It was dark.
The wind was gently blowing, the moon was almost full and it was completely quiet.
Well, almost.
The sound of light feet softly padding along the grass was the only sound that could be heard as the red-head walked through the trees surrounding the Akatsuki's hideout.
He seemed to be whispering, but no sound was coming out.
He looked up, smiling, as some bats flew overhead.
All of a sudden, a noise disturbed him from his state of peace and his smile faded.
He glared angrily at nothing in particular.
'Who's there?!' he hissed under his breath, to no one in particular aside from himself.
He stomped off in the direction of the noise.
'I come out here to calm myself from all the nuisances back at the Akatsuki hideout, especially that stupid brat Deidara, and what do I get?! Somebody else here to ruin my silence?! Where are you?!'
Something hit him on the head.
'Huh?!'
He looked down at it.
It looked like a squashed, mangled clay bird.
His eyes flashed up.
'Deidara?!'
'Yeah, so what if it is?! It's not like... You'd care, Danna, un...' he sniffed.
'... Deidara...? Are you... Crying?'
'Shut up! Leave me alone, you stupid piece of wood, un!'
'...'
Why is he acting like this...? He's normally not the angry type... Or the crying type, at that...
Sasori climbed up the tree to sit on the branch next to the blonde.
Deidara had his head against his legs, his hair covering his eyes.
Sasori tapped his shoulder gently. 'Deida—'
'I SAID SHUT UP!'
The blonde's arm flung up and hit the red-head in the chest.
Sasori managed to keep balance and stay put.
He looked at the blonde.
His eyes were red, probably from crying... Aside from that...
Wait... What?!
"Deidara... Your... Your face! It's... It's...'
'Cut? Oh, I hadn't noticed, un!' he yelled sarcastically.
Three slashes across his right eye downwards were bleeding, the liquid mixing with his tears and dripping down his face.
Sasori lifted a hand to it.
'... It looks awful... It must hurt... Who did this? Hidan?' he asked, worriedly.
'Why do you care?! Is it just so that you know exactly who's going to kill you next?! Hmm?!'
Sasori looked a little shocked.
"I... I don't... I...'
He's right, why do I care?! Agh!
Deidara sighed. '... No, it wasn't Hidan... It... It was me... I got a kunai... I... I ran it down my face, I just had to take out my anger on something...'
'Anger...? What does somebody like you have to be angry about?'
'...' Deidara sad look returned to its previous expression of extreme rage.
'You don't know, Danna?! Are you really that stupid, un?!'
Sasori looked confused.
'You, Danna! You hate me! You're always telling me that I'm a fool and an idiot! You call me a brat whenever you refer to me! All you go on about is how my art isn't art, that it is utterly worthless and had no point! You think I'm not hurt by this, Danna?! You think it has no effect?! I want to die because of you and you don't even notice! I hate you, I hate you so much, un!'
Sasori looked away, guiltily.
He had never realised it angered Deidara this much.
What's more, he didn't ever really care, but now... He... What... What was this emotion he was feeling inside of him? Sympathy and sorrow, yes, but what else?! What was this other foreign emotion?!
'Deidara... I... I'm so sorry, I hadn't realised, I—'
'You bet you hadn't realised! You stupid bastard, all caught up with your puppets! You're wood! That's all you are! Stupid wood! Of course you wouldn't understand, you're not even human!'
Sasori felt a burning feeling coming up behind his eyes.
'... I...'
He... He's right... I... I'm not human... I could never understand this... But... But...
'Stupid puppet, are you even listening, un?!'
'... I... I'm listening... You... You're right, I could never understand, I'm not human, I'm wood, as you said, and I'm just a stupid doll... A puppet that... That everybody hates and that could never be loved...' he whispered, looking in the opposite direction.
Of course... I should have thought that... I don't like being hated by my own allies... But... That is just to be expected, if I'm going to be horrible like this to this silly blonde...
'If you hate me so much, then why not just kill me now... It's not as if I'd feel it, though, because I'm not like you... I'm not human... I won't stop you...'
Deidara's expression of anger softened a little as he heard a funny noise coming from Sasori.
Strange... It almost sounds as if he's...
'... Danna? Are... Are you... Crying, un?'
'No... I... I am not...'
... Is that even possible for him, un? ...
He reached out and grabbed the side of Sasori's head, twisting it so as he could see his face.
'You... You are crying, un!'
'...'
Deidara felt sorry for his partner.
He hugged him, burying his face in Sasori's shoulder.
'I'm sorry, Danna... I don't hate you... It's just... I was angry... And...'
'No, no... It's my fault for calling you an idiot this whole time... I couldn't help it, though, I've forgotten how much it hurts to be yelled at how much I'm hated... Until now...'
'Danna... I... I'm so sorry for yelling... It... It really isn't my fault, though, un...'
'... Whatever... I won't argue... So... I... I'm ready...'
The blonde let go of the red-head and looked at him funnily.
'Ready for what, Danna, un...?'
'... Ready for you to kill me, of course...'
'... Danna, I'm not going to kill you, un...'
'Why not? I'm just a puppet. It's not like the Akatsuki needs me or anything...'
'I couldn't kill you, un...'
'Why not?!' he asked, frustratedly.
'... Because... Be... Be... Because...' he stumbled a bit for words. '... Because I... Because I love you...'
Sasori's eyes flickered a bit. He stared into Deidara's visible blue eye and blinked, confused.
'You... You're not lying to me, are you?'
'No... Danna... I really do love you... I've always loved you, un...'
'...'
Deidara leant forward and gently kissed the red-head.
Sasori's eyes widened in shock.
The blonde gently grabbed his hand and broke off the kiss.
'... Danna... Look, un...'
The blonde pointed at the sky.
The sun had started to come up.
'It's pretty, hey, un...'
'... Yeah... I... I guess it is...'
'... Danna... Do you hate me, un...?'
'... No. I don't... I could never hate you...'
Deidara smiled, closing his eyes and lying against his partner.
The sun came up and the sky was a pinkey-blue.
'We'd better go back to the hideout before you fall asleep...'
There was no response.
'... Deidara?'
He looked down. The blonde had his eyes closed, snoring softly.
The red-head smiled.
'Come on, I'll take you home...' he whispered gently, picking his partner up and getting down the tree, going back to the hideout. '... I love you, baka...'