A/N: Here's the next one. More angst!


Chapter 8: The Sleepless


The morning dawned quickly. Having spent most of the night talking, Sasuke struggled to wake up to Naruto lightly shaking him.

"C'mon, Sasuke, you gotta get up." Naruto sighed harshly. "You promised the queen that you'd join her for breakfast."

"Doesn't mean I don't regret it today," he mumbled into his pillow. With a sigh, he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Naruto winced when he saw the dark bags under his eyes. "Geez, you look wiped. Besides last night, how much sleep are you getting?"

"Not enough," he grumbled as he climbed out of bed. He went to his wardrobe, trying to pick clothes for the day.

Naruto sighed, sitting on his bed. "... It's about her, isn't it?"

Sasuke's hands stilled over the fabric for a moment. "I don't know which 'her' you speak of."

"Don't play dumb, we both know which 'her' I'm talking about." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Dude! I mean, it's not like you and I were friends with her for years, or anything."

"Of course I'd remember her." He snapped back, grabbing a hairbrush while glaring at Naruto in the mirror.

"Although," Naruto continued thoughtfully, "I haven't heard you scream that loudly since Castle Point. It really was that incident, wasn't it?"

"I didn't see it again, if that's what you're asking." Sasuke determinedly stared at himself in the mirror, avoiding Naruto's eyes.

"I never said you watched her die," Naruto sniffed.

Sasuke stopped, his fingers clenching tightly around the brush's handle. He turned and glared at Naruto.

"... Sorry." The blond averted his gaze. "I guess that is still a sensitive topic."

You're damn right, he thought irritatedly. He began to brush through his hair again, with more force than necessary. It's not something you ever just get over.

No matter how hard he tried, even six years later, he could still see her floating... totally still, pale, her hair stained red.

He was doing better, though. He wasn't having as many nightmares about that day so many years later. But when Hinata was supposedly killed, the images had come back full-force, along with others.

Damn Riot... he stared himself in the mirror fiercely, resisting the urge to smash the glass. They'd begun taking everyone he'd ever loved. Were they not satisfied with taking away his brother? Were they not satisfied taking away girls that he'd considered worthy enough to help him rule?

Although he couldn't really voice his thoughts out loud... he glanced back at Naruto, who was still frowning solemnly at the ground. After the loss of his parents, death of loved ones was a trigger for him; and Sakura was a loved one. When Sakura had died, he'd become almost catatonic, and he'd refused to properly eat for days, for weeks even.

He didn't want to trigger that regression, even if Naruto hadn't had the same relationship with her that he had... if he ever actually had a proper one.

With a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned to face his friend.

"Hey."

Naruto looked up, his eyes suspiciously shiny.

Sasuke's eyes softened a little bit, but he beckoned for the blond to follow him. "C'mon, stop crying. Mother told the chefs to make honey toast again."

Naruto wiped his eyes on his sleeves, giving him a shaky grin. "I love honey toast... she won't mind if I join you for breakfast, right?"

Sasuke gave him a strange look. "It's my mother. You know how much she likes you."

"Just checkin' to make sure it's nothing private that I'm intruding on," the boy chuckled, slapping his friend on the back.


Itachi gazed up at the ceiling of the tent with glazed, tired eyes.

Kisame had gone out earlier to fetch some fresh fish from a lake nearby. He'd convinced the young Uchiha to stay behind in the tent to catch up on some sleep, but unfortunately, the man didn't sleep easily.

He turned over on his sleeping bag, gently taking a necklace in his hands. A necklace given to him by his mother, the afternoon before he left.

"No matter what your lot in life," she'd whispered to him with a smile, pressing the metal necklace in his hands, "always know that your mother loves and supports you most of all."

He'd once been told that it was passed down from mother, to son, to bride, and to son once more in a cycle of good luck. His mother had told his brother and him stories upon stories of how the necklace had protected their ancestors from disaster upon disaster. While Sasuke was more interested in the fighting, Itachi had always been fascinated about the jewelry's properties.

Now, as he thought back to the night he escaped, he actually counted himself lucky that he'd made it this far. He'd only been a mere teenage boy back then; his father could have stopped him easily, especially with him at their side. But luckily, he'd been spared, and he became a fugitive.

