This story is dedicated to my friend A Delusional Reality because she got me to love Sasuke. This is also dedicated to my dog Buddy, rest in peace.
Falling Snow
A warm breeze gently rubbed against his face, swaying his blackish hair. He was tired from training and had found a nice shady tree to sit against. It felt lonely while training by himself. His eyes gradually closed and unwanted memories of his past filled his mind.
What are usually considered precious memories to normal people were considered unwanted by Sasuke. Flashes of useless missions and the stupidity of killing boredom came to mind. He thought of what it felt like to be loved and have friends, but this feeling; he didn't want it anymore but the memories containing these feelings never left. It seemed as though every time he closed his eyes all that he thought of was either his desired future or his unwanted past.
As soon as he began to feel the sadness of loneliness, he forced his eyes open and those feelings dissolved again. He suddenly sensed a presence in the brush near by and threw a kunai at it. A small whimper was heard. Sasuke went to retrieve his weapon an when he pushed aside the brush, a puppy emerged.
It was black with two white socks on its front feet, white covering the front of its neck, down its chest and to its belly button, and a small white spot on the tip of its muzzle as if it had dug in the snow. The left ear was half flopped over while the other stood up. The right eye was light blue while the other was brown. As soon as it saw Sasuke it wagged its little tail while it held its scratched paw.
The kunai had just missed it which was Sasuke's intention. He stared at it but then grabbed his kunai and walked away. The puppy limped from the brush and followed him despite his unwanted company. Sasuke stopped and the puppy almost limped right into his leg. It wagged its tail and looked up at him as it waited for him to turn around.
Sasuke had no knowledge of what he should do. Why would anything still want him after he mercilessly attacked it? How could anything ignore the fear of his intimidation? While he searched his confused thoughts, the puppy had made its way to his feet and sat right in front of him. Again, it was ignored while Sasuke continued thinking. A high pitch bark grabbed Sasuke's attention and he continued walking. It continued to follow him.
After a few minutes the puppy began to pant and gradually fell behind. Sasuke stopped to pick an apple from a tree and when the puppy caught up, he took one bite, threw it away, and continued walking. Sasuke's thoughts were still unclear about what he should do in this situation. If it has already accepted him, shouldn't he fix its paw at least? Yes that would be the right thing to do but what if someone saw him? That would be the end of his reputation which would eventually spread to his brother's ears.
Most of the time he was alone and unseen anyway, and it's not like he's going to keep him or anything. The puppy was beginning to fall behind again and Sasuke stopped under another shady tree. He sat down while the puppy caught up. When it got there, it sat in front of Sasuke and wagged its tail begging for acceptance. Finally, Sasuke looked at the cute puppy with its big paws, floppy ear, and unique markings.
No expression left his thoughts. He silently put out his hand and the puppy obediently set its injured paw on it. The warmth of its paw settled on Sasuke's hand as he recognized how big it was for a puppy. It couldn't have been more than eight months old and was already a foot tall at its shoulders. He poured water from his canteen, on the puppies cut. The puppy began to lick it but Sasuke pushed its nose away. Then Sasuke wrapped it with gauze from his bag. The puppy wagged its tail and panted happily at Sasuke.
It then jumped into Sasuke's lap and rolled over indicating a belly rub. Sasuke noticed it was a she and hesitated to pet her. He never really had a pet before and never had time to keep one. Just the surprise of having her on his lap as if he owned her was confusing to him. A few years ago he would have just petted her and accepted it like any other person would do, but after years of training, the only emotions he knew well were anger and solitude.
As he stood up the puppy rolled over and out of his way. He continued on to his current hideout with the puppy following behind. Once they arrived at his hideout, Sasuke stopped and for the first time, turned to look at the puppy who sat with a wagging tail. Her unique eyes stood out as he looked at her. Without a word he went inside and she followed quietly.
A few weeks past and her presence began to grow on him. Everyday she never left his side besides the few distractions. Her growth made her look more like a dog. Eventually a routine had formed. When she woke up the first thing she did was let herself out and then wait at the end of his bed. Sasuke awoke a few minutes later and then got dressed for training. She obediently followed by his side while on their way to Sasuke's desired training grounds.
When Sasuke warmed up she ran and played like any normal puppy would, but once he started his real training, she made sure she was well out of his way. After training they went to a near by creek. She often played in the water while Sasuke relaxed under a tree. Lunch time would come around and Sasuke ate what ever he brought while she desperately hunted for a snack.
