Originally posted on aff 2006-08-26 - 2007-04-09

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to Kishimoto-sensei. I am merely the tool through which the music flows. For those who have read Shattered Glass and/or Silk, Black as Blood does NOT take place in the same time or universe. Imagine a bubble, and inside that's where this world exists. Enjoy.

I.

In the Land of Fire, rain was a rarity. Cold air came down from the Land of Snow and mixed with the warm air from the sea, and dark clouds rose over the trees to release the droplets onto the leaves and the forest ground below. Sometimes the rain brought lightning and thunder, illuminating the streets of Konoha with the bright yellow, and sometimes blue, light before shattering the silence with a loud boom of sound. It was nights like these that frightened him the most. He wasn't sure why his feet had led him back here, had led him back to the village he'd abandoned in his quest for power. He hadn't wanted to come back, and he wasn't sure if he'd be accepted back, anyway. He was officially a missing nin, and he had nearly killed several ninja from this place. He wasn't sure if he'd be nearly killed back, or if he would be killed on sight. So he stood out in the rain in the shadow of a tree trunk, out of the line of vision of those guarding the large gates that protected the village within. He had to be prepared to die. He was unarmed, defenseless, and his chakra was nearly depleted from healing his numerous wounds.

He wished he could go back and travel around with his brother, but the pair didn't need a third member, and they couldn't be bothered to babysit. They'd healed his wounds, most of them, anyway, but even Itachi could do nothing for the scar that started at the left center on his forehead and went down across his eye and ended just above his jugular. That wound had rendered his left eye useless, the Sharingan forever trapped beneath the lid and scar tissue that was still pink and raw. That was why Orochimaru had let him go. What good was he as a vessel if only one eye worked? He must have wandered for weeks before coming upon the campsite of his brother and Kisame. He'd fallen at their feet, and hadn't been able to get back up. He'd passed out just after Kisame had knelt beside him to make sure he was still alive.

He'd woken to find Itachi hovering over him, helping him sit up and then feed him broth. They'd moved to an inn in the Tea Country if only to hide Sasuke, and Itachi had stayed up to watch over his little brother. Sasuke had been out for two weeks, Itachi had said. It was the first time in a long time he'd heard Itachi speak to him in a tone that wasn't threatening.

"Who hurt you so badly?" Itachi had asked softly, brushing dark strands of Sasuke's hair away from the wound. Sasuke hadn't said a word, but Itachi seemed to know anyway, sanguine eyes narrowing and looking over at his shark-like partner. Kisame had only shook his head.

He had stayed with his brother and the shark-nin for a few more days, during that time learning why his brother had killed their family, and watching the pain flash over his brother's face when he revealed the part of the story that seemed to cause him the most pain. And Sasuke understood now why his brother had destroyed the clan, and had lost the desire for revenge. He'd spent the last few hours staring at the bottom of his right foot, and had left the inn, just a few moments after the Akatsuki pair.

"Go home," Kisame had told him.

And now here Sasuke stood, looking up at the ninja who patrolled the gate, their silhouettes illuminated by lightning flashes. He watched them, and wondered if any of the elder ninja in the village knew the Uchiha clan secret. He doubted it, except for those who were dead. But then, the dead don't talk, do they? Sasuke shivered, remembering Itachi's story, remembering the panicked pain he felt that night the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. The panic and pain hadn't been his own, and now he knew.

He knew that Kyuubi's attack was the fault of his parents.

He knew that his clan had angered the fox.

He knew that in his body, there was a lesser biju that only Itachi and now himself, knew about.

He knew why Itachi had destroyed their family, but had left him alive.

White Ice hummed in his mind, comforting his vessel. Sasuke shushed him, and White Ice, self-named Shiro, settled again.

He was shivering, and he couldn't feel his fingertips anymore. Sasuke moved then, moving slowly toward the gate. He didn't even get to touch the door before he was surrounded, faces he recognized looking startled and faces he didn't looking confused. Sasuke tilted his head to stare up into familiar blue eyes framed by blonde hair, shock soon being replaced by wariness and anger.

"Sasuke." Naruto said in a hiss, gesturing for irons to be brought. A chuunin brought the asked for item, and Naruto stepped closer to Sasuke, snapping the manacles around thin wrists, not being too gentle about securing the metal around Sasuke's wrists. Sasuke said nothing, did nothing, just let himself be manipulated. He was too tired to care, too tired to fight back. Naruto, Neji, and Rock Lee had nothing to worry about from him. Together, those three could destroy him without even thinking about it.

"What are we going to do with him?" Rock Lee asked, taking hold of Sasuke's right arm as Neji came up on his blind side, taking his left arm.

"We'll take him to Ibiki," Naruto said finally, pushing open the gates, pulling Sasuke inside Konoha, the three jounin shoving and pulling their captive through the puddles in the street, and after a moment, a blindfold went over Sasuke's working eye, rendering him disoriented. He fell, arms jerking on the metal, cutting into his wrists. He was only jerked to his feet, and he expected the violence. He expected to be treated roughly. He expected to be shoved, thrown, beaten. The voices died away with the thunder, and he barely heard a door opening. He felt a change in atmosphere, change in the ground, and silence. No one was speaking, and Sasuke was terribly disoriented. He was frightened. He felt his escorts leaving, except for one. That familiar scent, that familiar presence, was still beside him, holding onto his upper arm now, leading him into a cell, it felt like. The blind was removed, and Sasuke found himself staring up at Naruto and several other people in ANBU masks. He was bound to a chair, unable to move. He recognized Ibiki by his coat, but other than Naruto, who wore no mask, he couldn't see anyone else. The only light was on him, illuminating him for everyone in the room to see.

Thunder crashed, and Sasuke's world grew a little bit smaller.

Naruto was his focus. He could hear Ibiki talking to him, but he couldn't understand. He was focused on that blonde young man, the vessel of Kyuubi, his former teammate. Shiro wanted to make contact, but Sasuke didn't have the energy. He just watched Naruto, and was watched back.

Thunder crashed and Sasuke smiled tiredly at Naruto.

Naruto stared back, face unchanging. He wouldn't make a face, wouldn't grin like he used to. Not for Sasuke. Never for Sasuke. So Sasuke thought.

Thunder crashed.

Naruto moved forward, but Sasuke had already passed out, leaving the blonde cradling his former teammate's head against his chest, fingers tangled in wet, dirty, brown strands of hair that were longer than he remembered. Naruto stared at Sasuke, and lightning illuminated them to the eyes of the ANBU in the room.

Thunder crashed, and Naruto believed he could hear that pained scream from his exhausted friend.