A/N: My first fanfiction. I wanted to write something that I've never read before. Well, I don't read many fics. Anyway! Go easy on me with grammar or spelling, and hey, if ya know someone who can be my Beta well that's great!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Warnings?: Pairings will be up for later discussion. Swearing and blood will be the only thing for now.
Chapter One: Without Air
Now what, Sasuke pondered, slightly peeved as he stumbled through the large hallways, his Sharingan sliding left and right, scanning for the right door. His body was brittle and shaky, but he ignored the signs of fatigue and kept moving, the sound of his small footsteps echoing loudly against the underground base.
The war was over. Sasuke had been lied to and cheated, yet he hadn't expected anything less.
The nerve of Naruto to try to bring him back to that horrid village...
Naruto's life had been spared all those years ago, and Sasuke swore not to destroy Konoha. One would think that was a lot to give, but no, Naruto insisted that Sasuke come back with them.
"Why are you so stubborn," the blonde had demanded the previous night, "Why won't you just come back with us?"
Sasuke rolled his blood-red eyes at the memory. It couldn't be that simple. Konoha had nothing to offer him anymore. Surely he would face execution or imprisonment for his departure. Life was too short to end it quickly, or laze around for twenty years in a dingy cell.
His thoughts drifted into unconscious memories as he detected the door further down the corridor, a small smirk playing at his lips as he walked towards it, kicking it open lightly with his foot.
He needed a scroll from Orochimaru's hideout, and it was sure to be located in Kabuto's lab. Retrieving forbidden ninjutsu was his only income now, besides helping himself to a wallet of a questionable character every now and then.
He stood in the doorway for a moment, his eyes capturing every detail of the room, searching the area for what he was looking for. The heavy scent of chemicals flooded his senses, causing his eyes to burn and his throat to ache. He slid across the lab, his gaze fixating itself on the various scrolls, books, test tubes and beakers spread across every table top surface, covered in dust and cobwebs.
His attention momentarily focused on a strange white, chalky symbol drawn on the floor. It looked like something he'd seen in a unauthorized jutsu once, but instead of being drawn with ink, it consisted of powders he couldn't identify. He stepped around it, heading towards Kabuto's main work place. A scroll was left out, the image from before sketched inside it, along with a long instructional list explaining the tactic. His eyes ran over it rapidly, and he'd finished reading in a matter of seconds.
A sense of pure disgust washed over him with full force, knocking the air from his lungs. He could hardly believe what he'd just read, and out of disbelief, looked over the scroll a second time.
He had known there were several techniques that required human blood, and a few others needing a corpse, but that wasn't what made him sick.
The summoning depended on items such as human hair, powdered bones, and many other sickening things he didn't want to think about. He wasn't surprised Kabuto managed to collect everything. He'd known from the start that the "scientist" was a little sadistic.
One thing remained in Sasuke's mind, and it was the purpose of the jutsu.
This could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands, Sasuke mused, reaching out to grab the scroll. He paused when a clear case full of blood samples caught his attention. He opened it carefully, taking notice of the names written across the labels of each glass cylinder full of red liquid.
There were many names he didn't recognize, and the one's he did made him weary.
Naruto Uzumaki.
He wasn't all too shocked to see the Kyuubi container's name. He wondered briefly how he could have obtained the blond's blood, but remembered that Orochimaru had ways of getting what he wanted.
Sasuke Uchiha.
He knew his would be there. He couldn't count the number of times his blood was drawn, most of the time forcibly. His entire stay with Orochimaru had been an unpleasant one. He recalled the times he was given drugs unwillingly, just to test the outcomes, or the many episodes of taking poisons to try his circulatory system.
He took the two tubes and slid them into his pockets, refusing to have his or Naruto's blood tampered with.
The very last sample made him halt, and his heart momentarily refused to beat.
Itachi Uchiha.
The name made his blood icy, and his lungs held the air trapped in them. He took the scroll again and read over it furiously. What did they think they were doing?
Realization hit him hard, and his chest felt strange for a moment. A thought swam around in his head for a good while before he decided he'd do something foolish. He looked down at the scroll.
The hand signs weren't that unfamiliar, and the only thing missing was blood from the user, otherwise it wouldn't work.
By the looks of Kabuto's notes cast to the side, it was marked as a failed attempt several times. He should have figured something this unbelievable was impossible to accomplish.
It was a forbidden tactic. The dead were supposed to stay deceased. This seemed different than the other jutsu's.
There were two outcomes to this situation.
One, he could have everything he wanted from the start.
Or two, it could fail, and he would walk away indifferent to everything.
He risked it, regardless of what might go wrong.
Numb fingers uncapped the glass container, and his eyes uncertainly glanced over the jutsu, even if he had it memorized long ago.
A tiny voice in the back of his mind hoped he could see his brother again. An even louder voice told the other to shut up, and to quit chasing after dreams. He ignored them both and stepped into the circle drawn, pouring the blood onto the middle of the floor, right in the center. Quickly he made each hand sign, letting his chakra flow throughout his body, his eyes shut in concentration.
After a minute of hand seals alone, he bit his thumb, letting scarlet liquid drip down onto the ground. "Kuchiyose: Shi Fakkatsu."
