Title: Thief of Hearts
Summary: When Sakura woke up, 15 years has passed, the Uchiha have taken over and she is the consort of Uchiha Sasuke and the mother of his children.
Pairings: SasukexSakura
Genre: Romance/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Thief of Hearts by Laurence Yep, or the various references from the Labyrinth by Jim Henson. But they inspired me to write this.
Prologue:
I think often of my mother.
Watching, waiting, her hands always holding on to me, her eyes shining with a sad smile; they were her portraits in my mind. I remember on stormy nights, when I couldn't sleep, she would hold me tight and her fingers would curl into the pink tresses we both share. Then in her soft voice she would tell me a story. And one of the stories that has always been with me was the story of the Thief of Hearts.
She would tell me of a young man, who lived in a village where he had a comfortable life. But then my mother would say, "There are always some who can't be satisfied." The man played some pranks and ran with his friends to hide, until he found himself alone.
Wandering through the forest he met a beautiful woman nearby a grotto. Besotted by her beauty, he followed her until he encountered a blue-skinned ogre. Fearful of being eaten, he said he just wished to have the woman's name, and to his surprise, the woman was the ogre's daughter. The ogre asked his daughter if the young man would either be his meal or to be her husband, and the woman agreed to marry him. But during the wedding rites, the woman disappeared. The ogre and the young man made a deal, he has to find the woman's heart within the month or he would become his meal.
The man waited, and observed, and planned...And so days passed until the day before he was to be eaten, he went to the ogre's palace. Though the walls were made of stone, it was filled with priceless wooden furniture. He started a fire But the young man only observed the woman he loved, saw her go directly to a wooden cabinet and took out a jade jar.
When the fire was over, and everything was repaired and brought back to their respective places, the ogre called the young man, and he showed himself with the jade jar that holds his beloved's heart.
Astounded, the ogre praised the young man but the woman refused to honor her word. Angry, the man left. On his was home he was surprised to find that his small village has grown into a city. Centuries have passed and all his family and friends have died.
I never forgot the way my mother spoke the young man's words. "I may have stolen her heart, but she has stolen my world."
In despair, the young man withered and died. A traveller passing by saw his remains and decided to bury it. But among them was a jade heart that sang of worlds lost, of dreams shattered and love lost. He took the heart with him on his travels until he was captured by the ogre and took his possessions. As the ogre and his family went through the loot, they came upon the heart, and as it sang they all wept. The ogre's daughter recognized the voice, and kept the jade heart beside her own.
Then my mother would conclude the story, her eyes sad and distant in the final words of the ogre's daughter. "He has truly stolen my heart now, for now, all I can think about is what I have lost."
This story is just one of many stories, but it stood out among all of them. Looking back, sometimes I feel that she felt more deeply about this story, and I have the suspicion than there is more to it than just a bedtime tale.
Upon growing older, I realized the significance of the story. And my heart ached for the young thief who followed his love and paid a price so high he lost everything. Of the ogre's daughter who disregarded what was in front of her, and realized too late how her actions cost her beloved.
My heart ached as I thought of the story of my mother and my father…
A/N I'm back. It's been months since I posted, and with Kishimoto not inspiring me, I tried to steer clear of multichapter fic. But after a meeting and talk with Miko-chan, my muses finally moved and I decided tofinally write this story which has been in my for almost forever, and I'm glad the muses are cooperating since the story is progressing well. Thank you Miko-chan for agreeing to be my Beta as well. ^_^
I'm glad this sudden burst of inspiration came during SasuSaku month! Thank you for reading, please tell me what you think.
SASUSAKU FOREVER!