“What?” Mikansei managed to blurt out a moment later. She knew his abilities were strong and everything, but being able to help her physical situation wasn’t possible. Frowning n confusion, she shook her head, attempting to explain this fact, when Sasori shook his own, causing her to fall into silence. He paused for a second, thinking things over and what he was going to say, and eventually began softly,
“I can finish what he did to you. I know it wasn’t a good thing, what he did, but it’s going to keep hurting you if you don’t deal with it. Though I don’t fully know what he did, if you help me—if I look you over to find out—I can finish it, and the wounds will go away.”
He had to hold himself back from saying anything else at this point, knowing if he let himself go on, he’d say something that was meant to remain in his head. He wanted to the wounds to disappear so he wouldn’t have to see her in pain; to know that she wouldn’t still be hurting from the effects of what Tanju did to her even though she had been strong enough to break free. She deserved to be fully—and finally—released from the hold Tanju had placed on her, and if he was the one to do it—then it was all the better.
“Are you sure it’s alright, Sasori-san? I mean, you have your puppets, and everything...”Mikansei murmured a moment later glancing at them hanging up on the walls.
Forcing Sasori to do something he felt obliged to do because of her own shortcomings was not something Mikansei wanted to do. She could handle the wounds, and it was probably because of a number of factors that she had collapsed. If she was careful, and learnt what would help with the effects of the wounds, then things would be fine and she could go on as normal. And Sasori wouldn’t feel he had to help her out because it had been his doorway she had collapsed in. It was bad enough having done so to begin with, let alone making him do anything else. But Sasori simply smirked at her constant belief that it was her fault, replying with a small shrug,
“Mikansei...I’m not doing this because I feel I have to help you...I’m doing it because I want to help.”
Glancing up into his eyes, Mikansei caught a glimpse of the same sort of thing she had seen when she had been standing at his door, and for a moment was unable to say a thing. Though the feeling in her stomach wasn’t as strong, the heat in her face certainly was, the realisation that she was now fully in Sasori's room and having the same situation hitting her full on. But as she finally blinked, the trance was gone, and nodding slowly, she whispered,
“If you don’t mind.”
With that Sasori immediately got to work.
Telling her she could remain on the bed, not wanting her to hurt herself anymore than she had done already, he brought over the tools he needed and drew up a chair. Pointing out that he probably wouldn’t need any tools for the moment, as he didn’t even know the whole situation, he unwrapped the bandages from her arms once again and began to look them over properly this time, chakra adding onto to the analysing already taking place.
Mikansei tried to help him out anyway she could, telling him what Tanju had told her when he began the experiments and as he continued. He often liked to rant about what would happen when it was all complete, and how everything worked; a little preparation for the speech he would give when he would get Mikansei to go on missions as his weapon and the Kage’s and ninjas would ask how he had done it. Plus, it helped to convince Mikansei of her status as a pawn and nothing more. Luckily enough, it was beginning to help her get out of that state now, and ignoring any pain that arrived, not wanting Sasori to stop because of her, she continued stating what she could remember.
But she couldn’t help but get excited. For so long the idea of being finished filled her with a feeling of dread, knowing she would be utterly under Tanju’s control. Though now she was with the Akatsuki and Sasori was the one helping her out, it seemed a much better situation. They wouldn’t be using her as a weapon, and the pain in her arms would go away. It would mark the change from tyranny to freedom, and Mikansei couldn’t wait for it to happen, a small smile playing on her face as the image appeared in her mind.
Sasori himself was feeling strangely similar—and for reasons he wasn’t entirely sure of. Maybe it was because he was the one finishing it; getting rid of the pain Tanju had plagued her with for most of her life, or because he was sitting there stroking her arms, spending more time with her and getting much closer to her than he could ever have thought....He didn’t know. But all he knew was that he wanted it done as soon as possible so he could know he had helped her fully break free. Combined with the fact he had gotten her to trust him enough to tell her story, he had to force himself to concentrate on actually getting this done.
Deidara strolled down the corridor, heading for Mikansei’s room in order to tell her that everyone was making dinner, so if she wanted some now was the time to act. Then finally reaching her door, he knocked softly, waiting for a moment; and when she didn’t answer, he knocked louder. But once again he received nothing, so slowly opening the door, he peeked his head in and called out her name gently, switching on the light when none were on. All he saw was an incredibly well-kept room...albeit an empty one.
Suddenly a feeling of nervous worry gripped him and he wasn’t sure what to do. He liked Mikansei—sure, she had sided with Sasori, but it was her opinion. She made Sasori less grumpy and helped deal with his impatience and she was kind of sweet...in an apathetic, focused-on-missions type of way. But he liked working with her, and the idea of her disappearing was not one he wanted to think about. Though calming himself, he thought it all over. Maybe she’d gone for a walk—but then again, she would have said something. She acted pretty obliging to everyone in the Akatsuki, so walking off without anyone knowing where she was wasn’t something she’d do.
But the only place she’d be was her room...wasn’t it?
Then the fact she had thanked him earlier that day for the mission came back to him, and he at least had a back up place to check for her. Mikansei had gone up to him to thank him for everything that had gone on during the mission—even though she didn’t need to. But he didn’t doubt she must have gone to do the same to Sasori, considering she was a lot closer to Sasori than she could ever be to him. It wasn’t a completely ridiculous idea to think that they were sitting in his room talking together, and she had said she liked his art. In fact, she was probably trying to explain she really meant it instead of it just being to please him.
So nodding his head at that thought, he turned from the room, shutting the door carefully, and headed back down the corridor to go to Sasori's room. A slight thought of what he would do if she wasn’t in there crossed his mind, but he pushed it away. In fact, the thing he would fear most was Sasori's reaction to not being able to find Mikansei in the hideout. He’d go absolutely crazy, and most likely shoot the messenger, too.
This was ultimately the reason why as he arrived at Sasori's door he paused, not quite sure if he should prepare himself in any way if Mikansei wasn’t in there, but quickly pushing that aside, considering he didn’t even know if she wasn’t. But knowing he wouldn’t be able to find out the truth unless he went in there, he didn’t bother with knocking and rushed straight in, blinking in surprise as he saw her laying on the bed, her arms in Sasori's lap as he looked them over, wounds dotted along them from something. Both Sasori and Mikansei looked up at his entry, and as Sasori glanced over at Mikansei, seeing the awkwardness on her face, he rolled his eyes at what Deidara had done and explained simply,
“I’m helping her get rid of the wounds—of what Tanju did to her.”
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