Why am I doing this, he yelled in his head, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. He remembered all the times he swore he wouldn't let hopeless ideas get in the way of his plans. But there was no longer a plan. He didn't want revenge anymore. It would make his brothers sacrifice a waste if he went and caused chaos. He had already made so many of the wrong choices...
Seconds passed with deathly silence. The symbol glowed a faint white in the darkness, and Sasuke sighed, letting his eyes fade back to their normal ebony color.
A burst of light filled the once blackened room, the unexpectedness blinding Sasuke as he shielded his eyes. He stood anxiously for a minute, the flash still seeping through his fingertips and shut eyelids. When it started to fade he lowered his hands, watching through blank vision as the room slowly started to darken, the lab coming back into focus.
It was quiet once again, and he sighed softly in relief, glad that nothing had happened. Clearly he couldn't handle seeing his brother again. Even though he told this to himself, he couldn't help but feel anguish.
A sharp cry cut through the silence like a knife, the sound causing his heart to almost leap out of his chest. He slapped his hands over his ears, activating his Sharingan to enhance his sight to find the source of the terrifying noise.
The sound registered in his mind, yet he refused to believe what he had heard. He looked at the ground, his stomach churning at what lie at his feet.
It wasn't his brother.
He stared wide-eyed at the small screaming creature covered in blood, it's black hair matted in the substance and tiny limbs flailing about.
Sasuke felt his chest rise and fall rapidly, his brows knitting in confusion, and his throat constricting uncomfortably. He took his hands away from his ears and let them fall limply at his sides, the cries becoming audible.
No fucking way.
He paced back and forth, pinching the bridge of his nose, muttering curses at himself, ignoring the screaming infant.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know the first thing about children. Sasuke had only been sixteen for a few months, he was still a kid in many eyes.
He stopped finally, approaching the baby slowly, it's cries louder due to the constant echo's ricocheting off the walls. He stood dumbfounded for a fraction of a second before he slid his cloak from his shoulders hesitantly, wrapping the infant in the warm fabric and lifting it off the ground. It's crying didn't seize, but the child had stopped thrashing around so violently.
He hadn't a clue what to do next, and he felt like he was going into shock, adrenaline rushing through him. He took a deep breath, wiping the little one's face of blood. He would need to get somewhere safe first before he decided what to do with it.
He couldn't concentrate with the constant wailing.
"Hush," Sasuke hissed, causing the crying to stop. The baby moved it's little arms blindly, reaching to pull at the teenagers collar. Sasuke took the scroll and several others from the table, shoving them into his shirt.
He came for what he needed, there wasn't a reason to stay any longer.
Small whines filled the room once more. He hurried out if the lab as fast as he could without causing the infant to protest any louder, finding his way out minutes later.
The sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon, but he could remember the direction of the nearest village. The river sat quietly several meters away, and the newborn had begun to shriek once more.
His head began to throb and he sank to the ground, his way of reasoning overwhelmed by conflicting ideas.
He placed the infant on the ground, ignoring the shrill ringing as he stared blankly into the water, his hands pressed to his temples.
I can't deal with this! This wasn't supposed to happen! I can't...I have to get rid of it...but if it ends up like before it might try to...I have to kill the baby.
He swallowed with difficultly, glancing back down at the small child. It was so fragile...so weak...he couldn't take away the life of something so innocent.
It won't be innocent when it's older.
"No," Sasuke whispered, scooping up the squirming bundle, "I won't let that happen again."
He was completely still for a good five minutes before he stood. A plan sprouted in his head and he gently put the baby over his shoulder, using his free hands to make a clone.
Sasuke wordlessly handed the copy his money, and with a nod it darted off towards the village nearby.
He held the little boy away from him, scowling at the chubby face and arms so eager to yank at his hair. He removed the cloak, causing another tantrum.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, kicking off his shoes and walking towards the river, sitting at the edge with the kid in his lap. He knew that the water was safe enough to drink, so it couldn't be that bad to wash the baby with it. He cupped water in his hand, not caring that he was getting wet, and poured it over the child's hair, avoiding getting water in his ears, nose, or mouth.
Dunk it's head under water. This mistake will be over with in two minutes.
He cringed at the thought, biting his lip to keep himself from actually following through. He kept his mind occupied with nonsense in order to keep calm.
What are you so afraid of? You were given the chance to start over.
Sasuke knew he was right after seeing the infant clearly. When the blood and other gunk was rinsed off, the baby's pale white skin was revealed, and it's features came into sight.
Of course, he knew exactly who the child was, but denied himself the satisfaction of admitting it to himself.
The newborn was asleep now, and Sasuke stood, wrapping him back up, to avoid the kid shivering. He ran his pinky over the familiar face, tracing the small lines on the side of the baby's face.
"Itachi," he murmmerd softly, his hand smoothing down the dark hair, "I promise things will be different."
As if his brother had understood, he reached his tiny hand out towards Sasuke's face, his eyes closed peacefully in sleep.
A/N: Review? I'll probably be faster updating that way, and I'm already almost done with the next chapter. Oh and my jutsu just means Death Revival or something. Freind made it up.
This will NOT be one of those happy stories.
Oh and I read the manga so if stuff changes...OH WELL!
Flames make fire for smores! Yummy!