Entangled Strands

Sasori never thought that one visit to the barber would drastically warp his world as he knew it. Was it the way the pink haired, jade-eyed beauty was always smiling, or was the way she sent tingling sensations throughout his body whenever she touched his hair, or both? All he knew was that he wanted to come back and see her again.

Chapter 2

"You know, you need to stop frowning so much," Sakura said as they reached the wash basins. Motioning towards one of the reclining chairs, she watched as Sasori sat down, looking rather awkward. He raised an eyebrow at her comment but didn't say anything in reply.

"Can you scoot so that your back is completely against the recliner?"

The redhead mumbled to himself as he obliged. He leaned back only to realize that he was supposed to place his head in the indented part of the basin. Grunting, Sasori adjusted his body so that it felt more comfortable as Sakura watched him, giggling to herself at his struggle. She then cleared her throat to try to extricate the laughter, catching Sasori's attention at the same time.

"What?"

"Oh, so he speaks!" the rosette exclaimed, lifting her arms into the air as if she made a huge discovery. She leaned over the man's face, shooting him a large smile as he looked up at her. He scowled as he focused his gaze on the ceiling. The random speckles and blotches created some sort of strange pattern as Sasori tried to trace various shapes formed by the dots.

Grabbing the nozzle, Sakura turned the water on.

"Is it too hot?"

Sasori slightly shook his head in response.

"Great." She shot him another smile.

Sasori only closed his eyes in response. He heard the girl pump out a few squirts of shampoo, only to feel the slippery substance through his hair as the jade-eyed beauty applied it onto his scalp. He sighed in relaxation; who knew having someone wash your hair for you feel so good? The way her hands massaged his head sent a strange tingling sensation down his spine. It felt heavenly, although he would never admit it out loud.

"So," Sakura started as she continued to wash the crimson colored hair, "Sasori, is it?"

He didn't say anything, so she took that as her chance to continue.

"When did you and Deidara become friends?"

Once again, Sasori said nothing in response. The silence lasted for a few moments before he finally spoke, "We went to the same university a few years ago. Both of us were majoring in art."

Sakura looked at the man in surprise, not having expected to get any sort of reply out of him.

"Oh? I know that Dei-chan really likes making sculptures. What do you do?"

"I make wooden carvings, wooden puppets, things like that." He didn't bother to open his eyes to look at the girl, enjoying every moment of the wash. Relaxing, he felt the warm water rain upon his head as Sakura turned on the nozzle once more.

Suddenly, the artist found himself speaking again. "We are part of the same company, Akatsuki, where we are commissioned by various people or organizations to create pieces of art for them."

"Wow. Deidara told me he worked for Akatsuki, but he never really told me much about it. Sounds impressive," the hairstylist said as she turned off the water, much to Sasori's dismay. She took a towel, bringing it up to his head and rubbing it against his hair furiously. "You can sit up now."

Hair still damp, the man sat up, opening his eyes only to squint due to the blaring lights. He turned his head toward Sakura as she said, "If you would please follow me."

Standing, Sasori made his way to the rosette's workstation and sat down in the chair that previously served Deidara. He lazily looked at his reflection in the mirror, noticing how the wild strands stuck up randomly, giving him a more disheveled look, no doubt thanks to Sakura and her towel. Scowling at his appearance, the redhead watched the hairstylist prepare her tools.

"So, what'll it be today?" she asked, looking at Sasori through the mirror.

He merely shrugged as he stared at his own bored expression.

"You … don't know?" Sakura paused, thinking over what she could do in this situation. After a few seconds, she asked, "How about I just trim your hair? It'll look the same as it did before, just … shorter."

"Okay."

He noticed that she was once again beaming a smile at him before grabbing a pair of scissors. Thinking to himself, Sasori found the pinkette simple too … perky, for lack of a better word. It seemed like she smiled any time the chance presented itself, much like Deidara. He didn't understand how anyone could be so easily pleased.

The Akatsuki member then paid attention to the girl who was about to cut his red locks. Amber eyes watched as Sakura brought the scissors to his head, snipping off the ends of a few strands of hair. Sasori couldn't help once again notice the tingling sensation that ran through him. He felt it every time some of his hair was cut off, and it just wouldn't stop. Although it was slightly annoying, he surprisingly didn't find it unpleasant. Just what was it about this woman that made him feel this way?

Snip, snip, snip, snip. Before he knew it, it was over. Sakura quickly turned on the hairdryer, the comb running through his hair in an attempt to tame the wild locks. The redhead was impressed by how efficiently the jade-eyed girl worked. Even though it felt like he had to wait for an eternity for Deidara's turn to end, his own went by in the blink of an eye.

"What d'ya think?" Sakura implored, viridescent eyes wide in anticipation like a child waiting for a prize.

Sasori stared at his reflection. Indeed, not only was she efficient but she was good.

"Hn. It looks fine."

Sakura looked a bit confused at his response. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

The man, smirking ever so slightly, nodded, earning yet another bright smile from the rosette. Maybe it was this resemblance to his friend that allowed Sasori to tolerate, possibly even enjoy her presence. For who would have thought that he would ever let another living being touch his head?

Standing up, Sasori walked over to Deidara, who was looking over another magazine. Tossing onto the table, the blonde greeted his friend, rising from the chair and turned to Sakura. After everything was paid for, the three chatted for a while, although the redhead only listened as Sakura and Deidara did all of the talking. As they took their leave, the two men bowed slightly before twisting the door handle, bells jingling, and walked out.

"See you guys later!" Sakura exclaimed before the door shut once again.

"So, how was it?" Deidara implored, lightly nudging his companion with his elbow.

"Hn. It was alright."

"Don't hide it, dude. She's awesome."

Sasori only glared at his fellow Akatsuki member in response. He would never admit that he actually enjoyed hiving Sakura cut his hair, especially to Deidara. Remaining as stoic as ever, the redhead pulled his fingers through his now short hair, admiring the skill she possessed. There were a few strands sticking out here and there, but overall, Sasori liked the crisp feeling of having short and neat locks. He said nothing in response to his friend's comment, yet he couldn't keep his thoughts away from a certain jade-eyed hairstylist.

Maybe getting a haircut wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Hello again!

I can't believe Sasori let another human being touch his head! Life really is just full of surprises.

Do you guys think I should write a sequel? Let me know your opinion, and I'll be happy to write one if you would like to read more.

Please review to tell me what you think! Any comments, ideas, and criticism are always welcomed.

- Octtipus :x

Happy Thanksgiving!