Love & Truth
11. Betrayal, Innocence
(Ayame-san's POV)
It happened when the dark was falling down onto the village. I was just about to go to sleep when I heard it. I was more than sure everyone from the village heard it.
Those heart-breaking screams filled with so much pain in it. The wind brought them to us.
I knew immediately, to whom that sorrowful voice belonged to.
„M-mama?" I suddenly heard from behind me. „I-Is that Namida-nee-chan?" Haru said, sniffling.
„I'm going to look, okay? Now you be a good boy and go to sleep." I said, tucking him in his bed seconds after.
He only nodded and dozed off soon as he was sleepy.
I took a raincoat to protect myself from rain and wind that raged outside and left the house.
The whole way to that solitary building at the edge of the village, my steps were accompanied by those cries of grief and anguish.
'What happened?'
L&T
I knocked on the main door, but no one answered. Then it occurred to me that maybe back door might be open, so I went around the house to check it.
It was not an empty garden what met my gaze, however.
I've seen Namida-san, hunched on the ground, on all four, punching the ground as if it would ease her suffering.
Then suddenly, she stood up, pressed her hands onto her ears, opened her mouth and let out a scream so loud and tormented, that I thought it might tear my heart-break in my ribcage.
Once she closed her mouth her eyes rolled over and she collapsed.
I reached her just in time to catch her limp body into my arms.
'What happened?'
L&T
I somehow managed to carry the unconscious woman to the house, setting her on the bed right after. She was sleeping out of exhaustion, so I did not expect her, to wake up anytime soon. As I stripped her clothes, so she wouldn't get cold, I noticed a huge tattoo on her stomach.
'What is this? I feel like I've heard about it...somewhere.'
I changed her into some clothes I found in the drawers. She shivered slightly and her breathing, that was laboured and sounded hoarse until now, turned calmer, as she slipped into deeper sleep, at least I thought so. As it did I noticed that her hair started changing colour. Also the whisker-like marks appeared on her cheeks.
It made her look like a fox.
'FOX! That's it...' Suddenly I remembered a conversation between Takeo and his friend, Kirai [hate].
This friend was from shinobi world. From ninja village called "Konoha".
During this specific talk this friend also mentioned a child carrying one of tailed demons inside its body. This child has been marked by a seal covering its stomach.
'But wasn't that a boy?... Ah... Never mind.'
I remember how angry I was at the stance of Kirai. He seemed disgusted by the very idea of it. Yet, from what I understood, it was not that child's choice, to have this demon as another inhabitant in its body, after all what choice could the baby have, being so young when the sealing happened? The way the man spoke of the child was simply not agreeable.
I still don't like it, when he comes to talk to Takeo, from time to time.
'Poor, innocent child...' I thought, covering Namida-san with blanket. How much did she come through in her life already?
As she started shaking violently I pulled another blanket over her and put a damp towel on her forehead, since I found it a bit feverish.
As I did so, I returned to the reason for this whole incident that just happened and my primary question appeared in my head once more.
'What happened?'
L&T
(Naruto's POV)
Nightmare...
That was surely what it was... Or was it not?
What I was seeing at the moment surely was.
It was my first dream, an actual one, in long time, since I waited for Sasuke on our meeting place pretty much every night from the time we started going out.
In this dream however, there were no flowery plains, there was blackness only, and in a midst of it, there stood Sasuke. This alone would have convinced me about unrealness of this scenery.
I saw Sasuke coming to me and just as I was about to open my mouth and say something, he turned into his cursed seal form, those strange hands-like wings included.
It was different from how it seemed on our first night together, which was a memory I cherished.
There was something different in his eyes, compared to that beautiful memory... A different something which I soon recognised to be an intent to kill.
„Teme..."
He did not even blink, as he came even closer to me. I saw Chidori flaring in his had as he materialized it, the chirping sound filling the air.
Then saying those hurtful words, he pierced it through my stomach.
„You betrayer."
I could hear our children's cries and shielded my ears from these cries by placing my hands over my ears as I fell onto my knees. The intensity of the cries did not lessen though.
I saw blood coming out of my insides, making a puddle around me. Its colour started changing, however. In few second only it changed into white. The symbol of innocence.
It was me who was sullying innocence of our children.
'They do not deserve to be born out of someone like me.'
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I did not notice Sasuke was still there, until I got yanked by my hair up to stand, only to be punched back onto the ground second later.
„I can't believe I ever wanted to have something with the likes of you." He spat, hovering atop of me.
