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Post by Uchiha Sasuke on Nov 16, 2007 3:10:33 GMT -5
Summer afternoon.
He wasn't really sure what he was expecting. He had been gone for three years, seemingly spirited away without any sort of explanation. Despite his contempt for humanity that had been with him long before the departure, he couldn't help but wonder what people had thought of his sudden disappearance.
Naruto knew. Naruto... was part of the reason why he had left, in a way. Naruto was one of the few people here he considered himself at all close to; had that dobe blabbed to the entire country what had happened? Had he told anyone at all? Had he told... her?
He sighed. Her. The only girl he had ever been able to at least somewhat tolerate in this country. Sa-Ku-Ra. Did she even remember him? Or had he become a distant memory in the back of the mind of the former fangirl? What of the others? Had he been replaced in their shallow affection with the snap of the fingers and the blink of an eye? Or had people wondered what had happened to the so-called 'prodigy boy'?
Did it even really matter?
He had trained, he had learned so many things, he had a unique experience and view of the world few people could ever hope to see. What did it matter what a few people here thought about him?
People would assume that the cheesy 'because... this was his true home' line would be tossed in right about here. He snorted derisively to himself. No. He had no home. He was a wanderer, an avenger, and he refused to let himself be dragged down by such attachments. He had his plans and goals mapped and laid out perfectly in his mind, and there was no room for such frivolities as 'settling down'. He would stay here for as long as his little 'caretakers' deemed necessary, and then he would move on once more.
But if he was so anti-sentimental, why was he being drawn back here, of all places? The lake, by the park, where he spent time with his father, and then where he stared and reflected after that man was wrenched out of his life. Why here? It seemed no matter how hard he tried, how little he willed himself to care, there would always be a piece of him stuck on the past. The real past: not the murder, not the vow of revenge. The emotions that the area brought from deep in the back of his mind... it chilled him, how he could not get rid of such things.
If he was not careful, it could become a problem later.
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Post by Haruno Sakura on Nov 16, 2007 21:06:31 GMT -5
"Sakura-chan! Look how high I can go!"
"No! Look at me!"
"I asked first, dufus!"
"Shut up moron!"
Okay, she took back what she said about her cousins getting bigger. They seemed to somehow go backwards in their age. Due to not seeing them in, well, awhile, Sakura had agreed to take them to the park and just have a fun day. They were only a year apart, a 9 year old girl and an 8 year old boy, but the youngest tended to act like a baby and the oldest a bossy hellion.
Sakura was too wiped out to notice the squabbling, leaning against the frames of the swing-set in a lazy stance. Her lack of energy wasn't due to the pair of brats, it was thanks to the latest gossip that she got back and it seemed everyone wanted to see for themselves. Her pink hair was their target, no matter how dressed down she was they could zoom in and notice her, then come up and play a game of twenty questions. Sakura was always up for being social, but switching from being the lonely girl in Osaka to being bombarded by people was just a little out of her range.
Today she had purposely dressed in plain attire, it attracted less attention and it was good for playing in. Her faded jeans were slighlty ripped at the knees, a bit dusty from the sand of the park, and her sleeveless shirt was a simple white. A headband, sneakers, a bracelet or two, nothing compared to yesterday. That was alright, Sakura wasn't nearly as concerned about her looks. So what if she was pulling off grunge? There was no one around she needed to impress.
"Sakura-chan?" Sakura had pulled away from the swingset, slowly making her way off the playground. It seems her cousins had stopped their squabbling long enough to notice she was leaving.
"I'm just taking a walk, if I don't come back make sure to go home before dinner." The residential area was not too much to worry about, and Sakura felt no guilt in leaving them to wander. She needed some alone time after the busy day, and so she went.
The farther she went the less she could hear the children playing in the background, and a soft exhale left her as she fiddled around in her pocket. Oh, right. She didn't bring her iPod. It was a shame, she felt like she could listen to something while taking her stroll. Not happening today.
