Circle You, Circle You

"Who's standing behind you now?"

~~!~~

I was silent, impassive, as I watched the trees pass by the small blue car I was in the back seat of, listening to the songs played on the radio station which the child care workers had on. Or were they social workers? Police? I didn't really care what they were, but they took me away from my mother and father.

They took my older brother somewhere else, a place for teenage boys, I'm going to a place for young children. It's a long way away from my brother unfortunately, so I won't get to see him again for a long time. It was because my mother and father hit us and abused us, these people said it was abusive and took us away from them.

I don't care, I just want my big brother.

I tilt my head somewhat when I hear the radio station begin to fuzz and have large amounts of static effect it, before the people in the front seats began to switch it between stations. I listened to them flick through the static-filled channels on the device as I watched the endless sea of trees go by. Apparently this place was deep within the forest, a very abandoned place, but the smart, genius-like children, as they said, go there because it doubles as a school. Most orphanages don't double as a school.

Yes, I know I'm going to an orphanage, and I know my big brother is also at an orphanage. He promised me he'd come and get me, adopt me, when he turned 18. Either that, or he'd break out of the orphanage earlier, find me and run away with me. I didn't mind, I just want my big brother.

Why did we have to be separated?

There's a building I can see through the trees now, it looks like a big school building, but it hasn't many windows. I blink as I see, for the flash of a moment, a blonde boy looking out one of the few windows, but after blinking, he isn't there any more. I was probably hallucinating, though he looked about the right age to be there. He looked sad.

Curious, I stretched my head back and tried to look and see if I could see the kid again, but the car was going to fast, and we just began to drive up a driveway. I frowned. I probably was hallucinating.

"Sasuke, we're here!" The first woman, one who was very... large-breasted with long blonde hair and a diamond tattoo on her forehead, said with a smile as I nodded and undid my seatbelt, before I opened the car door and stepped out onto the gravel road, taken a silent breath of fresh air as I looked around.

By the looks of things, there wasn't another town or place for miles, meaning no one could run away. Perhaps the location was meant to keep us smart and strange kids in line, because we're smart enough to know that running away is more likely to kill us than staying within the orphanage.

I look up at a window and blink. I just saw the blonde boy again, but he didn't go away this time. He's looking at me with wide eyes. I blink and look at him, he's smiling and waving at me, like he's excited to see me. I move to wave back, but I stop myself, I didn't want to wave to some kid I didn't know, even if he did wave at me.

He must be in the category of 'strange' since he seems pretty stupid.

"Sasuke! I said come on! What? Was there something you saw up there?" The man of the two, a tall old man with long dishevelled white hair asked me as I looked at him, before looking back up at the window again. The blonde boy was gone now, so I shook my head and walked past the man and began to follow the blonde woman, happy to know the blonde idiot boy wasn't a hallucination. I could see him look up at the empty window to try and see what I saw, but I didn't care as I walked with the blonde woman with the diamond tattoo through the front door. Maybe I could meet this blonde boy, I'm curious.

"Hello! I have a new orphan..." I heard the blonde woman begin to ramble off to the receptionist as I tuned her out and stood next to her, eyeing my suitcase in her hands. It was all my belongings they thought 'necessary'. I come from a rich family, I'd have a lot more belongings, but they didn't think they were necessary. It wasn't fair, I didn't get to keep my mobile or my laptop or anything. I can't contact Itachi then.

I really want to see my big brother... and the blonde boy... I'm conflicted right now.

"Sasuke! Time to go meet the other students here in Konohagakure!" I heard the blonde woman snap in front of me, making me jump a little form being scared from my thoughts, but I just nodded nonchalantly and watched as a short brown-haired woman took my suitcase from the blonde and told her goodbye.

Why would they name an orphanage the 'Hidden Leaf Village'? I really don't understand the levels of stupidity some people posses, honestly...

