A/N: IMPORTANT UPDATE-NARUTO: BLOOD MOON SAGA WILL NOW BE UPDATED EVERY TWO WEEKS. THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH. I'm sorry about this, but I have too much on my plate to update every week as I had originally planned...I think I'll be able to return to that schedule at some point, but until then, updates will be farther between (but hopefully better quality than the crap I've been writing lately (read: last chapter...)). I have the next chapter written, and plan to stay at least a chapter ahead of the updates so I can do them regularly.
Now, go forth and enjoy!
Chapter 11
A Two-Front War! Sasuke vs. Haku!
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Natsu vs. District, Fairy Tail OST}}
Block. Kick. Dodge. Throw. Swing. Parry. Kick again. Punch. Block again.
It seemed that everything was moving in slow-motion for Sasuke, but that could've just been the blood starvation. Haku's attacks were ridiculously easy to avoid, and Zian's analysis of the other boys fighting style made it even easier.
He's a long-range type, gaki. Those senbon are deadly accurate, as we saw earlier this week with Zabuza's fake death. Keep it close, where you're comfortable.
Aa. What's going on with my vision? It's not exactly a bad thing, but it's…different…
Let me see…it's because your limiters are inactive. That's why Haku's attacks are so easy to avoid. With the vampiric chakra and need for blood fueling you…
I have a bad feeling about this.
…you're about as fast in combat as your average Jounin. Haku's speed is Chuunin-level, which is why you're able to dodge his offensive and land hits in the openings. That's also why everything is moving more slowly for you. Your eyes have to slow everything down or your brain will overload itself with sensory information. Plus it makes individual attacks easier to see coming.
…Any notion of me being normal has gone out the window by now, hasn't it?
Maybe for Kakashi. He'll probably confront you about it later. Naruto I wouldn't worry about, as he's too obtuse to realize anything's wrong, and Sakura's only just starting to form her own conclusions as to your abilities.
The shit's finally starting to hit the fan, huh…
Got it in one, kid. Believe me when I say this life has been more exciting than most of the others I've lived in my time.
You still have to explain that.
I will, I will. Now, concentrate! He's making one-handed signs!
Sasuke leapt back just as Haku finished a sequence of signs, calling out,
"Suiton: Sensatsu Suisho no Jutsu!"
The water around them, the remains of three of the ten clones Naruto was fighting a bit farther away, rose up and formed about a thousand senbon, each as long as Sasuke's forearm and as sharp as a kunai. With a flick of Haku's wrist they were off, heading directly for him. Back-flipping, the Uchiha managed to avoid the majority of them, though some grazed him none-too-gently, carving bloody trails in his skin.
Blood.
Sasuke bit his tongue yet again as another wave of extremely strong craving washed over him. Haku was bleeding, from a scratch across his shoulder and one along his collarbone. He could smell it from here, over a hundred feet away. The scent was…intriguing, to say the least. A cool, almost ice- or mist-like scent he assumed was part of Kiri's typical bloodscent (if the various nicks Zabuza had were bleeding he'd be able to know for sure), with vague floral undertones and a slight hint of metal. In all…Sasuke would describe it as frost on a spring morning.
It would make a good meal.
CONCENTRATE!
Zian screamed in the mindscape, still trying to hold back Sasuke's bloodlust. The Uchiha shook his head like a dog ridding itself of water and ran forward in a zig-zag pattern, dodging more of Haku's thrown weapons. He really did like senbon.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Laxus Theme, Fairy Tail OST}}
He's standing in front of the cast-iron gates at the back of Sasuke's mind, the very same ones that the boy depowered to free the fake Zian—his vampiric side. The silver-haired man sighs. Of course, nothing with this clan could be simple…ever. It had been so since the time of his creation, alongside the sons of the Rikudo, and probably would be so until the clan's extinction.
"Zian…long time no see."
The voice is deep, calm, like the eye of a maelstrom in the middle of the sea. Zian growls low in his throat; this was the being responsible for his host's near-madness. Had he not been there…Sasuke would've snapped long ago and attacked his teammates or (worse) their client.
"Why…why are you so hell-bent on taking over the gaki's body?! What do you need it for?!"