Of course, this meant her eyes were wandering around, enjoying the scenery. For a place just outside of Tokyo, it was pretty suburban. There weren't that many cars to be heard, and there was a calming quiet in the air she had come to miss. It was like all the stress just faded away, and her expression became more peaceful.
Her eyes did fall upon the lake while she walked, captured by that small pier sitting over calm water. Not many people hung out there, unless it was a really hot day and they felt like jumping in. She herself had never recalled a time spent by the lake, but now that there was no one around and she had nothing to do...
Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she trailed off the path and down towards the pier. Out of the corner of her eyes she thought she saw someone headed in the same direction, but that figure was a little aways. When she was just about to turn her head and see if it was someone she knew, her foot caught on a rock and she nearly tripped. Yikes--she better pay more attention to her feet. One she managed down that mess, it was smooth sailing from then on. The sturdy wood met with her shoes and she came to the edge.
"Pretty."
It was, and suddenly she felt miles away from her cousins, the gossip, her worried mother, and all these other little things that threatened to overwhelm her. It was nice to know there were people who really cared about her. Ino's reaction was the one that stood out the most. Her arms crossed over her chest and her green eyes continued to stare out at the rippling water, caught by a bird that had decided to take a small bath.
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Post by Uchiha Sasuke on Nov 18, 2007 1:47:43 GMT -5
He walked, slowly, deliberately, to the dock. There were people everywhere; he could especially hear the nauseatingly whiny voices of small children on the playground that overlooked the lake. He had loved the swings there as a small child for that exact reason... until the child in him died right along with his family. After that, he just came to the dock itself, and stared out across the shimmery surface of the water, generally oblivious and uncaring of the people that walked past behind him.
Thunk. Thunk Thunk. The aged old wood creaked under his weight - significantly more than when he came here as a little boy. He walked to the edge and placed his hand on the large vertically protruding log and smiled to himself. Plenty of new graffiti had been added to the ancient piece of wood, but he could still make out some familiar old marks carved in.
He sat slowly down on the end of the pier and allowed his legs dangle off the edge. Still no one had recognized him yet. He believed himself fortunate at this, and yet at the same time, a tiny voice at the back of his head balked. Was he that insignificant in the course of this city's history that no one even remembered him? Self doubt began to eat a little at him, invariably asking that always-haunting question:
"Does what I'm doing even matter?"
He looked down into the crystalline blue waters, as though the depths would answer his quietly muttered question. The Uchiha sighed. Apprehending his brother was his destiny. Itachi would pay for what he had done. This had already been decided... Right?
He pulled out a MP3 player and unwound a set of earbuds and stuck them in his ears. He spun up the volume dial and hit play, starting a song he had found while he was in Romania and quietly singing along.
"Alo, salut, sunt eu, un haiduc si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea. Alo, alo, sunt eu, Picasso ti-am dat beep si sunt voinic Dar sa stii, nu-ti cer nimic.
Vrei sa pleci dar nu-mã, nu-mã iei Nu-mã, nu-mã iei, nu-mã, nu-mã, nu-mã iei Chipul tãu si dragostea din tei Mi-amintesc de ochii tãi..."
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Post by Haruno Sakura on Nov 18, 2007 3:12:00 GMT -5
It was surprisingly easy to become oblivious to your surroundings, like the lake itself drew you in and let you dwell in your own, private world. The pinkhaired teen had seemingly ignored the footsteps that should have been rather obvious, instead her eyes glossy and far away fixated on the water. It shimmered and sparkled in the afternoon light, and it helped her clear her head and just think.
Mmm, there was music in her thoughts, her eyes drifting closed as the soft, faraway voice played in her head. There was a small click at the back of her head about it, but like the footsteps she had ignored it and simply indulged in the sensual male voice. It was the kind of voice that could raise goosebumps, and she found herself wondering where she had heard it from and why it suddenly decided to sneak into her brain like that...
...She never heard this song before. She couldn't even understand the lyrics, so why were they...? Hazy green eyes open, the spell of the scenery and that voice combined broken as common sense and curiosity took over. Nope, that was not imaginary, someone was also on this dock and singing some foreign song. Sakura peered over her shoulder towards the direction of the sound, narrowing her eyes to look at this serenading boy. Who the hell did she know could speak another language so well?
