As White as Blood

Chapter Fifty-Two

Swept Away

Deidara awoke soon with a groan, sitting up to look at the small fire which burned next to him for a few seconds, before turning away from it. "Fuck, my head hurts…" He looked around, noticing Hiruko sitting a few feet away with Sasori sitting next to the puppet, and the blonde gave him a groggy blink. "Danna? What happened, un?"

The red head looked over at the blonde, resisting the urge to fuss over the boy to make sure that he was alright. Sasori's commonsense had returned, and he had recalled the fact about just how dangerous it had been to try and insert a second needle inside of the blonde's memory centre. A million things could have gone wrong, and if Deidara had died, Pein would have definitely known that it had been the red head's fault. "You tripped over a cherry blossom root and you got knocked unconscious. How are you feeling?"

Deidara gave him a nebulous blink before cringing, clutching his head roughly. "My head hurts like a bitch…Wait a second…" The blonde frowned deeply in thought, until he abruptly gave a cry of pain, curling into a tight ball, clenching his teeth together tightly. "Fuck!"

Sasori frowned and stood up, walking half urgently over to the blonde to see what the problem was. He pried Deidara out of the ball which he had moved himself into, giving a frown at the blonde, "What is the problem?"

Deidara looked up at Sasori for a few seconds, before giving a cringe, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. "…My head hurts when I try to remember…When I try to remember…" The red head frowned slightly and then moved his palm to Deidara's forehead, pumping chakra in a wave through the boy's mind. The blonde immediately fell unconscious.

Sasori frowned at the blonde, before turning his gaze to watch the flickering fire. It definitely wasn't a good sign if Deidara was experiencing intense pain…

Sasori mentally scolded himself for doing something so stupid and careless. First of all he had never experimented on having more than one needle inside of a person's brain before. Also he had never rid anyone of so great a portion of one's memory…Kabuto's memory had been only about a year's worth of memory…Whiel Sasori had been sleeping with Deidara since he was sixteen…

-x-

Deidara woke up early the next morning with Sasori still sitting next to him, carefully staring into the banked fire without looking at the blonde. The eighteen year old sat up, moving a hand to his head while giving a slight groan of pain. "What the fuck, un? Why did you fucking knock me unconscious?"

Sasori looked to the blonde, giving him a slow blink as he carefully tiptoed through a metaphorical minefield. "How is your head?"

"It still hurts like a bitch, un." Deidara shuffled slightly closer to the fire, putting his hands close to the banked flames to try and warm himself up. The mouths on his palms stuck their tongues out also to feel the heat glow across their surfaces. "What happened? My head hasn't hurt this much since…Since…"

Realisation suddenly crossed the blonde's expression, and his body went completely rigid. "…Now Deidara-"

The blonde immediately turned to face Sasori, fists clenched and expression full of utter rage. "YOU FUCKING MESSED WITH MY MEMORIES AGAIN, DIDN'T YOU? WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU GONE AND DELETED THIS TIME, UN?" After a few seconds of silence the blonde sneered and frowned in thought, trying to remember what it was that Sasori had erased. He immediately gave a cry of pain, leaning forward until his nose touched the ground, fists clenching at his hair in agony. "WHY THE FUCK DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?" Sasori opened his mouth to respond, but Deidara was too impatient. He sat back up and viciously grabbed the red head's Akatsuki cloak, pulling him close to sneer dangerously at the puppet. "GIVE ME BACK MY MEMORIES OR ELSE I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, UN!"

"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE, BRAT!" Sasori ripped the blonde's hands off of him, shooting the kid an equally dangerous glare. "I've never had two needles inside of a spy's head before; if I were to cancel the Jutsu then there is a high possibility that it could kill you or make you go insane…I didn't get rid of any memories that were important."

Deidara let go of Sasori, but continued to glare at the red head, "If they were so unimportant…Then why the FUCK did you have to get rid of them, un?" The blonde looked over to the fire, cringing slightly before looking back at the red head. "Why the fuck is my head hurting so much when I try to remember? When you erased my memory about the location of the meeting with Kabuto it didn't hurt to try and recall…"

"Deidara; if you want your head to stop hurting, then you need to stop trying to remember." Sasori stood up and aimed his palm at the fire, spraying it with a bit of water to put it out using the small jet imbedded in his hand. "Now come on; we're moving out." The red head traipsed to Hiruko and climbed inside of the puppet, closing the hatch with a quick flick of chakra threads.

The blonde grudgingly stood up, still glaring at the marionette, but he had no other choice but to follow. They moved back to the cherry blossom track and continued there traipse towards their location, the mountain still looking just as distant as when they had started along the path.