The voice chuckles as Zian raises his hand to the bars, murmuring under his breath the runes that would help keep the demon contained.
"Why do you care? What I do with my playthings is my business."
Zian tenses, still weaving runes. The demon creeps closer to the bars, allowing some of the ambient light in Sasuke's mindscape to fall upon him.
"So Sasuke is nothing more than a toy to you? A disposable piece of shit that can be replaced at the drop of a hat?!"
Hair as black as evil itself (however cliché that sounded) feathers about a pale face, sticking up like an agitated cat's fur and falling in a mane of ink down a lean, muscular back. Three steel studs are embedded above each eyebrow, with a small spiderbite piercing in the right side of his lower lip. Jagged fangs peek out from the sides of his mouth, adding a sinister edge to his grin. He wears a black, sleeveless trench coat that opens at the waist, flaring out into a cape-like span of fabric. The left shoulder is adorned with a crest of raven feathers, the same color as his hair. White shinobi pants and black steel-toed boots complete the image.
Beautiful, terrible, hypnotizing eyes stare the silver-haired man down, boring into his head as if they could burn a hole there. Wrenching his own away from the vampire's crimson gaze, Zian shakes his head and continues murmuring the runes.
A pallid, taloned hand reaches through the bars to play with one of Zian's long bangs. The man jerks back, startled, as the vampire's feral grin widened.
"Oh, Zian-kun…you were always so…how shall I put it…sensitive."
"Shut up, Haido. This doesn't concern you. Not now, not anymore."
"Oh, but it does! I reside in this body just as much as you, Zian-kun."
"You're such a creep. Like a reverse cougar. Tell me, do you really think cosplay is attractive?"
"Shut up! Gajeel Redfox-kun is my idol! It would be wrong not to imitate him!"
"Crazy-ass otaku bastard…"
"Why you little—MMPH!"
Zian smirks as the enchantments take effect, and chains of pure chakra race from behind Haido to pull him back, repressing his influence. And his mouth. But that's beside the point.
"Ja, Haido. I hope you rot in hell."
And with a little wave, Zian leaves the vampire bound, silenced, and smirking.
"The first pieces have been moved. Just you wait, Rikudo Zian…you'll be playing my game soon enough…"
血
{{Soundtrack Start: XL-TT, Shingeki no Kyojin OST}}
I'm too late, Sasuke. I'm sorry.
Zi…Zian…?
Haido has had you under his thumb this entire battle, gaki. By the time I got there, the most I could do was prevent him from taking control of your mind. Your body, however, is a different story.
Haido?
Your vampiric side.
Ah. So…what do we do?
There's nothing we CAN do, except watch and wait. You shouldn't hurt your teammates, though…your inbred instincts recognize them as friends, allies, familiar figures, precious people, love interests (though that's only one of them)—
ZIAN! NOW IS NOT THE TIME! Besides, she's not my love interest!
Heh. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.
What's Egypt?
Never mind. I forgot you've never been to the Outside. That's why you're so uneducated.
There's a time and a place, Zian…
And now is neither.
Right.
But when has that ever stopped me?
…Dammit. Just shut up, you bastard.
Fi~ne! Anyway, I may be able to prep a jutsu-and-rune combo to keep him at bay while keeping you in your transformed state.
And it's not working…why, exactly?
Tch. These things take time. It might be a little while before it takes effect. Just hold out until then.
Don't have much of a choice now, do I?
Outside the mindscape, Sasuke snarled, human mind no longer in control of his body. His baser instincts had overpowered his consciousness, forcing it to the very heart of the mindscape.
At this point, he was half-transformed, hair a little longer than normal, teeth a little sharper, nails a little pointier. His skin seemed to shimmer faintly in the cold winter sun, a strange iridescence that shifted with the light. His pupils were slit, and his irises were a deep wine red. Muscles bulged beneath taut skin, showcasing the raw power they held.
Haku simply stared at the boy. He was quickly figuring out that Sasuke was more than he appeared, so much more. He was cloaked in the purple-red chakra from before, only it seemed more…sinister. Like comparing morning fog to the midnight mist of a graveyard.
