The dawn sets in.
Chapter one
The amicable setting relaxed everything around him, though his stomach still rumbled out of anxiety. He didn't want to get caught out after dark. Just another emotion he would erase. Just another emotion he didn't have time for. Anxiety. He stood still, his orange sneakers planted firmly on the ground. His eyes slid closed, and he willed away the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He opened his eyes soon after that, the feeling still lingering slightly as he did so. He was at a state park, where all the bad people hung out. He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out his swirly colored pipe. He shivered as the anxiety got slightly worse. The music in his ears suddenly changed into a much louder song. He jumped a little and a few of the stoners in the park glanced over at him. He only glared back at them.
He thought about the girl he loved so much. 'Annalise, I love you.' He thought inside his head, moving the brightly colored pipe up to his mouth and touching the lustrous flame of the lighter to it. He breathed in sharply and ghosted the first hit he took, the drug reacting immediately and making his heart patter more slowly than before. He blinked once, then twice, opening his mouth wide and blowing ringlets of smoke out, a cough or two escaping in the process. He was hoping the urge to kill would subside. Pitter... Patter... Pitter... Patter... He looked up, noticing it had started to rain, one droplet hitting him directly in the eye. He winced and it slid out of his eyelid and down his cheek. His heart hurt. He wished the water was of his own tears. He wished he could cry. He wished he could be weaker. His knees shook with pure sadness. His heart quaked with fear. He had lost her. He wish he hadn't. She was everything to him, and now she was gone. Every time he thought about her he felt guilty. He hadn't stopped them from hurting her. He had let them kill his one and only. He would never love again.
It continues to get darker, the sky brightly shining a dim blue. The sun hiding behind large snow covered mountains. Blankets of snow lying just among the top of the beautiful tall mountains. It was almost possible for him to see the people skiing. Just little ants from his spot. "Before you I was nothing." He whispers into the cold air, knowing nobody would ever know what he had said. "Hehe! You're so sweet!" His eyes widened and he turned around quickly, seeing nothing behind him but the sidewalk, and blank stares from the few remaining people there. He shook his head. He always heard her, or saw her. He knew it was all lies. His foot lifted up, and he spun around, ready to continue walking back to his house.
A boy around his age was leaning against the fence closest to him, surrounding the park. He smiled at Sasuke as he passed, but he didn't care. He only continued walking. The boy was persistent even so. "Hey jerk!" The young looking blonde shrieked loudly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and glanced over at him. "What?" His small slender hand perked up and pulled one earphone out. "I smiled at you and you ignored me!" Sasuke rolls his eyes once again, his stomach rumbling a little. "Get out of my way, dobe." He murmured, not in the mood for such nonsense. The boy didn't move, and Sasuke knew he could move him if he wanted to, but he also knew that would be very troublesome. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way." He glares into the boys deep azure eyes, tears beginning to form in them. "You're mean!" But he proceeded to move out of the older boys way anyways.
He continued walking, his long, slender fingers gripping his earphone and slipping it back into his ear. 'We are all just animals...' He sighed and gripped the fence in front of him firmly, hopping over it with ease and grace. He continued walking steadily, back to his apartment located a mere mile away. He checked his pockets quickly, only feeling one lump, that being his pipe. He rolled his eyes again, the third time that day, his mind becoming more aware of how annoyed he really was. He felt something tap his shoulder and when he turned around, he saw the annoying blonde boy again. "What?" He snipped, his patience almost running out. The blonde reached inside his pocket and pulled out enough money for a person to buy themselves a meal. He grabbed Sasuke's hand gently, and placed the money inside it, closing his fingers around it. He turned around and ran away quickly, before Sasuke could refuse his money with a quick 'Thanks anyways.' He looked after the blondes retreating form. "Goddamnit..." He looked down at the money, it being literally just enough to get himself something to eat. He almost smiled at it, though his lips only quirked up in a quick smirk, then back down in a grimace at his position.
