Chapter 3: OVER AGAIN
A smile and a laugh and two pints of ice cream.
Those were Masami's favorite memories throughout elementary school. Sitting in the large den on the faux fur rug eating cookie dough ice cream out of the container while her sensei snacked on plain vanilla. They would talk about her training and progress, but she liked to hear about his work and about his life. It always fascinated er about the places he had been when he was only ten years older than her. She loved seeing him smile at her when she made goofy expressions to his stories.
That's where they sat now, in the den with pints of ice cream in the awkward silence. Masami had changed out of her dress and into grey cotton shorts and an oversize lime green hoodie. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail while Sasori had removed his black tie and jacket, and had undone the top three buttons on his dress shirt. Masami could see the strong pale collar bone that peeked out under his open shirt. Her eyes kept flickering to his bare skin while she shoveled spoonfuls of the creamy sweet treat into her mouth.
"How long are you in town this time?" She asked breaking the silence. She rolled onto her back balancing the pint on her stomach as she stared up at the peeked ceiling.
"Don't know." Sasori answered flatly. This almost pleased Masami, but she knew the Boss never gave fore warnings before shipping someone off on an important mission. By tomorrow morning Sasori could be gone and on his way to a far away place without a word of farewell.
"Sen-sei." She hummed looking to her right. He looked down at her and their gazes locked for a moment. Her heart throbbed and the voice in her head stuttered it's argument to just ignore him, which Masami didn't listen to.
"Sensei tell me a story." She sang reaching over to grab his sleeve. With her other hand she removed the ice cream from her stomach and placed it on the hardwood floor. Sasori released an amused sigh as he too set his frozen treat aside.
"What kind of story?" He asked as she took hold of his hand. She squeezed his fingers lightly before cradling his hand against her chest, feeling the weight reassured her that he was really there not just another illusion her brain had conjured up.
"A real one." She answered closing her eyes. She could smell the woody cologne that hung around him; feel the warmth through her hoodie from his palm that warmed her heat; hear the steady rhythm of his breathing.
He didn't pause to think about a story, and Masami already knew that her sensei already had one in mind.
"She was a small child, but never quiet." He began and his voice took a faraway tone. Like he was no longer in the present and was watching what he said play out in front of him. "She loved to cause trouble, but never apologized without being told to do so. The little girl would run away every week, but would be found curled up in the garden asleep with tears staining her rosy cheek. She hated her home, loathed it to no end, but never actually escaped it. She never said why, but she kept a smile on her delicate face whenever anyone asked. Then one day she announced her dedication to her family business, and without warning she climbed the ranks and became the youngest member of the Akatsuki Organization."
Masami waited for the rest of the story, but Sasori was done. That was the whole tale he had for her.
She crawled over to his lap where she laid her head against his legs and looked up at him with empty eyes. His story had been about her, they always were, and it just reminded her that she was just a child to him. Whining about unfair things in life, complaining about issues that didn't actually exist. No matter how she tried she was still a kid to him, so she played up the act.
"What happened to the girl? Is she happy? Is she loved?" She asked staring up at his expressionless face that stared out the window that engulfed the wall across from them. It over looked the backyard that was lit up by dozens of hidden lamps. The fall weather had changed the trees' colors to amber and crimson and the bushes were bare of flowers, it looked like a sad scene that welcomed death.
"The smile stays on her face, but she forces it. As for being loved, I can't imagine that her teammates don't love her. They've watched her grow, seen the good sides of her, and witnessed the bad, but they won't leave her." Sasori answered as he brushed her stray bangs out of her face.
His light touch caused a blaze to shoot across her skin as she closed her eyes again. Such a basis answer. Masami wasn't sure what she was expecting asking such question. Maybe she wanted him to say he cared about her, or that the girl was rotten and soiled and no one could ever love her. If he had said the latter she could truly have given up and only focused on her work without having the nagging voice to tell her she's wrong to want and to hope.
"Sensei I'm a selfish brat." She said making herself comfortable on his lap. He remained silent as she released a childish yawn.
"I'm sorry." She muttered before she slipped into a darkness she hadn't enjoyed in weeks. Before Sasori knew it Masami was snoring softly in his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world to her.
"You're not very subtle Itachi." Sasori said as he stroked Masami's hair. The black haired man stepped into the den, hands in his suit pockets and his dark eyes zeroed in on the sleeping girl.
"She's asleep." Itachi said in a way that sounded like he was pleased. Both men stared down at her for a moment, captivated by how soundly she was sleeping.
"Is she still taking the sleeping pills?" Sasori asked as he took hold of her limp hand that was resting against his knee.
"Every night she feels like sleeping." Itachi answered looking over at the half eaten pint of cookie dough ice cream. Deidara would always offer the treat as a reward to Megami after a successful mission, but she would refuse and remind them that she hated ice cream. Itachi knew better. The cold dairy product brought up memories she wanted to forget when he wasn't around. He was the only one who could share the treat with her without her rage emerging and choking the person enjoying the creamy sweetness.
"She's lost more weight." Sasori noted as he weighed her hand in his. It was slimmer with her pale skin stretched over her bony knuckles. He nails were chewed but were painted black to hide the damage.
