myNotables: nothing much to say here really, just a few things and then we'll get started! I'm not exactly sure how long I want this story to be, so I'll just surprise ya. oh, and a little thing from a book I read earlier this year totally gave me this idea–but I'm not gonna tell you which one till the last chapter–but if you figure out which book before then, kudos to you. oh-oh-oh, and this is my first fanfic of so woot.
I accept constructive criticism and flames.
Standard disclaimers apply
Sasuke sighed... again.
The ride up to his mother's latest castle was jarring and was unnecessarily long, in his opinion. Every couple of feet the carriage would hit a large bump and send everyone in the air, resulting in sore bottoms and curses all around. Many times he had to bite his tongue in malice, to keep himself from swearing loudly in front of his mother. To keep his thin patience in check, he opted for staring out the window at the forest that surrounded his new abode.
He frowned at the passing scenery; everything just looked too… happy. The sun was too bright, the plants were too green, and even the castle in the distance appeared to be alive–well, alive as inanimate objects could get. Not to give the wrong idea of Uchiha Sasuke, he was not as pessimistic as other people liked to believe. He was just selectively mute–you could say–and the rare times he did speak, his questions and answers were blunt and usually one-worded.
Next to him, he could feel his brother shift his weight on the other end of the cushioned seat. He guessed the ride up hadn't taken a toll on just him, as he listened to his father blow air out of his nose with irritation, drumming his fingers on the door's armrest. The only one, who hadn't shown a lack of patience, was his mother–which hadn't surprised him in the least. She sat across from him comfortably, fingers interlaced loosely on her lap, and her gentle eyes shielded from view by her eyelids.
"Sasu-chan," his mother called suddenly.
Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't startled by his mother's call. From her relaxed state, he thought she fell asleep miles ago, back when they were passing the village. In all truthfulness, inwardly he jumped when she said his name. But it wasn't like he was going to confess this fact out loud.
His eyes slowly drifted from the window to the placid eyes of his mother.
"Do you have to look so glum about moving to a new castle? Your frowning is hampering the atmosphere in here," she stated, seemingly oblivious to the other two kill-joys in the vicinity.
"Gomen," he apologized half-heartedly.
"Yeah, cheer up otouto," Itachi added in, stepping out of the coach.
Sasuke glared, then blinked and looked around. He hadn't even noticed the carriage had stopped, and he grumbled something unheard as he was the last one stepping out of the wheeled-contraption.
God, it's bright.
… Was the first thought out of Sasuke's head as he looked up at the castle. Its high stone walls glittered majestically, as if it were incrusted with diamonds; winding ivy grew carelessly, covering the left side of the castle. Thankfully, there was no moat like there had been in the previous castle, and instead a nice flowered garden rounded up from the back and ivory benches dotted the area for sitting. But just like all castle, this one had a large wooden main door decorated in intricate carvings and iron knockers. It had a lot of small windows, and a balcony attached to the far side of the west wing.
Sasuke barely realized that he'd been staring up at thing for a good fifteen minutes, when a cloud passed in front of the sun, temporarily blocking off the natural light. He tried to shake of his sheepishness as he walked through the threshold, wondering what was so transfixing about his new abode. It looks as if it were alive, he mused.
If the outside could keep him for fifteen minutes, then the inside could've kept him till his death bed. The foyer was grand and mildly intimidating with high walls draped in expensive tapestry, the Uchiha crest stitched in its honorary colors, and two curving staircases on either side of the room, covered richly red velvet with on the banister and its supporting poles showing their deep mahogany hue.
And in the middle of all this hung an elegant chandelier, dimly lit with candles, but shining ever so brightly through the intricate set of expertly placed crystals. It glowed brilliantly on the velvet steps and brought out the colors in the tapestries on the walls, effectively creating a calm inviting ambiance. All in all, his mother was one hell of a decorator.
"Sasu-chan!"
Obsidian orbs zeroed in on a figure in the middle of the landing, where the two stairwells opened up to, waving at him overtly. His mother smiled at him from across the large room, beckoning him over with a circle motion of her hand and more waving. He sighed as he made his way over to the stairs and climbed, feeling the soft velvet under his fingers as he went, reaching her in matter of minutes.
"Yes kaa-san?"
"Sasu-chan," she repeated, linking arms with him. He was taller. "Your father and your brother have already retired to their respective wings. You should do the same, yours is in the West wing." She pointed to the left. "Your father and I's in is the North wing." Her finger moved to the long hallway opposite the main doors. "And Itachi's is in the East wing, isn't that exciting?"
No. "Hn."
