A Rose By Any Other Name (A Sasuke Uchiha Story)

Chapter 7.

The idea of that dream had always haunted her.

Whether she hadn’t been able to do it because she was weak, or whether she just had the sense and strength to turn her back on it and focus on moving on, she didn’t know. But she understood too well the dream—the overwhelming desire—for revenge. To think of nothing but that individual’s downfall; to know that you had caused them the utmost pain. The one thing that you dreamed of every night and fought desperately to obtain. But she hadn’t followed through with it—she remained here, meditating and thinking over things, living her life as normal. It wasn’t as if she didn’t think about it anymore, because she did—alot. It was why she often meditated; to keep her anger in check. But she had never managed to come up with an answer to her question—

Should she go after him or not?

After all he had done, he deserved it, that was for sure, and she wanted it so much. When she fought, it was his face she imagined on her enemies. When she trained, punching through trees and smashing the ground…it was the memory of what he had done that gave her the power to cause so much destruction. But in order to go after him, she would have to leave it all behind. It wasn’t the idea of leaving the village and the people that was the main concern, however; it was her father’s legacy. That was what remained, and she constantly debated with herself as to whether she could simply walk away from it. While she did so, time had passed, and by now…well, he could be on the other side of the world, having changed so much about himself and what he did to the point where it would take years to find him and enact her revenge. For all she knew she had lost her chance—but still, the dream didn’t fade. It may have been dormant, sleeping…but it was still there, and a sliver of hope stayed with the idea that one day she would finally complete it. It was why she continued to train so hard.

It must have been the same with Sasuke.

He was so determined; she had been able to see it in his eyes when she had been following him—though not at the moment. She had been so lost in her thoughts he had wandered off without her, and she could only stand there, her eyes closed as she faced the expanse of forest in front of her from the top of the hill. Being an Uchiha, he had come from Konoha, that was for sure, and ultimately he must have left all he had behind. Unlike her, however, it mustn’t have been as hard a decision, and he focused on nothing but his dream. It explained his attitude, of course; he wanted to do it alone, and therefore no one could get in his way. He could go to other people for a reason that allowed him to further his training, but it wouldn’t ever be something that would last—and for more than one reason. There was the factor of a relationship in general; after having someone betray you and give you cause for revenge, the idea of getting close to someone wasn’t something you were likely to accept and desire. She felt the same, and continued to push those around her away—regardless of whether they wanted to help her or not.

Sighing, she opened her eyes to reveal the sun finally taking its place in the sky above the trees, able to see the whole horizon from the hill. Lowering her gaze for a moment, she frowned as she contemplated the situation, knowing what was going on but uncertain as to whether she should continue on this path. She was interested in this kid—she couldn’t deny it. Sure, she thought he was arrogant and a bit of dick, when it came down to it—but there was something behind it all that she connected with completely and felt as if she could understand him better than anyone out there could. She was curious as to his background and his general personality; he had finally caught her attention—and in more of a good way this time. She still didn’t like him, and wasn’t about to approach him with an offer of friendship and trust or anything…but she wanted to learn more.