Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my original ideas.
Revenants
By: Tsukiko Hoshino
Revenant: A person who returns as a spirit after death
And so it came to pass that the boy who housed the Kyuubi brought a new era of peace to the world of Shinobi. Uncompromising in his words And will, he fulfilled the promise of a lifetime and brought back the boy who left.
The after math of which had not been as ecstatic as anticipated. There was no throng of revelers, no great chorus of cheers for the return of the last Uchiha. Instead The event was met with a mixture of indifference, suspicion and thinly veiled resentment.
In the case of one pink haired girl- outright rage would be the proper expression. As soon as she set her sights on Sasuke she launched the aforementioned traitor halfway across Konoha with force provided by years of emotional and mental turmoil. To say the very least Sasuke's nose never quite looked the same again afterwards.
Sakura's attitude towards Sasuke hadn't gotten much better over the years either. On the rare occasion the two could be spotted in the same place at the same time, it was an awful lot like standing in the middle of tundra.
It was funny; once upon a time he'd both dreamed and dreaded the day he brought Sasuke home. Dreamed of it because in his mind and his heart he felt as though it would finally prove his worth and he could finally feel like he belonged- but dreaded it because the day his friend returned would be the day he lost his chance with Sakura forever.
Fortunately for him things didn't turn out quite like he'd imagined in that matter.
The issue of Sasuke was another story though. It was sad, but the strong bond of brotherhood he once felt between the two of them had just about curdled like rotten milk.
For a long time a part of Naruto had always believed that just the act of bringing Sasuke home would suddenly cause him to revert to his old self. Naively dreaming of the day he fulfilled his promise had not prepared him for the rude awakening he received soon after. Sure, he could drag the boy home, but he couldn't make him happy to be there, or even grateful he hadn't been executed like some people had called for.
' Though I guess if I were living the way he is now, I wouldn't be to chipper either.' Naruto conceeded
In short Sasuke was living life more like a civilian than anything else these days. His chakra channels were blocked and checked daily to insure that they remained that way until the end of his life. To top it off he was under 24/7 surveillance. It certainly wasn't a bed of roses for someone who had been breed to be a ninja before he even had a name.
Despite the minor snafu of Sasuke's reintegration to law abiding solidarity, things were finally going Naruto's way. He was looked at as a hero, respected, some would say even beloved- a far cry from the olden days where he was looked at with disdain, mistrust and resentment. At long last it felt like he was where he was meant to be.
With the exception of one thing.
He hadn't quite gotten the girl…yet.
What he considered a date she considered a friendly outing and no matter how many times he tried to stress the fact that he wanted more than just friendship it seemed to go right over her head. Naruto was beginning to get the feeling that she was purposely ignoring his intentions.
"Well that's just fine." He mumbled to himself as he strolled down one of Konoha's scenic dirt roads. "Because it's gonna be Sakura-chan or nobody at all." This was said with the usual gusto he applied to everything he was serious about, if not extra zing.
It wasn't like he was going to give up on his dream girl just because of a little bump in the road. Especially when she'd made it abundantly clear that she wasn't interested in the original third member of their team anymore.
There wasn't any reason as far as his eyes could see that he shouldn't pursue her.
Naruto had decided since the first time he saw her playing in the sandbox all by herself when he was five And she was six, that he was going to marry that girl, and he never went back on his word.
The only problem in the equation was that the very same girl he has his sights on was oblivious. Or was pretending to be oblivious. He really couldn't figure the whole thing out. And just thinking about it tended to give him headaches.
Unfortunately the entire time he'd been strolling along lost in his thoughts, he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. So to say he was surprised when he walked straight into the middle of a wagon would be an understatement. Knocked flat on his back Naruto could only think of one thing. "Whoever said love hurts wasn't kidding." he bemoaned staring at the mass of white that clouded his vision.
For a moment he was really concerned about his mortality and that the thing in front of him was the entrance to the after life-but when his nose started tickling he reevaluated the situation. It had the distinct feel of something like spider webs drifting over his face, and it gave him the creeps. Instinctively he scooted back a few feet to get a better look at the stuff only to realize it was hair, long white hair framing the face of an equally pale skinned woman.
"Mister, if you're not more careful, love'll kill ya." the owner supplied cheekily, helping him to his feet.
"Umm yea." Naruto stated rubbing the back of his neck. 'Some master ninja you are.' he groused. "Sorry about your wagon."
The lady smiled, and patted the wooden structure. "No worries, between You and me, I'd say you got the short end of the stick."
"No kidding. Ya could'a warned me if you saw me walking right into it." Naruto mumbled giving the wagon a long sideways glance before turning back to the owner. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you before...and what are you doing out so late?" he asked suspiciously.
