Chapter 2:

Finder77: Carved is an AU Naruto fanfiction. In this AU, most of Sound is still intact. I don't own Naruto.

Sasuke had left the Sound compound to take a walk more than an hour ago. He was shirking from his duties and he knew it, but he didn't care. He was steamed because of something Kabuto had done earlier that day.

Orochimaru had asked to see Sasuke about a project they'd been working on in the previous weeks. Sasuke was told to meet his master in the infirmary, and had assumed from that that their discussion would have to do with the cursed seals, or something along those lines.

Sasuke walked through the stone, torch-lit chambers of Sound. When he finally got to the infirmary it was not Orochimaru, but Kabuto, who greeted him.

"Hello Sasuke," the silver-haired man said without turning around. "What brings you here?"

Sasuke grunted, looking bored and impatient. "Is Orochimaru around? He asked for me to meet him here."

Kabuto looked up from his work and blinked. "No, Sasuke. I haven't seen him around since yesterday."

Sasuke frowned, turning to leave. "He shouldn't have called me here if he wasn't even going to show up. I've got other things I could be doing—"

"Like killing your brother?"

Sasuke stopped and turned, his glare icy. "Yes. Like that."

"You'll never kill him," Kabuto said, his face passive. "It's not in you."

Sasuke had an intense look of hatred upon his face. "You don't know what I'm capable of," he said, wishing he could rip the silver-haired shinobi apart.

"Don't get me wrong," Kabuto pacified, forcing Sasuke to hear him out, "I've heard your story, and I know your reasons for wanting to kill your brother. It makes sense for you to want to extract revenge by killing him… But your strategy…" Kabuto sighed. "Sasuke, what you're doing is a waste of time."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Don't say that, Kabuto. It can't be a waste of time. It's what I live for."

"That's my point," Kabuto argued. "Your life is nothing, nothing, but revenge. If you lived your life like a normal person and killing your brother was just a mild interest, I could see more sense in that, but you've let this become an obsession. You've let revenge become your life."

"What's your point?" Sasuke asked, fuming.

Kabuto tilted his head, his glasses becoming naught but disks of reflected light. "I suppose I thought I could enlighten you."

Sasuke's mouth set itself into a fine line. "You can't make me change my mind."

Kabuto half-smiled, "I know I can't. You're stubborn as hell."

Sasuke grimaced at this and stalked off.

Now Sasuke leaned against a tree, pondering the morning's conversation. So many people had tried to stop him from deserting Konoha, from joining Sound. So many people had cared: Kakashi, Sakura… and most of all, Naruto. Though the same couldn't quite be said for his other former teammates, Sasuke did miss Naruto and his fierce spirit.

Sasuke began to wonder if maybe it had been a bad idea and a waste of time joining Sound. He knew in his heart, deep, deep down into what was left of it, at least… Naruto would have done anything Sasuke would have asked from him, even help him kill Itachi. He was the best ally, the best friend Sasuke could have asked for—and he had abandoned him. Even when Naruto fought to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, Sasuke had abandoned him.

A roaring crash erupted from nearby, shattering Sasuke's train of thought. Just as Sasuke turned to look, there was a blinding red flash from the same area. Assuming it was an enemy ninja, Sasuke ran toward the terrible sound, but it wasn't an enemy ninja at all.

Sasuke had to stop dead in his tracks in order to not fall into a giant crater he was positive had not been there the day before. It was at least twenty feet deep, and fifty feet around. Carefully walking around the rim of it, Sasuke looked over the edge. In the middle of the crater was a limp figure, unmistakably a girl.

Sasuke stopped, Should I go back to the Sound compound for help? Just then, there was a tremor. He lost his balance and fell headfirst into the crater. Seeing as Sasuke was an extremely talented shinobi and had suffered much worse, he didn't get too beat up when he fell.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to the girl who lay facedown in the dirt. Her body didn't stir, even as he approached. Sasuke carefully turned her on her back to better examine her.

She was pretty by anyone's standards. That, Sasuke could tell at a first glance. Sasuke had long since repressed any sexual desire he'd had to become a better ninja, but he couldn't help noticing the girl's pale skin, long eyelashes and wavy, dark brown hair. She also had a large cut in her forehead.

That seems odd… for her to be unscathed except for the one cut… Sasuke reached down to check her pulse. She was alive, but clearly unconscious.

He wondered who she was. Her clothes were unusual. Tight blue pants and a brown sweater without any sort of armor? They didn't look like any fashion Sasuke had ever seen.

Another tremor brought Sasuke to his senses. I have to get out of here. He picked the girl up, bridal style, jumped out of the crater, and went back to Sound.

Kabuto was in the Sound infirmary when Sasuke ran in with the unconscious girl in his arms. "Who is that?" Kabuto asked, scanning the girl with his eyes. "Would Orochimaru approve of this?"

"Calm down, Kabuto," said Sasuke as he placed the girl on a medical bed.

Kabuto dropped what he was doing to better interrogate Sasuke. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said. It seemed instinct had taken over. "I want you to take care of her, Kabuto."

"Why? Does Orochimaru even know about this?" the silver-haired medical ninja asked.

"No, not yet," Sasuke answered as Kabuto hooked her up to an I.V.

"What do you plan on doing with her? He will find out eventually."

"I know he will," Sasuke said, not underestimating Orochimaru's wrath. "I don't know what I plan on doing with her. I just didn't want to leave her out there. What would you have done?"

Kabuto laughed. "The same, I suppose. I'm just surprised. It seems the great Sasuke Uchiha does have a soul!" Kabuto smiled. "I don't know, Sasuke. What will Orochimaru think?"

"I don't give a damn what he thinks," Sasuke said. He was set on this.

Kabuto couldn't turn Sasuke down on something like this, either. Sasuke was finally caring about something other than revenge. "Fine," Kabuto agreed. "She can stay, but only if Orochimaru approves. I can't give a definite answer as I'm not really the one in charge here."

Sasuke looked relieved that the girl wasn't being thrown back out of Sound, not immediately, at least.

Kabuto continued, "Do you know what's wrong with her?" He needed to know what was wrong before he could treat her.

"No. I found her in a crater about a mile away from here. But I suggest you look at the cut on her forehead first. I think it's still bleeding."

Kabuto got a small flashlight and examined the cut thoroughly to come up with a prognosis. "I'd say she's been branded."

"What?"

"I think someone shoved hot iron into her, to brand her," explained Kabuto.

"Like property?" asked Sasuke.

"That's usually the case," said Kabuto. He cleaned the cut on her forehead revealing a clean-cut circle with 愛 (ai/love) inside it. "Wow," was all he said.

"That bastard," said Sasuke as he breathed through clenched teeth.

"What is it, Sasuke?" asked Kabuto.

"The only person I know to have that as their symbol... is Sabaku no Gaara. Gaara of the Desert."

Finder77: Ooh, plot twist, ne? Review, please! Let me know what you think!