A/N: Heh, I'm back again, this time with something… let's say different. (grins)
This is a requested giftfic to a dear reader of mine. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you'll enjoy this! Happy b-day! (HUGS)
Awkay, because I see no reason to stall this any further… Let's get rocking, un! I really hope you'll have a good time with one!
WARNINGS: YAOI, character deaths, mild language, etc… (smirks)
DISCLAIMER: Awww crap, not again…! (sighs) So long as pigs don't get wings and start flying around, I owe zippo when it comes to Naruto. (sniffs) Oh man, the knife just twisted a little deeper…
The Truest Beauty Of Art
Sasori, at the age of three, loved observing his parents. Once together they always seemed the most content. And like most small children, he loved seeing his parents happy.
" Now what are you looking at?" his grandmother, Chiyo, inquired with a great deal of amusement.
He smiled a little. " They're happy."
His grandmother's lips curved upwards as well. " Yes, that's what love does to people."
He frowned, utterly confused. " Love?" To his mouth that word sounded and tasted strange, foreign. " What's 'at, Chiyo-baa?"
The much older woman smiled wistfully. " That's… the most beautiful thing in the world. You'll know when you get to experience it yourself one day."
For some reason he found himself chuckling while he shook his head. " Nah! 'ever, not me."
He couldn't understand why those words made his grandmother seem so sad for a moment before the woman smiled once more. " Come on, Sasori. We don't want to bother your parents, no?"
(It was sad, really, that already then the tiniest part of Chiyo suspected what fate had in store.)
-
Deidara, at the age of six, had never seen snow before in his life. That's why he sat by one of the windows of the orphanage that day, his slightly widened blue eyes staring at the amazing white flakes floating softly towards the still dark ground.
" Pretty, isn't it?" Glancing to side, he found his best and pretty much only friend, Michi. The boy's rather long, burgundy hair seemed ruffled by sleep, but jade colored eyes carried the same excitement his did. " To me, that's the truest beauty of art."
He frowned, not understanding completely. " The… truest beauty of art?" What was his friend talking about?
Michi shook his head, getting up and starting to walk away. " Let's go before there'll be no food left."
He nodded but stalled anyhow, unable to rip his eyes away from the snow still falling.
(It was almost ironic that only some short years later this excited child performed his first kill.)
~*~
A lot later they both finally got their answers, although it was much too late.
~*~
The first time they met, however, was far from what most people would call pleasant.
Sasori seethed with fury when looking at the much younger blonde stood not too far away. " You've gotta be kidding me", he scoffed, not even trying to hide disbelief and annoyance. " That brat?"
Pein seemed equally irritated. " He's very much skilled enough, Sasori. So stop wasting my time and get it over with, will you?"
Muttering insults and death threats under his breath he did as ordered.
" So, brat…", he all but groaned when stood close enough for his new partner to hear, folding his arms. " It looks like you're my pain in the ass from now on."
Blue eyes were filled with a flame he hadn't expected when they rose to meet his. " Yeah, I know, un", the blonde growled. " I heard you and the leader."
Had he been a little less annoyed, he might've just felt slightly guilty. " Now listen up, brat. I think I'll be able to tolerate dragging you around, but if you get in the way you're finished. So stay quiet and do not harass me. Understood?"
After less than a second a vicious hit met his face.
It was the first time a part of him mused that his new partner may actually be good for something, after all.
~*~
Their third mission together tuned out to be a lot more demanding than either of them would've expected, and they were both exhausted by the time they found an inn that didn't care too much about who stayed underneath the shady place's roof.
Feeling more tired than ever in his life, Sasori had almost fallen asleep when strange, strangled sounds brought him back to full alertness.
He groaned loudly. " Now what?"
Lifting himself into a sitting position, he found something he would've least expected. In his own bed Deidara was making even more of those sounds he'd heard, frowning and all but squirming. It was quite clear that the blonde was under a lot of discomfort.
For a moment he was about to simply ignore his partner, but in the end came to a conclusion that he'd never get any sleep like this. His eyes flashing with annoyance and something else he couldn't name he got up, then walked up to the blonde. " Brat, wake up", he commanded. There was no reaction.
