I'm not really sure how to introduce this chapter. Situations will start to get very serious from here on out, I must warn you, my loves. As I've said before, this story is personal on many levels, so that's why I gave my warning. Again, I want to thank everyone for the positive reviews you've given so far. So, as always, I present to you Chapter 10, and like always, Rate and Review, onegai :)

Four Days Later…

"Why did you call me to meet up, Hidan?" Sasori asked, staring at the silver-haired guy across from him. It was a Friday night, and tomorrow marked Sasori's birthday, where he would be turning 26.

However, he felt far from wanting to celebrate.

For the past four days, the redhead had barely seen Deidara. He was always gone by the time he, himself, woke up, and was already in his room and most likely asleep by the time he returned.

It was odd, and quite troubling, but Sasori tried not to think too much about it.

Although the knowledge that tomorrow was the date and also his birthday had him asking himself one question:

Would he be celebrating his birthday alone?

He had been at the apartment when he got the random phone call from the brat's supposedly best friend, asking to meet up at the bar just down the street.

Now, here he was, impatiently waiting for the other male to respond while he looked at the type of beer he may want. Hidan glanced at the menu for a bit longer and set it down, training his pale red eyes on the redhead. "I called you so we could talk."

"About what?"

"Who do you think, dumbass?"

"'Who' could be anybody, meat head."

"If I must fucking put it bluntly," the silver-haired guy sighed obnoxiously, "I'm talking about Deidara."

"What about him?"

"I know you like him."

"So fucking what, if I like him?!" Sasori growled.

He hated being interrogated, especially when it came to questions regarding his feelings.

He'd never been much of an open book to anyone. When someone would open the pages, all they would be staring at were blank lines, no words in sight.

Yet, it took special people to find the small-printed words hidden in the middle.

"I'm not saying that's anything bad, Sasori," Hidan placed his hands up in surrender. "I'm just wondering if you're okay."

"Okay with what?"

"That my best friend is fucking straight and you're not."

"Kakuzu already asked me that damn question, Hidan, and like I told him, I don't fucking care," the redhead remarked. He could feel his tolerance level for bullshit dropping by the second. "Not my fucking fault for liking someone who's straight."

"It kind of is, though."

"You can't help who you fall for," Sasori mumbled, knowing full well the other guy could still hear him. "The first day I met him, my first thought was 'I have never seen someone so beautiful before'; I know that sounds weird, considering he's a guy, but that's the truth. I didn't want to like him, since I knew he was straight and would never like me back. But…I couldn't help it. The more I got to know him, the more I grew to like him."

"So how are you taking the whole Sakura thing?"

"What the fuck to do you think?" the redhead glared.

"I take it you don't like her," Hidan cackled.

"I'm going to be honest, I hate her," the redhead said, amber gaze traveling to the table. "I haven't even met the chick and I hate her."

"So, riddle me this, princess," Hidan leaned on his forearms, ignoring the glare from the guy across from him, "Have you told Deidara that it's your birthday this weekend?"

"Nope, and I don't plan to," Sasori leaned back against his chair, taking a swig of his water.

"Why? You don't want him going on the date, right?"

"No, I don't."

"And you're upset they're going out on your birthday, right?"

"Yes."

"So why don't you tell him?"

Sasori hesitated for a lot longer than he normally would.

Should he really say anything?
"Even though I'm upset and hurt that my own roommate, who I like, forgot my birthday and is going on a date with a girl instead," he started, "even though I'm angry and want to punch him in the face, I refuse to remind him."

"Why?"

Sasori gave him a calm smile. "Because when you love someone, their happiness is the most important thing for you to cherish and protect."

"…W-wait, you-" Hidan looked beyond shocked.

"And if he can't be happy with me…then I can at least make sure he's happy with someone else," he finished off his speech and stood up from his chair. "Now, I think I'm going to go back to my apartment and sleep until I wake up tomorrow and celebrate my birthday alone."

Even as he walked out, the sound of Hidan saying something reached his ears.

Although he paid no attention to it.

The time marked 10:39 when Sasori walked through the door. The lights were already out, signaling that Deidara was most likely already asleep. Entering into the living room, he noticed it looked exactly how he had left it that morning, not a single thing out of place, as if the brat didn't even live there anymore.

Wait…could he be…?

