A's note :
To Liz : Yes Hatsue is too kind almost. I didn't want to make her kind tho, naive was the route i was going for. I'm glad you like it!
To Akatsuki Wolf Rider: -nods seriously- Yes. I aim to disintegrate you into a puddle of goo. Now, melt for me. -takes out my fan and laughs like a villainess-
To Stellar Nymph: I wanted to make this fanfic short, not because of the few views it has but because I already pictured an ending for the alternate universe I created for Sasori. You are one of the few who likes to read of an OC interacting with canon characters. For that, I hope you are/will be moved with my writing, at least for a moment.
To sallymadrigal605: You don't know how badly I wanted to read the word refreshing. I wanted this to be refreshing so much that it hurts. Hope you stick around.
To overtherose: I feel tingles when I read the word refreshing. Ha! If we put our minds on it maybe we do have the will to get what we want. Truth is, I'm starting to regret writing Hatsue as a medical nin, but if I don't... i can tell you 100% Hatsue will die on the exams if she wasn't. After all, we gotta make her live long enough to be remembered by Sasori. As for the ending you are suggesting, my fingers are aching to write your scene. I am invested in that kind of ending. However, if I go down that route, it wouldn't give our Sasori the salvation he should have had. Still, stick around please.
To fanofthisfiction: Sasori is indeed the little heart throb but they still had to kill each other so i don't think crushing was a thing if you didn't pass the exams yet. Don't worry, he has his own fanclub in Suna, our little painter would meet them one day. I wanted him to go down the awkward route. There are many I have read that our little puppetmaster was quite slick with romance. Not in mine though, l don't own him but I want him as a cinnamon roll with a little psychopathic on the side. Seriously though. Sasori deserves better!
You reviewers know how much a feedback means to a fanfic writer . This chapter is dedicated to you. I hope you read this at night in your room, or in a cafe with few people or any place that gives you complete concentration as you read.
Special mentions: candygood1, regiusdawn, demonavenger888, yuki0123, nathy13, animefairy299, Iceleigh, anime0luver, Shiovaun, Ijustdon'tcare132, Aurora9871, GreatCat-Sama, RougeNeige, Supix, MaskedSilver, moonseeds99, animegirl3774, AsteriaTheFallen, KotoriZ, Kentan, Azzahradafi, iluvbrodybear16, AriadnePlath, Cheyenne761, CollegeGirl2018, Dreamy-Girl2016, astrit090, gothchic6, luvielle, poprockie
There are cherry blossoms fluttering around him and Deidara. For a moment, Sasori felt something fleeting, an overwhelming desire to stop breathing and close his eyes, to never wake. The feeling passed and he was left with the machinations in his mind and the rambunctious antics of his partner- friend? No, the child will never be his friend. No one in Akatsuki is. A group of people trying to change the world. No matter the methods. No matter the reason.
"Art... is an explosion!" The blond haired kid exclaimed and placed his arms around himself imitating a girlish antic. "This is art."
The wind fluttered again, it always is when there are cherry blossoms around. But the accurate reason would be the set of explosions following Deidara's exclamation. Just another mission from Akatsuki. Deidara seems to be having fun though.
"I still don't get what your art is about." He said ,a voice of old and grey, with someone in mind. He'd take her to sights they didn't have in Suna. To see a field of chrysanthemums, a pond of koi fishes, a rainbow on a waterfall, a temple with nagas etched on the pillars, to see a grove of cherry blossoms like the one he is seeing now and many more. Their plan. Their promise that one couldn't keep.
"Someday, you'll understand the beauty of what is fleeting." Deidara replied, unknowing of his views.
Doesn't Sasori of the Red Sand know it? Hatsue... is- was beautiful. He should have known that someone beautiful could only be temporary. Why he is obsessed with puppets; isn't it to preserve beauty? If something precious is treasured for so long, wouldn't it still be precious? If something beautiful is cared for, preserved it, like pressed flowers, wouldn't it still be beautiful? Art should be timeless. Like her. Like the way she haunts him. She is both fleeting and timeless.
I went down to
mingle my breath
with the breath
of the cherry blossoms.
There it is. How often she haunts him. She was reading a book of poems to him, while he worked tirelessly in the basement, sculpting wood, making more puppets. She knew if she believed him saying that it would only take 20 minutes to finish then they'd never get to hang out so she insisted to read in the basement so he'd see her face and feel guilty for making her wait.