"Hi, Sasuke, my name's Shizune, and I'll be showing you around Konoha! First let's go to your room!" She said with a blinding smile as I just blankly nodded with a slight frown. I wonder if I'll see the blonde boy on the way...

~~!~~

"Welcome to your room Sasuke! You'll be staying here with Naruto, who's just come here last week as well, so lets hope you get along! And don't give me that look, we'll give you your own room once you've settled into Konoha, since single rooms tend to spook students in their first week from the new environment!" She cheerily said as she unlocked and opened the white door to reveal a room with two beds and white walls and floors – everything was white, it felt like a sterilised hospital room.

I think I understand what creeps children out about this place when they come here, I hate hospitals, but thanks to mother and father I am used to them.

"Ok, well I'll let you two socialise! I'll be back at about 1 o'clock for play time, alright?" Silence. "Ok... bye!" Click.

I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned as I heard the lock click, signalising myself and some other kid who seems to be hiding, were locked in the room. It feels like a mental hospital cell or something, since when I read books or what big brother told me when I was younger, orphanages usually let children run and play, not lock them up. Those were usually bad orphanages, though this place is clean enough to give off the good orphanage feeling that stories said. Did that make this place neutral? I'm confused.

Suddenly, I heard a whimper of some kind from behind one of the white beds, making me furrow my brow as I walked silently over to look, only to open my eyes in a light shock as I noticed the blonde boy who was waving at me before from the window, looking very scared, he looked very scared of something.

I looked around the room, and wasn't surprised to find a camera in the corner of the ceiling, one of the newer dome-like cameras that you wouldn't know they were a camera unless someone told you. My big brother told me about them, they were very efficient cameras.

Giving a sigh, I sat down in front of the scared blonde boy and folded my legs in a bad pretzel-like shape, like I did when I went to school. I'm supposed to be in second grade, but I'm in third grade because I'm smart for a seven year old.

"Dobe." I said in a blank tone, seeing if he'd respond. When I got nothing, I frowned in disappointment as I repeated myself louder.

When he didn't respond again, I pouted and hit him in the shoulder, repeating 'dobe' again even louder and in a more irritated tone as he finally jumped in surprised and looked at me with a petrified look. I smirked when I noticed the stupid blonde woke up from his scared trance. These rooms can't be that scary, can they? They're just lame hospital rooms.

He must be one of those kids who are really really scared of hospitals, like they're a bad omen to them or something. I don't know, my only fear is injections, I hate injections, but hospital rooms are ok. Weird irrational fears.

"About time. You don't have to be scared dobe, we're in an orphanage, not a hospital, they just make it clean and white because they all have OCD." I said a-matter-of-factly as I kept in my cross-legged position in front of the boy, who just blinked as tears fell down his face, before he suddenly hugged me tightly, as if relieved for some reason. Ok, he's over-reacting for sure, even I'm not that nice.

No, I'm just not nice, maybe that's it, he's really happy I'm being nice because I'm usually a mean kid!

"A visitor! I'm so happy! Can you please get your parents to adopt me? Please? Get me out of here!" He pleaded as I blinked, before I shook my head, making his sit up and look at me with wide, scared eyes, "Please! I'll do anything to get out of here! Please just tell your parents you want to take me home! Please!"

I shook my head again as I looked up at the camera, before back at the hysterical blonde boy, making me notice for the first time he has weird whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each side, looking a bit like a fox. It's cute.

"I'm not a visitor, I'm Sasuke Uchiha." I said in a bored voice as he suddenly looked panicked again and began to crying, huddling himself into a ball, "I'm not that mean am I? I'm trying to be nice."

"No, no, no, no, it's not that, not that! Please! We have to get out of here! They're going to get us! One by one! Kakome! Kakome!" He cried out as I suddenly heard a rush of footsteps head our way, and feeling suddenly protective, I clamped a hand over his mouth and glared my Uchiha glare at him.

