Skeletons in the Closet, Chapter Seven
Skeletons in the Closet
Chapter Seven
By: Lazuli
PG-13
Slight SasuxNaru (wow, have you guys been waiting long for this?) Um, slight spoilers for the Valley of the End fight, but I twisted it a bit to my own liking so it's not too horrifically spoilerific. Naruto still doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!
"Little.. brother?" Sasuke looked up at the man, confused at the way he was addressed. He didn't have an older brother-or any siblings for that matter. Who was …? He shook his head as if to clear it, to make things make sense again.
"You've forgotten…" The voice was amused and the figure stepped closer to him, eyes glinting with a private humor. "You're no longer an Uchiha…yet you come here and revisit the place-the people you had a hand in destroying." His lips curved into an amused smile. "I always knew you were a masochist, but this is just really too much…"
Sasuke scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to look imposing-after all this stranger-I don't know him, I don't… was in his home, accusing him-any words he was about to say came out in a choked gasp as the man moved to the side, revealing what he had been hiding. Two bodies… familiar, you know who they are lay across the ground, hands stretched out towards him as if pleading, accusation written over their faces.
"You blamed me for the end of our clan-but your crime was far worse." Sasuke tore his gaze away from the bodies, a stunned expression settling in his eyes. "You were the last one left-and yet you chose to end it all-by throwing your life away for a demon that died soon after. All your efforts were wasted-you died for no reason at all." He stalked forward. "You ended the Uchiha name for no purpose-"
Sasuke shook his head fiercely, head clearing from the fog that had settled in it. "I didn't kill them!" His voice had a hysterical note in it. "I wasn't the one that killed the family for power!"
"No… I did that." His brother-Itachi-smirked at him. "You just tried to kill your only friend for the sake of power. You realized the true purpose of having someone close to you. Pity that you didn't succeed.. the Uchiha name might still be alive today-and revered instead of shunned."
Sasuke snarled at him, hands clenching into fists. "You are the reason why no one remembers the Uchiha clan, expect with disgust." He wanted to kill him-wanted to hurt him, wanted to end all of this-"You're the one who killed everyone, you're the one who's hatred reached out so far-you're the one…" His voice broke on the words as he fell to his knees, so close-oh so close to the bodies of the people he once knew…
"Who won in the end?" Itachi smirked. "And who is the one who lets nightmares torment him still, even when the past happened so long ago that it is only a dim memory in the minds of people?" His laugh was low and rolled across Sasuke's senses. He covered his ears with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt like he was eight years old again, and his brother taunting him for being too weak to kill. To run away…
"That's right, little brother. You can always run-you can run from me, from your nightmares-from the truth." He smirked. "But it's a spiral-no matter how much you run-you'll always end back up at the center of it all."
Sasuke shook his head, tears building up in his eyes. "That's the past." He whispered. "I've gotten over it. I killed you." At the sudden realization, his head snapped up and his eyes blazed, focusing on his long-hated brother. "I killed you!" He shouted. "I avenged our family, I've made up for the past." His hands trembled as he moved forward, tackling Itachi. "You're just a nightmare! You're not real!"
Itachi's laughter echoed in his head as tangled his hands in the cloak he wore, and he sobbed as he repeated his words. "You're dead…you're dead…" His eyes were closed but his hands felt the texture of the clothing as it changed underneath him.
Opening startled eyes he saw Naruto, blood running down one side of his face, chest rising and falling in pained gasps. One of Sasuke's hands was through Naruto's chest and he choked again, ripping his hand out and staring in horror at the blood that covered his hands, the body of his friend laying on the ground in front of him, blue eyes vacant and glassy as they stared up at the cloud-filled sky.
~
Sasuke woke up abruptly, a scream choking off in his throat as his mind realized it was awake. His heart pounded erratically and he took several deep breaths to try and slow it down. That nightmare was too real. He felt sweat running down the back of his shirt and he grimaced at the stickiness of it. Not as sticky as…I think I'm going to be sick…He thought grimly. No more grisly stories about people being murdered in the place you live in.
The last part of the nightmare had to be the worst part-him with Naruto's blood all over his hands-him being the reason why Naruto died. He felt he bile rise in his throat and he barely made it into the bathroom in time. Rinsing out his mouth, he stared at the image in the bathroom mirror and didn't recognize his own image for a moment. He dreamt that he was Uchiha Sasuke-that much was certain. Having the older Uchiha address him as little brother…"Itachi…" He murmured. "Didn't Naruto mention something about Itachi before?" It sounded vaguely familiar, and he supposed he could just ask Naruto, but he held off on it. He wasn't sure if he could explain it.
The rest of the 'message' was weird. As if he knew that he was Sensu Sasuke-but still treated him as Uchiha Sasuke. He shrugged it off. Dreams were weird at the best of times, and with all that he had absorbed in the past few days, it was no wonder his mind filled in the gaps the way it did.
