endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2006-10-08 06:30 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2006-10-08 06:30 pm
February: Paper Lantern Night
Title: Paper Lantern Night
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: February - Chinese customs
Character(s): Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura (only briefly), Tenten
Pairing(s): SasuTen
Warning(s): Oh the fluffy horror.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: I think Sasuke is ooc >_>
“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” Sasuke mumbled to himself in irritation.
The streets of Konoha were littered with happy, smiling villagers, all gathered to celebrate the coming of the new lunar year. Sasuke took particular note of all the couples roaming the streets, hand in hand and whispering sweet nothing in each other’s ears. Of course their behavior had nothing to do with Valentine’s Day that was coming up next week.
“I bet those guys don’t even remember about Valentine’s Day,” the Uchiha grumbled to himself as he pushed through the crowd.
He was dressed in a simple robe, dark blue with the emblem of the Uchiha family showing proudly on the back. In his hands was a small package in red wrapping, complete with a pink bow, courtesy of the young Hyuuga heiress. The Uchiha heir casually eyed the tag and the neatly written calligraphic symbols that he had wrote himself, spelling out the name of who was to receive the gift: none other than the weapon-loving kunoichi herself, Tenten.
It was because of her that Sasuke was swimming through the crowd in the first place, clad in his party ware and wondering how he would ever find the older girl in this throng of pedestrians. Ever since their chance meeting on Halloween night and the kiss the two had exchanged on the balcony of the Haruno home, their relationship had been slow but comforting.
“Sasuke-kun!” a familiar voice called from across the street.
Glancing out the corner of his eye, the young Uchiha spotted his pink-haired teammate as she tried to reach him through the crowd. Not in the mood to exchange fake pleasantries with her, Sasuke quickly moved forward through the crowd in hopes of losing her in the process. He finally stopped when the sound of Sakura’s voice calling out to him was lost in the quiet calm of the evening.
No one knew of the relationship that existed between him and Tenten, the entire village believing that she was being courted by the Hyuuga prodigy because of a misunderstanding made by both Naruto and Kiba. The truth of the matter was that the Hyuuga prodigy was already arranged to marry someone else, already approved by the clan’s counselors.
But despite this, the Byakugan user did nothing to defer the rumors milling about the village, saying that he owed the kunoichi and was repaying her by allowing the two of them a little privacy by perpetuating the lie. But while the deception insured that no one else would court the older kunoichi, that left Sasuke free to be pursued by all the girls in the village, something the young Uchiha felt was a great annoyance.
“I wonder if they’ll believe me if I just tell them I’m gay,” Sasuke mused cynically, imagining their shocked faces and laughing at the image.
Just then, someone pushed by him in the crowd, snapping the young shinobi out of is dazed thoughts. His head snapped up to find that he was standing at one of Konoha’s newest bridges, which brought him back to the reality of the night. The two had agreed to meet here and celebrate the new year together, which was the reasoning behind the Uchiha‘s slightly formal attire. But in true Tenten fashion, she had neglected to state what time the meeting was to take place. So, thinking that he was late, Sasuke scanned the occupants of the bridge and found no traces of the older girl.
Frustrated, the young Uchiha walked across the overpass in hopes of getting a better view only to have the same results as before. He had walked the length of the bridge several times before he was sure that Tenten wasn’t there. With a frown, he started for home and would have spent the rest of the night brooding over his loss when something caught his eye. Turning to the side, he was greeting with the sight of a girl in a dark blue kimono, accented beautify by the soft white swirl design. In her hand she held a white umbrella, shading herself from the light of the paper lantern she was standing under and obscuring her face. Gracefully, she lifted the edge of the umbrella just enough to show the all too familiar smirk that Sasuke had grown to adore as she eyed him mischievously.
“So, you were here the whole time?” he asked, smirking in return.
“I wanted to see if you would recognize me out of my training clothes,” she explained simply, closing the umbrella in one smooth movement, “You failed.”
“You can’t expect a guy to recognize a girl when she changes everything he knows about her,” the Uchiha playfully protested, “That’s just setting him up for failure.”
“My point exactly,” she responded smugly.
Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance, the raven-haired shinobi couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful kunoichi; his playful kunoichi. Wasting no time Tenten pulled the younger boy into her embrace, enjoying the warmth that he provided her from the touch. Everything was so blissful as she pressed her face softly into his chest, feeling the hard work that he had put into becoming a strong shinobi, until she suddenly felt the taller boy tense.
