A/N: This is something I started long ago. I was very excited and imagined I would finish it; this was not the case. Instead, it was left to gather dust inside of my files. Since I feel that I probably won't finish this ever, I've decided to share what I do have. I'm sure it's full of mistakes and crappy writing, but what around here isn't? I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Lights out.

As soon as he thought it, the single light bulb flickered and its steady glow disappeared. Now the only light in the room came from the tiny barred window set high up into the wall, so high up that the 5'7''shinobi had to stand on his toes to have a glimpse into the outside world. Judging by the amount of light filtering through the metal bars, it was a full moon tonight.

His ears picked up snores from beyond his doorway, grunts and mutters from restless souls fighting against guilty consciences, and the expected echoing demand from the one of the guards. "Quiet! It's lights out!" This place was much too predictable. He was surprised he hadn't been driven insane yet.

The man shifted on his hard bunk. From his view on the floor and the moonlight provided, he could discern the shape of the raised hole that was his toilet and the floating basin that was the sink. Shining as proof of his punishment were the scratches on the wall, the ones he made at the end of every day. He had rows of the markings now, columns, and they had begun to spread onto the adjacent wall.

He sat up in his bunk, squinting his eyes at the markings. He began his nightly ritual of counting the groups, of reminding himself how long he had been here.

In each group there were five slashes, meaning 5 days. He counted out 73 groups. Those 73 groups were an entire year. He counted out 73 more groups. Those accounted for his second year. That left him with 19 more groups. Since each of the 19 groups had 5 slashes, he multiplied them by 5. That made 95, which meant 95 days. If each month had roughly 30 days, those 95 slashes made 3 months and 5 days. If he added the three ungrouped slashes to that number, it would become 3 months and 8 days.

Which, if he added the first 73 groups (1 year) to the next 73 groups (another year) and lastly the 19 groups with the 3 stray slashes (3 months, 8 days), he would get a result of 2 years, 3 months, and 8 days.

He slowly lay back on his mat. 2 years, 3 months, and 8 days. The numbers resonated inside his head. 2 years, 3 months, and 8 days.

Yes, that sounded about right. 2 years, 3 months, and 8 days. The exact amount of time that Uchiha Sasuke had been stuck in this prison.

And he still had a lifetime to go.

"Wake up!" Black eyes snapped open unwillingly, a scowl quickly forming on his face. He had been having such a pleasant dream.

The guard came stomping down the row, yelling at the inmates. Men shuffled to the toilets and the sinks, sliding off their bunks and yawning. Sasuke remained on his bunk staring at the dirty ceiling. Sparkling in the light from the window were floating particles. Someone had once told him those little floating particles were actually skin cells that he shed. He vaguely wondered if it was true, though he had no reason to doubt it.

With a tired creak, his door slid open. Here was where the day began.

She took her time as she walked down the hallway, moving as slow as her escort would allow. It was clear that the girl was nervous. She kept glancing back at her, as if hoping to force her to go faster with her eyes. The girl's anxiety showed itself in the audible gulp from her throat and the consistent wringing of her hands. "Hinata-sama," she said in her cracking voice. Hinata smiled lightly. Since when had she earned the title of Hinata-sama? "Hinata-sama," she went on, "we should hurry, or we might be late." She looked about ready to run on without her, she might even have done it if it hadn't gotten her in more trouble. She absolutely had to show up with her. It would mean certain trouble if she didn't.

"Calm down, Ai. They can't begin the meeting without us," said Hinata with a wry smile. She continued in her slow pace, hoping that if she walked slow enough, she might just miss the meeting altogether.

Ai was hoping the same thing. However, her father would be very angry if she didn't show up for the meeting. Anything and everything displeased her father.

"Hinata-sama, please hurry," she said. She sped up. Even though she felt she was being rude, Ai thought it necessary to get Hinata moving. Surely the clan heiress needed to be present for the meeting. The clan elders wouldn't be happy that they had been dragged from their ancient slumber to wait for the likes of the young heiress.