He had absolutely no clue what possessed him to do so, but eventually his hand made its way to the other's cheek, making circling motions that were so soft it confused him.
Before he could come to any sort of a conclusion as to what he should do his partner moved, then stirred. Considering that the back then just a boy had woken up only moments earlier, Deidara's eyes were stunningly sharp when glaring up at him. He didn't notice the blonde had taken a weapon until a hand moved to put it away. " What are you doing, un?"
He made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. " You were having nightmares, brat. This is the only way I'll be getting any sleep tonight."
Deidara emitted what sounded like a snarl. " I don't have nightmares."
He sighed, feeling like falling asleep right there and then. " Go to sleep, brat. Before I have to shut you up."
The blonde seemed deeply suspicious, but in the end relaxed, most likely simply too tired to fight against him. " Just don't touch me, un."
Sasori had long since declared himself unable to dream – after all, puppets were supposed to be immune to such things. That night, however, he found himself lingering in beautiful, amazingly realistic illusions.
~*~
From the beginning the two artists liked to bicker about their favorite subject.
That day not too far away from the night in the inn, Sasori groaned when an explosion shuddered the tiny cave they were staying in during their mission. " Would you please stop that?" he snarled eventually.
The younger man cast a grin his way. " Sorry, Danna. Those just make me relax, un."
He shook his head a little, wrinkling his nose when looking at all the smoke lingering in the cave. " I can't understand what you see in those things. They create so much mess."
Deidara emitted a strange, small sound. " Are you really telling me…?" The blonde's eyes were directed towards the newest explosion. " … that you don't consider that beautiful?"
Sasori snorted with distaste. " I can't understand how a brat like you imagines he knows anything about true beauty."
The argument ended – or perhaps escalated to a whole new level – when Deidara looked at him, blue eyes filled with what could've been mirth, surprise or just a fragment of his imagination. " You are a fool then, Danna, un", the younger man proclaimed with utmost sincerity.
They attacked each other violently that night, as though they'd been in a heat of some sort, both furiously determined to fight for their own art. (Although – as they lay together some hours later before Sasori got up and returned to his own resting place, watching how shadows danced on stone – they both confessed silently that they'd just found a form of art they could both appreciate.)
The next morning they didn't bother to talk much about the night time events, but a new sizzle lingered between them.
That certainly wasn't the last night they shared together.
~*~
Some harsh missions later they were both stunned when Sasori turned out to be the one to wind up battered.
That day and night, Deidara spent sixteen hours straight in his partner's room. He wasn't worried, or so he told himself – he just found the idea of losing a partner and ending up with another one far too annoying.
He was practically dozing off while standing before a window until a thick, somewhat sleepy voice made him jolt against himself. " Brat?" Sasori cleared his throat, and as he looked on he saw his partner pushing himself into a sitting position. " What are you doing here?"
He scoffed. " Making sure you won't leave me to become partners with some idiot, un." He then frowned, watching how the redhead tried out his limbs. " Are you still in one piece?"
Sasori nodded. " I can't be finished off that easily – you should know that by now." The man glanced towards him. " But you look like hell."
He rolled his eyes. " Well it's not my fault I was assigned to watch over you." That was a lie, but his partner would never have to know that. There was a long moment of odd, heavy silence. " Look…" He wasn't sure how to set his words without sounding pathetic. " A lot of people have dumped me already. I'm not watching you die on me, too."
For a moment Sasori looked at him with an unreadable expression, until producing a sound. " I'm not going to die, brat."
He nodded, feeling embarrassed. " Good." With that he turned around. " I'll go and get you some water, un."
~*~
Days scrolled on inevitably, and the two artists remained blissfully unaware of how fast precious time was slipping through their fingers.
Night had already fallen before the next, fateful day, and Sasori was about to go to bed when Deidara's very familiar voice halted his motions. " You're not asleep. Good."
He frowned when turning to look at the blonde. " Now what are you doing?"
The younger man's eyes gleamed with lust and something else. " I think you know, un."
