Aye-aye, maties. I'm in my pirate phase (too much reading One Piece, seeing Pirates of the Caribbean and playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

Again, if you feel a little confused on the How-to-read (that I hope not), here it is, how is it read:

- "Talking"

- "Talking in the past"

- Thinking (past and present)

Otherways, I want to thank the following person for her support and reviews; and I want to say something a well for her.

-DaaNI-ChAn: Hi girl, how are you doing? I hope you do just fine. And I hope you can read this before going to school, and have that Enormous Hiatus on fanfiction and stuff. So I would like that I have appreciated everything you have said and done to me and for me, I really do, from the heart. Thus, I want to dedicate this chapter to you, for you are one good friend that I don't want to lose, not from communication, nor from memory. That is why I want to dedicate this chapter specially to you. So you can go study having read a special dedicatory from, what I hope, you consider a good friend. Once again, thanks for everything.

Aye-aye, ye olde disclaimer, arrgh: I do not own the following: Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto, nor Pita-ten by Koge Donbo, nor Monster by Naoki Urasawa, nor Saikano by Shin Takahashi (the mother of all angst mangas; really, a tear-shedding story all the way through; a must-read), nor Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa; but I do own this: a PC to work on, a hell-lot of inspiration, hours and hours of music, and lots of spare time (not many of them lately) to read and write.

Chapter Four: Thou shall not forgive

Have you ever forgotten? Have you ever tried to let everything go? Have you ever let emotions drive you? Have you ever feared them? Have you ever tried to kill your very self? Have you ever kept a promise? Have you ever forgiven?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Chapter Four- "Thou shall not forgive"

Naruto, that name is one that keeps me awake very often in cold nights; it is a name that makes me remember, that makes me feel, that makes me kill.

Uncertainty, it's something that has kept me thinking these years, that has made me consider every possible option, every possible scenario, every possible situation, bearable or not, logical or not, correct or not. But someone may ask Consider about what? SoI perhaps, and only perhaps, could answer that question, though even for this, uncertainty has a role, too. But I'll try my best, anyways. What I have considered, thought, viewed and reviewed, once and again, is about this, about something that has bothered me every time before we meet. I feel like saying it out loud, even when nobody will hear, even when these words will never come out of these cold and moisty walls "What will happen the next time we see our faces, brother? What will happen the next time we rendezvous? What can possibly happen?"

Violent, unstable, insane. That and many other ways I have been called over time, by so many people Even though not many of them have survived my "insanity", so I stopped being self-conscious about it after a while, and after about a hundred corpses. But there was someone, someone that called me that, even knowing what could happen afterwards, even after having seen what would happen afterwards; that actually made an impact on me, that actually got to my nearly-destroyed, nearly-rotten heart. I will never forget Her… I will never forget her hair, her scent, her figure, her attitude about life, her soul, her glasses… those tiny details that made her be… Her. Those little details that made me go back from darkness, that made me think that there was actually hope for me in this world, other than to think of me as an avenger, when I was only being a scavenger. Yes, those little details that made me know what love is about, even if only for once in my life.

Meticulous, a little obsessive; but decided, as no one I've seen before Except maybe for somebody, somebody I consider my brother, rebellious, carefree, intense In every single sense of the word. Observant, decisive, straight-forward, hot-head, dozens of words come rushing to my mind that could describe her, every one of them correct, every one of them true; but the only words that make me really, really remember every part of her self are… loving, kind, warm.

Despite of her premature departure, induced by… unfortunate events that I would rather forget sometimes, I still feel the same way about Her, the same way I did on the day we first met, on the day I first knew the real significance of the word "love". That glorious day, that ray of light in-between darkness, since I was with the Snake by that time I still remember that day like if it happened yesterday, but I like it when I wake up remembering it, that way it feels like a dream, or a vision of paradise, at least for me.

