'I had to escape. T o many emotions surging through me at once, all of
them trying to make themselves known. But most of all - denial. This
morning, I was Sasuke. Now I'm Uchiha Sasuke former ninja of Konoha who
loved Uzumaki Naruto - no. Who loved a boy?'
"No!" I screamed out. I couldn't believe it.
"You know, the first sign of insanity is speaking to yourself aloud."
"Sakura?"
"Hai?"
"What're you doing here?"
"I was just going for a walk. Trying to straighten out all of the thoughts in my head. Trying to remember what took place in this life, and what took past in my last before I remembered it didn't really matter."
"You were reincarnated?" I asked. Just how many people did this happen too?
"Hai. I had used to be on your team. For the longest time I had the biggest puppy love crush on you. I thought I was in love, while the boy who I would learn to love tried to impress me."
"Hn. Did we - did we ever date?" I asked. 'Did I ever date a girl?'
"Ii- Demo, I thought you had your memories?"
"Iie, only what. Naruto told me."
"Oh. Iie. We did go on a date once - I finally got what I wanted an you gave in. We though it'd go alright. Then I realized I really did care about Lee, and you realized you loved him. No matter how much time you'd spent denying it." Sakura shook her head at the memories.
"Actually, I should've known that from the first moment you defended him and called me annoying. You barely knew him then and you were already ready to protect him."
"Iie. It can't be. I still don't believe it. What about my parents? My... friends? Didn't I care what they thought?"
"Sasuke.I'm not the right person to tell you this."
"Just.tell me Sakura."
"Iie. You know, most of the time you're very different from your past self. Less. pain in your life. Less loneliness. I don't -and - won't be the one to end that. It's selfish, but I can't do it. You'll have to remember on your own, or ask the one person who does have the right to tell you. He always knew more about you then anyone else ever had the chance to anyway."
"Nani?"
"Talk to Naruto."
"Hn."
With a final look of apology, and perhaps a little pity for the boy she once adored, Sakura left.
'I don't love him. I'm not the same Sasuke I was in the past and even Sakura said so. And next time I see him - when I see him I'll tell him.'
It wasn't until much later that Sasuke would get his chance. It was when Sasuke was walking through the woods when he came upon Naruto that he would.
"What're you doing here?" He asked, causing Naruto to look back towards him. Naruto didn't look very shocked.
"Just.remembering. Those marks up on those trees are from some of the days we spent working on our chakra control. Even after we mastered reaching the top, it wasn't good enough. We had to be able to go up and down."
"Hn. I'm not him you know. I don't even have his memories. The only relation I have to him is his name and physical appearance."
"Hai. I know. You're very different from the old Sasuke. Both before, and after."
"Before and after?"
"Before and after us. But then, I was one of the only people who knew before everyone else what you were truly like."
"What happened in my last life? Sakura refuses to tell me, and I tried asking Kakashi and Iruka once, and they only told me the same thing she did. To ask you."
"You were an orphan, like me. But you had known your parents. Your brother Itachi killed them. You'd made it your goal - Iie, rather your reason to live in life to kill him. Kill him and avenge your parents' death. And getting the power to do so."
"Iie! Itachi would never! Itachi gave us life to protect me!"
"IIE! Itachi would NEVER -"
"HAI HE WOULD! You don't know what it was life looking at you sometimes. Looking at you and either seeing nothing, or your need for power and thirst to kill the only family you had left alive."
"Why should I believe you? Believe anything you say? For all I know, you could be making up every word of this! Why should I take the word of some baka? Some monster!"
"Because. I would never lie to you." The tone in Naruto's voice hadn't changed at all, but Sasuke could see the pain in his eyes. The look of a boy who'd been betrayed by the one person he counted on most. The same look Sasuke had had when he'd realized his brother had killed his family. And there was a part of Sasuke that wanted to run to Naruto, beg for his forgiveness. Tell him he never meant a word of it - but his pride made him continue.
"Maybe I loved you then - if that was even ever me - if I was him, but now - in this life, I never will. I could never love some dobe life you. Who knows, maybe before I just took pity on you."
Nothing in Sasuke could've prepared him for the reaction this caused Naruto to have. The pure look of someone whose heart and soul have been ripped apart and been jumped on this there was nothing left. Leaving nothing left but feelings of anger and hurt. The look cut deep into him. Making him doubt if he had ever really meant the words he had just said. And the part of him that was always they're telling him things would be ok - was gone.
"Maybe one day, when you want to know the truth, ask Iruka. But if you ever come near me again, I'll show you just how much of a monster I can be." Spoke Naruto in a dead calm voice.
And all Sasuke knew as he watched Naruto disappear through the tree's was he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. Both of them. Sasuke spent the next few weeks in torture. The more he tried to forget who he had once been, the more he remembered who he really was. The memories good, and like all memories, the bad.
The first memories to come were good, times laughing with his parents and family, times before Itachi would change. But the second set came when he saw Naruto again. A Naruto so cold and emotionless that he'd turned into the mirror of Sasuke in his previous life. It was Kakashi talking to Iruka that really reminded him. Reminded him of coming home to find his parents dead. Itachi's words that he wasn't worth enough to kill. And his vows to one day avenge his parents.
Memories of being completely alone. Living day in and day out to train, days of considering going to Orochiamaru for the power to kill Itachi.
But the worst memories were his memories of Naruto. A Naruto full of life and energy. He remembered that now. Naruto being orphaned as well, an entire village hating him, and even more desiring the curse he was forced to live with. And yet, Naruto had been happy. And he'd been nearly the same in this life until he'd come along. Come along and killed the boy who's existence had saved his own so many times.
