Shattered Minds

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Author's Note:

Whoa, now that I look at it, last chapter was pretty darn long! I hope that the current length of the chapters are all right–I've heard from my other readers that they're far too short, but I can't bring myself to write long chapters. Short attention span, you know. (–smirk–) Anyway, I hope you guys are liking the fact that finally, there's more plot coming in! Who was the person speaking to Neji? (–cough–It's obvious, isn't it?) Who is Sasuke trying to kill? (–cough–That's pretty obvious too!) And how much makeup did Sakura put on last chapter anyway? (–cough–no one knows, exactly...)

Anyway, as always, thanks to everyone for reviewing, reading, and adding this story to your favorite's list! You guys make me feel warm and fuzzy and moldy inside.


The phantom hands

Reach out towards your form

I cry out for you

But can't find the power

He smelled the it first. The stench of death hung in the air like a poisonous miasma. It was warm and creeping and his stomach heaved as he tried not to vomit.

His eyes traveled, he saw the blood. The crimson rivers running down the wooden floor and trickling into the cracks.

Then, the bodies lying before black sandals.

His eyes ran, torturously, hopelessly slow, to the face of the murderer. Dread and fear as his eyes met those three spinning commas of black.

The words.

'Foolish little brother... If you wish to kill me, hate me... Detest me! Survive in an unsightly way... Run... run... And cling to life.

The hopeless, choking feel of terror, holding him down, but he could not pull his eyes away. He was staring into a mirror. Black hair, pale skin. Cheekbones and nose. But the eyes... He pulled back, away from his family, and fought the desire to scream.

To die.

The man, the demon before him stepped almost delicately over gore he had created.

'And one day, when you have the same eyes as me, come before me.

The cape pushed him aside, and he could not pull his eyes from the bodies before him. He could not bring himself to imprint the betrayal as his brother left the room.

His fists clenched as the words sunk in. His nails bit into the soft flesh of his palms and he did not even feel the skin break, the droplets of blood starting to rise. He did not think of anything at the moment except for cold, cold calm. Something in him had been murdered, because at that second, Sasuke started thinking about nothing but one single goal.

Revenge.


What she didn't know would kill her someday, he thought as he stood over her sleeping form. Her words had disturbed him, flashing memories and images in front of his eyes as he tried to forget and focus.

His sleep was restless–he was much too tormented by nightmares for that–and somehow, he had found himself here. By her bedside. Watching her face the same nightly terror he experienced each and every time he shut his eyes.

She was tossing around in her dreams, her face frozen in a silence expression of horror. She was obviously in a series of nightmares that he could only try to imagine. Imagine, but not relate.

His fingers twitched and, before he could stop himself, his right hand reached out and touched her petal hair.

Shocked, as if he had been burned by a lick of flame, he pulled his hand back and started at his hand as if she was a horrible disease.

Unknowingly to him for the moment, that soft, gentle touch had woken Sakura from her already light sleep. The men's faces. The feeling of their flesh against hers. The breathing and the stale smell of alcohol and the pain of their brutal thrusts.

She allowed her eyes to flutter open for the barest of seconds and started up into Sasuke's face. It was blank, as always, but his dark eyes–even darker in the brush of night–weren't focused on her.

'Listen to yourself. You touched the girl, not slept with her. It was weakness. Just weakness.' From above her still form, Sasuke turned to leave. The new development had... scared him. He had never expected himself to... He had trusted that his need for retribution would be strong enough to keep his body from acting the way it had.

He slowly, softly backed away from the pink-haired girl, and prepared to jump out of her window, when suddenly her voice stopped him where he stood.

"Sasuke?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, but it was still feminine, and distinctly fearful.

He chose not to answer, but he did turn his head just the slightest bit, eyes following her as she sat up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He couldn't say anything, because he didn't know the answer himself. All he knew was that his dreams drove him to her room, and that was were he found himself. He turned around again to face her, noticing her slightly unfocused eyes and knowing that she was still half-asleep. Perhaps, if he left now, she would go back to sleep and forget about him, or at least think it was a dream-lit apparition. As he started for the window once more, her voice called out, slightly more desperate.

"Please don't go!" The words pulled at his conscious and he could not stop himself from pausing again. "Please... At least keep me company for a while." Her voice turned wistful and he knew that she was still in the aftershocks of her dreams. Still, he slowly seated himself beneath the window, back leaned against the wall.

Sakura blinked a few times, trying to keep the sleep from returning and laid down, resting her head against the hard pillow she had become accustomed to. "It's easier for me to talk at night," she said, quite randomly.

He was silent, always silent.

"I think it's because I can't see the demons around a person when it's dark." She smiled into the night, knowing and not caring that he could not see her slightly bitter expression. She sighed softly, dreamily. "I can't see my demons at night, either. What about you?"

Sasuke could not tell her that night only brought the demons closer, until they smothered them with the taunts: You could not save them, because you were weak, are weak, will forever be weak. It was enough to drive him mad.

