Warning! Manga Spoilers! Warning!
"Can't you even recognize your old teammates, sweetie?" the woman smiled, but Sasuke made a disgusted face at the nickname. Luckily, it was hidden by his mask. As Sasuke didn't move, the woman beckoned for her companions to take of their cloaks. Sasuke sighed as he looked at his old 'friends'.
"Come down, Sasuke. We need to talk." The woman stated. Her voice suddenly sounded serious and her eyes narrowed.
Sasuke wasn't taken back by her glare, but jumped down anyway.
"What do you want from me, Karin, Juugo, Suigetsu?"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked into the faces of Team Eagle. If he could control his own body, at the moment, he would have stumbled on the ground.
But since he couldn't, his body jumped down, walking over to the three.
Suigetsu snorted at the cocky attitude, not looking at his own behavior, and gave the raven a glare. "Take that stupid mask off."
Sasuke sighed at Suigetsu's behavior, but decided to obey him anyway.
Karin's face faltered for a moment, to her old fan-girl expression, but it soon vanished. "What the hell are you going to do, now?" she asked.
The raven cocked his head arrogantly, holding his mask in his hand as the other settled by his side. He tapped with the mask against the side of his head, indicating he was growing impatient. "Why do you want to know?" he waited a second before answering, "I intend to stay in Konoha."
Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Juugo looked between Sasuke and his teammate, feeling the tense atmosphere hanging in the air. He gave Karin a panicked look, but the redhead was facing Sasuke.
"Why do you intend on staying there?" she demanded. "You will come back to us, Sasuke. You always do."
Sasuke gave the girl a glare, but didn't deny the fact.
Suigetsu snorted. "Please, fucktard. You stay in Konoha for a few months, only to come back crying to us." He shrugged. "Then you leave us hanging, worried, just to go back to Konoha. There, you make your fuck buddy beg you to stay. You stay for some time, only to screw with his mind, and then seek refuge with us, again."
Sasuke's glare hardened. Inside his mind, Suke's eyes widened as he listened to the words Suigetsu had spat out.
'No.' he breathed in his mind. It wasn't possible. He wouldn't do that. He would never hurt Naruto like that; he would never treat Naruto like that. No way.
"You aren't denying it." Karin said, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Sasuke snorted. "I intend to stay at Konoha. Don't seek for me anymore. We're no longer teammates and I intend to keep it that way."
"You said that the last time and the time before that and the one before that. You keep repeating yourself, Uchiha, yet you never keep your word." Suigetsu spat. Juugo took a step forward, standing in front of him. Suigetsu glared at his back.
"Sasuke, we're worried." He simply said. Sasuke gave the big guy a look, before he let out a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair as his eyes softened.
Karin's glare faltered as she walked over to Sasuke. She had gotten over her, almost obsessive, crush years ago when she realized that Sasuke was destined to be with someone else. Still, she couldn't help but to feel a strong love for the raven.
"Sasuke, tell us, please." She begged. Suigetsu looked at the scene with a snort, but inside he knew he was also worried about the ANBU.
"I hurt Naruto, again." Sasuke said, after a moment of silence and hesitation.
OO OO OO
Sasuke's eyes widened as the words echoed in his mind. He seemed to forget how to breathe as the vision started to blur. He didn't want to know the rest. He refused. He just couldn't.
His voice broke as it tried to whisper the blond's name.
As the darkness took over, he felt himself drift away from the memory.
The raven didn't care. He didn't want to find out why his old teammates were searching for him or what he was going to say. He could only think of one thing.
What had happened between him and Naruto?
The streetlight greeted him with its light, but Sasuke just stared at the pole.
Maybe it was really his fault. Maybe he really had done this to himself.
The questions entered his mind and stayed there. Sasuke shook his head, determined not to bring himself down like that.
The solution was simple; ask Naruto.
Seeing as he didn't remember himself, he would have to ask Naruto. Maybe then he would remember.
On the other hand, did Naruto want him to ask that? And would he be ready for it?
The raven made a face as he hastily combed a hand through his hair.
This was so goddamn difficult. And no fun at all. At. All. If he had a choice. Which he didn't. He would just leave this place and go back home with Naruto. Sasuke blushed at the thought of returning home.
