A/N: Hiya there! You know, this chapter was born pretty and for once I'm able to produce a timely update. Cool! (grins)
BUT, first of course… MAN – thank you so much for all those absolutely amazing reviews! They're so many! (beams, blushes and GLOMPS) You guys are absolutely amazing, you know? THANK YOU! (hugs once more) As always, responses to anonymous reviews can be found from underneath the chappy.
Awkay, because I think the best way to reward your reviews is getting on with the story, let's go! (grins a bit and crosses fingers) I REALLY hope this turns out to be a good ride.
CHAPTER 2 – The Strange New World
One Month Later
For Naruto, the past four weeks had been a long, hard process of learning.
It'd taken almost two weeks before he'd recovered from the first shock in the aftermath of meeting this 'new Sasuke'. With all the hatred, anger and guilt that'd been driving the Uchiha towards the darkness taken away, the boy was… so human that it almost scared him.
This Sasuke laughed and smiled, even joked every once in a while.
And this Sasuke cried sometimes, always only when thinking no one noticed but still; after nightmares that apparently haunted the boy every night, and out of frustration over not being able to remember a thing.
At first he hadn't known how to be around this stranger, how to approach something this confusing, how to overcome the fact that this person had taken over the Sasuke he'd once known. But now… Now, he almost dared to say he liked this person. And that made trying to bring back Sasuke's memory all the more hard.
But he kept reaching out for the person he'd once known, each passing fruitless day making the ache inside him intensify.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's try something else. What's the first thing you remember?"
Sasuke, who appeared so exhausted that his stomach twitched with guilt, frowned. "I… remember a light – a blue light. And then I woke up laying on the ground, with Sakura hovering above me – she was crying. I couldn't hear anything for half an hour." The raven looked towards him all of a sudden. "Did Sakura find me, after I lost my memory?"
He didn't know what to say and feel, and to keep the other from seeing his anger he looked away. It took a mighty while before he dared to speak, and there was a dangerous edge to his voice. "Don't worry about that." Not really calmed down yet, he wasn't able to keep the words from slipping. "I wish that you could just remember already."
It didn't cross his mind that he was being harsh until he saw the expression that flashed on Sasuke's face before the boy got up, turned around and walked away. "I need some air."
As the hut's door closed he sighed heavily, feeling like kicking himself. How long would it take before he'd remember that he couldn't approach this Sasuke like this?
After taking a deep breath, he walked out of the hut as well, and was relieved to find the raven sitting on the porch, his back to him. He slumped down to sit beside the raven. "I've been pushing you pretty hard, right?"
Sasuke nodded slightly, not looking towards him. It took a long moment before the boy spoke. "My head hurts." The raven then sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry I can't remember. But… I'm trying."
"I know you are." Good, his tone was already softer. He would've wanted to touch the boy, but didn't dare to. "And one day in the future, you will. Until then, we'll just have to be patient."
-
Sasuke swallowed thickly, wanting to wince.
In all honesty, he wasn't all that anxious to remember – he didn't know if he even wanted to, because he had a feeling that he wouldn't like what he'd find. But… For Naruto's sake, he wanted to – had to – try. Naruto wanted that person he'd once been back so badly, and it stung him like hell to cause a disappointment after another, to watch time after time how the blond's hope died.
"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice coaxed him out of those gloomy thoughts. Seeing the look on his face, the blond tried to smile. "Hey, don't look so sad! This isn't the end of the world."
He looked at the blond for a while before finding the will and strength to speak. "Would it be, if I never remember? If I'll never be the person you want me to be, would I be enough?"
Naruto stared at him for several moments, eyes filled with something close to shock. And then, before the blond ever got the chance to reply, they heard steps. Looking up, they found Sakura. She frowned a little at them. "Did I… interrupt something?"
It took a second before Naruto managed to give a tiny, feeble grin. "Nah, we were just talking. What's up?"
The pinkette's expression immediately gave him chills of dread. "Tsunade finally gave her permission – Sasuke can leave this place, and he'll be living with you as you requested. But first…" She met his gaze with almost startled eyes. "The Council wants to see you."
