japanese
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“What the- Umm, princess you have some serious problems if you think that I have anything to do with any of this! You were the one who was guarded by some freaking behemoth dog!”
The raven-haired teen smirked at me, lifting a single elegant eyebrow, “I am a prince you illiterate buffoon and not only that but the second son of King Fugaku Uchiha- ruler of Konohagakure! It would do you well to learn your place before I have my guards throw you into the dungeon.”
“Hah!” I laughed waving my hands, “Yeah, I get it, you were waiting for some night in shining armor to come and save you. I’ll just go and come back later.”
“You cannot just leave! You were the one to slay the beast that cast this curse upon my father’s kingdom. You must sta-”
“Wait, slay? As in kill?”
He scoffed, “That’s what slay usually means dobe.”
I frowned, “Some princess you’re turning out to be. And for your information, I didn’t slay anything! If you’re talking about that overgrown guard dog statue in the front of the castle, I would rather not be arrested for desecrating a statue, thank you very much.”
The raven haired teen froze, staring at me incredulously, “You didn’t slay the beast…?”
“Ummm…”
Just then, a loud and thunderous roar erupted through the entire room, shaking the very foundation of the behemoth castle. Me and the princess exchanged looks of disbelief (his slightly more annoyed than mine) before we both simultaneously set off for the long stairwell down to the courtyard.
So there! That's all I got off the top of my head, but I'm really liking where it's going so far and I plan on writing more on it. The sad part is that this is Outline 204 and right now, I have about seventeen other outlines I'm working on that have finally managed to spark some interest since I originally thought about them. Thankfully, I'm good at double tasking (fanfics that is; add anything else to that and it's all over) so they all will be worked on, including my multi-chapter fic that I am supposed to be working on... *sigh*
I've totally hit a brick wall with this songfic which was supposed to be a one-shot but might turn out to be a multi-chapter (albeit a small one, but still). It's title Better Than Me and is supposed to be in Sasuke's POV, but it does have its moments of issues (I wrote this a few years ago and its just been taking up space on my flash drive, so... yeah). It's based off of teh song of an identical title by Hinder so it is supposed to have a bittersweet plot, but since my plot bunny decided to die, it ended here. So, I shall post it in hopes that I'll get some comments (no matter how unlikely) or maybe I'll randomly think of something while posting this.
...
Nope, no ideas.
Oh and yeah, disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any following characters.
“Finally,” Sasuke breathed as he saw their apartment come into sights as the taxi turned another corner onto their street, “Here’s the money. Keep the change.”
Sasuke stepped eagerly out of the taxi after all, but throwing the wad of cash to the bereft man who had driven them. Instead of waiting for the blonde that had kept quiet the entire ride (most likely to think of questions that would soon come to annoy Sasuke personally) the raven-haired male continued on towards the pizza parlor that they currently lived over. In truth, it was a bad thing to live over such a place- especially when they could barely afford the food that the place provided- but it was still a lot better than having an apartment over a ramen joint (which Naruto had originally suggested). Walking into the back of the parlor, he pulled open the aged door that had a ‘Tenants only’ sign on it and made his way up the squeaky stairs to their apartment. The building was like many in that old neighborhood- tall and narrow. Why someone would want such a house was beyond me. Pulling out my key and easily maneuvering open, I leave the door ajar as I head towards the refrigerator, entirely focused on getting a drink and making a beeline for the couch to relax before finally going to bed.
He didn’t even notice Naruto come in and at first, it seemed weird that he was quiet, but Sasuke quickly decided to ignored it, favoring to watch the television rather than figure him out.
“Hey, Sasuke…”
“Hn,” the raven answered as he swallowed the rest of the beer before throwing it in the trash can and walking into the living room.
“I’ve been thinking…”
Sasuke rolled his eyes before landing gracefully on the couch, “Stop thinking dobe. I thought the doctor told you the next time you did, it would be fatal.”
The habitual complaints, that would usually involve something being thrown at Sasuke’s head, never came which only made the Uchiha confused as he glanced over his shoulder at the blonde who still stood in the hallway. “Come on, Usuratonkachi.”