" I'm a traveling merchant." she stated showing off her pass. " Bon festival is coming up in a few days, a girl's gotta make a living ya know?." she explained, eyeing him briefly. "Except I seem to have gotten a bit lost." this statement was marked by an embarrassed laugh. "I've been going around in circles the whole evening."
Scratching his cheek thoughtfully, Naruto went with his gut. "Yea the roads here are a bit confusing...just follow me, I'll show you to the market place." he stated, leading the way.
By the time he'd gotten her to the proper place, the concave figure of the moon hung high, its argentine gleam gloriously displayed for all to see. In a mere three days it would be all but gone, eaten away by the inky blackness around it until all but the thinnest sliver remained.
" I really can't thank you enough, it was really nice of you to help out." the girl said, leaning out through the side of the wagon's window. "So as payment, I'll let you have something for free." she stated happily.
Perking up, Naruto marveled at his turn of luck. "You wouldn't happen to be a traveling ramen merchant, would you?" he all but shouted, fist clenched in excitement. His day was about to be made.
"Sorry but no...my wares aren't edible...usually." she mused. "with the rare exception of course. In any case, my merchandise consists of charms and mystical curios." with that said she pointed idly at the gold and cream colored beckoning cat. "This here will double your profits, if not triple them for sure! It's said to be possessed by the spirit of a shrewd businessman! Or maybe this... " she cried, disappearing from view as she bent to retrieve a few more. Knickknacks.
Naruto snorted. "You'd make more money selling ramen then this junk...who believes that sort of stuff these days?" even so he couldn't help but eye the beckoning cat.
Red lips curved delicately. "You'd be surprised...everyone in this world has wishes, wants and dreams. Some of which are attainable by their own to hands, and other need a little extra push and that, is where I come in." she murmured, blue eyes gazing at him serendipitously. "So tell me honestly, in your heart of hearts, surely there must be some wish you want granted, some dream in your heart you want to become reality…?"
"...y-yea..." he conceded, staring at her in wonderment. For a moment, he swore her eyes were a glow, but the moment he blinked the mirage had fled leaving normalcy in its stead.
White teeth gleamed in the light of the moon, before being hidden behind the red and white silk of an envelope. "Well then, by the might of those who have passed from this realm, that wish will be made flesh by the third night of o-Bon." she said, holding up a finger in emphasis. "But listen closely kid, just as there is powerful good magic at work, there is always evil to work against it. That is the nature of all things." With that, she slid the parcel across the counter.
"Well wait a second!" Naruto huffed pointing at the shop keeper accusingly. "How do I know how to use it? And how will I know if it's working for that matter?" he mumbled to himself. "And what if it's like in those stories where you get what you want but in some weird sadistic version!" he paled considerably, shaking his head at a dizzying speed. "Uh-uh, no way, not falling for it!" He cried, scooting away.
"Didn't anybody ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?" She sighed, flicking open a gold fan. "This sort of thing takes care of itself... All you've got to do is sign your name." She explained, holding up a brush. "Didn't you say you didn't believe in this sort of thing? Now all of a sudden you're scared?" She twittered, flicking the fan over her face to obscure a cunning smile.
Naruto grit his teeth. "Hey! HEY! I'm not scared, dattebayo!" he brazenly declared, snatching away the pen away. "There's no way this piece of paper can grant a wish, I'll prove it! Now where do I sign?" his eyes scoured the nonsensical structure of the slip. All along it, from back to front the vibrant vermillion silk was swarming with black ink, just trying to decipher the lines made him feel dizzy.
"Here." She said, pointing to the thin strip of space going down the middle.
Mumbling under his breath about crazy women, he signed his name. "How do I know its working?"
A tender smile graced his question. "Oh you'll know." She said, handing him the paper. "You'd better get home, it's late don't you think Naruto-kun?"
"Eh, ah yea!" Naruto cried whirling a way in a blur of orange and yellow.
Left with only the chirping cicadas for companions, the white haired woman tipped her head towards the moon. "Saa…" She sighed lazily, flicking the fan open and closed idly. "I wonder what type of story is waiting to unfold?" she murmured to the night. "A tragedy or better yet, a comedy?" She asked, holding up an identical talisman as the one just signed.
"Either way, it's only just begun." A mischievous smile marked her statement, as the ends of the paper ever so slowly turned white.
This was supposed to be up ages ago, but ya know life has a way of taking plans and making confetti out of them.
For those who are a little lost, bon, or o-bon is the festival of the dead in Japan. This story was totally inspired by the filler episode in which Naruto and Sakura attend a festival and get haunted by ghosts.