Angel's Wings

Jedi Goat

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: Sorry this is a bit late -.- School caught up with me...

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Chapter 6

Sasori's pace quickened as he heard a commotion of cursing through their shared hotel door. Asking himself why he had to deal with such idiots on a daily basis, he shifted his grip on a large shopping bag and pushed open the door.

The scene that met his eyes left him temporarily wordless; he strode into the room, taking time to deposit their new provisions as he summoned his calm. Finally turning, he spoke an icy demand.

"What is going on here?"

His eyes flicked over Deidara, who was passed out at the far end of the room sprawled on the floor, to the peeved ninja caught beneath his spread wings.

"Don't look at me, damn it," Hidan snarled, shaking Deidara's bare shoulder. Sasori's eyebrows rose slightly; his partner lay on the ground without a shirt, a long and angry red scar marring the left side of his chest. He immediately suspected what it was.

"…I told him not to, but this idiot insisted on doing whatever the hell he wanted," Hidan continued angrily. "I swear, if he kills himself, it'll be his own damn fault…"

Sasori crouched silently beside his partner, eyeing the bloody cuts on his otherwise pale cheek. "Get me a wet cloth," he instructed coolly.

Hidan closed his mouth, growling faintly as he pulled his legs out from beneath Deidara's wing. "Why did I ever volunteer for this? Oh, wait, I didn't."

Sasori ignored his sneer. "Now," he said pointedly. The grumpy ninja turned on his heel and exited in a huff.

In the silence, Sasori rolled his eyes in exasperation. He didn't know how much longer he could put up with this idiocy. Gritting his teeth, he slid a hand behind Deidara's shoulders and hauled up his limp form. Then he stumbled over to the bed, dropping him semi-gently. Sasori tucked Deidara's wings back against his body, averting his eyes from his chest. The prominent scar made rage boil at his insides; he couldn't think of that, not now.

Taking a deep breath, Sasori brushed aside some of Deidara's damp hair and placed a hand against his cheek. His palm began to glow with healing energy; the three scratches slowly sealed to his satisfaction.

He sat back, perching sentinel over his motionless partner until Hidan would return. His eyes lingered on his young face – so pale, still so innocent even after all that had happened. Sasori looked away.

He would give anything for it to have been him and not Deidara that Orochimaru had taken. This wasn't his fight; he was undeserving of such an inhumane burden. Heck, if it was Sasori, he was certain any experiment wouldn't have such a lasting effect on his body; he was, after all, a puppet himself. How could Orochimaru have ever known the way to stab his thorns straight into Sasori's heart?

Purposefully distracting himself, he glanced over to the window and another thought occurred to him. What in all honesty had Deidara been trying to do over there? He should have known his injuries would keep him bedridden for at least a day; pushing himself further, in his current state, was impossibly risky.

Sasori vowed to keep a closer eye on him as he rose, wandering to the spot where Deidara had fallen. The chair by the desk was askew; he looked upon its surface and suddenly smiled in understanding.

He gingerly gathered up the miniature clay bird, returning to Deidara's side. Silently he set the creation in the teen's right hand, closing his fingers around it.

Deidara stirred slightly in his sleep. He mumbled something that sounded faintly like danna, his head twitching sideways and his fist clenching around the clay bird. Sasori settled on the edge of the bed, watching over him.

Take care of that now, brat. You'll have to make your own next time.

*
The days faded into one another as Deidara slowly but surely showed signs of recovery. His numerous scars began to fade; though Sasori maintained that he should stay in bed, his strength was returning; and his hooked nails were growing at an impressive rate, so that one afternoon he took up a kunai himself in an attempt to hone them down.

Sasori watched from the corner of his eye as Deidara awkwardly manipulated the knife. Its edge glistened sharply and Sasori tensed, seeing it twice nearly slip through his claws. Deidara struggled the most with controlling his new hands; his elongated nails made it near impossible to grip anything without mutilating it.

Unnerved, Sasori cast aside his current puppet project with a sigh and moved briskly to where Deidara crouched on the bed.

