36 alternatives (the best of)

Naruto-centric; Naruto+Sasuke; g; general/mild angst; one-shot;

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters, nor Yellowcard's 'Fighting', nor the image or proverb, nor anything except the plot (or lack thereof)

-

Naruto falls, Sasuke tells him to stop, Sai doesn't. Naruto falls, Sai saves him, Sasuke doesn't.

-

36 alternatives (the best of)

By: Konnistique

---

( Said I'm okay...)

---

un.

i.

Naruto is falling.

He feels the speed of the wind whipping against his cheeks like razor blades; feels his eyes clench at the acceleration of the downward spiral motion that is making his stomach churn; feels something—the prickle, prickle—akin to pain that isn't the deep gash in his leg; feels loose rubble in his clothes that makes him itch; feels soil on his hands and cheeks, smeared across like black ink (how flawed) on white canvas; feels, feels...

He wants to scream, yell for someone to help him, to—save me, please—to hear his plummeting dive under a sky of dark dreams that seem to scream tears (and maybe they will, when he lands). He wants to reach his arms out, to grasp something—anything—even if it's just to feel his fingers scrap against the rocky surface of the side of the cliff; a smear of red wine.

He sees nothing, tastes nothing, smells nothing, touches nothing, hears—

Stop.

—echoes of everything.

Stop.

And he's free falling into the middle of nowhere.

-

---

deux.

ii.

(Stop. Stop it, Naruto. I can't. Just stop it. I-I wish I could too. It won't get anywhere. It might. Nowhere. Maybe where forever exists. Stop it, now. I can't seem to be able to. The path ahead is only one of uneven grounds. You punctured cracks in this world of ours. We can never stand on the same ground again. Dream-burnt bridges I can't rebuild. There are too many missing pieces you can't find again. But. And it'll hurt you. But I can try. Stop it now, Naruto. I can try. Stop. Stop. Stop. Sasuke.)

-

---

trois.

iii.

Naruto is still falling.

And it's a like a rush of adrenaline he can't stop. It's diving into a realm where regrets are rainbows and frowns are felicities. He clenches his fists and his eyes stay shut. The dark dreams above break tears onto his cheeks. He feels the air still trying to rip his skin open, knife-edged sharp stalactites of ice; hears the rustle of clothing somewhere near him; hears a whispered Choujuu Giga tickling his skin, then feels rough fingers grasp his wrists; feels like he's flying through a gravity-less zone with fear for wings—

—that halts with an undignified bounce on something solid, then the wind is slowing down to a smooth glide; creeps across his cheeks like brushes of feather. He feels a warm hand on his shoulder and was that an illusionary breath of 'Are you okay, Naruto?'

Yeah. Maybe.

-

---

quatre.

iv.

He feels hands pulling and lifting him, hears voices yelling around above him. Naruto keeps his eyes closed and listens to bickers of 'He looks fine, it's just his leg I think' and 'He was thrown off a cliff, Sai!'. He focuses his mind on Sakura's gentle hands, that not only heals him physically but he knows he can place his heart into them as well; focuses on Sai who he knows, despite his peculiar ways, the reassuring hand on his shoulder is more comfort than not; focuses on the feel of light rays of sunshine streaming pass dispersing clouds that seem to paint hope against his light tresses. Warm fingers brush against his forehead and with it, concerned sounds of 'Are you okay?' And he tells them an 'I'm okay' they don't hear.

His clear, blue eyes sparkle smiles of reassurance in their hands they can't refuse.

-

---

cinq.

v.

The ground underneath his head is uneven— jagged like edges of too many missing pieces of jigsaw.

-

Naruto wishes he can keep on falling.

---

'

( ...but I know how to lie. )

fin.

---

A/N: I still think I'm rusty. But it's been awhile since I've written anything. D: I'm sort of (extremely) embarrassed to say, but I guess this is my first (and atm, only) Naruto fic to date. There's not much of a plot, just lots of Naruto musings. His character feels a little easier to write than Sasuke's tbqh. A lot of images are left open to interpretation so let your mind run wild :) It's not supposed to be (very?) sad, depends on how you (want to) look at it. Oh, if anyone was curious, the proverb is-- "Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best." Yeah, idek. I sort of drew a rough parallel between 'running' and 'falling' and all the mess in between Naruto, Sasuke and their bond.

On another note, I really hate ffnet's spacing (or lack thereof!). I tend to use a lot of spaces when I write short pieces like this, so if any of you have the time, you can re-read this with all it's proper spacings (link at profile)!

'
Lastly, Feedback/comments are very much appreciated! Thank you for dropping by!