Sasori could practically sense the hatred in the air and the confusion that Deidara possessed. Every now and then he would give a pained noise, being mentally punished for trying to remember what he had been forced to forget. He hated Sasori, and unknowingly loved him at the same time.

-x-

Thirty Five Years Old

It had been a few months since Sasori had rid the blonde of the unnecessary memories, and Deidara had mostly forgiven the puppet. His head had stopped hurting as he had long since stopped trying to remember what he had forgotten.

Sasori had noticed that the blonde had changed somewhat ever since the second needle had been inserted. He had more trouble in remembering information in the short term unless he was reminded often; Deidara was just as jokingly seductive, but he was even more reckless, as if he now no longer cared whether he was alive or dead.

On some nights, Sasori would have to listen to the blonde moaning the red head's name in his sleep, the memories of something unreachable and intangible still accessible in dreams, but never remembered once conscious.

Sasori and Deidara were currently taking a break from their long trek next to a wide river, one of the many notorious rapid-laced rampages that the Land of Rivers was famous for. Deidara lay basking in the sunshine, soaking in the rays with a small smirk on his lips.

Sasori - on the other hand - had decided to remodel his puppet collection while he had the time, leaning his back against the outside of Hiruko as he did so. Sasori had counted his oeuvre as he had done so, quite proud once he realised that he possessed a total of 298 puppets. Only two more and he would reach the 300 mark. As much as he wanted to go and find two new additions right away, he decided to put it off. These puppets had to be significant, not only in their number, but also in their quality.

Sasori looked back over to the blonde, noting the soft flesh of his shirtless body, feeling a familiar yearning trying to make itself noted. The red head quickly dismissed the inappropriate thoughts from his mind, reminding himself that he had long since given up on the blonde. They no longer had a Deal; Sasori no longer had control over Deidara, nor did he lust for him. "Hey Danna…" The red head casually continued to remodel his collection, giving a hum of recognition, "What do you think happens after we die, un?"

Sasori slowly blinked at the blonde before raising an eyebrow at him, scoffing slightly in irritation. "I'm not going to die, so there is no use in wondering."

"I'm just curious - no need to bite my head off, Danna." Deidara gave a sigh and continued to bask in the warm sunlight, the sound of the churning river loud in the background. "I think that there is nothing after we die…We're dead, and we will never see the light of day again~" Deidara gave a laugh of glee that Sasori couldn't quite understand.

The red head scoffed and shook his head, refusing to answer the dumb question…He looked back to the blonde, raising an eyebrow at him…"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Deidara opened his right eye, looking to the side at Sasori while giving a wide grin.

"Just catching up on my tan, un…Why do you ask? Is your virgin ass feeling needy~?" Deidara sat up, opening his other forget-me-not eye as he did so, his blonde fringe swaying back and forth for several seconds. He wasn't wearing his scope. "Maybe I should have a nice cool dip in this river then."

Sasori lowered his eyes at the blonde, giving him a good hard glare of irritation, "The current is far too fast and it is way too deep, Brat. Unless you have a death wish, then I would recommend staying-" The blonde stood up, "What the hell are you doing?" Deidara dropped his pants onto the ground to pool around his feet, easily stepping out of the heap of material with his boxers still covering his lower regions.

"I'm going for a swim obviously, un; and here I thought that you were the smart one~" Deidara grinned at him before traipsing slowly to the river's edge, sitting down with his legs dangling in the water. "Hmmm…It's a bit nippy but oh well." The blonde gave a slight chuckle before sliding into the clear liquid, grasping tightly onto the edge of the river.

"Why the hell are you swimming almost-naked in a cold river full of fast currents, rocks and rapids?" Sasori stood up, taking a cautious step towards the blonde, prepared in case something went wrong - which it most likely would.

"An artist must always seek greater stimulation," Deidara smirked up at the red head with a sharp twinkle in his eyes, "lest his senses turn dull~" The blonde took in a gasp of air and then ducked his head underwater, hands still clearly clutching onto the edge with his fingers visible. Sasori waited for him to resurface, eyes narrowing as at least a minute slowly ticked by. How long was the blonde planning on holding his breath?

He was taken aback when the nineteen year old's hands slid from their tight grip of the mud and grass, slipping below the water's surface.

Sasori jumped as he saw the dark shape of the blonde beneath the water begin to get dragged away from the edge, towards the faster currents in the centre of the river, easily being swept away quickly downstream.

Sasori immediately began to run after the boy's figure, managing to keep up with the shadow although he began to lag behind as the river sped up, heading towards the rapids. The red head tried attaching chakra strings to the blonde, but the river was too strong a force acting against the threads.

Sasori did the next best action…Or at least, the next idea that came to mind.

