Sunlight poured in through a dusty attic window, falling on a single puppet. It had soft red hair, muddy brown eyes painted on in detail. Its mouth was amiss, forgotten. It wore a black cloak with little red clouds outlined in red. The detail was actually quite remarkable. Then, a little light bulb came on and a girl with blonde hair entered the attic.

She had long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, bangs covering a light blue eye. She felt around and that is when her hand fell upon the doll. Curious, she grasped it and held it up in the light. She blinked a few times then backed out of the attic to look for her adopted brother. It was quite the work of art and he was quite the artist so she assumed he would like it. She found him in his new room, unpacking.

"Deidara, look what I found in the attic."

"Not now Ino, I'm busy, hm."

Regardless, he turned towards her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. He, like his adopted sister, had blond hair only it was more of a bright yellow, unlike her pale blonde hair. He too had it pulled back, bangs covering his eyes only because the strands would not pull all the way back. She held the carefully carved doll out to him and he took it from her. His bright blue eyes admired the detail.

"The detail is incredible... you said it was in the attic, hm?" He asked, turning the puppet over. "It must have belonged to that old lady that died here..."

"I think he looks handsome..." Ino mused.

"That's just how it was made, hm." Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to keep it?" Ino asked him.

"I think I will, yeah."

"... I wonder how tomorrow will go..." Ino sighed.

"It's just High School." Deidara shrugged, "Don't worry, hm. I'll be with you."

"Yeah..."

The first day of High School brought the two siblings a feeling of unease. They had just moved to a new city since Deidara had been adopted, extending the family number. They found an affordable home big enough for the family at an old woman's house in Suna. Deidara walked with Ino to her Freshman homeroom and then headed for his Senior class. He entered the class, expecting to find some boring teacher but instead almost headed right back out.

He was a handsome redhead with muddy brown eyes and a bored look on his face. Deidara thought back to the puppet but banished his thought. The likeness was simply a coincidence; nothing more. He continued to his seat after assuring himself there was not one assigned. He was beyond relieved that he had moved at the beginning of Senior year rather than the middle. The bell had not yet rang and he glanced at the teacher. He taught art as well as workshop, according to Deidara's schedule and the look of his room.

"You, Deidara." The teacher pointed to him and motioned with a finger for him to come up. "You are new here. What's your next class?"

"Art with you, hm." He answered, handing him the schedule.

"You are taking quite a few art classes..." He noted.

"Yes. I already plan on making it my career, hm." Deidara explained. "I just can't find a good college yet though."

"You should try Akatsuki." He stated, handing back the paper. "I went there for the same field."

"Um... what is it we do in homeroom, hm?" Deidara inquired.

"Whatever you need to do." He shrugged.

"Am I allowed to draw, hm?"

"Yes... in fact, you might want to get started on that. It was homework I assigned to my class last Friday. You are supposed to produce one sketch a week."

"Thank you." He smiled, temporarily stunning the teacher as he made his way back to his desk.

He pulled out his sketch pad and began to draw, the puppet his sister had found flashing into him mind. Currently it was propped up on his pillow, staring at the dull wall. Deidara found his inspiration and began to sketch. He barely heard the bell that started school and finished just before the end of class. The teacher had been watching him curiously the entire time. As the last student in his homeroom filed out, he approached the blond, instructing him to sit at the desk in front of his. He handed the redhead his sketch after class started and was soon joined by a black haired boy with an expressionless face.

"Morning, class. Today we have a new student sitting next to Sai. Welcome Deidara." The man announced. "Your assignment is the same as last week, recreating your sketch with the mediums available."

Deidara watched Sai stand and head for a cabinet where black paint and brushes were stored and other students went to other cabinets. He stood up and approached the teacher's desk. He was currently staring at the sketch with a thoughtful expression.

"Um... Mr. Akasuna?" He drew the redhead's attention, "Do you have clay?"

"Yes. Have Sai show you where it is..." He soon returned to studying the drawing, "Why does it have no mouth?"

"I don't know, hm. My sister found it in the attic of our new house. It wasn't given one, hm." Deidara shrugged, "I think it looks sad though."

"What makes you think that?"

"I'm not sure... I suppose it's because anyone would be sad if they couldn't tell you how they feel, hm."

"Interesting..." He handed him the drawing. "I believe you have some potential, Deidara."

Months passed by and Deidara had learned his teacher's name was Sasori. He had also discovered that his view on art was that it should be made to last. He had scoffed at that. Ino was often told about him to the point she had claimed him to have a crush on him. Deidara refused to inform her of the teacher's uncanny likeness to that puppet which he now kept close to his heart at night. One night, in December, he had to drive his sister to a friend's house in Konoha.

