Chapter 1: My First Friend
Sasori POV
Flashback
It happened 10 years ago, when I ended up as an orphan after the Third Great Ninja War was at its final peak. My parents hadn't returned so I assumed they were dead .And I was left alone at home. I was a naive 9 year old child, oblivious of what was happening around me, but I was much smarter than other children my age and much stronger as well. I didn't need anyone but myself. Which meant that I would eventually forget my parents and be able to live on my own and that is exactly what I did. Having run out of food and poverty spreading through my nation I had no choice but to abandon it. I grabbed all my belongings and decided to leave my village. I had no idea where I was going to go, but with what food I had left I would be able to survive a month at most. As I was about to head out of the village I noticed a girl about my age, panting. She looked like she was going to die, I wanted to ignore her and move on, but my legs wouldn't budge. If I help her she'd have to share my food and it'll cut our live span in half, the most we'd be able to survive would be 2 weeks. I glared at her. Yes, I was much smarter and she looked almost dead so there'd be no point in helping her, but my legs immediately walked to her. Her face lay on the wet mud with her long blonde hair completing covering it.
"Hey, you" I said coldly when I stood in front of her. She looked up at me with an innocent look in her sky blue eyes. Why are you giving me such a kind expression, its pitiful I thought .
"Y-you're going to kill me aren't you" she stuttered in fear." Please do it quickly" she begged.
I wanted so desperately to put her out of her misery, when I noticed a wound on her left leg. She was bleeding which explained why she couldn't move.
"Well it would be pointless to let you live" I told her. She closed her eyes hoping that I would end it quickly.
Surprisingly I had brought a first aid kit with me and stopped her bleeding. She gave me a confused expression.
"Why" she asked shocked.
"Because I can tell that you're a war orphan just like me"
"Then that means you're-"she gasped.
"Yes. And I was just on my way to leave this dump."
"I see."She smiled sadly."T-thank you."
"To be honest I didn't want to save you."I blurted."My body moved on its own."
"I see."She said again not surprised. "You look like you're smart, what's your name?"
"My name?" I questioned cautiously. No one had ever asked me that before. Other kids used to fear me because of the blood lust in my maroon eyes. Not one single person approached me and after telling this blonde girl that I was going to kill her she's curious about me?
"Mm." she nodded."You have a name don't you?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Why?"she repeated. "Because you saved my life duh!" she laughed to herself.
How can she let her guard down in front of me like that?
"Sasori."
"Sasori? That's strange. "she teased."Why would you're parents name you that."
"I don't know" I answered. I never really thought about my name in depth, what it meant or who was it that named me exactly.
"Well, it's cool to be strange" she grinned. "I'm Deidara"
"Deidara?"
"Mhm" She nodded."I'm not sure what it means either. "she frowned.
"Giant." I told her. "That's what it means"
"Really?"she asked thrilled."What kind of giant? A scary one?"
"I'm not sure exactly."I shrugged.
"Ehh."She pouted. "Well thanks for telling me anyway."
I helped Deidara stand up as she put her arm over my shoulder. This was going to be problematic. She couldn't walk and I was supposed to share my months worth of food with her.
"Hey, Sasori. "she whispered near my ear.
"What is it?"
"Why do you look so worried?"
"Well "I begin."You can't walk so I'm going to have to almost carry you to our destination. That'd be problematic don't you think?"
"Hmm." she thought."I guess you should've killed me after all."
I gave her a dull expression.
"I was kidding." she teased. "You were kidding about that too right?"
"Ya." I lied.
"Say, Sasori." she continued. "I'll try not to cause you too much trouble, that's what friends do right?"
"Friend?"I asked. What is a friend? I've never had one of them before.
"Aren't we friends?" she pouted. "Sasori is my friend now right?"
She gave me a hopeful expression.
"I guess.."
"Yay!" she cheered. "We're going to be best friends. Sasori and Deidara, hmm?"
Sasori and Deidara, huh? I thought I didn't need anyone, but it turned out someone needed me and I might end up needing them later.
