Hey NaruSasu fans! I have returned, once again, to update. It seems it has been a while since such an event took place, so, I'm happy to announce that it is actually occurring. I myself am moderately pleased as to how this chapter developed, and hope you enjoy it too. Just so you know, I did not upload something from a different story. Yes, it is angsty, but I swear, it's angsty plot. Try not to cry; you'll fry your computers...plus I might mock you...
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters, settings, etc. (The details of the plot are completely original and should not be reproduced without my consent); "The Burning Hour" is property of Test Your Reflex 'cause they named their album really well. It just so happened to suit my purpose
Chapter Warnings: Some angstish stuff. Nothing to lose sleep over...
A/N: Oh the angst!
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Burning Hour
It was dark. A small blond boy sat at his desk. The ten year old as attempting various trigonometry problems by the light of a desk lamp. The room was huge, but the dark didn't really bother the boy all that much; he could see fine. His brother had always told him that people feared the dark. He didn't see why they should. He reached up and scratched his ear.
'Mmm. That feels good,' he silently mused. 'Note to self: get personal ear scratcher." He chuckled at the thought. Nobody would want that job. Maybe he could get his mom to do it. She seemed to like mushy things like that.
The boy's gaze drifted back to the trigonometry when, suddenly, his ear twitched, sensing movement behind him.
"Hello?" the boy said, turning his head. he saw nothing. He turned back again, only to sense movement, and whipped around. "Hello? If this is my stupid brother playing a joke, its not funny jerk."
Nothing responded; only darkness.
'I'm so killing him for this later,' he thought to himself as he grumbled under his breath and returned to his problem. 'Okay, so if I divide by 6, and then factor out x -- whoa!' He sensed it again.
"Who is there damn it!" he practically shouted.
"Watch your language!" a stern female voice reprimanded as a woman with reddish-blond hair stepped into the small pool of light. Her read eye gleamed with an emotion the blond's own blue eyes didn't recognize as having been there before. The woman looked almost ... angry. The emotion didn't match her features well.
"Sorry mom," the smaller blond mumbled.
The woman nodded silently, the stern lines still marring her face, but the boy thought nothing of it. He turned back to his trig work.
"Maybe you could help me, Mom. I'm having trouble with this one problem. I don't know if I should factor by 2 or by x. I mean, I could--"
Suddenly the door slammed open, and the events that followed seemed to pass in slow motion: The boy whipped around to see who was there, and felt a sharp pain on his cheek. His keen nose smelled something metallic. Blood. His blood. But why?
His brother was there, wrestling with his mother, who held a knife in her hand, laced with blood. His blood. His brother's shirt was torn and stained with his own sticky red blood, in fact it appeared his was still bleeding, as the spot on his white shirt was spreading. It looked as if his brother had been stabbed in the back, but his brother wouldn't die that easily; he healed far to fast for something like that.
The young boy wanted to run, he wanted to hide, he wanted to wake up and discover it was a dream. He wanted to be anywhere but there, simply watching. His face was wet. A mix of blood and tears, silently fell to the floor. He probably would have made more noise, save for the shock. Why was he crying anyway? He had told himself that he wouldn't cry anymore! Still, the tears came.
He watched as his brother held his hands firmly around his mother's throat, and he breathed her last breath. The elder boy looked at his brother, his red irises welling with tears. The smaller boy's blue orbs met red as their gazes locked.
"W-Why?" the smaller boy felt himself stutter out.
"She killed Dad. She poisoned him. She tried to kill me. She tried to kill you."
"But why!?"
"I ... don't know."
"WHY DON'T YOU KNOW!" the boy screamed getting to his feet, and punching his brother's torso. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW EVERYTHING!"
The elder boy just stood, allowing feeling the younger's blows soften, until he was simply sobbing into his older brother's shirt. The elder shut his eyes tight, and then opened them, attempting to regain his stoic demeanor. As he opened them however, and saw the small boy emptying his eyes into his already ruined shirt, his eyes softened.
"Hey," the elder boy, said quietly, bending down so he could see eye to eye with the younger, "I thought you said you weren't going to cry."
The younger boy sniffed. Two years ago, when their father had died mysteriously, the young boy had promised no more tears, yet here he was, with waterfalls for eyes. He cried not for his mother, not for his father; he wasn't exactly sure why he was crying. That bothered him more than anything.
The younger brother threw himself onto his elder brother and his brother pulled him close into a tight, safe embrace.
"I don't want to be alone," the small boy whispered.
"I won't leave you kit."
"You promise?"
"Of course," the elder said, squeezing his brother reassuringly.
The smaller boy felt more tears threatening to come, so he held tighter to the elder.
"I promise," the red-eyed boy whispered gently into his younger brother's ear, stroking his hair gently, "I will always protect you."
Blue eyes spilled tears. He couldn't help it.