She frowned, looking up at him. "You're just like your father sometimes." Then she dropped her arm and faced him, smiling again. "Well, I'm going to take my leave to see how your father likes our quarters and I suggest that you take a peek at your new room so, ja ne."
She waved behind her as she walked.
"Ja."
Sasuke leaned against the banister and watched his mother's retreating back before making his way to his own room, taking a quick last glance at the entrance hall as he did so. The west wing of the palace was one long hallway, abundant with doors that led to individually decorated guest rooms and the occasional grand bathroom, with one long perpendicular corridor at the end–adorned with its own flight of short steps–that led to a large window on the left side and a winding stairwell to the sole tower, on the right. There were no windows in the space, just torches mounted on the walls to light the path.
His bedroom was about seven doors down from where the main hall spewed out into sub-corridor. The door to his room was not differentiated from any of the other doors in the wing–probably to confuse to a murderous intruder, he guessed.
Even though the outside wasn't so special, the inside most definitely was. It was noticeably smaller than his old one–which he was happy about because he told his mother he didn't need any unnecessary space–but still huge and bedecked in various shades of his favorite color; dark blue. His down mattress was dressed in cobalt blue sheets and a deep navy satin comforter, pushed against the right wall of the space. To his distaste, his bed was still held in a four-poster canopy that his mother refused to get rid of.
On the wall to his immediate right stood a dark mahogany desk, handcrafted by the finest craftsman of his great-grandfather's age, still looking right out of the shop and proud. A matching desk sat in front of it, facing the wall, ready to be used.
His eyes scanned the rest of the room.
A grand armoire stood opposite from his bed, matching the dark wood theme throughout the room. It was closed and –he guessed–already full of all his clothes and undergarments, at his mother's command. Straight across from where he stood at the door, he could see the balcony that he noticed when he was observing from outside. French doors were opened invitingly and a warm gentle breeze could be felt blowing in, ebbing at the sheer white curtains on each side of the doors. And just like the rest of the room, the panes of the windows were a deep mahogany.
Quietly, Sasuke closed the door and advanced further into the room. Out of the corner of his eye, something white stood out from the material of his comforter. Sitting on the side of the bed, he leaned over and grabbed the folded sheet of paper off his pillow and opened it, leaning back plush cushion to read the elegant script of his mother.
Dearest Sasu-chan,
I hope you are enjoying your new room and that everything is to your liking.
All meals will be served in the dining hall.
And dinner will begin promptly at 6 in the evening, so don't be late!
Love,
Mother
Sasuke laid the letter to the side and stared up at the canopy of his bed, his eyelids gradually drooping before shooting open, in desperation of not wanting to succumb to sleep. But he was so tired–getting up before light to travel cross-country, having to ride in that bumpy carriage. He muffled a yawn with his hand and continued to gaze skywards.
Just thinking about it made him sleepy…
-:::;:::-
… gong.
… GONG.
… GONG.
Obsidian orbs shot open.
Sasuke sat up in bed and looked around frantically, waiting for an attack of some kind. When nothing came, he took a second sweeping looked around and noticed the colors of the setting horizon echoed on his walls from the outside. He was lying in the same position from earlier, with the exception that he had kicked off his shoes sometime in the process. Frowning, he slipped them back on and stood, smoothing out the wrinkles that had accumulated during his nap.
He left the balcony doors and open and slipped out the regular one. He presumed that the thunderous gong sound was from the bell at the tower, not to far from his room, as it rang again. The journey from his room to the dining hall was longer than he remembered, and he found himself sighing many times to his displeasure. Why did castles have to be this big anyway? It wasn't like they had that many people staying over at one time.
"Sasuke, you're late."
"Aa."
"Dinner starts at six sharp."
"It's only seven minutes past."
"Apologize."
"Gomennasai." He bowed.
"Just don't let it happen again." His father stared at him firmly from across the table.
"Hai."
And he sat.
His mother clapped her hands together twice, the side door swung open and two servants emerged from the swinging door that separated the kitchen and dining room; one holding a covered silver platter and the other, a long napkin which she draped across his lap carefully. He looked at the girl's hair peculiarly–was it redish? Pinkish? He couldn't tell–before she backed away and scurried back to the kitchen. She looks new, he thought as the other help pulled the lid up, showing a bowl of tender roasted pork, with a nice helping of rice and side of steamed vegetables.
"Itadakimasu."
They ate in silence, until his mother tried to engage them all in some type of conversation. Finally, she got to Sasuke. "So Sasu-chan, why were you late?" she inquired curiously.
He was going to grunt or say his usual 'hn', but for the sake of his mother, he said, "I accidentally fell asleep."