“Is there something wrong?” Tenten asked, pulling away enough so that she could look at his face.
Unbeknownst to the older kunoichi, Sasuke had just remembered about the small package that Hinata had wrapped for him earlier, still in his hand hidden behind his back. Unaccustomed to the proper mannerisms of giving and receiving of gifts, the Uchiha’s actions became anxious and jerky as he presented Tenten.
“Here,” he said abruptly, hiding the slight blush in his face.
“What’s this?” she asked curiously.
“Um…Happy Birthday, Tenten,” Sasuke muttered, saying the first response that popped into his head.
“I hate to break this to you, but my birthday isn’t until next month,” Tenten said, an apologetic smile gracing her soft features.
“Then Happy Chinese New Year,” Sasuke mumbled quickly as he shoved the small package into the kunoichi’s hands, “Just take it.”
“What is it?” Tenten asked again, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.
Unconsciously, she began shaking the package in hopes of hearing jingles that would clue her in to the contents inside. When no sound came she pouted in disappointment, making her appear all the more endearing to the young Uchiha heir despite the nervousness that was forming in the pit of his stomach.
“If you would just open it, you’ll find out,” he unintentionally snapped, his emotions ruled by his anxiety.
“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Tenten commented, placing a slender hand on her hips in annoyance.
“…I’m sorry,” Sasuke said apologetically, sighing out his frustration.
“It’s alright,” the kunoichi said softly with understanding, “You’re new at this.”
And on that note, Tenten began to carefully open the package. Setting the ribbon aside and tossing the wrapping paper into a nearby trashcan, she placed the box onto the handrail of the bridge and proceeded to lift the lid. Inside, sitting so delicately on a small red pillow was an amazing sight.
“A silver hair ornament shaped like a sai,” she said in awe, lifting the ornament out to get a better look.
“You like it?” Sasuke asked, smug with pride at seeing her astonished face, “I saw it on my last mission in the Earth Country and it reminded me of you.”
The kunoichi was too shocked to speak, so entranced with the object before her. Tracing a finger along the details of the hair ornament, Tenten was surprised to find that it was an actual working weapon, miniaturized for convenience. This would be a good tool on her next undercover mission. With a spark of skepticism, the older kunoichi turned to the grinning Uchiha.
“This wouldn’t happen to be an early Valentine’s Day present, would it?” the kunoichi asked suspiciously, hiding a smirk of her own.
“…Maybe,” Sasuke replied with a smirk of his own.
“A little overzealous, aren’t we?” the kunoichi teased.
“Are you going to make fun of me all night?” the young Uchiha asked, a slight pout apparent on his lips.
Tenten chuckled at seeing the playful side of the usually passive boy. It was times like that where he freely showed her his vulnerable sides that the kunoichi cherished most when they were together.
“Maybe,” she playfully taunted.
“Why do I like you again?” Sasuke asked in mock curiosity.
“Um…because I’m the only who would talk to you after you came back from betraying the entire village,” the kunoichi replied matter-of-factly.
“Right,” he simply stated with a satisfied smirk.
Eager to see how her new gift would look and function, Tenten took out the hair ornament and gently fixed it into her loose tresses. Once done with her adjustments, she turned to Sasuke as if seeking his approval. The raven-haired shinobi nodded his head in praise, finding that the tiny object suited her well.
“You know it’s customary to kiss the cheeks of the person you’re giving a gift to,” Tenten informed the young Uchiha.
“Excuse me?” the raven-haired shinobi questioned, raising a brow skeptically.
“Come on, it‘s New Year‘s,” the brunette gently urged, “Would it kill you to follow one tradition?”
“Fine,” Sasuke finally agreed with a sigh, unable to resist the kunoichi’s pleas.
Satisfied with how quickly the Uchiha had submitted to her will, Tenten hid the grin that threatened to show on her face. Without another word, the younger shinobi leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Despite his reluctance, there was a smile on his face as well. Unfortunately it didn’t remain there for long.
“Wait,” Sasuke said, a confused frown taking the place of the smile, “I don’t remember any Chinese custom that had to do with kissing.”
“There aren’t any,” Tenten said as she started to walk away, turning around to send the shinobi a mischievous look, “I never said that it was a Chinese custom.”
