His Conscience
To give or not to give? To risk his pride or to walk away? A single flower is the rationale for an infamous "conscience war." The mind-killing process of a genius ensues… OOC-ness warning. SasuSaku
For my rabid Sasuke fan tomodachi, Elaine (thepsychofreak), for Ate Miko-chan and her Imouto-chan. :D :D
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He was having second thoughts.
Yes, this was the genius Uchiha Sasuke banging a book on his forehead incessantly, ignoring the shocked stares he received from the passers-by who eyed him askance.
No, he wasn't crazy. He was just on the verge of losing his mind.
Tenshi-kun: You might as well admit it.
Akuma-chan: Idiot! You'll only make a fool out of yourself. You don't even like her in the first place!
Tenshi-kun: Baka! You made her wait for SIX hours by the fountain as she remained for you yesterday. Wouldn't an apology be too small to make her even get the idea you mean it?
Akuma-chan: (sighs) Mutter an 'I'm really sorry' then. I'm sure she'll forgive you, as always.
Tenshi-kun: At least say it in a way that it meant something! Get her a gift so she won't look too glum the next time you see her. Trust me, she'll die happily.
Akuma-chan: Why don't you kill her instead? You never asked her to wait THAT long. Heck, you never even asked her to wait. No response from her invitation obviously meant a No, right?
Tenshi-kun: Well, there's that… and something else. Would it hurt to at least give her something to make up for what you did?
Sasuke exhaled sharply. What is it about conscience wars that make you appear crazy for a flat three minutes? He stopped banging a 563-paged Biology book on his head, still unsure what to do. You see, Haruno Sakura asked him to go to a concert with her the other night. Though he didn't tell her whether or not he's coming, she already told him she would wait at the park at 3pm.
Of course, it was made obvious by his silence that he wouldn't come.
However, there was a big "BUT" to his decision. Before the pink-haired shinobi had walked away, she had to say, "You've changed, ne, Sasuke-kun? I'll wait for you no matter what! And I trust you'll be there."
Thus, releasing both sides of his conscience from their dark, cold cage that was his head. They were different versions of him but they had Sasuke's exact face structure. One was dressed in a long white robe, a small harp tucked in one hand as his accessory, two feathery wings fluttering gracefully on his back, and a halo hovering above his head to complete the image of an angel (Tenshi-kun). The other was clad in a red shirt and black slacks, a sly smile spread across his face, two noticeable red horns popping out of his raven hair, a long pointed tail that ran above his bottom, and a black pitchfork clutched in his hands to conclude the image of a devil (Akuma-chan).
And, damn, these two knew how to bicker.
Since Sasuke discovered that he had two personalities living within him, he tucked them both in an imaginary cage for a long time. He didn't want them hanging around and playing with his head, so this was the only way he could get rid of them.
But nooo, Sakura had to destroy their barred enclosure by simply trusting Sasuke to be with her.
And he hated it.
The events from yesterday played on his head…
Sakura left him thirty-three messages in his answering machine back at home, twenty-seven text messages of the same note, "Wer r u? R u coming?ü" on his cell phone as well as fifty-two missed calls. And after the fifty-third, he decided to check if she was still waiting for him at the park. Apparently, when he arrived there, he stealthily observed her behind a tree while she sat patiently by the water fountain, fidgeting her fingers, perhaps waiting for a reply on her phone. Well… that was four hours later than the designated time.
His cell clock read 7:34 PM, and was still ticking on and on. He had no intention of going with her, but his curiosity and wonder for how long she'd wait for him triggered his right mind to observe. It wasn't part of his plan today, since he was scheduling for a training session with Kakashi-sensei, but he arrived here nonetheless. Yes, he showed up. But showing up in front of her was a completely different thing.
Just when his hopes to see her leave were cut short, she suddenly stood up and sighed. This was it! She'll finally leave and give up on him..!
That is, he thought it would happen. She merely stood up just to stretch her slender arms, and then plopped back down on her spot right after to check for messages on her phone. A small pout formed on her cheeks whilst she continued to wait… and wait… and wait.
The Uchiha's face darkened. When is this woman leaving?
It never occurred to him, but his presence near her represented a sign. A sign that would represent something beyond human comprehension, heck, perhaps even beyond his own. He was waiting as well.
