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THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED
stfuSPARKS
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song 'What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost' by Taking Back Sunday :).
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XVII.
What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?
"And then you said
A little more about your dreams,
Like it was my call,
If you would only listen."
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The transmitter in their ears weakly crackled to life.
"Shino!" Naruto cried, sounding hopeful. "Can you hear me? Oh god, you've got to help us man, we're all gonna-"
"We don't have time to explain!" Itachi's calm composure slightly cracked for the first time as his harsh tone interrupted Naruto's babbling. "Someone has activated the self-destruction device in this entire building, and all the exits are blocked. Everything is going to blow up in less than three minutes- is there something you can do?"
There was a terrifying silence on the other end.
"It's impossible for me to do anything in three minutes. I can try... but it's just not possible." Shino's voice was a mixture of many emotions- frustration, sadness, regret... he was apologizing to them.
Sasuke felt the tension leave his shoulders, watching as everyone's faces slightly fell.
So this was it.
This was the end.
It was as if Kisame had immediately understood. He walked over towards the younger Uchiha and gently handed him the pink haired girl. Sasuke momentarily marveled at how light she was, before looking up at the blue-skinned man. He wanted to thank him, but the words just wouldn't come out- so he settled for a curt nod.
"Two minutes left."
"There has to be a way out." Deidara argued, starting to panic. "That Kabuto guy wouldn't kill himself along with us, right? He probably left the building after activating this whole self-destruction thing! We have to look for that escape route! And what about that other Gaara guy? How did he get in and out in the first place? There's something we're definitely overlooking!"
Sasori shook his head. "You're not using your logic to think Deidara." He said solemnly, his hollow brown eyes never leaving his partner. "Kabuto was not merely Orochimaru's servant- he lived for the man. His life no longer has a purpose now that his master is dead- he's probably hidden somewhere in this building, ready to end his life right here with us. And as for Gaara- he probably followed us when we first came. How else would he know where we were? And I wouldn't be surprised if he was still in this building as well- he no longer has a purpose either, now that the only person he has ever loved is gone."
Deidara was speechless.
Neji quietly turned towards his remaining teammates, with an unreadable look in his crystal clear eyes. "I'm glad that you were my teammates." He finally murmured, as he stood tall in front of them. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do better as a team leader."
And that's when they understood-
It was time for their goodbyes now.
Kiba slumped against the wall, giving him a tired grin in response. "Well, I guess I can't complain either." He affirmed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back. "You guys were pretty damn cool. I just wish we could have met in another time and another place- we could have had an awesome life."
Naruto let out a broken laugh, throwing his head back as he did so. "It was about time you admitted it, dog-boy." His blue eyes saddened. "But you're right. We made a pretty awesome team, right Sasuke-teme?" He turned towards his best friend.
Sasuke blankly stared at the girl in his arms. He had never wasted his time with trivial things such as love or relationships- he had always deemed them as forms of weaknesses of the human life. His genetics had permitted him to be the center of affection for many females, but he had never considered any of them. Even the most beautiful of women who had thrown themselves at his feet had never even received a general thought from the stoic man.
So what was it about this pink haired girl that had caught his attention?
Sakura was definitely attractive, but he had seen his fair share of much more beautiful women in his life. Her body was fairly fit, but she was a little too skinny to be considered 'perfect'. Her chest area was slightly lacking and her height was much too short, her pink hair a little too tacky and green eyes much too bright- so what was it?
He knew that he could tell himself excuse after excuse for why she wasn't perfect, but deep inside he knew- she was perfect to him.
He loved that her legs weren't long enough to let her catch up with him when they walked side by side. He loved that she wasn't graceful most of the time- she had a tendency to stumble into things no matter where she was. He loved her tacky pink hair, because even if it was tacky it reminded him of her warmth. He loved her big apple green eyes which seemed to read into him even when he didn't want her to- she could always see his silent pleas for help.
He was in love with her.
Uchiha Sasuke was in love with Haruno Sakura.
When had it happened? Even when their lips had met for the first time a couple of days ago, they had still been unsure about their feelings towards each other. He could feel that she was extremely important to him- but was it really love? He hadn't been sure at the time.