“…You little…” the Uchiha said in a threatening tone.
With a laugh, the kunoichi ran off in an attempt to get away from the “fuming” Sasuke who seemed to enjoy chasing the girl down the streets of Konoha. Neither teen cared that everyone was staring at them strangely or whispering the beginnings of rumors to a nearby ear. All that mattered to the two of them was enjoying the time they had together.
=====================
The next day, there was a picture in the village newspaper of the young Uchiha heir and a mysterious girl. Her face was blurred and hidden behind the shoulder of the dark Sasuke as the two looked to be in the middle of a cheerful conversation, evident by the smirk on the young man’s face.
“So who do you think she is?” Lee asked, looking at the picture over Neji’s shoulder.
“It’s none of our concern,” Neji replied, quickly folding up the paper and tossing it aside on the training field.
“Well, whoever she is, I’m glad Sasuke was finally able to resort the burning flames of his youth,” the green-clad taijutsu user said, flashing one of his patented smiles, “Of course it could never compare to the flames burning between you and Tenten.”
“Yeah,” the Hyuuga prodigy said dismissively, “Whatever.”
“Where is she, anyways?” Lee asked with a hint of concern, “She’s never usually late for practice.”
“Oh…she said that she wasn’t coming today,” Neji said quickly, “She was out late last night at the New Year’s Festival and…”
“It’s so good to hear that the two of you had such a good time together last night,” the taijutsu user interrupted, “Shame she didn’t have the flames of youth that you obviously possess to get up this morning.”
“…Sure,” the Hyuuga hesitantly agreed, finding a valid excuse being provided for him, “Real shame.”
“I am inspired!” the energetic boy shouted, “I shall not be defeated by the Uchiha in love and will woo the lovely Hinata with renewed vigor!”
With that the taijutsu user dashed off on a mission to shower the Hyuuga heiress with his adoration. All the while Neji simply watched his teammate disappear into the horizon, a knowing smirk gracing his flawless face. Long after Lee was out of sight, the Hyuuga prodigy finally turned to walk back to the clan estate. Along the way, he picked up the discarded newspaper and looked at the picture of Sasuke with his date once again.
“Happy New Years, Tenten,” he said as he folded up the paper and slipped it under his arm.
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: February - Chinese customs
Character(s): Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura (only briefly), Tenten
Pairing(s): SasuTen
Warning(s): Oh the fluffy horror.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: I think Sasuke is ooc >_>
“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” Sasuke mumbled to himself in irritation.
The streets of Konoha were littered with happy, smiling villagers, all gathered to celebrate the coming of the new lunar year. Sasuke took particular note of all the couples roaming the streets, hand in hand and whispering sweet nothing in each other’s ears. Of course their behavior had nothing to do with Valentine’s Day that was coming up next week.
“I bet those guys don’t even remember about Valentine’s Day,” the Uchiha grumbled to himself as he pushed through the crowd.
He was dressed in a simple robe, dark blue with the emblem of the Uchiha family showing proudly on the back. In his hands was a small package in red wrapping, complete with a pink bow, courtesy of the young Hyuuga heiress. The Uchiha heir casually eyed the tag and the neatly written calligraphic symbols that he had wrote himself, spelling out the name of who was to receive the gift: none other than the weapon-loving kunoichi herself, Tenten.
It was because of her that Sasuke was swimming through the crowd in the first place, clad in his party ware and wondering how he would ever find the older girl in this throng of pedestrians. Ever since their chance meeting on Halloween night and the kiss the two had exchanged on the balcony of the Haruno home, their relationship had been slow but comforting.
“Sasuke-kun!” a familiar voice called from across the street.
Glancing out the corner of his eye, the young Uchiha spotted his pink-haired teammate as she tried to reach him through the crowd. Not in the mood to exchange fake pleasantries with her, Sasuke quickly moved forward through the crowd in hopes of losing her in the process. He finally stopped when the sound of Sakura’s voice calling out to him was lost in the quiet calm of the evening.
No one knew of the relationship that existed between him and Tenten, the entire village believing that she was being courted by the Hyuuga prodigy because of a misunderstanding made by both Naruto and Kiba. The truth of the matter was that the Hyuuga prodigy was already arranged to marry someone else, already approved by the clan’s counselors.
