Reisha: Howdy, all. It's new-chapter time! This one has a disclaimer, however: this chapter far and away earns this fanfic's mature rating, and for much darker and more painful material than previous chapters. Kira and I have tried to handle the material as tastefully as possible, but there's only so much you can do in some situations. So, be prepared, friends. It's going to get a bit dark.
Sasori's sudden departure pulled Deidara from deep sleep, though he didn't open his eyes until after the front door had closed behind the redhead. He blinked groggily, looked around to see him gone, checked the clock... It was late. Sasori must have left awhile ago to keep from getting in trouble with his grandma... With a groan and half-lidded eyes he sat up, absently pulling on a pair of sleep pants before stumbling to the bathroom. He blinked, narrowed his eyes as the lights snapped on, coming more awake against his will. He missed Sasori already... But they would see each other in the morning, he reminded himself with a smile, and they'd face whatever came their way together, like they had for the past year.
Sasori's eyes opened slowly, the cold floor against his back sending a chill along his spine. A basement? He shook his head a little and moved to sit up, only to find his wrists bound behind his back, shackled to a pole. From somewhere in the darkness he heard movement and turned his aching head and blurred vision in that direction.
"Who the… hell is that?" He slurred. A pale hand against his chest was his answer, and yellow eyes staring him down. "Get th'...hell 'way from me," he mumbled, but it was no use. "Orochimaru-bastard..." He tried to move, to back away, but his body wouldn't respond properly, senses and reactions fogged by drugs.
"Relax, Sasori… It's only going to hurt if you struggle," Orochimaru purred, grinning thinly, hungrily. Sasori's eyes widened after a moment. So that was the plan...
"Fuck you... asshole," he spat, shivering as he felt a palm against his groin. It felt so very wrong, but he couldn't do a thing to stop him. In one swift movement the last of his clothing was gone and the other was crawling over him. "Gerroff me, fucker... Swear I'll fucking rip that grin off your-" He was interrupted by a hard kiss against his lips. He wanted to pull away but... he was pinned between the advancing male and the floor beneath his shoulders.
The blond sat back on his bed with a sigh, grinning a little as he heard the clatter of the discarded handcuffs still on his bed. Stashing them away, he reached for his cell phone... It was late, and Sasori had probably gotten home safely, but he wanted to make sure, to wish him goodnight, and- since it wasn't quite after midnight yet- to wish him a happy anniversary one last time. After all it was their first... And he was Deidara's first.
'You get home alright?' he typed out, hit the send button, setting his back against his wall to keep himself awake until he got a reply, scrubbing at his eyes.
Sasori distantly heard his phone buzz in his pants pocket and growled alittle as Orochimaru paused, leaning over to pick it out of his discarded pants. He checked the text message with a widening grin before typing out a quick reply and setting it aside.
"What the fuck did you say?" Sasori hissed and struggled again, not only at not knowing what had been said but also in horror as Orochimaru unzipped his pants and freed himself before crawling over him again. His pale classmate grasped firmly at Sasori's hip before slamming roughly into the redhead's body. Sasori gasped and moaned in pain at the sudden intrusion. Orochimaru moved his hands to grasp Sasori's knees to spread them wider and keep him from struggling. All the redhead could do was wince and whimper more in pain as Orochimaru started up a quick thrusting rhythm with more force every return. "Dei..." He whimpered, closing his eyes tight and trying to force everything away, trying to go to a better place… But he couldn't tear himself away from the pain that raced sharply through his body.
Deidara checked the incoming text as his phone buzzed. It didn't read like Sasori usually did... He'd probably just woke him up, Deidara justified to himself.
'Alright. Wanted to make sure. Happy anniversary. Love you. =)' he sent, setting the phone down on his bedside and laying down. Pulling the sheets over himself, Deidara nuzzled his face into the pillow, breathing in lingering traces of the redhead's scent. It was the nights when he missed him most... But for now it was necessary. Maybe one day, before too long, Deidara told himself, they wouldn't have to worry... The thought made him smile as he started to drift off.
When Orochimaru had finished, Sasori curled up in a corner as the pale one disappeared from sight, upstairs. His eyes trailed to his phone, tears still streaking his cheeks he moved to stretch his leg, pulling the discarded phone closer. With some trouble he dialed Deidara's number and set his ear to the speaker. He knew he wouldn't be able to speak normally on the phone… Deidara would probably get worried… but he had to try.
"Please... Deidara... pick up the phone," he whispered under his breath, closing his eyes to try calm himself.
Deidara wasn't completely asleep when the sharp buzzing right beside his head startled him awake. Groaning a little, rubbing a hand over his face, he grabbed it, blearily checked the screen... Sasori? Inhaling deeply to wake himself, wondering if it was just an accident- maybe he'd rolled over on his phone- or if something was bothering him, a nightmare or something, he answered and lifted it to his ear while stifling a yawn.
"Hullo?... hn..." Sasori took a moment before he managed to speak, voice broken and low.
"Dei… Deidara... please... help me," he whispered, voice broken by his sobbing. "I...do-don't know where I am, but Orochimaru drugged me and..." Sasori forced himself to stop, to breathe and swallow. "I think I'm in... his basement... I need to get out of here… Please help me..."
"Hold on... Sasori, hold on..." Deidara sat up, trying to force himself awake as quickly as possible, rubbing at his face. "What's going on now?" His brow furrowed, head shaking a bit in confusion at the muttered, slightly muffled torrent of words. "You're in Orochimaru's basement, he drugged you... Did you have a nightmare, is that what happened? I got your text a bit ago saying you got home alright, hn..." The urgency in the redhead's voice, the way he was sobbing, was doing more to wake Deidara, to alarm him, than anything he could do himself.