He looked quite the picture, snarling like some feral beast with dozens of senbon lodged in his back, chest, arms, and legs. Hell, there were even some in his neck! Thin trails of blood trickled down his clothes, staining the bandages on his forearms and calves with blots of red.
The boy prepared another handful of needles, throwing them with an expert hand and a keen eye. The Uchiha dropped to a crouch, avoiding the ones headed for his chest, before flying forward on all fours, veering sharply from left to right as he wove through the abundance of thrown weapons. He leapt up, face-to-face with his opponent, before lunging with a low growl. Haku darted to the side, Sasuke's talons (nails no longer at this point) carving three shallow troughs in the left side of his mask. The teen landed heavily, panting from the effort on his part. Sasuke's speed had somehow increased exponentially, almost as if he'd had three Red Bulls, a couple cups of sugar-loaded, super-strong coffee, and several dozen food pills. At once.
Then Sasuke's footsteps alerted him to another charge, and Haku braced for impact.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Kakuzu, Naruto Shippuden OST}}
It was frightening to watch, even for a kunoichi like Sakura.
There were three large-scale battles taking place around where she and Tazuna stood. To their left, Kakashi and Zabuza were mere flickers of shadow in the air, sparks marking their paths as they clashed. To their right, Naruto summoned wave after wave of clones to combat the ever-increasing number of Zabuzas. Between them, however…
Maybe it was the stress, maybe the amount of KI in the air…but whatever it was had caused Sasuke to lose his mind. The boy fought like an animal, roaring challenge after wordless challenge to Haku. The masked boy could only dodge and launch the occasional volley of senbon as Sasuke pressed him back, further into the mist, with the raw power behind his combos.
But that wasn't what worried her.
It was the chakra surrounding him.
A black, malevolent presence that spoke only of death, despair, hatred, sadness, pain, turmoil, and, above all, chaos. It enveloped Sasuke like a cloak, shrouding him in its demonic presence. Even the KI waves from the left side of the bridge, where two elites battled for supremacy, paled in comparison.
The look in Sasuke's eyes wasn't helping, either.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Kyuubi Boss Theme, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3}}
Sasuke…at this rate…I won't be able to get the technique up in time.
I know. But there's nothing to be done now. Hopefully Haku pulls something soon, or I'll end up killing one of my teammates out of bloodlust.
Mah, that's one way to shut Naruto up.
Not the time.
"Hyoton: (Crystal Ice Mirrors) no Jutsu!"
The mist around Sasuke and Haku coalesced before condensing into huge panels of water and freezing, trapping him in a huge array of mirrors, arranged in a dome. In each stood Haku, reflected a thousand times over, his clothes and hair billowing about in an ethereal manner. Sasuke let out an earsplitting screech of fury, shaking the bridge with its sonic force. His vision was a thick haze of red, only allowing him to see silhouetted shapes, like the long shadows of nightmares. It was then that all the Haku images disappeared, and a volley of around fifty senbon sliced into his skin.
Inner Sasuke (or, rather, what Zian had taken to calling Sasuke's consciousness within the mindscape) winced in pain. Outer Sasuke (the body Haido had taken over) simply roared all the louder as the foot-long needles lodged themselves in his back. He thrashed like a hooked fish, talons ripping through the air with a deadly speed few could hope to match. His incisors finally lengthened fully, dipping below his bottom lip to form fully-fledged fangs. With his blood-red tongue lolling out of his mouth and upper body completely limp, Outer Sasuke looked every part a demon. His eyes glowed even brighter, and his slit pupils morphed into four-pointed black shuriken, immersed in a sea of red, with a red circle in the center.
A demon's eyes for a demon's body.
Is that Sharingan?!
Aa. Your instincts must think you're in deep shit.
I AM in deep shit.
Got a point there, don't you?
Shut up and hurry.
Hey, you did want Haku to pull something, ne? Or are you scared to the girly-boy now?
You have longer hair than he does. Now concentrate!