There were photographers;
Mothers arranging their
children against
gnarled old trees;
a couple, hugging,
asks a passerby
to snap them like that,
so their love
will always be caught
between two friendships:
ours the friendship
of the cherry trees.
"But Sasori we HAVE to take a picture." She whined. "It's for memories. When we grow up, we'll travel and take a picture with the cherry blossoms. "
He thinks that he doesn't have to take a picture. He already has great memory. Photographic. He wishes he didn't. He should have long forgotten how she looked like and yet here he is, in his mind, a vivid image of her remains.
Oh cherry,
why can't my poems
be as beautiful?
"Why do you think this poet laments so much?" Hatsue asked.
"I don't know Hatsue but I'm sure you're gonna tell me the reason either way" Sasori rolled his eyes, annoyed.
She stuck her tongue out at him. He looked at her unimpressed. So childish.
"Maybe the cherry blossoms are so beautiful that even when I paint it, I can't do justice on it." She said and then she shot him a grin and asked "Wanna add that to our list?"
"It's a date." He said still looking down on the wood he's carving, the arms he made are too asymmetrical.
"No it's not a date! We're just friends and why would you say that?" She asked hotly, cheeks stained red.
"Granduncle Ebizo told me to say it whenever you make plans with me. Why is it wrong?" He asked in genuine confusion.
"Dates are between couples like how our parents did before they married." She answered. "Besides, Sandaime is the only one in my heart now!"
He dropped his chisel.
"-what?"
All around us
the blossoms
flurry down
whispering,
Be patient,
you have an ancient beauty.
Be patient,
you have an ancient beauty.
She told him as long as he kept his heart, they would be friends for eternity. How can they still be friends when hers is already six feet under?
We're standing face to face
With our own human race
Sasori was getting deployed for the first time, he was here in the Kazekage's office receiving his mission scroll. It wasn't a surprise, really. The Academy had been churning out shinobis barely out of the Academy; it was what he presumed so as the Third Shinobi War went on. He bowed his head respectfully to the Kazekage. The eight year old looked around the office for his friend Hatsue. The Third noticed his actions and thought amusedly, and so told the young shinobi,
"If you're looking for Hatsue, I've assigned her to hospital duty starting today."
Ah, Sasori nodded thoughtfully. It was a queer thing for the Third to take Hatsue as an apprentice, if it were up to him though; Grandma Chiyo should be the one to take Hatsue as an apprentice. She's a medical- nin and the Third was not, his opinion was not without bias. Stupid Hatsue, what's so great about the Third? Hatsue's nature type didn't have anything in common her mentor, he's glad she'll be away from her mentor. He smiled to himself, unbeknownst to him being observed by the Iron Sand user.
He should leave and start preparing. There were puppets to check and he wants to test them out. He wonders if he should let his friend know he's leaving tomorrow.
No one prepared Hatsue for her first day. She had been getting better with her Mystical Palm Technique and had memorized the Human Anatomy. All she needs to do is get more practice and see how it goes. The Third Shinobi war had been going on for awhile, it had started as small border skirmishes, one offense and another it had been a full blown war. It wasn't like the raven haired girl forgot that the war was going on, she had been in bliss for months avoiding the full face of it. Suna had been relatively untouched by battle but scars of strife were visible, the gaunt cheeks of the civilians due to rations, the absence of kid's laughter in the afternoon to play, the presence of a few people, here and there, missing a limb or two, despite that, life appeared to go on as it had been before, unbothered by the presence of Heitai (soldiers).
Though it was early in the morning when Hatsue arrived at the hospital there was already a line of people, she could see- feel the urgency of the medical-nins back and forth there were so many people and only so much space inside the hospital. Hatsue could guess the reason. A skirmish with Konoha's trying to cut off Suna's supply to camp. There was wounded on the floor accompanied by none, some in a critical condition. She felt a little dizzy upon seeing the blood and gore and she sees Grandma Chiyo sorting out the wounded and determining which could afford to wait a few hours, or even a few days. The latter cases were rare, only the serious ones were sent to the hospital for treatment and those who could still stand were treated at the field hospitals near camp.
"Hatsue." Grandma Chiyo called out and beckoned her over.
The girl bowed in respect and handed over mission scroll. "Hospital duty, finally. Tie these ribbons to the wounded, give red to those who need treatment immediately, orange to those who could afford to wait and green to those who aren't in critical condition." The old woman looked at her firmly before softening her gaze. "Hatsue, you're a little soft but don't cry until your shift is over, alright? We have no need to cry over the wounded when we can do something about it."
A pat on her head.
