Light our Shadows

Ch 19: Heart Be Still

"There aren't even any fireflies out here..." Little Sasuke mumbled kicking a stone into the koi pond. He stared into its dark depths for a moment before he shut his eyes. This was stupid. Naruto was stupid. He turned back towards the house. He stuck his hands into his pockets. "...let's go back."

Mini Naruto frowned at his friend. No. Not yet. Sasuke still seemed really down. He thought the fresh air and a little mindless treasure hunt for some cool bugs would lift his mood, but his plan wasn't working. He dropped the rock he was holding and rushed in front of his friend. He stretched out his arms and blocked his way. "Uh, uh! They're out here! They're just hiding!"

"What?" Sasuke squinted at the blonde in a mixture of annoyance and exasperation, head tilting to the side. "You loser," Sasuke leaned forwards toward Naruto. "Fireflies don't hide. They glow in the dark. It's impossible for them to disappear at night for more than a blink." He leaned forwards to brush past Naruto shutting his eyes as he went. "Obviously, there are no tiny twinkling lights whizzing around right now."

"Maybe your crap mood is what's keeping them away." Naruto insisted, raising his chin.

"Whatever." Sasuke replied, back still turned, still walking away, once again not taking the bait for a fight. "I'm going back inside."

"What?" Naruto felt that same hurt he felt sitting at the table. His eyebrows crumpled in concern. "Your quitting? That's so not cool." Even more so it was so not like Sasuke. Why was he acting so put off? Naruto didn't understand it. "Cmon, Sasuke...I know you're more fun than that."

"You don't know anything about me!" Sasuke rounded on him, nose scrunched as he snarled in anger. "Back off!"

Naruto's lower lip quivered, so he pressed it tightly up against his top lip. Hurt was swimming in the ocean blue of his eyes. But there were no signs of tears. The hurt he felt wasn't for himself. The jinchuuriki was used to getting yelled at. Was used to all the evil glances the adults gave. That look in Sasuke's eyes, that anger in his tone, Naruto knew it wasn't for him. Not really. And also, the look that Sasuke was giving him...it wasn't like the villagers gaze at all. There was something else there. Something that Naruto couldn't rightly name.

He didn't remember the right word for it. Maybe there wasn't even a word that could describe it fully. But...he felt it before. He felt it when he would stand in the village center and people would walk around him clustered in small groups. He felt it when Sakura and Ino would whisper something and he wouldn't be allowed to hear. Like the feeling of being alone even though there are a bunch of people with you.

"Tch." Sasuke stubbornly looked to the side, away from the blonde's saddened face. He couldn't bear the sight. He looked like a kicked kitten. Sasuke hadn't meant to snap. The words that were used were just so much like that of the blonde's older self, that hearing them again, now, when he and his own older self had been wrong about everyone noticing his pain and caring about him...it was too much.

Sasuke's shoulders sagged as he turned around towards the door again. The dewy grass cold against his bare feet. "Let's just go. Dinners gonna get cold."

"So what?" Mini Naruto challenged hands balling into tiny fists. His upper torso twisted. Blue eyes peered at the retreating crested back. "It's not like you were eating it."

Tiny Sasuke froze. His obsidian eyes widened imperceptibly. Naruto had noticed that? His finger curled up ghosting against the edge of the bandage ribbon. The tiny burst of pain scared away the majority of his fear at being caught. Though the nursling Uchiha was still very aware of his heart quickening in his chest. "I...I was about to before you tugged me out here..."

"Yeah?" Naruto challenged once more eyes narrowing at Sasuke.

"Y-Yeah..." Sasuke replied, swallowing an uneasy breath.