Naruto: Season of Fall

Sasuke was not particularly fond of Fall.

It was between Summer and Winter, the leaves changed color, and it was crisp outside. That summed up his opinion of the time of year, truthfully. But other than that, he seriously couldn't have cared less. It wasn't really that he didn't like it, but he didn't love it either. It was just there, and it passed by like all the other seasons. In short, Fall was just one of Sasuke's many objects of indifference.

He didn't know what the big deal was about it, either. Poets ranting and raving about the beauty and the elegance of the falling leaves, of the symbolism of the trees becoming bare with each passing October. It just didn't appeal to him. So the leaves turned red. Big deal. It's not like it really mattered. It was all just part of a cycle, and somehow, the boy could not find the beauty in it.

That afternoon, he decided to take one of his walks in a park nearby. He did that quite often, actually. It wasn't so much as he wanted to, say, take in the scenery, but more to just... brood. Because, of course, that's what Sasuke does. To the people around him, it looks like he's deep in thought. In truth, however, once in a while he just spaced out. Normally there wasn't a lot of people in the area in the late afternoon; that was one of the reasons he liked it so much. It was rather peaceful. So he was suprised, of course, when he saw Naruto sitting quietly on a bench, seemingly perfectly content staring at nothing.

"Oi," Sasuke greeted, waving his hand casually.

Glancing upward, Naruto blinked a moment and smiled at the onlooker. "Hey."

Taking a seat beside Naruto, Sasuke looked in the same direction Naruto was staring at before. "What are you looking at?"

Naruto nodded towards the scene in front of him. "Over there."

Sasuke stared. A few yards away, there was a gigantic oak tree standing tall in a clearing. Its many, long branches stretched out from it, leaves adorning nearly every inch of its top. On occasion, the odd leaf or two fell from it, gently floating to the ground.

"So? A tree. That's what you were looking at?" Sasuke asked him.

Naruto shook his head. "Not just the tree. The leaves on it; isn't it kind of nice?"

Glancing back again, Sasuke supposed he could see why Naruto appreciated the sight. The leaves were every shade of reds and oranges imaginable, speckled with yellow and brown in between. It was like a canvas of colors just splattered every which way onto the surface of nature's image, manifesting themselves into this one sight before him.

"The falling leaves," Naruto continued quietly, "seem kind of lonely to me. I mean, it's wonderful while it lasts, but after a few weeks into the season, all the trees are left bare. It's kind of sad. It's not as beautiful anymore."

Starting, Naruto laughed nervously. "But I'm just babbling. Y'know? It's just a tree."

Sasuke stayed silent a moment. "The falling leaves," he mused, "are often percieved as sad or lonely. But when you think about it, it's just another part of thier lives. There's no emotional attatchment to them, they're only objects once they fall."

"But before that, they're alive," Naruto pointed out. "I wonder why they have to die."

"To bring in a new generation, I suppose," Sasuke said mildly, "Like people."

Naruto took in this theory and murmured, "That's kind of sad."

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, like you said, they're just trees."

Suddenly, Naruto stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "Come on," He said, reaching out for Sasuke's hand. Confused, Sasuke reluctantly took it, and an instant later found himself being pulled roughly by the blonde.

"Naruto, what are you-"

Naruto gathered a handful of leaves in his hands at the base of the giant oak tree. He playfully threw them in Sasuke's hair, gleefully laughing at the sight of the indignant Uchiha covered in leaves. Sasuke smirked slightly, and gathered up more leaves and shoved them onto Naruto's head. Naruto rolled around in the leaves, flurries of reds, oranges and yellows rising in his wake. In spite of himself, Sasuke laughed a little too. Sasuke sat on the grass as well, his quiet smile oblivious to the blond, who was pulling leaves from his hair. Naruto turned, and upon seeing Sasuke's barely hidden grin, smiled wider.

Sasuke realized that Fall was, indeed, rather beautiful. If only for this moment.