A/N: Yes, the rumours are correct – I am indeed still alive! I'm so, SO sorry it took me this long to post another chapter! I just had quite a crisis of inspiration and I actually went as far as almost falling out of love with Naruto for a while, though I still have no clue of why. (shudders at the mere idea) But hey, so what? I'm back now, and I've got a brand new chapter with me! (dances around)
But, before getting to it… Goodness, I can't believe how many reviews you guys have sent already! (HUUUGS!) Thank you! You can't even imagine how much your support means to me! (The responses to reviews are on their usual spots. Or well… Should be…) (sweatdrops)
Okay, I've kept you waiting for so long that it's deeply embarrassing, so here we go! I really hope this chapter was worth the wait!
/ Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Falling inside the black
Falling inside falling inside the black /
(Skillet; " Falling inside the black")
Trapped into an extremely tormented teen, the Kyuubi stirred, sensing change.
It'd been locked inside for so many years, but now… It could feel its container falling apart, the willpower restraining it fading.
And it sneered.
Very soon, the teen wouldn't be strong enough to hold it back any longer. It'd be free once more. And then, all hell would break loose.
CHAPTER 3: Falling Inside The Black
A group of three people marching determinedly towards Konoha didn't speak a lot as they crossed forests in the far edge of their destination, all rather deep in thought.
Eventually, Temari broke the silence. " If I'd remembered the journey is this long, I would've never come along to follow some worthless rumours", she snarled.
Kankuro grinned somewhat slyly. " Oh, quit that moping around already, will you? We all know that in reality, you're happy to get to see your little boyfriend again."
The boy was rewarded for his comment with almost unhealthily hard smack on head. Temari's eyes smouldered. " Shikamaru's definitely not my boyfriend, you idiot, so shut up before I'll have to make you", she all but hissed.
Kankuro grinned wistfully while rubbing his head. " And still you knew exactly who I was talking about."
This time – smartened up by the first hit – he managed to dodge Temari's attack.
Gaara was just about to cut the duos juvenile bickering, when something caught his attention. His careful eyes moved swiftly as something – or rather, someone – moved in the trees only a small distance from him. It was a figure dressed into a black hood that covered even face from sight. The figure was obviously about to dig out something from the covers of fabric. His eyes flashed as he realized. " Temari, Kankuro, down, NOW!"
Only a second later, three deafeningly loud bangs were heard as the explosives the assailant had thrown hit the ground, only a step from them, striking them down.
" Holy shit!" Kankuro barked out while getting up.
Temari's eyes were filled with extreme annoyance as she dusted her clothes. " Who the hell was that jackass?"
Gaara didn't say a word while his thoughtful eyes kept staring towards the direction to which the hooded enemy had disappeared. He knew that especially for a village's leader, it was stupid to sprint after some random attacker. But this one breathed out something that told him it was worth taking the chance.
Before Kankuro or Temari could do a thing to stop him, he'd sprinted off, soundlessly speeding to follow the intruder's tracks.
For quite a long time they leapt from one tree to another, until the intruder apparently sensed him following. They both froze completely in an instant, waiting for the other to make the first move. The only sound heard was wind blowing through trees.
In the end, it was he who spoke first. " Who are you?" he demanded in a voice that reminded him painfully lot of the one he'd used the first time he'd came into this village. At the moment, however, his tone wasn't exactly the most important thing on his mind. His eyes narrowed. " What are you doing in Konoha?"
It was then he saw it. Although he was so far it was practically impossible to be sure, he could be almost certain that the symbol decorating the person's black hood, located nearby neck, was a symbol he'd became much too familiar with.
His eyes narrowed even further. " The Akatsuki…"
He was fast. But no living being could've been fast enough to dodge the attack that came.
Despite himself, he gave a faint gasp when explosives the attacker had thrown hit the branch he'd been standing on, immediately smashing it to thousands of pieces and sending him falling in a mad speed. Falling towards the ground that was far, far too much below him.
A sick feeling came into the pit of his stomach as he sunk into emptiness, too rapidly to be able to grab a hold on something, his eyes still nailed to the invader that disappeared into a puff of smoke. Without a demon protecting him, he was sure it'd be the last thing he'd ever see – and it would've been, if it weren't for a twist of fate.
He just managed to restrain another gasp of surprise and pain when a sudden firm hold grabbed his wrist, causing his whole body to yank painfully. In a couple of moments he was pulled to a strong branch, into safety.
As he turned his gaze, he met a pair of pale-coloured eyes. " You alright?" Neji's voice carried something he didn't remember finding from it the last time they'd met.
He nodded slowly, feeling embarrassment mixing with so many other emotions it surprised him. (Fortunately, none of those managed to reach surface.) In a moment he was able to find his voice. " So the rumours about the Akatsuki becoming more active aren't only such."
Neji nodded sombrely. The Hyuuga then opened his mouth to say something more, but became cut off when Temari and Kankuro appeared to the opening below them. " What the hell happened?" the latter demanded, glancing around with wary eyes.
He frowned, also looking around. Becoming ambushed was something that shouldn't have happened to him; he hated this feeling. " An enemy attacked me", he admitted through tightly gritted teeth, eyes narrowing slightly. " I couldn't see the face, but I noticed what looked like the Akatsuki's symbol."
He could see the two shudder, as they got the exact same though he had.
The Akatsuki was becoming serious. Things were becoming even more dangerous than they had been so far.
There was something that looked distinctly like protectiveness in Temari's eyes as his words sunk in. " Let's go to the village already. There's no point in staying here and waiting for more of those creeps to show up."
The others didn't hesitate to agree.
Ino had been sure her shift would never end, but eventually she was allowed to step out of the hospital. A smirk rising to her lips, she sucked her lungs full of fresh air. She could've never imagined something as simple as breathing could possibly feel as good as it did.