It was stupid, though, to be waiting for someone waiting for him. He could have showed up. He could have replied to her texts and tell her he couldn't make it. But no; he chose to linger, watching her in the shadows of the night. No such purpose existed for this extremely OOC behavior. He just stood there and watched.
An hour passed by. Until finally he was convinced that Sakura was true to her word (although the concert had started ages ago), he knew she would wait for him until the morning sun touched her skin. He sighed in a somewhat exasperated manner.
"I think Sasuke-kun got stuck in traffic." He heard her mutter to herself. The boy frowned. Stuck in traffic? It was just a walking distance away from his apartment! How could this woman be any stupider?
"Or perhaps Kakashi-sensei's tardiness rubbed onto him," she continued to wonder aloud. Afterall, no one was left in the park to hear her self-conversation but Sasuke himself. "An emergency came up? Or maybe he went to the concert already? Hm… but I did tell him I'd wait for him in the park." A clear frown then formed on her creased face upon remembering something. "Did I forget to explain to him that I would be waiting because I was in a hurry since Ino called me to an emergency though it was only her problem with Shikamaru's lazy demeanor?"
The Uchiha heir had to sweatdrop. She finally pulled enough of his nerve strings to make him step out of his hiding place and glare at her.
She stood up, a big smile on her face. "Sasuke-kun! I was beginning to think you got shot—"
"Woman!" He cut in, infuriated. "How long would you wait for me if I hadn't shown up?"
The question was peculiar to her ears, but she replied nonetheless, "Until tomorrow?"
His fists clenched. If there was anyone on earth to mess up his conscience, it was this annoying pink-haired no-brain. Before he could reply, though, she continued, "I'm glad you finally showed up, Sasuke-kun! However, I'm not sure if the concert is still going on…"
"I had no intention of going."
Her emerald eyes flickered as she met his gaze. "H-Huh?"
"You kept on calling, texting, bothering me so much that I had to do something."
The girl scrutinized his speech pattern. "You were here the whole time?"
Sasuke looked up to glower at her more. "YES."
"T-then why didn't you just tell me—"
"I was planning on leaving anyway."
Her heart stopped. She knew him too well, but this time, he was ultimately colder than usual. "Sasuke-kun…?"
Now, his back was facing her. "You were just a waste of time. I wanted to see you leave already." The boy began to walk away from her but his pacing stopped once she called out to him.
"Why did you bother to come here if you didn't want to come in the first place?"
The question was asked innocently as if a child could not have done it any better. He stopped walking, standing still five meters away from her. Little did Sakura know, a light shade of pink overlapped his cheeks. He had NO IDEA why he was waiting for her like a stalker himself!
"Sasuke-kun?" she prompted him.
He shrugged. "You were just annoying."
A few seconds after, he just realized how insignificant his reason for being there was. He could have told her a stupid lie, like his cat was on the loose. Though she knew he didn't own such a thing, she'd believe him anyway. But of all the lame excuses, he had to say she was "just annoying".
"Oh."
Her reply made him believe that there was a God.
"Just so you know Sasuke-kun…" But her voice went on, meaning his nightmare of embarrassment wasn't over yet. "I got so excited this morning that I came here the second I woke up."
His heart skipped a beat. Since this morning?
He tried to hide his expression by making his voice sound unaffected. "You wasted a whole day then." With this, he left her hanging as she watched him walk away from her. He didn't want to see her reaction, and he was glad he had his back turned the whole time. Yet… something was gripping inside of him that made him think twice.
Therefore, after that incident, the morning after almost made him wish he hadn't been born.
Tenshi-kun: Sasuke-chan, I think we ought to get her a gift before showing up for training.
Akuma-chan: Are you crazy! That would mean a lifetime of embarrassment for us, baka! And not to mention, it would make Sakura's head bloat into thinking he likes her!
Tenshi-kun: (cups chin) True… but she'd hate him for the rest of their lives.
Akuma-chan: Would it matter?
Tenshi-kun: Not that much, but that's how the conscience works. We have to tear him apart with our options and leave him to decide on his own.
