Naruto: Last Supper (Team Hebi gen)
Title: Last Supper
Author: des_butterfly
Genre: gen, ficlet
Pairings: very very subtle SasuSaku implications
Rating: PG
Summary: Sasuke and his new team stop for an hour of rest and restoration. Unfortunately, it is not so restful for Sasuke.
--
Juugo watched as Karin poked at the fish cooking over their small fire.
"Are these done yet?" she asked, lips twisting into a frown.
Juugo didn't know if she was talking to him, so he kept quiet. Fortunately, Suigetsu swooped down on the first rack of fish before she had the chance to ask again. The Mist-nin swallowed half his portion in three huge bites, sharp shark-like teeth sinking into the crispy skin, crunching the small bones.
"Overcooked 'em," he declared, waving the rest of his stick in Karin's direction.
The girl glared and her fist trembled at her side, and Juugo wondered curiously if she was going to hit the other shinobi again, even though it did not appear to have an affect on Suigetsu last time. Instead, she made a dismissive noise with her tongue and teeth and turned back to the fire to lift another rack of fish from the flames.
"You eat your fish raw, so what would you know about cooking?" she said scornfully, then her harsh expression melted into a smile as she raised the rack into the air and called out to their...well, Juugo supposed he was their leader now, no matter how strange that seemed.
"Sasuke-sama, come have dinner! I made it special for you."
Uchiha Sasuke sat apart from their little group, carefully cleaning his sword. Juugo wasn't sure what he thought of the boy for whom Kimimaro had sacrificed his life, but right now it was easier to follow, and hope that this one would be able to control the urges Juugo could not seem to fight against, no matter how hard he tried.
Sasuke looked up from his sword when Karin called, but his eyes were distant, and he shrugged off her offer of food. Anyone else, Juugo expected, would have just left it at that, but Karin apparently had a death wish. She pouted and stomped over to the Uchiha, waving the rack of fish under his nose.
"Eat it," she demanded. "If we're going after this brother of yours, you're going to need to keep your strength up, you know. And it's good...look, Suigetsu ate all of his."
That was true, but Juugo was under the immediate impression that Suigetsu would eat anything put in front of him, regardless of its taste. In fact, the Mist-nin was currently eying both Juugo and Karin's portions, left over the fire, now that he'd finished his own. Quickly, Juugo retrieved his stick and started nibbling at it. He wasn't all that hungry, but he didn't want his share to get stolen either.
Meanwhile, Karin continued to lecture Sasuke on the benefits of proper nutrition, until he finally cut her off with a glare and a wave of his arm.
"Stop that. You're annoying." As soon as the words crossed Sasuke's lips, his expression changed, almost...faltered into a look of confusion. Juugo knew that look. It had often crossed the faces of his victims, right before he dug his hands into their flesh, or wet his tongue with their blood.
It was a look of vague disbelief and panic. Seeing it in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, for apparently no reason whatsoever, made Juugo nervous. What was Sasuke searching for in his quick glance at Karin's face? When she only huffed in response to his insult and walked away, what caused the relief in Sasuke's posture, the shut, closed expression of his mouth?
Or the strange twitch of Sasuke's shoulders, when Karin immediately began screeching at Suigetsu for stealing her portion of fish...
Juugo watched as Sasuke got up and walked away from the campsite--sword abandoned along with the food Karin had left by his side--and broke fishbones between his fingers, silently making a wish with each one.
'Please be strong enough.'
--
fin.
--
Author: des_butterfly
Genre: gen, ficlet
Pairings: very very subtle SasuSaku implications
Rating: PG
Summary: Sasuke and his new team stop for an hour of rest and restoration. Unfortunately, it is not so restful for Sasuke.
--
Juugo watched as Karin poked at the fish cooking over their small fire.
"Are these done yet?" she asked, lips twisting into a frown.
Juugo didn't know if she was talking to him, so he kept quiet. Fortunately, Suigetsu swooped down on the first rack of fish before she had the chance to ask again. The Mist-nin swallowed half his portion in three huge bites, sharp shark-like teeth sinking into the crispy skin, crunching the small bones.
"Overcooked 'em," he declared, waving the rest of his stick in Karin's direction.
The girl glared and her fist trembled at her side, and Juugo wondered curiously if she was going to hit the other shinobi again, even though it did not appear to have an affect on Suigetsu last time. Instead, she made a dismissive noise with her tongue and teeth and turned back to the fire to lift another rack of fish from the flames.
"You eat your fish raw, so what would you know about cooking?" she said scornfully, then her harsh expression melted into a smile as she raised the rack into the air and called out to their...well, Juugo supposed he was their leader now, no matter how strange that seemed.
"Sasuke-sama, come have dinner! I made it special for you."
Uchiha Sasuke sat apart from their little group, carefully cleaning his sword. Juugo wasn't sure what he thought of the boy for whom Kimimaro had sacrificed his life, but right now it was easier to follow, and hope that this one would be able to control the urges Juugo could not seem to fight against, no matter how hard he tried.
Sasuke looked up from his sword when Karin called, but his eyes were distant, and he shrugged off her offer of food. Anyone else, Juugo expected, would have just left it at that, but Karin apparently had a death wish. She pouted and stomped over to the Uchiha, waving the rack of fish under his nose.
"Eat it," she demanded. "If we're going after this brother of yours, you're going to need to keep your strength up, you know. And it's good...look, Suigetsu ate all of his."
That was true, but Juugo was under the immediate impression that Suigetsu would eat anything put in front of him, regardless of its taste. In fact, the Mist-nin was currently eying both Juugo and Karin's portions, left over the fire, now that he'd finished his own. Quickly, Juugo retrieved his stick and started nibbling at it. He wasn't all that hungry, but he didn't want his share to get stolen either.
Meanwhile, Karin continued to lecture Sasuke on the benefits of proper nutrition, until he finally cut her off with a glare and a wave of his arm.
"Stop that. You're annoying." As soon as the words crossed Sasuke's lips, his expression changed, almost...faltered into a look of confusion. Juugo knew that look. It had often crossed the faces of his victims, right before he dug his hands into their flesh, or wet his tongue with their blood.
It was a look of vague disbelief and panic. Seeing it in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, for apparently no reason whatsoever, made Juugo nervous. What was Sasuke searching for in his quick glance at Karin's face? When she only huffed in response to his insult and walked away, what caused the relief in Sasuke's posture, the shut, closed expression of his mouth?
Or the strange twitch of Sasuke's shoulders, when Karin immediately began screeching at Suigetsu for stealing her portion of fish...
Juugo watched as Sasuke got up and walked away from the campsite--sword abandoned along with the food Karin had left by his side--and broke fishbones between his fingers, silently making a wish with each one.
'Please be strong enough.'
--
fin.
--