"What's the hurry," asked Hinata to her young companion. The girl couldn't be older than 12 and was every bit a young Hinata. Though she was from the branch family instead of the main family, her hair was indigo, she seemed very nervous, and lacked self esteem because of her tyrant of a father.

"Well…" Ai said hesitantly. She was unsure whether or not she should tell Hinata that she would get in a lot of trouble if she was late for the meeting. But it was probably best if she knew the truth; it might even get her to move faster.

"Hinata-sama, if I'm late to this meeting, father is going to be very angry at me. He'll probably never let me attend any sort of clan gathering ever again. He is very strict." She looked down at her feet, as her eyes had begun to blur behind tears.

Something wrenched inside Hinata. How many times had Hinata been in that exact same position? Perhaps too many to count. And to see history repeat itself made her sad. Clan life was so restricting, so severe, so… wrong. But she didn't want her young escort to get in trouble. However much she had been seriously considering missing out on the meeting, she now moved swiftly towards the meeting hall. It couldn't hurt to go after all.

The meeting was to take place in the largest meeting hall within Hyuuga Manor. The room housed a large circular table several meters wide with a wooden glossy finish. It was a traditional room, with not a single chair in sight. The walls here were 2 feet thick and made of marble, as if that would protect against curious white eyes. It was a testament to the stoicism of the clan, the unchanging austere expressions of the elders, the strict clan rules that the room was the sturdiest of all the chambers in the Hyuuga manor and nothing had been changed here since the initial construction of Konoha.

Inside sat the most ancient Hyuuga members, their faces unreadable hidden beneath layers of sagging skin. At the farthest edge of the table, glaring at the massive doors sat Hyuuga Hiashi, wondering where on earth his oldest daughter could be. To his left sat Hanabi, chin resting on hand, completely bored. Nobody hated clan proceedings more than Hanabi. To Hiashi's right sat Neji, arms tightly folded and glaring at the door same as Hiashi. There was a gaping hole to his right that was begging to be filled by his cousin. And it looked like the elders were getting antsy. Was that a frown he saw upon clan advisor Sanako's face? Oh wait, no, he had been mistaken. The old woman had merely been blinking.

Just as he was thinking this, the door creaked open and in slipped a flustered looking girl followed by his tardy cousin. The girl walked in with a blush quickly spreading across her cheeks and her head hung low. Hinata too had her head lowered and made her way to her seat as quick as she could as to avoid comments. Every head turned to look at her as she passed. The girl had definitely changed in the last few years. But that was not unusual, given her story.

She sat down, saying quietly as she did so, "Sorry I'm late." Neji rolled his eyes. Hanabi exhaled loudly, exclaiming, "Can we get on with this?"

Everyone at the table turned to look at her. Her father growled under his breath, "Hanabi. Behave yourself." Hanabi scowled. Why was she being scolded? She had arrived on time. Why wasn't her sister being scolded? Right. Nobody dares reprimand Hinata. I miss the good old days.

"Well," said Hiashi, projecting over the circumference of the table. "Let us begin."

The meeting was long. Very long. The heads droned on for hours. First one hour passed, then two. Then the third hour passed, and it started turning into a fourth. Hanabi paid attention for all of 15 minutes until she began to stare off into space. Hinata tried to keep up for the first two hours, but she often didn't know what the clan heads were talking about and started drifting at about half past the second hour. Neji was alert for 2 hours, then turned catatonic. His eyes were open but his brain was probably hibernating.

It was about hour three that Hinata turned to her right to see how Ai was doing. She expected her to be in the same stupor as 15 year old Hanabi. Instead, she was surprised to find the 12 year old staring somewhere across the table, completely engrossed with something on the other side. Hinata followed her gaze. And was even more surprised at what she found.

