The door flung open, startling me and making me drop the journal I'd been writing in. The journal had been my only confidant, since I couldn't very well talk to Deidara about it, and my sister had been absent since the day she and Sasori had gotten into that fight. I'd asked Deidara to take me to see her, or at least to tell me if she was all right, but all he told me was to "Relax, yeah. Danna isn't going to kill her!" I wasn't comforted by that much, but I at least knew she was, hopefully, safe.

When I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw Deidara standing in the doorway, his face darkened by the dim lightning. Slowly, like a deer trying to avoid detection, I closed my journal and set the pen down. Deidara's expression sent a chill down my back, and I felt like I'd run out of time; for what, though, I had no idea. He came into the room and kicked the door shut with a quiet click. "We need to talk," he told me gruffly. Oh, right, perhaps he was angry about the fact I'd been actively trying to avoid him for the better part of a week or two.

"What about?" I asked evasively, turning back around in my chair. Footsteps stormed towards me and I flinched when Deidara grabbed the back of the chair and wrenched it around, forcing me to face him as he stood above me. I shrank back in the chair, imploring it to somehow protect me from the oncoming wrath.

"You've been ignoring me, and I want to know why, un." Deidara took a seat on his bed, affording me a little bit of space. It was a minute effort, but I appreciated it all the same.

"I'm allowed to ignore you," I pointed out, feeling a bit testy. Deidara didn't own me, nor did he own my time. Not all of it. "I wanted a little space. You and I shouldn't exactly be on good terms," I reminded him, crossing my arms and aiming a derisive look at him. He'd uprooted my whole life, and I thought it'd been going pretty darn well without his interference!

Deidara, to his credit, had the grace to look chagrined. "So, we didn't meet on the best terms, does that mean I have to treat you like an enemy, now?"

Well, that would have been normal, healthy. I stared at him for a moment, narrowing my eyes before I finally sighed and dropped my head. This wasn't going to get us anywhere. If I was stuck with Deidara, I wanted answers…I wanted to understand. "Why did you abduct my sister and me?" I asked, finally addressing the question that had been growing in my heart since the day I'd found myself entwined with Deidara.

Appearing taken aback, Deidara blinked. I thought for a moment he wasn't going to answer, before he offered me a lazy shrug. "You were there," he answered matter-of-factly, as if that gave me anything other than the urge to punch him. A growl rumbled in my chest, frustrated with his lack of any real explanation, and Deidara rolled his eyes. "What do you want from me, yeah? I couldn't just leave you two there. You were heading right for death."

Wait a minute, he'd thought he'd been saving me? Some kind of misguided attempt at rescuing me from a dirty life on the streets, was that it? Irritated, I scowled at Deidara. "We've lived on the streets for years, we were doing fine before you showed up!" I hissed, trying to be mindful enough to keep my voice down.

Deidara scoffed, brushing off my anger. "Don't give me that," he said, "where you two were heading, it'd make this place look like a reprieve. You know what they do to pretty faces like yours? You have no one to answer for you, you would go missing and no one would bat an eye, yeah." Deidara leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees. I pressed deeper into my chair to escape his penetrating gaze. "I saved you from a fate much worse than the one you've got with me, Alex."

It was so rare he called me by my actual name that it caused heat to rush to my face, just hearing him say it. "You're no big hero. I can take care of myself," I groused.

Deidara cocked his head, a fond smile overtaking the previous seriousness in his expression. "So what if you can? Does that mean I can't take care of you too, yeah?" He stood then and approached. I couldn't help leaning into his palm when he cupped my face. I tilted my head back, meeting him in a kiss as he leaned down. "You aren't on your own anymore, Alex. You don't have to make me the enemy, yeah."

"I'm not sure I know how to live in a world where the only person who isn't an enemy, happens to be my sister," I confessed. Deidara chuckled, a low sound that made goosebumps rise on my skin. I couldn't remember a life where I wasn't looking at every other person with suspicion, worried they might try to hurt me, or steal something from me. Everyone was out to get you when you were a vagabond, a homeless teenager with nothing to your name.

"I know the feeling," Deidara said, snapping me from my reverie. "I know what it's like to live in hiding, on the run. But that isn't your life anymore. You're one of us—you're mine."

I smirked at his possessive claim, nipping at his lower lip to warn him not to go too far. What an annoying, brazen, beautiful man. I was succumbing, and I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty about it.

"Why don't you tell me why you ended up this way?" Deidara asked me, suddenly. The question made me flinch, so shocked was I to hear his curiosity.

"What? You mean…how Amaya and I ended up the way we were?" I clarified, watching as Deidara nodded his head. "That's…that's a long story, Deidara." I wasn't sure I was ready to share it. I'd never had to explain it to anyone, the only other person who knew what had happened was Amaya. It was rare that even we spoke about it.

"I've got time," Deidara smiled, brushing my hair from my face. He wasn't going to take the hint and let it go, was he?

