Memories
Chapter 1
"She's dead."
Slate eyes widened ever so slightly, though his face remained impassive as control kept his chakra from fluctuating. It was odd that out of the four, Sakura had been the one to speak up about their now-deceased teammate, but as he looked to Naruto he understood why. The blond had his eyes sealed shut, hands fisted and clenching, while his teeth grinded together unnaturally loud.
I should have been there to save her. He could practically hear the stupid Dobe's thoughts...Naruto would never change. Though, Sasuke was curious about the means. He shouldn't have been, but he was.
"Do you have nothing to say?" Naruto's voice was laced with malice and venom as he finally opened his eyes to glare at Sasuke. "She's dead because of you! It's all your fault, and yet you stand there with that smug smirk that makes me want to punch you!"
Sasuke's eyes hardened into a glare. How? Why? Were those the answers he was looking for...an apology perhaps? Naruto must have been delusional to think that he would give in to those accusations. He was Uchiha Sasuke, an avenger. A vessel full of hatred.
"I don't care."
Sakamoto Ayame meant nothing to him, just as he had meant nothing to her when he left the village. They had come to terms with being strangers. Enemies. He did not care how or why she had died, nor did he care about her death. She was nothing, she did not exist; this just made it all the easier to forget about her completely. There was no room for anything but loathing, he could not afford to dwell on his past. He wouldn't allow himself, because he did not care.
But everyone knows Uchiha to be the best liars.
He left...he fucking left! Giving him an ultimatum obviously didn't work, I should have screamed. Tied him up. I just want to wring his stupid little – albeit rather manly – neck! I know I said I would forget about him and act like he never existed, but that's a lot easier to say rather than do. I'm a bluffer, it's my thing. I just can't believe he was willing to cut ties so easily...no regrets, no remorse.
Uchiha Sasuke has no heart.
Ayame halted her writing as her eyes continuously read over the last sentence. She didn't want to believe the words she had written to be true, but it was so obvious that it hurt. Uchiha Sasuke would never care for anything or anyone other than himself and his revenge; he was a heartless asshole that only lived to burn bridges.
It was better to just give up and move on.
"Stupid!" she threw the notebook at the wall with all her might while leering at the picture of Team 7 on the stand beside her bed. "All of you are stupid and useless!"
She slammed the frame roughly, shattering the glass and cutting her palm rather deeply in the process. Cursing, she promptly stood to her feet and rushed to the closet near the living room, grabbed the first-aid kit, then plopped on to the floor. Her rage was momentarily forgotten as she haphazardly wrapped gauze and bandages around the cut – realizing only after the blood began to seep through her mediocre wrap that stitches would probably be necessary.
"I must have done something to piss Karma off..." she stood to her feet once more, leaving the mess on the floor to be dealt with later. "Perhaps it was because I left Sakura on the bench last night... it's not my fault she's so heavy though!" Ayame pouted as she reached for her sandals near the door.
The throbbing in her hand was beginning to progressively irritate her as she was forced to do everything one handedly, and not with her dominant one either. It felt as though the world was crashing down on her all at once, and she could only hold in so much. She was on the brink of a complete teenage meltdown.
"Just because he's unhappy, he forces the rest of the world down with him. Che, what a selfish prick."
Slamming the door open, Ayame stomped outside and glared at the rising sun before shutting and locking the entrance. Her temper was boiling, and she was sure that one wrong look would send her over the edge. Wherever that was. Instead, she focused all of her attention into applying pressure to her wound and making it to the hospital in one piece.
At least, that was what she had been hoping for, moments before colliding in to someone with enough force to knock her on to the cold hard ground. The shock and pain that coursed through her back, as well as her injured hand, caused her to gasp from the sudden discomfort, but the throbbing jolts were short lived as her anger quickly took to the surface.
