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31_days2005-09-04 09:50 pm
swollenfoot.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2005-09-04 09:50 pm
[September 4] [Naruto] Dandelion
Title: Dandelion
Day/Theme: September 4 / I wish
Series: Naruto
Character/Pairing: Sasuke, Sakura
Rating: G
19:07 090405
A lopsided yellow bloom growing from the crack in the cobblestone was easy to overlook. It was nothing more than a weed, an incidental life on the wayside that seemed able to pop out in the harshest of environments. The fragrance it bore was mild and grassy, at best, and its beauty was the commonplace sort. Sakura’s eyes were drawn to it, for it was a pretty little thing that pleased her. Also, she was seeking for a place to safely land her gaze and the flower served.
Cooling breeze came swirling about her, flipping up her hair and singing in her ears, teasing her brown utilitarian skirt into billowing. The wind, though gentle to Sakura, was a thundering gale to the flimsy-stemmed little weed. The yellow petals succumbed to the tearing forces and was drawn away by the gust, and what was left was an odd looking fruit. That, too, was demolished by the breeze and tiny winged seeds skated up the air and vanished out of sight.
Sakura didn’t bother to catch one. On both arms, she carried grocery bags.
They were nearing the end of the trip, anyway, the threshold of the old memory-haunted house that has been empty for more than three years. Finally, its sole owner was coming home, carrying with him new ghosts. The windows would all have to be opened, of course, Sakura thought. The rooms should all be aired out and bathed by sunlight to drive out the mustiness and infestation of various sorts of creatures.
Sasuke produced the key to his front door from his pocket—-it gave Sakura a sharp jolt inside. Amazing, wasn’t it? For him to have kept his key, or any of the other few possessions he carried with him in a drawstring plastic bag labeled “Konoha Hospital,” after all that had happened, all that he—they—had gone through... it should have been out of sheer luck. He had never given up on home, then, Sakura dared to think, dared to hope.
Or perhaps, somebody had just given this key to him. It was his house and the village had nowhere else to stash a worn-out ex-missing nin that was recently reinstated as a Konoha nin.
It was dark inside. Sakura couldn’t see anything beyond the shadows amassed at the half-open doorway. Sasuke turned to her then, looking at her directly with his dark eyes. There was hardly time for her to look away; she was trapped.
“How’s the arm?”
And the leg, and the neck, and the backbone. Most of her limbs had been mangled a month or so ago. The Godaime worked her miracle and she was good as new now, just as he was. Well, for the most part. Sasuke still had a few kinks that still need straightening out, physiologically and otherwise.
“It’s great,” she replied
He motioned to the stuff she was carrying.
“Oh, yeah.” She handed both bags to him. Earlier that day, she had taken the liberty to grab a few things for him at the nearby mini-mart. He was going home after a long absence, and there wasn’t going to be anything edible in his kitchen, that’s for sure. “They ran out of jasmine rice. I got another long-grain variety. Hope that’s okay with you.”
“Aa..”
He disappeared into the unlit interior, carrying both brown bags with him.
“How long till he’s discharged?” came his voice from within. It was different from how she had imagined the past few years, much less sensuous and husky, much more ordinary and tired. Of course, she was a ditzy sort of dreamer. (In secret, that is. Outwardly, Sasuke was just Sasuke, the teammate that needed her rescuing, needed her to be strong this time around.) He was referring to Naruto, of course.
“Naruto’ll need to stay a few more days for observation. He’s getting cranky now, actually, and very, very bored.” She chuckled fondly.
“I see.” His voice was far-off.
“And don’t worry about the visiting hours,” she added. “I’ll sneak you in if I’m around the hospital.”
He didn’t answer. The door remained ajar. There was just her outside with darkness peeking at her from the inside.
“See you then, Sasuke-kun,” she finally said. “Don’t forget your instructions.”
With firm steps, she turned around and readied to walk away. Behind her, the door shut.
She breathed deeply.
Released it.
“Patient 3 down and safely home,” she murmured.
Sighing profoundly, she walked on. She didn’t get very far.
