𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌

Party Gone Wrong

"You're leaving today, Sasori-kun?" Karura asked, with the same gentleness in her voice while cradling Kankuro to sleep. Sasori nodded, as he walked past Karura with a bow and laid a sleeping Miyu on the couch behind the Kazekage's wife.

"Yup, but after that I'm going to a party for a little bit. That's why I came here early." He replied with utter respect. He caressed Miyu's face with fondness and admiration and pulled off a crooked but sincere smile. "Oh.. I've heard of that party somewhere. It's Aimi's.. isn't it?" Sasori nodded in response.

"Yeah, apparently its her 14th birthday today. She's offered so much advice to me, I couldn't think about any gift for her." He added sincerely, as Karura let out a chuckle while laying Kankuro down beside Miyu. She approached Sasori who was sitting on the floor and gave him a box out of nowhere.

"This is a katana, I know she specializes in these kinds of weapons. Give her this." Sasori blinked twice and doubtfully accepted the box. "Should I say that you wanted to give this to her?" Karura shook her head softly and mouthed a "no."

"I want you to give her that as your present, not mine. Tell her I wish a happy life ahead of her and more birthdays to come. Just that." Sasori blinked again and sighed again. "You're too kind." Karura chuckled lightly and shook her head once more. "I just want you kids to live the best of your lives while you don't receive that much missions as the jounins and chuunins do."

"Kind is.. not the word for you, Karura-san. It's more likely to be compassionate."

---

Sasori walked patiently to Aimi's home and peeked through the window if someone was there. A certain brunette popped out of his vision and nonetheless, he handed her the box with a slight bow. "Happy birthday." Aimi had her cheeks flushed in a dusty pink color as she let out a cute little chuckle. "Sasori-kun.. I didn't knew you would really come." She mustered out thoughtfully.

"Y-you pretty much gave me advice before.. and i-it— t-those were very helpful." Crap! I'm stuttering the shit outta me..

She blinked countless times and squealed, pulling Sasori in a slow gentle hug. "You don't know how your presence means so much to me.. thank you." Sasori masked his face with his right hand to cover the growing blush on his cheeks. "I thought.. there was a party?" Sasori mutered, as he just stood there in Aimi's embrace.

"No.. I canceled it."

"Why?"

Silence surrounded their place as the wind started to blow, and sand were getting in their eyes. Aimi pulled Sasori into their house, the redhead seeing no such furniture he imagined her home has. "Why is it empty here?" Aimi's face remained blank.. as she sighed. "My dad killed an important merchant of the Sand.. just because he was hitting on my mom the days before she was found dead. He's in jail, the authorities will execute him today.."

"People robbed our stuff, things that just remained are just my clothes and several family pictures, also, the chest that I was hiding my money in. I didn't have any seals available, I didn't restock it after our mission weeks ago." Sasori's eyes widened in shock as he looked into Aimi's cold blue eyes. He knew those kind of eyes. He possessed those before.

"What are you planning to do, then..?" Aimi smiled, the sincerest that she can pull off. "I'm going to kill myself." Sasori's eyes widened to it's limit as horror was written on it. He just heard something impossible that he could hear from a bright, cheerful girl he'd known since academy days.

"People will apprehend me.. bully me, abuse me for what my dad did. It's all going to end up here. I thought it all. I planned my death. It's gonna be today." Sasori's mouth shivered as he froze into his spot. He hugged Aimi the tightest he could and said out loud, "I'm going to defend you from them Aimi. I promise. Just- don't do this, please?"