Ok, a slight note before this chapter, because Konan does a lot of talking. For the French accent, I have the "th" sound replaced with "z", and the "h" sound at the beginning of a word is dropped. So, "Ze 'at is red" = "The hat is red". All clear? Good. Enjoy.
A knock on the door woke Sasori from his slumber. The redhead wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but it certainly felt like he could have done with a few more hours of rest before this intrusion on his dreamland arrived. He sat up in bed, yawning and looking around the room to find it empty of Deidara. Apparently the blond had gone off to his own room sometime after Sasori had fallen asleep, presumably so his reading light wouldn't bother the Akasuna. "Monsieur Sasori," Konan's voice whispered, followed by another knock.
The sound of the VUM leader's voice took Sasori by surprise. What could she possibly want with him at this hour?
Curiosity winning out against nervous hesitation, Sasori arose from his bed and crossed the room to open the door. "Konan, do you have any idea what time it is?" he mumbled sleepily, eyes blinking his comrade into focus.
"Ze time is completely irreverent to the situation, I assure you. Please, you must come wiz me immediately. It is of the upwards importance."
Sasori decided against correcting Konan's botching of the English language, mainly because of her appearance. The Falk's eyes had bags hanging under them, and her lips were drawn into a tight line. Her beret was barely able to conceal the blue hair that now appeared incredibly messy, and after a moment of thinking, Sasori realized she'd been wearing the same outfit for a few days now. Even her pointed ears appeared to be drooping, but that could just be the puppeteer's sleep-deprived eyes playing tricks on him. "What is it?"
"Not 'ere, monsieur Sasori! Zis meeting must be done in ze most private of places. Follow me."
Sasori briefly wondered why Konan hadn't bothered to give him a nickname, when she clearly had plenty at hand for every other living thing on the space ship. He was beginning to wonder if his name sounded similar to some sort of derogatory Falkian term; he still had plenty of memories from when Private Azkrak joined their ranks. It took weeks to get the other privates to stop snickering whenever his name was said during roll call.
Sasori had been buried so deeply in his musings that he hadn't noticed they had stopped walking until he ran into Konan's back. "Sorry, sorry," he muttered with a slight flush to his cheeks.
"Zat is all right," Konan stated. She was facing an unlabeled steel door, and currently seemed to be trying to dig something out of the pocket of her utility belt. "Our reports indicate zat you 'umans are often overcome by wild fantasies zat pull you out of reality for a bit."
"Right…"
"'Ere we are! I was beginning to zink zat Pein 'ad stolen my key again." Konan clicked a few things under her breath that no doubt were neither kind towards her comrade nor meant for Sasori's ears, but silenced herself once the door was unlocked. "Quickly, inside!" The next instant found Sasori within the room as the door was closed behind them.
It took the human a few minutes to register that he was looking at the interior of Konan's bedroom. It wasn't much larger than his own, but a few things here and there gave it a more lived-in feeling. A thick comforter adorned her hastily made bed, and several books were still scattered across her minute desk. Across the room a weathered bookcase stood tall and proud, its shelves housing a few books, but far more knickknacks and trinkets than anything else. The thing that immediately attracted Sasori's eye was a pewter picture frame holding a tiny photograph, its edges cracked and charred. The subjects of the photo were three children; one being a girl with light blue pigtails, the other two boys, slightly bigger, one with spiked orange hair, the other with messy brown locks that hung down into his eyes. They were sitting around a circle and appeared to be throwing different shaped blocks inside the ring, perhaps playing the Falkian version of marbles. "Zat was taken many years ago," Konan murmured beside him, before crossing the room to brush some invisible dust off the frame.
Sasori started; he hadn't meant to stare. "Sorry," he stated.
"Is zat all you can say when you are sleepy?" Konan asked, though the look in her eyes indicated the question was asked in good humor.
"I mean, I wasn't trying to stare…it's just such an interesting picture…I didn't want to offend you-"
"You are beginning to sound like monsieur loud-mouth," the VUM leader chuckled. "It is all right, ma chére. Zis picture is a 'appy memory of mine."
"So that's you and Pein in the shot," Sasori murmured thoughtfully. "But who is the other boy?"
"He is…was…my older brozer."
Sasori winced at hearing the past tense. "I'm very sorry." He could have kicked himself for saying the s word again, but what else was he supposed to say now?
