A/N: Chapter 11 is here! I know it has been almost two months, but now that I am out for summer break I have more time. And this story is almost done. A few more chapters and we will be finished!
It has been two days since the surgery, and Sakura has just taken off my bandages within the past hour. She hasn't mentioned anymore sporadic memories, although her happiness never seemed to leave. And neither has my conflicting thoughts. Even now, while I get us packed and ready to infiltrate Konoha, I am fighting an inward battle.
"What will happen after all of this is over?" The question strikes me as peculiar, although it wasn't like I hadn't given much thought on the subject. I pull out the scroll to get us back to reality, then give her a curious look. She pulls her cloak on around her body, then grabs her bag and slings it onto her shoulders. Sakura then crosses her arms in annoyance.
"Well, I want to revive my clan...The Uchiha name was dragged through the ground and utterly destroyed, but I want to make it great again—"
"And how are you going to do that, exactly?" Her voice is almost scolding now. I give her a look and she continues. "If everyone is so against you now, why would destroying the village help? Don't you think the world would hate you even more?"
"You don't think I've thought of that!?" I yell in frustration. I turn away from her then, and force my new eyes closed. I force myself into the dark abyss that I had entered into during the recovery. I force myself to see what Itachi meant after doing what he has done. I force myself to think about Sakura and how she will be broken afterwards once she remembers.
I feel myself put up my hands to cover my eyes—no Itachi's eyes. His power courses through them and is infiltrating my chakra as well. For a moment, all I can remember is the look on his face when he died. The almost peaceful smile that soon plastered his face for all to see after his death became too much to bear, and I eventually opened my eyes.
"Sasuke! Sasuke, are you all right?" I pull my body up and immediately tense as the sound of another voice hits my eardrums. Still bandaged up, all I can see is darkness. My heart rate has spiked and my breathing has become a mess, not to mention the throbbing with my eye sockets. I must have fallen asleep again once Sakura had fed me, but I don't remember it.
I feel her hands start to stroke my face to calm me, but it just reminds me of my previous thoughts—thoughts that included ending this charade. She's already been hurt by me before. I need to tell her soon. I feel my heart slow down again and I let me body relax some. I part my lips to speak, but I find my throat scratchy and dry. I haven't drank in hours and yet it feels like days. Sakura must have noticed because one of her hands leaves me face and retrieves some water. She helps my somewhat shaky hands hold the bottle, then pour the liquid into my mouth. I gulp down as much as I can before I can take no more.
I still haven't explained myself, although she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, it seems like she is getting used to my not explaining things. I still feel an obligation, though, because for all I know she could have been woken up by my sudden start. Her hands run through my sweaty hair in an affectionate way, and then I feel her start to lower my head back down onto the bed.
"Sakura, wait. Let me explain." I hear her mumble in response, and then get right into my explanation. "I–I think I...don't want to destroy the village anymore. And—"
"Oh, Sasuke-kun. You're being delusional. The others had told me that was all you ever talked about. How could you change your mind so quickly? Get some more sleep. I think we can take these bandages off in the morning and we can go from there." But I can't. Sleep has become an enemy instead of a needed friend. Instead I mumble a soft goodnight and lie there listening to her movements.
She hasn't gone too far from me, and I can hear the slight rustling of her bag. It seems as if morning isn't too far away and that she has determined to be ready right after removing the bandages. Once that sound dies away, I hear her scratching some type of note onto a paper and then mumble to herself.
"...a blonde Tsunade...Lee's surgery...new hokage...What does all of this mean?" Her words are laced in a sadness I have never heard her utter. She stops writing afterwards, and I can almost picture her curled up in a ball, fighting her own mental battle. The jumbled mess in her head is almost worse than the reality that I am having to relive in my sleep. And it is all my fault. Instinctively, I stir and try to reach out in her direction to comfort her. It's the least I can do since it is all my fault after all.
She quiets down and I know she is questioning my movements, but I beckon for her to come closer to me. Once she reaches me I notice how cool her skin is against mine and I uncover the blanket that has been placed over me. She realizes my gesture and crawls under the blanket. Although not very large, it is able to at least keep both of us warm. I wrap my arms around her in a protective manner, because all I can do in this universe is protect her from my own evil will.
She nestles her head under my chin and softly whispers a thank you. Her pink hair tickles my nose, but I let it anyway as I feel myself start to drift off again.
Sasuke has been moving in his sleep these past two days. I had never noticed during our stay in the hideout, but here in this other universe it is there. The pain from the surgery hasn't crossed his covered face much, but another pain has. And I sensed that it wasn't the only time I have seen him this way. I don't have a memory to hold onto for this, but I know.
Or, I think I know. This alternate universe of his is bothering me as well. I keep getting glimpses of phrases and fuzzy pictures in my mind of people I haven't seen since I was twelve. At least, I think that was the last time I have seen them. Some seem more recent, and I need to ask Sasuke if we have indeed seen these people since we left years ago.
