"Sasori-kun!" a sugarcoated voice howled, echoing down the beige and gold colored halls, bouncing off the red tile floors. It was the beautiful, bouncy maid Rukia, happily making her way toward the deep maroon door of her employer's room. Casually dressed in a pair of powder blue skinnies and soft pink wife-beater, hair thrown up into a clean red ponytail, save for her bangs.
She was surprisingly happy, simply bursting at the seams with utter joy. Today was a very good day, one that needed to be celebrated, the redheaded spaz decided, a bright and comfortable smile etched onto that oh-so beautiful face of hers.
Her eyes traced the wood grain lines of her master's door, waiting very patiently for it to open. It was seven-thirty. 'Sasori-kun should be awake by now,' Rukia thought, frowning just slightly. A sigh soon escaped her lips.
It's been exactly one year since the incident in the alley, one year since she met Sasori again after three years. To put it bluntly, it was an anniversary of the first they've seen each other in a while. And Rukia just wanted to celebrate it with her friend.
A thump sounded inside the room.
"Sasori!" she gasped brightly, clapping her hands together as silky footsteps followed after and abruptly stopped. Two thin shadows planted themselves just before the door, his legs. And the handle jiggled pathetically. 'C'mon, Sasori-danna. C'mon!'
The door creaked quietly, slowly opening up to a pale man with messy red hair, the tips dusting his eyelids, adorned only in a pair of red and black striped boxers. A large black scorpion tattoo decorated his shoulder and upper arm, and in thick, dark black was the kanji for 'scorpion' written above his heart. His amber-nectar eyes, half-lidded, smoldered threateningly behind the tips of his flaming auburn hair. Oddly enough, he had a nice little eight-pack going on. And toned arms...
'Snap out of it, Roo!'
With a sheepish yet heart-warming grin, Rukia lifted her arm up and softly poked Sasori in the exact middle of his chest. "Guess what today is?" She flashed him her straight white teeth, gently sweeping the hair from his beautiful eyes.
And in those eyes she saw the slightest hint of confusion. But it was gone as soon as Sasori blinked. He quickly made a tight grab for the petite girl's wrist, attempting to force her to stop jabbing him. It was frustrating.
The action startled her, making her jump up a little. She even flinched.
"Today's what, exactly?" he asked, silk monotone, like he didn't do anything, like the young girl didn't do anything. Sasori stared at her for a minute or two as she thought of an answer, tracing the outline of her perfect face, ignoring the fading scar on her lightly dusted-with-freckles cheek.
It was hard to believe that her nose didn't used to be straight, that her shoulder didn't used to be restricted, that she didn't used to be so jumpy, that she didn't used to be so scared. Harue hated that it had happened to her, of all people. He loathed it intensely.
Just barely over a year ago, before he came back, this poor, beautiful girl started a drinking problem. He hated that too.
"One year ago today, August twenty-fifth, it was the first time we met after three years," the sweet girl explained, glancing to the left, averting the hardened eyes of Sasori. "I just thought we should celebrate... It's like a holiday for me." Her voice was sheepish and begging.
Sasori hated that, also.
'When will she learn that she doesn't have to beg me?' He pulled the door open more, allowing the girl to see all of him, his body language, and his expression. Better just to let her analyze. It's easier for her to understand things if she can see them.
He stood up straight and tall, an arm firmly situated against the doorframe, the other at his side. There was no obvious indication of an emotion, he knew, but Rukia was able to read him like an open book, just as he could her.
"What'd you have in mind?" he asked flatly, eyes still half-lidded and face still blank.
Rukia blinked, sparkling red eyes veering back to the older man. Was he serious? Of course he was. He's always serious. Oddly. She thought for a moment about what to say. "I was thinking that we could make a nice breakfast watch a movie or two...and maybe even have Deidara and Kakuzu come over and..."
"No. It can be just us." Sasori really did hate it when his coworkers entered his house. They always took advantage of Rukia. Except for Deidara and Pein. Those two were like family to the girl. Deidara was like an older brother. Pein was like her dad. Sometimes he wondered if he was anything like that to her. But he instantly flushed it from his mind.
He watched as her face grew bright. He liked that. He didn't quite know why, but he did.
Rukia clapped her hands together again, having been released by her master. And with a sweet smile, she turned, wiggled her hips and stepped into the center of the hallway. "You go ahead and get dressed. I can wait." She threw a glimmering grin over her shoulder at the redheaded man.
But he didn't shut the door like she thought he would. Sasori just...stood there, eying her with those nectar-amber eyes. They were like sweet honey orbs of a hidden emotion that seemed to melt her worries away. Delicious peanut butter cups... She hated that whenever she looked him in the eye she thought of candy.
Still, he stood there, analyzing her. One arm dropped to his side, relaxed after the small tingles of 'sleep' pricked at his veins, whilst the other slowly motioned for her to enter his darkened room.