As she walked towards home, her eyes suddenly caught movement. Turning her head, she was forced to blink a bit. " Sai?"
Not too far away, the boy was walking – or rather, limping – towards his home, something in his eyes clearly giving away that he was in a lot of pain.
Before she even knew it, she'd already sprinted to him, almost managing to startle him. Her eyes widened as she saw all the cuts and bruises, most of them visibly painful, grazing his pale flesh. " What the heck happened to you?" she gasped.
Despite pain, Sai managed his usual smiling mask. " The mission was a little rougher than expected", he explained.
Yet again functioning before fist processing it, she'd wrapped one arm around him, supporting him. For a moment Sai tensed up completely, then leaned just slightly against her. " C'mon, let's go and get those wounds of yours checked up." Sakura and Lee would just have to spend one more hour with Izumi without her. This was more important.
Sai's smile remained, although she could see something between surprise and discomfort behind it. " There's no need for you to waste your time. I'm fine."
She rolled her eyes and growled. It wasn't until then she realized how close they were (as well as how much she liked it deep down), and found it hard to fight off a blush. " Stop being so damn stubborn. You need medic's help." Not daring to look towards him, she added as an afterthought. " And for the record… I don't consider it a waste of time."
Their journey continued in a comfortable silence.
During his life, Naruto had been through a lot of pain, tons more than he should've been able to even endure. But that rainy late afternoon, he came dangerously close to cracking apart.
One by one people walked up to the picture of Jiraiya and slowly laid down one flower, rain mercifully hiding how badly they were breaking ninja-rules.
Just when it was his turn, he jumped upon feeling a hand on his shoulder. As he turned his gaze, for this one, blissful moment his mind managed to trick him and he stared into onyx pools. But soon enough the illusion faded, and he met Iruka's face. " Why don't we go together?"
He nodded, fighting between gratitude and disappointment.
Steps slow and heavy, he walked up to the stone. His hands had never trembled as badly as they did when he placed the flower amongst all the others, his gaze becoming lost to the picture of his former teacher, to the eyes he'd never come across again.
Never again.
As that realization started to sink in, he felt something inside bend and crack under its weight. And at that moment no ninja rule could hold him back. Warm tears blended suavely to ice-cold raindrops when he buried his face into one hand, powerless against the flood. He didn't even realize what was happening when Iruka guided him gently to where they'd been standing before.
After that, everything became a haze for him.
-
As Iruka heard yet another choked sound leave the teen stood beside him, his eyes travelled downwards towards the blonde's face. The sight made his heart wrench. Naruto was shivering like a leaf, and he was fairly certain that most of the moisture on the blonde's cheeks wasn't rain.
It was obvious this was all becoming far too much for the teen's shoulders to carry.
As a pale sign of sympathy, he rested his hand onto Naruto's shoulder, although he knew that he would never be able to give the teen the support he would've needed.
After what most likely felt like infinity for Naruto (for it felt almost like such to even him), the ceremony was over. The teen, however, didn't move a muscle while everyone else started to leave, eyes staring at the picture and flowers before it.
Giving a sigh that disappeared into rain, he spoke in a sadness-tinged tone. " Come on, Naruto. Let's get you home."
The teen followed numbly, most likely having no real clue of where he was being taken.
In Sasuke's hollow world, there was a disturbance – a flutter of such darkness and utter sadness it was barely human.
He frowned, not understanding. These feelings weren't his own.
Very un-Uchiha-likely, he was startled when there was all of a sudden a voice he'd never heard in here before. It was almost disturbingly familiar, but he just couldn't name it, no matter how hard he tried. " So you can feel it too, can't you?" The voice was very different from those he usually heard. It didn't echo everywhere, instead sounded warmer, sharper and clearer, as though it'd been coming from somewhere much closer.
His frown deepened, all of him prepared for a fight. " Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"
The voice ignored him. " He needs you, Sasuke."
He snorted. " What makes you think I'd care?" He couldn't understand why he was responding to some voice inside his head, but he figured that if he was going insane, he could as well fall hard.
There was a chuckle. " I know you far better than you know yourself. That's why I can tell you never managed to cut your bond with Naruto as effectively as you believe. You're still attached."
" I tried to kill him", he pointed out rather dryly. " More than once, actually. Doesn't that tell you everything there is to know about our 'bond'?"
" If you would've really wanted to kill him, he'd be dead by now", the voice stated matter-of-factly, sounding almost amused. " Besides, you were affected by his sadness not too long ago – it almost managed to pull you back."
He growled, beginning to get extremely irritated. " That was a stupid slip up, alright?" he barked out. " It'll never happen again."
" Then why are you so determined to prove me wrong?"
Real or not, he was now fully ready to strangle to source of that voice. " I don't care about him, damnit! How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?!"
" No matter how many times you keep screaming it out, it won't be true", the voice pointed out. " You're not in Orochimaru and the Cursed Seal's grips anymore, Sasuke. You're free to feel – and live." With that, the voice vanished, leaving him to seethe with fury.
Soon enough, the other voices he was already far too familiar with engulfed his mind again, wiping away the dawning, dangerous realization that perhaps – just perhaps – the voice had been right.
When Naruto was finally able to actually realize something again, he found himself from his bed, with a mug of something that'd probably once been hot placed to a small table beside it. Underneath the mug was a note from Iruka.
If you want to talk, you know where to find me.
Try to get some sleep.
His head still hazy, he rubbed his sore eyes, finding that his skin felt strange after all the tears that'd dried to it. He really wished he could've slept; maybe everything would be okay again in the morning, and this – Jiraiya, Sasuke – would turn out to be just a sick nightmare.
Just then, so sharply that he jolted, he could feel someone watching him, and his eyes flew wide under the hands that'd covered them.
