Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.
The guy stepped staggering in the tavern.
It was a little and dark room, almost empty, walls blackened by smoke and dirt.
Three men were sitting at a table – the only guests.
The 'bartender' was somewhat sleeping behind the counter.
The guy walked there – without saying a word, he picked up something from the filthy wood axe – something that could be food.
He ate it.
The bartender slept.
The men watched him – a smile on the face 'Smart, the boy'.
They called him to sit with them, they offered him sake – "No, thanks, really, I haven't eaten yet, it would cut my legs off" – so one of them stood up and went in the backroom, returning with a cup of some sort of pasta.
The guy ate it, silently.
Then the men tried to drag him into their conversation: X wanted to kill Y.
"If they fight, who wins?
Who do you think is better that wins?"
The guy looked them with numb eyes and face, then smiled – a sort of grin – and his eyes lit suddenly up, it was like you saw a star in them.
He answered:
"The whole thing, I think, is sick".
The men looked at him for a moment – then laughed with him.
He went on eating – and managed to be offered an accommodation "for the first nights".
One of the men seemed to have thought that he was quite an affordable guy.
In fact he was right, he had always been – of that parish.
But the guy grinned again, in understanding his thought.
The problem wasn't the man.
The problem wasn't the guy, neither; the problem was something this guy had.
On his skin.
Almost all over his skin.
Sasuke left Naruto and went home, thoughtful.
That incredible thing he had seen!
Yes, Sasuke hadn't much wit – he wasn't quick in thinking, quite slow for his blood and age.
Sasuke had scarcely realized what he had seen – two monsters fighting, yeah.
His best friend nearly being killed, with himself, yeah.
That boy putting out that incredible huge monster – Sasuke thought, they were similar.
Something disturbed him, in this.
It was already a problem for him, that Naruto could be mightier than him.
He wanted to be the strongest of their duo.
He didn't know why, he often wondered about it; Naruto wouldn't kill him.
And he wanted to have Naruto beside him.
What then was the point, in being stronger than him?
It would be better, being friends, if they were equal.
But he didn't want this.
He wanted Naruto to be weaker – smaller – than him.
His affection for Naruto grew constantly higher.
It was something easy to identify: it wasn't the 'peer' thing, it was a 'need' thing.
He needed Naruto.
Then, this other one – like him.
Another one stronger than Sasuke – but Sasuke didn't care.
Why?
He should have cared.
He wondered about these things, in the next hours – yeah, this took him hours – lying on bed, dressed and with shoes on.
He felt always so alone.
Something was missing, like oxygen and food.
Something that he couldn't do without.
He thought that loneliness was doing him in.
He decided to go back to Naruto.
His other peer, Sakura, could misunderstand his appearing at that point, in late night.
He found Naruto awake the same.
He was thinking, himself, of something.
The similarity between Sasuke and Gaara.
Compared with Gaara, Sasuke was psychologically weaker.
Gaara had surely felt worse things than Sasuke did, he was even in a worse situation than him, Naruto.
Gaara had actually NEVER felt love.
Naruto thought 'He needs ME.
How couldn't I realize this before?
I am the only one who can comprehend him.
And Sasuke – he COULD act better.
Behave better; he's like – always so coward.
There is something, in his attraction for Orochimaru, that makes me feel that they too – they are similar in some way.
They are dark, but this darkness means evil.
Oh, c'mon…Sasuke evil?
… But then, I guess.
Neither Orochimaru showed to be evil, I bet, at our age.
It would be so painful…so wrong, if Sasuke is.
But I really have to think of Gaara…it's like, I too, I could have someone who gets – my situation.
Sasuke neither knows of the Kyuubi.
How could I tell him?
Yeah, c'mon, I'm a monster, and I always knew and never told ya.
He'd bid me fuck off…'
Thank you for loving me