Hello, everyone! Thank you for choosing to read my first fanfiction! I appreciate reviews, but no flames, please.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the anime Naruto. Naruto © Masashi Kimimoto.
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It was quiet.
And dark.
Snow clung to high trees in the large forest, glittering splendidly in the moonlight. Nothing made a sound, except the hooting of an owl in the distance. Alone in the middle of a clearing stood a girl.
Me.
Perhaps, if I had more common sense, I would have had the intention of bringing a coat to keep me warm from the cold temperature.
But I loved the snow.
Because snow was beautiful and quiet.
Just like him.
Snow was merciless to those who underestimated it.
Just like him.
Snow was frozen.
Just like him.
It had been such a long time since he left the village; I barely remember the last conversation we had before he took off. He never even said goodbye to me.
"Re-chan!" called my temporary guardian. The lanterns on the back porch made the snow glow a red tinge from the color of the paper. I turned towards the door, where my guardian, Konan, stood.
"Come inside, you!" she exclaimed, somewhat huffily. "Stop standing outside in the snow thinking about him!"
I sighed and resigned to her command, climbing the back porch, passing the sakura tree that was in bloom nearby.
Fuyuzakura.
Cherry blossoms that bloomed in the winter. He had once compared me to them. Even though I had asked him about one of his teammates, named after the blossom itself, he had shook his head and told me that her name refered to the flowers in spring. I was his winter flower, and I remember laughing at him when he made such a comparison quite fondly. He was never really good at expressing emotion. He never really had a longing to because of the family he'd lost.
My guardian, Konan, shut the door and locked it as quickly as she possibly could after I walked in. She wore a cloak over her night wear. I turned to look at the design. Black, with red clouds.
Akatsuki.
I remember the first time I saw Konan. I was alone, and heartbroken. I had left the village of Konoha, hoping that he had not gone far and that I could still convince him to stay. He had left a few weeks earlier, and I had been shattered, like a broken mirror; all the pieces in a jumble. I remember sitting down at the base of the fuyuzakura tree in front of a beautiful, but small Japanese-style house. Then it was summer, so the flowers were not in bloom.
I remember being frustrated with myself. My friends back in Konoha were trying to bring him back. I had only wished I had the ability to do the same. To run like a cheetah, to have the strength of a tiger, and the ferocity of a lion, such like a ninja. I did not because I came from a different world, were ninjas seldom were active except in fiction.
Alone.
He had once described it to me- the feeling of loneliness. I never really understood it, until he had left…
"It's like you are hollow. Even the slightest cold breeze will sting you inside."
The cold wind did reach me inside. My heart froze. It was then I saw her. She had bent down to help me. "What is wrong?" she had asked me. Her black cloak trembled in the breeze.
I had been terribly frightened of her. I knew of his brother and the organization that he worked for. The fact that her organization was searching for some of my friends to extract what they wanted gave me a sickening lurch in my stomach. She saw this in my eyes (Apparently she told me so), and told me that she had quit the organization, and not to worry. She told me that the house I saw in front of me was hers, and that I was welcome to stay with her, if I wanted.
It was only then I had seen the look in her eyes. Perhaps it was the reason she left, I do not know. Her eyes held loneliness, pain, I'm sure the same traits she noticed in my eyes as well. That was one of the bonds she realized we shared. I accepted her offer.
Over the span of two years we realized we had something more in common than we had thought.
We both had people who we loved taken away from us by cruel fate. We both wanted to be strong to get them back.
She promised she would teach me.
Konan-san was an origami master- she could make any shape out of any paper of any color. In the first days I spent with her, I would just sit and watch her folding different arrays of origami shapes while I sat and drank some tea.
She had told me that origami was her specialty, her trait. I had always been fascinated by origami as a child. Unfortunately, I did not have the skill to make such pieces of art. The instructions always confused me when I read them in the book. She laughed at that, because she had always thought it was easy.
I had explained to her early my dilema, the fact that I was not a ninja and did not even know how to defend myself. She also laughed at that. When I had asked her why, she had told me that she had thought she saw fire in my eyes when she met me. She would tug a tendril of my long black hair teasingly, then go back to her origami.
After a while she started to teach me the art of becoming a ninja. One time when she showed me how to test my chakra, she was amazed when she observed the level of it that I had. When I had asked her why she looked so surprised, she had told me that my level of chakra almost matched hers.
Soon, with careful training from Konan-san, I became stronger. I gained the knowledge I never thought I would have. In the second year I was sparring daily with Konan-san. She always would say that I'd get better everyday. It was the determination that I would bring him back to Konoha myself that kept me going.
That was what had happened leading up to now.
I dusted the excess snow off my white winter dress, sliding onto the comfortable couch and pulling up a fleece blanket. Konan sighed and clucked her tongue. She knew the reason why I did certain things. It was the hundredth time or so I had gone out in the snow without a coat. It was because I could remember him better that way.
"When will you give up on that damn little Uchiha?" she asked me, half amused, half sarcastic.
