Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept my lovely OC

A/N: Decided to make a second oneshot about another fav 3 I mostly like doing oneshots because they're a lot more in depth, and not to mention easier to write :P Reviews are greatly appreciated! Yea, I know, pleadings for reviews are always annoying, but I really could do with some feedback! Thanks so much for reading, too! I really had lots of fun writing these stories… oh and by the way, this is my latest account on fanfiction XD

A Time Like This

"Sasori-danna, where are you?" A girl, around sixteen or seventeen, gazed into a picture frame. A solemn, innocent face looked back. The girl brushed the picture with the tips of her fingers, gently rubbing off some dust.

Tears threatened to slide down her face. Her master had been gone for almost three days now, ever since he was sent on the mission to capture the Shukaku. The girl's jaw tightened- if only she could prove she was stronger than Deidara, then it would be her at Sasori's side. Was there nothing she could do for him in return, after he saved her life and took her in? Was she worthless, then, to not be able to perform something as trivial as being there for her master? She bit down on her lower lip, angry at herself, angry at the Akatsuki, angry at everyone. She tasted blood and ignored it.

She couldn't even begin to think about the delay in Sasori's arrival. It would be like trying to imagine the sun becoming black and everyone around her dying. It was like imagining the end of a world, her world, the end of feeling anything real.

She lifted her head and trained her eyes on the ceiling, pushing back the tears about to fall. She wasn't going to cry- not in the middle of Sasori's room, not with the chance of a witness.

She set down the picture on a wooden desk, smiling softly as she did. Sasori seemed to be so peaceful in the image- the look of a young child who had a family to care for him. Only she would understand how Sasori felt now, parents and love torn from him. It was even crueler than never having felt anything at all. It was like giving someone a taste of joy and yanking it away in a moment, with only a painful memory that would never go away, a memory reminding of what cannot be achieved.

Once, she had known the love of family, the love of a mother, and a father. But that was over twelve years ago. They had been killed, murdered by the ninjas of their village. It was after her otou-san had overheard forbidden information, information concerning a new host for the Shukaku.

The girl remembered running, running through a barren desert. And she remembered blood, too much blood; and a wooden case. Her father had been frantic and thrown her into one of his puppets, hiding her.

Her mother died almost at once. The last sight the girl had seen before being enveloped into a large puppet was a shuriken lodging itself into her okaa-san's neck.

Her father was not killed by the ninjas, though. He had scared them all off after bringing out his puppets. He had called them cowards, scared of numbers larger than their own. Then he had turned and given his daughter a light kiss on the forehead before limping to the girl's okaa-san. He said he was going to bring her okaa-san back. The girl had been happy, but he had warned her to watch him carefully, muttering instructions as blue energy flowed out of him and into the limp body of the bloodied woman.

The moment her otou-san fell, the girl knew something was wrong. Her otou-san was not moving at all, and her okaa-san was not alive, not really. She was like a fish out of water, gasping for breath and coughing up blood. Her eyes were blank and she could not even sit up when she tried. The girl wanted to go to her okaa-san, to be reassured everything was alright, but she was too scared, scared of all the blood.

Then, she remembered her mother whispering the name of her and her otou-san and fell silent. She was no longer coughing, but she was not better, either. The girl knew- they were both dead.

Only moments later, it was as if hope had taken pity on her and returned, in the form of a strange puppet. The girl had known it was a sign; a sign that she had to go on, because someone new was there for her, there to protect her.

"Sasori-danna." She said again, feeling his name roll on her tongue with a familiarity. At first, he seemed like a father to her; that was when she was young, having not even turned ten. But when she was fourteen, she had discovered the same picture she had held in her hands moments ago. She suddenly formed a new bond with her master, a stronger bond, and saw him in a different light. She began to learn more about his past, and the more she found out, the more she understood his detachment from everyone else. The more she knew him, the more she loved him.

"What is it, Kaiyo-san?" A soft voice behind her, making her blood run cold and face slightly flush, something she had not thought possible before. Yet every time she spoke with him, she was frozen with nervousness and warm with elation at the same time.

"Y-you're back!" Kaiyo cried out in surprise, turning to face Sasori. She spun so fast her long, black hair flung around to cover her eyes. She pulled it back irritably and noticed that Sasori had stepped out of his puppet.

"Yes. I needed Haruko fixed." Sasori nodded. Kaiyo felt disappointed- did he not miss her at all? Perhaps that was too much to expect from her master.

"Do you need help?" Kaiyo offered.

"No. I need to do this quickly, we're about to extract the Shukaku; Deidara and I were assigned to wait afterwards with the host's body to trap the Kyuubi." Sasori said, his tone almost bored.

