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 loudly, but laughing all the same.
His teammates gave him concerned looks.
Sasuke shoulders began to shake, his voice started to tremble, and he couldn't keep his body from quaking in sync with his inner enthusiasm.
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 laughter turned into cries as he began to sob. The raven bit his lower lip as he let himself shed these tears.
"…Itachi…" he managed to choke out between taken short ragged breaths.
Naruto swallowed as his body froze. He wanted to comfort the raven, but his body wouldn't move to reach out for the shaking raven.
Sakura, on the other hand, immediately wrapped her arms around the raven. She held him in a tight embrace will she whispering soothing words in his ear.
Sai and Kakashi both looked on with indifference, but on the inside they truly felt pity and the urge to comfort him; they just didn't know what to do.
Sasuke continued crying, letting out all kinds of the emotions he had been hiding for the past years. Even if the raven had wanted to stop, his body wouldn't let him; having a mind of its own.
"Shh, it's okay …let it all out …good, good." Sakura started to sway back and forth, like a mother would comfort a child.
After a while, Sasuke had calmed down enough to drink a glass of water. Sitting straight up in bed, his fingers played with the rim of the glass.
"Was it that bad?" Sakura asked, sitting down on the bed with one leg bent at the knee.
Sasuke remain silent. Naruto looked away from the shivering raven and cursed under his breath. Suddenly the raven took a deep breath and Naruto's eyes darted back.
"Can everyone please leave? I want to talk to Naruto…" he whispered. It had been soft but strong. The team hesitated, not because they were jealous or irritated that Sasuke only wanted to speak to Naruto, but more that they were scared he might get sucked into another memory again.
"Please?" Sasuke said, his grip around the glass tightening. Suddenly, Sai moved, walking over to the door and opening it. Then he turned to Kakashi and Sakura, beckoning for them to follow. "Come, let's give them some space."
Naruto gave Sai a nod and mouthed a thank you, sitting down on the bed as the rest left. The door closed, a silence following, cutting through the tension. Naruto looked at the raven, but Sasuke kept looking at his glass.
Naruto sighed. "I'm sorry."
Sasuke looked up, his eyes widened. "W-what?" he heard the blond murmur something, but was too busy with his own thoughts to actually understand what the blond said. Naruto gave him a small smile.
"I'm sorry." He repeated. "You know; for making you remember all those things. I know you must feel like shit right now; knowing you killed your brother who was trying to- I'm sorry, that sounded kind of harsh, didn't it?" Naruto stopped, scratching the back of his head in a childlike manner.
Sasuke gave the man a broken smile. "I did sound kind of harsh, but, in the end, it's the truth, isn't it?" The raven let out sigh, leaning back against the pillow. "I mean, I fulfilled my goal of killing my brother, only to hear the truth; that Konoha was behind it all."
Naruto flinched at the statement, but couldn't disagree. Sasuke had told him what had really happened, and even Naruto felt a hint of hatred for his village. He remembered exactly how hard it was to convince Sasuke not to bring destruction on Konoha or take revenge for his brother.
He laid one of his hands on Sasuke's knees. The raven smiled at the calming gesture. A comfortable silence fell and neither moved, until Naruto opened his mouth.
"Well, let's put that aside. Did you remember anything from what happened that cause you to lose your memories?"
"…Can I ask you to tell me something before that?" Sasuke broke eye contact with the blond, his expression turning sad. Naruto frowned, pulling his hand back and making himself comfortable on the bed.
"Go ahead..." even though he consented, Naruto was still worried that it would be something important, which would cause Sasuke to retreat into one of his memories again.
"What happened after I killed my brother? How did I come back, and how did it come so far that I left Konoha again?" Sasuke looked into the blue orbs in front of him.
Naruto's instinct had been right. The blond swallowed, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. He gave the raven a glance, returning his sharp gaze, seeing that Sasuke was determined to get his answers.
"Not too much details; I want to remember myself." Sasuke quickly added, seeing the blond hesitate; hoping it would make Naruto would budge.
The blond sighed and Sasuke kept the inner cry of victory to himself.