I wanted to say something, but as I opened my mouth I got slapped.
„Don't you dare defy me."
'This is not Sasuke... This is not the real Sasuke...' I had to repeat to myself over and over, to keep the last bit of my sanity from slipping, keeping my eyes tightly shut.
„Maybe you can be of some last use..." I heard him say and dared to look up at him. I clearly recognized just what use that would be. This creature that called itself Sasuke in my nightmare had it written all over its face.
„No..." I pleaded weakly trying to get away from his grip. It was of no use however, he was way stronger than me.
„Please, no..." I said again as he started tearing my blood-soaked clothes away from my damaged body.
„You're worth only one last tryst." He smirked only, as he plunged deeply into me. I could not even find a power to cry out. I only went wide-eyed and opened my mouth in mute scream.
'This is not real... please... someone... Tell me that this is not real.'
L&T
(Ayame-san's POV)
Once I left Namida-san to sleep, I went to wash the dirt-soaked clothes.
As I returned to the bedroom to check on the poor girl for the last time before going home I noticed that she was shivering wildly.
I took few steps to get closer to the bed and I saw her clutching onto her stomach. I was not sure whether I should try to wake her up. My trail of thoughts was stopped by a soft whisper, however.
„No..." I heard her say. She tightened the grip even more. „Please, no..."
Even more tears started to come down her cheeks and I remembered a conversation we had some time ago. When she laughed over something Haru did.
„I'm sorry it's just... I haven't had felt like laughing for so long."
„Ah, sorry... I know it may sound rude, but seeing you laugh like that while you shed tears seems a bit bizarre."
„Sorry about that. It's more like side-effect of sort. I don't even notice it too much anymore. It's like leaking water only. When I start to cry for real you'll know, believe it."
Back then I only nodded, but it was only now that I truly and fully understood what she meant by it.
I turned my attention back on Namida-san, only to see her staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. She did not seem to be awake, though.
Then she started shaking her head "no" and pressed her hands over her ears.
„NO!"
That was as far as I was willing to let her nightmare go.
„Namida-san!" I called out to her, shaking her by her shoulders. „Wake up."
After a moment she really did wake up. She seemed a bit disoriented and not really getting what's around though.
Then she caught me by my wrists. „Don't let him kill them! They're innocent! ...still so innocent..." She cried.
Before I could somehow respond to her, however, she fainted once again.
I sighed and pulled the blanket over her again.
Once I made sure she had everything she might need once she wakes up within arm's reach I left.
As I walked the path back home I wondered about what she said, looking over my shoulder to where her house stood.
'They may be innocent... They are innocent... but that does not change the fact, that if she stresses too much, she might kill them.'
L&T
(Third person's POV)
Ayame was right, everyone in the village and its surroundings heard how hardly Naruto took the break up. Everyone. Including the silhouette, that was leaning onto the tree not far from Naruto's house.
The mystery figure only hummed approvingly and disappeared into the night.
L&T
(Sasuke's POV)
'Why?'
That was what I thought when I woke up from the dream me and Naruto shared.
'Why does every tiny shard of happiness either of us achieves always have to crumble?'
I got up from the bed as all the tiredness left me.
'Why is it that nothing we do ever turns out right?'
I walked through the empty mansion, hating every minute of the time I spent walking through that straining atmosphere that decide to reside here.
'Why did it have to turn out like this?'
I recalled the look Naruto had on his face, just before the connection ended and he disappeared in a whirlwind of black roses.
'There was just so much hurt in his expression. Such a look of betrayal.'
I picked up a shirt that was lying on the floor for some reason, in a room I did not go to often, only to stop above its colour.
'Orange... Dobe's shirt... Naruto.'
I buried my face in its soft material, smelling the faint scent of sun, which Naruto was to me.
I stood like that for few seconds and then I did something that even I wouldn't expect myself to do.
I cried.
I cried for the first time in ages.
I cried for the unfairness of my whole life.
I cried for the loss of person who was my whole world.
L&T
(Third Person's POV)
All villagers noticed how Sasuke started changing after that night. He looked as if he was decaying.
His porcelain-like pale skin turned into ghostly-like pale skin. He had circles under his eyes. He lacked his usual, self-confident aura. He was even less talkative than he was before, which meant that he sometimes went through day or two without saying a word.
Tsunade, who was noticed of it by Sasuke's friends, called Sasuke to Hokage tower at the first chance she got.
She almost fell from her chair at the sight of once-avenger. He looked even worse than what she's expected.
