Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Puppet in Pink
21. To Walk the Line
When the wind stirs
And storms, waves splash toward the sky,
As dark as the air, as black as the rain...
Seek it, if you dare! Save us,
Once more, and again twisted gold,
Heaped-up ancient treasure, will reward you...
-Beowulf
"I don't care what you think about her, Sasuke-bastard—you're coming with me to go check on Sakura-chan! She's been alone in her empty house for nearly three days!" Naruto was practically dragging his teammate down the sidewalk. "Say all the nasty mean things you want, but Sakura-chan is still a much better—and much nicer—person than you!"
Oh, really? Tell me more...
Sasuke glared at Naruto as he was clumsily pulled through the streets, but said nothing. This was such a waste of time. The girl herself was a waste of time; a waste of space, too, and oxygen. She was the useless one, and she'd only proved that by letting a group of amateurs, not even ninjas, just grab her and tie her up.
She was the worthless one, the type of child that, in years before, would have been left out in the wilderness to starve so its powerless blood would not corrupt the family's. Condemned to death because of its own weakness. Those were the good old days.
No matter that it could be trained to overcome that weakness. No matter that it might have other strengths not yet noticed, that would be gradually eliminated from the bloodline as the practice grew more common.
And the Uchiha clan, more than any other, stood by these ideals with the utmost in misplaced pride. Those who were not born strong were not meant to be born at all. Oh yes, those were the good old days.
You know... Without warning, the voice interrupted his tirade. Sasuke perked up immediately, waiting to hear what it had to say.
You know how weak and pitiful she is...acting all high and mighty to you, but can't even fight for her own when she's attacked by a gang of stupid half-wit bandits. This just might be your chance to show her what it really means to be an Uchiha...what it means to be the product of a pure ninja bloodline...
An unnatural smile flickered on Sasuke's face for the slightest second, then was hurriedly pulled inward and hidden away.
Yes, yes, and yes, he told the voice. Even if he could never have his revenge on his brother, he could allow himself this...
Right on! The voice applauded, sounding like a cross between a cheerleader and the grim reaper. Sasuke would have erased the thought had it occurred to him, but the voice was easily filling Sakura's place as his number one supporter, number one fan.
According to the voice, he was never wrong.
According to the voice, he was always right.
According to the voice, he was many things, all of them good, all of them a pleasant comfort to a mind that was slowly being chipped away...
Naruto cast a quick glance over at Sasuke. The boy could have sworn he'd seen a smile, or something pretty damn close to one, dance across the Uchiha's stormy countenance. And then it was gone, as if it had never existed. He shook his head vigorously, deciding to stop by the ramen shop on his way home so he could eat and clear his mind.
Before Sasuke knew it, Naruto was towing him up to the entrance of a small, run-down shack of a house. Ignoring the peeling paint, the blonde-haired boy pounded insistently on the door, pushed the cracked, faded plastic doorbell only to find that it was broken. Finally, he tried the doorknob. It turned with a rusty scrape of metal, and they were inside.
The room they had entered was bare, drab, empty of all furnishings save for a low table and two huge stone pillars that stood sentry-like on either side of the doorway. The walls were covered in scribblings, though none of the characters were recognizable. Dark brownish-red patches stood out prominently against the faded tan of the wooden-paneled floor. A metallic scent laced the air.
"Sakura-chan! Are you here?" Naruto called out, awaiting an answer from somewhere deep within the silence. He got one, of course; a chorus of "here"s that bounced off the walls and spun around his head.
But it was only an echo.
"I guess Sakura-chan isn't here. Let's go." The blonde-haired boy sighed in defeat as the two headed out of the hauntingly colorless room, out of the atmosphere tinged with the taste of blood. Away from the house with the peeling paint and the broken doorbell.
"I'm going to Ichiraku. Do you wanna come?"
It was creepy, the way Naruto's voice could spring back to its cheerful lilt so quickly, without a pause. Barely listening, Sasuke shook his head 'no'. There were other conversations that he was more interested in hearing. Like the ones he was having with himself.
Without a word, the Uchiha watched as his teammate sprinted to the ramen shop.
Without a word, he turned his back and took the path leading into the forest.
Judging from my reviews, it seems that I've got more new readers! Yay!
Ashley-sama: Oh, my god. Your prediction is so close...what are you, psychic?
For all the rest of the readers who are still puzzling over the chapter 19 incident, there should be an explanation (well, something that will pass for an explanation) soon.
And remember to review if you can! Suggestions, comments, any old thing!