He'd nearly been captured many times by their own soldiers before, but by some scope of luck, he'd escaped every time.

He let go and allowed the cool metal to fall to his skin and got up, guessing that Kisame would be back soon.

He dressed quickly and tidied his area, rolling up his bed. When he walked out, he was stricken by the sun for a moment before standing next to the firepit.

Kisame came back a couple of minutes later, toting a couple of good-sized fish. He grinned at his partner. "Hey, g'morning! You made that fire just in time."

Itachi's lips turned upwards a little in greeting, tilting his head. He took one of the fish and pulled out some knives - one for Kisame and one for him.

Working quickly, they both descaled and deboned the fish. They stood side-by-side, roasting them on sharpened branches.

"You have an okay night last night?" Kisame asked, sending him a sidelong glance. "You were muttering in your sleep."

Itachi's frown deepened and he sighed, "I'm afraid I had a nightmare again."

"Was it-"

"Yes, it was." The noiret nodded curtly. No matter what, I can't get that scene out of my mind.

Kisame sighed overdramatically, gently slapping his back. "Hey, don't let it get'cha down, okay? It's good that you came to me about it this time."

At the pointed glare he was given, the Uchiha turned away, skillfully ignoring it.

He always saw the blood. It stained the corners of his vision, tainted his eye, and kept him awake when least convenient. The horror he'd had the misfortune to be shown never seemed to adhere to his desperate wants for it to disappear.

Of course, their entire family was cursed with eyes of scarlet blood. Itachi was, unfortunately, not an exception. Forever doomed to lay awake at night, haunted by their worst fears in bonechilling virtual reality...

His moments asleep were sometimes tainted with the memories of what he'd witnessed that day at Castle Point, something that, of course, even haunted his father and brother. Unlike them, though, he still felt 'weak enough' to reach out for help.

Something that no doubt sealed my fate concerning the kingdom, he thought bitterly. His father's words of long ago echoed in his mind: "Uchiha men do not show weakness, Itachi. Uchiha men are made of the internal flame of power that created our kingdom."


"Are we all here?" Tsunade asked, doing a double-check. "Everyone packed?"

Sakura adjusted the pack on her back and glanced back towards the crowd. "I think everyone's here, more or less."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Wait. We're missing someone."

She made her way through the crowd and lingered at a certain spot, staring at it in thought.

Finally, she nodded, turned back around, and called out, "Anyone know where Shinji is?"

The squadron of rebel soldiers glanced around at each other, confused.

"Shinji?" The leader asked nervously. "I don't have anyone with that name in my ranks..."

Her blood began to go cold. "Shinji? As in, Takahashi Shinji? Been with us since the invasion? No one by that name?"

One by one, everyone shook their heads.

Sakura began to chuckle quietly. Ah, the irony. How it hurts to be on this side of treachery.

Tsunade cussed under her breath. "So that's the explanation. We need to hurry out of here."

Noh caught on when she met Tsunade's eyes. She frowned, grabbing Hinata and Sakura. "Girls, come with me."

Sakura nodded, while the lady looked confused.

"Spy," Sakura breathed into her ear before tugging up her hood, grabbing her hand, and leading her away, half a squadron following.

Tsunade gazed hard at a young woman with beautiful, long black hair. The woman nodded, the movement so slight you could hardly see it. Karin took her hand gently, leading her closer. Grabbing under her knees, she swung them up and held her in a princess carry.

Together they disappeared into the brush along with the other half of the squadron.

...

...

...

... Out of the trees, a certain royal soldier with unnervingly-wide pitch-black eyes peeked through the trees, watching a certain hooded woman closely.

A hand rested on his shoulder and he nodded once, slightly.

"I've got her in my sights," he murmured lowly. "Ready the men. On my signal, we follow them."

So the little chambermaid lives... this could prove to be more difficult than we first thought.


A/N: Whoops! They've been had!

Dammit, this never would have happened if you'd gotten into the damn robot, Shinji. (jk, jk)

Please tell me what you thought, feel free to speculate, and I'll see you guys later!