Seeing the look that flashed in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke felt a hint of dread and frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"
Naruto's grin couldn't quite hide what lingered in the boy's eyes. "No, they… They just want to talk to you a bit, that's all."
He nodded faintly.
Naruto rubbed his hands together with a clearly faked enthusiasm. "So… Why don't we get your stuff together so we can leave?"
Whatever Sasuke had been dreading was nothing compared to the reality.
As soon as he and Naruto made it to the actual village, he was centre of everyone's attention – very, very unwanted attention.
During the short period of his life he could remember, Sasuke had never felt as horrible as he did then, facing those hate-filled looks and hearing all the whispered comments much too clearly.
"What the hell is Naruto doing with a member of the Akatsuki?"
"I thought the Uchiha clan had been dealt with."
"I thought that brat was dead and buried."
"He really has some nerve, walzing around here like that after what he did!"
"What the fuck is he doing here?"
He wanted to run, more than he'd ever wanted anything, but his body wouldn't listen to his screamed commands.
What kind of a monster had he been?!
-
Watching the people around them, Naruto swallowed thickly. This was definitely not going smoothly.
Oh crap…
Once upon a time, as though in some other life, he'd been the one treated like this without knowing why, and Sasuke had been praised by all. To think how things could spin around…
Not sure if he even wanted to face the sight, he looked towards Sasuke. Something inside him broke a little when he saw the mixture of confusion, fear and hurt on the raven's face. The boy was absolutely stiff and still beside him, as though frozen from shock.
"Sasuke?" His voice got absolutely no reaction, so he tried again. "Sasuke, are you okay?" He tried to touch the raven's shoulder, only to find the boy twitching further.
The Uchiha's eyes were wide, shimmered with almost spilling emotions. It took what felt like ages before they turned to meet his. "What did I do?" The voice was choked and terrified, carried a hint of sadness that tore his chest. "What did I do in the past, to make them hate me so much?"
He had absolutely no clue what to say, how to respond so that he wouldn't end up upsetting Sasuke even further. He stole some moments with guiding the raven away from the crowd, to a much smaller side street. "You… made a mistake, a big one." He tried to smile, although he had a feeling that he was failing miserably. His stomach knotted. "But… you've paid a high price for it already, okay? Besides, it's all in the past now. Some day even those idiots will understand it."
Sasuke nodded slowly, appearing far from calmed down but at least seeming to believe him. It took several moments before the boy spoke in what wasn't much more than a whisper. "I'd want to get away from here."
He nodded, not knowing what to say.
Just then they heard approaching steps. Looking up, he found Shikamaru, and felt a very uncomfortale slash inside. They searched each other's eyes for a moment before the brunet focused on Sasuke. "It's time to go – the Council's waiting."
He nodded stiffly, not sure how to feel.
Shikamaru led them to a huge, wooden door in one of Konoha's fanciest buildings and knocked. "Yes?" came after a while.
Shikamaru gave him a look that could be read easily. For some reason it made Naruto feel utterly cold. 'I'm so sorry.'
Swallowing thickly, he followed Sasuke inside.
Waiting there for them was a group of six mostly enderly people. The leader of the Council – a very old man – gave him a frown. "We only called Sasuke."
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere."
The man shrugged, then gave Sasuke a long look before focusing on someone he couldn't see just yet. "It's time."
In a couple of moments a very young woman with deep-brown eyes and half-long blond hair stepped out of the shadows, a look over reluctance written all over her face. She looked sharply towards the man. "You know I don't accept this. Hokage-sama…"
"… isn't here right now, which means that I'm making the decisions. Got that?" The man's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Tsunade made the mistake of treating this brat with silken gloves, but I won't be that much of a fool. This has to be done, so get to work already."
She gave him a one more glare that spoke far louder than a million words, then focused on Sasuke once more while walking towards the teen. "Sasuke… Is it true that you don't remember?"
The raven nodded without hesitation, appearing suspicious when she approached. "Yes."
She nodded, appearing satisfied with the answer. "Are you loyal to Konoha?"
Sasuke appeared confused for a moment, and Naruto feared what the Uchiha would say. Relief flooded through him when the raven nodded. "Of course. It's my home now."
