Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor The Pact by Jodi Picoult.
Ahh don't even ask me why I'm starting a new fic! I honestly have no idea myself…-.-
Anyways, mentioned above, this story is somewhat loosely based on the novel, The Pact by Jodi Picoult. It really is an incredible story for people who haven't read it and I highly recommend it! It can be a tad disturbing at times, but it is beautifully written like most of her books!
Prologue: You Got What You Wanted
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The carousel was nearly deserted.
It was eerily quite at nighttime. When the rides were no longer in motion and carts were all closed up, a thick silence settled like a blanket. When there were no children running and screaming in entertainment, carnivals were actually quite scary.
The air was sticky and humid.
There was a single truck in the parking lot.
On one side of the carousel, two people stood.
One had bright, blonde hair and electric blue eyes that still held a tinge of sparkle in the darkness. His eyes were closed, relaxed almost, and he was leaning his head softly against the shoulder of another. That person was practically the polar opposite. He had choppy black hair that hung around his face and piercing dark eyes.
He was crying.
Time had stopped. Neither was aware of the outside world, not that there was much to be concerned about, considering they were the only two in the amusement park. The blonde moved one of his hands to stroke the raven's cheek lovingly. He brushed a tear aside and smiled.
There was an 'I love you' somewhere in the mix. It wasn't clear which one had said it.
Then…the shot was fired.
---
Sasuke winced.
His head hurt and his mind felt numb. Weakly, he tried to move his limbs only to find that nothing seemed to work. He could hear faint murmuring somewhere in the background.
"He…Naruto…can't believe…dead…why?"
Sasuke opened his eyes.
At first, he seemed to be blinded by the fluorescent hospital lights. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust. Never in his life had he felt this amount of pain. He was drained, not only physically, but emotionally as well.
"Sasuke?"
He turned to the direction of the voice. Iruka. Naruto's adopted father.
Naruto.
"N-Naruto? W-where is he?" Sasuke asked weakly. He saw tears spring to Iruka's eyes. This wasn't right. In all his years of knowing Naruto, he had never seen Iruka cry. The man had always been cheerful and particularly kind to him, being Naruto's best friend and…
Lover.
A white-hot pain exploded in his head and he moved his hand to his forehead, feeling thick bandages and gauze. He tried to ease the throb in his head. He saw Iruka look at him worriedly and…something else. There was definitely something off in the man's eyes.
"Sasuke," Iruka paused as if to draw out the moment and create suspense, "Naruto's…dead."
Dead.
"No…s-shut up! You're lying! Liar!" Sasuke growled out, his handsome features contorting. A flood of doctors surrounded him cautiously, waiting, as if he would jump out and attack them.
Naruto…
But then again, there was that nagging deep inside of him. He could deny it all he wanted but he knew the truth.
Naruto was dead.
And he had been the one to kill him.
---
The blonde curiously observed the dark-haired boy sitting alone in the playground, building a sandcastle. It was the same boy that came every day at the same time. He never talked to anyone. Each day, it would be something different, from the swings to the tire hammock. Today, it was the sandbox. Naruto would know; he was always at the playground. Granted, none of the other children seemed to want to play with him, but that didn't matter to him.
That boy…
"Hey you!" Grinning happily, Naruto walked over to him and observed the castle that was in the making. It was very intricate for a small child. There was a moat and there were details on the walls. It was quite a creation.
"Whatcha got there?" Naruto poked one of the towers gingerly.
"A sand castle, stupid."
"Hey!" Naruto pouted. He was only trying to be friendly! He took a good look at the boy. His skin was pale and his eyes sharp. His black hair stuck up at the end. Overall though, Naruto decided the boy didn't look too bad. He could even be considered…cute.
"Go away."
Now, Naruto was really getting mad. He barely even knew the kid! Scratch that, he didn't know him at all.
"Fine! If you want to act like a dummy and not talk or play with anyone, that's ok with me! I was trying to be nice. Do you even know what nice means? Hmph," the pout grew and he folded his arms across his chest and began to walk away.