"No... he... he's actually... he's here.. He sent you that..." Sasori said, shaking a little. It was all so wrong. "Pl-please... help me get out of here. I'm tied up down in his basement. My entire body hurts… and I don't know when he's going to come back down here again for more. He's... fucking making me have sex with him. I don't want to, I just can't do anything to stop him. Find his house and get me out of here. Please… I'm begging you." That froze Deidara more surely than having a bucket of icy water dumped on him.
"...What?..." the blond whispered, voice harsh with disbelief, edged with harsh hatred. Orochimaru... was raping his Sasori? His jaw worked for a moment before Deidara nearly leapt up, yanking a shirt over his head and stuffing his feet into a pair of sneakers. "Sasori... stay on the line, stay with me, hn," he said, voice tight with anger and anxiety as he grabbed a set of car keys from the kitchen counter and- almost without thinking- a knife from the cutlery rack, nearly ran to the garage and pushed the door open. "I'm coming to get you, love. Don't let him know I'm on the phone if he comes back... Push it away if you have to, just don't let him know that I know."
"A… alright..." Sasori whispered, swallowing. Deidara's door shut with a slam. This car... officially his first car... was a beater if ever there was one. It needed so much work... But Orochimaru lived a fair distance away, on the other side of the high school, if he could get the car to work it would save precious time. He turned the key once, twice, and then again until the engine sputtered and roared to life.
"I'm coming, Sasori... Don't worry, I'm coming for you, hn," he muttered, repeating himself, almost a mantra as he backed out and the tires shrieked as he drove, as fast as he dared. He knew these streets, though he didn't often go into Orochimaru's neighborhood... that was where he and his little 'friends'- more like cronies, really- the wonder twins, that damn bear Jirobo, lean, spidery Kimimaro, and Tayuya, the girl with the foulest mouth in school ran wild. But now, he didn't care if he had to face them all down... Sasori was in danger. There were a few long moments of silence before the sound of slow footsteps coming down the basement stairs got his attention.
"Shi-" Sasori gasped, shoving the phone away from his face with a thrust of his jaw. He felt hands on him again, holding him down as Orochimaru leaned over him, sinister eyes staring down as he moved inside again, tearing a sharp cry of pain from Sasori throat. "G-get... off... me," the redhead grunted, wanting nothing more than to be away from here, from Orochimaru. He was trying to keep himself quiet, to keep Deidara from hearing but the pain was so intense, made his entire body burn.
"You're mine now. I told you that before… Didn't I, Akasuna?" Orochimaru hissed and grinned, thrusting hard.
"S-sick... bastard..." Sasori snarled, screamed again as Orochimaru put all his strength behind his movements. It felt like he was being torn apart.
Deidara set his jaw, hearing the pain in Sasori's voice though he remained defiant, heard the hiss of Orochimaru's voice, smooth as rancid butter as he claimed the redhead was his. He forced his mouth tightly closed as he heard the slap of skin and his boyfriend's scream, making himself breathe and watch the road through the red haze fogging the edges of his vision. Biting the inside of his cheek, Deidara turned onto Orochimaru's street, turned off his headlights and took his foot off the pedal, coasting to a stop in front of the house he had so often tried to avoid. His grip on the knife... a chef's knife... was white-knuckled, holding it as he had been taught to hold a bowie knife by his father so long ago.
He didn't bother with the front door since it was almost certainly locked, instead prying the screen off a nearby window and slipping through that way. He didn't need the phone anymore to hear what was going on... Hearing it for real only increased his rage. Stalking through the house on silent feet, the blond followed his ears, turned the doorknob and crept down the basement stairs. A bare bulb illuminated everything... It was too much to take. Growling, Deidara leapt down the last few stairs, charged up behind his pale classmate.
"Son of a fucking bitch!" he snarled, grabbing a handful of black hair, twisting it around his hand like a rope and forcing Orochimaru away with a sudden yank. A bloodthirsty snarl twisted his mouth as he stepped in front of him, putting his own body between his boyfriend and Orochimaru before snapping a knee up into his bared groin, and then again as pressed the pale one's back to a wall. The blade of the knife pressed firmly against his thin neck as Deidara bared it with another rough yank on that long black hair. "I'm going to fucking kill you... hn..." he ground out slowly, matter-of-factly, icy fire raging in his blue eyes as his gaze bored into Orochimaru's gold and the steel gleam of the knife pressed a little harder into the other's pallid skin. Sasori shifted to sit up, looking at Deidara, his eyes glazed over as his vision blurred.
"Dei..." the redhead whispered softly, pulling his legs up to his chest and shuddering alittle and wincing at the pain he couldn't seem to ignore. "Just get me out of here... please…" he said, looking back at his wrists bound to the pole. With a shaky sigh, he relaxed his arms and forced a hand through the shackle, just barely able to get out of it. "Don't kill him."
Sasori... His Sasori... his voice, his plea, cooled a little of the mindless rage that roared for Orochimaru's blood. With a snarl, he pulled the blade back from the other's throat, reversing it, jamming the handle against his skull just above his temple. He let go, knowing that, in the unlikely chance that the blow hadn't knocked Orochimaru out, he'd at least be dazed and in pain for a good while. Still enraged but in better control of himself, Deidara stepped back, clenching the kitchen knife between his teeth for a moment as he gathered Sasori's clothes and phone, draping them over his arm.
