Fifty percent of Zero

There's a fifty percent chance of either winning, or losing against Anubis. There is no such thing as a draw in the game of life. Just like how it's almost impossible for a flipped coin to land halfway between heads and tails.

However, once upon a time, I flipped a coin seven times, and it landed on heads seven times in a row. As lucky as the number seven is I wasn't thinking about luck when I flipped that coin for an eighth time. There's no such thing as luck.

The coin landed head side up in my open palm.

No matter what the outcome of the last throw was, each flip is independent. There will always be only two sides to a coin, and there will always be a fifty percent chance of it landing on either side. Even if it lands on heads one hundred times, there's still the same chance that it will land on heads once more, or even one hundred times more.

Life is just as insignificant as the coin that landed on heads eight times in a row. Luck has nothing to do with it. Even if I cheat death one hundred times over, there is still the same fifty percent chance that I would be able to do it again, and again, and again.

I was on a winning streak by the time I was twenty one. I was landing on heads every time. Of course, there had been a few close calls when I really thought that I was staring into the eyes of the Egyptian death God. And then there were times when I saw the mighty Jackal win the game of life against someone else: my mother, my father, my friends, my enemies and even those that were strangers to me.

But I was still living and awaiting the day that my coin would land on tails and I would follow on to my eternal punishment in the pits of whatever hell existed. At least there I would be reunited with my loved ones, who belonged to be there just as much as me.

"Sasuke, give me the coin."

My brother Itachi held out his gloved hand to me all the while keeping his eyes on the road. I smiled knowingly and slid it into his hand.

"Must you be so controlling? What if I had intended to use that money to buy something important?"

He pocketed it and put both hands back onto the leather wheel. Had it been day he would be comfortable enough to drive with only one hand. But the night seemed to scare my brother, as though he were a moth who would only endure darkness so to find a source of light.

"Then I would buy it for you. We both know what perverse musings develop when you are in possession of a coin."

I snickered and rested my head against the cool window beside me. The chill of the glass began to warm underneath my abnormally heated forehead. I had yet to fully recover from my fever.

"Brother, you think too cynically of my mind."

I murmured and rested my palm against the window as well, in hopes that the small contact would help to cool me down.

"Rest, Sasuke. We shall be there soon."

Sleep sounded like a wonderful idea. The moving scenery beyond the car window was already starting to blur as my eye rolled shut. It had been a very long day. Our business had been under a great threat that we couldn't ignore. It would only take one disloyal member for generations of solid dedication and sacrifices to all fall to ruins within the hands of our enemies, or even the government.

We weren't Yakuza. Nothing of the sort. Petty criminals involved in organized crime are dirt beneath the Uchiha name. We are dedicated to the greater good. Sometimes we have to break a few laws in order to achieve such a goal, but in the end our family has done nothing but flourish and become even more powerful. And all of this belonged to Itachi and I; the latest generation of Uchihas. Our hands are the safest hands to guide our business to our success.

--

Cool leather stroked my cheek and woke me from my empty sleep. I was unusually fatigued when I attempted to stand. My strong legs were struggling to hold me upright and I had to rest against the door for a moment. Itachi fussed over me for a moment, patting my head and pulling my jacket to cover any bare flesh that he could. But I pushed him away, feeling a little pathetic in my weakened state.

Moments later seven more cars parked around us and we were joined by the rest of our men. Thirty black jackets and pristine shirts stood around my brother and I awaiting eagerly and loyally for their instructions.

"Sir, does Sasuke-sama need to be escorted home?"

Kisame, one of our oldest and most trustworthy men bowed to my brother and I. But we both curtly waved him away.

"Thank you, Kisame. But Sasuke is needed here. Our home is the worst place for him to be right now."

He nodded respectfully and walked away to join the rest of the men who were preparing for our mission.

"Squads three and four, circle around the back. Make sure that no one leaves."

Itachi ordered, one hand clutching my shoulder and the other pointing the men to their assigned destinations. After resounding their confirmation of their orders nearly half of our group stalked into the night to circle the large building in front of us.

What looked on the outside to be a large warehouse was in fact the headquarters of a business similar to ours. We had been inside many times and even visited friends. But this time, we would not be welcomed upon our arrival. Each of our men carried two guns that would most probably be emptied of all ammo by the end of our visit.

