Deidara didn't like the feeling that was in the room when Suigetsu was around. It was the feeling where you felt that something didn't belong and it felt awkward to have that something around. Deidara would have gone out of there a long time ago if it wasn't for the fact he had to prepare the morning's goddamn breakfast: he tapped his fingers on the counter, waiting for someone else to come into the room. He was used to no one being around this early, but this was just damn ridiculous.
Time to break the silence. Deidara straightened up and sighed, stretching a bit. He felt Suigetsu's eyes on him as he turned around and flicked the stove on.
"Are you okay, hmm?"
Suigetsu almost jumped when he realized he was being addressed by the blonde guy who had just walked in. He'd previously thought that he was just going to ignore him, but obviously not. He wondered if all the Akatsuki members were going to talk to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he rubbed his stomach again. The flesh there was slightly pierced, not to mention extremely sore. He felt like he was pregnant or something.
That is, the fact that I have to protect this area at all costs…Suigetsu thought, lifting up his shirt slowly and wincing at the sight of the wound. Deidara saw it too and, keeping an eye on the stove, walked over and squatted in front of Suigetsu's form.
"Just like his brother, isn't he," Deidara mumbled."Pitiless,"
"Itachi isn't heartless," Suigetsu snapped. "He's—,"
"What? Misunderstood?" Deidara laughed as he stood back up. "That's what they all say, yeah. But it's never true,"
Suigetsu said nothing, his face grim.
"I'll get you a towel to wipe that up, okay?" Deidara walked back and Suigetsu leaned back a little, trying to keep the fabric of his shirt off the blood caked area that was his stomach.
Deidara came back and, without warning, pressed the wet towel straight onto the wound. Suigetsu yelped, but he didn't retreat. Deidara eyed him carefully before rubbing it around a bit. Then he handed the towel to Suigetsu.
"You can do it yourself now," he said simply. He was about to get up again when a loud voice cut through the room.
"Stop flirting with the new boy, Deidara,"
Deidara turned around, his eyes narrowed. He looked at Hidan, whose pale hair was tousled all over the place in a serious case of bedhead, and whose pants were streaked with blood.
"Shut up," Deidara walked over to Hidan and stared at his pants in a disapproving manner.
"Oh, that's just gross,"
"What?" Hidan looked down. "Oh. Right…that,"
"You say you can't put up with blood being beneath your fingernails, but you can sleep in bloody pants?"
Hidan shrugged.
"You," Deidara looked at Suigetsu. "Gross, yeah?"
Suigetsu shrugged too. "I guess,"
He didn't want to choose a side, especially since he didn't know whose side was exactly…"better" yet. The blonde—Deidara— seemed nice enough, albeit a little too vain, biting off more than he can chew: the guy with the silvery hair just seemed more amiable.
"Suigetsu, wazzit?"
The pale haired one walked towards him and glanced from the wet towel to his wound.
"Come on, man," he said. "That's not a fucking wound. You little baby," he tousled Suigetsu's hair roughly. Suigetsu didn't understand until he looked at the guy's bloody pants again.
He's used to pain maybe? He thought. He heard the sizzle of oil as Deidara ripped open a pack of bacon and slapped some into the pan.
***
Sasuke stopped at a roadside eatery. He didn't order anything except a drink. He didn't need anything except a drink.
He downed it quickly and half slammed it down on the table, his head a mess of thoughts. He was blaming himself, he was trying to cheer himself up, he was congratulating himself, he was criticising himself. He wanted to burn something.
I'm sorry, Neji he put his head on the table. What he really needed was Neji. Even though the Hyuuga wasn't going to listen to him or try to comfort him, he just wanted his presence. His mere presence meant a lot of things to Sasuke: he would, ironically, be calmer and more frustrated at the same time. It meant Sasuke was easier distracted yet he was stronger.
He shook his head free of the thoughts, paid for the drink and left. It was going to a bloody hectic day.
Unless…
***
Neji wasn't even close to Konoha. He hadn't even been heading back. He had been wandering aimlessly in its general direction, stopping many times to think and throw stuff. He hadn't even thought about the repercussions of him leaving so randomly in the middle of the night, without warning. Sure, he'd left a note for Hiashi that told of his return, but it didn't say anything about the nature of his temporary leave.
He wondered if people would be sent out to find him.
He didn't care.
"Neji,"
Neji turned around. His conscience sighed in exasperation but his heart beat faster. He knew it shouldn't have. This person was supposed to be out of his life.
"Sasuke?" his voice sounded soft. He fixed it. No he thought. I can't sound that…soft…
"What are you doing here?" And how'd you get here so fast?
"I couldn't…," Sasuke walked over and saw Neji take a step back. He doesn't want to be near me…at all… "…just leave like that,"
"As you can see, it's not only you," Neji snapped. "And not because I don't want to forget you either,"
"Then…why?"
"I want to forget you, that's why,"
Sasuke was confused. But then again, he had always been confused by Neji. It was one of the Hyuuga's most alluring features. He did all this stuff to you and you didn't know exactly what they meant—so you spent ages trying to figure it out—until he acted on it. It was usually good. But this time, Sasuke sensed it wasn't.
Well, obviously…
"But the thing is," Neji continued. "I can't just forget you like that. I told you. It's been two and a half years and I still can't get you out of my head. I need something life changing. I need something to change my life from the dump that it is right now. Like you changed mine. I need someone else to change it again,"
Sasuke swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to run to Neji and just fucking hug the guy.
"So I'm going to find someone. Just like you…," Neji stopped, his throat feeling like it was caked with cement. "…found someone,"
"Suigetsu?"
"No," Neji said. "Orochimaru,"
