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sasuke uchiha was a man of duty; driven by what his mind had deemed necessary. absolutely crucial for the journey, the future, his mind had curated. to give into desires, whims was completely foolish. memories, feelings of inexplicable warmth and adoration towards an event or person didn’t make a man stronger - they simply swayed his judgement and ultimately lead to ones demise.
emotions other than hatred and fury were a weakness, an integral component of humanity he’d long since deemed unnecessary.
he was a man carved from solitude, polished by hatred first; a hypocrite second.
a frown tugged at his lips upon the sight before him. the the sun had long since set, the moonlight illuminating the streets of the village he once called home all those years ago - could call home. he’d sworn to himself he’d never come back here again and if so, only to burn the place to ashes. konoha lay in the past, and he was dead set on eradicating any and every trace of the unfortunate events he’d endured in his younger years. funnily enough, he’d ended up right back there. and not to follow through with his promise.
he’d returned not as a vengeful, rogue shinobi. yet as a man clinging onto the last shred of humanity within him - the memories of a woman he’d long since abandoned. she’d wormed his way into his heart all those years ago without him even realising it and he’d rather endure the barbaric genjutsu his older brother had forced upon him as a child than admit it. admitting it would be acknowledging the fact that despite all, the vendetta, he was simply a man. nothing more, nothing less.
sasuke’s eyes darted towards the hill on the outskirts of the village - a place all too familiar to him. though it wasn’t the scenery he was interested in, more so the silhouette of a person stood right at the very edge. in their grasp something his eyes couldn’t quite make out. though he didn’t need to lay his eyes upon the object to know what it was, as he was already fully aware of fact.
a paper lantern - a fragile, delicate thing.
he knew what day it was, the festivity the village celebrated on this very date as he’d done so himself many times as a child. when he was naive, oblivious to the cruelties of the world and could allow himself such simple pleasures. after all, that was the sole reason he had decided upon gracing the village with his presence - he knew she’d be there. atop that hill, dressed in a white kimono with intricate patterns embroided into the soft fabric, her crimson obi wrapped tightly around her waist.
a golden pin amidst her hair; the very same one she’d worn since they were children, gifted by her mother. the very same pin he’d teasingly called ‘ugly’ when she’d asked him for his opinion all that time ago. it seemed a lifetime ago when he’d last laid his eyes upon her.
a fool; that’s who he was.
silently, he’d lowered himself from the branch he’d hoisted himself upon. his hand, calloused from wielding his chokuto, maintained a firm grip on the bark which kept him suspended in the air. until he loosened his hold, his feet hitting the grass below without a sound. she stood a mere couple of feet away from him, completely oblivious to his presence - a figure of her past, her bestfriend turned rogue ninja.
— “i know you’re there.”
perceptive. he’d always given her less credit than she was due.
she didn’t around to face him. her posture remained upright, poised. she wasn’t at all intimidated by his presence which caused a quirk of his brow. sasuke was intrigued by her seeming lack of reaction - where was that naive, expressive girl that had imprinted herself into his mind? marred his body and soul?
her name slipped past his lips; firm, confident. intentional.
— “you’re a fool. returning to the village despite your status, the bounty hung above your head.” only then did she turn her head to the side, her eyes meeting his, “what brings you here? make it quick, before i make your presence known.”
she wasn’t looking at the face of her bestfriend. the years apart had hardened him, mentally and physically. the soft curves of his face were no more, wide curious eyes a memory of the past; now replaced by rigid, sharp features. he was no longer the boy she used to play tag with, he was a man carved by the cruel reality of their world. no longer peering through rose tinted glasses, though now viewing the world through hatred and vengeance. someone she didn’t know and would never have the opportunity of meeting.
sasuke didn’t answer her question, instead he dissected her cool reception and words in a matter of mere seconds.
— “you wouldn’t. don’t insult me - i know you.”
— “you delude yourself into believing that?”
though perhaps, she was no longer the girl that used to plead with him to pick flowers from the fields. the silly, foolish little girl he’d remembered her as. after all, time didn’t stop upon his departure. the days continued to pass, seasons came and went.
sasuke became a shell of his former self. though perhaps she did too.
a small smirk tugged at his lips, an amused scoff followed her sharp rebuttal.
— “delusion is a weak man’s attempt at coping with the circumstances he was dealt.”
her eyes narrowed though she didn’t argue any further. her lips settled into a straight line, eyes flickering from his eyes to his feet, before meeting his gaze once more. deep down, she knew he was right. she’d sooner take the man on herself than alert the village of the man they were seeking.