Then they would find things to do and end their day. There was no verbal conversation and hardly any physical contact but there was an unseen understanding between them that Sasuke intentionally ignored.
As the seasons changed, so did her maturity. Course black and white hair out grew her fluffy coat. Her paws now fit her grown body. It was winter and was her favorite season because she got to play in the snow while Sasuke trained. They went out for their daily routine. Sasuke had gone a different way and for the first time was on a more public road.
An occasional traveler would pass and the unwanted company of more than just Sasuke made her uneasy. Sasuke paid no attention to her as he thought of unusual things. If I've had her by my side for this long, should I at least name her? I should name her to give her a sense of existence, but then I would be showing softness. I don't know what I'll do. And even if I was to name her, what would it be?
A small child waved at her and she wagged her tail as the passed. The child's mother grabbed his hand and hurried him along while a red rubber ball occupied his other hand. The child's grip slipped and the ball bounced into the middle of the road. She watched it carefully and stopped following Sasuke. It stood out in the white patchy snow on the dirt road.
All of her instincts screamed at her to fetch the ball for the little boy but she continuously looked at Sasuke's fading figure. The little boy slipped away from his distracted mother and went after his shiny red ball. As he picked it up, he noticed her watching him. He smiled at her and threw the ball towards her. She failed to restrain herself and caught the ball.
In the distance Sasuke stopped to see her interacting with someone other than him for the first time. She proudly trotted over to the little boy to return his ball. The boy then petted her head. She had forgotten how nice it felt to be petted and wagged her tail. He threw the ball again and she sprinted after it. Joy overwhelmed her as she caught the ball and ran towards the little boy.
Sasuke noticed a speeding horse drawn cart coming their way and the unknown feeling of stopping her from harms way yelled at him to stop the cart. She then saw the cart with no intention of stopping or slowing down. The little boy had no knowledge of any danger and waited for the return of his ball. She ran even faster while the ball bounced out of her mouth. Sasuke desperately hesitated.
Her paws dug into the snow as adrenaline pumped throughout her body. The cart was ten feet away from the naive child. Sasuke's heart beat in his ears which took him by surprise. Her nose reached the boy's stomach and she pushed with all her strength, sending the little boy into the snow on the side of the dirt road. Sasuke felt like a charka filled kunai had reached his heart and pierced through.
The cart didn't even slow down after hitting a bump. Bright red covered the once white snow. There she lay panting with a bloody nose. Most of her ribs had broken, piercing her internal organs. Sasuke was at her side before the cart was out of site. The little boy crawled out of the snow and cried while he ran for his mom, leaving them alone. Snow began to fall.
She whimpered but somehow managed to wag her tail for Sasuke. With what strength she had left she moved her head on rest his Sasuke's knees. Her beautiful blue and brown eyes looked into his as if she tried to tell him she loved him. Sasuke felt his hand gently pet her head. She looked at him and what looked like a smile formed on her bloody mouth.
Her beautiful eyes began to dull and her breathing slowly ceased. He petted her black fur regardless of the blood. His throat hurt and he didn't know why. With the knowledge of death lingering he said to her, "Tamae… I shall call you Tamae." Her bloody tongue licked his hand. She cried from the intense pain but still stubbornly wagged her tail.
Sasuke's throat hurt even more as he continued to pet her head. Her eyes dulled, her chest ceased, and her tail fell limp. The whimpering stopped along with her warmth. Death had stolen her from him. Water overfilled his eyes despite his protest and trickled down his cheeks. He gently put his shaking hand over her eyes and closed them. Tears, that's what they are called. His heart ached as the tears fell upon the empty shell.
The drifting snow fell upon them. It gently clung to her black fur. Sasuke picked up her broken form and carried her to their favorite place by the creek. He set her down in the soft snow and began to dig by the tree they always sat by. His hands froze but he didn't care. When the hole was deep enough he petted Tamae's head with his red hands.
Her body was cold. He carefully set her in the cool ground. "Thank you, Tamae." He shoved the dirt and snow back into the hole. Sasuke carved Tamae into the tree and pilled a few rocks over her grave. He stared at the grave and remembered when she first looked at him. A pink cherry blossom glided onto her grave. He looked up at the tree to see that it was the last to fall. Sasuke looked up and felt the snowflakes fall upon his face. He then walked back to the road. After taking one last glance at the tree and back at the snow covered blood, he walked off into the horizon feeling as if once again, he had lost something.