AN: Alright here's the deal, this was something that came into my head randomly while coming home on the bus one day. The featured song, Overburdened by Disturbed was the inspiration. I really do encourage everyone to download the song, it's a good song plus if you really want to get the mood of the story then you'll want to listen to the song. Keep in mind though, it's a metal song, it's going to loud, don't worry though its clean sung lyrics and its not as fast paced as most of their songs.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or related characters, nor do I own the song Overburdened sung by Disturbed. I'm merely borrowing other people genius.
Overburdened
Blood poured from wounds he couldn't even feel anymore. His body felt cold and numb; death wouldn't be far off, the deep gashes across his chest and back and the gaping hole in his stomach made sure of that. Sasuke Uchiha was going to die, that much was certain. But he wasn't going to die alone, oh definitely not; Sasuke turned his head slowly to gaze over at the mangled, bloody, undoubtedly still form that was his brother's body. He'd finally done it, Sasuke Uchiha had destroyed his older brother; he'd gotten his revenge.
A strange, nameless emotion filled his chest at the thought of it. He couldn't give it a name; it had been so long since he allowed his emotions to make it past the iron clad wall he had created that he couldn't accurately pin point the feelings anymore. Emotions had always been a weakness to him, a bothersome human tendency that did nothing to further him on his path of revenge. So like everything else he severed the bonds with his emotions, locking them away deep in the recesses of his mind. However, now he was dying and steadily losing the ability to control his thoughts and feelings, allowing them to run rampant through his brain.
He'd gotten his revenge, but at what price? His life was suddenly the forfeit penalty for the vengeance he had so rightly deserved for so long. It was just another thing that Itachi took from him and Sasuke couldn't help think that even though he'd killed his brother Itachi still managed to win as well. They would be stepping into the seventh circle of hell together, joining they're fellow betrayers in eternal torture. And while Sasuke had never given much thought to what would happen after he killed his brother, joining him in the pits of hell for the rest of time was not what he had in mind.
Fate... Fate is so unkind...
Now I should have known…
Blind leading the blind...
Reaping what I've sown...
God it wasn't fair! Itachi had stolen everything from him, his family, his childhood, his innocence, his happiness, his friends, his ability to feel and now his life. Life was the only thing Sasuke had left, although there wasn't much to it, it was something he could build upon, something he could fix... and now he was dying. He didn't want to die God dammit; he wanted to live, to have all the things he never got the chance to have, to feel all the things he wasn't able to feel, to see the people he so desperately wanted to see. All his hard work, everything he'd trained for, everything he'd sacrificed was for nothing, it didn't mean a god damn thing because he was dying anyways.
If it all amounts to nothing...
Then why, why am I standing in this line..?
Sasuke gasped as pain shot across his chest, throbbing in time to his slowing heartbeat. He winced knowing that getting worked up wasn't going to do anything but cause him more pain. He only had a one in a million chance of living now and that was if a highly skilled medic nin came across him at that very moment and used all the chakra they could possibly spare to heal him. And how long it took him to die depended on his body; it could take minutes or hours and Sasuke could do nothing but wait for the hell gates to appear before him, beckoning him into his eternal home.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
I may never know for certain
When will be my time
'Do I really deserve this?'
"Of course you deserve this."
Sasuke couldn't lie to himself; he had done a lot to earn such a fate. In the past he had always said that he didn't believe in fate, you built your own destiny, you made your own path. But now he couldn't help but feel that all the faults he had ever made were stacked up against him, the Karma in his life completely offset by the evil he had brought to the world. Despite all the effort he'd made to not be like his brother, he managed the same fate as him in the end.
How was I considered evil?
Pleasures taken in this life
Someone granted me reprieval
Decades spent in strife
"Was it worth it?"
Sasuke couldn't find an answer to the question his mind had given him. Itachi had destroyed all the humanity in him, revenge was the only thing Sasuke had known. Revenge and an insatiable thirst for power were the cruel gifts his brother had bestowed on the youngest Uchiha and Sasuke used them readily, the feelings of hatred and malice suppressing the memories of the terrible sight he'd seen. He couldn't allow his mind to rest for a moment because when he did the terror would happen all over again, he would relive the worst day of his life again and again until it drove him completely insane. Hate was the only thing strong enough to keep him in control, to keep him focused.
