endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-09 07:57 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-09 07:57 pm
To Soothe the Savage Beast
Title: To Soothe the Savage Beast
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Word count: 1400
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, OC: Sarutobi Mei; brief mentions of OC: Shirou
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): Adorable chibi-ness
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Randomly written fic inspired by the events and planned plots that took place at TheRisingSun. The headcanon wanted more. Who was I to deny it?
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nothinglanguage; Itachi can has Tenny-tymes whenever he wants. ;w;
Useless Fact: 'Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.' - The Mourning Bride [1697] by William Congreve (and no, I didn't spell 'beast' wrong, that's the actual quote)
People with money, she had always believed, never ran out of ways to use it. That much had been apparent of the Uchiha since the first moment they had touched into her life. Or rather, when she was whisked into theirs. The trip up the driveway alone had seemed to span the length of a city block, from the main gates to the doorstep. And upon entering through the front door, the little girl could not help but feel dwarfed in comparison to a room nearly the size of their entire apartment above the metal-shop. Truly, to her young mind, they lived in a palace of wonders.
Tenten had never seen a home so elaborately elegant. Or unnecessarily expensive. Then again, the Uchiha weren't exactly just any rich family, as she would later grow to realize. Their sort of lifestyle came with a heavy price. And up until that moment, she had known nothing else other than their quaint little space above her father's store.
She couldn't have been any older than five -- no younger than three -- when Mei hand brought them there. Had brought her there after it became apparent that no one was available to watch her daughter while she came there for the bi-weekly private piano lessons. And so, the only course of action was to bring Tenten along for the ride. Responsible at a young age or not, a child should never be left to their own devices, her mother had said. Not that she was complaining, really. It held the promise of a new adventure, after all. And there was nothing she liked more than exploring new places.
When they had gotten there, though, the little tyke found herself somewhat reluctant to push forward, even with her mother there as her shield. Everything was just so delicate, so breakable. So fragile. Even she knew that a mere brush could destroy their beauty forever. They were nothing like the hardened steel that littered her father's workspace, or the sturdy books that lined her mother's shelves. They were the treasures of the rich. They weren't meant to be handled frequently, if at all beyond being mounted in their decorative places. And while she did find them curiously interesting, the better part of Tenten's young mind knew better than to even try examining anything.
That is, until she saw the piano.
"Now stay here, Tenny, while I go pick up this month's payment," her mother murmured, leaving her alone in the living room with a thing of beauty.
Tenten had only seen a handful of pianos in her short life, and none of them were quiet as magnificent as the one that stood before her. All those before had been expertly crafted from wood and furnished to show the intricate design of the panel pieces. But this one was glazed in sleek black lines with silver embellishments. All the while, it looked relatively unscathed by time. And before she realized it, the little girl was already seated at the bench and sliding back the cover to gaze at the equally amazing keys. To give in to temptation and play the incredible instrument.
Like a practiced pro, her fingers glided over the notes with ease, recalling the little lessons her mother had given the little girl since nearly from birth. Normally, the song she played was designed for two people to play, but there was no great need of it. Just hearing the melodic sound ringing out full and crystal clear was enough to satisfy her desires. The piano, after all, was so much a part of her life -- their lives -- and it made their home all the more cheerful despite all the things they lacked. Because as long as Tenten had her family and her music to turn to in times of struggle, nothing in the world could be quite as horrible.
But all that splendor and magic came to a crashing halt when a tiny hand shot out of nowhere and took a hold of her smaller wrist.
He couldn't have been any older than she was, and if he were, his height didn't show it. His hair was dark, like hers, if not with a deeper tint of black to his color instead of the more dulled brown that her own locks held. With dark eyes to match. And he carried a really upsetting frown across his tiny lips, telling Tenten that she had done something almost forbidden without even uttering a single word.
"Sasuke."
Startled by the voice -- and a small part of her was drawn to the familiar name -- Tenten's eyes snapped towards the sound to find the face of another boy not all that different than the first. They weren't twins, she knew. The resemblance wasn't that striking or identical. He was taller than her, which gave her the assumption that he was older, if only by a few years. But the authority in which he spoke and the attitude that he carried as he trekked across the floor towards the piano said otherwise. Like he was accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. All the same, the little girl felt rooted where she sat, and could only watch as his slender fingers reached out and gently tugged the younger's -- Sasuke, was it? -- from it's childish grip around her wrist. And then she was left to face the hardened and all too neutral stare.
