Author: Mashiro
Date: 2005-04-23, revised 2006-01-02
Fandom: Naruto
Spoilers: No
Warnings: Smoking, giggles and general strangeness
Author's Note: I suppose you could call this one Sasuke and the family reunion he never thought he'd want or get. It's strange and probably won't make sense to most people. To me it's perfectly sane. Written during a flash of inspiration brought on by episode 131.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I'm just a fan
Cosy White Sofa
I feel light, as if I've lost more weight than I thought I carried, and clearheaded. As I walk I stretch my arms and my neck, I breathe many deep breaths and find that everything moves easier than before. The air fills parts of my lungs I didn't know I had.
I have to smile at the unexpectedness of it all and then I giggle, simply because it was such a long time ago.
I'm walking through a corridor with walls painted white. It's narrow and spacious at the same time, but the contraditcion doesn't bother me. The sound of my feet are sure and determined. The floor is pale like the walls and feels like wood but looks like stone. The corridor seems to go on forever and fade into light but I give the never-end no attention. I can clearly see the opening to the left just some steps ahead and I know that's where I'm going. That's where he is. My smile grows and I have to hurry up. It's been such a long time and I've missed him so much.
When I get there and look inside I see him first, despite the shocking red walls in the room, sitting relaxed, leaned back in a pure white sofa that looks incredibly cosy. The sight of him warms this body that looks like mine but feels better. His eyes are closed and his face is to the ceiling, a cigarette rests between his lips with a soft trail of smoke rising from it. He is dressed as I remember from when I was a child and all was well.
I have missed you! Oh, how I have missed you!
"Good morning," he says and opens his eyes to look at me. He smiles the same kind of smile I'm sure I must be smiling, pats the sofa beside him with one hand and takes the cigarette from his mouth with the other. I let my smile turn to a grin, scratch my neck and enter. Suddenly I'm just there, sitting beside him with both of us smiling, both of us genuinely happy. Such a simple and good thing really, but it had felt both impossible and worthless for a long, long time. Now I find that I've missed it, like I've missed him. I reach out to steal the cigarette and he lets me.
"Good morning," I say and lean back like him, inhales a lungful smoke and watch the glow at the end intensify. The sofa is incredibly cosy. He laces his fingers together and wraps them around the back of his neck.
"You finally get it?" He asks and I laugh. I have to. It's funny, this whole thing now and what has been. Even what has been.
"I get it. Thank you."
"And thank you."
I steal one of his hands and lace our fingers together. He gives a sigh of content and goes back to his watching the ceiling. We sit there for a while, thinking of nothing. Just enjoying each others company.