I haven't mentioned any other memories to him because bringing up Naruto brought a strange touch to his voice. Naruto seems to hold a lot of key memories, but I can't seem to draw anymore out with him. As I have gotten slips of pictures into my brain, I have written them out on an extra scroll that was in my bag. Phrases come to mind quicker than images, so I write those down first. But then I am flooded with many and have to control it before I pass out. Sasuke has no clue since he himself has been asleep the whole stay, but I have passed out from these already four times since that first memory.
And that was only hours ago in comparison to how long we were in the real world. It's like a bittersweet thought—I could stay hear and regain more memories but be pained throughout the whole event, or I can leave and risk never having another memory. But Sasuke will be healed by morning and we can't stay.
Konoha flashes through my mind too and I see grinning faces and people waving to me. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this recognition, but it makes me question why I am willing to follow Sasuke on this quest for destruction. And after hearing his almost crazy words made me believe my own even more. If he can't bring himself to do this now, then I can only hope it's for a good reason.
I snuggle closer to him as I feel my cold body take in his warmth. He doesn't think he has helped me, and yet I know he has. Even this gesture of comfort is a help in this time of confusion. His breathing has become more regular and it is obvious that he is sleeping again. I tell myself that I can sleep now, too, but it doesn't seem to come.
My mind wanders to what I had been told by our associates when Sasuke was away from my bedside. I had been told about what had happened with the eight-tails as well as attacking this Kage Summit, and it hadn't occurred to me that we were fighting on opposite sides that day. Until now. Because all I can think of at this moment is the fact that I wanted to protect the Kage and the eight tails jinchuuriki, and Sasuke didn't. That can't possibly be true, can it?
"Okay, Sasuke. Lets take off these bandages and check your eyes." I feel her steady hands unwrap the fabric that has been almost glued to my head from sweat. Light starts to hit my eyes and I squint in response. Being in darkness so long makes the light even more blinding. Maybe that's why it will be so hard to forgive those people in Konoha.
Her blurry figure is in front of me and I blink multiple times in order to see her. And frankly, she looks like a mess. There's a bizarre uncertainty in her eyes as if she has suffered a great since coming here. I can't say the same thing hasn't happened to myself, too. She seems to notice my scrutiny and resolves to not show her emotional turmoil. She gives me a quick checkup and then deems me worthy of physical activity.
As we start to pack up and get ready to leave, I think about what our next plans will be. I will need to tell her what happened and about all the lies, but for now we need to focus on the situation at hand. After we have both gotten our cloaks and bags on, I look into her eyes again and still see the pain from what she must have gone through the past few days.
"Sakura, about last night...I was being serious." Relief now shows in her eyes, which means that she had started thinking the same thing. Although why she tried to tell me that I was delusional makes no sense. Is she still regaining memories and not telling me? I guess this is understandable since I have been asleep for most of this ordeal. I nod my head and repeat my words to myself.
"I don't want to destroy them anymore. But I do want to..understand more of the past."
"Then let's go and find out." She hands me the scroll and takes me hand. I give her one more look and then open it up. Once we disappear from this dimension and reappear in the other, we are met with the stench of ashes and smoke in our eyes. Immediately I turn back around and towards the small town, only to find it blackened by flames.
Sakura's medic instincts kick in and she starts to race in the direction. I gain up to her figure and pull her to a stop. "We can't. It's probably been evacuated by now and no one is there to help. Let's go." I grab her arm to make her go the opposite direction when I notice white Zetsus also around the town. She notices as well and we both run forward.
I run up to some and demand answers, but am ignored and about to be attacked. With my new power, I awaken the amaterasu and slaughter the ones in my way. A loud crack and grumble are to my left, and I look over in time to see Sakura's fist leave the broken earth. A few Zetsu clones must have fallen into the cracks. "Interrogation time?" Sakura questions after cracking her knuckles. I sprint to her and look down into the hole.
Two clones are stuck inside, although one was not moving. The other looked up with an emotionless face. I again ask what is going on, and do not receive a reply. Sakura and I exchange a look. "I'll use my genjustu on him." I state. She agrees and walks back a few paces to fend off incoming clones. I turn back to the white figure below me and trap him with my eyes.
"Tell me what is happening!" I command. His lips open and he quickly explains that Tobi has now started the next shinobi world war to capture the eight tails and Naruto. I release him from the jutsu and shoot chidori our of my hands to end his fragile life. Sakura has finished off the clones in the area and has come back to my side. "What did he say?"
"He said the Fourth Shinobi World War has just started by none other than Tobi." Her eyes widen in surprise at the words, then she shakes her head. "I knew he was up to something, but not this..." We make our way back out of the now abandoned town and towards the only place I know that Naruto could possibly be—Konohagakure.
A/N: AHH. Guys this is it. We are getting towards the end. I'm excited, aren't you!? Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think! Leave a friendly review saying what you liked or disliked—it helps me know what I can improve on for the next chapter.