A/n: I've never written a holiday special before ^^ Should be fun, no? Thanks again honey (bunny)!
Spirited Away
Chapter 1: Lightning
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One would think that rattling chains would be a dead giveaway of slumbering dreams. However, it was not that, but the fact that his fist didn't sound like a hundred freaking birds on crack.
The lack of power (and lack of headache) was what proved his state of unconsciousness.
That and the fact that a dead man was licking his cheek. Dead giveaway, really.
Then again, stranger things had happened.
Creepy. Seriously.
Orochimaru; alive and chained to gray blocks of concrete. "Hello, Sasuke-kun," he hissed, the edge that had always accompanied his drawl was no more.
"What the-?!"
"Hush," he hissed again in his slithery voice, "You've been a bad boy Sasuke-kun."
"Hn," Uh-huh, his subconscious urged, just go with it.
"Tonight you will be visited by three ghosts-"
"Tell me you're kidding."
Orochimaru's haunted eyes slanted downwards in a glare, "Would you wish to be chained as I am in death? The shackles are the mark of we, the betrayers. Those who would sell the souls of those they love for their own gain."
"I'm nothing like you!" Despite himself he responded to the dream snake's baiting.
"Sleep while you can Sasuke-kun, the ghosts will rouse you soon." No way was he sleeping, not with…him in the room. He gave him a meaningful look, raising his eyebrow as if to say 'get the fuck out'.
Lifting a cinderblock easily, Orochimaru tossed it out the window of the loft of the barn in which Sasuke was spending the night. His former mentor soon followed.
Sasuke blinked. Clearly his mind had finally snapped.
He slept.
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The next thing the avenger was aware of was a dull pain in the center of his forehead. It grew sharper. He immediately awoke. Sasuke found himself staring at none other than his elder brother.
"Did you really just poke me?" he asked, and then blinked. Hold the phone; his brother was here. He yanked him into a hug, "Fuck Itachi, you're alive?!" his eyes beheld the wonder of a true, blue miracle.
"Nope."
Sasuke's not-quite-smiling expression fell, "Then wha-?"
"I am the ghost of days long past."
"Right."
"I am."
"Sure."
Itachi shoved him until his knees hit one of the crates he'd slept on, he sat. "I'm here to show you the error of your ways~" the elder man announced. He was quite the spectacle really, wiggling his fingers, and slurring the end of his sentence, attempting to be foreboding and…ghostly? Sasuke gave him a flat look. "You have always lived for specific purposes, but you've never let yourself live enough to build a life for yourself." He poked him in the forehead and there was the sensation of weightlessness, it lifted him.
It was suddenly bright.
Daylight; noon instead of starry moonlight loomed and swallowed him, embraced him. It made him feel as if he were a cast shadow. He looked around.
"Konoha," Itachi announced unnecessarily.
He looked around. What he saw shook him.
It was himself; six years old and dragging his feet as he walked down the packed dirt road, past the academy's playground. The younger him stopped and looked over with a forlorn pout. He followed his own gaze to a pair of children. One had hair like sunshine, the other, the same pale pink that colored the sky at sunrise. The girl was crying and the boy seemed to be panicking. The trio of Uchihas watched.
Itachi touched his shoulder, he blinked and found himself under the same tree, although now it was bare and the ground was a frosted glaze. The same pink haired girl was facedown in the snow.
It wasn't fear that struck him, but anger. This was not how it happened! His thoughts protested.
He reached his hands out to touch her but felt nothing. He wanted to lift the little girl to her feet but somehow no matter how he reached, he could not touch her. "Sakura!" he shouted. It was in vain, because on shaky arms she lifted herself to her feet before stumbling.
"They cannot hear us," Itachi told him unhelpfully, "They are memories."
"Sakura-chan!" He looked up to find his younger self running towards her, "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked worriedly.
The six year old Sakura wiped her bloody lip and grinned. "Nothing Sasuke-kun, I just tripped." Now, many years down the road of life, Sasuke could easily tell that she'd been lying, but back then, he'd just been happy to even be able to talk to her without stumbling over every word, turning into a tomato or catching cooties. "Do you still need help with your homework?"
Itachi poked his forehead; he could not find it in himself to care.
It was raining here. He saw himself under an ebony umbrella, held by who, many years later he knew to be Kakashi. Back then he had not so much as glanced up at the kind, pitying stranger. He was eight years old and he knew this to be a funeral. For his family.
