Sasuke never fancied the idea of a hospital. Hundreds of living corpses rotting away in some unfamiliar room that had as much comfort as a jail cell, in his opinion. His heart had already hardened about subjects like this, even at 11 years old. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh as he stepped into the elevator, mashing the button for the third floor while keeping his eyes glued to the white marble of the elevator.
Others were going to stare at him when he got there, that was inevitable.
A small part of him wanted to turn back now, and march right back down to the orphanage. Yes, he was going to go right back and forget all about what he'd came here for. It wasn't like he HAD to be here. No one was telling him what to do. A small ding sounded seconds later, and the elevator doors opened to none other than floor number three. He had no other choice but to step out, and figured he'd just catch the next one.
Or he would have, if a nurse nearby hadn't asked him who he was searching for. She looked like the type that he couldn't trust. The ones that smiled too much, the ones who called him 'sweetie' and 'poor little boy' every other word. Everything about her seemed to display that sort of appearance. Her black hair that was perfectly combed and straightened that went down to her chest, the fake eyelashes glued on to her real ones, a wedding ring around her finger, the worst of all was the overly fake smile with the whitened teeth showing.
"Is it your mother or father?" She asked sweetly, showing those teeth again with her sickening smile.
"No," Sasuke said in an arid tone.
"A brother or sister perhaps? I can find them right now if you can give me a name."
"It's not any of your business. I need to find Uchiha Itachi, that is all. With or without your help." The nurse's lips twisted in a shocked 'O' shape, and suddenly her bedside manner changed completely after hearing him talk.
"Give me a moment." She left him to return to her computer at the nurse's station. Her fingers glided across the keys rapidly until she found what she was looking for and stopped the incessant tapping. If she looked uncomfortable before, it was nothing compared to now. From her desk chair, she spun around to face Sasuke once again, trying to make a comprehendible sentence that didn't sound offensive.
"He.. He's in room 42. Are you sure you don't need me to come along with you?"
"I would prefer it if you didn't." He shot her a glare and disappeared down the east wing. There wasn't any turning back now it seemed. He looked outside every room for the number, and figured out early on that most of these people didn't look anything close to alive. There was a part of him deep down that feared what he was going to see when he walked in his brother's hospital room.
He kept getting closer and closer, till he spotted the number 40 and dry swallowed. It was only a couple steps ahead. Sasuke didn't know why he was so terrified, it had only been a few months since he'd seen his brother last. The day they shipped Itachi off to boarding school, something changed. Pinpointing exactly what was the hard part, but the difference was apparent. It wasn't about living at the orphanage, it was much more than that. The program had made whatever it was even worse.
Ignoring his hammering heart and trembling hands, the small boy slowly turned the knob. He didn't step in the room, but simply watched what was going on inside from the small crack he'd made by opening the door slightly. The room was like any other generic over sterilized hospital room. Dull white floors and walls that made Sasuke want to vomit, the lone chair with the hard back on it that was a pain to sit in, and the variety of machines and wires that all lead to the bed.
His peeking didn't last very long, Itachi had spotted him as soon as the door began to creak open.
"Brother.. Oh, how I've missed you." The elder Uchiha's voice cracked as he tried to get the words out, making it apparent he hadn't tried to speak in awhile. "Please, come in." Sasuke shoved his shaking hands into his shorts pocket, and went inside at last. It was hard to keep his eyes from widening, any sane person would have had the exact same reaction.
"I know, I'm a mess. If you are afraid of me, I do not blame you in the slightest," Itachi said weakly. A mess was a serious understatement of his condition. Bandages were tightly wrapped around his head, and it was obvious he'd gotten much more than a simple concussion. There were too many IV's and tubes attached to Itachi's arms, too many for a person with "minor injuries" as Iruka had put it.
It was easy to see under the thin hospital gown just how skinny his brother had gotten, easily having lost 15 or 20 pounds since they'd last seen each other. Purplish bruises were all the way up one of his arms, some were even turning a ghastly shade of blue. There was a bandage around his one of his eyes, and another wrapped around one of his hands. Someone had stabbed Itachi in the hand of all places.