"No!" I screamed out. I couldn't believe it.
"You know, the first sign of insanity is speaking to yourself aloud."
"Sakura?"
"Hai?"
"What're you doing here?"
"I was just going for a walk. Trying to straighten out all of the thoughts in my head. Trying to remember what took place in this life, and what took past in my last before I remembered it didn't really matter."
"You were reincarnated?" I asked. Just how many people did this happen too?
"Hai. I had used to be on your team. For the longest time I had the biggest puppy love crush on you. I thought I was in love, while the boy who I would learn to love tried to impress me."
"Hn. Did we - did we ever date?" I asked. 'Did I ever date a girl?'
"Ii- Demo, I thought you had your memories?"
"Iie, only what. Naruto told me."
"Oh. Iie. We did go on a date once - I finally got what I wanted an you gave in. We though it'd go alright. Then I realized I really did care about Lee, and you realized you loved him. No matter how much time you'd spent denying it." Sakura shook her head at the memories.
"Actually, I should've known that from the first moment you defended him and called me annoying. You barely knew him then and you were already ready to protect him."
"Iie. It can't be. I still don't believe it. What about my parents? My... friends? Didn't I care what they thought?"
"Sasuke.I'm not the right person to tell you this."
"Just.tell me Sakura."
"Iie. You know, most of the time you're very different from your past self. Less. pain in your life. Less loneliness. I don't -and - won't be the one to end that. It's selfish, but I can't do it. You'll have to remember on your own, or ask the one person who does have the right to tell you. He always knew more about you then anyone else ever had the chance to anyway."
"Nani?"
"Talk to Naruto."
"Hn."
With a final look of apology, and perhaps a little pity for the boy she once adored, Sakura left.
'I don't love him. I'm not the same Sasuke I was in the past and even Sakura said so. And next time I see him - when I see him I'll tell him.'
It wasn't until much later that Sasuke would get his chance. It was when Sasuke was walking through the woods when he came upon Naruto that he would.
"What're you doing here?" He asked, causing Naruto to look back towards him. Naruto didn't look very shocked.
"Just.remembering. Those marks up on those trees are from some of the days we spent working on our chakra control. Even after we mastered reaching the top, it wasn't good enough. We had to be able to go up and down."
"Hn. I'm not him you know. I don't even have his memories. The only relation I have to him is his name and physical appearance."
"Hai. I know. You're very different from the old Sasuke. Both before, and after."
"Before and after?"
"Before and after us. But then, I was one of the only people who knew before everyone else what you were truly like."
"What happened in my last life? Sakura refuses to tell me, and I tried asking Kakashi and Iruka once, and they only told me the same thing she did. To ask you."
"You were an orphan, like me. But you had known your parents. Your brother Itachi killed them. You'd made it your goal - Iie, rather your reason to live in life to kill him. Kill him and avenge your parents' death. And getting the power to do so."
"Iie! Itachi would never! Itachi gave us life to protect me!"
"IIE! Itachi would NEVER -"
"HAI HE WOULD! You don't know what it was life looking at you sometimes. Looking at you and either seeing nothing, or your need for power and thirst to kill the only family you had left alive."
"Why should I believe you? Believe anything you say? For all I know, you could be making up every word of this! Why should I take the word of some baka? Some monster!"
"Because. I would never lie to you." The tone in Naruto's voice hadn't changed at all, but Sasuke could see the pain in his eyes. The look of a boy who'd been betrayed by the one person he counted on most. The same look Sasuke had had when he'd realized his brother had killed his family. And there was a part of Sasuke that wanted to run to Naruto, beg for his forgiveness. Tell him he never meant a word of it - but his pride made him continue.
"Maybe I loved you then - if that was even ever me - if I was him, but now - in this life, I never will. I could never love some dobe life you. Who knows, maybe before I just took pity on you."
Nothing in Sasuke could've prepared him for the reaction this caused Naruto to have. The pure look of someone whose heart and soul have been ripped apart and been jumped on this there was nothing left. Leaving nothing left but feelings of anger and hurt. The look cut deep into him. Making him doubt if he had ever really meant the words he had just said. And the part of him that was always they're telling him things would be ok - was gone.
"Maybe one day, when you want to know the truth, ask Iruka. But if you ever come near me again, I'll show you just how much of a monster I can be." Spoke Naruto in a dead calm voice.
And all Sasuke knew as he watched Naruto disappear through the tree's was he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. Both of them. Sasuke spent the next few weeks in torture. The more he tried to forget who he had once been, the more he remembered who he really was. The memories good, and like all memories, the bad.
The first memories to come were good, times laughing with his parents and family, times before Itachi would change. But the second set came when he saw Naruto again. A Naruto so cold and emotionless that he'd turned into the mirror of Sasuke in his previous life. It was Kakashi talking to Iruka that really reminded him. Reminded him of coming home to find his parents dead. Itachi's words that he wasn't worth enough to kill. And his vows to one day avenge his parents.
Memories of being completely alone. Living day in and day out to train, days of considering going to Orochiamaru for the power to kill Itachi.
But the worst memories were his memories of Naruto. A Naruto full of life and energy. He remembered that now. Naruto being orphaned as well, an entire village hating him, and even more desiring the curse he was forced to live with. And yet, Naruto had been happy. And he'd been nearly the same in this life until he'd come along. Come along and killed the boy who's existence had saved his own so many times.