Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or "Sound the Bugle", they belong to their respective creators.
Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams
"Sound the bugle now
Play it just for me
As the seasons change
Remember how I used to be
Now I can't go on
I can't even start
I've got nothing left
Just an empty heart
I'm a soldier
Wounded so I must give up the fight
There's nothing more for me
Lead me away
Or leave me lying here
Sound the bugle now
Tell them I don't care
There's not a road I know
That leads to anywhere
Without a light
I fear I will stumble in the dark
Lay right down
Decide not to go on
Then from on high
Somewhere in the distance
There's a voice that calls
Remember who your are
If you lose yourself
Your courage soon will follow
So be strong tonight
Remember who you are
You're a soldier now
Fighting in a battle
To be free once more
That's worth fighting for"
Sound the Bugle
Storm clouds loomed over head, thunder roared in the distance. A strong wind flowed through what had once been a beautiful valley. It was now the site of a battle most gruesome. Smoke rose in pillars towards the clouds above from the raging fires below. Craters littered the flat valley floor. The once green grass covered ground now sat charred black. Kunai and Shuriken shimmered in the dark against the distant flashes of lighting. Several large rocks protruded sharply from the black earth. Speckles of blood lay scattered, from both sides. Thunder boomed as the on coming storm drew closer. Near one of the craters, the speckles of blood turned into a trail, glowing against the burnt earth.
At the end of this trail lay one of the participants in the awful fight. Life's crimson flowed from his various wounds, some still had weapons in them. His body was in agony. His breathing shallow against the pain. His normally pale skin was snow white. Blood trailed down his brow, marring his face with its liquid beauty. His black hair lay strewn around his head, some matted with dried blood. His cloths were slowly becoming drenched, the torn fabric acting as a makeshift bandage to his immobile form. Slowly, he opened his cobalt eyes that had shown crimson only an hour before.
Wave after wave of searing pain filled his body, rendering him immobile. He let out a strangled cry as he tried to move, not succeeding. Forcing his head up, he surveyed the damage to his body and found it worse than he had originally thought. He was covered with wounds, most bleeding. Several Kunai stuck out proudly from his arms and torso. Glancing to his side, he found his katana out of his reach. Closing his eyes a moment, another wave of pain hit him. His face contorted in response. He opened his eyes when the wave had passed. His eyes were half lidded and dull in color. He lay silent, only his shallow breathing proved he was alive. Reaching with his mind, he found his opponent was long gone. Much to his dismay, they were still alive while he lay there, at deaths door.
Clenching his teeth, he forced himself up. His body protested, screaming at him but he did not hear it, forcing himself to become numb to the pain. Once he was sitting, his muscles began to twitch. Slowly, he reached for the Kunai buried in his flesh and began to pull them out with a squishing sound. Soon, the bloodstained metal lay around him, blood trickling from the various wounds they had caused. He panted, his body strained. Lifting his dull eyes, he scanned the area on which he had fought. He was shocked by the destruction he saw. All the damage was caused not by him, but by his opponent. Seeing this, he finally realized what they had said was true, he was no match for them. Growing tired, he fell back. He opened his eyes again, staring at the cloud covered sky as he lay recumbent on the bloody earth. As he stared, his mind began to wander, his physical pain lost to his consciousness.
All those years of training, leaving his home, selling his soul, they were for naught. He had lost, he was dying while the one he wished dead still walked the earth. Everything he had done was wasted. Finally acknowledging this, he felt an invisible weight being lifted from his lax shoulders. Sighing, he closed his eyes and told himself that this was what was meant to happen, there was nothing he could have done to avoid dying there, alone. There was nothing he could have done to prevent the loss of his friends, the bonds he had made. There was nothing he could have done to save those he sought to avenge. There was nothing he could do, to save himself. As he lay, he prayed to who ever would listen that he would be forgiven for the mistakes he made, the pain he caused and anything else he could not think of at the moment. Opening his eyes again, he remembered his prayers would not be answered, for he had sold his soul to the devil on earth.
