Disclaimer: I own *sigh* nada; Naruto and Shippuden belong to a mister who dared killing Itachi! Oh wait, I killed Itachi too :')
Theme song: Steve Conte – Stray.
Infinite gratitude to: Lady Veilchenblau my beta reader for sticking with me. You are the best T_T !
This is a double update, hope you read the previous chapter before this one! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Uchiha Sasuke – Part II
The young raven haired boy had always thought he was normal.
He walked down the soiled road, dragging his feet; dull eyes perceiving nothing. On few occasions, some generous souls would offer him their umbrella upon seeing his miserable state, but he would keep on walking aimlessly hearing nothing but the patter of the heavy rain.
Upon opening his eyes he noticed, for the first time since that night, the time and his surroundings. Judging by the sun's rays that warmed his fragile body, it was the early morning; he didn't know where he was, nor did he remember how he arrived here. Trying to sit up he felt an ache and weight in his bones; was he supposed to feel tired and sick? He sneered; he always thought that monsters were more powerful and resistant. It took him a moment to notice that his body had been washed and bandaged. On the small low table next to the futon were his old clothes, clean and folded.
He got up and hobbled to the low table; the yukata fell on the ground as he opened the belt, not bothering to lift it. He was out of the room as soon as he wore his own clothes, and quickly made his way out of the small house.
He wondered if he should feel wary of the bright sun. He was a creature of the night, wasn't the sun supposed to be his enemy?
"You should have stayed in your room, young boy. Your body is still tired."
Turning his head his eyes fell on a purple haired young woman holding wood in her hands. Sasuke stood there looking at her, not minding to respond; instead he asked impolitely,
"Who are you?"
The young inugami expected the woman to shout or to get angered; he didn't expect her to walk past him ignoring his question. Feeling blood rushing to his head he turned around to cry, scream, he was angry -in a situation where he wasn't the one supposed to be.
But she cut him before he could even articulate an abrupt shout.
"Hurry and come inside, breakfast must be ready."
The raven haired boy stood speechless for a few moments, that woman was definitely nuts.
When his heart and mind were in conflict between getting inside and leaving, his stomach won; he was too hungry to leave for the unknown.
He walked silently behind the purple haired woman; somehow, the house seemed welcoming; upon entering the kitchen he noticed a small figure sitting next to the kamado, who turned around upon hearing them entering.
"Welcome home, Guren."
"I'm back, Yukimaru." Said Guren, as she walked to the young boy named Yukimaru to pat his head, then putting down the wood in a corner.
Sasuke's heart clenched; it reminded him a lot of his family.
"Good morning, dear guest," Yukimaru started, upon noticing Sasuke, "how do you feel? Have your wounds healed? Are you still tired?"
"Go easy on him, Yukimaru. I'm sure you'll give him a headache." Guren sighed, "what's your name?"
"Sasuke." He answered with a prideful stand.
Understanding the young boy's attitude, Guren simply started to arrange the low table of the kitchen for breakfast. Yukimaru smiled at his guardian and kept silent.
-:-:-:-:-
If Sasuke thought he would be leaving that house right after breakfast, he was dead wrong.
Many days had passed by since he had entered Guren and Yukimaru's lives, and the Inugami wondered why he had not left, or why they had not kicked him out already. Their hospitality pissed him off.
He knew he should be thankful, but he could not help but be irritated.
Yukimaru was a nice and sympathetic young boy who was always concerned with Sasuke's well-being; he discovered that he was a war orphan who was taken in by Guren a few years ago. On the other hand, Guren was a simple woman; her beautiful long purple hair was the most noticeable feature she had. Despite giving the façade of a harsh and mean person, he'd come to see her gentle inner self. She, to some extent, reminded him of his brother.
Every time he remembered his family his mood dropped drastically; not like he could ever forget what happened that night.
It was a tragic night full of shocking revelations. After the death of his parents, Itachi told him the truth about their mother and lineage; how they both were half-Inugami and their curse as Yokai. His brother disappeared a day after that, leaving Sasuke in the hands of one of their trusted neighbors, begging him to continue his life as a human and never coming in contact with the world of the night; the whole incident was classified as a work of mountain tyrants.
