A.N) If you couldn't tell this fan fic is going to be really really long since I'm planning to do this full school year then the next 6 coming school years also it's going to be a big project but I'm sure I'll be working on the second one around middle of this next coming winter. Anyway I wanted to give a whole chapter just on the misterious Sasori so here he is with lucky chapter 13! Rather fitting don't you think? Well read and review!
disclamer: I own nothing but the plot
Chapter Thirteen: The Puppet Master's Heart
The next day I woke up surprisingly early to find Sasori sleeping peacefully in his chair. I was nice watching him sleep, seeing him so venerable and so content with whatever dreams a puppet may get if a puppet dreamed at all. I brushed the silver pendent Hidan had given me that sat on my breastbone. The pendent didn't mean to me what it did to the silver haired man but it was nice to know that we were friendly with each other at lest.
Sasori's fingers twitched and he rolled open his eyes like an old fashioned doll would when you tilted it vertically. Which I may add is a tad creepy.
"Up already?" he asked and I nodded. "Hmm," he said pressing his brows together and getting to his feet. He walked over to me as I watched him quizzically, he leaned in a bit and I heard his hallow body rattle. I felt a smooth finger touch under my eye and then move down my cheek. I blinked at him the air caught in my lungs. "Your eyes…" he murmured "…you've got scales under your eyes."
"What?" I blinked the romantic moment totally ruined by those odd words. He leaned in closer and my cheeked blushed as he inspected my skin. "Are you sure it's not just a pimple?" I blurted and he raised a brow.
"I'm sure," he muttered still not realizing that he was leaning only inches over me, perhaps he just didn't care. "There gold scales," he said again running going over the skin with his fingers as if trying in vain to feel it.
"Can I see?" I asked trying to get his intoxicating smell of wood and leaves out of my system.
"Uh huh," he said walking away and looking through a few cupboards before finding a hand mirror. He gave it to me and sat down at the end of my bed careful not to squish my feet.
I looked into the mirror and at first saw only myself but after a moment I noticed the off coloring under my eyes. I leaned into the mirror and touched the hard but smooth scales that had seemed to grow in over night. There were five golden scales under each eye as big as your pinky nail.
"That's odd," I muttered "this must be from my agreement with the Dragon Kings."
"I guess so," Sasori said looking at me with an unsurprised gaze.
"You don't seem at all amazed," I said a little annoyed with his dull reaction.
"I'm a puppet, our roommate has working mouths on his palms, Zetsu is a plant man with a split personality, Kisame looks strikingly similar to a shark, Hidan is immortal, and Kakuzu keeps himself together is sowing thread," he said bluntly "so you growing scales is not a big event."
"Aren't you observant?" I asked sarcastically and Sasori gave an annoyed look.
A half an hour later Sakura came in with Ino to check upon me.
"Well your tests came in and your short term memory will only be affected for the next few days or so but if what you say is true about your dealings with the dragons then I can't say your mind wont be more affected," Sakura said reading off a chart.
"I see," I murmured and Sakura placed a hand on my shoulder. "But you know what?" I asked looking at Sasori and touching the silver pendent that sat on my breastbone. "Some people have sacrificed more for being a ninja then I have." I saw Sasori's lips curl into a tiny smile as he looked to the floor as if bashful. Of course I must have been wrong because the small emotional range Sasori had did not include bashful. Boredom, annoyance, rage, worry, and a bit amused were about all the puppet could minister. Well at lest that's what I've seen.
Confused my hand dropped from my pendent and looked up at Sakura. The pink haired ninja gave me a half smile and gave me the go ahead to check out of the hospital.
I was a bit weak on my feet but my chakra was back and sitting out in the training grounds was nice since I got to watch Sasori and Deidara train. Which made the blonde very excited. I sat under a tree a few feet away from the duel as they began.
"Watch my art work Jen-Chan," Deidara said throwing a clay bird into the air and it expanded. He smiled and jumped onto it's back. I bit my lip as he took off and soared high into the air.
"Wow," I muttered watching the clay bird as Sasori got him self ready for the battle. The puppet master opened a scroll and did a few quick hand seals before a large turtle-like puppet climbed out of the paper. I was one of Sasori's favorites that he had named Hiruku, this one puppet creped me out every time I saw it.