What the…?
Ever so slowly, he turned his gaze, sensing something nearby him. His tear-filled eyes widened still when he spotted a raven sitting on a sill of his open window, looking at him with its head tilted. And suddenly, warmth flowed into his chest.
As he kept staring, the bird made a loud screech before rising to its wings and flying towards still crying skies, disappearing.
And for a first time that miserable day, he found himself smiling, just a little, under a wave of oddest comfort.
Not much later, he fell asleep, completely exhausted by the storm inside him.
Kakashi wasn't fully certain exactly what it was that drove him to the memorial stone yet again that night. Perhaps all that'd happened recently was finally becoming too much for him.
Eventually – having managed to drive all other shadows away – he found his hand squeezing tightly around the pink ribbon he'd received not too long ago, as though the item had been his single ray of hope, link to sanity. His gaze locked to a certain name on the stone.
Could it really be that there was someone he hadn't lost, after all?
His careful ears twitched ever so slightly before he spoke. " How's Naruto?"
In a moment, Iruka was stood beside him. There was a dark look upon the teacher's face. " I… honestly don't know. I can't even imagine." The man sighed. " I left him to his bed, though I'm pretty sure he won't stay there."
He nodded, making a mental note to have a long talk with Naruto very soon. He wasn't about let another one of his former students fall into shadows as well.
They remained there in silence for a longest time, grimly going through all the names imprinted to stone before them and finding that Jiraiya's had already been placed amongst them. So many lost lives, several of them almost forgotten…
Eventually, the sight becoming too much for him, Iruka started to leave. " I'll go and see how Naruto's doing. I just figured you'd like to know."
" Thank you." Even he was surprised by how utterly sincere his voice was.
Iruka nodded, then started to walk away.
The other was almost out of earshot when he finally got the courage to utter what he'd been about to since the brunette arrived. " Iruka… She could still be alive."
Although he didn't turn around, he could feel the brunette freeze and tense up. It took several beats before there was a voiced response. " What?"
He swallowed, then decided it was safe to try out his voice. " She… gave me this a few days ago." He showed Iruka the ribbon, although he wasn't sure if the man was looking. " She may still be alive. She could've been right here."
Iruka remained silent for a longest time, until finally speaking in a voice that sounded strangely hollow, completely uncharacteristic. " You need to stop torturing yourself with those illusions", the other all but whispered. After a while, there was almost pained addition. " She… She's not coming back." With that, steps distanced and disappeared.
His visible eye gained a strange look he only allowed to show when he was alone, still locked to the name on the stone.
/ " I'll come back, Kakashi-kun. I promise." /
He wasn't sure if it was stupid or not, but he wasn't ready to let go of hope just yet. If there was even a slightest chance that she was still alive, he wouldn't give up.
Too many people had already slipped away from him. This one was something he was determined to hold on to.
Shikamaru was most certainly smart, but he wasn't the most observant person around, especially during cloud gazing rather early in the morning. That's why he didn't notice the storm of kunais until they'd already sunken to the ground all around him.
Bolting into a sitting position, his hand reaching out for a weapon, he turned his head abruptly – and his eyes gained a bored glare when facing the person stood behind him. " I should've known it was you."
Temari smirked, one kunai still dangling on her fingers. " And I should've known you've been lazing around here when I'm not keeping an eye on you."
He found himself emitting a groan, feeling heat of irritation rising to his neck and face. Troublesome. " I'm not lazing around. I'm just taking a break." Deciding to spare the little dignity he still had left, he switched topic. " What are you doing in Konoha, anyway?" There was no need to give her the pleasure of finding out that in reality, he was disturbingly pleased by the fact.
She shrugged. " We heard rumours that the Akatsuki is becoming a problem again and decided to check out what's going on."
For a moment, he felt like snapping that Konoha had everything well under control, but then decided against it; there was no real need to rile Temari up (and frankly, he didn't wish to face her pissed off). So, instead, he nodded. After a longest moment his mouth worked before he had a slightest chance to stop it. " I was just about to go and get something to eat. In case you're not too busy with ambushing people, do you want to come along?"
He could actually feel how close to bursting into laughter she came. " I can't believe this…" Her eyes locked with his, and he cursed the heat that rose to his cheeks despite all struggle. " Did you just attempt to ask me out?"
He glared at her, more irritated with himself than her (although he didn't realize it at the time), then snorted. " Don't flatter yourself."
But, of course, Temari was no fool. A grin remained plastered to her face. " Next time, try a different approach and I may consider actually answering you." With that, she waved a hand and started to walk away. " See you around, Shika-kun."
He kept glaring at her distancing back, without noticing it folding his arms like a brooding five-year-old.
Someday, someway, he'd make her pay for that one. He just had no idea of how yet.
" Too damn troublesome", he grunted to himself, completely unaware of the blush lingering on his cheeks.
Chouji's voice almost caused him to jump. " What's troublesome?"
He looked towards his best friend with a dry expression. " Chouji, do yourself a favour and don't ever associate with the female population." He then started to walk. " Now let's go and get something to eat. I'm starving."
Chouji nodded and followed, knowing much better than to ask more.
Although he would've never admitted it out loud, Kankuro had always liked Konoha in a way. All the green and life… He found it refreshing after the sand and heat he'd grown used to.
Those thoughts were abruptly cut by a smallest, restrained voice. It took him a while to discover the source, but when he did he blinked with confusion.
There – sitting on a ground – was most likely less than two years old, white-haired boy who had a small wound on his knee, sobbing silently.
After hesitating a moment – carefully keeping an eye open in case of a overprotective mother who could easily take his approach the wrong way – he walked up to the boy and kneeled down, using all of his skills to create a what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. " Hey, kid. What are you doing out here all alone? Where's your mother?"