He had no problem until his drive home when the car broke down right at the edge of Suna. He cursed, slamming the driver's door behind him. He stomped to the back of the car and grabbed his bag. He exhaled sharply, watching his breath billow before him. He pulled out his phone and realized he did not know who to call. He pocketed it again, deciding he could go ahead and walk to his house from where he was. He continued walking, the crunching of snow under his own boots drowning out the sound of two men not far behind.

He was passing through a fairly empty area of the town. There was a bar just ahead of him on the other side of the street where he was thrown into an alley. He gasped in surprise and barely caught himself. One of the men grabbed his bag, searching through it while his companion crouched down besides him. Obviously they were drunk.

"Hey pretty lady." Definitely drunk.

"Hey ugly, hm." Deidara rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "Give me back my bag."

"Eh? What the hell's up with the doll?" The man with his bag laughed, pulling out the redheaded marionette.

"It's not a doll, hm. It's a puppet." Deidara growled, making to grab the doll.

"Looks like a doll to me, girly."

"For fuck's sake, I'm not a goddamned chick, hm." He snapped as the puppet was once again pulled from his reach.

"This one's got a potty mouth, she has." One roared.

"'Potty mouth'...? Seriously, un?" He deadpanned.

Just then, the man began pulled out a knife, holding it to the puppet. Deidara's eyes narrowed and he jumped in attempt to snatch it, only to have a blade pulled on him. He gulped and submitted, allowing the man to pull him deeper into the alley. He was stripped and then searched for valuables once they realized he really was a man. This had disappointed the duo and they delivered a clout to the head, knocking him unconscious in the snow.

Sasori groaned, trying his best to ignore his friend, Kisame and his make out with the just-turned-21 Itachi. He had been dragged to the bar by Kisame, only to find that he was the forced designated driver for him and his lover. By now the pair had drank enough that he would be unsurprised if they started doing it as he drove. He stood up and left the bar to get some fresh air. He honestly did not see the appeal of such a place had it not held memories for him and his friends from college.

He was almost at the door when a familiar puppet caught his eye. A redheaded puppet without a mouth was hanging from a man's trench coat. Blood was smeared in place of its mouth and Sasori clenched his fist, returning to Kisame. He started to hit his large friend in attempt to get him away from his boy toy.

"You remember that picture of the puppet I showed you?" Sasori hissed once he finally got the blue man's attention.

"The one by cute little Deidara?" Kisame smirked, mocking how his friend had become obsessed with his blond student.

"Yes. That one." He blushed then pulled Kisame away. "Look." He jabbed a finger towards the puppet in the pocket. "That's the puppet."

"And?" Kisame frowned, obviously not sober enough to make the connection.

Sasori rolled his eyes and stormed up to the men at the table. He snatched the puppet from the pocket and glowered when the man turned to face him. His glare was strong enough that they did not make a remark.

"Where'd you get this?" He whispered in a menacing tone.

"F-Found it." The man replied.

"Nice try. There's blood on it." At this, Kisame put two and two together (getting five. xD)

He stepped up and looked down on the men whom now seemed much smaller in his presence. They still did not admit to taking it but told them where they had found it. Kisame hurried to the bar to collect Itachi while Sasori ran across the street. He panted at the end of the alley way which was too dark to make out anything. He went in deeper and ended up stepping on something that let out a groan of pain. He jumped back and knelt down to get a better look at his beloved student. His face blended with his hair as he took in the blond's naked state.

"Deidara?" He poked him, "Oi, brat, wake up!"

"Danna?" Deidara managed, peeking past his messy hair to see the familiar, silky red locks.

"What did they do to you?" He frowned, showing his rare face of anger.

"Nothing much, un." He shrugged, trying to sit up.

Sasori nodded and pulled off his old Akatsuki coat, placing it on Deidara instead. He was too woozy to recognize the red clouds and let Sasori lead him to the car. He was placed in the passenger seat as Kisame and Itachi were already going at it in the back. Luckily the Uchiha had allowed them to use his limousine rather than Kisame's beat up pick up. He turned to ask where Deidara lived, only to find he had fallen asleep. He sighed, dropping Kisame and Itachi off at their shared townhouse.

He left the limo in their driveway and carried Deidara next door to his own townhouse. He would have placed him on the bed alone had he not been freezing to the touch. Sasori sighed and pulled off his wet clothes, pulling on some pants before joining him in the bed. He had a feeling he would regret waking up but at the moment, the blond needed heat and he needed sleep.