"Give it here."

The blond glanced up in surprise at his irritated request. "Danna, I can do this myself, un," he supplied earnestly.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Sasori snapped back.

"Don't you have any trust in me, danna?" Deidara asked laughingly, and then his tone grew testy. "You've been watching me like a hawk these past few days and it's getting on my nerves, un." His wings twitched as his finished; indeed, he hadn't been permitted to leave his bed since their arrival nearly a week ago.

"I just don't want to see you harm yourself any further," he growled, grasping Deidara's clenched fist. "Now give me the knife."

"Let go, un!" Deidara made to pull him off with his free hand; his fingers missed, however, and his claws scored three deep lines on the back of Sasori's hand.

He pulled back with a gasp, fingers dripping blood. His visible eye, wide, flickered to his mentor's face.

Sasori hissed, tightening his hold on Deidara's fist. "Damn it, brat…" He barely kept his emotionless mask in place.

"I'm sorry, danna," Deidara mumbled as blood trickled steadily onto the sheets. "I didn't mean it, really."

Sasori pressed his other hand over the wound. "Move over." Deidara obeyed meekly, and he took a seat on the bed beside him. Wordlessly he pried the kunai from his hand and, holding his fist steady in his bloody one, worked at filing down his nails.

Deidara watched him, head bowed in humiliation. He did not speak for a long moment.

"…Danna?"

"What," he snapped, irritably clenching his hand tighter. Deidara winced.

"Nothing."

Sasori finished with Deidara's right hand and moved on to his left; he ignored the clotting blood on the back of his own hand, though Deidara watched it apprehensively.

"Danna?" he asked again, nearly inaudibly this time.

"What do you want, brat?" Sasori's voice was now edged with weariness.

The blond looked away, and Sasori figured with impatience that he would skirt the matter again. His next hoarse words made him pause.

"Do you hate me, danna?"

It was such a childish question. But at the same time… Sasori considered a moment, choosing his words carefully as he knew Deidara would take his response to heart. In his current state, saying the wrong thing could be devastating; he realized that now.

"You are annoying sometimes, brat. At times, I'd like to take that clay of yours and shove it down your throat to shut you up… But, no, I could never outright hate you, Deidara." He glanced up through heavy lids to see his partner openly staring back. Deidara blinked slowly.

"Danna…you just said…"

"I know."

Deidara broke into a smile and Sasori rolled his eyes, returning to the task at hand. You're still a brat, Deidara, but you're my brat. I wouldn't curse anyone else with your annoying self.

"Danna," Deidara asked suddenly, "can I bandage that for you, un?"

Sasori flexed his bloodstained fingers. "Go ahead."

Deidara did so, very carefully so as not to scrape him again. He knotted the bandage around his palm with a smile, and Sasori sensed as his tension eased that they were both forgiven.

*

Early the next morning, Sasori decided it was time enough that Deidara was given some much-needed freedom. He was still leery of letting the blond leave the room, however; besides the obvious matters of his condition and his noticeable wings, there was always a chance Orochimaru was on the lookout for them.

"How are you feeling, brat?" he asked, perching cross-legged beside him as they ate breakfast.

Deidara swallowed with a shrug. "Better every day, un." He paused thoughtfully, stretching his wings. "D'you think we can head home soon, danna?"

Sasori regarded him. "As soon as you can walk on your own, I'll consider it." As expected, this brought up protest.

"I can too walk, danna, un!" Deidara folded his arms, pouting at him.

"Show me, then." Sasori hid a faint smile; it was too easy, perhaps, to manipulate him.

Deidara gave a small huff of indignation, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. His wings contracted to his sides as he muttered defiantly, "Just watch me, un!"

He rose unsteadily, his clawed toes sinking into the floorboards as his wings flared out a bit for balance. However he took a step away from the bed unaided and, gaining confidence, marched to the opposite wall. He turned back, smirking.

"I told you, un."

