Chapter 1 Sparklers Burn
One rainy evening, running through wind-blown trees and soaked grass, a red head and a blonde were looking for shelter from the rain. In the distance, the shorter redheaded man spotted a cave just peaking out from the side of a mountain. It looked dry, and he informed the blonde that they better stay there before the big storm hits. Nodding his head, the blonde agreed and they both went to hide in the cave. Once inside, the storm hit, lightning flashed in their eyes as the rain poured in buckets, rumbling with thunder. Huddling in the corner of the cave, the taller blonde man curled up, knees pressed against his chest. His name was Deidara. His hair was long, straight, and unmistakably blonde, wearing it up in a half ponytail, his eyes were bright crystalline blue and his hands being the most abnormal thing about him for a pair of identical mouths were hiding in the folds of his palm. His fingernails were stained a dark purple, almost black in color. Not doing much to warm his soaking thin figure, was black cloak with red cloud print, a small brown bag on his hip that held his most precious weapon, white clay. Deidara listened to the rain outside, his chest sinking as he let out a sigh. This would be awhile, and he had no desire to go out into the rain now. Shivering, he removed his cloak, laying it out on a conveniently placed bolder. Wearing something wet would most likely make him sick, and that would slow down their mission even more.
The red head was siting next him, rotating his wrist. Every time it rotated, there was a small clinking noise. His name was Sasori. Sasori had short, crimson hair with eyes as gray as the darkest fog. He was wearing the same cloak as Deidara, his fingernails dyed the same color. Undoing his cloak, Sasori let it pop open, exposing his rather inhuman skin. Sasori was not human, rather, his entire body was made off wood. He had a small door on the right side of his chest, and on the left side was a medium sized circle with his name inscribed in red. It pushed out a little and if you looked close enough you could see pushed up lines under the wood, resembling veins. The circular container in his chest held his heart, a very alive and beating human heart. "Damn…. Looks like were going to have to stay here till the storm stops…. What a waste of time." He said in a cold, hard and annoyed tone, leaning back against the hard stone of the cave. Deidara said nothing. Instead, he raised his head to the ceiling of the cave and just looked up. His eyes were misty and exhausted, letting out a semi relieved sigh. They weren't going anywhere. Noticing Deidara's reactions, the elder and smaller male just sighed. " You can sleep if you want to. We aren't going to leave till tomorrow morning.". His blonde partner remained quiet, but it was clear that he was relieved. He then leaned his head against the wall of the cave and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, Deidara fell asleep, his head turning to the side and resting on his elders shoulder, his mouth hanging open lightly as he breathed. Sasori watched. ~ Why'd I have to get stuck with a guy like him?~ He asked himself. ~ If it were my choice I would use his body for one of my new puppets… I guess I'll let him live for a bit longer…~ Sasori leaned his head agents the wall as well, listening to the rain that continued to fall, increasing its speed and quantity, pounding harder and harder onto the ground, the lightning and thunder acting in a similar way.
The day passed and the rain showed no signs of stopping even into the night, making Deidara begin tossing and turned in his sleep. Moaning lightly, he mumbled words, none of which making any sense. Sasori was watching, slightly entertained by the workings of the human mind while his blonde partner was sleeping. Watching a bit longer, he decided to make a game out of it. Trying to make sense of what Deidara was saying. With out even wanting to, Sasori reached over to Deidara, stroking the surprisingly soft hair between his fingertips. His hand then suddenly froze, his eyes widening in shock. ~What am I doing!~ He thought, quickly retracting his hand and placing it close to his body. He then touched his heart, feeling a slight drum beat behind the lid of the container. " What's wrong with me… This feeling is to strange." he muttered, looking at Deidara then back at his hand, clenching it in a fist. His blonde partner only continued to sleep as if nothing happened, making Sasori somewhat relieved that he hadn't awoken at the touch. Lightning flashed once more, the wind howling and serving as a better source of entertainment, and a good distraction.
The next day, the sun rose with a warming smile, the sky clear from the previous storm, water dripping off form the trees like glittering tears, the ground and grass giving off a refreshed and clean fragrance. Sasori stood up and moved to the entrance of the cave, having been awake all night without the need to sleep. He looked around out side, then to his sleeping partner. ~ He'll be complaining all day if he doesn't eat anything…what a bother.~ He groaned to himself, walking outside and back into the forest to fetch his pathetically human partner some substance. About half an hour later, Deidara woke up, yawning and cracking his neck, looking around for his partner. "Sasori-Danna?" He called tiredly, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted. Sasori wasn't there ~Has he left me…? ~ Deidara thought worriedly standing up and hurrying to the cave entrance. His eyes stung with the first glimpse of sunlight, squinting as he looked up to the clear aqua sky. Doves flew around from tree to tree, cooing lightly and singing their songs in pure tranquility. Deidara breathed in the morning air, smiling slightly as closed his eyes, scratching his head lightly. This was his first mission for the Akastuki organization, and he didn't know where to go or what to do now. He couldn't remember where the hideout was located, nor where his disappeared partner had run off to. He let out a irritated sigh then leaned agents the cave, pouting lightly. From the corner of his eye, he caught Sasori, walking back with a bag of berries and nuts he had found while searching in the forest. All previous annoyance melted away in an instant as soon as the food caught his eye "Gosh Danna un, thanks a lot!" taking the food happily and pilling it into his face hungrily. He hadn't had lunch or dinner the previous night. He didn't know how hungry he was until now.
