Counting the Stars [SasoDei Fanfic]

Tangled

After experiencing a rather interesting dream, his eyes fluttered open. "Ha," he scoffed. "Sasori no Danna would never love me like that." Chuckling, the blond tucked his arms behind his neck and shook his head, letting his bangs fall past the left side of his face, revealing both his azure eyes. "He'd never love someone like me," he said, almost sadly. Sighing, he got up from bed and remembered faintly that he hadn't fallen asleep there last night.

"Strange, hm," Deidara mumbled as he threw the covers back on the mattress and stood to reach for his cloak which now hung neatly on the back of his desk chair. "Huh? I never fold it this neatly..." Grumbling, he grabbed the dark attire, slung it over his shoulder and trudged out the door for the day's new mission.

Just a few steps out his door, the bomber was met with a pair of half-lidded, mocha brown eyes. "Ah, Danna, did you sleep well?"

"I don't sleep, remember, brat?"

"Ahhh... Right..." he replied awkwardly as an eerie silence clung to the atmosphere. "Sooo... You're not in that ugly block of wood today?"

Sasori frowned at the latter's interpretation of his art, namely Hiruko, which he took great pride in as one of his best puppets. "It's not a block of wood. Hiruko is going through minor upgrades. And I could say that your art is merely lumps of clay."

"It is not!" Deidara pouted. Sasori rarely retaliated, and as a result, the younger man had not prepared a good comeback.

"'Tis true." Sasori said bluntly, looking Deidara in the eye. "And my 'blocks of wood' are much more artistic than your lumps of clay." After the snide remark, the redhead sauntered off deeper into the hideout.

Deidara stared at the retreating form until it was engulfed in the shadows. "Talkative today, ain't he?" he mumbled to himself as he continued down the corridor, forgetting about his troubles.

~~~

"Danna!"

"What?" the puppeteer spat. The blond's presence was truly irksome.

"Is this the right one?" Holding up a flower with dark violet petals, Deidara grinned from ear to ear, hoping for a positive response from his danna. 

The puppeteer held the plant gingerly and examined it. "Does it look right to you?" Sasori replied impatiently.

"Yes?... I mean, all of these herbs look the same anyway, un!"

"The drapturn is the main ingredient of my poison. If I used what you suggested, my puppets wouldn't bring pain but happiness to the world. Do you have any knowledge about medicine? This is a hemostangophila - an herb to stop bleeding. It's useless to me." Despite his words, the redhead pocketed the flower and continued the search.

Deidara rubbed the back of his neck and groaned. Finding the correct flower would be just as hard as making the puppeteer laugh - it was nearly impossible. No, it was impossible. 

Staring at the sky, Deidara watched as the fluffy white clouds floated overhead. He let out a heavy sigh and took a seat on the flowery earth and dug his fingers into the soft soil. Smiling to himself, he daydreamed about soaring freely, high above the world which he called his home.

"Oi, brat."

"Huh?" Deidara mumbled sleepily.

"You're sitting on it."

"Sitting on wha-" He stood up and noticed the slightly disheveled purple flower with heart shaped leaves. Grinning, he faced his partner, "I told ya I'd find it, hm!"

"I found it, brat." After analysing the herb with an experienced eye, the redhead bent down to collect the flora and stashed them into a bag. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time here."

"Yessir!" Deidara stood up and descended the lush mountainside where they had spent their afternoon collecting materials for Sasori's poisons. Colourful flowers lined the curving mountainous path. The younger male walked with a light spring to his feet while the latter continued silently, as if watching the blond's every move. 

Suddenly, a kunai flew towards Sasori, barely missing him. The two Akatsuki members stopped and scanned the area, knowing that someone had followed them. Deidara shoved his hands into his clay pouches while Sasori grabbed the Third Kazekage Puppet's scroll. Eight masked ninjas surrounded them and advanced at a quick pace. 

"Deidara!" 

"Got it, hm!" He jumped out of the way and watched as his danna flew into action. His graceful movements intrigued the bomber every time he watched him. The motions of his nimble fingers brought the arsonist great curiosity. Puppetry was truly artistic, though he would never admit it to his rival.

A sharp pain in his left shoulder brought Deidara out of his thoughts. Noticing the sharp blade which had embedded itself into his flesh, he whipped around and came face-to-face with a smug looking man. "You're a pretty one, aren't you?" the attacker said hoarsely. "I'm going to have some fun with you..."

"Not in my lifetime, un!" The blond attempted to stand, but realized that he was paralysed. "Dammit," he mumbled before he fell to his knees. A pool of crimson blood formed around him as his vision blurred. Reaching out towards a certain blob of red, Deidara smiled before losing consciousness. 

Sasori turned around just in time to see his partner collapsing. "Deidara!" But the blond didn't hear him.

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Not sure whether I liked this chapter or not. Meh. I hope you all liked it! Please vote or comment any suggestions! ^_^