But Sasuke couldn't bear with it anymore, so he left the village in search of his brother.
"Sasuke, are you here?" Yukimaru called out behind the door of the Inugami's room.
The raven haired boy got up and walked toward the door, sliding it open. Yukimaru smiled and asked Sasuke to join him in the garden to help him cut the wood; the Inugami nodded.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had begun to get used to living with them.
-:-:-:-:-
It was late in the afternoon when Guren took out the young boys with her to the village's festival.
Sasuke watched all the shining colors with wide eyes, the smell of different food caressing his nose; he was not accustomed to such lively festivals, as his village was a small one. Somehow, he felt welcomed, and oddly relieved.
Alongside Yukimaru, he played almost every game and ate at every food stand. He sat smiling net to his hosts near the shrine, watching with amazement the fireworks, the noise, the light and smoke were not as disturbing as he thought it would be.
For once, Sasuke finally felt happy.
Suddenly, a noisy explosion was heard.
Sasuke's stomach clenched, he had a weird feeling about it. Something bad was happening.
While most people ran away from the disaster scene crying out incomprehensible words, Sasuke walked towards it; earning shouts from his hosts,
"Sasuke! Come back here!"
But he did not bother looking back.
What Sasuke found there was not what he exactly expected; the whole place was destroyed as if a tornado had passed by, the scent of blood mixed with different smells was intoxicating. Not so far away, a crimson colored muscled body stood amongst the carnage; the young boy took a step back upon seeing the creature's face, two long horns ornamented its hairy forehead, its eyes shone dangerously in the dark night and its toothy mouth smiled wickedly. On one hand was a thick kanabõ, on the other the upper part of a torn human body. The scenery shocked him more than he imagined.
"H-hey!" Sasuke cried out.
He flinched when the monster's eyes landed on him and smirked,
"It smells so good," he said with a cracked voice, "it smells like a fresh delicious yokai."
Sasuke trembled; he wanted to run away, why did he come here in first place? He should have simply run away, alongside Guren and Yukimaru.
Why was it so important for him to be there?
He was too scared to understand what the monster had been speaking, too scared to notice that it was walking in his direction.
"Sasuke!" A voice called, "stay back!"
A small fragile body stood with open arms between Sasuke and the creature.
"Yukimaru… what are you doing here? Run!" Sasuke voiced, the scene was very familiar.
"What are you talking about?" The boy asked, and smiled, "how can I leave without you?"
Why was he so eager to save Sasuke? He was no one; he was not someone worth saving. The creature did not even glance at the magenta eyed boy in front of him; all he was aiming for was Sasuke.
"Yukimaru, run!" Guren cried out, from the distance.
Too late, with a single hand, the monster sent the boy flying.
When he saw Yukimaru bleeding, something snapped inside of him, he felt himself boiling from within. Something was happening to him, he was changing. Sasuke perceived the shocked look on Guren's face, who was holding a wounded Yukimaru.
The raven haired boy paid no attention to the deafening cries of fear surrounding them; all he wanted to do was to protect what was precious to him.
For the first time in his life, his father's teachings had borne fruits.
He first made sure to be the main focus of his enemy, before luring the creature away from the villagers, but the most difficult part had to be done; he needed to do something, and fast.
He knew it; he knew that he would never be able to win against such an opponent, but he wanted to try. Sasuke did not want to lose Guren and Yukimaru. He did not want to experience those feelings again, as his scars were not yet healed.
After many fruitless attempts to harm his enemy, the young half-Inugami tried to finish it off with one last attack, but in vain. The monster dodged it and hit him back.
The blow projected him far in the distance, smashing his ribs. His back met, destroyed, the hard pines. Sasuke fest miserable, he wasn't strong enough to protect neither his mother, nor Guren or Yukimaru. He was disgusted with himself.
"W-why are you doing this…?"
"There is no wrongdoing for Oni." He smirked showing all his fangs.
There was nothing he could do; he was just a powerless half-yokai after all. Closing his eyes, Sasuke awaited the deadly blow, but it never came, only a 'thud' accompanied by an eerie voice was heard.
