title: Born to Be Three
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2015
rating: K-M
summary: o13: Everywhere around him are reminders of what—or who—he left behind.
dedicated to: my baes on tumblr - i love you all!
NOTE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE MONTH: I wanted to add Sarada in many of these prompts, because she's a part of this beautiful family too /sobs forever at my babies having babies/ but sometimes I either couldn't find a way to fit her in and, to be honest, I have little experience writing about her! Hopefully that will change in the future!
.o13.
2 AM
.
Everywhere around him are reminders of what—or who—he left behind.
.
He thinks too much. Tonight, he keeps watch while the rest of Taka sleep. Yet, he feels alone in this inhabited world, and insignificant under the weight of the sky. Thin rays of light glitter from the constellations. He sees Aries, more prominent than any others.
"You see, Sasuke?" Itachi points out. "That's Aries. It's a ram."
"What's a ram?" Sasuke asks, eyes wide with wonder. His big brother is so smart! How lucky he is to have someone like that in his life!
"A ram is a sheep."
Sasuke made a face. "Why would they name a constellation after a sheep? I think Leo is much cooler. Lions. Roar!" His fingers curled into makeshift lion claws, and Sasuke began to scratch at Itachi's sleeve.
"Ha," Itachi smiled. He held Sasuke's wrists and waited for him to revert back to his human form. "Isn't your classmate an Aries, Sasuke?"
Sasuke frowned. "None of my classmates are sheep."
"No, you silly. Aries is a zodiac sign, too. It's for people born between mid-March and April. Say, isn't that girl…what's her name…ah, Sakura—wasn't she born in March?"
Sasuke huffed. "Aniki, I don't want to talk about yucky girls. Teach me more about stars."
Itachi chuckled. "You're such a boy, Sasuke. Soon, you'll regret not having this conversation with your brother." He tapped his forehead. "Now, let's look for Leo."
Among all the stars illuminating the earth around him, Aries shines brighter than anything else. For a moment, he swears he sees Sakura's face inside the curve of the constellation. She is twelve again, with obnoxiously long pink hair and eyes bright with hope—will Sasuke agree to a date today?
Then he blinks, and she is crying. Her hair is short; her eyes puffy and red. She's begging him to stay, please, and that they'll be happy together—she'll make him happy! She promises!
Sasuke feels a pit in his stomach, and imagines the glistening of her tears shining through as stars. He glances away from Aries and looks for Leo instead. But Sakura is still there, in the sky. She is sixteen and looking up at him standing on a cliff.
She retains few traces of childlike naivety. Her face has become sharper. Her cheeks are slimmer. And her body has filled out nicely—she has matured into a lovely woman and shinobi.
He wonders what she's doing now. Perhaps she's sleeping in her warm bed, curled up in pink sheets. Or maybe she's enjoying a late bowl of ramen with the Team. Nevertheless, her life has continued despite his departure, and maybe she's okay without him.
Please don't leave, Sasuke-kun! I—I love you with all my heart!
"Hey, Sasuke," Suigetsu interrupts from the tent. He rubs his eyes and yawn. "It's your turn to rest. I'll take it from here."
Sasuke agrees. He can't bear with these invasive thoughts running amok in his mind. Sleep, he believes, will cure his problem.
"Hn," Sasuke nods as Suigetsu takes his place. He climbs into the tent and positions himself as comfortably as he can on the ground.
If you were to stay with me…there would be no regrets.
Sasuke squeezes his eyes shut, blocking out everything around him. Yet she is still there, vibrant as ever, engraved in his mind.
He tugs the blanket over his head, as if hiding from his thoughts.
Don't make it any harder than it has to be, Sakura.
updates come regularly on tumblr for each day. I'm lazy at uploading on ff, but rest assured everything will be up by the end of this month. XD
notes: how the fuck does astronomy work lmao