*So, that last chapter…yeah. Well…yeah. Anyway…I don't care how trippy it was! I still love it! But I suppose that's like a mom telling their kid that she still loves them even though he/she failed every class. You know what class that last chapter failed? No, it wasn't coherency (good guess though). It failed AP Economics. Yup. Wow, you see what college essays can do to a person? This. I have like fifteen more pages of Plato's Symposium to read for AP Great Books (super-fantastic class!), but I'm really not in the mood for excessive thought, so I figured I should update! God knows how little thought actually goes into these. I suppose I could do some of my AP Euro reading (seriously, we're reading a book by some dude named Manchester; it's like, all the blood, sex, and violence that you didn't realize happened during the dark and middle ages. Love that man). Whatever! The point is, I'm updating now! …I love you. Yeah…I'm just gonna go find myself a good monologue from Othello. How does that sound?
Disclaimer: My story being done,/ She gave me for my pains a world of sighs./ She swore, i' faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange;/ 'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful./ She wished she had not heard it; yet she wished/ That heaven had made her such a man. She thanked me;/ And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,/ I should but teach him how to tell my story,/ And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake./ She loved me for the dangers I had passed,/ And I loved her that she did pity them./This only is the witchcraft I have used./ Here comes the lady. Let her witness it.
-Othello (Othello 1.3 Be glad I didn't force you to read the whole things…it's over three minutes when read aloud…P.S. I don't own anything that I happen to mention in my story…especially Naruto).
P.P.S.
Do that funky Moor thing, white boy!
Particularly Appropriate Music: All the Go Inbetweens- Silversun Pickups, Girl- The Beatles, Because- Across the Universe Version, Rest My Chemistry- Interpol, Shimmer- Fuel, A Rush of Blood to the Head- Coldplay, Say it Ain't So-Weezer, Sail to the Moon- Radiohead, Lacrymosa- Evanescence, Cupid De Locke- Smashing Pumpkins, Hallelujah- Jeff Buckley, A Time to be So Small- Interpol, Yes- Coldplay, and Little Motel- Modest Mouse.
A Series of Incoherent Musings #3 (Sasuke): You Came Along and You Cut Me Loose Part 1
She was a goddess. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Though, I suppose nowadays, you'd call her a woman. Every hackneyed phrase about love you can think of, yeah, that was her embodied. Have you ever read Shakespeare's "Sonnet 17"? I've never read so much truth: "Who will read my verse in time to come/ When it is fill'd with your most high deserts./ Though yet, Heaven knows, it is but as a tomb, which hides your life and shows not half your parts." (1) Or, for the slower ones out there, she's so incredibly gorgeous that I can't even describe her, and even if I could, you'd never believe me.
I've known her for years, and she's my world. She's always loved me back, but I've never shown how deeply I truly reciprocate the feeling. It's not that I want to hurt her, quite the contrary. She's an angel, and she's far too wonderful to waste her time on me. I would only hurt her in the end; she deserves much better than that.
She's tried so many times to get me to change my mind, but each time, I turn her down. Then, when I see that sorrow in her eyes, I feel like a monster, but it's all for the best. I decided long ago that I'd turn her down until she finally gives up and finds someone as incredible as she deserves. Then, I'd just be content staying by her side as one of her dearest friends.
On that particular day, I watched her angelic eyes light up, her beautiful face soften with a beaming smile as she laughed with her best friend, Ino. She could light up an entire city with that expression. She was perfect: kind and feminine, but also strong and charismatic. She had boundless energy when something interested her, but she also knew when to get serious. She never let anything get her down, nor did she let people push her or her friends around. God, the way her seafoam green eyes burned with a fiery passion when she fought for something she believed in.
Ino gently straightened her bright red hair-band, grinning. "What am I gonna do with you?" the blonde joked. "I can't leave you alone for two minutes, can I?" The other chuckled.
"Oh, whoops, thanks for noticing, Ino-chan. I'm a mess aren't I?"
"Always were. I remember cleaning the mud off you when we were kids." The shared another laugh. She couldn't look more beautiful. Ino and I may hate each other, but the hair-band looked good, I'll give her that. I remember hearing that Ino had given it to her when they were young.
The object of my affections seemed to notice me out of the corner of her eye. Her whole face brightened further; I loved that I had that effect on her.
"Sasuke-kun!" she called. No one said my name with quite the same vigor and warmth. "How long have you been standing there? You should've said something!" I just gave her a playful smirk as she lightly embraced me. If I hadn't been so entranced by the goddess clinging to me, I probably would've noticed Ino glaring at me (I swear, if looks could kill).
