Two years.

It's been two years since I last updated and honestly I came very, very close to deleting this.

But then a Muse hit me. And let me just say that one does not simply turn away from a Muse.

I had to re-read all the chapters of this fic, the thoughts that ran through my head during the process included "ew ew ew typos", "when did i write this?" and "what the fuck was I thinking when I wrote that?".

And now I'm determined to finish this. And I will totally do it.

I know that no-one will prolly read this, since everyone who used to read it are out of the fandom or dead already, but I just want to finish it. And if there actually is anyone still interested in this fic, let me know, perhaps? (might encourage me to update faster huehuehue)

And yeaaah. Lol.

Chapter 11 - A Night Out

Deidara was not sure what he had imagined Sasori's great escape plan to be like, but every possible expectation was let down when the two of them simply walked up to the front gate and Sasori handed the guard a few folded bills. The exchange went without a single word - the money was handed over and the gate was opened just wide enough for the two of them to pass through.

"Are all the guards like this?" Deidara inquired, having monitored the occurrence with silent bafflement.

Sasori shook his head. "There's two," he said. "Zet knows their schedule."

"Zet was - the twin," Deidara remembered, "the one with all the information."

Sasori gave a nod.

They walked along an empty road that was missing a pavement. Deidara could faintly remember the path from his arrival to Oto no Sato and knew it to lead to town. He was not sure how much time it would take to cross the distance on foot and it was slightly worrying, but he trusted Sasori - at least enough to get them to and back from town on time. After all, if they were late, it would be on both of them.

Deidara did not mind walking, especially after such a long time of being trapped in a cage. Even the wind seemed nicer and the air fresher outside the school fence; Deidara breathed it in hungrily. After a while, the first car passed them by.

Sasori was walking a step ahead from the blond, leading the way, although there was no need for a guide on a straight road. Deidara caught himself gazing at him dreamily. At one point he realized the anger he had felt inside him for the redhead was completely gone and the current feeling was a lot closer to what it used to be than what it became.

Looking back on things, Deidara wondered if he could have gone overboard with his revenge. After all, what had been Sasori's crime? He acted as a douche, but that was what he had always been like - it had been Deidara who had attempted to ignore it and invited him in. In a way, the redhead had helped him by pulling him out of his shell and giving him the experience needed to stay afloat in the hellhole.

Deidara wondered if telling Sasori that would have helped their relationship. He guessed it was worth a try.

"Hey, Sasori," he started.

There came no reply but Deidara was sure the redhead was listening. He started to open his mouth to utter the three simple words of apology, but nothing came out, as though there was a barricade in his throat blocking the way.

"I-" he tried again, but his throat clamped shut and he was left staring dumbly at the redhead, who finally turned his head towards him, giving a "Hm?".

"I mean," Deidara corrected himself and looked down, "how long have you been here?"

Sasori gave him a level look. "What's it to you?"

Deidara shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets as casually as possible. "An ice-breaker," he said with a joking smile he gave the other.

Sasori snorted. "I see," he said. "Didn't wrecking my clothes serve the purpose?"

"I was trying a fresh page," Deidara defended.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't really do background stories."

"Hardly a background story," Deidara argued. "Besides Pein already told me what you're in for - killing your granny."

"I know you drowned a guy, but that's not even half of the story, is it?"

Mentioning the incident so casually sent a sharp bolt of pain through the blond and he paled, biting his lower lip. That had been cruel of Sasori, but this was how Deidara knew where he had gone wrong.

Deidara tried to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat and coughed to clear it.

"I should make friends with this Zet guy," he muttered. "Seems beneficial."

"You're really so eager to learn about me?" Sasori asked and Deidara caught the teasing note in his voice. Deidara had become to know better than to get flustered over teasing as such; he put on a smirk and retorted.

"And what if I am?" he challenged.

Sasori regarded him quietly awhile, then said, "This is my second year here. Not even Zet can get you more."

After that silence enveloped them.

Deidara did not like the lack of conversation. They had reached the border of town and a pavement with some buildings around them, but it would still take some time for them to reach the area where life was at.

"There's paint on your jeans," Deidara muttered.

Instantly Sasori turned his head to examine his pants.

Deidara chuckled.

Sasori, realizing he had been duped, gave the blond a mild glare.

"So you do paint," Deidara marked.

Sasori did not reply.

"While going through your wardrobe, I found some clothes with paint on them - pretty sure those were the only ones I spared."

"And why's that?" Sasori asked.

