Song fic time. Italics denote song lyrics.
----------[ Bed Time Stories: Garden of Everything ]
He got up from his bed, ready to venture back to reality. Approching the door, he suddenly stopped. A creeping sillouette wandering the hall beckoned him to stay. Although no sound was coming from that direction, he could feel a familiar presence approaching his room. He sat back in bed, intently waiting for his visitor. His eyes watched a soft shadow open and step inside quietly.
Here you are
Daylight's star
Made out of miracles
She sat down next to him, without saying a word. He let out a silent breath. It was the first time she's ever come to his room. Also... Something about her was different. She came to him with a purpose... He could feel it. He wondered with excitment what it could be.
Each atom
Sings to me
"Set me free
From chains of the physical."
Drawn to her with interest, he moved a little closer.
O free me, O free me
Night after night, he would venture into her room, sit at her bed, and let his gaze gently linger on her figure. The image of her in all states--a state of alertness, a state of calm, a state of repose, a state of anger--was nothing new to him. But each night, when he went to see her, he would absorb her image readily for it was nothing for him to be tired of. Each night, her every feature burned into his memory. Her smooth skin, her soft pink hair, her emerald eyes. His eyes searched for these features desparately. It was almost as if he were a lost wonderer looking for a sign post. As the years rolled by, the details of his own life became unreliable. The disappointments, betrayls, and disillusionment that had plagued him throughout life at times made him feel lost. Stepping out of that kind of life, he wanted search for a new truth. He wanted a new truth that he could rely on, and ultimately, one that would fill in the growing void in himself. This void had haunted him for a long time. The more he noticed it, the more empty his world felt. Gradually he realized he wanted to leave that kind of world, but, for a long time he didn't know how to escape it.
Then she reintroduced herself. He felt a sense of relief when she did, also about how she did it. Unlike in the past, she reintroduced herself without pushing herself into his world. Unlike in the past, she came with her admiration for him, but without wanting to cling to him. He was relieved to find that she would not be sucked into his world, which was void and empty. However, without realizing it, he was being sucked into hers.Her world which was filled with calm and warmth attracted him. He could do nothing but go to her and enter her world, and enter his new reality.
He figured her world existed in her room. His nightly visits to her room and the effect it had on him confirmed that. However, now she was in HIS room, but the results were still the same. Her presence changed the atmosphere of his previously ordinary room. The life he found circulating in her room now circulated in his own. The feeling was so strikingly different, he was almost convinced he wasn't in his room at all.
The mirror melts,
I'm somewhere else
Inside eternity
The interior of his room somehow came to life with her inside of it.The same calm and peaceful life one would get in a pleasant garden. His eyes wandered the now vitalized room, a garden now blooming before him. He could not help his eye being drawn to a certain flower, however. He looked at the prize bloosom. The cherry blossom.
Where you on
Outstretched wings
Sing within
The Garden of Everything
She looked at him, her emerald eyes lingering on his strong, well-built figure. She had always known he was physically attractive. That much was obvious. But her gaze lingered on something more than his physical presence. He always had a mysterious air about him. Since their days of earlier youth, she could feel his growing inner strength. Needless to say, his current position as a jounin would call for a stronger will, however, she could sense that his growth had to do with more than that. In fact, she is quite sure it could be a personal revelation. His once narrow quest for revenge expanded into a more universal quest. One entailing certain feelings he was never in touch with before. How he got to that point when he was previously hell-bent on revenge was beyond her. However, she knew getting to that point was a harsh journey for him. In his eyes, she could see a weariness about life. In an earlier conversation, she recalled him even stating that he had been through a lot. He never directly acknowledge the toll of his experiences, but she could see it.
Because of that, as someone who cared deeply for his well being, and also as someone who has admired him for many years, she went to him. As a friend she saw that he had been living a dark life for most of his life so far. As a friend, she wanted to do something for him. At least keep him company or something, anything. But as someone who admired him, she knew she was there for more than company. She wasn't quite sure for what, but her natural attraction to him simply drew her to him. Sitting at the corner of his bed, she contemplated her next move. If there was even a move to make. Quite frankly, she was content as she was. Being there in the same vicinity as him at that moment was enough. If for so long she had wanted him and his affection, having it right before her was thrilling to the point of disbelief. Going back to her original notions, she wondered if she were dreaming still. She wondered if each night that had passed between them, though uneventful, were vivid dreams or a passing reality.