There was a thick blanket covering his lower half, hiding even more scars, stitches, and bruises. Sasuke wasn't sure he was ready to see those yet. "Grody things" didn't bother him, but it was different seeing your own family with such injuries. Despite his battered appearance, Itachi had a faint smile on his face.
"Sasuke, I know this is a foolish thing to ask. Could I have a hug?" If it had been any other person, Sasuke wouldn't comply with his request. Itachi was an exception. Sasuke nodded and quietly walked towards the bed. Itachi leaned in and held his brother in his fragile arms. They felt more like sticks than limbs. He was so weak, so defeated. For someone who had won that twisted game, he didn't look like a winner in any perspective.
"How are you making it? It pains me so much to know I won't be home for quite some time. There is a...friend of mine who has offered to take you in. Letting you stay in the orphanage is something I won't stand for." Itachi's voice wavered again, and for a moment Sasuke wondered if he was going to cry. Uchihas never cried, especially in front of each other.
"A friend?" The smaller boy said softly. He wasn't liking the sound of this. Others invading in their lives were usually nothing but trouble. Living with a stranger was just troublesome, he wanted it to be like old times. Just him and Itachi. Or at least, it had been the two of them for a very long time. There had been a complete family at one point, with parents and everything. Sasuke didn't like remembering those days.
"Yes, he's not that bad. I promise you."
"Is he more tolerable than Iruka?"
"I don't know Iruka very well, so I cannot judge."
"You were supposed to be fine. Why aren't you being allowed to come home soon? Don't lie to me." If there was one thing his elder brother was good at, it was creating a persona and masking whatever troubled him. If he was on the brink of death he'd claim it was just a minuscule scratch.
"The program is very...draining. You have to understand. My injuries may not be extremely serious, but it's going to take some time for me to heal completely." There it was, another blatant lie. The seriousness of the whole thing had not yet hit Sasuke completely. All he knew about the program was that it was a dangerous competition in which many people got hurt, that was all the information Iruka would give him. Sasuke was mature for his age, but that didn't change the fact that he was still a child.
"Tell me what happened to you, I want to know what this program crap is." Sasuke wriggled out of his brother's weak grasp, and sat at the far edge of his bed, as if getting close would cause Itachi to turn into glass and shatter to pieces right before his eyes.
"You'll know when you're older. I don't want you to know until you're eligible."
"Eligible?"
"A random class of senior high students are selected randomly each year for the 'game'. In around 5 years, your class will be in the running. That is something we cannot change." Talking about this seemed to drain Itachi even more, this was a difficult subject for him.
"But you didn't do anything wrong, why did you have to play?"
"That is how the world works, Sasuke. I would've done anything to prevent it. "
"What if I get picked?"
"That will not happen, but in the very very slim chance that you are selected, you will run. You will run, and you will never stop. Always keep running, keep living."
"Why?" Following that question, Itachi looked Sasuke straight in the eyes, a gaze full of serious conviction. His answer was something Sasuke would never forget for the rest of his life. Even when he was old and greying, he would remember that moment in full clarity.
"If you are running to live, falling only means the opposite. The moment you stumble is the moment it will all be over. You are still so small, don't let this weigh your mind down until there is good reason for it."
The senile old man smiled again, this time showing his odd split tongue. Sasuke had never seen anything like it, and never wanted to see it again. Who gets their tongue split with purpose? The tongue was also a huge contrast to the expensive navy suit the man wore, no doubt paid for by some government official. If there really was a devil, this man was the closest living incarnation, in his opinion.
"Look at all these grim faces. I suppose they're only going to get worse. Tsk Tsk," Orochimaru said with false concern. "You must be wondering why you're all here. I wouldn't be your teacher if I didn't explain these things, now would I?" Tenten's hand shot up, and Orochimaru sniggered and pointed to her, signaling for her to ask her question.
"What happened to our class trip sensei?" She said, being careful to add in the sensei at the end of her sentence. Dying this early on would just be a joke.
