Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto Shippuuden or any characters in it.
Summary: AU Fic. Sasori was a successful businessman who sells puppets. On the way to a business meeting one day, Sasori's car broke down. Deciding not to make his fellow businessmen wait for him, he got out of his car and decided to walk towards his destination until…
A/n: Thanks to Kyra213 for beta-ing the fic!
Italics are thoughts or flashbacks.
Chapter 4
Sasori stood, frozen at the sight of his ex-fiancée standing in front of him. Her long pink hair was tied into a bun and she was dressed very formally. Somehow, the way the woman dressed was very unlike the Sakura that Sasori used to know.
The pink-haired woman chuckled, "What's wrong, Sasori-kun? Unhappy to see me?"
At that, the redhead frowned, "Look, Haruno-san…"
"Call me Sakura." Cut the pink-haired lady.
"Okay, Sakura-san. What in the world are you doing here? As you see, I'm a very-"
"-Busy man…blah-blah," nodded the pink-haired woman. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You always say that whenever I visit you at your workplace." She recalled the time when Sasori and her used to date.
The pink-haired lady was about Sasori's height, but, thanks to her high-heels, looked slightly taller. Sakura was six years younger than Sasori but unlike the redhead, she actually looked her age. One could easily tell she was in her early twenties.
"In that case, why don't you leave now-" before Sasori could finish his sentence, a voice cut in. It was Pein.
"-I'm sorry to have to interrupt, Miss Haruno…" the orange haired man took a glance at Sasori. "Oh, there you are Mr. Akasuna. Where have you been? The meeting ended half-an-hour ago."
"I'm sorry," the redhead apologized.
Pein cleared his throat, "Anyway, Mr. Akasuna, I want you to meet our largest shareholder, Miss Haruno." He told the redhead who stared at the said 'Miss Haruno' with shock.
Said Miss Haruno smiled sweetly, "Well, since my dad left me with the family business, I decided I should do some investment." Inner Sakura kicked in, 'What do you think, Sasori-kun? Did I impress you, huh? I'm no longer that immature girl you used to know, right, Sasori-kun?'
"I see…" forcing a smile, Sasori held out a hand as Sakura shook it. "Nice to meet you, Haruno-san. I hope we would have a nice cooperation in the future."
"Oh, I'm sure we would have a pleasant cooperation, Akasuna-san." Sakura couldn't help but beam. 'Just you wait, Sasori-kun! I'm going to impress you!' thought Inner Sakura.
'Women…they just don't know how to quit do they?' The redhead thought as he concluded that Haruno Sakura was still the same spoilt brat who only knew how to use her father's money to get whatever she wanted.
The day went on as usual for Sasori. Well, his day could have been better if a certain Haruno-san was not annoying the hell out of him, constantly asking questions on this and that. Sasori could not blame the pink-haired lady though. She was simple, not equipped to be in the business world. What can you expect from a spoilt-child?!
Sasori answered all her questions even though she was rubbing off his patience. 'Oh man…could my day get any worse than this?' thought the redhead, as he sighed inwardly.
After simply annoying the redhead for the whole day, Haruno Sakura suggested that they have dinner together and the redhead concluded that his day had just gotten worse. He couldn't say 'no' to her. Well, because she was the largest shareholder and he definitely did not want to get on her bad side. Besides, he was the only friend the pink-haired lady knew in this foreign country, so it was kind of rude to turn her down. The redhead could only pray that the 'dinner' did not give Sakura any wrong ideas.
Sasori was bombarded with lots of questions as usual during dinnertime. The questions ranged from business to personal. He could only rub his temples to refrain from getting a terrible headache while conversing with the pink-haired lady.
After dinner, Sasori and Sakura were walking on the sidewalks of the city. It was that time again, 6:30 pm, the time where the street performers came out to execute their various talents and draw in crowds. Obviously, it was the pink-haired lady's idea to have a walk around the city and the redhead grudgingly complied. Well, she was the largest shareholder of the company and it was definitely not wise to turn her down.
Sakura's personal bodyguard followed them in case anything happened. Said bodyguard was a tall man with silver hair and a mask that covered half his face. He was reading this porn book even though he was on duty. It made Sasori wonder if maybe this bodyguard of Sakura's was more of a threat to the her than a protection, though Sasori did not say that out loud or her about it. It was after all, none of the redhead's business.
"There's nothing like a good walk after dinner, ne, Sasori-kun?" said the pink-haired lady all of a sudden, trying to break the ice.
Sasori shrugged, as he scanned their surroundings. The street was simply crowded and Sasori did not like the crowd at all. Sasori personally found it annoying, but the pink-haired lady seemed to be enjoying herself. He sighed inwardly.
"Are you alright, Sasori-kun? You look so…"
"I'm fine," snapped the redhead, not knowing why he had raised his voice all of a sudden.
"Now, now, Akasuna-san, it's not nice to speak to…" Sakura's bodyguard began to interrupt but Sakura cut him off with a glare. The silver haired man sighed as he shook his head. 'Well, it's not my duty to meddle with her business. Might as well continue reading Icha-Icha paradise...' the man known as Hatake Kakashi thought as he continued reading his book.