It was someone sitting on a log, not to far away from her, looking oblivious to her presence just as she had been his. An MP3 in his hands, dark bangs in his face...
That hair...
That voice...
His face...
A growing alarm rose and she turned around completely, now completely fixated on him and him alone. Her lips had formed a small, disbelieving gape while she studied his appearance from where she was. There was no mistake about it, even from the distance she could tell it was him.
Didn't he leave? Her feet moved at their own accord, slowly, hesitantly approaching the 'stranger' on the log. Yes, three years ago she was told Sasuke had decided to study abroad, and he would most likely not be returning anytime soon, which she had assumed would be a 'never'. Not that she had bought the story, Sakura was always more perceptive then most would think, and something about the situation and Naruto's attitude had made her believe differently. The dead give away was when Sakura questioned the blonde boy on it and he had answered "Don't get involved."
Yet here he was, Uchiha Sasuke, singing on a log. He had changed, and it was becoming more noticeable with each step. Sasuke, as the fangirls had all said, was the 'cutest' boy in the neighborhood. Cute did not quite fit here. His voice had matured, she couldn't tell exactly since he was sitting down but he had most likely grown taller just like all the other boys. In shock, in bewilderment, her heart had increased it's speed.
She had gotten pretty close, probably thanks to the fact he was listening to music and she was holding her breath the entire time. She couldn't stay like this, just standing there staring at him and mentally willing him to look at her.
"Sasuke?"
Sakura reached out a hand to gently graze his shoulder. She was still amazed that he was here, he was... She couldn't even describe it. Was this the feeling others got when they saw her? Or was it just because his presence was that overwhelming?
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Post by Uchiha Sasuke on Nov 18, 2007 3:36:54 GMT -5
"Te sun, sã-ti spun, ce simt, acum Alo, iubirea mea sunt eu, fericirea. Alo, alo, sunt iarasi eu, Picasso ti-am dat beep si sunt voinic Dar sã stii, nu-ti cer nimic."
The boy continued to sing softly to himself as he peered out to the other side of the lake. There was an island in the middle he had always wanted to swim or maybe kayak to.. Maybe he would do that sometime...
He was jostled from his thoughts by a hand gently shaking him. He pulled out his right earbud and turned around, slightly angry that his quiet time had been intruded on but at the same time curious to see who it had been that finally recognized him.
Sakura?
Go figure.
Of course it would be one of his fangirls to first realize he was back. How could he expect any less?
He peered briefly into her mint-green eyes before sizing the girl up. Her features had matured; she looked now probably just as desirable as Ino most likely did. She had cut her hair short, and it was teased out away from her face. She still wore the ribbon in her hair to keep those crazy pink bangs out of her face... but it didn't seem like she had gotten much taller over the years. It must be hard for her, he had grown immensely since the last time he was here and he was certain the other males most likely had as well, whereas she hadn't grown particularly much. If he stood up, she might not even reach his head.
He paused his music and nursed his bottom lip for a fraction of a second, not entirely sure what to say. "Well, since you haven't latched onto me yet, it looks as though at least one thing has changed." He said quietly, looking away from her and back out over the lake. He was never good with conversation, and he really had no idea what to say to her. That sounded maybe a little crueler than he had intended, but no matter. He didn't care about people, anyway. Any bonds he had with her were now merely a distant memory, a fading ripple on the surface of his conscious.
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Post by Haruno Sakura on Nov 18, 2007 12:00:12 GMT -5
So it was him, who else would start a conversation like that? She let her shock die down and she chuckled. What a relief it must be that she was no longer going to bother him with her petty affection. Sakura didn't find it cruel, it was amusing more than anything else. No offense was taken, but as a penalty he'd be forced with her company for a little while longer. "Yeah, it's nice to see you too." She had said as she walked around him to take a seat herself.
