Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Bathing in Blood
21. Conflict of Interest
I will reveal again a supreme wisdom,
Of all wisdom the highest:
Sages who have known it have gone hence
To supreme perfection.
-The Bhagavad Gita
Naruto rubbed his eyes as the world smudged into focus. Must have fallen asleep...somehow... He swept away drowsy thoughts and fragments of broken dreams. His head felt heavy, almost drugged. Sasuke had captured most of his vision, still cradling the scroll from his seat on the ground. Wonder...where did Sakura-chan...
The blonde-haired boy glanced around quickly. He was afraid now. All too aware of the chill in the air. Tasting the breath of Death with every gust of wind.
Where is Sakura-chan?
Feeling the waves of palely fearful nausea begin to pound once again in his chest like acid, dissolving the inside to leave only a hollow shell behind...a zombie...
No. He was overreacting again, wasn't he? Sakura-chan probably went out to gather some food, he reassured himself. She was like that; always so compassionate, so nice to others. Though she really shouldn't have, because it's dangerous out there in the real world, oh so dangerous... And the waves surged forward once more.
Dropping the scroll leisurely into her shoulder-bag, Sakura watched with sage-like patience as the two boys crumpled onto each other like discarded paper dolls. Eyes rolling like bloodshot white marbles back in their sockets, thin strands of scarlet trickling from gaping mouths to join the communal crimson pool. At least they hadn't been foolish, like their teammate.
At least they hadn't tried to run.
At least they could tell when they were defeated, when all hope was lost, so they could die brave and strong; on their feet and not on their knees like the cowards they wanted to be.
Or maybe she'd just done her work a little bit faster.
It was true—she'd pitied that girl, the one they called Karen-chan. Weak and oblivious, guarded by her sympathetic instructor, her parents, her friends. Thinking that there really were such things as peace, love, and joy. Never given the chance to learn that the world wasn't the big, happy family she'd been told that it was. Overprotected, and loving it so.
And how kind it was of the pink-haired girl, to end the sad delusion that was this team.
The soft rustle of leaves underfoot brought Naruto to sudden attention. "Sakura-chan?" he inquired, anticipation lacing his expression. He strained to see his cherry-blossom through the haze of jade undergrowth, ready to burst into cheery, relieved conversation. How glad he'd be to see her, how absolutely thankful—
Orochimaru brushed past him without the slightest acknowledgement.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun." Gleaming, slit-like pupils glittered from behind serpentine strands of coal-black hair. "I've heard so much about you."
Sensing danger, Naruto whirled to face his comrade. "We gotta get out of here! There's something strange about this guy!"
Sasuke wasn't listening. Not now, not ever. He was frozen in leering, sneering still-life; lost in whatever realm the newcomer had wrenched open. Seemingly stuck between repulsion and a grisly fascination, a meaningless smirk cracking the perfect face that had made so many girls swoon, as if to say 'No fear here.'
This wasn't Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" The blonde-haired boy was pleading, screaming. "Look at me, damn you! LOOK at me!" He would have cried, too, if boys were allowed to cry. He imagined the tears streaming down his cheeks, begging a release from the pent-up emotion. The whisker-lines burned in wistful saltiness as the Kyuubi lifted its head from slumber.
And Sasuke still didn't listen; didn't even know he was there. Because his attention was on another thing, far more important, or so he thought.
"Are you listening to me, Sasuke-kun? I'll make you strong, Sasuke-kun...I'll give you power, Sasuke-kun..."
Naruto could see, through orange-tinted vision, the Uchiha's vacant eyes illuminate hauntingly at the raspy, drawn-out syllables. A jack-o' lantern's eyes, they were; carved to look like something they never should have, scraped painfully hollow from the inside out. Somewhere on that inside, a candle shining hideously, fanning rays of flickering false light to mask the darkness and dancing shadows.
This wasn't Sasuke.
It couldn't be.
Sasuke didn't smile like that.
"SASUKE!" This was his last chance. If he failed now, he failed forever. And forever was such a long time... such a very long time..."WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME?"
Don't ignore me!
I've got something to say!
Please, someone, listen to me!
He felt the rage growing inside of him as his teammate slipped away. A bridge to build, to cross, to burn and then build once again. An cycle that didn't have an end, and quite frankly wouldn't need one.
They all ignore me! All of them! Every single one!
With a rabid snarl, he lunged at the hated snake-eyed man, Kyuubi struggling frantically for control. Orochimaru sidestepped the attack with stinging deliberation, laughing softly, almost musically, to himself. Sasuke swayed drowsily to the sound, beaming drunkenly. Ohoho...so this is the vessel of the infamous Nine-Tails? Well, well...I certainly can't have a little thing like this mess up my plans...
Extending one arm, he caught Naruto mid-leap and dug his fingers into the spiral of seals he knew lay under the layers of clothing. As the demon-child slumped to the ground, he turned back to Sasuke, viciously amiable in his easy manner.
"Now, then...where were we?"
