did Sasori's. "Deidara," Sasori sighed in relief a small smile coming over his features. This was definitely the real Deidara.

The blond wore a gag over his mouth and his face was bruised and swollen, but for some reason, Sasori still found his lover attractive. No matter how broken, how battered, he would always look heavenly. The blond was completely naked as he stood there, shaking his head furiously, his blue eye wide with fear and warning. As the Suna born made it closer, he could tell that Deidara was warning him of something. He stopped immediately and tried to read the artist's expression of what he was trying to say. Then, as if it just clicked, Sasori caught what he was trying to say. It was a trap.

TBC

(1) Crimson Death poison - This poison is taken in through any cut, scrape, pore, or opening of the body. It travels swiftly through the veins, slowly decaying them from the inside out. Once the blood vessels and veins rupture, blood will start to wildly rush around, having no place to go, but out through the pores/openings. The vessels in the eyes will rupture, causing bloody tears to fall from the eyes, blinding them in the process with the fumes as it leaves. The veins in the tongue will deteriorate, exposing the blood in the mouth. When the blood leaves through the mouth, the acid in the corrupted blood will eat away at the inside of the mouth, including the teeth, gums, and throat. Once the teeth are gone, the nerves are exposed. The poisoned acidic blood will damage the nerves, causing severe pain to the body. The trauma will cause the brain to shut down, rendering the victim unconscious. While they are unconscious, the poison will slowly eat away at the brain, killing them in their sleep. When they are completely dead, it will appear that all their skin was eaten away because of all the blood. There is no antidote made for this poison.