The raven looked genuinely surprised at the blonde's outburst. No one had ever spoken to him like that. Well, he didn't really talk to anyone besides his family members. But still, if people knew who he was, he simply knew they wouldn't talk to him like that.
Now, it was rare that he ever lost his composure. Really, it was.
So it was even more surprising when the little brunette got up from his place in the sand and tackled the other into the sand. He heard a muffled 'oomph!' before both were rolling around in the sand, destroying everything in their paths.
After a good ten minutes or so of wrestling, Naruto wrenched the other boy away. Both were panting hard. The sand castle lay in ruins.
"W-Why'd you go and do that?!" Naruto felt a tear leak out his cheek, which was now bruised. His lip was cut and it really, really hurt!
The other boy put his hand to his own scalp, well aware that a few hairs had probably been pulled out. He was glaring at the blonde.
"No one talks to me like that!"
"What are you talking about?! All I said was that you were a dummy! You called me stupid! That's worse!"
"They're the same thing!"
"So how come you get to say it then? Huh, huh?"
"Because…just because!"
"Yeah right, it's not like you even talk to anyone whenever you're here! How do you know people can't talk to you like that?" The raven blinked. That blonde sure had some nerve…
"A-are you a stalker or something?"
"No!" Naruto then pondered the question. "Wait, what's a stalker?"
"I heard my older brother using it the other day! He said it's someone who's really creepy and follows a person around, never leaving them alone!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Aniki's always right!"
"Well then, no I'm definitely not a stalker!"
"Then, how'd—how'd you know I never talk to anyone?" The brunette blinked in confusion.
"Because I come to this park a lot! And I always see you! And…you always play alone."
There was a moment of silence between the two. Finally…
"I'm Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uzumaki Naruto!" The blonde yelled excitedly, temporarily forgetting he was technically supposed to be mad at the boy in front of him.
"Hm." The raven turned around again, trying to salvage what was left of his castle before a light tap on his shoulder stopped him.
"You're still here?"
Naruto made a face at him and stuck out his tongue. "I was going to offer to help you rebuild your castle, but if that's how you wanna treat me…"
"What makes you think I even want your help?"
"Well, I—I just…forget it!" Naruto angrily began to storm away, thinking he was stupid for trying to be so nice.
"Wait!"
Turning around, Naruto saw Sasuke's curious expression on him. Then…he smiled.
"You can stay."
Hopping over with glee, Naruto sat down and immediately began to create with the sand. Sasuke eyed him.
"How old are you Naruto?"
"Five!" The boy proudly held up four fingers.
Sasuke sighed and suppressed a laugh. How could this stranger that he was just yelling at a few moments ago change just like that and make him want to laugh?
"Me too…but you really are stupid…" Naruto was about to complain before he realized Sasuke was now using a playful tone instead of a mean one.
"So you live around here Sasuke?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Not really. I live near the Tanglewood Estates."
Naruto's eyes widened. "T-tanglewood? But all those houses are so big! Iruka and I went to look over at that neighborhood one time and their houses are like quadrupler the size of ours!"
"I'm rich." Sasuke didn't know the full extent of exactly how rich he was. His father was the owner of an extremely profitable chain company. He was loaded.
"Oh…"
"Who's Iruka?" Sasuke asked him, cocking his head to the side.
"He's my daddy!" Naruto grinned again.
"Why do you always smile?" If it was one thing Sasuke noticed about the boy, it was definitely his smile.
"Um…I like to?" Naruto was taken aback with the question. No one had ever asked him that before…
"Smiling's stupid," Sasuke declared.
"You were smiling a minute ago!"
"Yeah well, that's ok because I only smile sometimes. You smile too much. It's stupid."
"Gah! Is everything stupid to you?" the blonde asked, exasperated.
"No," Sasuke answered after a moment's hesitation, "just you."
His comment had then led to another heated argument, which ensued more rolling around in the sand.
Now, the fighting was over and the sand castle was again beginning to take shape. Sasuke stared at the boy who was currently making a tower. He saw everything from the whiskered cheeks to the long eyelashes to the golden tan he was sprouting.