For a moment the child stared at him with what looked suspiciously lot like fright (most likely terrified by his looks), until dark-blue eyes narrowed threateningly. " Don't!"
He gulped thickly.
Oh shit…
He'd never been exactly fluent with kids. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He opened his mouth – although he had no clue of what he'd been about to say – but became interrupted by a swishing sound. In just a moment, a shuriken slammed to a nearby wall, carefully missing both him and the child. " That was a warning. Step away from my son, or the next one hits your head."
Turning around, he met a white-haired girl, and a pair of milky white eyes. He wasn't sure which feeling inside took over – surprise, embarrassment or anger towards himself.
A blind girl? I was ambushed by a blind girl?
" I wasn't about to harm him." He was stunned his voice actually worked. " He was here all alone. I was just going to make sure he's alright."
As the boy rushed over to his mother and the girl held him tightly, her expression melted ever so slightly. " Hajime, I've told you not to run off like this. You scared me, badly!" She then looked at him, darting surprisingly skilfully straight to his eyes. There was a faint hint of a blush on her cheeks. " I suppose I owe you an apology."
He waved a hand, only too late realizing that it was pointless. His cheeks – whole face, actually – felt oddly hot. " Don't worry about it."
She tilted her head – almost like able to see something – and was clearly about to say something until Ino's appearance interrupted her. " Izumi, here you are!" Relief flashed in the blonde's blue eyes when they spotted the child safely in his mother's arms. " Thank goodness, you found him!" The girl then blinked with surprise when noticing him. " Kankuro?"
" I think we should return to the safe house", Izumi's voice sounded before he had to give any explanations. They could both see that Hajime was barely awake in her arms. " Hajime's exhausted after this adventure. He needs rest."
Ino nodded. " 'K."
All the former coldness gone, there was a warm, yet somewhat guarded smile upon Izumi's face as she looked at him once more. " I'll see you around, Kankuro."
All he could bring himself to do was nod. And after a couple of seconds she turned around and started to walk away. (Had he not been so worked up, he would've seen the amusement and traces of barely controllable laughter upon Ino's face.)
He found himself staring at her distancing back, and his eyes refused to move even after she'd already disappeared.
So filled with other things his mind was, that he jolted when there was suddenly a familiar laughter. Turning his head, he found Temari, who was leaning against a wall of a house not too far away. His expression darkened. " Now for how long have you been standing there?"
She managed to stop laughing, but a grin remained. " Long enough." She then started to move. " Now let's go. Gaara said something about a meeting."
He nodded and started to walk with her, relieved by the change of topic.
As he saw her grin widen still, he realized his relief had been premature. " Now what?"
" You know, this is the first time I've ever seen you blush", she stated in a sly tone, her gaze sweeping towards him. " You look incredibly adorable."
He gave her a warning look. " Shut it."
Temari remained silent, but the infuriating smirk didn't disappear (nor did his blush, unfortunately, although he had no idea of what it was all about). He could've sworn he heard her snicker.
Shino had always preferred training alone. That preference became even stronger that day, as he was desperately trying to make Kiba concentrate on their sparring session.
When his fist had almost managed to crush the brunette's jaw, he decided that something needed to be done before he'd end up causing unnecessary bodily harm. " If you can't concentrate better than that, why did you even come here?"
Kiba made a snarl while rubbing the cheek he'd just hit. " Well how the heck am I supposed to concentrate when… when…" Growing frustrated with his lack of words, Kiba eventually pointed towards something behind him. " Well, look!"
He turned his head, and could've smacked his forehead.
Quite close by but still far enough to not hear the sounds they made, obviously not having spotted them, Hinata was just slipping into the rather cool water of a pond. Water sparkled in sunlight while splashing all around her.
His left eyebrow started to twitch, and he could barely keep himself from rolling his eyes.
Oh, for the love of…
Kiba emitted a small yelp when he smacked the brunette again. " Hey, what the hell was that for?! I thought we were taking a break!"
He wondered if a third hit would cause brain damage, in the end deciding that it wasn't worth finding out after all. " So you see nothing wrong with spying on a naked girl – your team mate?" he spoke in an extremely dry tone.
In a flash, Kiba's face gained a shade of brighter red than he'd ever seen before, even upon Hinata's face. " I… I wasn't… s-spying! I… I was just… looking!" Knowing that there was no talking his way out of this, the still blushing boy then swallowed thickly. " You… You won't tell her, right?"
" I won't", he promised in his usual tone. " But if I'll ever catch you doing that again, I'll tell Neji."
In a blink, the flush disappeared as Kiba's face turned chalk-white. The boy had to swallow thickly before he could speak. " You wouldn't do that!"
As surprisingly amusing as grilling Kiba turned out to be, the fun came to a stop when he spotted something he should've probably sensed a long time ago. He frowned while his eyes followed a girl with dark brown hair and strange, fire-filled brown eyes standing on a tree branch quite far, looking straight towards him. But her appearance or the fact that she'd managed to spy on him weren't what alarmed him. For what he found extremely unnerving was that on her she had the Akatsuki's traditional cloak.
" Kiba." His sharp tone managed to reach the brunette, who'd (despite all his threats) been staring at Hinata again while the girl got out of water and left. " Go and get backup. The Akatsuki's sneaking around here."
Kiba's eyes widened for a second before they hardened. The boy nodded, then glanced towards Akamaru who was now standing up, obviously sensing a chance for action. " C'mon, boy. It's go-time." The brunette's eyes were flashing while sweeping towards him. " Don't you dare start out any fun without me."
He nodded, then watched his team mate's disappearing back for a second. As soon as Kiba was out of sight, he turned his gaze towards the direction in which the girl had been. Just like he'd expected, she was gone.