Taking in a long breath, I gestured to the bed. "Fine, but you'd best sit down."

It had happened on a frosty winter's morning.

I shivered as another chill prickled across my skin. Sasori's room felt colder than usual, as if the draftiness had a vengeance, tonight. Of course, all I wore to bed were his shirts; and though they were a little big, they did little to ward off the cold. I pulled my legs closer to my body as I continued brushing out my hair, using my fingers to comb through the damp tangles. The soothing scent of strawberries still wafted through the room, along with some lingering steam from my shower. Sasori had yet to return to the room, he'd been giving me a wide berth since our last fight, the one where I think we'd both lost ourselves for a moment. Neither of us had won much from that argument.

Without Sasori to distract me, though, my mind would often wander. A wandering mind was never a good thing, not when you had so many places you would rather it stay away from. Tonight, my mind wanted to take a trip down memory lane—a far trip. I remembered, when I was little, that my mother would sit with Alex and me on the bed after a bath. She would gently brush out our hair and get us ready for bed, all while she sang us a song.

I could scarcely remember the song, it was from ages ago and it was a memory I'd rather leave blocked. Nonetheless, tonight, I found my lips forming the words, as if it'd been not a night since I'd last heard them sung. My voice rose, carrying the tune as I brushed out my hair, closing my eyes to better envision my mother. She'd had the same red locks I did, and her green eyes were always sunny and warm with kindness and mirth. Her voice could make an entire forest stop to listen. I didn't have her voice, but at least I didn't sound like an old crow. My mother, she was the epitome of grace and beauty. I could only wish to take after her. As I sang, I found myself slipping into the song, enchanted by nostalgia.

I hadn't thought anyone was nearby when I'd begun to sing. I drifted out of the spell, my voice still lingering in the air as the last note swept past my lips.

"That was…lovely," a bemused voice spoke, startling me from my airy daydream mode. I jumped some, whipping around to face the intruder. Though, how Sasori could intrude in his own room, I wasn't sure. Goodness, how out of it had I been to not notice him come in?

His cool grey eyes were fixated on me, and I wondered how long he'd stood there listening to me. Wary and unaccustomed to his praise, I glanced down away from his face. "I appreciate it," I said, because I genuinely did. It was my mother's song, after all, for him to find it lovely was praising her as much it was me. "It's an old lullaby that my mother used to sing to my brother and me, when we were little."

Sasori said nothing to that, but he watched me a moment longer, a moment where neither of us broke the silence. Not until Sasori decided he'd had enough of it and took a seat at his desk, where he began to disassemble one of his puppets, one that had been giving him trouble lately and needed a few minor repairs. I watched as his nimble fingers took to the work, but I noticed that he seemed stiffer than usual. He normally sank into his work, relaxing and losing himself in it. Finally, when he spoke, the sound took me by surprise. "You are both still young," he said, his voice quiet and failing to command the authority he usually spoke with. "Why did my partner and I find you wandering so close to Ame, homeless and lost?"

Well, it was hard to be homeless and lost. The homeless tended to have nowhere to go, and if you didn't know where you were going…

I sighed, my shoulders sagging with the weight of memory. I had never spoken to anyone about my family, the only ones who knew what had happened were those who had been there. Sharing the story with an outsider felt like I was prying open a part inside me that was shut with nails, a part that was going to hurt. Even if it did, perhaps it was time for that door to open and air out. I was stuck with Sasori, and I didn't see a future where I wasn't going to be stuck with him, not a near one. I was sure he would continue to press even if I were to brush off his curiosity once.

So, I took a breath, lifted my head, and I set to prying the nails out of that door. "When we were young, several years ago, our small town got attacked by a band of missing nin." I could see it in my head. The way flames licked at the wood of houses, of the modest restaurant where so many people ate their daily supper, until the buildings crumbled in on themselves. Some with people still inside.

"They destroyed our humble town, left nothing but ash as they burned it down and destroyed the evidence that it'd even existed. I never found out why they'd targeted us, they stole what they could but most of us had little to offer." I cleared my throat, but the lump in it was still there. It made my voice sound thin and tight. It was such an old wound, but talking about it still brought everything back in vivid color. "Only a few made it out, and we didn't stick together. I went back to search for our parents, but…there was nothing even left to bury. So, with nothing to our name, I took my brother and we fled. We've been on our own since then, and we made it just fine."

Well, perhaps "fine" was overstating things, but we survived.

Sasori was silent for several seconds while I sat, taking deep and slow breaths to try and quell the emotion. I wasn't going to cry, but the part of me I'd just pried open was raw and it ached. When Sasori spoke, I didn't bother opening my eyes. "You never settled down again, somewhere that would take in two small children?" his voice hadn't changed, but his hands had stilled, for I no longer heard the sound of his tools.