"Naruto?"
"Yep?" The blonde was still focused on his sand.
"You're weird."
Naruto blinked. First, the boy had called him stupid. Then, he had wanted him to stay and finish building the sand castle. And now, he was being made fun of again! He truly couldn't understand the raven…
"And you, Uchiha Sasuke, are not very nice!"
Sasuke shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. Ok, maybe it's not you that's weird. But…I don't know. No one ever plays with me. They come over and look, but then don't say anything and walk away. So…why are you…?"
"Different?" Naruto added a bit dryly, hoping that was the word Sasuke was looking for instead of 'weird.' Sasuke nodded.
"Well," Naruto successfully completed his tower, "no one ever played with me either."
Sasuke's eyes widened with surprise. With that said, there was no more talking. One boy was wondering what exactly he should build next, while the other was, unaware, how happy he truly was.
As night fell, both boys fell back to admire their work. It was a very beautiful castle indeed.
"D-do you think it'll still be here tomorrow?" Naruto asked, still transfixed by their work of art.
"Yeah…maybe."
After that, it was time for both to depart.
"Will I…see you tomorrow Sasuke?" The blonde asked, hopeful. He had finally made a friend today!
"Y-yeah." The raven himself felt good. He saw Naruto's smile and he felt the corners of his own lips tugging upward.
"See, you're smiling!" Naruto ran off with a wave before Sasuke could make another rude comment.
Unbeknownst to both of them, Sasuke was blushing as well.
The next day, both arrived at the park.
The castle was gone.
Naruto had cried. Sasuke had held him.
---
"Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke, with hollow eyes, shifted in the makeshift bed to the doorway where a tall man with silver-hair was leaning. He said nothing.
"I'm detective Hatake Kakashi. I know you've been through quite an ordeal tonight and I know you're tired, but it's urgent that I ask you a few questions."
Sasuke looked into the man's eyes. Then slowly, he nodded.
Kakashi took a step forward. "As I'm sure you've heard…Uzumaki Naruto is dead."
Sasuke immediately covered his ears and shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, he saw Kakashi's concerned eyes on him.
"Sasuke…I'm sorry, you weren't aware?"
"No," Sasuke's voice cracked slightly. Tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. "It—it just hurts to have to hear it again."
Kakashi nodded, as if he understood the other's pain. "Well, I heard from sources that you and Naruto were involved. Is that true?"
Sasuke nodded again, not trusting himself to say a word.
"He was killed Sasuke," the detective continued softly. "He was shot with a gun straight to the head…" he trailed off.
Tears were now flowing freely down Sasuke's face.
Dobe…My dobe…"It was a clean shot, right through the temple. I'm sure—"
"Why are you telling me this?!" Sasuke shouted out, suddenly feeling drained beyond relief. "I—I don't want to hear this!"
Again, Kakashi nodded. "I know this is tough for you, but please, bear with me Sasuke."
"No, no I can't!" Sasuke was desperately shaking his head. "Please, I…I can't."
Kakashi leaned in closer to the boy huddled on the bed. "Listen closely to me Sasuke. There is a speculation that you could've been the one to murder Naruto. If that turns out to be the case, you are in deep trouble, do you understand?"
Slowly, Sasuke tilted his head up, towards the ceiling.
Then, as if Kakashi wasn't even in the room, he began to speak quietly.
"It was a pact; our suicide pact. No one knew about it. It was out secret, wasn't it dobe? We were supposed to die together tonight. Together…you and me…always right? Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? You always said that. You and me. Always and forever. So then, why aren't you here?" He turned to stare at the detective. "It…was our pact." Slowly closing his eyes, Sasuke dozed off.
Kakashi knew better than to try and wake him up. He was clearly traumatized. There was nothing he could do at the moment. He wasn't in the right state of mind to be answering questions.
"Oh Sasuke," Kakashi spoke softly, more to himself than the trembling, sleeping boy, "if it truly was a suicide pact…then why are you still alive?"
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Alright that was the beginning. Should it be continued? It might start to get darker as the chapters go along…
Review?