"Well, in order to avenge your brother" the blond started, and Sasuke moved around to make himself ready. "You planned to join the Akatsuki, for they also had the goal to destroy Konoha. Via Uchiha Madare, a.k.a Tobi, you were able to contact the Akatsuki and eventually, team Taka (1) became part of the organization.
"After that you went on a mission for Akatsuki to search for the eight-tailed beast. You found him, and it ended in a fierce battle. You nearly lost the rest of your team in that fight…"
"You needed some deserved rest with your team, so you were put on halt by Akatsuki while they were getting ready to capture. When you were almost healed, Team Taka was sent to scan several villages for signs of me.
"Somewhere along that way, I was on a mission for information from a spy for Konoha who knew about the Akatsuki. In a forest, near the borders of Hi no Kuni, we met."
Sasuke gulped at the emotions displayed in Naruto's eyes. They were so strong, that Sasuke's body tensed, a shiver running down his spine.
"Of course, first we could only stand there; stunned. Your team wanted to attack me, since it was their mission to capture the Kyuubi, or rather me; the Jinchuuriki. Yet you stopped them."
Sasuke squirmed in nervousness from the pause. He found it exciting, and yet terrifying at the same time, to hear exactly what had happened. Naruto's face didn't show any expression as he talked, making a shiver run up his spine as he tried to read the emotions he couldn't find.
"You told them to stand back; you were going to fight me. I remember a rush of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I actually felt happy that you wanted to fight me. I know you shouldn't be in that kind of situation, but I just couldn't help it. I just felt that way."
A small smile crawled its way onto Naruto's face and Sasuke found his own expression softening.
"We fought. And it was...just...incredible. After not being able to even see you for a couple of months, after not being able to even fight you properly after almost 3 years. It was overwhelming.
"As soon as the first hit landed, as soon as I was able to fight you on full power, it was just…I was so happy."
The small smile turned bigger, and Naruto's eyes displayed true happiness as he continued talking. Sasuke was disappointed. Now, when the raven was actually hoping he would be able to see the fight, he couldn't. Not even a hint of recognition or even the feeling of having fought came to him. But he answered Naruto's smile, all the same.
He knew it would cost him a lot of power to keep getting those memories and flashbacks, not only physically, but also mentally. It was breaking his heart to see what he had done in his life, but happy to see that he had found Naruto, who was his guide in his life.
"We kept on fighting, it…it was thrilling. Rather than wanting to destroy the other, it was more a sort of a greeting; our way of catching up and talking. It was weird, but even after so long, you're way of fighting was still similar." Naruto's smile faded.
"But of course, there was some point in our fight where I started asking questions. The reason why you left, the reason how everything happened like it did. Why you didn't come back even though your brother was dead.
"The questions made your furious and you decided to fight in your second form of the cursed seal. You never spoke the entire time, now that I think about it; only a grunt or two. Not even a hello, or the usual 'dobe'."
Sasuke felt his shoulders slump, as Naruto's tone turned sad. Though he had a feeling of what Naruto was going to say next, he kept quiet. Rather than guessing, he wanted to be told.
"Eventually, you had pinned me down on the ground, or rather the mud, as it was raining. Your blade touched my neck. My kunai touched your neck." Naruto's eyes glanced at the horizontal scar on Sasuke's neck. "That's when I created that scar."
Sasuke's hand shot up to the scar on his neck. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you told me you gave it to me when you lost control of Kyuubi when you were trying to get me back to Konoha when I had left…" He whispered.
Naruto gave an amused chuckle. "It was a lie." He gave the raven a sad look. "It was all just one big lie. I was afraid and hurt and it just came out of my mouth."
Sasuke frowned. "Hurt?" His voice held a tone of irritation.
Naruto remained silent, taking a deep breath, and ignored Sasuke's question, continuing with his story. "We stayed in that position for a couple of minutes. Just glaring into each other's eyes, hoping to get the other to lose patience or mess up."
Sasuke blinked in disbelief, wanting to know why Naruto had lied to him about that. But the blond continued, evading Sasuke's pleading look.
"Eventually, I decided it was enough. You refused to come with me, no matter what. Even if I would break every bone in your body, you would find a way not to return to Konoha."