"Then I have to teach you who you belong to when we're home…" he clearly remembered Naruto's earlier threat.
'This is so not the time to think about that!' The raven screamed in his mind, before sighing. He looked around, no carp to be seen. Sasuke settled himself with his back against the pole. If there was nothing to do, he could do nothing but wait, ne?
OO OO OO
Naruto cocked his head as the raven let out another moan. He had fallen asleep earlier, but was rudely awoken by Sasuke's moans and groans. When he awoke, Sai gave him a shrug before returning to sketch in his little book. Sasuke frowned.
"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Naruto asked.
Sai looked up from his sketch of the night sky as he gave the blond a look. "I don't know."
"He wasn't moaning like this yesterday, was he?" Naruto turned on his side, facing Sai as he leaned with his head on his palm.
Sai smiled at the memory, but shook his head. "This sounds more like a normal dream, than a wet one."
"How can you look so emotionless while saying that?" Naruto snickered. Sai merely shrugged, placing his sketchbook on the nightstand, and laid down again.
"Ko…no…ha." The raven on the couch moaned, stretching his body as the slur of words left his mouth.
Sai and Naruto gave each other a look before turning at Sasuke again. "Maybe he's remembering how he got home?" Sai suggested.
Naruto hesitated, giving him a dubious glance. "Maybe."
"How do you think it happened?" Sai suddenly asked.
Naruto raised on eyebrow. "What?"
"How do you think he lost his memories?" Sai repeated.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Three options."
"One; he got post-traumatic amnesia due to a head injury. Probably in a fight; got hit on the head. Two;Dissociative Amnesia; which means his memories are repressed due to trauma or high stress. Three; sealed amnesia; which means the memories are sealed away -" (1)
"Either by himself or an enemy." Sai finished, with his expression growing dark. A tense silence fell. "You don't think he did it to himself, do you?" Sai's question was hesitant, but firm.
Naruto turned away from Sai's serious stare. "I don't know…" He swallowed, "Sasuke had his ups and downs. He was very insecure about being accepted by everyone; unsure if he really fit in Konoha with us.
"I don't blame him for thinking that way since he's so self conscious of his actions. He realizes, very well, what kind of consequences they have.
"He feels guilty for leaving me, us, every time he disappears. Yet I know he needs it. He flees in guilt of what he did to us, and then returns from the guilt of leaving us." Naruto gave a sad smile. "Maybe he realized he threw himself in a vicious circle, hurting us over and over again. Of course, he hurt himself too, but he forced that feeling away since he didn't want to make us worry about him. He doesn't think he's worth it."
Sai gave the peacefully sleeping raven a look. Sasuke seemed relaxed; a small smile on his face as soft breaths left his mouth.
"If…" Naruto started and Sai returned his gaze to the blond. "If he did this to himself, I guess I understand. He wanted to break free from this circle; this endless circle of hurting his friends. Who wouldn't?" he shrugged in understanding, "He sealed away his memories so he wouldn't hurt anymore. So he didn't need to remember his own pain, as well as ours."
Sai frowned. "We aren't sure if he did this to himself, Naruto. We've got to believe in that."
Naruto sighed and gave a small chuckle. "That's the problem. If Sasuke couldn't trust me or himself, how could I trust him?"
Sai cocked his head. "What do you mean?" His voice had been louder than he intended, and Sasuke gave a small moan as a small frown appeared on his, at first so peaceful looking, face.
Naruto sat up, his arms falling asleep from leaning on them. He rubbed his forehead, a smile on his face, but his eyes were frowning.
"You know that I moved in with Sasuke when he disappeared the first time, right?"
Sai nodded, sitting up himself.
The blond gave him a look. "Well, a few months later, he disappeared for the second time. He left a note: 'Don't come for me.' When he finally came back after a week I asked where he had been, of course."
Naruto glared at the raven in front of him. Sasuke looked away from the drilling gaze. Naruto's expression saddened, to an almost pitying look. "Why?" he whispered, his hands reaching out for Sasuke.