"Look dobe, shut up or they'll take you away and even though you're a stupid dobe I need someone to show me around this place, ok moron?" I asked in a snappy, angry tone, one that I used with kids at my school I went to, smirking as the blonde's rage button seemed to be hit as he glared back at me with full force, taking on the challenge.

"Dobe? Stupid? Moron? We'll you're just a stupid bastard with a tree up his ass!" The blonde protested back as I was taken aback slightly, before I yelled at him once again, calling him every name in the book, and him doing so to me.

Let's just say that by the time the 'care takers' came to 'take Naruto away', all they saw as me sitting on one bed glaring at him, and him sitting on the other bed glaring at me. As a result, they decided not to bother, since all we were doing as glaring at each other. I was secretly glad, since for some reason I didn't want to be alone in this place.

I don't why, but there was something about this place... something... murderous...

~~!~~

It's been two months since I arrived, my eight birthday's soon, but I don't care for that as I sit in the play room with the other kids and the dobe, though while the dobe and I played a game of red hands, which really was just a hidden excuse to hit each other since he drives me absolutely INSANE! Damned idiot.

Anyway, as we sat playing red hands together, I saw for the hundredth time this week, I don't know the exact number, but all of the other kids were playing the game 'Circle You, Circle You' constantly, though every week the person in the middle changed, and then you wouldn't see that kid any more. They say that person has been adopted, and then a week later they disappear. It's really suspicious, but the other kids don't notice it, just me and Naruto. Well, I noticed it and he agreed, since he's a total dunce.

I thought this orphanage was for the smart and the gifted? All of these kids here just fit the category of 'strange' to me.

"Kakome kakome..." I hear them chant in the background as I manage to lay a decent hit on Naruto's hand, him hissing at me for hurting it as I turned my attention to whoever was in the middle of the circle with the blindfold, before I blinked in a light surprise. It was Neji, one of the only other kids I knew to not participate in the game, but from what I could see, he was fully enjoying himself, trying to guess who was behind him.

The dobe noticed my lack of attention on him also and looked over to see the Hyuuga orphan relieving in the game which had a tendency to turn orphans into drones or something, as Naruto so shamelessly put it one time.

"Eh? Neji-ttebayo? Since when does he join in with the drones?" Naruto asked with a quizzical look on his seven-year-old face as I nodded in agreement for the question, also not understanding why Neji joined in on the game. It probably meant he got adopted and is leaving in a week, though I wouldn't be surprised if he was experimented on or killed, since it's too rhythmic and for another, I can't seem to get this coppery taste out of my mouth and it's sickening. It reminds me of the times mother and father used to beat me up, and I hate it. It makes me glad I'm staying with Naruto, he may be an idiot but he doesn't question if I slip into his bed of a night when the nightmares and paranoia get to me, nor do I complain in return when he does the same.

It's like a night ritual I refuse to tell anyone.

"Sasuke... do you ever find yourself wondering... you know... when you'll get 'adopted'?" Naruto asked me as I blinked at the random question, before I nodded truthfully. Yes, I thought about it a lot, I always wondered what was behind that odd door at the end of that abandoned corridor where all the 'adopted' children go.

"Yes." I said to confirm it as Naruto sigh and curled up his legs under his orange kimono, my own being blue. For some reason we all wore colour-coded kimonos according to our favourite or most-matching colour. Neji wore white, Sakura wore pink, Ino wore yellow, Hinata wore purple and so on. It was odd, that if you looked at it, no two colours were repeated... par Sakon and Ukon who were 'adopted' tree weeks ago, they both had mauve kimonos.

"Yeah, me too... I really don't want to get adopted, because then we'll both be alone again..." Naruto muttered as seemed to start tearing up, making me sigh as I let him lean on my shoulder. He always seemed to calm down with me, I don't know why, but I calmed down around him too.

"Neji Hyuuga." A sudden voice announced in a rather slithery voice as the boy stood up and removed the blindfold, giving it to his cousin, Hinata, one of the 'drones' before he walked over to 'Orochimaru', the man who lived beyond the abandoned corridor, and they both nodded to each other before Neji was bouncing off, waving to the others with a wide grin and innocent look as he vanished down the hall. And with a lightly echoed 'bam', Neji was 'adopted', we won't be seeing him around again.