He knew that it was stupid and dangerous to go after something like members of the Akatsuki alone. But he couldn't just let her escape, either, not when he was this close.
Leafs and tree branches sighed under his steps as he sped through the trees, hoping that his hesitation hadn't cost too much time already. Just as he was about to lose hope, he caught sight of black fabric and braked while making a steep turn. On a branch not too far away was stood the girl he'd been chasing. " I figured you'd catch me eventually."
He frowned. She sounded almost like it'd been a good thing. Was this a trap of some sort?
The girl, seeming to read his mind, spoke again. " There's no need to be so tense. If I'd want you dead, I would've already killed you."
His frown became even deeper, hand reached out for a weapon. " Then what do you want from me?"
" I need you deliver a message", the girl stated, her eyes becoming far more stern. " The Akatsuki is far closer to the point of attacking than Konoha thinks. If they don't get prepared soon, the village will be ambushed and all will be lost."
His suspicion didn't diminish any, whereas confusion grew tenfold. " Why should I trust you?"
She seemed almost irritated. " Just deliver that message, will you? If Tsunade-sama doesn't believe you, tell her greetings from Aihiko." Faster than his lips managed to move, the girl performed hand seals. " I've gotta go now. I trust you to do as I told you – for the sake of Konoha."
He prepared himself for absolutely anything, but in the end all that came was a huge puff of smoke. When it disappeared the girl was gone.
-
Hopping towards her impatiently waiting partner, Suzume grit her teeth with extreme annoyance.
She could only hope the boy had believed her warning. Otherwise, there wouldn't be anything left of Konoha quite soon.
" What took you so long?" Kisame demanded.
She made a sound of irritation. " I had to take care of a parasite following."
Kisame scoffed as they started to move. " I don't understand why you didn't just finish off that nuisance. It would've been much faster."
" There's no point in unnecessary blood shedding." She arched an eyebrow when the man made an amused sound. " Care to share?"
A strange look appeared to Kisame's face. " You just sounded like someone I used to know."
For one moment, her curiosity almost took a best of her, but in the end she decided that she probably didn't want to know. The less she'd get attached the better.
They ventured on in without any further communication, she deep in thought and Kisame sulking while muttering something about being stuck with a brat.
It was already dark and the rain had long since stopped when Tsunade approached the picture and flowers, her steps slow and soundless. She allowed her fingers to cares the picture and cold stone while she laid her flower ever so gently.
It was almost amusing how feeling too much managed to wipe her eyes blank while they were directed towards the face she'd never see again in anything but more pictures like this.
" You know… I always imagined you'd be the last one left of us three. I could've never pictured someone like you could actually… be gone." Her voice worked before she managed to register the thought coming to her. A small, bitter laughter followed. " Looks like I just lost another bet."
For a moment she closed her eyes, and fought the urge to reach out her hand to touch when she could've sworn there was warm pressure somewhere around her mid-back.
It took quite a while before she managed to speak again, uttering words that should've been spoken a long time ago. " You know what's the most ridiculous thing?" She swallowed, but it didn't help a slightest with removing the tart taste from her mouth. " If you'd asked again, just one more time… I may have said 'yes'." She should've said 'yes' a long time ago. Maybe then, if she hadn't been so damn stubborn and foolish, maybe…
She grit her teeth so tightly it hurt, sucked in a deep, shaky breath. What good did maybes do now, anyway?
Her eyes then softened again, almost teared up, before she spoke once more. " Be sure to watch over us from up there, you old pervert. Don't you dare forget about us."
For this one, ridiculous moment, she thought about bringing her fingers to lips and then brushing the stone to send the kiss forward, but decided against it. It was much too late, anyway. So, instead, she turned around and started to walk away. She couldn't bring herself to glance over her shoulder even when she could've sworn she heard steps following her.
Of course, Tsunade couldn't have possibly known that there was also someone who was very much alive observing her.
Danzou's face filled with darkest satisfaction, and his eyes flashed.
He'd known Tsunade wasn't strong enough from the very beginning, had anticipated that her softness and naivety would destroy the village. This only confirmed those thoughts.
Whatever it'd take, he'd wipe her out of the way before she'd cause any further damage. He'd already waited well long enough. Now, it was finally time for a lot of things to change around Konoha and leaves to fall.
His time had finally arrived.
Around the same time, Naruto (who'd only just managed to convince himself into getting out of the bed) wasn't too stunned when he found his way into Sasuke's hospital room. The raven looked exactly like he'd been sleeping now that someone had finally given in and closed his dulled eyes. " Hey, teme. I'm sorry I didn't come this morning", he greeted, his voice far more rough and scratchy than it should've been.
He stood still by the doorway for a moment, until he came to a conclusion that at the moment, pride didn't mean a slightest.
He could've sworn Sasuke shuddered a little when he climbed into the bed to lie next to the other and wrapped his arms firmly, determinedly, around the raven, cuddling close. To diminish some embarrassment, he closed his eyes, pretending that the situation wasn't as questionable as it was. " This… This has been a crappy couple of days, you know?" he murmured, struggling to keep his emotions at least somewhat in check just in case Sasuke could hear him. " Jiraiya… was buried, and… everyone seems to think you're going to…"
He could still precisely recall the look that'd been on Sakura's face when she'd explained to him that there was only so much medics could do if Sasuke remained like this. If he wouldn't wake up and start eating, get stronger, soon…
He buried his face into the unresponsive raven's shoulder, taking in the boy's reassuring scent. " Why can't you just wake up, damnit?" Dams were broken, and two of the tears he'd been fighting furiously against leaked out. " You've been sleeping for weeks already, damnit! What the hell is it that you're too afraid of to come back?" He grit his teeth, but didn't manage to smother the storm inside. " Can't you hear how much you'd be needed here?! Come back!"