The woman nodded again. Her eyes flashed when she noticed the head of the Council looking at her expectantly. With a sigh she focused on Sasuke. "I wouldn't want to do this to you, I want you to know that. I'm my opinion you are much too young for my technique. But I'll work my hardest to end this as soon as possible, alright?" She placed her hands to both sides of Sasuke's head, making the raven shudder violently. Her eyes filled with sadness. "When you feel me inside your head… Don't resist, alright? Because it will only make things harder."
Feeling a wave of dread, Naruto took a step closer. "Hey! What are you planning?"
He was about advance further, but was stopped as the head of the Council wrapped a pair of stunningly tight arms around him, blocking him to the spot. "Do not interfere."
At first nothing happened for a very long moment as Sasuke and the woman looked at each other. Then, so suddenly that Naruto emitted a yelp, the woman's eyes turned to a radiant shade of gold and her hands gained a bluish glow.
And then Sasuke screamed, so loudly and utterly heartbreakingly that in some other company he might've screamed along. The raven squeezed his eyes as tightly shut as humanly possibly and shuddered like he'd been struck by a weapon while falling pale. Tears of anguish the boy had no control over rolled down his cheeks. At first the Uchiha screamed in a voice that tore Naruto's soul, and kept screaming soundlessly when running out of voice. Naruto honestly couldn't tell which phase was worse.
Naruto couldn't stand it any longer. "Stop it!" he roared at the top of his lungs, only the man's irony hold keeping him still. "Stop it! Don't…!"
"Listen to me, brat", the man hissed into his ear. "Unless you want to get accused of treason, shut the fuck up right about now. Plus… If you disturb her, she may end up killing that piece of scump. Are you willing to take that risk?"
Naruto gasped, his eyes stinging hellishly. He'd never felt as helpless in his entire life.
Then, just as he was sure Sasuke wouldn't be able to take more, the room's door opened and Tsunade entered. A look that could only be called that of rage flashed by the woman's face. "What the hell is going on here?!"
The woman who'd been ordered to torment Sasuke gave a long, utterly relieved sigh. "Thank god…!" she gasped while dropping to her knees, hair falling to shield her face.
Naruto felt the man's hold on him loosen. That was all it took. He dashed forward the exact same second Sasuke – whose eyes were still closed – swayed dangerously. He managed to catch the raven just before the boy would've hit the floor, and was startled by how light the Uchiha was. Had Sasuke not been eating properly?
He barely heard the voices speaking. "He's innocent", the woman who'd been interrogating Sasuke announced quietly, clearly exhausted. "I kept asking him about his parents, about Danzo, even about Itachi. He doesn't know a thing. His mind is blank." Hearing that shattered his heart to pieces.
"That's good." The head of the Council leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "But we'll keep monitoring him. And we have ways to restrain him if necessary."
His eyes narrowed as he pulled Sasuke closer to his chest and glared at the people in the room. Intense coldness filled his chest. "Leave him alone! Can't you see what you've done to him already?! Let him be!"
He shuddered when feeling a hand on his shoulder, and tensed up once realizing it was Tsunade's. Once again it was too easy to remember that she was one of those who'd betrayed Sasuke, the one who'd taught Sakura how to… "Take him to the hospital – Sakura should be at work right now. I'll take care of the talking."
He nodded sharply, reluctant to leave it there. But Sasuke's well-being was far more important, and he wasn't in the mood for arguing. That's why he turned around and stormed out of the room, kicking the door closed hard while he went.
Somehow, it felt like he'd been turning his back on something.
-
As soon as the two left, the head of the Council – the same man who'd held back Naruto, a nearly bald man at his fifties named Toshiro Tsugemi – got up slowly, appearing pale. "Hokage-sama, let me assure you, our intention wasn't to act against your will. We were trying to work on Konoha's best interest."
Those words made her already hot blood boil. "Those two are only teens! Can't you fools see that this isn't the way you protect the village?" she hissed venomously, her eyes flaming. She turned her gaze towards the closed door. "This is how you tear the village and people apart. I should know."
