characters throughout this whole story (c) masashi kishimoto

Deidara was really, really beginning to hate going on missions with Sasori.

It wasn't because he disliked his partner, Sasori. Truth be told, the elder man was an extremely capable and intelligent ninja, with skills and experience that were invaluable in the Akatsuki line of work. The puppet master's stealthy, short-range attacks were an excellent contrast to the explosive, long-range bombs that Deidara was fond of using. Furthermore, the redhead was one of few people that could hold the blond's interest in conversation. Granted, their chats tended to escalate into full-blown fights that left both artists rather snappish, but most of the talking was nice.

Yes, Deidara rather liked Sasori as a whole. There was just one problem with his near perfect partner-

"Brat, if you're finished dragging your feet, I'd like to return home sometime between now and Armageddon."

Sasori, you see, could be (and frequently was) an absolute jackass to the bomber.

Deidara 'humph'ed and made his way across the battlefield towards his partner. The two of them had been caught attempting to cross the border between Fire Country and the next land over, and to no one's surprise a full-out fight had broken out soon afterwards. Deidara and Sasori had separated themselves once the onslaught began, knowing by now to stay out of the other's way when a fight occurred. Enough burns and cuts over the years tend to drill that knowledge into one's head.

"Coming, Sasori danna," he called out. He had to stifle a growl of frustration as Sasori rolled his eyes, acting for all the world like Deidara was a child hindering his work. The bomber was more than a little annoyed at his partner for wanting to hurry back home. Oh yes, he was well aware that the puppeteer hated to wait for anyone or keep anyone else waiting, but that was no excuse for sloppy work. The blond had merely been checking the corpses for any signs of booby-traps that may have been set up during the brawl. It was unlikely, but in their line of work, with death never more than a hair's breath away and hospitalization completely out of the question, one couldn't be too careful.

Sasori should have taken a leaf out of the ex-Iwa ninja's book. Perhaps if he had, he would have noticed the explosive tag hidden under the corpse of his victim, which exploded in a raging inferno after the redhead's foot accidently brushed against the body.

Deidara instinctively collapsed to the ground and covered his head, having been working with explosives for so long that the duck and cover maneuver was entirely automatic. Shortly after the blast, Deidara heard the distinct sound of something wooden crashing into the ground and smashing.

His sky-blue eyes widened. There was no way Sasori could have escaped that size of a blast at such close range without sustaining significant damage.

The bomber's fears were confirmed moments later when he forced himself up onto his hands and knees and saw his partner's body lying several yards away from him, his back to Deidara. Scrambling onto his feet and all but running to the fallen man, Deidara quickly began assessing the damage. Both legs had been blown clean off, probably reduced to mere particles floating in the air now. One arm had been lopped off just below the elbow, the other still hidden from sight. None of this truly concerned Deidara though. He knew Sasori's body was just a wooden shell, easily repaired or replaced should the need ever arise. At the moment, Sasori had several fully functioning bodies back at the Akatsuki base, waiting for their master's return. Any physical damage sustained to this shell was neither lasting nor life-threatening.

What set Deidara's heart racing was the uncertainty of what had happened to his danna's heart container. He was aware that the Akatsuki cloaks did afford the wearer a bit of protection (nothing as strong as Kevlar, albeit quite a bit more than the average cotton t-shirt), but nothing short of a tank could completely absorb that kind of explosion at such a short range. "Please be ok, please be ok,"Deidara silently prayed as he feet scrambled across the gravel.

Shaking, the blond halted and circled around to the other side of Sasori, too afraid of doing more damage to turn the Akasuna onto his back and assess the damage that way.

His skin paled to a deathly white as he saw the elder man lying there unconscious, his single arm clutched protectively over the heart container. So, at least the redhead hadn't been caught totally unawares…

Unfortunately, one wooden arm hardly afforded any more protection than the cloak, and Deidara could clearly see a stream of crimson liquid dripping down Sasori's chest and leeching into the ground below. "Oh god Sasori danna, don't die, un!" Deidara had already yanked a roll of bandages out of his bag, determined to at least slow the flow of blood if not completely stop it. The blond always carried basic medical supplies with him, in the rare event that one of them sustained an injury in the line of duty and couldn't wait to patch themselves up back at headquarters. With a sick, tightening feeling in his chest, Deidara realized that this was the first time he'd ever had to use the medical supplies on his partner, and it may not even make a difference.

Taping down gauze over the wound, Deidara released the pressure his hands had created long enough for him to make a clay bird. It would be more conspicuous than Deidara would have liked, and there was a high chance more ninjas would be looking for him after this fight, but it was this or a two day walk back home.

With a sigh of resignation, Deidara hefted his partner onto the bird and took off, one hand firmly applying pressure to Sasori's chest as the other controlled the eagle. "Please Sasori danna, hold on."

-mm-

Deidara knew that ninjas were supposed to hide and repress their emotions until the damnable things were all but forgotten, buried under a mountain of indifference and control. That was what he'd been taught in the academy, that was the code he lived by during his years as a rogue ninja, and that was a point that Sasori was particularly fond of drilling into his skull whenever the blond expressed anger or distress during their assignments.

So why was it, after nineteen years of burying his emotions, Deidara was unable to stop his stomach from doing back flips as he paced his and Sasori's shared room. As soon as he'd arrived at the base, Sasori had been turned over to Konan and Pein, in hopes that the duo could find some way to salvage the puppet master's heart, even if the body and container were beyond repair. That had been nearly six hours ago, and Deidara had still not heard any report on Sasori's progress. He'd almost bolted from the room into the hallway at several points in time, but always checked himself at the last minute. Of all the things the bomber needed right now, hearing the others mock him for acting like a nervous wife in a hospital waiting room was not on the list.

His tension dissipated somewhat when a knock was heard at his door, followed by Konan entering his room and shutting the door. "How is he, un?" Deidara blurted out before he could stop himself.

"He's alive and stable," Konan answered, making the blond sigh in relief.

His joy was short-lived, however, after noticing the way the woman was glancing off to the side and shifting slightly, as though nervous to divulge any more information to the blonde. "What's wrong?"

Konan looked to Deidara, back to the ground, bit her lip, and finally looked at the bomber again. "His body was badly damaged, and there was no way the heart could have supported itself in another puppet. Pein attempted to reverse the jutsu Sasori had used to make himself into a puppet, so that the heart could be grafted onto another body…unfortunately, we didn't have enough supplies…look, it'll be easier once you come and see it for yourself." Confused and overwhelmed by a fresh wave of anxiety, Deidara followed the blue-haired female out of the room and down the hall.

Their trek was both short and silent, as Konan was unwilling to elaborate on the fate of Sasori and Deidara was too nervous to make small talk. Once they arrived at Pein's office, Konan grabbed the doorknob and (to Deidara's surprise), nervously looked around before grabbing the blond by the wrist and shoving him into the chamber, following quickly after him and slamming the door shut once both were inside.

Pein was reclining in the chair beside his desk, looking directly at the duo as though he'd been expecting them for quite some time. Deidara's attention, however, was focused on the leader's desk.

There, sitting in the midst of countless manila envelopes and numerous scrolls, was a small child with vibrant red hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He was dressed in an oversized t-shirt, was coloring on the outside of one of the folders using a nearby ink pen, and couldn't have been a day over five.

The child finally seemed to notice that he had company other than the Akatsuki leader, and soon focused his eyes on Deidara, who was gaping at him in disbelief. Chocolate eyes narrowed. "Hey stupid. You should close your mouth, or flies will get in."