Sasuke shook his head as he took a step back. Naruto pulled his hands back, a sad smile on his face. "Don't you trust me? Don't you believe in me? I'm here; why are you running?"
"Because you're here, I'm running. I believe in you, I trust you, I do…" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand placing them against his chest, looking into the broken blue eyes in front of him. "It's because of that that I'm running."
"Then don't trust me!"Naruto shouted. "Don't believe in me! Just stay with me!" the blond let his body hit the ground, his hands still in the pale ones as the tears fell down between them. "Please don't hurt me like that…"
Naruto could feel the hands around his own, tense at the words. He could hear Sasuke's breath hitch, between his own cries. He knew the raven would blame himself for hurting him. But even if Naruto didn't want to, the words escaped, letting Sasuke sink deeper in a vicious circle.
"No matter what I said, no matter what I did. Sasuke couldn't find the strength to trust himself. He was so afraid of hurting himself and others that he just couldn't trust himself enough not to hurt those around him."
Sai opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Naruto looked at the raven on the couch. Sai followed his gaze. "I don't know what to say." He admitted. There was no book, no manual for these situations.
"Let's go to sleep, Sai. We should focus on tomorrow." Naruto gave him a smile, as a thank you for listening and trying, and then lay down on the bed.
Sai gave the blond a pitied and worried look before laying down himself.
OO OO OO
Morning arrived. Kakashi knocked on the door. "Wake up everybody!" he said in a singsong voice. When he opened the door, he blinked at the oddly silent atmosphere hanging around the three.
Sai was reading one of his "socializing books"; his gaze moved from Naruto to Sasuke as he turned another page. Sasuke sat by the window, his gaze unfocused as he frowned at nothing in particular. The only blond in the room was pulling his shirt over his head, yawning in the process.
Kakashi cocked his head to the side at the depressing air swallowing up the room. What had happened here? "Boys?" three pairs of eyes gave him a look. "Breakfast downstairs." He turned to Sasuke. "If you remembered something, I want you to let us know, okay?"Before any of them could reply or even speak, Kakashi closed the door.
Just then, Sakura walked out of her room. "Good morning, sensei!" she greeted.
Kakashi walked over to his only cheer full student, placed a hand on her shoulder, and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" the girl asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. But for now, I'm happy to see some of us cheerful for the sunrise."
Sakura didn't understand her sensei then, but 10 minutes later it became much clearer. "Is everything okay?" she asked hesitantly, as none of the boys smiled or even gave half-assed greetings.
"We just slept a little weird, Sakura, nothing to worry about!" Naruto said. He nudged Sai in the ribs and the raven looked up.
"Yeah, trouble sleeping, that's all." He quickly said. Sakura tilted her head to one side and gave the boys a suspicious look, but shrugged it off.
As breakfast had arrived and everyone was eating- except for Kakashi who already had eaten-the silver haired jounin looked up from his infamous porn book and turned to his pupil, "And, Sasuke, have you remembered anything, yet?"
Sasuke swallowed his food and nodded. "Yeah, though I don't entirely understand it." He admitted. Kakashi beckoned for him to go on.
"Don't worry, maybe we will." The grey haired man said with a smile.
Sasuke told them about his dream; everything.
Naruto's expression darkened as the story continued. Eventually, he looked away from the raven, to think on his own.
"After that, Karin asked if I wanted to tell what was going on, and then I woke up."
Sasuke told everything, but not the end. He couldn't get the sentence over his lips. He didn't want everyone to know. He wanted to ask Naruto later, when it was just the two of them.
"I don't understand though, why did they say they where my teammates?" Sasuke asked. Sakura looked away from his questioning look.
"When you left us for power you made a new team to replace us." Naruto stated bluntly.
Sakura gave him a shocked look. "Naruto!"
Naruto turned his glare to the pink haired girl. "What? It's the truth, isn't it?!"
Several heads turned to them, but the rest of the team didn't even notice the others in the hotel restaurant.
However, Naruto noticed the stares and let out a snort as he stood up. "Excuse me," he hissed, leaving the hotel.
Sakura looked at the raven. "Sasuke, he didn't mean it th-"
"He did!" Sasuke interrupted her. "I was a horrible bastard, a traitor!"