— “come here.” came her demand, sharp and clipped.
wordlessly, sasuke abided by her wishes. his sandals sunk into the grass with each step he took, until he came to a halt right besides her. his bicep brushed briefly against her shoulder, though no comment was made.
he peered down at her, waiting for her to speak once more. his eyes flickered towards the lantern in her hold, before returning to trace over the matured features of her face.
her arms shifted to the side, manoeuvring the lantern closer towards him. she waited in silence, a silent message for him to grasp the side of the lantern closest to him. dark irises fell upon her hand resting on the left side of the lantern until slowly, he lifted his own arm and brought his hand towards the fragile material. his palm brushed against her knuckles, and had she not withdrawn her hand, would have clasped over her own. the hand she’d now freed dipped into the space between the material of her kimono and obi, revealing a box of matchsticks that had been tucked securely between the garnments.
he took the box from her hold without even being asked. with one hand, he slid the box open and placed it between his index and middle finger resting against the lantern. he withdrew a matchstick.
her eyebrows furrowed, a look of displeasure crossing across her features.
— “fire next to paper? you’ll set the damn thing aflame.”
— “i don’t recall you complaining this much.”
— “time changes people.”
with a firm flick of his wrist, the head was set aflame - a small, flickering fire.
he didn’t offer a witty response. he merely glanced over at her, then returned his attention back to the lantern. his hand moved towards the bottom, towards the fuel cell.
the lantern was lit.
years of accompanying her to the festival, setting the lanterns aflame and sending them off together caused the act to be nothing more than muscle memory, rehearsed so frequently it came as second nature to him. and as a consequence of knowing the ritual so well, he knew exactly what she’d say.
— “make a wish.”
sasuke's attention was diverted to her, eyes fluttering to her frame. her gaze stayed fixed on the scenery infront of her, lips pursed into a tight line. she hadn't even spared him a glance other than when she'd adressed him initially, as though he wasn't even worthy of her eyes being laid upon a sight so nauseating. it was almost enough to soften the scowl he'd been sporting - key word being almost.
he used to wish for new toys. for itachi to show him a new trick with a shuriken, or finally take him to that lake burrowed deep in the woods. for his mother to never lose her smile and for his father to finally acknowledge that he too could be like his elder brother, that he had the strength and determination to be just as good as him.
they were dead now; what was there to wish for?
silence. his brows drew together, a muscle in his jaw twitched; such a simple task he could not fufill.
— “i have nothing to wish for.”
only then did she finally cast her eyes to the side and lay them upon him. her face contorted into one of confusion and amusement all at once.
— “make one up, then. it's not difficult - you always had one at the tip of your tongue.”
— “had. those were simpler times, wishful thinking came to me with ease.”
— “then let it come to you with ease once more.”
an irritated sigh slipped past his lips followed by a click of his tongue, “we were kids, you're asking of the impossible.”
— “i deemed you leaving my side impossible. look where we are now.”
a flicker of something he thought he'd long since buried flashed across his features - taunting the girl, no, woman. digging up old relics of the past, a boy that was once capable of feeling anything other than hatred and utmost fury that now consumed his being. a boy that was once capable of easy laughter, playful remarks and tears shed through anything other than grief. that was the sasuke uchiha she knew; a memory of a boy now buried deep under layers of deception, bloodshed and the cruel reality of the world they inhabited.
taunting her with the image of the person he no longer was.
— “whatever, i suppose you don't have to wish - it's fine.” came her curt reply, deciding to simply continue along with the ritual.
— “it's tradition.”
— “it's tradition,” she mocked, “i don't think you're in any position to be following tradition or any set of established rules.”
he spoke her name between gritted teeth, his eyes darting to the side before he regained his composure once more.
— “i'll wish for the same thing as you.”
— “the point?”
— “higher success rate.”
— “you can't speak your wish aloud - those are the rules.”
— “am i in any position to be following a set of established rules?”
his response elicited a small smirk from her, though she quickly schooled her features back into ones of feigned indifference.
— “you won't like it.”
— “i don't particularly like anything.”
her attention returned to the lantern between them, eyes briefly darting across his hand. pale, calloused and marred with a particularly gnarly scar - the same hand that used to clumsily bestow her hair with crooked daisies on warm summer nights.
and then she spoke. her words no longer a soft, meek murmur of the girl sasuke remembered, though the definitive words of the woman he'd left to fend for herself.
— “for my bestfriend, the man dearest to my heart, to return back to me.”