Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Akatsuki or any of the characters/concepts featured. All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Soul-shattering, tear-jerking pain.

For Sasori, that was the only thing Valentine's Day could be linked to. Though only eight years of age, he'd developed a very pessimistic view of the subject. The chocolates, the cards, the presents; it was all nonsense, nothing more than one big, romantic cover-up. The true, hidden purpose of Valentine's Day was to break people's hearts into a billion teeny-weeny pieces.

He sat on his favourite bench in the playground, a small notepad in his lap and a pencil in his hand. His chubby face had a look of extreme concentration as he filled the page with little doodles. Most of them were of a macabre, somber nature; thunderclouds, skulls, a scruffy fox-like beast, a family of depressed stickmen...

It was disturbing for someone so young to have such a jaded outlook, even more so for them to drawing skeletons everywhere, but he simply couldn't bring himself to create anything else.

He was sad and that meant he wanted to draw sad things.

He looked up, his short, crimson hair bobbing with the motion. His dull, brown eyes surveyed the playground and he scowled at what he saw. The other children were playing happily together, laughing and cheering, and running around all over the place. A good portion of them had broken off into pairs to exchange shy smooches and cute, heart-shaped gifts. A few of the boys had even purchased special red ribbons for the girls to tie their hair up with.

Sasori screwed up his nose.

Yuck.

Couldn't they see how silly they were being? Didn't they understand that they were going to end up feeling miserable? He huffed and looked down at his tiny, pale hands. He curled them into fists; it felt good to release his anger, even if his nails pierced his palm.

Clearly, only he understood the true nature of Valentine's Day. Perhaps he was the only one that had witnessed it...

Today was the day.

A seven-year-old Sasori clasped a small bunch of flowers to his chest, which was puffed out proudly. It was nothing more than a bundle of common plants; daisies, dandelions, and the odd bluebell. He'd worked very hard over the weekend; searching his garden for anything nice-looking. He had intended to pluck a few of the prettier blooms from his grandmother's flowerbed, but the old lady had given him a strict warning about that.

It was a pity; he wanted Sakura to have the very best he could offer. He stood patiently outside her classroom, his cheeks as red as hair. He rocked cutely on his heels, back and forth, and took a few deep breaths.

'Calm down, Sasori. She's gonna like them...'

His class had been let out slightly earlier than usual, to celebrate Valentine's Day. Oh how he loved Valentine's Day; everything was so bright and cheerful, and hugs were wonderful things that made him feel warm and fuzzly.

All at once, the door to Sakura's classroom opened.

Sasori quickly jumped back to avoid the stampede of children. They rushed out in a single, huge mass, their coats flapping and their rucksacks bouncing up and down on their backs. The last to appear was Sakura. She struck a regal pose on the threshold, like a princess, her pink hair framing her pretty face. Another girl stood next to her, holding her school bag. She had long, platinum blonde hair and went by the name of Ino.

Just seeing the two of them so close made Sasori heart beat faster. Butterflies danced in his belly and his face felt hot. Summoning all his zeal and courage, he moved to stand directly in front of them, legs apart in a commanding position.

He extended the flowers to Sakura as an offering.

'Here,' he said, simply. The rest of his words tumbled from his lips in an wobbly stream. 'I really really like you and I want you to have these because you're the most beautiful person in the whole wide world and...and I want you to be...I w-want...'

He faltered, stupidly, as his nerves began to get the better of him. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and he couldn't say anything. It didn't help that Sakura was staring it him with wide, emerald-green eyes. She looked as though she'd just seen a ghost.

And then she laughed.

She opened her mouth and threw her head back in exaggeration, flicking her hair as she did so. Her giggles formed a cold, derisive melody, one that seemed to wilt Sasori's pathetic bouquet.

'Ew! Just ew! Where did you find those dirty things?'

Sasori gulped and his hand trembled, involuntarily crushing the stems. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, the salty droplets hanging on his eyelashes.

'M-my garden,' he whispered, weakly.

Ino grinned and Sakura sneered at him.

'I thought so! Put them back! Y'know, Sasuke got me a rose today! He's so handsome! Do you have any roses, Sasori?'

'W-well, no-'

Sakura snorted, obviously displeased with his answer. She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

'Oh go away,' she said, bluntly. 'C'mon, Ino. We have better things to do than hang out here!'

The blonde girl nodded, partly out of fear and partly in agreement. With that, the two of them waltzed off towards the school gate, happily chatting away as though nothing had happened. A variety of girly keychains hung from their bags and they jingled happily.

Sasori was left alone in the playground with nothing but his shadow for company.

