a/n: an attempt to channel my imagination in the world of Naruto; the events that followare never included in the original plot but read anyway. the story has reference in the PS2 version so don't blame me for any misuse of their abilities. Italic is flashback from episode 128. Reviews are very much welcomed.

OF BUZZING AND CHIRPING

"The Intrinsic Desire"

The platinum embellishment of stars in the stillness of crescent moon has washed Sasuke and Shino anew as they rest by the clichéd shrubs of Sound Village that served as temporal dwelling forboth; Shino has to recover his vigor while Sasuke hasliberated time to contemplate, reflections that manifest either construction of positive determinations or negativity. In the stillness where two people created an emotional alliance, Sasuke couldn't nevertheless help thinking the futility of it all.

Itachi Uchiha was tranquil with eyes shut, unflappable from any intervention of the juvenile Sasuke; the wholeof the forest was a witness in the sentimental value for the latter, and as worlds and thoughts collide in a matter of successive sessions, with leaves falling as filth promenaded the grounds of Konoha's shrubs, save for the faint chirps and several metallic plates that lay at random, it was the perfect arena for physicality's limit. By second's fraction, at the slight vision of Itachi's eyes, the breach of silence recurred but like no other. Several kunai's have soared, angular and precise, and within a blink of an eye it all seemed idyllic for the raw Uchiha Sasuke. Kunai rapping another kunai, the sound of metal against metal – these were the upshot, and it all seemed prosaic at the fluidity of all happenstances.

"I'm next!" Sasuke shouted, his kunai appearing in his hands.

"Not today little brother,"

"Eh? You promised you'd train me..."

"I've got a mission tomorrow, I've got to prepare for it,"

"Mother'd be looking us anyway because it's noon already,"

At the backdrop of the sun receding even though it's daytime, the milieu of it all is mere nonchalance for both Uchiha geniuses; with Itachi carrying his little brother because the latter broke an ankle for showing off, it was the best memory the Sharingan lad could come up with, because after all that's been aesthetic in his reminiscence it all were overshadowed in anger and vengeance. It's the incessant desire – death.

"Why are you still awake?" Shino has questioned in matter of these unsettling thoughts, Uchiha Sasuke on the verge of appreciation.

"When I was little, my brother used to be my brother; now he's a monster that lurks everywhere,"

Shino was quite surprised; it was out of character, the disclaimer by which characterizations signify shallowness and ironic stupidity. It'd be atypical of the Aburame genius, too, to be divulging the most stark memory; but seeing the moment of sentimentality and the ambience of melodrama that has been softening their individualities – at least that's what the Aburame genius thinks – it was a choice open for all its worth. "The world is only a speck in the totality of existence, and our lives are only the miniature of that speck," said Shino.

"So life is meaningless?"

"I don't know; somehow the little victories that we win are effective distractions for it,"

"My genesis in the clan is underrated by most Konoha villagers; like Naruto, I was—"

"Alone? Yeah, tell me about it," Sasuke cut, indicative however in his tone.

"And I thought I had to transcend in that condition,"

"So you plan to be Anbu for isolation?"

"Right on target, Uchiha Sasuke." It was psychoanalytic in the Sharingan lad's opinion; in the rationalizations of it, the meaning of decisions in life is most often derived from the intentional self-experience of an individual. In Sasuke and Shino's case, it's the most meaningful in the extent where two people converge through disclosure of memories that ought to bring this incessant desire – belongingness. And not necessarily a food for thought but it ran like this – an incessant desire for sentimental warmth – and quite imaginably this desire is; both geniuses have been delved into thinking the meaninglessness of life as regards with its anguish and grievance, and still they kept harking back on their suicidal critic of the manuscript of existence. The situation they're in was warm, spoken in silences and a little bit of divulgence and even contradictory arguments – it is actually funny to think the virtuous generosity of what they think.

So Shino 'was' a stoic, impassive from any phenomena; indicative of arguments and cuts everything short – it isn't because of insolence but because emotional safety is easily earned with it. But now, down in Sound Village's foliage, Aburame Shino 'is' a reverie, swept in the generosity of emotional liaison but not foolish from any phenomena; indicative of what's sensitively wrong and gets his own dose of solaced words – it isn't because of out-of-character mushiness but because he has experienced true emotional safety.

So Sasuke 'chose' to be with himself in determined hopes to fulfill the incessant desire of death to his older brother; he 'was' an angel kicked out from heaven and became devil – his loosened bandages 'were' his only companion and it was the best thing that could happen in his life. But now, down in Sound Village's foliage, Uchiha Sasuke 'is' choosing emotive attachment, overwhelmed in the generosity of liaison but not stupid in warfare; silent but anxious for welfare and gets his own dose of solaced words – it isn't because of out-of-character mushiness but because being great is much more attained with it.

In the end, it was a transition.

"Uchiha Sasuke..." Shino, with his spectacles broken, has opened his eyesin which for Sasuke seemed to be slowly motioned; russet in the most pacified ways, Shino took out a box from his coat, pale collarbones showing, and handed it to Sasuke.

"What's this? The packaging is third-rate."

"Without any resources, that's the best that I could come up with."

"Why bother anyway?" Sasuke mocked.

"I dunno."

Sasuke opened the box and found a scroll. "Use it if you feel like the world is giving up on you; it's one of those forbidden scrolls in Konoha I stole; I thought I'd be the one to use but I guess you could have it now,"

"So you're the one who stole the scroll all along?"

"Yes, you can declare that."

"I can't believe you; I thought you're this patriotic one but then you give me this stolen scroll."

"It's a scroll that summons the Fire God; I realized I stole the wrong scroll."

"What did you plan to steal anyway?"

"An Aburame scroll surrendered to the Second Hokage because of immeasurable damage it can impart to the village."

"I see."

"That scroll is yours now."

"Thanks."

Shino looked up the azure sky, certain that it was already the literal fading of time. "It's July twenty-third; happy birthday, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Darn that dungeon, I thought we'd never escape!" Tenten has sighed, sweat dripping from the enthusiasm that kicked her. "Thanks to your genjutsu!"

"Well your kagura shuriken helped, too; if it wasn't for those weapons they could've thumped us to death,"

The Sound Village entrance is filled with silence until the two genin's broke it; and by then Chuunin Hinata has already appeared. "The Sound Village has the scroll indeed; Akatsuki is also behind it," Hinata has said, unruffled from any worry.

"Are you both okay?"

"It's okay now, we just walked unsteadily in a dungeon full of ugly people!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I'm relieved,"

"What do we do?" Asked Tenten.

"We report it to Tsunade-sama; we're not encouraged to retrieve the scroll anyway, I guess it's the jounins' job."

"What about Shino? Won't we look for him?"

"He's okay, Sakura-chan,"

"What do you mean?"

Would Hinata break the genin's emotional awareness? It was an intrinsic desire Hinata can never fulfill immediately – emotional security with another shinobi. "He's... he's with Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura's surprise can never be painted in any backdrop then.

Reviews are very much welcomed.