Long were the nights that followed her departure, long were the days that filled me with grief, long were the hours I spent on sorrow for her loss, but… longer were the seconds that I spent exhumating her corpse, and all was for a simple wish, a simple promise we made, a simple oath we took, the both of us, in unison, yet only one of us would comply. After that encounter with my brother, right after I took away his life, when everything started to look brighter, I felt it; a void-like feeling gathering in my guts, sign that something was going wrong… awfully wrong. Curse the heavens that I'm never wrong when I feel that sensation, like if someone has put that burden on me, as a curse; in the past I would have wondered Why?, but now, for the life I have chosen to myself, I donnot ask that question anymore, now I even think I deserve it. Yet, She didn't have to carry that curse as well, dammit! She had nothing to do with it, but still, she paid the price, the price of being… an Uchiha.

No sounds were made after my brother, Uchiha Itachi, stopped breathing. It was all silent, the only sound resonating was the sound of hi blood spilling all over the onix-color ground, that took that color after being scorched once and again, by the means of my power, by the means of the avenger's fire. I finally did it, I finally completed one of my goals in life, and for the first time in quite a long time, my face drew a smile, a genuine smile, made out of relief, but stained with sorrow, for he was my bloodline brother, in the end. But then, the sensation struck me… I was paralyzed, I knew exactly what had just happened, and then, I heard it; and ever since that day, I still hear that sound, and as much as I try to hide it, I'm afraid of it, to the point that I feel terrified for the sole fact of hearing it. That dreaded sound, the one that still echoes in my head… is her scream, her last sign of life, filled with agony and pain. I couldn't help but to cry in that moment, even if I had to hide it when I confronted the killer; my 'brother', that blonde dumbass… Uzumaki Naruto.

Going through a moment of agony, rage and other feelings that there were being mixed-up, I managed to control myself, if only for a moment, to see with my own red eyes, the awful truth. I used my Sharingan, in order to see what had happened in that place… bad idea. When I saw that scene, with Her, being ripped from her insides with the force of the Demon Fox, I was terrified, tears were gathering within my eyes, but that wasn't all, no; he said something, and then he ripped her heart, still beating, out of her body in a raging rampage. I screamed and covered my eyes, weeping from sorrow, crying from anger, wanting to take my own life right there even when it meant losing after all I have passed the last years. But there was no time to take the easy road, I was an avenger, and I was about to do the only thing suitable for me, the only thing I have learned to do… take revenge. So I decided to face him, ready to take my revenge; it would be sweet… yet sour.

Not even one minute after her death, he arrived to the place where I was; he is swift as the wind, I must recognize. He faced me, his eyes slitted in red and his teeth incredibly sharped as knives, ready to enter into me at the first sight of provoking. But my revenge would not include fighting, at least not that night, no; my revenge would be much more worse than just physical damage. I intended to leave a scar in the hardest place to heal, his soul. Until I assured that he wouldn't attack, I didn't move, hiding my face in the robes I wore; half hiding my anger, half hiding my sorrow. That worked out pretty well, neither of us was moving, not an inch; not until I decided otherwise, for I knew it was already my time, that the situation was under my control. Then entered the avenger, and that is how we all ended up in this situation. That is how we all ended up being under the strings, strings that I manipulate at will, strings that I have been manipulating for some time now, strings that manipulate even Akatsuki.

Leaving the place that night, I waited for them, for the team of Konoha to leave the place, so I could start another phase of my plan, but not before doing something utterly important to me, that was, to see her again… one last time, to fulfill my oath, to comply with the promise that was sacred to us. When they finally left, after nearly forty minutes of waiting, it started to rain, and it rained in a tempest manner; hn… suitable for the occasion. I returned to that place, and entered to the place at where Her remainings lied, under a soft layer of soil, stained with blood (from Her), and tears (from Him). I stared at the place for a minute, and I started digging.

Panting and sweating, I managed to get to where he body was, and for my surprise, when I got to her, I saw her with her heart on her hands but yet smirking, obviously not a fake, for that was the smirk that I learned to love, the smirk that almost got me out of the dark side of my own self. Yet again, it couldn't; I rather think that this is fate, that this is destiny, otherwise I would collapse on myself, no matter how strong I might be.