"This IS your silly little class trip. A trip to this beautiful island, in which you all will die on. Except just one," He replied in that disgusting raspy voice of his. "Now, if you all will cease the disturbances, I will explain your lesson." There wasn't a single person in the room (Besides Orochimaru) that was showing anything close to a smile, they were all frowning, kept their expressions neutral, or had their mouths wide open in shock.
"Today's lesson, is you kill each other off." Several people screamed, others stayed completely silent out of fear. When the initial shock wears off, the room is dead quiet except for the hum of the cicadas outside. No one even dares breathe too loudly. Sasuke moves his hands under the desk, so no one can see how violently they're shaking and starting to moisten with sweat. He hasn't felt so angered since.. that day. Right now, he is even too petrified to think of that day and turns his attention back to that smirking douchebag in the front of the room.
"This is bullshit!" A male voice shouts from the front end of the room. His voice is laced with understandable anger, and Sasuke doesn't have to look to know his sharp teeth are barred like they always are when he's pissed off. He doesn't have to even look to know it's Suigetsu. In his more 'violent' days, Sasuke and Suigetsu hung around each other a lot. Nowadays they don't talk very much, but he still knows Suigetsu well enough to know he was bound to pull a stunt like this.
"Now now young man, it's disrespectful to interrupt while the teacher is teaching. Sit back down, unless you'd like to be the demonstration for how these nifty little devices around your necks work." Orochimaru's sly little grin, combined with the warning, is enough to make Suigetsu sit down. For now.
"Where was I before this delinquent so rudely interrupted me? Ah, yes. You all are going to kill each other, before this weekend is over. You have exactly three days time, and if no one dies in 24 hours, guess what happens?" He pauses, and spreads his hands out wide to make a gesture. An explosion. "You all will die anyway, and there will be no winner." The two military men standing by Orochimaru head out the door, and return pushing two carts full of generic duffel bags.
"Each of you will be given a bag containing water, food rations, a map, and a randomly chosen weapon. Some of you will receive decent weapons, but others are simply out of luck. Girls, you better hope you'll get a nice big gun, because there's no one here to protect you," He says, then reaches over to his desk to pick something up, a small circular piece of metal. The collar Orochimaru is holding isn't turned on, but he fixes that by pulling out a small remote out of his pocket. It looks more like a tv remote rather than something that controls some sort of secretive device.
"These collars you're all wearing are our way of keeping an eye on you. Don't attempt to take them off, surely you are all smarter than to know the consequences of that. They are fireproof, waterproof, and almost any sort of -proof you can imagine. They cannot be destroyed. If you're planning on trying to escape, and think we cannot find you, you are mistaken. These collars monitor your location, vital signs, etc, etc, you all get the point."
Sasuke decides that he isn't going to lay a single finger on that goddamn collar ever again, and he is going to absolutely kill Naruto for- He stops that thought short, realizing the word kill isn't something to be taken lightly here. While Orochimaru is messing around with the collar, he looks around the room to find that everyone looks like they're close to wetting their pants, with the exception of that strange Kabuto kid and those two dropouts Deidra and Sasori.
"This island is separated into zones. At a certain time, certain zones will become a no man's land. Anywhere near this building is automatically a danger zone after you leave. All your maps have the zones marked, and unless you enjoy your own spontaneous explosion, you will check your map every time I make an announcement." He smiles that sadistic smile again at all of them, and Sasuke wants to punch every single yellow tooth right out of Orochimaru's head.
He looks at everyone for a minute before turning back to the board and picking up his chalk again. The drawing is hard to make out, but the island is split into 10 horizontal squares and 10 vertical ones. Each one is labeled with a letter and a number, like they're supposed to be on the maps.
"Now then," Orochimaru continues, "Every six hours I will make an announcement of who has fallen, and the danger zones. It's beneficial to know which one of your competitors has been wiped out." It sends a little shiver up Sasuke's spine to know that from now on they aren't people, just competitors in this sick game. He doesn't have the largest amount of empathy, but killing his classmates isn't exactly something he wants to partake in. He briefly wonders if Itachi felt like this.
"We've almost went over it all, now be good little children and watch the video the government has prepared for you."