Startled, she turned back to the arm she left behind her. It was being deterred by a bandaged hand that was obviously masculine and obviously persistent. She looked up and came face to face with him. His eyes had ugly ruts running under them, making him look decidedly zombie-like, but he was still a very handsome man.
“Sakura.”
“...oh?” For a split second, she was staring at him stupidly. But she was much better at this now, so it was only for a moment she looked like a simpering simpleton.
“Thank you.”
To her absolute horror and disgust she could hear herself practically squealing. “Oh, oh, Sasuke-kun! Don’t thank me. It was my pleasure. Hell yes, it was! Walking you home isn’t exactly my dream date. But reality is so much better than daydreams, right? Right, Sasuke-kun?”
He was staring at her.
“I...” Her mouth refused to form any other word, refused to change the stricken expression carved on her face. His serious expression did not waver, but his eyes showed a glimmer of... confusion?
“I said thank you for walking me home,” he said, a trace of impatience in his voice. Relinquishing her hand, he turned and began walking to his house. “Tomorrow night,” he added without turning back. “Ward 8.”
“...yeah,” she managed.
Sakura gazed after his disappearing back, and let out an explosive breath after the door shut behind him. Kami-sama, but that gave her quite a turn. It’s been so long that she only realized now she wasn’t saying all those pathetic things about daydreams and stuff, after all-—not aloud, anyway. She cringed. And here she was thinking she had outgrown those things.
Then, she laughed stupidly, a deep-reaching sort of laugh that dug deep into her guts and rattled her bones from toe to skull. After she laughed to her heart’s content, she sighed and went on her way. Barely had she walked a block when she was waylaid again, this time by a minuscule white tuft growing from a lone seed that landed on the tip of her nose. With two fingers, she deftly caught it and cupped it in her hands. She used to catch these things as a little girl, she remembered, and wish on them. Half-turning, she gazed back at the Uchiha estate.
Sasuke-kun was back, and so was Inner Sakura. Everything was okay right now. It wasn’t perfect, but it was somehow just right.
Sakura blew at the tufted dandelion seed and watched it flutter up to the blithe morning sun and out of sight.
~ 20:49
Day/Theme: September 4 / I wish
Series: Naruto
Character/Pairing: Sasuke, Sakura
Rating: G
19:07 090405
A lopsided yellow bloom growing from the crack in the cobblestone was easy to overlook. It was nothing more than a weed, an incidental life on the wayside that seemed able to pop out in the harshest of environments. The fragrance it bore was mild and grassy, at best, and its beauty was the commonplace sort. Sakura’s eyes were drawn to it, for it was a pretty little thing that pleased her. Also, she was seeking for a place to safely land her gaze and the flower served.
Cooling breeze came swirling about her, flipping up her hair and singing in her ears, teasing her brown utilitarian skirt into billowing. The wind, though gentle to Sakura, was a thundering gale to the flimsy-stemmed little weed. The yellow petals succumbed to the tearing forces and was drawn away by the gust, and what was left was an odd looking fruit. That, too, was demolished by the breeze and tiny winged seeds skated up the air and vanished out of sight.
Sakura didn’t bother to catch one. On both arms, she carried grocery bags.
They were nearing the end of the trip, anyway, the threshold of the old memory-haunted house that has been empty for more than three years. Finally, its sole owner was coming home, carrying with him new ghosts. The windows would all have to be opened, of course, Sakura thought. The rooms should all be aired out and bathed by sunlight to drive out the mustiness and infestation of various sorts of creatures.
Sasuke produced the key to his front door from his pocket—-it gave Sakura a sharp jolt inside. Amazing, wasn’t it? For him to have kept his key, or any of the other few possessions he carried with him in a drawstring plastic bag labeled “Konoha Hospital,” after all that had happened, all that he—they—had gone through... it should have been out of sheer luck. He had never given up on home, then, Sakura dared to think, dared to hope.
Or perhaps, somebody had just given this key to him. It was his house and the village had nowhere else to stash a worn-out ex-missing nin that was recently reinstated as a Konoha nin.