He wasn't looking at her, Sakura knew Sasuke wasn't the most social boy around, so this felt quite normal to her. "That was a pretty song you just sang, I never knew you had a talent for that. Picked it up while studying?" Oh, she shouldn't tease him about it, but Sakura couldn't help it. She had to look away for a moment so that he wouldn't catch how big her smile became at that point.
There was loads of things she wanted to ask him, and for once it would be her bombarding someone else. Well, not bombard, she had to be careful not to get him too annoyed or else there would be no hope for anything. Curiousity gnawed at her, she was proud of herself for keeping calm and not rushing with giddy excitement. Strange, you'd think with his increased appeal he'd be harder to resist. A sure sign her days of fangirling were long over.
All kidding aside, she had worried a little about him in her spare time, just a little. The girl couldn't bring herself to say it now, but she did miss him. So now as she stared at him shamelessly, there was no stopping that expression on her face. It was small, but nonetheless she was happy to see him. "How long have you been back for?" She didnt know if he got back this year or last, a week ago or a month ago. That's what happens when you're out of the loop. The lack of gossip at his arrival had her thinking it must have been old news already. Surely if his fanbase had seen him, they'd be talking non-stop about how he had become so much more desireable he was or something like that. She was more interested to hear what he'd seen while travelling, and what he did while away from Japan.
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Post by Uchiha Sasuke on Nov 25, 2007 21:42:05 GMT -5
Hmm, she was still here? Sasuke shrugged off the questions and and continued to look out across the water. It sparkled with the light of the fading sun, giving it the look of a blue blanket scattered with gems. He forgot how beautiful it could be here, back in Japan... and he had been in a lot of places around the world.
He took his time, deliberating his answers and how he should speak to her, and at the same time using the pause and silence as a gauge of how much she actually cared about what he was going to say. He ignored the first question completely; if it wasn't rhetorical then he was going to take it that way anyway, as it really didn't deserve a response. The second, however...
"I only just got back late last night, that's why the word hasn't spread like wildfire yet, I'm guessing." He licked his lips a little, Japanese feeling very foreign on his tongue after three years of speaking everything but.
"So, what's happened since I've been gone? Everyone loves you, you should know." That was Sasuke's bane: no matter what he tole himself and those around him, he was endlessly curious. It would probably be his bane one day. "Is Naruto still an annoying git? Is Ino still... well, never mind. Three years is a long time to be away, Has anything important changed?"
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Post by Haruno Sakura on Nov 25, 2007 22:26:51 GMT -5
Hmm? Sakura actually started to laugh at Sasuke, well not quite at him but she just needed to get it out of her system. Never in the history of the world would Sakura have had the courage to laugh in Sasuke's presence over what he had said. Any fangirl--scratch that, any being in this universe knew that a good way to annoy the easily annoyed was to laugh and be silly around them. Yet here she was, doing just that. "Everyone but you I'm guessing?"
She let the laughter fade into a sigh, tucking a pink strand behind her ear and adjusting the headband on her hair. Of course Sakura was teasing, she didn't really care if that statement was right or wrong. After all, she had given him quite the reason to dislike her in her younger years. Almost made her want to apologize for it but... Nah. He was a big boy now, he could handle any emotional scarring her fangirl years left him.
"Three years is a lot." She agreed, shifting her gaze from his pretty face to the picturesque scene in front of her. She grinned at his curiosity, and she took comfort in the fact that at least some part of him had wondered about this place they called home. She had missed it, even though she was a few cities away. He was worlds apart, it was nice to know even Uchiha Sasuke couldn't deny some connection. The way he recalled the attitudes of the two blondes had her smiling brightly. Yes, those good old days.
"I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, because you see, I only arrived a day before you." Another chuckle made it's way out, the situation was just too amusing. She paused, letting that float in his mind for a moment. Knowing him, he'd probably want to ask why. Sparing him the extra work, she went ahead and explained. "I don't know what it's like to be away for three years, but I was away for two and a half, so I'm just figuring things out too."
