Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. Also, the plot for this story was based off an animated movie called Strange Magic that I saw on Netflix once, although of course it's filled with my own little twists.
Sasori
Sasori quickly moved his way through the long hallway, eyes searching for the brat. Chiyo had returned soon after taking the clay to state that she couldn't locate Deidara anywhere. The king had immediately began searching with a guilty feeling in his chest. He had upset Deidara, and now the prince was missing. Sasori couldn't help but feel even the least bit responsible, so he was no searching for the brat himself.
Kakuzu and Kisame had gone out to search as well, and even the sand siblings had offered to assist. Overall they had quite the search party, and Sasori found himself worrying much more than he felt appropriate. Still, he knew he had to find him. He could just imagine the reaction of King Minato if the Fairy Kingdom arrived to make the trade, and Sasori had to explain that he had lost the brat.
However, no matter where Sasori looked, he couldn't locate Deidara anywhere. He'd checked his bedroom, went back to the workshop, the library, the ball room, Kakuzu's room and Kisame's room. He'd looked everywhere he could think of, well, except the place he was heading now. The brat could have gotten hungry and went for a snack, which would leave him in the dining room or the kitchen.
However, when Sasori arrived it was quiet, and the doors were shut. When he tried to open it, the door was locked. It didn't make any sense, where had the kitchen staff gone? They knew it was forbidden to leave the kitchen unattended, but Sasori decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. They could have locked up and went off to look for Deidara with the rest of the castle members.
The king turned around, taking only two steps before the ear-splitting screech echoed through his eyes from the dining room. In fact, a scream that he was all too familiar with. Sasori snarled as he moved back before he slammed his body into the door, but it wouldn't budge. He cursed his smaller self and immediately shot his head around, before his eyes fell on the nearby chair.
Sasori swung it over his head and moved back before charging forward, harshly swinging the chair down. The doors slammed open and his vision went red from the moment he saw the familiar blond hair. He lifted up the mostly broken chair and brought it down on Kabuto's head, before yanking Orochimaru away from the trembling prince. Sasori threw the taller male against the table and immediately went for Deidara, pulling the sobbing mess into his chest.
"There, there, brat. Everything's going to be okay."
Deidara's fingers tightly clenched onto Sasori's shirt, and the redhead could feel it growing damp from the tears. Sasori gently hoisted Deidara up and clutched the larger male in his arms, yet at that moment Sasori just didn't care. He cared only about the wellbeing of the poorly treated prince. Sasori bounced him lightly as an attempt to comfort him as he carried him from the dining room and towards his bedroom where he could be alone with him.
He had left the two naked men in the dining room, although he figured they'd either be found or they would come to relatively soon. It didn't take long to reach his bedroom, and Sasori carried Deidara inside. The door was closed behind him, and the redhead gently lowered Deidara onto his bed. But the prince was petrified, and he simply clung to Sasori's shirt.
"D-don't leave me, u-un," he sniffled.
"I'm not going anywhere, brat."
"Danna, h-he wouldn't leave m-me alone. I-I tried to f-fight him but I couldn't, u-un."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you. Orochimaru's going to have to go through me, or he's not getting anywhere close to you."
"U-un..."
Sasori gently rubbed his hand in circles on Deidara's back, attempting to assist in calming him down. He was still in a bit of shock, but Sasori would be surprised if he wasn't after what had happened. He heard a knock on his door and Sasori lifted his head silently. He could feel Deidara attempt to inch even closer towards him as Chiyo quietly stared at the scene before her. She stared at Deidara with pity-filled eyes, and Sasori was almost positive that she'd seen the two in the dining room and placed two and two together.
She gave a soft smile as she entered the room, a tray in her hand. She didn't say a word, and Sasori was grateful, but he understood why she had chose to keep her mouth shut. The king watched her leave and the door was shut behind her before he shifted himself closer to the tray. He poured the tea into the two cups Chiyo had brought up before he lifted himself up to lean against the backboard.
Deidara whimpered slightly and Sasori gave him a gentle smile, assisting the blond up beside him. The redhead held out a cup of tea and the blonde shakily took it into his own hands so Sasori could get the mug belonging to him. The prince took a small sip, and the king simply stared at the way his lips quivered. If he hadn't taken the clay away, if he hadn't insulted Deidara's art...
"Hey, brat?"
"Un? W-what is it, Danna?" the blonde mumbled shakily.