"What the fu – "
"Ayame-chan!" the orange-clad shinobi hastily jumped to his feet with a look of both relief and remorse. "I didn't mean to bump into you like that, we were in a rush and – "
"You're always in a rush, asshole! Try getting places at a normal walking pace for once in your life!"
Naruto flinched at her words, then quickly brought his attention to the red-stained wrapping around her hand. "Ayame-chan, your hand...it's bleeding."
She scoffed. "No shit."
"Naruto, we don't have time for this." Shikamaru glanced between the two with a look of urgency. "Ayame, we are gathering whoever we can to help bring Sasuke back to the village. He left for Orochimaru last night, according to Sakura. Tsunade-sama has only given me thirty minutes to gather a group before we have to leave – "
"Yeah, Ayame-chan, you have to come with us!"
Standing to her feet with a slight wince, Ayame looked darkly at the two as she began to walk away. "No."
"What do you mean 'no'?" Naruto jumped in front of her and gripped her shoulders. "This is Sasuke, our teammate. We have to bring him back!"
She pushed his hands away. "He's already made his decision, Naruto. Leave him to be a traitor... I don't care if he ever comes back."
"You can't possibly mean that..."
"I do. I saw him last night, and he made it pretty clear that he doesn't care for anything other than revenge. He'll kill you before giving that up." she glanced back at Shikamaru, then pushed her way passed Naruto. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a hand that needs to be attended to."
Naruto made to chase after her, but Shikamaru's hand stopped him. "We can't force her to, Naruto. We don't have much time left, let's keep looking."
He gave a half-hearted nod as he glanced back to the disappearing silhouette of his teammate. "Yeah, let's go."
The cold winter wind brought her back from her reverie as she looked at her glove covered hand. The scar had faded substantially, but she knew it was never going to get any lighter than its current color. It was always going to be there as a reminder of the day Team Seven began to disintegrate. She was alone now.
"Alone? Have you forgotten about me then?"
Ayame bit her inner cheek in annoyance, but said nothing. Perhaps he would leave her alone if she continued to ignore his presence.
"A few measly energy pills are not enough to lock me away. You are growing weaker with every passing day, and from your constant wanderings in the wrong directions, I feel it is safe to assume you are more lost than you'd like to let on." the voice chuckled inside her head. "Let me help you."
"Why would you want to help me?" she smirked. "If it is truly out here, then I will be one step closer to summoning your brother, thus being able to lock you out completely."
"You forget, young human, that you need to be able to work as one with me to be able to summon him – and while I do like having complete control, having to listen and deal with the repercussions of your teenage angst is beginning to become bothersome. Call it a change of heart, if you will, but the sooner we bring him out, the sooner we will be able to unleash our full potential."
"So either way, it will be benefiting you." she replied with mild sarcasm. "How kind."
"It will be beneficial to you as well," he growled deeply as annoyance flooded her senses. "You should be grateful to have even been chosen, brat."
"Grateful? I never tried to unlock any ancient family heirlooms, alright. You are the one who found me to be strong enough to carry out the duties that have now been placed on my shoulders. You are the one who chose me, not the other way around."
"Destiny is a funny thing, isn't it."
"Genbu," she said softly, her demeanor lacking its past resolve. "Is it really here? Is he really..."
"Yes."
She sighed. "Then perhaps you are right. Working together will be beneficial for us in the long run."
"Then you do have a brain in that head of yours," he laughed deeply. "Give me sight, and I can show you the way."
"I would have to release my chakra, which will alert those around us."
"They will not harm you. But on the off chance they try, we shall kill them all easily."
Inhaling a deep breath, Ayame removed the glove on her right hand and stuffed it into the pocket inside her thick cloak, then proceeded to remove the unattached sleeve on her left arm and store it in the same pocket as her glove. The bitter cold gave her uncovered skin goosebumps, but she ignored the uncomfortable feeling as she looked at the black tattoo in the center of her inner forearm; the serpent-like creature's body was positioned to resemble a swirl.
