LAST LOOK

PART I.

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Dark clouds loomed the sky of Iwagakure for the past days as a continuous downpour descended down. Accustomed to the rainy weather, people walked slowly. They mumbled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry for there was nowhere to go and nothing to do.

A man stood out from the townspeople. He was moving faster than everyone though not fast enough to be quick. His long cloak made him appear to be gliding. Raindrops splattered above his straw hat. Another man trailed behind him.

"Such place always makes me sad, hn" His companion said who had been looking around occasionally "There's no life here. No beauty. No arts at all, yeah"

He ignored him but his words bequeathed a thought. Indeed, there was no beauty. After all, real beauty is hard to find. You can easily look at a flower and tell it is beautiful when you couldn't even distinguish nor remember it by the time of spring when everything else is in bloom. No real beauty last. The figure dies but the image forever haunts in your mind.

A gust of wind blew breaking some twigs from a nearby tree. Preventing the wind to get in his eyes, he turned his head sideways. He would have not noticed if his companion had not noted about the peculiarity of that broken shop aligned along with other stores.

"Who would have guessed a flower business exist here?" The blond man said in half-amused, half-mocked tone as he proceeded to walk. But sensing his master had remained, he stopped "I hate to interrupt you, hn. But is something wrong?"

There is. There was. And it was odd because suddenly his mind was trying to recall something, something he wanted then had hated, something that left his real beating heart and faux body uncoordinated, something that failed his doll-like feelings that awakened his deeper sensations. He looked over the shop, stared at the bushel of purple flowers— their crown raised up to the crying sky as if proud of the magnificent beauty they were giving, proud when tomorrow death would eradicate every single hue within them.

Today, they were singing. Tomorrow, they will be grieving. But then once again, he found himself lost over their short-lived magnificence… lost over their beauty.

In the upstairs room waking from the scent of flowers and warm wind from the open window, the stranger whose dress was changed in with cotton pajamas opened his eyes.

He sat up on his bed and stared outside the window. Since his bed was elevated halfway from the floor, it appeared that they had suspended him there to watch the setting sun. Situated atop the table beside the bed was a vase were the scent of flowers was coming from. On the same table lay neatly his clothes.

When the wind blew again, a petal fell. He stared at it long enough for him to have minded the place he was taken in instead. His eyes were fixated on it when he heard sound coming from the door. He turned just in time to see three uniformed girls giggling away. Outside, he heard another girl reprimand the three.

Footsteps.

Right.

Left.

Right.

It stopped. The door opened. A girl entered.

He studied her just he would study another addition to his collection. She was tall, slender, fair-skinned, and fair-haired. Her presence was of vibrant spirit. Sure, she was a cheerful girl but he could perfectly read something behind her façade. By that time, he knew the girl was hiding something. And on that very moment, he regarded her as someone he needed to eliminate. She had unraveled his secret that could be fatal for him

She slid on a chair beside the bed. Outside, the sky was a variety of orange.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. I was—"

"A shinobi from fire"

Ino was surprised "Yes, I am" It was obvious but it alarmed her "Does that troubles you?"

"Doesn't make much of a difference now if I say yes, does it?" He said. By saying so, he had given her a hint. He wanted her to see that what she brought to her country was a catastrophe, not a stranger who is in need of medical aid. He wanted to see horror in her face, wanted to see the lights flicker out her eyes. Not that he would openly say he was an Akatsuki. The leader would not enjoy the news of him meddling around with Konoha folks. The leader would not tolerate it. Then he thought, what the hell? In the first place he didn't join Akatsuki because he was with accordance to their beliefs and goals; he joined it to build and improve his collection. So why would he care about the Leader and the Akatsuki now? If he wished to onslaught Konoha now, no one was to blame him not even a deity above. Was he held responsible that he was now in Konoha— a place even the great Uchiha Itachi find difficult to enter?

Ino nodded but he could very well see the contrary in it. She said, "I found you unconscious in the forest I was scouting. I didn't mean to put you in trouble but it's against my principle to leave an injured person"

"Stranger or no stranger" He stated.

Again, Ino found herself surprised not because of the openness of his words as it did before, but because of the blankness of his stare "Yes, stranger or no stranger"

"I see," He said. He turned to the table "Where's my cloak?"

"Cloak?" The girl repeated as if the word was unknown "What cloak?" The blonde asked but he ignored her. He turned away and stared outside the window.

He pictured himself once again back at the forest where he found one of the jinchuuriki. In his mind, every detail of his fight flashed back. He remembered the devastating wind technique of the demon-bearer that left that part of forest annihilated. And then he remembered his body devoured by the strange charka omitting from the jinchuuriki's body. It was then that his cloak had been torn.

He nearly won surviving the great technique with his own. By that time, they were both drained but the difference had shown; his doll body was immune to exhaustion and fatigue.

But on the very second he would held him captive his body failed him. Had the technique dilapidated him? No, that couldn't be. There was no trace of it. Never had his body failed him, not after he was a kid, not after he could still felt veins throbbing beneath his skin, not after his parents died, not after loneliness and isolation had gotten him. But then darkness was closing in and for the first time, he didn't fight it back. He chose to submit himself into unconsciousness.

Chose proved to be correct. He was now in Konoha with nothing but a girl to deal with. What better opportunity could be there than he had now?

"Yamanaka-san," He turned on his charms, something he didn't know how good he was "I don't know how to thank you"

"You need not. Just get well soon and go back to your life"

He wasn't dim not to read the hints there "Okay, since you want me out of your sight as soon as possible"

Ino smiled. She could get as charming as she often wanted, and as charming as the lad in front of her too. "The doctor said you're in for a week more recuperation. Nevertheless, I think you can already go out in three days"

He stared at her "I'll sleep. I'll rest. I'll leave in three days. Now, will you stop horsing around?"

