Raven
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, happy now? Good. No, I also don't own Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong"
Pairings: :sighs: nope, sorry folks, this has no yaoi or shonen ai as much as I love a good and shonen-ai SasuNaru paring^__^. This is a SasuSaku, don't like it don't read it! Thank you! Okay, on to the story....
"I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind
But all that they can see the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
Just stuck hollow and alone" - Linkin Park "Somewhere I Belong"
It was so quiet. Lonely.
His raven black eyes traced the shadows on his bare wall. Sasuke's room was very empty. Just a bed, dresser, and desk. He liked it this way, cold and emotionless, like him. He sat on his bed, tracing his pale fingers on its creases. His band with the leaf symbol lay carefully folded the metal plate on it gleaming upwards.
Right now, Itachi has that symbol scratched off. Does he hate me as I hate him? Hopefully. This would make him easier to kill in the end. Sasuke thought, his hands running through his hair, his long bangs falling in his face.
There was a picture of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all standing together over on the table. He glanced over blankly at it, then frowned, and walked over to the desk. He gently placed it down, still glaring coldly at it.
Team 7.
Why have I kept this? It's useless, was it because she gave it to me? Sakura.... Why does she keep waiting for me? No. Emotions like that are useless, with no merit.
Sasuke was lost in thought. Every day he became stronger. But was it strong enough? To beat Itachi? No, but soon. Even if it killed him.
Not yet, but someday I will destroy him. I will restore and avenge my clan. No matter what. Sasuke's thoughts tumbled uselessly around in his head as he lay down to go to sleep.
His fists loosened slowly, his eyes drooped, and he dreamed and remembered.
*Flashback/Dream Mode*
Sasuke, age 7
"Itachi! Come on big brother, you said you would teach me today! Please?" Bubbled a young raven-haired boy, his bangs flopping in his face. Itachi answered with an emotionless look toward his young brother.
"I hope you will forgive me, Sasuke-kun. I have to train. Maybe another day," Itachi said while sitting on the front steps of their house. Sasuke frowned and sighed.
"But Itachi you said you would teach me to use my shuriken. You said so!" Sasuke yelped in a childlike frustration.
"I'm sorry, little brother. Tomorrow, perhaps."
Sasuke scowled and walked off. His little cousin Chisa, being only 3, sat in the grass and watched Sasuke and Itachi talk while playing with a dandelion, twirling her silky hair around her pinky.
He picked the little black haired girl up of the ground and shuffled into the kitchen. His mother and aunt were talking about the herb shop down the street while making dinner. He plopped Chisa on the floor gently and gave her a stuffed toy rabbit to play with.
"Mother, may I go down to the park to play? Please? Itachi can't train with me, even though he said he would," Sasuke asked, trying to sound like a grown up. His mother looked at him warmly, her long strawberry blond hair swaying as she cooked.
"Now Sasuke, you know how busy your brother is. Yes you may, be sure to be back by dinnertime," she said while returning to her discussion about the herb shop and the rice balls.
Sasuke hurried of to the park. He smiled, as he looked back at the peaceful house that by time he got back would be peaceful no longer.
* * * * * * * *
Sasuke looked up at the sun just starting to set as he got ready to go home from the park. He knew it would almost be dinnertime and surely if he was late Uncle Toji would scold him for being "disrespectful".
He was so happy. With loving parents like his he could not wait to get home. He wiped the sand off of his pants and smiled looking at his messy sandcastle that he had crafted.
He hurried along out of the park and towards his house, smiling and humming.
As he reached the Uchiha village he found it to be strangely silent. Much too silent for a happy and busy village.
He entered and walked pat the first house's garden and stopped dead in his tracks.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Dead bodies of members of the clan littered the streets. For a moment, it seemed as though the world stopped and its orbit was nothing but a quiet and faint heartbeat.
Without warning, fear shot through his small body and he called out, looking for someone, anyone to know he was there. Not a soul was alive to hear him.
Blinded by what he saw, the blood, the bodies, he panicked. He sat down and pulled his knees up to his head and cried. His small hands shaking. His breathing was rapid, in short sobbing gasps, like a fish without air.
Young and afraid.
Confused.
Alone...
His thoughts of worry overclouded his sadness and fear, as his legs ran as fast as they could to his home. He tried to ignore the dead bodies. The blood. The suffering. The sorrow. He had no idea of how much more blood he would see in that day.
* * *
He reached their door and without hesitation he flung it open. Everything smelled of blood, but somehow the scent was stronger than ever in his house. He flew up the stairs to his baby cousin, Chisa's room, and ran inside turning white as a sheet at what he saw.
His beautiful, lovely, 3-year-old cousin lay cold and silent on the floor.
Unmoving.
Not breathing.
Silent.
Cold.
Pale.
Bloody.
Dead...
Tears took their opportune chance to spring up into his eyes and traced themselves down his pale cheeks. Little Chisa lay on the ground, a sleek, sharp, kunai planted into her chest. And she was still holding on to her teddy bear. Her large blue eyes were open in shock and her little dress was no longer pink, but red. Her pigtails still bouncy and silky, but with a sadness to them, almost faded.