Deidara shrugged. "I like artists, they're the most interesting of people."

"You paint?" Sasori's look expressed scepticism.

"Occasionally," Deidara admitted. "I prefer clay. My whole room used to be full of sculptures."

"Used to?" Sasori caught on to the past tense.

"No background stories, right?" Deidara half-smiled.

They had come pretty far into town. Despite the late hour there were people walking around and cars passing by, multiple bars and food stores still had their OPEN sign on. Flashing signs of night clubs decorated the street. They stopped by a 24-hour food store first; Deidara had all but forgotten the taste of forms of sweets other than the insipid desserts at school.

As they went to the check-out, Deidara noticed Sasori pocket a pack of cigarettes. He pressed his lips into a thin line but said nothing and paid for his purchases. Out of the store he asked the redhead, "You smoke?"

"Good eye," Sasori marked dryly. "You should work as a guard."

Deidara gave a humourless snort. "Right. Except for my criminal record."

"Indeed," Sasori agreed. "And no, I don't smoke. It's for the guard."

For some reason, Deidara felt relieved.

For the blond, the time spent in town flew. Upon his request they spent most of it outside walking. They stopped by a night club for a couple of drinks and to rest their feet. The night club's guard Sasori was familiar with and, after the pack of cigarettes had travelled from his to the guard's pocket, the two students had their permission for entrance granted.

"You're less of an ass outside of school," Deidara marked after they'd received their drinks.

Sasori rolled his eyes at the comment. "Look who's talking," he said. "I'm just not interested in boring people."

Deidara nodded as he recalled the party and the conversation he'd had with the redhead back then. "And I'm boring," he said dryly.

"That was the first impression."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "And the current one?" he urged.

Sasori gave the blond a look that made him feel transparent - it was the kind that made Deidara feel uneasy and like he was being judged. On his first days at the school, the look alone would have been enough to make him blush and avert his gaze. He had come a long way since then, but it didn't mean that he was completely immune.

"What're you expecting again? A compliment? Approval?"

"No." Deidara rolled his eyes and looked away. "You still are an ass."

Sasori said nothing in his own defence. They finished their drinks and left the club. The hands on Sasori's watch told him that it was time for them to head back.

They walked down the street in silence. The sky was beginning to get lighter and Deidara knew that the sun would rise soon. He hoped to see it before they reached the school gates.

"Did Hidan sneak out and get caught?" Deidara asked after a while.

Sasori quirked an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"

Deidara shrugged. "I've been thinking about what the different punishments are," he admitted, "it didn't say in the handbook I was given. And at the party - Hidan -"

Deidara did not finish the sentence. The memory of the night still filled his stomach with queasiness.

To his surprise he could hear the redhead chuckle. He turned to him in surprise.

"You think that was one of the punishments?"

Deidara stared at him confused without answering for the fear of coming across stupid, which Sasori's question had made him feel as. He got the feeling that his assumptions were way off.

Sasori shook his head, but Deidara could tell the other was amused.

"We're not in North Korea, brat. Even the reform schools aren't allowed to punish their students like that."

"Then what was-?"

"A ritual," Sasori said. "Hidan is - something else. He worships a God by the name of Jashin or something, I've never really bothered getting further details on the topic. You can always ask him in case of interest, I'm sure he's more than willing to fill you in on all the aspects of crazy."

"I think I'll pass," Deidara muttered, feeling slight embarrassment for his ignorance. After a moment of thought, he figured it could not hurt to ask, "What is the most severe punishment at Oto no Sato?"

Sasori did not reply right away.

"Let's just say you have a lot of time to think."

"Is-" But before Deidara could advance with his next question, he was cut off by a loud whistle coming from across the street.

"YO, SCORPION."

Deidara turned his head to see a group of seven males in their early twenties clustered in front of a bar on the other side of the road. While their disorderly fashion made it hard to tell who had been the one to shout, Deidara was certain they had meant Sasori, as the chances of the presence of someone else whose name translated to "scorpion" in the vicinity seemed low. It became even clearer when one of the guys raised his hand and gave a wave to the sound of a loud whistle.

Deidara raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sasori, who kept his eyes fixed on the road before, not averting them for a moment.

"Friends of yours?" Deidara couldn't help but ask as he noticed a few of the males separating from the group and stepping onto the road.

"Just keep walking," Sasori ordered.

Deidara looked behind them again and saw the group disbanding.

