~Chapter 3: Why~
Naruto watched, bored, as Sakura and Ino passed notes.
Having built up curiosity, he scribbled something down on the top of the paper and nudged Sakura's back, causing her to turn around.
He pointed to the writing.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Haruno grinned and wrote down her response.
"How the Hooded Thief might have gotten his weird powers."
The boy frowned and looked up at her curiously.
Not knowing she was talking to the future sidekick, she only stuck her tongue out and turned back to the front of the room.
But her comment got him thinking.
"Hey Sasuke…" he messaged to his friend.
"Oi, baka, not in class… I'm trying to pay attention…"
Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Don't lie, I see you doodling. Anyway, see the notes Saku and her friend are passing back and forth?"
"Yeah?"
"Guess who they're talking about?"
There was a moment of silence before a response came.
"Assumingly the Hooded Thief…"
Uzumaki grinned.
"Yep! They're talking about how he might have gotten his powers. It just got me thinking, is all. You remember that crazy week, don't you…?"
"How could I forget…?"
-7 Years Earlier – Sasuke's Old House, Basement-
It was morning.
A sad morning.
Sure, the sun was shining.
Sure, it was spring.
Sure, the birds were singing, and the flowers were blooming, and there wasn't a cloud in the blue, blue sky.
But it was a sad day.
A gloomy day.
For Sasuke and his adopted brother.
The Uchiha crouched down for a moment, observing the scene before him.
His father's chemistry lab – he was a chemist, after all – was packed away in boxes, being donated to a nearby university.
He remembered the errands his mother used to send him on; usually coming down here to give his father the mail.
The image was still clear in his mind… his father, dressed in his lab coat, slowly pouring one chemical over another in a vial.
On his eighth birthday, Sasuke was allowed to do his first experiment.
The boy stood up straight.
He sighed, willing himself to hold back his tears.
He looked at the door as he heard approaching footsteps.
Naruto appeared.
"Hey…" he said slowly, coming closer to his friend, "You're looking pretty tired…"
Sasuke nodded as he rubbed his eyes.
"You too…"
There was a moment of silence before Naruto continued, "The university professor is here for the equipment. I figured I'd come help you bring them up…"
The other cleared his throat.
"Oh, yeah, thanks…"
The Uchiha walked up to the table and picked up the box, passing it to Naruto; it jingled, slightly.
"I'll get this one…"
He went to the one under a shelf of chemicals.
The professor had told them not to touch them; they were hazardous and he would take care of them himself.
However, as Sasuke bent down and lifted the box, he accidentally bumped his head against it.
The shelf shifted…
It suddenly became heavy and it started slipping towards the floor.
The boy's eyes widened, and he began exclaimed, "No…!"
The box fell down to the side, the contents tumbling down.
He collapsed as the crashes echoed in the room.
Sasuke felt faint, first thinking the shelf gave him a concussion.
He heard screaming; HE was screaming!
Naruto was half-way up the stairs when he heard the crashes and the screams.
He set the box down and ran back to find his friend laying on the ground.
He was covered in chemicals and yelling his lungs out.
The boy's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Oh my God, SASUKE!"
He sprinted to him, helping the Uchiha sit up.
He was gripping his eyes.
"Oh my God, oh my God, what happen? What's going on? Sasuke!"
But he couldn't bring himself to say anything; all he could do is scream.
Naruto's hands and legs started burning, and he realized he was crouching in the chemicals.
"PROFESSOR!"
The word repeated over and over in Sasuke's mind.
Slowly, he put his forehead against the floor as the world around him faded away…
-The Next Day = The Hospital-
Sasuke woke with a start, and found himself staring at black nothingness.
He felt his fingers twitch slightly and the tape on his face when he tried to move his head.
"Agh..." he thought slowly.
His mind was still foggy.
"It's one of those… air… things… oh God, what happen…"
The Uchiha felt himself cough.
Carefully, he reached up to remove the tape, but failed, still being extremely weak.
His fingers moved up slightly to find bandages where his eyes should be.
Confusion filled him.
As his hearing became sharper, the beeping of the heart monitor filled the room.
Suddenly, Sasuke heard someone shifting.
"Sasuke…?" a raspy voice asked.
"Naruto…" he tried to respond, though it was all muffled.
"Oh my God… Sasuke… Heh, you should see yourself… laying in a hospital bed, all bandaged up… you look ridiculous…"
The boy was trying to tease him, but it sounded more like he was crying.
"Um… Sasuke…" he continued when he saw his friend turn his head towards him, "Uh… I-I… don't know how… to tell you this but…"
He paused when a cough made its way out.
"You're… legally… blind…"
Immediately, the Uchiha reacted.
He started swinging his arms and legs around, hitting anything and everything he could.
The blanket tangled around his feet.
He tore off the censors attached to his chest that connected to the heart monitor, causing a loud beep to fill the room.
