Author's Note:
Things are finally taking off in this chapter!
Please review and favorite!
Chapter 3:
Sasori woke up first the next day. He wasn't surprised to see the mouthy civilian girl still bundled tightly in her bed, which she had reclaimed as hers. Shinobi, nuke-nin especially, never slept much. Six hours at the most, and looking at the digital clock on Elaine's pink nightstand, he'd only slept about four.
Elaine, after not sleeping a wink the other night, wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Neither would her mother, who had stayed all night at the hospital and now was sleeping soundly in her bedroom.
Thus, he had a lot of time to kill.
Slipping down the staircase, the Shinobi was careful not to make a creak. The girl, while warming up to the idea of housing a 'deranged murderer' as much as a someone like herself could, was still extremely wary towards him.
He did not necessarily blame her either; if the whim ever hit him, perhaps he would kill the girl.
And if truth be told, he'd fantasized of the moment ever since she had mouthed off to him yesterday.
His hands on her throat, choking from her the life and passion he'd fixated himself upon. And their eyes! They would be locked, he'd make sure of that. That way, he could watch them grow dimmer and dimmer.
He'd be the last sight she saw.
...But for now, he was stuck with killing time instead.
Hitting the corner, Sasori began stripping off his ragged shirt, discarding it at the base of a potted plant without halting his stride through the kitchen, making his way to the backyard.
Opening the screen door, he felt the morning breeze rush past and ruffle his red locks. It was… calming here, in this dimension. While he was never truly at 'peace', he figured this life was as close as it would get. While his Shinobi sense would never fade, there was never a nearby chakra alerting him into fighting stance or a stray Hunter-nin attempting to take his life.
The most he'd have to worry about being the day Elaine finally snapped under pressure and came at him with a knife, something he could easily maneuver.
With a series of basic taijutsu punches, Sasori smirked, he'd give it two days, tops.
"Ugh," Elaine groaned, the harsh light that invaded through the windows assaulting her already sore, sleep-deprived eyes.
She wasn't a morning person; the night carried her life and her interests, and if she didn't have plans today, which mainly focused on integrating an otherworldly, S-ranked Shinobi into everyday society as a normal human being, well, she probably wouldn't have woken up at all.
Another groan and she's hefting herself out of bed, letting the thick blanket pool around her legs and stretching her arms.
"Sasori?" She yawns, eyes sweeping the room for the increasingly familiar redhead.
Where could he gotten off to?
Loud cheering drew her attention to the bedroom window that overlooked her backyard, "Sasori! Sasori! Sasori!"
A small group had formed around her striking companion, not that he seemed to mind. With a slight smirk on his face from the ego stroking cheers, Elaine watched from her window as Sasori continued a whirl of kicks and flips- definitely a glorified version of the throat-slitting maneuvers he'd used in the manga.
Thankfully, he was only using taijutsu.
...that still didn't make this situation right.
Turning away from the window, she changed into some navy shorts, a gray top and slipped into her sneakers before making her way downstairs.
Walking through the kitchen, her eyes caught on the familiar brown of Sasori ratted shirt by her mother's orchid.
Needless to say, Elaine guzzled down some V8 juice- a little liquid strength- before walking outside into her backyard to face the partially naked redhead.
"Sasori!" She shouted from the outskirts of the group, her voice drowning in the crowd's boisterous cheers, "Sasori!"
The redhead casually somersaulted before attacking the air in front of him with a series of roundhouses. If he had heard her, he was ignoring her.
Elaine began worming her way through the tightly packed and quickly growing mass, squeezing her lean body between everything from burly construction workers to little kids.
Sasori was an entertainer in every sense of the word.
From the glimpses she caught as she wormed her way through, Sasori was absolutely flawless- a work of art himself. After hours of training, only a thin sheen of sweat covered his shirtless body, holding her gaze for much longer than she'd like. His muscles were lean, rippling with every kick, punch and flip, and his movements perfect and calculated.
