"Ugh! I hate snow!" Satera shrieked. She kicked her boots off as she stepped into her house and snarled as more snow fell off of her pants leg. She hopped into her bedroom while

pulling off her socks. Naruto had started a snow ball fight and Kiba, unknowing to how much Satera hated snow, had launched a nice one right at her head. She'd barely dodged out of

the way and then Sakura and Ino were called in to pull her off of the poor guy. That was right about the time she had stomped home. Now, she sighed as she started her coffee maker.

Winter was her least favorite season. A knock sounded at her door. She whirled around and hurried over, thinking it must be Gaara, sent to inform her that Kiba was mad at her. Instead

she found a package. She looked around, seeing nothing but glistening snow. She shrugged and picked it up. She ripped it open and found a small clay figure. It was shaped like a small

man. She found a note with it that simply stated, ' Take care of him until I get back '. She felt her face screw up. What in the world? She looked at the little figure. It didn't look expensive.

Maybe it had something to do with someones family? Wait a minute! That note said that whoever left it here was coming back to get it! Satera's eyes widened.

"Coming back for it? I don't even know who left it!" She dropped the thing and stood up so fast she gave herself a headache. This was seriously confusing her, and she hated being

confused. I need a friend. Time to break in the buddy system. She raced into her living room and snatched up the phone. She called Sakura first.

"Hello?"

"I may need some help."

"Tera! Kiba didn't mean to! Don't beat him up anymore!"

"I wasn't talking about him!"

"Oh. What's wrong?" The sudden worry in her voice made Satera smile.

"Some weirdo just left a clay figure on my doorstep with a little note that implied that weirdo would be back." She waited a full three minutes before she sighed. "Sakura?"

"That's... weird. Have you told anyone else?"

"No."

"Well, give it two days and if no one shows up, give it to me. I'll take it to Tsunade and she what she thinks." Sakura hung up before her words really set in. TWO DAYS? Cursing, Satera

stomped back into the kitchen. She poured some coffee and sat down. She stared at the little clay man. The maker had taken his time, making every detail stand out. It was a nice little

piece of art, one that she wouldn't mind having herself. She twirled in around her fingers and stroked it's face. Sipping her coffee, she walked into her bedroom and put the figure on her

dresser and stretched. A nice hot bath would do her some good.

Sasori moved slowly through the forest. Leaving Deidara with that girl had seemed ok. He was confident that she would watch him, but he could be wrong. If she turned him in... well,

then she'd pay. She was pretty. With that dark red hair and those bright green eyes, she'd make a wonderful new puppet. He smiled as he thought of it. He would return in a matter of

days to collect Deidara... and his new toy.

Satera squinted at the clay man. It looked as if he'd grown, but he couldn't have. Could he? No. She refused to believe it. Shaking her head, she wondered into her living room. TV was

good. It would take her mind away from her currently odd situation. She stretched out and flipped through channels. She stopped on some horror movie and settled into her seat. Some

silly girl was running through the forest. Satera chuckled. The killer chased the girl right to a cabin, probably the place where he was going to torture her. Satera something grumbled and

she rolled over to peer into a kitchen. She wished she could see through her fridge and find something she wanted from her spot on the couch. She'd just have to settle for getting up,

and staring into it on a hunt for food. She wrapped her hands around her stomach when it grumbled again. Nothing in the fridge. Cabinet. She did find some Ramen which would probably

sate her hunger. She was halfway through the bowl when a loud THUD made her jump three feet in the air. She ran for a bedroom and threw the door open. She looked around wildly

until her eyes came to rest on the clay man. Who was no longer a little figure, but a medium one and who was now on her floor. She blinked several times before walking into the room,

shutting the door and kneeling on the floor. Satera stood him up and watched him. It took only 3 minutes and he grew taller. The figure was now about as tall as her shoulders. She felt

her eyes widen, but she remained silent. It... just grew. No way did that just happen. What was in that Ramen? I think Naruto spiced it! Sneaky little-

The clay man grew again, and stopped suddenly. It was now taller than she was. You seriously need to call someone. She looked around for a phone, remembering that the only one she

had was two rooms away. She turned around to reach for the door... and felt something hit her hand. Satera's head whipped around to find a piece of clay laying next to her hand and as

she watched, more pieces fell. She glanced up and found herself staring into the now very clear eyes of an actual man. As the last few clay chunks fell to the floor, she realized exactly

who was in front of her. She'd seen him only once, but knew of him well.

"Dei...Deidara?" Her lip trembled and she scooted back until she hit the door. He looked at her briefly before looking around the room... and then he said that last thing she'd ever

expected a man like him to say to her.

"At least it's not pink."