Sasori watched him with barely concealed amusement. "It's a long way to the Land of Rain," he said nevertheless seriously. "I'm not sure you're up to it yet, but you've certainly progressed." He remembered too well a dawn by a stream, when his partner could hardly stand without his support. "Does anything hurt at all?"

"Nope," he said cheerfully, padding to the nearby mirror and peering at his dusty reflection. "I feel great today, danna, un…" He trailed off, and with a veritable note of concern prodded, "Danna?"

Sasori felt a prickle of foreboding; had Deidara finally noticed the change in his left eye? Guardedly he gave a noise of awareness. "Hn?"

"Where's my headband, danna?"

He let out a careful breath of relief. "I took it for safekeeping." He fumbled in his cloak and found the carefully folded bandana; he tossed it to Deidara. "Here."

The blond grinned, catching it. "Thanks, danna, un." He shook back his long hair, tucking the headband behind his neck and trying it with a look of focus. Finished, he brushed back his bangs and paused. Sasori saw his reflection frown slightly as he leaned in, and tensed in preparation.

Deidara's back had gone rigid; he wavered, holding his bangs back from his face. "D-danna…"

Sasori sighed heavily, rising to meet him. He had known it would come to this eventually. "I know, brat."

Deidara glanced over at him, blue eye wide, golden one sharp and staring. "You knew about this, danna?"

Sasori nodded, gazing coolly back even as he saw a brief flash of pain in Deidara's eye. The blond turned, trying to disguise it.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" he murmured.

Sasori remained silent. Deidara sank back down on the bed, running his hands over his face. He closed his normal eye and let out a small gasp.

"Danna…"

"What now?" Sasori looked down at his hunched form, feeling nearly as drained as his partner.

"Danna, with this eye I can see," he mumbled slowly, still peering through his fingers.

"That's always a good thing." Sasori couldn't stop himself from being sarcastic.

"No, danna, I mean…" He shook his head, opening both eyes wide. "…It's hard to explain, but I can see like…everything is really clear, and magnified, un." He pointed to the floorboards. "Look, I can see the pattern of the grain on the wood, un."

Sasori blinked downward at the floor; that was impressive, he had to admit. He bent down to peer directly into Deidara's eyes. "You see like that all the time?"

Deidara shrugged. "If I focus a little, un. It's been happening on and off since we got here, and I thought it was really weird, un. So I guess that explains it." He forced a laugh.

Sasori shook his head. "If I didn't know better, brat," he muttered wryly, casting a glance at his folded wings and hooked claws, "I'd say Orochimaru was turning you into a raptor."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Deidara underwent a tremor of realization. With a sinking feeling, Sasori berated himself for forgetting his partner's naivety – he had been thus far unknowing to the snake lord's vendetta.

"Oro-Orochimaru," he repeated, his eyes half-closing, "I've heard that name… from one of them."

Sasori settled on the bed beside him, understanding he was reminiscing his experience with the sound ninja. He let out a long breath, deciding darkly it was time for the truth to come out. Seriously, he revealed, "Orochimaru is the leader of the Sound Village. He was probably to blame for – what they did."

Deidara nodded thoughtfully, and his wings tucked around him protectively. "But why, danna? Why would he want to do something like this?" His blue eye was wide and so bittersweetly innocent as he appealed to his partner.

"That's what I want to know," Sasori muttered to himself, his voice strangely tart. Deidara glanced at him, puzzled.

"Do you know him, danna?"

"Do I," he growled. "I taught him half the tricks he knows." His partner continued to stare at him, mystified, and he went on resentfully, "He was once my partner, before you came along. He – disagreed with the rest of us, and left."

Deidara blinked in sudden understanding. "So that's why I became your partner?"

Sasori nodded, adding gently, "I don't regret it, brat."

"But what made him leave?" Deidara wanted to know.

Sasori sighed, "It's a long story, brat, but it was mainly because of Itachi-san. Orochimaru has a special jutsu that allows him to possess another's body in place of his own, thus gaining a form of immortality." He paused, and Deidara nodded to show he understood thus far.

