[ Bed Time Stories: Unimportant Things ]
Sasuke slowly opened the door to Sakura's room. She sat up awake in her usual spot. She had been waiting for him, apparently with something to say. Sasuke took his usual spot at the corner of Sakura's bed, his back, as usual, turned towards her.
"Sakura?" he asked gently, a slight thread of concern sneaking into his tone.
Sakura gave a weak smile and pulled her knees words her chest. "Sasuke… What do you think about weak people?"
The question's suddenness came to him with a little shock. "What do you mean?"
Sakura swallowed. Their interludes seemed like a dream. As much as she would like to continue dreaming, she still wanted to make sure. She wanted to confirm that it's not too good to be true… Or… To at least find out what Sasuke really feels.
"Through the years," Sakura began "I've noticed ways in which the villages teaches and separates ninjas. It seems that only the great have destinies to fulfill. And the rest of us… The rest of us simply live on… I want to know what you, the prodigy of our generation, think about the rest of us, the insignificant. Why are you, one who is destined for greatness, coming to me, one who doesn't even have any special skills?"
Sakura felt her question got to the heart of the matter. The world she and Sasuke created in her room may actually be fake because she wasn't good enough for him. She knew there were many expectations for Sasuke, she didn't know where she fit would fit in.
Sasuke breathed out a sigh. Sakura's words surprised him, but he understood where she was coming from. From his own vantage point, he wondered about greatness and destiny himself.
"Am I really so great a person?" he asked, sounding almost exasperated at its meaning. Sakura gave him a knowing glance. He sighed. "It may be true that coming from a noble family will make me inherently talented. I've trained to get as far as I have. I've done it because I desire more strength and because Konaha expects me to. I got passed my singular goal of revenge… And now, because my goals have shifted, I wonder what this strength."
"Strength is something of pride. Men want to be strong as women want to be beautiful. Isn't the desire for more strength an impulse? One that some people can fulfill better than others?"
"It is. The amount of strength and skill really is a measure of greatness in some respects. There are other measures, but in a society like Konaha, strength is a prime. It is an unchangeable truth and I'm pretty sure you know it. Why do you ask me about it now?"
"I've been chasing you for a long time. Back then nothing really stopped me from being so forward. I grew up and became more aware of my environment. Now I have to consider the fabric of fate and also you. If your strength makes you great, and your greatness elevates you higher among the rest of us in Konaha, will you be in a place where I can't reach? Sometimes I feel so insignificant. Where do I belong in relation to you?"
Sasuke's eyes softened slightly. "When did you become insecure?" Scooting a little closer to Sakura, Sasuke gazed out her opened window. "I've had a lot of experiences and missions in the past few years. I became accustomed to observation and even inference on the lives and attitudes of those who were involved. I learned that this world is full of useless words and useless actions. The truth is, measures of greatness are superficial structures to motivate people to make something of themselves. The life of a ninja has its function. The value of it is subjective. And for me, strength and greatness are there and I do thrive on them. But those are unimportant things. They make up my livelihood, but they are not my life itself. "
Sasuke's fingers lingered over Sakura's hand, which rested besides her on the bed. "I haven't found my life yet." Sasuke said, his hand beginning to intertwine with Sakura's. "Strength and greatness aside, I'm still searching for more important things."
--------Author's Note: I'm going to apologize for the time it too me to bang this chapter out, mainly because all my chapters are really short, it should take this long. Anyway, I was in a rut for this one. I don't like it. I had this idea for a conversation, but it didn't come out the way I wanted. I wrote it up anyway to get it off my mind. Forgive me for this chapter. I'm not very fond of it.
