Where We Meet

In which Chiyo and Sasori end up in a special tea shop after they die. Sasori is back to being a human boy and doesn't know what to do. Their new neighbors are quite interesting, though…

…

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA or Naruto.

...

Sasori was thirteen. That was quite odd, but wouldn't be too so, seeing how he could just switch puppet forms.

But that was the problem. Sasori wasn't a puppet anymore. He was a boy. A human boy.

Normal people would find it crazy to why Sasori expected being a puppet. Long ago, back when he was a young man again, the red haired boy literally carved out his own heart and soul. And placed himself inside a puppet body. He did not eat, he did not sleep, and he most certainly did not black out suddenly after being punched.

No, wait. Scratch that. Sasori had died then. Yes, he knew he was dead.

So why was he feeling healthy and content? He knew that he belonged in Hell, after doing all those bad things when being a shinobi.

His grandmother, Chiyo, sat across the little table from him. She smiled sagely, understanding the situation. Sasori knew too, but he found it too troublesome to say out loud. The human mouth tired easily, and when a person spoke too much, the throat will hurt. Another reason why he thought being a wooden boy was better.

She broke the silence. "My hand is back to normal again. Tell me, Sasori, how does it feel?"

He took a sip of the tea set in front of him. The simple taste was awkward to his new tongue.

"Very, very different."

She chuckled, gently placing down her finished cup. "You will grow accustomed to your new body. It will take time, though. Soon enough, we will earn back our titles as S-ranked shinobi."

"Hn. I just thought that death would come in a… another form." Sasori was a pubescent boy right now, so his voice was already deep and old. It wasn't like his previous one, but close enough.

An old man about Chiyo's age walked to the two strange people. Sasori and his grandmother knew that he had been spying on them ever since they had appeared from the blue. Mankind were not entirely known for suddenly swapping worlds, whether it be from death or not.

"Good afternoon. Would you like some more tea? It's on the house."

The shinobi knew that the money they had was limited, since the only belongings they had were the clothes on their backs and Chiyo's small back pouch containing a medicinal kit and money. So Chiyo accepted the offer. Mostly to calm her mind and to let Sasori accustom to liquids once more.

"Yes. Thank you, sir."

He chuckled, bowing. "Do not worry. We have a discount today and all of our first-time visitors are free."

A young man who appeared to be eighteen came over with a steaming pot of tea. He was a nice looking one with sort of spiky black hair and golden eyes. But when he turned his face Chiyo and Sasori were mildly intrigued by the burn over his eye. Their faces remained indifferent, being the cold, apathetic killers they once were.

The old man introduced themselves. "My name is Mochi. And this lad over here is Lee. We moved here a few days ago, then found work here at this tea shop. Might you introduce yourselves?"

Chiyo smiled a small smile. "I am what they call Chiyo. And my grandson over here is Sasori. Nice to meet you."

Mochi also grinned. "Lee here is my nephew. Now, he isn't the most polite boy-."

At that, the barista next to him huffed through his nose.

"-But family is family."

Chiyo nodded. "Yes, I do understand what you are talking about."

Everyone caught the glimpse the old woman sent Sasori. "Lee" was jealous at the fond look she sent the boy, since his own grandparents never cared about him. All they cared about was power. Power, power, and maybe Azula. Yes, his sister was a natural born prodigy. They chose her over him all the time.

Now "Mochi" understood in that one glance that the old woman and her grandson were not on the best terms. They were beginning to cooperate; the old man himself could read that in their body language. The thing he was most confused (and slightly perturbed) about was the conversation he had been eavesdropping on from earlier. Why was Chiyo asking about his 'new human body' and their deaths?

Chiyo continued on. "Is there an opening or two here? We would like to renew our lives by starting clean. But first, we need to find a job."

"Mochi" was perplexed and somewhat suspicious the way she stated her sentence. Nevertheless, the owner of the tea shop arrived on them at that second.

"Hello, and welcome to our tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon. Do you like the tea?"

He was a thin middle-aged man with odd facial hair. He wore a light green, slightly beige kimono with a tea-splattered apron worn over it.

Surprisingly, Sasori was the first to speak.

"Yes. I do quite like it."

A/N:

Hi. Bye.