Where memories
Call to me
Backward dreams?
Or phantom reality?
In either case, she was there. Just the same as he had been in her room.They returned to each other for no real reason. Or perhaps, for an unknown purpose. She came to him on instinct, an instinct that couldn't be explained as well as it couldn't be denied.
Call to me, they call to me
*****Sakura looked at Sasuke in slight earnest. She seemed to be on the verge of taking action. Her mouth motioned as if to say something, but nothing came out. Sasuke too did the same action and also met with the same wordless failure. Their eyes locked. There were no words to speak. It was obvious enough that they were in a place they wanted to be in with the person they wanted to be with. What else was there left to say?
Instead, everything stood still as the life of their proverbial garden continued to circulate. For both people present, they felt the atmosphere become more and more animated. They realized something they already knew. Sasuke was there and Sakura was there. In their search for dreams and realities, their physical presence suddenly came to mind. The fine features of the other came to mind. Up until there, there was a slight physical distance. One held up by their uncertainties and coyness of manners. But somehow, that distances was disappearing. They've touched hands before, and this time perhaps...
And so here we are
Lovers of Lost Dimensions
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Every touch, a temptation
And for every sense, a sensation
Perhaps this time they would connect in another way. They knew their instincts, for whatever reasons, led them to each other.
The next step would be a connection of another sort. Sasuke and Sakura came to realize that slowly. Sitting up from his position in bed, Sasuke looked at Sakura, who looked back. Their gazed locked on each other once again, confirming they were feeling the same thing.
Here we'll see
Love's lost tree
Made out of miracles
In keeping with the silence, Sasuke got up and sat directly next to Sakura. Instinct was taking over him again. Unsure if Sakura would really be receptive of him, he had no choice but to trust himself. He couldn't do otherwise anyway. Sakura, on the other hand, showed no resistence. Instead, she let out a soft sigh. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his shoulder. What now? she seemed to say.
Emotions, crystal leaves
To cover me
And you in eternity
"I think you know..." Saksuke said aloud.
Each atom sings to us
Through the blood
"Love is a miracle"
Sasuke lifted his hand to gently nudge Sakura's head off his shoulder. He motioned for her to look at him. Across his face was an expression of slight wonder and longing. To Sakura's surprise, his expression made him seem awfully weak. For a long time he had been without. The great ninja prodigy was, in truth, incomplete. With him were great skill and strength. Without him were other, more human aspects of life. He only had that void that had been haunting him. It was an enemy he couldn't face alone, and because of that, it made him weak.
And now, he was on the verge of something. Perhaps a solution, or a remedy to his human condition. Sakura was offering it. Her presence and her companionship sat right next to him, placed before him as if on a platter. However, Sasuke would not accept the offering. He wouldn't do it in the immaculate fashion expected of him. Sasuke did not feel like he was in the position to take it as an act of benevolence. Rather, she was his miracle. Rather, instead of just taking, he shared. His expression let down his usual barriers. His cool manner of dealing with situations were let down, revealing to Sakura a more needy Sasuke, one willing to take and also to give.
Sings softly, it sings softly
Sasuke drew his face closer to Sakura's. He brushed his lips lightly against hers. Their first half kiss. Leaning back a little, Sasuke checked to see if Sakura was okay with it. Seeing no objection, Sasuke stood up and closed the door.
----------Author's Note: First of all, the lyrics came from the song "Garden of Everything" sung by Maaya Sakamoto and Chris Mosdell (I think). It's a nice song, give it a listen if you haven't heard. Second, another long gap. I'm running low on inspiration, but I did manage to get this chapter up. This might be it for this set of stories. Part of the reason why this chapter took so long is because I started another story. So maybe you folks have that to look forward to. But we'll see, just keep your eyes out for something. Anyway, I'd like to thank all the readers and viewers. Love this or hate this, I had fun writing this out. Thanks again and take care! :)
