#THEY WROTE IT AND DREW 3 CUSTOM COVERS FOR IT FOR EACH CHAPTER BECAUSE THERE ARE 3 CHAPTERS IN THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!

[marciaillust]

I feel like I missed something, what is Asterism?

Hi! Aaaaaa I guess I never explained it in an accessible way, I talked about it during livestreams but it's not like these are out there forever

Looooong story short, my best friend is a writer! Additionally they are my confidant and know the plot of The Clockmaster, my webcomic, through and through. So! I commissioned them to write me a Clockmaster fanfic(?) based off of the Superhero Au that we cooked up. My friend is a bit of a perfectionist and very diligent when it comes to their craft and they spent a year writing this story. It ended up being 42k (I comissioned them for 10k)! 42k is literally the length of The Great Gatsby, so I suggested that we should toootally print it and make a book out of it, just for ourselves as a memento. They let me draw the cover for it!

Asterism is the title of the story! :) So tl;dr Asterism is a 42k The Clockmaster fanfic written by my best friend I am so so lucky to have been born just in time to be this person's best friend. Also it feels weird calling it a fanfic? It's a custom made work of art for my eyes only, my golden chalice, my black diamond, the divine balm for my brain and ambrosia for my eyes-

[oneyanderegirl]

The Disease of Unrequited Love Chapter 3

This is for Sasuhina Renaissance Week 2018! Not sure how long this story is going to be, so hope you all enjoy the ride like I will be. I haven’t written in a while, so apologies for any mistakes. I’ll probably end up rewriting this someday because I didn’t like how I wrote in some parts, but for now please enjoy the story~

“ Confess to him.”

Hinata choked on her tea.

Winter had arrived not too long ago. It was stormy outside with harsh snowfall. The birds had already migrated south for the rest of the season. None of the villagers could be seen outside due to the snowstorm. Konoha weather was simply too harsh for people to venture far. Despite this, Sasuke and Hinata still held their morning routines. When the weather got too cold, they would stay inside. Sometimes she would stay over, despite the protests from her clan. When she did, Sasuke would bring over pillows and blankets to the living room for the both of them to sleep in. Eventually, rumors had spread amongst the village about the two shinobis and their little affair.

Neither of them cared though.

They enjoyed each other’s company. It was a time where they could relax and be normal without being on guard. Afterall, being a shinobi meant carrying the risk of dying everywhere they went. There was always a chance of dying no matter how strong one was. In addition, the two had to deal with the stress of being from the Uchiha and Hyuga. Sasuke was treated as an outcast by most due to the violent history of his clan and also carried the burden of having been a rogue shinobi in the past, while Hinata was forced to follow the many traditions and customs held by her clan and the expectations that was required of her. As strange as it was, the two found peace in one another.

Hinata truly valued his company and friendship. Sasuke shared these feelings as well.

But it wasn’t enough.

He craved for her. He wanted her. Sometimes he wished for the courage to tell her to stay with him forever. Other times, he wished that he could steal her away and keep her all to himself. Sasuke wanted more than friendship. He wanted a lover. He wanted Hinata to love him.

But he knew it was impossible.

“ I already confessed to him before.” She answered.

“ You’re dying, Sasuke.”

Sasuke looked at Tsunade with slight confusion. The blonde woman sat next to him while he was sitting in the hospital bed. After that incident in the shower, he had decided to ask her to check on his body despite his hatred for the hospital. He had hated them ever since he was a child. It reminded him too much of his dead clan.

“ What are you talking about.” He demanded.  

“ Confess to him again.” He replied.

Hinata gave him an annoyed look as she blushed in embarrassment.

He continued to drink his tea.

“ I-I can’t!” She stammered.

“ Why not?”

“ I already know the answer,” She sighed.

“ He never gave you a response. Confess to him again, so that he can give you a proper answer,”

“ Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun is your friend isn’t he? You already know who he likes. There’s no point in putting him in a difficult position.” She explained.

This time he looked straight into her eyes.

“ You will never move on until you get a proper answer. I know you, Hyuga. You’re always going to be stuck in one place wondering the what ifs and maybes. Do not be stupid and keep yourself unhappy because you think you’re okay with pretending that this is an acceptable situation. That blonde idiot may be stupid, but even he will understand your feelings. He’ll give you an answer, but only if you tell him how you actually feel. ”

Hinata had no response to that.  

They both sat in silence drinking their tea. He could hear the wind howl outside and see the snow starting to worsen. It seemed like Hinata was going to end up staying over again.

He stood up to gather the blankets and pillows in his room. When he returned, he could see Hinata had started painting again. He laid them on the floor and couch so that they could sleep later when it was night time. When he finished, he took the metal tray off the table near them to make more tea. He added new tea leaves, the ones that Hinata had brought over, and made a fresh batch. Once the tea had finished, he returned to their spot and pour it into the teacups.