It was dark inside. Sakura couldn’t see anything beyond the shadows amassed at the half-open doorway. Sasuke turned to her then, looking at her directly with his dark eyes. There was hardly time for her to look away; she was trapped.
“How’s the arm?”
And the leg, and the neck, and the backbone. Most of her limbs had been mangled a month or so ago. The Godaime worked her miracle and she was good as new now, just as he was. Well, for the most part. Sasuke still had a few kinks that still need straightening out, physiologically and otherwise.
“It’s great,” she replied
He motioned to the stuff she was carrying.
“Oh, yeah.” She handed both bags to him. Earlier that day, she had taken the liberty to grab a few things for him at the nearby mini-mart. He was going home after a long absence, and there wasn’t going to be anything edible in his kitchen, that’s for sure. “They ran out of jasmine rice. I got another long-grain variety. Hope that’s okay with you.”
“Aa..”
He disappeared into the unlit interior, carrying both brown bags with him.
“How long till he’s discharged?” came his voice from within. It was different from how she had imagined the past few years, much less sensuous and husky, much more ordinary and tired. Of course, she was a ditzy sort of dreamer. (In secret, that is. Outwardly, Sasuke was just Sasuke, the teammate that needed her rescuing, needed her to be strong this time around.) He was referring to Naruto, of course.
“Naruto’ll need to stay a few more days for observation. He’s getting cranky now, actually, and very, very bored.” She chuckled fondly.
“I see.” His voice was far-off.
“And don’t worry about the visiting hours,” she added. “I’ll sneak you in if I’m around the hospital.”
He didn’t answer. The door remained ajar. There was just her outside with darkness peeking at her from the inside.
“See you then, Sasuke-kun,” she finally said. “Don’t forget your instructions.”
With firm steps, she turned around and readied to walk away. Behind her, the door shut.
She breathed deeply.
Released it.
“Patient 3 down and safely home,” she murmured.
Sighing profoundly, she walked on. She didn’t get very far.
Startled, she turned back to the arm she left behind her. It was being deterred by a bandaged hand that was obviously masculine and obviously persistent. She looked up and came face to face with him. His eyes had ugly ruts running under them, making him look decidedly zombie-like, but he was still a very handsome man.
“Sakura.”
“...oh?” For a split second, she was staring at him stupidly. But she was much better at this now, so it was only for a moment she looked like a simpering simpleton.
“Thank you.”
To her absolute horror and disgust she could hear herself practically squealing. “Oh, oh, Sasuke-kun! Don’t thank me. It was my pleasure. Hell yes, it was! Walking you home isn’t exactly my dream date. But reality is so much better than daydreams, right? Right, Sasuke-kun?”
He was staring at her.
“I...” Her mouth refused to form any other word, refused to change the stricken expression carved on her face. His serious expression did not waver, but his eyes showed a glimmer of... confusion?
“I said thank you for walking me home,” he said, a trace of impatience in his voice. Relinquishing her hand, he turned and began walking to his house. “Tomorrow night,” he added without turning back. “Ward 8.”
“...yeah,” she managed.
Sakura gazed after his disappearing back, and let out an explosive breath after the door shut behind him. Kami-sama, but that gave her quite a turn. It’s been so long that she only realized now she wasn’t saying all those pathetic things about daydreams and stuff, after all-—not aloud, anyway. She cringed. And here she was thinking she had outgrown those things.
Then, she laughed stupidly, a deep-reaching sort of laugh that dug deep into her guts and rattled her bones from toe to skull. After she laughed to her heart’s content, she sighed and went on her way. Barely had she walked a block when she was waylaid again, this time by a minuscule white tuft growing from a lone seed that landed on the tip of her nose. With two fingers, she deftly caught it and cupped it in her hands. She used to catch these things as a little girl, she remembered, and wish on them. Half-turning, she gazed back at the Uchiha estate.
Sasuke-kun was back, and so was Inner Sakura. Everything was okay right now. It wasn’t perfect, but it was somehow just right.
Sakura blew at the tufted dandelion seed and watched it flutter up to the blithe morning sun and out of sight.
~ 20:49