Like Oil And Water

Illicit Memory

Standard disclaimer applies through the story.

AU. SasuOC NaruSaku

It wasn't the cold that really got to him. It was, first and foremost, the lack of warmth.

"That means it's the cold, doesn't it?"

No, it meant that the lack of warmth – in his heart, not on his skin – was what was getting to him. It had been forever since Uchiha Sasuke had felt any kind of real feeling.

"Ever since you 'severed' your bonds."

It was true – he had cared immensely about Naruto and Sakura. 'Had', of course, being the operative word. He no longer cared about them, which was most likely leading to that ache in his gut. Deep down, he needed something to care about. He was by nature fiercely protective of his friends, and his family – maybe because he was afraid he would always lose them? He didn't know.

"And Orichimaru's death hasn't eased the feeling."

No, his mentor's death at his hands had resolved nothing. If anything, it had left him with an even stronger sense of…

"You're lonely, you imbecile."

Damn, that was really started to get on his nerves. In the months on his own, he had begun to develop a voice in his head – out of necessity, he assumed: otherwise, he'd probably go (even more) insane, all alone. He had once heard Sakura remark on it: it was like another him, in his head – one that said all of the things he couldn't. One that was inherently all of the things he wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm everything you wish you were." Inner Sasuke smugly crossed his arms in a move that was, most definitely, just like his outer self.

"Shut up." What an image he would make: an attractive, slender shinobi (proof of which was evident in every movement he made, and the katana at his side, though he lacked a headband), talking to himself as he wandered a forest path towards…

"Nowhere."

"Nowhere." He and his imaginary counterpart spoke in unison. He sighed and stuffed his hands into the pocket of the black slacks he wore beneath a baggy black shirt.

Suddenly, the thick smell of iron hit his senses – registering as blood seconds before his katana was drawn and ready. He moved quickly, blurring from vision – the trees whizzing by him until he stopped in a clearing: staring emotionlessly at the scene of what appeared to be a slaughter. Three bodies (from what he could see) lay by tents – a woman and two children. From the residue and the acrid smell of smoke, Deidara had been the culprit.

"What the hell would the Akatsuki want with a bunch of kids and their mother?"

They were hunting jinchūriki, weren't they? But he didn't care. Eyes darting around, he checked to see if there was any danger remaining. There appeared to be none – and no chakra signatures as far as he could tell. Maybe he could find some supplies while he was here, though: it's not like the dead would need them.

He moved silently into the blood-soaked area, stepping around the brutalized bodies, moving towards the open tents where boxes could be seen.

You can at least bury them, can't you? This time it was more his conscience that spoke, not the Inner Sasuke he had gotten so used to hearing. Startled at this sudden feeling of empathy towards the slaughtered beings, he paused for a moment, making a decision. It wasn't like anyone could see him, anyways…

It hadn't taken him terribly long to finish. He had buried all three of the victims, and gotten the supplies he needed. Using a quick sealing jutsu, he had placed them into a rucksack he had also found. The technique allowed him to place three times as many things into one container – this meant he had much more room for anything else he may happen to find along his way.

He then turned his back on the scene, disappearing into the foliage once again. Within an hour, he was free of the smell of blood – and disinterestedly chewing on some dried beef. Even though he couldn't sense Deidara (or his partner – he had no idea who that was), it didn't mean he wasn't on his guard. He had the prickly sense of being followed: but he would wait until he was attacked to retaliate. No use fighting if it isn't there.

After walking silently for about fifteen minutes, well aware of the presence tailing him, he got tired of it.

"It's probably not the Akatsuki – they would have sprung on you by now."

Crimson bled into his irises, turning the kohl-colored hues into deadly weapons. Sending his chakra out, he sensed a small amount behind him and to his left – clear of the path he wandered on. Lightning fast, he moved – coming instantly to a halt before a bush. A low curse was uttered, and the occupant skittered backwards, stopped by his hand. Grabbing the person, he yanked back – bringing

"Sakura?"

into view. She landed on her feet about five feet from him.

With a half-hearted snarl, the girl spun on him, navy hues narrowed. He didn't know why his initial reaction had been that of seeing Sakura, as the girl's ebony hair and ocean eyes were nothing like his old teammate's.

"Her shape."

Oh… As he looked her over quickly, he realized that it was true – the way the girl was built: slightly shorter than himself, with an hourglass shape (though her hips weren't as wide as the roseate-haired kunoichi from his past)… It was almost identical to the 15-year-old Sakura he remembered from his confrontation with his old team at Orichimaru's base.

