“Uh…Sasori-danna?” Deidara blurted in reply, a little surprised at what Mina wanted. But she showed no signs of…well, anything, really. In a way, she reminded Deidara of Sasori. That same lazy, apathetic expression that revealed nothing of what was going on within. For a moment there was silence as she simply nodded at his words, gritting her teeth in an attempt to curb her impatience. She didn’t have time for this!
“You need to see him, then? Is it important?” Kakuzu cut in, narrowing his eyes at her, slightly suspicious of the whole situation. But as she turned her eyes on him, nodding at his questions, he saw no trace of deceit in her. There was nothing that hinted she was there to try something, and slowly, glances being thrown around the room, they finally agreed to let Mina see him.
Before they’d even finished the sentence—she was gone.
Raising an eyebrow at the idea, wondering how the hell she was going to find him, they rolled their eyes and turned back to what they were doing, not sure what had just gone on there—but Mina didn’t care. She could sense Sasori in the building, and therefore already knew where his room was. She simply rushed past all the rooms, dismissing them as meaningless, her heart beating faster and faster as she hurried along. His presence got stronger as she got closer to his door, and Mina almost felt light headed. For so long she’d wanted this—and now it was finally happening. Her mental state seemed to be reminiscent of the night she’d met him; just blank, overwhelmed with everything around her and not sure what to do.
Then she arrived at his door…and things slowed down.
Her heart still might have been fast, but everything became clear. This was what Mina had wanted, and this was what she was getting. All she had to do was take the first step. And as such, she didn’t bother with knocking, merely gripping the handle and opening the door quietly, closing it behind her once she was inside. Mina’s memories came rushing back to meet her as she saw Sasori sitting at his desk; he hadn’t aged a day. His hair was still that same red, still that same messy bed-head style…and even with the change in location, the puppet parts remained littered around as he altered them as a hobby. Just seeing them…smelling them…and Mina felt at home. The reason why she had asked to go with Sasori when he left Sunagakure was ever more obvious to her now, and the time she had spent apart from him seemed even longer than it had been, leaving her voice gentle as she greeted quietly,
“Sasori-sama?”
But now there was nowhere for Sasori to hide. Before the voice had been muffled; far away, as if in a dream. This was clear as anything, and only a step behind him. Like…like Mina was here. He’d heard what had sounded like her voice, seen what had looked like her face…Sasori had told himself it had just been coincidence and it hadn’t been true. But what if it was? After all, he couldn’t exactly deny it now—the reason why the kunai he’d been holding dropped with a clatter to the floor, snapping him out of his thoughts long enough to turn around and face Mina standing there. Nothing showed up on his face; but she didn’t expect it to. She could tell he was confused; surprised at all that was going on right now—he had a right to be, thoughts swirling through his head as he breathed softly,
“Mina?”
Finally getting a response, she bowed in the same way she’d always done for him, a smirk fluttering onto her face as she straightened back up. Now they both paused, unable to do anything but look at each other. Sasori's face hadn’t changed in the slightest either; still looking like a teenager with his big brown eyes and round face. But as Sasori looked on at Mina, he could see she hadn’t altered in her appearance, just like him. Her eyes remained big and childlike even with how the years had passed, those same delicate, small features and slight build evident as well. She wore a kimono with flared sleeves that went to mid-thigh, with shorts underneath, her hair still worn in the same style she’d always had back in Sunagakure. Those same porcelain features brought everything back, and finally Sasori found himself being able to stand.
But he still wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Welcomes, goodbyes…he’d never been good at them, so a reunion such as this was out of his reach. Emotions he’d learnt all his life to suppress started to surface, confusing him as he attempted to pick out an option, but Mina did it for him. Slowly she took a few steps forward, staring at his face for any signs that might say otherwise. But when Sasori remained calm, his eyes merely showing surprise and bewilderment, Mina continued forward, relief abruptly hitting her as she stood in front of him. She was here. She’d found him—he was back. After all this time. Suddenly Sasori wasn’t the only one who was surprised, meaning she could do nothing but rest her forehead against his chest, gripping his cloak in her fists; breathing in his scent and allowing it to overwhelm her. She had no idea what would happen; but even that fact had dissipated from her thoughts. Only what was in front of her.
“I thought you were dead, Mina,” Sasori said quietly into the silence a moment later. Somehow her actions had brought him back to the present; proving this wasn’t just some dream or hallucination, and granting him the ability to be able to function once more.
“Not exactly. I was knocked out—well, practically in a coma—for a couple of weeks; but then suddenly I woke up. Only so much had changed. And you were gone,” Mina responded just as softly, lifting her head to look at his face properly.
“You’re a missing nin? Why didn’t you just stay in Sunagakure?”
Mina shook her head, stepping back and slowly letting go of his cloak, but not ready to move too far away from him as she explained matter-of-factly,
“Even if I had wanted to stay, Sasori-sama, I couldn’t. They tried to kill me when I went back. They always said I was your ‘apprentice’—they thought I knew information on your location.”
Sasori frowned in irritation at the idea, though it didn’t surprise him. That just seemed like something Sunagakure would do. Even though she’d been presumed dead on a mission before he’d even defected, the moment Mina turned up, no doubt looking worse for wear, and they blame and attack her. No questions asked, no trying to get an explanation. It was at times like this Sasori was glad he’d left—and glad that Mina was away from there, and safe, too. Though he paused as she began again a moment later, softer than before,
“But…I found you, Sasori-sama. I’m here. So…will you let me stay with you? I did last time, and I...”
Sasori wasn’t sure how to answer Mina. It wasn’t as simple as before—he was in the Akatsuki; that complicated things. They might not let her stay. But as he glanced away from her and back again, Sasori saw that she hadn’t moved her gaze at all; she was still gazing straight at him. And just like the first time they met, he was caught by her eyes. They were innocent on the surface, if you simply glanced at them like most would. But you took a closer look, and they were so…intense. Deep. And Sasori knew they were just like his. Back in Sunagakure Mina had been the only one who had really understood him. Right from the beginning she had known what he wanted—they had a connection. They hadn’t really known each other long and yet it had always seemed like they’d been friends for life. She’d been his Kage Ayatsuri-ningyō. And as that thought crossed his mind Sasori clenched his fists, stating firmly in return,
“You can stay, Mina. I promise.”