I gathered enough strength to stand straight and nodded to my brother that I had recovered enough to continue forth. Composing himself he signalled to the remainder of our men to follow him and began leading us all to the entrance. Not taking his sight from his goal he listed off instructions to his subordinates Kisame and Deidara; two men that were the mortal opposites of each other. Kisame, with his thick build and dark, sickly skin tone stood to Itachi's right, and Deidara with his feminine features and bright blond hair stood to his left. I trailed behind, shakily loading my first gun. After the two men left to lead their squads Itachi slowed down to stand at my side and took hold of my hand that was clutching the last bullet that I had yet to put in the barrel.

"Sasuke, stay behind me this time, okay?"

He whispered and looked directly into my eyes. I felt so privileged that my eyes were the only ones that he would look into with such love.

"Brother, it's too risky to leave yourself so open."

"You still have a fever. I'm worried that a sluggish performance will end up getting you shot."

"I'm not sluggish, even with this fever. I'm just as alert as I always am."

The glare that I sent him was half hearted. I would never use cruel eyes upon my brother.

"You may think so, but I'm just taking precautions. As well as being worried about you I am also worried that this mission will not be a success."

I sighed and gave into his demands, deciding that I would only obey his orders until I'd fired my first round. I would gladly disobey him in order to keep him from harm. Not that he even needed my protection with the skill that he possessed.

"Alright. I shall cover your back. But please be careful."

He nodded and kissed my burning forehead before moving back in front of me once we'd reached the door.

Six men stood at the entrance to greet us, each armed with a simple handgun in their hands. They'd been expecting us. All of us kept a grip on our own guns, ready to react when fired at. But not a single gun was raised at us and they watched silently as we continued down the dim corridor with our men. It seemed that not only had they been expecting us, but they had even formatted a plan.

Every corridor that we walked down felt different to me now that I knew that it was owned by an enemy; an enemy that we had once considered to be a grandfather to us. Even the rooms that we had once played in as children felt as though they were a new threat. What had once been a home was now an enemy base.

We reached our destination where two large men stood guarding the door. But, just as they always had, they parted to let us enter. Only my brother and I went in to the office, the rest of the men stood in the corridor, waiting for the first bullet to fly.

The room was dimly lit, and smelt familiarly of cigar smoke and peppermint. The man seated behind the desk even gave us the same grin as he had done many years ago. His thin lips parted to show the jagged, tobacco stained teeth of our old friend.

"Orochimaru."

My brother greeted him with a stoic voice, cleverly hiding his newly smouldering hatred of the man. I chose not to say anything, knowing that the first thing that would come out of my mouth would only be a string of curses.

"Ah, the Uchiha brothers. My friends. What can I help you with?"

He laughed and fingered the lifeless black locks that hung over his shoulders. His hair had thinned dramatically as he neared the well ripened age of sixty. Yet his skin remained unblemished with not even a single wrinkle. His smug expression only succeeded in fuelling my desire to slit his throat, and my fever was weakening my restraint.

"We caught your spy, you Snake."

I hissed, but didn't disobey Itachi in leaving myself open. I stayed behind him and spoke from over his shoulder where I had a perfect view of the bastard's reaction. He smiled slyly. He most definitely had something planned for us.

"How cruel, Sasuke. Such beautiful lips don't suit to utter such harsh words."

He laughed. But Itachi succeeded in silencing when he placed the bloodstained glasses of Orochimaru's spy on the desk in front of him. A pale bony hand picked up the glasses and scratched some of the man's blood off of the lens. No pity or was shown from him and he dropped them into the bin beside him.

"So, how did you discover that it was me who sent Kabuto?"

He lent back in his chair took out a cigar and matches from his desk drawer. Every movement that he made had me gripping my gun that little bit tighter, preparing to whip it out and drill a bullet into his skull.

"We found your emblem sewn on the inner sleeve of one of his jackets. He seemed to cherish his loyalty to you a great deal."

The man nodded, basking in his own vanity. With a laugh he exhaled the smoke from his first drag on the cigar.

"So, why did you send him to us? As a friend of the family there is nothing that we have kept from you. Besides, we have nothing that could be of value to you."