"You seemed busy," I replied simply. She hit me playfully.
"You're so…" she sighed, having no adjective to describe me. "Anyway, I meant to ask, did you see Naruto yet?" I nodded. The three of us were about as inseparable as Neji, Lee, and Tenten. Naruto was my very best friend, second to no one. I usually saw him in the morning as he locked up his bike.
"Yeah,
he was with Neji, Lee, and Hinata." It was rare for the four of
them to walk together even though they were neighbors, but that was
normally because Naruto was with Gaara.
"Are Naruto and
Hinata-chan dating yet?" I couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"No, not yet." Sakura sighed.
"Well, we're gonna have to change that."
"Sakura-chan," Ino cut in, "we should probably get to class." It was obvious that she was impatient and irritated with me. I still have no idea what her problem is with me. I feel like she hated me before we even met. Naruto thinks that we were enemies in a past life or something.
Sakura checked the clock behind her. "Oh, you're probably right." The two began to leave, Sakura waving me off. But, as she left, her back to me, I felt as though my world was shattering.
"Wait," I began softly. She turned, concerned at my change in tone. And as I stared into those deep green eyes, I suddenly wanted to blurt out everything. I wanted to shout that I loved her, to tell her that she was the most beautiful creature on the planet and I'd do anything for her. I stopped myself, before I did something regrettable and stupid, for her sake.
"Is something wrong, Sasuke-kun?" I just smiled sadly.
"No, I just wanted to tell you that Naruto and I are eating lunch with Neji today. You should come too." Sakura grinned.
"Sure thing!" And then she left, off into the distance. I felt some piece of me disappear, leaving a looming, empty void. Hiding your feelings can be Hell, but I did it anyway, all for her.
The rest of my morning classes were pretty uneventful. I'm no idiot. Most of my classes were easy, and in comparison to what Neji's workload is, sophomore year is a breeze. Then, I got to English, the one non-theatre class that I share with Gaara. He wasn't there. It was strange; I was really starting to miss him. He sat next to me in English, and the two of us were usually paired together in theatre. Without him, school was lacking.
It's funny how quickly things change. Gaara and I hated each other for the longest time. We'd compete; he'd be furious with me, and I'd tease him mercilessly. I think it first started because we were both jealous of each other's close relationship with Naruto (I was jealous of Neji at first for the same reason). He hated how close Naruto and I were, and I hated the way that Naruto confided in him. He hated my guts, and something about him truly bothered me. Then, when we joined theatre, we started working together. We began to feel more and more comfortable with each other. We started to be able to joke and laugh around each other. He started to smile around me. Nowadays, he does so often. His smile was almost as perfect as Sakura's, and the first time that I thought that, it scared me. I thought that I was going insane. Then, I started to notice how pretty his iridescent eyes and soft crimson hair were. It was like I was seeing a totally new and different Gaara. I imagined what his lips would feel like, how his body would feel pressed flush against mine. And, after all these fantasies started, he and I grew even closer. We began touching more often, small things: a hand on the shoulder, a one-armed hug. I began smiling around him more and more. It was almost like being with Sakura, as if my brain could no longer tell the difference.
Because of all these new developments, our chemistry grew and developed so well that Gai and Kakashi even began casting us opposite each other. Gaara seemed to enjoy it about as much as I did. He could never replace Sakura, but still, I wondered what it would be like to go on a date. All that I was sure of was that I wanted, needed to see him soon. I hoped that he'd recover from this strange illness.
English ended with no warning. I had practically fallen asleep, daydreaming. The bell rang, and I realized that it was time for lunch. It took me what felt like hours to gather my thoughts. Finally, I put away my supplies and left the room last (just after the teacher). I headed upstairs to Lee's locker (Neji, Lee, and Tenten's spot). I figured that everyone would be waiting when I got there.
I stood corrected, however, as Naruto and Sakura were nowhere in sight. They were probably getting lunch from the cafeteria (instant ramen, no doubt, at least, on Naruto's part). Instead, only Neji, Tenten, and Lee were there, but there was not the usual happy air of students sitting down for a well-deserved break from schoolwork. No, it was almost solemn. Neji was lying in Lee's lap, looking absolutely enervated. I had never seen the brunette look so tired. Something was definitely wrong.
Sneaking closer, I hid behind a nearby wall, hoping to hear some of their conversation.
Tenten was the first to speak: "He had another night terror, last night?!" she cried. Lee nodded sadly.
