Colorfully Dull
A/N: This inspired by a picture I saw (I can't recall if it was a dream or really on the net, lol). It was a boy, clad in all black, stuck inside a glass ball. On the other side was a girl in all pink, looking at the boy lovingly. So I conjured up with this fanfic. So, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
-x-
He buries his nose into his blue and white scarf as he tugs onto the hand of his older brother. He watched him with curious eyes as small puffs of vapor exit his mouth as he breathes. The coal-haired twosome continue to walk down the snow-covered road.
"Big brother, I like it here." His voice muffled by his scarf. The sixteen-year-old looks down at his brother with a smile.
"I like it here, too." He replies.
"In the central part of the village, it's too flashy." He says, his pout hidden from view.
"It is Christmas, after all, Sasuke." The older brother flashes a gentle smile. Sasuke slumps his shoulders. Of course it's flashy; red and green and yellow blinking everywhere. He just feels sad because no matter how bright and happy they are, they always seem so painful and gray in his vision. In here, he enjoys the dim yellow light of the slim, black lamppost and the unending color of the brick walls of the shops and joint houses, topped off with white frames and roofing.
Simple.
That is why he likes it in this part of the village. It's quiet and quaint. There are no flashy Christmas lights or big decorations—they are all in the central part of the village—except for the occasional display of the Christmas wreath a few pine leaves and silver bells.
And snow. No matter how white they are, they always seem so, so much brighter and prettier than those eye-blinding lights.
My color orientation is very wrong, the seven-year-old thinks and sighs.
"Itachi, am I colorblind?" The boy asks suddenly, surprising the older boy. He raises a brow and chuckles.
"What makes you ask that, Sasuke?"
"I think white snow is more colorful than those Christmas lights back at central." Sasuke states.
"Well maybe that's because they're too bright." Itachi smiles. "Besides, if you're colorblind, you wouldn't have probably guessed they were colorful Christmas lights."
Sasuke nods as the two come to a stop. They stand in front of a shop with a sign that says: "Yukiko's Old Treasures." The two push the foggy glass door and the bell rings.
"Itachi! Sasuke!" A melodious, female voice echoes through the deserted shop. Sasuke looks around and let his eyes relax with the different shades of wood and old copper, some bronze and some other fainted metal, all covered with a layer of dust, making everything look dull to any customers' eyes.
Except Sasuke's.
He loves how the colors tell a story—a story depicting their agelessness, their simplicity, and their beauty.
"Yukiko, I seriously think you should clean the shop." Itachi muses. "It is very dusty in here."
"Well, not this Christmas! It's vacation time!" The brown-haired female grins. Sasuke looks at his brother's girlfriend.
"Come on. No one would want to buy from a dirty shop. I'll help you clean it." Itachi lets go of his little brother's hand and takes Yukiko's. "And mother wants you with us for Christmas eve dinner."
Sasuke remembers that Yukiko has no parents. They have died when she was 10 years old, due to an accident while they were cruising along the seas. Her auntie supports her, although she still gains a little from her little shop.
"I'm still too lazy." She rolls her olive-green eyes. "And, tell Mikoto I would love to join."
"You don't have to clean the store." Sasuke pipes in, getting the two teens' attention. "I like it."
"Aw, you are quite the charmer, aren't you, little Sasuke?" Yukiko bends down and ruffles his ebony hair.
"Oh, Itachi darling, I have something to show you." Yukiko jumps up and grins. She grabs Itachi's wrist and pulls him to the back with Itachi telling Sasuke to stay in and don't talk to strangers.
As they disappear into the back, Sasuke shoves his hands down his pocket and decides to look around. There are so many antiques in the store, and they all look elegant, it's sad no one buys these anymore. Sasuke passes by a gold locket, a wooden rocking chair, a wooden table and a few more antiquities.
He is at the last pile of things when something at the base of the pile glints. He looks closer, slightly crouching, and sees a slight shade of pink muffled by gray. The pink looks perfect. It is bright, but it does not hurt his eyes. He reaches for it and finds it encased in a glass sphere, with an almost cylindrical figure at the bottom. He wipes the dust from the sphere and almost drops the thing when he meets the source of the perfect pink.