Thinking I'm Uchiha Sasuke. He scoffed. Naruto wouldn't like to hear that. That's why he never showed me those pictures in the first place, because this was something that would happen. He didn't think the ghost would have predicted those nightmares, but putting the idea in his head was bound to stir up trouble. And it would only hurt Naruto if he started acting that way. He resolved to keep it to himself, not aware of the presence watching him the entire time.
~
Naruto paced back and forth, hoping that Sasuke wouldn't ask any questions, wouldn't wonder. That he'd just put it off to weird dreams and leave it at that. He wasn't sure he could answer any questions about Itachi without giving something away, to talk about what occurred so long ago-to talk about what Sasuke experienced and was remembering all over again. These were the dreams that Neji had warned Naruto about-it wasn't just slips in behavior, weird déjà vu-it was something that could blow up into a more serious situation.
And what are you going to do about it, Naruto? It's not like you can stop the dreams, it's not like you can send him away-you can only hope for the best. Didn't you want to apologize to him? Maybe you can eventually. Maybe he'll have a moment where he's so out of it that I can get an apology in.
He immediately felt guilty for wanting to wish more confusion on this Sasuke. Even if he had those 'moments' all of his life, he could tell this Sasuke was becoming increasingly unbalanced as to what he felt, what he dreamt about. As Neji said-pieces of him were pulling apart, reforming and trying to overshadow the new part of Sasuke. The part that got a second chance. He grimaced and wished that he was still alive and he could go to the Hokage and-
He nearly hit his head at his own stupidity. He was a previous Hokage-and even as a ghost, there were ways of finding out information that he normally wouldn't have access to. Going to a long unused portion of the apartment-one that even Sasuke hadn't been able to get into-he pulled out some of the old scrolls.
~
Well, he couldn't seal away anything-because there wasn't anything to really seal away-and he was a ghost and already in debt to the Shinigami. He could just try and suppress his memories-but suppressed memories usually cropped up in dreams and then he'd be right back where he started from. Or I could just tell him the truth. He dismissed that idea right off. There had to be another solution.
That was assuming that Sasuke was going to come forth with any questions. He'd stopped being so nosy that now that he'd gained a few answers, but he could read Sasuke too well-reincarnated soul or not. There were things that made up Sasuke that transcended time and rebirth and all that other weird shit.
He came here for a purpose, Neji said-that Naruto wasn’t the only one who wanted to clear up mistakes that happened in the past. Not that he got that out of Sasuke-but Neji could read all sorts of things with his eyes and Naruto trusted him for it. They hadn't been the closest of people growing up, but in that last year-Neji had become an invaluable resource for information. He was the one who originally hinted at the idea of Naruto still being able to protect Konoha, even after he died-because of the Kyuubi.
And here he was-and he thanked whatever higher forces that was up there that Sasuke didn't remember any of his death. He had a feeling that would be the last straw. It was only natural for his mind to make the jump from learning about the Uchiha massacre, to remembering it, to put his own mind there when he found out he looked so much like Uchiha Sasuke.
He just wish it didn't hurt so much-all of his emotions frizzled on the surface now, unable to find an outlet. He couldn't explain, couldn't tell Sasuke so many things. And it didn't exactly help having Sakura there. He could feel the bond between the three of them-even if it was fractured and distorted by time and death. The way she looked-it brought back so many memories, good and bad. He was happy that he got to see her again-he had been surprised that she was still alive at all. The old hag must have taught her some interesting tricks. He thought over her appearance for a moment and couldn’t help his smile.
It had eased the loneliness a bit, to have someone there who grew up with him and understood him-and could see the good of Sasuke being happy and… well adjusted with his new life. It was nice to have friends back again, joking and teasing each other-he noticed, as Sakura probably noticed-how easy Sasuke fit in with them again. With al the problems they had, all the misunderstandings at the end-they still reacted well to one another.
Those were the type of memories that he wanted Sasuke to have-even if they were faint.. if he had to have any memories at all from a past that was no longer his, he wanted them to be nicer memories than all the pain he went through. Including at the very end…
Naruto closed his eyes and prayed that Sasuke would never remember that. He relived it as he relived his own death at times, and it wasn't something anyone needed to experience again, even through the filtering nature of dreams.
~
Sasuke rested his cheek on one hand, barely able to focus in on the teacher and his words. Getting back to sleep last night hadn't been easy, and what sleep he had gotten was peppered with odd fragments of the nightmares he had earlier that night. He was more pale than usual, and a few people had stopped to ask if he was alight.
He was jolted out of his dozing state by Kuri poking him in the side. "Do you think that Naruto will allow that?" She whispered to him. He stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about. What did Naruto have to do with anything in the class?
She rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening to the teacher?" She asked, exasperated. When he shook his head, she gave a small laugh. "Well, you look a little tired, so I guess that's okay." Her lips quirked up. "The professor arranged it with the Hokage of Konoha to have us visit some of the surrounding areas of the village. Not really go deep into the villager or anything-but we're going to go to the area where the village was first formed. It's supposed to be a really good point in the lecture-and to show how important our connection with Konoha is."
