Yes everyone it's another short musing character drabble fic. This is how I picture Deidara thoughts on death.
Disclaimer: Do you see cross dressing!Akatsuki running around in Naruto? Then I guess I don't own it.
It isn't the puppets that bother Deidara. (Having to sleep in the same room as his partner with their faces staring down at him at night helped get over that)
It isn't the deadly poison either. (Enough careless accidents combat and Sasori forced him to carry antidote with him at all times)
Those things individually don't bother Deidara at all. It's watching people die from them that make his skin crawl.
As he watches his partner rummaging through his puppets; ignoring the female ninja currently dieing from his poison; he can't help feeling insecure.
His mind flashes back to earlier. The woman had rushed at them filled with confidence and certainty of an easy victory.
In less then a minute she was she was struck down by poison needles.
It's the way she ran in to battle that reminds Deidara vaguely of himself. The way she looked so confident and the look of shock on her face when she was stuck down; and now how hard she struggles to stay alive as the poison works through her system.
Deidara figures it may as well be him. The thought of having to die with someone in pain with someone staring over his body laughing as he tries to stay alive terrifies him like nothing else.
He's seen enough death in his time, and knows there are better ways to die. He'd much rather be blown up to the point where his body's in so many pieces he wouldn't feel any pain, then slow have the blood drained out of him.
But that doesn't stop him from worrying about death. Life is fleeting; with no promise on how you're going to die. The woman in front of him taking her last breath is proof of that.
Sasori's cold inhuman hands are what bring him back from his thoughts; at some point the puppet master moved behind him and was now petting his neck.
Deidara tenseness is lifted from Sasori cold yet soft touch and he relaxes taking his mind off death.
Sasori stops and removes his hand from Deidara's neck and stares down at the corpse. Deidara's tenseness returns when he lays his eyes on the pale flesh.
"Don't worry; I wouldn't let you die like that."
His eyes are imminently locked on his partners. Those eyes could read every jester he made. Sasori knew what he was thinking.
Quickly bored his partner moved past him and began down the road once again; Deidara followed.
Sasori promise is only words. The thought of death still isn't gone from his mind completely. But knowing that his partner would do all he could to stop him from sharing the same fate as the woman makes him more at ease.
At least he'll have Sasori to defend him.