"Sasuke, are you even paying attention?" Earthy green eyes dimmed in frustration.
Blinking slowly, the wave of water pressed on his face, calling him back from his daze.
Being at the bottom of the ocean usually kept Sasuke alert, the dark and cold temperatures were comforting when he wanted to contemplate his thoughts just so he could arrange them neatly.
It seemed today Sasuke wasn't in the mood to do such pondering; especially with his girlfriend Sakura.
That could have been it, bringing someone with him usually required to converse–which Sasuke wasn't against.
In fact, Sasuke found interacting with Sakura satisfying enough. She'd be able to keep up with complex topics while offering her own viewpoint without hesitation. But the way she stroked his arm and created shapes with her fingertips on his chest made him rather uncomfortable. It wasn't because she was physically displeasing.
Then again, Sakura started off as such when they met as small children, but ever since she studied under the famous Sea Witch Tsunade, she had noticeably matured and her intelligence had seemingly improved as well– much to his delight, but he'd never been attracted to her romantically or even platonically. Unfortunately, she had trouble keeping her strength around him, which he hated because she always went back to her old pretentious self when he responded positively or even neutrally.
He especially disliked it when she would try to be intimate by brushing part of his bangs to his ear, leaning on him, and kissing him; it bothered him in a slow burn, just building up slowly which each step; her cold fingers were thin and almost grating. He resisted the urge to sneer at her action.
Admittedly, he only went out with her because she asked, and that he was approaching the age of seeking someone to potentially settle down with and marry; it was smarter to start soon since he inherited his family's noble status at a very young age. Although now, he wasn't quite sure why he chose her of all people now that he thought about it properly.
Nodding, Sasuke pushed himself off the sunken ship. Call it morbid, but the rust that built around the ship always made Sasuke feel serene with the dark shadows with soft beams of light from the surface. Plus, the sea creatures that inhibited the dark were always peaceful and secluded.
Following while mildly insulted, Sakura swam ahead in front of Sasuke with the intention to pause his sulky exit.
With intense eyes and a frown, she crossed her arms. "Sasuke, you can't just doze off then swim away, it makes me worry." Her arms loosened before dropping to her side, her eyes softened and she looked rather anxious "Is something on your mind? You never daydream like that, it's..." She sucked her lip for a moment "Unusual. I heard about your encounter with a human from Kakashi... The human, he didn't hurt you did h-"
"No, he didn't. I'm fine, the idiot was too wrapped up staring at me." He replied before he swam around her to continue his trail up the sea shore.
"So you say." She hurried to swim by his side "You know you can tell me anything that's bothering you. No matter what it is, you can trust me." Her voice was clear and smooth, despite her knotted expression of worry.
Sasuke knew he should have said he knew, but it'd be a blatant lie by implying he trusted her. It was one thing to get along with someone, but trust was something different. Sakura was a good person, but with every good there's a bad, and when it came to him, Sakura sometimes came off as desperate and shallow.
Sasuke wasn't a fool to ignore the fact her 'love' for him was selfish, which was why it would be soon that he'd break things off with her for both of their sake to grow.
But who was he to say such things when he himself was a hypocrite. Sakura was an amazing woman, he wasn't so arrogant to ignore that, but when she's around him, her potential and strength she developed slips away into her shadow, forcing her to square one.
For a while now, Sasuke had debated if he wanted to break things off for both of their sakes, but he was unsure where to begin.
Eventually they reached the shallow waters where they'd depart as daylight was dying. It'd be dangerous if they stayed out in the dark for too long where the nightly predators awaken to hunt blind prey, thankfully that never happened too often, but it still brought apprehension to both of them.
But as he watched Sakura turn and leave, he couldn't help but stare at the surface of the water moving with the tide, trying to think of the sky and its soft blue colour, wondering if the shade changed throughout the day, and he wondered where the human with clear blue eyes was up to where the people are. Maybe he'd find the boy again, if he was still there.
The echoing call of a whale snapped him out of his thoughts before he headed to his home.
"I'm telling you Iruka it was a merman!" Naruto insisted as he struggled with closing the door of the car as his hands were carrying groceries.
Locking the car with his remote keys, Iruka walked over to Naruto to close the door for him. "You were tired and your eyes were probably tricked by the reflected light."