"They're following us," he told the redhead, shifting his gaze back to him. He was taken aback by the expression he found on Sasori's face. Eyebrows furrowed and lips set in a tight line, there was a murderous look in the brown eyes, which Deidara had never seen before. He could feel a cold shiver run down his back that had nothing to do with the temperature. A voice in his head told him that something was off.

He glanced behind them again and saw that the two guys after them had quickened their pace into a jog.

"Sasori," Deidara started cautiously, "what's-"

"Just shut up and run," Sasori growled, grabbing his hand as they reached a corner. He turned around it and sprinted off the road to school, pulling the blond along. They ran down the dark side street into another alley and turned right. Deidara felt adrenaline pouring into his veins with a rush as a realization thundered through him - for Sasori to want to run meant that the guys they were running from were dangerous. Just how dangerous, Deidara did not want to imagine or chances were his legs would have turned jelly.

Sasori made another turn left and suddenly it struck Deidara that they were way the path to school and would possibly not make it.

"Sasori, school's the other-"

"Shut it," the redhead hissed and took another turn, only to come to a sudden halt and have the blond collide into him. After a moment of dizziness, Deidara looked at the redhead confused and was about to form another question when he noticed the reason Sasori had stopped - barely twenty meters away, three males Deidara assumed to belong to the same group were blocking the street.

The question "how" died in Deidara's throat.

"Deidara, run," Sasori ordered as he instinctively pushed the blond back. "Get back to school."

"What?!" Deidara exclaimed. "Like hell will I go without-"

"I'm not asking, GO!" Sasori shouted at him with the same murderous glare that made the blond take a step back, but by then it was already too late - both of them could hear the approaching footsteps from behind them and in a few minutes they were surrounded.

"Long time no see, Sassy," a deep voice greeted from among the group and a man with a three days' beard and a large, slightly soiled jacket stepped forwards. He had a scar below his right eye, which stretched when he spoke. He wore an unreadable expression as his gaze shifted from the redhead to the blond; Deidara felt an unfamiliar chill settle in his stomach as their eyes met.

"Well, lookie here," the man said, approaching the duo with steady steps; Deidara felt an arm on his torso push him back and Sasori shifted himself in front of him. "The miracles time can do, you've finally caught a permanent fuckboy to keep around."

Despite the situation, Deidara felt himself blush and thanked every Deity there was that Sasori could not see it.

A threatening growl sounded from the redhead's throat as he hissed, "He's no-one and has no business here. He will leave."

"Oh, really?" the man faked surprise. "Because I was so certain to have heard him say like hell he would go without - you. And you and I both know that we can't let you leave just yet. Not after the shortness of our last meeting and the unfinished business" - the man made a curt pause as his fingers caressed the scar on his face - "from that night."

One sharp nod by the man that was not aimed at either of the duo, and Deidara could shortly sense movement behind them before he was torn away from the redhead and an attack was launched at him from behind.

The following happened very fast. Deidara was held in place with his hands behind his back so that he could not move, and Sasori was attacked by three men simultaneously. Deidara's eyes clenched shut instinctively and when he re-opened them he was surprised to find the redhead fending off the attack from all three. He received half the punches he landed, and Deidara was not sure whether he should have been joyful or terrified. For a brief moment, he actually believed Sasori could win the fight alone.

It was only a moment later that another guy joined the battle and that was when the balance was thrown off. Sasori got pinned against the stone wall of a building with both his hands and legs held in place. It took two guys to keep him steady and make him a punching bag for the others. Deidara was forced to watch in plain horror as blood was beaten out of Sasori's nose and mouth, and he was repeatedly kneed it the stomach.

Deidara felt like screaming, screaming for them to stop and for someone to help - only neither of them would have been to avail, and the only thing that came out of his mouth was warm breath that turned into steam in the chilly night air.

He needed to move - he had to - to get that shitface off his Scorpion, the one that was his to torment and his alone. He tried to break free from the hold on his hands, but it only resulted in the grip tightening to the point it became painful and a voice chuckling in his ear, "No point in trying, Blondie. You ain't saving your boyfriend's ass."

Deidara gritted his teeth with rage. "Eat a dick, fucker," he hissed and twisted around, kneeing the guy in the balls as hard as he could. To his delight his hands were released and the guy staggered backwards, clutching his crotch and cussing like there was no tomorrow.

Deidara used the second he was given and thrust towards the guy doing the beating. None of the men saw him coming, and by the time they did, Deidara had already landed a right hook in the guy's neck. The hit hurt his knuckles, but the blond paid no attention to it as he continued towards one of the guys holding Sasori captive. In order to protect himself, the one being attacked was forced to release the redhead, which resulted in Deidara missing and getting punched to the ground, and Sasori breaking free.

