Story Title: Smeared Mirage
Story Authors: teas and toffee
Genre: General/ Angst
Main characters: Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura
Story plot: Mitsuko Sayomi and Hisae Egao (yes. they are the plot themselves so don't be confused at their appearances)
Pairings: Sasusaku (oblivious pairing until later, though)
Rate: T
Disclaimer: Because the heavens and the earth are kissed by angels, and, the oceans and seas are molded by mermaids, we declare to you as bluntly that we are death gods and kishimoto created Naruto
The very existence of Death Gods is the secret that lays in-between heaven and earth and hell, where the horizons lie, and, they- the death gods- are bounded by nothing but destiny.
Living for hundreds and thousands of years, they watched and amused themselves through ingenious and colorful deaths of people, an activity that turns into something hideous and gruesome, for they are free and unbounded even by the disappointed gods of heavens.
Even so, only a chosen few were favored to unearth their very existence and, even highly blessed..... Or cursed to not only come to their awareness but also be bestowed with extraordinary gifts.
Only those that have desire in their souls can accept their powers, and walk the path of death to reach a life of fulfillment.
In the years of yore, exactly during the Death Gods' 700th year of reign, these sinful creatures crossed the boundary of fate, and casually intervened the gods' plan of salvation for the human race by giving a tangible representation of their form and power: a scythe that blindly manipulates a weak human's mind, corrupting it until it resulted to the death of the fateful savior from god's most holy Spirit.
The heavens avenged the death of their precious gift by giving the death gods the inability to cross the boundaries of the other three realms...
Yet, death gods are creatures of darkness... and, as long as there is light present, the death gods would never cease to exist for neither shall live when the other survives. As long as there is life, death shall come..... Wrought by the power of the shinigami... but done by the hand of human beings.
Restrained by rules that are not a part of their destiny, they shall continue to lurk and wait….. Until they find the fated humans that shall be predestined instruments that will bring the redemption, unlike that of the Heavens.
However, despite the years and years of dull waiting, it seemed that the rules are far too great to overwhelm… devils are as canny as they are, and the angels of the gods are far too holy for their touch…
And lastly, the human's fragile body is far too limited to handle a power greater than their own strength, and so, with a wistful wave of a sharp scythe comes the gift concealed for hundreds and thousand of years past.
It tends to accommodate the weakness of the human's body, depending on the said human's brain components.
And so, during a bloody full moon of a lunar eclipse has the child of the gods emerged from a mortal's body, to a baby of vulnerability and cunning secrets unknown… It is a period of the Shinigami's full potential, an opportunity to assign gifts and destiny to blessedCURSED human beings.
And so, history repeats itself.
HISAE'S POV:
There are only two types of human in this world: the pure and the unclean.
The pure are the kind of human that's difficult to find, but once you locate them, you'll be able to see that blinding white and silver light that would always adhere every corners and turns of their body.
The hot yellow light flicked above me, threatening to give up and die. I closed my eyes, hearing a faint rumbling of the earth.
The unclean, however, are engulfed in a light dusted with different colors. It is painful to the eyes... so painful that I wanted those lights to dissolve in the air.
I took a deep, deep breath and clutched the hem of my ruffled sleeves, listening intently as the asymmetric pleats of my knee-length dress ruffled in synchronization with my messy, long and curly hair.
The train is nearer, sending the underground in a squeaking hysteria.
Meanwhile, the yellow light dimmed slowly towards darkness, but didn't die.... yet.
My purpose is to wipe out those lights hurting my beautiful viridian eyes, to eradicate them from the gift of existence without any traces that they even walked on the face of the earth, and, to let the hideous earth take a profound inhalation of fresh and pretty white lights of the pure.
The yellow beam above me blinked one last time, and finally gave out... leaving me as the only object not bathed with illumination… a dark stain in a white, white dress.
Watashi wa Egao Hisao...
I completely opened my eyes, staring blankly as the train behind the transparent glass whizzed past me and struggled to a stop, with my hair dancing in harmony with the nonexistent air of the subway.
There was a flash of neon light, and I looked down to see, there in the ground- whining and groaning and beseeching and whimpering- lies a black, black notebook, dusted with dots of azure gemstones-curling into a small blue butterfly trapped in a silver spider web of diamonds- that beckons me in soft whispers...
My eyes then flickered towards waiting door, and, as the long tails of the ribbon that hugs my waist- tied in a neat bow on the small of my back- swept through the ground, the yellow light abruptly blinked into life, to a profound, strong color of golden yellow.
My lips curled upwards, as I went, striding shortly to a seat and watched as the doors slide close, my hand tightly gripping the notebook against my lap. My feet dangled noiselessly just above the ground, and I sat –immobile- as I stared intently at the notebook.
It sang and rejoiced and laughed... And that alone brought a bright emotion –glee- from thin air. My gleaming viridian orbs danced in that delight, until it turned to a bright color of neon blue.
Concealing such emotion, I opened the notebook resting on my lap to see that its pages were apathetic and blank... no smear in any part.