Finally taking off his jacket and walking into the living room, Naruto hesitantly sits next to Sasuke, leaning into the warmth of the older male and giving out a purr of contentment. At this, Sasuke smiles before turning his gaze back to the TV only to have the blonde speak, “Sasuke…”
“Yeah, dobe?”
“…”
Sighing exasperatedly, Sasuke turns to the blonde to see him staring up at him with measuring eyes that reveal nothing. “Dobe, are you going to say something or do you just like wasting my time this much?”
Naruto looks away before rubbing his hair nervously, “Sasuke, what are we doing here?”
Lifting up a single eyebrow, Sasuke decides to answer the obvious question, “Trying to watch TV, but it’s not going too well.”
“You!” Sasuke yelled as he surged forward, grabbing the shirt of Sai, his face covered in layers of dirt, sweat and grease, “Where’s Uzumaki?!”
The man flinched, his head bandaged, blood already seeping through, “I don…”
“I swear to god if you say you don’t know I’ll beat you to death!! Where is Naruto?! You were on our ship! You were supposed to be on watch with me!!!”
He groaned as he allowed his head to fall forward, “He was… below… below deck when we were hit… with Inuzuka… and Sabaku… they were… still down there hollering when the ship started to sink… they’re still down there…”
With each word, Sasuke’s world swarmed lower and lower until he jumped up from the bed and sprinted out of the infirmary toward the harbor. ‘Please be alive! You have to be alive! Please god be okay!!!’
He continued to chant these words to himself as his legs pushed him farther and his lungs began to burn. Because finally he had an answer to Naruto’s question. ‘You can’t die… I love you…’
Desperate to see out his confession to the end, Sasuke finally reached the harbor and saw a group of men about to get in a small motor boat and head out to the wreckage. “Hold up!” he called out as he raced towards the water, recognizing a face, “Staff Sergeant Hyuuga. Can you use an extra hand?”
“We can use whoever can walk,” the man replied before motioning him into the boat, “There are more men trapped then we can save. More than half of them will die before the sun sets…”
As Sasuke clambered into the boat, they sped into the harbor, the sight of the twisted metal heaps of the ships already taking his mind off of his search for Naruto.
But only for a moment.
Not even a second later, he couldn’t help but wander to the thought that his blond might be trapped within one of those heaps of metal. With that thought to goad him on, he looked for any sort of identifying feature of the Fire Shadow. Almost immediately, he caught sight of Deidara- a cook from their ship- and jumped off the small boat, crossing the waters through the floating twisted metal from the ships. Everywhere he could see, bodies littered the once crisp water and more then once, he could swore that he smelled burning flesh. Taking in deep gulps of air to prevent himself from vomiting, Sasuke waved at Deidara who then maneuvered the small boat he was in over to the heap of metal Sasuke was on, allowing him to climb on. “Uzumaki,” he spoke, “Do you know if he’s still on the ship?”
“Last time I saw him was when he and Inuzuka were looking for Sabaku. I told them that he was below deck.”
Sasuke swore colorfully and resisted the sudden urge he had to hold Deidara’s head under the water, “Where is the Fire Shadow? Where is our ship?!”
Immediately, he crouched down and turned on the motor, speeding through the water. Not even thirty seconds later, they pulled up to a heap of metal that was overturned. Sasuke could barely recognize it as the Fire Shadow, but the eye-like symbol on its side was more than enough to reassure him. Not waiting for Deidara to join him, he jumped onto the ship and started searching for any form of entrance into the ship. ‘I’ll swim under it if I have to, but I’m finding Naruto.’
Muffled screams met his ear as he rounded the ship moments before Deidara yelled out, “Uchiha! He’s over here!”
Turning and running to where Deidara was yelling at the metal, Sasuke bent and put his ear to the ship. “Mother fucker, Deidara!! I swear to god if you don’t get us out of here, I’m coming back from the dead to haunt your ass!!!”
Sasuke couldn’t help the grin that split across his face at the sound of his best friend. “Naruto! We’re coming, okay!?”