From the beginning, he had known that joining that snake would only mean his death. He had known what the bastard had wanted all along but he had told himself that he would have his revenge first. His soul was forfeit so long as he avenged his loved ones. But now, he found that impossible. He found that the wall that divided him and his goal was too high to climb, and its foundation was rotting. Thinking on it now, he realized that what his lost friends had said was right. There was no way for him to win alone, but it was too late. They had given up saving him some time ago. They had lost hope in their dreams of his return, just has he had lost hope the night he lost it all.
Looking to the sky again, he thought of his lost friends. He wondered if they would search for him again once the learned of his demise. He hoped they would, just for the sake of their closure. He prayed that they would move on and forget about him, well, not completely forget. He wished they would forget the man he had become. He hoped they would remember the boy he once was, before he abandoned them, before he destroyed their hopes in him, their trust in him. He wanted them to think of the few moments of happiness they had together, if there were any. He hoped they would think that the boy he was never truly left, but was the one who died that day. That the man he had become, the one that betrayed them, was all the snakes' creation and that he never truly existed.
His breath began to slow as his vision turned blurry. His heart beat echoed through his skull. Or, at least, he thought it was his heart beat. A pair of figures entered his line of blurry vision. He tried to focus on them, but they remained fuzzy. He could hear their voices clearly though. He would have scowled if he could have, the snake and his pet had come. He listened to their conversation, uncontrolled rage began to build in his dying body. Then the pet kneeled down next to him, turning back to the snake and reporting his condition. Judging by his voice, the bastard was not happy about this. He could care less though, he wanted them to leave so he could die in peace. The pet turned back to him and held out his hand. His dulled eyes focused on the appendage as best they could. He watched in horror as the hand began to glow green.
They were planning on healing him, only to have him die spiritually later. The rage that had been building in him erupted as he slowly reached for one of the many Kunai that had once been impaled in his flesh. The glowing hand came closer, he could feel its healing presence and his disgusted him. Grasping the Kunai, he slowly brought his hand to his side, waiting till the glowing one was close enough. The snake snickered as his pet prepared to heal him. Suddenly, he slammed the grasped Kunai though the glowing hand, causing the pet to scream. The sound of bone being severed by the blade echoed in his mind as gushing blood sprayed from the edge around the weapon. The silver haired pet grasped his wrist as he attempted to stop the bleeding before removing the metal. Then he slammed the back of his wrist into the pets face, breaking his glasses and sending him into unconsciousness.
The snake laughed evilly, the sound sickened him. He forced himself to stand, his rage at the bastard numbing him to his physical pain and the beginnings of shock. He panted heavily, crimson eyes centered on the snake. Blood trickled down his form as he stood, his appendages twitched in their weakened state. The snake stopped laughing and only stared as he began to approach. He dragged his feet on the ground, his legs shaking. A dying flame roared in his dull crimson eyes. This site put the snake on edge. Raising his shaking hands, he made one hand sign, the sign of concentration. Chakra flowed to his eyes, bringing them back to life. The snake watched, unable to tear his eyes away as the three designs in those eyes morphed and locked onto him. Before unleashing the hell he had waiting for the bastard, he summed up all his anger, frustration and painful rage into the only think he could think to say.
"I am… Uchiha… Sasuke… And I… I am … Free!!"
The next few moments were pitch black to him. He awoke on the ground, laying a yard from him was the convulsing snake. It had worked. His vision became blurry again as pain overwhelmed him. His panting breaths became shallow as he lay. His eyes lids felt heavy, his vision became even fuzzier. As his eyes began to close, he heard distant cries, familiar yet unrecognizable. He knew that one was male and the other was female. He felt a healing presence upon him, desperately trying to save him. The male voice was shouting at him, but his words were mixed together, non coherent to his ears. Drops of water hit his face, he knew they were tears. He gave a weak smile to those around him, now knowing who they were. As he slipped away, he mouthed something of importance to them, hoping they would understand.
"I am free…"