"Now then, next adoption will be of Sasuke Uchiha." He said with a slithery look on his face before he licked his lips and walked off down the hall, while I personally stared with wide eyes as the drones all stared at me, Naruto as well. I was... next? Already?

Why?

"Sasuke-kun, come play with us!" Sakura said with a wide innocent smile as Kiba, inhis grey kimono, nodded and began to approach me with the rest. "Come play with us, Sasuke! Come play with us!" They all began to chant to me as Kiba and Shikamaru, a boy in a sky blue kimono, forcefully lifted me up and dragged me over into the middle of the room, tying the blindfold over my eyes and began to sing that dreadful song as I panicked and curled into a ball. I didn't want to play.

"Circle You, Circle You, Just so you can't escape, Circle You, Circle You, Who stands behind you now?" They chanted as I kept silent, refusing the play as they continued for the rest of 'play time', after of which I tried to give the blindfold back to one of the drones, but they told me to keep it and keep bringing to to 'play time' so we could keep playing forever and ever.

Naturally, I was creeped out, so I just threw the blindfold at them and left with Naruto to our room.

That night we shared his bed as I cried myself to sleep. I'm scared, because I think apart from Naruto, who too cried himself to sleep, only myself knows that behind that door is the furthest thing from a happy life and 'adoption'.

~~!~~

The rest of the week seemed to go by in a blur. Every play time I would be trapped between the drones as they sang and chanted, and about half way through, I began to grudgingly play the game, muttering guesses so they would stop trying to encourage me. Every night I cry myself to sleep with the blonde, that dreadful taste in my mouth and that dreadful song stuck in my head, dreading everything that comes the next morning, dreading the adoption.

And like with the rest, the seventh day since the announcement came as I awoke next to a snoring blonde idiot, making me groan as I forced myself to sit up and look at the blank white walls. No clock – there was never a clock, it was irritating.

"Sasuke..." I heard the blonde groan as he too sat up and looked at me with a sad look in his eyes as he suddenly hugged me to his chest tightly, not seeming to want to be letting me go, "Sasuke, please, don't forget me after walking through that door, I beg of you-ttebayo!"

I nodded and affirmed it verbally in the embrace as he grinned and let go of me, before giving me the blindfold with a wide grin, "Now I know it's boring, but at least have fun your last day, ok? The drones'll make you play anyway!"

I blinked at his sudden enthusiasm, before I nodded and took the blindfold, before looking up to see Shizune come in with a smile on her face, as usual.

"You seem happy Sasuke! That's good, now play time!" She said with a grin as we ran past her and out into the play room down the hall, where I was immediately dragged into the drone circle, and with a deep breath of releasing my pride, I began to play the game of 'Kakome Kakome' properly for the first time.

Laughs resounded in the room as I got the names wrong, and right, I'd be cheered if I guessed right, and everyone would just laugh, myself included if I guessed wrong, but for some reason this game made me happier, uplifted my spirit from separating from my big brother, and soon to be separating from Naruto too.

I laughed and danced and sang with the drones, acting like one myself until Orochimaru's booming, slithery voice took over, making us all stop playing as I removed the blindfold and handed it to Hinata, like Neji did, before I waved to the droves, before waving to Naruto, who waved back, and running down the empty corridor.

Just as I reached the old door, fashioned like the door of a hospital's padded cell, I heard Orochimaru call out that the next 'adoption' was going to be Kiba, which made me somewhat relieved. Naruto shouldn't have to endure that just yet. The darkness, the laughter, and the sudden need to join in too... it was weird, joining in with the drones, fun, yet weird, however I snapped out of it as my hand slipped from the door handle. I couldn't open that door... that taste... it's very strong behind here.

