A Spirit to be Loved
By: shar xei-kun
Notes: Sasuke's little discovery about his 'loved' one's death enters in. Celeste's little plan of uniting a mortal and a spirit---starts here. Ok, I said too much of it. XX;
Whatever things: I still want to thank my reviewers for reviewing this!!! Domo arigato!!! Rock on!!! Luv yeh guys!!!
Lil' message to---
black-mystic3: I'm hoping you can figure it out now...dun kill me... o.O;;
ghostninja85: Thank the gods I'm not alone... lol
Naruto Otaku: I'm glad u like my idea of a young spirit mistress for the story! grins
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I have a picture of Sasuke and Naruto together (they're not kissing, but---). If you want, leave me your email and I'll mail it to you. =D If you have a picture of Sasuke and Naruto together, I accept bribes!!!! =D
So here, a 17-year old teenager in for homecoming. Yes, homecoming. He just came from his mission. Bruises and scratches are still fresh from the mission from his arms to his legs. All of his wounds were somehow obvious because of his alabaster skin but he doesn't give a damn, at least. He has a raven hair, ebony eyes and his presence that's so familiar to Konoha.
"Welcome back to Konoha." He says to himself, brushing a few strands of raven hair off his face. "Now Sasuke, find your home and get a damn rest before Kakashi-sensei gives you another one." He says to himself again, followed by a mutter of curses.
A voice answered him, Kakashi's voice, to be exact. He was leaning his back on the gates of Konoha, as if he knows he'll come back now. He smiled at the sight of Sasuke, although it's not yet time to tell the horrifying news. He knows that Sasuke can be careless with Naruto, but still.
"Don't worry. Rest for a while. I'll tell Sakura ---," he said, pausing for a while. He remembered that Sasuke still has no idea about what happened last time.
Upon noticing this, Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Tell Sakura that I'm back?" a nod is the answer he received. "How about Naruto? Oh well, he might be not interested. Never mind." He said, with a hint of hurt heard in his sarcastic voice. Maybe he did like Naruto more than anyone else. Just maybe.
"Uh, yeah!!" he laughed weakly. He sighed mentally in relief. That was close. Now, getting down to business: he must think of a way to get his attention out of Naruto for a while before telling the news. While thinking of weird reasons and excuses, his thoughts were cut off when Sasuke asked him.
"Kakashi-sensei, why is your hair tousled like crazy? How unusual."
The fuck??? Oh, he almost forgot that he spend the whole night at Iruka's place. "I forgot it to comb it though." He also forgot that he had the best night ever when he heard his lover crying out loud for more and almost scare the crap out of their neighbors.
"Ninjas are not supposed to forget anything!!!" the raven-haired shinobi glared at his teacher. "The ones with amnesia are an exception." He was about to explain a bit more of it but he noticed a blush on Kakashi's face (though wearing a mask). He just smirked at his teacher and walked away.
"Pervert people really do pervert things. No doubt about it ne, Kakashi- sensei?" Sasuke asked again, making Kakashi blush even harder while his student was walking away from him. Sure Sasuke knows more than ninja things that are for sure.
That afternoon, Sakura was taking a walk along the town park when she noticed a figure running towards her direction. She immediately recognized the figure as --- Hinata?
The cobalt blue-haired Hyuuga waved her hands, getting Sakura's attention. She expected it though. They have to meet in the park to discuss about something in relation to the thing they've discovered just 2 days ago.
"Gomen nasai, Sakura-chan. I was from my training. Did you wait long?" she asked, beads of sweat trickling down her face, hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
The pink-haired shinobi smiled. "Don't worry, I just came here." She sat on one of the seats on one of the seats in the park, letting Hinata seat beside her. "Anyways, what to discuss about?"
Hinata silenced herself for a while, not really that sure whether she'd tell it to Sakura or not. Upon noticing this, the pink-haired shinobi blinked in confusion.
"Hinata-chan? Anything wrong?"
The Hyuuga teen brought herself back to reality after all she has imagined. "Nanimo nai, I'm just a little worried. Especially now."
"About what? Are you talking about Naruto?" Sakura said sadly. "I know. Even if he's a complete idiot to me, he's there when you need them and expects nothing in return. I myself can't do those things; maybe that's the reason he died." She did was concerned about his idiotic teammate after all.
"You're right." The cobalt blue haired shinobi almost cried, but trying to prevent it. "But we have an even bigger problem besides keeping this horrible secret."
"What?"
"Sasuke's back." She said, her eyes, showed hints of fear. "Kakashi-sensei should be the one to tell you but he asked me to tell you this news. He has some things to do so he asked me a favor."