But he said nothing to her after carefully pulling up his younger brother from the floor, just simply stood there and watched her as she sat there frozen in a sort of dazed fear. For what, she could only guess at. He was only a kid, after all, just like her. What harm could he be capable of inflicting? Especially with her mother due to return at any given moment? But the weight of his eyes and the implication that seemed to linger in the air had stiffen Tenten's resolve, if only a bit. The tension only seemed to melt away when a new distraction stole her attention, forming in an instant when he proceeded to seat himself next to her.
And then he began to play.
It was only three notes at first, beating in one after the other in perfect quarter-note rhythm. And then three more came twice as quickly in the faster eighth-note quality after a few seconds of pause where Tenten had simply glanced curiously between his fingers and his face. Only when an additional three more keys were played did Tenten finally realize: He was slowly playing the next measures of notes from the song she had been tuning out only moments before, and playing it from memory without the need for sheet music or cues. Could he be the one her mother had come to teach, she wondered. And she would have thought on it further, studying the way his fingers moved across the ivory panels -- Did he move them like Mei had always taught her to do or did he have his own style of playing? And if not that, then what other little traits would he pick up from her mother? -- if it were not for the notable tilt of his head in her direction.
He was... waiting for her. To do what, she began to wonder. But even as the thought started to form in her mind, another came like a flash of lightning. He wanted her to... join him in playing the duet. Like it was supposed to be played. Like it was meant to be performed.
Another three keys rang out as incentive, prompting her to complete the full measure with the four that followed after. Measure by measure, the two grounded out the remainder of the song, one page at a time in a sort of stop and go manner that reminded her of another song that involved taking turns plucking out notes on a banjo. And before she even realized it, the song was drawing to an end. And the once intimidating aura that seemed to surround the boy when he appeared was gone, replaced by something softer. Kinder.
"Well, it looks like you made a friend, Itachi," came her mother's voice, pulling all their attentions as it broke through the silence that had settled, "I'll have to remember to bring Tenten around more often."
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Word count: 1400
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, OC: Sarutobi Mei; brief mentions of OC: Shirou
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): Adorable chibi-ness
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Randomly written fic inspired by the events and planned plots that took place at TheRisingSun. The headcanon wanted more. Who was I to deny it?
Dedicated to:
nothinglanguage; Itachi can has Tenny-tymes whenever he wants. ;w;Useless Fact: 'Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.' - The Mourning Bride [1697] by William Congreve (and no, I didn't spell 'beast' wrong, that's the actual quote)
People with money, she had always believed, never ran out of ways to use it. That much had been apparent of the Uchiha since the first moment they had touched into her life. Or rather, when she was whisked into theirs. The trip up the driveway alone had seemed to span the length of a city block, from the main gates to the doorstep. And upon entering through the front door, the little girl could not help but feel dwarfed in comparison to a room nearly the size of their entire apartment above the metal-shop. Truly, to her young mind, they lived in a palace of wonders.
Tenten had never seen a home so elaborately elegant. Or unnecessarily expensive. Then again, the Uchiha weren't exactly just any rich family, as she would later grow to realize. Their sort of lifestyle came with a heavy price. And up until that moment, she had known nothing else other than their quaint little space above her father's store.
She couldn't have been any older than five -- no younger than three -- when Mei hand brought them there. Had brought her there after it became apparent that no one was available to watch her daughter while she came there for the bi-weekly private piano lessons. And so, the only course of action was to bring Tenten along for the ride. Responsible at a young age or not, a child should never be left to their own devices, her mother had said. Not that she was complaining, really. It held the promise of a new adventure, after all. And there was nothing she liked more than exploring new places.
When they had gotten there, though, the little tyke found herself somewhat reluctant to push forward, even with her mother there as her shield. Everything was just so delicate, so breakable. So fragile. Even she knew that a mere brush could destroy their beauty forever. They were nothing like the hardened steel that littered her father's workspace, or the sturdy books that lined her mother's shelves. They were the treasures of the rich. They weren't meant to be handled frequently, if at all beyond being mounted in their decorative places. And while she did find them curiously interesting, the better part of Tenten's young mind knew better than to even try examining anything.