"It was a long time ago, in a village on Verden," Konan went on, her voice far-off and longing. "Ze adults were always talking about war, and occasionally a boy would run off to join ze army, but for we children, this was nozing but some adult game. Nagato and Pein would play soldiers at times, but it was only to rescue me, ze princess."
Sasori snorted, and then quickly looked away. He probably seemed rude now, but the idea of seeing this officer in a poofy princess outfit and needing anyone to rescue her was absolutely ridiculous.
"You may laugh now, but many zings change over ze years, monsieur."
"What happened?"
"One day, I went to bed. When I woke up, zere were many explosions and screams around me, and ze air stank like smoke and burned meat. My mozer pulled me out of bed and ran out of ze 'ouse just before it collapsed. We never found my fazer or Nagato on ze way out of the village; I am not sure if zey had already been killed, or were attempting to save ze ozer villagers."
"If they were anything like you, it was probably the latter," Sasori commented.
His words brought a soft smile to Konan's lips. "Zank you for that, my friend.
"Mozer took me to ze woods and told me to stay put, while she went to 'elp the ozers. She made several trips back with women and children, but one time…she simply did not return." Sasori felt his stomach twist in a knot. "Once ze fires 'ad died down, we went looking in ze rubble for anyzing we could use. Zis picture is all zat is left of my 'ome."
"What happened next?"
"Zere was talk of going to ozer towns, or rebuilding our village. No one knew what to do, but zere was only one zing zat we younger people said; we must get revenge.
"I was so mad zat ze mere thought of you 'umans was enough to, 'ow you say, make me snap. Zere were many of us children zat wanted to run off to ze nearest recruiting station and sign on immediately. But zen one night, Pein comes up to me and says, 'Zis is not right. We 'ave just lost our 'omes and families, so we know 'ow painful zat is. Why are we rushing off to do zis to ozer people? Zis is not ze way to settle our problems.' And after 'e said zis to me, I was ashamed for wanting to be like zose people who'd killed my parents and Nagato.
"Zat night, Pein and I ran off togezer to ze capital city. I assume you know ze place?"
"Domini," Sasori stated, remembering hearing the name numerous times in training. Currently, it was considered the only Falkian city completely protected from any and all human attacks.
"Oui. We 'ad no money and no prospects, but to us, zere was nothing worse zan staying next to our former 'ome and being reminded day after day of what 'ad been lost. After a few weeks of scraping by, we were able to meet with some, as you say, revolutionary zinkers zat were looking for young recruits. Fast forward a few years, and ze two of us are ranking officers in what 'as come to be the Verden Underground Movement."
"You've been through so much…"
"It is no more zan what any ozer orphan on Verden 'as gone through. I am quite sure zat your friend would tell you a tale of similar sufferings, if you sat down and asked."
Sasori chose not to mention that Deidara had already shared the story of his own town's demise; Konan looked torn up as it was. "Is that why you called me here?" Sasori inquired.
"Hm? Oh, no, zis was just ze ramblings of a wounded woman," Konan informed him with a thoughtless wave of her hand. "Zere is a different reason for your presence 'ere."
"Which is…?"
"Monsieur Sasori, 'ow did you and Deidara come into contact? Monsieur fishy 'as said that Deidara was already a prisoner on your ship, but I find his tale as fishy ze rest of 'im."
Sasori nerves were set on edge by this statement. Kisame was an incredibly gifted speaker and manipulator of the truth, so for Konan to see through his tale was nothing short of a miracle. He decided against trying to come up with a better cover story; he'd always been a lousy liar, and doubted the Falk would be forgiving if two humans lied to her in the course of a few days. "We were flying past a Falk ship, when a human vessel escaped its cargo bay and sent out a distress signal. The plane ended up crashing on a nearby planet, and when I landed down there to rescue the pilot, I found Deidara instead."
"And you did not shoot 'im on sight?" Konan asked, eyebrow cocked in surprise.
Sasori sighed. He really didn't want to explain his motivation behind keeping Deidara alive, particularly to this Falk. "He was lying unconscious amidst a pile of wreckage. It seemed low to kill him like that; dirty even. And by the time he woke up, I'd gotten attached to him, and, well…"
"You are a very lucky 'uman. If Deidara 'ad been any ozer Falk, you would 'ave been killed ze first chance your back was turned."
"And why is that?"