Naruto raised his eyes to meet Sasuke's, his gaze determined and strong. "So I dropped the kunai, leaving that scar behind from the pressure. I just couldn't care anymore. …If you wouldn't come back, everything was for nothing, and I …didn't want to return without you.
"I clearly remember the confused look in your eyes you tried to hide."
OO OO OO OO (Naruto is actually telling this, but I wanted to write it like we're actually there.)
Sasuke was puzzled as the kunai pressed against his neck left the wound which it had created. Blood dripped from the cut in his neck onto the man that lay below him on the wet ground.
His own blade was pressed against the tan skin, creating a wound similar to his own. Yet somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that in contrast to the other, there would be a scar on his neck in a couple of hours.
Sasuke panted as fast as the blood ran, confused to see the determined look the other man had given him was now fading away. The arm that held the kunai fell lifeless on the drenched soil. It felt like every sign of life had left the man, apart from the fact he was breathing and blinking the raindrops away.
"I can't Sasuke…" The blond whispered. He closed his eyes as if giving up, not even trying to care that his life was in danger. Sasuke's expression didn't change at the confusing statement, nor did he show any sign of confusion.
Naruto stopped speaking, focusing on his breathing. The raven didn't move, clearly calculating his next move. Why did the man give up? Was he really out of power? Then there was also the possibility that it was just a trick.
Sasuke, not sure what to do, didn't move his blade, but stopped adding pressure. His body shivered, suddenly realizing how cold he was. The raindrops fell from his bangs and chin onto the body below him.
"…Why…?" he asked, his voice dripping with confusion and irritation. He blinked the rain away from his eyes, drops falling from his lips as they moved to form the words.
Naruto opened his eyes. All energy seemed to have abandoned him completely, leaving his body powerless and broken.
"Kill me." Naruto stated. His voice without any emotion.
Sasuke blinked at the words. Confusion escaped from his emotionless prison as it made its way to his face. He looked into the blue eyes, trying to find any sign of hesitation, remorse, or even fear from the words he had spoken.
"…Kill…me…?" he repeated, the words spreading venom over Sasuke's body. Although somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized he should be happy. This was a good reason for him to kill Naruto. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
Then his body shivered, wanting to puke at his own image of a dead Naruto. His body and mind both resisted; somehow even rejecting the idea of dying in Naruto's arm, or Naruto dying in his. Even though he had left Naruto and Konoha, even though it was his own choice for revenge and his betrayal, he still couldn't do it.
The blond had always been on his mind. Naruto would always show up; making his thoughts a mess; jumbled and confused, only to disappear and leave Sasuke disappointed and frustrated.
The feeling of the rain hitting his, already drenched, clothes and the sense of his own frozen skin left him. A sudden pain shot through his stomach as he felt Naruto's foot connect with his unprotected stomach. He let out a loud groan as he landed on his back. The rain hit his face as he wrapped one of his arms around his body.
"Sasuke…" The whisper was soft, but loud at the same time as it flowed with the raindrops. "…last chance."
He met the determined blue eyes and he could only swallow, letting the raindrops fall in his mouth as his lips moved. Naruto kneeled; the outer side of his right leg touching Sasuke's left leg as it leaned against the leg.
"Kill me." Naruto said.
The boy didn't even flinch as the sword was once again against his tan skin, creating a deep cut, but not yet adding enough pressure to do any serious damage.
"Why?" Sasuke said in more of a statement then an actual question.
"I don't want to die by any other hand then yours."
For a moment, the face of his brother flashed before Sasuke's eyes. "Since the day he left the village, he planned to fight you and die by your hand." The words of Madare echoed in his mind.
He had killed his own brother. He achieved his goal that day. But the regret and sorrow that came with it, was even more overwhelming then he had ever desired. Sasuke knew, he knew, that if he killed Naruto, here and now…
He would die.
He would feel the worst pain ever and then die.
Painfully and slowly.
There was no other way. His mind and body wouldn't be able to handle this mental destruction if he killed his old teammate.
Naruto's words pulled him back to reality. "Why won't you kill me?"
Sasuke felt a panic rise in his body.
Indeed. A good question, indeed. Why wasn't he able to kill Naruto? He didn't want to know the answer. If he did, he would carry it with him the rest of his life.
But the regret of killing Naruto… would be much worse.
