The Darkness Within the Light
Chapter 7
Lost
Sorry it took so long...I had the most horrid case of writer's block! Anyway...music helps...so finally here we go...
-Sakura-
In the old cottage at the edge of the small town, which was located dead center of the Land of Rain, stood Haruno Sakura.
Her ocean-colored eyes were closed, and she leaned against the wall, trying to hide her frustration. An equally frustrated Karin stood as far away as possible. She had been forced to remain behind.
From behind her glasses Karin glared at Sakura. "Sasuke is mine..." she snarled for about the millionth time since the boys had left.
Sakura opened her eyes, which were blazing with impatience. "I'm not interested in your precious Sasuke..." she replied coolly. Oh God...I wasn't like that...was I?
"Good..."
There was a long silence, which of course, Karin broke. "So you like that Naruto kid right?" she asked, sounding bored.
Sakura did not respond.
"Strange kid," she sighed. "I've only seen him once...I was bored and couldn't find Sasuke..." she broke off. "Well I followed Suigetsu..."
Sakura was instantly paying attention, she wanted to know...she had to. "What did you..."
"Don't start that...I didn't do anything to him..." said Karin, sounding truly offended.
Sakura didn't miss her tone when she had said 'I'. "What's that supposed to mean!? Who did hurt him!?" she demanded, her eyes alive with fire.
Karin blinked then grinned slyly. "You're not going to like it..." she said, knowing she had found a soft-spot.
"Tell me!"
"Fine...but don't say I didn't warn you..."
"Dammit just tell me!"
Karin sighed. "Fine...he hurt himself..."
"Yeah right!" said Sakura, not believing it for a minute.
"I'm never seen someone so...desperate to punish himself..." muttered Karin, amused. "We almost had to stop him it was so bad...he had a kunai up to his throat and everything..."
Sakura froze, her heart his her throat. There's no way... she thought. Yet, how did she know...Naruto had never been emotionally stable...
She almost slapped herself, she would not believe that...not when it came from such a foul mouth...she'd ask him in person...once she saw him again. She got light-headed at the thought, to be in his arms again...
Stop it! It will just make it worse if they fail. argued her smarter side.
They won't! She argued back.
How do you know?
I...I...they'll come back!
But will he be with them?
-Sasuke-
Hood over his head, he lead the patrol to the base, to Naruto, to revenge. Sasuke was smirking under his hood. He was so close to his goal...to his completing his dream. Behind him...were his former comrades...as well as his current comrades. Together, they made a strange team. Chouji and Suigetsu were next to each other, and the comparison was almost comical...almost.
As soon as he spotted their target, he stopped. Everyone else followed his lead. Shikamaru came forward and Sasuke gave him a nod.
Shikamaru turned to his team. Lee, unwillingly went to stand over by Sasuke, next to Juugo.
With a glare at Sasuke, Suigetsu join the Konoha team.
Sasuke stared at Lee, in his all to familiar green jumpsuit.. Sasuke wanted at least one of the Konoha team with him...surely they wouldn't abandon two of their comrades.
Shikamaru nodded, and his team vanished.
Sasuke, Lee and Juugo hid in the bushes, waiting.
After awhile, both Juugo and Lee grew impatient. Juugo was picking the grass out of the earth, while Lee was doing push-ups, with one arm of course.. Then, finally their was a loud explosion.
In a flash the shinobi were on their feet. With Sasuke leading the way, they darted in the direction the building.
On the way in, the only thing they saw of their comrades was them staring at the ground as a furious looking Zetsu popped out of the ground.
What waited for them on the inside was a seemingly endless maze of hallways and doors.
"Juugo...where did Suigetsu say Naruto was?" asked Sasuke, after awhile of searching.
"Aren't we looking for Itachi?"
"As soon as the attack started, he would have fallen back to guard Naruto," explained Sasuke, impatiently.
"Um...he said in the center, in the most heavily guarded room..." replied Juugo, looking unsure.
Sasuke gave him a small nod, before taking off.
"Wait for me Sasuke-kun!" yelled Lee, racing off of him. "I will get their in half the time you do!"
Juugo stared after him for a minute, before bolting after them.
They ran on, searching, for what seemed like hours on end.
"This is pointless..." said Juugo. "We don't even know where to look..."
Sasuke, leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. Then suddenly they flew open. He turned to the wall next to them and put his hands together. "Release!"
The wall before them vanished, revealing a dark, gloomy hallway. Lee was about to take of, but Sasuke pulled him backward. "Wait..."
"Wh...why?" asked Lee, looking offended.
Sasuke threw a kunai down the hallway. The second it hit the ground a chain of explosions was set of. Lee watched, wide-eyed with horror as the kunai was obliterated. He turned to Sasuke. "Y...you..." he started, but Sasuke was already walking down the hallway.
At the end of the long hallway was a door. It was covered in seals, literally covered. Sasuke carefully examined the door. "Juugo, Lee...can you hit it directly in the center at the same time?" he asked.
They both nodded. "The weakest point..." observed Juugo. "You think we'll set anything off?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not the one punching..." he said simply.
Lee glanced at him, before raising up a fist.
In a flash, the door flew into the room.
"Hmm...nothing happened..." said Juugo. "I was sure he'd be more heavily protected than that..."
Sasuke was staring into the room, silent.
"Sasuke?"
"There's a reason it was so easy to break in..." he said, his voice barely audible.