After a moment, upon realizing that his desperate words wouldn't change a thing, he swallowed heavily and managed to regain at least a small part of his composure. After giving it a quick thought, he took one of Sasuke's ice-cold hands and started to rub it tenderly, just like he'd seen medics do, as though the gesture could've forced life into the muscles.
-
In his cold, dark reality, Sasuke grit his teeth upon feeling yet another disturbance.
Why can't that idiot just give up already and leave me alone?
The voice that seemed to enjoy of him being tortured chuckled. " He's been holding on for almost three years already. What on earth makes you think he'd give up now?" The voice didn't surprise or startle him anymore. After all that'd happened, falling into insanity felt almost comforting. Besides, if kept him from hearing all those other torturing voices, he welcomed it with open arms.
" How many freaking times do I have to tell you?" he barked out. " I broke all bonds I'd ever formed! He's nothing to me!"
The voice chuckled again. " You have quite a bit to learn about breaking bonds." There was a small pause. " You do understand that he's never going to give up, right? As long as he lives, he'll keep reaching out for you."
He scoffed. " That's because he's an idiot."
" Out of you two, I don't believe he's the bigger idiot."
He shot a heated look upwards, hoping that whoever the speaker was saw it (if it was real, that is).
He could almost feel a roll of eyes. " That was very mature."
For a long time he maintained the sulking silence, until he finally cracked. " I don't understand." It came through tightly clenched teeth, the words tasting more bitter than acid to spit out. " Why the hell am I still here? Why aren't you just letting me die?" Didn't he deserve to die, after all?
" Whatever makes you think it'd be in my power to decide whether you live or die?"
" You seem to know everything", he replied sourly. " It'd be fitting if you'd have control over everything as well."
" Still a little smartass, I see", the voice observed dryly. " So you haven't learned anything from the time you've been bombarded by those memories."
At that moment, his limit became crossed. He'd been keeping his emotions blocked for years. Now, the hurricane finally erupted. " I'm an asshole! Don't you think I know that already?!" he bellowed to the black coldness. He was beyond relieved there were no tears in this place. (Or, at least, he didn't feel them.) " I hurt my friends many times! I betrayed everyone! I… I…!" The last one was the hardest and most painful to utter. " I killed my own brother! I… I killed Itachi!" It took several minutes before he was composed enough to form another word. His eyes were on fire, but he still couldn't feel tears. " I don't deserve to die. Is that what you want me to say? I deserve to spend forever here. This, those memories and this place… They're my punishment."
" Yes." The voice sounded surprisingly soft and sad. " This is your punishment. But I or some… higher powers aren't the ones who've set it for you."
His eyebrows furrowed. " What are you talking about?"
The voice remained silent, as though listening to something he couldn't hear. " Naruto needs you, Sasuke. Far more than seems to fit into that thick skull of yours."
He snorted. " What makes you think I could do a thing for him from here?" He then hurried to add. " Even if I'd want to."
He could've sworn he felt a warm brush on his forehead. " You were ordered to live, Sasuke. So live, and stop running away from the damage you've caused. You owe that much – to everyone."
He allowed his eyes to close – clueless as to what drove him into doing so – and for this faintest moment a thick, sterile smell smacked him right against his face, and he could feel something warm wrapped around one of his hands, rubbing gently. Had his mouth worked even slightly, he would've emitted a exclaim of surprise.
But then, as fast as these new sensations had appeared, they disappeared, transforming into something else entirely. He blinked uncharacteristically with surprise when he found himself standing on a cliff, furious waves below him nearly reaching out to touch his feet.
The first surprise fading, he frowned.
What was this place? Had he finally crossed the borderline – was that what those strange sensations had been all about? Was he…?
" The tricks Madara put on you are finally wearing off. You managed to break free from that", the voice that'd became familiar to him explained. " You've still got a fighter's spirit, I see."
He glanced around with suspicion, but still saw no one. " Then what are you still doing inside my head?"
" I've got a feeling that you'll need me for a little while longer to be able to go back."
It took was silent for a moment, during which he found himself enjoying of the strange, tranquil atmosphere of the place. When he spoke again, his voice was much calmer than before, almost like that of one who was at peace with their fate. " What are you expecting me to do?"
Sensing the change in him, the voice sounded amused. " Finally trusting, are we?" There was a small pause. " Sasuke, I want you to jump and let go."
His eyes widened with disbelief. " What?!"
" It's the only way. Either you sink, or pull through again – it all depends on the weight you're carrying, and whether you're willing to let go of it or not." Then, apparently not bothering to explain those cryptic words, the voice went on. " But you must hurry. You already gave Naruto a shimmer of hope. Maybe soon enough, you'll be strong enough to help him through what is to come. It's high time for you to repay some of what he's done for you."
He frowned, no matter how many times he'd told himself he didn't care. " What the hell are you talking about?"
But for once, the voice remained silent. Frown staying firmly on its place, he allowed his gaze to travel downwards. What the voice had said moments ago resumed in his head.
" … jump and let go …"
Knowing that he was alone, that no one would ever know about the moment of insanity, he gave a sound of amusement. " I must be out of my mind."
He shouldn't have trusted that voice, of that he was fairly sure. But then again… What did he have to lose?
Sucking his lungs full (despite the fact that there didn't even seem to be air in this bizarre place), he closed his eyes slowly and jumped into emptiness, towards hungry waves and sharp stones, for once in his life trusting himself into the unsteady arms of fate.
-
Naruto had almost dozed off, still rubbing Sasuke's hand, when something happened that made his entire world make a strange spin. It was barely traceable, but the fingers he was holding… They twitched, as though reaching out for a hold.
His eyes flew wide as they shot towards the raven's closed ones. " S – Sasuke?" he gasped ever so slightly, his whole body starting to tremble. " Can you hear me?"