Akuma-chan: (looks impressed) Yeah, I guess. Oi, Sasuke! Can you hear me? If you listen to Tenshi-kun here, you'll live a life of awkwardness and fear of public opinion. But if you listened to me, you'll still have your pride—
Tenshi-kun: And Sakura will hate you forever. (sighs) You can't count on being forgiven all the time.
Sasuke: (is suddenly talking to his own mind) Two idiots… Let me decide for myself and stop nagging in my head!
Ten and Aku: (clicks toungue) Suit yourself.
He snapped from his daydream with a rather annoyed look on his face. To get her something, or to just live normally? To embarrass himself in front of Kakashi and Naruto, or to ignore Sakura's miserable trances?
He sighed. He still had an hour before their training session would start, giving him much time to think. But because of Tenshi-kun's expertise in the field of credibility and correction, he finally convinced Sasuke to head to the nearest flower shop.
Sasuke: (in his head) But why the flower shop?
Tenshi-kun: (looks awfully excited) Trust me on this one!
Akuma-chan: (sits on Sasuke's shoulder with a displeased expression) Don't blame me if everyone starts rumors around Konoha. Tenshi-kun is responisble for all of this.
Tenshi-kun: (grins) Tee-hee! Don't worry, Sasuke-chan. Any girl on eath cannot resist flowers nowadays!
The Uchiha finally arrived at the flower shop, and was warmly greeted by the florist.
"Ah, ohayou, young sir. What can I get you?" he asked as Sasuke darted his eyes across every pot and bloom. "For a girlfriend, I presume? Well, looks like roses would work well—"
"I will only get one flower." His statement hindered the man's oration.
"A boquet would be—"
"One flower," he said with absolute certainty and firmness. His eyes finally rested on a single, yellow lily across the room. He turned to the man. "That one."
He was delighted by Sasuke's choice. "A rare bloom, young sir." He made his way towards the flower and took it out of its vase as delicately as he could. "It's the only yellow lily that grew in our fields. Must be really special, particularly since you're giving it to someone meaningful to you."
"I do not have a girlfriend," he corrected immediately.
"Not yet, though," the man smiled as he wrapped a decorative paper around the flower. "You will only realize how special this is once you see the expression on her face. Trust me, not even the finest of men could make a woman as happy as this flower could."
But Sasuke merely snorted. He didn't care about representations. All he wanted was to make his conscience clear. "How much? I'm in a hurry."
"Hmm… this would cost a lot, if I may add. But for a young man like you, I'd give it for free."
His eyes widened. "W-What?"
"Hehe.. just kidding. That would be (insert reasonable high price for the flower here) only."
The Uchiha's face darkened as he gave him the money. "Rot in hell…"
When he was already on his way to the clearing Kakashi-sensei described to be their rendezvous, he still could not understand how Tenshi-kun managed to convince him to bring a yellow lily along. A female population his age that he had passed by uttered words like, "So hot, but already taken. Tsk. Lucky woman."
He just snorted.
Sasuke: If I had the chance to strangle you, I would.
Tenshi-kun: You do have a good heart, Sasuke-chan. I never expected you to actually go with my plan at all. Looks like Aku-chan's debating skills wore off after he convinced you to snob a little child three years ago.
Akuma-chan: Idiot…
Tenshi-kun: (grins widely) Nyahahahaha!
Finally, he arrived at his destination. To his utter relief, none of his comrades were there yet. But his gaze then fell to a pink knapsack resting under the tree he was alongside with, registering to his head that it was Sakura's. At first, he hesitated and looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Nope, no one. So he carefully set the yellow lily beside her knapsack, its vibrant and cheery color reassuring him that she'd smile as soon as she saw it resting there.
A small smile played on his lips.
And he sped further down the hill, only to see that his comrades were already training there. Sakura called him cheerfully as she jerked her arms to a wave at him. He had to sigh while Kakashi and Naruto called him as well. In that moment, he regretted getting her the flower… but it was too late to toss it away now.
As he hastened his pace downhill, he finally diminished the existence of his conscience. He decided for himself, afterall, and once Sakura found out about the flower, he would be his normal cold self again.
The images of the angel and devil disappeared from his head. "Assholes… I am never going to do that in my life again."
O-wa-ri O.o
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A/n: Kill the author for complete OOC-ness on the characters. Nyahaha! This is her desperate attempt into getting rid of her depression. (O.o)!