Twirling

A SasuNaru Fluffy Oneshot

-o-o-o-o-o-

The raven-haired teenager looked out over the village, each wink of sunlight reflecting off of his jet-black eyes. The summer's day was one of the most beautiful Konoha had seen in several years and everyone was outside, relishing the absolute beauty of the daytime, without a care in the world. But Uchiha Sasuke wasn't like everyone else as he actually did have a care. He had something to think about.

Leaves from the trees nearby were caught by a gentle breeze, one loose leaf detaching itself from its parent tree and sweeping over towards Sasuke. It landed right on his hand. Sasuke picked the leaf off his hand with the other one, twirling it inbetween his fingers.

The shape and pattern of the leaf reminded him very much of the Konoha headband, but in particular the headband of one noisy, obnoxious Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke sighed, then lay back on Yondaime's head. The sun was no longer in his eyes, a nearby tree shading him from the sunlight and the resulting heat. Sasuke had pale skin, and no matter what he never seemed to tan. He had tried everything but everything didn't seem to be enough. His mind wandered like this sometimes, away from its battered and worn path, but he always continued to follow that path. That path to the heart of Naruto.

He remembered each and every time that Naruto had tried to prove himself to Sasuke, to show that he was better than him in some way. Sasuke's determination, of course, meant that the little blonde-haired Kyuubi kid was pushed back into position every time. But even though Naruto thought Sasuke regarded it as a game, the Uchiha avenger did not.

Sasuke took their little "game" as seriously as Naruto did. Naruto did it because it would mean he was one step closer to being Hokage. But Sasuke did it for an entirely different reason. He did it to encourage Naruto, to see him shine, to see the blonde boy smile. To the Uchiha that was all that mattered sometimes.

Everyone thought Sasuke was only alive to get revenge on his brother. He was after all, an Uchiha avenger. But he wasn't alive just for that reason. Over time the killing of his brother became less and less important, and the only thing that did become even more important than that was Naruto. Sasuke had never considered himself as one to care about others, but all that time he had been with Orichimaru he realised something - he missed Naruto.

He missed the way the little baka always seemed to try his hardest, even if it did look bleak.

Sasuke remembered the time when Naruto had said he couldn't recognise Sasuke, because all he saw was a coward. It had been an emotional blow to his ego and pride, but to be honest it had only spurred him on to help Naruto even more.

He also missed the way that the boy instilled courage in everyone around him.

Naruto was like a little lamp in the darkness, shimmering bravely, battered by the storms that passed but still going strong. That was something that he could only ever wish to acheive. For most it didn't work, and even though Naruto had not wished for it, he had recieved this perfecting gift.

He missed the way Naruto always tried to beat him. He missed Naruto's grin, smile, and his unique approach to life. He was everything Sasuke wished that he himself could be, and this was enough to unlock the strongest chains on his emotions.

If there was such a thing as perfection, Sasuke realised that Naruto was it. The leaf in his hand battled bravely against the breezes that rocked it, and yet it still remained in the palm of his hand. He wished he only had the same of Naruto. He wished and wished, like he had wished every night that someday he would kill his brother, but even now, at the age of seventeen, years after he had left Konoha Sasuke wasn't sure that his wish would ever come true. His wishes never did.

The leaf was released to the wind. It swished down off the Hokage's heads, twirling as it made its way to the village below. A young man, blonde with azure blue eyes stopped in the street and looked up. He saw the little leaf, swirling and doing rolls in the air as it made its way down towards him, finally landing in the palm of his hand.

Naruto looked up. Sasuke was gone.