"Simple. Your ship was working and not recognizable by the computers from wherever Deidara escaped. 'Is ship was damaged and being sought. Killing you and taking ze vessel would 'ave been in 'is best interest."
"I suppose-"
"But zat is beside ze point. What I need to know is if Deidara told you any furzer details about ze escape."
By now, Sasori was somewhat wary of Konan as he continued his story. He wasn't sure why the blue-haired rebel was so interested in Deidara's escape, but unless he was sure it would benefit the duo in the long run, Sasori wanted to play on the safe side and withhold anything Konan didn't absolutely need to know. "That's it. Just that a ship docked on Orochimaru's-"
"Zat man? Deidara escaped from Orochimaru?" Konan's face twisted itself into a mask of pure hatred and rage as a rapid string of hisses and screeches escaped her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Sasori asked in alarm. To see Konan lose control like this was nearly as frightening as the day she and Deidara had been arguing, only now he didn't have Kisame and Deidara to back him up if things turned violent.
"Zat man is a monster! A demon! I am ashamed to call him a Falk, zat son of a blue-tailed Ferrum and Arkian swamp-hopper! 'E buys and sells 'omeless Falks like zey are beasts, and zose zat cannot be bought directly are poisoned wiz ze drugs 'e sells as zough zey were candies!" More hisses and clicks followed this, and not for the last time was Sasori grateful for a language barrier.
"Konan?" he asked after a few more minutes of the rebel's rage. "Konan, we were talking about Deidara?"
"Oui, oui," Konan replied, a hand on her chest as she took several deep, calming breaths. "Forgive me, monsieur Sasori; it is just, ze zought zat anyone could look at zis war and see nozing but a chance to make a profit…it is enough to, as you say, make one's blood simmer."
"It's boil, but I understand what you mean."
"I was 'oping to get more information about Deidara's escape. You see, we are going to be reaching Verden in a few 'ours, and in order to get past ze planet's outer defenses undetected, we must 'ack a few security computers."
"You honestly think Deidara is capable of hacking a computer?" Sasori snorted. "Surely you jest."
"I fail to see what sleeveless clozing 'as to do wiz our situation, monsieur. But surely you realize what Deidara 'ad to go through to escape?"
"I said 'jest', not vest. And what do you mean?"
"Zink about it. Deidara would 'ave needed to get into ze computers and program zem to zink 'e was allowed out of his room. Zen Deidara would 'ave 'ad to make zem allow access to ze ship's garage. Meanwhile, Deidara would also need to know what routes ze guards monitored so it would be possible to avoid zem during ze escape. Zen zere is ze matter of activating ze ship wizout immediately arousing suspicion, opening ze door to ze 'angar wiz weapons 'e 'ad never directly operated before, only possibly researched, and finally escaping knowing zere was enough time to get a safe distance away! It must 'ave been nearly impossible and taken months to plan!"
"You really think Deidara did all that?" Sasori asked under his breath, somewhat alarmed by her deduction.
Konan was beyond hearing now, and quickly shooed Sasori out the door. "My decision 'as been made. Once we are a little closer to Verden, I shall wake 'im and see to it zat 'e 'elps us wiz ze landing! I'll be sure to wake you and ze ozer 'umans as well, so you can see our world! Au revoir, monsieur Sasori!" And with that the Falk disappeared back into her room.
Sasori couldn't bring himself to feel annoyed at the woman; her assessment of Deidara was overwhelming, to say the least. He'd seen the blond escape and knew that somehow Deidara had botched his break for freedom, but just as quickly the Falk had reworked the scheme and utilized the nearby human ships to help him escape. Even when that went wrong and he crash-landed on a godforsaken planet, Deidara had immediately turned to Sasori, someone who should have been his sworn enemy, and managed to convince the redhead not only to spare his life, but also sneak him back onto the ship and hide him away from those that wanted to harm him.
As Sasori slipped back inside his room, he found himself leaning back against the door for support. This didn't make sense. The Deidara he knew was light-hearted and carefree, and could be simple in more ways than one. Yet when he stepped back and looked at the big picture, the Falk appeared far more cunning and conniving than Sasori had originally given him credit for.
Sasori's knees gave out as he slowly sank down to the floor. Just who was Deidara, when you really got down to it? Which picture of the blond was the right one?
The redhead was still trying to figure out the answer to that question when Konan returned for him three hours later.