"Can we go back to the company now?" questioned the redhead.
Sakura forced a smile, "Sure, whatever you say, Sasori-kun."
The trio then continued their way back to FanTocHe because they had not brought a car thanks to Sakura's idea of 'having a walk' around. The crowd was getting on Sasori's nerves as they bumped into him and all that. Though Sakura was perfectly safe because her bodyguard shielded her.
Then it happened again…that magical feeling. He looked up all of a sudden when a loud blast could be heard a distance from him. 'Ah…it must be that brat again,' thought the redhead as a smile appeared on his face at the thought of the blond magician. He stopped in his tracks, getting a weird stare from the pink-haired girl and her personal bodyguard.
"Be right back," exclaimed the redhead as he ran towards the direction where the magician was performing. He was oblivious to the pink-haired lady's shout, his mind only focusing on a certain blond.
Pushing past the crowd, Sasori managed to get to the front row. The redhead couldn't help but stare as the blond magician performed. He was just so stunningly beautiful. The way he moved and the way he smiled just captured Sasori's attention.
The blond noticed the redhead's presence and sent Sasori a smile as he continued his performance. Deidara had both his hands clasped together and when he opened them, there was a clay bird standing on his palms. Then, the bird seemed to turn to life as it fluttered its wings. He then tossed the bird upward and POOF! The clay-bird became as tall as the blond.
The spectators were all mesmerized as the gigantic clay-bird took flight and flew into the clouds above them. There was a loud explosion and fireworks could be spotted from above. They seemed to paint the clouds in different shades of colors for a moment…then the tints disappeared, leaving the clouds in their original hue – white.
Sasori simply could not comprehend what was happening at the moment. No, he simply could not believe that it was magic. 'It has to be some trick…' thought the redheaded man as his mind came up with theories but they did not make any sense at all.
"There you are, Sasori-kun!" A familiar voice called out and Sasori soon felt a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
The redhead frowned. "Sakura-san, what are you doing here?"
"Well, following you, of course," replied the pink-haired lady casually, "You gave me a fright, suddenly disappearing into the crowd like that." She continued, "It doesn't seem like you…"
The redhead could not deny that. Even he himself could not understand his sudden act. He turned and was about to reply when a voice stopped him. The redhead turned and was greeted by the blond magician who was now standing right in front of him, grinning his usual Cheshire cat grin.
"Hey, want to volunteer, un, kiddo?" Deidara asked the redhead, earning himself a glare from the redhead. Yet, the blond did not wait for the redhead to reply, dragging Sasori away.
Loud claps could be heard coming from the crowd. Sasori seemed slightly uneasy being the center of attention. Even Sakura was watching him, seemingly cheering for him or something. Sasori could only roll his eyes and wait for what was coming next.
"Now, everybody. Do you want to see a disappearance act, un?" Deidara asked the excited crowd. He waited before the excited shrill and claps died down before continuing, "Well, now watch closely then, un." Saying that, he pulled out something beneath his sleeve.
Sasori could not help but stare with a curious expression at the thing the blond magician was dragging out from underneath the sleeve. It was a white cloth, about a size of a comforter. 'How the heck does that thing fit in the sleeve?' wondered the redhead.
Without wasting another second, the blond magician threw the cloth on top of both of them. The crowd stared at the cloth intently as the lumps of the two figure hidden beneath the cloth, seemed to disappear…until the cloth was left flat on the floor, before disappearing in a poof…
"What the hell?!" Sasori pushed pass the cover as he was about to yell at the blond, but he froze instantly as he found out that they were not at the sidewalk anymore. Instead, they seemed to be in an alley. A motorbike, which belonged to the blond magician, was parked there.
"Hey now, Sasori-san, un…"
"What the hell happened?" Curiosity was written clearly on the redhead's expression. 'Okay, calm down, Sasori…' Sasori took in a deep breath, "Please explain to me, how…"
"Magic, un." Deidara merely replied without looking. His gaze was fixed upon his prized motorbike.
Sasori rolled his eyes, "as if I would believe that."
The blond magician shot him a dirty glare. "Well, then EXPLAIN what happened with your so called theory, un."
"I dunno…you probably knocked me out and dragged me here or something." The redhead stated. 'Okay…that was a plain stupid explanation!' But it was too late for he had already said it out loud. 'Now he's going to think that you are some kind of retard or something.'
"Does that explanation of yours even make sense, un?" The blond rolled his eyes.
"Err…no…" the Sasori's face flushed as he looked away. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he turned towards the blond. A smirk formed at the corners of the redhead's lips. "Then tell me, brat… why didn't use this little 'magic' of yours to…" he made a hand gesture, "well, I dunno, teleport back to your house yesterday?" He recalled back the fake accident that happened the night before and that the blond had been stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Deidara seemed to be taken aback by that as he found himself unable to reply to the redhead. He merely stared at Sasori as he furrowed his brows, trying hard to think of an explanation.