Sitting across the table was a boy who looked to be about Ai's age. He had untidy black hair and the white Hyuuga eyes. His eyebrows were lowered in an expression of annoyance and he was drumming his fingers on the table impatiently. She reminded him of someone…

She nudged Ai with her elbow. The girl started and looked up at Hinata. "Who is that boy?" she whispered to her young companion. Still in her trance, Ai followed the direction that Hinata indicated. And then she blushed. Peering down at a smudge on the table, she whispered, "His name is Seigi. He's on my team."

"Oh," said Hinata simply. The way Ai was looking at him… she must really like this boy. This moody, irritated, impatient boy. So very familiar…

She racked her brains, attempting to remember why this boy seemed so familiar. After a few minutes, she gave up. She couldn't seem to remember anyone like him.

The men were led in single file, like children in their first year of ninja academy. Their orange uniforms stood out like sore thumbs against the backdrop of dingy brick wall and gray flooring. They passed rows of cold metal tables waiting expectantly for them and formed lines for their breakfast of flavorless gray mush.

After Sasuke received his bowl, he made his way to his usual table in the corner. He preferred being alone, yet other men always decided to sit next to him. Some of them came now, their eyes wary and their muscles stiff. To them, he was a mystery. Nobody knew what he had done to get in here. The speculations were many, rumors were whispered behind the sound of water in the steamy showers, and they observed him constantly.

Yet none of the inmates could find out what he had done wrong.

Some said he had killed his entire family. Nobody really knew who had killed the Uchiha clan; it remained a mystery until this day. He would be the easiest to blame. Yet the men somehow couldn't believe that was true. Many of them had been free when the Uchiha clan had first been wiped out. An eight year old Sasuke could never have wiped out that entire clan single-handedly; he had been much too weak back then.

Others had received word from the outside that he had abandoned the village and run off to join Orochimaru. This was pretty much accepted as true. But how had they caught him? Where? There were so many gaps in the story, and curious minds with nothing to wile away the endless hours wanted to know. Who was Uchiha Sasuke?

Only Uchiha Sasuke knew. But Uchiha Sasuke wasn't telling.

Three men sat around him now, tentatively laying their food trays down on his metal table. They acted nonchalant, picking at the gray pulp in their bowls and striking up a rehearsed conversation. It was clear these guys hadn't been here for more than 2 weeks.

"I still say I'm the most badass out of all of you," said the one with a scar cutting vertically down his right cheek. "I took down an entire squad of ANBU by myself. None of your crimes were nearly as cool as that."

The one with the large bulging muscles said in a deep low voice, "Hah! You're lying. I know how you really got in here. You were caught stealing from a flower shop…twice. How the hell do you get caught twice at the same place? And really, a flower shop? No wonder you're lying, that's embarrassing."

Scarred cheek seemed annoyed. "Yeah, like what you did was any better. You beat up a bunch of punk kids and got stuck in here for a few months. At least I didn't mug a bunch of kids."

"Hmm," said the deep voiced guy. "At least I didn't get caught stealing a bunch of flowers…" He drank from his cup of milk. "How about you," he asked the last man, the gangly one with the long silver hair obscuring half his face. "You seem like a nice guy, what did you do?"

This last man appeared to be the newest here. It seemed a bit early for it, but he already had the sallow skin that appeared over time on prisoners. He had dark shadows beneath his violet eyes and a tattoo of purple spots starting beneath the dark shadow of his left eye and extending down into the hollow of his cheek bone, the spots gradually turning smaller and smaller until they disappeared altogether. A tiny scar cut across the man's left eyebrow, giving it a permanently raised look. The corner of his mouth was turned up in a crooked half smile, and he had a slightly manic look in his eye.

"I took down an entire village by myself," he answered matter-of-factly. "I managed to kill their kage, took over their military forces, and held the biggest clan leader in the region hostage, demanding that they give me all their forbidden ninjutsu scrolls and the 7 tails that lived sealed in one of their villagers."

He finished his long confession with a sip from his cup of juice while his companions looked on with dropped jaws. Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow.

"But the nation's allies caught me. Stuck me in this hellhole, along with the likes of you," he said dryly with a tiny nod in the direction of his companions.