Kakashi heard the people behind him starting to murmur. "Sai, you go and get Naruto back. We need to leave for the next location. Sakura, you take Sasuke upstairs. Help him pack up our stuff."
"No, I'll find Naruto." Sasuke said, standing up.
Sai glanced at the other raven, as Kakashi voiced his protests and Sasuke ignored them, and grabbed him by his shoulder. "Before you go, you need to know something…" he started. Kakashi's protests went silent from curiosity. Sasuke shot Sai a suspicious look before changing it to one of curiosity.
OO OO OO
Naruto slammed his fist into the trunk of the tree next to him. "Shit!" he cursed. "Fuck, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck. FUCK!"
A couple passing by increased their speed, but the blond didn't care.
"Team Eagle." He hissed, his glare intensifying. Just when he thought he had lost those guys. Just when he thought they were done with them. They had to show up again.
Naruto knew he shouldn't have directed his anger towards Sasuke, but he just couldn't control himself. First, the possibility that Sasuke would've done this to himself, and then that fucking team, with great timing, decided to show up. Great, could this day get any better?
"Naruto!"
Naruto looked up from the bark, seeing the raven that occupied his mind running towards him. Once Sasuke reached him, an awkward silence fell. Sasuke looked at the ground and Naruto sighed.
"I'm sorry." Naruto said.
Sasuke shook his head. "It's okay, it's-"
"No!" Naruto interrupted him. Sasuke flinched at the sudden shout and closed his eyes. "No! It's not okay! It's not, fucking, okay! It's stupid! It's dumb! It's everything, but it's not okay!"
"Naruto, please calm down!" Sasuke hissed, afraid of what he might do. The blond hit the tree again and the raven let out a surprised shout as bark fell off from it.
Naruto saw someone standing off to the side, from the corner of his eye, and he looked up to give the person a glare. More people passed by and Naruto noticed several people eying them.
"Come with me." Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke's wrist and pulling him out of street. He entered a dark alley a few blocks away and leaned against the wall, checking to see if anyone had followed them. Sasuke sat down on a rolled over garbage can, freeing himself from Naruto's hold on his wrist.
"I know you're scared." Sasuke started, as he felt the body beside him relax slightly. Naruto shot him a puzzled and shocked look. Naruto swallowed as he looked straight into the black, never ending eyes of Sasuke. "Of the truth."
"Wha-"
"You're scared that I'm the one that sealed away my memories." Sasuke lowered his gaze, noticing he was shaking a little.
Naruto sighed. "Sai told you, didn't he?"
Sasuke nodded. "I'm kind of scared myself, Naruto." The raven admitted and scratched his arm, showing his nervousness. Naruto sat down on a great stack of newspapers, which crackled under his weight.
"Sasuke, what do you know about your former team?"
Sasuke thought about it and shrugged slightly. "Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo. It was a team I formed to kill my brother. They each had their own reasons to stick with me. We're all commonly connected to Orochimaru in some way."
Naruto ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Sasuke, please listen. I'm going to tell what happened, okay?"
"Everything?" the raven questioned.
"Everything." Naruto nodded. "Maybe you'll understand why we think you could have done this to yourself."
Naruto was silent for awhile, as he thought of the best way to start his story. "I guess it all started when you left Konoha for the first time to join Orochimaru."
"I have my own path. I won't let it lead me any other way, no matter who it is…" echoed in the raven's head. "The valley of the end." He whispered.
Naruto blinked, but nodded sadly in agreement. "We fought there. I'll spare you the details 'cause I want you to remember it yourself. But yeah, we fought there.
"We fought there for both our own goals and our own believes. For what we both thought that was important. There, both of us discovered our true powers; you from your cursed seal and me from the Kyuubi."
"Why? …Why do you waste so much effort on… me?"
Naruto stayed silent for a second before he gave the raven in front of him a sad smile. "Because for me, you were part of my family. So that's why… I have to stop you!"
Flashes entered Sasuke's mind as Naruto told him. Slowly, but surely, he saw the fight in front of him, as if he was there again.