It's beautiful, Sasuke thinks and smiles. His eyes graze over the female figure inside the sphere. She looks like she's dancing. Her toes pointed, her right leg rising more than 90 degrees. Her upper body is arched. Her right hand is folded in front of her chest, its opposite over her head, and both the back of each palm facing away from her body. Her face is turned away from her hands, slightly downcast. She is wearing a tight, white, long-sleeved top that almost exposed her shoulders. Her white top is paired with a pure white tulle skirt that reaches five inches below her knee. Underneath that, Sasuke could see that she is wearing white stockings and white ballet flats, the ribbons lacing around her calf, disappearing into her skirt.
She looks so pretty, the little boy thinks. She looks very graceful, too! She's a ballerina!
And there's her pink hair.
Sasuke doesn't like pink. He never did. But this pink… it's different. It seemed to shift with every move. It was almost really pale pink, then powder pink, then cherry-blossom pink, then peachy pink. All subdued tones. Her hair is curled up into wires, then bunched up high in a laidback manner, some strands falling down. Pink hair cascaded messily down her cheeks. Her bangs are a bit unkempt and swished to the right side.
It's amazing how something the height of a seven-year-old's palm would be so detailed.
She looks so… So real.
Sasuke doesn't notice his older brother come back until he taps his shoulder. "Let's go, Sasuke."
"I want to buy this." He holds out the item for his brother to see. Yukiko materialized beside Itachi.
"Little brother, that is a ballerina snow globe. I'm afraid it's only for girls." Itachi sighs.
"B-but she's so pretty!" Sasuke pouts. He really, really likes this snow globe. there's just something about it that fascinates him so much. Although, there is something off… Yukiko giggles.
"Well, Sasuke dear, I know there's a story behind that snow globe." She crouches down and sits Indian style on the floor. She motions for Sasuke to sit on her lap and he does. Itachi sits across the two. "It's been around for almost a hundred years. Want to know what happened?"
The little boy nods his head vigorously, his hands clutching to the antique item to his chest. Itachi takes this opportunity to enjoy the picture. Sasuke, no doubts, looks very much like himself. This scene makes it look like Yukiko is his wife and Sasuke is his son. He smiles gently and listens to his lover's voice tell the pink-haired girl's story.
"It started about a hundred and eighteen years before. A beautiful woman gave birth to a baby girl." Yukiko begins. "The elders saw that the baby's hair is pink, and finds out that the mother had been drinking potions to keep her and her baby beautiful. Since drinking potions were forbidden, the mother was supposed to be cursed. Instead, the baby was the one who got cursed."
"That's not a very child-friendly story, Yukiko." Itachi chuckles, seeing his little brother looking at the pink-haired ballerina as if he feels her pain. Of course, as he expected from his stubborn girlfriend, she ignores him.
"They said that on her eighteenth birthday, the snow king would go to her and freeze her for eternity." Yukiko smiles sadly. "With that said, the mother cried and did her best to raise the pink-haired girl in a good lifestyle. The girl was smart, and yes, she was pretty. She sang with the voice of an angel, and she danced with feather-light feet. The girl was perfect."
"Ah. No wonder she looks so pretty." Sasuke nods.
"Then, come her eighteenth birthday, she was dancing for her mother. As predicted, the snow king came and froze her while she was dancing, and encased her inside a glass globe. The mother… she disappeared. She was too depressed since it was her own fault that brought her baby this cruel destiny."
"Poor girl." Sasuke looks like he's about to cry. Itachi scoots closer to them and puts an arm around Yukiko.
"Indeed." Yukiko sighed. "But it is said that one day, when someone finds her and treats her with love and care, she would break free of the spell and continue to live freely."
Sasuke perks up and grins. "I want to be the one to free her!"
"That's just a little tale, Sasuke. She's just a figurine stuck inside a glass ball." Itachi sighs. Yukiko punches him in the arm and frowns at him.
"Sasuke, dear, I believe Itachi's right." Yukiko smiles sadly. Then she pokes his forehead. "But that doesn't mean you can't shower it with a little TLC, right?"
Sasuke looks at his older brother with puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty please, Itachi! I want… I want to help her!"
"Now look, you've got him believing in fairy-tales." Itachi frowns.
"Oh you must've believed in Santa Claus back in the days." Yukiko glares. As the two bicker, Sasuke stares at the treasure in his hand.