"I…I …you…" Sasuke tried to speak, but the words were stuck; his voice stumbling with a hint of confusion and disbelief. "…I-I …can't…" he said, shocking Naruto as much as he shocked himself.
"…Sasuke…" Finally, Naruto's stern voice broke and his body shivered. "Please…I don't know if I…if I could live…if you leave me here again…."
Why?
Why did they feel the same? Why did they think the same? Why couldn't they live without each other? Why were, no matter what, his and Naruto's world connected?
Sasuke looked into blue eyes, slightly wondering how he was able to see the difference between the raindrops and Naruto's tears. Sasuke looked down at the tan neck, which was dripping blood. In shock, as if he didn't realize it was him pushing the blade against the skin, he let go of the blade as if it had caught fire.
He swung the blade away, not even hearing the sound as it fell on the grass, further away. He let his body fall onto the man underneath him. As soon as the chests touched, cold arms wrapped around Sasuke's body.
The hold was weak and cold from exhaustion and rain, but nonetheless, the embrace felt so comforting; so secure and strong. Slowly, that Sasuke wrapped his own arms around the other man's neck, hoping to give the other the same comforting feeling.
OO OO End of Memory OO OO
"And then you left with me." Naruto finished.
Sasuke swallowed. The feelings and emotions rushing through his body were overwhelming. He stared at the wall, unable to form words. This was what he wanted to know. And know he knew.
And it was incredible.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly realized something. "What about Team Taka? What about, Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin?"
Naruto raised his eyebrows at the question, and then frowned. "They tried to stop me, of course. You told them to follow their own paths but they resisted. I think they thought I hypnotized you or something; there was no way you would cooperate with me."
The blond snorted and Sasuke chuckled at the childish expression.
"In the end, you bowed and made an apology. They were so stunned that they followed us to Konoha, I think. After that, you went through your punishment. And then together, with us, we defeated the Akatsuki. Short and simple, that's what happened."
There fell a comfortable silence as the two men let the words sink in. Sasuke took a deep breath. Then he slowly exhaled, relaxing his body at the same time. The question; "What happened after that?" lingered on his tongue, but another part of him resisted.
He felt that he rather wanted to know, to remember by himself then for Naruto to tell him. What Naruto had told him today was something he would keep in mind, till he fully remembered it all for himself. Although he was disappointed that he couldn't remember anything, he still felt grateful that Naruto had told him everything.
Like Naruto had told him, he felt like he was actually there.
Maybe he wanted Naruto to tell him something so important like this. Now, he was satisfied that Naruto trusted him this much. He wanted to remember the rest himself, and for Naruto, too.
He wondered how it was possible to feel so much for one person. How was it possible to give your life to another person without hesitation, without any signs of remorse? How could he feel so much love for this person in front of him?
Then again, how could he not?
OO OO OO OO
Kakashi looked up from his usual book as the door opened. He had been standing outside, just in case something happened. Sai and Sakura were both in the foyer at the end of the hall.
Naruto looked outside and gave the gray haired man a grin.
"How did it go?" Sakura asked. She walked up to the blond, coming from the foyer as soon as she had seen Kakashi look up. Sai followed behind her, trying to peek into the room. Naruto glanced back into the room, then stood outside and closed the door.
"It went fine, he didn't have any attacks and he accepted the truth." Naruto smiled, letting go a breath of relief. "Though I could tell he was disappointed that he couldn't remember it."
"I can understand that, but I'm glad he didn't have any attacks. I'm always scared he'll lose everything again…" Sakura said.
Naruto smiled at her. "Well, luckily it didn't happen. Oh, and he wants to leave as soon as possible, perhaps today. He hopes to go back to Konoha as fast as he can."
Kakashi closed his eyes in thought, crossing his arms. "Well, it's 3 o'clock now. I guess we can leave today, but we would never make it to Konoha before dark."
"Maybe we can rest in a village on the way and then continue our journey to Konoha the next day." Sakura opted. She was happy that Sasuke wanted to go back; worried that if he was away any longer than necessary that he would mentally break from all those failures.
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Okay. But are you sure Sasuke rested enough, Naruto?" he gave the boy a concerned look. Naruto glanced at the door and nodded. "He's fine. He took enough rest; if we go slowly he should be okay."