Maybe it had happened long before either of them had fully even realized it. Maybe it had happened when striking green had first met charcoal black in the confined walls of a high school classroom, or maybe it had been when two lonely people had met on a lone autumn night, sharing secrets in front of locked gates.
Maybe.
Probably.
Definitely.
His arms tightened around her as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of fresh blood, faint perfume and a little bit of spring.
"One minute left."
He finally spoke. "Aa." he murmured in quiet, composed voice, finally answering the blonde's question. "We made a great team."
Naruto's face slowly split into a sad grin. "Believe it!" He exclaimed, looking up into the ceiling so that his tears wouldn't spill over. 'Real men don't cry,' he faintly thought to himself, before turning away so that no one could see him.
Deidara cast his pale blue eyes at the floor as he avoided looking at both Sasori and Kisame. "I'm not going to apologize, y'know." he grumbled, looking intently at his shoes. "I'm not going to apologize for bringing Sakura-chan in two years ago, even if it is the cause of all our deaths."
Kisame rolled his eyes. "No one's blaming you for anything Blondie." he grunted, slamming a hand onto Deidara's back. "In fact, I don't think any of us are regretting it right now. The Akatsuki will be fine without us- it's about time we took some time off, right?"
"Kisame-san is right!" Tobi exclaimed, sounding like his usual self despite the situation they were in. "We all love Sakura-chan! We would do anything for her!"
Sasori gave him a rare smile- it was small, but it was still there. "You're quite annoying most of the time, but you make a decent partner."
Their attention was immediately shifted when they saw the eldest Uchiha get up to his feet. He slowly walked over to his younger brother- but Sasuke didn't have the strength to hate him anymore, not now.
"Thirty seconds left."
"Little brother."
His tone was quiet and monotonous, but to Sasuke it was louder than the siren wailing over their heads.
"I wish I had the time to explain everything to you." Itachi continued, his face carefully blank. "I didn't think that things would end so abruptly between us. I had always hoped to explain myself to you one day when you'd be old enough to understand... but I guess I ran out of time. All I can say to you now is that the events from seven years ago are not what they seem." He paused. "I never hated you, Sasuke. There was a valid reason behind every action I took."
Sasuke didn't have the time to contemplate over his brother's cryptic words. He was tired now- his head was spinning, and he just wanted to close his eyes and rest now.
"Ten second countdown will commence."
"Ten."
Naruto stood by Sasuke's side, trying his best to stop his tears from finally spilling over.
I will remain strong until the end.
"Nine."
Kisame calmly took a seat on an empty office chair, closing his eyes.
I guess it's finally over now.
"Eight."
Deidara shot one last look at the fragile pink haired girl in the raven haired man's arms, briefly remembering the broken girl he had found in the rain two years ago.
I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to protect you.
"Seven."
Sasori stood unmoving against the wall, as his hollow eyes merely stared at the scene unfolding right before his eyes.
We were never meant to last forever.
"Six."
Tobi's face was unreadable behind his mask, but he was noticeably quiet as he simply stood with his hands at his sides.
Tobi did well, right?
"Five."
Kiba unconsciously brought a hand to touch the markings on his cheeks.
Forgive me. I should have returned when I could have.
"Four."
Neji finally untied the bandages around his forehead, his prideful white eyes never lowering.
You always said I would be incapable of greatness. You were wrong.
"Three."
Itachi quietly looked at his only family for the last time.
I never hated you.
"Two."
Sasuke finally shut his eyes, holding the only girl he ever loved close to his own body as he waited for the end to come.
Together until the end.
"One."
Sakura's eyes flew open.
I will save you.
The last thing Sasuke saw was a blinding white light and her beautiful green eyes, before the darkness claimed them all.
'You look better when your eyes are green.'
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"One."
Shikamaru's blood instantly ran cold as soon as the connection was cut off. He slowly took off his ear piece and stared at the small device in his hand, before looking back up at Shino. The other man's face was unreadable behind his dark sunglasses, but the atmosphere in the air clearly indicated that he wasn't doing too good either.
"What..." The words immediately died in his throat. He couldn't think of anything that would be appropriate to say in a situation like this one.
Shikamaru was still in shock. He had just listened to the last seconds of his teammates' lives- he couldn't see how he would ever be okay after today. The people that he had grown close to for the past couple of years were gone now. Where would we go from here? What would he do now?
