For Eternity

永遠　の　ため

Chapter One

Sasori sat on a rooftop, the nightly breeze lightly blowing his mahogany-red locks. Neon lights and flashy sign illuminated the starless sky.

His feet dangled off the side of the building while ant-sized people filled the streets leading their insignificant lives. It seemed the city never slept. That was fine, he decided, since he rarely slept anymore. When was the last time he slept decently? Certainly it hadn't been since…

Deidara yawned as he walked down the street. Working double shifts had been unavoidable. He sighed as he walked into a convenient store. At least it got the bills paid.

He pulled out his wallet, and absently watched a moth fly out as he opened the billfold and plucked out a small wad of ones. Deidara smiled wryly. It looked like snack cakes and ramen were on the menu for the next week and a half. He grabbed and armful of snack cakes and trekked to the register.

Sasori shook his head, pushing his thoughts into the depths of his mind. He had more important things to do than to reminisce the past. He walked to the edge of the roof and hopped onto the fire escape then made his way into the street.

He pushed his way through the mass of people to a coffee shop on the corner.

After ordering a large black coffee, Sasori pushed his way through the mass and strolled down the sidewalk. He couldn't risk getting fatigued tonight; Itachi would have his head. He lifted the Styrofoam mug to his lips and inhaled the revitalizing smell of the coffee. The coffee had no more than touched his lips when it was splattered all over him.

"Fuck," Sasori howled as the unnaturally hot coffee burned his flesh.

The person who had bumped into him was on his hands and knees, rushing to pick up his belongings before they got stepped on. As soon as he managed to get all the items into his paper bag, he rose.

"I'm so sorry, un!" the person said apologetically. His blue eyes were wide with concern. He pulled his blonde bangs behind his left ear then opened his mouth to speak. He then turned disappeared in the crowd.

Sasori's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the person disappear in the crowd. The hair…and the odd speech pattern…There was no mistaking it. Sasori smiled. He had been waiting a long time for this.

Sasori continued walking, nonchalantly unbuttoning his shirt to relieve his burning skin. He turned down a dark alleyway, ignoring a few sleeping homeless men. He opened a dark iron door at the end of the alley. He stepped in and cast his shirt to the side.

He glanced over at the other people in the room as he got his guitar out of the case. Itachi, the band's hotheaded lead singer, was yelling at the bassist, Tobi. Kisame, the drummer, was pretending to sleep while he leaned against the wall.

"Do you understand, Tobi?" Itachi hissed.

Sasori ignored them as he tuned his guitar. Tobi always annoyed Itachi, so this was nothing new.

"And that stupid mask! It annoys me."

"I can't help that, Itachi-san! No one can see my face!" Tobi pleaded, hugging his bass.

Itachi said nothing. Instantly, he whirled around to Sasori, his long black hair gliding as he abruptly turned. "And you, Sasori, are late!"

Sasori didn't bother to look up. "I ran into somebody."

Silence…

After a moment, Kisame spoke. "Was it him?"

Sasori shrugged. "It is possible. If it was, we'll meet again." He paused. "If it wasn't...he is simply an asshole who spilled my coffee on me."

Deidara walked into his small apartment. He set the paper bag on the counter. He walked over to his answer machine and pressed play.

"Deidara…cough…this is your mother. Call me back."

He reluctantly picked up the phone and dialed home. It rang twice before his mother picked answered the phone.

"Hello?" Her voice was rough and husky.

"Hi Mom…" Deidara tried to ignore the unhealthy sound of her voice. He couldn't bare it.

His mother wheezed. "Dei…how are you?"

"I'm fine Mom." He paused. "You don't sound to good, Mom."

"Don't worry about me, Deidara. I'm old."

Deidara put away his groceries, slightly dreading what he knew she would say next.

"Have you found any nice girls in the city?"

"No Mom. I barely have any spare time right now, un."

She coughed. "You need to find yourself a nice, older girl who'll take care of you. I'm worried about you."

A few minutes later, Deidara hung up the phone. He took his hair out of its typical ponytail. His hair bounced happily as he walked to the window and gazed out.

His thoughts returned to an hour earlier. He felt horrible for running into that man. There was nothing he could do to help…except maybe offer his body as a punching bag. And there was no way in hell he'd do that. He couldn't see the man's features too well; his face was mostly shadowed. Still, Deidara got the vibe that the man was not someone to fuck with.

Deidara shook his thoughts away and walked into the bathroom. He quickly washed the day away in the shower. Luckily, he finished before the water got too unbearably cold. He dried off with a towel and headed to bed. He'd have to get that water heater fixed when he had more money.

He crawled into bed and drifted into dreamland before his head even hit the pillow…