"I'm not sure what happened after that. When I woke up, you where gone. While I was training with Jiraiya-sensei, you trained with Orochimaru. Even though you knew the snake only wanted to use your body as his vessel.
"Two and a half years passed without seeing each other. Then we got a lead on you as a new team was formed; with me, Sakura, Yamato-sensei as Kakashi's replacement, and Sai as yours. We went to one of Orochimaru's hideouts. We searched for you through the whole building. There was a big explosion and there you were."
Naruto snickered a bit. "You were standing there, all arrogant, without emotion, as bored as could be about the whole situation."
"And now, Naruto…You came too."
"You didn't even hesitate as you jumped down, grabbing my shoulder. You gave a small emo speech and then pulled your blade out of its sheath." Naruto closed his eyes, his head leaning against the wall."
"…you're going to end up losing your life, all at the whim of mine."
"There was a small fight. Eventually, Orochimaru interrupted and you left, again. Time passed, while you were out killing Orochimaru, gathering a team of your own, and trying to find Itachi. We were after the Akatsuki, who, on their terms, were tracking down all jinchuuriki.
"Months passed, and then I heard the news." Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Sasuke who was shaking slightly from all the flashes in his head.
"Itachi was dead."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He took a small gasp as his hand grabbed the sides of his head.
"You avoided striking a fatal blow on purpose."
"Uchiha Madara."
"You've grown stronger."
"My eyes are wide open now! My Sharingan sees right through your genjutsu!"
"You Sasuke will become my new light!"
"This is the gap between our eyes."
"I will make that dream reality."
Sasuke let out a whimper as his own voice and his brothers ran through his head. It was too much, too much for him to handle. Naruto gave the raven a worried look. Had he said too much?
"Disappear with the thunder."
Sasuke gasped as he felt himself being drawn into the memory. His body shook as the weight of the fight fell on him.
Sasuke stood up, shaking slightly as he felt the strength leave his body. His eyes looked up frightened at his brother, who limped towards him. One of his arms hung by his side; blood dripping from his hand, onto the ground.
The younger raven let out a gasp as Itachi lifted his hand, watching a single drop of blood fall. Itachi's hand was shaking, yet he didn't hesitate.
Sasuke backed away, until he felt something solid behind him. His eyes darting back to see a wall and then widened once again. The undeniable feeling of fear dawned on him.
His body tried to shuffle backwards, but the wall kept him in his place. Itachi gave him a dazed look, before he gave a small smile, as far as he had the strength to do. Sasuke felt sweat rolling over his face as Itachi opened his mouth. His hand went higher and higher as he was now on eye level with Sasuke.
"Sorry Sasuke, this is the last time."
The younger raven gasped as the words entered his mind. The words were broken, nearly inaudible. Nothing above a mere whisper.
Sasuke stood frozen as the bloody hand of his brother was now only 2 centimeter from his eye. Itachi let his head hang, not finding the strength to keep it up as his index finger and his middle finger tapped Sasuke's forehead.
Sasuke's mouth hung open a little as he released a small gasp. The bloodied fingers left a red trail on Sasuke forehead and cheek as the weak fingers slid down his face. Itachi's hand touched his chest as Itachi's head fell against the wall. There had been a sound, but Sasuke's was so paralyzed with fear, that it didn't even reach him.
The body of his older brother fell to its knees. Falling to his side, Itachi rolled over, face upwards.
Itachi was dead.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulders as the raven was whimpering, clutching his head desperately. Naruto swallowed in slight panic as Sasuke gave one big jerk, and then stopped shaking. Sasuke's eyes were still closed shut. The hands that had been holding his hair back earlier fell down to his sides.
Naruto's eyes widened. No, there was no way.
Was the memory so bad that Sasuke had sealed his memories away in some kind of self defense mechanism? The blond had not been there to actually witness the fight, but he knew Sasuke dreamt about it sometimes and had told him about it once or twice. But usually when the subject came up the raven found a way to avoid it.
"Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted, in hope to trigger some sort of reaction. He shook the lifeless body, swallowing as the raven's head suddenly snapped up, his eyes flying open.
"Sasuke…?"