I gave her a glare. "When you give up on him." I retorted, stressing the 'him'.
She chuckled and seated herself on the couch next to me. "You're right. I'll never do that."
Konan-san once had someone she loved who also worked in the Akatsuki. The main problem had been the possessive leader, who had forbidden Konan-san to even exchange a word with the one she loved. Because of this, Konan-san had quit the organization and left. Her lover was still out there, somewhere. I knew of a few people in the Akatsuki, but I could never guess who she would speak about so fondly to me. She never described physical traits, although I had told her everything about him.
I sighed. "I just wish that I could see him again." I rubbed my hands together. Now that I had come in I realized how cold I was.
Konan-san smiled and tugged on the necklace I was wearing. It was a small chain with five sakura blossoms made of pink shell. A gift from him, a long time ago when I went with his team to the Land of Snow for a mission. After the Land of Snow became the Land of Spring, he had bought me the necklace in the first store opening for the festival.
"Cheer up, kiddo," she said. She let go of the chain. "There's still hope for you two yet." Saying that, she got up from the couch and stretched her arms. "I'm going to bed." She said, yawning as if to prove her point.
I looked at the clock over the fireplace to the left. It was only 6:30. "You're going to bed this early?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Konan-san shrugged. "I'm tired." She ruffled my hair and trudged up the stairs. "Goodnight, Re-chan."
I smiled. "Goodnight, Konan-san." I returned pleasantly.
Konan smirked and shook a finger at me. "No more going outside tonight." She said.
I sighed but nodded obediently. She chuckled and made her way to her room on the second floor. My room was straight across the top of the stairs through a small hallway. Her room was up the stairs down the hallway to the right.
I settled into the couch under the blanket after hearing Konan-san shut off the sink in the bathroom and close her bedroom door. Glancing at the small table to the left where she made her origami, I eyed the paper sitting in a small stack. The room I sat in was full of origami. All of it was made by Konan-san.
Around 7:00 I got a craving for a hot drink, so I went through the door on the left next to Konan's origami table into the kitchen. There, I made some chamomile tea while watching it snow more outside.
By the time I finished drinking my tea it was time for bed. I went upstairs, but not before checking to make sure that all the doors and windows were locked.
Upstairs in my bedroom I got ready for bed and crawled in. Since it was wintertime, Konan-san had supplied me with some extra fleece blankets to keep me warm. Snuggling into them I watched the snow fall outside. Slowly, I soon fell asleep.
I was surrounded by onyx.
Like the color of his eyes, I easily got lost in it. I felt like I was floating, and then, my feet touched the ground.
I could feel myself start to walk. Off in the distance I heard the sound of something going drip drip drip.
I couldn't really see where I was going. The black void was never-ending.
"Hello?" I called into the darkness. My voice seemed to echo forever away.
"Re-chan." Someone called back to me.
I recognized the voice and turned around instantly. He was right there, in front of me. He looked the same as when I last remembered him. The only thing was that his face was in shadow. I didn't know what he looked like in the present so I saw him the way I knew him.
"Sasuke?" I asked, walking towards the figure of said person.
My Sasuke smirked, outstretching a hand to me. He was so close. All I wanted to do was embrace him.
So I did.
"I'm so glad it's you!" I cried, grasping him so I could never let him go. If he was here, it meant that everything bad was over. He could live a normal life again. I just wanted to stay there with him.
"Actually," said Sasuke, squeezing me a little tighter. He bent down close to my ear. I expected him to say something sweet, but my blood ran cold from his words. "I'm not Sasuke."
I pushed away from 'Sasuke' and looked at him in horror. "What are you talking about?!" I shouted at him.
At that moment, my Sasuke revealed his face. When he did I knew my Sasuke was no longer there. Sasuke's face was not his anymore.
It was Orochimaru's.
"No." I choked, shaking my head. "No, it's not real. Go away. Bring him back."
Orochimaru in Sasuke's body smiled. It was an eerie smile.
One made by a mad, horrific man.
"Why? You don't like me anymore, Re-chan?" Asked 'Sasuke'. The voice that used to be my Sasuke's was replaced by Orochimaru's voice.
I backed away.
"Don't touch me." I said. Panic laced my words.
If Orochimaru had taken over Sasuke's body, it meant that…
Sasuke was dead.
Dead.
DEAD.
"No." I said to myself. I shook my head roughly. "No, no, no, no!"
"Yes, Re-chan…" 'Sasuke' said, laughing. "Yes…"
I shook my head again. "Sasuke would never let this happen!" I shouted at Orochimaru.
'Sasuke' grinned, seeing my pained expression.
"He did."
I woke up with a start, sitting up on the bed. Taking deep breaths, I took in my surroundings and calmed down when I saw it was my room.
I couldn't believe what I had seen. I couldn't comprehend…
Memories came rushing back from the nightmare. I had to get some air.
I listened to see if Konan-san had woken up when I did. She hadn't. Getting up from my bed, I put on some shoes.
