RK: This was basically inspired by the music box version of the song Itsumo Nando Demo, which I found on itunes (And have been listening to the entire rime I've been writing this, like four hours Dx). It's really pretty, and it's a happy song I guess (the ending credits song for the movie Spirited Away) but I've always though that both versions of the song also sound very sad. So. :P enjoy
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The Sleeping Box
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kona gonani kudakareta kagami no uenimo
atarashii keshiki ga utsusareru
even on the shattered mirror shards,
a new scenery is reflected
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When Sasuke was little, he hated to sleep. When he was really little, he screamed. He cried. Mikoto always came when he cried and told him stories, or rubbed his back, or sang to him. But then he got older, and big boys don't cry, Sasuke. That's what she had said to him and Don't you want to be like big brother? So he stopped crying. He still begged them though, he still stood in the hallway, and he still sat at the foot of his bed, refusing to sleep.
It's not like he was afraid to sleep, he just didn't like to. Of all the fears that came with being a child, the dark wasn't one that burdened him. He was, after all, an Uchiha, and living in the Uchiha main house. There wasn't a safer place in the entire village. Mornings were just more preferable, that's all. So, to fix the problem, Mikoto had bought him a music box.
It wasn't horribly expensive or ornate, just a simple wooden box, small enough to fit in both of his hands (only one of mothers), that opened to reveal a thin sheet of glass. Below the glass he could see all of the little gears as they turned together to make the metal wheel spin, tiny knobs striking the chimes to make a lullaby. A miniature crank on the side of the box was wound thousands of times, playing the melody over and over every night.
The first time he had heard it, it made him think of sitting on the porch with Itachi, Itachi smiling in the sun, and their father coming out and sitting next to them and laughing. He thought of becoming such a great ninja, that he would be put on the same team as Itachi, and together they would defend the village. He thought of the sun illuminating the Uchiha compound, chasing away every shadow and making the gardens grow huge with brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.
The song was small, the box could only project it so far, and even from the next room over it was nearly inaudible. But in the space around his bed, the notes wove into his hair and around his tiny shoulders, in a perfect otherworldly embrace. He fell asleep smiling almost every night, for a while.
Later the song would sound haunting to him. And sad. It would remind him of days spent believing that there would always be this great and shining thing ahead of him, a future as idealistic only as Itachi had been. Later, it would make him smile dangerously and keep him awake for far longer than he could ever have cried, or screamed, or begged.
Of all the material things his time spent in the Uchiha compound had left him with, the music box was one of the few. Once they were gone (and the blood had been mostly washed away) the Hokage's men had swept in and taken most everything to be 'redistributed to the better of Konoha's citizens'. Sasuke hadn't really cared. Clothes and furniture, electronics and weapons, they weren't things that he needed. At least, that's what he told himself.
But walking into empty room after empty room, squinting through windows and trying to trick himself into believing he could see the families still there, would have been a lot easier if everything hadn't been taken.
"What's that?" the voice is brazen and loud and makes him look up and snap the lid shut, pulling the box close to his stomach.
"None of your business, loser."
"C'mon, show me, it sounded pretty."
"It's not pretty. Go away."
He is sitting on a grassy slope that overlooks the lake. It's a sunny day and would be unbearably hot if it weren't for the breeze.
"Don't be stingy, let me see. It's a music box, rite?"
Sasuke scowls deeply at the whiskered boy and pulls the box closer to his stomach. "Go away."
Naruto's grin turns into a grimace at the genuinely bitter tone of the dark haired boy's voice, but instead of turning he takes a step closer and seats himself on the grass next to the Uchiha.
A moment of tense silence passes between them, a sour look on Sasuke's face as he stubbornly faces forward, and a look of determination, then wariness, and then strange contemplation on the blonds.
"Hey, hey, why did you… I mean, you- uhhh…"
"What?" Sasuke snaps harshly, eyes narrowed in what would later become a much more threatening glare.
"Hey, if you hate me so much then why don't you leave?"
"Because I was here first!"
Naruto reaches out to push the Uchiha's shoulder, but the other reaches up faster and knocks his arm away, the small wooden box falls from his lap and glides through the air for a moment before hitting the grass with a soft woopf, and then spinning up again.
Sasuke's eyes widen and he stands quickly, slipping at the odd angle, bare feet catching on grass and the breeze blowing his hair into his face. He jumps forward a few feet, sliding farther down the hill with his back arched and hands thrust forward, palms stretched wide and fingers white.
The box hits again, lid flying open as it rolls, a few unsure notes breaking loose, not beautiful or sad, not joyous or pleading, just a few random notes. And it is quickly approaching the bottom, water, and gravel. And suddenly Naruto is there, in front of him in a burst of speed not normal for a mere academy student, body curled around the music box, forcing the lid shut.
