Chapter Twelve: Normalcy

::Sasuke's POV::

I wake slowly, opening my eyes silently and sitting up. I can see the sun's golden light streaming through the only window in my room, and for a few seconds an image passes behind through my mind. Eyes of the very same color…who do they belong to though?

"Just a dream I guess," I mumble through a yawn before getting up and dressing for school quickly, seeing that I'm already a bit late, but not enough for me to be worried about being late for school entirely.

I leave my room and head to the kitchen, wolfing down a piece of toast and taking a sip of the orange juice that had been left out for me before heading out the door quickly. I feel…strange today, though nothing seems significantly different about it than any other. It's almost as if something's…missing, from my life. Something important, but I don't know what it is.

I push the thought to the back of my mind to contemplate later, continuing on my way to school quickly before I get too caught up in my thoughts and accidentally make myself late for school.

I sit down in my desk, pulling out a book to pass the time that I have to wait before class starts, not that I'm all that eager to be at school.

"Sasuke, what're you doing here?" I hear someone say behind me, and I turn around to see who it is a moment later.

I feel like I've met him before, but I can't remember his name or where I've seen him before for some strange reason. Obviously from around school since he goes to the same school as me but…why can't I remember?

"Uh…sorry, but…do I know you?" I ask.

The boy who called my name isn't even wearing the school uniform. His clothes are green instead of blue like the uniform, and his hair is slicked back. I still can't shake the feeling that I've talked to him just recently, but I ignore it.

His eyes widen slightly at my question, as if he expects me to know who he is.

"Where have you been for the past couple of days?" he asks suddenly, though I don't really understand what that has to do with anything.

"At home studying like I always do on the weekends. Why do you care?"

He stares at me for a few moments, as if trying to decide whether he should keep talking to me or not. Maybe this guy is crazy or something. I can't really remember ever meeting him, though I feel like I have. In my case, it's probably...what do you call it? Déjà vu or something I think. Either that or I'm just being paranoid.

"Uh…never mind. You just look like somebody I used to know, my mistake," he replies after a while.

I shrug my shoulders silently and turn back around once Mr. Iwamoto starts lecturing. It's boring, as usual, and I stare at a particular space on the chalkboard so it looks like I'm actually watching him and listening to what he's saying, rather than staring off into space and daydreaming.

Before I knew it, the class was over and it was time for lunch. I didn't bother to stay and eat with everyone else. I grabbed my lunch and walked up to the roof so no one would bother me. Normally I'm not so anti-social, but today…I just feel…strange, like something's missing.

I eat my lunch slowly, but soon give up on it altogether. I'm not hungry right now. I look down at the watch on my wrist, seeing that I still have about twenty minutes before I have to go back to class.

Well…I might as well get some sleep while I have the chance… I think to myself as I lay back and stare up at the sky for a few moments before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

::Dream Sequence::

It's storming outside, and a crack of thunder sounds at least once every few minutes. I'm ten years old again, asleep in my own room. I hear the door open and shut quickly, and I open my eyes to see someone in front of me.

It's a girl about my age, with beautiful golden eyes that seem almost unreal. She's shaking, and yelps softly when another crack of thunder sounds and a bolt of lightening lights up my room for a few seconds.

"If I fly…it'll get me…," she mumbles softly.

I feel like this happened a long time ago, and now I'm watching it through a T.V. in a way. It's strange, why do I feel like I know that girl?

I see my younger self smile comfortingly and sit up, motioning for her to sit on the bed beside him…me, I guess.

"It'll be alright. Just don't go out while it's raining. I didn't know you were even afraid of thunder," I reply.

The girl shakes her head, twisting a strand of black and blue streaked hair around her fingers nervously.

"Not thunder, that's just sound. Lightening can kill us. Lots of dragons used to go out during storms like this, because their friends dared them too. I watched this one guy my age do it once. He got hit…and he fell. Dead before he even hit the ground," she whispers, her hands shaking slightly as she looks out the window.

"Oh…so whenever the weather gets like this…that's what you think of isn't it? You pity them, the people who went out in a storm and never came back. You think that might happen to you someday," I reply.

She nods. This girl…she seems so real to me. I know my imagination couldn't have dreamt her up. Heck, I can't even write a good story for school. I wish I knew who she was, if she was real or not. Right now…she seems so…so helpless.

"Can I…stay here for a little while; until the storm stops at least? I haven't been able to sleep at all since it started," she asks.

My younger self smiles at her and nods, then walks to the closet and pulls out an extra blanket for her. Why does he…why do I…seem so close to that girl? I don't understand. What is she talking about? Dragons, flying; it all sounds like she really knows what she's talking about. But…she looks human to me.