There was no reaction, no another twitch. Sasuke's chest was still moving just as faintly as it had before. But he wasn't about to let this shimmer of hope become crushed, not when it was this strong.
The hold almost desperate, he took Sasuke still cold hand and squeezed. " I'm not going to lose you too, bastard", he announced. Something thick and heavy appeared into his throat, but he managed to swallow it away. " I can't lose you too."
With that resolute thought, he decided to go and find a medic. Perhaps there'd be something good about this hellish couple of days after all.
Feeling surprisingly reluctant to do so, he let go of Sasuke's hand and walked into the hallway. He managed to take about five steps before a whisper-like voice halted his steps. ' So, kit… I see it's finally time.'
He blinked with confusion. " Huh?"
Then, completely without warning, a wave of wooziness came, followed by pain unlike anything he could've ever imagined.
He gasped while leaning heavily against a wall, for he couldn't find his voice to scream, and grit his teeth against the mind numbing pain. It felt like his insides had been on fire, like something had been pushing towards surface. And it was then he realized.
His eyes widened while he kept panting.
Kyuubi…
There was a chuckle inside his head. ' For exactly how long do you think you can fight against me, especially after having relied on my powers for so many times? I can sense you're weakening. Just give in already, kit.'
His eyes were just barely under his control as they moved towards sounds of approaching steps. A frown furrowed Sakura's eyebrows as she saw his condition. " Naruto?"
He tried to shout out, tried to tell her to run away before he'd crumble under the demon's crushing force, but all he got out was a desperate mew.
Her frown deepening still, Sakura walked towards him. " Naruto, what's wrong?" And then, it dawned on her. Her eyes grew incredibly sad. " It's the Kyuubi, isn't it?"
Still he tried to scream, still he attempted to reach out for her, but the pain inside became so intense that it crushed all attempts of forming a word.
Squeezing his eyes as tightly shut as humanly possible, he managed to emit a small whimper before his legs gave way and his thoughts became cloudy as the Kyuubi kept struggling for control.
-
There weren't many times in her life Sakura would've been as terrified as she was when Naruto slumped against her all of a sudden, his skin burning-hot and red chakra seeping through. " Naruto!" she cried out. " Naruto, you have to fight it!" Despite the fact that touching him was almost painful, she held on tight, determined to not let another friend slip into darkness. " You're stronger than this, damnit! You have to snap out of it!"
She had no idea of whether he heard her or not, but in some moments his skin started to return to normal, slowly but surely, leaving him shuddering in her hold.
Her head was filled with a panicked whirr as she stared at him.
What the hell was that about? Why's Kyuubi doing something like this all of a sudden?
Her thoughts were soon washed away when she heard a faintest whisper just before Naruto slipped into unconsciousness. " H – Help me, Sa – Sasuke…"
Her eyes widened with surprise, then darkened while darting towards the door through which Naruto had recently walked.
Sasuke-kun, you have to wake up, please wake up. She glanced towards the now limp body laying in her arms. For both of your sakes.
" Sakura?" Her head snapping to side, she found Shizune. The woman's eyes widened as she saw Naruto. " What happened?"
She swallowed thickly. " The Kyuubi."
Shizune's face shadowed as she nodded sullenly. After a moment, the woman walked up to her, helping her haul Naruto up from the floor. Both could immediately tell he'd lost weight during the past weeks. " Let's get him to bed", the raven stated in a voice that clearly gave away she was deep in thought. " I… I don't know what to do to help him, but Tsunade-sama will. I'll ask her to see him as soon as possible."
Sakura nodded, but in reality her thoughts were entirely elsewhere.
They… They were already losing Sasuke, and now…
Her eyes hardened.
No. Naruto was strong, and so was Sasuke. They would both make it through this, they wouldn't let go. They were too damn stubborn to give up like this.
She had to believe in them, because at the moment that was the only thing keeping her from falling to the floor and starting to scream.
In the Akatsuki's hideout, lack of light only emphasized the effectiveness of Pein's eyes as they observed Kisame and Suzume while the duo entered. " Was the scouting mission successful?"
Kisame nodded. " Sasuke's still an easy target. But we'll better hurry up. The Kyuubi is about to break out of control."
This time Pein nodded, not surprised. He'd expected this much. His gaze then turned towards Zetsu. " What about the other remaining container?"
" She's still out of Konoha. But she'll head back very soon."
His eyes flashed. It seemed things were going even better than he'd expected.
" Oh yeah, and you should know…", Kisame spoke out once more. " It seems that idiot – Danzou, wasn't it – is planning on taking over Konoha. If his plans succeed, there'll be a revolution very soon. Konoha will be vulnerable – even though Suna's appeared and most likely offers help."
" That won't be a problem. We'll be able to keep them all busy", he stated, eyes gleaming. He'd never been this close to achieving his goal before. It felt intoxicating. But still, he couldn't afford to get careless just yet. He spoke again after a moment. " As soon as the second container is in the village, we'll strike – we can't risk the Uchiha waking up and the Kyuubi slipping from our reach." His eyes became as dark as the shadows around him. " Soon enough, both Tailed Beasts will be ours, and the Ninja world will be on its knees. And there's nothing Konoha can do to stop that."
TBC??
A/N: And the plot is beginning to thicken!
(cringes) Oh damn, I'm in a huge hurry right now, so I've gotta get going! Please do review, yeah? I still need a little bit help with maintaining my newfound inspiration. (sighs with irritation) Cookies and chocolate as a bribe to those who review! (grins irrisistably)
'Til next time, folks (unless, of course, you don't want such)! I really hope I'll be able to get back to you MUCH faster this time around!
