This chapter is a lot less filler, more plot. And thank you everybody who has reviewed so far! You've allowed this story to reach the 100 reviews mark which is very encouraging. If anyone has any oneshot requests, I'll do them as a thank you, just review or PM me the details. I'll have a lot more free time soon and I would like stuff to write. I'll also be working on my own stories once this is complete.

Enjoy.

"Kakuzu, Sasori, I have a new mission for you," Pein said casually during dinner. The two named ninja turned to their leader as he continued.

"The organisation is running low on funds so I need the both of you to collect us several bounties," he explained, "I'd say around 30 million should be sufficient."

Both ninja nodded and were told to leave the next morning.

"Danna can I come with you?" Deidara asked shyly, clinging to the redhead's sleeve. Sasori shook his head.

"Not this time brat," he replied, placing a hand on the child's head, "It's too dangerous for you. I can't work and keep you safe at the same time."

Deidara stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms.

"That's not fair un!" he grumbled, puffing his cheeks out, "I can be tough as well yeah!"

Kakuzu snorted and Kisame started snickering, earning a very cute glare from Deidara. Sasori rolled his eyes.

"Brat, you're about as tough as a bunny rabbit right now," he muttered. The blonde smirked.

"A fierce killer rabbit!" he exclaimed, giggling.

"With big, pointy teeth!" Itachi helpfully added, snapping his teeth together, "Teeth like Kisa's!"

Kisame chuckled and ruffled the raven's hair. Itachi giggled, latching onto him. Pein rolled his eyes a little, smirking at the child criminals.

"I only ordered Sasori and Kakuzu to go," he stated, "Therefore, the rest of you will remain in the base unless I say so. And don't worry; Kisame and Konan are here to look after you so nothing bad will happen."

"I'm not worried about me un!" Deidara piped up, waving his hands above his head, frantically, tongues wagging around, "I'm worried about Danna. He's a mess without me yeah!"

Sasori rolled his eyes.

"You're too restless brat," he muttered, "And we all know it's you that is a mess without me."

The blonde giggled, attempting to hide a yawn. Of course Konan, being the naturally born mother hen that she was, picked up on it immediately and scanned the other two for any signs of weariness.

"Right, you three, bed time," she announced, clapping her hands together, "Chop, chop now, can't have a bunch of sleepy heads wandering the halls tomorrow!"

Three voices cried in protest but were silenced by their partners who dragged them off for bath and bed. Hidan taunted Kakuzu into chasing him down the halls, laughing all the way until he reached the door to his room and dove into the dark. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and opened the door switching on the light. Hidan was hiding under the duvet, giggling like mad as black tentacles ripped away the quilt cover and he was grabbed by an ankle.

"Hiiii, Kuzu!" he grinned, swinging around, his face going red from being suspended upside down.

"Bath time," Kakuzu growled, playfully making it into a threat. Hidan laughed childishly as Kakuzu walked into the bathroom and ran a bath, Hidan still hanging by his foot.

"Hey K-Kuzu, put me down now," he mumbled. The miser glanced over his shoulder to see the Jashinist's face had turned a nice shade of purple. Chuckling a little to himself he set the boy down and they continued to get ready for bed.

Meanwhile, Kisame and Itachi were chattering about why the world would be a better place if more people were blue.

"Why do you think that Itachi-Chan?" asked the swordsman as he tucked the raven under his blankets. The Uchiha smiled.

"Well, you're the only blue person I know Kisa, and you're so nice and strong and fun!" he explained proudly, "I bet if everyone realised how amazing you are, then they would want more blue people too!"

Kisame chuckled at his partner. In truth his sweet childish words were heart-warming and the shark nin couldn't help but give the child a big sweeping hug.

"You're too precious kid," he murmured, causing the black haired child to smile and lean closer into his partner.

"Love ya Kisa," he uttered, yawning and laying down to sleep. The blue skinned man stood up.

"Love you too kiddo," he replied, before turning around and leaving the room.

"Danna, why can't I go with you un?" Deidara asked for the twenty sixth time that evening. Sasori groaned and turned around to the child who was staring up at him with determined eyes.

"Look brat, what we do is very dangerous," he snapped, having lost his temper, "I wouldn't be able to protect you as well as carry out this mission at the same time; if something happened to you, everyone would kill me and I would never forgive myself; you're a child, you would slow us down and you would see things I don't want you to see! And, Pein ordered you to stay here. Is that enough of a reason why Deidara?"

The blonde flinched under the puppet's intense glare and clipped tone. He nodded quickly, turning around and picking up some pyjamas while Sasori ran his bath.

They worked in a very uncomfortable silence, Sasori waiting outside the bathroom for Deidara to finish and Deidara trying to take as long as possible.

"Brat, hurry up, the water must be cold by now," Sasori called after waiting too long for his liking. In truth the bath was freezing and the blonde was shivering like a leaf in a brisk wind as he wrapped a fluffy towel around himself and dried off. Once he was changed, he peeked out of the door and walked over to his bed, getting in without uttering a single word. Sasori sighed and placed a hand on his damp hair.

"You didn't brush your hair brat," he grumbled, picking up a brush and setting the child in his lap and gently brushing through the darkened locks.

"I'm…sorry un," Deidara murmured, twirling his fingers, shyly. Sasori smirked and continued to pull the brush through his hair.

