CHAPTER 2

To say he was flabbergast, would have been a complete understatement. Never in his life had Sasuke seen the ruins of a village, especially one so huge. There was masses of roofing and stone laying around, scattered in every possible direction. The smell of burned wind and leaves were easy to overcome what Sasuke assumed was normally the fresh smell of winds in the air normally. The village was probably as big as an actual city- maybe as big as Tokyo itself. While the village was clearly in ruins, it was still easy, for some reason, for Sasuke to discern where he was. It felt like a primal instinct, like he had been here, in the past. It made him wonder what had happened to himself. He felt awed. This village was perhaps the most primitive, unlikely place to exist on the entire planet, yet here it was. Those people had left him here- but for what? Glancing down at his feet, he recalled being given a set of kunai and that strange black book. It made no sense. Why did that woman trust him with something passed on from their ancestors? Why was a crazy old woman who believed in ancient ninja civilizations even trying to speak to a corporates son? It made no sense, and Sasuke certainly didn't want to be here. If only that car hadn't broken down. It felt like sick karma trying to get him to obey it.

"Whatever," he spoke, letting his usually expressionless frown stretch over his features. "I'll look around. I might get lucky." It was such a longshot. Most likely, he would continue looking around, aimlessly, for several hours, and then collapse of dehydration. His luck was just that horrid today. Shifting, he attempted to walk forward, carefully, down the set of doors, without harming himself. This was going to be difficult. That became increasingly apparent when he felt his leg slid. Although he let out a small sound of surprise, he shifted his free hand down onto the door to skid down properly. Another unusual, primal instinct. When he safely approached the ground, he let himself tumble forward onto the dirt ground, his body landing there, on his face, nonetheless. With his head turned to the side, ear pressed into the dirt, he stayed deathly still- more to check if he was hurt in any way. There was no immediate pain. He was relieved, that he hadn't been hurt. But he found a slight throbbing in his head. It was, like there was something beating him inside his head. His eyes steadily closed, and at the foot of the entrance to this vast, destroyed village..

Uchiha Sasuke, blacked out.

(break)

He opened one eye.

Oddly enough, he wasn't laying on the floor, this time. Instead, he had his back pressed against some sort of wall. The wall was hard. While his eye was open, he could only see the black of being unconscious before him. It was like he'd had the wind knocked out of him, by something. Eventually, however, everything became more clear, and he found that he was pinned to a wall by something. It was more than just that- there was the feeling of someone near him. While his eyes weren't open, it didn't take visual sight to let him know who. The smell was the same- the feeling was the exact same. Even if he was dreaming, the person still stayed the same. He knew his Aniki-san without even having to see him. Itachi was one of few things that had retained permanence in Sasuke. Glancing up, directly, at deathly red eyes, Sasuke swallowed. He didn't know what was going on. But the creases between Itachi's eyebrows, and the way the stretch marks from wrinkles on his face continued to tense, only revealed Itachi was feigning anger, with him. He knew Itachi's moods. He knew what his brother was like, even when he wasn't the same. Itachi was here, for something else.

"You are still, too weak," Itachi mumbled, in that same, cold voice. It was all familiar, but Sasuke glanced at his surroundings first. For some reason, he knew he was in that dream-like state again. Except this time, his body felt slightly older. He had more control over his limbs. But given Itachi was six years older, he was still stronger. Not only that, but the frightening red shade in his brother's eyes.. made Sasuke see just how futile it was for him to struggle. And yet, he continued, he glared back up at his brother in defiance he had not known before. He glared and tried to shift away, push him away. He ignored the words, even as they pushed him to be angry. He was not going to allow Itachi to push him around- not after he had abandoned him for so long. "I won't.. I won't give in to you!" he grunted back, hands tightening into a fist, even as Itachi continued to peer down at him. It was his surprise when Itachi shifted, so his body covered any view that Sasuke had, of whoever else was there. Instead, his mind was entirely focused on Itachi, who suddenly leaned in closer towards Sasuke. Sasuke could feel his breath, on his ear. He could hear Itachi breathing, but his breath was soft. It was Sasuke who was breathing deeply. He was sure he would be killed. "You shouldn't have come," Itachi breathed, almost unphased, by Sasuke. It made Sasuke angrier. He could do what he wanted. But he didn't get the chance.