"Who would take in two extra mouths when my brother and I could hardly offer anything in return?" I remarked, still bitter. "We took years to teach ourselves how to fight and defend ourselves. Even then, we were scruffy little rogues, people would rather lock their doors than open 'em to us," I shrugged. I couldn't fault people for being wary and suspicious, but remembering the times I'd had to put my little brother to bed even when he whined for something to eat... I could damn sure be angry about it.

I happened to glance outside then, and noticed the downpour of rain coming down in sheets. It struck me that, had Sasori and Deidara not found us, Alex and I would be outside in the freezing rain with barely a change of clothes.

Sasori glanced at me, a quick look that I'd almost missed, but I caught a hint of something in his gaze. Something cracking the cool silver frost of his eyes. He stood from his desk, and I cocked my head as he approached the bed and took a seat, keeping his back towards me. "How old were you?"

I wasn't expecting the question. I thought for a moment. "Perhaps nine, ten?" I deduced, recalling it'd been almost a decade.

Sasori's shoulders stiffened as he hunched forward some, and I fought the urge to ask him why he was so curious now. Something in me encouraged me to wait and, in a couple of minutes, I was rewarded with Sasori exhaling a sigh. "I was five," he said, his voice taking on a solemn edge.

Puzzled, my brow furrowed. It took me several moments to catch on to what Sasori was sharing with me, and a large bout of empathy welled inside me. "You lost your parents when you were five?" I pressed, mindful of keeping my voice low. I feared Sasori might get angry, might decide that he'd divulged enough and storm away from me. For now, though, he didn't. He nodded his head, still keeping his back to me. "Were they killed in action?"

Sasori's shoulders trembled with a scoff. "They were," he answered, his voice caustic and rough. "My grandmother tried to hide the fact from me for years. I can't remember much about them but the feeling of wanting them to come home, and of her telling me lies to hide why they were never going to. She would attempt explaining that their mission was delaying them, instead of facing the truth and admitting it had killed them."

I winced. To me, it sounded as if his grandmother had tried her best to protect him, but she'd only succeeded in hurting Sasori further. I inched forward then, until I was close enough to rest my hand on Sasori's back. He flinched at my touch, but to my immense surprise (and some pride) he didn't pull away. "Is that when you began to learn puppetry?" I asked, hoping to turn the conversation around to something that would lift Sasori's spirits. Sasori glanced at me then, and I caught a glimpse of someone vulnerable, someone empathetic instead of the normally stoic man I was so familiar with. I felt privileged, but also like I was handling a wild flame.

"Shortly after, yes. I was about six when my grandmother began to teach me," Sasori explained. "I believe she was doing it mostly to distract me, but the woman was skilled with chakra strings and in teaching me the artform, I give her that. I learned fast, and I soon began building my own." I found myself smiling at that, picturing a young Sasori training with puppets. Sasori glanced at his worktable then, as if contemplating something, but in the end, he decided against it. Instead, he turned to cut his eyes towards me. "Explain your Kekkei Genkai to me," he said, making me withdraw in surprise. "How does it work?"

Suspicion thrummed alongside my desire to explain. In the end, I could see Sasori was choosing to change the subject by way of asking another question, and I decided to indulge him. "It's complicated to explain," I admitted. "Alex and I had no one to really teach us about it, considering we lost our family so young. Certain people in our bloodline are born with it, it's like being born with an extra limb, that's how the element functions. Our parents and Alex were born with the unique ability of fire, but me?" I glanced down at my hands, "I'm bound to electricity."

Sasori, too, looked down at my hands. "And you can generate it to your will?"

"Well, sort of," I smiled. "Only small bursts, and it's very draining. I need electricity sources if I'm going to use it in a large battle. Lightning storms make me a force to be reckoned with," I winked. Sasori chuckled at that, his mask cracking bit by bit with me.

"Looks can be quite deceiving," he smirked. Oh, yes, they certainly could. "I bet others would want to abuse that power, though."

My expression darkened some as I flexed my fingers, wishing to brush that thought away. I didn't like the way Sasori had said it—so knowingly. "There've been people who wanted to use me as a weapon, as a power source. All things a kid like me didn't understand, but I was willing to try anything to put food or money in my bag." It was all I said, all I was willing to share of that story. Alex, too, had been as much a victim as I had. We were only hungry kids with a strength we didn't understand and at some points, couldn't control.

I started when Sasori rested a hand over mine, drawing me out of the dark memory. "Humans thirst for power," Sasori started, speaking carefully. "While I can't say that makes it all right, I can promise it won't happen to you again."

My eyes widened, shock and warmth rushing forward and coloring my face. Sasori's expression didn't change, didn't waver, but I could see it in his eyes, that distant promise. I wasn't sure which of us was playing the more dangerous game; Sasori, making me such a promise when I was in the hands of such an infamous organization, or me, who believed him. Still reeling, spurred on by that and my own recklessness, I leaned forward, and Sasori allowed me to kiss him.

Mama I'm in love with a criminal and this type of love isn't rational, it's physical.

Lyrics belong to Criminal by Britney Spears!