"Nothing to be sorry for brat," he muttered, "Just understand when I tell you to do something it's for your own good. You would do well not to question it."

Deidara sighed a little, leaning back against his Danna.

"But…I feel like I'm meant to be fighting with you un," he mumbled, "Like…I'm here for that reason. We're partners for a reason yeah."

Sasori started to chuckle at the child. Deidara glanced up in slight astonishment before giggling a little himself. Sasori ushered the boy into bed, tucking him in.

"Don't worry about me brat," he said with a smirk, "I'm capable of defending myself."

"Of course un!" the blonde exclaimed, "Not anyone can be my Danna; they have to be tough and brave and amazing yeah!"

Sasori pretended to be surprised.

"My my, that sounds like a tough spot to fill," he uttered, placing a finger on his chin, "Do you know anyone like that brat?"

Deidara giggled, his eyes sparkling with delight.

"Of course un!" he replied, "I'll give you a hint! He's lives here! He's always in trouble with Konan, and he's a big grump!"

Sasori smirked.

"Brat, you shouldn't talk about Pein that way!" he stated, pretending to scold him. The blonde shook his head laughing.

"No Danna, not him!" he giggled, "He annoys me sometimes but he's my partner!"

"Tobi?"

"No Danna, you're so silly!" he exclaimed, rolling his eyes, "You'll never get it un! It's you!"

Sasori laughed as the blonde lunged at him, knocked him back a bit. He petted the long slightly damp hair as Deidara cuddled into him.

"Danna, will you stay with me tonight un?" he asked quietly, "Just because you're going away."

The redhead smirked and nodded, placing the covers back over the child and lying down next to him.

"Night night, Danna un."

"Night brat."

Sasori and Kakuzu left early the next morning, leaving their slightly down partners behind in the care of Kisame and Konan. They were both under strict orders from the miser and puppet master to ensure Tobi stayed away from them and they weren't to be spoiled or allowed to get away with being rude, disrespectful or naughty.

"Those two are worse than us," Konan complained as she cooked lunch with Kisame, "They blame us for being mother hens when they fuss and worry over them just as much if not more so!"

Kisame chuckled as he stirred the noodles he had simmering in a big pot.

"They just care about their partners," he assured her, "You want the best for them as well so just respect their wishes."

The blunette sighed and continued to chop up the vegetables, keeping an eye on the three chakra signatures of the youngest members.

"I get the feeling someone is talking about us," Sasori grunted, as he and Kakuzu trudged along the muddy path out of Ame. The miser was enjoying reading through the bingo book deeming which bounty to be the most profitable as Sasori remained quiet. Both of them were rather exhausted from running around after four year old partners.

After deciding to head for a bounty near Kusa, they made their way north east, the sun setting and the rain ceasing.

Sensing something approaching, the two S-rank criminals stopped walking and glanced off towards the path in front of them. Two figures were making their way towards the pair, smirks stretching the familiar faces, causing the miser and puppet's blood to boil.

"How the fuck are they still alive?" Sasori seethed, eyes glowing dangerously. Kakuzu remained still.

"We never confirmed them truly dead," he muttered, "A mistake we will correct now."

The redhead nodded, fingers twitching with anticipation as the forms of Juunko and Hiroshi stopped several feet in front of them. Juunko glared at the two Akatsuki, her eyes narrowed.

"Enjoying having your brats back?" she sneered, "If only all children were so lucky."

"What do you want hag?" Sasori drawled, "Speak now then stand still while I kill you!"

Juunko unleashed a grating laugh at the puppeteer's words, encouraging Hiroshi to laugh a strange guttural choking sound, probably from where Itachi had severed his vocal chords. Both Kakuzu and Sasori's eyes narrowed, wondering just what could be so funny.

"You won't be killing anyone yet," the woman snapped, holding up three small vials, "After all, I have the only thing that will save your little ones from dying a painful death!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kakuzu growled, "What have you done?"

Juunko smiled maliciously, storing the three vials away.

"I know that the one called Hidan is immortal, but the poison I concocted is enough to kill the other two. It will be slow and painful, eating away at them until one day, when they're just skin and bones, they'll die!" she exclaimed, "Unless of course, you give them to me and never come looking for them again!"

"Like hell we will!" Sasori hissed, his fingers twitching as he sent the Third Kazekage bursting forth from a cloud of smoke to attack the two enemies. Juunko's eyes widened, leaping back from the attack. Grabbing onto Hiroshi, she unleashed a smoke bomb.

"Where did they go?" Kakuzu demanded, as the smoke cleared, revealing that they were gone, "This is pathetic, those two have us running around in circles!"

Sasori said nothing, storing the Third back into his scroll and placing it inside his cloak.

"Doesn't matter right now," he snapped, "We need to get those bounties and return to the base as soon as possible. If poison is involved, I'm certain that we don't need their damn antidote. I'm more than enough."

"Agreed," Kakuzu mused, "And we would sooner trust your judgment than anything that vile woman gave to us."

For the sake of the plot, they got away again but fear not! They show up later. And the next several chapters are all plot and also where I begin to write. So far this has been Rose's work, with my (terrible) beta skills. So if there is a shift in writing style, that is what happened, though I will do my best!

Remember to review!