A/N: Soooo, total fluff . . . in fact, the sugar high may or may not have left me permanently unstable . . .
A Day in the Life
Dawn
Sitting alone on damp grass infused with morning dew, Sasuke couldn't help but be impressed, not with the awesomeness of the sheer cliff beneath his dangling feet, but rather with the rays of the rising sun. There really was no feeling akin to seeing something so radiant yet so natural, so beautiful yet belonging to something of the beyond. As the bright rays bled into the expanse of blue, the feeling tugged at his heart, telling him that no matter the pain, he was only such a small part of this world and it really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
He decided that day that watching the sunrise would become his daily ritual.
Sitting alone on a rigid desk and seeing Naruto for the first time, Sasuke couldn't help experiencing a strong sense of déjà senti. It irked him as he didn't see why some dead last should remind him of anything. But then Naruto turned towards him with his bright blue eyes and golden hair and a brilliant, toothy grin, and he realized. This was much more beautiful than the sunrise. Instead of gently tugging, it pulled his heart right out and told him that no matter his insignificance in the world, he still meant something great to someone.
He decided that day that watching Naruto would become his new daily ritual.
Noon
It took Sasuke five years to confess to Naruto and only five minutes to have the wind knocked out of him. As he lay on the ground, staring up at the sun that pierced his eyes, an angry face, haloed by a golden tuft of hair, swam into his view. Right before he passed out, all he could see was blue so piercing that it rivaled the sky.
When he came to, he was welcomed by a barrage of angry words, "Don't ever run away like that again you bastard! I know you had to kill Itachi, but . . ." Not interested in listening to a tirade, Sasuke let the words seep through him. But then something soft touched his lips and through it a sigh: "And I love you too teme."
The first time, Sasuke felt like he was a scarecrow burning in the midday sun. There was nothing to shade him because he was the shadow to this fire. He was a butterfly attracted to flame and like the butterfly, his wings had been charred and there really was no way to escape. But he didn't mind; he didn't need wings when everything he wanted was right here. He was finally home.
Dusk
Watching the blonde lashes flutter with fading life, Sasuke couldn't help but shiver. He looked up at the retreating sun that left beautiful streaks in the sky, but all he could feel was the acute pain of his light leaving him. He smoothed his fingers over the whiskers, now wrinkled with age and felt salty streams down his own cheeks. A feeble hand reached up and wiped his tears away, following it the piercing sky and dying sun, so arresting yet reminding him that every dusk leads to a new dawn.