"Really? Sasuke-kun is back?" Sakura jumped in excitement. "Hooray!!!!!" she suddenly stopped when she remembered that last two days of reality. It's a painful fact. "I hope my excitement doesn't urge me to tell Sasuke- kun about it unwittingly."
Hinata tried to calm herself down and tried to speak again, little by little.
"I hope."
Meanwhile in Eden, Naruto was playing with a number of children on the flowerbeds. He seemed contented in the world he resides now after a torturous 17-year life in Konoha. Here, people acknowledged his presence and everyone liked him here for who he is. However, his memories of Konoha were beginning to fade little by little, various things every day. There may come a time when he would forget everything and just living out in here. And that's one thing the mistress is afraid of to happen. There is still hope for the blonde to return as a mortal; and that hope would be her key.
"Naruto-kun!!!!" Celeste yelled at Naruto, who's still playing with the other children.
The blonde seemed to have heard her voice. He stood up and signaled to wait for a while, and then he glanced at the children.
"Guys, we'll play later, ok?"
"Hai, onii-chan!!!!!" the children ran off, going somewhere.
The crimson-haired mistress smiled a bit. "Seems like you've enjoyed your life in here, eh?" she asked jokingly.
"Of course, though I really, really miss Konoha now." He said, eyes downcast and obvious glint of loneliness showed upon his eyes. "I miss when Iruka-sensei treats me always to Ichiraku. I also miss the beatings I get up with Sakura-chan during missions."
The crimson-haired mistress slipped in surprise while sitting down. She couldn't believe what she heard. "Beatings with Sakura? Is she the one?" she composed herself when she sat on the flowerbed after she slipped earlier.
"The one who?" Naruto blinked in confusion. Who the hell is she talking about???
"The one you love, but doesn't love you back."
"She was, at first." The blonde shrugged. "But eventually, it was really not her but---." If he would say that the person he loved was Sasuke, she might be able to laugh her ass off now, knowing that her friend is so- called homo type.
Because Naruto was sunk deep in his depression, he didn't notice that Celeste was reading his thoughts and she, too knows about his feelings with Sasuke. "Oi, don't worry Naruto-kun, I know it was Uchiha Sasuke." She said encouragingly, causing the blonde to blush into different shades of red while attempting to sit down on the flowerbeds.
"Oh." He remembered. There was nothing to be surprised of in that. The crimson mistress was a bit of a mind reader, so she probably read his thoughts. Wait. Why did he start to forget things????
"Because you were already interacting with the other spirits here." She replied sadly. "Here in Eden, while interacting with the other spirits except me and my right-hand, all memories of you being a mortal will be erased gradually, little by little, until the time comes you don't remember anything." A tear trickled her face. "It's a rule I myself can't erase."
Miserably, Naruto tries to strengthen himself again. This is like what happened to him in Konoha. "Besides that, what's your reason you came to talk to me?" he tried changing the topic, afraid of imaging what will happen to him if would forget everything about the town where he grew up. All the people he loved...and he hated...
Wiping her tears off, the crimson mistress, tried to smile a bit to tell the good news. "I found a way for you to go back to your mortal self!!!" Once she said that, swirls of emotion invaded the blonde shinobi, most of them were happiness.
"Really???!!!!" he shouted in excitement. He has finally gotten the chance of going back. "How?"
With enthusiasm, the mistress began to explain. "It's a bit complicated, but if done all at once and correctly, it would be the best chance of return." She coughed a bit, only to find a piece of orange seed to choke her. "I will disguise myself as a human and try to get close to Sasuke and tell him all about you and what happened to you. But, the disguising part is not really easy. Much more, Sasuke is a type of guy who doesn't give a damn or anything, unless it has a connection with Itachi."
"Yeah. You're probably right." Naruto said, trying to gulp down the plan. He seemed to understand it, though. "That's a good plan, anyway." He grinned with excitement.
"But, it must be done in a timeframe of three weeks." She said cautiously. "Your chakra in your mortal body is beginning to gradually wear out so, I have to do it before it goes out. If it goes out, there's no chance of you going back to mortal again."
"But," the blonde shinobi began to wonder about one thing. "Um, We know that I love Sasuke, but why does it have to be him? Why not Sakura-chan or Kakashi-sensei or even Hinata-san???" He instantly recognized that Sasuke was the key for him to return but hey, why really?