In a panic, he dropped his laptop bag on the ground and ran up the stairs, bolting down the hallway until he reached the blonde's door. Quietly, yet quickly, he turned the knob, thankful that it wasn't locked.

He opened the door, peering into the dark room, letting his eyes adjust to the black. The moon was shining through the windows, illuminating the sleeping figure in the circular bed. The blond hair was uncovered and laying across one of the pillows, the normal yellow now an almost white.

Sighing, he closed the door.

What had made him think that Deidara would suddenly move out without a single warning?

Paranoia had always been one of his worst qualities.

Walking back downstairs, he picked up his bag and set it in one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, taking a stance over by the windows, peering out.

The city skyline was bright and beautiful, many buildings aglow with numerous rooms lit from within. The lights from the structures reached high into the dark abyss above, the stars invisible.

Sasori wondered what the sky actually looked like illuminated by nature's own sky jewels.

He'd grown up in the city his entire life, never really visiting his family, who lived in the suburbs where the stars were actually somewhat visible.

Even though he'd never admit it, one of his biggest dreams was to drive out into the middle of a field where there were no lights and just sit under the millions and millions of stars he could only dream would be shining.

Yet…he was nearly 26 and could still only call the city 'home'.

He sighed.

That was boarder-line depressing.

He knew Deidara's parents lived outside the city, so when he had still been living with them, he left the confines of the impressive buildings and suffocating hoards of people and escaped into an actual house with space to move and stretch out ones feet.

Sasori had never felt that.

A certain memory – this one not as bad as others – surfaced, and he allowed it to over-take his thoughts.

He had been seven years old.

His dad had been at work and his mom had been busy cooking dinner.

It had been their 7th move into a new apartment, this one a little bit nicer than the rest they had been living in before.

He had been playing with a toy racecar given to him by his grandmother for Christmas when his dad had charged through the front door, tie pulled loose and shirt un-tucked from his dress pants, anger clouding his entire face.

Immediately, he had starting screaming, saying words that Sasori couldn't understand at the time but knew they were bad enough to start making his mother scream back.

Something about how he was tired of living in the city.

And why did they have to keep moving from place to place.

Words were being thrown all over the place, words eventually turning into hands and fists.

Sasori closed his eyes, shutting down that memory as if his life depended on it.

He knew his past was filled with bad memories and demons, and suppressing them was probably not one of his brightest ideas, but he'd rather completely forget them than ever try and face them again, lest he wanted his mind to be overrun with fear and sadness, slowly turning him insane.

Looking down at the streets and sidewalks below, he imagined the pedestrians striding along the pavement, some, or most, wobbling slightly as the alcohol they consumed began dispersing through their systems. The cars, looking like toys, drove over the rough asphalt, their headlights illuminating the white and yellow lines ahead, the dull red, yellow, and green orbs hovering over the vehicles as they passed underneath.

Stepping back, Sasori pondered whether he should stay up or not, when his foot accidentally hit a bag on the floor. He must have kicked it hard enough, because immediately, he heard things rolling across the ground. His amber eyes gazed down, the moon light shining upon two bottles filled with pills situated near one of the pegs of the U-shaped couch.

Noticing the bag color, which was black, he realized it belonged to Deidara.

And that those pills belonged to his brat.

What the hell was he doing with those?

Bending down, he picked up the two bottles, examining the labels on both.

One read Disulfiram and the other read Remeron.

What the hell-?

What were these for?

Shaking his head, he opened the bag and placed the bottles back in.

Better not to question when his roommate was knocked out upstairs.

Still…what were those pills for anyways?

Thinking that, he extracted his phone from his back pocket, entering onto the web. His fingers flew over the screen, typing the first name down quickly and clicking the first option under the search bar.

Disulfiram.

Used to treat chronic alcoholism.

When taken, symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, etc. may arise if alcohol consumption occurs with taking Disulfiram.

Warning: Disulfiram does not treat alcoholism, but does discourage alcohol consumption.

Sasori knitted his eyebrows together.

What the actual fuck…?

Shaking his head, he cleared his history and searched the other one.

Remeron.

Used to treat major depression.

Works by balancing the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain and decreasing the re-uptake of serotonin.

Warning: do not consume with alcohol or other illegal drugs.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Sasori exited the web and turned his phone off, gaze traveling to the door that led into Deidara's bedroom.

Just what was going on with you, brat?