All good things...
Title: When the house falls down (14/14)
Author: sowell
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, violence, character death, general lack of hearts and rainbows, um....melodrama? Also, spoilers up through manga issue 418, both in fic and author's notes. Cheerfully ignores everything post-418, which is rapidly rendering this fic AU. Possible spoilers for later ( Read more... )
Anyhow, I loved the ending. It was very very well written, and had such a whimsical quality to it: the dream scene at the beginning sent shudders down my spine. Itachi's last words were very memorable, and I loved how you described him.
I'm really glad that you had some Sasuke-Sakura interaction in this chapter. I like how you portrayed Sakura; she was so understanding, gentle and mature. And it made me glad that Sasuke showed respect and gratitude towards her.
I really want to praise you for your portrayal of Kakashi. He's so IC here. And the passages that contained him want to made me laugh. This one amused me especially:
Kakashi checks out the next day, after making a miraculous recovery that has Sakura scratching her head and Sasuke fairly convinced that he was faking half his symptoms just so he could observe the trial.
I think it's very Kakashi to fake symptoms just to achieve his hands. Canon has always portrayed Kakashi as being manipulative, and not beyond low tricks. You did a great job of showing that! In a similar vein, I loved his interaction with Sasuke in this chapter; he wasn't overly kind to Sasuke, gave him his two cents and yet, there was that understanding between them that only these two could have of each other. I think I once mentioned that I Kakashi is only one of the few people to really see Sasuke for what he is. He has no illusions about him, and that's what makes his interactions with Sasuke so interesting. In a way, he's also what Sasuke could become, if he just realised that the world doesn't revolve around him, and the betrayal. I kind of love Kakashi too much, can't you tell?
The trial scene was quite amusing, to be the truth. A lot of people always make it very serious and what not, but you were one of the first to add a humourou touch to it. All those little details of Naruto losing his patience, Sasuke wanting to deny that he'd ever forgive the elders, Kakashi spilling his glass “accidentally” and Sakura setting everything right made me laugh. And Tsunade calling Danzo a “stupid coot” was awesome. You really did a fantastic job at it, and your explanations as to why Sasuke why should be set free were very convincing. Or better said, Tsunade was very convincing.
Last but not least, I loved the Naruto and Sasuke scenes. I loved how you started off with the banter, and then showed that Naruto - which struck as something he would do - was actually willing to let Sasuke go. I loved that Sasuke realised how vulnerable Naruto was, and made him understand that he wouldn't leave. It touched me a lot; a lot more than any kissing scenes or eternal proclamations of “I love you” would have done. I just know that in this story at least, things between them can only change for the better.
Your writing style is really wonderful. You add so many little details (the rebuilding thing with the children, and how it symbolised the rebuilding of Naruto and Sasuke's friendship was quite something) in a very skilful way. And I just love how your style flows. And of course, your characterisation is to die for.
Yeah, that's all I can say. Thank you for having shared this! I don't think I've ever written such a long review before, and it quite scares me. But then, it shows how much I really did love this story.
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Yay! That's so nice to hear. Fic can keep me in a fandom YEARS after canon has stopped interesting me.
Itachi's last words were very memorable, and I loved how you described him.
I think - stripped of all the circumstances he had to deal with - that Itachi probably would have been a pretty good guy.
And it made me glad that Sasuke showed respect and gratitude towards her.
The Sakura-Sasuke scene was sort of a replay of their scene in the first chapter, but with a lot more gentleness between them. I like that he can express things to her that he wouldn't to anyone else, including Naruto.
Regarding Kakashi...he's probably my favorite individual character. He's manipulative, but not mean. And Kakashi basically WAS Sasuke when he was younger. He was cold and arrogant and totally self-centered. So I think he understands Sasuke better than anyone, and can actually assess his character with a clear head. I love Kakashi too much as well. :)
All those little details of Naruto losing his patience, Sasuke wanting to deny that he'd ever forgive the elders, Kakashi spilling his glass “accidentally” and Sakura setting everything right made me laugh.
I figured it was sort of a foregone conclusion at that point - for the characters and for the readers - that Sasuke would be forgiven. So I could have some fun with it. :)
It touched me a lot; a lot more than any kissing scenes or eternal proclamations of “I love you” would have done. I just know that in this story at least, things between them can only change for the better.
That's EXACTLY the feeling I was hoping to leave people with. I tend to leave my fics somewhat open-ended, so I didn't want to shove them into a relationship. But I wanted people to see that they were going to be all right.
the rebuilding thing with the children, and how it symbolised the rebuilding of Naruto and Sasuke's friendship was quite something
Thanks! That's my favorite paragraph in the fic, and where I took the title from. :)
Thank you so much for the thoughtful review. All your reviews, really, have been awesome, and I found myself looking forward to them every time I posted a chapter. Thanks again!
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It's everything any Naruto fan could ever ask for in a fic which such a intriguing plot and beautiful resolution it's sad to see it end.
This is the kind of fic I've been waiting to read again and after months of having mediocre fic and other hits and misses I'm ecstatic to have have found this. ^_^
Truly this is one of the best Naruto fics I've ever read (And I've been reading them for a few years now) and not just for the SasuNaru, but just everything about it. It's overwhelming and emotional and just brilliant. Definitely adding this to my memories. Again a masterpiece if there ever was one and I look forward to reading your other fics as well.
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Truly this is one of the best Naruto fics I've ever read (And I've been reading them for a few years now) and not just for the SasuNaru, but just everything about it.
Thank you so much! That's a crazy nice compliment. I have some other Naruto fic in my memories, and I just posted a one-shot follow up to this yesterday. Enjoy!
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