Recap: "Alright, from the beginning then," he jumps up, snatching the netting away carefully. "Oh, and the special occasion," he gets halfway out the door, turning to face me with that large grin of his, "is Sasori's ninth birthday party in three days." With that said, he runs as fast as his long legs will carry him.
"RYUU" I shriek, falling over onto my bed. 'He did not really expect me to go to that BRAT'S BIRTHDAY?! That would be like asking me to... well I don't know what!'
I walk over to my cloth, trying to decide what I'd do with the ebony beauty. The threads, as if speaking to me, whisper what seems to be one word.
Cloak, It whispers sweetly.
"So you want to be made into a cloak huh? How about I turn you into a cloak for Sasori since I need to have the annoying prick a present?" I sigh. "Though I know how much you detest him, silk." I could feel the velvet wriggling, agreeing to the situation. Silk, being a close friend of velvet, soon enough agrees, eagerly wriggling beneath my fingers. I laugh happily, grabbing a needle and thread, along with my sheers, time to get to work on my enemy's birthday present.
"Wow Ryuu, it's beautiful!" I gasp, running my hands over the new outfit he had made me.
"Go put it on!" he urges happily, grinning. He knew I already liked it.
I quickly try it on. When I waltz back out, I smile gleefully, twirling. Now he knew I adored it, just by how I glowed. The outfit was a light blue dress, coming between my thigh and knee, the arms and low neckline covered with golden fishnets that sparkled. The dress itself, looked like a Lolita outfit, the short skirt puffed out beautifully with black ruffles under it, along with at the shoulder part of the sleeves and the waist. It was astounding, to say the least.
"Thank you so much Ryuu, but is it really necessary to wear it to Sasori's birthday?" I whine pathetically. "I can't stand him!"
"Yes, you have to," he orders. "Or that dress, I'll unravel it and fashion myself a shinobi catching net."
"Okay, geez! I'll go! Besides, I don't think I'd ever wear the cloak I made the past few days. It seems perfect for Sasori's dark tastes," I scoff. "Annoying brat!"
"You know, he tries to get along with you most of the time."
"I know but it'd be hard trying to be nice back," I smile. "He's a puppeteer and I'm a seamstress. He uses threads of chakra to control other things, focusing mainly on the thing being controlled, whereas I control things with threads but pay more attention the delicate threads."
"I know little sister; you dislike his lack of recognition for his chakra threads. Now come on, let's get going before Sasori thinks I'm not showing up," he laughs quietly, slipping a black shirt over his head to match his dark slacks.
"Ugh, here goes a good day of my life wasted."
"Be nice," he hisses, grabbing my arm. "Let's go."
'So bored, Must leave. Want. To Leave,' my mind rants in the wake of its boredom, finding nothing whatsoever to do. Sasori only had my brother and his family plus me over. And his family had crooned over me just as much as he, thinking I was his little girlfriend or something had. I would never be Akasuna no Sasori's girlfriend! 'The day I'm his girlfriend is the day I allow my brother to die,' I smile sadly, watching my brother do some stupid trick by standing on his hands and walking around, the adults gasping and clapping. 'Or the day he actually learns how to be serious 24/7and that's never going to happen.'
I get up, walking outside into the hot desert air, a cool breeze blowing lightly across me. It felt good, better than any other day actually. Though I'd rather be spending my day outside at the estate than I would here of all places, of all birthdays!
Gently, my small bottom plops onto a bench under a tree, facing the house. I aimlessly pick at the loose thread annoying me on the end of my dress. I'd have to secretly fix that when I got home, I didn't believe in plucking threads away from clothing. It hurt them.
"Escaping?" Sasori quietly asks, sitting beside me, in the shade of the tree.
I nod. "Your relatives are annoying."
"And you're telling me," he gives me an incredulous look. I roll my eyes, something I usually did around the annoying puppet master.
"They think I'm your girlfriend," I huff. "How degrading"
"Hn," he nods, leaning back. "Nice dress, it looks cute on you."
"Even if that was sarcasm, thank you," I ruffle it out. "My brother put what little hard work and dedication he had into it so I take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't meant as sarcasm," he stands just as his parents come outside. I glare at his back, wondering what he meant by that statement.
"Come on inside children," his mother, a beautiful lady, smiles warmly. "It's time to open presents Saso."
He stiffly walks inside, his dad following while his mom waits for me. As soon as we step foot in the house, Ryuu grabs me and drags me to the living room where Sasori was already opening his presents. Not really caring, I flop unceremoniously down onto a chair as far away from the redhead as my brother would allow me, which wasn't far enough in my book.
"And this one's from Ryuu," his dad passes off a small wrapped package.
Sasori opens to reveal a medallion with a kanji symbol written on it. Sasori gives a nod to my brother, the other grinning happily at his nice trinket he'd finally given away.
'That better not have been the medallion I gave Ryuu last year for his birthday,' I take as close a look as I can, noticing the difference. 'Okay, it's different. Good.'
"Here's Aya's gift," nimbly, his aunt hands over my gift to the boy.
Sasori, glancing briefly at me, easily rips away the wrapping. He opens the box lid, revealing a lovely black cloak, made completely of velvet with scarlet silk lining. The fixture I had made as the threads wished to be. A lazy, ghostly looking smile flutters across his face. Just by that, I knew he liked the beautiful thing, his hands running over it as he had the other day.
"I thought it didn't like me," he whispers.
I nod. "The silk doesn't, the velvet does. Be nice to it, and it'll serve for a long time."
"Ah! How sweet" the majority of the family chorus
I make a gagging noise unbeknownst to them, noticing Sasori looked a bit annoyed at his party-gores and their obsession of us.
"You just had to give a better present than mine! I felt like a cheapskate!" Ryuu whines, walking backwards.
The party had ended, finally, and we had just come from the store to get a few things to put in our secret sugar stash, the one our parents didn't know about when they took away our sugar or grounded us from desert. I had a lollipop in my mouth, strawberry and crème, whereas my brother had a sour apple. I hated sour stuff!
"I almost thought you gave him the medallion I gave you," I laugh, kicking him in the shin so he falls on his bum. He scowls evilly.
"If it wasn't for the fact that dress looks cute on you, I'd push you back," he looks at his butt, gently wiping the dirt away. "Great! You got dirt on my britches!"
"Don't say 'britches'," I scold him with a laugh, "it makes you sound weird. Plus Mom will say you sound like a street urchin."
"Britches, britches, BRITCHES!" he screams to the sky, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. I join in, giggling madly. "Hey Sis, did you notice something different about Sasori? He seemed... off."
"No, I didn't," I shake my head. "I don't know him that well, thankfully."
"Something wasn't right," he shakes it off, placing an arm around my shoulders as we walk. "Why can't you two get along? Better yet, you need to get along with him. He tries, though he only puts forth a little effort. At least he's decent to you a lot."
"So?" I pout, crossing my arms and shrugging his arm off. "I don't care."
"Man, what a child!" he jokes.
"I'm seven, stupid!" I push him playfully. He growls.
"Just because I won't push you down doesn't mean I won't," he ambles closer menacingly, fingers twitching, "tickle you!"
"No!" I squeal, running as fast as I can in a dress, heading home.
He roars, running after me swiftly. We dart against buildings, using our ninja ways to get going. I knew one thing; I wouldn't let him catch me! Little did we know, Sasori wasn't having fun and joking around with his parents, or was he?