"Yes, I have not seen him like this since Hiashi-san passed away." Tenten gasped.
"Oh God! Don't even say that, Lee! I don't even wanna think about him like that again. He was a wreck; you both were."
"I…I know, Tenten-chan, but look at the signs: his night terrors are worse, he is not eating, and he is tired all of the time. I fear the worse is yet to come." Tenten's hazel eyes widened.
"You don't mean-" Lee simply nodded again. The two were quiet for a while as they considered the implications of such a thing.
"But there is something else that is bothering me…" Tenten gave him a look that simply said, "Go on." "Well, at first, I thought that Hiashi-san's death was the trigger to Neji's breakdown, but then I realized that Neji had been deteriorating for months beforehand. Do you not remember how bad he had gotten second semester, sophomore year?" The chestnut-haired girl seemed to cringe at the thought.
"Oh God…I remember now. Sometime after finals, you and he started sharing a bed, and you told me about the night terrors…" Lee sighed.
"Yes, but then, he was only having them very rarely. As the year went on though, he started having them more and more often. He also stopped eating and could not keep himself awake during the day."
"Just like now!" Tenten gasped.
"Yes, and then, towards the end of the year, his mind started playing tricks on him. It finally escalated to…the incident…" Tenten shook her head at the thought.
"And poor Shino was the one who found him. I'd never seen him so scared. He was so worried about Nej even though they barely knew each other." Lee nodded.
"Shino-kun is a very good guy."
"Yeah…Lee, are you saying that Neji might end up like…that again?" At this, Lee just shook his head.
"I cannot know for sure, Tenten-chan. I certainly hope not." Before the conversation could continue any further, Neji moaned, coming to.
"Mmmmmn, how long was I out?"
"Just a few minutes." But, by then, I had stopped listening. Neji had broken down? His sophomore year…I had been a freshman then, but we had still been in theatre together. How could I have missed such a significant change in one of my friends? Was I just oblivious to other people's problems? Or was Neji just an incredible actor? I hoped to God that it was the latter. Still, I felt like a terrible person for not noticing. Even if Neji had been acting, I should've noticed. Did it mean that I wasn't trustworthy enough to confide in? The idea of that hurt.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, there you are! We were looking all over for you!" I turned to find Sakura and Naruto staring at me, both grinning. I smirked back. "What are you doing all the way over here?" asked my favorite pink-haired girl.
"Nothing much," I lied, shrugging. "I was just thinking."
"Well come on, Teme!" (2) shouted a certain boisterous blonde. "We shouldn't keep them waiting!" With that, Naruto dragged both of us over to the three already seated.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Lee and Tenten both told Naruto and Sakura about their days so far, and then proceeded to ask them to reciprocate the action. Neji just smiled. I took a seat next to him.
"Hey," I greeted casually, trying not to give away what I'd eavesdropped on just moments beforehand. It was quite a feat, especially when the person to whom you're lying to seems like he can see right through you.
And he did; instead of greeting me in turn, he frowned. "Is something wrong, Sasuke?" "I'm just worried about you," was what I wanted to say, but I said nothing.
"I'm just," I began. "Neji…you know you can tell me when something's bothering you, right?" Neji cocked his head in confusion.
"What brought this on?" I sighed.
"Nothing…I'm…you haven't been looking well lately, and I just thought that something might be wrong. I'm worried about you." Neji seemed taken aback at first, before he smiled sincerely.
"You know," he began. "You're a better person than you think, Sasuke." He gestured to Sakura. "You should really ask her out. You won't destroy her, Sasuke. You're not a monster; on the contrary, you're very kind. You're perfectly human and a good one at that." As he finished, I wanted to cry. Neji…he always had a way of saying exactly what I wanted to hear, but he never let me worry about him. He never let anyone worry about him. It frustrated me to no end.
I gripped his shoulders, turning him towards me. "Dammit, Neji! Why do you always have to do this? You always glance over your problems in favor of mine! But maybe I don't want to talk about mine; maybe I want to talk about yours! Neji, maybe I just want a chance to help you, instead of helping myself!" Needless to say, Neji was shocked at my outburst.
"Sasuke," he murmured calmly, "I don't want to push my problems on you."
"But you let me push my problems on you all the time!" I retorted. He refused to meet my eyes. "Neji, you don't have to be superhuman. You can have problems; you can! No one's going to think any less of you." With no warning, Neji stood. He was looking down, a shadow blocking his eyes from view. Still, he gently tousled my hair in a brotherly fashion.
