Time for Change
Prologue: Replay Time
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Note: This was taken from the "prologue" to the original story. Please take a look at Living in a Daydream. I felt the need to make a separate fic, as the other one deemed useless. Living in a Daydream was originally meant to be angsty, but by the direction so far, I'm more than sure this will be more fluff than angst. So I decided to make this separately and more humorous; it would be wise to look at Living in a Daydream to understand this fanfic. :
A long week passed by; even at Sasuke's fast pace, the village he was headed to was farther than anyone had searched. However, the rivers of sweat flowing down his head had paid off. He perched on a tree as he eyed the large village gates before him. Trying to remember what people and ninja dressed like in the village from the time he had raided the sound, he finally remembered that it was unusually similar to Konoha. Looking down at his clothes, he smirked, and instead of white and black, it was a serene color of tea-green and white. Remembering his ANBU mask, he took that off, and hid it within his pack. He jumped down from the tree, and began walking closer to the gates. Exactly like Konoha, he was stopped by the village's ANBU.
"State your business."
"Weary ninja...betrayed by village."
The two ANBU stationed at the gates looked at each other, but were soon convinced as they saw his face glowing with sweat. With great hesitation, they let him through. His onyx eyes scanned the village inside, remembering where every building lay. Surprisingly, it was definitely too much like Konoha. He figured the Kage had some ties with Konoha, and soon went off to become a missing-nin to create this village. Searching his brain for the name of the village, it finally clicked as he saw the tea-green fabric on his skin.
The Village Hidden in the Tea.
He smirked at the thought. The village indeed reminded him of tea; it was serene, and showered with green trees and plants. Villagers here looked calm and kind; it just seemed to be the way their bodies were built. Sasuke continued walking on, and without paying attention, accidentally bumped into a woman.
"Ah...sorry," He said, trying to muster up the kindest voice he could.
The woman looked at him with great surprise; the look returned by Sasuke. Looking at her, it was like a mixed image of a child that Neji and Tenten never had. She had Neji's silky brown hair, and Tenten's deep chestnut eyes. Her eyes were widened, scanning the way his hair was jet black and stuck up, and the way his onyx eyes were deep and bearing. Sasuke could have sworn she saw a picture of this woman somewhere in Konoha. Looking closer, he found that her fingers were trembling; her eyes seeming on the brink of tears.
"...U-u-uchi-uchiha...?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. The Uchiha clan was well known in Konoha, not the Tea. His eyes flashed a dangerous red; the red and black swirls of the Sharingan present on his once cool façade.
"Sha-Sharingan, t-too?"
Her eerie knowledge of the Uchiha clan was unbearable.
"How do you know?" He hissed.
She was surprised by his sudden burst of ferocity. She forced a weak smile on her pale lips, her chestnut eyes closed.
"I'm sorry. Please, let me take you home and explain everything, Uchiha-san."
Sasuke stared at her for moments, his Sharingan staring into her chestnut eyes. Indeed, if she knew Neji and Tenten, it'd be amazing about how much she resembled them. Slowly, the red faded away, and his deep onyx eyes were left. He nodded, and slowly getting up, followed the woman to her home.
-:-
After a few minutes of walking, they had arrived a humble home. The woman opened the door with a key, and turned around to face her guest. She motioned for him to come in, and Sasuke complied. Looking around, it resembled something he had seen before. It looked like a room that would be in the Uchiha manor; except for the fact that instead of a blue, red, and white color scheme, it was green, white, and pink. The colors had an uncanny resemblance to Sakura; it made Sasuke wince and narrow his eyes to prevent emotions from flowing out.
"I'm sorry, is something bothering you, Uchiha-san?"
Sasuke glanced at his hostess, and shook his head slowly.
"Not at all."
She smiled, and motioned him to sit down on her couch. Once again, Sasuke complied, and looked around the room; everything about it reminded him of her. The smell, the scent, the colors; everything had an eerie resemblance to her.
"I'm sorry. I'm Rin. Pleased to meet you, Uchiha-san."
Sasuke glanced at her, and smirked.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Likewise."
Rin smiled at him, and took a seat on a chair on the other side of the couch.
"Would you like some tea?"
Sasuke nodded, and Rin disappeared into a room. Soaking in the silence, he leaned back onto the couch, and closed his eyes. Just being in this place was tearing him apart. Opening them again, his eyes wandered to a table between the couch and the table; a vase full of flowers and a picture frame stood on its wooden surface. Reaching out for the picture frame, he grabbed it in his calloused hands, and flipped it so he could face it. Looking at the picture beneath the glass surface, his heart skipped a beat. The pose, the people, the expressions; it was all too familiar to him.
It looks like Team 7's picture.
He looked closer, and found the masked man, scarecrow-like silver hair sticking up, his facial expression glaring. In the middle, resembled Sakura's happy pose, except with a brunette grinning madly. On the other side of her, was a man with hair that slightly resembled his, looking like Naruto's pose in their picture.
