Title: Dessert of the Day
Author: paws-bells
Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85
Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi
Type: One Shot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/General/Humor
Word Count: 1243
Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.
Summary: Random ItaSaku drabbles/onesies featuring various universes and various storylines for your reading pleasure. Chapters may or may not be interconnected.
Created on: 03/09/13
Completed on: 03/09/13
Chapter Last Revised on: 30/04/14
Prompt: Modern/Fantasy AU. Koi fishes.
The young master of the noble Uchiha clan padded out of the Main House, silent as a wraith. It was the middle of the night, but a low, pregnant moon hung amongst the starlit skies, lighting his way as he gracefully stepped off of the wooden engawa and down the stone steps, following a short, well-worn path that led to the koi garden. He was barefooted, a dark grey yukata tied loosely around his lean, wiry form, his long, sleek raven hair bound at the nape, the silky ends trailing over the side of his neck and clavicle. It was the height of summer, and fireflies darted about lazily in the dark as they tried to attract their mates.
The koi garden of the Uchiha clan consisted of the largest body of water in the entire property. It was a tranquil but deep, naturally occurring spring that surrounded the Main House like a moat, and hundreds of beautiful, glittering koi fishes resided in that peaceful pond. Lush foliage and outcropping rocks surrounded it, lending it a tropical, exotic air that was also strangely relaxing to anyone who visited the place. It had been the pride of the Uchiha clan for generations, and when Itachi succeeded his father as the next head of the family, he automatically inherited the traditional Main House, filled with centuries of rich and colorful history, as well as its precious koi garden.
The koi garden possessed a secret though, one that only the active leader of the clan would be privy to, but Itachi had known of its existence since he was a very young boy.
He stepped into the serene garden, soundlessly brushing past the fauna and coming to a stop at the edge of the huge pond. Dark eyes briefly surveyed the still waters, and then he folded his rangy frame and sat gracefully on the stone outcropping. Almost instantaneously, masses of koi fishes swam up eagerly to him, rising up to the surface to be fed, their beautiful scales gleaming under the moonlight. The gigantic koi competed for the pellets that he brought with him, splashing and slapping at the water surface eagerly with their tail fins as he evenly distributed the food amongst them. It was some time before the feeding frenzy finally abated, and once all the food was gone, the fishes calmed once more, lingering about him briefly as if in gratitude, before lazily swimming away to the other parts of the pond.
Slowly, Itachi dipped his feet into the clear, cool water, and then, he simply waited. Lifting his face to the moon, he closed his eyes and seemed to luxuriate in its gentle rays, absorbing the sounds and the refreshing scent of the peaceful nature all around him, letting them wash over him, soothe him.
After a short moment, he eventually felt the telltale ripple of water lapping against his ankles, and it was all he could do not to smile. Careful to keep his eyes closed, he called out quietly.
"Won't you come out tonight, Sakura?"
There was no reply to his question, and at last, Itachi opened his eyes. The pond was peaceful, no sign of disturbances whatsoever on its calm surface. The dark-haired male was undaunted. He continued to speak in his dulcet, lilting tenor.
"I've missed you," he admitted softly. "Please, will you let me see you?"
This time, there was a reaction. In the pond a few paces away from him, a shadow flitted swiftly under the surface, agitating the waters; a pale gleam of pink, a sleek flash of glittering black and crimson scales, gone as quickly as they appeared. She was definitely still angry, but he knew that she could never stay mad at him for long.
Sure enough, after a while, the water stealthily parted over a damp pink crown, and bright emerald green eyes that were barely situated above the pond's surface stared at him reproachfully. She was obviously pouting, and it was adorable.
Itachi could not help himself this time, he smiled. His usually remote onyx gaze was gentle, and the look in his eyes inadvertently soothed her temper as well.
"Hello, Sakura," he greeted gently, and after a brief hesitation, she slipped underwater again only to reappear right before him. This time, she chose to reveal more of herself, her head bobbing above the pond surface, her long pink hair floating in the water around her lithe torso. Her lovely, heart-shaped face glistened under the moonlight, her soft mouth was pink and full, her dense lashes were beaded with crystalline drops of water, and her eyes were the deepest, most arresting shade of verdant in the world.
As always, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
Ningyo.
Under the surface of the pristine water, he could clearly make out the bottom half of her body, the part that was more fish than human. Her coloring was a vivid crimson with beautiful black markings, and her lovely fins were long and flowing, her fluid movements extremely graceful to behold as she swam lazily to keep her place. She was a koi mermaid, a mythical creature of legends, and she had been living in the Uchiha koi pond for hundreds of years.
She looked exactly the same as the first time he had seen her more than two decades ago, when he was only a young boy. Now, he was nearing thirty, and she was still eternally youthful. Another hundred years from now, when he was no longer around, she would probably still look as she did at this very moment, perfection frozen in time, forever trapped in this koi garden, forever alone. The thought made his heart ache.
Sakura reached out to touch him then, her hands cool as she lightly caressed his leg. She looked up at him, and there was nothing but innocence shining in those emerald depths. He held out his hand towards her, and she automatically lifted her face to him, her eyes fluttering close, accepting his touch. Her skin was petal soft under his fingers, and he could not help but stroke her face tenderly. She nuzzled into his touch wordlessly, like an affectionate kitten.
His gaze softened. "Sakura," he whispered her name again, and her eyes slowly opened once more, looking at him. "Will you remember me when I'm gone?"
Even though she could not speak, she understood what he was saying well enough. Her expressive features saddened, turned heavy with grief. She turned her face into his hand, and then she kissed his palm and fingers softly. Her feelings for him were obvious, and that just made their current situation even more painful.
Star-crossed.
If only she was human like him. If only he was a fish like her.
He had loved her from the very moment he first set eyes on her, but clearly, they were not meant to be. Perhaps, it would have been kinder for the both of them if they had never met at all.
"…I…ta…chi." Her voice was low, garbled; a sibilant hiss, and he stared at her in shock. She possessed no vocal chords because fish did not speak, but clearly, she was forcing the words out of her throat somehow. It obviously took her a lot of effort to do so, but still, she was doing it for him. Looking at him beseechingly with her large eyes, she silently begged him to understand.
"…Ai…shi…te…ru."
"A bird and a fish can fall in love, but where would they live?"
::owari::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
And here is number three! Thanks for the generous support, you guys! I've really been enjoying all of your sweet and wonderful reviews/comments/insights so far and I'm really, really happy to recognize the pseudonyms of a good number of you who have been loyally following my (highly sporadic) updates for years. It is nearly enough to make me cry, no joke. You lot are amazing and I adore all of you. (Of course, I adore ItaSaku more but I don't think you guys will complain too much about that, hehe.)
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FYI, the term 'ningyo' is the Japanese term for mermaid. ('nin' = human, and 'gyo' = fish, when directly translated kanji for kanji, if I'm not wrong.)
For those who are unaware, 'Aishiteru' means 'I love you' in Japanese.
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Once again, I'm currently not accepting any prompts at the moment, so please do not send me any until I request for them, thanks.
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Thanks for your kind understanding, and as always, thanks for reading! Until next time!
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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-paws