"I'm not gonna, you asshole," Suigetsu says firmly, standing up beside his desk again, Karin, who was sitting beside him tries to grab his sleeve, but he slaps her hand away. "I'll cut you to pieces! Right here, right now! I'm not playing your little 'game'."
"Suigetsu, stop it," Karin hisses urgently. Of course he ignores her.
"Is that any way to speak to your sensei?" Orochimaru glances down at a piece of paper he left lying on his desk before continuing. "Male Student 19, Hozuki Suigetsu. What wasted potential. You would have played well, if you would've known how to keep your mouth shut and follow directions."
"What are you talking about?" Suigetsu growls. His fists are clenched, he's going to- Dear god, he's actually going after that physcopath.
"You all need a better demonstration of how these collars truly work," Orochimaru quips, picking up that remote again. He presses a small red button, and Suigetsu's violet eyes widen.
"You're not going to-" He says in a panic, but the collar has already started to make a simultaneous beeping sound. "Oh god, oh my fucking god," He repeats over and over, his words practically in time with the beeping. Everyone sitting nearby Suigetsu jumps out of their seats and backs away, even his best friend. They all know what his fate is.
"I'm sorry," Karin says softly, backing up all the way against the furthest wall. Suigetsu trips over his seat in his dismay and falls to the floor, crawling desperately towards her. The beeps get closer together, and become much more frantic as the seconds pass.
"Help me, somebody help me!" He pleads, grabbing onto Karin's ankle and knocking one of her sneakers off. She yelps and darts into the other direction, trying to get as far away from Suigetsu as she can. "Sasuke, come here and get this damn thing off!" He yells as a last resort. Every pair of eyes in the room is on Sasuke now, expecting him to do something. He says nothing, and backs away when Suigetsu tries to get to his desk.
"I hate all of you, every single one of you!" Those are Suigetsu's last words, before the collar detonates. The sound is something similar to many gunshots at once, or a particularly loud firework. Sasuke would later describe it as a snap, crackle, pop. A more intense version of rice krispies. The way Suigetsu was thrashing around prevented the collar from leaving him headless at least.
His previously white hair is soaked with crimson blood, and his remaining eye is as wide as it was before his death. The other eye had popped out of the socket during the explosion, and had rolled over towards the desk of Ino, who screamed at the top of her lungs. A spray of blood came from his head and neck, drenching the floor, desks, and surrounding Karin. The skin left on his neck is barely hanging there, and as gruesome as the sight is, Sasuke can't look away.
Death was always something that fascinated him. It was odd how someone could die just like that, and never come back. Their presence would be easily forgotten in a few years, and in a few decades no one would care about their passing anymore. No one would be there to leave flowers on a forgotten grave. He found the concept of heaven and hell to be downright bullshit, so dying must certainly have been the end. He's never going to see Suigetsu again.
"Female Student 3, Uzumaki Karin, would you mind sitting down?" Orochimaru says with a hint of sarcasm. "Or would you like to end up like that piece of garbage right there?"
"Suigetsu isn't garbage," Karin snarls. She bends over to shut Suigetsu's remaining eye, before giving Orochimaru a glare and returning to her blood spattered seat.
"My, what a feisty one. I can't wait to see all of you tear each other apart out there. Watch the video, or you die too. Capiche?" Orochimaru says sweetly, and turns to a small tv on a stand that Sasuke hasn't payed any attention to. It's one of those older models that still connects to a VHS player, something more ancient than their new 'teacher'. There's a tape inside already, and Orochimaru presses play. A cheerful woman appears on the screen, and waves happily to the audience.
The video is even more boring that Orochimaru's explanation, and was nothing more than a review of everything he said until the very end. Every student would be called out by their number and depart outside, two minutes apart. That's when the game would really start. Apparently this video had been made especially for this class, as the woman on the screen was the one reciting their names.