Already exhausted from the day's excitement of chasing down a runaway dog, Naruto headed inside the house without much protest as he remembered today was about Iruka, not him. He glanced at his phone once he carefully placed the bag on the counter, "So anyway, when's your date coming over?"
Iruka, being the parent of Naruto replied in a deadpanned manner. "Tonight, I've told you twice." He followed Naruto in and proceeded to lock the door.
"Yeah, but let's just say I'm Dory with bad memory."
"Eight pm."
That late? Naruto thought with mild confusion. "So wait, does that mean he's staying over?" He asked carefully, as he placed the bag in the counter and began to take out the fruits and meats they purchased.
Iruka paused to meet eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "Yes, Naruto. Is there a problem?" Slowly, Iruka took a seat at the dinner table to give himself a break.
Taking a moment to think, Naruto crossed his arms with a sarcastic tone "Well, of course not. Let's invite a stranger and his kid to stay over. Hell, they might be serial killers, out to rip out our organs and paint the streets red." he said with false excitement.
Sighing, Iruka understood it can be difficult to accept that there may be more people in this family that had started off with just the two of them, but Naruto was growing up, and when he leaves–which was soon– he'd be alone without anyone to keep him company.
It's not that Iruka felt obligated to find a person to marry and live with, he only wanted to find someone who offered a cure for the monachopsis.
Moving on required change, for both of them.
"Naruto, I've dated him before." Iruka reasoned before he argued.
There was a moment of pause, Naruto's expression frigid. "What?" He asked lightly, eyebrows furrowed.
Taking a moment for the new information to settle, Iruka gestured for Naruto to take a seat with a tilt of his head. It wasn't the first time Naruto had been shocked with new information. As of right now, Iruka waited for Naruto to calm down as it would've been more of a pain to bicker over this.
"When?" The struggling blonde asked tensely.
"I was fifteen when we met."
Naruto stare softened a bit, a kinder blue was found in his eyes now, which was a good sign. "What happened before?"
Wincing at the hard memory, Iruka swallowed nervously. The ache that pinched at him recalled the abandonment he felt for years since Kakashi had left him without word.
Even if the scenery in Iruka's life had changed continuously during the next six years, those were the cruelest times he ever had.
"Disappeared. I'd like to know the reason, so that's why I plan to ask." Iruka explained, silently requesting Naruto would respect his intentions. Even if they were selfish.
Naruto's first instinct was to say no, but then he realized that Iruka must have had a really close relationship with this man, that he needed this for proper closure. Naruto didn't have the right to say no to that, it would have been too cruel to deny him that. Plus, he wasn't there when Iruka was heartbroken, which brought guilt in him for never asking about it. If Iruka needed this, then so be it.
"I understand, but don't leave me out of what happens..." Naruto replied awkwardly. Despite, this, Iruka seemed to have picked up on Naruto's effort to accepts without complaints. Able to feel relief pull away the worry, Iruka got to his feet with an excited smile.
"Want to help me cook?" His tone teasing, as he knew Naruto had a weakness for cooking, plus he needed the extra help to clean up the house a bit.
"And set something on fire?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin "Hell yeah."
The sun was a fierce bitch to the skin and eyes. At least to Sasuke.
"Why the hell are we out in the goddamn sun, Kakashi?"
Kakashi ignored the irritated growl in Sasuke's voice, giving a smile that was a little too happy for their current situation. It was still daytime, but barely. During the day, Merfolk often have a difficult time coping with intense heat and sunlight without preparation since their biology never had to evolve to cope with long periods in the sun. A reason for school to teach them how to prepare for land travel. "Sasuke, it's only been an hour since we've left our ocean. It's not that bad."
"Says the grown man who's been consistently walking among humans just to bang one." Sasuke hissed as his eyes narrowed at the ground he was walking on. Sweat slowly gathered on his temple as heat radiated from every air molecule. Although he was a sweaty mess, the people they passed seemed to be attracted to his face.
Unfazed by the jab, Kakashi chuckled "It's worth everything." Carefully, he checked his wristwatch. 7:55 pm. They were on time.
"You're naïve to actually believe that." Dark eyes glared down disapprovingly.
"Once you fall in love, you'll feel the same way."
Pursing his lips to avoid smiling at the thought of that. "Doubt it. I'm dating Sakura, remember?
