Chapter 9

The room was quiet, save for the occasional tinkering from Sasori at his work bench; he was currently tightening a few loose ends on Hiroko. The sooner he was finished, the sooner he could start moving on to his next project. As he worked, his partner sat by the door with a heavy sigh. When he had decided to join this 'supreme' organization, he didn't expect to be sitting around and twiddling his thumbs.

"Sasori-danna, how long are we going to be here, hm?" Deidara looked up at the red head. The makeshift house they were sitting in didn't seem like anything he thought his partner would be interested in.

"If you have somewhere better to be, then by all means, leave." Sasori answered without sparing the male a glance. Agitated by his answer, Deidara stood up and crossed his arms. Of all people, why did he have to be paired with such a blunt, rude, and disrespectful fellow artist?

Letting out an exaggerated breath, Deidara held his hands up as a sign of retreat. "Look, I don't mind it if we have to wait or not…" He turned his attention to the back corner of the room. "But are we really playing babysitter for some random girl?"

On a cot in Deidara's visual direction was Shizuka, who was fast asleep. Her white hair was sprawled across her head as small, shallow breaths escaped her lips. Honestly, she was sleeping quite peacefully for someone who was in the presence of two criminals, but it seemed like she and Sasori were close. When she arrived yesterday night, she immediately went to Sasori and didn't seem to notice Deidara was also in the room.

"She's not some random girl." Sasori replied.

Deidara smirked as he approached the table. "Oh, I get it. I never thought of you as the type to have a girlfriend. When did you two get together?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the red head. "I learn new interesting things about you every day."

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Sasori was growing more and more irritated by the minute, although his face showed no signs of it. If this annoying brat spoke one more word, the Akatsuki were going to have to find him a new partner. As he ignored the blond, he turned his attention back to his puppetry, but his mind drifted towards Shizuka. When she had come yesterday, there was something off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The female in the back stirred as she started to wake up. Slowly, she sat up and brushed loose strands of hair out of her face, pulling her snow colored locks up into her signature bun. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she stretched her arms to the ceiling before standing up. Glancing over, she looked at Sasori before eyeing the long haired boy next to him.

"...Who are you?"

"Huh?" Deidara's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "I've been here the whole time, hm!"

Shizuka tilted her head in confusion as she thought about the events yesterday. Of course she knew that he was there yesterday as she had felt the presence of his chakra, however she didn't believe she had caught his name… Or did she even ask him? All she remembered was that she walked inside and embraced Sasori. After that, everything was a little blurry, but that may be because she's still recovering.

"I never asked for your name." She apologized with a smile. "I figured you were okay because Sasori-san didn't do anything. Since you're wearing the same cloak as him, are you his friend?"

"Friend? Don't me make laugh, hm!" The blond scoffed. "My name is Deidara and, unfortunately, this man next to me is my partner." He jabbed his finger at Sasori, who was currently resisting the urge to break it off.

Shizuka couldn't hold back a small laugh as she could feel Sasori's animosity from where she was standing. Fortunately, it didn't seem like he had been lonely since he had left Otogakure. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry too much about him if anything happened to her. A slight frown was beginning to settle upon her face before she caught herself and smiled again.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Shizuka."

Deidara looked the female over for a moment before crossing his arms. "You look a little young to be Sasori-danna's girlfriend."

"G-Girlfriend?" Shizuka blinked as her face acquired a light pink shade of embarrassment. "You've got it wrong. I was just Sasori-san's assistant."

"Assistant?" Deidara smirked. "Sure, that's one way to put it."

Flustered, Shizuka glanced over at Sasori before averting her eyes. "T-that's the only way to put it!"

"Enough." Sasori rolled his eyes. He stopped working on Hiroko and turned his glare towards his partner. The blond automatically stepped back with a hesitant laugh, which soon settled into him awkwardly clearing his throat. Once the red head was satisfied, he looked over at Shizuka, who stared back at him as her face began returning back to its normal color, save for a faint blush across her cheeks.

Shizuka spoke up, breaking the silence in the room. "What's your plan, Sasori-san? Are you going to stay here?"

"You're well aware of my plan." Sasori told her. "Where is the snake?"

Deidara looked between the two in shock before pointing at Shizuka. "Wait a minute! This is the source you were talking about?"

The snow-haired female frowned as she approached the workbench. This was it; there was no turning back now. She already made the resolve yesterday that she was leaving with no regrets, so this was her first test. "I was never fully given details, but Lo- I mean the snake was interested in participating in the upcoming Chunin Exams with some of his test subjects. He was in Otogakure yesterday, but I'm pretty sure he has already left. He was taking his bodyguards with him to Sunagakure first before going to Konohagakure, but I'm pretty sure that his assistant has also either tagged along or followed behind."

"So now we're taking a road trip to Suna?" Deidara groaned. "We literally just got here, and now we have to go back the exact way we came, hm?"