Sasori moved to stand but found that the pain in his body was too much to take and he collapsed again. Deidara saw the redhead collapse with the pain, set his jaw again as he pulled off his too-big jacket and wrapped it around him before kneeling to pick him up. His anxiety made him more gentle than usual, slow, delicate as he slid his arms beneath the redhead's knees and behind his back and lifted him. Sasori reached up and tightly held the other's neck, shuddering uncontrollably. He felt numb now, from the pain that had filled him completely and threatened to tear him apart, the only thing he could feel was the pain now.
"Let's get you out of here," he whispered, ignoring Orochimaru except to deliver a last vicious kick to his ribs, feeling a satisfying crack, as he passed and headed up the stairs. Careful of the one in his arms, Deidara turned the lock on the front door and stepped out into the cool night air, closing it behind him as though closing the door on a bad dream. "It's alright, Sasori... You're safe now, hn," he promised, heading towards his car, not caring how beat-up it looked as long as it could put as much distance as possible between his Sasori and that basement, that hell on earth.
"It... it hurts so bad." Sasori whispered, wincing as he said it. Tears streaked down his cheeks against his will, he didn't want to cry, but at the thought of what happened and the pain the tears came unwillingly. It tore Deidara apart to see Sasori like this, to see him so badly hurt... The next time he saw Orochimaru, he was going to die for this. But not now... Right now, getting the redhead taken care of was the most important thing in the world.
"You're safe now... I'm here, Sasori, I'm here," he whispered, tightening his arms a little, carefully, around him. "I'm not going anywhere, hn." Gently he set him in the passenger seat of the car, dropped the redhead's clothes on the car floor before moving to the driver's seat. "I'm going to take you to the hospital. Is that alright?" He didn't want to stress out the redhead any more than he already was, would understand if he wanted to go home... But he knew that there had to be something they could do for him, could keep him safe... Sasori curled up on the seat, closing his eyes.
"I wanna go home with you... " The redhead murmured. "I don't want to be alone at home tonight." He shivered violently as he tried to calm himself. "Dei... don't leave me. Y-you promised, remember?" Sasori swallowed a sob. Everything had gotten so messed up so quickly that he wasn't sure what he was doing anymore. "Please don't leave me…" Deidara was quiet for a moment before he turned in his seat, slipping his arms gently around Sasori to pull him close.
"I know, Sasori. I promise, I'm going to be right here. No one's going to take me away, hn." The hospital was out, then. "Let's go home," he murmured, stroking that messy red hair, even messier than usual with the ordeal he'd just been through, into some sort of order. The car started the second time he turned the ignition, rumbling to life with something approaching a gurgle. Turning around and driving carefully- he was amazed he hadn't had a cop try to pull him over on the way there- he took one of Sasori's hands, lifted it to rest on his own shoulder, trying to reassure him that he was safe, that Deidara wasn't going away. He stopped out front of the redhead's house, not surprised to see several lights on inside. Chiyo was probably worried sick, since Sasori had never come home and it was well past midnight by now.
Sasori looked over at his house, managing to get his breathing under control, through the pain he pulled his clothes on and reached to open the door, standing unsteadily as he looked up at the still lit up house. Somehow he forced himself to move without falling over, reaching for the front door and pulling it open slowly to see Chiyo there.
"Granny... Chiyo..." He sobbed in mingled pain and relief before he practically felt into her arms, burying his face in her neck.
"Dear... where have you been? What happened?" She asked before looking up to see Deidara. The blond pressed his lips into a thin line, dropped his eyes for a moment as he thought.
"Sasori had some... trouble... when he was coming home from my place, hn," he mumbled before lifting his eyes again, stubbornly refusing to show his own tears to the woman who had always been so kind to him, who had taken care of Sasori for so long. The guilt that had been a seed in his chest suddenly burst into bloom... He hadn't been able to protect the redhead. "Could I... come in? I'll explain after Sasori's feeling a little better... I'm not leaving him." His last statement was matter of fact, almost defying Chiyo to tell him to leave. No one was going to keep him from the redhead. He'd failed to protect him from Orochimaru... but now, now he'd let nothing hurt him.
"Of... of course," she said, nodding , clearly even more worried about what had occurred to scare Sasori so badly. She trusted they would tell her soon enough, but even so... "Let's get you to your room, Sasori," she whispered and headed in the direction of his room, supporting her grandson as they walked. All he could do was sit on the bed and wince at the sudden pain that flared up and made him whimper alittle, his hands tightening on the sheets under him as he shifted to lay down, tucking his legs to his chest almost instinctively.
"Let him... let him stay with me... please..." Chiyo nodded.
"Of course." She looked over at Deidara and nodded some to him as well. The blond nodded back to her, leaning over to stroke Sasori's hair back from his face before drawing Chiyo aside, careful not to leave the redhead's sight, not letting him out of his own.
"Ma'am, he... One of our classmates... When Sasori was leaving my house..." Deidara closed his mouth, flicked his eyes closed for a moment, breathing to calm his own frayed nerves and order his thoughts. "Orochimaru... he goes to our high school... he must have taken Sasori after he left my place. I got a call a little while ago and went to his house... I... I broke in and found him raping Sasori. Repeatedly." He kept his voice low, just a whisper, his matter-of-fact voice cracking at the word 'rape.' Usually he was able to retreat into fact when something was difficult to admit… But all this was too much. Hot tears were blurring his vision again... Swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, he forced them back. He needed to be strong now, to protect his Sasori. "I... think I beat Orochimaru up pretty bad and got him out of there... But he doesn't want to go to the hospital. He said he wanted to go home..." He swallowed again, breath shuddering as he sighed. "T-thanks for letting me stay..." A bit of shock played over her face before her expression became thoughtful. Finally she managed a small smile and nodded slowly in understanding.