Itachi questioned and kept firm eye contact with Orochimaru, even through the cloud of smoke that was covering his vision. My senses were overwhelmed. The overbearing scent of burning tobacco, my raging fever burning my skin, the hazy sight of the bastards grinning face through curtains of smoke, and the husky chuckle that shook the floors of the small office.

"On the contrary, you have something that is of immeasurable value to me."

Orochimaru stubbed out his cigar on the marble ashtray. He hadn't even smoked half of it. We both took this as sign that he was preparing to take action and I gripped the handle of my gun, even preparing my finger on the trigger.

"Oh how it has been kept a secret from us all for so long, and how I've craved it since I first learnt of its existence."

Itachi's expression darkened. We both knew exactly what Orochimaru was talking about. Our family secret. And if he got his hands on it then our demise was not only predictable, it was inevitable.

Orochimaru stood up from his chair slowly, threateningly. Although we had yet to see a weapon we both knew that we were seconds away from a standoff. Those beady eyes foretold murder.

"And now, thanks to Kabuto, I now know exactly how to get it."

He cackled and slammed his fist on the desk. His actions startled me and my brother to swiftly aim our ready guns at him. There was a silence as thick as the cigar smoke circulating the room. Orochimaru didn't seem at all threatened by the two guns that were pointed at him. Instead he displayed his hands in plain sight as if to say 'I am unarmed and won't do anything'. I even began to lower my gun.

But no sooner than I'd taken my hand off of the trigger, the balcony window behind the desk blew open in a shower of glass and bullets. The curtain had well covered the two men with machine guns who had been hiding on the balcony. Not even our own men had been able to see them when they had first surveyed the area. Orochimaru's fist slamming on the table had been the signal for the men to prepare to fire.

Itachi had been correct to presume that I would be sluggish, as much as I hated to admit it. Instead of reacting quickly and avoiding fire I fumbled with my gun for a moment and was hit with a wave of nausea before I could lower myself to the floor for cover. My brother had to pull me down with him when he noticed my unusual movements. A bullet grazed the side of my shoulder and made a long slit in my jacket, my shirt and my skin. My coin had been tossed and I'd once again landed on heads. Death would have to wait.

Keeping a grip on the back of my head Itachi kept me close to him as we hid for cover behind the desk. With the flying debris and poor light of the office the two gunmen had yet to realise that we had avoided their attacks and continued to fire blindly at the wall. We could also hear gunfire coming from the other room as our men reacted to the noise.

We were both short for time as we tried to think of a way to quickly reach the door without being hit. Sooner or later the gunmen would realise that none of their bullets were hitting flesh and they would seek us out. Though our own guns were trusty, they were too slow to stand against twenty five bullets being fired per second. We wouldn't even have enough time to aim before our hands were blown off.

"Itachi-sama! Sasuke-sama!"

I heard the voice of Kisami call from the other side of the door over the roar of two scenes of gunfire. My vision was already blurring and I was fighting consciousness at the worst possible time. Itachi held me to his chest and covered my ears before letting out a roar.

"Kisami! Now!"

The door was blown off its hinges with only a swift kick from the large man. With his thick 'P90' Kisame bravely and precisely shot down the gunmen and successfully destroyed whatever remains of the office that had been left intact. Itachi still had a firm hold on me and still hadn't moved from his position when the room quietened.

"Brother, we need to get out of here."

He nodded into my hair and loosened his grip.

"Your fever has worsened."

He mumbled and helped me stand. I was shaking and finding it hard to breathe. Every inhale was tainted with warm cigar smoke and the collar of my shirt was choking me.

The room was empty now except for the three of us that were alive and the two men that were dead. Orochimaru had escaped from the balcony as soon as his men had started to shoot. He was most likely on his way to the mansion now that he had information on what he desired from us. We had to get there before he could steal it. We had only left a few men guarding it.

"Itachi-sama we must hurry. We are outnumbered."

Kisame warned while reloading his gun. Itachi was fussing over me and helping me to take off my jacket and tie. Any unnecessary accessories would only hinder our swift getaway. After fixing my gun pouch he took my face in his hands.

"Sasuke, head to the back of the building using the east staircase. I'll be on your tail, but no matter what don't stop running."

My tie and jacket lay discarded on the ground and my shirt had been opened to reveal the family heirloom that hung around my neck; a treasured necklace that had been entrusted to me by my mother. It stood out harshly against my pale skin.