A million different thoughts passed through the genius' head, but he didn't voice any of them. For the first time in years, Shikamaru felt helpless.
"They can't have died." Shikamaru finally found the courage to speak. "They're tougher than that. They probably found a way out last minute, and escaped just in time. I've been working with them for years now, they're all too stubborn to die so easily..." He was babbling now, something that was extremely out of character for someone like him. It was as if the whole set of events that had just taken place had jarred his mind.
Shino was silent for a moment. "Itachi said that it was a self-destruction device for the entire building." he finally spoke up, sounding monotonously thoughtful. "Sound Corp is in no way small- if it was a bomb big enough to destroy the whole thing, then it must've been extremely powerful. I have no doubts that Orochimaru would invest a lot of money in making sure that the explosion would eliminate every single thing. There's no way they could have survived something as powerful as that."
Shikamaru felt his heart sink with every single word the other man spoke. "But-"
"No." Shino interrupted him, shaking his head. "An explosion of that caliber would probably be too strong for even Sakura's barrier to handle. I'm telling you, the chances of their survival are less than 1%."
"Well I'm sorry if I want to believe that my teammates are still alive!" Shikamaru's temper flared up at Shino's lack of emotions. "I realize that maybe to you, these people were nothing more than temporary allies, but my friends were in that explosion. Maybe I just want to hang onto the hope that they're still okay."
"I'm trying to be realistic." Shino seemed unaffected by Shikamaru's sudden outburst. "I'm not trying to bring you down, yet at the same time I will not sit here and simply listen to you hope for something that isn't possible. It'll just bring your hopes up, and you'll only end up being even more crushed in the end."
Shikamaru wanted to answer back, but he knew that Shino was right in the end. He wasn't called a genius for nothing- the moment their connection had died, his mind had immediately deduced that they were dead. He had probably figured it out even before Shino had- but he was in a state of denial right now.
"I don't mean to sound insensible, but we must go there as soon as possible." Shino spoke up again. "An explosion of the sort will not be ignored for much longer; the police will probably be all over the scene in less than an hour. We have to get to there and get rid of any evidence that could lead them back to us."
Shikamaru didn't want to do it. He didn't want to look through the ruins for traces of his now ex-teammates. Maybe spending too much time with Naruto had affected his way of thinking as all- he was starting to get too emotional.
He grabbed his coat and immediately exited the house before Shino even had to tell him to do so.
It was just another day, with more bodies to bury.
At least that was what Shikamaru tried to desperately tell himself.
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Contrary to popular belief, Neji was not the original founder of the 'Shinobi'.
There was no doubt that he was their leader- yet he had not been there since the very beginning.
As unbelievable as it sounded, the 'Shinobi' had been a creation of Inuzuka Kiba with the aid of his best friend Shikamaru when they were both at the mere age of fifteen. The reason why the canine boy had decided to abandon his family and the genius had decided to follow him remained a mystery. Both led relatively decent lives- they were both heirs to the head positions of extremely prominent families. From what the public could see, there was absolutely nothing wrong with their lives-
Which was why everyone was left speechless when they both decided to run away.
The matter was tried to be kept secret, but something like that was impossible to do when it had to do with the Inuzuka and Nara clans.
No one knew why- and they doubted they ever would. Kiba and Shikamaru were never too keen on sharing their past with anyone, but that was the same for all seven of the members. Not even the friendly Naruto ever bothered to talk about his past. When Lee had once hesitantly asked about his family, the blond boy had frozen up and his face had morphed into someone that none of them had recognized.
But there were inevitable hints that none of them could ignore, like the slight tension that found its way to Kiba's shoulders when the news that his sister had replaced him, becoming the first female head of the Inuzuka clan in their entire history, reached his ears. Or the way Neji's eyes ever so slightly narrowed when Naruto first found out about the Hyuuga Main House and Branch House system.
The Uchiha Massacre, being one of the biggest tragedies of their times, was impossible to ignore. It made headlines all over the country, on every source of media that there was. The Uchiha clan was one of the most prominent families of the Fire Country, along with the Hyuuga, Nara and Inuzuka clans. When news broke out that the eldest had killed off every single family member save for his little brother, the public was stunned.
