Little Glass Slipper
Two- Mulan
.
"When will my reflection show who I am inside?"
-Mulan
.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Ripples fanned out every time a droplet hit the water, causing a disturbance in the pond's smooth, glassy façade. I sat on the edge of the dock, turning a kunai over and over in my hands, studying my reflection in the pool.
Wide, emerald green eyes, a cute little button nose and a small, dainty mouth. The corner of my right eye had a streak of black running out of it, trailing down my cheek and abruptly stopping where I had wiped the tear away.
But most of all, I studied my hair. It was long, so long that even sitting up straight, the ends still brushed the top of the water's surface. Standing, my hair fell a little past my knees. For years it had been my pride and joy, each wispy strand perfectly brushed and trimmed every day.
I looked pretty, I thought. Ladylike. Delicate.
With that last word running through my head like a mantra, I lifted the kunai.
Delicate.
I fisted my free hand around as much hair as I could hold.
Delicate.
I hesitated a moment, unsure of my sudden resolve.
Delicate.
On the water, I saw my face harden and a spark inhabit my unusually lackluster eyes. I looked brave. I looked strong.
I looked beautiful.
Delicate? I was so tired of being delicate.
In one fluid motion, I swung the kunai, without give, through the silky pink tresses. A gust of wind blew through the quiet clearing, picking up the strands in its current, and for a second I panicked, watching them float in front of me, suspended in midair. Most girls would kill for hair like mine.
But then I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the pond's surface, and the frantic beating of my heart stopped.
The cut was not perfect by any means, with some strands longer than others, and a choppy hem line. Most people would probably want a refund, but I thought it looked perfect.
I was breathless, unable to look away, no matter how narcissistic that sounds. With the now shoulder-length tendrils blowing in the wind, and a glint in my eyes, a small smile on my mouth, there was no way to discern me from the ladylike girl I had observed not even a minute before.
No longer was I the weak, useless girl Naruto and Sasuke always had to protect.
Screw delicate.
Liberated, I began to run back downstream towards our campsite, following the shoreline so as not to get lost. I did become lost, though. Lost in thought, that is. I was so wrapped up in my processings that I failed to notice a dark figure standing right in front of me until I ran right into him.
Sasuke.
I hastily tried to apologize, but my teammate didn't seem to notice. He was too enraptured with something in hands, staring, shell-shocked at the mysterious object.
At first glance I thought it was his fishing line, as it appeared to be a wet, soggy, stringy substance. But as I looked closer, I noticed the color of it.
Cherry blossom pink.
A small gasp escaped my mouth.
It was my hair, I realized with shock. Strands of my hair that must've been blown into the water, and Sasuke had fished out.
Startled by my intake of breath, Sasuke seemed to notice me for the first time, and in a single glance took in my new appearance. His voice came out raspy.
"What have you done?" he asked, the look in his eyes so mournful, so devastated, that I could only stand there in shock. I had never seen him like this before.
"Are you okay?" I asked. He didn't even seem to register I had said anything.
"Sakura…" he breathed out. "Your hair…" Sasuke lifted his hand up to finger through the pink locks.
"I cut it." I snapped, suddenly annoyed. "It's not the end of the world. Why does it even matter? It's easier this way. More functional!" I didn't know why Sasuke's sudden interest in my appearance bothered me so much. What did it matter to him? He made me so angry.
I slapped his hand away, then immediately wished I hadn't. The effect was immediate, like I had attacked him. He turned away from me, his emotions closed up, and started to walk back to camp.
"Wait!" I called, desperate for him to stay.
He kept walking.
Sprinting to catch up with him, I grabbed his shoulder, probably a little more forcefully than necessary. "Wait." I repeated, out of breath.
He didn't say anything in response, merely paused and cocked an eyebrow at me to show he was listening.
"I…" I began, measuring my words carefully, "I'm sorry. I didn't know that cutting my hair would upset you so much. If I had, I wouldn't have done it."
He turned to look at me, and I could see that he was at war with himself, deciding what he would say in response.
Still hiding from. About to tell me half-truths, or maybe flat-out lies.
"Please!" I said. "Please, just once, would you let me in? Would you let me know what you're thinking?"
I surprised myself with the desperation in my voice, and as soon as they were out of my mouth I saw something in Sasuke break.
His eyes bore straight into mine, and I saw the message hidden in them crystal clear: just this once.
Then they started to bleed to red, and the mangekyo started to spin. Briefly I realized that he was putting me under some sort of jutsu, but before I could protest I was already out.
.
There I was, an eleven year old version of myself, crying as I begged Sasuke to stay.
Sasuke's voice rang in to my consciousness.
"Remember this?" it (he?) said.
"Remember that night? You didn't know, but you almost convinced me to stay. You were so weak. So alone. You needed my protection.
"But Naruto could offer you that, I convinced myself, and so I left you, I thought, safe and sound. And when I returned, I thought you were still safe. You were still the same old Sakura. Same green eyes and wicked temper. Most of all, the same long pink hair. I thought it meant that you were okay. That you were just a silly little girl, trying to live up to your ninja fantasy.
"But I was wrong. I should have noticed the hardness in your eyes, the sad, mature air that lingered about you. But you were home, and you were alive, and I thought that was enough.
"And then I realized it wasn't. You were no longer innocent, little Sakura. You were no longer weak. You had seen too much and lost too many and I hadn't been there, and I had no one to blame but myself.
"So I convinced myself I would make it up to you. I would protect you, from anything that came your way.
"And then I saw them today, the strands of pink hair, floating downstream, and I realized that they weren't just the by-products of the newest hair trend. Yo uwere making a statement. You didn't need protection anymore. So what did that make me?
"It makes me nothing.
"And I don't think I can stand being nothing."
And then the voice disappeared, the image of me evaporated, and everything went black.
.
I bolted upright from my huddled body on the ground, to have Sasuke's hand shoved in my face. After I registered he wasn't trying to attack me, I realized he was trying to help me up.
My first instinct was to push it away. I was perfectly capable of getting up myself. But then I thought about what he had shown to me, and I realized this little act of kindness meant more than I had realized.
I don't think I can stand being nothing.
With his words echoing through my head, I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. Then, before he could let go, I guided his hand to rest on my heart, so that he could feel it's unnatural, erratic beating. We stood like that for a second, breathing the same air, and I slowly leaned upwards on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear…
"You're not nothing to me."
.
A/N: I think this is my favorite thing I've written. Recently, at least. So… thoughts? Thank you all! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got popcorn in the microwave and The Notebook to watch. Heart. :)
MAKES ME CRY EVERY TIME!