"You don't have to be scared of that anymore. You're not in Demon World after all. As long as you're with me, nothing bad will ever happen to you, promise. I'll always protect you Tage," I tell her.

The girl smiles happily, hugging me affectionately before taking the blanket and lying down on the floor. I can tell that she really believes what I said. This seems…so real…too real to just be a dream.

::End Dream Sequence::

I sit up immediately and look around. I hear the thunder, even see lightening again. But…it's for real this time. It's raining...I should be soaked from the downpour…why aren't I?

I now see that I was moved while I was sleeping, though it couldn't have been a classmate or a teacher. If it had been, he or she would've woken me up and made me go back to class. Whoever it was, he or she moved me sit behind the door of the entrance to the roof, though they left the door open still.

Tage…was it you? Are you…truly alive? Or…maybe you're just something that my mind made up on its own. I hope you are real. Maybe…I'll find you someday. But…if you are real…and I knew you…why can't I remember you? I think as I stare out into the storm. I see a glint of sapphire out of the corner of my eye when another bolt of lightening strikes, and I turn to look immediately. But it's gone before I see what it is. I sigh disappointedly before standing up and going back to class.

"Bye…" I mutter under my breath, saying goodbye to her if she's hiding somewhere nearby, though I know it's childish. She can't be real.

::Armatage's POV::

"Goodbye…Sasuke," I whisper as I fly away, glad that since it's raining, almost everyone is inside taking shelter, so nobody sees me.

As much as I hate to fly during storms like this, I had to check on him for just a little while. He's better off this way. He has to be. I've only caused him trouble. Now, as long as he doesn't know I exist, I can protect him without worry.

I fly back to where I've been staying since I came back to Human World: an old abandoned house that's in need of serious repair. I let my wings retract before walking inside, not wanting to accidentally damage them by hitting them on a piece of broken wood in the walls.

At first I didn't know how long it would take for me to find a place for me to stay. I didn't want to go back to Demon World without knowing if Sasuke would be alright. It took me a while, but I finally found a place to stay. It's not in the best shape, but it's adequate for the time being.

Another board in the floor cracks under my weight, and I nearly trip as I feel my right foot fall into the newest hole. I utter a string of curses under my breath and pull it out, now being much more careful not to make things worse as I walk the rest of the way to my room.

I lie down on the bare mattress that was left behind by whoever previously lived here. I made sure that nobody occupies it now of course. The smell of humans in this house is much too faint for there to be anyone living in it currently. Nowadays when I get bored, I make up things about what the family who lived here was like. In the back of my mind, I know such thoughts are merely distractions to keep what's really bothering me at bay, but right now, I just don't care.

Another crack of thunder is heard, and I cringe slightly, wishing I could make myself deaf whenever I wanted so I could just ignore it. I've gotten over my fear of thunder storms a little. I'll fly in them if I must, but they still scare me to death sometimes.

I turn on my side, closing my eyes and trying to sleep in order to keep myself from worrying about Sasuke, or just thinking at this point. Life seems so…empty now. I can't talk to Sasuke, if I try to take out my anger on any humans I'll just get into more trouble, and I can't go back to Demon World because that'll just make the loneliness I feel even stronger.

I feel like the embodiment of loneliness must be some sort of parasitic demon, trying to eat me from the inside out and finally kill me.

I wish…it would all just stop…

More thunder sounds and I curl up in a ball, my body shaking violently as I try to shut out the annoying sound that frightens me so badly. I hear something crackle beneath me, and I sit up, seeing a plain white envelope under me that I hadn't noticed before. It doesn't have a name on it, but it's addressed to…me.

I tear the envelope open quickly and unfold the letter that's inside.

Armatage,

I'm surprised you had the will to go on living after all that's happened to you. I blame myself for that at least. You were supposed to die that night, not Sasuke. Let's just attribute it to…a beginner's mistake. I heard you went on some sort of killing spree after what happened. I must say, I'm highly disappointed in you. Sasuke always had to keep telling me that you weren't the blood thirsty monster I said you were, that you were a good person. You proved my point quite well. You're a monster that doesn't deserve to live. Whether revenge for what happened to Sasuke, or just another person to kill will motivate you, I'm not sure. But either way, come to the cemetery where he used to be buried. Expect only one of us to leave, and I highly doubt it will be you.

Looking Forward to Your Death,

I rip the letter into shreds, throwing the pieces up into the air and blowing fire on them angrily.

"Itachi…"