She smiled at him. "Tired from the long ride?"
"Aa."
"I see."
The table was silent again; only the sound of utensils clattered against the china echoed deafeningly against the high stone walls.
"Gochisousama." Sasuke looked at his mother. "May I be excused?"
"Of course." She clapped her twice and different server came out to Sasuke's displeasure–a man this time–and took away his plate and napkin. He was hoping to see that girl again. Silently, he pushed back his chair as it slid easily on the smooth crimson area rug. And just as silently, he pushed it back in and headed for the study located in the lower west wing.
And just like in the rest of the castle, it took a long time to get there. He noted that the rear garden looked rather remarkable with all its flowers and bright green grass, even though it was dark. He could see still see it clearly through the windows and another set of French doors like his, but only ivory.
The study was at the end of hall, the doors of it half the size of the front ones, just not as intricate or regal-looking. But don't get him wrong, they were still appeared pretty noble as he walked pass and into the Uchiha's extensive library collection. Every book of the age you could possibly think of was probably sitting on one of the shelves, nestled in one of the many numerous bookcases that lined each and every wall. In the middle of this bookworm fantasy, a cozy gathering of furniture was gathered with plush seat cushions for the lengthy reader.
Sasuke sought out a certain book for a good half-hour before finally finding it and seating himself in one of the surreally comfortable couches. He situated himself against the armrest and propped his feet on the remaining cushion, stretching out until his feet barely pushed up against the opposite armrest. He cracked the book open and coughed, swatting away the dust that had gathered between the pages from sitting for weeks in crates when they were still packing.
The torches burned bright in each of the room as Sasuke read for hours. He was happy to find that no one bothered him in that time, and had some time to spend to himself, just reading and every once in a while, thinking. Around the thirty-seventh chapter, his eyelids began to droop from the excessive amount of reading, but he was too stubborn to stop his reading tirade. Until he decided to close his eyes for just a second and found himself asleep before he knew it.
And when he woke up again, he stretched and pushed his book to the side, turning to face the grandfather clock in the back of the room. After squinting and rubbing at his eyes for a couple seconds, he could barely distinguish the time in the fading flames. 1:07, he made out.
Sasuke listened to the soft ticking of the grandfather clock as he walked down the hall of the west wing, the resonance on the off-beat of his steps. Past the double doors to the garden, through the foyer, up the stairs, and down the hall he went, barely registering where he was going. He was tired, even a little annoyed, he admitted–his eyes felt heavy and his head spun when he moved too fast and somebody wouldn't stop their damn giggling.
Sasuke stilled. Giggling?
Tired eyes glanced around the corridor warily, looking for the jester in the dim light. His eyes told him that nobody was there, that he was alone in the place. But his senses knew better; his ears picked up the muted sound of footsteps, the rustling of cloth, a hushed exhale of breath. It sounds like they've been running, he thought.
Silently, he began walking again, taking extra precautions as he went. When he rounded the bend, he knew that his room would be up a little ways on his left, all he had to do was get to his room and contact one of the guards outside via his balcony and he'd be fine. Not that he was scared of intruders or anything... it was just that he valued his life like any other human being.
Reaching the bow, Sasuke took off in a sprint, and then suddenly stopped. His eyes were fixated on a figure at the top of the steps, where the two hallways met. The faint moonlight from the window accentuated one side of their body, making it appear it as if they were a mirage, making him think–if even for a second–that he was imagining things. Now that he looked more closely at the figure, he could see that they were a girl. He was more confident at this new information.
"Intruder!" he called assertively.
The person continued to stare at him.
"This is private property, leave this instance and you will not be prosecuted." The individual did nothing, so he continued. "If you do not leave, my guards and I will have to take unnecessary action against you." He lied; he had to no guards with him.
He waited for a response of any sort: a threat, a sudden sprint, a bomb. But nothing came, and he was honestly confused when the person raised their right hand and pointed behind him. And for a fleeting moment when he forgot that this girl was the enemy, Sasuke looked behind, saw nothing and looked back–only to find the girl gone.
Letting out an audible sigh, he walked the rest of the way to his room incautiously, because he knew somewhere in the back of his head, that the trespasser had left. But he swore, as he laid his down on the pillow, that he had seen a flash of pink.
myNotables: and ba-BAM can you say first chapter up? I can, five times fast even :D. alrighty, did anyone get confused and need me to explain things that won't give away any of the plot? 'cause I can help you with that, yupyup. uhhhh, the next chapter should be up... sometime in the near future I hope, because school starts thursday and I'll be ba-is-eee. so review! and make me smiley.