"Thank you for watching over my grandson. I'm glad he has such a great friend like you to be there for him." Chiyo paused for a moment before she looked up again to his face. "I don't mind... I know you two are together. Just promise me you will watch over my Sasori, will you? That's all I ask." Deidara shouldn't have been surprised that she knew... How could she not? Sometimes it seemed that there was nothing Chiyo did not know. At the moment, though, Deidara was too drained to feel shock. The blond took her hand for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze of gratitude for her acceptance... She had always accepted him.
"I'll guard him with my life, hn," he swore to her. "He's precious to me, too." Too tired to smile but managing to lift the corners of his mouth he backed away and returned to Sasori, laying down in his side in front of him, reaching one had to stroke gently at his cheek, to stroke through his hair. "I'm here, love," he murmured softly. "I'm here." Sasori pulled himself closer, holding tightly to the front of the other's shirt and closed his eyes tightly to relax, though his body still hurt.
"Thanks, Dei," he whispered, nuzzling into the other's chest. It hurt so much to even move, he couldn't shift even a little without hurting. "Thanks for staying with me." He continued, sighing even though it sent ripples of pain through him. Deidara forced a small smile to his face, though his heart ached to see Sasori hurting.
"Where else would I be?" he murmured, slipping his arms the redhead to pull him close. "This is where I belong, remember? I'm yours, hn." He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, nuzzling his hair. He tried hard to keep what he was thinking from his gaze, trying to hide the guilt that was eating at him from the inside. I'm sorry, he thought, crying out in his mind though he refused to let the tears well up in front of the other, being strong for him. Sasori, I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. Sasori smiled just alittle as he allowed his eyes to close and he fell asleep, exhausted.
Sasori slept rather peacefully for a few hours until he grit suddenly his teeth, body burning with memories returned to him in flashes. All of the pain made his body tremble. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, screaming.
"Get away from me!" he yelled, trembling. Blue eyes flashed open and suddenly Deidara was sitting up too, cupping his hands around Sasori's cheeks, stroking his face gently and murmuring his name.
"It's okay... You're safe here, hn," he whispered, unable to imagine just what kind of terrors had haunted the redhead. "No one's going to hurt you now, Sasori." His eyes burned, his chest felt heavy with guilt and wishing what had happened, hadn't. It was dark... Deidara hoped the shadows would hide the water welling in his eyes from the redhead. Now more than ever he needed to be strong. The room was dark, but Sasori sighed some at the familiarity of it as his racing heartbeat slowed. Just a nightmare... The redhead turned toward where Deidara's voice had come from.
"Deidara..." He moved to press closer against his boyfriend and sigh as tears began forming and falling down his face. "I tried to stop him… I tried but... I couldn't. I couldn't move at all... I'm sorry." He shook his head and tried to forget but that face, that helpless feeling was strong, insistent, refused to leave him alone. The pain still lingering and burning hot in his body, as though he was still being torn apart, only reinforced everything. Deidara brought his arms around the redhead, trying to wrap himself around him, protect him from everything in the world. Sasori thought it was his fault that he'd...? The blond swallowed, inhaled deeply, cursing himself as he heard a bit of a sob.
"No, Sasori... it's not your fault. Never tell yourself it was your fault, hn," he murmured, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's shoulder for a moment, working to reclaim his composure. He sighed slowly. "God... Sasori, I'm so sorry..." he breathed, clenching his jaw. "I'm sorry I let this happen..." He didn't deserve him... He hadn't even protected him, had been fucking asleep when Sasori was being stolen away...
"D-don't blame yourself. You didn't have any idea it was going to happen." He said between swallowing his quiet sobs. "You got me away from him." Sasori said, nuzzling against the other's neck. All he wanted to do was forget all of this, to erase it from his memory but it wasn't going to work that way. He loved Deidara more than he'd loved anything ever, for him to blame himself for someone else's decision was crazy. "Nobody could have prevented it, nobody knew it was coming."
"I'm so sorry..." he breathed once more. He would do better, he swore to himself. Nothing would hurt Sasori so badly again, not while he lived, not while there was anything he could do. "...If... If you hadn't stopped me... I really do think I would have killed him, Sasori, hn," Deidara admitted after a long pause, a little shaken by the realization. He'd never been that angry, so angry that he wanted to hurt someone that badly. There was no doubt in his mind that the bastard who had done this- the blond purposely didn't think his name- deserved what he'd gotten, and worse, much worse... With a sigh, he shook his head, forced the thoughts away. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered was keeping Sasori safe, helping him heal from this as best he could. "I'll protect you better from now on..." he murmured solemnly with head a little bowed, a vow as much to himself as to the redhead. Sasori moved to sit in Deidara's lap and nuzzle his neck.
"You did protect me, Deidara. You did. I would still be there with him doing that to me if you hadn't come to get me." It wasn't right, what had happened... Orochimaru must have lusted after him this whole time and now he'd done what he wanted. The blond was quiet for a few long moments, thoughtful and quiet before speaking again, softly.
"Sasori... I love you, hn."
The redhead was pulled out of his daze as Deidara spoke again, a hint of a smile formed on his face. "I love you too, Deidara." Sasori whispered as he pulled himself closer. He felt safe here in the other's arms like this, and that was what he needed most. Deidara fell silent, holding the redhead in his lap carefully, as though afraid he'd break him, but close and tight. Slowly he rocked the both of them back and forth reminding the both of them that Sasori was safe now. If he knew Orochimaru, it had been as much about power and control as it had been about sex and lust. Either way, he planned to put him either in prison or an early grave, whichever opportunity presented itself first. The anger kept bubbling up, but Deidara kept pushing it away for the moment... Sasori's well-being and comfort and happiness was the most important thing to him at the moment, more important than any plans he might make. The blond sighed slowly.