Tears rolled all over my face; silent drops of salty water, that fell to the ground, and fell on her face, illuminating it. In that moment I knew it, that this place fell under the description of the place we wanted to end, so I couldn't remove her off the ground, instead the only thing I did was to thank her for being with me, for loving me and for giving me the illusion of being alive again… even if only for a moment. I kissed her lips, and caressed her belly, the place where our son was, and I cried again, silently, without even changing the expression of my face. This was one thing that my sensei, Orochimaru, had told me long ago; suddenly, I remembered other things he thought me.

In the time I spent living with him, I learned so many things; and not everything was about fighting, but about life too. Even though I hated him for being what he was, nothing changes that he was wise as well. He and I used to talk over dinner, discussing mostly about life; but our discussions were not the usual discussions people visualize as normal, no; our discussions were single words, thrown towards the air, apparently aiming at nothing in particular, and we rarely formed long sentences,

I, personally, enjoyed this. Our words were concrete, solid, straight to the point, and when we managed to form a sentence, it meant it was something of extremely vital importance. The most important thing that he ever said to me was once, during our midnight meal, just after a spar, when he had injured me with a razor-sharped kunai. I didn't do anything about it; never took any sort of retaliation, just continued sparring like if nothing had happened to me, being strong, being nothing but the way he taught me to be. I had done everything by-the-book, everything the way he did. Still, he was unpleased. During this meal, he said something over my behavior, reprehending me with few words, but then he said this "Sasuke, the number one rule about being an avenger is the following: 'No matter what, under any circumstance, avenger… Thou shall not forgive'; never, ever let anything go. If there's something I have learned over the years, is that". Those words made such an impact in me, that I decided I would follow that rule for the rest of my life.

Done with this thinking and remembering, I feel I'm not alone I mean, literally, and I just happen to know the cause of that, and it is that something, or someone else, other than me is here. As I open my eyes, they turn blood-red, making themselves all-seeing orbits of which, no one can escape, even if this someone has entered into my mind, cleverly when I was unguarded. And I only know of one person in here who can do that… "Or am I wrong… Sakura?".

"Only one mistake you made, woman." I say as she replies, nervously "I know, eavesdropping. Damn, I got to admit that you don't oversee anything. But you too, surely made a mistake…" I have to admit that this commentary caught me off-guard, so, the only wise thing to do is ask "And what is that mistake I made?" "You confused me with someone else, because… I am not Sakura" I see her clearly, I feel her presence, and even then she's telling me otherwise, this must be a farce under which I have fallen, some kind of psychological game she got me trapped into… or maybe, and just maybe there is something else I ignore. But then I recognized it, what she said was not a lie, but it was not the truth properly speaking. "So, may I know who am I talking to?" Once again showing no weak spots, I asked her; yet again, she replied with the same confidence "You are talking to Her protector, and now I know everything I needed to know. As easy as coming down to your 'lair', sneak into your fragile, little head, and get the info I wanted. Just like that." I was surprise indeed, but not too much to make a wrong move. I answered, clapping my hands in a congratulating, sarcastic manner "Clever indeed, this new jutsu of yours is very… interesting." And then, she interrupted "Jutsu?" doing that kind of question left me dumbfounded and confused, and as a reflex, I could do nothing but to ask once again "Then… what are you?" She smirked…

(otro invierno más)

This just doesn't make sense, what… what is She? "What is this? Your blood pressure is rising, your eye movement is increasing too; you're staring to sweat. Under all those layers of calmness and coldness, you are only a scare, little child, thinking What is She?, or do I lie?." What she said terrified me, she can even read my thoughts, I mean, my real thoughts, not the layer of them that I use to confuse enemies.

My best shot is to think carefully, or everything could fall to pieces. "Everything what?" She asks, Once again, cornering me in again, leaving me no choice else than to talk without before thinking, and let my emotions drive me, no matter what could possibly happen… something I learned form my 'brother', Naruto. "Be careful with what you think, and don't EVER even think His name again, because you don't have the right to; after all he did for you…" Angrily, she replied "Everything, like killing my wife. Well excuse me if I misunderstood that, but I didn't asked Him to do that." Now my emotions were taking the lead, as intended.

