When The World Goes Black
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto
"What does our village look like today?" asked Sasuke in a quiet voice.
"It full of cherry blossoms. Every tree is in bloom, bearing its beautiful whitish pink flowers. Can you smell it in the breeze? The wonderful fragance of spring?" Naruto said in cheerful tone, trying to hold in tears.
It was not the season, both Sasuke and Naruto is well aware of that. It was like how Naruto said that "The hills were green with colourful flowers, birds are flying and calling each other. The sun is shinning and the air smelt like early spring", yesturday.
Both knew these were all lies. They knew that the real world, their village was not like this. Corspes was piled high in some area and blood splatted all around the village. Buildings crumbling down and the faces of the hokages are gone, blown to bits.
This was what the village of the Hidden leaf became. Yet, still like a child clinging to hope, Sasuke continued to believe Naruto, continued to play his game of make believe.
Akatsuki had attacked a few days ago with Sasuke and his group right on their tail. The outcome lays before them and also the bandage around Sasuke's eyes. He has lost his sight and his memory. He does not even remember who he was, let alone what happen. That it was he, who did as much damage as Akatsuki.
Naruto was not seeing the cherry blossoms, he was seeing a stone slab at the training ground. The very ground they have competed for bells. The stone stabs of the dead heros.
His eyes scanned the new additions - Hatake Kakashi, Iruka Umino, Nara Shikarmaru, Ino, Sai, Neji, Lee, Tenten...
He stopped at a name, Sakura Haruno. The woman he loved most in the world. The one of the few he had sworn to protect, died in his arms
Flashback
"Why, why did you do this?" howled a stricken Naruto.
The sight of his beloved Sakura limp form in Sasuke's arms, blood trickling down the side of her mouth, left him a feeling of utter uselessness.
"Be...b..because I..I loved both of you too much, t...to l.let you kill each other. Please live, live both of you... fo...for my sake. Na.Nar.Naruto and S.Sa..Sasuke, please don't die..." with that her hand slumped to the ground.
"SAKURRRRRAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"End of
flashback"
Hands appeared in front of him, jolting him out of
his daze. He watched with awe as those hands that had caused the
destruction of his village, reached up to touch and feel his face as
if trying to memorised every physical structure, every scar that
marked Naruto's face.
Sasuke continued to touch that face, trying to find clues to his past, to picture the face of a voice that was so familiar.
"I can't remember how you look, or really who you are. You must be a close friend of mine, aren't you? You must know all about me. Who am I and why have I became like this."
"Yes, you and I. We were best friends and rivals." Naruto replied emotionless
"Till you left for Orochimaru, power and cut that cruical link." he thought bitterly.
Sasuke did not miss the past tense. He realised that he must have cut that bond someway, somehow. However he did it, he thought he must have regretted or was forced to do so. It must be like that, if his heart is telling the truth. It aches and squeeze into a tight contraction when he heard those words. He would never willingly let go of Naruto, no way, never!.
Tears trickled onto the hand, as Naruto would not hold back tears as the past events finally hit him in full. He had lost everything and everyone. That hard earned respect and love from his friends are now gone with them, as once again he found himself alone, with a young man he would have never thought to have return. The young man that has tried to kill him not once but twice. The young man, he has to do whatever it takes to cure his memory loss and regain his eyesight. It was the last promise he said and it will also be the last one he kept even if it was going to be partially broken.
He has decided to help Sasuke to regain the things he has lost. It would be his debt to Sakura, his burden to her before he departs this world and join her on the other side.
'Do you really want to know about the past? It is not all rose- glinted as you might expect. Our pasts was not pretty, especially yours!'
Those hands dropped to Sasuke's side
"Yes"
One simple word, with all the uncertainty of a man unsure. He doesn't know how he will take it or how he will deal with his past if it comes back.
He just wants to know about this person. The person in front of him, is the most important person. For good or bad, he is willing to risk it just to remember this person.
Interlude of Realisation
As he quietly sat and listened to this young man's sad voice, the monotone of a lonely soul.
The emotionless eyes stared out, searching for the missing element, the missing reason, the definition of love.
Sasuke felt a twinge of pain as his heart echos the same emptiness that Naruto has experienced. As if, he, himself, knows how it feels to be alone, to be frighten, to put a barrier so high around his heart that he can scorn at anyone who even tries to knock on them. Yet, someone did, smashing those walls with golden lights.