"You can't!" Kaiyo shouted suddenly, a hand reaching out as if she could stop him. He had just returned, and now was ordered once again to capture a second demon? Kaiyo felt a burning hatred for the leader of the Akatsuki, for the Kyuubi and Shukaku, for everything going out of their way to separate her and her danna.

"Is that so?" Sasori asked.

"Don't Sasori-danna. You'll be tired enough, and the Kyuubi will be sure to be accompanied by the Copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi," Kaiyo's wide blue eyes met Sasori's own hollow ones. "Please, Sasori-danna, don't."

"Why not? You can't doubt my skill," Sasori said, his voice soft. He was so close to her- she could feel the faint brush of his cold hands next to her own. Kaiyo forced herself to hold his gaze, and felt her heart skip a beat. She almost forgot what she had been saying, so lost in that one moment.

"I don't want you hurt," Kaiyo said, her voice beginning to falter. "Sasori-danna, I wanted- I have to-" Kaiyo drew in her breath sharply, and tried again, gathering whatever courage she held within her, "Sasori-danna, I-I love you…" She spoke the last part quietly, in a strangled voice, and felt her knees give away. She crumbled to the ground, bitter tears playing at her eyes, confusing thoughts treading her mind. What had she done? Kneeling on the floor, Kaiyo looked up and scanned him for any signs of a reaction. To her surprise, he turned away and glanced to his collection of half-finished puppets.

"Do you?" His tone made it too clear he didn't care for a response. Kaiyo felt a bitter wave of anguish wash over her, yet if her words could only make him stay, keep him safe… Kaiyo didn't mind if she had to ramble like a young, little girl. At that moment, it was exactly what she was; a young, little girl with hopeless dreams.

"Yes." She refused to cry, refused to let her voice go hoarse. "Yes. I'd do anything for you, just to be at your side. I just want you safe. Sasor-"

"You may have forgotten, Kaiyo-san, that I have not changed in appearance for over twenty years. I look like this, but in truth, I am almost forty years of age. I might as well go ahead and become your father," Sasori reminded her, cutting her off. His words had a sharp, harsh edge to them.

"Is that supposed to change how I feel?" Kaiyo asked. " I fell in love with you! That includes your age; I know how old you are. I thought that would make me see you as more of a father as well, but I was wrong, wasn't I? I didn't choose this, did I? What I feel is for you, Sasori-danna, you." She had known he was old, but forty- and then, how could she still not care? She only mentally waved away his age, a trivial fact among so many.

"I'm made of wood, I'm a puppet, in case you haven't noticed," Sasori said scathingly.

"I just said, I don't give a damn!" Kaiyo said, feeling the tears reemerge. "Why won't you understand? At any rate, you can just turn me into a puppet, can't you? You've threatened to do it many times, and I know you can. Do it."

"That's a first," Sasori commented impassively. His lack of expression and hollow words hurt Kaiyo deeper than any blow would have.

"Turn me into a puppet," Kaiyo rose from the ground and looked at him again, showing him she meant what she said. "I want to be with you, forever. Let me, Sasori-danna." And she stepped towards him, and without thinking, wrapped her arms around him. She her own heart beating rapidly as she held him, feeling his cold cheek against her own, his breath on her neck. Kaiyo hardly dared to breath herself, not knowing what punishment was to come for her outburst. Yet whatever it was she would take it gladly. She held onto him, tightening her grip, and she could sense him almost twitch his arms, as if to move them. There was a pause, and Sasori pushed her away and stepped back.

"Go find Deidara and ask how long he needs to prepare. Tell him to hurry," Sasori avoided her eyes.

"I want to become a puppet, please, Sasori-danna," Kaiyo repeated, desperation in her voice.

"No!" Sasori seemed to snarl, his blank eyes flashing briefly- Kaiyo jumped back. It was the first time he had ever lost his temper. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment; humiliation. She bowed and walked out the room.

Sasori-danna, please be safe, Kaiyo pleaded silently as she swiftly ran through the steep canyons. If only she had known, she would have followed him, forced herself at his side. Her legs burned with weariness, but she pushed herself on.

She had been alone in her own room, crying for herself and the fool that she was, when the leader had informed her of Sasori. They had already replaced him with someone else.

I can't lose you Sasori-danna, I won't! Kaiyo suddenly was hit by a strong sensation of blood, poison, and lingering bits of chakra. With the last bit of energy, she rushed forward and found herself in the middle of hundreds of fallen puppets.