But despite this, the Byakugan user did nothing to defer the rumors milling about the village, saying that he owed the kunoichi and was repaying her by allowing the two of them a little privacy by perpetuating the lie. But while the deception insured that no one else would court the older kunoichi, that left Sasuke free to be pursued by all the girls in the village, something the young Uchiha felt was a great annoyance.
“I wonder if they’ll believe me if I just tell them I’m gay,” Sasuke mused cynically, imagining their shocked faces and laughing at the image.
Just then, someone pushed by him in the crowd, snapping the young shinobi out of is dazed thoughts. His head snapped up to find that he was standing at one of Konoha’s newest bridges, which brought him back to the reality of the night. The two had agreed to meet here and celebrate the new year together, which was the reasoning behind the Uchiha‘s slightly formal attire. But in true Tenten fashion, she had neglected to state what time the meeting was to take place. So, thinking that he was late, Sasuke scanned the occupants of the bridge and found no traces of the older girl.
Frustrated, the young Uchiha walked across the overpass in hopes of getting a better view only to have the same results as before. He had walked the length of the bridge several times before he was sure that Tenten wasn’t there. With a frown, he started for home and would have spent the rest of the night brooding over his loss when something caught his eye. Turning to the side, he was greeting with the sight of a girl in a dark blue kimono, accented beautify by the soft white swirl design. In her hand she held a white umbrella, shading herself from the light of the paper lantern she was standing under and obscuring her face. Gracefully, she lifted the edge of the umbrella just enough to show the all too familiar smirk that Sasuke had grown to adore as she eyed him mischievously.
“So, you were here the whole time?” he asked, smirking in return.
“I wanted to see if you would recognize me out of my training clothes,” she explained simply, closing the umbrella in one smooth movement, “You failed.”
“You can’t expect a guy to recognize a girl when she changes everything he knows about her,” the Uchiha playfully protested, “That’s just setting him up for failure.”
“My point exactly,” she responded smugly.
Rolling his eyes in mock annoyance, the raven-haired shinobi couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful kunoichi; his playful kunoichi. Wasting no time Tenten pulled the younger boy into her embrace, enjoying the warmth that he provided her from the touch. Everything was so blissful as she pressed her face softly into his chest, feeling the hard work that he had put into becoming a strong shinobi, until she suddenly felt the taller boy tense.
“Is there something wrong?” Tenten asked, pulling away enough so that she could look at his face.
Unbeknownst to the older kunoichi, Sasuke had just remembered about the small package that Hinata had wrapped for him earlier, still in his hand hidden behind his back. Unaccustomed to the proper mannerisms of giving and receiving of gifts, the Uchiha’s actions became anxious and jerky as he presented Tenten.
“Here,” he said abruptly, hiding the slight blush in his face.
“What’s this?” she asked curiously.
“Um…Happy Birthday, Tenten,” Sasuke muttered, saying the first response that popped into his head.
“I hate to break this to you, but my birthday isn’t until next month,” Tenten said, an apologetic smile gracing her soft features.
“Then Happy Chinese New Year,” Sasuke mumbled quickly as he shoved the small package into the kunoichi’s hands, “Just take it.”
“What is it?” Tenten asked again, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.
Unconsciously, she began shaking the package in hopes of hearing jingles that would clue her in to the contents inside. When no sound came she pouted in disappointment, making her appear all the more endearing to the young Uchiha heir despite the nervousness that was forming in the pit of his stomach.
“If you would just open it, you’ll find out,” he unintentionally snapped, his emotions ruled by his anxiety.
“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Tenten commented, placing a slender hand on her hips in annoyance.
“…I’m sorry,” Sasuke said apologetically, sighing out his frustration.
“It’s alright,” the kunoichi said softly with understanding, “You’re new at this.”
And on that note, Tenten began to carefully open the package. Setting the ribbon aside and tossing the wrapping paper into a nearby trashcan, she placed the box onto the handrail of the bridge and proceeded to lift the lid. Inside, sitting so delicately on a small red pillow was an amazing sight.
“A silver hair ornament shaped like a sai,” she said in awe, lifting the ornament out to get a better look.
“You like it?” Sasuke asked, smug with pride at seeing her astonished face, “I saw it on my last mission in the Earth Country and it reminded me of you.”
The kunoichi was too shocked to speak, so entranced with the object before her. Tracing a finger along the details of the hair ornament, Tenten was surprised to find that it was an actual working weapon, miniaturized for convenience. This would be a good tool on her next undercover mission. With a spark of skepticism, the older kunoichi turned to the grinning Uchiha.
