Summary: The first three times he saw her, he did a 180 and went for the door. "I remember drinking myself half to death, thinking I was ugly, undesirable, and that I'd never fall in love again. Your sister found me and brought me back to her room, and at the height of my lamentations, you come in, and make me want to be wrong again."
A/N: Yes. "What am I doing writing a new fic without updating Solitaire?!" I apologize profusely, but I've reached a wall with that, and my schedule has really been tight. Being a college student is drastically different from being a high school student… Enough excuses. :P
I wrote this out of the blue, the night before classes resume. It is a few inches short of plotless, and I realize I really have been neglecting my writing. ()
On with the story~! :D
Disclaimer: Naruto would suck if I owned it. XP
Completing the Circle
by kiuna'yukina
When he first saw her, she was half-asleep, probably drunk, clad in purple kitty pajamas, and demanding the annihilation of all mankind. He wouldn't have noticed her if not for her bright pink hair, and even then, she wouldn't have made an impression if she had not grabbed him by the cuff of his collar, raised her nose next to his and muttered vengefully, "Die, die, die…"
Caught by surprise, he found himself speechless, and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face as he thought, "She's a psycho…"
He would've tried to pry her hands off his shirt, if she didn't pass out the moment he blinked.
He did an immediate 180 and bolted out the door.
The next time he saw her, she was in a much, much better state than he first saw her in. He noticed her eyes were a startling shade of green, and that her smile was nothing short of brilliant. She was short, he realized, not having noticed the huge height difference when she had pounced on him back in his sister's dorm.
As luck would have it, he was wandering around the dormitory building's third floor a few days ago, looking for his sister when he heard her voice come from an open door and proceeded to enter it.
His thoughts cut off abruptly when he saw Naruto's hand on her shoulder.
He did a quick 180 and made briskly for the door.
The third time he saw her, she was even more striking to his senses than the second time or the first, but as it was, she didn't even know his name, so he made no move to talk to her. He simply sat there with his hands crossed in front of his face, silently watching her.
She was trying to reach a large, and most likely heavy, book placed on the top shelf of the school library's medical section, and he was just about to stand up and help her when Lee appeared out of nowhere, joyfully proclaiming the "Wonders of Youth!" and reaching up to get the book for her. She smiled at him in thanks, and he beamed with the "Springtime of Youth!"
He stood up, did a 180, and walked slowly towards the door.
He didn't see much of her after that, but she always popped up in little intermissions in his head, their first encounter playing repeatedly, with greater clarity each time. She still smelled like flowers even after drinking, he realized, and she made him think of the sun. Nevermind that she was washed out and bloodshot at the time.
He wondered how she knew Naruto, and if she knew Lee, and pondered on whether it was right for him to go up and introduce himself to her.
He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts, and plopped down under the shade of a particularly leafy tree – summer had come earlier this year, and the heat was unbearable.
He wondered where she was right now, and with whom she was with, not minding what she was doing, if only she was doing it with him. He let out a sigh, and mentally conked his mind; he wasn't supposed to be thinking like this, she wasn't supposed to be dancing in his head.
She wasn't supposed to be singing either, his brain added, and only then did he jerk up, did a 180, and found her crying behind the tree he was lounging under.
She still hadn't noticed he was there, and although he itched to comfort her, his body selfishly wished to hear her voice more. She was singing a sad, love song softly, one about heartbreak, broken promises, and tears, about a boy who lied about love and a girl who lost.
At that moment he decided he couldn't take any more, so he carefully made his way next to her, and settled in next to her without a word.
She made no move to make it seem like she knew he was there, but her voice grew softer, and the song came to an end. She closed her eyes and leaned on him, inhaling his soothing scent, and whispering, "You finally came."
His eyes widened, and he tried to peer down at her face, but all he saw were pink strands of strawberry-scented hair, and all he could feel was the reassuring weight of her small body resting against his.
"You know me," he answered haltingly, and she shifted closer to him before answering, "Yes."
He leaned against the tree, stared at the swaying leaves above, and wondered what gods he had appeased this time.
"Since when?"
She traced small circles into the back of his hand; he closed his eyes, reveling in the softness of her touch.
"Ever since I told you to die, and you turned away from me."
He smiled, and she leaned away from him.
"I was always waiting for you to come up to me. You always did a 180 and did the opposite."
"I never learned your name."
"You never asked."
She leaned against the tree and laid her head next to his, him leaning a bit to the side, leaning closer to her.
"I was heartbroken at that time, you know. My very first boyfriend had just dumped me, and it was him who cheated. I found him making out with another girl, and he hadn't even kissed me yet. I remember drinking myself half to death, thinking I was ugly, undesirable, and that I'd never fall in love again. Your sister found me and brought me back to her room, and at the height of my lamentations, you come in, and make me want to be wrong again."
He turned his head and buried his face into her hair, his voice muffled as he asked, "Wrong about what?"
She took his hand, and looked him straight in the eyes, losing herself in their mesmerizing depths. He noticed the dried tearstains on her face, and moved his free hand to trace them.
"Wrong about falling in love."
He stopped his ministrations, his hand resting on her cheek, eyes questioning, and asked her. "How can you fall in love with someone whose name you don't even know?"
She smiled softly, leaned into his palm, and answered quietly, "How can you fall in love with someone who told you to die, Sasuke?"
His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, but she giggled and placed a finger to his lips.
"I'm not a stalker, contrary to what you might believe. Your sister's just an enthusiastic matchmaker."
He made a face that brought his eyebrows together- a sign of confusion and disbelief- another first for him.
"Don't you want to know my name, Sasuke?"
He shook himself out of the trance he had been in, and found her smiling encouragingly up at him. He resisted the urge to return the gesture, and muttered, "I never said I was in love with you…"
She merely rolled her eyes, and nudged him, "Well?"
He shrugged hesitantly, and at the knowing look on her face, resorted to a small nod.
At that she grinned, broke free from him, stood up and said, "Well, you're going to have to work for it."
She then did a graceful 180 and strode off into the sun.
A/N: Haha, yeah... I did say it was plotless, didn't I? Hope you enjoyed all the same!
Please do leave a review, it means a lot. :D
Domo arigatou~!
