Sasuke's Solace
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Author's Note: This fic is kind of vague; I don't think it really has a plot, except for maybe something philosophical or thought-provoking. I enjoyed writing it though, and if you're still going to read it, I hope you enjoy it too.
The landscape around Otogakure was hopelessly monotonous. Sasuke dragged his sword along the grass in a pure attempt at showing his complete and utter boredom. ''Why have we come here?''
Kabuto half-turned to answer his question. ''Sasuke-kun, Orochimaru-sama is offering you a chance to have some time to yourself.'' Kabuto hitched his glasses up his nose; a customary habit which annoyed Sasuke to the ends of the earth and made him want to turn four-eyes into no-eyes. ''I suggest you enjoy the opportunity.''
''Shut up. I don't have the time to enjoy anything.'' He sheathed his sword and followed Kabuto down the crowded town path. Seeing this many people made him uncomfortable. He hadn't been around such a heavily populated place in . . . well, a long time.
It seemed to Sasuke that Kabuto was at least well known around here. Women, especially, whispered greetings as they passed. Sasuke curled his lip in disgust. Little whores. The scantily dressed women – some of them mere girls, barely older than himself – smiled and waved their thin hands, seemingly inviting smiles not quite meeting their shrewd, calculating eyes.
Sasuke tried his best to ignore them. It was difficult, considering that most of the women apparently wanted to flock around him rather than Kabuto. Sasuke shot a sideways glance at the older man. Kabuto was smirking at the sky, oblivious (supposedly) to Sasuke's growing discomfort.
''Let's get inside someplace,'' Sasuke snapped. The girl at his elbow giggled and touched his shoulder. He shrugged her away.
''Fine by me.'' Kabuto swerved to his right and beckoned to Sasuke. ''You'll like it here.''
The door was half-open, set well back from the main street. Sasuke pushed at the heavy wood and it swung farther into the room. An intoxicating, heavy smell hit his nostrils – exotic and spicy, but it made his head whirl. He wrinkled his nose. ''What the hell is this place?''
Kabuto moved swiftly past him and into the room beyond. ''A free for all haven. Come on in.''
Sasuke hesitated. He could hear some sort of music from inside – jingling bells and chimes. It created a lifting, seductive eddy of sound. He hated it.
The room inside was surprising, to say the least. The walls were heavily draped in thick, velvet like material, coloured richly with purples and greens. They created a mysterious, dark atmosphere, broken only by lamps hung in between the cloths. It was a huge contrast to the brightness of the day outside.
Sasuke saw where the music was coming from. A band played in the corner of the room, heads moving wildly to their melody. A short man strummed enthusiastically on a biwa, his whole body moving forwards and backwards. His instrument was bigger than he was.
The jingling bells, however, were not from the band. On a floor thickly littered with gold-embroidered cushions, dancers moved their feet in time to the music, lithe bodies swaying. Sasuke stared. What the hell had Kabuto been thinking, bringing him somewhere like this? Wasn't he underage for this sort of stuff, anyway? What the hell ever, where was that perverted pimp?
Furious, he turned to glare at the divans on the floor, searching for the sorry-assed b****** who had brought him here. ''Oi, Kabuto, you crazed son-of-a – ''
((Sorry, I'm really, really trying not to swear – I don't use bad language, but when it's Sasuke, it's kinda hard))
''Sasuke-kun. Are you enjoying it here?'' Kabuto hitched his glasses onto his nose – again.
''No. Let's leave.''
''Don't be silly.'' Kabuto beckoned to a man holding a tray of exquisitely arranged glasses. ''Give my friend here something he'll enjoy.''
The waiter smiled hopefully at Sasuke and held out the tray. The fancy wine glasses were full of sake. ''I don't drink,'' Sasuke said to him curtly. He wasn't going to be getting out of this dump any time soon, he realised. Moving his sword away from his body, he sat down on one of the divans, well away from the leering men and old gamblers smoking hookah.
This was the worst place to try and think in peace. Incense from the burning sticks near him wafted their scent in front of his face. The dizzying smell made him feel sick. For lack of something better to do, and enraged at being brought so low, he watched the dancers. His impassive eyes did not see the rich colour of their skin, or their whirling limbs, or their hair flowing around them as they moved. He saw the bored look in their eyes, their slacking mouths, their discreet expressions of misery and disgust when the men reached out hands to grab at them.
He almost smiled at their miserable survival, felt some sort of sick pleasure in their terrible captivity. He shared with them, almost, a path of the same existence. Their fates were matched – they were both held by ropes of destiny which neither of them could untie.