“This wouldn’t happen to be an early Valentine’s Day present, would it?” the kunoichi asked suspiciously, hiding a smirk of her own.
“…Maybe,” Sasuke replied with a smirk of his own.
“A little overzealous, aren’t we?” the kunoichi teased.
“Are you going to make fun of me all night?” the young Uchiha asked, a slight pout apparent on his lips.
Tenten chuckled at seeing the playful side of the usually passive boy. It was times like that where he freely showed her his vulnerable sides that the kunoichi cherished most when they were together.
“Maybe,” she playfully taunted.
“Why do I like you again?” Sasuke asked in mock curiosity.
“Um…because I’m the only who would talk to you after you came back from betraying the entire village,” the kunoichi replied matter-of-factly.
“Right,” he simply stated with a satisfied smirk.
Eager to see how her new gift would look and function, Tenten took out the hair ornament and gently fixed it into her loose tresses. Once done with her adjustments, she turned to Sasuke as if seeking his approval. The raven-haired shinobi nodded his head in praise, finding that the tiny object suited her well.
“You know it’s customary to kiss the cheeks of the person you’re giving a gift to,” Tenten informed the young Uchiha.
“Excuse me?” the raven-haired shinobi questioned, raising a brow skeptically.
“Come on, it‘s New Year‘s,” the brunette gently urged, “Would it kill you to follow one tradition?”
“Fine,” Sasuke finally agreed with a sigh, unable to resist the kunoichi’s pleas.
Satisfied with how quickly the Uchiha had submitted to her will, Tenten hid the grin that threatened to show on her face. Without another word, the younger shinobi leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Despite his reluctance, there was a smile on his face as well. Unfortunately it didn’t remain there for long.
“Wait,” Sasuke said, a confused frown taking the place of the smile, “I don’t remember any Chinese custom that had to do with kissing.”
“There aren’t any,” Tenten said as she started to walk away, turning around to send the shinobi a mischievous look, “I never said that it was a Chinese custom.”
“…You little…” the Uchiha said in a threatening tone.
With a laugh, the kunoichi ran off in an attempt to get away from the “fuming” Sasuke who seemed to enjoy chasing the girl down the streets of Konoha. Neither teen cared that everyone was staring at them strangely or whispering the beginnings of rumors to a nearby ear. All that mattered to the two of them was enjoying the time they had together.
=====================
The next day, there was a picture in the village newspaper of the young Uchiha heir and a mysterious girl. Her face was blurred and hidden behind the shoulder of the dark Sasuke as the two looked to be in the middle of a cheerful conversation, evident by the smirk on the young man’s face.
“So who do you think she is?” Lee asked, looking at the picture over Neji’s shoulder.
“It’s none of our concern,” Neji replied, quickly folding up the paper and tossing it aside on the training field.
“Well, whoever she is, I’m glad Sasuke was finally able to resort the burning flames of his youth,” the green-clad taijutsu user said, flashing one of his patented smiles, “Of course it could never compare to the flames burning between you and Tenten.”
“Yeah,” the Hyuuga prodigy said dismissively, “Whatever.”
“Where is she, anyways?” Lee asked with a hint of concern, “She’s never usually late for practice.”
“Oh…she said that she wasn’t coming today,” Neji said quickly, “She was out late last night at the New Year’s Festival and…”
“It’s so good to hear that the two of you had such a good time together last night,” the taijutsu user interrupted, “Shame she didn’t have the flames of youth that you obviously possess to get up this morning.”
“…Sure,” the Hyuuga hesitantly agreed, finding a valid excuse being provided for him, “Real shame.”
“I am inspired!” the energetic boy shouted, “I shall not be defeated by the Uchiha in love and will woo the lovely Hinata with renewed vigor!”
With that the taijutsu user dashed off on a mission to shower the Hyuuga heiress with his adoration. All the while Neji simply watched his teammate disappear into the horizon, a knowing smirk gracing his flawless face. Long after Lee was out of sight, the Hyuuga prodigy finally turned to walk back to the clan estate. Along the way, he picked up the discarded newspaper and looked at the picture of Sasuke with his date once again.
“Happy New Years, Tenten,” he said as he folded up the paper and slipped it under his arm.