Hatsue stood straight and sucked in a breath to steel herself, the smell of the blood hit her everywhere but like grandma said, she needs to do what she can do first. As the morning progressed, she refused to venture the surgeon's wing when not needed and the persistent odor of chloroform grew stronger by the hour. In the afternoon, it became increasingly difficult due to her duties, there were much to do in the wards where the newly arrived wounded were being treated. She had to play assistant to the senior medical-nins and she had to dress the wounds. As she worked, she did not notice how she was getting used to the smell of blood, she thought, 'hey she could do this' until she looked at a gaping wound uncovered, for a moment a grim fascination in her study of human anatomy until the stench of putrid, rotting flesh hit her outright.
Sasori was waiting by her house with essentials on pack. He was beyond ready for his departure, he just needed to say goodbye and one look upon Hatsue, hair all puffed up (fluffy, he thought) , dragging her feet, dull eyes and a grim line on her lips made Sasori reconsider whether he really needs to leave tomorrow. When their eyes met, he took her hand and they went inside her home. Hatsue's parents were waiting with a hot piping meal, they heard about the skirmish and wanted to cheer their daughter up. They saw him and added another set of utensils for him and began to eat, they were unusually silent, they wanted to talk to their little girl but with a guest with them and the tired look on Hatsue's face, they'll push off the talk until tomorrow when their little girl's rested. That did not stop them from having small talks though.
"So, Sasori. How are you these days? Congrats on passing the exams." Hatsue's dad asked.
He looked down on his lap and peek a glance on his friend who looked like she could just fall asleep at the moment. He didn't want to say anything but now was a good time to say goodbye as any. "Getting deployed tomorrow."
Hatsue and her mom gasped simultaneously.
"I'm sorry." Her mom reached out to touch his hand and patted it.
He shook his head. "I'm a chuunin now and it's been expected."
"Hey mom, dad, can Sasori sleepover?" She looked at her parents and knew they were gonna say yes. It might be their last to see him.
"Of course. Just let me send a message to Lady Chiyo." And with that her mom moved to the living room while her dad took their plates to the kitchen and tells her that the bath has been drawn. While Sasori waited in her room, he looked around to see her sketches on the wall, of flowers, cacti, buildings, her parents… and this one looked eerily familiar to him, it's funny though because it looked similar to him but the nose was off, it's definitely him. Huh. Hatsue has been practicing portrait.
He heard the door open, she came in her hair still dripping wet and she wearing a clean set of pajamas. He sighed. "Don't you dry your hair?"
Instead of answering him, she sat gingerly on her bed with the towel on her left hand and a hairbrush on her right. The boy went over to her, sat beside her, turned her back to him and carefully took the towel and started drying her hair. "You're really leaving?"
He made an affirmative noise, while tugging her hair softly. "I had a long day. Lots of people were wounded and had to get treatment, I had to dress wounds of a lot of people , maybe around twenty, and the blood smelled strong and I thought I was gonna puke but I didn't and I wanted to look away and a patient looked at me dead in the eye and I couldn't look away, war is scary AND MY BEST FRIEND IS LEAving-" she stopped and felt a sob on her throat, she was trembling, crying.
He stopped drying her hair and took the hairbrush and started brushing her hair. He didn't know what to say, it has always always been that way. They were shinobis and they had a duty although he never felt love for Suna, he wanted to test his puppets.
"Hey…" Hatsue turned around and looked at him. "Come back, okay?"
It was odd when he looked into her brown eyes, something shifted inside him, something started to simmer that he couldn't quite explain. "Fussy."
She glared at him but the original intention had been lost when her eyes started tearing up again. "I'm only fussy to you." She said, sniffing with a runny nose.
He sighed. "I'm gonna be back."
"I'm gonna miss you."
He smiled at that. "I know."
"Not fair, you're supposed to say you're gonna miss me too." She huffed, it was better than her crying.
"You're gonna miss me too." He teased and what he got suddenly was a hug, he tensed at that.
"Don't cry, dummy. You're making me cry again." She said when she looked at him, he was crying. How? Why? He was gonna be back. He's a good shinobi and he has a good head on his shoulders, and he knows his puppets won't fail him. Hatsue moved to hug him again, this time tighter. He raised his arms to hug her back, squeezing back, to somehow, try and contain the warmth right now and he realizes why, more than Grandma Chiyo, Hatsue felt like home.
( somehow I've butchered Hatsue and Sasori, it's been a long while since I've written, also a gentle reminder to leave a review)