Said man blinked as he tried to focus on what was in front of him. Why was it so hard to focus? The raven let out a soft moan as everything turned black again. It hurt. He had reached his goal. But why did it hurt?
OO OO OO
Sakura gave Naruto a glare as she placed the blanket over Sasuke. "I hope you're proud, Naruto."
Naruto returned the glare. "It was now or some other time. I couldn't ignore it! I had no idea it would be so bad!" he hissed.
Kakashi raised his hand. "Maa, let's forget it, Sakura. In some way, Naruto is right. It would happen sooner or later. And to be honest, I'd prefer now to later."
Sakura looked away and Naruto gave her a smug look. "But, Naruto, next time, be more careful. There's still the chance that Sasuke lost everything." Naruto's expression turned blank at the scolding.
"I don't think so." Naruto whispered, more to himself then to Kakashi. Sasuke had fainted before because of his memories, so this time was no exception. Although you didn't need to count the fact that it was Sasuke goal for 8 years to kill his brother. And that it probably had been one very emotionally and physically tiring memory.
Naruto glanced at the boy that seemed to be sleeping so peacefully.
Kakashi coughed. "Well, since Sasuke will probably out for a while, we have to postpone our plans. I'll try to prolong our reservation and make sure we can stay here for at least another night, just in case. You guys can plan out the route we're going to take as soon as Sasuke has rested enough. Find the best route by looking at his mission scroll, understood?"
"Hai, sensei!" Sai, Sakura and Naruto said in unison. Sitting down at a low table with a map and Sasuke's mission scroll, they got to work.
Kakashi walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once in the hall, he let out a shaky sigh. He didn't know if he could stand it if Sasuke lost everything again. Everyone seemed fine, but Kakashi could feel the tension from realization of the situation. Especially Naruto.
He acted fine when he was with Sasuke, but it must have broken his heart when he heard the terrible news. The one he loved, the one he cherished, didn't even remember him. Luckily, now he did, but mostly because of what Naruto had told him. It was still uncertain whether the feelings the two shared before would return to their original state.
Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose. It still was going to be a long journey.
OO OO Another Memory OO OO
Sasuke's breathing was ragged as his eyes burned from an unknown pain. Tobi, or Uchiha Madara, stumbled back into the darkness; a soft groan being the only comforting thing in his existence. Then, a shout erupted from the black and all sounds died.
The raven took sharp breaths as he wiped away the blood that had come out of his eye. His hand flopped down on the bed, for all his strength was gone.
"What…the hell…was that?" he managed to choke out, more speaking to himself. He glanced at Tobi's mask lying on the floor, only to bring back his eyes to his own lap.
"That is the amaterasu that Itachi planted in you." An amused voice came from the darkness on the other side of the small room. A hand emerged, dragging the mask back into the darkness.
Sasuke looked frozen and shocked, with just a hint of confusion displayed on his face, as Tobi, with his mask on, walked out of the dark corner.
"Itachi, Itachi, Itachi…Even in death, he never ceases to amaze me. Even planning for a situation like this…" Somehow, Sasuke knew that the man was smiling, even though he was wearing a mask.
As the conversation continued, Sasuke's mind went blank. The confusion rose inside his mind as Tobi talked and he listened. At some point, when the raven became even more confused, Tobi sighed. "Look, Itachi did something to you just before he died, right?"
Sasuke wanted to question the man again, but cut himself short as he remembered how Itachi had tapped his forehead. His hand rose, touching the spot, torn between a glare and look of confusion.
"Somehow, in the last second he transferred all his eye-techniques to you."
Sasuke's frowned as he laid his hand down on the bed again. "That makes no sense." Sasuke gave the masked man a commanding look. Did this guy believe he would buy all those lies? "What are you trying to say?!" Tobi remained silent, so Sasuke pressed on. "Why would Itachi want to -"
Suddenly, Tobi spoke, interrupting Sasuke's words with a disappointed sigh. "You still don't know?" he asked. Sasuke could hear the man was getting irritated. Sasuke opened his mouth, but no words left. Tobi understood the unspoken question.
"It was to protect you." The words echoed in the small room, lingering between the two persons. Sasuke's expression stayed blank and Tobi was silent as he let the words sink in.