-- -- --
The next day the two brothers with the help of their cousin, burned the body of the woman they once called their mother. All three were dressed entirely in black. There was silence, save for the crackle of the orange fire as they stood starring, watching the woman's body be devoured by flames.
"To dust you shall return," the small boy heard his brother say quietly.
As they watched, it dawned upon the small boy that it was almost as if they had never known her. There was no celebration of her life, not lingering on the moments treasured, nothing. She had just become another meaningless face in the world full of people who didn't understand, who mistrusted, who hated.
The small boy learned that day to be wary of with whom he placed his trust. He decided that secrets were meant to be told and friends were made to betray and trust was made to be shattered. Consider everyone a potential enemy. That is, of course, until they are dead. Dead and turned to ashes.
-- -- --
A raven haired boy watched his blond companion fidget. The boy was obviously asleep, which wasn't anything terribly exciting, until he started mumbling restlessly. It was then that Sasuke saw the tears on the boy's whiskered face.
"No ... stop ... NO!" Naruto shouted as he awoke, panting. Fifteen faces turned to look at him. He touched his face and , upon finding it wet, grabbed his stuff and left the room mumbling an 'excuse me, won't you?' without leaving any room for argument. Sasuke wondered if he should follow, but the teacher gave him a 'don't-you-even-think-about-it' look. Sasuke in turn gave him a 'don't-you-tell-me-what-to-do' glare. The teacher coughed and returned t writing on the blackboard as the other students whispered excitedly to each other.
As soon as the bell rang Sasuke was out of the classroom looking to Naruto. They both had this period free, so there was no telling where the blond would be. Sasuke checked everywhere he could think of. Courtyard, Nurse's Office, Boy's Room, Cafeteria, Library ... heck, he even checked the Custodian's Office. When he was in the Custodian's Office, he realized he should ask Howard if he knew anything. As Sasuke searched the halls for the elusive handyman, he noticed something. A door with the words 'Do Not Enter' clearly printed on it in black lettering was slightly ajar. Sasuke looked around and, seeing no one, opened the door. He could see light, and there were stairs.
'Might as well,'Sasuke thought. He climbed the stairs and opened the door at the top and found himself on the roof. Sasuke looked around. He'd found a place where he'd never been before and he liked it. The roof was quiet and peaceful. Sasuke shivered involuntarily as a light breeze fluttered by. It was then that he notices a mass of yellow against the concrete.
Naruto lay on is back with his eyes closed. He heard footsteps approaching. Someone sat beside him.
"Hey Sasuke," Naruto said without opening his eyes.
'How does he do that??' Sasuke thought to himself. "Hey," he said aloud.
They sat silently together for about ten minutes before Naruto broke the silence:
"Aren't you going to ask me?" the blond said opening his eyes and turning his head to look at Sasuke.
"No."
Naruto sat up. "Seriously?"
"Yeah."
Naruto smiled slightly. "Thanks."
About ten more minutes passed before Naruto spoke again:
"My mom ... she wasn't ... right, you know? She ... killed my dad and she tried to kill my brother. She tried to ... she tried to kill me." Naruto heaved a heavy sigh. Sasuke just nodded in an attempt to show empathy.
"Today," Naruto continued, "is the anniversary of when, well, you know..." Naruto paused, starring at the sky as if trying to see something he had missed before. "My brother and I, we read her diary after she died. It was weird. This woman who I had always loved had loved me back, yet hated me at the same time. It's hard not to blame myself, you know?" Naruto's eyes looked downward to the cement below his feet.
"I don't know how I should feel about her. Should I hate her? Love her anyway? I just ... don't feel anything. She just sort of ... existed, and then she died. I had loved her, and I never really had time to hate her. Everything just happened so fast..."
Naruto looked at Sasuke and laughed, wiping the corners of his eyes, which were starting to form tears. "Look at me! Breaking down on the roof of out freakin' school for crying out loud."
"Naruto," Sasuke began, then paused. "It's okay to not know how to feel."
Naruto nodded and sighed. "I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."
Naruto took one final look at the horizon then got up, brushed his trousers, and started for the door, while Sasuke just looked straight ahead.
"Naruto?" Sasuke said, looking back.
"Yeah?" Naruto said, pausing at the door.
"Just ... thanks."
Naruto turned to move down the stairs, but Sasuke could feel his soft smile. Then Naruto was gone and Sasuke was alone with his own feelings.
A/N: Oh the angsty angst! It's not quite over yet, so brace yourselves ;)
So, sorry this took so long and was kind of short...hopefully you'll get over it and move on with your lives. I'm really trying hard to finish Demons of the Woods so I can work on this properly. So anyway, that's all for now, but the next chapter is actually mostly written...it still needs work though...(I shouldn't tell you guys these things...)
-EverPlotting-