He turned around suddenly, going face to face with a large man he used to buy cocaine from. His eyes widened. This man could easily break his neck. The man, named Harper, only stared. It was eerily silent as his incriminating eyes burned holes into Sasuke's head. Sasuke stepped to the right, bursting off in a full sprint at the exact right moment. He looked behind him and found that Harper wasn't even there anymore. "What the hell?" He questioned himself. He slipped the warm, dirty money into his pocket. He closed his eyes for a second, being very exhausted from the day he had experienced so far. He looked at the Ramen shop that was just ahead. He hated ramen, but it would have to do. He slowly approached the shop, gripping the money tightly in his hand, ready to tell the shopkeeper to give him the cheapest and least flavorful ramen they had, but when he peeked his head in there, it was dark and looked mostly deserted. He glared into the darkness and turned back around, his stomach rumbling loudly, and echoing in the empty alley.
He walked towards the exit of the alley, considering it was a dead end when you reached the ramen shop. His hands still clenched the objects in his pocket. The pipe and the money. He sighed and decided that he would have to walk to the grocery store, and that was at least three miles away. He figured he was fat enough already and just began walking home. He had always had weight issues, though to the outside world he was far too skinny. All the drugs, combined with the loss of a loved one, caused for damage inside his head. He figured himself worthless. He kept his gaze on the ground as he walked, knowing the way perfectly. He had come home this away enough times, he didn't even have to watch where he was stepping. He turned down on Hammond St, the dead, abandoned apartment he lived in being on that street, right in the middle.
He could see it from where he was. It was big, and trashy. Only about one hundred trashy, poor tenants lived there, and they all hated it. On the other hand, Sasuke was only grateful to have somewhere to live. He had too much pride to give up and die. His drug addiction had come back after Annalise had passed, so he had spent every penny he earned on cocaine or heroin. He pushes the glass doors into the apartment building open, and steps in the freezing complex, His legs almost giving way right in the lobby. He took his look around, there being only three or four people sitting in the lobby. Mostly stoners. He coughed at the strong smell of feces and drugs. He was used to it, but every now and then it got to be too much. He almost gagged. The first time he ever saw the apartment it was big, and clean, and beautiful. He lived there with his girlfriend but when she passed, a sudden downturn of the economy took, and Sasuke's mood went with it. His life had been spiraling out of control for many months. Tyranny ruled now, and for the most part that was ok. Sasuke knew how to fight. He knew how to protect himself. His legs unconsciously moved towards the large staircase that lead to the small upstairs area. Well, small now, that is. It used to be huge, but with all the earthquakes, much of the building became cut off. Sasuke could still get certain places, but rubble and dirt covered every inch of the apartment building currently. He liked to use the term 'This house is not a home anymore.' With Annalise, it felt like a real home. He sighed, his foot stomping on the top stair.
He came face to face with the only friend he had left in this world. Suzuki. "Suzu… Nice to see you." He smiled a small, cut-off, sad smile at the taller man. "Nice to see you also, Sasuke. I have to get going to Yuki, but I'll be back later. I might come see you, depending on how late it is. Love you." Sasuke nodded. Yuki was Suzu's little sister, and Sasuke had never met her. He didn't want to. He and Suzu had been friends for three years now, Suzuki, being Annalise's friend from rehab. He and Suzuki were friends for mostly that reason. They had a connection to Annalise, and they didn't want to let it go.
Sasuke walked ten feet down the hall and threw his sad little door open, stepping his body in, and slamming the door behind him. His trashy sad mattress lay beaten and broken in the middle of the room. His clothes lay bundled up in a corner. The small compact heater was pointed towards his mattress. His hands slid up his pale, blue turtleneck and he slipped it off, letting it fall to the ground and expose his ribs, sticking sharply out of his stomach, which was caved in. He moved towards the mirror, located in the shabby bathroom the apartment contained. He stared at himself, the tears pricking his eyes. "No." He told himself, willing those miserable tears away. He whispered to himself, over and over "I'm so fat." His weight currently, was just under 100 pounds.
