Welcome to my humble collection of 26 alphabetically themed unrelated drabbles. Most are Sasuke-centric, some are AU, and many contain character death. All are individually rated, though none go above T. That said, please enjoy, and don't forget to review.
Blanket Disclaimer: I really don't see the need for these, as it's pretty obvious that if I'm writing fanfiction about it, I don't own it. But whatever. I don't own "Naruto." If I did, it would be called "Sasuke." (I'm not a fangirl! I swear! I'm not, I'm not! Okay, maybe a little.)
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Title: Ash
Rating: K
Summary: Sasuke knows he is close to returning to the Leaf.
Time Setting: A year or so after Episode 135.
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So close. He was so very, very close to simply walking straight through those gates and taking it all back: his friends, his teammates, his sensei, his home, the life he could have had. But he did not move from his hidden position on a branch overlooking the village.
Sasuke knew Orochimaru had sent him on this mission so close to Konoha as a test. A test of loyalty. Though what the snake would or could do to him should he choose to return to his old village, he didn't know. He doubted Orochimaru would kill his precious container…Though, maybe he was not so irreplaceable as he thought.
But Sasuke already knew he would not fail the test. There was a reason he had left Konoha and turned to the Sannin, after all. And the reason still remained. And as long as that reason still remained, still lived and breathed, he knew he would never, could never return to the place he had once called home.
A light breeze picked up and ruffled his short black hair and loose white shirt, and made the trees sway in the valley below him. Sasuke almost fancied that the trees were waving greetings to him, welcoming him home after a long, hard journey.
He closed his eyes to banish the thoughts. He was not returning home. Konoha was no longer his home. But he was still human, and he still had days when he wondered if maybe things might have been different. And then he would force himself to remember the images of that night, and that that man was still out there, and his slaughtered clan was still waiting to be avenged. And Sasuke knew he could not do that from Konoha.
He felt something light flutter against his forehead and raised a hand to find a small green leaf had blown and settled there. Sasuke brought the leaf down in front of his eyes and stared blankly at it. He remembered another leaf that had rested on his forehead, once upon a time, but it was scratched and lost now.
He raised the leaf to cover the smaller village completely under it. The Leaf was within his grasp…All he had to do was decide to keep hold on it.
The wind picked up suddenly, blowing more leaves all around him. He let the leaf go. Then he brought his hands together and gathered chakra to his chest. The leaves disappeared in small puffs of smoke, leaving only ash to cover Konoha.