But she was gone.
His small hands balled into fists, but he knew he couldn't stop now. Not now. He has to keep going.
Slowly he checked the rest of the house, only to find the same thing had happened to his aunt and uncle. His Aunt had been beautiful, with long blond hair and a fiery temper. And his Uncle Toji had been a loving husband to his wife and a perfect father to his young daughter Chisa.
But now they were gone.
And again they were
Unmoving
Not breathing.
Silent.
Cold.
Pale.
Bloody.
Dead....
Blood was everywhere, like water in a pond as it's thick scent trailed through the air, winding and turning like vines of poison. Hope slowly recoiled and it's spirit faded as he saw what lay before him. He was losing everything. Everyone. Gone like smoke out of a chimney, slowly. Leaving him alone.
And he was only 7.
Slowly, Sasuke walked into his parent's room, his hands trembling as he opened the door.
Three figures were in the cold, bloody, room. Sasuke looked closer. His damp black eyes studied it carefully to make out the figures.
There stood Itachi, standing triumphantly over the two dead bodies of his parents. His mother's throat had been slit and his father had been stabbed with a kunai.
And no one expected it. Itachi was a quiet and skilled boy. More skilled than many others, even some of the Anbu...
A model citizen...
No one knew Itachi would soon slaughter them all. His friends. Family. His clan.
No one had even suspected it once.
At first Sasuke felt only fear and sadness until he realized what was going on.
His brother destroyed the Uchiha. Their village. Those who were important to them.
Their family.
Anger surged through Sasuke like electricity down a metal pole. He trembled and his breaths were in short gasps, his soul alone and afraid.
"Little brother.... It is good to see you. Are you enjoying my display? You are so weak, little Sasuke-kun. Grow to hate me, fear me, and hope to destroy me... I challenge you little brother... Live to kill me, to avenge or clan, our family. They were a wonderful test for my strength!" Itachi laughed, his red Sharingan eyes flickering dangerously. " You're the lone Uchiha now. Enjoy it until the day I defeat you too."
"Why... Why did you do it big brother?" Sasuke muttered, terrified. Tears streaked down his wet face.
"Simply a test for my strength, to see how powerful I am... Remember what I said Sasuke, this will be a promise that I *wont* break. Live in hatred." Itachi laughed, his red sharingan eyes almost glowing in an eerie fashion.
Slowly Itachi's pale hand reached up to Sasuke's forehead and almost gently touched it for several seconds.
The worst seconds of Sasuke's life.
Itachi was using his Tsukiyomi. It enabled him to allow Sasuke to relive the image of his dead parents laying on the floor for what *was* a few seconds but was made to seem like hours.
Sasuke was mentally broken.
And Itachi left, *laughing.
* * * * * *
Sasuke wouldn't be the same again. He was bent on revenging his clan, now, and until he saw the death of his brother. Until a kunai stuck through Itachi's soul, Sasuke wouldn't rest.
Not now. Not for a long time.
*End of Dream/Flashback Mode*
Sasuke shot up in his bed; beads of sweat dripping down his face. His breath heavy, his hands clenched into fists. As much as he wished to stop it, tears flowed freely from his raven-black eyes.
He looked over to his clock, and saw the time, 2:00. Too early. Sasuke's eyes drifted over to his kunai, its sleek edges shone in the moonlight. It flickered, beckoning him.
Carefully, he picked it up, sliding it slowly down the tip of his finger. He soon regretted this as it pricked him in the thumb, a single teardrop of blood cascading down his finger.
He smiled, looking down at it with what seemed to be happiness.
I'm real, I have blood. I am not heartless, as much as I want to be. Then why does it feel so good to know I'm human? Is it because of her? Sakura... Maybe that's why I'm happy to be real. To share one similarity to all others I am around. But Sakura wont wait forever, but a true shinobi cannot feel these feelings.. Right? Maybe tonight will be an exception... So this is what being loved feels like?
So wonderful... Sasuke's thoughts brought him back to his dreams, his eyes closed....
.
.
.
.
.
.
And for one night, Sasuke slept soundly.
* * * * * * *
End
(unless I get reviews that want this to be a series, who knows! ^__^ )
Phew, thanks for reading! If you like then please review, okay?
Okay, this is for some of the clueless readers... hehe, just kidding, just a few definitions.^__^
Kunai- dagger like weapon
sharingan eye- a technique unique only to members of the Uchiha clan. It can enable one to see through illusions, and can defeat almost all types of ninjitsu, taijutsu, and gen. It can allow the user to also copy an opponents attack.
Tsukiyomi- A technique used when the Sharingan eye is in action. It will create an illusion that lasts a few seconds, but for the victim, it seems like 3 days or even more.
*** See the cute little "SUBMIT REVIEW" button? Click it and youR life shall be showered with rainbows and ponies! Well, not REALLY.... And let me know if I should continue or leave it as a one-shot fan fiction. ok? Also, I know my Sasuke may be a tad OOC but hey, I tried!***