There was a brief silence before his voice drifted to him, quieter than before, “Sasuke?”
“Yeah, I’m here, dobe and I have that answer you’ve been waiting for.”
“Move,” Deidara commanded as he grabbed a large metal object that looked suspiciously like a railing and slammed it down repetitively on the iron, willing it to break. ‘Come on, come on, COME ON!!!’
Patience- I had learned over the years- was a virtue that many of my race lacked as they grew up in this world. And yet, patient I was at that brief moment within my life, well aware that to do otherwise would leave me with less than satisfactory results.
The others had long since acquired their goals; the stench of rotten meat accompanied with the deep red of the stained ground was more than enough to prove that. I had been the last one, my final companion having left hours ago amidst chiding my foolishness; despite their insults and jabs, I refused to remove my eyes from the outcropping that stood no more than a meter away that fell away to a steep drop into a black abyss. I knew that my task- although similar in some aspects to the others- was far from as simple-minded and as easily thought out. This specific exoneration would require more sacrifices than any other time I had been there.
I remembered my first venture to that spot at which I was told to choose my gift so as all others of the wealthy upper class, I had become accustomed to ‘liberating’ gifts from those who dared to approach too close to the group- whether out of mere curiosity or mistake was irrelevant. This year, however, it would be this year that I had chosen to seek out a new legacy. A legacy that would give me amnesty and protect me from the plague. An unfamiliar disease that had taken hold of many only to just as quickly drop their bodies to the ground with no soul left to animate it- its very presence had sent everyone into a panic.
The other's- who had lived longer than me and was more familiar with such a plague- called it death.
With the prospect that such a thing as death had begun to loom hauntingly overhead, mentions of ‘The Afterlife’ floated around only to be soon accompanied by immobilizing and suffocating panic. Many had just realized that they had done nothing to deserve peace and contentment eternally and with that thought contaminating all with an abrupt madness, everyone flew to the same place I was currently at, in hopes of stealing something that might catch the fancy- and mercy- of the creator.
At first, I had seen the plague for what it was- an unexacapable force that would eventually take ahold everyone- but then I had been enlightened. Such a flawless idea must’ve not even skirted along the thoughts of any of the others for all of them had quickly left before the truly superior prize (and better choice) had come, content with their dismal excuses for gaudy coverings. But it’s not like I was complaining. In fact, the lack of company only concluded one thing to me: my reward would be obtained that much easier without the problem of having to compete for it.
And here it is…
The snowy egret; surely that out of all the possible choices would entice the most favor from that in which everyone tried to impress so much. After so long of a wait, I had finally been gifted with the presence of the sight of the egret’s unblemished white wings, the elegant curve of its body and the soft flare of its feathers on top of its head. A beautiful creature… my mind supplied as I slowly rose my right hand, the dagger I had been gripping tightly glinting ever so faintly in the light as I reached for the bird slowly with my empty hand.
Suddenly, our gazes met. I knew well that my gaze was cold and unyielding due to years of practice, but also knew that it relayed some show of desperation that had overpowered my façade as a raw instinct that I could not control. In comparison, the egret’s eyes were calm and knowing; he knew what his fate would be. Just as quickly as our gazes had met, the birds’ wings had motioned in a disheartening attempt to lift its body, but I was faster, grabbing the slender neck and twisting quickly- mechanically- in order to keep its struggles from harming the wings it so greedily kept for itself.
By then, the birds movements had stopped completely. Raising the dagger skillfully, a few precise movements rendered the bird of no more use to me, and thus, unneeded. Reaching up, I carefully position my prize carefully, feeling the stretching and molding of my skin in order to accommodate the new and perfect faux. Now, I am safe.
I can do no wrong nor be held to my past.
I am reborn.
Finally at peace, I clutched the dagger in one hand while the egret was in the other, perfectly content and ready to ascend the misery that had been given to the world. I’m free…
Stepping close to the edge of the world, I took a single stride off.
And plummeted to my death.