Uchiha Itachi had been considered the child prodigy of their generation. He was everything that a family looked for in an ideal heir- countless awards decorated his room, proof of his outstanding intelligence and strength. He had graduated high school at the mere age of twelve, entering Konoha University at the age of thirteen. He was the perfect gentleman; his manners were impeccable and he was charming. He was the perfect son and the ideal older brother.
Not many people knew that he had a little brother. Sasuke had always been obscured by his older brother's shadow. He was never the best at anything- he was moderately intelligent and moderately strong. Compared to Itachi though, he was nothing at all.
People finally discovered Sasuke after the massacre. He became known as the survivor- the boy who had lost everything in a single night. The boy who had been inexplicably spared for reasons unknown.
The most common rumor was that Itachi had gone insane- it was the only logical reason they could come up with. Why else would a prodigy like him kill off all of his family in cold blood?
Sasuke was only thirteen years old when it happened.
Right after the series of events, Itachi joined the Akatsuki. Joining one of the most infamous illegal organizations in the entire country provided him with the sufficient amount of protection that he needed. It was a known fact that all members of the Akatsuki were protected from the law; the only plausible explanation was that their leader was somehow involved. No one knew the identity of the leader of the Akatsuki, but many speculated that he was someone who held an extremely important position in the country. Some even went as far as to say that he was the president of the Fire Country.
In any case, Itachi easily escaped his punishment. He carried on living a (somewhat) normal life without being pursued by the law, and if anyone thought that it was an injustice, no one dared to say so.
On the other hand, no one knew what happened to Sasuke. He had definitely survived the massacre- yet despite the fact that he was now the rightful heir to the Uchiha compound, he never returned to his home again. He completely disappeared from the face of the earth- many people thought that Itachi had finished what he had started, while others thought that Sasuke was still alive somewhere.
Neji had recognized him from the very first moment he had been dragged in through the front door to their modest headquarters by an over-enthusiastic Naruto on a rainy day.
The last public sighting of Sasuke had been when he was thirteen years old. The person who stood in the middle of their living room was a seventeen year old grown man now, no longer a scared little boy, but his physical features were unmistakable. The Hyuugas and the Uchihas had always been rivals- it was hard for Neji not to recognize Sasuke.
All Uchihas had the same pale features- high cheekbones and thin jaws. All of them were gifted with extremely good looks, characterized by silky raven hair and hollow onyx eyes. Sasuke was no exception when it came to that rule.
But Sasuke was no longer the thirteen year old that the public had known. He was now only the ghost of that boy, forever haunted by his past. His eyes were almost empty, only fueled with the hatred and the loss that he kept bottled up inside of him for years now.
Naruto looked short standing next to him. They were both bruised and battered, but the blond was sporting a large grin on his face as he introduced his new so-called friend as Sasuke. He assured them that he was indeed extremely strong, and that he was worthy of joining their little group.
Kiba had raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Who died and made you boss?" he accusingly asked, rolling his eyes. "Last time I checked, we don't go out recruiting for new members on a daily basis. Actually, we're not looking for any new members at all- I think we're fine the way we are."
Shikamaru shook his head, looking slightly exasperated as Naruto's face fell. "Just ignore him, he just doesn't like the idea of strangers joining our little family." he explained. "How troublesome. What do you think Neji?"
Everyone expectantly turned towards Neji, waiting for their 'leader' to make his decision.
"I know who you are," Neji finally spoke up calmly, speaking directly to the newcomer. "You've been gone for quite some time. Many people thought you were dead."
"Eh?" Naruto spoke up, looking slightly confused. "You know him, Neji?"
The white eyed boy shook his head. "Not personally, but I guess that in a way I do." He turned towards the quiet raven haired boy again. "Unlike Kiba, I have nothing against having new people join. However, the real issue I have is whether you're trustworthy or not. If you dare touch a hair on any of my teammates, I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot."
Sasuke finally grunted. "Hn," he said, his face blank. "I didn't ask to join. This dobe here dragged me off without even telling me where we were going."
"Naruto, you idiot! You can't just drag anyone to our headquarters! Are you trying to get us killed?" Kiba barked out, looking furious. "I swear, you're going to be the death of us one day!"
