This is it…

Deidara's heart pounded heavily.

This is it…

He slowly took a step forward.

When Deidara heard the saying of seeing flashbacks before death, he had always thought it to be a joke.

Looking back, he pitifully realized how there was nothing worthwhile in his life to remember. Everything was pitch black…just like the cold, winter's night. The only speck of light he could see within the darkness was the faces of his friends. Even though he only knew them for four cycles*, it was amazing how big of a part they had played in his life.

The butterfly inhaled, about to take another step when a foot suddenly came slamming into his back. With a cry, he tumbled through the door and fell face first into the dirt.

"Get in already." A voice behind him growled impatiently and snapped Deidara back to the real world.

The blond quickly pushed himself up and spat out a mouthful of the bitter dirt. He coughed heavily trying to get the rest out of his system. It was hard to imagine that there are actually insects that can feed on these things.

"Wha-" Deidara choked, "what was that for?"

"You were taking forever, stupid brat." The mantis snarled.

Deidara parted his mouth, about to make a comeback before he took noticed of the room he was in. He blinked at the bright light seeping out of the sunstones that were embedded over the ceiling. When he glanced back down, his eyes rounded in surprise to see that it wasn't a kitchen or a dining room as he was expecting.

Deidara rubbed his eyes.

'This can't be right.'

When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him did not change.

The walls of the room were layered with dried pieces of reddish brown leaves and the floor crawling with patterns of plant roots. Before him was a sink, beautifully crafted from balsa wood – one of the typical favourite material insects like to use. There was a closet to his left with dark brown bark slide doors and to his right was a tub, also crafted from balsa wood. The showerhead hung on the wall, seeming to be made from a hollowed root.

"Umm…this is…?" Deidara murmured in confusion as the redhead leaned against the doorway, successfully blocking off the only exit.

"Bathroom." The blond scowled.

"I know that." He retorted. "I meant why did you bring me here?"

"Clean yourself up." The mantis said, well, more like ordered. "You reek."

A large vein popped over the mop of blond hair. Deidara's nails were digging into the soil as he tried his best to resist the urge to punch that flawless face. It was when he glanced down to his outstretched arms did he realized how true the mantis's words are.

His kimono was so dirty that the beautiful blond silk has been dyed brown. His hands were coated with a layer of blackened blood with a mixture of sand and mud. Immediately the butterfly realized where this whole nonsense was going. "If you're going to eat me after I bathed, then why should I–?" Deidara instantly shut his mouth when he noticed the glare the redhead was shooting him. The butterfly's gaze dropped, knowing he has no choice.

"I get it, I get it, un." He murmured and glanced back to the shower head. "I just need a bath right?" He walked over to the tub before taking a glance back to the mantis that has yet to move from his spot.

"…Can you step out, un?"

The mantis shifted those auburn irises to the blond. "Do you want me to wash you or do you prefer doing it yourself?" He spoke in a threatening tone.

"It was only a question." Deidara grumbled lowly so the mantis wouldn't hear. "You didn't have to be a jerk about it, un."

Taking a quick glance back to the predator, he carefully slipped out of his filthy kimono, making sure to avoid touching any of his wounds. He stepped into the wooden tub, but found the space a little cramped because of his broken wing that was slanting to the side. Shifting into a more comfortable position, he turned on the tab, just a little, and watches as a large, palm size bubble of water* gathered from the showerhead.

Deidara reached out his hand, letting the large droplet of water land into his palm. He sighed at the comfortable warmth of the water heated by the sun. As much as he wanted nothing more than to turn the water on all the way and relieve himself from the coat of dirt, he had to watch out for his injuries. There was no doubt the contact with the water would sting and he would much rather avoid adding any more pain. Giving his reflection a quick glance, he ran the bubble of water down his arm, instantly removing all sort of filth stuck on him.

He sighed deeply as he began scrubbing the dirt off his skin. As he worked on his arms, Deidara couldn't help but sneak another peek to the mantis standing (guarding) by the door. The redhead was facing the wall with both eyes gently closed. He was so still that for a moment, Deidara almost thought he saw an orchid.

Then, the mantis's pale hand suddenly twitched and the illusion was shattered.

Waking from his trance, Deidara ran his eyes down to the mantis's hand that was constantly shifting in an uncomfortable gesture. Upon taking a closer look, Deidara noticed the nectar stuck over the predator's skin. Suddenly, an idea came into his mind as Deidara smirked.