"He was the one you have thought about at your last breath, that's why. The vital of the last thought always count, you know." She said with an intense glare. No, not death glares or anything. She just wants Naruto to fully understand what her plan of union is all about and all. And now, there is only one warning that needs to be said. And that may be the most difficult to do.
"Naruto-kun," she said with obvious importance in her crimson orbs. "In this three weeks time, you must NOT talk with the other spirits here, or else the plan would be up to no good. I know it's hard but, if you want to see Konoha again, just do this little sacrifice." She would have sworn that she saw a glint of loneliness in the boy's face, hearing what's the painful side of it.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," she patted the boy's shoulder to lighten things up again. "It'll be alright."
"I hope you're right." He decided to let himself hyper and began to put things is business. "So, how would you be disguising to get Sasuke's attention?" he interrogated, curiousness shown in those azure orbs.
She snickered. "Simple. I'll disguise up as one of the water country ninjas. There will be an upcoming exam for jounins tomorrow. I'll disguise up as Kyan, the legendary jounin of Mist country who have been thought to be dead 5 years ago. She's more powerful than Orochimaru so this has got me excited. I still remember all her abilities so, it's a no- brainer."
Naruto's azure orbs widen. He hadn't seen a good plan of disguise such as this. "So, how exactly would you get Sasuke's attention by being Kyan?" He ridded his doubts of the plan to fail because of the power the Mist-nin possesses as a ninja. "And the real Kyan might be alive!!!" but that one is a real side effect of it.
"Don't worry on the real one." She smiled evilly. "She died recently of a disease while hiding in the Thunder country. It's unusual for a powerful ninja like her to possess a disease but hers were permanent ones since birth."
"No-brainer, I guess." The blonde sighed in relief. "But, why the hell would she hide in Thunder country???"
"She was rumored as the Psychotic Assassin of Mist three years ago for killing an entire army of jounins in one night." She paused for a while before she continues, because it might surprise greatly if it would be to tell.
"Actually, it was not her, but it was her lover who killed the army, but since Ika and her lover has the same feature on the hair, it was mistaken up as her. At that time, her illness became worse, and she can't fight long so she decided to go with her lover to Thunder country to hide from their town's spies and to find a cure for her illness. Unfortunately, she died before coming up with the cure."
It was really not surprising but Naruto was surprised. "Are you insane!!!!" he shouted hysterically. "The shinobi you were disguising up is a hunted one!!! Do you know what you're talking about????" One way or another, he's right. Maybe there was some Water country spies in the jounin mastery exams might see her and kill her right in the middle of the exam.
"Trust me on this." She said receptively. "Anyway, I have to do these things fast." He led the blonde shinobi to the sky garden and unbelievably, Vishnu isn't there. While in the garden, she asked her blonde friend to wait in the flowerbeds while she looks for something. After a while, she came back, handing Naruto a crystal ball.
"Uh----," he stammered, not knowing whether to thank or ask what the heck is this ball. "What's this??"
"A ball transmitter." She said with decisiveness on her gentle voice. "I will hand it to you for a while. This will be your window to Konoha in the next three weeks. You will see what I am doing."
"That's cool." He said in a coy manner. However, all he received was a pair of serious crimson eyes, telling him that this is something he would take care of the next three weeks.
"Just stay here. This place is safe for you not to talk with the other spirits."
"Where are we?" the blonde asked.
"The sky garden. Anyway, I have to go to Konoha right away!!!"
And she disappeared with the all-famous blue smoke. And the next day, he expected scenery on the transmitter. Plan has started.
The next day is the jounin mastery exams, an exam for rookie jounins and those who haven't taken the exam just yet. Kakashi invited Sasuke and Sakura to join him to watch the exam, and the Uchiha himself was wondering why Naruto wasn't invited. Surely he would've been interested in this kind of things but it just seemed entirely strange.
"Kakashi-sensei, why Naruto isn't here?" he interrogated his sensei. "He would so interested in this kind of things, but---,"
"If you're talking about Naruto," he paused for a while, thought up of an excuse and continued. "He's on a mission just like yours. He would come back maybe 2 months later." He sighed mentally in relief. So are Sakura and her inner self.
While going to the main dome of Konoha, where the main battle of chuunin exam was held, a young lady running accidentally tripped and fell on top of the raven-haired boy, causing both of them to fall to the ground.
"What the fuck???" the girl said in her gentle voice though her words were obviously not gentle. Her voice enough caught the raven-haired shinobi's attention. The lady saw the guy rubbed his cranium in pain, and her eyes widen in surprise. "Gomen nasai!!!" she apologized profusely.