"Why are you following me?" He stared blankly at the young woman before him – realizing she was not a ninja. They way she stood (she didn't offer any defense at all) and her lack of weapons was what told him this. Also, the fact that she had little chakra, and didn't have the ability to cover it.

"…" She continued to glare at him – her eyes not focused, though, on his: as if she had a million thoughts going through her head.

"…Answer." He wasn't going to deal with this. He figured, in his mind, that if she didn't answer in the next thirty seconds – she would have a problem.

"…"She opened her mouth once, closed it again, and then reopened it, "why did you-… were you-…" She exhaled haughtily, suddenly extending her hand towards him, as if asking him to hand her something. "Give me my stuff back."

That took him by surprise. In a split second, he had both flicked his eyes towards the pack on his side, and then back to her. "Yours?"

"Yes, mine." Her eyes stayed on his – daring him to argue. "That was my family back there… the ones you buried."

He could tell by the tortured expression lingering in her eyes that she was fighting her emotions valiantly before him – not letting the immense pain she was probably feeling get into her voice. "Why were they killed?"

"Because…-"She stopped, staring at him incredulously. "'Why were they killed?' No, 'I'm sorry', no empathy? What the hell are you!?"

He stared at her, ever blank, throughout her outburst. "I wasn't aware I was supposed to feel empathy for you."

"… You're not human." With a scoff, she reached for the sack on his side.

In a blur, he knocked her legs from underneath her, and had her pinned on the ground in a move that would extremely sexual… if it weren't for the fact that he was Uchiha Sasuke. "Those items are no longer yours. I buried your family honorably – I take this as payment."

"…You're not human." She echoed the last thing she had said, her eyes wide – in a way that Sasuke found oddly perturbing – and fearful.

I never claimed to be.

He removed himself from her body – on his feet in an instant. He then turned his back on her, returning to the path, and continuing down it.

It took her a few moments to gain her head, and then she rolled to her feet quickly, stumbled the first few steps after him until she gained her footing, and broke into a trot; catching up with his quickly. "What the hell? You're just going to leave me here? I could starve to death!"

"I don't care."

"But I'm defenseless."

"I don't care."

"I'm not a ninja like you!"

She stopped, fists clenched at her side – the gears in her head grinding violently as she stared angrily after the dark-haired shinobi ahead of her. "And the Akatsuki is after me." It was a harsh sound, coming out of such a lush mouth – the way she ground out the name of the organization he knew to be responsible for killing her family.

"You're not a ninja. Why would they be after you?" He had stopped, half-turning to face her, an expression of mild interest on his face. She hadn't sounded like she was lying to make him take her – her chakra had fluctuated the way a liar's did.

"…My father was a master of seals. He had one special one, one that only he knew – and right before the Akatsuki showed up, he used it on me…"

"And…?"

"He sealed his bijū into me."Around her body, and angry wind began to whip, thick bands of hot white chakra violently thrashing. She did not appear to be able to control this – indeed; she appeared somewhat scared of the display her body was giving off.

"You should keep her with you. I mean, you're going to try and find Itachi eventually, aren't you? When the Akatsuki figure out they have the wrong person, they won't send Deidara again – your brother will probably get ordered to do it. Besides… You want company. She's alone. Who the hell will know?"

… He didn't like it when his inner self made such a good point.

As he mentally argued with himself, the chakra around her body died down, and disappeared – he couldn't sense any of the creature within her's presence, just her own meager supply of energy.

"… You can tag along – for now." He didn't like not knowing when the beast would rear up it's head again.

"He uh… He said he won't hurt you. He prefers my body over my father's, and as long as you aren't a threat, he has no reason to wish you harm. Unlike some of his brethren, he was caged simply as a precautionary measure: not because he was causing damage." The way she spoke was uncomfortable, she obviously wasn't as content with the situation as the bijū inside of her seemed to be.

"I already said I'd take you, didn't I?" Shrugging, he turned away from her again, continuing on his way without another word.

She huffed, staring frustratedly at his back until he was a good distance away. Then she realized that, and started running to catch up with him. By the time she did, she was out of breath, and fell into step with him, breathing heavily and worn out.

"Oh… This is going to be fun."

A/N: I am officially looking for a beta. :D Yeah, I tried to be one, but then I got overloaded and realized that even though I'm better at correcting other people than catching my own mistakes half the time, I don't have the time to be able to actively keep up with someone's beta requests.

u.u I DID try, though…

But I digress. If someone wants to help me out, I'm taking requests. If I get more than one offer, I'll choose the best qualified: but as I don't have many avid readers, I'm not sure if I'll be confronted with that problem.

Seeya.