Belladonna-Isabella: Heh, I'm so glad you liked that 'Sasuke barely awake' –scene – I had so much fun writing it! (pumps fist into air)
(chuckles) I can't wait to hear what you thought about my way of handling the characters properly 'getting into action' in this chapter. OCs are hard to create and even harder to like. I'm waiting with deep curiosity what happens with your relationship with those I've thrown into the mix. (smirks) (Could you believe that I'm not much of an OC shipper, especially with how eagerly I add in such? I must be a masochist!)
Massive thank yous for the reviewing! I sincerely hope you'll be staying around for more!
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Hisuinohebi: Weehee – I'm so glad you liked the scene with Naruto playing 'nurse' for Sasuke – you can't even imagine how much I loved writing it! (spins with joy)
HUGE thank yous for reviewing! See ya around, un?
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Halskr: Woah – you actually think this lil' fic well written?! Thank you so much!
Enormous thank yous for the breathtaking review – I'm so proud you've liked the story so far! I really hope you'll keep liking as the story progresses.
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Maci-bby.: I'm so glad you liked that scene with… Sasuke sensing Naruto – I was having a lot of fun writing it (so long as 'fun' is the right word…)! (performs an extremely embarrassing dance) (chuckles) But indeed, there is some brain activity going on! So hooray!
(wipes tears) Yeah, Jiraiya's dead. I was so sad when it happened in the manga – I can't believe Kishi-kun killed him! (keeps whimpering)
Massive thank yous for the incredible review – I'm beyond proud you've liked the story so far (as even consider me worthy of a yammy cookie)! Stay tuned, yeah?
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colgate.advanced.fresh: Thank you so much for reviewing – I'm so proud you liked the chapter! (jumps with joy) I really hope you'll be sticking around!
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Katsheswims: (sighs miserably) I really hope Sasuke will wake up soon, too – Naruto would need him so badly! (hugles)
Huge thank yous for the review – I'm so proud you consider the ficcy interesting! Stay tuned, yeah?
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DeathRow609: Woot – I'm so glad you've liked SasuNaru in this fic so far – I'm desperately in love with that pairing! (hugles them both until Sasuke attacks) And I'm so glad to inform that BOTH of your side-pair requests seem to be becoming reality. (grins from ear to ear)
Gigantic thank yous for reviewing! See ya around, yeah?
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ana-pj: (growls) I really hope Sasuke will wake up soon, too – Naruto would need him so badly! (hugles)
(wipes eyes) And poor Jiraiya – I'm still not over the fact that Kishi-kun killed him! (starts weeping)
Enormous thank yous for the review – I'm so happy you've liked the story so far, and I'll definitely work my hardest to keep it up! 'Hope I'll be seeing you around!
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shirilyle: Huge thank yous for reviewing – I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I really hope I'll be seeing you around!
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Kai's kitty: Hail to YAOI! (jumps all over the place with flags – until Sasuke comes and attacks)
(sniffles) I still miss Jiraiya so bad! (I'm not sure if I've completely forgiven Kishi-kun for killing him yet. I most certainly haven't forgiven Pein.) (hisses) (chuckles) Hey, you could be on to something! Kakashi-kun would be perfect for continuing Jiraiya's work!
And goodness, we agree there – Sasuke has to wake up SOON, can't he feel how Naruto needs him?! (starts shaking the raven until becomes attacked by furious Naruto)
(Oh, and hey! You had me so intrigued by trying out NejiGaara that I'm testing how it'll blend into this story. Unless it turns out to be a hopeless task – which doesn't seem to be happening thus far, yay! – or becomes flamed down it's got pretty good chances of coming through.) (keeps fingers crossed)
Enormous thank yous for reviewing, and let alone twice! I really hope you'll be staying tuned for more!
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Nadramon: (snickers) Ah, we seem to have some opinion-difference about characters – I love finding people with different opinions! I think Sasuke could've been feeling quite a bit when he faced his old team, actually – the last Uchiha is quite an actor. And at the time he also had the Cursed Seal making cold facade even easier to pull. But, naturally, I may be on an entirely wrong track – there's no one who could tell what goes on in the head of Uchiha Sasuke! (Except for Kishi-kun, of course…) Hmm, yes, Kakashi was indeed emotional. I tried to keep it on the pretty much same level as the shock he showed when facing Tobi. It's just un-Kakashi-like to go all shocked! (cringes)
So I'm not the only one fallen into the Mary Sue trap! (I still can't believe no one flamed me for it!) But I promise you, I'll do whatever it takes to dodge it this time! I can also promise you by my right hand that these two OCs won't steal the show. (shudders) Goodness how I hate it when that happens!
(chuckles) Yeah, I know I could reply to the reviews through e-mail. But I've found that I'm much too lazy for such, so I've decided to do it this way. (smirks sheepishly) Lazy me, huh? (Thanks for pointing it out, though!)
Thank you so much for the review – you have no idea of how happy I am to have an inspiring reader/reviewer like you along, not to mention that you've (mostly) liked the story so far! (And I'm so glad you liked Kisame's reaction, as well as the chapter in general.) I really hope I'll keep seeing you around!
(Btw, helpless Sasuke indeed rocks!) (snickers, despite Sasuke's glares)
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atemswhitetigermew: So I'm not the only one who think Naruto isn't… well, Naruto without Sasuke! (hugles) Poor thing! I really hope Sasuke wakes up – those two boneheads need each other so much!
Enormous thank yous for the baffling review – and listing the story to favourites, too! Stay tuned, yeah?
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Moriko-Demon: (blushes) You actually consider 'SOP' one of the best femSasu fics? Goodness – thank you so much! (hugs) I'm baffled by thinking someone would like a story of mine even tenth of THAT much!
Huge thank yous for the amazing review – I'm so proud you've liked so far, and I'll definitely work my hardest to maintain the quality! Stay tuned, yeah?