Disclaimer: Naruto is mine! (cross my finger behind my back, stealthy hides a red pointed tail and suppresses the equally red pointy horns to pop out on my head) :: smiles angelically innocent::
Author Note: It suddenly popped in my head when I was listening Endless Rain by X Japan. So, I decide to write it down. Yea, I know it's kinda cheesy, but I hope you like it.
Arrghh... I had to wait for almost a week to post this story! I dunno what's wrong, but I always failed when I tried uploading the document. Well, on to the story!
Summary: All he ever wanted was happiness. He did everything to find it, even chasing the rainbow. A reunion, reality or another illusion? Shounen-ai. SasuNaru/ NaruSasu. 2,000 words.
The Rainbow Betrays Me No More
Long time ago, he heard a tale from a far far country on the west. The story said that at the end of the rainbow, there would be a treasure that would make anyone who found it to be happy forever. He was a mere child that time. The rainbow was so beautifully colorful; it made sense for him that such a beauty held such a treasure at the end of it. His eyes widen with hope when he heard that and silently wished that it would be raining soon.
The rain did come, and he eagerly waited it to stop. I'll find the end of the rainbow, and I will found happiness! He said to himself determinately. His eyes never averted from the window. His gaze fixed to the grey pouring sky. When a beautiful colorful curve appeared on the sky, he jumped excitedly.
He hurriedly dashed outside. He ran through the soaked village and occasionally looked up to check if he was on the right track. How disappointed he was when 30 minutes later, the rainbow was gone before he reached the end of it. He tried holding back the tears that started to form behind his eyes. Next time, I'll wait outside. So I can run soon after I spotted the rainbow. And I will run faster then ever! he talked to himself. He was no quitter. He would try and try and try again until he succeeded.
One day, it was raining again. He waited the rain to stop under a tree. He ignored the fact that it still got him wet because the tree wasn't big enough to cover him from the pouring rain. Not that he cared. It wasn't a matter for him, because this time he determined to find the end of the rainbow. But the nature turned him down. When the rain stopped, there was no rainbow. He waited and hoped that the rainbow would come the next minute. But it never showed up.
When it was raining again in Konoha, the rainbow never again appeared at the end of it. It made him sad. The little orphan was so sad. Why the rainbow didn't appear for me? Do I not deserve to be happy?
Then it came that day, the last raining day before he entered the Ninja Academy. When it rained that day, he was too tired of hoping that there would be a rainbow. But deep down inside, there was a tinny bit of him who desperately wished that the rainbow would come. When the rain stopped, he took a hesitant glance to the sky through his window. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a piece of colorful beauty up there. The rainbow! For a brief moment, his legs forgot how to walk, how to run.
He frantically ran outside. But suddenly, his eager steps were stopped. The rainbow didn't even touch the horizon. Its end wasn't even hidden behind the high rooftops of the village. Its colorful arc ended in the middle of the still grey sky as if it mocked him down. It was so high up there, how could he ever reach it? He silently cried, with head up to the mocking beauty.
Happiness isn't meant for me.
After that day, he stopped hoping for a rainbow on rainy days. When the rainbow did appear, he never again looked up to it, more over chase for its end. Because he realized that he was never allowed to reach the end of it.
Happiness never belonged to me.
...oo0oo...
Here he was, a jounin now, on the outskirt of Konoha. He was returning from a solo mission. It has been raining for about two or three hours. It didn't stop him nor halt his pace. If possible, it hastened him. This cold, if not freezing, weather made him drooled over the thought of some bowls of ramen, the hot ones! With his pace, he would arrive before Ichikaru Ramen was closed. He would even have enough time for a hot water bath before the ramen! Yummy!
The rain was stopping when he was busy determining what flavors of ramen he would have. The rain didn't even halt him down, but the realization of his current location did stop him. Once, this was a fast grassy field. The grass was so green and so thick. So when the wind blew, it created waves on the thick green filed. Then Gaara turned it into desert within split seconds. And Kimimaro decorated the newly formed desert with pikes of bones. Now a thin layer of grass covered that area in most places. Sporadic bushes were quite common too, and also some tender tree here and there. Most of the spiky bones were gone by now, most of them which survived the time were cover with green moss. But overall, it was pretty much a clearing compared to the dense forest that surrounded it.
Memories of his deserting teammate... Ex-teammate! He corrected himself. The memory of his attempt to stop his best friend flooded his consciousness. Followed with every single efforts and attempts he did to bring him back, up to the smallest details of them. Not that his mind ever completely free of thoughts of his ex-teammate, but being in this place again after years... He sighed heavily. Maybe it was because of the rain,he decided.
He looked up to the sky, which was stop pouring water. His cerulean eyes widen when a familiar arc formed and painted the still grey. He remembered the tale he heard -and once believed- long time ago. Then he remembered the last time he tried to chase the end of the rainbow. Unlike that day, now the rainbow arched perfectly and its end disappear behind the thick forest in front of him. He frowned at that nature's beauty. It pained him to see such a beauty when he knew he couldn't have the happiness he wanted. It was a different happiness than the one he tried to find by chasing the end of rainbow. But somehow, it was still the same; it was out of his reach.
Suddenly he stiffened. He wanted to tell that his sense was deluded now that he sensed something that didn't belong to be here. Something that shouldn't, couldn't be anywhere near here. But he was much much a better shinobi now. He knew he could trust his own sense. The chakra signature he sensed was so unique and familiar. It could only belong to one person only.