He made several handsigns after automatically slipping his Akatsuki cloak from his shoulders, activating his Human Jutsu so that his puppet body would not get waterlogged and so no poison would seep from his weapons into the water.

Sasori didn't listen to an ounce of commonsense; he jumped into the water, and immediately grabbed onto the dark shadow of Deidara before it was out of reach.

Sasori pulled the blonde against his chest, quickly lifting his head above the water, noting the loll of the boy's neck which signified that he was unconscious. The red head then recalled the rapids that they were heading for, and - holding fast to the blonde with one hand - he moved his other above the water, aiming chakra strings at a large tree.

They held for several seconds, managing to pull him a few centimetres closer to the edge, but Sasori couldn't hold them as he began to sink below the water's surface. He had to release the threads in order to tread water, grinding his teeth together tightly as his mind struggled to think up a way to survive.

Hiruko was too far away by this point in time to be of any use. His puppets were also of no use. There was nothing to grab onto. This human body was practically useless, as was his marionette body as it would get too easily waterlogged and would just end up sinking. Dammit!

He didn't want to fucking die because of the Brat's suicidal stupidity!

That was when an idea suddenly struck him. THE THIRD KAZEKAGE PUPPET! IT WAS SEALED INSIDE OF HIS CLOAK! …Oh fuck, he had taken his cloak off before he jumped in to save the blonde…

Was this how the mighty Sasori of the Red Sand would at last meet his demise?

He could survive almost any injury, but his heart was still a weak point and…And Deidara…

They were coming up to the first rock, and Sasori couldn't figure out how to save him self from hitting it, so he didn't try to dodge it. The red head turned so that his back was facing the boulder, curling partly into a ball, protectively around the unconscious blonde. A few seconds later, Sasori's back slammed into the wall of rock, immediately winding the male, ridding himself of air.

The river began to pull him around the rock, trying to drag the duo towards the raging rapids, smashing waterfalls, and the jagged daggered rocks. Sasori quickly uncurled and grabbed onto a sharp pillar which stuck out the very top of the rock, the razor-like edge slicing into his palm until the red head felt warm blood trickling down his wrist, but he ignored the painful bite. He struggled to fight against the current, using his body to pin the blonde to the rock, having to use his other hand in order to grab another section of sharp rock so as to keep them both from being swept away.

Sasori cringed and tried to steady his pained breathing after being slammed against the rock earlier, despite the fact that the water was numbing his body. Deidara was still unconscious, and the red head was starting to find it difficult to keep him against the rock using his body.

The current was far too strong and Sasori's arms were aching painfully. His hand slipped for a few seconds, but he quickly regained the grip, giving a gasp as a jagged spike dug into his hand, but he ignored it as he continued to cling to the rock.

After a few minutes, Sasori was completely exhausted.

He was ready to give up and to let the waters have their way.

Voices were beginning to sound in his head, trying to tempt him into letting go of the lifeline. Let go, you are just prolonging the inevitable. You can't save him, you can't even save yourself. Join us already; we've been waiting for you.

The roar of the water began to sound like the cry of a bawling child that Sasori knew all too well.

He was just about ready to die, when suddenly he heard a voice over the roar of the water; this one was real.

Sasori didn't know what it said, but the next thing he knew there was something next to him in the water. For a few seconds the red head's exhausted mind thought that it was a snake, but soon his quick intellect processed the fact that it was actually a rope.

Sasori looked back at the shore, eyes widening when he saw a boy with red hair who looked like a young version of himself…He blinked a few times and the image shifted into reality, revealing that it had just been a trick of his mind.

A boy did stand on the shore line, but he looked absolutely nothing like Sasori, possessing bobbed purple-grey hair. "GRAB THE ROPE!" The red head blinked – dumbfounded - noting how the end of the cord was securely fastened around a thick tree, and Sasori had no other choice but to accept the help, half begrudgingly, knowing with rue that it was his only chance to save the both of them.

The red head would rather have help from this kid than end up dead.

Sasori grabbed onto the rope with one hand, having to let go of the other immediately in order to catch the blonde. The red head was partly swept away by the current, but he was tightly holding onto the rope so that he did not go too far through the surging water. Sasori manoeuvred his mouth forwards, clenching his teeth down to grip the rope as tightly as possible before having to remove his hand from the cord, straining to keep from relinquishing his grip.

The red head moved his now free hand into the air, aiming it at a tree. Sasori connected chakra threads quickly to a bough, tugging harshly on them. He managed to use the strings to pull himself closer to the shore line.

But just as he got within two metres of it, the rope snapped.

A long piece of the cord was still clenched in the red head's teeth. His chakra threads also broke as he was once again dragged along by the river.

But Sasori's hope had been restored.