"An Oni attacking a young Yokai; you sure are a coward." A young man said, calmly.
Opening his tightly shut eyes, Sasuke felt nauseous at the sight of a bloodied monstrous arm next to him. He fell backwards and his eyes landed on a young man wielding a katana against the Oni.
"Damn you…" the Oni cried in pain, putting his left hand on his bleeding shoulder, "Who are you, fucker?"
Instead of answering the wounded red monster, the man walked towards Sasuke and spoke,
"Are you alright, young boy?"
Sasuke was too shocked and amazed to answer, the man in blue in front of him, calmly and easily slashed the Oni's arm. Was that man human? And if he was not, how could he be so motionless?
As his trembling lips spread open to mutter a 'thank you' or a simple answer, but his eyes shot open and he cried, "Behind you…!"
Too late, before his savior could move, the Oni was already behind him cutting off the man's head with his long claws. Sasuke wasn't sure if he was sad because an innocent man just died because of him, or if he was scared because he was going to die next, but either way he felt his stomach drop.
Sasuke expected blood, but the beheaded body didn't fall on the ground. His head was floating in the air. Upon noticing a familiar mark on the back of the headless neck, the puzzled Oni swallowed hard and made small nervous steps backward.
"A Rokurokubi with a serpent's tattoo… y-you're-"
The body turned around swiftly and cut in half the Oni; black blood splashed everywhere and the head floated delicately back to its body.
That man was not human; Sasuke looked at him with amazement, forgetting all about his fear and the Oni's body which was turned to ash. The man took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and cleaned his dirtied katana before putting it back in its sheath. Once more the man walked to him and helped him getting up.
"Are you alright, young boy?" he asked again.
"Y-yes… thank you." Without him taking notice, his small body had regained its human form.
The man looked nothing like someone powerful; his tall thin body was covered by a long blue kimono which hung loose, his narrow eyes were pale and golden, whereas his brown hair reached his shoulders and bangs hid the left side of his face.
"You should head back home; your family must be worried about you." The man said as he started to take his leave.
"W-wait!" The young inugami called out, he ran and stood in front of his savior, preventing the latter from walking away. "I want to become strong."
The man was impressed by the determination of the young boy, but becoming a master was not something he intended to become.
"Sorry youngster, I am not the one you should be saying this to; just go home."
"I don't have a home, nor do I have a place I belong to."
"But you belong to this world." Was the man's answer.
Orphaned yokai were not rare; in a time where the ayakashi fought for pleasure and hatred, too much blood was spilled, blood of the guilty and the innocent. As much as he felt sympathy for the boy in front of him, who reminded him too much of himself, taking the inugami with him was still out of question.
"No, I don't." Sasuke answered with anger, "I am a monster, and monsters do not have the right to live. That is why I need to get stronger, to crush those who want to crush me!"
"Who said that monsters do not have the right to live?"
"Humans." He said, clenching his fists.
"Then if monsters say that humans do not have the right to live; that would be fair, right?" The man walked towards the raven haired boy and knelt to reach his size. Putting his hand on Sasuke's head, he smiled,
"You were born in this world, so you have the right to live just like any other creature. Do not let people minimize you; as long as you breathe, you will live."
The man got up and handed Sasuke a golden item.
"This is my pipe; take it."
"Why?"
"To remember yourself." He said quietly, walking past the young inugami.
The words held much meaning than he would've ever imagined. Turning around, a pipe in his hands and eyes pooling with tears, Sasuke shouted,
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke; what is yours?"
"Utakata." The man answered without turning, before disappearing in the darkness of the night.
-:-:-:-:-
"Leaving without saying goodbye or thank you for your hospitality?" A voice called, "such an insolent boy."
"I was hoping to leave without being noticed. I didn't want to disturb you." He didn't need to turn around and look; he would have perceived nothing in the dark, after all.
"Where is Yukimaru?"
"Sleeping. It was a long day, after all." Guren muttered.
"I-Is he okay?"
She sighed, "A few scratches here and there; he'll survive."
A long silence followed the few words they exchanged; he was leaving, and there was no coming back.