Lee and Juugo both peered into the room, then they saw that Sasuke was gripping the metal door so hard it was denting it and they both backed away.
-Naruto-
Naruto opened his eyes and cursed. How com every time I wake up I'm in a new place? he wondered, annoyed.
He looked around the forest, wondering how on earth he ended up here...perhaps it was just another genjutsu.
Then, he saw the last person he wanted to see. "Where are we?" he asked.
Itachi glanced up at him, but did not respond.
Naruto's eyes flashed red, but he flinched with pain. Then suddenly he was aware of how weak he was...
Chakra...draining shackles... came the Kyuubi's quiet thought.
"Right..." said Naruto, suddenly aware his arms were stuck behind his back. He turned his head, and saw another person. "Where are we?" he repeated.
"Now what fun would it be if we told you that?" asked Kisame, amusement written all over his face.
As Naruto's senses fully returned he was aware that he was sitting, against a tree. He stood up, surprised that he wasn't actually chained to anything. Naruto didn't have time to react, there was a flash, and he was thrown against the tree. "Kisame can tear your legs off...or you can stay where you are...your choice..." came Itachi's cold voice, from the other side of the clearing. It was as if he hadn't even moved.
"It's not like I'm going to need them much longer..." he snarled.
"You say that like you're going to die tomorrow..." laughed Kisame.
"It was gonna happen whether you caught me or not," said Naruto, darkly.
"That doesn't sound like you Kyuubi-kid...Itachi-san...I think we've got the wrong kid!" said Kisame, almost laughing.
Naruto glared up at him. "How long do I have?" he demanded.
Kisame shrugged. "It all depends...we have to extrac..." he trailed off when Itachi glared at him.
"You shouldn't tell him important information like that!" warned Itachi.
"It's not like he's going to tell anybody!" argued Kisame. "He's a rouge ninja!"
Naruto couldn't help but to be pained by that thought, he had always known...he just didn't know Tsuande had made it official...
"You know..." said Kisame thoughtfully. "He's practically like one of us..."
"Don't say that!" snarled Naruto and Itachi at the same time, their faces twisted into the same angry expression.
"Exactly my point..." he laughed. "I mean...think about it...we've all got tempers...none of the three of us could be considered human..." he trailed off.
"Do...not...compare me to you...or to him!" snarled Naruto. "If you do I swear I'll..."
"He won't be able to do anything...but I will!" threatened Itachi. Although his tone was still deadly, but his features were already starting to calm down.
"I was just trying to have some fun..." complained Kisame
Naruto was still fuming as they both settled down. I am not like them, I am not like them, I am not like them!
Would you shut up! snarled the Kyuubi.
"You shut up!" replied Naruto bitterly, it took him a second to realize he had said it out loud.
In a flash a kunai ran across his cheek. He stared shocked at Itachi, who had apparently thought he was talking to him.
"Not you!" he said irritated, he instantly regretted it...if their was one person he did not want to know about his freaky connection with the Kyuubi it was Itachi.
Itachi, of course instantly noticed. "Then who are you talking too?" he demanded.
Naruto blinked at him then shrugged.
Itachi was right in front of him. "Tell me..."
"What are you..." Naruto broke off and bit his lip. There was a snap and a fiery agony in his leg, but he would not cry out...no he would not give him that pleasure.
"Now...are you going to tell me...or do I have to make you tell me..."
"I don't know what you're..." he broke off as Itachi kicked his already broken leg. An even greater agony shot up his entire body, forcing him to bit down even harder. He could taste blood in his mouth.
Then suddenly there was another snap. Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore. He cried out.
He saw Kisame grin, before Itachi kicked his leg again.
Oh God...please let them stop soon...please let them give up... thought Naruto.
But of course, they did not give up, not for what seemed like days to Naruto. Yet he still did not tell. He could tell that if they found out...it would be could, so he stayed silent...a big part of his ability to do so was his ego...which for once was useful...he would not break...he would not bend to their will...even if he lost his mind, trying to keep his secret from them, even if they lost his life.
As I mentioned earlier...music helped me conquer block...I know I'm not quite back yet...sorry for the crappy chapter...but here are the songs you owe this next chapter to...and yes...it took that many songs to get my brain going...sad isn't it?
Broken Hearts, Torn Up Letters and the Story of a Lonely Girl: Lostprophets
Wait for You: Elliot Yamin
Your Guardian Angel; Cat and Mouse; Face Down: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Almost Easy: Avenged Sevenfold
Riot; Drown; Gone Forever; Over and Over: Three Days Grace
Lullaby For a Stormy Night: Vienna Teng
How Far We've Come: Matchbox Twenty
Apologize: OneRepublic
Five Minutes to Midnight: Boys Like Girls
Take Me There: Rascal Flatts
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs; It's Hard To Say "I Do" When I Don't: Fall Out Boy
Falls On Me; Wasted Time: Fuel
Downtown Song: Anberlin
Misery Business: Paramore
When You're Gone; Things I'll Never Say: Avril Lavigne
Angel: Sarah McLachlan
Stricken; Ten Thousand Fist: Disturbed
In the End: Linkin Park
House of Wolves: My Chemical Romance
I Dare Yo: Shine Down
Remedy; Fake It: Seether
Bring Me to Life: Evanescence
Follow Me: Uncle Kracker
Broken: Seether and Amy Lee