The two men remained dazed and Sasuke smirked for the first time in years. This guy was halfway likable.

The other two men didn't think so. They began to stand up slowly, holding their food trays as if they were bombs about to explode. "Um…" said the one with the scar. "We're gonna go now. We'll uh… see you guys later," he muttered. Then they both sped off to the more populated corner of the cafeteria.

The silver-haired man chuckled wryly. He then pushed back his silver hair behind his ears and began eating his gray mush. Sasuke bent his head over his food, still smirking slightly. Finally, thought the notorious Uchiha. Finally, some form of deliverance. Some sort of solace in this godforsaken place. Better yet, the guy was intelligent. He had decided not to speak further, instead deciding to continue sitting across from him, eating his food in a perfect reflection of Sasuke.

It looked like the beginning of a beautiful acquaintanceship.

She could feel something tugging on her sleeve, an insistent something eager to pull her from her daydreams.

"Hinata-sama," said a small voice to her right. Hinata looked around, slightly dazed. Two large white eyes looked up at her worriedly. "The meeting is over," said Ai as she looked at her superior. Hinata looked around the room. All around the table, people were beginning to stand, some stretching, some yawning, and many of the older clan members blocking the doorway with their snail paces.

"Oh," said Hinata quietly. She stood up unsteadily and followed the crowd out the door. Finally, thought the clan heiress as she slid around a chatting group of elders. Finally it's over. Hinata had begun to think it would never end. She could now feel the prickling sensation climbing up her leg, the clear sign that she had been sitting in the same position for much too long.

After they had made it past the crowd of clan ancients, Hinata made a beeline for the garden. The place was her refuge, sanctuary from the constant nuisances of clan life, the place she disappeared to for hours at a time.

It seemed as if Sasuke had suddenly become a veteran of the place and his job had changed from that of lone convict to experienced leader. It was as if the warden had designated him with the task of leading around the new guy. He followed him everywhere. After he had finished his food (much faster than Sasuke did) the silver-haired man had flipped around on his bench, leaning back against the table to observe the rest of the inmates. He didn't seem the least bit bothered about being in jail; in fact, he seemed almost cheerful. He never said a word after his peculiar confession but followed along faithfully at Sasuke's side.

He trailed behind Sasuke to the exercise field. The place was a large cement field with wooden posts coming out from the ground where the men could practice taijutsu. Sasuke chose a post and began training. The silver-haired newcomer chose the one right next to him and began training as well. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at this. Exactly why was this guy following him around? Did he enjoy the silence? Was he looking for protection from the rest of the convicts? Or had he heard stories of the notorious Uchiha? If so, he was in for a big disappointment. There was no way this guy would get to hear his story.

After training, the men were led to their respective jobs. Somehow, it didn't really surprise Sasuke that the new guy had been assigned to towel folding duty, just like him. He could see a pattern developing. The guy stood right next to him, folding towels at a steady pace.

After 4 hours of towel folding, side by side, it was time to head to the cafeteria for lunch. It was the same as breakfast. They sat across from each other on the table in the far corner, the lanky man with the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile, Sasuke's in the thin straight line that had returned. Mostly they both concentrated on their food, each occasionally glancing up to look at the other as if trying to read the other's mind.

In the frequent calculating glances, Sasuke had tried to gather information from the man, though it was difficult as one's appearance did not constitute the kind of person they were. It was also difficult to tell one's past from their face. If what this guy had said was true, then he was a major criminal. You didn't just take over a village, kill their kage, hold a clan leader hostage, and demand sacred scrolls and get assigned towel duty. It just didn't happen that way. Major criminals were usually locked up permanently, caged in a 6 by 6 foot cell, left to rot with time and be disposed of once all that was left was a pile of clean white bone. Clearly, the man had made up his confession on the spot to get rid of the curious idiots. And the gullible fools had believed him.

But not Sasuke. He was much too intelligent for that. And he was going to figure this guy out. It couldn't be any harder than all the other things he had done.