He turned towards the shower in his bathroom, turning the lever to the hot setting. Might as well, since it would just be cold anyways. His music was still playing, and he could hear it over the water. He closed his eyes and listened for a second, appreciating the calm, instrumental track that was currently playing. He let the cold water flow over his hip bones, and past his legs. He gently grabbed the head of his penis, and grabbed a washcloth, wiping it off with the damp rag. He also washed off the shaft, and the skin directly over his bladder. He dragged the soapy washcloth up his stomach and up to his chest, rubbing in small, soft circles. His fingertips slid gently across his ivory skin, his hair flattening against his head as he was relaxed for the first time that day.
His body was clean, and his hair was washed, and he was ready to go to sleep. His reached his hand outside of the shower and searched around for a towel with his eyes closed. He was used to this routine. Nobody, and nothing, was there anymore. He acted like he didn't care, but he did. He knew it. His heart began to ache, and he figured he should lay down without a towel. He stepped out of the shower and blindly walked back inside the main room. He grabbed a near blanket and wrapped it around him. It smelled like Annalise. His knees began to shake, and before he knew it, he was falling. He put out his hand to catch him, but conveniently his mattress was right underneath him. His eyes slid closed at the soft, comfortable feeling coating his back. His mattress wasn't that great, but after a day like the one he had, anything was enough. He slowly drifted asleep, to the soft beat his heart was humming in his hollow chest.
~ Naruto's way ~
The crack of the brown and silver belt could be heard a mile away, as the young blonde was scolded for the fifth time that day. The tears were streaming out of his eyes, and the belt marks stung uncomfortably. Each hit, she hit him harder. His legs would tense up, and his mouth would fall into a deep sobbing position. She was scolding him this time for giving away his money. He had said he felt bad for the person, and that they obviously needed it more than he did. His mom didn't buy that. She aimed incorrectly and the buckle of the belt whipped him straight in the eye. He cried out to his mother, for her to stop. She kept going anyways, and continued to yell the usual insults. That he was dumb, and he shouldn't have any privileges and how lucky he really was to have a good life among the breakdown of the economy.
Ever since his father, Minato, had died, his mother, Kushina, had gotten very violent. She wasn't the saint she used to be. She turned to drugs, and prostitution for all the income now. Naruto had to feed himself, or else he wouldn't get anything. Her hand comes out and powerfully grips his throat. In panic, his hands flew up and gripped her wrist, clawing at it, while still trying to maintain the simple task of breathing. With her tight grip, both were impossible. He heard a door click somewhere nearby, and he closed his eyes, hoping he would be saved. "Thank god you're here, punish him. You know what to do." Naruto swallowed hard, and gasped for air as soon as her hand released him. The large man approached him slowly, a look of sympathy almost gracing his features. Almost.
He grabbed Naruto's yellow jacket, and as he was pulling the zipper down, it got caught in Naruto's skin, pinching him. He yelped, feeling the zipper cut down his chest. The blood was immediately noticeable. He coughed, and more crimson red blood trailed down his chin, dripping onto his now bare chest. He was afraid to look down. To see the humiliation he had to go through. The man was already pulling out his penis, getting ready to hurt Naruto more. Naruto did though, dare to look down and see the huge gash he now had on his chest. He winced when he did so. It looked horrible. It had already started to bruise, and it was bleeding a lot. Naruto was quite the trooper; he wasn't giving up anytime soon. The man didn't take long. He only basically ripped Naruto in half, and enjoyed every second of it. He left Naruto there, ready to go screw his mother most likely. Naruto tried to move, but when he did so, all of his muscles screamed for him to sit back down. He listened.