Just subsequently, the train stopped, and the doors slid open and, a wasted man went inside, dancing like crazy in a drunken state, a bottle of alcohol clutched loosely in his hands.
He sat dumbly on the train floor whilst the large and long vehicle started moving again. We were alone...
I stared blankly at the notebook once more, and, my eyes lit up, as a shrunken duplicate of said man now lies on a page, with ribbons tied securely around him... red ties, blue ties... green, yellow, violet and, orange too.
And, for a reason, I know that they signify his relation with other people. Slowly, I lifted a finger and slowly cut the ribbons with the tip of my sharp nails.
His eyes suddenly went blank, and the train gradually slowed. I stood up, sauntering towards the door with easy steps, my notebook still open in my hands.
As I was standing just in front of the door, I slowly closed the notebook, squishing the man's duplicate slowly, until it faded into a thin line that soon blinked out of existence.
The doors slithered close, and I began my easy strides once more... never looking back to stare at the wasted man slowly being trampled out of existence, into a thin line that soon dissolved into the thin air... never to be remembered by those who had once held tight ribbons with him...
END OF POV
MITSUKO'S POV
Human beings, generally, are known to be free creatures. They abhor shackles, resent conventions, and fear restraints.
Dark and heavy clouds rolled in the sky, obscuring the glaring sun with one swipe, enveloping the streets in darkness. In a distance, a lightning slashed through the heavens, illuminating the world abruptly with an eerie glow.
But then… humans are also known to be domineering. They want to conquer other people, to clip their already bleeding wings, to trample those who're already on the ground, and steal the freedom they are bestowed by shutting these poor souls behind iron bars. Away from their simple dream of being just who they want to be.
Thunder dinned, freezing the moving people for a moment before they fastened their strides, trying to mask their skittered movements. I tilted my head upwards and faced the ominous heavens with a tranquil smile.
And so, the only refuge they could seek is some place where no one could enter…. Where no being could see his weakness and exploit it…… where no person could hear his desperate cries and pitiful sobs…. A place where they don't need to pretend or put a pathetic façade….
The mind…. The perfect haven.
But what if it's not as safe as one think it is? What if someone could slither their way inside your mind and read you like an open book… exposed and vulnerable? What if they can also manipulate your thoughts, feed you with false memories? How could you know if what you know is true or not?..... If your actions are yours or somebody else's…?
The mind… my sweet deception.
After a lasting look at the sinister atmosphere, I stepped out from the shadows of an alley and tread my way through the crowd until even my subtle silhouette was lost in the sea of bodies.
Watashi wa Sayomi Mitsuko…
Too heavy for the clouds to bear, the rain fell unto earth in a downpour, rendering the streets abandoned. I calmly opened a black laced umbrella and just positioned it over my head when a slash of lightning tore the sky, lighting the streets for a split second. Yet it was enough for me to see the black notebook with silver tendrils lying right in front of me.
I unhurriedly crouched down and extended a hand to get the notebook, bringing it close to my face. I was just marveling the notebook's completely dry state despite it littering on open rain when I heard a scuffle near me.
With a fleeting smirk, I lowered my hand and approached a lamp post cluttered with trash bins in front of a subway. After a few cat like steps, I was looming over a homeless man covered in dirt and grime. He was sitting, arms around his knees and close to his chest to preserve the little heat left on his frail body.
I sat on my heels in front of him, my head tilted at the side. The man squished himself more tightly between the bins, trying to get away from my scrutinizing gaze.
My eyes lit up with what I witness as I look into his tired eyes. Empty bottles of alcohol on the floor, cigarette burns on every surface and tangled limbs grinding on each other. Then as if turning to the next page, it showed surprised- caught faces, screams and shouts…… sobbing……
Carefully opening the notebook on my hand…. I could see something written on the page… in bloody kanji: 松田流 (Matsuda Ryu). Skimming my index finger on the lines beside the name, letters were suddenly formed, then words and finally sentences… all in blood. Slowly closing the notebook, I stood up and took a step back.
The man's eyes glazed over and at snail's pace, stood up. Moving in a dream like fashion, the man walked steadily and disappeared in the subway entrance.
Unable to hide the glee, my eyes shined in dark amethyst color. I leaned back on the lamp post with the black notebook help open in front of me: November 15, 1990- 5:24 p.m- Go into the west subway entrance and stand on the platform waiting for the train from Kyoto…. 5:26- climb down the platform and stand on the rail road track- train arrives.
I could hear the clock ticking…. And waited.
Suddenly, blood curling screams pierced through the once serene atmosphere. Sirens were heard and people were pouring out from the subway entrance.
I looked down in time as the bloody writings disappeared from the pages like they didn't exist, leaving it white and blank.
Tucking the notebook to my chest, I directed my gaze once again to the subway, now finally seeing what I've came for. A Lolita dressed girl coming out the entrance leisurely amidst the chaos… with a black notebook in her hands.
Finally, neon blue met dark amethyst.
END OF POV.