Biting into her right thumb, she quickly smeared the small drop of blood on the tattoo then made a few handsigns, finishing with a smack to her forearm. Instantly, the tattoo began to unwind itself and grow as it instead wound its snake-like body around her entire arm, it's head stopping near her wrist and popping up from the skin. The mouth opened widely as a red hilt of a sword was pushed from the orifice and her right hand gripped it firmly while pulling the rest of it out. She slid the sheath next to one of her other swords in the holster, before grabbing her glove and returning it to her frozen hand. Silently, she tried to envision all possible outcomes in her mind as she kept her left hand placed loosely over the red hilt, while Genbu's anticipation reverberated throughout her entire being.
"Just a small push is all you need to give me the sight I so desire. You already know where each of the samurai are, so what's the problem?"
"Unlike you," she said rather crassly, her eyes closed. "I like to go into these types of situations with some sort of plan. Brute force is nothing without prior assessments, and I would rather not kill if I don't have to."
He scoffed. "Killing tends to get the point across. Letting too many people live will cause you to look weak, brat."
"Times have changed, dear Genbu-sama," her tone was laced with sarcasm as she stood straight and tightened her hold on the katana. "We kill only if we must, understood?"
"Yeah, whatever."
Mentally rolling her eyes at his irreverence, she decided that arguing was going to get them nowhere fast, and so swiftly, she pushed the black blade up ever slightly from the sheath which caused an enormous amount of pressure and chakra to radiate from its being. It took much concentration and willpower to try and subdue it, though their position had already been made obvious to the surrounding samurai on duty.
Opening her left eye – the iris now taking on a deep red color, while the pupil slitted to resemble something reptilian – she viewed her current surroundings with new light. The heat signatures of animals amongst the snow were simple to spot, and she could see quite clearly through the blizzard winds ahead. She had to go northwest.
Molding the black chakra around her body, she made a quick escape towards her destination. The warmth that surrounded her frigid muscles made moving all the easier, and she was grateful to be making even better time, even if it meant giving Genbu temporary control.
"They are quick," she glanced back, noticing the orange and red forms of the guards on their tail. "I expected that armor to slow them down a bit."
"They're a force to reckoned with." his gruff reply did not make her feel any better. "They are adept in fighting and tracking in this type of weather – shit!"
A sword with chakra channeling through the blade came slashing down, and it was only by Ayame's quick reflexes that it didn't hit its target. If that had landed, she was sure a limb would be missing.
"Where did he come from?!" she cried to Genbu as yet another attack was dodged.
"They're tricky bastards!" he growled while moving her right hand to grip the hilt of the red katana and bring the blade from its protective sheath. "This is why I told you to be prepared to kill!"
The two blades clashed loudly, the sound ringing throughout the barren snow desert; black metal against brightly lit silver. Genbu pulsated his chakra through the blade, and in seconds, the Samurai's shattered into pieces as Ayame jumped back and situated herself for the next attack. There was more than one sword in that suit of armor.
Shocked from the outcome, the Samurai pulled another sword out and aimed it at her. "Why are you here?"
"I..." she hesitated, which only caused the Samurai to spring forward and release his blade in a whip-like fashion, catching her off guard and slicing her shin. Falling to the ground in pain, she gritted her teeth while gripping onto her bleeding limb. "You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"
"It was a rhetorical question. Any outsider lurking through our lands is already dead."
Does he even know what a rhetorical question is? She thought bitterly while standing to her feet once more. He was fast, that was for sure, but she had figured out his fighting style quickly enough to not make the same mistake twice. It was over for him.
In a flash, she was behind him, finding his blind spot to also hold the sweet spot of the armor. In one quick motion she lifted her blade and made to destroy his protection, but her attack was cut off by another sword stopping the blow.
"Stop at once!" the voice of the samurai next to her boomed through his mask. "Halt all actions, she is not a threat!"
Not a threat?
"I told you...we should have killed him while we had the chance." Genbu mocked lazily.