After a few days of helping carry Deidara, she could walk on her own since her wound wasn't as deep. Our food supply was decreasing by the hour and we needed to get to a nearby village soon. A village that wouldn't be associated with the war. We found it, the village hidden the leaves. But we didn't enter it recklessly, instead we waited in the forest until it struck night.
"Sasori" Deidara whispered as she tugged onto my arm's sleeve.
"What is it?" I questioned annoyed. I was on the verge of thinking of a strategy to enter without getting caught and I didn't want to be interrupted.
"I'm really glad I met you." she smiled."I'm grateful that you helped me or else I would've been dead. There are lots of other orphans who could be dying right now, right?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"It's sad that we couldn't save all of them" she sulked depressed.
"Hey, you need to just shut up already okay?" I demanded."I need to think of a way to get in!"
"Sasori" she whined. "I'm sor-"
I threw a piece of bread in her mouth and she accepted it. It kept her quiet for the next few minutes.
"Alright, I have a plan" I finally said.
"What is it?" Deidara asked dumbly.
"If this is going to work I need you to cooperate with me."
She nodded in agreement and I explained our plan.
We stood in front of the village's entrance gate and the guards noticed us.
"What are you kids doing?" one of them asked.
I decided to play my part.
"You have to help, onee-chan's hurt" I begged pointed to Deidara on my back. We undid the bandages on her leg before that and the blood started to drip. "Please! I don't want onee-chan to die onee-chan's the only one I have left!"
The guards nodded and carried us to the village's hospital. That worked quicker than expected.
When we got to the receptionist's desk, she immediately alerted the nurses and they took Deidara away. I waited patiently in the waiting room and after a few hours the nurse told me that she was going to be okay. I knew that of course.
I knocked on the Deidara's door and she called me in.
I noticed Deidara shirtless with bandages covering her chest, I didn't know that she was hurt there?
"How come you didn't show me that wound?" I asked her suspiciously as I sat on her bed.
"Because it's not a wound" she answered simply. She slowly unwrapped her bandages but I stopped her.
"What're you doing?" I asked. "At least tell me to leave."
"Huh?"she asked."Why would I do that?"
"Why?" I repeated in an obvious tone." Girls don't let guys see their chests."
"Girls?"she laughed. "Why are we talking about girls?"
"You're not a girl?"
"Of course not!"he yelled after he undid his bandages proving his point.
"well I assumed because of your long hair and-"
"I can't believe you thought I was a girl" he laughed. "Are you disappointed now? Could it be that you felt sorry because you thought I was a girl?"
"Possibly" I responded.
"And now that you know I'm a guy you're going to abandon me?"he eyed me seriously.
"Probably."
"We're still friends you know?"he mumbled." A misunderstanding shouldn't change that right?"
I looked away and into the sunset. He was right about me helping him because I felt sorry for him assuming that he was a girl. I would've killed him if I had known sooner.
"Are you going to abandon me?"he asked.
I turned around to see him sobbing. Why did he care if I left him, it's not like we knew each other long or anything.
"Crying makes you weak."I said coldly.
"But I don't want Sasori to leave" he begged grasping my arm tightly." This isn't the end, we need eachother."
"It is the end for me."
"No its not!"he cried. He pulled me into a tight hug and my eyes widened. Someone cared about me, someone needed me and someone is crying because of me, why?
Deidara let go of me with tears still in his eyes."Don't go, okay?",he pleaded.
I focused my gaze on his tears. Unconsciously, my thumb moved on its own and wiped away Deidara's tears. I sucked my thumb to taste them.
"Salty." I said aloud.
Deidara giggled. "You're weird! Of course they're salty, haven't you ever cried before?"
I shook my head.
"Never?" he asked surprised. "Wow, Sasori's strong after all." he claimed proudly.
I smiled. It was my first smile since after my parents had died.
"Sasori's smiling?" Deidara gasped. "I've never seen you smile before. It looks good on you."
Deidara's grinning face got closer to mine.
"Hey you're too close!" I blushed.
"Sorry" he teased. "But if I was a girl you wouldn't mind right?" he grinned evilly.
"N-no!" I disagreed.
"Liar" he pouted crossing his arms.
I laughed awkwardly in embarrassment. I had something better than a girl though. My first friend. But all of that was about to change.