He blinked at that and considered. "Naruto probably wouldn't mind." He said after a moment of consideration. "As long as we don't go through the Uchiha estate-he won't even notice or care." He wanted to lay down his head again and fall back asleep. "He guards from that avenue. I'm sure that it will be just fine."
~
Sasuke shaded his eyes against the sun, the bright light bouncing off the water. The sound of crashing water surrounded them and he, along with the rest of his class, was rather daunted by the imposing statues surrounding either side of the waterfall. It was a beautiful place, and the walk through the forest to reach this out of the way area had been peaceful.
This place was… so… isolated, but it was beautiful it it's own way. He stood near the middle of the small group of students as his professor lectured about the purpose of this place and how it was connected to Konohagakure. He let the words wash over him, letting them sit in the back of his mind.
"If you look at the river here, and the formations that make up the cliffs, you will see how the story of how two men fought here long ago is shown." Sasuke stifled a yawn. It sounded like it could be a really interesting story-I'll have to ask Naruto to tell me about it-but his professor recited it like someone would numbers from an accountants logs. "The river continues to flow, without ever stopping. Because of that battle, Konoha village was formed. Unity was created and people banded together to protect one another, instead of destroying each other."
He paused and gave a faint smile to his class. "Go on-explore and relax for a little while. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing my lecture when it's so nice out here!" The statement was meet by cheers and the class scattered, Sasuke being one of the last ones to move from his spot.
He walked around slowly, not resting his feet in the water as some were doing, not talking with any of the other classmates. His mind seemed to be on auto-pilot as he moved around the area. He blamed it on not sleeping the day before and tried to wake his mind up. There were scars from the battle everywhere, but some…His brow furrowed as he moved closer to the walls of the high cliffs.
"There was a battle here after the one that formed Konoha." A voice in his ear made him jump and he turned to look at his teacher in surprise. "I'll mention it to the class soon enough since it has to deal with our relationships with Konoha at this time-but I noticed your interest in some of the more… prominent scars." His gaze was wry as he gestured to the almost crater-like depressions in the sides of the canyon walls.
"About eighty… no… ninety years ago now, there was a fierce battle here between two friends. They were both very powerful, each very determined to reach their goals. One nearly died in the battle and the other left to seek his power elsewhere." His gaze flicked over the damage. "That is one of the results of a demon's power," He murmured. "It was so incredibly strong and said to have been locked into a young boy." He saw the look of shock on Sasuke's face and shook his head.
"That's all in the past, Sensu-san." He said softly. "I heard later that the same boy that fought so hard to keep his friend around later became the Rokudaime of Konohagakure." He patted Sasuke on the shoulder, leaving his to his thoughts as he continued to stare at the pits and marks that marred the general structure of the canyon walls. For him, the beauty seemed to distort at the new knowledge.
He stepped closer to the slow-moving surface of the water, staring at his reflection like he did earlier with the bathroom mirror. The current underneath moved and shifted his image, blurring the features until they were almost indistinguishable at all. A wave of dizziness came over him suddenly, and the blackness swallowed him up too quickly to provide a decent warning.
~
The clouds covered the sky thickly and he wondered, in a detached part of his mind, if it was going to rain soon. He felt a connection with the clouds, both of them holding in something that needed to be let out. He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't feel any real emotions like the clouds wouldn't release the rain they were heavy with.
He was staring across at Naruto, who almost wasn't recognizable. The red charka was visible and flaring around him, hiding his friend from his view. His friend-he kept that in the back of his mind, hoping.. somewhere, somehow-that Naruto understood why he was doing this. He had to understand-Naruto was the only one who ever understood a piece of what he went through, even if he was too blind, too ignorant to realize the rest.
Feeling his lips pull back in a snarl, he readied his attack to finish off Naruto once and for all. To end the only connection he cared about, to sever his ties to Konoha forever. There would be no one welcoming him back after this, there would be no one looking to retrieve him. They would assume that if Naruto couldn't get him back, no one could. They would write him off as a lost cause. Or so he hoped.
"You don't understand!" The pain threatened to overwhelm him as the curse seal ate away at his resources, took chunks out of his soul. It became easier and easier to forget that Naruto was his friend and that he never actually wanted to kill him before, no matter how much the idiot annoyed him. "I have to do this, Naruto. I have to defeat him." This Naruto wasn't listening, though-this Naruto was angry and determined-as if all the determination that had carried him through all their earlier missions combined into this one. And for Sasuke?
"You are the one that doesn’t understand!" Naruto snarled and the aura seemed to dim from him as he tried to 'reach' Sasuke. "You're one of the few people that noticed me." He got out, eyes bright with some unnamed emotion. "You and Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei… Iruka-sensei… you guys are the only ones that cared and I'm not going to let a single one of you go!"
Sasuke started at that, some sense flooding back into the blood-red Sharingan eyes. He knew what Naruto said was important… but he made his decision a long time ago. He trained and fought for this day. He had to get rid of Naruto-he was going to hold him back. The fact that Naruto wasn't helping him now was proof that he was a stumbling block in the middle of his goal. A loud, annoying and all too caring stumbling block.