"Pr-protect me?!" Sasuke suddenly hissed, breaking the silence. Was this guy crazy?! Who the fuck did he think he was talking to? What the hell was he thinking?! Tobi didn't move, as Sasuke started to speak louder. "Is that suppose to be funny?!"
"As I said before; you knew so much about your brother, and yet nothing at all." Tobi replied calmly. Sasuke clenched his fists. As realization hit Sasuke, the conversation went on, but some pieces got stuck in his mind, repeating themselves in the raven's head.
"You need to know about him…The man who risked everything to protect the shinobi world…Konoha…and most of all, his little brother. You need to know about Uchiha Itachi's life!
Sasuke felt his head become lighter, his vision blurring again. He took deep breaths as Tobi walked over to him, tying a rope around his body. Sasuke tensed at the feeling of rope against his skin, but didn't fight. He figured Tobi probably wanted him not to move to much or have the risk that Sasuke was going to attack him.
"Remember your kind big brother…"
"He tried to steal my eyes!"Sasuke shouted.
"It's true; he killed the entire Uchiha clan that night, and then left Konoha. He did it all on orders from Konoha. Itachi became their sacrifice.
"It started 80 years ago. As the battles raged, sacrifices had to be made to protect the Uchiha from Senju and the other clans that opposed us. But then, the Senju clan asked for a truce with the Uchiha clan …and the Uchihas agreed.
"Soon after, our ninja alliance made a pact with the Land of Fire, who wanted help controlling their territory. There was a dispute over the position of leader …of Hokage. They betrayed me.
"I left the village. Bent on revenge, I challenged Konohagakure."
As Uchiha Madara continued his story of the past, Sasuke mentally calmed. Instead of focusing on being wary of his enemy, he focused on the tale Madara had told him. Not only because he was curious, but also because he wanted to know what part had his brother played in everything.What did it all have to do with his brother?
"Something happened to completely destroy the Uchihas; Kyuubi's attack on Konoha 16 years ago. Because the Uchiha's powers are the only thing that can control the Kyuubi, the Konoha leaders suspected an Uchiha was behind that incident.
"They thought the Uchihas might plot a rebellion. Taking into account their mistrust and innate ill-will, eventually the suspicions became a reality.
"The Uchiha clan plotted a coup d'état to take over the village. So, the Konoha higher-ups planted a spy in the Uchiha clan. That spy was your brother …Uchiha Itachi. …and that's where Itachi's hell began.
"Itachi had already seen many people die at the tender age of 4. He was too young to experience war. War is hell. That trauma made him a peaceful man who hated conflict.
"Konoha gave him a mission. An eye for an eye. Only someone with the Sharingan could be a match for Uchiha."
Sasuke's expression didn't change. He knew where this was going. Unknown emotions washed over him as he listened.
"His mission was to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan…, but time pressed on and he failed… It all led to that night."
Sasuke's mind filled with flashes of the night of the massacre. The corpses of his mother and father, Itachi standing behind them. An ongoing mantra repeated in Sasuke's mind. 'No… No… No… No… No… No… No… No…'
"Killing his own clan and leaving the village in dishonor…it was all part of his duty. And Itachi fulfilled it. Except for one mistake…" Madara stopped to give Sasuke a look, but the boy's head was hanging lifeless, his eyes lightly widened as his mind was struggling for the truth. "He was unable…to kill his own brother."
Sasuke flinched at the words, his eyes widening. No… Not paying attention to Sasuke's shock, Madare continued.
"He gave you revenge as your goal in order to make you stronger. Since the day he left the village, he planned to fight you and die by your hand. So that you would get a new power…that's the truth about Uchiha Itachi." Madara finished, leaving a deafening silence.
Sasuke shook his head. "…lies…lies….You have to be lying…" he whispered, more to himself then to the other man in the room.
Madara repeated his words, but Sasuke denied them, not wanting to believe.
"You were more important -"
"STOP! Lies! That's all -"
"But you're alive!!" Madara interrupted, his body showing indifference, but his voice sounding desperate. Sasuke fell silent.
