When Deidara woke the next morning, he was the happiest he'd ever been. He was wrapped up in his Danna's arms. Sasori wasn't asleep, he knew that. The red head couldn't sleep. But his eyes were closed, and his breathing was even, calming. As long as he'd known Sasori, he'd never known him to close his eyes. Deidara hadn't seen him so much as blink. So why was he doing it now?

"Sasori-danna? What are you doing?" The blonde asked softly, snuggling in closer to his partner. A faint smile ghosted across the elder's face.

"I'm pretending to sleep. I wanted to sleep next to you." He murmured. He hugged Deidaara tighter. "Can we lay here a little while longer?"

A sad smile slide across Deidara's sleepy face.

"Yes, Sasori-danna." He drifted back into sleep, safely wrapped in his Master's arms.

XXX

When he woke up again, later in the morning, Sasori's doll-like eyes where open and gazing at him. The blonde wished he could wake up to this every morning. Sasori reached up and cupped the younger's face.

"I wish I…I wish I could be more for you." He whispered. Deidara sat up, cocking his head to the side. He didn't understand what that meant.

"Sasori-sempai…what do you mean, more for me?" He asked. He crawled into the ex-Suna nin's lap, tucking his head under the wooden chin. Sasori's limbs creaked as he wrapped his arms around his young lover.

"I'm saying…That I don't think…I don't think this should continue. I will only leave you wanting something more…someone human." He kissed the top of Deidara's head gently as he heard the boy gasp.

"No…Danna, no! You're not talking about…about us not being together, are you?" He sounded so small, so sad. Sasori slowly nodded.

"I'm very sorry…but I don't want to hold you back. I want you to be happy."

Deidara couldn't believe what he was hearing. He sat up, and turned around so that he was straddling the puppet's waist. He grabbed Sasori's face with his hands, and kissed him hard on the lips. He tried to pour everything he had into that kiss. When he pulled away, breathless and panting, he had tears streaming down his face.

"Danna, I am only happy with you! Don't…don't throw this away…don't do this to me!" He leaned down for another kiss, but Sasori stopped him.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said, before getting up and pulling his cloak on. He left the room, presumably to go and work in his workshop. Deidara wouldn't know, because he spent the rest of the day, sitting in that exact spot, sobbing for the love he'd barely got to feel.

XXX

The days went by, one even lonelier that the one before. Deidara's heart grew cold. He wasn't the childish, playful bomber he used to be. When he wasn't on solo missions, he spent most of his time alone in his room, or surprisingly, with Itachi.

"Deidara-kun. It's troubles me to see you like this. I admired your spunk." The raven haired teen said as they sat in his room. They'd stricken up the rocky friendship during their last mission, when Itachi had told him to pursue Sasori. A lot of good that had done him. But he knew that the boy meant well. He also knew that if he honestly had a problem, or something he needed to talk about, he could go to the Uchiha.

Deidara huffed, plopping down on Itachi's neatly made bed. "Tough. I just can't be bothered anymore, Itachi. I loved him-" He trailed off. Itachi looked sympathetic.

"I know that, Deidara. And he loves you, too. He thinks he can't please you with his current…living arraignment, if you will. He thinks he can only make you happy if he is in a human body, like you. But he doesn't know where, or if he can get one. But I…I took the liberty of contacting someone who I thought could help. And she supplied me with some meaningful information." He laced his fingers together and rested them in his lap. Deidara sat up abruptly.

"Who did you…what? Itachi, what did you do?" He questioned suspiciously. Itachi smiled softly. He leaned back in his chair, like a storyteller about to spin his web.

"There was this woman I would often visit, in an abandoned village not far from where I'm from. My clan would send me and…and my otouto there, to run errands and collect weapons. She lived with many cats, most of them Shinobi cats. Her name was Nekobaa. During my visits, she would tell stories to me, Sasuke, and her granddaughter. When I heard about your predicament, I was reminded of a particular story. Nekobaa had called it Tsurii no Shoujixyo, or 'The Tale of the Little Tree Girl'."

"Itachi, what in the name of Kami does that have to do with Sasori getting his body back?" Deidara stared incredulously at the raven haired boy. Had he finally gone insane? Itachi smiled softly.

"Let me finish. In this story, there is a young girl, who runs away from her home and her village. No one loves her there. She gets lost in the forest. After weeks without food or water, she begins to die. She stops and sits under a beautiful willow tree, and waits for death to claim her. As she's taking her last breaths, she hears a soft voice whispering in her ear. The willow tree has a spirit, and his name is Yanagi. He confesses that he is love with the girl, and asks her to be his wife. Being in the throes of death, she agrees. Yanagi relieves her soul from her suffering body. And he gives her a name, something no one in her village cared to do. He calls her Heiwa, meaning peaceful. And that is how she lived with him from then on, happy, in love, and peaceful. But, it's rumored that if you stumble upon that same tree whilst with the one you love; if Heiwa deems it true and pure love, she will graciously grant you a wish."

Deidara blinked as Itachi finished his story. The raven waited expectantly for a reply.

"You expect me to risk my relationship…for a silly fairy tale?" The blonde deadpanned. Itachi held up a sheet of parchment.

"Nekobaa had her cat Hina find the tree. It exsists, not too far from my old village. Hina marked it with her paw print." He shoved the paper in Deidara's hands, standing and walking to the door. "You can take it or leave it. But, I will give you some advice. If I was lucky enough to have someone who actually loved me…" he paused, gazing longingly, sadly, out of the window, "I would do anything. Even believe a silly fairy tale."

And with that, he left Deidara along with his thoughts.