"No! Sasuke! Be careful! You're gonna be ok, please calm down!" Naruto pleaded before he finally just yelled for the nurses.
All he could do was scream.
He was in such shock; this couldn't be happening!
Not to him!
Not to anyone he knew!
Not to anyone at all…
Finally, the nurses managed to pin him down.
They took off the oxygen support, which changed his shrieks into curses.
They held him down just long enough to give him a shot.
Sasuke fainted moments later.
-The Next Day-
The boy sat in bed, silent but calm.
All the wires and equipment from the day before were no longer needed, only the IV to give the pain killers.
They dulled away the pains from his burns, but did nothing for the one in his heart.
He could only sit, and stare at the darkness.
Young Sakura sat next to him on the bed, and she quietly stroked his hand.
Naruto was in the chair next to her.
She cut another piece from the apple and handed it to him.
He had been dismissed from the hospital that morning, but he stayed behind to visit Sasuke with her.
"So, Naruto, are you getting better at walking?"
The Uchiha could just hear his friend's insane grinning.
"Heck yes! Soon, I'll be able to walk without the crutches!"
Towards the end, he added a little sing-song melody to his words.
Sasuke smiled a little, feeling her hand tighten around his after he did.
That was when a knock was heard against the door.
"Come in," Sakura said.
The doctor entered, approaching the bed.
"Hello there, Sasuke. How are you feeling?" she said, smiling and taking the girl's place on the bed.
He didn't answer.
"Well… I'm going to take a look at your eyes. If all goes well, you'll be allowed to go home later today!"
She tried to sound happy and cheerful, but didn't affect him at all.
The doctor looked at the other two children, who shook their heads.
Sakura put her hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it.
He looked up at her with sadness.
The woman carefully untied the bandages around his head.
"Now… open your eyes…"
Slowly, he did, but there was nothing on the other side to see; there was only black.
The doctor took out a small flashlight and shined the light in his eyes.
He didn't even twitch.
Sakura could see her bite her lip, which made her tense.
She stood.
"Unfortunately, it looks like you're blind. It's possible that after some rest and healing, you'll recover your eyesight, thought it would be bad eyesight… um… but… even that chance is… slim…"
Sasuke said nothing.
He already knew this; he knew he would be sightless.
He merely responded, "Thank you Doctor. When can I leave?"
His voice was unintentionally cold.
She stood.
"Tonight. And you'll be able to go back to school either tomorrow or the day after…"
He listened as she scribbled something down, tore it out of her notepad, and handed it to Sakura.
"This is a prescription for his painkillers. When he's dismissed at six, give it to the nurse at the check-out desk and she'll give you his medicine."
The girl nodded.
She felt so helpless, being only seven years old and incapable of doing much more.
At least with this, she could have some input on Sasuke's recovery.
After the doctor left, Naruto stood up and grabbed his crutches.
"Where are you going?" she asked quietly, getting up to aid him.
"Need to go to the bathroom. Just get me to the door and the nurses will help me from there." In a lower voice, he added, "I don't want him left alone…"
She nodded in agreement and returned to her seat when he was gone.
The Uchiha slowly slouched in his bed, turning to his side.
After a few moments of silence, he reached out.
When his friend didn't take it, he whispered, "…Saku…"
She touched his hand.
Carefully, he pulled her towards him.
"What's wrong, Sasu?" she responded, equally quiet.
"…will you… lay down… with me…"
The Haruno felt so upset.
Guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders; her heart was burdened with helplessness.
So she lied down next to him and hugged him.
His body shook slightly as he sobbed, but all Sakura could do was rub his back and try to comfort him.
When he calmed a little, she said, "Don't be afraid… me and Naruto… we'll take good care of you…"
This sent him off on another round of crying that caused a few tears to fall out of her own eyes.
""Good… good, good care of you… I promise…"
-Two Days Later = Morning-
The nurse walked into Sasuke's room and pulled the shades open.
The boy didn't stir until she exclaimed, "Come on now! Up, up, up! Your two friends are here to take you to school!"
His eyes opened and he sat up.
"Come on…"
The Uchiha's silent retaliation continued until Sakura walked in.
"Sasu, come on, it's time for school."
The moment he heard her voice, his arms went up to find her.
She smiled, helping him stand up.
After the boy got dressed and ate breakfast, he was led outside.
Sakura held his hand with one of her own, the other gripping his elbow.
Naruto waited on the sidewalk.
"Heyyy, Sasuke! How are you?" he exclaimed when he saw the two exit the house.
The nurse could be seen staring at them through the window of the door.
The Uchiha smiled and shrugged.
He felt better when he had his two friends around him.
Naruto was getting better little by little.
Both his legs and hands were burned by the chemicals.
He still needed the crutches to walk, but in a few more days, he'll be fine.
