“Are you alright, Mina?” Sasori quickly replied, his eyes grazing over her body to check for any major injuries.
But shaking her head, Mina explained that although she had a few scratches here and there, maybe some bruises—and that she might ache for a little while—she was fine overall. Considering her abilities and the way her body worked, it would take a lot more than that to hurt her, let alone do something fatal. Not that it seemed to fully put Sasori at rest, his eyes still narrowed in thought, Mina knowing he was making sure himself, not going to simply take her word for it in case she didn’t want to seem weak; because she didn’t want him to worry. But she let him; she was telling the truth. It had been a close call, but now that Sasori had gotten her out of there, she was okay.
Seeing this, Sasori slowly released the cable where it had been wrapped around her, retracting it back underneath his cloak and into his body. He didn’t say anything for the moment; almost frightened by the amount of relief he felt. So much about this situation had felt like a repeat of the past: Mina going off on her own to do something for the mission and telling everyone that they could go on without her. Then the building collapsing and exploding…the idea that he had stopped it from fully becoming how it had been before was one Sasori almost couldn’t accept. Even if Mina had survived last time, there had been the possibility that she wouldn’t this time—but he had managed to save her.
And he wasn’t quite sure what to say.
It had been a miracle he’d gotten there in time. He’d gone as fast as he could, worried that he wouldn’t be able to find the building and by the time he did it would already be too late. But then he heard the rumbling; saw the tower start to fall apart and headed straight over. Even then it hadn’t been easy—if anything, Sasori had become even more frustrated. He had no idea where she was within the building! Knowing the area she was in was only so much; and no doubt Mina would be moving around; he hadn’t had a clue where to look and for a moment had been brought to a halt. All the memories of what had happened last time had rushed through his head, the idea that it would happen again causing anger to rise up inside of him—especially with the possibility that this time Mina might not make it. To have survived last time had been a miracle; but twice? It would be impossible.
Not that Sasori had been about to give up. He analysed the building and its structure, seeing if he could spot her or sense her, and eventually realised he might be able to find Mina if, like an earthquake, he figured out the epicentre. He would need to head into the eye of the storm, and after managing to locate it, Sasori hadn’t hesitated to go straight in. It had been his determination that had allowed him to find her, he was sure of it—the moment he’d entered the room he’d searched every inch until he saw her balancing on the wall—and that she was about to get hit by the rubble coming down on top of her. From there it had just been instinct; Sasori had barely known what he had been doing. It had been an automatic reaction, with him simply lurching forward and moving as if in a trance to protect Mina.
But whatever had happened, he was glad he’d done it—now he knew she was safe.
“I’m fine, Sasori-sama. But…” Mina finally replied, looking him over, still a little confused. It wasn’t as if she had never seen him outside of Hiruko—but he never normally travelled around without it. So what was he doing here like this? There might have been the question as to why he was here at all, but it was easier to concentrate on that for now—something Sasori understood as he responded,
“I knew I’d be quicker without Hiruko; more able to manoeuvre through smaller spaces, if that’s what you’re wondering. But speaking of which—I should probably go get it. Come on—let’s get you back to the hideout. Everyone’s probably finished by now, with your help.”
All Mina could do was nod slightly, following by his side as Sasori walked off, lost in her thoughts as they walked back to the courtyard where he had left Hiruko. It was just…it was those emotions again. All the things that had been appearing since she had met up with Sasori again; now she knew that he had come to save her, not going with the others to complete that part of the mission…they were back, and seemingly stronger than before. But Mina couldn’t understand his motives for what he had done. Had he thought she couldn’t do it on her own? That she was weak? Or was he just being protective of her—an idea that brought up a warm, fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach? She just didn’t know.
It meant that they both remained in silence as they walked, Sasori not about to do anything to knock Mina out of it for now. He knew she needed time to recover from what had happened in the building, and the fact that he was there—that he had come to help her. It was strange enough for him to think about. Though from the beginning they had always been there for each other, helping one another out and protecting each other if it was needed, it was never in a sense that was too attached; in a way that meant they clung onto each other. But he had dropped everything to go and save Mina; and never once thought about the consequences. It had been all about her—it was those emotions again, he knew it was. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel irritated at them. In a way, Sasori had even brushed aside the confusion. After having done what he had for Mina, he felt…calm. As if he had utterly accepted them for what they were.
And he was starting to think he understood just what they were.
Then finally they reached the courtyard, passing through the gates as Sasori went over to Hiruko and swiftly checked it over for any damage. Though he doubted anyone had passed by or done anything to it, he didn’t want to dismiss the idea and find something was wrong later. Mina, for the moment, stood back and watched, letting him do so in silence, caught up in her thoughts, abruptly remembering something. This place was where she had first seen Sasori again. After all those years of not knowing…thinking she might not ever see him again…and there he was. So much relief and happiness had swept over her—the kind of emotion she hadn’t felt in so long. Yet all it took was one glance of his face and she reacted. Mina had instantly acted; done so much to try and find him and talk to him—willing to face the Akatsuki to do so. But Sasori had done a lot for her, too.
“Sasori-sama…you were supposed to go with the others to complete the mission. Destroy the hideout and the group. But you left Hiruko and came for me. Why?” Mina abruptly blurted, her thoughts unable to remain in her head any longer. Sasori paused, glancing over Hiruko one moment longer, before he replied quietly,
“I was going to be doing it. But then Kakuzu said what you were doing, Mina—it was just like last time. In Suna. You said you were going off to do something for the mission on your own, something happened, and then…then you never came back. And I just…I found I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I automatically went after you.”
Blinking in surprise, Mina was caught off guard—she had never thought of it like that. She had never considered the idea that it was following the same pattern as the mission in Sunagakure. But she remained silent as he then turned around, slowly walking over to Mina to stare her in the eyes as he went on,
“I had to go and help you. I made a promise, and I won’t break it. You are my Kage Ayatsuri-ningyō—a shadow puppet can’t exist without a master, but a puppet master has no purpose without any puppets of his own. I won’t lose you again. Not now I finally understand.”
“Understand? Understand what Sasori-sama?” Mina said in return, her voice almost a whisper, starting to think she knew what he was talking about.
Then she was proven right as Sasori leant forward and pressed his lips to hers. Immediately Mina found herself blushing, though she had no idea how, but as his lips gently moved against hers, her eyes closed in acceptance and she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck, instinct taking over. Sasori, in turn, gently placed his hands on her waist, stroking her sides as she wormed her tongue into his mouth, both of them moaning at the close contact. He intertwined his tongue with hers as Mina buried a hand in his hair, remained locked in their embrace, forgetting about the Akatsuki or what was to come. It was a new experience for both of them, but they both understood now—
And they wouldn’t lose each other again.