"How're you feeling? I can grab some aspirin or something for you, if you tell me where it is, hn..." Even in the dark, he could catch glimpses of how he winced when he moved. He didn't want to pull away... But he wanted to help him feel better, however he could. Anything was worth it.
"I... it hurts really bad." He whispered, cuddling closer before he looked thoughtful. Orochimaru hadn't used any restraint or concern for Sasori at all. From the beginning... He couldn't help but feel that Orochimaru had done what he had not only to satisfy his own twisted desires but to seriously hurt him far worse than anything his little followers had. He'd succeeded. "That would be great. They're in the bathroom in the medicine cabinet." He said and bit his lip as he'd moved away so Deidara could get up. School was going to be interesting. At that thought, Sasori looked over at the time. It was only three in the morning... he didn't dare sleep. Through the pain, though, he doubted that he'd be able to at all anymore for awhile.
Deidara stroked his hair before he stood. He'd spent enough time at Sasori's house over the last year that he could navigate the floor plan with his eyes closed. He blinked as he snapped on the light in the bathroom, letting his eyes adjust before rummaging through the medicine cabinet. It took a moment to find what he was looking for, but he poured out a couple of the painkiller pills and filling a small cup with water before carrying it back to the redhead, offering them before setting again next to him. It wasn't at all surprising to imagine that Orochimaru had purposely been as rough as possible, purposely tried to damage Sasori physically as well as mentally. He could heal from it, though, of that Deidara was sure. Sasori was one of the strongest people he'd ever met, more stubborn than even he was sometimes... And he'd be right at his side to help however he could. Whatever it was that bastard had set out to prove, they would find a way to beat him at his own game. Sasori sighed alittle and took the offered medicine before resting his hands at his sides, head bowed for a long while. God, the pain was intense. Sasori winced some with every subtle shift before finally he lay down, his head against the other's lap.
"Your mom should be getting done with work soon... shouldn't she? She'll probably get worried if you aren't home." Sasori said and brought his arms up against his chest, forgetting everything that had happened would be hard. But he knew that with Deidara here it would be much easier than having to do it on his own. Deidara smiled a little. Leave it to Sasori, even in times like this, to know his mind.
"Yeah... I'll give her a call real quick," he murmured, running his fingers through the other's hair. Shifting as little as possible, he pulled out his phone, the backlight illuminating his face in the darkness as he dialed, waited for his mom to pick up. "Hey, Mom... Yeah, I know it's late. Listen, I'm over at Sasori's hn... Yes... yes, Mom, I know it's a school night, but-... Mo-...Mom!" He breathed slowly, lowered his voice again. She didn't know... of course she'd tell him to leave and go home. "Sasori had... some trouble, hn. He's kinda beat up. I'm over here taking care of him, hn." He listened for awhile, nodding. "If you could drop off my backpack, I'll just leave from here. Oh, there's a shoebox in my closet, too... Yeah, where I keep my pictures, that one. Could you drop that off too, please?... Alright... Yeah, I'll tell him. Thanks, Mom. See you later... Love you too." He hung up with a beep, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. "She said, 'feel better soon, hn.'"
Sasori smiled alittle and sighed. He had a faraway look on his face, staring at the wall opposite his bed for a long while. What would happen tomorrow at school? Sasori wasn't even sure if he would be able to go the way he felt right now. It was difficult to even sit as much pain as he was in. Sasori rolled over so he could nuzzle the other's stomach before laying his head back down against the blond's lap again. "Thank you for... everything." He whispered and smiled just a bit. Deidara was glad to see Sasori smile, even just a little, after this ordeal. It was a step in the right direction, a step towards healing, and it relieved a bit of the darkness and tension Deidara hadn't consciously realized he'd been holding on to.
"Don't thank me," the blond murmured, still stroking gently at the other's hair. It had always amazed him how soft it was, how soft Sasori was. He was so wonderful, so perfect... Deidara sighed slowly, looking down at his boyfriend. It wasn't fair, he hadn't deserved this, hadn't done anything wrong. He set another kiss against his temple. "I love you... I love you more than anything, hn." Sasori brought his arms around the other's waist to pull himself closer.
"I love you too," Sasori whispered before his eyes closed. He held back a small yawn and shook his head. He wasn't exactly tired… He just wanted to sleep and somehow wake feeling better as if nothing ever happened. "Not once... Not ever during the whole thing did it feel right. I kept trying to imagine you there instead of Orochimaru, hoping that that would make my body relax and so the pain would stop but... nothing about it was you. No matter how hard I tried to think of you..."
"Shh... It's okay," he whispered, rubbing slowly at the back of Sasori's neck, stroking and scratching lightly at his back. "I'm here now. He's not going to hurt you again, I'll make sure of it, hn." He'd been hurt so badly by this... "I promise," he whispered. The blond ran his fingers down the other's shoulder and arm to one of his hands where they were pressed to Sasori's chest, slipping his fingers between the redhead's. "I'm right here. See?"
Sasori knew Deidara was never going to hurt him, or let anyone touch him like that again. His hand tightened when he felt Deidara's, gripping his hand desperately, shivering just a bit. "Thank you, Dei," he whispered and let his body relax just a little behind the pain. He looked over at the time he sighed alittle. Six... already? "School starts in two hours... should probably get ready." Deidara glanced over at the clock as well, confirming what Sasori had said. The sun was starting to peek over the roofs of the houses on the other side of the street.