Jumping back a few feet, making sure to land on her good leg, Ayame re-sheathed her sword, much to Genbu's displeasure, and looked to the new arrivals with distrust. The one who had spoken must have been the leader, for he was the only one to have horns on his helmet. Though, why he assumed her to be nonthreatening was beyond her. She could have killed them all in seconds.
"Sakamoto Ayame?"
Her gaze – her left eye had returned to its normal blue iris – hardened as she subconsciously gripped to one of her regular swords under her cloak. "Who's asking?"
The icy silence chilled her, but the feeling was short lived as the samurai began to laugh obnoxiously, causing her to frown. What was so funny?
"Still as crude as always, little Ayame-chan!"
"Who are you?!" She yelled suddenly, her anger and distrust flaring even more.
"Calm down, calm down," The samurai removed his helmet and gave her a wide smile. "Miss me?"
The shock was clearly evident on her face as her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. There was no way...he was here. He was alive. "You...I thought..."
"I was dead?" He smiled mischievously. "That was the point."
"I told you – "
You never said Kaito was alive as well. She thought back bitterly before shutting Genbu out completely. She moved ever closer to the man (yes, he had grown into a man) as her eyes began to water and her lip trembled. The gods weren't as cruel as she had once thought. "You..."
"Yes?" he smiled.
"You..." she was in front of him now, her stature much smaller than his, but it did not deter her. "Jerk!" she roughly pushed into his armor, causing him to fall on to his back into the cold snow as she straddled his waist and began to beat mercilessly into his chest plate with tears dripping down her face. He laid still, allowing her to release her pent up frustrations and anger. She deserved at least that much.
In those few moments, he had observed her changed personality, and although she sat on top of him crying, much like her old self, he knew that part of her life was dead and gone. It wasn't the same, and it never would be. She had been pushed to her breaking point when they had 'died', and her newly formed bond with The Great Dragon Brothers proved it. She had broken down and given up, only to be built back up into someone much stronger, darker. That child-like innocence was forever gone.
"Ayame, stop." his voice held no force, no emotion. It just pissed her off even more.
"Stop? I won't stop until I know you've felt the pain I've felt these last two years!" she began to punch even harder as she pushed chakra into her blows. "Both you and Takeshi!"
At this, he gripped her wrist, effectively stopping her. "Stop it!" his gaze lowered and his grip loosened. "Takeshi..."
"He's alive, I know he is!"
"Will you calm down?!" he pushed her body off of his own and stood to his feet. "He's alive, but...he can't remember anything."
"What do you mean he can't remember anything?" she barked back.
"Exactly that. His memory has been blocked or something, and we've been trying for months to bring it back, yet nothing. He doesn't even remember you, Ayame." his tone softened at his last words, knowing full well that they were not what she wanted to hear. It had taken her two years to find them, and although she was angry beyond belief, he was sure she was excited at the thought of meeting her brother once again. But not like this. "The old man, Shichirou, believes that you are the only one that can return them...with the help of Byakko."
"Of course," Genbu spat loathingly. "Byakko the great and powerful is the only one who can help. How annoying."
Ayame remained kneeling in the snow, her legs numbing from the cold, much like the rest of her body. She had gone blank as she stared at the fluffy white snow in front of her, her arms trembling. His memory was gone? Byakko? It was all too much to take in, and yet, in this dark moment, she found resolve. She was stronger than this...she had endured much worse.
"Take me to him," she demanded as she rose to her feet, her blue eyes burning into Kaito's green ones. "I will summon Byakko, even if it takes everything I have...I will return Takeshi's memories."
Kaito looked at her skeptically, but nodded his head. "Come with us, Sakamoto Ayame."
Determination burned in her eyes as sharp pains shot throughout her leg with each landing, though she followed Kaito and the others without complaint. The simple mantra of, 'Pain is simply weakness leaving the body', was the only thing pushing her forward.
