Sasori stared down at the dull, grey rock that was set into the ground before him. The crisp fall air had him tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, the inner lining protecting them from the wind. His grey-brown eyes held no life in them, no joy or anything but the dull hint of sadness. While he and the woman laid to rest here had not been close since he was a young child, she had taught him everything that he had ever wanted to know.
His grandmother had been a master ventriloquist, a skill that she had passed on to Sasori, hopeful that her grandson would keep up the family name. Not only had Sasori mastered ventriloquism, but he had also mastered making the puppets for his talents as well.
The sound of dry, dead leaves crunching underneath another persons foot grabbed his attention and he looked over his shoulder, his eyes landing on the form of [Name] as she walked towards him, a scarf wrapped loosely around her neck and gloves covering hands that held two steaming cups.
When she stopped next to him, [Name] looked down towards the stone before her [color] eyes went back up to Sasori's face, taking in what small amount of emotion he ever bothered showing.
"I figured this would keep you warm while you talked," she said gently.
She knew Sasori hadn't truly spent time or spoken to Chiyo in years. And that he regretted that every day since the day that he had learned that she had died, a heart attack taking her in her sleep.
Sasori supposed that was only fitting. After all, how unnatural would it seem for a puppet to be controlled by something they had no say over? Chiyo had also been controlled by something that she had no control over, the heart attack leading her straight into death's open arms. Maybe death had been waiting on the old woman for years; there were so many things wrong with her that she fought against simply with her own will to live.
[Name] remembered the first time that she had ever met Chiyo. She had been nervous, of course; after all, this woman was Sasori's mentor, not just his grandmother. She had thought it was more out of kindness than anything that Sasori had bothered introducing them. Aside from speaking about her on occasion, [Name] didn't know much else about her.
"We should bring her another mannequin next time," [Name] suggested softly, although Sasori just continued to look at the stone.
She knew that Sasori heard every word that she said. Sasori always heard and saw everything, even when those around him thought that he was doing nothing more than zoning off, thinking about who knew what. But [Name] knew him better than everyone else seemed to know him, even those he had known for years. Maybe it was because Sasori was more willing to open up to [Name]. They spent more time alone, away from everyone else, which gave her a great insight into his private life.
"She would appreciate that," came Sasori's calm voice, carrying out on the crisp wind that blew gently by.
"Grandmother always liked those things. She used them to teach me the anatomy of puppets and other things. She always said she liked puppets more than people. They didn't come with baggage, didn't whine nor complain when things didn't go their way. And she always said that they would never cry for her when she died.."
Sasori trailed off, grabbing [Name]'s attention once more. It was a rare thing for Sasori to show much emotion, but these past few days had been rough on him. Her death had sent him to a dark place and [Name] had just now been able to get him out of it.
'Sasori, she wouldn't want you this way. Hiding in your room and keeping me away won't change anything.'
[Name] remembered every word that she had said, every action she had taken, to try and get Sasori to cheer up as much as she possibly could. She had thought that coming to see Chiyo, to talk to her even though she could no longer answer, would cheer Sasori up. Maybe she had been wrong? By his body language, she could tell that he wasn't being strong. He looked like he as ready to drop his cup of cocoa all over the dry ground, to run back to the car and let [Name] follow after him.
Bending down, [Name] sat her own cup on the ground before walking towards Sasori. The sudden touch of her arms around his stomach from behind caused Sasori to jolt, a few drops of the piping hot liquid splashing across his fingers, the cold wind almost immediately soothing the sting that it caused.
"Sasori.. I know Chiyo said those things. But could she have possibly been off by them all? After all, while crying may not bring her back to you and the others who loved her, does it not also mean that you have memories to cry over? You had cherished moments with her and those are what allow you to cry. No one else can feel the same things you do about her being gone because you loved one another in a way that no one else could possibly understand. If you have to cry, then I say cry. Remember the good times to help erase the bad," [Name] said softly.
Sasori rarely needed soothing for any kind of emotional slight, but [Name] was always more than willing to do anything for him. If he would only take her words to heart, then she believed that he would be able to rid himself of some of the weight of the misery and guilt that was resting on his shoulders.
"[Name]..."
Sasori turned in her arms, bending to rest his chin on the top of her head, shutting his eyes while trying to calm his raging feelings. Never had he let [Name] witness him being this way before, never had she even seen him cry for the smallest things he might want to cry over.
"I knew she had to be right when she told me how she felt about you. 'Treasure her like one of your puppets' was what she told me when you left the room that day. She had seen the heart that rests inside of your body, the warmth you exude.. [Name], I cannot express enough how happy I am that I followed her words of wisdom through my life, but none more so than the ones she told me about you."
[Name] was silent, even when she began to feel the slight moisture on the top of her head. Keeping Sasori close, [Name] stood there with him, letting him cry as much as he wanted to, to stand there as much as he wanted to. [Name] did not mind, because she knew that she would always wish to be there for Sasori. That she would always be the rock in the storm for him, the one person to truly give him the solace that he needed for the terrible things that happened in his life.
As his grandmother had told him one day, [Name] would cherish Sasori to the utmost of her ability, deciding that she never truly wanted to let him go.