"Have you decided what you want to do?" he asked softly, not wanting to move just yet. To be honest, he'd prefer that the redhead stay home and rest where it was safe... But he trusted him to know what he needed better than anyone else. The blond cocked his head a little, hearing the rumble of a familiar car outside, stroked Sasori's hair for another moment. "I'll be right back, hn," he promised before standing, trotting to the door. He didn't linger long to talk to his mother... she saw the urgency in his gaze, believed he'd do what had to be done. Closing the door, he went back to Sasori's room, sat on the bed and rested the shoebox on his own knees. It wasn't finished yet, but...
Sasori was sitting on the edge of his bed, looked up at Deidara when he returned, eyes trailing to the shoebox in his hands. A curious expression spread across his face. What was in there that was so important? Slowly Sasori stood up from where he had been sitting to grab some clothing from his drawers. "What... what's in the box? If you don't mind me asking, of course..."
"It's for you," Deidara said, smiling a little. "I'd hoped to give it to you yesterday, but it wasn't done, so I put it off." He lifted the lid off the box, pulled out a small book, a photo album. The cover wasn't decorated, except for rough sketches in pencil... one of the things he hadn't finished. With a slow sigh, he handed it to Sasori. "It's got pictures from the end of last year and over the summer, ever since I got my camera on my birthday, hn." Some were just of Sasori, others just of the blond, others of places they were both familiar with, the park, a joke picture of the inside of the school bathrooms... But many were of them together, hanging out or playing games or reading or studying... Life when things didn't seem like they could go wrong. "Here," he murmured, eyes drifting a little to the side, knowing how silly it was to be embarrassed, but hoping that Sasori would like it. Sasori's eyes widened as he took the album and sat next to Deidara. A small smile came to his lips as he looked through all of the pictures, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"Dei..." He held it to his chest for a long while before he moved to set it aside and put his arms around Deidara. "Thank you. It's perfect." He murmured before pulling back just enough to kiss the other's lips. This time, the kiss felt so very right. He didn't want to pull away from it this time. Sasori wouldn't be back to his old self for some time, he knew. It would take time to get over this. He slid his arms gently around Sasori's chest, holding him close, reaching to tangle his fingers into the hair at the back of the other's neck. Deidara had seen his smile... It would take time, he knew, but they were moving in the right direction, moving towards healing. He couldn't help the hint of a smile that turned his own mouth too.
"I'm glad you like it," he murmured, pulling back just enough to breathe when his lungs ached for air. "If you want, I'll try to finish it today after school." That was right, school... His mom had even thought to bring over a fresh set of clothes, for which he was grateful... Pajama pants, a mismatched shirt and old running shoes without socks would hardly go over well.
"It's fine, Deidara. It's perfect as it is." Sasori then looked thoughtful, his eyes shifting to look out his window, the sun had started to fill his room with light as it rose.
"Have you decided what you want to do, hn?" the blond asked, a bit of concern in his gaze as he met Sasori's dusty-rose eyes.
"I'm not going to let Orochimaru think he's gotten the better of me. Not now," Sasori started, moving so he was sitting on the edge of his bed again, running his fingertips over the clothing draped over his legs. "I refuse to let him win at this game. Pain is nothing, I can deal with it. As long as Orochimaru's little toys don't try anything I should be okay." The blond was quiet for a moment, considering, before opening his mouth to voice the obvious question.
"What if they do get involved though?" he murmured, brow furrowing as he thought, trying to figure something out. He could hold his own against two opponents, perhaps even three as long as it wasn't Jirobo... But he and Sasori only had their first and last classes together. That left a lot of time between, where Deidara wasn't around. Sure, as long as there was a teacher in sight the redhead would probably be safe from anything Orochimaru's group could do... "If you wait for me to get there, we could walk to your classes together, hn," he suggested. It meant he'd have to run to his own, but it was hardly a price worth noting if it meant that Sasori was kept out of danger. Sasori nodded some in response, half-hearing Chiyo's car start before it pulled out of the driveway. He slowly stood and made his way to the bathroom, wincing at the pain for just a minute and moved to pull his own shirt from his body. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would take a long while to physically recover from this... After undressing, he got into the shower and turned on the water, closing his eyes for just a second to relax beneath it. When he opened his eyes again he saw Orochimaru standing there in front of him. He gave a sharp yell, stumbling backwards and nearly falling over, but caught himself on the corner before he did. When he closed his eyes and shook his head, he looked again. This time he was gone. It took him a great while to compose himself after that, all he could do was stare dumbly at where Orochimaru had been.
Deidara had started changing when Sasori ducked into the bathroom to shower, had just buttoned and zipped his pants when he heard the commotion. He sprinted down the hall bare-chested, pausing to knock.
"Sasori... you alright?" he called through the door, over the hiss of the shower. It was entirely possible that he had just slipped, the blond told himself... But then, considering everything that had happened in the last few hours, he would be paranoid for some time. Even here at the redhead's house, one of the safest places he could be, he couldn't help but be worried when he heard Sasori cry out like that. Slowly the redhead slid down to sit in the tub, wrapping his arms around his legs for a long while and burying his face against his knees. It hadn't been real... just his imagination. He wanted desperately to believe that but he couldn't bring himself to it. He heard the knock on the door, opened his mouth to reply but he couldn't get a sound to come from his lips. Finally, he braced himself against the wall and stood, looked down at his body. He had bruises all over in the shape of hands... his hands...
"D-dei..." Deidara just barely heard Sasori's weak call after the long silence, pressed his lips together.