Ino shrugged, "I was wondering when you'll shot that"

"I know there's no doctor, not even a nurse. You're the one who aided me. You just put me up here for some props. Why?"

"I told you. I can't leave you behind"

"Even if it means putting yourself in trouble?"

"I'm not in trouble. You are"

"You don't know me."

"Just as you don't know me"

There was no point in fighting. And also, he was losing his patience, which could be disastrous because he might kill the girl, and lost all other chances in Konoha.

He brushed the blanket away from him and stood up. He stripped right there as if it was a civil thing to do and paying no attention to the stunned girl, retrieved his clothes from the table. He was pulling his shirt over his head when he said, "If I leave now, you think I can spend my remaining hospital days touring around instead?"

"Yes, but don't think I haven't reported about you"

He sat on the edge of the bed right in front of her chair then suddenly, he laughed, "Another lie of yours, isn't it. We both know you haven't told a single soul about me. Come to think about it, why didn't you call a doctor?" Then with movements so swift they seemed simultaneous, he leaned against her as he whispered close in her ear "We're too close we're sharing a secret. That's why you don't have the guts to tell anyone"

With that, she was gone. He let himself be pushed vehemently by the girl. He landed back on the bed, the blond girl above him as she held the kunai in the air ready to be thrust at him. "Fuck you. Now tell me who you are"

His eyes were blank.

He was losing his patience. He closed his eyes and imagined the girl ready to be included among his collection. He imagined dismembering her, removing all the organs, draining the blood out of the system. In his mind, he pictured her dead, his hand over her open chest, and his fingers around her beating heart ready to pull it from the tubes that held it in place.

Then he felt life throbbing in her body, felt her heart pumping against his own hollow chest. "I can feel it," he said, his voice suddenly tired "Your body"

To her astonishment, she blushed and thought how the man could be intimidating in a situation like that. She tightened her grip on his front shirt and shook him "Who the hell are you? Why do you have—"

"A doll body?" His eyes gleamed like a glass.

It was only then that it occurred to Ino what the lad was talking. The secret he was saying flashed back, the horrifying truth she unraveled when she tried to aid his body. She stood up, as did the man. The weapon remained on her hand.

Being a connoisseur of beauty hidden in nature, he realized her blue eyes were much beautiful when they slit "Tell me, are you a spy?"

He thought it wouldn't be bad if he began saying he was.

"Yes, I am"

"From where?"

He thought too that it wouldn't be bad if he gave a little hint "From Suna"

"If you leave now, I don't need to report about you anymore" She said which was a lie.

"You don't like the idea that I'll stay and you need to report"

She was too sick to have another argument that day since she brought him, too sick of playing around, so she held up her hands her fingers forming a triangular shape

"Shintenshin"

He flinched a little but didn't look the bit surprised unlike the blonde. "Do I need to lie dead now?" He said blankly. He could pretty get humored even if he didn't know it. If he just knew it was a mind-altering technique, he would have made a mental-note about it to tell later to Deidara. He doesn't even have a flesh brain to begin with. "I don't know what you're trying to do but you seemed unsuccessful. How about we smooth this out with a deal that I'll stay with a promise that I would not do anything wrong and you'll not report about me?"

"You're being fishy. If you wish no harm on my land, why don't you just leave today? You're fully healed"

"So I am. But I'm singled out. My comrades died and my enemies are after me. All I'm asking is a month of stay"

"It rarely happens that spies work in group. Also, your country Suna is a very powerful country for you to be afraid"

"I'm not afraid. Actually, I leaked an information about them that's why they're after me too"

"That makes you more dangerous to hide here. And also, how would I know if you really don't want to obtain then leak information of my country too?"

"That's why we're fixing this deal, aren't we? We're pretty messed up in each other's life. Also, you know my secret. I can't just go on with my life knowing that"

"I don't give a damn about your secret" Ino closed her eyes and thought, the hell I don't give a damn. "I can't keep you for a month. And this deal you're putting on me, I don't have a profit on it, only you have"

Witty girl, he thought. "I'm a spy," he said and smiled.

"I don't need you spying for me"

"I don't mean that. I could give you information. And knowledge is the world of shinobi is very powerful" He stared at her.

Ino looked away. Outside, the sun was gone and the wind had become cool. The sky was cloudless with few early stars. She really didn't need that kind of profit. Never did she wish to be powerful after she witnessed her sensei die in front of her. Power either brings death to others or to yourself. But then she wanted to know what was the story behind the doll body, behind the blankness of his stare, behind the innocent face that made her brought him up here in the first place that is now putting a stain to her loyalty to her country.

She was amused to find herself choosing curiosity over power as her reason to keep him. She was sure both Shikamaru and Asuma would agree how annoying her way of thinking was, save Chouji who was always taking her side.

"I'm only promising two weeks, nothing more, the less the better"

Two weeks, that is more than enough. He thought with such eagerness that it reflected in his eyes yet left unnoticed by the girl.

"You haven't introduced yourself yet. You don't want me calling you the spy, do you?" She joked but neither laughed.

"If you find it funny, I don't mind" He stared at her. Let her enjoy life. The pretty little thing didn't even know that two weeks meant two weeks before her death. Slowly, he said "Sasori," And let her know my name. At least she could curse my name on her deathbed.

On a game, one is more likely to win that the other. Ino returned her weapon and smiled. Your only fault is that you don't know I knew who you really are.

Sasori smiled back, that smile that summoned all the charms in his face.

She knew very well that power, which the stranger earlier offered, was the cause of many miseries. What she didn't know was that power was dangerous but curiosity was fatal, especially in her case where curiosity was quenched in later events.