There was a crowd of strangers but the young Sasuke looked not at them, but at the dirt. The blond and the pinkette stood off to the side, a woman who he assumed was Sakura's mother clutched her daughters hand tightly. She was the spitting image of the woman he knew now. When the hokage's sermon was done Sakura broke free of her mother's hold and approached him, Naruto hot on her heels.
"I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun," Sakura cried for him, breathless. Because he could not shed his own tears.
Why are they always crying for me?
"Yeah man," Naruto nodded vigorously, "Anything you need? A place to stay?"
"No," was his younger self's cold (stupid), emotionless (damning) reply, "Just leave me the hell alone."
They dissolved into darkness; Naruto's heartbroken eyes of beautiful blue were the last to fade.
"What happened?" he demanded of his brother. He did not remember that friendship. The vague recollections of swing sets, cookie dough and movies were so blurred and smudged that he couldn't distinguish dream from memory.
Itachi smiled sadly, pityingly, "You acted as if you never knew them. Without you Naruto and Sakura's friendship fell apart and she found Ino. She became someone you really could hate and Naruto hated you for doing that to them."
Slowly, piercing the blackness, one by one, stars appeared overhead. They alleviated the shroud of darkness embanking him. He felt his bare toes being tickled by cold grass.
To their left, there they lay; thirteen and innocent as could be. Sakura had fallen asleep and was curled into Naruto's side, acting as a barrier between his younger self and the blond. Naruto was gloating, sticking his tongue out tauntingly.
"You act as if I care, Dobe."
"You so do."
"No, I don't."
"You're jealous."
"Both of you shut up before I slam you into walls." In her exhaustion, she'd even threatened Sasuke, which in itself was disconcerting. Kakashi laughed somewhere in the peripherals.
"They loved you very much," Itachi urged.
"I know," Sasuke's teeth ground together as he grit the affirmative out.
"You left four days later." Flashes of unconscious, beautifully devastated Sakura, disappointed, disapproving, ashamed and strong Kakashi, betrayed, enraged and insane Naruto. Eyes bleeding red danced behind his eyelids.
"Stop it! Show me something else," He growled, angrily, guiltily. He needed to be reminded why he was right.
Before his eyes images and memories flickered. A lifetime of hurt and stupidity and shit that really didn't matter in the long run, but somehow ended up as just another load of baggage.
It ended with an up close and personal look at Itachi's dead, unseeing eyes.
"Stop!" he shouted. And it did. There was now only him and Itachi, surrounded by not darkness, but nothing. Just an empty void of time.
Itachi burst into flames.
"What the hell?!" out of shock he leapt backwards.
"Time to go, another ghost will arrive soon," a emblazoned hand reached out and poked his forehead for the last time.
Sasuke fell out of bed, panting.
He stood abruptly. He did not scramble; Uchiha's have more pride than that. A dream. It was only a dream.
He closed the door behind him silently as he entered the bathroom to wash his face and calm his beating, pumping heart.
Sasuke often had nightmares, they were nothing new but this one…there was something strange about it, perhaps it was the promise of future events? Perhaps it was because it was not recurring as the others often were. Perhaps-
He looked up as cold water ran between his fingertips, disappearing in ribbons down the drain. Reflected back at him was his face, yes, just as it always had been. But across his forehead, as if a tattoo or battle scar was soot, singe marks. It was as if lightning had struck.
It hadn't been a dream.
Cold air blew against the back of his neck and loud thumps came from the bedroom.
More ghosts apparently.
Well shit.
A/N: Merry Christmas and to all a good year! And if you're like me and you celebrate Hanukah, 'hag sameach!' Or Quanza. Happy days to you guys too!
Thanks for reading it over Pippin! You're awesome sweetheart. And YES in the usual way :P
Ah the cheese. Calcium's great for you though, it helps to build strong and healthy bones!
Two more chapters and an epilogue!
I got invited to my first Christmas dinner ever ^^ what does one do at such things? And is shortbread an appropriate food to bring?
I passed out at 10 PM last night. That is just SO WEIRD.
PS: IRONMAN. Holy shit. Homigod. XD I saw the trailer literally 16 times. It is amazing and I am SO excited. I read the comics though, so I really hope I won't be disappointed because my expectations were too high. But gaaaah why wont it just come out already?! T.T –sigh- I supposed Pip and I will have to sate ourselves with RDJ in Sherlock Holmes for now.
PSS: If he weren't totally alone in the bathroom (*wink wink, nudge nudge* whatcha doin' in there Sasu-cakes?) I would say my usual salutation: AND THEN THEY MADE OUT. Maybe his reflection?
Yes indeed.