She was painting flowers again.

He watched her.

The delicate strokes that she carefully drew over the canvas were mesmerizing to watch. It was like watching someone dance. The way her eyes became focused on the painting, the way her back would become a bit straighter, and the way her hands would move the paintbrush were all something that Sasuke found interesting to watch.

If he could, he would want to be like this forever.

“ And what is this disease that I have?” He finally asked her.

Tsunade gently placed the clipboard on the table before sitting back down to face him. Taking her hand, she softly ran her fingers through the untied parts of her blonde hair before letting out another sigh.

“ The disease is called Hanahaki, the disease of unrequited love.”

He reached out to gently tug on her midnight blue strands, carefully moving them to let it flow on her back. Her hair felt silky and soft in his fingers. He let go when all of her hair was finally on her backside.

Hinata glanced at him.

He didn’t realized how close he had moved to her.

“ I didn’t want your hair to get in the way.”

She gave him a gentle smile.

“ Thank you.” She softly replied before turning back to continue painting.

She didn’t notice the breath that Sasuke had held.

He quickly returned to his spot.

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“ Sasuke-kun, do you like anyone right now?”

It was midnight. Hinata was laying on the couch with sleepy eyes, while he was laying on the floor. The wind had picked up and the snow had become thicker. The wind was so loud it had banged the windows like a drum without stopping. It made it difficult for either of them to sleep.

“ This emotion, when felt strongly enough, can create this disease. Your chakra becomes disrupted and starts to attack its own body, creating these flower-shaped tissue. The petals, as most people call it, start off as the color white. However, as the disease starts to consume your body, these petals grow darker in color until it becomes as dark as wine. The color comes from your blood, meaning the darker it becomes the more the chakra has destroyed your body. When the petals become the color of wine, it means your life will finally come to an end, and you will die.”

“ No.” He lied.

He heard her let out a soft yawn.

“ If...if you did and you knew she didn’t love you back, what would you do?” She sleepily asked.

Sasuke sat up and looked at the girl. Her eyes were closed, letting him see her long and pretty lashes. Her hair was spread out all along her pillow. Her skin was pale, but her lips were pink and delicate looking. She was dressed in a large black T-shirt with the blankets covering most her body.

She looked beautiful.

“ I would protect her and make sure she is happy,” He answered.

“ Would you ever confess to her? Even if you knew she didn’t like you?”

“ What's the cure then?” He asked.

Tsunade looked at him with her honey-colored eyes. It held a mixture of wariness, fatigue, and an emotion he couldn’t make out. He knew it was pointless in asking, but he wanted to know regardless.

“ The only cure for this disease is if the person you love returns those same feelings. However, if this occurs by the time your petals have turned to the color of wine, the chances of you surviving will be very low. In fact, it may be too late by then.

The other, less difficult option, is to forget about her. It won’t completely cure it, but it will slow down the progression of the disease enough for you live a long life. If  you want to live then you should forget about her or see if she feels the same way.”

Sasuke knew he couldn’t do either.

“ Yes.”

He lied again.

They stayed in silence. The snowstorm continued to rage through the village.

The only cure for this disease is if the person you love returns those same feelings.  

After a few moments, Hinata finally spoke again.

“ I’m...I’m planning to confess to Naruto-kun. I’m going to do it before New Years.” She quietly said.

Sasuke gently placed his hand on her head and started rubbing it.

The other, less difficult option, is to forget about her.

“ I’ll be here.” He answered her unspoken question.

“ Thank you, Sasuke-kun.” She whispered.

“ Go to sleep, Hyuga.” He told her.

If you want to live then you should forget about her or see if she feels the same way.

She gave a slight smile to him.

“ Good night, Sasuke-kun.”

“ Good night, Hinata.” He whispered.

She didn’t hear him.

You should forget about her.

He continued to watch her sleep as his hand gently rubbed her head. When he was sure she was finally asleep, he took his hand off. Leaning his head towards her until their foreheads were touching, he closed his eyes to let the peaceful moment between them sink in.

She felt warm.

You’re dying, Sasuke.

His body burned again.

The disease is called Hanahaki, the disease of unrequited love.

Leaving her, he quietly ran to the bathroom to vomit. After what felt like an eternity, he went to clean himself off. When he finally finished, he collapsed in exhaustion onto the floor with his pillow and blankets. His chest was still in pain, but he ignored it.

Because the pain wasn’t from the disease.  

When the petals become the color of wine, it means your life will finally come to an end, and you will die.

He let out a frustrated sigh before closing his eyes to sleep.

You will die.

The petals had become a darker shade of pink.

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