'It's not like I'm gonna live after this anyways…' He held back a laugh as he reached out to catch another droplet of water that had formed.

If he was going to die, the least he could do was have a last moment of fun, right?

"Hey~" Deidara called sweetly as the mantis shifted. The other didn't reacted right away, but when he realized that the butterfly was calling out to him, he turned only to have a ball of water thrown right into his face.

"You brat!" The mantis sneered, shaking the large droplets of water off as Deidara broke out into a laughter.

"You looked uncomfortable in the nectar so I thought I could help." The butterfly said innocently, but his smirk told the mantis otherwise. In a matter of second, Deidara once again found himself being slammed down, adding more bruises to his already abused back. When he opened his eye, he found the Orchid Mantis hovering over him, not even allowing the littlest space for him to escape.

"You asked for it." The mantis snarled as he grabbed the showerhead.

A stream of water came splashing down, causing the blond to cry out from his throbbing wounds.

"Ow! Hey–!" Deidara raised his arms, desperately trying to stop the flow of the water. "My wound's– Ugh!"

"Stay still." He heard the mantis growled as cool fingers began roughly scratching the mud off his cheek. The butterfly didn't listen and just kept struggling. With the force the mantis was putting, he wouldn't be surprise if he wakes up next morning to find his face deformed – that is, if he can even live to tomorrow.

"AH!" Deidara yelped when he felt the mantis's nails digging into his skin. "I said wai– that hurts!" Deidara complained but the hand kept working at his face and eventually scraping his hair. His healthy wing flapped wildly from his struggles, only to be roughly nailed down by the mantis's foot.

"If you stop thrashing around it'll be less painful, brat." The mantis said indifferently, and Deidara listened. There wasn't much of a choice. He ceased his struggles and true to his word, the mantis began using lesser force. Though he still wasn't anywhere near gentle, at least the pain died down a lot. His wounds were beginning to feel a little better too, after getting use to the water.

"Are all Orchid Mantises mean like you, Danna?" Deidara murmured as he felt the mantis scratching the mud from behind his neck.

"What did you call me?" The mantis asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The butterfly flinched as though he just realized what had slipped from his mouth. "Oh…that's just a habit of how I address others, un. Besides, I don't know your name– Ah!" He was cut off with a yelped when the side of the mantis's leg pushed into his wound. At his wince, the mantis stopped, pulling back and for the first time got a clear view of the butterfly's body. Deidara gave the mantis a weird look when he noticed how stiff the other had become.

"Hey…?" Deidara murmured, but the mantis didn't move. He stared into his prey's eyes for a long while before he suddenly dropped the showerhead. Lost in trance by the predator's eyes, Deidara failed to notice the showerhead coming at him until it was too late.

"Ow!" He winced and quickly held a hand over his reddening forehead. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring straight up to the ceiling.

The mantis was gone.

"There are some clothes in the closet, wear it after you're done." Deidara heard the redhead's voice echoed from the other side of the room, followed by the loud slamming sound of the door.

With a push of his elbows, the butterfly slowly and carefully pulled himself up. He grasped the edge of the tub for support. It was only after taking a long glance around the empty bathroom did his mind registered the fact that the mantis really left.

"…What was that about?" He wondered out loud.

He thought back to the look the mantis had when he froze, but his mind began drifting further, back to when he was being rudely washed like some old laundry. The mantis was a jerk. That was Deidara's first impression but at the memory of how the redhead kept his word and went gentler in his scrubbing, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Maybe he isn't so bad, un."

After managing to rinse the last bit of dirt from his wings, Deidara stepped out of the tub and shook off the large droplets of water with ease. He frowned when he felt the soggy heaviness in his wings, but shrugged it off. It wasn't like he could fly anyways.

Running his eyes around the bathroom, he quickly found the closet and opened it to reveal a set of the mantis's robes. They were all in that flowery style similar to the one his captor wore, only different in the value of red and patterns. Randomly picking one out, Deidara proceeded to put it on when he realized a problem.

His wings.

The slit in the robe for the wings were too small to fit Deidara's. The blond glanced around for anything he could use. When he found none, Deidara decided to use his bare hands. He tore at the robe and was surprise to find it stronger than he had thought. After many attempts, Deidara finally managed to make the hole wide enough for his wings to slide through.

