Title: The Never Breaks

Author: Nanako-chan (FF) nanako9chan (DA)

Rating: K

Challenge: Thread of Fate

Pairing: SasoHina

That Never Breaks

You're six and he's not.

Upon seeing you, he gives you a kiss on the forehead, which you told him your father has never done since mommy died. He takes your hand and leads you to his room because he has a new puppet that he knows you'd want him to see. It has blue hair and light eyes and it's dressed in a pink dress which is trimmed with pretty lace. But you don't know this yet because it's wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red string since it's the only wrapping he has.

He tells you not to open it and you don't. He tells you that it'll be better if you open it tomorrow on your birthday.

You agree, but you pout none-the-less and he amuses you with a puppet show using only a few of his puppets. You giggle and have fun. He has fun too. But it's late and father will want you home now otherwise you'll have a strict reprimand when you get home. So, he takes you by the hand and you and he walk but you don't have to walk far because you are neighbours.

And once you get to the porch step, he gives you another kiss on the forehead since daddy never gives them to you since mommy died but you're very happy that someone still does.

You're eight and he's not.

The other day, your skipping rope broke so you don't have much to do and you're bored. You haven't seen him in awhile because he's parents died and he's been being cold to you and he yelled at you last week. But you don't blame him, and you feel sad as well, because you know how it is to lose a parent. You wonder if he'll feel better if he talks to someone but you're not sure. You walk to his house anyways.

An old lady opens the door and she's about to shoo you away when he walks down the stairs and sees you. He says it's okay to his grandma and he takes your hand and brings you up to his room because he has things to tell you. He cries and rants and gets angry but you listen and understand. You only answer when he wants you to and you give the answer he wants to hear because you know it'll make him feel better.

Once he's done crying, he looks to you and smiles and pulls out a bundle of brown paper tied together with a red string. It's a skipping rope. It has white handles painted with pretty flowers and a sturdy red rope and he knows you'll love it. But you don't know this yet, because he doesn't want you to open it while he's in the room otherwise he'll feel embarrassed. He tells you it's an apology from the time he yelled at you and you tell him it's all forgotten.

He takes your hand and walks you to your house and he's thankful that you're neighbours and you're glad that he's feeling better. You talk and giggle and laugh and he does too and you tell him about how the boy with the brown hair and brown eyes and red marks on his cheeks doesn't kiss your hand anymore ever since your cousin with the brown hair and white eyes looked at him with the stern look he gives when he disapproves of something.

And once you're on the porch step, he smiles and you smile and he takes your hand and places a soft kiss on it and you blush and he smiles again and starts to walk back home. You're glad that someone still kisses your hand since the boy with the brown hair and brown eyes and red marks on his cheeks doesn't anymore ever since he saw your cousin with the brown hair and white eyes look at him with that stern look he gives when he doesn't like something. You smile.

You're fourteen and he's not.

You walk to the mailboxes hoping that he has sent you a letter because he moved far away two years ago. And he has and you grin upon seeing it. You see that he has sent you a small gift as well. It's wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red string. Not bothering to walk back home, you open the letter first and read his rough handwriting. He tells you he misses you but life is alright here. He shares stories and jokes and you smile and giggle and sometimes people passing by give you a strange look. You get to the point in the letter where he tells you he's found a girlfriend and he's sent you a picture. She has blue hair and pale eyes and tanned skin with piercings and a white flower in her hair.

And you feel happy for him and little sad for yourself but you don't know why. Once you finish reading you don't feel the same giddiness you had when you first started but shrug it off. You open the wrapping because he's not here to see you do it so he shouldn't feel embarrassed. It's a necklace with a red chain and a silver heart locket. You open it up and you see and cut-out picture of him and you when you were kids and you feel happy once again.

You walk back home without anyone to hold your hand and once you reach the porch step you wish he was here and you wish he would give you a kiss on the cheek that he told you that he gives to his girlfriend back in Suna. You wish he could but you feel glad that the girl with blue hair had someone to kiss hers.

You're sixteen and he's not.

You're friend with the black hair and onyx eyes has invited you to his barbeque, trying to get your mind off of his friend with the blonde hair and blue eyes who had dumped you for his friend with pink hair and green eyes and because he knows that you've been feeling sad.

So you go to this barbeque and it's filled with your friends and your friend's brother that looks a lot like him's friends. And you have fun and it's time to start a three-legged race. You want to play but it seems your best friend with the blonde hair and blue eyes didn't want to because she was afraid they'd trip and she'd get her outfit dirty. You sigh in resignation but your friend's brother told you he had a friend who he was forcing to play.

You're about to tell him he shouldn't force people to do things he doesn't want to do but then you see his friend who didn't want to play. And he sees you. And you both break out in a maniacal grin when you see each other and the people around you give you odd looks.

You both talk and giggle and have fun, catching up and you find that's he's broken up with his girlfriend because she left him for her friend with orange hair and red eyes and piercings. Your friend's brother comes out and starts tying people together with a red plastic string that couldn't break without an incredible force trying to get it apart. He ties you two together and you both smile when he does so because you both feel butterflies in your stomach since you are now touching. But you both don't know this and won't admit to it because you'd be embarrassed if the other knew.

He tries his best and you try yours but he's faster which cause you to both fall multiple times. You lose to your ex with blonde hair and blue eyes and his girl with pink hair and green eyes but you don't care in the slightest because you had your old friend back he was with you and you had fun.

After the party, he insists on walking you home because he has nothing better to do. And you insist that you both stay tied together by the ankles because it was amusing trying to walk together. He laughs and talks and so do you. You tell and you tell him about how Naruto used to kiss you but you're glad that he doesn't anymore since he always seemed to pine after Sakura and his kisses never felt good anyways.

And when you reach the porch step, he leans over and kisses you. You're eyes grow big but you close them and start to kiss back. It sends tremors down your body and you flush and your legs feel like they're going to give out and you wonder if this is how it felt when someone truly does care for you. And you no longer care that Naruto isn't there to do it.

Because Sasori was right there in front of you and it was a thousand times better than any kiss you had ever felt.

The red string from when you were six had broken when you had tried to play cat's cradle with it.

The red jumping rope had gotten broken when you lent it to a classmate.

The silver locket with the red chain had gotten broken when an angry girl had made a grab for it.

The red plastic string had broken when you used a pair of scissors because you both didn't know how to get it off.

You learn that material breaks but it's ok.

Because there was another invisible string that bound your ankles together that never tore or broke or tangled regardless of time or place.

The red string of fate.

Wee!~ Entry for the August Date me contest =D Wish me luck~

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