The sunlight hurts my eyes...but not as much as your pain does.
Izaya was a world based on power.
This was ingrained into everyone's head. Be stronger, work with your power, it's not good enough...
But sometimes, Sasori thought, it's better than good enough, or worse than pathetic.
He took the stairs two at a time, clambering down into the brightly lit living room, where Kakuzu lounged at the coffee table, examining a holo-soun, this world's version of a book. Words danced in front of Kakuzu's face, and he chewed his lips as he studied them. The machine projecting them into thin air whirred loudly.
There was no paper in Izaya. Only screens and brightly lit words that you could always see, no matter how dark the room. No paper at all, except for one exception.
Sasori heard clattering coming from the kitchen, followed by a female's voice, cussing loudly. "Konan?" he called, heading for the open doorway.
The kitchen was a mess. Pots littered the floor, and a holo-soun displaying a recipe for teriyaki chicken was lying on the ground. Konan's lower half was missing, and paper flew around the room, trying to straighten things up as Konan directed it.
Konan was a paper child, a girl composed entirely of paper. Similar to Deidara, a child made of flames.
Sasori didn't know what he was made up of. Dreams, maybe.
He jumped over a pot and landed lightly on the ground, staring up at his friend. "What are you doing?" he asked in his soft voice.
"You're taking over," Konan snapped, calling her paper back to her, lowering to the ground as the sheets began to form her legs. "How's Deidara?"
"Bonfire's fine," Sasori murmured, bending down to pick up the holo-soun. "You want me to make thus?" he asked, raising the device and giving the woman a questioning look. She nodded, snapping her fingers at her paper hair flower, and it rose up from it's place on top of the kitchen table.
"They called again," she said quietly, leaning back against the counter as Sasori gathered what he needed, taking the chicken out of the refrigerator and flipping the heat on the mokin-sho, this world's stove. The pan hovered inches off of the surface, and small flaming birds flew up to the pan and back.
"Why must they call for me..." he muttered as he opened the chicken, tossing a few of the pre-cut chunks into the pan. One fell to the side, and a bird caught it in it's beck, burning it to ashes before disappearing with a cry.
"You're the world's best dreamwalker, Sasori," Konan replied, raising her hand. The paper lifted up at the edges, folding over into a small crane, and she examined it carefully.
"I don't care," the red head replied, grabbing the bottle of instant spice. "Teriyaki," he said aloud, and then turned it over, shaking out a few glittering flakes that melted as soon as they touched the pan.
Konan sighed, allowing the crane to collapse. "You can't control it."
Sasori didn't say a word as the pan shifted around, keeping the chicken from burning. "I don't like this world," he said finally.
"It's the only world," Konan said automatically, already used to this argument. "I know you can walk dreams, but how do you know there's another world?"
"It like you knowing that you can turn into paper," Sasori shrugged. "Have Kakuzu set the table, please. Food's almost done."
"Are we just eating meat tonight?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow as she pushed herself back to a standing position. "No veggies?"
"Powers don't need it, Konan," Sasori replied quietly. "We don't need it."
She gave him an odd look, but he ignored her, and finally she left the room, muttering under her breath as Sasori finished cooking their dinner.
"We can't avoid them forever. The Oto" Kakuzu said matter-of-factly as Sasori heaped some chicken onto his plate.
The Oto.
The people in Izaya responsible for most deaths. The ones who drove sane people to murder, and breathed hatred into the peaceful. They wanted the four powers that Sasori, Konan, Kakuzu and Deidara possessed, and would get them.
Sasori sighed as he dumped some food onto his own plate. The red head supposed it might smell good, but he didn't know...his sense were dulled because of his dreamwalking power, just like Deidara's were enhanced.
Sasori set the bowl down silently, taking his seat. "Our powers..." he whispered, picking up his fork and poking at his chicken.
"What was that?" Konan asked, shoving some of her food into her mouth, eying Sasori as she chewed.
"They want us because of them," the red head said softly. "Wouldn't it be better if we didn't have them?"
Kakuzu looked horrified. "How would we protect ourselves then?" he demanded, stabbing a piece of chicken so hard it cracked his plate, but he didn't glance at it.
"If we didn't have them," Sasori explained, nibbling at his food, "We wouldn't be attacked. Deidara wouldn't be about to die. Kakuzu wouldn't work shifts at the hospital, a job he hates. Konan would not have to hide when it rains."
They didn't say anything to that, and the table was silent for several minutes.
"They're coming for us, though. The Oto, and they showed they'll do anything to get us, even kill one of us, or hurt us like they did Deidara" Kakuzu said finally. "What can we do?"
Sasori tilted his head, smiling for the first time that evening. He had to avoid the Oto. They represented too many things he wanted to forget, and were the cause of his strong powers.
"We will not," he said, "Be doing this alone. We are not the only ones the Oto wants."
"Who else is there?" Kakuzu asked bitterly. Sasori merely shook his head, still smiling.
"I'll have to ask the other world," he replied, getting to his feet and gathering his plate and silverware. Konan groaned, slapping her face with her hand.
"There is no other world! There's only Izaya!"
Sasori paused in the kitchen doorway. "How...are you so certain?" he whispered, before turning the corner and disappearing from view.
You're holding the whole world in your hand...but I have my own, right here.
Author's Comment: This is fun xD Hope y'all like!
