Author's Notes: Okay, I shouldn't be doing this… but… well, the whole Sasuke wearing an Akatsuki Cloak was always an obsession of mine… and now that it's CANON, I decided to indulge myself. Lol. I'm going to take another shot at writing a multi-chaptered fic and hopefully, I get it right this time. XD Wish me luck.. and uhmmm, please read and review?
Disclaimer: I can't think of a witty disclaimer message so I'm just gonna say that I don't own Naruto and that it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto (bless his soul).
PURPOSE
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
– Friedrich Nietzsche.
(prologue)
It was disconcerting, wearing the black cloak with the red cloud pattern, the infamous Akatsuki cloak. It felt even filthier on his skin than the cursed seal ever did. It made his skin itch; made him scratch until he bled. It made him feel like a whore.
His brain was programmed to hate it, despise it, loathe it, destroy anyone who wore it… his enemies, his allies, his kin… himself.
He wanted to tear it to pieces, stomp on it, never look at it again, somehow save himself from it.
Instead, he pulled it closer unto him.
He needed it to fend off the rain that was sure to come.
And the clouds were looking grayer by the minute.
"Hey, why don't we stop here for a while?"
He ignored the gratingly high-pitched voice of the only female in his team, deeming her request unnecessary and finding the girl herself frustratingly weak. They shouldn't stop, they have to reach Konoha by nightfall.
He quickened his pace and was pleased to note that his teammates had quickened theirs as well.
Everything was going as he planned. Not one to waste time, he decided to run through his plans once again in his head, in case a loophole presented itself. He was halfway through his recollection when he heard a yelp from behind.
Hoping that the problem, whatever it was, would sort itself out, he quickened his pace some more. His hope, however, was dashed when he heard his teammate call him back.
"Sasuke, stop for a minute, will ya?"
Reluctantly, he acquiesced. He needed his allies for his plan to work, after all. He retraced his steps, bounding over to where his two male teammates, Suigetsu and Juugo, hovered over the fallen form of the female one. The bigger male was crouching over the girl, turning her ankle from side to side, surveying the damage. The girl winced in pain, which he thought was exaggerated, and looked up at him with a strange mixture of expressions: hope, regret, but mostly fear.
"The tramp broke her ankle", the other guy said, gesturing to their female teammate. The said girl promptly launched into a series of insults which the other guy mostly ignored.
Juugo finally finished inspecting the girl's ankle and spoke, his tone laced with concern. "Sasuke, Karin's ankle is damaged. I doubt she'll be able to walk on it, much less run. It's already swollen."
His brows knit together in frustration, Sasuke took a step towards the girl and grabbed her by her wrist, yanking her up roughly. As the girl let out another yelp of pain, Suigetsu stepped forward and pushed him roughly on the shoulders. He stepped in front of Karin, his stance protective and defiant, glaring at Sasuke with fierce intensity.
"Hey, lay off, Sasuke! Juugo says she won't be able to walk for a while, okay? There's nothing we can do. We've been traveling for days, surely Konoha can wait for a day."
The red-headed girl, who was now sitting on the ground once again, cradling her ankle, was avoiding his eyes, choosing instead to stare at a tuft of grass.
Annoyed, Sasuke stalked off, leaving his teammates to do what they had to. Suigetsu glared at their leader's back before turning away and starting to look for firewood while Juugo proceeded to bandage Karin's broken ankle.
He went in no particular direction and just let his feet guide him, consumed with loathing for his companions. Too much time was being wasted and it angered him to no end. The sooner he killed off Konoha's elders, the sooner he could get his hands at Madara. And God only knew how much he wanted to feel that bastard's blood on his hands. After that, well, he didn't know what he'd do after the culmination of his revenge. He liked to think that he'd pick up the pieces, fix whatever was left of his life. But he highly doubted he'd still have the energy to do that after everything. And he was pretty sure that he'd have nothing left after this attack he's planning on Konoha.
But he had no choice. He was already in too deep.
He had been walking for quite a distance, lost in his thoughts, when he heard the sound of rushing water.
He followed the sound, his footsteps swift and purposeful, and sure enough, he soon arrived at a familiar river. He had fished here once, with his former team, when he was still a Konoha nin. It had been—no, he promised himself he wouldn't think about the past anymore. He had broken his bonds. He had no time to waste on useless reminiscing. They were already wasting too much time as it was.
Displeased with his team and himself, he walked over to the river and splashed some water onto his face. After all, he shouldn't be thinking about them anymore… not yet, not when he was setting out to destroy—
"Sasuke-kun?"
And when he looked up and saw her, green eyes wide and pained, he couldn't help but wish that he was wearing something else.
TBC.