"I know it's just a story, big brother." Sasuke says. "But I still want it."
Because I also believe that I'll be able to free her, the little boy stubbornly thinks. He looks at the girls closed eyes. I'll free you. I promise.
"Fine, fine." Itachi stands up and helps Yukiko. She turns to Sasuke and beams.
"Keep it. It's my Christmas present to you, Sasuke." She grins and said boy's face brightens up.
"Really? Really, Yukiko?" He says giddily. He puts the glass ball down and hugs her legs with short arms. "Thank you!"
After giggling, Yukiko crouches down and cups his ear.
"I know you'll be able to free her. I believe in you." She whispers gently and kisses his cheek. Sasuke looks at her with determined eyes.
"I'll do my best!"
-x-
"Where's Sasuke? We'll be opening our presents soon." Mikoto asks her eldest son.
"Oh, he's inside his room, looking at his new gift." Itachi shrugs. "He's been staring at it since Yukiko gave it to him three days ago."
Which is true. Something about this girl entices Sasuke. He kept looking at her, cleaning the glass ball, and turning it upside down to make flakes of snow dance around the frozen girl. He did say that he knew it was a story, but his heart said no. He's sure it's not.
"You're so pretty, you know?" Sasuke says to the girl inside. Her face is so peaceful, but there is something in there that Sasuke could not figure out. "And you look like a great dancer. I know you are."
He didn't expect a response, or a slight change of movement. Of course.
"I'll be your friend from now on. I'll take care of you. I'll make you happy." Sasuke grins. When present opening starts, he has the ballerina girl beside him all throughout, and even ends up falling asleep on the floor beside her.
-x-
Is this what it feels like to feel… pain? It's much worse than a bruise or a cut. Even worse than the sprained ankle he got when he was eight.
His ten-year old knees fall to the floor. Miyaki, his personal maid, rushes to his side. She stares wistfully at the letter by the little boy's knees.
A pleasant morning to all of you.
We are sorry to say that your parents, Mr. Fugaku Uchiha and Mrs. Uchiha, had passed away due to a boat accident. Their bodies have been found ashore. They were sent to the hospitals, but they have passed on long before they reached shore. Their bodies are here in the morgue for funeral arrangements. On the other hand, the body of their son, Itachi Uchiha, could not be found as is presumed dead due to the possible hypothermia, the same illness that caused his parents' death. We send our sincerest condolences to you.
Tears stream down his eyes. "M-mother… Father… Big brother…"
Miyaki calls the Rikuo, the butler, and shows the letter. Both house servants are deeply saddened with the news since they have been serving the Uchiha as soon as they had bought this manor.
"Sasuke… I'm terribly sorry." Rikuo picks him up and carries him to his room. He lays Sasuke on his bed and orders Miyaki to get Sasuke a change of clothes. Sasuke notices the crack in Rikuo's voice and knows he's hurt, too.
"Here, Sasuke. Please wear these pajamas." Miyaki's eyes were glassy. She has been with them before he or Itachi were born.
"Get… get my snow globe." Sasuke manages. Miyaki nods and hands him the snow globe. He stares at it and realizes something. He now knows that expression he couldn't pin for three years.
Her expression…
She feels pain.
-x-
Sasuke doesn't feel pain anymore. When he saw his parents' dead bodies, he cried hard and fainted. Yukiko was worried sick and helped Miyaki and Rikuo contact the rest of the remaining Uchiha. Itachi was—is—still missing. When Sasuke woke up at the infirmary, the pain was gone.
From that point up until now, he feels empty.
He watches as his parents' coffins get covered with dirt. He doesn't cry, unlike the few relatives that are present. They all sob, and Miyaki cries onto Rikuo's shoulder.
Everybody leaves, and he is left all alone. Rain pours over his ten-year-old self. And that's when he realizes that he left his snow globe at home.
The little boy breaks down in front of his parents' grave.
-x-
The first three years were hard. He was often found staring into blank space, his teachers reported. His grades dangerously dropped. Miyaki and Rikuo, despite all other servants leaving, found jobs but stayed and treated Sasuke as their own. Yukiko had to move away.
Sasuke had little "friends." When his parents died, he pushed away all that was close to him. He became a distant ten-year-old.
He didn't let go of the snow globe.