Itachi drew his head back, and his eyes- the colour began to melt into some sort of frightening looking one. Sasuke drew in his breath, and tried to glance away. But it was too late. He was already entranced by Itachi- the eyes had captured him. And then, what happened, made Sasuke's gut wrench. All he could feel was a sudden amount of pain bursting through his body, and his world transforming into something else—an entirely different plethora of pain came around him, all caused by his beloved aniki-san.

(break)

Opening his eyes, he found himself with his face still against the dirt ground. But unlike before, he felt hurt. Not physically, but internally. The words he had heard that dream Itachi speak made him scared. Scared that he didn't even know his own brother. Shifting until his palms were flat on the ground beside him, he eventually sat up with help from his elbows pushing him up. He stared out towards the village, noticing there were paths. A wagon had been abandoned nearby, broken from the front wheels. It looked like no one had been here in many years. But what was most peculiar, was that he thought he knew where to go- how to go. He hadn't been here, so it made no sense. All he knew was that those unusual dreams he kept having, were in this village. Whether or not there was life here before, still confused him. He just had a sinking feeling that he knew where he was, at least, inside. Standing up, he eventually brushed his clothing off-a habit, it seemed- and then began walking towards the inside of the village. His feet dipped into the dirt, and all he could tell was that it felt wrong. It felt like he was stepping in a graveyard. This was abnormal for Sasuke, who didn't care for very much. But now that he really thought it over, he didn't really know who lived here. If he told the police that some crazy woman from that village left him here, she could be arrested. All he would need was a moment- just one moment, to completely make sure that crazy woman didn't repeat this with another unsuspecting traveller.

"What did.. did we ever.. do to you?"

The voice startled him. He refrained from jumping up, and instead took in a sharp breath. Standing still, he found himself even more frightened by the sign before him. It was huge. But what was more startling was that it was the sign of a giant kunai- faded away. It was a ninja kunai. As children, Sasuke and Itachi would often pretend to be ninja. It was one of Sasuke's favourite games, at the time. But looking at the kunai now, he felt like it was something else. Like it warned him. The voice had been so realistic. It sounded like it had been right there. Like he hadn't imagined it. But how could it have been real? No one was here. No one, save for himself. While he continued walking, he could almost hear groaning from all around him. It was like the ground was littered with dead people, calling out to him. All of the noises, drove him insane. It had to be when he had fallen- or maybe he was still dreaming.

Nothing added up to the various voices crying out to him.

Letting either of his hands clutch at his head, he closed his eyes and painfully staggered forward.

"Why, Sasuke? Why did you kill Akamaru.."

He would have screamed out, but instead, he managed to walk towards a wall, the one with the kunai on it, and slid down until he had his back pressed against the wall, and his head against the wall. While the voices continued, some standing out more than others, he tried to block them out. Tried desperately to ignore them. But in the end, he could hear some calling out. They spoke his name. They all were accusing him of killing them. It was ridiculous. It made no sense. He lifted his knees to his chest and lowered his head until he could press his forehead to his knees. For once in a long time, he felt defenseless. Not only was he alone, but these dreams were assaulting his relationship with Itachi. An already weak relationship. He was far away from where he should be, and he had no one to phone, no one to walk with him. He was used to being alone.. but not this far gone.

I miss.. Itachi.

This was, perhaps, the first time he had admitted this. To others, he came off so, unemotional. But now that he had admitted it, it began to sink in. Sasuke missed Itachi. His older brother had been his source of comfort. He always wanted to be Itachi. But knowing that his brother was so far out of his reach, hurt him. Inside, he felt like that dream, was the real him. Like he had been literally, a part of this world. It was.. frightening. It was so real. Sasuke was questioning his reality.

Feeling a tear drip from his cheek, onto his knee, he remained deathly quiet, as the voices continued to surround him, each voice whispering more and more frightful words to him.

"All.. we wanted, was for him to be our hokage.. why.."

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted out. But no avail. When he spoke up, the voices stopped. But the air around him reeked of fear. He could somehow feel it- these voices, these people.. they knew him. He knew them. It was as if one bond connected them. And perhaps, the bond was something morbid. Like he had done something to harm them. He could hear the agony in those voices, and he could hear the immense hatred, too. Clearly, he was at fault. That old woman, had sent him here, to do something. To make him see something. But he just didn't see it. He had nothing to do with this. He was born away from here. So then why on earth did it feel like the people here- those who had probably passed away years ago-hated him?

"Sasuke."

