damn you, sasuke. also, omg, bleach! *flails*
So, the recent Sasuke appearance in the Naruto manga have not only given me hope for him, but has also driven me to write fic regarding the nuanced and much anticipated reunion between him and Naruto and Sakura. XD It's just...gah...I'm incredibly fascinated and hooked. The way Naruto looks at him or even the desperation he felt when he was just this close... Yeah, hooked again. Recent Sasuke appearance just cemented it since I'll be reading for more Team 7 reunion scenarios, or for more Sasuke appearances.
Watching the first episode of the time skip was pretty good too. Is it my imagination or are they animated better? But what really made me blink was the fact that they included a bit of that reunion in the beginning, quite possibly as a hook (and what an effective it was). I hadn't expected that, but oh well. Since I'm writing fic about it (and pretty much done), it was really good to see and hear, because did I mention the Sasuke's and Naruto's voice actors are just perfect?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Naruto and its characters; this universe is owned (as well as created) by Masashi Kishimoto. This is purely for fun, and I gain no profit.
Sasuke never expects to see them again. He won't say he hadn't thought about it, but since he's buried that random, uncontrolled bit of emotion so far deep inside, it might as well be the truth. He hadn't really thought it, except for the times when he had, and those never counted.
It never counts.
....
One inkling of the way his mind sometimes travels beyond his control, even one small hint about the way he still can't quite manage to forget, and Orochimaru will tighten the leash around his neck faster than the blink of an eye. Sasuke might have already agreed to be Orochimaru's container, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't chafe at being caged. He still burns for freedom, even though he thinks it's a fair price to pay for vengeance. The only regret that lingers is the one where he doesn't know if he will be aware of the exact moment of Itachi's death; if his consciousness will have faded away by then, leaving only Orochimaru in control of his body, as if Sasuke had been thrust out of his existence.
It's also not the only regret he has, but it's the only one Sasuke will allow himself to have. He doesn't allow himself many things; mostly because he can't afford his determination to waver, but partly also because if he does, he won't be able to stop. He won't be able to forget and want, and eventually, need -- and then everything he has done so far will be useless. He'll leave these self-imposed chains for the ones he had never chosen, had never expected, and while they might soothe the ache in his heart for a little while, they will never completely heal the wound Itachi left. Or maybe they could have, but Sasuke was -- is -- too wary of finding out. Itachi's all that is left of his family; Itachi had been everything to Sasuke from the time when he had been the idolised brother to when he had turned into Sasuke's most hated enemy, and Sasuke has lived for so many years with Itachi imprinted inside of his mind he's afraid of finding out what's left if he ever manages to cut Itachi out.
....
He means what he had once said to Naruto. His future is in his past, and his past is Itachi. This is the only path he can take, and he wishes they would understand and leave him be. He wishes they would just stop reminding him, because he doesn't care and doesn't want to, except for the times when does, and when he sees them again, a slumbering part of himself struggles to wake for the first time in two and a half years.
And Sasuke is irrationally annoyed. He quenches that part of himself, forcing back the dull detachment he has been living with for the past two years. When he'd first started training with Orochimaru, it had taken him some months before he'd reached a state of dull existence; one where the only thing he ever thought about was vengeance and death , but now, Naruto and Sakura is ruining his perfect existence. They look at him with hope and shock and -- and --
Sasuke can't let himself think about that last emotion. He had only ever loved his family -- he doesn't need what he can't let himself feel reflect back from their eyes, can't let what ever they want happen, because doing so would mean losing something he can never forget or give up. Their eyes speak of a future he will never have, and it is better to control his own future with his past than to let an uncertain one overwhelm his present. The future they want will end up killing parts of Sasuke, and if Sasuke wants to die, he wants to die knowing Itachi is dead too.
Holy crap, Kaien! The twist I didn't see coming, and now Rukia's getting hurt -- literally. I wonder what's Kaien's plan, though, I think he really doesn't mean to kill Rukia. Aizen is after all still watching, and Kaien can't be too careful... but before all the flailing and speculation, I just have to say the Kaien-Rukia relationship makes me go aw and crack up and grin at the same time. It's so much like the Ichigo-Rukia relationship that I'm getting a tad confused. I thought my theories on the Kaien-Ichigo thing bit the dust last chapter, but if that was the case, then how can you explore the similarities, not just in terms of looks, but also behaviour and dynamics. In any case, I am anticipating the next chapter so very much. I don't believe I've been this excited in a while... and yes, this twist really makes up for the not-quite-as-exciting-as-Soul-Society fights that has been going with the Espada.