"I thought teleportation is a simple trick for you?" Sasori asked with a note of sarcasm visible in his tone. "Or does it have to do with the distance or something? Huh? Brat?"
"Exactly un!" The blond found himself grinning. The redhead raised a brow as the blond continued, "I can't use too much of my magic power, now can I, un?" Deidara spoke as-a-matter-of-factly, "now you see, Sasori-san, my power was deflated yesterday, after all the usage during yesterday's performance, un." He nodded.
"You're saying that your 'magic power' somehow was not enough to teleport you?" Sasori questioned and was answered with a nod by the blond. The redhead felt his eyebrows twitch. Was this magician playing a trick on him or what? "What kind of theory is that? That doesn't even make any sense!"
Deidara stuck out his tongue, "well, that's more logical than your 'knock-out and drag' theory, un!" He turned back towards his bike and took out a helmet. "Want a ride?" he asked the redhead.
"Sure," Sasori replied as he took the helmet from the blond.
They took off moments later, with Sasori's arms wrapped around Deidara's waist during the ride. The redhead seemed to have gotten used to it by now. He watched as they passed rows of shops and crowds on the sidewalk.
Deidara noticed that the redhead was not so tense during the whole ride right now. Well, at least, the redhead seemed better than the first time. He let his thoughts drift. 'Would you believe me, if I tell you that there's something called 'inevitability'? ' He smiled inwardly, 'I guess you probably won't…'
FLASHBACKS to the incident, the night before…
Deidara's friend, a certain silver-haired man by the name of Hidan seemed to be acting strangely around him all of a sudden. Well, said Hidan was being…way too nice to the blond, constantly offering him rides in his car, and picking him up for work and sending him home. Sometimes the silver-haired man even bought him dinner.
Deidara of course would not decline such an offer (He was so glad that he could save the money for petrol for his bike XD) …and so, this weird behavior of Hidan's went on for about two weeks and Deidara did not even bother to find out why, until last night…
When the silver-haired man was sending the blond home that night…he revealed it all to the blond, well not directly anyway.
"Hey blondie, would you fucking go out with me?"
Deidara who was singing to the song blaring from the hi-5 of Hidan's car seemed to halt all his movements. He turned towards the silver-haired man and merely stared at him. So this was what it was all about… no wonder Hidan was being so nice to him all of a sudden.
Realizing that the blond would not reply, the silver-haired man continued, "Look blondie, I want you to fucking go out with me or you fucking get out of this car right now." He then smiled that seemingly maniacal smile which made the blond uneasy.
"Let me out, un…"
Ouch…a straightforward reject. The car came to a halt all of a sudden as the blond took no time in getting out of the car. A gust of wind blew as the car and its driver took off, leaving Deidara standing alone there.
Not more than one minute of standing, the blond saw a car approaching him. 'Oh well, why not try to hitch a ride…' He thought.
END OF FLASHBACKS…
"Hey, we're here now, un," the bike came to a halt in front of the FanTocHe building.
"Hmm…" the redhead seemed to be awakened from his nap. He shook his head slightly as he rubbed his eyes. He got off his bike and proceeded in taking off the helmet.
Deidara couldn't help but chuckle, "You really love to sleep, don't you?" He continued, "is it comfy back there with the wind blowing or do you find my back comfy, un?" Sasori glared at the remark. Deidara couldn't help but give the redhead a peck softly on his cheek. "You are cute when you glare, you know?"
The redhead blushed at that, as he looked away, "Anyway, thanks for the ride."
"Don't mention it, un," The blond magician continued, "I guess I'll still be seeing you around, un?" He restarted his bike and was about to leave, but the redhead stopped him.
"Wait…" Sasori fished in his pocket and pulled out a name card. He handed it to the blond. "I guess it's only fair if you…well…" He stuttered. "Have my phone number … in case…"
Deidara beamed, "Thanks, un." He looked at the card. "Wow, you own a company, un. That's cool." Then, the blond stuffed the card into his pocket. "Well, I guess I'll be taking my leave then. Bye, un…"
"Bye…" Saying this, the redhead disappeared through the door of the FanTocHe building.
Meanwhile in the FanTocHe building, a certain pink-haired lady was worried sick at her ex-fiancé's sudden disappearance. She almost called the police to report a kidnapping case but her bodyguard assured her that Sasori was capable of taking care of himself.
Still, Sakura was not convinced. She promised to file a police report if the redhead did not show up in half-an-hour's time. Fortunately, the redhead entered the building just in time for Sakura to cancel off the phone call.
"Oh, Sasori-kun! Where have you been?!" Yelled the pink-haired girl. "I thought you were being kidnapped or something!"
"I'm fine, Sakura-san," Sasori assured her. He took a look at his watch, "well, let's go to the conference room now, shall we? The meeting is going to start in about five minutes."
TBC…
A/n: Finally! It's done! XD Please R&R to tell me what you think! O.o I guess I'll update sooner when school starts (cuz I won't have time to make AMVs then…) sigh, now I have one final AMV request to complete. (Better get start now!)