A real Shinobi...
This HAD to stop!
Popping through the barrier of people at last, Elaine finally a perfect view of her redheaded houseguest, quickly catching his eye. Throwing her a lazy smirk from across the way, he beckoned her over with a slight wave of his hand.
The crowd gasped as she marched up to him, "What the hell do you think you're doing out here!?"
"Training," He replied simply, "Did you enjoy the show?"
Had he seen her? Staring and utterly encaptured by the way he moved? Feeling her face flush, she bowed her head to hide underneath the brim of her cap. "The show was...nice."
She wasn't going to lie.
"But these people need to go home, Sasori. Now."
Flicking the hair from his eyes, he smirked down at her as if sizing her up. There she went again, telling him that to do. One day, she was sure she'd wake up to him standing over her bed, knife-in-hand.
"Move bitch!" A man shouts, his loud voice carrying overtop the crowd. She didn't recognize him as one of her neighbors, something she was glad for, considering the intoxicated unsteadiness he held. "You're blocking ninja-boy!"
She rolls her eyes at him before turning her attention back to Sasori. "See? I mean, if you're going to be 'staying' here for a little bit, making friends isn't a horrible idea. But-," her hand motioned to the drunk, "-do you really want to make friends with that piece of scum?"
"Making friends was not the intention, girl."
He stepped forward, decreasing the space between them and immediately, she stepped backwards, increasing it.
Almost a dance, almost.
"Why would I have need for their company," his hand raised, sliding down her cheek and sending chills through her body, "When I have yours?"
"What are you-"
"Don't ignore me you little BITCH!"
Suddenly, a beer bottle came hurtling for her head. It cut through the air with blinding speed, the drunkards anger propelling it forward. Her hands moved on their own, rising to protect her face while her body tensed, preparing for impact.
Closing her eyes, she waited for the pain to come.
Logically, it should not have bothered him when the bottle came for Elaine's head.
It should have hit, breaking into a million shards that would have embedded themselves in her brain, hopefully ridding him of her constant presence.
But watching her tense; crouching into herself with nothing but her arms for protection.
Watching her become weak?
Well, that made him angry.
She was so strong around him; telling him when he was wrong or offensive, stealing back her bed, mouthing off whenever he tried intimidating her…
...And if Elaine wouldn't cower for him, he certainly wouldn't let her cower for some pathetic drunk.
Before he knew it, his hand had shot out, catching the bottle seconds before it made contact with Elaine's head. He squeezed the bottle's neck, letting it shatter in his grip if only to take his frustrations out on something- since he figured, Elaine wouldn't allow him to take it out on her attacker, deserving as he was.
But he still wasn't satisfied.
Stalking forward, he snatched the man up with his now bleeding hand, raising him up the collar of his shirt. "I'll give you a good show, huh?"
Elaine sniffled behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "S-Sasori?"
He wanted to yell at her. Remind her how wrong she was being, by acting like this. She didn't cry; not when he held her up by knifepoint, clawed at her arms, or threatened her life.
"Sasori..."
The crowd was retreating, fast. It seemed his killer intent was still as vicious as ever, warning everyone in the area to duck and cover.
His arm drew back, disregarding the drunken wails and incessant apologies coming from his victim. The man deserved what ever came, even if Elaine only allowed a good punch or two.
"Sasori!"
"What?!" The redhead swiveled, meeting her tear-streaked face and diluted brown eyes. An uncomfortable sight to say the least, seeing her look so vulnerable and wounded.
It was so, so wrong.
Her arms weaved around his neck, "Make him suffer."
Elaine needn't tell he twice. He nodded obediently, a vicious smile spreading across his lips while the man shivered in his grasp.
She was always full of pleasant surprises.
"Yes, ma'am."
Author's Note:
I know, Sasori's feelings toward Elaine are pretty... complicated.
He's very much a deranged criminal, so I wanted his subtle attraction to her to be deranged as well.
He'll sort it out later... hopefully.