"Naruto." Sakura's voice startled him – he wondered how long he'd been sitting in silence. She gave him a cautious smile. "Sasuke's… fine. That interrogation technique didn't leave any physical marks on him at all, although it drained him quite badly. He should wake up soon."
A weight shifted from his chest as he nodded breathlessly. "Good." He then glanced towards Sasuke, who made a sound that suggested the boy was having a nightmare of some sort. The boy was still unconscious. He felt his eyes darken as he took the Uchiha's hand. "This isn't fair."
Sakura's expression was more solemn than he'd ever seen it as she looked towards Sasuke's still far too pale, unconscious face. "Yeah. I know." All of a sudden she remembered something. She then tried her hardest to give him a slight smile. "I'll check up on you later. If he's well enough when he wakes up, you can take him home."
He had no strength for words, so he settled with nodding again. For the first time in ages there wasn't a lot of tension between them, and it felt… very good.
As Sakura walked away and closed the door, the room became silent once more.
When Sasuke submerged from the dark hue that'd wrapped him firmly under its wing, the first thing he felt was nausea – so intense that he gagged immediately.
"Sasuke?" It took a moment before he recognized that voice as Naruto's. "Do you need to throw up?"
He couldn't even nod, but apparently Naruto understood anyway. The boy barely managed to give him a bowl before he threw up hard, emptying absolutely everything there was in his stomach. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth with a trembling hand and opened his eyes halfway.
Naruto, who seemed utterly exhausted, was looking at him worriedly. "Do you still feel sick?"
He shook his head cautiously, relieved to notice that it didn't upset his stomach. He took a deep breath, gathering strength. "I'm fine." He searched the other boy with his gaze, and frowned. "How long have you been here?"
Naruto appeared sheepish. "Five hours or so. Why?"
His eyes narrowed a little despite himself. "Go home. I'm fine – I don't need you here, exhausting yourself."
"I'm not exhausting myself", Naruto insisted, and gave a grin that made him feel strangely warm. "This is where I want to be, got it? So shut it."
He nodded, his head still spinning and his thoughts a confusing whirl. His eyes stung although he couldn't understand why – perhaps it was for some dream he'd been having.
"Sasuke." Naruto's firm voice managed to snatch him back to reality. The blond gave him a slight, sad smile when he looked. "I'm not leaving, you know? I'm not going to abandon you. So go to sleep – I'll be right here when you wake up."
He didn't know why, but those words gave him comfort, enough so to allow him to close his eyes. In a matter of moments he was once more drifting in the confusing world of dreams.
-
As soon as Sasuke was asleep, Naruto buried his face into his hands. And at that moment tears flowed.
That evening – or perhaps it was night already, because he'd lost track of time after the Council's handling – Sasuke was so exhausted that Naruto had to carry him to the blond's home. For some ridiculous reason this was a huge blow to his pride – even Naruto saw this clearly. That's why he did his best to be as subtle as possible.
In the end Sasuke sat at his table, watching silently as he prepared some tea. They were both in a need of something that'd calm them down.
It'd been silent for so long that he jumped when Sasuke spoke. "Chamomile?"
He nodded, not daring to turn towards the other for some reason. "I… think you liked this, back then." Damn it, he felt so stupid…! "Your breath often had the scent of chamomile."
"Oh." He wasn't surprised by the near-shock in Sasuke's voice. The boy was silent for a moment while he poured the tea into mugs. "You knew me pretty well, didn't you?"
Those words stung him much worse than they should've. Because in reality… When he thought about it, he hadn't known Sasuke at all, back then. If he had, then maybe…
He took a deep breath before turning to face Sasuke. His steps were so heavy that by the time he'd set one mug before the Uchiha, he slumped heavily to his own seat. He focused on his drink. "I'm… not sure. You were my best friend, but you never told me a lot, and I'm pretty bad at noticing stuff."
Sasuke shrugged. "Not half as bad as you think." The raven took another sip. "I like this."
He couldn't help grinning a little. For the first time that day Sasuke was at least somewhat peaceful. "That's good."