The team agreed to leave as soon as they could to make it to next village before nightfall. The only thing they had to do was to follow the path Sasuke had taken to go back.
The raven hoped he would get an answer to how he had lost his memories or how they was sealed away, even if it meant he would continue his memory from meeting Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu.
Team 7 packed their stuff, checked out of the hotel, and went on their way back to Konoha; walking as Sasuke had originally done.
Naruto, Sakura and Sai checked for anything unusual, even though the chances of finding anything were very slim. It had been months and it was a popular path Sasuke had taken to go back. There was almost no chance of finding trails or something that could've led them to a clue.
Still, they continued as Sasuke walked half in the past and half in the present. Flashes of his memory appeared before his eyes. The feeling of someone following him retuned as if he was actually in the past. But now he knew who was following him.
"I jumped up here." Sasuke said, alerting his teammates. He had carefully counted the steps, and recognized the tree with the huge scar across the bark.
They went south, until Sasuke stopped and made a turn to the right. "I tried to shake them of here, so I went in a different direction. They followed me on the ground." Sasuke explained, jumping form branch to branch.
After a couple of seconds running, Sasuke came to a halt. "I went down here, they stopped me, and they revealed themselves."
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he noticed Sasuke's voice sounded distant somehow. It was more like he was talking to himself, then actually explaining his actions.
Sasuke fell silent and looked around, trying to trigger a memory or actually find something helpful. He sighed after a minute as he still didn't feel a thing; his teammates patiently waiting on the sidelines.
The raven glanced at his teammates for less than a second and saw the hope in their eyes. He wasn't the only one who wanted to know what had happened to him and he actually felt kind of guilty that he couldn't remember anything at the moment.
He wanted to get rid of the sense of insecurity; wanting to feel the stable ground beneath his feet, not this quicksand he could drown in at any moment.
He turned around, his back towards his team, as he looked around again.
Sasuke pictured Team Taka in front of him, himself standing where he was. Team Taka was worried that he hadn't returned to them in a while.
He still couldn't forgive himself for going to Team Taka and actually leaving Naruto behind, worried and hurt.
He softly spoke the words he dreadfully hated now, though he had found a way to understand himself. "I hurt Naruto again." So soft his team wasn't able to hear it. "I hurt him again."
He felt relief flood through him as he spoke. He wasn't proud, but felt relief all the same.
OO OO Memory OO OO
Suigetsu snorted. "What else is new?" he said, crossing his arms, glaring at the raven. Karin shot him a glare as Sasuke looked away, his eyes turning to the ground. Suigetsu rolled his eyes, but didn't do anything further as the raven let himself fall against a tree, massaging the bridge of his nose.
Juugo walked towards the raven and placed one of his hands on the slumping shoulder. "Look Sasuke, even though you left our team to join Konoha-" "which we still don't understand, why the hell you did that…" Suigetsu interrupted. Then he let out a loud cry of pain, rubbing the spot Karin had hit.
Karin then beckoned for Juugo to continue. Juugo regained his courage and turned to the raven again, who looked back to him in a mix of relief and gratitude.
"We'll be there for you…. Well, you probably knew that, since you came back to us a couple of times…" Juugo's voice trailed away and he even fell silent for a second before he started again. "And I've been thinking. I don't think it's healthy for you to stay this way. Not only mentally, but you're breaking yourself." He beckoned to Karin and Suigetsu. "We all think this, Sasuke. We know you hate yourself for hurting Naruto and realize that you hurt him even more by running away. That's why you always go back after a week or so."
Juugo's voice started to sound pitiful now and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He didn't want to be told what he was doing, especially since he knew all too well what he was doing. That. And he hated to be pitied.
"I know I'm throwing myself in a vicious circle, I don't need you to tell me that." He hissed, his body tensing. Juugo pulled his hand back, a little frightened by Sasuke's reaction.
"I…I-I was …" he started, but the words died, and he looked to Karin with a hint of panic. Karin sighed and stood next to Juugo, her hands on her hips.
"Look Sasuke. This is how your life is now; you're with Blondie, you drown yourself in made up guilt and sorrow, and believe that you're hurting the blond by being in his presence.