Crossing the road while the drivers screamed at Kakashi for not following traffic laws, Kakashi waved at them "Of course, how could I forget?"
"You and Sakura make too big of a deal of it. We're just in a relationship."
Finally reaching the new street, Kakashi gazed at the soft moon that glowed with ethereal beauty.
"Feelings are something you have; not something you are."he gently affirmed before he continued to head for the dark blue house on Blatt street. The air was pleasant. Something about the singing crickets and luminous fireflies gave an otherworldly mood. The sky was a thick soupy red. Feeling apprehension gathering at his gut, Kakashi stopped at the front porch "Sasuke, how about you open the door? I realize that since this is your first time on land, we can test how much you remember from your studies."
Apart from being given a chance to show his intellect, Sasuke stared suspiciously at Kakashi before he rapped with his knuckle against thick oak door with a silent threat in his glare. The soft hints of voices emerged as footsteps grew in heaviness. There was a moment of unlocking the door and Sasuke found his limbs tightening as his eyes stared a hole through the lemon coloured hair and water blue eyes that mirrored his thoughts. Sasuke's thoughts became entangled with the stranger he'd come across again.
Anxiety is like a predator waiting to attack. Watching over a shoulder, breathing on the skin. Just barely touching. Then when a feeling of danger overwhelms someone, anxiety swoops in out of nowhere to choke the air out as the body attempts to fight it, and the muscles in the chest squeeze tightly as everything suddenly intensifies around the panicked person. This would be called an anxiety attack, as Sasuke would recall in his behavior class; he also remembered how he hated the class for its focus on humans.
If memory served correct, Sasuke was feeling anxiety begin to flex a little in his chest as air of intense fear built up.
"You two must be Sasuke and Kakashi." The person broke free of the shock as they suddenly taking on a disguise of an introductory greeting. Sasuke wasn't so gullible to believe the young man before him did not remember him, it would have been rather hard to forget about meeting a different kind of creature.
On one hand, Sasuke was grateful the man had decided to treat their situation as a separate issue, but on the other hand, Sasuke had already felt like a fish out of water, now the fish was dangling over an obliterating fire. Now he just wanted to leave. Except he couldn't. What was going to stop this man from telling the world that merfolk existed? Nothing. And Sasuke had studied enough about Human history to know the history of prejudice, genocide, slavery, and murder to understand if you weren't a specific type of human with certain features, it could easily mean an early death or at least a life of cruelty. Then again, he could easily kill the man before him, but that wouldn't fare well with Kakashi.
Settling on to his least favorite option, Sasuke went along with this act for the sake of his people and Kakashi.
"I believe that we are indeed, Sasuke and Kakashi, you must be Naruto." The adult behind him smoothly interjected, shaking hands with the blonde man with a friendly nature that wasn't too out of place.
Nodding, Naruto shook the hand agreeably, only for his eyes to scan over Kakashi's features, fighting the urge to frown. "The one and only. Iruka has told me all about ya. Come in, come in, I hear it's going to rain tonight."
"Rain?" Sasuke found himself asking, voice sounding a bit tight. Merfolk adapted the ability to immediately return to their fins when doused with water for the sake of easy escape, but that always seemed to be a disadvantage when it came to walking amongst humans.
Blinking stupidly, Naruto gestured for Kakashi to go ahead and find Iruka while he stepped around to get a better view of Sasuke "Weather Network predicts really heavy rainstorms for the next few hours." he carefully told "Of course you both are staying over."
Smirking at such assumptions, Sasuke crossed his arms. "What makes you think we want to stay over?"
Gesturing Iruka embracing Kakashi while Kakashi gently greeted his lover with airy words, Naruto returned with an answer "Them. Probably going to be an all nighter." he joked as he began to lock the door when Sasuke stepped in the house.
This was significantly different. The walls were dressed in pear green, and pictures of memories were commonly found in the shape of a rectangle. The air as well, it wasn't as humid or earthy, it was vaguely sweet with a curve of tartness; normally Sasuke wasn't a huge fan of anything sweet, but the aroma was somehow natural and fresh. It was oddly cozy, if not a bit wondrous.
"Have you lived here long?" Sasuke's eyes focused on the picture of a vaguely familiar boy splashing in the ocean. It must have been a good day in the photo; the child had laughing eyes, holding up a piece of pink sea glass. The sight of the rose coloured glass brought a downcast expression in Sasuke; strangely he'd recently misplaced his collection.