"I'm coming in, hn," he warned, turning the handle and stepping into the warm dampness of the bathroom. "Sasori?" the blond called softly, peering into the shower, pulling back the curtain some, not enough to let out the water, when he saw how shaky the redhead looked. He looked so... haunted, and Deidara had more than a guess just what face the ghost he'd seen wore. The blond followed the line of Sasori's gaze, tracing over the bruises covering his skin. They hadn't colored when he'd first seen him, but now they were ugly, deep purple-black, marring the redhead's slender body. Swallowing, Deidara lifted his eyes back to his face, reached to stroke his hair, wet from the shower, murmuring his name again, solemnly. Sasori swallowed before looking over at Deidara, breathing quickly. He closed his eyes tightly and shivered.
"Dei... I-I saw him... he.." He forced himself to calm down. His breathing was quick, shallow with fear. "C-can you..." Sasori started, but stopped himself. No... He didn't want to trouble Deidara anymore. He had already done enough. "I'm... I'm fine." Deidara's eyes were quiet, solemn. With a soft sigh, he pressed his lips into a thin line and reached to pull the redhead towards him, against his bare chest, not caring that Sasori was wet from the still-running shower. He didn't care that the other's hair was wet as he set his cheek on top of his head and held him close, careful not to press on the bruises. Orochimaru was still hurting him... Even when he wasn't here. It tore the blond apart to realize it.
"Tell me what you need me to do, Sasori," he murmured softly, hearing him cut himself off in the beginning of a question. There was nothing he wouldn't do for him, if only he would ask.
"I'm so… so scared of being alone. Don't... leave me... not until it's passed. I realize at school there isn't a choice... but here... whenever. I'm scared he's gonna come after me again," Sasori muttered, tears falling down his face that mingled with the warm water from his shower that dripped from his hair. He buried his face against the other's neck, sobbing quietly. "He's... he's everywhere I look. In my house, even when I'm sleeping he's there taunting me... reminding me of what he did. I don't trust myself to be alone right now..."
"I promise," he whispered against Sasori's ear, holding him close, holding him tight to remind him as much as he could that he was safe. "Every moment... Any time I can be at your side, I will. I won't let him hurt you any more, Sasori. I promise." Turning his face, he kissed the redhead's temple, reached to wipe the tears from his face, and the droplets of water that mingled with them, and brush back his bangs from his eyes. "I won't let him hurt you," he promised, staring into those eyes, wishing there was a way he could erase the pain there. He kissed Sasori's forehead. "Go ahead and finish your shower, love. I'll stay right here, and then we can get to school," he murmured.
Sasori leaned up to kiss his lips, a little hesitant. It always sent shivers through his body, but then remembering just who it was helped him calm down. "Thank you so much," he said as their lips parted. "I won't take too long." He disappeared behind the shower curtain. Sasori finished quickly and dried himself off, but was hesitant when he went to pull on his shirt. There were bruises along his arms too... Sasori pulled his boxers and pants on, going to his room to grab a long sleeve shirt to cover the bruises on his arms with before he reached for his other shirt to pull that on too. "Let's... get going." He said and grabbed his backpack, pulling it carefully over his shoulders to avoid the bruises on top of the overall pain that constantly was there.
Deidara was as good as his word, staying in sight as much as he could. He pulled on his shirt and swung his backpack onto one shoulder before he nodded. The blond led the way to his car, not caring at the moment just how much of a beater it looked in the broad light of morning... Even with the ugly, peeling paint, the rust and only semi-reliable engine, it would be faster to get to school, and safer for Sasori, as well. No one would bother them on the way there. He set his backpack in the back seat and turned, stroking the redhead's cheek for a moment. "Let's go," he murmured with a small smile, dropping into the driver's seat and leaning over to unlock and open the passenger door before working to get the engine to turn over.
Sasori nodded and sat next to him in the passenger seat, absently running fingertips over a bruise on his forearm. What would he do without Deidara? Right now... Sasori doubted that he would be here. All of his past melted away when he saw Deidara's smiling face, and he knew that even though things had ended up totally twisted around... no matter how much pain he was in, that his boyfriend would be there, and he would recover no matter how great the pain. For that he was eternally grateful.
The engine sputtered and died, squeaked as he turned the key again. Annoyed, Deidara leaned forward some and slammed his fist down on the dashboard, muttering a curse under his breath. They ignition turned again, and for a moment it seemed the car would die again before the sputter changed to an unsteady, coughing roar. Deidara sighed a little with a helpless smile and a shrug to Sasori... He knew what he needed to fix to make it work, it was just a matter of getting the money for the parts and the time to actually install them. The suspension squeaked some as he turned it about, and a few minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot reserved for fourth-year students. Letting the engine whir to a stop, the blond sat back in his chair, staring at the school and the groups of friends standing around talking before turning his face towards Sasori. "You ready?" he murmured. If Sasori didn't want to do this, Deidara was sure he could think of something else to keep him safe... Whatever happened, though, he would be there for him.
Sasori was pulled out of his daze by the sound of Deidara's voice. His rose colored eyes trailed up to look at him and for a moment he wasn't sure before he slowly let a breath out and nodded.
"Ready." No point in running away from it. He opened the door and stepped out of the car. He didn't get but a few feet away before he felt a hand grab his arm from behind. His eyes flew wide, remembering the night before. The pain of a compressed bruise shot through his arm, intensified the now dulling pain from the medication he'd taken before class. He felt a shiver run through his entire body. Sasori whimpered softly, the best he could do to hide the yell of pain that almost forced itself from his throat.
"Sasori..." a female voice whispered, not seeing Deidara getting out of the car… One of his fangirls, the most persistent of the bunch. "Why don't you come see what it's like for real, instead of being with another guy? I can do so much-" Sasori growled before cutting her off. He wasn't in the mood for this.