"It's okay," he whispered, barely audible. There was an unspoken meaning: "Don't go there, Sasuke. My burdens will crush you. I don't want that." He left without another word. This did nothing more than make me wonder what on earth could've happened to him that was so bad. It seemed almost cataclysmic to his sanity. I felt comforting a hand on my shoulder. It was Naruto. I looked to him, only to find that he, Sakura, Tenten, and Lee had seen the entire exchange. It's funny; I had completely forgotten that they were there.
Naruto flashed me a melancholy smile. "It's not just you, Sasuke," he murmured. "Neji…he's always been like that. Hinata and I were the first to notice. No matter what situation we're in, no matter what angle I look from…the only part of Neji I can see is his back. Hinata and me…it always feels like we're leagues behind him. At first, we thought it was because he was older. But then, we got older too. We thought that maybe it was because he was so strong, but then, one day, we realized that Neji…he'll always be ahead of us. Even if I become stronger than him, I'll only be seeing Neji's back. That's just…the way he is.
"Whenever things get too much for someone, Neji'll always come in with a smile. He'll say, 'It's okay; you did your best. Now, let Nii-chan handle it from here.' And then he takes care of it, whatever it may be. He's the type that shoulders everyone's burdens when they become too much for them. And he'll carry it on his shoulders like it's nothing. That's just the way he is." When Naruto stopped, everyone was completely silent. I felt like crying.
"Why? What about him? What happens when his burdens become too much? Who does he turn to?" Lee stood finally.
"He turns to me," he uttered before going to find Neji. Tenten backed against the lockers, pulling her knees to her chest.
"What am I gonna do with them?" she asked Sakura, who merely shook her head solemnly. At this point, I'd had enough.
"I have to go," I cut in sharply. I stood and left the scene, ignoring my friends' questions of "Sasuke-kun, where're you going?" and "What do ya think you're doing-ttebayo?" (3)
From there, I left the school, having no idea of where to go. I couldn't go back to my house. I just couldn't face Itachi then. And I didn't want to go anywhere that had people. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
It was freezing outside, especially since I didn't grab my coat on the way out. In this cold, I figured that no one would be outside anyway, but still, it didn't quite feel secluded enough. It felt like anyone could find me at any time. That's when it hit me: the beach. The mid-winter chill was so bracing that no one in their right minds would be there. I would be isolated, the perfect place to be alone and just think for a while.
The school was only a few blocks west of the beach. Teachers would often find excuses to go there for "lessons" since it was so close. As I grew near the shores, a familiar feeling hit me: for some reason, whenever I went close to the beach, I could almost sense the presence of water. The beach emitted a strange aura that I could always feel. Sometimes it felt as thought the sky grew larger and clearer as I approached the water, as if I could see farther than ever before. Once, when I asked her, Sakura said that she felt the same thing. She thought that it was caused by a primal urge to get back to the water where life was born. It was a desire to return to nativity, to the womb, and that's why water as an archetype often represented baptism and birth and rebirth. Yeah, that sounds like her. That day, the aura was oddly comforting to my confused and chaotic mind. Though, I suppose if you look at it from Sakura's perspective, the odd comforting feeling made perfect sense. I suppose I was longing for safety, something that I only could truly find in the womb. I shook my head at the thought. Now, I was starting to think like her.
I rubbed my arms, hoping to offer some warmth and escape from the brisk January chill. At least I had long sleeves. I descended the concrete stairs down to the sand below, passing by the water purification plant and the many signs that read "private property: no trespassing." This part of the beach was private, but no one actually abided by the private property laws, and the police had given up on trying to enforce them.
As I stepped onto the sand for the first time, a chill crept its way down my spine, leaving Goosebumps in its wake. However, this chill was not caused by the weather. No, I had a bad feeling. My onmyoji (4) senses were tingling, or in other words, I sensed evil.
I'll admit, my sixth sense isn't nearly as powerful or finely-tuned (so to speak) as Neji's or Nii-chan's, but I know an evil presence when I sense one. And this one was about as evil as they came. I closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint the location of the evil. Sure enough, it was close, very close. I scrutinized the beach until I managed to spot something red to my right. I stood paralyzed for a moment, torn between going to handle the situation myself and going to find Itachi or Neji. In the end, I chose the former. Hey, at least I thought about it. If Neji had been in this situation, he wouldn't have even considered getting help. In fact, he wouldn't have even paused; he would've just charged in. That Neji…for a so-called prodigy, he sure is impulsive…and people wonder where Naruto gets it from.