"I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing, un?"
"Because I did something stupid," Sasori imitated Deidara's former words.
"Y-you didn't do anything, un."
"Yes, brat, I did. You're a great artist, Deidara. I shouldn't have been so cruel to you about your art views."
"Y-you mean it, un?"
"Completely," Sasori promised, "I made you something."
Sasori watched as the blonde looked to him in surprise, and the king gave a soft smile as he reached into his pocket to pull out the small figure. Deidara's eyes moved wider and he reached out with a shaky hand, taking the small carving into his palm. He clutched it tightly in his fist, taking another sip of his tea, before resting his head onto Sasori's shoulder. The king didn't protest, in fact he didn't find it bothering him.
"Thank you, Danna, I love it. I'll cherish it forever, un."
"I'm glad you like it, brat. I know it's not enough to make up for everything I've done, but..."
"It doesn't matter what you've done. You're trying to make up for it now, and that's all that counts, un."
Sasori couldn't help but smile once more as he took another sip of his tea. He seemed to be showing his happiness a lot more than usual today, he was happy in general more than usual today. In fact, he actually was happy. Normally Sasori was annoyed, pissed off and angry. Yet for once, he actually found himself feeling genuine joy. It had been many years since he'd felt like that, he was pretty sure the last time he'd been happy was before his mother passed away. After that, he lost all reason to be joyful.
"Brat, can I ask you something?"
"You just did, un."
"So... you're gay?"
"Un," the blonde nodded.
"And your parents accept that? I mean, the entire Fairy Kingdom is fine with it?"
"My case is a bit more complicated, un."
"How complicated could it be, brat?"
Deidara frowned slightly as he stared down at his lap, taking yet another sip of the delicious tea. Well, Sasori thought so. No one could make tea as good as Chiyo's, it was one of the very few positive things about his grandmother. It certainly wasn't enough to outweigh all the cons, but Sasori would definitely drink every sip of that tea he got. Not to mention her cookies, which Sasori had also spotted a plate of on the tray.
"The Fairy Kingdom fully accepts all sexualities, but the heir to the throne is always assumed to be straight. I'm expected to marry some girl, make her my queen and produce an heir to run the kingdom when I die, un."
"So, even if being gay is accepted, you're not allowed to marry a guy?"
"That's all there is to it, un."
"Well, shouldn't your father accept you being gay to set an example?"
"I guess, un?"
"What do you mean, 'I guess, un'? Why didn't he accept it?"
"I didn't tell him..."
Sasori went silent as the blonde took another sip of the tea. The redhead did so as well, before letting a somewhat silent breath escape. He reached over the plate of cookies and held it towards the blonde, who very excitedly took one. Sasori chuckled as the brat shoved the whole thing in his mouth, struggling to chew it properly. The king himself grabbed one of the cookies before placing the plate in his lap and taking a bite into his own.
"Brat, you have to tell him or he'll never accept it."
"He wouldn't care; all that matters to him is that I get an heir. A man wouldn't get me an heir, un."
"You don't know that's how he would feel about it."
"I do, un!"
"People can surprise you. I used to hate people for being homosexual, remember? And here I am giving you advice to come out to your father."
Deidara laughed lightly as he reached for another cookie, taking a large bite. Yet Sasori couldn't help but notice the blonde was slightly distracted by something. Even so, Sasori chose not to bring it up. He didn't want to upset the blonde more, especially after what had happened. Making sure Deidara was alright was his first priority, and then Sasori would deal with the fucking pedophile.
"I guess you're right. Hey, you're not as bad as before, un."
"As bad as before?"
"Yeah. When I first got here you were cruel and aggressive and more difficult. But right now you're being nice, un."
"That's a new word. I don't anyone's ever described me as nice before."
"Would you rather I call you bastard, un?"
Sasori couldn't help but laugh, "I'd always be so angry. I remember back when you'd only been here a week. You got angry at me for calling Chiyo an old hag, and I got so pissed off that I strangled you."
"Yeah, you were bad. What did I say, un?"
"What, no reassuring words? No kind comments?" The king teased.
"Oh, sorry. I think we ran out of those. Can I interest you in anything else? We just got a load of rude pointers and sarcastic jokes, un."
"Oh, thanks, but I've received plenty enough of those already."
"Oh, that's too bad. Nice doing business with you, un."