He took a look at his night stand and saw a little inkling of white powder, and his trademark orange straw. He reached out to it slowly. He had promised himself he wouldn't do this. His hand touched it. He couldn't do this. His hand positioned the straw, and his body began to move. He couldn't stop. His nose brushed the straw. He closed his eyes, as he took a long snort of his remaining coke. His head immediately felt better, and his tears had dried up completely. "Oh god... What have I become?" His body plopped over to the right, and he closed his eyes, the relief making it possible for him to sleep. The drugs hyping him up and making him want to move around. His muscles seemed to let him know that wasn't happening. His heart rate had then sped up, causing him to jolt up, and then curse in pain. "Fuck, my head." Upon saying that, his hand trailed up his body to rest on the left side of his face. He felt a thick creamy substance, and he figured it was only blood mixed with his miserable tears. His head bumped against the shaky wall behind him, and he stifled a cry. He slid over and laid all of his weight against the mattress. His eyes flittered shut, and he slowly fell into sleep,
~ Sakura's way ~
She awakened suddenly to find the mattress she was sleeping on, to be covered in a warm, wet substance. She just figured she had pissed the bed again. It was vulgar, sure, but she couldn't help if she had to go the bathroom while she's sleeping. Her pink hair tickled her back as her legs swung over her mattress. She rests for only a moment. The nostalgia creeping up upon her and causing her eyes to fill with violent tears. Tears she had to keep inside, or else she would lose everything. The shrill sounds of screaming could be heard everywhere around the complex, as it was mostly used to house slaves or whores. Men had the upper hand in the shit economy.
Her mind clouded with thoughts of her old home, the smell of freshly baked cupcakes. The way her mother would smile at her and tell her everything would be okay. Not to mention her best friends, Sasuke and Naruto. She had to leave them behind also. She figured she might as well forget. She would never know them again. It had been four years already, after all. She had always hoped they were still friends. Inside her head, she might have experienced envy, but that was okay. She wanted everyone to be happy, Even Sasuke's girlfriend Annalise. She also wondered how they were doing. Did Sasuke, and Naruto, And Annalise all live in the upper city? Were they all poor? She rubbed her head, before she strained herself. She reached her slender arm out to her nightstand and gripped the phone lying face down on it. She flipped it open and checked for any new texts, there only being one from her ex-owner. That sounds strange, and she knew it. Her fingers trembled as she read the message. "I want to have fun again. Shall we?" She usually gave in to him, though she always tried not to. She closed her phone and threw it to the side, it hitting the wall gently and plopping onto the mattress. She wiggled her bare toes and touched them to the floor gently, rising up and taking a quick look around the nearly bare room. She groggily stumbled towards her dresser, and grabbed a small, short, pink dress off of it. She slipped it over her naked, and frail body, wigging slightly to settle it.
She reached for her pink brush and ran it through her bubble gum hair quickly, adjusting the rings in her lip. Her mind began to swim, angry thoughts diving in and out of her thought pool. Her head started to spin, and she gripped it tightly with her right hand. She wasn't happy. She was miserable. Hopelessly falling in a never ending hole. Reaching up, hoping to be saved. Nobody would save her. Every time she thought about them, her heart ached. Why had everything gone wrong? She had to move, and that was what changed everything. She could be with them now, if only she had stayed. The pain was almost too much for her. The fragile heart beating inside her chest still thumped, but with much less enthusiasm. She opened the door of her apartment and stepped into the long, boring hallway. Whores, prostitutes, slaves, and owners, all lay on the walls, relaxing before they go for another round with each other. Sakura tried not to get in the middle of it.
Her legs continued moving her, though they were worn out and weak. Her eyes darted wildly around the small, confined hallway. As if she was a caged animal. Her footsteps echo, everyone seeming to have gone quiet. Her eyes close gently, her foot automatically turning at the curve of the end of the hallway. She began to head down the stairs, eager to get the fuck out of the hellish apartment. Her IPod shoved in the waistline of her panties, and her headphones running up her chest.
. Her foot hit the concrete just outside of the shitty complex, and her pace immediately quickened upon the exit. Her mind continued to swim with regret and bad memories, but her face was unchanging. What is it she had to do today? She had forgotten. All the drugs, she assumed. She could look for her two best friends, but that would mean she'd have to skip town. Oh well. She didn't have much money, but she could afford a train ticket. That didn't cost much, and she had enough. The people passing her looked all up and down her body, obviously wanting to undress her with their eyes. She ignored them. The earlier she got to the train station, the better. Her pace quickened every time she thought of her old friends, and soon, she was at a full sprint.