By the time I had finished musing about Neji, I was close enough to the red something to see that it was a person, a very familiar person: Gaara. I didn't take the time to wonder why the redhead was out here because well…you remember that evil I felt? Well, I'd found it all right. The source of it was a collection of black mist, and it was swarming all over the redhead. To make things even weirder (be that possible), the sand around Gaara was trying to attack the mist only to be blown back by what appeared to be black lightning.
I only allowed myself to be incapacitated with complete and utter shock for a moment, before I recalled my duty as an onmyoji of the Uchiha Shrine. Quickly, I pulled a sutra from my pocket and wrapped it around my palm. Pointing my hand at the mist, I shouted "Katon: harai!" (5) The mist burst into flames, writhing and screaming before finally burning away into nothing. The sand seemed to calm as it fell back to the ground, inanimate once more. Had I been just a bit crazier, I would've told you that the sand had seemed relieved at the disappearance of the mist. I shook my head, snapping myself out of this train of thought. Gaara was more important than the possibility of emotive sand. I knelt down beside him, lightly shaking him. "Gaara? Gaara, can you hear me? Wake up." My voice was stern, sharp, but still calm.
The redhead moaned softly as he came to. His eyes barely opened, giving me a close-up view of bright turquoise irises. He was very calm as he woke himself up. "What happened?" he groaned out quietly. "Wh-where…am I?" Then, he seemed to notice me in his haze. "Sas…uke…kun?" I gave him a genuine smile. I had to admit, the way he said my name was pretty cute,
"Hey," I greeted softly, as not to startle him. "You okay?" He didn't respond, instead he just continued to stare at me with dazed eyes. "Here," I began again, "let me take you home." He nodded, showing that he at least understood me. I helped him to his feet. Still, he was shaking like mad. He was barely standing for two seconds before he swooned, falling back to the ground. Except, this time, he didn't wake up no matter how roughly I shook him, or how loudly I called his name.
After a few moments of deliberating with myself, I ended up carrying him home. However, I took him to my house rather than his. Now that he was unconscious, I had no way to get into his house. Besides, the idea of him at my house made me feel better about his safety, especially after the incident with the mist. I could ask Itachi about that later.
When I finally reached the shrine and subsequently the house, I found myself unable to go in. Just like earlier, I couldn't find it in me to face Itachi. It made no sense. My brother was kind and understanding, so I truly had no reason to worry, but just the thought of explaining the whole situation to him made me feel sick. Finally, I mustered up all of my courage and opened the door. The house was dark, but I barely noticed. "Nii-chan?" I called hesitantly. There was no response. Closing the door behind me, I proceeded to turn the hall light on. "Nii-chan?" I attempted a second time. Still nothing. "Itachi?" It was about then that I realized that it was midday; Itachi was at work. I could have just come home in the first place, but then again, if I had, then I wouldn't have found Gaara. "Oh shit! That's right! I should probably lie him down somewhere."
As I ascended the stairs to my room, I thought of how Gaara would've reacted to my absent-mindedness. "Sasuke-kun…and you call me a space-case." I laid him down on my bed, picturing his small smile. But then, I noticed how sickly the Gaara in front of me seemed. He was pale, the shadows under his eyes even thicker than usual. He moaned softly.
"Gaara?" I called gently. "You awake?" There was no response at first. He merely turned with another soft noise. I had to admit; he was pretty cute. "Gaara?" I tried again. He rolled over.
"Sh…Shi…ka…maru." My eyes widened as that name escaped his lips. Shikamaru? Why Shikamaru of all people? Why would Gaara be calling that lazy Nara's name in his sleep? "C-come…back…" This was getting ridiculous. Shikamaru was dating Gaara's sister. Why would the redhead care so much for him? I mean, I knew that they were friends, but this?
It was then that I remembered something that I had seen a week or so beforehand. It had been after the auditions for our next play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The callbacks had been nerve-wracking, but afterwards, Gaara and I had both been waiting to get picked up from the school. Shikamaru had shown up instead of Temari, and Gaara's entire face just seemed to light up. I had never seen Gaara smile so widely.
"You look exhausted."
"It was really tough this time, Shika."
"I'm sure. Well, it's over now; come on, your sister's waiting."
Shikamaru had then grabbed Gaara's hand and led him out of the school, but I'll never forget the fiery blush that had overtaken Gaara's face then, nor the dreamy smile that had softened all of his features.
It was obvious now; Gaara was in love with Shikamaru.
