Kino: sigh Hello, mina
Disclaimer: I, Puddles-dono, solemnly swear that I do not own Naruto. All characters of the Naruto series belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sama.
Author's notes: Sometimes I call the characters by the name of an animal that describes them, like sometimes I call Sasuke "raven" or Kakashi "wolf". I even call Iruka "dolphin" sometimes. You could probably guess which is which with ease.
Reminiscent
A SasuNaru Fanfiction
By Puddles-dono
Chapter 1: Repay
It was a peaceful morning; the first peaceful morning the raven had seen in a while.
Leaning on the bridge, he looked around at the not-so-freshly fallen snow. It was slightly brown from the previous hours when the genin where training.
His obsidian eyes turned skyward. Judging by the ominous looking cloud cover, this dirty slush would soon be covered by yet another coat of pure white snowflakes.
The young man sighed, pulling his scarf more securely around his ivory throat to block the bitter cold wind.
Man, it's cold…Kakashi had better get here sooner than later. Actually, If he new what was good for him, he'd be here already.
He shivered again and crossed his arms tight against his chest. Growling under his breath, he occupied himself with the familiar sight of the training grounds. It may have been covered in snow, but he could never mistake it.
Three wooden posts jutted out of a snow bank like a monument; a grave to team 7, now painfully nonexistent.
Sometimes the raven wished he could go back in time. His best and most cherished memories were with his genin squad. The three of them were the strongest and most dysfunctional team, consisting of a lovesick girl, a brooding and tortured soul, and a hyperactive maverick.
A brave, diligent, headstrong maverick. He exhaled heavily, the sigh escaping his lips forming a word that disappeared as a puff of white vapor.
"Thinking about him again, Sasuke-kun?" A voice murmured from behind him.
Sasuke turned and met the lazy, one-eyed gaze of his former sensei, Kakashi. He noticed the distant look in the raven's eyes that confirmed his suspicions and drew his brows together.
The silver haired man walked over to the younger, giving him a pat on the shoulder. The kind gesture was reassuring. Sasuke nodded, some life returning to his black eyes.
"By the way, why'd you call me here? You had better have a good reason." Sasuke said flatly, his hands in the pockets of his wool coat.
Kakashi's eye scrunched up a little in a lopsided smile, the mask hiding his face indenting a little at his lips.
Oh, no…Sasuke groaned internally, I know that look.
The older man reached behind him slowly and slipped his hand into the kunai bag attached to his belt. The metal inside clinked as his hand rummaged around its contents.
Grinning lecherously, he swiftly pulled out a book, bound in expensive looking blue leather, the words Icha Icha Paradise: Ultimate Make-Out written in gold katakana across the front and waved it mockingly in the Uchiha's face.
Sasuke stared; his stoic expression mildly mixed with irritation and annoyance.
"You like it? It's Jiraia-san's best and latest work. It's only available in the Sand's capital city and-"
The raven cut him off. "You made me stand out here in the cold for twenty minutes to show me a perverted book?" He turned and walked away at a brisk pace.
He knew this would be a waste of time. He was about to step off the bridge when he heard "Don't you want to know who sent it to me, Sasuke?"
This made him stop.
He heard the clinking of kunai again as he turned. Kakashi then walked closer, holding out his closed fist.
"He wanted you to have this." He dropped a cold piece of metal into the raven's hand.
Bringing it up to examine it, Sasuke thought, It's just a kunai…Who would give me something I already have plenty of?
That's when he noticed the handle.
It was wrapped in a loud orange colored strip of fabric. There were also spots of brown, which was most likely blood. He gripped the hilt, feeling the sensation of the familiar cotton, as the sense of bittersweet nostalgia swept over him. His onyx eyes softened.
Kakashi smiled genuinely behind the black mask. He actually looks a bit… he couldn't quite grasp the right word. Relieved, maybe?
"He told me that once you received that from me, you would understand…or something like that."
The younger looked up and nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Arigato, Kakashi-sensei."
The wolf murmured, "Well, that's that." He glanced at his watch. "Oh, it's later than I thought. Iruka is going to yell at me."
Sasuke smirked, "Again?"
Kakashi just turned with a sigh and waved a lazy goodbye over his slumped shoulder, disappearing with a light 'poof'.
He was staring at the spot the wolf had just occupied when his thoughts returned to the item in his hand. He leaned onto the bridge's railing with a sigh.
"Has it really been four years?" He murmured into the silent snowfall. He chuckled to himself, half-hearted.
Four years. He thought. Missing for four torturously long years.
Pushing himself off of the bridge, he scoffed in sudden frustration and stuffed the weapon into his kunai bag on his leg.
He then marched, sullen, off into the snow, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
He paused and turned, laying one last longing look at the three wooden pillars. After a few moments, he turned and began his short journey to the Uchiha estate.
Puddles: So…what do you think? Is Sasuke too soft?
Naruto: He seems a little mushy to me…Man, if he's this mushy four years after I left…
Puddles: That's true. I guess that's what loosing someone can do to you… hey, wait a minute! You haven't even been introduced into this story yet!
Naruto: So?
Puddles: Oo;; You don't come in until later! I can't let Sasuke see yo-
Sasuke: OO N-Naruto? NARUTO! tackles Naruto
Naruto: UWAH! flump
Puddles: Oh, man… Your make-out is ruining my story, you bakas! Anyway, reviews are strongly encouraged. Any constructive criticism is welcomed, as long as I get some ointment for the flames… Don't worry, Sasuke's not that mushy later on, he just misses his little uke bundle of sunlit joy. Ja ne!