"Itachi had killed his friends, his superiors, his lover, and even his own father and mother…The only one he couldn't kill… was his own little brother." Madara walked over to him, cutting the rope that held Sasuke's arm against his body. "The man who cried tears of blood as he smothered his emotions and killed his brethren… couldn't bring himself to kill you."
Sasuke's hands fell next to his body; lifeless.
"For him, your life was worth more to him than the village. He had to fight you and die before your eyes."
Suddenly, Sasuke found his body standing by the ocean. But he couldn't get himself to enjoy the view, or to even care. His body just stood there, remembering Madara's words about his brother. His hands turned into fists, his fingers digging into his palm with force. His head hung a little as he bit his bottom lip.
He couldn't bring himself to care that everyone was watching him; Karin, Suigetsu, Juugo, and Madara. He didn't even notice as the tears streamed down his face, as his breathing became ragged.
As he cried for his older brother.
OO OO OO
Naruto looked up as he heard a noise coming from the raven on the bed. His eyes darted to Sai, who nodded to show that he had heard it too. Sakura was already in her own room, discussing the plans for their next route with Kakashi.
Naruto stood up from his uncomfortable position in the chair and walked over to the sleeping beauty. Naruto blinked, confused, as he saw a tear coming from one of the corners of the, still closed, eyes.
"Itachi…" it was almost inaudible, but it was definitely what Naruto had heard. Was the raven still dreaming, remembering Itachi? Or maybe he was stuck with the same memory over and over again…
"What's wrong?" Sai asked, trying to read Naruto's expression. The blond shook his head. "He's still sleeping, don't worry."
Naruto sighed, sitting down by Sasuke's bed on the floor. Sai didn't say anything, for which he was grateful. He wanted the raven to wake up. He wanted, desperately, to know the reason for Sasuke sealed memories. He wanted to know the cause, as well. And he prayed it wasn't because of the raven himself. Not only because he was afraid what it would do himself, but also because he was afraid what it would do to Sasuke.
He knew that Sasuke would eat himself away from guilt and self-hatred. He just knew that Sasuke would do it again; run away, or even worse, take his own life. Naruto shivered at the thought of living without Sasuke. He didn't care if Sasuke wouldn't love him back, he didn't even care if the raven hated him. All he wanted was to be by Sasuke's side, to be able to share their burdens.
Maybe it could only be a dream in the future or a memory from the past, but Naruto couldn't help but pray. Only hope for a happy ending.
It was two in the afternoon when the raven awoke. Sasuke let out a soft groan as he opened his eyes; his head feeling like someone was hitting him with a hammer. As his blurred vision started to sharpen, he could make out everyone's faces hanging above his own.
"How do you feel, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, checking his temperature and his breathing.
Sasuke let out a deep sigh. "Like shit." He admitted moaning.
The team let out a sigh of relief in unison as it seemed that Sasuke still remembered everything.
Sakura helped him up. She placed a pillow behind his back and made sure he sat comfortably. Naruto shot him a worried look and Sasuke stared at the blue eyes for a second.
Sasuke smiled, and then a snicker erupted from the back of his throat. The soft snicker turned into a series of chuckles. And eventually, Sasuke was laughing-not loud, but laughing. His teammates gave him concerned looks. Sasuke shoulders began to shake, his voice started to tremble, and he couldn't keep his body from shaking.
Instead of leaning back, his head dropped down and his hands grabbed the sheets.
Naruto's eyes widened as the first tear slid down Sasuke's cheek. "Sa-Sasuke?"
The snickers turned into sobs as the laugh turned into cries. The raven bit his lower lip as he let himself cry.
"…Itachi…" he managed to choke out between taken short ragged breaths.
OO OO OO
(1)Search on Wikipedia for amnesia, there you will find more information about these types. The last one, of course, is created by me and does not exist. (I think…)
Sorry about the depressing chapter! Hehe…But I had to get this all over with so I can reveal the truth in the next chapter! Dun dun dun!
Dear people! I have an announcement to make! I have found a Beta; my wonderful Beta; Crazy PurpleSage! I love you! :D
Please be patient 'till the 24th of September! Thanks for the amazing reviews!