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
"Was it though? Was hatred the only thing you had?"
Sasuke's face crumpled in confusion. 'What a stupid question' he told himself, 'and obviously the lack of blood and oxygen to my brain is taking effect because now I'm talking to myself.' He didn't understand the question though; of course hatred was the only thing he'd had and that's what Itachi wanted, he'd said so. His hatred had effectively allowed him to kill his menace of a brother, but it had also effectively destroyed him in the process. 'If there was another way don't you think I would have taken it.'
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How have I been so determined malign?
No that was a lie too, he wouldn't have accepted another alternative. His vision was permanently painted red with the anticipation of spilling his brothers blood. To him, revenge was the only thing that mattered, all other things were simply distractions and set backs keeping him from the goal he so desperately wanted. 'But it doesn't matter because I had nothing else.'
It's the closing of the curtain
In the play that was my life
Countless chapters left unopened
Tragedies inside
"What about love?"
Sasuke would have laughed if he had the strength to do so. 'Love? What about it?'
"Love could have stopped the pain."
Sasuke scowled and then winced as pain gripped his body again. 'Love wasn't something I received by the bucketful, if you didn't notice I was an asshole to everyone.' His vision blurred and the world spun beneath him. He probably wouldn't last much longer.
I was fighting for a reason
Holy blessed homicide
Seems I have committed treason
All I've sacrificed
"There's another lie. You had love all around you, but you refused to acknowledge it."
'From who? The Villagers, my classmates, the mob of girls that chased me insistently? They loved me because I was an Uchiha, because I was a prodigy, because I was so talented. Not because I was Sasuke.' The inner voice didn't say anything but a vision of two people exploded in his mind. One of the figures was a woman; she was short with a slender but curvy figure that was obviously toned to perfection. She had bubblegum pink hair that fell midway to her back, vivid green eyes that seemed to read his very thoughts, and a delicate smile that made his heart beat a little faster. The other was a man who stood a head shorter then the small woman but shorter compared to Sasuke's height. He was well build, not huge but not slim either, muscles worked from rigorous training. His blonde hair was spiked up rebelliously, same as always and he wore an arrogant smirk that still managed to seem kind.
Led to nothing
Repeated in my mind
Led to nothing
If only I was born another time
Sasuke's eyes snapped open, dispelling the image of his former teammates. That was how they looked the last time he'd seen them a month or so ago. It was ironic, when they weren't looking for him, they managed to find him and the two of them were startled to say the very least. But not as surprised as Sasuke was at how much they had changed in his absence. Sakura was… beautiful, he had no other word for it, she'd grown into a stunning woman and Sasuke knew that if things had gone differently he would be the one chasing her now, not the other way around. She'd also changed personality wise, he could tell just by the way she held herself the way she'd kept calm the whole time during the encounter.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How I have been so determined malign?
Naruto had changed too, he was still loudmouthed and spontaneous but he was calmer somehow; he looked at Sasuke with a intense calculating gaze that made Sasuke wonder what was going through his head at the time. He also didn't rush in head on anymore which Sasuke had to admit was impressive. He moved with precise calculated movements that spoke of an extremely skilled shinobi. And they'd both obviously trained viciously because they came at him with a skill that he would have never expected and he was sure that they would have killed him or at least beaten him to a bloody pulp had he given them half a chance. But then Sakura told Naruto to stop and gazed at him with eyes so penetrating he was almost forced to look away. They left, Sakura telling Naruto it was useless to fight with him, he was never coming back and at the time he'd agreed with her completely. But right now, he would give anything to go back and join them.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Hell is still overburdened
How I have been so determined malign?
He knew he was wrong, he was loved. Sakura had fallen for him with a love so intense, so moving that Sasuke couldn't fathom it. So that along with his cold demeanor was what pushed her away. But she never backed down, she never stopped and even after he betrayed her, knocking her out cold and leaving her unconscious on a bench she still cared, she still loved. And after a while he'd begun to care for her, as a friend at the very least. She wasn't a skilled kunoichi and he found himself saving her time and time again, but the thought of losing her made Sasuke's chest tighten uncomfortably. He loved her, maybe not in the way she wanted but as a friend.