Since I knew Konan-san would be angry at me for going outside again, I put on a coat to satisfy her if she asked in the morning.
Slowly making my way downstairs, I opened the door to the back porch. Snow had filled up the footprints I had made a few hours earlier. I breathed in the cold air and stepped out, shutting the door behind me.
I made my way down the stairs to the snow laden ground. I took a deep breath, savoring the smell of frozen rain in the air. I looked at the fuyuzakura tree, most of its petals covered in snow.
My nightmare came back to me. I shuddered, and then I realized my hands were shaking. I choked back a sob. It didn't work. A few tears were released from my eyes. They froze halfway down my cheeks.
I'd never had such a nightmare before. I never suspected that the worst nightmare I could ever have would be one without blood and gore. It was just Sasuke and me. Or Orochimaru and me. Ew.
I shook again, and this time more tears came out.
"Sasuke." I said to the night air, watching the glistening snow. "I wish you were here."
I liked the way his name sounded when it was so quiet in the night. The snow had stopped falling for the moment. I never knew how much I would miss him. But I did. I guess that meant it was true love.
But it was one-sided affection, wasn't it?
I sighed, closing my eyes to think.
"Re-chan…?"
I opened my eyes automatically. Did I just hear what I thought I had heard?
His voice…calling my name.
"Sasuke?" I called, louder. My voice echoed through the trees.
I was dissapointed. His voice had sounded so real. I tried again, in a failed attempt to give me some hope.
"Sasuke?" I said, louder than the second time. My voice echoed again through the silent night, and I gave up. I turned around to go back in.
"You called?"
I froze. His voice had just spoken again.
Behind me.
I turned abruptly and couldn't believe what I saw.
I saw him.
My happiness.
My beloved.
My Sasuke.
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. I couldn't believe it.
He didn't look very different from the last time I saw him two years ago. Just older. And more handsome.
Damn.
He was dressed differently. I couldn't really tell what he was wearing because he was had a black cloak on. Some snow was on his eyelashes and hair. He had been outside for a while.
Had he been watching the house?
He looked at me with a stoic expression on his face, watching my eyes intensely.
I watched him, too.
"Am I hallucinating?" I asked him bluntly.
I saw a spark of something in his eyes. He smirked at me.
"You think I am an illusion, don't you?" he asked me. I was surprised when I noticed something in his voice.
Pain.
Like he was upset I thought he wasn't real.
"When Re-chan calls, I come." He said quietly. He approached me slowly, outstretching his hand towards me.
I was reminded of my nightmare. I backed away a few steps.
He stopped advancing towards me, confusion on his face.
"How do I know you aren't Orochimaru?" I asked, my voice wavering.
His eyes narrowed. "If I was that snake, I wouldn't be coming to find you, would I?" he asked quietly, looking at fuyuzakura tree to his left.
A sigh of relief went through me. Orochimaru wouldn't have come to find me. I was no special concern of his.
This time, I knew it was the real him. I dove into his arms.
"I'm sorry." I sobbed, grasping the front of his cloak. He froze for only a second, before putting his arms around me, holding me to his chest.
We stayed like that for a while, but I didn't care.
Sasuke didn't seem to mind either. He refused to let go of me.
"How do you do it…?" he asked me quietly.
I raised my eyebrows in confusion, even though he couldn't see it. "Do what?" I asked.
Sasuke was quiet for a moment.
"Make me suffer more than I already do…?" he asked again, softly.
I froze. "I…make you suffer…?" I asked him, my voice choking.
He pulled away, putting me at arms length.
His eyes did not leave my face. "The fact that I hurt you…don't you despise me?"
I stared into his eyes.
"No," I told him. I put my hand into my coat and pulled out the necklace for him to see. Comprehension dawned on his face.
"I don't hate you," I told him.
He frowned, as if trying to understand. "But why?"
I smiled sadly at him. "Because I love you."
There. I said it. He could refuse me if he wanted. Even if it would break my heart to pieces again.
I turned my face to the right, watching the fuyuzakura tree. "If you don't feel the same, it's okay."
He was silent for a moment, but then I felt his hand to my face, turning it so I was facing him.
I didn't know what was happening until I felt his lips on mine. They were soft and warm, surprising for the deadly ninja that he was. I closed my eyes and kissed back, happier than I had been for two years.
We separated after a few moments. I smiled at him, touching his face with my fingertips.
He was real.
"I love you, too…" he told me softly, and for the first time, a small smile graced his gorgeous face.
I came closer and rested my head on his chest. He tightened his grip around me. "You mean it…?" I asked, closing my eyes.
His mouth was at my ear. "Aa. I do." He whispered softly.
I smiled to myself. I was going to take care of him.
My heart was not frozen anymore.
I love you, my Sasuke…
Inside the house on the second floor, Konan watched the two lovers embracing each other through her bedroom window. She smiled to herself, before closing the blinds to go back to bed.
"Well, there's some blackmail for tomorrow morning." she said, chuckling as she fell asleep again. On her nightstand was a small camera, the roll of film all full.
~ Owari ~