For now, all he needed help with was writing things down.
The three friends walked down the sidewalk toward their school.
Sasuke stumbled a bit, but the girl's strong grip kept him from falling.
Soon, they arrived.
Even though he couldn't see, he could tell people were staring.
It made him feel so uncomfortable, so unwelcome.
At that moment, he realized something rather important.
He squeezed Sakura's hand to get her attention.
"Hey Saku… how's school gonna work now? How am I gonna be able to do… anything?" the Uchiha asked quietly, sounding a little in despair.
"Ehh…" she began, "I think you're gonna get moved out of our class… put in a different one… so they can teach you that… code thing… so you can read… stuff, yeah."
Sasuke was quiet for a long time.
The girl quickly decided the topic was dropped.
-In Class = Just Before Lunch-
The school day so far had been quite boring for the boy.
As it turned out, the Konoha schools didn't have any other blind students, so they needed some time to find a new teacher.
And so, until they found one, he will be sitting here, listening to the lessons he couldn't understand.
The teacher sat down at her desk, saying, "Ok everyone, work on the assignment on the board. You can ask your classmates for help."
Sakura turned in her seat to face Naruto.
"Do you want to work together?" she asked enthusiastically.
As the other two were distracted, a boy from the back corner started walking towards the front.
He was a little tall for his age, his big stomach leading in the front.
The boy walked past Sasuke, and as he did, he pushed his books off the desk.
In a sarcastic voice, he stated, "Oh, soorrry!" and continued to the front of the class to sharpen his pencils.
The Uchiha's indifference turned to anger.
Sakura jumped up to pick the books up.
"Ignore him…" she whispered in his ear as she placed the novels on his desk, "He's just a grumpy old bully…"
And with that, the Haruno returned to her seat.
However, the peace didn't last long.
On the way back to his seat, the same boy knocked the books over again, saying in the same annoying voice, "Oh, soorrry!"
But this time, Sasuke had enough.
He was frustrated, he was tired, and he's been fighting with this classmate for years.
He's been patient long enough.
As the bully tried walking past, the boy stood up and pushed him against the wall, mere inches away from the open window.
The other students gasped and the teacher jumped to her feet.
"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, half-standing up.
"Oi, calm down buddy," Naruto added.
The bully tried moving away, but the Uchiha was faster, catching him again and holding him against the wall.
"D-dude, calm d-down, i-it was j-just an accident…" he stuttered out, taking hold of Sasuke's wrists.
"No it wasn't!" was the response.
He could feel the teacher slowly approach him, so he had to make his speech quickly.
"C-come on… the w-window's like… right th-there…" he stuttered out again.
However, the Uchiha ignored him.
"How many times are you gonna do this, huh? Every time you pass me, you have to harass me in some stupid way! Well I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you, I'm sick of this harassment, I'm sick of my horrible luck, I'm sick of my life! I'm blind, and I'm alone, and I'm miserable, and all you can think about is adding more pain! Because apparently, I don't have enough in my life already!"
The bully stared frightened into the boy's eyes as he spoke.
Slowly, he noticed something changing.
"Y-your… eyes…" the boy whispered, making the other pause. Colors seemed to appear among the black and started swirling inside it.
"What?" Sasuke whispered back.
His breath got caught in his throat.
He just realized he was staring right at the bully's face.
"… oh my God…"
He let him go and took a step back.
The teacher immediately came between them, motioning to Sakura to stand.
The Uchiha felt weak in the knees as the girl put a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on… I'll walk you to the clinic…" she said quietly, pulling him out the door.
At first, they were silent.
Sasuke merely stumbled along.
It was confusing to have his sight return so suddenly, especially since it was a bit blurry.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Agh…" the boy groaned, rubbing his eyes.
However, Sakura quickly jumped at him.
"No, Sasu! You're not supposed to rub your eyes," she whined, grabbing his wrists and forcing them away, "It's bad for them…"
She stopped when she found him staring right at her.
"S-Sasuke…?"
That's where reality finally hit.
His knees locked and he collapsed, taking the Haruno down with him.
"Sasuke!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Are you ok?"
Slowly, he looked up.
His hands gripped either side of her had.
"S-S… Sakura…"
"S-Sasuke…?" she responded.
"I-I…" he took a deep breath and let a few tears fall down his face, "I… can… I can see… I can see… I can see!"
"W-What…?"
Sasuke leaned forward, Sakura pulling him into a hug.
"I can see! Oh my God, I can see!"
The two sat there, sitting there, in the middle of the hallway, crying with both joy and sorrow.
-Present Day = Back At School-
Older Sasuke was staring out the window.
He sighed.
Looking at the clock, he found that class was almost done.
The boy ran a hand through his hair.
"Naru…" he started, taking a pause, "…we really do need to tell her… we do…"
Seconds later came a response.
"I know, Sasu… I know… We will."