"Don't. Fucking. Touch me. Don't EVER touch me." He yanked his arm away from her pulling it against his chest. "I don't want to deal with any of you today. I'm not in the mood to deal with any of your girls' fantasies." Deidara got out of the car just in time to hear the fangirl's proposal. Gritting his teeth, he slammed the door harder than he'd intended, forcing a grin onto his face as a narrowed, angry blue gaze locked into the girl's face.
"Fantasies? At this point I'd call them delusions, hn." He'd heard the redhead's whimper, seen how he froze... That she had hurt him- even accidentally- angered him more than her words, though those rankled too. He stepped around the front of the car, resting a hand gently on Sasori's shoulder before placing himself firmly between his redhead and the fangirl, drawing himself up to his full height and looking down at her disdainfully. "I'm sorry you're so desperate to get fucked," he snarled, voice saying that he wasn't sorry at all, "but stay the hell away from my boyfriend. Today is a very bad day to cross either of us." He shook his head slowly, almost pityingly, at her, face forbidding. The class clown rarely showed this side of himself to anyone. With a snort he turned away dismissively, his expression softening as he peered into Sasori face. "You okay, 'Sori? Hn?" he murmured, sounding a little worried as he stroked red bangs from his face. He'd said what he'd needed to, to the fangirl... Now Sasori was more important, and having someone come up behind him, grab him suddenly, squeezing a bruise had obviously shaken him badly. Sasori suddenly cuddled himself against Deidara's chest, gripping the his shirt.
"I… I'm fine, Deidara" Sasori whispered, shaking just alittle as he gripped the other's shirt alittle tighter. "Just scared me is all." He said, nuzzling against his chest. Suddenly his back straightened as a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Well, well... isn't this cute." Again? Sasori glanced from the corner of his eye as Orochimaru passed, gold eyes staring at him almost viciously… hungry and taunting… accompanied by a sharply sadistic smile. He panted in fear, gripping the other's shirt alittle tighter. He knew there wasn't anything that he could do... not here. But that didn't stop the memories and visions from playing in his mind. Deidara brought his arms securely around the redhead as though to hide him from view, not needing to turn his head to know who was passing by. Sasori's reaction, the snakelike voice, were indicators enough.
"It's okay, Sasori," the blond whispered in his ear. "He's just trying to scare you. That bastard's not going to touch you, I promise, hn." He drew his boyfriend close against him, before lifting his head. He still didn't turn to look at Orochimaru, not trusting himself to not go after the pale one if he did. "Hey," he called, eyes fixed on the space above Sasori's head. "...Just me, or do you sound even more like a girl today?" he smirked. Probably only Orochimaru knew better than the blond just how solid the hits he had taken last night were, and they had connected hard, of that Deidara was certain. That their pallid classmate was able of walking at all was surprising… Perhaps, the blond thought, he should have given him some more obvious wounds.
"Is it just me, or does Akasuna have a problem with looking me? Just how much does it hurt? I'm surprised he can even stand as hard as he was getting it last night." Orochimaru chuckled before strolling through the doors. Sasori forced his eyes closed and made his grip on the other's shirt loosen just a little. Orochimaru wasn't going to get the better of him. Just seeing him, though, had sent shocks of fear throughout his entire body. Still he shook in the other's arms, and for a good while wasn't sure if he could get himself to stop. Deidara drew a deep breath.
"Surprised the prick can walk, hard as I hit him," he mumbled, mostly to himself, adding in his mind, I can fix that. To have the nerve to show his face around here after that, to talk like that, almost like he was bragging... With a slow sigh, and a roll of his shoulders, the blond forced himself to relax, releasing the tension in his shoulders and back. "He just wants to keep you scared, hn," he murmured, stroking Sasori's back, trying to soothe him. He was shaking like a leaf... "I'm here, love. He's not going to hurt you. I'm not going anywhere." Still holding the redhead close, he rocked back and forth a little. Luckily most of the other seniors were on the campus proper by now, giving them at least a semblance of privacy for Sasori to get his fear back under control. The redhead slowly regained himself and backed away from Deidara, not enough to pull out of his arms but enough to look up at him. Sasori exhaled slowly before shaking his head and dropping his eyes to his own feet. He couldn't live like this forever... that much he knew.
"I… know," Sasori answered, looking again up at Deidara's bright blue eyes. "I... don't know if I can face this," he murmured. Few things had ever shaken him this badly before. The only other time he'd been so fragile was after his parents died. "I'm... I'm sorry." The blond stroked Sasori's cheek, turned his face a little upward to smile just a little as he shook his own head gently.
"Sasori... you're one of the strongest people I've ever met," he murmured. Anyone else going through what the redhead had... It would likely leave them shattered, completely broken, and yet here he was, even with these misgivings standing at the school gate, defiant. "I know that you can do anything you put your mind to, hn. You can show that bastard Orochimaru..." he spit the name like poison... "that you're stronger than him. Because you are. You're in a whole different league, love." He stroked at the red bangs that always seemed intent on blocking Sasori's eyes from view. He looked so fragile and frightened... But, looking hard, Deidara was sure that he could see the strength and stubbornness that made Sasori, Sasori. "If you want, I can take you back to my place and you can stay with Mom. Or we can face this together. It's up to you." He indicated the school with a slight tilt of his head. In the end, it was up to him. Sasori knew what he could handle now… And Deidara would do whatever was necessary to be there at his side every step of the way.
Reisha: Phew... What a roller coaster ride. Next week will be happier, I can promise you that, though the repercussions of what happened here will be felt for some time. Fun fact, chapter ten is far and away the longest chapter so far... Almost double the length of the second-longest. But then, there was a lot of material to cover. Anyhow, please read and review, and Kira and I look forward to seeing y'all next week for chapter 11. ^. .^