It had to end now. Calling up Chidori-no matter the pain it caused to flare across his senses and make his vision go spotty, he smirked at Naruto. "But I asked for that, Naruto. It's time that we ended this." The energy that made up Chidori sparked and danced around the two of them. "Now."
~
"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!" Sasuke opened painfully heavy eyes, his body feeling like it had been beaten. He didn't recognize the face in front of him and he groaned, trying to edge away. He didn't want people staring at him. They did it too often-
"Sasuke!" He didn't realize his eyes slipped closed again and he felt several hand supporting him and now-familiar voices babbled in his ear. "Are you okay? What happened?" That was Kuri's voice and she sounded the most worried and he tried to tell her it was just because… because… Actually he didn't know why he passed out.
"I don't think Sensu-san has been sleeping." Another helpful voice piped up. "He looked wasted when he came into school today. I thought he was going to drop in the hallway!" He was propped against a tree and with the shade cooling his face, he felt it was safe to open his eyes all the way again and not be blinded by the sunlight.
Kuri was peering into his face. "Are you okay, Sasuke?" She asked softly. "We saw you looking at the water and you suddenly swayed like something pushed into you-you hit the water right after that." He suddenly realized he was soaking wet. "Abira-kun jumped in after you and pulled you out before you floated who-knows-where-but you weren't breathing." Her face was pale. "What.. what happened?"
He shook his a head that still felt way too heavy and tried to focus. "I… I haven't been sleeping." The reason sounded faint to his own ears. "I guess the walk and the sun was a bit too much." He gave a faint grimace and pushed sopping wet bangs out of his eyes. "I'm sorry for running the class… trip like this."
She shook her head quickly and he was surprised to see the other members of the class looking just as worried about him. I guess it was kind of scary from their perspective. He tried to reason. Seeing one of their classmates topple over like that would have put a damper on any day. "We decided that since you know some people in Konoha already that it would okay to take you there… and they could get you home from there."
He shook his head quickly at that. "Not a chance! I won't be pawned off like some invalid." He managed a grin and tried to stay steady on his feet, but a sudden bought of dizziness nearly had him on the ground again. Gripping the tree so he wouldn't fall over he conceded. "Maybe it would be best." He said weakly. I don't think I could get there on my own.
She gave a brisk nod and pushed him down again. "Just rest there. Someone already went to get a shinobi to help you out there, since we're not really allowed in Konoha." Her expression was perplexed. "Since when did you become such a recognized person there? Most people who aren’t born there aren't really allowed inside…"
"Must be because of where I live." He tried to shrug it off as if it were no big deal, and managed a bit of a conspiratorial grin. "Or the loudmouth I live with." Her eyes widened at that and he was glad that it didn't take her too long to catch the meaning. Her eyes brightened with her smile and she shook her head. "That may be it." She nearly shoved him down onto the blanket. "Now rest." She ordered.
He nodded and she eyed him for a moment before moving away, talking to her boyfriend-the one who jumped into the river to save him. He was giving Sasuke weird looks, and he wondered what the older man he seen as he pulled Sasuke out of the water. Whatever it was, it had shook him greatly, Sasuke observed, but not really focusing on it beyond that. He let himself fall asleep again, the soft murmuring of Kuri and Abira near him soothing him.
~
When he opened his eyes, Naruto was staring down at him, shaking his head in amusement as he perched at the edge of Sasuke's bed. "You really push yourself too hard, Sasuke." His voice was thick with suppressed laugher and Sasuke couldn't prevent an annoyed look, despite his confusion.
"I don't see how taking a walk constitutes as 'pushing myself', Naruto." He tried to cross his arms over his chest, but the sudden weakness prevented him from doing so. He settled for glaring at him. "So I haven't been sleeping-it's not like it's a crime or something."
"You haven't been sleeping, idiot, because some part of your brain doesn't seem to realize that there isn't anything to protect me from, and patrolling the grounds of your home to search for enemies that aren't there is just a waste of your time." He rolled his eyes and poked Sasuke in the chest. "You were the most dangerous thing I ever faced, Sasuke. And with you being… incapacitated.. the way you are…" Here a slow smirk formed on Naruto's features. "I have to say that I'm more worried about saving your ass from tumbling over a branch than you impaling me with a kunai."
Sasuke gave him a weird look at the phrasing, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. "I'm not the one who's more likely to hurt himself…" He frowned and thought it over. "Well-not normally." He protested.
Naruto laughed and ruffled his hair, seemingly enjoying the fact that he could tease and poke at Sasuke without immediate retaliation. Sasuke felt the warmth of Naruto's hand on his forehead and he stared.
"Na…Naruto… how can you be touching me?" He reached up and grasped Naruto's hand, the first time he'd been able to do so. It was warm and solid and all together comforting. "You're.. you're supposed to be dead!"
Naruto gave him an exasperated look, moving over on the bed and pulling Sasuke next to him. "Do I feel dead to you?" He asked reasonably. "I thought we went over that, Sasuke." One hand stroked over his hair, lulling him into a false sense of security but his next words made Sasuke freeze up in shock.
