The smell of sautéed chicken permeated his senses and Deidara increased his pace as he made his way down the stairs. It was a little irritating to live in the room furthest away from everything else, but hey, maybe he could get some exercise. Now that he lived somewhere, he would get less workouts, so his optimistic mind saw stair climbing as a good way to stay fit.
When he came upon the kitchen, he saw Itachi sitting at the dining table, opening a box of coconut pocky, and Kisame standing by the stove on the other side of the counter, looking ridiculous in an apron with a kitty on it.
"Hey Deidara," the blue man grinned. The smile quickly slipped at the look of revulsion on the blonde's face. Noticing Deidara's stare was focused around his middle, he looked down and laughed. "Its not mine. We only have one apron in the house, courtesy Kakuzu's money-pinching. Needless to say, it was the cheapest one." Letting out another hearty laugh, he turned back to the skillet on the stove and prodded the sizzling meat with a spatula.
Deidara had decided early on that Kisame was his favorite member. He seemed so much nicer than everyone else, despite his rather frightening visage. Aside from Tobi, who Deidara didn't count, he was also the only one of them that had actually tried talking with him. And, apparently he was a good cook.
Over the sounds coming from the frying chicken, a loud growl from the sculptors stomach could be heard. Kisame looked over in surprise and amusement. "No worries, dinner will be ready soon. Hey, what are you doing!?" Catching sight of the black haired young man eating the icing covered sticks, the blue cook quickly dashed over and snatched them away with a scowl. "What did I tell you about eating candy right before dinner!?"
Itachi said nothing, but merely stared at Kisame with a very reproachful look in his red eyes.
The other man seemed less than phased by the glare he was receiving and returned to the stove to fiddle with the food again after he had put the box of pocky on top of the cabinets where only he could retrieve it. Every now and then, he poked the contents of the frying pan to see if it was ready.
As if struck by a thought, he turned to Deidara. "Do you cook?"
"Erm, I guess so, un. Why?" he replied hesitantly, unsure of what he was supposed to say. Truth be told, he considered himself an expert chef after having to provide himself with food or else starve for a long time, but perhaps that wasn't the answer Kisame was anticipating.
"That's good, cuz Sasori can't." At this, he and Itachi exchanged an meaningful look and Deidara couldn't help but feel that he was somehow being left out of the loop.
Apparently neither of them were planning on elaborating, either, so the blonde spoke up, "Um…why does that…erm…matter, un?"
Looking up from the sautéing meat again, the blue man merely shrugged. His laid back tone contrasted so greatly with that shared look that the sculptor still felt he was missing something. "Partners should have at least one person who can make meals sufficiently," he stressed the last word with a reproving look at his partner.
"I can cook," the other spoke up quietly. Deidara recognized that indifferent tone as one that his own partner frequently used.
"Well I won't let you. All you can make is shark-fin soup and you know how I feel about that!" Kisame pointed the spatula at his partner in a reprimanding manner.
At that, the black haired man's calm face broke into the tiniest of amused smiles. The blonde didn't exactly find that funny, but the apathetic had weird senses of humor anyway
"Dammit!" A grumble coming from the doorway announced Hidan's arrival. Deidara noted with interest that his head was properly secured back in place by a series of threads stitched along the point at which it had been separated from his body. "When are we going on another mission? Jashin will be angry with me if I don't give him a sacrifice soon."
"Shut up and stop complaining." His partner followed closely behind him. "That god of yours isn't even real so I don't see why you bother about it all the time," Kakuzu growled as he took a seat next to Itachi.
The Jashinist looked affronted and turned away, his arms crossed. "He is too. You're just a fucking heathen, so you wouldn't understand."
Whatever the stitched up man had been planning on retorting was cut off by Kisame's sharp voice. "Alright, dinner's done. Hidan, go find Tobi or you'll be the one setting the table."
However, Hidan was spared a response when everyone heard a crashing from the stairwell. "Owie! Zetsu-senpai, why'd you push me?" Tobi could be heard whining.
A reply came in the form of a voice that sent chills down Deidara's spine. "We didn't do anything. You tripped."
But the voice was nothing compared to what greeted his eyes. The man following Tobi was the farthest from 'man' that Deidara had yet to see. Great leaves like a Venus fly trap encased his shoulders and rose far above his head to grin evilly at the ceiling. His skin was two different colors – the right half of his body was white and the left was black – and his eyes were an eerie yellow orange.
The plant man didn't acknowledge Deidara's stare and sat at a seat that seemed designated for him.