They were silent – too silent – for a moment before Sasuke spoke. "I understand that this is uncomfortable for you." The raven wouldn't meet his eyes. "I'll leave as soon as I can."
To his surprise, he shook his head vehemently. Sasuke had no other place to go; no matter how much this hurt, he couldn't let the boy live all alone anymore. "No, no, don't talk rubbish! You can stay as long as you want." He tried to grin. "I mean… Who else knows your favorite tea?"
At that moment he witnessed something that made him feel incredibly good and horrible at the same time.
Sasuke gave a tiny yet warm smile that reached the raven's eyes – it was such his Sasuke would've never allowed himself to produce. "Thank you."
He smiled back, although it felt like his heart had been pulled out. "You're welcome."
With that they sank into their thoughts, both focusing on tea.
He hoped from the bottom of his heart that he'd be able to find a way to restore Sasuke's memories soon. Because he didn't know how long he'd be able to bear being around this stranger who wore his most precious person's face.
No matter how tired he was, Sasuke couldn't find sleep that night.
Shadows were already long and dark as he stared at the ceiling, his mind spinning a million miles per hour and his head hurting so much that it took a lot not to scream.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of somewhat hesitant steps. "Are you still awake?" Naruto asked in a near whisper.
He nodded stiffly, not looking towards the blond – he didn't have the energy for speaking or turning his gaze.
His mattress dipped as Naruto sat, so close that he felt slightly uncomfortable. The blond was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, that they hurt you. But… They're trying to do what's best for the village. They don't know this new you yet. They want to make sure you're trustworthy."
He nodded again, finally finding his voice. "I understand that."
Naruto seemed utterly relieved. "Good."
He shivered violently when the blond suddenly wrapped a pair of arms around him, pulling him close; he didn't think he'd ever get used to being touched like this. "I'm so sorry that I let them hurt you." Naruto's voice was nothing but a whisper. "But… I'll never let anyone hurt you again, okay? I swear I'll protect you, until you remember and know how to protect yourself."
He wished he could've found the strength to say 'I don't want you to protect me – I want you to stand by me, to accept me'. He, at least, would've wanted to shake his head. But he couldn't do a thing. And so he settled to remain there in Naruto's hold, feeling like he'd been torn in two.
This life, this village… He wanted none of this – how could he have when pretty much everyone hated him and he only had two people he could trust? It was painful, not knowing why he was treated so. The old Sasuke might've belonged into this world, this village, once upon a time – he didn't, didn't think he ever would.
How could he ever make Naruto understand that?
His eyes stung and narrowed as the headache escalated. He took a desperate breath, feeling like he'd been suffocating.
All of sudden, he felt like a wild animal trapped into a cage too small.
TBC, or…?
A/N: Uh-huh… And the mess deepens, it seems. Ouch. (winces) Those two have so much expectations!
So… How was it – any good, at all? (gulps and glances questioningly) PLEASE, do let me know – you know how much I love hearing from you! (looks with huge eyes like a cute lil' puppy)
IN THE NEXT ONE (in case ya guys want one, of course): Naruto starts giving Sasuke ninja-lessons with unexpected results. While they both wrestle with their emotions, something starts building up… In the meantime an old foe plans on returning. Also, Sasuke meets some old/new faces.
Until next time, guys! I really hope I'll see ya all then.
Peace out!
jfkfjk: Quite a shock indeed! (winces) Poor things.
Let's hope Naruto won't end up causing even further damage. And… I must confess that I kind of agree with you. Maybe some things are meant to be…? (pouts)
Colossal thank yous for the review!
'Hope ya'll be staying tuned.
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YAMA: (blushes, and BEAMS) My goodness, such a HUGE compliment…! (hugs) You wouldn't believe how good it felt to read those.
Gigantic thank yous for the amazing review!
I REALLY hope ya'll enjoy the next one just as much.
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Wawa: Man, I'm glad to hear that! (grins from ear to ear)
Ah, Sasuke back to his old self? (scratches chin) We'll see, we'll see…
Monumental thank yous for the review!
'Hope ya'll be sticking around for more.
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Leah: (beams) Hooray!
Enormous thank yous for the review!
C ya next time, I hope.
