Iris
Dedicated to Marshie and Mei Sanniang
The moon was a thin, pale wafer with a huge bite missing. It slowly grazed against the pitch black sky, shedding little illumination onto the quiet village of Konoha. Crickets chirped musically, fireflies danced in the air and the breeze was warm. It was a beautiful night, but one person was going to ruin this tranquility by leaving it.
Uchiha Sasuke heaved an irritable sigh, gripping the pen tightly in his hand as his onyx irises glared at the blank sheet of paper on his desk. It seemed to mock him and he would like nothing better to do than burn it with a fire jutsu, but decided against it. He couldn't summon the words to grace the blank paper and send it to the one person he could put his trust in. Sasuke couldn't let this person know of his intentions, his reasons for his intentions and the person who elicited such reasons.
Why couldn't he? Writing a letter should be so simple, but for Sasuke, it wasn't. He knew it'd be better to tell his friend face-to-face, but...he didn't want to see that look on her face. He didn't want to witness the tears streaking down from her lavender eyes or to hear the sound of her heart breaking. It would burn an image into his mind forever and the guilt would leave a heavy weight on his conscience.
His fingers twitched slightly, almost hesitantly, and then the tip of the pen met the surface of the paper...
Hinata,
I wanted to inform you that I will be leaving Konoha in search of Orochimaru's power. I know what you're thinking, but my growth is limited in this village. I will never get strong enough to avenge my clan if I stay here and waste what life I have left. Hinata, this is not only for my clan's sake, but for mine as well. I can't live happily with this crushing weight in my heart and unless I kill my brother, I probably never will. I hope you understand that I'm not doing this to hurt you. I care--
Sasuke angrily scribbled out the sentence, his mind conjuring a more appropriate word that matches with his current feelings. He felt jittery, anxious and nearly breathless. He knew he needed to finish the letter, deliver it and leave before doubts filled his thoughts. With a new mind-set, he attacked the paper with his pen.
You mean more to me than you may think. I know we haven't been together as much as I would like, but you're the only person here that has a better insight to my pain. Remember when I came back from my mission? You shyly confronted Naruto, yet being the idiot was, he chased after Sakura and left you alone. I remember thinking what an idiot Naruto was, for chasing after a girl who didn't give him the time of day...yet, you were there, wanting his acknowledgement. When you finally noticed my presence, I could tell you thought my presence was intimidating and wanted nothing more than to run away. However, I stopped you with a few harsh, simple words.
"Why bother wasting your time with him? He doesn't even notice you."
You were still and silent. I noticed the slight tremble of your shoulder and I knew right away you were crying. It bothered me to the point where I wanted to snap some sense into you and make you realize that this crush you held towards him was fake. He'd never return your feelings. I knew this because this scenario reminds me of Sakura's feelings to me. I only acknowledged her as a teammate and friend, nothing more. Naruto probably thought of you as the same respective terms I gave to Sakura. I explained all this to you in a cold, harsh tone, hoping you would wise up. But to my surprise...
"I know Naruto-kun will n-never see me as he sees Sakura-san, but...he means so much t-to me. He inspired me to become stronger and h-he helped me gain a little confidence. He gives me strength, Uchiha-san. Without it...I f-feel like I won't get anywhere without it."
We continued talking until it was past midnight, without noticing how the time flew by and I walked you home. Despite almost being Jyuuken'd to hell by your livid, overprotective cousin, I found our new acquaintance to be pleasant. I never enjoyed being with anyone like this before. I never talked about my family to anyone until you. You understood the same pain and longing of wanting to be praised by your father. You wanted to grow stronger to prove him wrong and that you could be the heiress. I admired you then and still do.
You're really something, Hyuuga Hinata. I'm glad to have met you. Thank you for being a comforting presence. It will never disappear from my memories. I hope Naruto will wake up and realize that you're standing right in front of him, offering your heart to him. If he accepts it and gives you his heart, I congratulate you for getting through his idiotic skull.
However, you should realize that if Naruto and I cross paths, I will not hesitate to use deadly force against him. I refuse to let anyone block my path to a greater power. Hinata, I also hope I don't find you blocking that path. I'd deeply regret it. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. For your sake and mine, don't pursue me.
Sasuke noticed the moon hung high in the sky and took it as his signal to leave. He heaved a long, tired sigh as his gaze settled back to the page. He hesitated once more, finding it difficult to end this letter and leave. He knew it was for the best, but why did he feel as if he was leaving his heart here, into this letter?
Burn the letter after you've read it.
Lo--
He shook his head, his black bangs flying around his face. What was wrong with him? He erased the word and replaced it.
Sincerely,
Uchiha Sasuke
He laid the pen down and then picked up the letter, folding it carefully. Once he was done, he summoned a messenger bird and tied the letter to its leg. The bird ruffled its black feather slightly, appearing surprised for being summoned so suddenly. The bird hasn't been used ever since the Uchiha Massacre. Sasuke ignored its slight discomfort and pushed the windows open.
"Hyuuga Estate; Hyuuga Hinata."
The bird took off into the night sky. Sasuke watched until it faded into nothingness, feeling the burden he kept inside lift. His eyes drifted down to the framed photo of his team and memories suddenly flooded in his mind's eye. He blocked them all out as he gently laid the picture frame face down. The only memory he held dear was the image of Hinata...and her simple smile he so cherished.
He'd never let it fade from the iris of his heart.
A/N: More SasuHina angst. D:
I don't own Naruto, by the way. XD