I nodded and rolled up my sleeves, preparing for the longest and most painful sprint race of my lifetime.

"On my signal."

Itachi stood against the doorframe observing the chaos beyond. Just the sound of it was enough to know that we weren't just outnumbered. We were practically surrounded.

"Go, Sasuke!"

Itachi pushed my shoulder and I darted out of the office. I was so worried that he wasn't behind me, but I obeyed his orders and didn't dare to look back.

"It's the Uchihas!"

I heard the foreign cry of one of Orochimaru's men and suddenly fifty guns or more were firing in my direction. I could hear the air being sliced around me by each bullet. This was definitely a time that I was forbidden to be sluggish. If I let my fever interfere again then I would most certainly be dead.

So even when my chest hurt, my eyes blurred and my limbs trembled I still kept running to my highest ability.

"All men to the garden exit! Ready your weapons!"

My brother screamed into his microphone to the other squads outside. His voice reassured me that I wasn't alone and gave me the confidence to push myself that little bit more. Even when a fiery white pain pierced my shoulder and I could hear Itachi and Kisami scream my name, I didn't even stumble. I mechanically dragged my heavy limbs to the long staircase and stumbled down each step to the exit.

Once reaching the door at the bottom I felt a sense of relief and safety even while bullets were ricocheting off of every wall in the narrow passageway. My sweaty hands slipped over the brass knob, but once I had a firm grip I twisted it firmly in every possible direction.

"Shit! It's locked!"

I cursed and faced my brother who was catching up behind me, and behind him were Kisami and Deidara who had left the battle to help get us to safety. Not even bothering with the door Itachi took hold of me and held me to his chest.

"Kisami."

"Yes sir."

Kisami followed Itachi's unspoken order and stood prepared to ram down the door while Deidara continued to hold off the men that had followed us down the stairwell.

"Itachi-sama, please take cover."

Itachi moved me so that my back was against the wall and used his body as a shield, cradling my head in his hand so that I wouldn't hit it. Even though he held me painfully, crushing him against him and choking me with my necklace I still melted into his hold. I wrapped my arms around his chest as my adrenalin rush wore off and I felt the after effects take what they would of my weakened body. Everything hurt. I was surrounded by complete chaos and noise. The echoing gunfire between Deidara and ten other men, Kisami's metal toed boots slamming against the door in attempts to burst it open, my brother's ragged breathing in my ear and the rushing blood in my head that carried pain with every pulsate.

I was practically unconscious when Itachi dragged me by my shoulder to the car. Not even the chill of the night was able to cool my skin. I could barely hear my brother's screams at our men to retreat to the mansion. I was pushed into the back of our car and Itachi swiftly dove in after me, closing the door quickly. Kisami and Deidara were in the front seats, making sure to stop any mean from following us before driving off to the mansion.

"Shit. Sasuke stay awake for me."

Itachi called for me and unbuttoned my shirt. The wound I had received while running must have been more severe than I thought. The left side of my shirt had been completely stained red from the bullet hole in my shoulder, which had luckily gone right through me.

Itachi reached under the seat for our first aid kit and wrapped layer after layer round my shoulder all the while coaxing me to keep my eyes open. Even with the lurching of the car I found sleep to be coming easily to me. But I couldn't sleep. Our mission had suddenly become more complicated than we'd expected it to be.

At first when we'd found Kabuto snooping around the mansion we had assumed that he was looking for the family vault or something. If Orochimaru had wanted money then all we'd have to do is put in a more secure place or perhaps put it into an account. But his goal was far more dangerous for us.

He wanted the Sharingan.

It was a secret weapon developed by our family generations ago. Something far too dangerous to be used by any man. Father and son have guarded it since the beginning without even knowing what it was. Not even Itachi and I knew what it did, or even what it looked like, but despite that we had been guarding it for our whole lives and it was our duty to keep it with us until we reach our deathbeds. Then our sons would take the responsibility to guard it until their sons own the family business.

With that task on my mind I battled against my fever and helped Itachi to redress me into a new shirt.

"Sir, we are coming up to the mansion very soon. Please prepare yourselves."