"Grew up here, in the quiet forests and ocean. Though it's pretty boring." answered Naruto, openly eying Sasuke curiously.
Normally he kept good care of his belongings–especially if it was something he liked. Checking his home and the surrounding sand and coral, there were no signs of it. If it weren't for the tears in his carrier, Sasuke would have ended up wasting more of his time in search of it. Now, Sasuke simply wished he'd been more responsible, or at least, wished his collection had been what was lost.
"Suppose you plan to leave the town once you can?"
Over time, he ended up gathering a good hundred pieces or so, just the size of a coin, enough to admire the lovely colour as he would place it right behind the sunlight. Those moments of searching were all wasted. In the gloomy dark waters he grew up in, the beautiful blue he found were what gave him a sliver of colour and change. The sharp reflecting blue hues in Naruto's eyes made it difficult to feel the loss as it seemed like his collection melted into two pairs of gradient blue eyes..
"I was thinking about it, but now..." the blue deepened as it smiled "...Seems like I can't keep quite leave." Naruto began to head up the stairs, gesturing Sasuke to follow with a smile "C'mon, Iruka and Kakashi probably want to have a moment by themselves, plus we have something to talk about... don't we?"
Staring blankly at the stupid smile Naruto flashed at him, Sasuke found himself strangely curious what Naruto wanted from him. Although it seemed Naruto had pure intentions based on his behavior and open personality, Sasuke understood humans were multilayered creatures with complicated personalities. Trusting this strangely compelling man was the same as agreeing that Naruto could burn him alive anytime. But when does a merman ever get the chance to participate in fighting? War was forbidden in the ocean since humans that monitored the waters would notice straight away something was off, and a fight between human and merman was still risky.
Curiosity was strong though. The transformation for legs was only a stepping stone, what Naruto was offering, was a door to something completely unknown, and somehow, Sasuke wanted to see where this would go. Watching the same ocean remain the same dark blue with no change had become his life; from what he had read from his books in school, humans lead a life filled with all sorts of good and bad, contradiction and abstract thoughts. Simply colourful scenes with many possibilities.
But it was risk Sasuke was tempted to take the risk, the sense of danger would be refreshing, plus it'd be a jab against Kakashi for dragging him out in the day. "What makes you think I'd want to follow you?" his heart beat fervently against his chest, the sensation of excitement rushed through him in hidden smiles.
"Being a hell raiser as a kid, I can recognize that look, and I can tell you, living on land is the best and the worst thing in the world. You didn't come all the way here for Kakashi."
"Perhaps, but what could you possibly offer me that would deter my other opportunities?"
Almost as if he knew, Naruto only looked at Sasuke. He didn't say a word; just stared with a strange calmness before he continued his path upstairs, leaving Sasuke the choice to follow or remain where he was.
Content with Naruto's decision to leave without further pressure, it gave Sasuke the power to walk away towards Kakashi as it seemed Naruto wasn't inclined to reveal that Kakashi and him were not humans at all. It was suitable this way, but some part of Sasuke felt a pull of disappointment, but he chose to ignore it. The Uchiha clan would never stoop so low to take a offering of any sort from a weak human; even if he was the youngest and was never going to be the heir, no filthy land walker could ever tempt him.
Not even if his eyes were a rare blue that he's never seen before; the hue he'd been trying to find and forget.
Walking into the dining room, Sasuke focused in Kakashi and Iruka converse excitingly as he found his presence being disregarded. This scene was strange. Not that a merman and human being together was a peculiar sight to behold, it was the flicker of life in Kakashi that was perplexing. In the years of training he received from him, Kakashi was never an emotional or affectionate man. At least, not openly. The soft gaze directed to Iruka was too intimidating for anyone to dare interrupt the moment; normally Sasuke didn't care about Kakashi, but he did respect him for his power and achievements. With demure steps, Sasuke retreated back into the hall.
Once again, he found himself staring at the stairs; thoughts carried him to new abstract ideas. Kakashi had more experience in the human world. Where Sasuke struggled to comprehend many things in the human world. Sasuke was proud of his power and knowledge, gratified to be part of the center of a royal clan; but that arrogance blinded him of how little he knew of the world, or he simply refused to acknowledge his lack of experience among humans.