" When you're done, we should head back to the hideout. Were already late and I don't want to keep Leader-samma waiting anymore." Sasori said in a annoyed tone.
"Yeah…" Deidara said back, having not really heard what Sasori had said. Nor did he really care.
" Tisk , your such a slowdown. I would already be there if it wasn't for you." Sasori remarked in a harshly, clearly annoyed with the way Deidara was ignoring him. Deidara looked over with a huff, sticking his tongue out immaturely, snickering. "Hurry up will you!" Deidara hurriedly ate the food at the command, leaving the cave along with the forest, grumbling behind his hot headed partner. Gezz… It was just a joke.
Time didn't move fast enough, but after an hour of walking they were finally close to the hideout. Deidara walked with his head low, away from Sasori. His heart hurt a bit and he didn't know why. Why did Danna always have to be so angry at him? Sure he was a noob when it came to these types of missions, and yeah he knew he was replacing Sasori's old partner, but he didn't understand why he had to be so hostile. He flet unwanted… It wasent as if he asked to join. Sasori glanced over at Deidara a sorry expression on his face. He regretted some of the things he said, but being who he was, he couldn't just spit out an apology. Turning his head forward, he didn't look at Deidara again till they reached the hideout. Making a hand sign, the redheaded puppet master charged his chakra, opening the entrance to the Akastuki layer. They both went inside then the door closed, sealing behind them. It was dark inside with the exception of a few torches leading down a black stairway. Once down the stairs there was a round table where some other people were sitting. One looked up at Deidara and Sasori, "About time you made it here. The blonde must have slowed you down Sasori. Your never late for meetings." The person who said this had red eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail behind his head. His bangs hung down in front of his face and he outfit matched Sasori's and Deidara's. His name was Itachi Uchiha, a cold aura around him made most stay away. The others around the table also looked up. One had blue skin and blue hair with rows of shark like teeth, laughing " Seems like your burdened with the slow girl Sasori, you should just kill her and get rid of such a burden!" Deidara's eyes burned with rage. How dare he call him… a girl. Yes, he had long hair and feminine looks, but in no way was he female! He growled, leaning towards Kisame with his hands on the table
" Why don't you just say that again blue boy and see what happens" he threatened, his blue eyes cold as ice. Kisame, the blue man, looked up at Deidara with a rude smirk, clearly enjoying the blonde's reactions.
" Looks like little goldy locks got mad!" he teased. The man sitting next to him with white hair and violet eyes, bare chested with a silver necklace in the shape of a triangle inside of a circle laughed at the blue mans remark." Hahaha! Nice one Kisame! Tell this fucker who the REAL men are around here!" he snickered. Standing by, Sasori watched the two go after his partner, listening to the insults with dissatisfaction. Deidara, shaking in anger, glared up at Hidan and Kisame, shooting them a death glare. " I hate you!" he yelled, reaching into his bag and pulling out a lump of white clay. His hands then ate it, chewed it, then spat it back into his hand. Closing his hand, he moved his fingers a little. When he opened it, the clay had taken form of a small bird.
" Oh what's this?" said Kisame, a grin forming on his shark-like features. " Looks like blondie likes playing with dolls now!" Hidan and Kisame burst out laughing. At that Deidara threw the bird at them and made a hand sign. The bird then exploded and Hidan and Kisame we thrown backward from the blast. The explosion was small, but enough to give minor burns. Sasori stood in shock as Deidara picked up Hidan by the collar of his cloak and shook him yelling threats. Hidan just smiled the whole time, not a care in the world. Deidara glared, his voice sounding of flames and malice. " Unless you want a kunai up your ass and to be exploded into a million fucking peices, I would shut damn you mouth if I were you!" he yelled. Hidan burst out laughing
"O oh dear Jashin! Kisame! This little fucker thinks she can kill me! An immortal holy man! What a fucking joke! Aw the little baby is growing up so fast!" Deidara couldn't hold his anger back any longer. Taking the Kunai, he plunged it into Hidan's chest. A small amount of blood ran from the wound, but Hidan seemed completely unaffected.
" Ouch…" The albino man chucked in a sarcastic voice. " No matter how hard you try, you can never kill me. I'm immortal." He smiled. Angrier then ever, the raging blonde through Hidan to the ground. With one final glance at the other members at the (now destroyed) table, He stormed out of the room.
Deidara stomped into his room, slammed the door with a loud thunk. His face was red and his hands were still ~Damn them~ He thought. ~Calling me a girl … What's the problem of me being blonde! Being blonde doesn't make me a girl! ~ Sulking as he sat on his bed, thinking over the events of what just happened, when Sasori came in. " What do you want!" he almost shouted, wiping the tear stains from his cheeks. Sasori stood in his door way with a soft, almost friendly expression.
