Puppy Love

Revenge is like a poison in the soul. One drop, and the victim becomes consumed. It slowly taints the human heart as emotions such as anger, hate, sorrow, and pain rage as a storm within the heart and soul of a human. One boy knew this better than anyone. Since he was eight, revenge had been a poison that slowly gained control of him as he let his emotions get out of control. Revenge had been the only thing on his mind since that day. The day that had killed him. The day that changed his life.

Sasuke walked down the street of some unknown village, seething in his own emotions and wishing for someone to cross his path. Blood lust seem to find its way to the surface more often than it used to. The Uchiha smiled at all the times he had fought week pathetic ninja that had picked a fight with him. All the screams, the blood, the begging. It brought a certain satisfaction to the Uchiha when he saw the fresh bodies of his "enemies". But it also now brought about a certain emptiness. There seemed to always be that quick adrenaline high, but then it was replaced by numbness. Something just didn't seem right anymore.

Sasuke diverted himself to a lone alley away from the may streets of this lonely village. He sat down among the trash and muck. He scoffed at his surroundings. He was an Uchiha and should be holed up in a fancy inn somewhere, not sitting in the middle of an alley thinking. He sighed, frustrated at the situation when a flash of movement caught his eye. He jumped up and turned his head quickly, pulling out a kunai expecting some punk to be trying to sneak up on him and steal something. To his amazement, it was a puppy.

The puppy wasn't the best looking thing in the world. It seemed that he hadn't had anything decent to eat in weeks. Sasuke couldn't tell what color he was except that he had brown dirt covering his fur. Each rib poked out so much that Sasuke could count them. The backbone was showing worse. The puppy barely reached a few inches below Sasuke's knee. It looked up at him and sneezed. He yipped happily and jumped up and Sasuke's legs. Sasuke felt something jerk in his chest as he bent down to pet the puppy. The closer look revealed the puppy had a few ticks. It licked Sasuke's face as he petted it.

"Hello there." Sasuke whispered to it. He picked it up and looked around. That's when he noticed the boys walking down the alley. They were dressed in extreme punk and goth clothes. The guy in front of the group had a tag on his jacket that read "Devil's Demons". he locked eyes with Sasuke just as they walked directly in front of him.

"Hey you!" the boy barked. "Drop the dog. He's ours."

The puppy whimpered in Sasuke's arms and began to shudder. Sasuke barely looked at the puppy as he responded.

"If this is your puppy," he stated flatly, "then you have no right owning him."

The group behind the gang leader snickered.

"Watch your mouth buddy." one jeered. "Our leader is the best fighter around. He could kill you in only five moves."

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "If only you knew who you were talking to." he looked at the entire group.

"Who are you then?" another of the group asked.

Very slowly Sasuke replied. "Sasuke…Uchiha."

The group gasps and muttered. Several started cussing and backing away. The leader wasn't moved. He stood his ground as Sasuke stood only three inches from his face.

"If I were you," he whispered poison in the guys ear, "I would flee. Quickly."

Sasuke raised his hand and the chirping of birds was heard. The guy looked over at the little bit of chidori in the Uchiha's hand…and peed himself. He spun around and began to run as fast as his feet could move.

"Retreat!" he shouted at his gang. They followed their leader, some casting glances at Sasuke. Sasuke just glared, causing them to run faster. When they had left, Sasuke looked down at the puppy. It had stopped whimpering but was still shaking. Sasuke sighed.

"Now that that mess it over," he said , "let's see what gender you are.'

Sasuke flipped the puppy over and a stream of curses flew from his mouth. The puppy, identified as a male, had scars covering his stomach and chest. They ranged from being the shape of demons to unknown cult group symbols. The puppy squirmed uncomfortably, wanting to flip over. Sasuke let it. He actually had sympathy for the little creature he held. He even felt the instinct to keep the animal. He sighed again.

"Oi, baka." the puppy actually looked up at him. "You're going to come live with me."

The puppy yipped happily and started licking Sasuke all over his face and neck. Sasuke rolled his eyes and headed back to the Sound village and Orochimaru's secret hideout.

Back at the hideout, Sasuke demanded he keep the puppy. Orochimaru just looked at Sasuke and said nothing. Kabuto eyed it from across the room, thinking of several experiments he could use the dog in. Sasuke glared at him, daring him to get close to the dog. Kabuto smiled and shrugged at him. Finally, after several tense minutes, Orochimaru told Sasuke he could keep the puppy. The answer somehow made Sasuke happy as he headed for his room. He soon bought a collar for the animal, along with a leash and several other things. Sasuke had the puppy trained to sit, stay, roll over, play dead, and to track in a few months. He was also potty trained.

The puppy, of course, had gained a name by then. He was now called Nora. He became Sasuke's closest friend in the hideout, and even helped him to complete several missions. Sasuke now knew what it was like to have an unbreakable bond with someone (since he wouldn't consider his bonds back in the Leaf). When Sasuke turned twenty-five, he married and lived for three more years with his dog by his side. His wife and child loved the animal. Nora passed away on a cold winters night to natural causes. Sasuke still remembers his friend to this day, at the grand old age of forty-five.

Note: I didn't really intend for this story to come out the way it did. It was supposed to be a very violent story with lots of blood, gore, and death. This is going to sound strange, but when I type I have no control. I always say that Keami writes the stories to my friends. Maybe I'm just crazy.

FWI: "Nora" is actually Japanese for "stray". I learned that when I read a manga (can't think of the name). I thought the name was perfect for the dog. The dog is actually based of a stray at my church. He was a pit bull/boxer mix. He had white fur, was skinny, and had ticks. The adults at my church only thought about his breed so they are taking him to the pound soon. I'm going to miss him.