Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I shall refrain from violently expressing what I would do if I did own Naruto, as it is the holiday season. XD
A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone!!
For the last installment (this year, anyway), we have my own personal little daydream with two of my all-time favorite characters.
(Warning: possible/probable OOC-ness and large ((?)) doses of FLUFF coming up!)
This one is my present for devotedtodreams, for being so entirely awesome and supportive. I really hope you like it!
-:Sasuke:-
It was snowing.
Sasuke involuntarily shivered. He really didn't like being cold. But Sakura was hosting a huge Christmas party tonight, so he'd have to deal with it.
Normally, the raven wouldn't even have considered spending the holiday night with anybody, particularly Sakura and half the entire village. But ever since returning to Konoha a few months ago, he had been practically walking on eggshells around his teammate. Remembering how shattered he had left her before gave him an intense feeling of discomfort that refused to allow him to deny her any small happiness.
He was trying to make up for what he had done.
Naruto had been easier. They'd parted fighting, a no less painful but at least more violent way to go. The blood, the bruises; they provided glorious distractions from the internal agony they were both going through.
Yet despite all of it, they had welcomed him back. They had screeched with excitement and cried with joy, respectively, and been truly ecstatic to have him back. And he was slowly working his way back into the good graces of the others.
The attack on Konoha's elders was never carried out. They were titled 'elders' for good reason; the last had died in his sleep mere days before Hawk was to arrive. The news had bashed the group's sole purpose into oblivion, and Sasuke all but handed in his resignation letter.
He still felt slightly cheated, that he could not carry out the true revenge on his own, but he had grudgingly accepted it. Besides, no amount of blood could possibly bring back his family.
Tsunade had gone fairly easy on him. He was put on a year's probation, allowed no more weapons then were required for his missions. And whenever he was outside the compound, he felt the eyes of every Chunin and Jonin in the vicinity on him.
Whatever. He wasn't about to try anything like that again. This time, for better or worse, he was in Konoha to stay.
Sasuke sighed and threw on a coat. Guess I should probably get Sakura a present of some sort, he thought tiredly, hand on the door knob. And the dobe too, I suppose. Why did gifts have to be such a curst huge part of the holiday season? As if being jammed into social events and freezing on missions wasn't painful enough; no, you also had to buy things for people. It was awkward, irritating, and just unnecessary.
He stepped outside into the pale cold, watching his breath float away in a soft translucent mist. At least it wasn't snowing at the moment..
Another step; a footprint, a mark on the smooth purity.
And a quiet gasp of shock.
His brain went into overdrive. His senses went completely haywire. He could feel himself fighting, working overtime to try and accept the impossibility before him.
It wasn't possible. It absolutely could not be true.
He was dreaming. He was hallucinating. He was insane. The stress of everything had caused him to finally crack.
No. No, this isn't happening! This is not happening! Don't get excited; it's just an illusion..someone's playing a trick on me or something, because this is impossible!
Impos-!
"If I didn't know any better," the low, familiar voice observes lightly, "I'd say you weren't happy to see me." The shadow of a joke. But it isn't funny. They both know it. No laughter. No smiles. Just disbelief and weary calm.
"Th-thi-" Pull yourself together, Sasuke! "Th-this isn't real," he chokes out, trying for firm and achieving only shock. "You-you're-" He swallows hard. He can't say it.
"Dead?" Uchiha Itachi finishes softly. "Yes…Yes, I can see why you would think that."
"Wha-why I would think that? I saw you!" Sasuke exclaims, finally getting himself somewhat under control. "I saw your blood everywhere! I saw you smile and then drop dead right in front of me!" His voice cracks. Crap. Why am I getting so worked up?!
"….It's slightly more complicated than that." The young man breathes slowly. "You see, Madara did not poison me, exactly. He tried, of course…but he was short on time to administer it, and not the most skilled in the medical department." He shrugs. "So he slipped me some sort of sedative, which created the appearance of death..or something of that nature. My guess is he was aiming to get rid of me later, before it wore off..but it didn't work quite as long as he expected."