"Have fun out there! Make sure to kill someone, alright? I'm going to start with Male Student 1 Hyuga Neji," She announces. Neji looks uncomfortable as he stands up and walks to the front of the room, and a duffel bag is tossed into his arms by one of the soldiers next to Orochimaru. They decide he isn't walking fast enough, and he's forcefully shoved out the door. While Sasuke is watching, a note is slipped under his desk. His shoe steps on it carefully and he slowly brings it up to his lap.
"Sasuke wait for me outside. im not going 2 play the game. -naruto" The bad spelling and grammar was already an indication that Naruto had written the note anyway.
"Female Student 1, Haruno Sakura, it's your time to shine!" The woman on the screen says enthusiastically. Sakura's eyes dart towards Naruto, and he nods. They must have some unspoken agreement.
"Hurry up!" Orochimaru snarls, and after she receives her bag, one of the soldiers pushes the butt of his gun into her back and she dashes outside. Sasuke is more than just curious, does Sakura intend to play the game? He isn't entirely sure if he wants to quite yet. It would be murdering an innocent person, that didn't mean he would kill someone out of self defense though. In this situation it was kill or be killed. Everyone here were his classmates, but that didn't stop them from being capable of murder or torture.
The only person he truly wants to kill is Orochimaru, and he plans to do that. Somehow.
Slowly, the crowd is starting to thin out, and one by one everyone is marching outside to their death. Naruto even fakes a smile for Sasuke when he leaves, like that was going to make a difference. Sasuke doesn't trust anyone, but Naruto wouldn't hurt a fly, it was doubtful he'd even THINK about participating. He doesn't like him, in fact he finds him extremely annoying. Nothing more than a pest.
For now, they can be allies. Sasuke doesn't think it'll last very long, him and Naruto working together. He doesn't even understand why that blonde idiot is so persistent in trying to help him. Shouldn't he be trying to save Sakura instead? She was even more annoying than Naruto, a feat that seemed impossible in human standards.
Sasuke knows he's a narcissist, but right now he's terrified. It's his life or someone else's. If he can't avenge Itachi, what even is his purpose in life? However, this is no time for him to have a mental breakdown, as that stupid bitch on tv has just called out his name.
"I never thought I would see another Uchiha in my game. You have a lot to live up to, Sasuke. Your brother was a force to be reckoned with," Orochimaru says gleefully. Sasuke hates the way his name slides off that vile man's tongue.
"Don't you dare say a word about Itachi!" He screams angrily. The soldier throws him his bag, and he slings it over his shoulder. It's hard to concentrate on getting outside now, because he's so infuriated, he's about to burst.
"I forgot about his unfortunate-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Orochimaru snickers at his anger, and the two men's rifles both point to Sasuke.
"That won't be necessary, his victory is heavily anticipated. I can't kill the star of the show," Orochimaru says, and looks at the two men. He snaps his fingers, and both of the soldiers grab Sasuke from under his arms and toss him out the door while he shouts insults at their boss. There's no point in struggling, they both overpower him and he can't even squirm before he's thrown out as easily as last night's garbage.
When he groans and manages to get up, Sasuke is more than pissed off. He storms down the corridor and into the forrest surrounding the school, stomping every step of the way. As promised, Naruto is hidden in a nearby bush and signals him over. Sasuke ignores him and keeps walking out of agitation. This is dangerous, he needs to think rationally, but all that's clouding his mind is revenge. That man made Itachi suffer, and he was going to pay.
"Sasuke! What's wrong? We need to get somewhere safe, idiot!" Naruto hollers at him. That loud voice was going to get them both killed.
"Listen, if you plan to stay with me, you're going to be quiet. Your loud mouth will not be my cause of death," Sasuke snarls, giving Naruto his infamous death glare that everyone in Konoha had received at least once.
"Sorry," Naruto says and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. Does he think this is a joke? "I was thinking we could head down to the shore and hide in one of those little caves before we find Sakura. She ran off pretty quick."
"They'll have to do for now I suppose, where's your weapon?"
"About that..." Naruto trails off, and that could mean nothing good.
"Don't tell me you got something useless!" The shout makes him flinch, but a hand appear from the bush holding a pair of chopsticks. A cheap pair of wooden chopsticks that couldn't kill a measly ant. "That's your weapon?!"
