The stupid mission had been a disaster. Naruto had tripped on a booby trap wire, setting off all the traps that had been protecting the thieves' hideout. Him, Sasuke and Sakura had to fight their way through a maze of flying kunai and shuriken, escape a 2 ton, massive stone ball, electrical barbed wires that surround all the possible escape routes, and many other traps.
The Uchiha wasn't happy at all.
And what the worst part was, when they came back, they didn't know they would be facing an aftermath that send Sasuke so far off the edge. Sighing and knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep without thinking about everything that happened over the last few hours, he left to go walk around the park to clear out his head.
When he got there, he was faintly relieved that no-one was there, and that he had the whole place to himself. But then again, who would be at the park at 1:00 in the morning?
"Just a castaway…an island lost at sea. Another lonely day, No-one here but me…."
The voice was too far way to make out the words, and Sasuke thought that he was just hearing things. It wasn't even like it was one of those bad horror movies in which there was thunder and lighting and it was like a creepy child-like voice. Nope, this was a bright night in which the full moon was shining up everything, and the stars were there too. Sasuke looked around the peaceful place and for a second, the bad day seemed to be many weeks ago.
"More loneliness, than any man could bear, rescue me before I fall into despair…"
And just like that, there it was again. Sasuke was starting to wonder who in their right mind would be singing songs in the middle of the night-in a park no less-and headed farther into the pathway. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt like he had heard the stupid song before. Sighing, he tired to ignore it when the wind picked up again.
"I'll send an s.o.s to the world…I'll send an s.o.s to the world….I hope that someone gets my….I hope that someone gets my…I hope that someone gets my, Message in a bottle…Message in a bottle"
Maybe the black-haired ninja was just hallucinating and there wasn't anything there. Maybe he was just so tired that he was starting to drift and his imagination was starting to make him paranoid. Or it could have been an enemy. Sasuke shook his head as he kicked a rock out of the way. It couldn't have been an enemy, he thought, the voice sounds too…sweet. It was almost like the voice was trying to sooth his mind, put him at ease. He found himself eagerly waiting for the next line.
"A year has passed since I wrote my note, but I should have known this right from the start…Only hope can keep me together. Love can mend your life, But love can break your heart…"
His coal-black eyes snapped in the direction of the voice and he bolted for the swings. The voice was coming there for sure! He ran, and it felt like the wind was pushing his back, helping him to run even faster. He couldn't stop the small smile that was tugging his lips. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. It was like he could everything right.
He came to face a figure sitting on a lone swing, gently rocking it back and forth. The figure didn't seem to notice his presence, and if it did, then it completely ignored him. He walked a little closer to notice a little girl with long dark hair that looked black. She was wearing a thin, white dress and white shoes with little flowers on them. So much for the theory of it not being a kid. Sasuke thought wearily.
"I'll send an s.o.s to the world…I'll send an s.o.s to the world…I hope that someone gets my-"
The voice suddenly stopped and the little girl slowly turned around, as if she finally noticed someone was there. Sasuke braced himself for something, but realized how stupid it was when he realized he was scared of a little girl. When the girl was fully turned around, she gave Sasuke a wide smile. By the looks of her soft face, she was maybe only 9 or 10. She didn't say anything but she waved her hand as if she wanted Sasuke to come over to her.
And so he did. Sasuke didn't really know why, but he just felt drawn to the little girl. He fell onto the swing next to her, and was about to ask why she was here, but the girl kept singing.
"I hope that someone gets my…I hope that someone gets my…Message in a bottle….Message in a bottle. Ooh... message in a bottle…Message in a bottle"
Sasuke didn't know why, but he couldn't stop the girl from singing. He didn't want to ruin the peaceful air that somehow washed over him in the past few minutes since he came to the park. He looked back at the girl, who gave him a big smile and joy filled her eyes as she kept singing. She had this really pale skin-almost translucent. She had delicate features, like a doll's. So why was she out in a park like this?
"Walked out this morning. Dont believe what I saw A hundred billion bottles, Washed up on the shore….Seems I'm not alone in being alone. A hundred billion castaways, Looking for a home"
Though he didn't know it, Sasuke forgot about the booby traps, and fighting and aftermaths, and even his brother for a moment while he listened. The girl kept swinging and singing. But before Sasuke knew it, the song was over and the girl was lightly shaking him. When he snapped out of his daze she said, "Thanks for listening to my song." Her voice was soft. Sasuke gave a small smirk. "You're welcome."
The little girl looked back at the ground and kicked off the ground a little, and her grip around the chain grew a little stronger. "No one's listened to my song before." Sasuke looked up at the sky. "Well there's a first time for everything." The girl didn't look up, but she grinned a little. "That means I can finally sleep in peace." That caught the Uchiha's attention. His eyes flashed down to meet hers, and she gave him a grin."Thank you Sasuke." She whispered, and when Sasuke blinked, she was gone. Sasuke stared at the spot she had just been in and a slow smile tugged at his lips when he realized what happened. He got up, dusted himself off, and walked back home.
The wind was whispering in his ear the next day. It's singing, he thought, it's singing a ghost song.