That tug on his heartstring was a massive blow to Sasuke. It reminds him, that there was someone who broken down that fortess to reveal, not a monster, but a small lost figure in the dark corner, all huddled up. A small boy of six, with wild black hair and skinny features. Red eyes filled with tears, black commas spinning in fear.
He shook his head to try and clear those startling emotions accompanied by images that was so familar yet so foreign to him. Images of his past, he assumed, trying to play like a fast forward dvd.
He fought off the urge to just grab Naruto, his guiding sun, his gentle moon, and bury his head in the nook of his shoulder. He wanted to cry like a lost child for him, for Naruto, for the world that has gone terribly wrong.
He will just have to settle for listening to the story of their lives.
You must
think life was nothing but a struggle to survive for me. So hard and
unforgiving, but in fact, I had never thought of it like that. Not
once did I wonder if the
heavens dealt a severe hand to me. Maybe
because I had never had any other kind of life for me to compare it
to. This was my only chance, my only way of living. All in all, it
was not a bad way to live. The cup is always half full, not empty,
right?
Over there, was once the greatest relic of this village, "The Hokage Mountain", now only crumbling rocks and pile of dust.
People in the village always considered me as a prankster. Never once did they wonder why I did what I did. Attention. That was all I wanted. I wanted that feeling - Acceptance. Someone to say simply - " That enough. Naruto, what you are doing is wrong" in a gentle voice. To hug me and say "Don't worry, you exist."
I didn't just paint the Hokages' faces for fun. It was a sign of respect. I acknowledged them as the greatest man in our history. I just had to point out that I will become the BEST in history... never got around to that did I?
The fourth Hokage, the face that I painted on the most. The one that I respected the most. The legendary man that bound Kyuubi in me to save this village. My father. The hero of the country, but a traitor to me.
He has abandoned me to become nothing but an empty, smiling shell.
He sacrificed the one he love most to save the thing he loved most. I wonder, was it worth it, Dad? Did the think you love most, cared for your loss or did they brush him aside like shit?
Where did these tears come from? I shouldn't be able to shed these tears. My heart is meant to be stone. Where are my walls, what happen to my fortress? Why now after so many years...how can it be that it took this long to...
Anyway, I was never the brightest light bulb at the academy. It took me three whole years to pass the final exam. Even then I passed only because I broke the rules, because I was used as a tool for someone else's game. But, I guess, earning Iruka's respect and the shadow clone technique made up for it. Also learning about my past help me understand the villagers' reasoning. And just how wrong they are.
Well, if it didn't take me three years, I wouldn't have met you or Sakura. May be it just fate. May be now the heavens decided to play with me. The first time I saw Sakura, my heart gave way. I thought I met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The guardian angel that will make me king of the world. How wrong I was? Her first words to me was "Baka!". She, influenced by her family, without a reason, without trying to understand, considered me an idiot, trouble not worth to befriend. I was nothing in her eyes. Trash if you like. While my heart and mind was filled with images of her, she was fawning over you. Hah, how funny huh? You were everything back then. Mr. Cool, smart and good looking. I envied you. I wanted to know what was so great about you. But never once considering to be you. I, once remembered, thinking your eyes looked so cool, yet it has a touch, a slight touch of loneliness. I want to be your rival but end up being your teammate.
I worked hard to prove people wrong. I never regret it, I gave 120 to the dream of being the greatest Hokage. I wanted to prove to Sakura that I was worthy of her love. Now, now all I have left is wonder did I have it wrong? Maybe it was best to stay the idiot, not to prove myself to anyone. Not forming any bonds, not learning to love. Maybe that was best. Maybe then Sakura would still be alive, would still turn up her nose at me and call me "Baka!". If I didn't make those connections or those bonds with Neji, Hinata, Kakashi and everyone, they would still be alive and not dead trying to save me. How did I let this happen? How did I let the woman I love, die in my arms, uttering the words I had waited to hear, "Because I love you..."? How...why...???
Tears, why? Not again. I'm human after all. Nothing but a weak human.
"Because we are nothing more then humans, Naruto."
"Because we're just humans"
Sasuke looked up with tears falling, wetting his bandage. How can he stop them? How can he stop how he feels? After all, he is just a human being.