No one else seemed surprised at the appearance of this other member, so Deidara had to assume he always looked like this. How dreadful.
Kisame grinned widely with his sharp teeth as he dished out the chicken. Tobi rushed around the table, trying to set the places before the blue man got to them.
Zetsu watched the masked one unblinkingly, a smile creeping up on his white side. A voice different from before came from his mouth when he said, "Tobi is a good boy."
"YES! Because I told Zetsu-senpai that we were having chicken because I know how much you like it!!" Tobi blurted out excitedly, almost tripping over a chair leg.
But Zetsu seemed to have lost interest in the conversation and was staring at his chicken with the same blank look.
Once they were all served, everyone dug into the meal – which, surprisingly enough, was delicious, considering it had been prepared by a rather scary looking individual – and the room fell silent for a moment. Deidara was quite happy being quiet for the moment anyway. These people were all fascinating and interesting to watch, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to have long engaged conversations with them.
However, the hush was only temporary. One by one, each person broke their silence. Kakuzu and Hidan could be heard arguing quietly over a piece of chicken that Hidan had supposedly flung at his partner. Itachi was calmly insisting he had his pocky returned to him while Kisame was adamantly refusing, telling the other he needed to eat dinner first. Deidara could make out Zetsu speaking to himself in two distinctly separate voices
("We like chicken, don't we?"
"Yes, it tastes like our favorite food when cooked."
"It's a shame we finished her already."
"Yes, she was delicious."
"Worth the fight she put up."),
which creeped him out to all ends. Nobody seemed to notice that Sasori was missing. Perhaps because the blonde was occupying the extra seat? He frowned in thought but was interrupted by Tobi, who had felt left out of the other conversations and decided to involve himself in one. Deidara found himself quite occupied trying to shake off the eager young man for the rest of the meal.
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Sasori stared off into space for a while after his partner left. He seemed to have been doing that a lot since about six months ago. Eurgh, no time for such wasteful activities. He roused himself from his stupor and looked back at his work desk. The pieces were rough outlines of what he had in mind to create. But, lacking the proper…materials, he had left them as they were until now. But, since he was now alone, he could acquire what he needed to complete his project without that irritating blonde bothering him incessantly.
The red head rose and moved to his bed, taking his Akatsuki cloak from the drawers as he removed his sweatshirt. Wrapping the coat around himself, he grabbed a scroll and shoved it up his right sleeve. It passed his mind briefly to bring his disguise, but he quickly discarded that as foolish because he was trying to be stealthy. In the closet, he opened various phials and dipped a few kunai and medical needles into their dark contents, mentally taking note of which weapon had what poison on it. Securing the containers and closing the closet, he soundlessly slipped out the door.
Now his plan would be ruined if he was seen leaving the house by any of the louder and more nosy members, so he proceeded with caution. Luckily, he had learned from practice which steps creaked and where, so he carefully avoided them as he made his swift way down the stair well.
Voices came from the kitchen and he peered around the last corner to inspect the situation. Hoshigaki Kisame was wearing that outrageous apron as he cooked something over the stove and Deidara and Itachi were sitting at the table. Honestly, who wore that ludicrous piece of cloth? They would never succeed in getting it replaced if Kakuzu thought the rest of them were satisfied with it.
Tearing his mind from the subject, he timed it so that everyone was looking away and swept past the kitchen doorway and slipped out of the front door into the vast cavern.
Sasori let a tiny smile pass over his lips. Free again. He vaguely remembered that nights could be chilly and made a mental note of checking his joints later. The cold had many troublesome effects.
As he hastily strode towards the large boulder entrance, he reviewed his objective. That girl was a perfect specimen. What was her name again? Mabayui…yes, that's it. Focusing his chakra to open the entrance, the puppeteer visualized her again. She had magnificent control over her own chakra and had lots of it. And as an ambassador for Konoha, she was gifted with incredible fire jutsus – which was perfect as the puppet that had been destroyed specialized in fire techniques.
He had been tailing the woman for the past few days and learned enough about her to know that she retired early and rose with the sun, she was staying at the inn known as The Leaping Shadow in Amegakure, and her last day here would be tomorrow. Would have been. He smirked in the dark as he stole from shadow to shadow.
It took no more than ten minutes to reach the village and he slowed his pace, completely ignoring those he passed in the streets. Those people weren't unaccustomed to seeing the black with red clouds, so he didn't worry. But seeing him in a rush would make many suspicious.