Meanwhile, because of this, Sakura began to become jealous of the scene she saw right before her eyes. A girl fell right on top of her Sasuke-kun, that's nice. However, Kakashi seemed to block her before anything gets into a war.
Sasuke below, still rubbing his head in pain and eyes were closed, so he haven't seen his other hand touching something. Something round and firm, something he shouldn't be touching. The next thing he knew, there was a lady screaming, the same lady whom he have been collided moments earlier. He opened up his ebony eyes to see a fuming Sakura, a blushing Kakashi and a flushing lady above him.
All of a sudden, the genius Uchiha removed his hand off instantly the part he shouldn't be touching (though he likes to touch it anyway) and stood up abruptly, flushing a deep shade of red. The lady stood up after him, also flushing.
"Uh--- G-G-Gomen N-Nasai!!!" the raven-haired boy stammered, wondering if the lady will forgive him. But, he can't help to look at the lady. She was about Sakura's height, pale skin, silky navy blue locks tied in a high ponytail leaving her bangs flying freely off her face. She has amber eyes, glossy lips and a slim physique.
She wears a black sleeveless kimono with a deep v-neck, revealing her ninja shirt inside. The kimono was all the way down to half of the pale thighs. Her shuriken holster was on her left leg, showing that she's a left-handed person. Her physical features strongly contrast her outfit. She wears a head protector with the symbol of the Mist country. She also has a pair of black gloves that is covering only half of her fingers.
"I should be the one to apologize to you." She said in her serious voice. "I was the one started it up. I'm sorry, Uchiha Sasuke."
Everyone startled. Here in their presence is a young lady who knows something about Sasuke??? This is just insane. Even Sakura who's extremely fuming was also startled. She began to wonder who the hell is this girl.
Sasuke gave the girl an icy expression. "How you know my name? You're from the Water country, right?" he somehow noticed the protector. "Who are you??"
"Sorry to all of you if I'm not introducing myself. I am Amaru Kyan of the Mist. Just call me Kyan." She gave her little sweet smile. "I'm here to take the mastery exam. You must be Hatake Kakashi and you are Haruno Sakura, known as team 7 and one of the rookie nine in the chuunin exam. The missing one is Uzumaki Naruto, right???"
"Uh, right." The raven-haired guy tried to remove his blush but it was no success. "How do you know us?" he asked in his icy voice. Seems like Sasuke has gotten back his rational mind again. He thanked his will for that thing. But the thing that disturbed him is, how did this jounin know their names without asking to?
A smirk from Kyan was his answer...and a little riddle. "A little canary told me."
With a huff of blue smoke, she was gone.
Blink, blink.
"Canary?" the pink-haired shinobi scratched her head. "What the hell is that?"
It was the jounin mastery exam, and good thing that Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were able to find a good seat in the damn crowd. Sasuke was still deep in thought of what had happened earlier. No, not the 'touching' incidents with the girl jounin but the hell-like riddle of hers that's giving his head a major headache! He knew that a canary is a type of a small bird or something...mostly of yellow color or something. But how the hell it would connect with a Person???
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura waved her hand in front of Sasuke's face. No reaction.
Her face paled. Sure she haven't told him what happened to Naruto two days ago...it can't be...
"Sakura? Sakura!!!" this time it was Sasuke who was waving his hand in front of Sakura. The pink-haired shinobi blinked in surprise.
"Wh-What?" she blinked. Oh yeah... it was she this time. "Sasuke-kun?" she tilted her head to one side. "What is it?" She mentally crossed her fingers to and wished the gods for Sasuke not to ask why the hell Naruto was missing or so.
"Why is Naruto-kun not here??" he asked slowly. Incredibly, that voice has emotion...compared to the usual icy ones. He maybe must not have heard what Kakashi said to him earlier. He was so deep in thought and he secretly misses a certain blonde for that matter. And this scared the crap out of Sakura mentally. Kakashi himself heard it too. He mentally panicked and he remembered the excuse he said earlier...he might no have heard it...he hoped that Sakura was able to remember the excuse for that matter. But...wait a second...Naruto-kun? Strange it seems to Sakura, though.
"He was on a mission." She said without even thinking. She can't merely think properly anymore. Doing something like this especially to someone that is so special to her like Sasuke is really damn difficult. "He was ordered by Kakashi-sensei to track a new S-class assassin and give them the information of his latest camp and recent events."
Kakashi flinched. His prayers were answered. Sakura remembers the excuse 'mission' and all but, would he snap on it again?