Why? Because you're an Uchiha, or something like that? Because you're a prodigy?
Unimportant. Questions he can ask…later.
Later. With equal measures of joy and relief, Sasuke realizes that there is actually going to be a later. Another chance.
How can he deny the truth when it's standing right in front of him?
Contrary to what he thought his brothers' last words, there could be a 'next time'.
He is frozen to the spot. His brain is going in circles, twisting in on itself, struggling to balance overwhelming, unsorted emotion and the need to accept the impossible.
Acceptance is coming, slowly.
As for control over emotion…maybe by next year?
His throat clenches, and he bites down hard on his lip, trying to keep any sound from escaping.
"There's no need to cry, you know." That calming voice.
He realizes with surprise that he is indeed crying. Tears, like small chips of ice, are falling without any signs of stopping. They shatter on the white ground like silent glass, the result of emotion filled past the brim.
He tries to stem the flow of the pair of waterfalls streaming from his black eyes, without any sort of success. If anything, he's crying harder. Get a hold of yourself!
But even berating himself mentally is doing no good. He's falling apart, right here on the deserted street. Then..
Warmth.
A pair of warm, strong arms have gently enveloped him.
He forces open confused eyes.
It's an unfamiliar feeling-of being held, loved unconditionally, held dear and kept safe. Vaguely he can recall experiencing such a wonderful feeling once or twice before, when he was very young and his father could scarcely object to Mikoto embracing her little boy.
Itachi draws his little brother closer to his chest, speaking quietly into dark hair. "It's all right," he murmurs. "I'm right here; you don't need to cry."
Sasuke feels like a very small child, but somehow doesn't care.
He does not want to let go.
He manages to put some movement into his stunned arms; reaching around his brother's waist and hugging him as tightly as he possibly can.
"There's no need to choke me, either," the young man points out, tone lightly teasing.
"Yes there is," the raven grumbles back, his voice muffled by the cloak. "I'm not letting you go anywhere."
A smile goes unseen by the younger boy. "That's fine. I have no intention whatsoever of leaving." Seriousness. "Not ever again."
The tears start up again, irritatingly. Waterfalls of relief and comfort, of happiness and love.
By some undeserved miracle, he has his brother back.
A new start can be made; the life they might have had without any elder's meddling. A delayed life, but one well worth the wait.
Still trying to quit crying, he makes good on his intent to squeeze the life out of his aniki.
"..Incidentally, I really can't breathe anymore," Itachi states calmly.
Sasuke laughs and loosens his grip a little. "Fine."
Both are smiling now.
The day-and life in general-is looking up.
"Maybe we should go inside," Itachi suggests. "If anyone sees me out here before I've straightened things out with the Hokage, it'll cause a panic."
Sasuke nods. I'll have to let Sakura know I won't be coming to her party, he thinks with only a slight twinge of guilt.
"..Aniki?" he ventures as they enter the house.
"Hm?"
"…I'm going to hug you again."
"…" Itachi grins. "Fine with me….Oh, and otouto?"
"What?"
"Before we cut off each others' respective windpipes…Merry Christmas."
Sasuke beams. "Merry Christmas, aniki."
And it is.
~Owari~
A/N: And that's it for '08.
I get the feeling that they were both extremely OOC there…but whatever.
I also get the feeling that the explanation for Itachi's non-death (and Sasuke's return) is completely crappy..but in my humble opinion, it's not the 'why' that's a huge factor. It's the fact that he is indeed alive.
(Semper Vivus!!!)
I hope I didn't kill you with excess fluff (or worse, a bad attempt at fluff) and ridiculous OOC-ness (to those who care), and that you enjoyed.
devotedtodreams-san; I sincerely hope I did not disgrace you with this. -.-;;;
I wish you all the best of Christmases (or whichever holiday you celebrate) and a glorious new year!
-SkywardShadow