"Think I could stab someone with these?"
"I regret accepting your offer now. Let's go, or I might just leave you here."
"Zabuza. We need to get out of here, someone will come."
"Give me a sec." He sighs, and pulls out the butcher knife with enough precision that it barely makes a sound. The knife is dripping with blood and coated with bits of matter, so Zabuza wipes it on the side of his pants before inspecting it again. Disgusting, how one person made such a mess everywhere. "Help me get the skirt off." he whispers, and Haku nods and gets down on his knees beside the corpse.
"She doesn't have any weapons hidden on her," Haku announces after they remove the girl's skirt. They were both hoping she'd hidden a knife or something under the waistband of her uniform, it never hurt to have extras. They'd already searched her bags, and she didn't have anything but personal belongings that were of no use to them. Nothing close to a weapon.
"Oh well, you can take it anyway. The boy's uniform doesn't suit you." Haku smiles at his remark, and drops the pants of his own uniform to trade with the corpse's skirt. The fabric fits perfectly around his hips, and it feels much more natural than the required black pants of the boy's uniform. Haku doesn't know exactly why he enjoys looking more feminine than masculine, it's just the way he likes it. He didn't have enough time to grab his own bag from the classroom, so he was stuck in those stuffy clothes. The two of them get up and shake the dirt off their respective pants and skirt and Zabuza takes out his map from where he's folded it in his pocket.
"We should steer clear of the southern forest. They're all going to be cowering like a bunch of brain dead idiots over that way, and will fire without hesitation."
"There's a building that used to be a clinic near the shrine, should we head over that way?" Haku points to a spot on the map, and it isn't too far away. A couple miles walk at the most. It could be good shelter if they played their cards just right.
"Good idea, if there's anyone in there, they won't be in there much longer." Zabuza almost snickers, it's a very odd sounding coming from him. Haku decides he likes it.
"Lead the way." Zabuza nods, and the butcher knife is clutched even tighter in his hands. The girl had only screamed for a split second, but there was still a risk of someone coming to try and 'save' her. The two of them walk silently through the forest, being careful not to step on any stray branches or crunch any leaves. Haku keeps his eyes above them, to make sure no one was hiding up in the trees, while Zabuza kept his eyes straight ahead and listens for any small noise to alert them that they've got more prey. They made a good team so far.
"Should we have just left the body like that?" Haku asks, feeling a tiny bit unsure whenever they get far enough that they can't smell blood anymore.
"Stop acting nervous, the body gets picked up when the game is over. When we win," He replies harshly. They keep walking, and there's no sign on anyone. No sign of anyone to care about the girl they just murdered in cold blood. To be honest, it was over with rather quickly. She was too scared to defend herself. All it took was one thrust to the head, and the knife had stabbed right into her brain, killing her almost instantly. It was the perfect way to die, she didn't suffer at all. Neither of them knew her personally, she was the type who sat in the back of class and always followed orders, always made good grades, she was a good kid. She wasn't like them.
"Her name was Sasame, right?"
"Why does it matter?" Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the other's odd question, but continued walking. They still had awhile to go before they got out of the next few zones and made it to the clinic. Hopefully, they'd be fine until then, if Haku didn't start having regrets or something dumb like that.
"I was just curious," Haku says, lowering his head. For some reason, he can't get the image of her dead body out of his head. Her long red hair, the glazed over eyes filled with confusion, her still lifeless form, the puncture wound they'd made in her forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd wounded someone, just not something so serious. He would never betray Zabuza though, even if it meant picking off some classmate that meant nothing to him.
"Hmph."
"Do you think we'll run into anyone else?"
"No. We'll kill every last one of them if they try to get us, till it's just you and me."
40 students remaining
Author's note: I don't usually put these in the beginning, to avoid spoilers and stuff. Anyway, the game begins. Sasuke and Naruto are gonna get along.. eventually. This is my first time writing a whole lot of action, so it's a bit tricky, but I'm getting the hang of it. I was thinking about giving Naruto an actual weapon at first, but him having a pair of shitty chopsticks was too funny not to write in. Forgive me for that.