She nodded to the chair, signalling for Sasuke to sit, which he only done, no word uttered.
„From your looks I think I can confidently guess that the deed's been done."
Sasuke only growled in response, nodding slightly.
The blonde woman took a letter from one of drawers in her table and sighed at the sight of it.
'Why is it that only good people meet with misfortune?'
She opened it, just as she did month ago, shaking her head in disapproval at reading its content.
To: Uchiha Sasuke
Break up with that godforsaken demon, or else he'll be killed.
You should know better than anyone, just how vulnerable he is at the moment. So you better break it off with him now, take your heir later, and leave him to die somewhere after.
Try something as contacting him and he will be killed also... understood?
I'll consider not harming him if you do it within month's time. If you do it later, I may just rip the spawn out of him and bring it to your doorstep.
You're the one who chooses.
L&T
Tsunade and Sasuke sat in that office for a long time.
Not exchanging any words.
Not even trying to.
Tsunade was well aware, that the raven wouldn't answer her, even if she did try... And so she only watched the hunched figure on the chair sadly, only one gravely important thought torturing her mind.
'If he, the high and mighty Uchiha, takes it like this... then what about Naruto?'
L&T
Meanwhile Ayame watched pregnant Naruto as he rocked silently in the rocking chair she bought him just the day before.
She was now watching him most of her time, for the last five days.
Seven days since that fateful night.
Ayame hissed slightly as she recalled the first morning after that incident.
„Namida-san?" The woman called out as she came into the house. No response came.
„Namida-san?" The woman called out again with increasing worries.
She almost fainted when she found the him on the bathroom floor, cutting his wrist, over and over again.
„Namida-san!" She screamed, and took the knife from his hand, tossing it somewhere in the corner.
Naruto did not do anything in response, he just stared blankly back at her.
„Namida-san..." She whispered, taking the towel to clean all the blood from his arm, only to notice that wounds he just inflicted upon himself are starting to heal already.
She looked at him with question in her eyes, but she found none in his.
There was only emptiness.
Ayame sighed again, recalling that she run into very similar scene the day after, only that Naruto tried to cut himself with his kunai, which she failed to find and take away as she did with knives.
And that same day, after she went to get rid of the kunai, she found him with a rope.
That was when she decided to watch him all day.
She described the situation to her husband, who was worried about Naruto also. After hearing to his wife's worries, Takeo agreed with her. So they managed to bring Naruto to their house, where he was under constant care. He tried nothing since.
He only stared blankly out of the window most of the day, as if hoping that his lover might show up.
That he would show up and tell him it was a bad dream only.
L&T
(Neji's POV)
„Neji?" I heard my name called.
„What is it, Gaara?" I asked, turning to my red-haired now-fiancé, who held our child tightly to his chest.
„Can you... go and check on Naruto?" He asked silently.
I looked at him curiously, wanting to know reason.
„Shukaku's being kind of worried lately... he can't contact Kyuubi."
„He was able to do that before?" I almost slapped myself for this stupid question as soon as it left my mouth. Of course he was if he noticed the difference. Gaara did not care though.
„He said that not being to talk to other Bijuu that are sealed, doesn't matter where it might be, it can have only three possibilities... First: The carrier died, and Bijuu is replenishing its energy to be able to live in pure form for time being. Second: The carrier is unconscious. And third... that the carrier completely sealed his mind from outside world... Either way it's no good..." Gaara ended, trying to calm Shin who woke up, sensing his distress.
„Okay, I'll go... I'll pack few things and leave."
Gaara looked at relieved.
„Thank you."
L&T
(Third Person's POV)
Sasuke was lying on his bed, looking at the photo in his hand. It was a photo that the threatener sent, to confirm his knowledge about Naruto's whereabouts.
„Naruto..." He voiced silently, touching cheek of his dearly missed lover on the photo.
Tsunade may have had her doubts about the photo, since it was young, black-haired - needless to say visibly pregnant - woman. Sasuke would have doubted it too... If not for the eyes.
Those vibrant blue orbs were unmistakable to Sasuke.
'Is he crying now also?' He trailed tears that were coming down Naruto's cheeks.
'Do I, with the burden of betrayal, have the right for his tears?'
Guh... x.x *exhausted*
I'm sorry it's shorter than usual, but I had a whole lot of (school)work this week so I am happy the chapter did not turn out as a complete mess, I'm quite content with it, actually :p
Reviews appreciated d=(^o^)=b
See ya~ ( "-.-)/