He sniffled a few times, wiping his nose on his sleeve, and his hand fell limp against his side, the flowers leaving his grasp. They landed on the concrete, several of the more delicate ones shedding their petals in the process.

Then he did what all children do.

He cried.

Tears streamed down his plushy cheeks and his face contorted in agony. His nose even started to run and he covered his face, ashamed. His tiny shoulders heaved with sorrow. He didn't understand. What had just happened? That wasn't the way things were supposed to go. That wasn't what he'd been taught. The stories the adults gave always ended differently; the boy got the girl, they kissed, and then they lived happily ever after.

Surely that was how things were supposed to work. Did he make a mistake? Was his gift not good enough? Was there something wrong with the way he looked?

He pursed his lips, choking down a few strained sobs. He gave a yelp of frustration and stamped his little feet over the flowers, smooshing them into the ground until they were barely recognisable; all the remained was an unsightly, green smear on the playground floor, a few ragged petals scattered to the left hand side.

Sasori drew in a sharp breath and turned away from the scene.

'Fine,' he mumbled, moodily. 'I dun n-need girls anyway. Girls are icky and horrible and d-disgusting...'

Sasori scowled at the unpleasant memory.

Sakura had moved away later that year, along with Ino and her precious Sasuke. Apparently, she'd gone to live with her father by the seaside, or something akin to that. He had been glad to see her go; she'd ruined his whole life.

Fortunately, she'd been replaced by a young boy, one that didn't seem so shallow.

He went by the name of Deidara and he seemed to be integrating rather well. With his golden hair and azure eyes, he was a new class favourite, and the teacher always chose him for special jobs.

Personally, Sasori didn't see what the fuss was about.

He lowered his head once more, returning to his gloomy picture-book land. There were still a few blank spaces that needed to be filled. He was midway between drawing a vulture when a small hand blocked his vision. Growling, he looked up and shot the culprit a mean, sour look.

Two baby blue eyes shrank away in fear, their owner almost falling backwards from shock.

Sasori narrowed his eyes. Speak of the devil; that's what his grandmother always said in these situations.

'What do you want?' he hissed, icily, pressing his artwork to his chest.

Deidara tapped his fingers together and turned his head away, almost bashfully. Most of his honey-coloured hair had been tied up with a silky, cherry ribbon, part of which dangled down his back. His cheeks were dusted a light pink and his voice wavered as he spoke.

'W-well...I just w-wanted to say that I...I kinda sorta...like-like you..un...'

Sasori stared blankly at him, unamused. He set down his pencil with a wooden clatter. 'And?'

Deidara's blush deepened and reached into his pocket, taking out a gummy Haribo ring. He awkwardly presented it to the redhead, his hands cupped and shaking.

'I w-was wondering if m-maybe you could...we could...um...if you w-want to...be my Valentine, un?' he asked, finally, heaving a sigh of relief afterwards.

Sasori glared at him. It was a glare so hateful and malicious that it could very well freeze fire. He opened his mouth, intending to rudely dismiss the sweet, but paused before any sound emerged. Slowly, his lips clamped shut.

Deidara gazed deeply at him, his eyes big and round. The poor boy looked as though he were awaiting judgement from Satan.

Sasori remained silent for a few minutes, investigating his classmate's sapphire orbs with his own dull, mocha ones. Though young, he could distinguish a variety of emotions. He could see fear, curiosity, excitement, and, most importantly, he could see himself. Reflected in those eyes was everything he'd felt a year ago; the trepidation, the enthusiasm, and bucketloads of innocence.

Deidara was just like him; a thin thread of hope, and, just like him, the boy had given someone else a pair of scissors. The whole scenario touched something deep within Sasori's chest, something that hadn't been reached in a long while.

Calmly and quietly, he reached out and picked up the jelly ring, sliding it onto his hand and splaying his pale fingers to admire it.

He didn't say a word; he didn't need to.

Deidara's face broke into a huge grin, one that stretched from ear to ear, and his teeth shone like pearls. Unable to contain himself, he lunged forward, grabbing Sasori and pulling him into tight hug. He nuzzled the redhead's shoulder, his face a picture of blissful delight.

'Thank you, un! Thank you, thank you, thank you!'

Not knowing what else to do, Sasori awkwardly patted the boy's back. He couldn't keep his lips twitching into a small smile.

Hugs always did give him fuzzly feelings inside...

This was just something small I wrote for Valentine's Day. X3

It's really been a while since I updated; I wanted to give you guys a lot of stuff this time around. Hopefully you like it, at least a little. XDD Happy late Valentine's Day! I hope you all had a wonderful time, with a ton of chocolate, of course. I stuffed myself with Dolly Mixture sweets. X3

Love ya lots!