'It's so soft.' He thought as he gently rubbed the fabric. The robe was large, but surprisingly comfortable and easy to move in. Feeling refreshed, Deidara couldn't help but let a smile cross his lips.

"…About time." The mantis's impatient voice snapped when Deidara stepped out of the bathroom.

"You're not very patient are you?" Deidara frowned, discovering a new trait of the mantis.

"Not when I have to be kept waiting." The mantis replied, not even bothering to take a glance at his prey as he turned and began walking down the hall. Deidara quickly followed, knowing better than to disobey especially when the mantis seemed pissed enough as it is. When Deidara saw the direction they were heading to, he immediately recognized it as the path back to that empty little room.

"Hey, Danna." Deidara quickly tried to make a conversation as they walked. The mantis didn't reply, but Deidara knew he was listening. "When are you going to eat me?" Seeming caught off guard by the question, the mantis turned to give him a quick glance before turning away.

"Tomorrow." The mantis gave out a short, simple reply that sort of reminded him of Itachi.

"Not today?"

"Do you prefer I eat you today?"

"No, un." Deidara hastily replied with a shook of his head. "Then…can I not go back into that room?"

The Orchid Mantis continued walking as though he did not hear the blonde's request.

"I won't run away– rather, I can't run with this wound and it's not like I can fly either." Deidara pointed over his shoulder to his damaged wing. "Please Danna. I only have one day, un."

When Deidara still didn't get a word out of quiet predator, he sighed in defeat. His shoulder slumped when he saw the narrow wooden door just down the hallway. Arriving in front of the door, Deidara reluctantly pulled himself to a stop. He glanced up, expecting the mantis to do the same, but he didn't.

His captor walked by the door – not even seeming to acknowledging its existence.

Hurriedly following after the mantis, Deidara looked over his shoulder at the door fading down the dark hallway. His blue-bell eyes gleamed with a hopeful look spread across his face.

"Don't get it wrong." The mantis broke through the silence as though knowing what kind of face the butterfly was making. "I merely don't want my food rolling on the ground after finally cleaning up." He said as he stopped before a larger door.

When he pushed the door open, Deidara's eye widened at the large, nicely decorated room. The ground was covered with a heavy layer of cotton that almost resembles clouds. It got everything, closet, shelves, and a large table in the corner accompanied by a chair. At the far side of the room was a large bed made purely out of the downs feathers of bird. It was the first time the butterfly had ever seen a bed made with such material. Although it gave off an eerie vibe, it seemed so amazingly soft that it could put cotton and even silkworm's silk to shame.

Just when Deidara was about to make comments to the place, the mantis beat him to it and spoke first.

"This is my room."

"…Huh?" The blond turned to the mantis, then back to the room. "You don't mean…" He trailed off as the mantis held up a finger. Following the direction he was pointing to, Deidara soon found himself staring at a lonely looking corner.

"You didn't think I'd let you out of my sight, did you?"

"Well, no but–"

"Got any problem?" The mantis questioned, his sharp eyes snapping almost murderously to the butterfly that sweated and furiously shook his head.

"Of course not!" Deidara said with a forced smile. He glanced around the room again before slowly turning back to the mantis.

"Umm…do you perhaps um have…you know…petals–?" Deidara hesitantly asked. When he caught the look the mantis was giving him, Deidara immediately waved his hands in front of him. "–No, nothing!" Deidara hurriedly said before the other could speak.

"Umm, thanks, Danna!"

"…Sasori."

"Eh?" Deidara turned to the mantis, failing to catch what he had just said.

"The name is Sasori. Quit the Danna. It's annoying." The mantis, Sasori, ordered.

Deidara stared at the predator before a wide smile made its way over his lips.

"Then Sasori no Danna it is."

"Shut it, brat."

"It's not brat." Deidara huffed as he crossed his arms. "It's Deidara, Sasori-danna."

Cycle – In here, a cycle indicates a year. It means the passing of all four seasons.

Bubble of water – Although the story is a fantasy, the scale of the characters are kept to insect size. Water molecules are held together by hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bond is weak electrical attraction between polar molecules. The larger the mass of the water, the weaker the attraction. The smaller the mass, the stronger the attraction becomes. So in insect size, a palm size water droplet has very strong attraction that allows the water to be easily held without the molecules breaking apart.

Edited by Alex-loves-her-Louie =)