Chapter 20: Without A Place to Go
"Let go!"
He kicked with all the strength he had in him, trying to shake himself free. Fear built to a crescendo as he stared into that horrible face of death that he had already seen once before. His face. His rotting, ugly, disgusting face.
No, no, it wasn't him… It couldn't be him…
"Sasuke…" the thing crooned.
Was it the words or the fact that they had been spoken that made him recoil in surprise and terror?
"LET GO!"
For all of his struggling, the grip on his ankle merely tightened. The corpse smiled, toothless and too happily for it to be a comfort.
"What for? You're going to be staying here for a long, long time…"it rasped, "This is your home. You built it yourself, after all."
The words seemed final, like the closing of a door.
"No, no, it can't be…" he uttered, half-screaming, "You're not me!"
"But I am," the dead twin grinned. It pointed to its neck, where a familiar seal lay undisguised, like a monster in plain sight, "And don't we look alike? Don't we look the same, Sasuke?"
Sasuke blinked and then the ankle that the corpse had grasped was nothing more than a decayed limb. He could see the bone jutting out from the flesh, felt the millions and millions of maggots as they scurried back and forth, in and out his skin. He convulsed, his stomach heaving though there was nothing to throw up.
"What… are… you?" he gasped, doubling over.
"I am you. I am the Mangekyou Sharingan that you never activated. I am your pursuit of power that led you down the path of self-damnation. I am the words that Itachi told you after he killed everyone important to you. I am the revenge that birthed you. I am your hate, your thirst, your destruction… and your punishment."
Sasuke shut his eyes and shook his head, "No…"
"You are mine now," the thing whispered lovingly, "Open your eyes, Sasuke. Open your eyes, foolish little brother."
wwwwww
"No…"
She shook her head and repeated again, "No… You're wrong…"
"How so?"
"He came to… to bring me to life…"
"And look where you are now," the shadow interceded dryly.
"No… He said I was… I was… to him…" But then she paused, unsure.
Am I… that important to you?
Something like that.
What exactly had he meant by that?
"Who's he?"
At this, she became quite stricken, eyes widening as she realized she didn't know.
The shadow, if it had expression, would've smirked. The confusion on her face was delicious, "My dear, if you're so sure you're right, then tell me. Who's he?"
wwwwww
His leg was normal again. But he couldn't move for his feet were stuck to the ground below him.
He looked at his hands and realized that they were smooth and delicate. There were no scars, no calluses, nothing but tiny fingers and very clean nails. At his side, there was a small pouch for shurikens. He had been practicing them only a hour ago, late into the night. That meant… That meant…
He was ten again.
In front of him, there were two figures kneeling on the ground, their faces obscure. But he knew who they were. How could he not? The scene was too familiar. He had gone through this too many times.
His brother was home.
He could see Itachi's outline and heard him when he opened his mouth and said, "This is what you relived nearly every day of your life, wasn't it, Sasuke? Not just when I tortured you, but when you were alone, by yourself, in bed awake when everyone else slept. This was what made you and what you kept alive. This is the basis of who you are. You were born from blood."
The informative speech ended and the killing began.
wwwwww
The shadow stood up, leaving her on the ground. They had not spoken for a long time and he was getting bored. Furthermore, his being was craving for something. He no longer felt the need for company, no longer experienced the pangs of loneliness that he had above the water. Rather, he sensed that he was more malicious than usual, though that wasn't saying much.
But this girl could no longer give him any satisfaction. She no longer endured any pain now that her memories were gone. And pretty as she was, he did not relish the thought of spending any more time with her. She had already been broken.
"Where are you going?" she brought her knees under her chin and rocked herself slowly.
It smirked at the emotionless quality of her voice, "I'm leaving. This river seems to have brought out the worst in me. I'm going to look for someone."
"Who?"
"My father. I'm going to make that bastard suffer. He's down here, somewhere."
"Oh, I see."
"You don't mind me leaving, do you?"
"No. I don't mind."
"Then take care of yourself," the shadow said mockingly before bidding its final farewell.
She didn't respond and kept her eyes focused on the ground as the thing disappeared. She didn't know whether to feel happy or sad now that he was gone. In the end, she decided to feel neither. She was sure she had not had any great attachment to the creature. It didn't even have a face, even if it could talk. Speaking of which, had they been talking? She couldn't be certain, unable to remember their last conversation.
It was odd—since when did she have such short-term memory? Oh well. Being alone now didn't bother her. It didn't feel unpleasant, but it wasn't pleasant either. Really, she wasn't in the mood for anything. Or anybody, for that matter.
Well… maybe a little walking would be nice. There was no reason to stay put.
She stood up and looked into the distance for something to aim for. She could spot nothing worthwhile. Was it nighttime or something? Yet, her feet moved so hurriedly that she caught herself wondering if maybe she was searching for something.
Or someone. Was she searching for someone?
Iie. How could that be. She didn't know anyone. She was just… just walking without having a place to go.