The two were only able to remain silent for a couple seconds before bursting into laughter, and Sasori couldn't seem to get the smile off of his face. The brat drove him absolutely insane, but he found himself enjoying his company. He could actually be a lot of fun, at least when Sasori gave him a chance. Of course, he wouldn't want anyone else to see him this way, but the redhead felt like he owed it to Deidara to treat him with respect; especially after all the shit that happened.
"Danna, can I ask you a personal question, un?"
"I guess, brat."
"I remember once, I told you that I would never become a monster like you. You said that those were the exact words your used to your own father when you were younger. Danna, what happened, un?"
Sasori was left speechless. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't speak of it. He didn't want to remember, he didn't want to remember the events of the past. His father was terrible. He was cruel, sadistic, devious, he despised homosexuality; just like Sasori was before the brat showed up. That was it, before the brat showed up. He wasn't still like his father now, was he? His father would have taken on the fairy kingdom, his father wouldn't have stopped Orochimaru and Kabuto. His father would have done many things differently, but... they were still blood. Did that mean they were the same no matter what?
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, un."
"No, it's not that. My father hasn't come up in a long time, that's all. I... I don't like being compared to him."
"Danna, I've heard stories about your father. I never met him, or even saw him, but words went around. Maybe you were a lot like him once, but you've changed from the way you were when I first got here. I mean, back then we never would have been able to just sit down and talk like this. Not without one of us killing the other, un."
Sasori laughed, "I guess you're right. I got my red hair from him, it's kind of a signature Akasuna thing. Kind of like your blond-haired and blue-eyes Namikazes."
"What about your eyes, un?"
"My mother. I was somewhat younger when she died, but I still remember it like a nightmare. My father would never let me go outside with the other kids, or spend time with anyone he considered 'below' me. My mother was my best friend, and the only person I really had."
"W-what happened to her, un?"
"...My father. That fucking bastard murdered her. He killed her because she refused to have sex with him. She had been feeling sick and wasn't in the mood, and she fought against him.I remember waking up in the middle of the night, hearing her. I went into my parents room, trying to figure out what was wrong and I see my mother on the floor with a knife in her stomach while my father was fucking some random slut on their bed."
"Danna..."
"I promised myself I wouldn't become like him, and I broke that promise. My mother would have been ashamed if she saw the man I turned into. I told her that I'd change our kingdom, that I'd made it a better place and I didn't. I dishonoured my mother's last wish."
"So, you messed up. But it's not too late, un."
"What do you mean, brat."
"Well, you know now, don't you? Maybe it'll take some time, but you could still fulfil your promise. You're nothing like your father, Danna, not anymore. You could still change the dark forest for the better, I believe you can, un."
"How am I supposed to do that? I don't know the first thing about being nice. Haven't you learned that by now, or are you still just a stupid brat?"
"It's easy. You just have to start by saying 'hello', un."
"Yeah, and then what?" Sasori raised an eyebrow.
"The opposite of what you want to say, un."
Sasori snorted, shaking his head. He brought the cup of tea to his lips as the blonde beside him simply giggled, stealing another cookie from the plate. He was surprised how things had worked out; here he was drinking tea and eating cookies with the son of his biggest enemy. Yet then Sasori considered something. Why, exactly, were they enemies? Yes, perhaps he and Deidara had his ups and downs, but otherwise why couldn't they form a truce. He could ally himself with both the Sand Kingdom, and the Fairy Kingdom and he could protect his own kingdom with ease.
Yet there was just one little problem with his idea. Deidara was still in the Dark Forest, he hadn't yet gotten home. Even so, he didn't think Minato would be very thrilled to hear the idea under any circumstances. He certainly wouldn't trust Sasori after what had happened, and the king certainly didn't blame him. Sure, Sasori didn't have a son, or any kids for that matter, but he understood the feeling. He had been so angry with his father after what happened to his mother, and he knew that Deidara's parents were probably worried about him. But then... Why wouldn't they be there? They hadn't even sent a message or anything.
"Brat, do you miss being home?
"I couldn't say no, even if I wanted to. We've had some nicer times and some terrible ones, but the Fairy Kingdom is where I belong. I have to get back to it, un."
"I understand what you mean, brat. Listen, I'm going to send a messenger to your kingdom to figure out what's going on with them. For us, let's try to be civilized so we don't end up killing each other in the next couple days."
"Yeah. Sounds good to me, un."