"Sasuke-kun... what's the matter? It's your freedom behind that door, why do you hesitate?" Orochimaru hissed behind me, making me jump a little, before I shakily unlatched the door and opened it, only to be faced with a blinding white light as I walked inside...

~~!~~

Kiba... Shikamaru... Sakura... Hinata... Kankuro... Chouji... Ino... Gaara... That's two months I've been here, and listened to the screams of the 'adopted' into Orochimaru's laboratory.

I still hear the survivors chant that ridiculous song though, in this room we all share. They're always circling who's next, because they always warn us who's next, always.

With a shaky hand, I lift my left hand over to the blindfold that hides my eyes from the world, the white bandage which proves that my sight no longer exists. I miss it, seeing. The last thing I saw was Hinata being knelt down, smiling innocently, before Orochimaru sliced her head clean off with a scythe. The blood splattered on my face, I can still feel it, of course I can feel it, it's still there... dried... still there.

I remember them doing something to Sakura's brain, all she can do is that game now, she can't do anything else, she's completely insane, destroyed. Remember Sakon and Ukon? They're still here, they both don't have an arm and an eye, apparently. Shikamaru was dissected alive, the screams... my ears still ring enough to make me constantly curl over and hold them.

I ignored the rest, but there's one case that always intrigues me. It's a strange boy in the corner, he's never playing the game, but he's always silent, but he won't let me go near enough to touch him so I can figure out what he looks like. I want to see him.

My head hurts, I life my hands up to hold it, hold the bandages taking up my head. They've messed with my head a few times, I know it, it hurts, I always feel compelled to join in with that stupid game, but I won't, I won't become a drone, I can't become a drone.

Circle You, Circle You, they always say, and they circle the next victim, always the next victim. I've been circled a few times, they circle you even when you are unconscious. It doesn't matter; if you are the next victim, you are in the middle.

Will I ever leave this dreaded place?

~~!~~

Konohamaru... Moegi... Temari... XXX... Udon... XXX... XXX... XXX... XXXXXXXXXXXXXX-!

I hold my head with my one arm as I scream silently in my corner as they continue to play, continue to play, play, play, kakome, kakome! I can't handle it any more, it's so painful, I've lost count of the months, I've forgotten almost everything, who am I? When did I come here? Kakome! Kakome! Ahh! I want to scream, scream, I want to yell! I don't want to play the game, I want to want to, don't want to! It takes away my pain says XXX, takes away, frees me of pain, pain, I want it to take away my pain! But I don't want to play!

I made a promise not to become a drone, I don't know who to but I won't, I won't! Pain! Pain! I want to play! I want to play!

"Do you want to play?" Someone asks me as I look up with blinded eyes to the voice as he feel them take my hand and help me stand up, "We're playing with sensei today, come and play, come and play!" The voice says as I grit my teeth in conflict, before something in me snaps and I nod, I nod because I want to play, play, play, I want to play kakome kakome! I want to play with sensei!

As I let the person guide me into the circle, I begin to sing and dance around sensei who is in the middle, I don't know his name, I don't care, I can't care, I only care for kakome kakome!

"Kakome kakome, nigerarenu you ni, kagome kagome, ushiro no shoumen daare?" We sing as we circle around him, or her, all smiling mindlessly as we sing, we sing and dance to the game, because kakome takes our pain away, and in this abandoned place, we can only be happy with our game, because if we play this game with you, we will be without pain, we will forever and ever smile innocently no matter how much pain we endure, because we know that we will get to play with you forever and ever. Crush our heads, take our limbs, we cannot die, we will play forever and ever.

Kakome kakome!

~~!~~

(Two years later)

A young boy enters the orphanage with the blonde woman with the diamond tattoo and the old man with frizzy long white hair, he has short red hair and brown hooded eyes, I hear his name is Sasori.

He was adopted just a week ago and I hear him frightened in the corner, I smile as I walk over to him and blindly extend my only hand to him with a mindless grin.

"Come play with us, come and play, come and play!"