Fate is so unkind
Now I should have known
Blind leading the blind
And Naruto was the truest friend he could ever ask for. They fought, they rivaled, they bickered but when it came down to it Sasuke trusted Naruto and Naruto trusted Sasuke. They had a bond that was strange but strong and it had taken everything Sasuke had to sever it, leaving a broken and angry Naruto behind. But in that moment, Sasuke found he couldn't kill the best friend he'd ever had; he couldn't move himself to destroy the one of the only people who saw him for him. So he hid it behind the insistence that he didn't want to be like his brother and left, forcing himself to push the guilt from his mind and continue forward.
Reaping what I've sown
If it all amounts to nothing
Why, then, am I standing in this line?
He'd never managed to forget about them though. Memories would always pop into his head at random times and he would catch himself smiling stupidly or frowning. And every time he would suppress it, pushing the unwanted thoughts and emotions deep into his mind and then find someway to distract himself.
But he wanted those memories now, he wanted to remember all the things that happened, all the little things he missed, all the things he'd found annoying. He wanted to see it all because he had to convince himself that at some point all this had meaning. He had to know that he wasn't dying causelessly. It gripped his chest desperately and he found himself losing the ability to breath.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Ghostly memories fluttered around in his mind like feathers, he could only grasp the tail of them before they floated out of his reach. Flash, he was telling a glowering Naruto and a fluttering Sakura his ambition to kill a certain man, the confusion evident on their faces. But he noticed the slight narrowing in Kakashi's eyes; he knew exactly what Sasuke meant.
Flash, pain ripped though him as he came to after passing out from Haku's attacks. Breathing was difficult and there was a quiet sniffing noise by his ear, so he put two and two together. "Sakura get off, you're crushing me."
Flash, turning he smirked at a traumatized looking Naruto, "You okay… scarredy cat?" Embarrassment and rage filled the blonde's features and Sasuke was satisfied he'd made his point.
Flash, Sasuke couldn't believe how the tables had turned for him; he was staring into foreign red eyes belonging to Naruto. The blonde boy smirked unkindly "You okay… scarredy cat?"
Flash, rage and unbelievable power flowed through him as he moved swiftly towards his targets. Sudden there was a soft weight pressed against back and delicate hands clasped around his chest. "Sasuke… stop please." Sakura whispered. He could hear the pleading in her voice, the fear and something inside him broke loose, regaining the control he'd lost so suddenly moments before.
A cool tear ran down the dirt smudged cheek of the broken Uchiha.
Hell is still overburdened
How I have been so determined malign?
Flash, he moved at the an alarming speed, coming to stand behind the pink haired kunoichi who'd gambled with her heart hoping to win his as well. He fought the urge to sigh as part of him wished he could give it to her as well, but he had a goal and she didn't belong with him. "Sakura…. Thank you."
Flash, Sasuke looked down at the unconscious body of his best friend, feeling a pull in heart that was almost too much to comprehend. Sasuke couldn't do it, he couldn't kill one of the only people who'd seen him for him and loved or hated him the same for it. He couldn't do it.
Hell is still overburdened
I must stand and wait in line
Sasuke was gasping short, jagged breaths, his lungs burning and struggling to get the oxygen from his mouth to his brain. He body had gone numb again, but it was a dead kind of numb, like his limbs had died before the rest of his body and now his brain and heart were waiting to catch up. Tears continued to make their way down the face of the dying man, but a strange sense of peace flowed over his body. It was an irrational feeling but he felt forgiven, like all his transgressions were wiped clean from past and he was left with nothing, a new self. It seemed ironic that he would have to be forgiven just as he died but maybe hell wouldn't be so unbearable knowing that he was forgiven. The vision of Naruto and Sakura appeared and he smiled a weak watery smile oxygen deprived emotions taking over his thought processes. Sasuke relaxed, allowing all the tension to flow out of his body.
Hell is still overburdened
How I have been so determined malign?
Dark onyx eyes drooped softly, exhaustion sneaking up on Sasuke, draining the last of his energy from him. He himself to be pulled into the lull of sleep, a reprieve from the pain of the injuries covering his body. A soft sigh escaped his parted lips and his muscles fell limp, relaxing completely into the ground as everlasting slumber claimed the last Uchiha.
THE END
ToToToToToToToToT
AN: Just a quick note, for those who are wondering why I kept jumping around topics it's because I was trying to illustrate the feverish haze of the mind when one is rapidly losing blood an oxygen.
Anyways, I tell me whatcha think