It wasn't a good idea to enter the inn itself. Too much attention could be shifted onto him in an instant if he in any way botched the job. Instead, he walked into the alley to the right of The Leaping Shadow. There was a rather convenient window opening from the cheery tavern onto the dingy passage.
A peek inside confirmed his assumption. She, just like the other Akatsuki members, was consuming a pleasant meal – thankfully alone.
Sasori marveled for a moment how great a contrast there was between an innocent shinobi and a member of such an evil organization. And yet, here both parties were, partaking in the same everyday activity at the same time. But he was different than them all.
That thought brought him out of his reverie with a scowl and he returned to the task at hand. With a flick of his wrist, two medical needles shot out of his sleeve and into his grasp. The window was already opened a crack so as to cool down the stuffy room, but it provided the perfect opportunity.
Readying his other hand, he aimed the needle at her neck and let it go. She gave out a small squeak when it struck flesh and almost immediately, her eyes began to droop. Sasori quickly attached chakra strings to her and caught her from falling into her stew. Carefully, he guided her up from her chair and out the front doors, timing it so that, as he walked out of the alleyway, she joined him and the two made their way from Ame. The long sleeves of the Akatsuki cloak concealed his constantly twitching fingers as each controlled various points of her body to keep her movements as natural as possible.
The red head thought back to his room before he left the town entirely. Since he was here, did he need anything? Eh, that was a rather long list to go over, so he shortened it to what he might require for the present. A large pad of sketching paper and twenty sharpened pencils sat in the drawer of his desk (Good, sketch pads are getting expensive.). He had stacks and stacks of wood, so no problem there. And his tools weren't lacking in number or variety. Fantastic. He might have to return for something menial, such as socks, but at least he was well stocked for the time being and he exited the village with the captured girl 'walking' at his side.
The poison in her system would last for about three hours – just enough time to complete what he had set out to do. Until then, Mabaya (Or whatever her name is.), would sleep soundly, her body completely unharmed save the wound in her neck.
Oh, did he have plans for her. He allowed another smirk to cross his expressionless face. If all went well, she wouldn't wake again. Of course, he thought as his sneer melted into a bitter frown, if that brat interrupts, I might not have enough time.
The two figures reached the Akatsuki entrance without incident and he guided his prisoner through the opening and towards the door leading to the regular members' quarters. Before opening the door, however, he pressed his ear to the painted wood and listened.
He couldn't have been more than thirty minutes away. It sounded as if dinner had just started. Chinks of silverware hitting plates and snippets of conversation could be made out through the barrier and he slowly turned the knob.
After sticking his head in to double check for anyone's presence, he glided in smoothly along with his human doll, waiting for the quiet latch of the door. He glanced into the kitchen for second. Hmm…Zetsu actually joined them for dinner? Must be chicken. he thought when he saw the fearsome figure of the plant man. Withdrawing his head once more, he rapidly climbed the stairs to avoid being seen. There really wasn't that much need for secrecy, but the longer he could keep the brat occupied and away from him, the more time he had to deal with this Konoha woman.
When he got to his room, Sasori made an effort to let no light enter the hallway before he closed the door behind him. This way one peering up the stairwell couldn't see that there was anything going on up there – especially if Tobi was going through another 'I'm-a-secret-agent-spy' phase and spying on every member at all times. Dear lord, if Tobi knew what he was up to, chances were, so would everyone else.
He set the woman's limp body on the floor and went to rummage through the closet and his desk to acquire the necessary materials. Inwardly he had to agree with Deidara; the floor had needed to be cleaned. The collected dust on the floor would get in her hair and make everything a lot less sanitary than it could be.
When he returned to the unconscious lady, he took note of her clothing and how it fit. It was a good thing it was so form fitting – everything was made much easier that way. The puppeteer took a tailor's measuring tape and recorded everything from her waist size to the distance around her forearms. Then he pulled out his paper and pencils and did a rough sketch of her body form and outline, making sure the proportions were exact.
Finished with his data collection and drawing, he set aside his materials and moved to the still form on the floor. Careful to leave the clothing intact for future use, he began removing the clothes from the woman.
A/N: Oh dear lord!! Sasori is a molestor!? WTF!!?? He draws women - oh my...faints
Um, okay, I got this one up pretty fast, ne? Its a bit uneventful, but it works up to the whole plot Please let me know how you like it - reviews encourage me to update faster.
As a side note: I heard from Eddy Izzard, the comedian, that he heard from a cannibal that humans taste like chicken, so I decided to include it. Sorry if my humor offended anyone, but I dont like chicken, ergo I am not a cannibal (lolz jkz, no worries)