"Then you run to us, thinking it's best for him, only then to realize you're hurting Blondie even more. You go back, wallow in guilt about leaving and hurting Blondie again. And then the circle repeats itself. It always goes like that, and I hope you realize you're breaking yourself this way.
"It's not healthy. You aren't hurting only yourself, but also Blondie, and us." She added quickly.
Sasuke looked up from the poor leaves he had been glaring at, to focus his gaze on Karin. "Your point?"
Karin narrowed her eyes. "Us or Blondie, which do you choose?"
"Naruto." Sasuke answered without hesitation. The second the name left his mouth, a fist slammed into the bark of the tree he was leaning against, mere inch away from his head. Sasuke's black unfazed eyes looked to Suigetsu.
"What?!" Suigetsu demanded an explanation. "You choose him over us?" he shouted, even though his face was nothing more than a few inches away from Sasuke's.
"Of course. I love him." Sasuke replied, his eyes turning hard once again. Suigetsu snorted and pulled his fist back, giving the Uchiha a glare. He mumbled something about Uchiha's being a bitch and so on, but the boy he was speaking about didn't even move.
Juugo looked hurt by the blunt answer.
Karin sighed, "Sasuke, I can accept that you choose Blondie over us. I can accept that and live with it." the red head ignored Suigetsu's indignant shout. "But, I can't live with the fact that you're willingly destroying yourself."
She sighed again, and then smiled at Sasuke. "We can help you Sasuke. We can get you out of this vicious circle. That way you don't need to hurt yourself."
"Fuck off, I don't need your help." Sasuke hissed back.
Suigetsu snorted. "Says the guy who runs to us every time he hurts his little Blondie…" he made a disgusted face at the nickname for Naruto and Karin shot him a glare.
"Please, Sasuke let us help you." She said, sounding desperate. The raven eyes narrowed even further and his grip around his mask tightened. Karin sighed in defeat, giving Sasuke a pitying look.
Sasuke's eyes glanced at the kunai Karin grabbed from her pouch. He didn't move though. Suigetsu started to grin as he pulled the huge sword from the straps on his back.
Juugo, on the other hand, contradicting the fighting stances his comrades, took and step away from Sasuke. Muttering excuses, he glanced at Karin, Suigetsu, and the raven.
Sasuke glared at Karin and Suigetsu. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, his body tensing.
Karin gave the raven a smile as an apology. "Sasuke, didn't you say you would rather forget everything? That you wanted to forget your sorrow and pain?" she asked.
Sasuke pushed himself away from the tree, getting ready to fight. "Answer me." He said, his eyes flashing between Karin and Suigetsu.
"We'll make you forget about Blondie, Sasuke. So you can start a new life with us. So you can live peacefully with us and not have to worry about hurting anyone around you." Karin grinned, her eyes shining. "So you can start a new life, without having to remember this horrible past and that stupid blond."
Suigetsu's grin grew wider with every word Karin said, while Juugo looked like he was praying, muttering excuses and avoiding Sasuke's eyes.
"We'll make you forget Sasuke. …Everything…" she whispered.
Sasuke knew it was impossible to win this fight. He had certainly grown stronger, but so had his former comrades. And while he was able to easily win in a one to one, this was three against one.
Sasuke knew he would lose, when he fell to his knees, grabbing his stomach which was now bleeding heavily.
Juugo lay unconscious against a tree, his leg bent in a weird way, away from his body. Karin was kneeling on the ground, one of her eyes closed because of the blood that was streaming out of a wound on her head. Suigetsu was leaning on his sword, panting heavily and shaking, but still standing.
Sasuke was panting harder, his breath coming out ragged and short as he felt the blood fill his mouth before he spit it out. "Come on, Sasuke, this if for your own good." Karin panted, leaning on the wrist that wasn't impaled by a needle.
Sasuke made a noise that was supposed to be snort, but it ended in a coughing fit. He wheezed, trying to get as much air as possible.
"Fine." He breathed, giving the red head a defeated look. Karin immediately let out a victory shout, crawling to the man.
