Series: Naruto
Rating: G
Warnings: Italics, shortness, angst, my strange conception of grammatical stipulation, implied shounen-ai and exhausted metaphors.
Summary: The moon doesn't change, but how you see it does. Team Seven looks at the moon. Drabble. Naruto is many things, but romantic is not one of them.
Author: Mewling
Title: Perspectives
Perspectives
by mewling
I. Sakura
Sakura looks at the moon and sees a brightly glowing orb that's cool and indifferent. She thinks it's pretty- no, beautiful- and strong. It's far away, yet close enough to watch and be watched. The moon is aloof, above and better than those below. She looks and sees perfection and immortality, a cool silver surface merely enhanced by it's shadowy parts.
The moon makes her think of walks in parks lovers, dinners for two and cool nights with warm people. She thinks of a glass of cold water on a hot summer night, of lying on roofs and stargazing with friends. She thinks of telling constellations to someone who is more interested in having a one-sided staring contest with the person on the other side of her. She thinks of unrequited love, because the moon never gives back to the sun.
She knows exactly how far the moon is from the earth's surface. She knows exactly what is made of and knows its rotation –a day- is in fact twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes and four seconds. Sakura can recite the laws of gravity and the effect of the moon on the water and when and why tides occur.
Although she knows all these things about the moon, she knows nothing of its past, and although she knows the how she'll never know the why or understand it. Sakura looks at the moon and above all, she sees it's far away and she knows she'll never, ever, be able to touch it.
II. Sasuke
Sasuke looks at the moon and sees an inadequate replacement for the sunlight. He sees a sphere that will never do anything but reflect the glory of the sun. The moon offers no warmth, because it is weak. It doesn't give life, or support it. The surface of the moon is covered with dark smears of imperfection and it doesn't even show a full half but for a few days of a month. Sasuke sees the moon as always half hidden, always cold, and always lonely.
The moon makes him think of chasing blue shadows on moonlight missions, of pressing his body against cool bark and disguising his breath, of the eerie silence of a perfect assassination, strange dreams that soak the pillows with sweat and of forbidden longings. It makes him remember all he has worked so hard to repress and questions his motives on everything. Sasuke doesn't like been made to think about what he should do and what he shouldn't, because he'll walk this path he set out years before even if it kills him.
So Sasuke thinks it weird when he's lying on a roof like a lazy idiot and sitting with his team mates as if they're his friends. It's even weirder because he's looking across at him and he the moonlight must make his eyes crazy because there's no way it's possible to be that beautiful. And she's chattering about Byakko's and Subaru's like she's afraid of silence.
Sasuke doesn't like the moon, because Sasuke looks at the moon and sees himself.
III. Kakashi
Kakashi looks at the moon and sees a great silver eye constantly watching his every move. The moon is beyond his scope of understanding and control and for that he fears it. It's a measure of time, and Kakashi doesn't count how many full moons he's ever seen, but he knows it's a lot and it make him feel old. They just keep coming, and he wonders what's happening in between 'cause he can't remember. Kakashi's skin as smooth and unblemished under the moonlight and reminds him he's actually quite young.
The moon makes him think of pale butterflies chasing each other against dark grasses, of the illumination of a room through glass that makes them so vulnerable, of people he's killed without ever seeing their faces, of moonlight through broken blinds on a woman's pale skin and miscalculations and regret. It reminds him of confusing youth with innocence and watching his students watching stars at full moon and trying to pretend it will last. He wants them to believe it will, but none of them are that deluded.
He'd like to forget a lot of things he supposes he's cursed to carry and is glad he's not an Uchiha 'cause that'd be even worse. When Kakashi watches the moon, the moon watches him so they're looking at each other. Kakashi doesn't chase the moon anymore, because he's learnt it'll never come any closer.
A part of him wishes he didn't care so much and that he were a bit more evil and cold. Kakashi looks at the moon and sees his past and refuses to let his students from becoming like him.
IV. Naruto
Naruto looks at the moon and sees a spherical rock that rotates the earth. He sees it reflect varying degrees of sunlight depending on its own rotation. He looks at the moon and sees a satellite much like other planet's satellites, so thinks nothing of it.
The moon makes him think it's probably near his bedtime and gees it's cold tonight. Naruto's the sort of person who does a lot of thinking that nothing really comes from, so he might even briefly think it's a full moon and the bugs must be going mad.
He's strong enough that his demons –both literal and figurative- of the past aren't enough to make him ask existential questions, or even cause him to feel sad. Naruto knows that he'll always have bad memories, but that's good because it means there are lots of things that'll make him happy in the future. He doesn't like to be controlled, even by his own dreams, so he's happy just to sit on a roof watching the moon with his friends and let the hours slip by.
So because Naruto looks at the moon and sees a moon, he wonders why his team mates see the full moon and look so lonely.
/END PERSPECTIVES/
A/N: I don't mind this. How…strange.
I. Sakura sees Sasuke. (It's obvious, but…)
I'm not sure if this is a happy or sad story. I was just a little sick of hearing how lonely Naruto was. Actually, the inspiration for this came when I was sitting in the yard staring at the full moon and thinking about toasting marshmallows. I thought what Naruto is thinking and wondered what the hell other people saw.
Naruto's strength of character is what I like, so I wanted to give him a less pathetic role than I've seen. Also, I find Kakashi's care for his students cute. I like Kakashi too…
Uh, I mean, please review.