No, not just "in love", he was head-over-heals, out of his mind, and just plain dreamy-eyed. But, there was a problem: Shikamaru and Temari had been going steady for a while, a real whirlwind romance. Gaara was in love with his sister's boyfriend, and if I knew that redhead at all (which I'm almost certain that I did), there was no way in Hell that he would ever try to fight Temari for Shikamaru. Gaara never put his own happiness above others'. Yeah, he's a real selfless idiot like that.
Still, this whole situation meant one important thing: Gaara and I had the same problem. Neither of us could confess our feelings to the people that we loved. A wry smile crossed my face. At least, we could comfort each other.
"Mmmm, where am I?" the redhead groaned out as he began to awaken. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before finally noticing my presence. "Sasuke-kun?" He blinked cutely, confused at his surroundings and looking to me for answers.
"You sound just like her," I murmured, staring at him soberly.
"Like who?" I sighed.
"I'm in love with Sakura," I confessed, my mouth moving without my brain's consent. Gaara seemed taken aback at first before smiling.
"Oh, that's great," he murmured. "She's in love with you too, so you two'll be fine." I shook my head.
"Gaara, I don't deserve her. I'm a terrible person. She needs someone better. I'll only destroy her in the end." If you asked me why I was pushing all of my feelings on him so suddenly, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. It was as though a dam had broken from the moment that he had called my name. "I don't deserve to be in her life." Gaara looked up at me with wide peridot eyes as I uttered those words.
"Sasuke-kun, don't say that! If you weren't in Sakura-san's life, then you probably wouldn't be here now, and that would make a lot of people very unhappy," he trailed off before beginning again, softer this time, "…including me." I gave him a wry smile.
"You know," I started, on a different topic, "when Naruto first told me about how kind you are…I didn't believe him. Nowadays though," I gently tipped his chin upwards, looking him straight in the eye. "I know exactly what he means." I climbed onto the bed, placing my hands on either side of his head. My body was moving on its own at this point. It was as though my brain had shut down completely and I was running instinct alone. "You know, Gaara, you and I…we really are similar." He cocked his head, confused. I chuckled dryly. "Neither of us can have the ones we want." Again, those eyes widened.
"W-wha-?" he stammered.
"Me with Sakura, and you with Shikamaru." This time, his jaw dropped; he backed away, looking about ready to faint again.
"W-what…what're you talking about?" he managed.
"Come on, Gaara; you don't have to hide it. It's obvious you're in love with him." Gaara just stared at me with that frightened, deer-in-headlights expression. He began to hyperventilate.
"No…y-you-re wrong…I…I can't-" I gently placed a finger over his lips, quieting him.
"It's okay, Gaara; we can comfort each other." I leaned down, softly whispering in his ear, "We both need this." Without another word, I claimed his lips in chaste but passionate and needy kiss, and after a moment, I knew I'd done the right thing when Gaara leaned against me, melting into the kiss.
Here's to love and loss.
*Not gonna lie, that turned out VERY different from my first draft (I write two drafts, one by hand and then one on the computer, you'd think it would make my writing better, but…no, no it doesn't). Usually there are subtle differences. Sometimes, there are big differences in dialogue (like in chapter 2), but this time, there was a major variation in plot, which hasn't really happened yet. Well, this calls for a celebration! Break out the champagne! Btw, when I say major variation in plot, I mean that in my notebook, the scene between Neji and Sasuke was originally funny. Wow. Oh well, I hope you enjoy this version more. I have to say, Neji is an INCREDIBLY hard character to write in this fic. Neji's supposed to be a very older brother character that takes on the duty of protecting and caring for everyone. The only character that he can't seem to do this for is Lee. But I feel like I've shown you guys too much of his weakness and not enough of his strength. What do you guys think? I plan on having him play a much stronger role once the supernatural stuff comes out of the bag. Anyway, have some endnotes:
1- Sorry if this is a bit off from the actual sonnet. I didn't reference it.
2- Teme more or less translates into "bastard."
3- 'ttebayo is a form of dattebayo which is a nonsense word that Naruto uses in the anime.
4- an onmyoji is pretty much a Shinto priest.
5- "Katon: harai" roughly translates into "Fire style: Purification."
Well, one last thing: I changed the title to "Neighborhood #1: Clef" because I decided that I'm using music terms for the titles since music plays an integral role in this fic (and my life for that matter). A clef is a symbol at the beginning of the staff defining the pitch of the notes found in that particular staff. I found it to be particularly appropriate.