The journey wasn't long, but Kaito could see from the corner of his eye that the wound on her leg had been bothering her more than she let on. The small amount of perspiration on her forehead and her ragged breaths was enough evidence. This was not the same girl he had once known. Her dark plum hair, once kept short, now reached well passed her back, while her bangs were cut straight in a fringe that barely touched her lashes, and two thick chunks of layered hair brushed her cheek bones. Her light blue eyes that used to hold such innocence and shine, seemed dull and aged, while an almost permanent frown marred her pretty face. She was practically unrecognizable, save for the beauty spot right below her left eye. Ayame was turning into a beautiful young woman, he couldn't deny that, though she would have been even prettier had her once youthful and carefree face remained. It was as if she had lived the life of someone twice her age in the short two years he had been away.
"This is it?" she inquired rudely while looking up at the large, snow covered boulder with a frown.
"It is the entrance," he shot back curtly. "You would do best to mind your tongue when conversing with Shichirou and his wife, Yuuna. They are the elders and leaders of this place...their ways are old fashioned, and they will not tolerate those younger than them mouthing off."
She gave a loud scoff but said nothing else. Some old farts weren't going to demand her respect just because of their age; they needed to earn it.
Kaito gave her a slight glare, but didn't respond. It would have been fruitless anyway. Instead, he nodded to his platoon, who then made quick handsigns while chanting something foreign. Moments later, the large boulder began to shake and slide underground as a snow-covered path up a large and hidden mountain awaited them.
Great, more walking, she thought bitterly while Genbu merely laughed inside her mind. It wouldn't have been so bad had her leg not been sliced and diced just a few hours before. But she refused to voice her discomfort.
"If you need help, I could carry – "
"I'm fine." she said quickly through gritted teeth.
"Suit yourself, kid." he replied with a wave of his hand as he began his ascent to the top of the mountain, closely followed by the other warriors. Only one remained at the entrance to re-close it, but as soon as he finished that he waited silently for her to make a move.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it..." she mumbled with annoyance before jumping up the slopes in an attempt to catch up to the others. She just wanted to be inside a warm room and falling asleep with a full stomach. Hell, at this point, she'd probably be able to fall into a comfortable slumber in a haystack next to smelly barn animals. Exhausted was an understatement.
With a final leap, she landed not-so-gracefully onto the top ledge, only to be helped up by Kaito, who was smirking in a way that made her want to punch him. He knew she was lying about her pain level, damn.
"I must admit that your lying has gotten much better, but with your speed and stamina, you should have been up here way before me." he said knowingly with a large grin. "Guess Daisuke must have hit you pretty well."
"Something like that..." she replied in embarrassment as she pushed away from his grip. "Now what?"
"Well, a meeting with the elders is being scheduled for sometime later today, so that means you have time to recuperate for a bit. Meaning, getting that leg of yours checked out, then putting some food in your system. You look like hell...you obviously haven't eaten a real meal in days."
"Aren't you just an observant one?" she said in contempt while giving him a bored look. "Lead the way, Kaito-baka."
"Oi! Respect your elders, you brat!" he moved to punch her head lightly, but she dodged at the last second, causing him to fall flat on his face into the snow. To his surprise, she laughed. He looked up ever slightly to see her holding her sides as her cheeks turned red from the lack of oxygen, while her closed eyes crinkled, and a smile graced her ivory face.
He could only smile as his heart lifted. Maybe the old her wasn't completely gone.
Just something short to waste even more of your time ;). This will probably be the last chapter in which I add a random flashback scene, because it's a bit...well, random. haha. From here on out, it will present time, and since Ayame won't be meeting Sasuke for a bit, I will write a few scenes from his perspective, just so we can still get some Sasuke action going on and not go into snoozefest from Ayame's bitter-teen-angst-crazy-bipolar-mood-swings.
Uhhh, that should do it...I'll have a more in-depth explanation on my LiveJournal for anyone interested (Link on my page) in some more information. Until next chapter!
-I.N