He immediately heard a familiar voice. Lifting his head, he looked around. It was Naruto's voice, albeit, a bit older, but Naruto's voice nonetheless. It sounded just like him. But Naruto wasn't here. Why was he imagining things? Was he that desperate for someone else to reach him. "Go to the Hokage Heads."

The voice was just as clear as before, but now he noticed, that it was coming from his mind. It was like the other agonized voices. He stood himself and began walking, aimlessly, to where he thought the voice was directing him. While he walked, he noticed more and more bits of the village, building up around him. There were shops, broken, destroyed, and left in ruins by time. It was evident that the village had been burned. While he continued to walk by, he could see things. It didn't feel normal. But he could see the buildings burning. While walking, he almost thought he saw a burning child run by, screaming like someone had murdered them. All the while, sounds of voices, of people, trying to escape their death was everywhere. It seemed like he had gone insane. Maybe the ghost of this village- ghosts-had decided to haunt him because he was alive. But nothing warranted for what he was seeing, especially when some sort of person, slowly, walked infront of him. He froze on spot, and stared ahead with a heavy heart. Who was it?

The pink hair was nothing that he knew of. The droopy, pale hands, and the delicate condition of the wrists were an indication that it was a female. But the thing that really threw him off was the familiar way that the female's hair swept just above her shoulders-pin straight. It was his fiancée.

But he didn't move. He didn't show any emotion. He just watched her turn around, to stare at him with deathly pale eyes. She was clearly dead. There was a wound pressed to her chest, one caused by some sort of.. blade perhaps? The incisions around it indicated lightning had been near it. What kind of person had done this to her? Internally, Sasuke was sort of.. glad she was not a part of his life. He had, always, for some reason, felt something bad, about it. But the way she stared at him. It seemed like he was guilty for her death. "Sasuke," she mumbled, eyes still trained on him. He took a step back, she took one forward. ".. I.. Naru.. to," she spoke. Her mouth moved, but he heard it in his mind. The person before him, was not alive. She was long dead. It was scary. Sasuke hadn't seen ghosts, didn't believe in them. Why was he seeing one now. "I won't.. I won't let you.. do this again. You.. You came back for more," she continued to speak. She took another step towards him, but this time, he couldn't move. It felt like he was frozen in place.

She was going to kill him.

"Stop it! I'm.. I'm not this Sasuke you're talking about! My name is Uchiha Sasuke! I-I'm the son of Uchiha Fugaku! Leave me alone!" he shouted, and the panic in his voice was only too clear. But it didn't stop the ghostly woman before him. She continued to walk to him, and the wounds on her body became more visible. Each step made a part of her body more visible. From the abdomen, the flesh and clothing she wore began to melt away, revealing bones and the insides of her body-plushed gray, and burned inside out. She had probably been burned- burned by the thunder that had hit her, and then left to die. She had most likely died from the abdominal injuries and blood loss. But more than that, he could see that her face was entirely distorted. A boot had stepped on her face-maybe something heavier, and her bones were appearing on some parts of her skin. Whatever had happened to her, had entirely ruined her appearance. She reached out with one bony hand and grabbed his shoulder, immediately reaching out with her other hand for his face.

He immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his kunai. Lifting it, he aimed for her face and slashed it forward, letting the kunai dig into her skin. It was two seconds. It was completely, instant. He felt something, urge him to move his fingers simultaneously. He did, creating what he thought were strange figures with his hand. "Lift it to your mouth, and hold it there." Naruto's voice urged him, and he did. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, holding his index finger and thumb in a curled, o'shape. Blowing into it, he was shocked when it felt like flames escaped his mouth. He thought he saw flames! She let go of him and reached up, almost as if she was putting out a fire on her face. But it didn't take long, before the ghostly figure glared at him.

"You're not doing this to us again!"

He was going to step back, but this time, she reached out.

Her hand was near his face, and everything, went dark.

(break)

He opened one eye, and noticed he was in some sort of building. Faintly, on his forehead, he could feel blood. It felt like.. a poke. Itachi enjoyed poking him. When they were younger, he would do that whenever he claimed he didn't have enough time for Sasuke. It made Sasuke, upset, as a child. He would beg Itachi to spare some time for him. But ever since, around when Itachi turned twelve, he stopped spending time with Sasuke. It left a crater of a hole in Sasuke's life. He had never been able to get over Itachi ignoring him. He had loved his brother- the most. Even now, Sasuke, who didn't admit to loving his parents. Who didn't love anything- still loved his brother. It was.. like his mind and heart, constantly remained locked on Itachi. Unwittingly, he felt like that was the strongest bond he had. Everything else was impermanent.