That is, until she saw the piano.
"Now stay here, Tenny, while I go pick up this month's payment," her mother murmured, leaving her alone in the living room with a thing of beauty.
Tenten had only seen a handful of pianos in her short life, and none of them were quiet as magnificent as the one that stood before her. All those before had been expertly crafted from wood and furnished to show the intricate design of the panel pieces. But this one was glazed in sleek black lines with silver embellishments. All the while, it looked relatively unscathed by time. And before she realized it, the little girl was already seated at the bench and sliding back the cover to gaze at the equally amazing keys. To give in to temptation and play the incredible instrument.
Like a practiced pro, her fingers glided over the notes with ease, recalling the little lessons her mother had given the little girl since nearly from birth. Normally, the song she played was designed for two people to play, but there was no great need of it. Just hearing the melodic sound ringing out full and crystal clear was enough to satisfy her desires. The piano, after all, was so much a part of her life -- their lives -- and it made their home all the more cheerful despite all the things they lacked. Because as long as Tenten had her family and her music to turn to in times of struggle, nothing in the world could be quite as horrible.
But all that splendor and magic came to a crashing halt when a tiny hand shot out of nowhere and took a hold of her smaller wrist.
He couldn't have been any older than she was, and if he were, his height didn't show it. His hair was dark, like hers, if not with a deeper tint of black to his color instead of the more dulled brown that her own locks held. With dark eyes to match. And he carried a really upsetting frown across his tiny lips, telling Tenten that she had done something almost forbidden without even uttering a single word.
"Sasuke."
Startled by the voice -- and a small part of her was drawn to the familiar name -- Tenten's eyes snapped towards the sound to find the face of another boy not all that different than the first. They weren't twins, she knew. The resemblance wasn't that striking or identical. He was taller than her, which gave her the assumption that he was older, if only by a few years. But the authority in which he spoke and the attitude that he carried as he trekked across the floor towards the piano said otherwise. Like he was accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. All the same, the little girl felt rooted where she sat, and could only watch as his slender fingers reached out and gently tugged the younger's -- Sasuke, was it? -- from it's childish grip around her wrist. And then she was left to face the hardened and all too neutral stare.
But he said nothing to her after carefully pulling up his younger brother from the floor, just simply stood there and watched her as she sat there frozen in a sort of dazed fear. For what, she could only guess at. He was only a kid, after all, just like her. What harm could he be capable of inflicting? Especially with her mother due to return at any given moment? But the weight of his eyes and the implication that seemed to linger in the air had stiffen Tenten's resolve, if only a bit. The tension only seemed to melt away when a new distraction stole her attention, forming in an instant when he proceeded to seat himself next to her.
And then he began to play.
It was only three notes at first, beating in one after the other in perfect quarter-note rhythm. And then three more came twice as quickly in the faster eighth-note quality after a few seconds of pause where Tenten had simply glanced curiously between his fingers and his face. Only when an additional three more keys were played did Tenten finally realize: He was slowly playing the next measures of notes from the song she had been tuning out only moments before, and playing it from memory without the need for sheet music or cues. Could he be the one her mother had come to teach, she wondered. And she would have thought on it further, studying the way his fingers moved across the ivory panels -- Did he move them like Mei had always taught her to do or did he have his own style of playing? And if not that, then what other little traits would he pick up from her mother? -- if it were not for the notable tilt of his head in her direction.
He was... waiting for her. To do what, she began to wonder. But even as the thought started to form in her mind, another came like a flash of lightning. He wanted her to... join him in playing the duet. Like it was supposed to be played. Like it was meant to be performed.
Another three keys rang out as incentive, prompting her to complete the full measure with the four that followed after. Measure by measure, the two grounded out the remainder of the song, one page at a time in a sort of stop and go manner that reminded her of another song that involved taking turns plucking out notes on a banjo. And before she even realized it, the song was drawing to an end. And the once intimidating aura that seemed to surround the boy when he appeared was gone, replaced by something softer. Kinder.
"Well, it looks like you made a friend, Itachi," came her mother's voice, pulling all their attentions as it broke through the silence that had settled, "I'll have to remember to bring Tenten around more often."