The following three years were easier. He knew loneliness enough not to let himself get hurt. Rikuo and Miyaki officially had a stable and good paying job. He was oing well in school again, although he still felt empty. He still felt purposeless.
He forgot the promise he made to the snow globe girl. He didn't forget her, though.
The snow globe was carefully placed on his night table
The seventh year, there were changes. The remaining Uchihas let Rikuo and Miyaki sell the manor. In Mikoto and Fugaku's will, they had stated that the manor would be left to Itachi. He has not returned, and Sasuke had lost all hope he would. Therefore, the manor was passed down to Sasuke, as well as all their other possessions. Sasuke told Miyaki and Rikuo to sell the manor and some of the unnecessary things and buy themselves their own, smaller house. They moved to the outer part of the village, where he had bought the pink-haired ballerina.
She was left on a shelf in the corner of the room, beside pictures of his family. She was close to being forgotten.
By the eighth year, he had his own small house, enough money to supply him until he finds a stable job. He attended his classes and aced them. He felt he was a burden to both Rikuo and Miyaki, who were married and had a child on the way. They were heartbroken when Sasuke stated his final decision to leave, and that nothing could change his mind.
The snow globe? Placed on a shelf across his bed. It is covered in dust. Entirely forgotten, like the pictures, blanketed with dust as well.
He's already nineteen. Coming home from his new-found part-time job, he finds a letter on his doorstep. He opens it and reads it.
Mr. Uchiha.
We regret to inform you that Itachi Uchiha's body has been found dead by the forest near the shore his parents' were last seen. Judging by the form of his body, he had only died a few days before we found him. He seemed to have suffered many illnesses due to his disappearance for nineteen years. We have informed Mr. Rikuo Arakawa and Mrs. Miyaki Kozuki-Arakawa, as well as Mrs. Yukiko Ryuuske-Matsutachi. Attached is the letter we found in his pocket.
Sasuke's eyes widen slightly. All these years, Itachi has been alive? And Yukiko is already married? He fumbles with the envelope and finds a damp, browned paper.
Sasuke.
How are you? I have missed you terribly. Surely, you have grown so much after these nine years. Mother and father… I hope their deaths didn't drive you almost-insane, as it did to me. I hope my presumed death hasn't, too. I know you're a strong boy, Sasuke.
The point is, I want you to know why I didn't come back. My leg… It was torn off by a shark. I was lucky enough to survive, since someone knew how to handle him. I swam to the nearest shore—the forest—and suffered so much blood loss, I was surprised I'm still alive. I wasn't too well, though. I tried to treat myself inside the forest. I fended for myself. It was painful, these nine years. And as I write this letter, I finally feel myself dying. I don't know what you're doing right now, and I don't know if this would ever reach you.
How is Yukiko? I know by now she's probably married. I miss her, too. And I still love her. And how are Rikuo and Miyaki? Have they finally realized their love for each other and stop playing cat-and-mouse? I hope so.
Sasuke, right now, you're a grown man. Find a job. Find a wife. Live your life in happiness, despite all the troubles that lie ahead. Remember that mom and dad love you. I love you. See you soon. Mom and dad and I will be watching you and guiding you from above.
Forever your big brother,
Itachi.
In a long time, Sasuke feels pained. Tears are threatening to spill. He hears his life break into pieces like shattered glass.
Shattered glass.
He rushes inside his house and heads to his room. He finds water, snowflakes, and glass sprayed in front of his bed. His knees fall down and he finally cries. His snow globe—how long has it been since he'd seen it?—cracks the same time his heart does. How could it have fallen?
He finds himself, vision blurry, picking up the pieces. "No, no, no." He mumbles. The glass cuts his fingers and his tears making it hard to see. Where is she? Is she broken, too?
Sasuke stops and sobs. His knees are brought to his face. All those years of subdued anger, sadness and heartbreak finally decide to bubble up and break like his snow globe.
He raises his head and is met by pink. He knows that pink. It's the pink that, no matter how bright it is, manages to relax his eyes. The pink that shifted color every movement. They are sprawled all over creamy peach shoulders. A figure—female, for sure—is looking at him with tired, green eyes. She has shadows under her eyes. Her gracefulness is gone. She is all exhausted. Sasuke takes a moment to recognize the person in front of him…
Person?