Sasori gripped the chisel in his hand that he used to work on Hiroko and, in one motion, chucked it at Deidara's head. The male, sensing the danger, immediately moved to the side so the chisel lodged itself in the wall behind him. Looking back at the small crater formed from the impact in shock, Deidara narrowed his eyes before looking back at Sasori, who showed no remorse. "What was that for, hm?!"

"Are you ready to go, little girl?" Sasori asked Shizuka, who was also focused on the hole in the wall.

"Don't ignore me, hm!"

Shizuka turned her attention to Sasori and nodded her head. This was her fresh start, the beginning of her free life. Realizing that she needed to let everything go, she untied the purple rope belt from around her waist and laid it on the bed, knowing that they wouldn't be coming back here anytime soon. From now on, she was just Shizuka Jisuberi, a missing-nin from Kusagakure.

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"This is how you always travel?" Shizuka asked as she sat on her knees on a large bird made out of Deidara's clay. As she peered over the edge of the bird's body, she could see the tops of trees and rivers. Aside from the view beneath them, the view around them was equally as stunning. She could nearly feel the clouds along her fingertips as they were so high above the ground. Honestly, she never wanted to come down.

Deidara grinned. "My art is pretty cool, isn't it? This isn't even the best part!"

"Your art?" Shizuka tilted her head in interest. Sasori spoke about his art freely as being eternal, so since they were partners, maybe their art styles would be similar. "What is your art like, Deidara-kun?"

"Don't edge him on." Sasori sighed from inside of Hiroko. There was no way he wanted to hear one more story about that idiot's interpretation of 'art'.

Deidara's eyes widened in shock as he turned back to look at Shizuka, forgetting all about her question to Sasori's appreciation. "Deidara-kun? There's no way you're older than me! I'm not a kid; I'm sixteen years old, hm!"

Shizuka smiled sweetly in response. "That makes you the baby of the group. I'm nineteen."

"I-I… you…!" The blond turned around sharply, facing back to the direction they were moving. How was she older than him? Of course, it would've been weirder if Sasori was dating a minor, but he didn't expect that she would have three years on him. Did that mean that he would have to refer to her as Shizuka-nee-san? No, there was no way!

"Deidara?" The female blinked in confusion.

While the Iwa-nin contemplated his life, Shizuka decided to leave him be and enjoy the view. Using her hands, she moved her bangs out of her face so she could see better in the wind. They had been traveling all day, so now she could witness a moment only a few could say they've experienced. In the distance, the sun was starting to set and the sky was illuminated with an array of pinks, purples, oranges, and blues.

"Are you seeing this, Sasori-san? It's so beautiful!" Shizuka stood up so she could truly bask in the moment. This was something that she was never going to forget. Sasori quietly stood behind her, watching the sunset but also eyeing the female in front of him. She was radiating with a child-like innocence, something he had lost a long time ago. Of course, he knew that she also didn't possess that type of naivety anymore, but that fact that she could still manifest that spirit made him slightly envious of her.

"Once it gets dark, we'll stop for the night." Sasori instructed Deidara, who seemed to have come back to reality.

No sooner had the moon showed its face, the trio landed in a small village, somewhere in an unnamed country between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. The area was nothing but a traveling village with a few buildings - a market, a mailing post, and an inn. Shizuka checked the three into the inn, seeing as she looked the most unsuspicious in the trio, before escorting her group to their room towards the back of the inn. All of the rooms had outside entrances, much like a motel, which was perfect.

"I'm going to take a shower." Deidara announced as they walked in the room. He wanted to be the first to wash off any germs he could've come into contact with while they were in Otogakure. As he left, Shizuka explored the layout. They got one of the bigger rooms, which had two small bedrooms with a common area between the rooms. The rooms didn't have much, which was fine because it was only meant for travelers anyway.

"I can take the smaller room since you and Deidara-kun will be sleeping together." Shizuka told Sasori, who simply shrugged as he stepped out of Hiroko.

Since it was already late, the trio didn't take long to get ready for bed. In the middle of the night, Deidara was fast asleep on his futon. His blanket was sprawled out messily and barely covering his body as he snored softly. Sasori, who was wide awake, stood up and left the room. He didn't need to sleep as a puppet, so all of this was only customary for his partner and Shizuka. One thing he wasn't going to sit through the entire night though was Deidara's incessant snoring.

As Sasori stepped out of the room, he noticed a certain snow-haired female sitting outside on the porch of the entrance to their inn room looking up at the moon. Since she caught his interest, he walked over through the open door way and claimed a vacant spot next to her.

"The moon is really beautiful, Sasori-san." Shizuka spoke quietly as she hugged her knees to her chest. "I never saw it because I lived underground unless I was able to sneak out for a few moments."

Sasori looked up at the moon as well before gazing at the female next to him. The moon's soft light settled across her features, making her look angelic despite her somber face. "Why did you stay for so long?"

"I keep thinking about it, but I still don't have an answer. Maybe because it was easy - food and protection for the sacrifice of some blood." Shizuka merely laughed at the thought, however there was no feeling of amusement behind it. "Maybe because I didn't have anywhere else to go."