"Those were only dreams."
Chapter Seven
By: Lazuli
PG-13
Slight SasuxNaru (wow, have you guys been waiting long for this?) Um, slight spoilers for the Valley of the End fight, but I twisted it a bit to my own liking so it's not too horrifically spoilerific. Naruto still doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!
"Little.. brother?" Sasuke looked up at the man, confused at the way he was addressed. He didn't have an older brother-or any siblings for that matter. Who was …? He shook his head as if to clear it, to make things make sense again.
"You've forgotten…" The voice was amused and the figure stepped closer to him, eyes glinting with a private humor. "You're no longer an Uchiha…yet you come here and revisit the place-the people you had a hand in destroying." His lips curved into an amused smile. "I always knew you were a masochist, but this is just really too much…"
Sasuke scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to look imposing-after all this stranger-I don't know him, I don't… was in his home, accusing him-any words he was about to say came out in a choked gasp as the man moved to the side, revealing what he had been hiding. Two bodies… familiar, you know who they are lay across the ground, hands stretched out towards him as if pleading, accusation written over their faces.
"You blamed me for the end of our clan-but your crime was far worse." Sasuke tore his gaze away from the bodies, a stunned expression settling in his eyes. "You were the last one left-and yet you chose to end it all-by throwing your life away for a demon that died soon after. All your efforts were wasted-you died for no reason at all." He stalked forward. "You ended the Uchiha name for no purpose-"
Sasuke shook his head fiercely, head clearing from the fog that had settled in it. "I didn't kill them!" His voice had a hysterical note in it. "I wasn't the one that killed the family for power!"
"No… I did that." His brother-Itachi-smirked at him. "You just tried to kill your only friend for the sake of power. You realized the true purpose of having someone close to you. Pity that you didn't succeed.. the Uchiha name might still be alive today-and revered instead of shunned."
Sasuke snarled at him, hands clenching into fists. "You are the reason why no one remembers the Uchiha clan, expect with disgust." He wanted to kill him-wanted to hurt him, wanted to end all of this-"You're the one who killed everyone, you're the one who's hatred reached out so far-you're the one…" His voice broke on the words as he fell to his knees, so close-oh so close to the bodies of the people he once knew…
"Who won in the end?" Itachi smirked. "And who is the one who lets nightmares torment him still, even when the past happened so long ago that it is only a dim memory in the minds of people?" His laugh was low and rolled across Sasuke's senses. He covered his ears with his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt like he was eight years old again, and his brother taunting him for being too weak to kill. To run away…
"That's right, little brother. You can always run-you can run from me, from your nightmares-from the truth." He smirked. "But it's a spiral-no matter how much you run-you'll always end back up at the center of it all."
Sasuke shook his head, tears building up in his eyes. "That's the past." He whispered. "I've gotten over it. I killed you." At the sudden realization, his head snapped up and his eyes blazed, focusing on his long-hated brother. "I killed you!" He shouted. "I avenged our family, I've made up for the past." His hands trembled as he moved forward, tackling Itachi. "You're just a nightmare! You're not real!"
Itachi's laughter echoed in his head as tangled his hands in the cloak he wore, and he sobbed as he repeated his words. "You're dead…you're dead…" His eyes were closed but his hands felt the texture of the clothing as it changed underneath him.
Opening startled eyes he saw Naruto, blood running down one side of his face, chest rising and falling in pained gasps. One of Sasuke's hands was through Naruto's chest and he choked again, ripping his hand out and staring in horror at the blood that covered his hands, the body of his friend laying on the ground in front of him, blue eyes vacant and glassy as they stared up at the cloud-filled sky.
~
Sasuke woke up abruptly, a scream choking off in his throat as his mind realized it was awake. His heart pounded erratically and he took several deep breaths to try and slow it down. That nightmare was too real. He felt sweat running down the back of his shirt and he grimaced at the stickiness of it. Not as sticky as…I think I'm going to be sick…He thought grimly. No more grisly stories about people being murdered in the place you live in.
The last part of the nightmare had to be the worst part-him with Naruto's blood all over his hands-him being the reason why Naruto died. He felt he bile rise in his throat and he barely made it into the bathroom in time. Rinsing out his mouth, he stared at the image in the bathroom mirror and didn't recognize his own image for a moment. He dreamt that he was Uchiha Sasuke-that much was certain. Having the older Uchiha address him as little brother…"Itachi…" He murmured. "Didn't Naruto mention something about Itachi before?" It sounded vaguely familiar, and he supposed he could just ask Naruto, but he held off on it. He wasn't sure if he could explain it.
The rest of the 'message' was weird. As if he knew that he was Sensu Sasuke-but still treated him as Uchiha Sasuke. He shrugged it off. Dreams were weird at the best of times, and with all that he had absorbed in the past few days, it was no wonder his mind filled in the gaps the way it did.
Thinking I'm Uchiha Sasuke. He scoffed. Naruto wouldn't like to hear that. That's why he never showed me those pictures in the first place, because this was something that would happen. He didn't think the ghost would have predicted those nightmares, but putting the idea in his head was bound to stir up trouble. And it would only hurt Naruto if he started acting that way. He resolved to keep it to himself, not aware of the presence watching him the entire time.