On the distance before him, a dark silhouette came out from the dense vegetation, just where the end of the rainbow disappeared. The view made him skipped a beat. He hardly breathed when the figure was gracefully approaching him in a steady pace (which seemed like forever). It was still too far to see the face, yet the eyes, of the visitor but he could feel that those eyes were already looked to his own blue eyes. As the person came into his view and getting closer, he saw the face that haunted him days and nights. Now he had forgotten how to breathe when his dream was standing within an arm's reach in front of him.
His dream leaned onto one of his feet, an arm on his hip. Those thin lips opened to break the deafening silence between the two of them. "I'm coming back." His voice was deep.
A pair of sapphire orbs widen when he hear it. It couldn't be true, he must be dreaming again! His lips parted but it made no attempt to speak. Hell, he was paralyzed! Then he remembered that he had held his breath too long and now his lung demanded fresh supply of oxygen. After a deep breath, he rose up his arm.
When it was millimeters away, it stopped. He was afraid if he moved any further and made a contact, this illusion would disappear. He braced himself, took a nervous gulp, and resumed his hand's delayed progress.
A jolt of thunder ran through his body and made him gasped sharply when his fingertip finally made contact with the flawless skin. He broke the contact as soon as he made it. He was still there; he wasn't vanished into the air!
Taking another deep breath, he touched the still figure again. This time his trembling fingers lingered longer. The skin he touched felt warm, felt alive, felt real. He desperately wanted to believe that his senses were right. But he knew that his dreams had betrayed him so many times, waken him up into dark empty reality that he was alone.
He suddenly drew a kunai. That made the figure in front of him stiffened. Then with a fluid motion he cut his own palm.
"Dobe!" The figure in front of him yelled, surprised by his sudden act. "What the hell are you doing?!" He quickly knocked down the kunai.
He seemed oblivious to his surrounding. "It bleeds," he murmured to himself as he saw his blood dripping to the earth. "It hurts."
"Of course it does!" The older of two scolded. "Baka!" He grabbed the bleeding hand and tried to stop the hemorrhage. "After all these years you're still an idiot."
The golden-haired head abruptly snapped, he looked firmly to the guy before him.
Noticing the intense gaze he received from the blonde, he looked up to those sapphire eyes. "What?!"
"Sa-Sasuke..."
"Finally you remember my name." The said boy grunted.
"You're really here..." Still in dreamy it's-too-good-to-be-true voice.
"Of course I am, Dobe."
Then the blonde's body grew still. "Sasuke... what did you say before?"
The onyx eyes looked questioningly. "'Of course I am, Dobe.'"
"No. Before that," he said promptly. "And don't call me dobe, you teme!" He added.
An amused smirk, so close to be a smile, appeared on the stoic face as he heard a familiar respond. "'Finally you remember my name.'"
"Before that."
"'What?!'"
"I'm asking what you said before, teme. Don't ask me back."
"I am answering your stupid questions, dobe." The raven started loosing his patient. "And before that I said 'Of course it does! Baka! After all these years you're still an idiot.' That was when you cut your own hand with a kunai and idiotically murmured that it bled and hurt after that."
"Yeah yeah. I remember that."
"Then why you're asking it?"
"Just answer me. What did you say before that?"
He sighed, wondering why the hell he was following this stupid idiotic game. "I said, 'Dobe! What the hell are you doing?!'" He answered, anyway.
"Before that." Impatience was clear in the blonde's voice.
"' I'm coming back.'"
Those words suddenly turned the atmosphere back into a tense and silent one as when Sasuke arrived.
"Is that true?" Naruto whispered in his dreamy it's-too-good-to-be-true voice.
Sasuke nodded, and the next thing he knew was the blonde had latched his arms around him, gave him a hug. He was astonished, but he smiled and hugged him back.
"Sasuke..." He murmured into the blue-black bangs. His body started to tremble. He tightened his hug and buried his face deeper into the silky raven hair.
The other sensed his silent sobs. "I thought you'd be happy." One of his hands slipped into and caressed the golden hair.
"I am." A muffled answer came under sporadic sobs, barely audible. "God, I miss you." His voice thickened with longing and love.
"Me too." Sasuke answered with the same passionate tone. He strengthened his hug. It was so warm and comfortable. And how much he had longed for it. He gently kissed the blonde's temples. "Tadaima(1)."
He smiled, the sincerest one, the one he never had since the battle at The Valley of The End. From the corner of his blue eyes, he saw the rainbow still beautifully arching up there. "Okaeri(2)." He softly answered. Now he had the happiness of his life in his arms and it wouldn't leave him again.
Translations:
(1) Tadaima : it means "I'm home"
(2) Okaeri: it means "Welcome back" or "Welcome home"
It's done!!!! It ends at perfectly 2,000 words. Phew... oh yeah, this is un-beta and English isn't my mother tongue. )
I dunno if it's angsty enough to be labeled as 'Angst'. That's why I just label it 'Romance'. TT-TT I really want to write an Angst fic, you know. Because it's my fave genre.
It won't take you long to realize that the little boy was Naruto, right :D Do you think their bickering was ruining the mood? And I tried to keep them in-character. But well, I'm pretty much content with this story. And I really like the title! I changed it in the middle of the process. Tell me what you think of the story. Oh shit! They didn't even kiss!!!! Ah well... never mind...
Sasuke: I can't believe she didn't make us kiss (talking to Naruto while glaring his Almighty Deathly Uchiha Glare at me)
Naruto:(pouting and nodding in agreement)
Me: (glancing at Sasuke) I'm the author, I do what I want to do. Now, shut up or I'll send you back to that pedophile snake.
Sasuke & Naruto: NO!!!! (horridly shriek in a perfect unison)
Reviews are always welcome, and they will be treasured. Flames are going to be used to warm these rainy days.