With this revelation, Sasuke refused for his arrogance to get in the way of progress. His parents had left for the Council located somewhere in the Atlantic ocean; Itachi was out handling the problems in their family's land and neighboring clans, being the golden child that he was. Sasuke refused to stay behind his older brother like this. With surreptitious breaths, Sasuke paced himself up the stairs.
It was a strange experience going up stairs as it was his first time actually using his feet up a flight of stairs, but it was another thing he was accomplishing.
When he reached the end, the light escaping the door and the sound of soft notes weaving through the air like the wind, sending streams of numbness around him as the unknown music grew mildly before returning to it's feathery hums. Being in the ocean was always silent with the occasionally echoes of whales, the darkness of the bottom was consistent, he was used to monotone noises and bland colours. When he first saw colour, he found some appealing but most were an eyesore to look at. This was the first time he heard such soft music.
Earlier Kakashi had dragged him to a shopping mall where humans gather to buy things of all sorts, and Sasuke had been forced to listen to blaring, obnoxious singing and beats that were apparently popular; this made him hate human land even more until now. It was surreal to hear beautiful sounds in harmonic layers come from an unexpected place.
Entranced and curious, Sasuke pushed against the wooden door in hopes of getting a better auditory view.
Just like in the pictures of his textbook, there was a grand piano. Sleek and black, classy and sophisticated as it sang a beautiful story of amorous kindness and muted sadness.
Naruto was merely sitting in front, his fingers softly dancing with the music as it played the piano's teeth coloured keys. The light of the room was much brighter than the ones in the hallways, Sasuke could see the soft sprinkle of freckles on his tanned skin that reminded him of a late autumn day. Had Sasuke been somewhere else, he might have thought Naruto was a different person with his lidded eyes and melancholic smile.
Unfortunately, the music ceased and faded like smoke when the door creaked loudly when it reached the wall.
Naruto's eyes broke free of his forlorn moment and caught Sasuke sneaking in "What are you doing here?"
The embarrassed expression Sasuke made was how a child reacted when caught in the middle of a naughty act, unable to defend himself very much, Sasuke fought to keep his tone calm, but it still cam out somewhat quiet "I've never heard piano before. Never thought you of all people could play." Dark eyes noticed the creative fingers slip away from the piano.
With a touch of laughter in his voice, Naruto couldn't bring himself to dislike Sasuke for wanting to hear more of piano music, but he did feel a bit exposed since he never played in front of others with the exception of a few "Guess it is a bit strange for a person like me to play, huh? It sort of balances me out when I need it."
"The music was..." Sasuke had to take a moment to find the appropriate word "...Captivating"
"I'm good aren't I?" The blonde man glowed with warmth as he teased.
Sasuke stared to find some hidden motive, eventually giving an answer when it seemed Naruto truly had no other intentions than to talk "Don't push it, you're the only one I've heard play a piano."
"But you did like my song."
Ebony eyes glanced at the old sheet music propped up at the piano "Adequate enough."
Rolling his eyes in disbelief, Naruto shrugged "Anyway, did you get bored down with the two love birds?"
Not wanting to admit he was nervous to be around Kakashi and Iruka, Sasuke nodded and was welcomed with a gesture to sit beside Naruto. "C'mon over, I can play you something else while we wait."
To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke walked over and compliantly sat beside him "Play."
So he did. This time he played a different song that was a shade more downcasted, but still enchanting for both to listen and share.
Quietly, even the crickets at night stopped their song to listen.
A/N: My goodness, I had this chapter on the shelf for a while. To my defense, I was occupied with school and I was writing out the plot I have planned for this story. this chapter went a little astray since it ended on a more somber tone than I expected, but I am a sucker for bittersweet stories and multi layered characters. I hope you enjoyed this story, and please do share this, I worry the SasuNaruSasu fandom is dying out, but I love these two dearly as I love classical music. In addition, I must warn you, this story may not be as comedic as I initially started since I want to base this story around the fickleness of human personalities.
The songs Naruto played (in Order): A Glimmer In Her Eyes by Brian Cran, Hallelujah by Brian Cran (His music is amazing, I recommend giving these songs a try)
Thank you for reading!
If it's not too much, please share this.
