A/n: Hey, I got bored waiting for my show, so I decided to see what I could write in 20 minutes. So if it seems rushed, you know why.. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: Sigh... If only.


fate chatting

Roses Rusted


You watch ever so silently as she gingerly picks up all the weapons that have strayed during your spar. The sun was sinking behind the trees and light was quickly running out. Her hair buns had loosened and you wonder how much more it would take for them to completely unravel. She spots you staring and she smiles. She smiles in such a childish way.

But she's not a child. And neither are you.

Long has your innocence been stripped from you, and you remember quite well the night she cried on you when hers was. But years have past, and you are both

over it. So you continue to watch as she continues to smile. She smiles in such a childish way.

Even if she isn't. And neither are you.

You remember asking her once, a long time ago, when the grass seemed greener and when it wasn't as cold at night. You remember asking her why she would smile in such a way. Why her smile was so innocent and care-free.

You remember her blinking then laughing. "Maybe it's because I am still a child." You would ponder on how simple her answer was.

But you also remember, whether you like it or not, the day—the night she wasn't anymore. The night she thrust her kunai into the enemy's chest. The night she killed for the first time. The night she finally shed tears since her family's demise.

You remember holding her, as she fell to her knees. From then on, now matter how young you were, you were no longer children.

She is not a child. And neither are you.

"Hey, Neji. Quit staring, will you? Did you wanna say something?" she asks, already coming towards you.

She playfully pinches your cheek, something only she can do, and smiles. She smiles in that way again. You smirk and hand her your share of the weapons you helped collect. She accepts them and thanks you. And she smiles. She smiles in that childish way.

But she isn't a child. And neither are you.

But sometimes, when she smiles in that childish way, you forget.

fin

We are, we are all innocent

Innocent by Our Lady Peace