Closing her bottle green eyes, Sakura continued. She figured that in her state of mind, anything she said would be truthful, and besides, with Sasuke's onyx eyes piercing into her, she couldn't lie anyway.

"You know..." She didn't care if he wasn't answering. She didn't even care if he left. She needed to talk, to tell someone her story, regardless of how incredibly long it was. "You know, I wasn't born a prostitute." She laughed softly. "No one is, but I was originally from a small village in Fire Country. There weren't any nin there, either, but there were stories." Her smile grew broader as she remembered her childish naivete and high hopes unrestrained by common sense. "They always thought I would be the same as the rest of the women, but I wanted to go out. I wanted to prove myself." The grin faded at this point. "But it didn't go as I planned. I ran out of money, and... that... was the only work I was offered. I didn't know you couldn't leave once you entered the brothels. I didn't know anything at all."

Sakura relaxed her tensed forehead and thought back to the very crucial moments that lead her life to where it was. She remembered the glowing smile, the promise that she would amount to something. How far had she fallen...?

Under the silvery glow of moonlight, Sasuke looked like an ethereal figure, surrounded by a mystical light. A fallen angel rising once more. He watched her as she told her story, and was surprised when he felt the slightest twinge of pity for her.

From there, he could see her expressions change like a desert landscape. She hadn't been lying when she said she had experienced hardships, but he hadn't completely doubted her. Now she knew. And he felt... He felt as if he needed to repay her somehow.

Sasuke moved with the grace of a jungle predator, prowling until he reached her side. Still, he distanced himself, carefully making sure there was a gap of a foot between their bodies.

Sakura's eyes opened again as she turned her head slightly to look up to him. He cast a shadow over her, making it even darker. It felt good... It almost felt like he was watching over her. The thought was so comical her dry lips curved into a small smile.

"You can tell me your story now," she offered. She had to admit she was extremely curious by his past. A part of her wanted to compare the damage both of them suffered.

The girl was so persistent when it came to him, wasn't she? He rolled his eyes subtly, then told his story in a few simple sentences. "I have sworn revenge on a man. And even if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure I destroy him. He's not human."

'No human could do what he did.'

Sakura couldn't stop herself from allowing her smile to spread. It felt good to know that he trusted her enough to tell her about his mission. Obviously, it meant the world to him.

"What's his name?"

Sasuke recoiled back, as if he had been struck. Had he have been wrong to tell her as much as he did? Now she was even more curious, and the name... He hadn't even thought about saying the name aloud. It was taboo, a curse in itself.

He hissed unconsciously and pushed himself back, but her small, delicate hand reached out, faster than he could anticipate, and grabbed his wrist.

He looked down to her grasp, then to her face. Her eyes were sparkling, her emotions rushing across them like a million shooting stars. "Please..." She smiled sadly to him. "You don't have to act like that all the time, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's chest was still pulling away from her, but the sight of that sad gaze, he couldn't help but relax his body. His face still impassive, he scooted just the slightest bit closer to her.

By this time, Sakura's eyes had already started drooping close, and, consequences be damned, she just wanted comfort for a night. At that moment, she didn't care if Sasuke had the power to kill her slowly and painfully, or the power to simply break her wrist. She only cared about the only person in the world to have heard her story. She only cared about a little bit of empathy.

Sasuke sighed in his head, then moved even closer to the girl. She was too tired and drained to know what she was doing, and he should at the very least humor her. He allowed her to pull his hand closer to her body and moved until he was comfortable.

He watched as she took a few deep breaths, watched as her breathing slowed and became more regular and steady, watched the rise and fall of her chest. Watched her sleep and not be haunted by any dreams at all.

Slowly, the moon rose over the sky, and slower still, Sasuke allowed himself a moment of tranquility. He did nothing but think about the pink-haired woman holding his hand, and breathed in the sweetness of her scent in the balmy summer air.

When she awoke, the sun had started rising and he was already gone.

More awake and conscious of her actions, Sakura looked back to the midnight confession with a shocked heart. She had just spilled her entire life to a man who... A man who wasn't a stranger or a friend, she finally decided.

But... All the same... He had told her a little something of himself, too, and allowed her to comfort herself with the touch of his hand. Most importantly...

Sakura remembered no nightmares.


Ending Note: Finally! Some fluff for us to "Aww" over! It's taken you long enough, Sasuke-kun! I don't care how hot you are–you need to pull your head out of your butt and notice the hot pink-haired chick before you! (–grumbles with other restless SasuSaku fans–) While this chapter didn't have much action, I did have Sasuke grow more close to Sakura, which will be very, very important in later chapters, such as chapter 9, which I'm almost done with writing. Orochimaru is coming in, soon! And we get touches of Shika/Ino in the next chapter! Unfortunately, Itachi will take his time coming in... But he will be delicious when he does. I have the scene all thought out. (–gets starry eyed–) I love the Uchiha brothers... (You know what I like even more? Whoring them out... Teehee. Unfortunately, this won't happen in this story. Maybe next time!)