I didn't even need to reload my gun. I hadn't fired a single bullet. It had all happened far too quickly. But looking at our home I saw that I would definitely need a full barrel in order to survive. Windows had been smashed and silhouettes could be seen stalking across the widows on the second floor as well as a few keeping guard outside. We would have to find a new place to settle once we had retrieved the Sharingan.

We parked around the corner of the mansion, keeping to the shadows, and only four more cars pulled up behind us. We had lost many men. Itachi swore under his breath and tapped his gun, formulating a way to get us safely inside.

"Sasuke, do you remember the Hazelnut tree that grows outside of father's bedroom?"

I nodded slowly, dreading what I knew Itachi would ask me to do.

"Use it to climb into the bedroom and meet me there. Kisami, Deidara and I will charge the back door to clear a path. We will meet you on the first floor."

"Understood."

I muttered. I would have preferred to be shot at the entrance than to have to enter my father's old bedroom. Such a room harboured painful memories that left me weeping for many nights. It would be the first time since my father's death that I entered his room. But for the greater good, I would endure it all.

"You will have to leave now in order to enter unnoticed. As soon as we are seen they will be on high alert."

I nodded and placed my gun back in its holster. Itachi embraced me tightly and kissed my face.

"Be safe, brother. Good luck."

I chuckled weakly into his shoulder.

"Dear brother, luck doesn't exist."

And with that as my goodbye I opened the car door. The tree grew on the west side of the house, luckily very close to where we had parked. While jogging I screwed the silencer onto my gun with the difficulty of my shaking hands. I could barely see it in my hand and the slight blood loss had numbed my arm. But with the adaptor screwed on tightly I put it back into its place on my strap.

The tree stood proud and healthy on the edge of the garden, caged in between the property wall and the edge of the house. My father's window stood just a foot away from its longest branch. The last time I had climbed the tree I had been half my age and half my weight, so I could only hope that the branches wouldn't snap beneath me.

I began my ascent, my body barely being supported by my quivering limbs. Every so often a branch would creak and moan as it tried to support me and I had to halt in hopes that I wasn't heard or that the branch wouldn't break. But I remained safe and continued on until I had eventually crawled as far as I could onto the branch outside the window. But there was a problem. There was someone in there.

I hadn't expected someone to search my father's bedroom. So when I first saw the man rummaging through the doors I had almost lost my balance on the branch.

I had to act fast.

Luckily the window was open so I wouldn't have to break the glass and gamble the possibility of being detected, but even then there was no way that I could jump to the window without being noticed by the occupant of the room. I had to get into the room and get rid of him in one swift move.

I waited him for him to reach a position that was easily reachable. He centred my line of sight at the opposite end of the room where he rummaged through the chest of drawers. It was perfect. So I made my move.

I took a silent dive in through the window and rolled across the carpeted floor until I was directly behind him. Before he was able to turn around or even call for help I reached around him to cover his mouth and fired one shot into the back of his head. The only sound that was made was the muted 'ping' of the bullet passing through the silencer. I was eternally grateful for the goggles he wore that stopped the bullet before it hit the wall opposite.

I lowered the body to the floor and wiped any blood from my gloves onto his jacket. Waiting for my brother to collect me I sat on the floor by the closed door. I didn't dare sit on the bed or touched any of my father's belongings. I feared that if I did my father's angry spirit would be released and claim revenge upon me. The fresh body only a few feet away from me even reminded me of my father's death. How his corpse had looked with a clean hole straight through his eye socket and to the other side of his head. I shuddered at the memory and felt an urge to vomit that hadn't been caused by my fever.

Tucking my knees to my chest and stroking the heirloom around my neck I prayed to the Gods and my ancestors that Itachi would safely reach me and that I wouldn't be discovered. I was so tired and ill. All I wanted was for my brother to be safely in my arms and to sleep for months. But at the first sound of gunfire I realised that Itachi had begun to clear his way to me. Soon I would have to fight because my life depended on it.

My coin had been tossed and would not allow it to land on tails.

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A new story, oh dear. My first proper Naruto fic and I just had to make it one of those really long and dramatic ones that involve a lot of hard work.

This chapter is an introduction. It is a Naru/Sasu so beware. There will also be much more violence and much much longer chapters. I intend to write 10,000 words per chapter or something. That way I won't have to write 20 chapters or something.

Please review and tell me if you like the first action scene that I've ever written =]

the more reviews I get the more I will inspired to update faster