"Sure, so I assume that you know why did he do it, right?" She answered with a question, and I shot back "No, and you know what? I don't even care. The fact is, after all said and done, that she is the ONLY one dead." And that answer left her shocked "Only one? What about your child?" I smirked, and started to laugh, seemingly frantic, enjoying what I was about so say next "So, You didn't wonder why haven't I mentioned my son yet? I thought that, by now, you would have known that He is part of my vendetta, as well." She seemed terrified, and nervously, she replied "You monster, how could you… do something like this to your own son? How could you use him as a tool for your vengeance? How could you…?" I interrupter her in that moment, changing my laughter for anger.

"…Take away a part of my own soul and give it to him in order to keep him alive, waiting for the moment to give him a hope? Call me monster if you want to but, under no circumstance, think that I don't consider Him a human. He will be part of my vengeance, indeed, but at the same time, he is the only thing I have left from Her, from Karin… my only love." I said furiously, almost yelling.

Maintaining a fixed, quizzical look over me, she replied "A hope… and a part of your vengeance? Does this mean that…" Once again, I interrupted her, as I entered somewhere I shouldn't have entered, for it could ruin my plans "… This means nothing, only vengeance… only revenge". I could only look away, as I knew I have committed a mistake, a big one.

Cursing my damn idiocy, I tried to pull out something that could amend what I just said Even if only to myself, something that made me once again, a monster. So, under the pressure I was and the nervousness I had, I could only come up with this "Now, if you excuse me; I have a vengeance to work on so… Go away. Go run back to your little, fragile body… before it's too late. 'Sharingan'". I drove her out of my head, and of my thoughts, only to see that, indeed, she was not as she appeared to be; she was not Sakura, but a specular image of her… only a mirror of herself. She was Her, but another side of Her, a side that represents some things she don't show often, she was a little bit more visceral, more impulsive, more like… Naruto, just a little bit darker, though.

This 'driving her out of my mind' left her exposed and vulnerable, so I gave her a little advice "You should run, you know? Or else… bad things could happen" I, under a layer of false security, said. And fortunately, she disappeared indeed, but not before saying something "Whatever you are planning, I will not let you do it, even if it costs me everything". And then… she disappeared, leaving a man; his face covered by shadows, but still, a smirk on his face was visible.

Considering what he said, He's up to something BIG, I just cannot figure out what is it, nor I know why did he slipped up, I mean, being like he is. Cha… "All I can do now is run back to my body, to Her… dammit; if only I had read him better" I said, as I was getting closer to my body, or more exactly, to my little 'Outer Self's' body. As I reached the place were she laid unconscious, I let out a sigh that denoted so many things… unconfidence, anxiety, nervousness, or maybe just tiredness and an awful need to digest what I have just heard from him. After a little concentration, I finally manage to get a hold of myself, and re-enter to my body, just to find a still-unconscious Outer Sakura. I do the wisest thing I could do at the moment… I close my eyes and start to think about everything I heard back there, trying to find out something, no matter how small, that could possibly give me some sort of hint of what's he up to.

Yells and noise That's how I would describe what was inside his mind, if not for a little piece of calm, that should represent his wife, and…GOD, I know what he is going to do, I know what's the final step of his revenge, the final step that he was blabbing about. The only thing I hope is to have the strength to do what is necessary when the time comes. I really hope I do, for Her sake; no, for their sake… for (Outer) Sakura and for the baby, our baby.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's note: Hi there, got some news over here. First, I wanted to apologize for being this late on updating, but I just couldn't do it earlier, you must know that last 23rd, my grandfather passed away, and I haven't had the possibility (or the will, nor the inspiration) to write anything, So This chapter is dedicated to him, to my grandad. May you rest in peace, I will never forget you.

Second, I wanted to apologize for this chapter being so short, but as I said before, I got a major block, but don't worry, I won't stop writing, nor reading. Plus, I have been writing about other things lately, and drawing really hard, add that to the fact that have an Immunology exam the day after tomorrow, and I'm starting to hate the freakin' PMN cells, lymphocytes, CD markers and respiratory burst. But worry not, I will update sooner next time (I hope so, at least).

Bye, take care and don't forget to review. Thanks for you support.