Naruto rolls a few more feet until he hits the water, soaking his entire back and legs. Sasuke slides the rest of the way to the bottom, mouth agape and chest heaving, a million curses, a million insults tasting like poison in his mouth and ready to strike dead, but instead he just stands staring down at the other boy. His hands slowly fall to his sides and he closes his mouth.
Naruto uncurls from his ball, eyes wide and mouth trembling. He looks down hesitantly at the two separate pieces against his chest as they slip down a little to be cradled by the dry front of his shirt. Drawing in a sudden breath, he jerks his head up to meet the Uchiha's eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Why did you do that?" Sasuke says flatly.
"I didn't mean to make you drop it!"
"No, why did you catch it? Why didn't you let it fall?"
Naruto looks away, a sorrow expressed there that makes Sasuke stiffen and bristle. He walks forward, water sloshing around his ankles, and bends down to grab the broken trinket. As he lifts it, a few more notes escape, disjointed at first, then picking up where they had left off, projecting their little song as strongly as ever. The hinges are broken off, but the mechanical part is fine.
Naruto stands, dripping and sniffing. "It's just, you looked so sad. When you where sitting there. It seemed like that box was your only friend."
Sasuke turns and begins climbing back up the hill. Naruto watches as he struggles near the top where it is steepest, then makes it up onto the main path and disappears without a single glance back.
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Kakashi and Sakura sleep on opposite sides of a dying fire with Naruto standing farther off between them. He rubs sleep from his eyes and pulls an insulated black jacket over his head, leaving his hair even messier then it usually is.
He drinks some water from a canteen and tucks a suspicious looking orange book into a pocket inside of his jacket. Still sleepy-eyed, he walks to the nearest tree, jumps up to grab the lowest branch, hangs for a moment, then hoists himself up.
Not out of fear or any kind of paranoia, he keeps as silent as possible as he jumps from tree to tree. It's respect for the silence. At times like this, where it's just the stars and the wind and the occasional cry of a cicada, Naruto feels that it is the most base, most inhuman act of violence, to break the silence with any sort of loud or truculent noise.
As he draws closer to the assigned watch point where Sasuke is waiting to return to camp, a faint, familiar melody reaches him, causing him to stop short by about ten yards.
From his position, he can see the pale boy sitting on a branch with one leg hanging off the side and the other crooked up to keep him in place. His head is tilted down, causing his hair to cover his eyes and in his hands is the little wooden music box.
Naruto stands at a loss for a moment, then relaxes slightly as he just stares at the other.
"What do you want, loser?"
Startling so badly that he nearly loses his balance, Naruto makes an annoyed noise in the back of his throat and then jumps the remaining distance to land where Sasuke's foot had been a moment earlier. "Hey, you shouldn't scare people like that. I could have died."
Sasuke snorts and gently closes the lid. "Yeah, well you shouldn't spy on people like that. If I had been an enemy you'd actually be dead right now."
Naruto makes a face. Sasuke stares blankly back at him.
"I'm glad it's alright."
Sasuke gives him the same deadpan look and Naruto gestures lamely towards the box. "Your music box, I mean. I'm glad it didn't really break."
Sasuke stands and slips it into one of the oversized pouches on his leg and turns to leave. Naruto stands as well, this time reaching out and grasping onto the cloth of the Uchiha's shirt. "Wait."
Sasuke turns minimally and gives him an irritated look.
"I, uhhh…"
"What?"
Naruto is burningly aware of his hand on the others shoulder. He shuffles restlessly before glancing at Sasuke's face. They look at each other, Naruto with apprehension and Sasuke with growing dread, though he only shows that old annoyance and a little bit of weariness.
Naruto steps forward, instantly closing the distance between them. His mouth pressed against Sasuke's in an awkward, one-sided kiss. The others mouth is warm and soft, and Naruto thinks he saw Sasuke's eyes close at the last moment, but he is rigid. So much so that if it weren't for the warmth that faintly radiated from them both, Naruto would think he was kissing a tree with lips.
His heart is pounding and his hands aren't sure where to go, so he steps back, nervously meeting the dark haired boys gaze. Sasuke doesn't say anything, just stares at Naruto, mouth still firmly shut. He isn't even blushing, which in a far away, ironical sense, makes Naruto furious because he himself can feel the blood rushing through every vein in his body.
Sasuke lifts one hand and grabs one of Narutos, turning the bronzed palm upward. With his other he reaches back into his pocket and pulls out the box, quietly and simply putting it on top of Naruto's hand.
"Keep it."
Sasuke's hand falls away, leaving Naruto to stare down in shock, almost able to see the prickly sensation where Sasuke's hand had been, and feeling the smooth, cool weight of the music box.
When he looks up again, the Uchiha is gone.
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-Holding picket sigh that says 'Will dance for reviews'-