~
Naruto paced back and forth, hoping that Sasuke wouldn't ask any questions, wouldn't wonder. That he'd just put it off to weird dreams and leave it at that. He wasn't sure he could answer any questions about Itachi without giving something away, to talk about what occurred so long ago-to talk about what Sasuke experienced and was remembering all over again. These were the dreams that Neji had warned Naruto about-it wasn't just slips in behavior, weird déjà vu-it was something that could blow up into a more serious situation.
And what are you going to do about it, Naruto? It's not like you can stop the dreams, it's not like you can send him away-you can only hope for the best. Didn't you want to apologize to him? Maybe you can eventually. Maybe he'll have a moment where he's so out of it that I can get an apology in.
He immediately felt guilty for wanting to wish more confusion on this Sasuke. Even if he had those 'moments' all of his life, he could tell this Sasuke was becoming increasingly unbalanced as to what he felt, what he dreamt about. As Neji said-pieces of him were pulling apart, reforming and trying to overshadow the new part of Sasuke. The part that got a second chance. He grimaced and wished that he was still alive and he could go to the Hokage and-
He nearly hit his head at his own stupidity. He was a previous Hokage-and even as a ghost, there were ways of finding out information that he normally wouldn't have access to. Going to a long unused portion of the apartment-one that even Sasuke hadn't been able to get into-he pulled out some of the old scrolls.
~
Well, he couldn't seal away anything-because there wasn't anything to really seal away-and he was a ghost and already in debt to the Shinigami. He could just try and suppress his memories-but suppressed memories usually cropped up in dreams and then he'd be right back where he started from. Or I could just tell him the truth. He dismissed that idea right off. There had to be another solution.
That was assuming that Sasuke was going to come forth with any questions. He'd stopped being so nosy that now that he'd gained a few answers, but he could read Sasuke too well-reincarnated soul or not. There were things that made up Sasuke that transcended time and rebirth and all that other weird shit.
He came here for a purpose, Neji said-that Naruto wasn’t the only one who wanted to clear up mistakes that happened in the past. Not that he got that out of Sasuke-but Neji could read all sorts of things with his eyes and Naruto trusted him for it. They hadn't been the closest of people growing up, but in that last year-Neji had become an invaluable resource for information. He was the one who originally hinted at the idea of Naruto still being able to protect Konoha, even after he died-because of the Kyuubi.
And here he was-and he thanked whatever higher forces that was up there that Sasuke didn't remember any of his death. He had a feeling that would be the last straw. It was only natural for his mind to make the jump from learning about the Uchiha massacre, to remembering it, to put his own mind there when he found out he looked so much like Uchiha Sasuke.
He just wish it didn't hurt so much-all of his emotions frizzled on the surface now, unable to find an outlet. He couldn't explain, couldn't tell Sasuke so many things. And it didn't exactly help having Sakura there. He could feel the bond between the three of them-even if it was fractured and distorted by time and death. The way she looked-it brought back so many memories, good and bad. He was happy that he got to see her again-he had been surprised that she was still alive at all. The old hag must have taught her some interesting tricks. He thought over her appearance for a moment and couldn’t help his smile.
It had eased the loneliness a bit, to have someone there who grew up with him and understood him-and could see the good of Sasuke being happy and… well adjusted with his new life. It was nice to have friends back again, joking and teasing each other-he noticed, as Sakura probably noticed-how easy Sasuke fit in with them again. With al the problems they had, all the misunderstandings at the end-they still reacted well to one another.
Those were the type of memories that he wanted Sasuke to have-even if they were faint.. if he had to have any memories at all from a past that was no longer his, he wanted them to be nicer memories than all the pain he went through. Including at the very end…
Naruto closed his eyes and prayed that Sasuke would never remember that. He relived it as he relived his own death at times, and it wasn't something anyone needed to experience again, even through the filtering nature of dreams.
~
Sasuke rested his cheek on one hand, barely able to focus in on the teacher and his words. Getting back to sleep last night hadn't been easy, and what sleep he had gotten was peppered with odd fragments of the nightmares he had earlier that night. He was more pale than usual, and a few people had stopped to ask if he was alight.
He was jolted out of his dozing state by Kuri poking him in the side. "Do you think that Naruto will allow that?" She whispered to him. He stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about. What did Naruto have to do with anything in the class?
She rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening to the teacher?" She asked, exasperated. When he shook his head, she gave a small laugh. "Well, you look a little tired, so I guess that's okay." Her lips quirked up. "The professor arranged it with the Hokage of Konoha to have us visit some of the surrounding areas of the village. Not really go deep into the villager or anything-but we're going to go to the area where the village was first formed. It's supposed to be a really good point in the lecture-and to show how important our connection with Konoha is."
He blinked at that and considered. "Naruto probably wouldn't mind." He said after a moment of consideration. "As long as we don't go through the Uchiha estate-he won't even notice or care." He wanted to lay down his head again and fall back asleep. "He guards from that avenue. I'm sure that it will be just fine."