Time likes to replay itself.
Rin came back, bearing a plate with the teakettle and two cups. She saw the Uchiha holding the picture, and nearly dropped her tray.
"So you were on Kakashi's team."
At mention of the name, her eyes shot open wide, and she quickly placed the tray on the table and sat on the chair across from the man.
"How is Kakashi-kun? How is he?"
Sasuke smirked.
Kakashi-kun? Time really does like to replay itself...
"Kakashi-sensei? He's good and perverted as ever."
Rin's eyes widened.
"Kakashi-sensei? That scarecrow actually made it to Jounin?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"He was an ANBU once. I suppose he gave up his position. Perhaps so much death had caused him to realize what it was doing to him."
Rin's eyes softened. The truth came out of the man's words.
"By the way...is this man, on the left of you...was he an Uchiha?"
The woman's eyes closed, a weak smile playing on her face.
"Yes...he was. He died on a mission. I'm the one that gave Kakashi-kun his Sharingan. Obito-kun didn't deserve to die."
Sasuke closed his eyes, a small frown gracing his lips.
"No ninja on your team deserves to die. I suppose that's why Kakashi stressed teamwork so much in my Genin days."
Rin's eyes closed as well, and she took a sip of her green tea.
"I suppose he still visits the monument. He late all the time?"
Sasuke smirked.
"Every day."
A small smile graced Rin's lips, and she smiled.
"Tell me..." Sasuke began to ask.
Rin looked at him, acknowledging him to continue.
"You would have to be a great surgeon to have given Kakashi Obito-san's Sharingan. They must have been close to you for you to be call them '-kun'. I'm sure that Obito-san's death must have plagued you, maybe even haunted you. You must have loved Konoha with all your heart, like you were its mother and it your child. I can see the kindness in your eyes. Why did you leave? I'm sure your name is jotted down for Missing-nin."
Rin smiled.
"The pain of Obito-kun's death hurt me so. I could see that it hurt Kakashi-kun more than it hurt me. You know...they absolutely acted like they hated each other. Obito-kun definitely loved to be loud and obnoxious; Kakashi was more silent and serious about things. But I could tell they were the best of friends. Through Kakashi's hard eyes and Obito's silly goggles. I could see they were eternal rivals, like Kakashi and that creep Gai, but they had an unbreakable bond, like they were brothers. Being a team without Obito-kun was hard. I couldn't take it anymore. Kakashi was completely lost within himself, and Yondaime-sensei was always busy to help us. So...I left with no word. I couldn't help but realize that Kakashi-kun was being thrown into a silent insanity, and it hurt me to see one of my best friends go into that state. I couldn't stand it. I had to walk out."
Pain was written on Sasuke's face, and Rin detected it with her sharp eyes.
"Would you be able to relate, Uchiha-san?"
Sasuke forced a weak smirk to grace his lips, and his onyx eyes were hard and stiff.
"Before I answer, did you love Kakashi? Did you love him but never tell him?"
Rin looked down at the cup of green tea in her hand; her reflection staring at her with a hurt look on her face.
"Obito-kun always thought I loved Kakashi-kun more than I loved him. I loved the both of them. I loved Kakashi-kun more than anything...Obito-kun I loved like a brother. If I saw Kakashi-kun before I walked out on him...I don't know how I'd still be breathing."
Sasuke nodded. He felt he could open up to this woman.
"Hai. I can relate. I walked out for power...I was selfish then. But I'm probably just more so selfish now. The person I...I feel...my teammate...wanted to stop me. She confessed her love for me. She tried to offer coming with me. But I told her 'thank you' before knocking her out and leaving her there. There's one mission that nags at my inner conscience. When people ask me about it, all I can tell them is that I saw pools of red..."
Rin nodded.
"I think that's enough for today, Uchiha-san. Please, drink your tea and relax. I'm sure you came here for a good reason, as we are weeks, maybe even months away from Konoha."
Sasuke nodded.
"But I'll ask of your mission another day."
Sasuke nodded his head in gratitude; he really wasn't in the mood to explain everything. Not when he had just spilled his heart out to a complete stranger. But Rin's motherly aura and bond with Kakashi made him trust her. As he began to take of his green tea, he heard someone come into his hostess' house.
"Rin-chan, I'm home!"
His eyes shot open at that sweet, calming voice. As whom he supposed was the co-owner of the house came into view, he dropped his green tea onto the wood floor; his eyes widened in shock, his body frozen.
That sweet, calming voice...please, time, please replay yourself, and tell me that what I heard and see is true.
Tbc.
Okay, I haven't necessarily seen/read the Kakashi Gaiden yet, so I'm totally sorry if I messed up some descriptive details. Also, I felt that it would be a sort of twist to bring Rin into the fic. She may play a key role later on...:
Also, this story will have a LOT of OOC. I know, I know. Sasuke is supposed to be an ice-cube right? That'll come into play soon, just bear with me. Again, I am very sorry about the whole story change confusion.