"I'm sorry, about what happened back there. Hidan and Keisame can get that way sometimes. Just ignore them." He poke gently. Deidara glared up at Sasori, his voice still shaking.
"Oh! Now you're telling me what to do! Honestly! A little splinter prick like you!" he yelled, his voice cracking mid sentence. Shocked at Deidara's response, Sasori felt his invisible gut boil, deeply offended and annoyed all over again. Screw trying to be nice.
" Hey! I'm just trying to help you! Stupid brat! You don't know anything about me or this organization!" He glared down his heart growing hard and cold. " Maybe you should just go back to the sad looking stone village where you came from and play with your stupid clay and your freakish hands!" Deidara's eyes widened and he looked away from Sasori, biting his lip as a new emotion filled him. A freak… He was a freak.
"Get out." He spoke, barley understandable through his shaking, struggling to control his voice. Sasori just stood where he was and didn't move a mussel. " What are you waiting for! I said get out!" the distressed blonde yelled. When Sasori still didn't move, Deidara stood up and stormed over to Sasori stood and tried to push him out, his body lacking the strength to do so. Flailing and hitting him in anger like a child. Sasori grabbed Deidara's arm and twisted it back, causing a yelp of pain as he made Deidara walk back to the bed. Still holding Deidara's arm, Sasori pushed Deidara down so that Deidara's face was in the blankets. "Ok brat," said spoke, his voice lacking any emotion " It would be wise on your part if you apologize for your actions."
" No! I'm not going to apologize to freak like you! You're not even human! You're the freak!" Deidara cried out. Sasori's eyes narrowed and he pushed Deidara's arm further up and against his back till it almost reached the breaking point.
Deidara whimpered in pain, his face turning a pale white and his arm was turning purple. When Sasori asked him a second time to apologize, Deidara pressed his lips together, determined not to say a word. When Deidara didn't answer, Sasori pushd Deidara's arm up further, threatening to break it. Deidara twisted and squirmed on the bed trying not to give into the pain. Sasori felt a sudden pain in his heart, eyes turning soft as he loosened his grip on Deidara's arm. He didn't want to hurt Deidara anymore. He didn't even remember why he wanted to, so he released Deidara's arm. Noticing the absence of pain and pressure, the tear stained blonde turned around, his face having turned a shade of red. His arm drooped at his side and sweat ran down his forehead in small droplets. " Son of a bitch un!" Deidara standing up and, without warning, punched Sasori in the face with his good arm. Little splinters of wood flew from Sasori's cheek and his head had been knocked to the side. He stood there motionless, taking in the hit as if he thought he disserved it. His emotionless gray eyes looked at his sobbing partner, his lips forming a line, expressionless. Deidara glared back at Sasori, his breathing fast as he held his injured arm, shaking. With a click, Sasori's head popped back into place and he staring absently.
"Don't stand there with that innocent face you bastard un!" growled Deidara. " You nearly broke my arm! Thanks to you, I can't even move it!" Sasori just stood and listened to Deidara, his mind shutting down. This often happened when he felt bad about something, scared to show such raw human emotion. He couldn't help but feel it throb in his heart, not used to the emotion perusing him. Finally he lowered his head a little and took a step toward Deidara, the blonde flinching and lashing out in self-defense. " Stay away from me!" He cried, cowering beside his bed shaking. Sasori kneeled beside him and slowly reached for Deidara's wounded arm. When he touched it, Deidara whimpered and tried to pull away, but then froze with the sudden pain that ran up his arm.
" I'm not going to hurt you. Just stay still." Sasori spoke as gently as he could. He took Deidara's arm gently and rolled up the sleeve, his hand starting to with a greenish light as he ran his hand down Deidara's wounded arm. Deidara noticed that the pain in his arm was fading and his arm was beginning to heal itself. He looked up at Sasori with child-like eyes, not understanding the reason why or how, but he felt a tingle in his heart when his partner touched him. After he was done healing Deidara, Sasori stood up and walked toward the door, having already embarrassed himself with such mushy actions.
" Wait Sasori-Danna un." Deidara spoke, his voice soft and quiet. Sasori stopped by the door, but didn't turn around. Deidara waited a bit to make sure that Sasori wasn't going to leave, then continued. " Um… Thanks for my arm. And, I'm sorry about what I called you earlier." He apologized, looking away to hide his face behind his fringe. Sasori looked back at Deidara, a sorry expression ghosting across his face before it turned back into his default expression. He said nothing, but inside he felt the same. He was sorry for calling Deidara a freak as well, but he couldn't bring himself to mutter an apology through his pride. He turned back to the door then walked out, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Deidara watched him go and sat in the silence of his room staring at the door. His eyes red and swelled with drying tears, holding his healed arm in silence. Why did he heal it? After all that he went through to break it. Why heal it? And what was with his face? Deidara remembered about punching Sasori. He looked so… sad... or at least he sensed that he was Deidara thought, looking up at the door where Sasori had left. " Master Sasori…" he breathed, wishing he could understand.