Suigetsu's eyes narrowed, giving the raven a suspicious look, he used his sword as a walking stick as he tried to prevent Karin from giving Sasuke her chakra. But before he could even say a thing, Sasuke sunk his teeth in Karin's arm. Karin's face, turned into one of pain as she made a hiss, but you could see that she was truly happy now.
Suigetsu frowned, as he saw Sasuke's blood stop and as the face, first one of pain, now relaxed. He raised his sword at the boy, even though he was having trouble standing.
Karin opened her mouth to question Suigetsu's action, when a kunai was put against her neck. "Stupid wench. Did you really think I would give up that easily?" Sasuke smirked.
Karin's face changed into one of pure horror and disbelief, then into a sad one. "We're trying to help you Sasuke!" she cried. She gave the man a sad look, but Sasuke's face remained full of hatred.
"Fuck off." The man hissed. Karin blinked in shock and Sasuke's smirk went wider. But it started to fade as he fell on the ground, on his side. Karin started to smirk and wiped her crocodile tears away. "Did you really think I would fall for that, Sasuke?" she said happily.
Sasuke tried to curse, to move, to do anything, but his body felt heavy and weak. His eyes closing against his will, he felt drowsy. His vision started to fade and he fought against the darkness starting to spread.
"Now you don't need to be afraid, Sasuke." Karin whispered.
Before Sasuke fell into a deep sleep, he muttered only one name in his mind. His everything, the only thing he didn't want to forget. An image of the man smiling flashed before his eyes, before he could only see the black of darkness.
'…Naruto…'
OO OO OO OO
A headache, a dull pain went throughout his whole body, thinking that the sun was just a tad too bright. That's how the man felt right now. He opened his eyes, blinking against the sun, which was slightly blocked by the leaves.
A groan escaped his lips as he tried to sit up, his hand immediately grabbing his head to try and stop the hammer that was pounding into his head.
He looked around, his vision started to sharpen. Then he saw them. Three bodies. They were laying near him, all laying on the ground as if a wind had came from his direction and blown them away from him.
Their faces were peaceful; the woman even had a slight hint of a smile. The three were holding hands, which were covered by signs and lines, along with their wrists and lower arms.
Near his own body was a scroll. There was a title and even text, but most of it was covered with black, like it was scorched. He could make out the word "jutsu", and even the instruction of writing the jutsu on a part of the arms, but the rest was unreadable.
The man looked at the bodies, swallowing as he reached to touch the nearest one, who looked the friendliest, but was huge. He immediately pulled his arms back as the body was cold, ice cold.
Just as he was about to check the other two, the bodies disappeared with a poof, leaving the man confused and terrified in a cloud of smoke. The man closed his eyes on instinct, pulling a mask against his face that he had been holding in his hand. He crawled back, tripped and fell on his back, breathing heavily.
He looked around at the blue sky, and then back to the ground where the bodies had disappeared; not even leaving a trace behind. His heart was racing and his breathing ragged.
The man suddenly looked down, checking his own body, shocked to find himself covered in blood and dirt. He let out a small shout as his eyes widened.
'What happened?' he wondered in panic.
A sudden rustle behind him made him tense and he covered his head with his arms in reflex, turning his body away from the direction the sound had came from. A moment passed as the man shivered, carefully looking at the bush that had created the sound.
"Is somebody there?" he whispered. On one hand, hoping for a reaction, the other, he prayed for silence.
A silence fell and the man looked around, but found nothing familiar.
'Where am I?' he wondered, his panic taking over. He looked at the tiger mask in utter shock. He grabbed it with both his hands, his body shaking as the question rose in his mind.
'…What, the hell, is going on…?'
OO OO OO OO
(1)Taka is the Japanese version for Sasuke's team, which I will be writing now, since I'm sure that's correct. I get reviews all the time "It's Eagle" or "It's Hawk"; even Wikipedia is confusing me so I decided to do it this way.
Well, now we know who erased Sasuke's memories! For some of you this might be a big shock, to others; a boring reaffirmation to what they already thought what was going to happen… Sorry if it was too obvious…
Anyway… Thanks for the wonderful reviews everyone! They make the inspiration to write! Crazy PurpleSage…? Special thanks to you!
The next update is on the 12th of October! Please be patient and look forward to the next chapter!