It took only a second. Deidara felt the kick in his gut that robbed him of breath and made him curl up. He was expecting another one, but there was too long of a pause. He was about to open his eyes and that was when he heard the words dripping with blood-curdling venom.

"One more to touch a hair on Blondie's head and I'm gouging this fucker's eyes out with this knife."

Deidara was slow when opening his eyes. He recognized the voice but did not recognize the content of the words. He looked up from the ground and saw everyone's attention on Sasori - the blood-covered, murderous-looking Sasori holding the man's who had spoken first - assumedly the leader - head in a death grip with the blade of his pocket knife so close to the eyeball that one wrong movement would have caused the blade to pierce it.

It was only later on that Deidara realized how terrified he should have felt, how paralyzed by terror. But right then, the only thing he could sense in himself was fascination by Sasori's skill when handling the knife - that was the hand of an artist, for sure - and felicity, when Sasori said the following words, "Get up, Deidara, and come here."

Deidara did as he was told and moved through the group, vary of the figures around him, but none of them moved as he made his way to the redhead.

"Get behind me," Sasori commanded.

Deidara complied without a word.

"Three seconds for all of you to scram, or I'm turning this street into a Halloween party with some real organs."

Deidara recognized the moment of hesitation, but it was brief - one by one the group disbanded, leaving them alone in the street. Deidara saw Sasori lean closer to the leader's ear and whisper something inaudible.

Deidara held his breath as he waited. A thought struck him that Sasori was still free to do as he liked with the men and after all the violence, Deidara wondered if he would actually go that far. After all, the blond was clueless of their history together; hell he was clueless of Sasori's history and even the present. A small part of Deidara wondered whether he was just seconds away from witnessing an actual murder.

And then the man fell on all fours. Sasori took a step back and closed the clean knife. The man was coughing and took his time getting back on his feet. After a few moments, he was gone.

Sasori sat down on the ground with a grunt, feeling his cheek and eying the stain of blood on his hand.

"Sasori..." Deidara whispered. He squatted down in front of the redhead and produced a handkerchief from his pocket, bringing it up to the other's face.

"Brat," Sasori hissed, "stop babying me."

Deidara rolled his eyes and pressed the tissue against his cheeks, lightly tapping away the blood. "Stop complaining. You can't show up at school with blood dripping from your face."

Sasori gave a growl and took the handkerchief from the blond.

Deidara snorted humourlessly. "Real macho," he commented.

They stayed there in silence for a while. Deidara was aware of the clock ticking at a merciless pace, but the fact was that they were going to be late to school, and they were going to get caught - minutes or even an hour did not make a difference anymore.

"Why didn't you run?" Sasori finally asked. "It was stupid of you to stay."

"It was rather stupid of me to lie to Tsunade about who beat me up before as well," Deidara retorted. "But I don't know. Maybe I just don't really loathe you. Maybe it's the opposite. Or maybe I'm just really stupid."

Sasori sighed. He glanced up from the ground and looked at Deidara with one of his eyes already turning yellow. He took in the ocean blue orbs reflecting sincerity with dead seriousness in his own. Removing the tissue from his face to reveal the entirety of his injuries, he said, "I'm sure someone must've told you this before already, and you must've figured it out on your own as well, but you'll never find a Prince Charming in me, no matter how long you keep searching."

Deidara cocked his head to one side, a note of melancholy recognizable in his voice when he asked, "What if I'm not looking for a Prince Charming? What if I'm just looking for someone a bit more fucked up than me so I wouldn't feel like such a lunatic?"

Sasori's eyes widened the slightest bit as he took in the words, before turning his gaze away.

"And what about me?" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "What if I'm not into lovey-dovey bullshit and just wish for a good fuck every now and then?"

"And what if I'm fine with that?" Deidara challenged, refusing to take his eyes off the redhead. His gaze was intense, daring Sasori to look back into it.

Sasori did, and on his face was the first genuine smile Deidara thought to have ever seen on the older male's face. Like a cat's who'd caught a mouse, it was full of sly content and Deidara could feel the heat rushing to his lower regions from the hot look the messed up redhead was giving him. "If you can repeat that line after the punishment I've now gotten you into" - without blinking, Sasori leaned in so close that Deidara could feel his warm breath and found it hard to tear his gaze away from the lips voicing the words with such a velvety tone - "I'll fuck you so hard you'll forget your own name, all right?"

To be continued...