I’m back

   The snow dripped upon the rim of a tall figure’s hat. Beneath the shadow of the rim, blood red eyes shone brightly. Eyes of knowledge and brilliance. But eyes of pain and regret nevertheless. The stranger walked with slow steady steps, his body swaying as if lost and unsure. The stranger flung down his hat and left it behind in the snow as he continued to walk. The white snow fell upon his ebony hair, upon his black-cloaked shoulder. His white pale skin seemed to blend with the snow. This stranger was trying to find his way.

   He stopped walking and looked behind him at the trail of footprints imprinted on the snow. Something stirred within him. A voice. He could hear it as though the speaker was beside him. A girl’s voice. Soft and kind. He could hear laughter that sounded like bells in the wind. Laughter that brought the sun out from behind the gray skies. He struggled to remember, but as quickly as it came, the voice disappeared.

The stranger continued to walk. Again, a fading memory turned in his mind. He could make out a figure of a girl, but the features were too blurred. He could hear that voice again. Then he saw a flash of white. A lovely soft white. He could see the girl’s smile. A smile that caressed his own lips to curve. But again, the memory faded away.

   So the stranger moved on, trudging ankle-deep in the snow. Water touched his face gently, and for a moment, he thought it was rain. But no…they were tears. His own tears. There was something he was missing. Something he had forgotten. Another flash of white startled him. He could see a bit more clearly now. The flash of white, that beautiful white, they were the white color of her eyes. The eyes that had enthralled and entranced him. He saw her sweet face looking at him, a smile upon her lips. Eyes filled with the love that echoed his own love. He heard her voice. He saw those lovely lips move. “Come back.”

   Her warm hands took his own cold ones, and raised them to her lips. She lowered his hands and stared back into his eyes. “Come back, Sasuke.” And at those last words, she faded away, a ghost of a memory.

   His feet seemed to fly, running faster than he ever had. He ignored the painful sharp cold air entering his lungs, for it all didn’t matter. He had to go back. The cold wet snow seeped through his clothes, through his shoes, but he ignored it. He had to go back.

   City lights came into view, and he continued to run with incredible speed. Past innocent people living innocent lives, past familiar faces with a familiar past. Finally he was there.

   It was night and the moon shone upon a large white marble stone. A stone etched carefully with the words: “Hyuuga Hinata. This one loved all. And all loved this one. May she rest in peace upon the moment her heart’s true love comes back.”

   His shaking knees sank into the snow. His tears dripped from his blood red eyes, streaming down his face like the saddest long river. His white hands trembled as he touched the gravestone. His heart sobbed and tore apart. Pain filled every vein in his body. The sorrow and agony of seeing this snow white stone before him, knowing who it belonged to. That it belonged to the girl who had called to him. The girl he so very loved. His voice choked out soundless words. Sasuke swallowed and tried again. “Hinata, I’m sorry I took so long. I’m finally back.”