Naruto looked slightly guilty as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I know, I know! But I promise I have a good feeling about him, Kiba. Something about him just tells me that he's going to become an extremely important part of our team."
Kiba shook his head. "You!" he barked, turning back to the stranger, who looked unfazed by it all. "What's your name?"
Finally, he showed the least bit of emotion as a small smirk spread on his face. "It seems like your captain already knows of my identity. Why don't you ask him instead?" His gaze carefully shifted over to the white eyed boy again. "Am I right, Hyuuga Neji?"
Kiba disappeared right before their eyes. His movements were a blur, and before any of them had a chance to react, he was standing behind the raven haired boy, holding up a knife to his neck. "Who are you?" he growled in a threatening tone. "How do you know Neji's full name? Who sent you?"
No one even saw Sasuke move. The next thing they knew, Kiba's knife clattered to the floor when a gun was pointed straight at the canine boy's temple.
"No one sent me." Sasuke muttered icily, his onyx eyes betraying no emotions at all. "I am simply here because this blond idiot decided to drag me here. I am aware of Hyuuga Neji's identity for the same reason that he is aware of mine. I don't have time to waste with weaklings like you, so you better keep your mouth shut."
"Drop it Kiba." Neji finally said, when the brunette opened his mouth to retort something nasty. "The only reason he knows my name is because he's Uchiha Sasuke."
Kiba's eyes widened as his insults died in his throat. "Uchiha... Sasuke?" he repeated, looking stunned. Shikamaru did not look surprised at all. "But they declared him to be dead!"
Neji shook his head. "Just like they said that you ran away from home because you were mentally disturbed."
Kiba abruptly shut his mouth.
"You're welcome to join us, Uchiha." Neji calmly continued, looking highly unaffected. "I have a hint of why you've finally decided to show your face again, but I won't sit here and ask you if it's right. Whatever your purpose is, it doesn't matter to me as long as you don't get in our way."
Sasuke nodded. "Your little organization has been getting quite the attention recently. My only purpose is to get stronger, that is all. I will not harm any of your teammates as long as they don't get in my way."
Naruto's ears perked up at his statement. "And then what? What are you going to do when you get stronger?"
Sasuke's eyes grew cold. "There is someone I must kill."
Naruto knew better than to press matters further. He nodded, motioning for him to follow. "Well then, if you follow me, I'll show you to one of our empty rooms. You can stay there from now on."
The two boys disappeared down the hallway. There was a moment of silence as Shikamaru and Neji exchanged a knowing look.
"Did you see that?" Kiba finally spoke up quietly, looking disturbed.
Shikamaru nodded.
"That look in his eyes... he's no longer human. Just like the rest of us."
Time quickly passed, and they quickly got used to being a team all together. Lee and Gaara both joined later on under their own strange circumstances, as the boys learned to work together as a team.
The fact that Sasuke never seemed to fully open up to them did not escape Neji. The only person that he ever connected with was Naruto- the two seemed to develop a strange, hostile kind of friendship that only they could understand.
It amused Neji that it had been like that since the very beginning. Even when they had been strangers, Sasuke had been drawn to Naruto for reasons that were unknown to the rest of them.
But Neji was no fool, and he was not considered to be their captain for nothing. His eyes had a way of catching the smallest kinds of details that no one else could see, whether they were physical or mental.
From the first time Sasuke's eyes had landed on the pink haired girl, Neji had known. Perhaps he had known even before Sasuke or Sakura both did- there was something extremely strong that connected them.
Nothing else could compare to the softness in his eyes when he looked at her.
Now, as Neji sat on the brink of death, he saw emotions in these people that he had never seen before. He saw Kiba and Shikamaru show the compassion that they had kept hidden for so long deep inside of them. He saw the Akatsuki members look at each other with a strong emotional response that no one would have ever expected out of them. He saw the feared Uchiha Itachi look down at his brother with what could only be called as sibling love. He saw Naruto and Sasuke hold onto the girl they both loved.
Neji could only briefly wonder if his eyes reflected the same, before it all went dark.
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When Sasuke opened his eyes again, it was all white.
It was almost over now.
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So what's it feel like to be a ghost?
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