CHAPTER 1

The flight back was a blur in Deidara’s mind. He had grabbed the baby and hightailed it out of the cave, jumping on the clay bird that awaited him to fly home. He then snuck in late, the baby bundled in his cloak, and slunk down the dark hallways to his room.

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He was alone in his room, since Sasori died. There were still two beds in the room though, and Sasori’s work area was undisturbed. The only thing missing was Hiruko. It was easy to pretend that Sasori was on a solo mission in Hiruko, that he’d be back the next morning, which was why Deidara had refused to get rid of Sasori’s things, or even put them away. It helped him to believe that Sasori was really coming back.

As soon as he had gotten to his room, he locked the door and placed the sleeping baby onto one of his old shirts that was lying on his bed. He paced the floor anxiously as the baby slept on. What the hell had happened? Sasori was supposed to be dead! How did this baby come to be there, where his Danna should have been, and how did it happen to look so much like him?

Deidara groaned lowly. All this thinking made his head hurt. He sighed and scooted the baby over so he could lay on the bed. He’d try to get some sleep, and sort this all out in the morning.

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Deidara woke up to the strange sensation of liquid on his face. ‘Is there a leak un? Is it raining?’ He then sniffed and immediately regretted it. It was urine. From the baby he had found yesterday. Said infant was giggling and sucking on his foot. Deidara groaned and sat up, only to be greeted by another mess. There was poop all over his old shirt, and all over the baby, who had rolled onto the mess.

“Damn it!” Deidara groaned, picking up the baby and going to the bathroom adjoining his room. He washed his face and plunked the baby in the sink. With a sigh, he washed the baby off. After drying the infant off, he searched for something to make into a makeshift diaper, and with much resentment, tore up his poop-covered shirt and used the clean side to make a diaper.

“Little guy, you are more trouble than you are worth un.” Deidara grumbled to the baby sitting on his bed. ‘I need to shower un...’ Deidara thought, starting back to the bathroom. A squeal from the baby made him turn back. He watched the baby suck his fist and decided that it was risky to leave him where someone, AKA Tobi, would find him. He picked up the baby and a spare change of clothes, and walked into the bathroom.

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“Ahhh! Ahh! Arrrrgggh!” Deidara paced the room, the hysterical baby in his arms. He’d been sitting there, watching the baby coo to himself, when all of a sudden, he started wailing uncontrollably. He rubbed the baby’s back and rocked him from side to side. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, making him jump.

“Deidara? What the hell are you doing in there?” Great, it was Hidan. The nosy Jashinist would never leave him alone unless he came up with something fast.

“Uhh....uhh....I’m....imitating a baby cry, un!” Deidara exclaimed over the baby’s cries. “With my hand mouth, yeah!”

“That’s sick, honto. Now shut up.” Deidara heaved a sigh of relief as Hidan’s footfalls disappeared. He gazed down at the infant, who looked back up at him with teary brown eyes. As soon as Hidan left, the baby had stopped crying.

“Ok, little guy, are you hungry un?” Deidara asked quietly. “Let’s go get you some food, un. First though, you need a name....how about....Sasori, un?” The baby clapped his hands together and giggled. “That’s my deceased partner’s name un. You remind me of him.” Deidara got his cloak on and held the baby against his cloak. “Now be very quiet little guy. We’re going into enemy territory un.” Deidara opened the door and walked out of the room, into the dark hallway outside.

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Deidara made it to the kitchen without meeting anybody. In the kitchen though, he got the surprise of his life. Pein, leader of Akatsuki, and Konan, his partner, sat at the table eating breakfast.

“Ah, Deidara.” Pein looked up from his coffee coolly. “I’ve been meaning to have a word with you.”

“R-really, un?” Deidara asked, inching towards the fridge. “That’s great, un. What about?”  He did his best to conceal Sasori’s bright red hair, but to no avail.

“Deidara, what are you holding?” Pein asked sternly, looking at where a small bare foot dangled from Deidara’s grasp.

“Ah...nothing sir un. Its un... one of Sasori’s um, old puppet parts un.” Deidara lied. He thought he’d get away scot-free, but at the sound of his name, Sasori started to babble excitedly into Deidara’s cloak.

Now both Konan and Pein were staring at him. “Deidara. Now.” Pein said sternly, gray ringed eyes fixed on Deidara’s lone blue. Deidara obstinately refused, clutching Sasori tighter.

Konan got up and gracefully walked over to where Deidara stood. She stared at him thoughtfully before kicking him in the groin. Deidara dropped the baby in his surprise and shock while Konan caught Sasori as Deidara crumpled up on the floor.

“Well, look what we have here.” Konan said, amused. “A baby. But not just any baby either. Come and look at this Pein.” The orange haired man got up and looked over Konan’s shoulder at the red haired baby, who stared back with his big brown eyes.

“Dwah?” Sasori reached a hand out, and Pein looked away.

“Deidara, what have you done?” The leader’s voice was cold as steel. “You know the rules.  No babies.”

“He isn’t mine un!” Deidara protested pathetically from the floor. He stumbled to his feet painfully with a groan.

“You can’t being your dead partner’s child here either.”

“But it isn’t Sasori-danna’s un! That baby un- He’s-”

“It’s Sasori, Pein.” Konan looked up at them, one finger caught in the little baby’s fist. “It’s Sasori.”

OWARI ~ END!