"Orochimaru also desired knowledge of all ninja techniques and couldn't resist the impressive Uchiha bloodline. When Itachi refused him, he tried to gain my support on the matter; needless to say, it didn't work, and he grew angry. So he took things into his own hands and tried to take Itachi by force; he failed, and was banished from our ranks. Everyone, I think, holds a grudge against him for his treachery." He thoughtfully observed Deidara's awed face. "You and Hidan would be the only ones who came along after him."

"He must hate us all, too, then, un," Deidara pointed out. His eye suddenly widened. "Danna, you don't think…he knew I was his replacement?"

Sasori had already considered that this could be a form of vengeance; he, however, had made no more progress in this puzzle than Deidara. He sighed, "It is possible that he was solely using you to get at me. However," here he hesitated, wondering how much he should tell his partner. To him, it seemed a bit of a sensitive matter. He went on nonetheless, choosing his words carefully, "It seems to me a strange manner of revenge. From your modified condition, it looks as if he were simply testing if these changes would work. Were he to know you are my partner, he would have treated you differently – taking the time to study your unique jutsu, at least. And in the end, if this was purely his revenge…we probably wouldn't have found you alive."

Deidara nodded silently, looking down at his hands. He spent a moment absent-mindedly tapping his claws together, brow furrowed in thought. "Danna, do you… Can you tell me what he looks like?"

"Hn." Sasori closed his eyes, leaning back against the headboard. "It's been many long years." He opened one scrutinizing hazel eye on his partner. "Why do you ask?"

Deidara fidgeted. "Well, I think I might have seen him, un." His bangs draped across his face as he nodded, disguising his expression.

"Was he very tall?" Sasori asked quietly; his murmuring voice surprised even himself. "With pale skin, long black hair, and eyes…the cold eyes of a snake?" He had opened his eyes, watching Deidara's reaction. The teen shuddered slightly at his last words, and with an icy numbness Sasori knew, even before he opened his mouth.

"He was there." The blond stared into the distance, his face pale, a naked feeling in his sharp features that tore at Sasori's stoic heart. It was as if he were reliving the terrors of his abduction right in front of him.

Deidara clenched his fists, unaware that he was drawing blood. "I saw him, once. They must've given me drugs or something, danna, because I could hardly move or even think. And it still hurt; it hurt a lot, danna." He tapered off, his voice wavering.

Deidara took a deep shuddering breath. "I remember I was tied down, and under a very bright light." Unconsciously he rubbed his wrists, swallowing hard. "There were faces looking down at me, and they were talking, un. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I knew it just meant more pain. The one with glasses – he seemed to be in charge – showed up and was talking, too. I remember the glint of the glasses, un." The words were spilling out now in no real order; Deidara's speech quickened as he immersed himself in reiterating the memory.

Sasori was frozen watching him. Half of him wanted to reach out, to pull Deidara from reliving the painful past and reassure him he was safe, but he restrained himself. He needed to know with even more fervor what Orochimaru had done. The list of charges against him was ever growing, and Sasori swore he would pay dearly.

"The one with glasses seemed to be angry for some reason. It made me afraid. The others were leaving, but a new figure approached. He was in the light, un." Deidara's memory seemed to grow clearer as he specified, "It was only a moment, but I saw Orochimaru and…even after everything I was truly scared, un. He looked at me like…like I was something to eat." Deidara quivered.

"And?" Sasori pressed. "Did he say anything?"

Deidara raised his head. "Yes," he murmured, "I remember now, un. I heard him, danna, before I passed out. He said everything was nearly ready for his revenge."

To be continued...

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Okay, two things: one, I know Orochimaru is way older than Sasori, but being in the Akatsuki longer would give Sasori more the role of superior or senpai, thus the idea of mentorship, in my opinion anyway. And two... there is a certain significance of the lines "Danna, you just said..." "I know." It's hiding in plain sight ^.^ It took my sister forever to notice, so I'm curious as to whether anyone will catch it... ;)

Please review!