His eyes were wide. He started crawling towards the girl. He notices her chest heave up and down—what is she wearing? Is that…? He looks at her skirt gathered up, hiding her legs. No, it can't be.
His hand reaches out to touch her face when suddenly her eyes slowly close and she falls forward. So graceful, Sasuke thinks. He is already kneeling, her limp body wrapped by his arms.
"What… where did you come from?" He looks around. No broken windows. Then, he remembers what Yukiko had told him twelve years ago.
"But it is said that one day, when someone finds her and treats her with love and care, she would break free of the spell and continue to live freely."
But I…
Sasuke shakes his head. No, it isn't… This is impossible. He looks down and smells her—she smells like snow. He swoops her up and carries her bridal side and examines her. She is wearing the exact same clothes the figurine inside the now broken glass globe wore. Her face, the line of her closed eyes and parting mouth, were so familiar. And of course, that unmistakable, unique pink. She must be… Sasuke bites his lower lip. No, I'm going crazy. Itachi, is this the insanity you were talking about? When I find out you're dead, like mother and father?
He stands up and stumbles slightly. He places her onto his bed, and for a while, he is scared. Is she… dead? Then, he sees her chest rise and fall. She's just asleep.
Sasuke looks at her sleeping form and sees her white top stained with blood. His heartbeat quickened. Is she hurt? He raises her shirt slightly and see that her skin isn't hurt. He lets out a sigh of relief, then realizes that his hand—wounded from the glass—is still bleeding. He washes them and bandages them. He cleans the mess and concludes that the girl on his bed really is the girl in the snow globe, crazy as it may sound. He couldn't find the figurine anywhere. After disposing of the snowflakes and glass, he gets old clothes of his mother that he kept. He chooses a plain white sundress. He gets back to his room and starts untwining her ballet flats first. Then, he pulls off her stockings. He removed her skirt (without looking), and her shirt follows, focusing on only her head up to her shoulders. He feels his face heat up when he accidentally catches a glimpse of her white-clad breasts. he shakes his head and pulls her arms through the holes. He, without looking, pulled the clothes on. He wipes his forehead and sits on the chair beside his bed and watches her sleep.
My God, he thinks. She's even more beautiful in person—literally.
In a few minutes, he is consumed by darkness. He sees Itachi, and feels tears well up his eyes. His mother and father are behind his big brother. They are all smiling. Sasuke reaches out, but they always seem so far away. He calls out to them, and they only smile. Sasuke stops running—when did he start running?—and his mother giggles and reaches for his cheek. He is completely frozen, now. His mouth is open. Why can't he sleep? Mother, he tries to call out. Father! Itachi! His mom's moth open, but a different, unfamiliar female voice replaces hers.
"Sasuke."
His eyes shoot open. His cheeks are wet. One cheek is being cupped by a small hand. His family is gone; only the pink haired girl on his bed. Her green eyes, half-lidded, were looking at him with concern. "Sasuke." Her voice is angelic, although tired.
"H-how?" He looks at her with confusion. She slowly, achingly gets up. Her lips give him a genuine smile, on that made his heart run miles and miles.
"Thank you." She says. "For taking care of me."
"So… it's true? You…" His hand touches hers on his cheek.
"My name is Sakura Haruno." Her smile didn't waver. Despite how tired her eyes look, she looks so full of life. "Thank you, Sasuke Uchiha. I can live now."
"Sakura." Her name sounds so good. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura." He remembers the first time he saw her. She was trapped inside a glass ball. He remembers how he felt when he saw how beautiful she was—is. Right here, right now, she is on his bed, touching his cheek. He let his tears flow and he catches her off guard when he wraps his arms around her and buries his nose in her shoulder and hair—she smells so good. "Sakura."
She recovers from her surprise and slowly hugs him back. He smells of lemon soap.
"You cared for me for twelve years." She says, her voice soothing to his senses. "You thought you forgot me, but I know you didn't. You won't. You loved me and broke my curse. You made me feel hopeful and happy."
Sasuke continues to cry on her shoulders. He lets his feelings overflow—sadness, happiness, anger, joy… All of it. Sakura weaves her hand through his inky hair.
"Now, it is my turn to care for and love you."
-x-
The end :) Thank you for reading! I hope you drop a review or PM me or something... Anyway. Comments and suggestions and critics are openly welcomed :)
~KiiroIka