Title: Love is like the Sea
Summary: But sometimes, even the sea will return to its homeland. SasuSaku. AU.
A/N: I don't know what I was thinking, but I was inspired by a passage in the book Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston. It's one of three assigned books (out of like nine) I enjoyed reading during English this year.
You can think of the time/setting however you like. I can see it taking place in the past when ships were a huge deal, or in the present in a small, material-abundant town.
Disclaimer: not mine.
As a young boy, he was constantly surrounded by a flurry of pink.
When sakura blossoms were out of season in the spring, he would end up getting dragged to the beach by his best friend Naruto during the hottest days of the summer. There was always a girl with bright pink hair and emerald eyes there. She was a lifeguard at the beach, but she would never fail to find time to hang out with him and Naruto.
When school started, she would put away her lifeguard uniform and walk to school with them.
The trio had been inseparable.
The color pink had also been inseparable from him – he had grown accustomed to it.
But at the same time, he was equally inseparable from the sea and its vast blue waters that went out endlessly.
And so, his love drifted, divided, and sailed off.
As a young boy, he was constantly surrounded by sailors.
His family was famous for their successful shipbuilding company, and many of them were captains of their own ships, including his brother. He had been twelve when his brother sailed off on his own ship, named Akatsuki, and he had yet to see him again. Every once in a while he would receive a letter from his brother, asking how he was doing, launching into an account on the adventures that had occurred on mainlands far, far away.
Even if his father refused to let him go, he was wistful of the salty waters that lay beyond the horizon.
He was restless and nothing on the small, successful rural island could satisfy him. He wanted to go far, far away like his brother, hoping that one day, he could share his own adventure stories with him.
And so, his love drifted, divided, and sailed off.
At the age of seventeen, Fugaku Uchiha finally acquiesced to his younger son's pleads. He allowed his son to take a ship of his choosing, and Sasuke Uchiha, now heartthrob of the town, chose a ship named Hebi.
His best friends had begged him not to go, but he had decided and nothing could budge him. So, instead, they resorted to begging him to let them tag along, but he had been just as adamant about that. Just like his brother, who had left his own lover on the island, he wanted to start over.
His love would travel, like the sea, and he would sail past the horizon, where adventures awaited.
On his departure day, his friends and family lined up to see him off, and his fangirls threw tissues as far as they could, thinking that this form of love could reach his ship before it got too far away.
And of the young girl with bright pink hair and emerald eyes?
Her depressed eyes showed signs of light fading as she waved good-bye, so long, and will I see you again?
As the sun rose that day, young girls cried for a boy who had grown into a man.
As the sun rose that day, one girl's heart shattered.
And as his world was finally opened to opportunity, hers closed.
It was an end to a chapter of their lives.
When he had first arrived at Mist, he was surprised at its beautiful scenery. A new bridge had recently been built and was opened to tourists.
What had been most surprising, however, were the number of criminals. As Sasuke roamed the streets, he was shocked at the illegal activity happening before his eyes. He could see people pickpocketing before his eyes while others remained oblivious to the events occurring around them. He could see dried blood stains in back alleys where shady business no doubt took place. He could see the poorly covered brothels that looked like makeshift fast food restaurants.
Sasuke remained in the town for two months before deciding that he had had enough. The town that acted like a red light district was too exciting, if he had anything to say about it. He had managed to record some of the most amusing stories in the town, but avoiding pickpockets and prostitutes' grabby hands were getting on his nerves.
He was feeling restless again, and his love for the town was diminishing.
And so, like the sea, he let the wind take him away.
He arrives at Sound two weeks later with a new member on board. Before his departure, he had seen fit to acquire a trustworthy bodyguard to keep him company (who knew what might lie ahead.) He found a lone man on the edge of Mist, sword in hand, with the whitest hair he had ever seen. The man had immediately taken him up on the offer.
His worries were not in vain.
If he had thought Mist was bad, Sound was definitely worse. He realized that he had stumbled upon the town known for its black organizations and smuggling ports and warehouses. Prostitution wasn't even covered up, and authorities went along with the lawlessness in town.
Sasuke was thoroughly disgusted and almost set sail immediately. His lack of supplies was the only thing stopping him from doing so.
In retrospect, he didn't know whether staying had been the best idea because in doing so, he had met Karin.
The girl was mysterious in her own way, as she refused to tell him where she was from, what her identity was, and who she was staying with. She looked unrefined, almost childish, and the thought brought forth a wave of nostalgia.
For days, Sasuke wondered why he was feeling like he had seen Karin before, but he grew too frustrated to ponder further.
All he knew was that he was restless again.
The sea was calling him.
And so, he answered.
Within the span of the next two months, Sasuke managed to land on four countries – specifically, Leaf, Stone, Thunder, and Rain. As he landed on each country, his stay at each lessened.
His restlessness became increasingly apparent, and he – dare he say it – thought he might actually be lonely.
He marvels at how his brother accomplished such a feat. Itachi had left for a little over five years before returning. Sasuke had remained at home for an extra week to welcome his brother back before setting sail, and he wonders if this feeling might actually be what his brother deemed "homesickness."
He doesn't think it is possible, but he becomes less and less sure.
By the time he arrives at Rain, he is short-tempered and cannot stand still. He wants to bolt from the country almost as soon as he arrives. He had struck his bodyguard's last nerve with his temper, so the man decided to remain at Rain.
Sasuke stays at Rain for all of three hours before setting sail again, unsure of where he wants to go.
He just wants to go somewhere, anywhere that will get rid of this nagging feeling.
Two days later, he finds himself in the midst of a tsunami.
His vision is blurry to say the least, buts before he blacks out, he thinks of pink, pink, and more pink.
As he slips into unconsciousness, he wonders why that is.
And that is how a busty, blond woman finds him, unconscious as waves crash against his body.
Two weeks later, Sasuke is struggling to sit up. Pain racks his body, and he grunts as a response. His body feels sore all over.
Where is he?
As if answering his question, a busty, blond woman enters, clipboard in hand and a calculating look on her face. He feels like he has seen this woman before, but before he opens his mouth and ask, he remembers.
This woman was his hometown's renown doctor.
He is back home.
As if this revelation wasn't startling enough, a short, pink-haired woman enters the room before pausing. He is awake.
As soon as his eyes make contact with hers, memories he once thought would never surface again flashed through his mind.
His mind is thinking of the past, and hers is finally looking at the future.
Finally, after so long, he gives her a trademark smirk.
It has been five years of constant thinking, but he thinks he finally has an answer.
He believes his love for the sea was all but a childish dream, something a boy influenced by his family had to go through.
The sea has calmed down these days, and so his love is now focused on his family, both old and new.
As an adult, he is once again surrounded by a flurry of pink.
A/N: I wish I had used better language/wording, but I'm proud of being able to write this in only a little over an hour (I think...) after eating a crapload of junk food. After APs, my work ethic just eludes me. I'm surprised I got this finished in one sitting. Then again, if I don't get something finished in one sitting, I never get it done.
Reviews would be superfantastically awesome, whether you liked it or not.