Kaiyo searched only for one, though, and her eyes saw him, under two others. She stumbled to Sasori, her body cold all over. With effort, she threw the two large puppets to a side and gently laid Sasori on his back. His eyes were closed and his once carefully protected heart still.

Kaiyo sank to the bloodied earth, and with her, sank hope. She slid her hands into Sasori's own, for the first time.

His face was as expressionless as always, yet colder than usual. Before, there was almost a hint of warmth, even just the slightest trace. Kaiyo tightened her fingers around Sasori's, taking in everything about him that she had never had the chance to see before.

"Sasori-danna… I never did really think you'd be the one to leave first." Kaiyo's voice was soft, hardly a whisper. "I only wanted to be with you, to be there when you needed. Forever. I loved you so much, for who you were, for everything you were. From that day you saved me, I devoted myself to you." She clasped her other hand around his, as well. "Why wouldn't you just let me be at your side, be besides you when you needed me? Perhaps then none of this… none of this would have happened." Kaiyo choked on her tears and sat up; making another attempt to say things she knew she never would have had the nerve before. "At least, those words I spoke to you before you left were the ones expressing the truth of how I felt. You were the reason I lived, the reason I trained so hard, and the reason why I spent all these years perfecting one technique." As she spoke, Kaiyo took both hands and laid them across Sasori's chest, drawing out all her remaining chakra. The tears slid slowly down her cheek and off her chin, one by one.

A smile formed on her lips as blue chakra appeared at her hands and flowed steadily into Sasori. She would finally be able to do something for her danna. She would finally become useful.

The whole while she kept her gaze on Sasori's face and memories of him flitted across her mind. She wanted the last thing she saw to be Sasori, she wanted her last thought to be of him. She wanted to remember him even after death, never to forget the one she loved.

Beneath her hand she could feel him coming back to life. The last strands of chakra were beginning to leave her body. Suddenly she felt a wave of energy push back, returning it to her again. Kaiyo's eyes widened in shock, but she forced past the wave and pressed the chakra into Sasori.

"No…" Sasori shifted and murmured. Kaiyo's insides lurched to hear his voice again, renewing her strength. Her master was going to relive. Her efforts were not in vain.

"Kai…Kaiyo. Stop." Sasori said weakly. "Don't d-do this…" His eyelids fluttered briefly. He continued to fight her technique, yet in his state, he did not stand a chance.

"Sasori-danna." He did care, after all. He cared. And that was all Kaiyo needed- that, and Sasori's safety and happiness. "I'll help you. I've practiced the Life Transferring technique for too long to be… to be countered." Kaiyo winced at the pain it took her to speak. She could feel her own strength diminishing rapidly. "I practiced… on half-dead animals. I practiced… for a time like this… if it… if it were to ever happen. I'm happy… Sasori-danna."

"Don't." Sasori's voice was strained, and then he lay limp again, unconscious. Kaiyo gathered every last bit of chakra she held in her body and in one final surge, dissolved it all into her danna. Her arms fell to her sides and she collapsed onto the ground, her eyes closed and her expression one of the greatest joy.

Beside her the red-haired puppeteer stirred, and sat up using a sword for support. He glanced at the fallen girl next to him and carefully lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his chest, against his heart. He looked down at her face. A beauty and serenity he had appreciated so deeply and one that he never could gaze at too close for fear.

"Why did you leave me?" Sasori asked, his emotionless mask quavering. "Why did you, before I could tell you… how much you meant to me."

He held her even tighter and lowered his face to hers. He pressed his lips against her now cold forehead and closed his eyes. For the first time in too many years, he finally felt his heart, truly again- the pain, the loss, the regret, and the comfort.

"Before my heart beat for you… and now it beats because of you." Sasori gently touched her pale cheek and gazed at her with a softness in his wooden eyes. "Foolish. You should never have given up yourself to restore my heart- I had already left it with you years back…

"I love you Kaiyo." And he did something he had never done before. He began to cry. Tears splashed onto the girl. He wished he had been able to tell her before- but she deserved better. She deserved someone real… someone who could protect her. Sasori had not been able to do that for her. He had trained hard, developed new techniques. He had told the leader that she was not strong enough to complete missions, when her powers long surpassed Deidara's, all to shield her. And for what? She was gone, gone from him.

Sasori then removed a simple thread bracelet from her wrist and tied it around his arm. He smiled softly through his tears at the girl he loved but never found the courage to tell.

"I'm leaving the Akatsuki. There's nothing left there for me to live for. I'll go my own way now," Sasori resolved. "And Kaiyo… I'll see you again, one day. Wait for me."