Yes, he did, very well in fact. And he wasn't about to deny his partner.
That night Sasori gained great pleasure from the way Deidara gave restrained gasps and how the blonde's body arched against his. Filled with newfound desire he explored further, his mouth going through parts of the other he'd never brushed before.
Yes, they'd done this countless of times before. But tonight… there seemed to be something special involved. Something fiery, yet so delicate that Sasori almost shivered when hearing his young partner's silent, hot pants, somehow sensing every touch somewhere deep within him.
Giving in to some dark, desperate need, he bit the young blonde's neck all of a sudden, making sure he'd leave marks. Once doing so he felt confusingly lot like he'd been giving a gift of goodbye.
Blue eyes flashed towards him, filled with warning. " That's not a part of our deal, un."
He snorted. " Since when have you respected any deals and borderlines?" He nibbled the other again, more gently this time. " I just want to ensure that you're mine."
And for that one more night the blonde was, although the younger man would've never admitted it out loud.
Had he believed such a thing to be possible for people like they, he would've said they actually made love that night.
As he watched Deidara take off with Gaara's body not much later, he had a strong feeling that it'd turn out to be the last time he ever saw the blonde.
" See you later, Danna."
" Tch."
There was a tiny, sardonic smile on his face while he refocused his attention on more urgent matters.
Typical fate.
He blamed the surprising bout of discomfort that attacked him then on heat.
~*~
Not all that much later, Deidara surprised his comrades with volunteering as the one who'd take care of Sasori's body before it'd get into the hands of enemies.
For the longest time he stood completely still while looking at the corpse that'd been abandoned into solitude, with no one beside it than two puppets that held the redhead in a hollow embrace. His partner was painfully still, pale and broken, dull eyes left slightly open as though the man had been wishing to see someone, anyone.
In the end he managed to gather his wits and started to move, slowly as though he'd been approaching something very dangerous.
" 'Sorry I'm late, un." He swallowed thickly, not quite understanding the lump in his throat. " I… guess I was unprepared again." It felt much harder than he'd expected to refocus on the body before him. " But you weren't supposed to die in the hands of those two, either." He wasn't sure if his voice broke just a little bit or if he imagined it.
Without thinking he rested his hand against the older man's cheek, and only his pride kept him from biting his lip. Gosh, the skin was so cold!
" You… weren't supposed to go and die on me, un." He was surprised by the fact that those words didn't carry anger. " You promised, remember?"
His partner wouldn't respond.
Still working without realizing what he was doing he closed his partner's eyes with a uncharacteristically soft motion, then leaned down and rested his lips against the cool forehead for just a couple of seconds.
His eyes were closed when he pulled away. " Now let's get this over with. I've got the perfect burial for you in mind, un."
Some minutes later he stood at safe distance, watching how the cave he'd selected as his partner's tomb exploded with a set of deafening bangs.
Somehow, it made him feel just a little bit lighter to imagine that now, Sasori would always be a part of his art.
~*~
It wasn't much later Deidara found himself head to head with Sasuke Uchiha.
As the battle progressed it became clear to him that he wouldn't have to make Sasori wait for him as long as he'd expected.
His mind filling with peace he hadn't expected, he gathered absolutely all the strength there was left within him.
" Art…!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. For some reason his subconscious mind summoned a picture of Sasori's face instead of Sasuke's.
See, Danna?
" … is a bang!"
This is beauty!
As everything became so white and bright it hurt his eyes, he was almost sure he saw a hand reaching out for him.
A wide grin spread to his face.
" A shining moment only… is what beauty is."
" What point is there if it disappears in a moment? An everlasting creation… that is what true beauty is."
(A conversation between Deidara and Sasori, based on a fansub I found.)
Owari.
A/N: So… (gulps thickly) How was it – good, bad, something that should be disposed…?
I've gotta get going now, but before that… PLEASE, do leave a review! This is my first attempt with this couple, so I'd REALLY like to know what you think. (bats eyelashes irresistibly) Pretty please – in the name of Christmas sprit…?
Thank you so much for reading!
Take care, and have great, merry holidays!