I watched as the two sized each other up. Deidara was the first to move as two birds took off after the puppet. Instantly Hiruku's scorpion-like tail slashed out copping the heads off the bombs. Useless the clay fell to the ground and the puppet jumped back as the clay exploded. I squeaked seeing that I was only meters from the explosions.
"Art is a blast! See what I told you Jen-chan un?" Deidara laughed his fists on his hips.
"Do not gloat so soon boy," Sasori growled as the puppet's mouth opened sending off poisoned senbon off that hit the bottom of Deidara's ride. This knocked the blonde off balance and made him lose altitude. Once he got his footing again he did a sharp loop to get himself back to a desirable height.
I giggled as Deidara glared down at his mentor. There was a low chuckle coming from Hiruku and I smiled watching what was going to happen next. The puppet got up on all fours rattling softly its tail hung over and twisting slightly. I saw the purple colored venom drip off the sharp tip.
Deidara smirked bringing his hands together. I saw the puppet jerk a little as if surprised.
"Katsu," he yelled and five great blasts went off around the puppet. Sasori and I hadn't seen the smaller bombs that had clung to the birds then had burrowed under ground. "Ha! You didn't see that coming now did you Danna? Hmm?" Deidara had his arms crossed and he was laughing his head thrown back in pure enjoyment.
The dust cleared and the shell like side of Hiruku had been blasted open and Sasori's body was limp inside. His eyes widened seeing that his eyes were dark and empty and there was a hole in his chest were that strange red tattoo should have been.
"I bet you didn't see this coming," a voice said and pulled a katana blade close to Deidara's neck. It was another puppet that was similar to Sasori but this one seemed less human like and wasn't as smoothly cut as Sasori. This new puppet did have the strange seal over the spot were his heart world be.
"Ah damn un," Deidara growled as the bird slowly came down landing on the now scared ground. I got up and walked over to the pair and sighed. The look-alike Sasori slowly let go of Deidara and they both stepped off the bird that popped and disappeared in a puff of smoke as the jutsu held on it was released.
"Sweet fight guys," I said trying to lighten the mood. I knew how much Deidara hated losing and all.
"Jen-chan when I relise this capsule would you bring it back to my other body?" Sasori asked pointing to the odd seal thingy. "I'd ask Deidara to do it but I think he'd blow it up."
"Of course Sasori," I said confused. He didn't smile and the seal popped up from his chest and began to eject itself from the hole. The capsule fell to the grass and Sasori fell backwards lifeless making be yelp in surprise.
"Don't worry I'll put it back," Deidara said about to pick up the odd canister.
"No, I'll do it," I stated bravely picking it up. It pulsed in my hand softly and vain things stuck out of it. "What…is it? This isn't his…?" my question stayed in the air and the blond nodded at me. I shivered as I quickly took the pulsing capsule over to Sasori's main body.
I kneeled down and pressed my lips together seeing how utterly dead Sasori looked. I moved him a bit so that I had a better view of the hole in his chest careful not to cut myself on anything around me knowing that Sasori had soaked everything in his deadly poison. Then I took the heart thermos (which is what the thing reminded me of) with the red marking in my palm and plunged it into the hole careful not to harm the soft veins. I waited a moment and watched as the puppet's fingers twitch and his eyes rolled open. He looked at me and sat up inside his broken puppet.
"Be careful Jenny I don't want you getting cut," he said making me shuffle away and sit blankly on the chard ground.
"Are you alright?" I asked but he didn't respond as he climbed out of Hiruku.
"Very good work Deidara-kun I nearly didn't get out of there," he said with a nod. "Of course my art has won again," he added making Deidara grumble.
"It's alright Deidara-kun," I said happily and he grumbled. "Humph you better cheer up because I'm fighting you next!"
"What?" Deidara gasped as I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the battleground.
"Yea maybe it'll boost your ego to beat a girl," I said "but you'll have to work for a win I'm not a little newbie anymore."
"Oh yeah? I guess it's time to put you back in your place un," he said with a wide smile "You've had it to good to long hmm!"
"Perfect now I get to work on my jutsu," I smiled back as we stepped away from each other his hands in his clay bags and my hand on my black scroll clipped to my belt.
"You two are so overly dramatic," Sasori sighed from the side lines and the fight was on!