Sasori didn't reply and the two sat in silence for a while, feeling the slight breeze of the night wind which rustled the leaves in the nearby trees. Regardless of the situation, the night was filled with peacefulness.

"Sasori-san…" Shizuka looked over at the male. Once the redhead met her focus, she released a breath she didn't realize she was holding before speaking again. "I have a request."

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Sasori recognized the pleading look in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Ever since we've met, I've had time to gather my thoughts and discover my feelings. When you left, you took something from me and I wasn't able to fully recover until I saw you again." She started. As she continued speaking, she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks, but if she didn't say this now, when was she ever going to have the time to say it later? "I want to stay with you, now and later on, but I'm dying and you've seen it when I fainted before, but it's worse now."

Dying? Sasori's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered the word. So that's what it was. Ever since the night they had completed his body, she was never the same. He had always been wondering what the issue was, but now he knew. How was she dying? Could it be reversed? When did she find out? So many questions popped up in his mind, but judging by her face, he could tell one thing. Her death was inevitable.

"So I have a request." Shizuka continued. "When I die, will you make me into a puppet? If you find that I'm invaluable for fighting, that's okay. As long as I can stay by your side, that's all that matters to me."

Sasori's eyes widened. He had never had someone willingly come to him and ask to become a puppet. All of his human puppets had been acquired through seizure and countless battles. "Are you sure that's what you want?" Shizuka's eyes were filled with resolve. Clearly, she had thought this through just as she had said, Sasori thought to himself.

Shizuka nodded. "Even if I don't end up being used, even if you keep me sealed in a scroll… I still want you to make me a puppet. You were the first person to keep me around without forcing me to do anything and I stayed because I wanted to. I want to be eternal with you. That is… if you want me to." She didn't dare look away after she found the courage to say all of that, however she couldn't help but feel even more shy now. She had basically thrown all of her feelings at him all at once and she was scared of what his reaction would be.

"Okay."

Shizuka's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Sasori. Tears pooled in her eyes and she quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her cry. She didn't know why she was feeling so emotional, but she was just so grateful to him for accepting her dying wish. She was grateful that even though he had left her, he still wanted her around. More than ever, she was grateful that he seemed to have enjoyed their memories together.

Turning back to the male next to her, Shizuka leaned towards him hesitantly. When he showed no signs of moving, she placed her hand over his living core before pressing her lips against his. Even though his lips felt cold, his core still harbored the warmth she had felt from him before. Even if he couldn't feel her physical presence, she hoped that he could feel her sincerity through his core.

No sooner had she engaged the simple kiss, Shizuka pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. "Thank you, Sasori-san."

Sasori looked into Shizuka's eyes as she backed away from the kiss. What was this feeling? Was this what love felt like… it was different from the old hag's love, different from what he imagined the love from his parents was. It just felt warm. Even through his empty shell, he could feel the warmth radiating from her, most likely from her contact with his core. For the moment, it felt nice.

Raising his hand, Sasori placed it over the hand Shizuka was touching his living core with. For now, he wanted to feel the warmth before he returned back to his position as the living doll. Shizuka had a slight look of surprise on her face as he returned her gesture. Fully committing, Sasori pressed his lips against hers for another kiss under the moon's watchful gaze.

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In Otogakure, Kabuto silently worked in his lab, reviewing his notes from today's experiments in his journal. The experiments were slowly becoming more successful, but the end result was far from reach. There was no way they'd reach their ultimate goal anytime soon at the rate this was going.

Orochimaru entered the lab and peered over Kabuto's shoulder at the lab bench before claiming a spot in a nearby chair. Phase 1 of his plan was going to be commencing soon so he was more excited than usual. Soon enough, the very man who failed to eliminate him when he discovered his experiments would meet his demise. Then no one would be able to stop his objectives.

"Once I leave here, I'll have you meet me in Konoha for the Exams." Orochimaru crossed his legs. "I'm thinking of putting Snow White to use and having her stand in as the Otogakure squad leader."

Kabuto continued to read the journal without looking up. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he answered. "Do you believe she has the capability of being more than a blood bag?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Of course. She's already showcased her abilities." He shrugged as he thought about the test he had put her through. "If she dies on the mission, it doesn't matter because her blood will still be viable. The seal will keep any blood left in her body after death usable for any amount of time until it is retrieved."

The door to the lab opened and a white-haired male stepped in. The male walked slowly, still in recovery from previously sustained injuries. Carefully, he bowed in respect to Orochimaru as Kabuto eyed him.

"Kimimaro, what are you doing here?" Kabuto asked as Orochimaru eyed the slightly torn piece of paper in the male's right hand.

"Lord Orochimaru, Shizuka has run away." Kimimaro reported, handing the paper to the dark haired male.

Kabuto merely rolled his eyes as Orochimaru read over the note. Was he really that desperate that he would sell out anyone for the snake sitting next to him, Kabuto thought. That type of blind loyalty was hard to find, even he could admit that. But that didn't take away how low the act was.

Orochimaru let out a small laugh as he finished reading the note. "Good work, Kimimaro. Such a shame she'll have to die earlier than planned."