((Boy, I sound like Neji))
He glanced up at the nearest dancer, a girl who was not much older than him. Her purple robes swung over his outstretched leg, swish, swish, swish . . . He stared at the flaring material.
Her hand brushed his cheek, then his shoulders. Annoyed, he twitched at her touch. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kabuto's infuriatingly superior smile. He forced his eyes back towards the girl, opening his mouth to tell her to cut it out. His mouth closed when he saw the tight sash pulled around her waist. Ignoring the girl's throaty voice, he gazed at the black sash as though entranced. It's the same colour as . . . Sasuke's hand pushed away the girl's impatiently. He stood up, and the girl crowed with laughter. A tight frown knotting his brow, Sasuke followed her light-hearted steps down the hall. Behind him, he heard Kabuto's cynical chuckle as loud as if he were standing next to him.
The room she led him to was as dark as the room they had left behind. Sasuke stood there, watching the girl with absolutely no interest on his face. Whatever everyone else might think, he was only here to get that sash. He didn't care about this flighty, air-headed whatever-she-was.
The girl turned to him and ran her fingers down his neck. Sasuke fought the urge to snap her fingers, especially when she scraped horribly long nails against his exposed chest. He sucked the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything. Not like him . . . but he wanted to get a closer look at the sash.
Finally, his anger getting the better of him, he shoved her away. She stumbled backwards, a flash of fear flickering in her eyes. Laughing nervously, she steadied herself against the wall and stepped towards him again.
''Stay there,'' he snarled at her. His hand grabbed the black sash and pulled. She gave an unearthly squeal and scrabbled to pull it back from him. Paying no attention to her weak protests, Sasuke turned and held the sash up to the dim light, studying it with fanatical thoroughness. It wasn't the same colour at all. The colour he wanted was black; rich, luxurious black. This material was hopelessly washed out and dull. He had humiliated himself for nothing. What had he been thinking? Following her like one of those lecherous men back there. He tilted his head to look at her. She was holding her kimono in place with shaking hands, but she looked up at Sasuke defiantly.
Sasuke smiled. She blinked rapidly, as though trying to hide her fear. He stretched and tugged the sash between his hands musingly. He would bet that she was new to all of this – new to this ridiculous, pointless life she lived. Sasuke smiled to himself this time, at the grimy floor, at the sash in his grasp. He could do what Kabuto thought he was doing. Or he could put an end to this girl's unhappiness. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Sasuke rolled his head to look at her again. He was definitely in the mood to be nice. It was good to be nice. He could be nice for once. It was dead easy. And she looked so sad. Yep, he thought, black eyes coldly regarding the girl's piteous form. Definitely in the mood to be nice.
Kabuto was downing another glass of sake when Sasuke returned. That was probably one too many, Kabuto thought drowsily, following Sasuke's progress with half-closed eyes. ''Hey, Sasuke-kun,'' he drawled, raising the bottle in his direction. ''Care for a drink? Why not go for the whole package?''
Sasuke looked up. He was holding a raggedy black sash in one hand, the other hand on his sword. Kabuto grinned drunkenly. ''Souvenir?''
Sasuke let the sash drop to the ground. Mechanically, he drove it into the barely visible carpet with his sandaled foot. Souvenir, Kabuto be damned.
''Let's go.''
This time, Kabuto agreed. The drinks, he felt, were rather too tempting to stay in a safe state of mind. ''Alright,'' he told Sasuke. He staggered out of the room, threw a fistful of money from the doorway, and lurched down the path. Sasuke tried his best to keep his temper. The stares they were getting were grating on his already raw nerves.
''So,'' Kabuto slurred, squinting at Sasuke in the harsh sunlight. ''Did you have fun?''
Sasuke laid his hand on the handle of his sword. He hadn't touched the girl. But his blade had. Had he had fun?
''No.''
Kabuto shook his head. ''What did you do, then?''
Sasuke shrugged. ''I was nice.''
Behind them, in the darkened private room, a knot of wailing women surrounded the dead body of a girl. Her eyes, glazed, stared upwards, blood still flowing from where a sword had been driven through her chest. No one noticed that the black sash was gone. Why would they? Her arms were stretched behind her head, as though she had fallen whilst reaching for something in the air. Perhaps it was the freedom from this troubling life Sasuke had been denied; freedom she could now at least hope to find.
A bit weird? I don't know. On a note, Sasuke didn't do anything to (or with) the girl besides kill her – just wanted to make that very clear. Review if you like – though I would appreciate if you actually did, 'cause it could help with my writing.
Until next time.