Afterwords: Okay, I think I should explain some things about not only the picture, but also the short story. For the contest, I chose angels (as is probably common among the entries) and gave it one massive twist that I'm hoping no one else thought of. For starters, it probably is noticed how I kept the character within the story unnamed. I did this in order to emphasize the fact that I did not want them to appear neither as a male or a female (and it didn’t fit well this time I rewrote it). The drawing (cover) shows when the nameless character killed the egret for its wings to look like an angel (which can be compared to people killing off animals for their fur). This is used simply as to show that some people try to deceive themselves into believing that something as heartless as taking another life and justifying it with your own gain is not right, especially when it is an animal. Although the nameless character stole the wings of the egret in hopes of looking like an angel- knowing that this would not even deceive themselves- ended up falling to their death rather than being saved. The woman who drew the picture did so in hopes of convincing people who bring harm to others for something as selfish as their own gain would cease to do such or to those who do not, take actions against those who do. Although this contest is supposed to be about something that is usually good, being considered bad, I did want to incorporate something else into it as well and hoped that it still turned out well enough to still qualify.
Don't you like the afterwords?! >.< Just brilliant!!! XD
Patiently, ever so patiently, Rael waited.
The others had long since acquired their goals; the stench of rotten meat accompanied with the deep red of the stained ground was more than enough to prove that. Now, Rael was the only one left and had a task that was far from as simple-minded as the others. Before had Rael ventured to that very spot and waited to 'liberate' gifts from those who ventured too close out of mere curiosity or mistake, but it was this year that they had chosen to seek a new legacy. A legacy that would spare Rael from the plague that had begun to take hold of others only to just as quickly drop their bodies to the ground with no soul left to animate it.
The other's called it death.
With the prospect of death haunting all, mentions of the afterlife began to float around and soon, panic had set in; many realized they had done nothing to deserve to live peacefully eternally. So everyone flew to that place in hopes of stealing something that might catch the fancy- and mercy- of their creator. Rael had a better idea; such a flawless idea must've not come to the thoughts of any of the others for all of them had left before the superior prize had come, content with their gaudy coverings. But it was surely the snowy egret that would entice the most amount of favor from that in which everyone tried to impress so much.
Just then, the bird that Rael had long since awaited for arrived. The flawless white wings, the elegant curve of its body and the soft flare of its feathers on top of its head. A beautiful creature... Rael thought, the dagger rising in their right hand, the left reaching towards the bird slowly.
Their gazes met- Rael's cold and desperate, the egret's calm and knowing. Within a flash, the birds' wings had motioned in order to lift it, but Rael was faster, grabbing its neck and twisting quickly in order to keep if from harming the wings it so selfishly kept for itself. When the bird lay unmoving in Rael's grasp, the dagger was lifted and precise movement’s rendered the bird of no more use, and thus, unneeded. Reaching up, Rael position the wings carefully, feeling the stretching of their skin to accommodate the new and perfect faux. Now I am safe. I can do no wrong nor can I be held to my past life. I am reborn.
Finally at rest, Rael clutched the dagger in one hand while the egret was in the other, reading to ascend the misery that had been given to the world. I'm free...
Stepping close to the edge of the world, Rael stepped off.
And plummeted to his death.
A/N: Okay, I think I should explain some things about not only the picture, but also the short story. For the contest, I chose angels (as is probably common among the entries) and gave it one massive twist that I'm hoping no one else thought of. Rael is a name I incorporated from the angel Azrael, who is considered the Angel of Death (foreshadowing Rael's fate). Despite the suggestiveness of Rael's name, they are human and on top of that, written to be neither boy nor girl. The drawing shows when Rael killed the egret for its wings to look like an angel (which can be compared to people killing off animals for their fur). This is used simply as to show that some people try to deceive themselves into believing that something as heartless as taking another life and justifying it with your own gain is not right, especially when it is an animal. Although Rael stole the wings of the egret in hopes of looking like an angel, but could never deceive even himself, so ended up falling to his death rather than being saved. The woman who drew the picture did so in hopes of convincing people who bring harm to others for something as selfish as their own gain would cease to do such or to those who do not, take actions against those who do.