~
Sasuke shaded his eyes against the sun, the bright light bouncing off the water. The sound of crashing water surrounded them and he, along with the rest of his class, was rather daunted by the imposing statues surrounding either side of the waterfall. It was a beautiful place, and the walk through the forest to reach this out of the way area had been peaceful.
This place was… so… isolated, but it was beautiful it it's own way. He stood near the middle of the small group of students as his professor lectured about the purpose of this place and how it was connected to Konohagakure. He let the words wash over him, letting them sit in the back of his mind.
"If you look at the river here, and the formations that make up the cliffs, you will see how the story of how two men fought here long ago is shown." Sasuke stifled a yawn. It sounded like it could be a really interesting story-I'll have to ask Naruto to tell me about it-but his professor recited it like someone would numbers from an accountants logs. "The river continues to flow, without ever stopping. Because of that battle, Konoha village was formed. Unity was created and people banded together to protect one another, instead of destroying each other."
He paused and gave a faint smile to his class. "Go on-explore and relax for a little while. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing my lecture when it's so nice out here!" The statement was meet by cheers and the class scattered, Sasuke being one of the last ones to move from his spot.
He walked around slowly, not resting his feet in the water as some were doing, not talking with any of the other classmates. His mind seemed to be on auto-pilot as he moved around the area. He blamed it on not sleeping the day before and tried to wake his mind up. There were scars from the battle everywhere, but some…His brow furrowed as he moved closer to the walls of the high cliffs.
"There was a battle here after the one that formed Konoha." A voice in his ear made him jump and he turned to look at his teacher in surprise. "I'll mention it to the class soon enough since it has to deal with our relationships with Konoha at this time-but I noticed your interest in some of the more… prominent scars." His gaze was wry as he gestured to the almost crater-like depressions in the sides of the canyon walls.
"About eighty… no… ninety years ago now, there was a fierce battle here between two friends. They were both very powerful, each very determined to reach their goals. One nearly died in the battle and the other left to seek his power elsewhere." His gaze flicked over the damage. "That is one of the results of a demon's power," He murmured. "It was so incredibly strong and said to have been locked into a young boy." He saw the look of shock on Sasuke's face and shook his head.
"That's all in the past, Sensu-san." He said softly. "I heard later that the same boy that fought so hard to keep his friend around later became the Rokudaime of Konohagakure." He patted Sasuke on the shoulder, leaving his to his thoughts as he continued to stare at the pits and marks that marred the general structure of the canyon walls. For him, the beauty seemed to distort at the new knowledge.
He stepped closer to the slow-moving surface of the water, staring at his reflection like he did earlier with the bathroom mirror. The current underneath moved and shifted his image, blurring the features until they were almost indistinguishable at all. A wave of dizziness came over him suddenly, and the blackness swallowed him up too quickly to provide a decent warning.
~
The clouds covered the sky thickly and he wondered, in a detached part of his mind, if it was going to rain soon. He felt a connection with the clouds, both of them holding in something that needed to be let out. He wouldn't cry, he wouldn't feel any real emotions like the clouds wouldn't release the rain they were heavy with.
He was staring across at Naruto, who almost wasn't recognizable. The red charka was visible and flaring around him, hiding his friend from his view. His friend-he kept that in the back of his mind, hoping.. somewhere, somehow-that Naruto understood why he was doing this. He had to understand-Naruto was the only one who ever understood a piece of what he went through, even if he was too blind, too ignorant to realize the rest.
Feeling his lips pull back in a snarl, he readied his attack to finish off Naruto once and for all. To end the only connection he cared about, to sever his ties to Konoha forever. There would be no one welcoming him back after this, there would be no one looking to retrieve him. They would assume that if Naruto couldn't get him back, no one could. They would write him off as a lost cause. Or so he hoped.
"You don't understand!" The pain threatened to overwhelm him as the curse seal ate away at his resources, took chunks out of his soul. It became easier and easier to forget that Naruto was his friend and that he never actually wanted to kill him before, no matter how much the idiot annoyed him. "I have to do this, Naruto. I have to defeat him." This Naruto wasn't listening, though-this Naruto was angry and determined-as if all the determination that had carried him through all their earlier missions combined into this one. And for Sasuke?
"You are the one that doesn’t understand!" Naruto snarled and the aura seemed to dim from him as he tried to 'reach' Sasuke. "You're one of the few people that noticed me." He got out, eyes bright with some unnamed emotion. "You and Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei… Iruka-sensei… you guys are the only ones that cared and I'm not going to let a single one of you go!"
Sasuke started at that, some sense flooding back into the blood-red Sharingan eyes. He knew what Naruto said was important… but he made his decision a long time ago. He trained and fought for this day. He had to get rid of Naruto-he was going to hold him back. The fact that Naruto wasn't helping him now was proof that he was a stumbling block in the middle of his goal. A loud, annoying and all too caring stumbling block.