"She doesn't eat regularly. It's a fight to get her to go to school. There's not a cell in her body that respects herself." Itachi explained looking down at the redhead who stared at their Megami, their Goddess of the Akatsuki. She had refused the title Hime, saying a name like that brought to mind a pure hearted girl, and that she herself was far from pure.
"Can you blame her?" Sasori said flatly as he placed the back of her hand against his lips, not in a kiss but to feel her warmth. It was dim almost cold, but there was a warmth to her touch that Sasori used to tel himself she was still alive.
"She was brought into a world of filth. Born into a family of murderers and gangsters. Taught to kill at the age of ten, and became a assassin at thirteen, what respect should she have growing up like that?" Sasori challenged lowering her hand to her side.
"She still has her humanity. She knows right from wrong and can still act upon them accordingly." Itachi stated. His black eyes glared at the redhead with growing hatred. It was Sasori-dono that could relax the stressed Megami. Only he could get her to admit her weaknesses. Always only him, and not Itachi- Masami's guardian for the past ten years.
"But for how much longer?" Sasori flatly questioned as Masami groaned in her sleep. Her face scrunched up creasing her forehead, but as Sasori stroked her cheek her expression relaxed and her soft snoring picked back up.
Itachi turned his back to his superior anger hidden behind a blank expression. "Boss called me. He's furious that you're not answering your phone." He explained over his shoulder. "You leave for Suna in the morning. I won't say a word to her."
"You never do, Uchiha. You're selfish in that way." Sasori stated as Itachi started to leave the room. He paused in the doorway fists clenched in his pockets.
"that makes me human." He replied darkly over his shoulder before leaving Megami behind to rest in the lap of a man who will disappear from her before she can even open her eyes. He knew what tomorrow would entail; silent anger, empty eyes, and a ghost like smile to cover the pain.
Masami was an addict who just had a taste of her beloved drug and tomorrow she would go through excruciating withdrawal bringing her closer to the edge of insanity that she was barely fighting off.
"Masami-chan!" Rock Lee exclaimed as he greeted her at the door of their classroom. She cringed away from his loud voice as she pushed past him so she could get to her seat. Her head pounded with the pain she was trying to ignore since she woke up in her bed alone.
Alone.
Just like she thought, Sasori was gone again without a word of his leave. Itachi had been there prepared to force her to get ready for school, but he didn't have to. Masmai, zombie-like, climbed out of bed and got into the shower running scolding hot water. Itachi had to adjust the temperature for her as she just stood there accepting the pain. She didn't move for an hour as the water rained down over her. Itachi had to call the maid Sari to help Masami wash and prepare for the day. Once she was ready he drove her to school in his dark red Bentley.
Sitting at her desk Masami laid her head against the cool smooth surface waiting for the sarcastic comment she knew would come from the Uchiha sitting several seats behind her. Instead someone tapped her shoulder, and she half expected to be Lee with a huge list of questions, but she was met with a firm stare.
"Hyuga." Masami nodded as she sat up.
"Family issues really that bad?" He halfheartedly inquired as she released a shaky sigh.
Looking back up at him Masami gave him a half smile that didn't reach her eyes." Worse than you can imagine." She said keeping the smile in place. The expression sent a chill down Neji's spine.
"I'll make it up to you. I'm very good to my word." She winked at him, promising to finish what they had started the night before.
"I know you will be. We're talking about me after all." Neji said as his ego inflated smile pulled his mouth.
"Oh god." Sasuke groaned behind them and two sets of eyes glared at him.
"Jealous Uchiha?" Masami sneered boredly. The younger brother of Itachi wasn't worth her time, after all he had the world's weirdest brother-complex. One moment he would want to see Itachi the he would want him dead, but Masami figured it was an act to get her guardian's attention.
"Of what? An egotistical asshole, and a bi polar slut. Yeah I'm ringing with jealousy." Sasuke retorted sarcastically. Rolling his navy blue eyes to exaggerate his annoyance.
"Why you-" Neji began to fight back but was cut off by Masami's sharp laugh that drew every one's attention to the trio.
"Your onii-chan wouldn't approve of such words Sa-su-ke." She laughed like she was losing her hold on her sanity. Neji stared at her with wide eyes while Sasuke for a moment looked hurt and scared, but his expression changed so fast Masami almost believed she imagined it.
"Shut up." Sasuke hissed adverting his eyes.
"Oh right you don't know how he can be so strict." She teased darkly causing the audience she had gathered to look away scared for themselves.
Dangling his brother in front of him was Masami's greatest weapon against Sasuke, and she enjoyed every minute of it. Not because she could, but because Sasuke flaunted his girlfriend around like his love life was perfect while hers was at the bottom of a black hole- not that he even knew that.
"Mochizuki ignore the lower class. He knows nothing." Neji said turning his back to Sasuke. Masami and Sasuke held gazes for a moment hatred and loathing sparked between them until he looked away. Feeling victorious she turned around in her chair just in time to see Kakashi stroll in, late as usual.
More tests filled the school day which allowed Masami to fill her aching head with mind numbing facts.