Watching the first episode of the time skip was pretty good too. Is it my imagination or are they animated better? But what really made me blink was the fact that they included a bit of that reunion in the beginning, quite possibly as a hook (and what an effective it was). I hadn't expected that, but oh well. Since I'm writing fic about it (and pretty much done), it was really good to see and hear, because did I mention the Sasuke's and Naruto's voice actors are just perfect?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Naruto and its characters; this universe is owned (as well as created) by Masashi Kishimoto. This is purely for fun, and I gain no profit.
Sasuke never expects to see them again. He won't say he hadn't thought about it, but since he's buried that random, uncontrolled bit of emotion so far deep inside, it might as well be the truth. He hadn't really thought it, except for the times when he had, and those never counted.
It never counts.
....
One inkling of the way his mind sometimes travels beyond his control, even one small hint about the way he still can't quite manage to forget, and Orochimaru will tighten the leash around his neck faster than the blink of an eye. Sasuke might have already agreed to be Orochimaru's container, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't chafe at being caged. He still burns for freedom, even though he thinks it's a fair price to pay for vengeance. The only regret that lingers is the one where he doesn't know if he will be aware of the exact moment of Itachi's death; if his consciousness will have faded away by then, leaving only Orochimaru in control of his body, as if Sasuke had been thrust out of his existence.
It's also not the only regret he has, but it's the only one Sasuke will allow himself to have. He doesn't allow himself many things; mostly because he can't afford his determination to waver, but partly also because if he does, he won't be able to stop. He won't be able to forget and want, and eventually, need -- and then everything he has done so far will be useless. He'll leave these self-imposed chains for the ones he had never chosen, had never expected, and while they might soothe the ache in his heart for a little while, they will never completely heal the wound Itachi left. Or maybe they could have, but Sasuke was -- is -- too wary of finding out. Itachi's all that is left of his family; Itachi had been everything to Sasuke from the time when he had been the idolised brother to when he had turned into Sasuke's most hated enemy, and Sasuke has lived for so many years with Itachi imprinted inside of his mind he's afraid of finding out what's left if he ever manages to cut Itachi out.
....
He means what he had once said to Naruto. His future is in his past, and his past is Itachi. This is the only path he can take, and he wishes they would understand and leave him be. He wishes they would just stop reminding him, because he doesn't care and doesn't want to, except for the times when does, and when he sees them again, a slumbering part of himself struggles to wake for the first time in two and a half years.
And Sasuke is irrationally annoyed. He quenches that part of himself, forcing back the dull detachment he has been living with for the past two years. When he'd first started training with Orochimaru, it had taken him some months before he'd reached a state of dull existence; one where the only thing he ever thought about was vengeance and death , but now, Naruto and Sakura is ruining his perfect existence. They look at him with hope and shock and -- and --
Sasuke can't let himself think about that last emotion. He had only ever loved his family -- he doesn't need what he can't let himself feel reflect back from their eyes, can't let what ever they want happen, because doing so would mean losing something he can never forget or give up. Their eyes speak of a future he will never have, and it is better to control his own future with his past than to let an uncertain one overwhelm his present. The future they want will end up killing parts of Sasuke, and if Sasuke wants to die, he wants to die knowing Itachi is dead too.
Holy crap, Kaien! The twist I didn't see coming, and now Rukia's getting hurt -- literally. I wonder what's Kaien's plan, though, I think he really doesn't mean to kill Rukia. Aizen is after all still watching, and Kaien can't be too careful... but before all the flailing and speculation, I just have to say the Kaien-Rukia relationship makes me go aw and crack up and grin at the same time. It's so much like the Ichigo-Rukia relationship that I'm getting a tad confused. I thought my theories on the Kaien-Ichigo thing bit the dust last chapter, but if that was the case, then how can you explore the similarities, not just in terms of looks, but also behaviour and dynamics. In any case, I am anticipating the next chapter so very much. I don't believe I've been this excited in a while... and yes, this twist really makes up for the not-quite-as-exciting-as-Soul-Society fights that has been going with the Espada.