It had to end now. Calling up Chidori-no matter the pain it caused to flare across his senses and make his vision go spotty, he smirked at Naruto. "But I asked for that, Naruto. It's time that we ended this." The energy that made up Chidori sparked and danced around the two of them. "Now."
~
"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!" Sasuke opened painfully heavy eyes, his body feeling like it had been beaten. He didn't recognize the face in front of him and he groaned, trying to edge away. He didn't want people staring at him. They did it too often-
"Sasuke!" He didn't realize his eyes slipped closed again and he felt several hand supporting him and now-familiar voices babbled in his ear. "Are you okay? What happened?" That was Kuri's voice and she sounded the most worried and he tried to tell her it was just because… because… Actually he didn't know why he passed out.
"I don't think Sensu-san has been sleeping." Another helpful voice piped up. "He looked wasted when he came into school today. I thought he was going to drop in the hallway!" He was propped against a tree and with the shade cooling his face, he felt it was safe to open his eyes all the way again and not be blinded by the sunlight.
Kuri was peering into his face. "Are you okay, Sasuke?" She asked softly. "We saw you looking at the water and you suddenly swayed like something pushed into you-you hit the water right after that." He suddenly realized he was soaking wet. "Abira-kun jumped in after you and pulled you out before you floated who-knows-where-but you weren't breathing." Her face was pale. "What.. what happened?"
He shook his a head that still felt way too heavy and tried to focus. "I… I haven't been sleeping." The reason sounded faint to his own ears. "I guess the walk and the sun was a bit too much." He gave a faint grimace and pushed sopping wet bangs out of his eyes. "I'm sorry for running the class… trip like this."
She shook her head quickly and he was surprised to see the other members of the class looking just as worried about him. I guess it was kind of scary from their perspective. He tried to reason. Seeing one of their classmates topple over like that would have put a damper on any day. "We decided that since you know some people in Konoha already that it would okay to take you there… and they could get you home from there."
He shook his head quickly at that. "Not a chance! I won't be pawned off like some invalid." He managed a grin and tried to stay steady on his feet, but a sudden bought of dizziness nearly had him on the ground again. Gripping the tree so he wouldn't fall over he conceded. "Maybe it would be best." He said weakly. I don't think I could get there on my own.
She gave a brisk nod and pushed him down again. "Just rest there. Someone already went to get a shinobi to help you out there, since we're not really allowed in Konoha." Her expression was perplexed. "Since when did you become such a recognized person there? Most people who aren’t born there aren't really allowed inside…"
"Must be because of where I live." He tried to shrug it off as if it were no big deal, and managed a bit of a conspiratorial grin. "Or the loudmouth I live with." Her eyes widened at that and he was glad that it didn't take her too long to catch the meaning. Her eyes brightened with her smile and she shook her head. "That may be it." She nearly shoved him down onto the blanket. "Now rest." She ordered.
He nodded and she eyed him for a moment before moving away, talking to her boyfriend-the one who jumped into the river to save him. He was giving Sasuke weird looks, and he wondered what the older man he seen as he pulled Sasuke out of the water. Whatever it was, it had shook him greatly, Sasuke observed, but not really focusing on it beyond that. He let himself fall asleep again, the soft murmuring of Kuri and Abira near him soothing him.
~
When he opened his eyes, Naruto was staring down at him, shaking his head in amusement as he perched at the edge of Sasuke's bed. "You really push yourself too hard, Sasuke." His voice was thick with suppressed laugher and Sasuke couldn't prevent an annoyed look, despite his confusion.
"I don't see how taking a walk constitutes as 'pushing myself', Naruto." He tried to cross his arms over his chest, but the sudden weakness prevented him from doing so. He settled for glaring at him. "So I haven't been sleeping-it's not like it's a crime or something."
"You haven't been sleeping, idiot, because some part of your brain doesn't seem to realize that there isn't anything to protect me from, and patrolling the grounds of your home to search for enemies that aren't there is just a waste of your time." He rolled his eyes and poked Sasuke in the chest. "You were the most dangerous thing I ever faced, Sasuke. And with you being… incapacitated.. the way you are…" Here a slow smirk formed on Naruto's features. "I have to say that I'm more worried about saving your ass from tumbling over a branch than you impaling me with a kunai."
Sasuke gave him a weird look at the phrasing, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. "I'm not the one who's more likely to hurt himself…" He frowned and thought it over. "Well-not normally." He protested.
Naruto laughed and ruffled his hair, seemingly enjoying the fact that he could tease and poke at Sasuke without immediate retaliation. Sasuke felt the warmth of Naruto's hand on his forehead and he stared.
"Na…Naruto… how can you be touching me?" He reached up and grasped Naruto's hand, the first time he'd been able to do so. It was warm and solid and all together comforting. "You're.. you're supposed to be dead!"
Naruto gave him an exasperated look, moving over on the bed and pulling Sasuke next to him. "Do I feel dead to you?" He asked reasonably. "I thought we went over that, Sasuke." One hand stroked over his hair, lulling him into a false sense of security but his next words made Sasuke freeze up in shock.
"Those were only dreams."