Her mind raced, and her veins pulsed with adrenaline. She might have been too excited, considering she didn't even know if they were still alive. But her mood was suddenly downcast, as rain started pouring down on her poorly dressed body. She didn't stop, obviously, but her dress soon became see through, and the train station was still at least a half mile away. She knew she should've brought a jacket, but obviously she had a momentary lapse of stupidity on her part. She didn't understand why everything always happened on her day. The day she would see Naruto, and Sasuke again. It just had to rain. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout. She wanted to smoke. She wanted to inject. She wanted to feel alive. She wanted to dance in the rain, and just not care. She wanted to live a real life, and not some quickly generated lie.
~ Back to SASUKE! ~
His eyes shot open abruptly, his head spinning. He looked around franticly and noticed he was safe, in his room. His eyes locked on the desk clock he had, as he let out a relieved sigh. "11:00 AM? The fuck…" He pushed himself up, and hoisted himself off of his bed, landing on the ground ungracefully with a small thump. He rubbed his head gently, just to occupy his hand. The temptation inside him was strong right then, and he felt it almost impossible to resist. He knew it wouldn't end well if he did anything right now, and he also knew Annalise would be very disappointed with him, and that was the last thing he wanted. To do something she didn't approve of. He hopped up completely, and dropped his towel. "Shit." He stumbled slowly over to his laundry, and grabbed his jacket. He put it on himself, and then hopped into some pants. He didn't need to look fancy. Besides, it would cost him too much money to wash all his clothes again. He grabbed his keys, his cheap cellphone, his IPod, and his earphones and stuck them into the baggy pocket of his winter jacket. He looked around quickly, making sure he didn't miss anything, and then he pushed his door open in one quick movement, and stormed out. His apartment wasn't a happy place to be. Despite everything, he coated his pain with sex. A lot of it. He did it as often as he possibly could. Any girl or boy, mind you, who wasn't dreadfully ugly, he would screw. He didn't feel bad. He really didn't even care.
But then he questioned himself. Were his morals really that fucked? Did he really have such a sadistic mind? He floated back to his past, and as he exited the apartment building and walked down the street, he thought about all of the memories before Annalise. Sakura and Naruto. Those annoying kids. His best friends for a while. He didn't care if they were annoying. They were always there for him. He needed them now. Sakura moved, and when Sasuke found Annalise, he ditched Naruto as if he had never known him. But all this time, he needed Naruto. It's not like Naruto ever did anything wrong. Maybe he was a bit annoying at times, but they were always best friends. Always, since day one. When he thought about it, he almost got angry. He lost everything. Naruto wouldn't have interfered with Sasuke's love, and Sasuke should have known that. Although it was too late now, Sasuke would always remember Naruto's full head of bright blonde hair. His azure blue eyes that would shine every time they were together. He almost smacked himself. He sounded so stupid. As if he would ever find Naruto again. His mind flashed back to the park. The boy who had given him money... Could it be Naruto? He shook his head. "Of course not…" He could use a friend like Naruto right now. A bright smile, and huge eyes that you could stare at all day. He needed that. He decided then, that his move was stupid. Ditching everything for Annalise. He loved her truly, but he lost his best friends for her. It was dreadful. He thought about going back to the park. Would the boy be there? He would try it. His body automatically turned in the direction of the small park. He was now westbound.
As soon as the park was in his view, he saw the short irritating blond boy, leaning against the railing just short of the entry to the park. He moved quickly, comparing this boy to his old time best friend. He looked very much alike, and he definitely had the personality to match, besides that, it never hurt to try. So he sat down next to the fence silently and whispered something incoherent to much of the outside world.
'Naruto, wake up.'
The blond boy either didn't hear him, or he wasn't Naruto.
'Naruto wake up.'
He said just a bit louder, and Naruto seemed to look around, confused, before uttering his usual response to the familiar phrase.
'I'm already awake teme.'
Sasuke barely heard it but at this point he knew it was Naruto.
"Naruto." He said as he stood up and glared at the blond figure. "S-Sasuke..?"
OHHHH DAMN.