The next morning, Deidara woke up with a painful headache. He opened his eyes and pulled his body closer to the warmth radiating from what he thought was a pillow. After his eyes adjusted, he realized that his puppet had suddenly grown. He tried to sit up but Sasori held him down in protest.

"Um... Sasori?" Deidara began to heat in embarrassment and freaked when he realized he was naked. "Wake up, damnit!"

"Wut?" He murmured sleepily. "Oh... morning Deidara... What are you still doing here?"

"Why am I here? Did you take advantage of me or something, hm?" Deidara growled.

"What? No. What the hell makes you think that, brat?" Sasori then recalled their state of undress. "Oh... No, I found you in that alley way and brought you home since I didn't know where you lived."

"Oh, un." Deidara looked upset by this fact, much to Sasori's amusement. "I'm hungry, what time is it, hm?"

"Time for lunch?" Sasori smirked and got out of bed, tossing Deidara some of his clothes.

"Yes please, hm."

Deidara was taking this morning's sudden events rather well. He wondered if he was in his handsome teacher's house for a reason they did not yet know of. Perhaps he could ask Sasori what he thought of him. If he felt the same... Deidara realized he was daydreaming and shook his head. He looked around the room and saw that his teacher had many puppets. He walked past them and down the hall, following his nose to the kitchen where Sasori was making some type of stew.

"Do you live alone, hm?"

"More or less. My friends like to stay here when they want to get away from their boyfriends." He shrugged, stirring the contents of the pot.

"You have a lot of girls staying here, hm?" Deidara frowned, a flash of jealousy surfacing as he wondered if they were attractive.

"No. Personally, I hate girls." Sasori smirked but on the inside, he cursed himself. He had just told a male student—one he actually liked quite a bit—that he was not into girls.

"Me too, hm." Deidara could have sighed in relief. "Although my sister's sleepovers are interesting, hm." Sasori turned around to look at the blond. "They're always fighting about some guy named Sasuke Uchiha. Hate the guy already, hm."

"That's my friend's little brother and yes, he is quite the prick at the moment." Sasori sighed.

"My sister won't shut up about him, hm." He groaned.

"Is there someone you tell your sister a lot about?" Sasori asked, placing a bowl of stew in front of him.

"Well... yeah but that's different, hm." He looked away. "He's not as stuck up as the Uchiha kid."

"'He'?" The redhead smirked. "Who is 'he'?"

"Sasori~ Let me in." Kisame's voice sounded at Sasori's door and he sighed.

"Not now, Kisame!" He snapped but after the knocking continued, he went to the door. "I'll be right back, Deidara." He stepped outside, glaring at his blue friend. "What the hell do you want now?"

"Did you have fun last night?" Kisame smirked, earning a hard hit from Itachi who was hidden behind his boyfriend.

"Don't mind him. I found his address... if you want to bring him back home." Itachi handed him a wallet.

"Thanks..." Itachi and Kisame were already gone when he realized what Itachi had meant. "You guys are perverts!"

"Who's a pervert, Sasori?" Deidara inquired, placing his hand on his teacher's back.

"Ah... my friends. Are you ready to go home?" He smiled, handing him back his wallet.

Deidara climbed into Sasori's front seat and waited for him to start the car. He told Sasori where he lived, pulling a shocked expression from him. On the way to Deidara's house, Sasori explained how he used to live there. In turn, Deidara told him about the puppet his sister had found and was told it was more than likely made by his grandma after he was sent to a disciplinary school. Deidara wanted to know more about the disciplinary school and Sasori told him.

Even after they had pulled into the driveway, the two talked about many things. Their conversation ended as a minivan pulled up, dropping a frantic Ino off. She hurried to her house, backtracking after she passed Sasori's car. Her jaw dropped as she saw her brother's lips touching the puppet look-a-like's lips in the front seat. How it had happened, they barely knew. One minute they were discussing why the puppet was given no lips and the next, they had been locking their own lips. Before he got out, Deidara turned to Sasori.

"See? It would be sad if we didn't have mouths, hm."

Afterword:

Deidara and Sasori started to date after school and the blond eventually moved in with him. He went to college with Itachi whom gave him the idea to call his former 'danna' rather then 'sensei'. Sasori is still not sure which he prefers least.


HA! No Kakuzu or Hidan mentioned! … Until just now. xD AND IT'S A ONESHOT!

This was requested on dA.