Sasori-Onii-Sama

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha.

"Sasori-nii-sama?" A red-haired man turned his head to the side slightly to look down at the dark head of the eleven year old girl at his side. Garnet clashed with sapphire as their eyes met. "When are you coming home?"

He turned away to stare at the wall of Suna over the dunes, red eyes blank. "I'm not coming home, you know that, Kagome." He didn't understand why she continued to come to him, (he had long ago stopped trying to figure out how she knew he was there at all,) at least, he didn't know why she didn't turn him in when she learned that he was Akasuna-no-Sasori, S-class missing-nin.

"Doushite?" But, no matter how annoying she may be at times, he couldn't find it within himself to kill her. "I wouldn't tell and…" Perhaps it was because she was so innocent, even in the harsh environment of Suna. "… you could help with…" She never judged him because of what he did in the past. "Onii-sama, are you listening? O-nii-sa-ma…" Or it could just be because she was willing to call him something as familiar and personal as 'brother.'

"My duty to Akatsuki is to acquire all the bijuu, one of which the Kazekage holds." He turned back to her sapphire eyes that shone with curiosity and an understanding that rocked him to his core. "Until my duty is finished, I can do nothing else."

A flash of even stronger understanding passed through her eyes and she smiled, nodding slightly. "Just be careful, okay? Gaara-sama is very powerful, even without Shukaku-chan, though he helps."

Sasori's surprise shown through his emotionless mask. "'Shukaku-chan'? Why are you so familiar with the Ichibi?" Garnet eyes narrowed in slight worry for her.

The girl looked back to Suna with a small frown. "Something from my memory, like it was before I was born…" Sasori frowned in confusion; it didn't make sense. "Even when Gaara-sama was in a blood rage, I was never hurt - I was actually protected; a ball of sand would form around me, keeping everything out."

She looked back up at him with uncertainty. "It's like I knew him a long time ago…"

Sasori stared down at her before setting a hand on her head in consolation. "The Kazekage will not harm me." I will insure that.

He had no way of knowing that it wouldn't be the Kazekage, but the kunoichi that came to save him that would wound him.

Kagome watched Chiyo and Sakura fight the puppet master concern. She wanted to help him, but she would have to be taken away – she didn't have Shukaku to protect her anymore. "Onii-sama…"

She looked on in horror as he was pierced through by the puppets of his parents. "Sasori!" She clapped a hand over her mouth and ducked back around a rock. Please don't see me…

"Chiyo-sama, shouldn't we check that out?" Her breathe caught in her throat and she could have sworn that her heart stopped.

"No, leave it be; even Akatsuki has people who care about them, however few." She sighed in relief.

She heard their hast footsteps fading away before she ran out from behind her cover and to the red-haired man. "Onii-sama! Onii-sama!" Panic rolled through her when he didn't move. She rolled him over from where he fell. Seeing his blank eyes brought back a flood of memories that she had locked away.

Familiar bodies with the same blank look in their eyes haunted her and she held her head. Amber, green, lavender, and brown eyes stared at her blankly. "No…" Tears flowed down her face as she tried to clear the images from her head by shaking it. "No… No. No!"

Her tears fell over the fallen body as she shook. She had locked the memories of her old friends and their deaths away when she was reborn, but what Sasori had said about duty had reminded her of her own quest for the Shikon, and seeing the dead body of someone close to her brought the memories back. She curled around herself and sobbed. "No…"

The girl held herself and cried, trying to forget the images, even just push them aside. "Ka… gome?" Her head shot up and teary sapphire clashed with hazy garnet. The puppet-master blinked in weary confusion. I could have sworn I died…

"Onii-sama…" The girl threw her arms around him, crying into his chest while he loosely draped a weak arm over her shoulders.

The redhead looked down at his chest where he had been cut through, too tired to question why his wounds were healing as Kagome's tears flowed over him. What... happened?

Panic swept through him when he saw Chiyo's eyes narrow in the direction the girl was. Don't find her… He hadn't meant for her to see him die, hell, he hadn't meant to die at all. Don't find her… She didn't deserve to be mistreated for having a heart big enough for even someone like him. Kuso!

Chiyo had seen her. Sasori wanted more than anything to rip the old woman apart, but he could only slump forward. No! Kagome…

"Chiyo-sama, shouldn't we check that out?" The puppet master tried to stand, but his body wouldn't move.

"No, leave it be; even Akatsuki has people who care about them, however few."

He would have sighed with relief if he could. She's safe… Darkness began creeping around his vision as he heard their footsteps fade away. Kagome… He heard her coming then her cries started. The darkness had overwhelmed him and he was falling into it, her voice getting fainter. I wish… I could have asked Deidara to look after you…

Something cool fell over his wound and sent light rippling through him. Na…ni? More fell over him until his vision cleared, showing a hysterical eleven year old. "Ka…gome?"

The girl had fallen asleep against him while he thought back to what happened and a few tears still fell down her cheeks. The puppet master deftly picked her up and looked around at the torn battlefield. I believe… that my duty to Akatsuki is finished; I helped obtain the Ichibi, and am supposedly dead.

He looked down to the girl in his arms and turned to walk away. It's time I started living up to my title… He left through the dunes and vanished. The one she gave me…

Onii-sama.

AN: I liked this one! XD Yeah, I'm back. I didn't do so well in the National Novel Writing Month, but I'm really happy to be back on fanfiction. I don't know what's coming next, though I know that a HidanKag is in the near future - that should make some of you very happy. Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think!