"I am sorry."
"You shouldn't be." She corrected, "you are a good person, Sasuke."
The atmosphere was heavy; there were so many things he wanted to say, but they were all stuck in his throat; maybe it was better that way.
"Farwell." He said.
"I wish you all the best."
-:-:-:-:-
The howling of a wolf was acute in that silent night.
Was actually it a wolf?
Maybe…
Sasuke smiled at his own stupidity, wolf or not, the fact wouldn't lessen the danger. In that gloomy wooded road, which was dimly illuminated by the moon, the young boy noticed a silhouette sitting on the floor. For a moment he stopped in his tracks, swallowing hard he decided to keep moving and to not look back.
It was supposed to be a good plan, until the person spoke,
"Travelling alone in the middle of the night is dangerous, young boy. Who knows what you could encounter?"
The voice was deep, hoarse and creaky.
"Yeah, you're right." He had to get out of there, that man was dangerous, "Guess I'm heading home then; good night, sir."
He heard a faint chuckle before the man spoke again,
"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen; the head of the Hyakky Yako, young Uchiha."
"What do you want?"
The man never flinched, neither from the night's creepy noises nor from the cold; he was sitting on the ground as his kiseru kept him warm.
"Join me, young Uchiha."
"Give me one good reason." Sasuke wanted to simply walk away, but his body refused to listen.
"You need power to survive; and in this soiled world, survival is only for the strongest." Nurarihyon's answer sounded as real as irrelevant; but for some reason, Sasuke didn't doubt it.
"Why me?"
"I happen to like Inugami, you know." Hiruzen Sarutobi answered calmly as he took a puff of his kiseru.
He had no reason to trust that old man, nor did he have a reason not to join him.
Nurarihyon uttered no more words as he started to walk away, and nor did the boy as he silently walked behind him.
Omake:
The blue haired woman looked attentively at the chained woman in front of her; her hands were tied with metal chains above her head, marks of stings were evident on her arms. Her white kimono hid her weak body; her head drooped.
If that woman wasn't a supernatural being, she would have died a long time ago.
It was supposed to be one of those normal days, when the bluenette was supposed to come to that mad scientist's hideout to take a few things; but he wasn't there, and she stumbled upon a chamber where a very important prisoner lied; that was what she deducted since the woman was put in his personal lab instead of the oubliette where were kept the other subjects.
"What are doing here," a deep voice called, "Konan?"
Turning around, the bluenette with piercings recognized the masked man in front of her.
"Nothing in particular." she responded; after taking a last glimpse at the chained woman, she started walking towards the exit.
"Don't tell me you feel sorry for this rat lab?" He asked sarcastically.
Konan hated that man, he had always been able to look through her like an open book, while she, on the other hand, was never able to tell what he was up to; moreover no one ever saw his face, he always wore that orange mask with a spiral pattern focused around his right eye.
"I don't see why, it doesn't even concern me." She muttered before disappearing.
Her? Pity?
She smiled, 'not even in a million years.'
A/N:
*Kamado: is a traditional wood or charcoal fueled cook stove.
*Kanabo: is a spiked weapon used in feudal Japan, often used in tales by Oni as they were reputedly extremly strong.
*Oni: are a kind of Yokai variously translated as demons, ogres, devils and trols.
*Rokurokubi: there are two types of this Yokai, ones whose necks stretch, and ones whose heads come off and fly. Utakata is the second type.
*"There is no wrongdoing for Oni." : is a well-known quote said by the mythical Oni leader, Shuten-Doji. And, no, that Oni was not Shuten-Doji.
*Kiseru: is a japanese pipe. The one Utakata gave to Sasuke and the one Sarutobi was smoking with are different, that is why I did not use this term for both of them.
Again, this is a double update, hope you read the previous chapter before this one!
The flashback ends here, I think you got a small idea how Sasuke's life took a dramatic turn and how he became like this (in the present), next chapter will head back to the present time and unravel many thing.
Also, the omake of this chapter and the previous one are happening in the present. Konan and a familiar orange-masked man made their debut ;)
Thank you for liking, following and reviewing! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.
Until we meet again!