"Oh." He said, leaning back into the chair. He snapped. "So, how's the mission he's taking?" the raven-haired ninja asked again.
Oh, great...new things to think up and better be quick. The pink-haired shinobi crossed her legs, trying to relax. "Uh huh... according to his last report on us, the camp was on Mist country. But that was 2 weeks ago...I'm beginning to worry myself... he..."
"He...what??" the raven ninja can't trust his voice anymore. He just don't want to think of the possibilities...it strikes in his heart...the dobe won't know one bit-even in his death that a rival can be a lover.........
"He...might be...dead." Fuck!!! Why the hell did Sakura said that out of nowhere?!?! Is she insane?!?!
A tear slipped from Sasuke's face, eyes downcast. "He won't be."
"I hope he won't..."
Kakashi broke in to their conversation. "Hey look, is that the girl Sasuke got bumped into earlier?" he pointed at the navy blue-haired female shinobi from the water country who won the fifth match on the jounin mastery exam.
Sasuke's breath hitched. That's it. He'd ask Kyan about Naruto. With a heart full of worry and hope, a pair of ebony eyes with that glint of longing, he rushed out of his seat to catch up on Kyan. Kakashi and Sakura remained in the seat, watching him go away. Kakashi knows deeply about the issue going on the three of them. He simply patted his young female student on the shoulder to cheer her up.
"Sakura, you did your best. Just give him space for the moment."
Sakura didn't answer. She did cheer up a little but still it hurts so much. She nodded in response to her sensei, and teleported herself somewhere she wouldn't imagine herself going to again.
Naruto's apartment.
Sasuke finally found Kyan on the dome. She was at the waiting area, and she seems to meditate and concentrating all her chakra on her body. She's alone anyway so no big deal about it.
"Can I disturb you for the meantime?" the raven-haired shinobi asked, causing the navy blue-haired jounin to jump in surprise at the sight of the Uchiha boy.
"Uh...yeah...sure." Kyan managed to compose herself again. She maybe a stronger shinobi than Orochimaru but surprise is her number one weakness. She managed to do something on that somehow and still trying.
She brushed a few strands of hair off her face and she looks at the young Uchiha with fiery amber eyes. "So, what to talk about?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
That's it. He's determined to find out what happened to Naruto on Mist country. He's worried and all, not just because he's a teammate and rival of his but...something really deep. "If you knew our names from a so-called canary of yours, maybe you know what happened to Naruto in your town, right?" he said in a coy manner, but going with it is the one-eyebrow raise...sounds like sinister manner for short.
The amber-eyed jounin rolled her eyes and bit her glossy lips to contain her laughter. Sasuke is really a genius. But somehow, Kyan or better known as Celeste in Eden, the spirit world, finally came back to her senses. Now that she had Sasuke's attention, she has to tell something horrifying. Something that Sakura and Kakashi wouldn't want to the raven ninja just yet.
"Sasuke, do you really want to know what really happened to him?" she said with nervousness in her voice. She gazed into the ebony eyes before her. She saw in those black eyes mixed emotions. Emotions of longing, pain and sadness. She doesn't want to be a sadist for Pete's sake but the plan has to go.
"Just tell me," And all of a sudden, icy and emotionless voice turned into hysterical and panic-stricken ones. "IS HE DEAD OR IS HE ALIVE?!!!!! All I want is a little yes or a no; now tell me!!!"
"He's...already dead. If you want to see his body---," All of a sudden, she was cut off by Sasuke.
"Stop it." The raven-haired ninja raised his hand. His voice was shaky and it seems he have lost all his energy. Then again, with a little regained ones, he decided to speak; the voice became desperate and insane-like, as if he was from an asylum. "Peh. Don't you even know that I don't give a shit about him?! I just want to know if that IDIOT is really dead or not; any objections?!!! If you ask why, It's because I hate him!!! You heard me?! Dammit!!! I hate him!!!!!!"
Kyan didn't say a word. She knew already it was going to happen like this. All she waits now is the raven shinobi in front of her to walk away from her, tears flying across the alabaster face. And of course, there's a reason why Sasuke now hates Naruto so much. And the mistress knows all of it by heart.
Notes: Aren't I evil? I mean, making Sasuke act like weird-like and everything... especially in the last part...? And about Sasuke's reaction... the other ¾ of his reactions will be on the next chapter... I just showed you the ¼ of it. Hope no one will kill me for this... I have my reasons anyway for this thing...you'll find it out... scratches head while laughing weakly
OMG!!! Over 12 pages!!! Is it too long??? O.O
Hope no one will kill me...
CIAO!!!