Itachi was something Sasuke, had never forgotten. Not because he hated him, although he certainly wished he did, but rather because, he missed him.

"Are you awake?"

Opening one eye, he looked up at the owner of the voice through confused eyes. It was still dark. Sasuke had trouble seeing. He was, both afraid, and traumatized. Glancing, hurriedly, at the person before him, he didn't take much time to realise it was a complete stranger. The mask, orange with strange swirl symbols on it, reminded Sasuke of something long deceased. Orange was a colour Naruto enjoyed the most. It was one thing that stood out to him. The rest of the man was an entire blur. Sasuke didn't know where he was, or what was going on. All he hoped was that he could wake up, with Itachi there. Some part of him, at least, tiny, missed his older brother. No one could replace Itachi in terms of importance, and it was even more difficult to replace his brother when it came to sentimental value. They always had a bond, special one, that Sasuke couldn't replicate with anyone else. "What do you want? Where am I? I know this is all a dream. I don't care to listen," Sasuke shot back. The glare he wanted to shoot at the man was suddenly overpowered by the expression the man had. It was one that told him to be aware of what would happen, should he continue speaking. It was deathly. And quite unlike usual, Sasuke knew something bad would happen to him, if he didn't tread carefully.

That was when it happened. A strange sort of.. buzzing in his eye. At first, it was as if his eye had begun to gather in flames—it was painful, and he could tell it would harm him beyond his own understanding. The feeling continued to gather, until he felt a liberating moment. The pain escalated, and suddenly released itself in the brief flash of a moment. When the brief shot hit the person over the features, they stepped back and were shocked again. It was something new to Sasuke. Something he didn't fully understand.

"That.. that was.. Itachi's powers.."

At the mention of his brother's name, Sasuke felt his heart clench. For some reason, he wanted to talk to Itachi. He was certain that if his brother was here, he'd be a lot safer. If he had gone to see Itachi this weekend, instead of something ridiculous like seeing his fiancée that he never really wanted. Itachi would have instantly welcomed him, even with the distance the two siblings had now. It was just how his brother was- forgiving, faithful, kind hearted. Sasuke had nothing but positive words for Itachi. On the other hand, though, he knew he had a duty to his family, to marry Sakura, to have the world they had continue on effortlessly. There were two different worlds for him to accept, and both go along with. Sasuke rarely did anything for himself, but this time, he absolutely wanted to make his own feelings more important. Itachi had been his brother during such unusual times. He wished he could go backward and get his brothers scope on the entire marriage situation, without the addition of an argument between the two of them.

(break)

He was surprised when he felt his eyes open. When had he fallen asleep? When had that vision faded. Sasuke had no idea. All he felt was a dry, burning sensation in his stomach. Part of the way through, he'd decided even he was tired of all of this. That for some, god forsaken reason, this was more than just a coincidence. Something he had done, whether it was him now or him in some dream or something, had made these things happen. All of that hate, those coincidences with Itachi, couldn't just be coincidences. He pieced it together, slowly, letting his mind wrap around the warped idea that he had somehow caused something bad to happen to these people. That somehow, he was at fault for something.

He sat up slowly and let his eyes drift over where he was, taking in the sight of the village before him with dull eyes. All that was left, was to keep looking around. If this killed him, at least it meant he could die having stayed away from Sakura. My only regret, Sasuke thought, bitterly. Is not having seen Itachi.

When he stood, he heard no voices. It was like everything had gone quiet, and calm. He trudged forward, since he didn't know where he was going, and the buildings towered him. Even though this village was dead, it felt like there was life in it, a little. It felt like the spirits of those who died, were urging him to realise how he'd done something to harm them. Maybe he had. Sasuke didn't know. He almost didn't want to know, but at the same time, needed to know. That old woman had opened up a part of him that hadn't existed before then. And now he was afraid to let it go.

The more he walked, the more he noticed now, the ground was covered in decomposed bones. They were mostly gone, but he noticed a few odd things here and there. He was literally, walking on the resting place of what might have been thousands of people. Their deaths were caused by him- and if he was right, by extension, his older brother. Maybe there was more to it. Maybe Sasuke caused more than that. He was afraid of knowing.

He paused when he approached what might be a path leading up towards the headed parts of the mountains, taking in a deep breath.

What was waiting for him?