She smirked, shaking her head as she recalled all the gossiping galls gasping in their enthusiasm as they realized who she was (damn hair) and starting the one hundred questions and comments. She swore she heard one of them say she looked too skinny and Osaka probably wasn't feeding her at all. No way, she took pride in her fit figure thank you very much. "You're lucky word didn't get out yet. The moment your old fanbase lays eyes on you it's all over."
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Post by Uchiha Sasuke on Nov 26, 2007 14:32:30 GMT -5
"Hn." More quips that didn't deserve a response. It seemed as though the little Sakura had grown into herself a little more, too. She was no longer the silly doting little girl he remembered; she was comfortable with throwing speaking her mind now instead of bundling it all inside and waiting for it to boil over like she used to. He ignored her giggling, writing it off as her only relapse into little-girldom. No one was perfect, after all.
Slowly, he felt himself warming up to the idea of finally being back home. He let himself indulge and cracked a tiny smile at her seemingly newfound sarcasm. Much better than the sappy git he remembered.
He finally pulled the other earbud out of his ear and paused his mp3 player, wrapping the headphone wire around it deftly and sliding it into his coat pocket. "Indeed." He paused for a moment, taking in everything that she had just told him. So she had been gone as well, eh? He didn't really see how much worse three years was over two-and-a-half, save for the fact that she at least was still in the same country for all of it. Regardless, it appeared as though they were still more or less in the same boat. "What's your- Ahm. What happened to you, to keep you from Konoha?" He should at least try to be polite to her, after all she was being cordial as well.
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Post by Haruno Sakura on Nov 26, 2007 20:57:20 GMT -5
Oh, she knew it was coming, it always did. It was natural in human curiosity to ponder as to why someone would have to leave for that many years, and unlike Sasuke she didn't really have the happy excuse of studying abroad. Some people would notice a scar or two in the right light, but mostly everyone pestered her about it one way or the other. What came with it? An awkward explination and a dose of sympathy. Or worse, they would start to praise her, but that was a different story.
She watched the water for a moment, not answering him right away. Somehow with Sasuke she wasn't worried about getting his pity, or any reason that usually made her gnaw her lip around other people. It was just that everyone else already knew, she didn't have to explain what she did to land herself in a rehabilitation center, just give a small description of what Osaka was like and that was it. Sasuke knew nothing, so she had to find a way to explain it without really explaining it...
"Well..."She looked down at the faded scar on her arm, tracing it along with her nail as memories of that night creeped into her brain. She was glad the absolute worst of them were hidden away on her back, thankfully they were slowly fading away too. "I was in an accident... Hm, you can't really call it that because I put myself into the situation."
She stopped her tracing, letting her hand fall limp in her lap and then looked at him from the corner of her eyes, studying his expression momentarily. "I won't bore you with details. Long story short, there was an idiot behind the wheel of a truck, a little boy crossing the street, and me rushing to try and push him out of the way." While she spoke she tried scraping off a grass stain on her thigh. Yeah, figures that while Sasuke was sitting there all crisp and clean and making a fine impression, she was dirty and all unattractive. Sakura didn't consider herself vain, but as a rather hygenious person it annoyed her a little.
"I was in bad shape so the hospital sent me to the Rehabilitation Center in Osaka, and... Now I'm back." That was it, she couldn't think of another way to describe it. Her eyes crinkled closed and she chuckled in her little smile. "Sorry, it's no where near interesting as your three years away from home. I bet you got to see tons of exciting and new things. I'm jealous." She really was, she'd trade places any day to go off and see the different cultures and activities of the world. She could just imagine all the things she could learn. No, he rightfully got that learning experience instead.
Unable to help herself, she pouted. Oh sure, the thought that in his head was boundful experience of things outside of her knowledge was very admirable, it impressed her more than his appearance by far, but... The sad truth was she had lost years of schooling, he had gained. He=smart, she=dumb. The mental image of him holding a 100% report card and walking over her crippled body with that snide smirk was enough to make her internally sob.
Not that he was that evil. Or, at least she hoped not.
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