And then Haku attacked again.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Blind Animal, Naruto Shippuden Movie 3 OST}}
Kakashi could hear inhuman howls of agony from where Sasuke fought Haku. They seemed to echo in the mist, filled to the brim with terror, pain, and anger. By some unspoken communication, he and Zabuza had halted their fight, and Zabuza had dispelled his water clones, allowing all of them to observe the battle between ice and fire.
Through the ice mirrors, which were apparently two-way, Kakashi watched as Sasuke was hit again and again with senbon, until his body was full of the long, thin needles. The boy snarled, taking an animalistic stance and charging forth again and again, crashing against the panes of ice. Kakashi had figured out early that it was chakra-charged, as he'd seen the currents of energy pulsing their way through the frozen water, but he couldn't tell Sasuke.
Why?
There were two reasons. First off, he doubted Zabuza would let him get much closer to the battle, from the way the bigger man was positioned between himself and their students. Second…he doubted Sasuke would listen. The chakra he was giving off, coupled with the snarling and that stance…all of these factors proved to the silver-haired Jounin that Sasuke was not himself, was not in his own frame of mind. Rather, something was interfering with his mental capacity, and as his consciousness fought it off his instincts took control of the body left behind. In a sense, Sasuke waged a two-front war.
His only curiosity was what exactly the boy was fighting in that head of his.
Just then, Sasuke let out a shrill scream of pain, one that reached human auditory limits and passed from hearing, into a range few things could achieve, and fell to his knees, Haku standing over him. Blood poured to earth, splashing the ground with crimson.
As Haku raised a swiftly-drawn kunai for the finishing blow, he suddenly yelled and dropped to cradle his ankle, where Sasuke's teeth had lodged themselves. The mask-wearing boy waved his leg around wildly, but to no avail; Sasuke's jaw had locked itself, and he held on much as one of his own ninken would've. Kakashi smiled proudly under the mask. Instinct or no, the duck-butt-haired boy always managed to surprise him. Beside them, Naruto had broken down in a fit of giggles, and even Sakura, who appeared to be fighting down nausea, managed a couple laughs.
Then the moment was over, and Haku was pinning Sasuke's head beneath his other foot. The downed boy growled long and low in his throat, like an enraged tiger, and everything exploded.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Crimson Flames, Naruto Shippuden OST}}
In a whirl of color, Sasuke had kicked Haku away and pushed himself to his feet, shaking himself in a dog-like fashion. The long, red tongue darted out again, lapping up the blood that had collected around its home when he'd bitten Haku. Sakura wasn't sure what scared her more this time; Sasuke's chakra, or his feral grin, clearly showing elongated fangs. The pupils in his eyes contracted, and he leapt forward, movements less wild now. It was almost like comparing a dog to a cat, she realized. Before, Sasuke's maneuvers were unrefined yet powerful, a berserker's style. Now, they wasted no energy, looking more fluid and almost deft in their execution, like a bloody dancer's tiptoeing steps across a concrete stage.
Long talons slashed the air where the long-haired boy had been standing, their path through the air producing a piercing whistle. Haku darted back, three long scratches appearing in the porcelain covering his face. A portion of the left eye slit chipped away, leaving a small hole there. Even so, he reloaded a hidden wrist launcher with about two dozen senbon, dripping with an eerie purple liquid that Sakura could only assume was poison.
Pulling the trigger launched the deadly barrage, which soared through the air towards her teammate. Sasuke dropped to all fours, missing most of the needles, and streaked forward, swerving occasionally to avoid the kunai his opponent sent his way. He jumped again, using his arms for extra power, and twisted in midair, sending his right knee crashing into the shinobi's shoulder. With a nasty crack that seemed to echo through the mist, Haku's collarbone gave way and the ball of the joint slid from its socket. Sakura winced in sympathy as the boy thudded to the floor, but Sasuke wasn't finished. His left leg came around, the shin coming into violent contact with its target. Haku crumpled, the blow to his temple too much to withstand. Sasuke landed in a crouch, the tips of his fingers bracing against the ground for balance.
It…it's over…Sasuke won…
Wait, Sakura. I don't think so.
Inner?
Haku's chakra isn't peaceful, like it would be if he was unconscious. He's faking, shannaro!
"SASUKE!"
Sakura yelled, the power of her lungs fueling the impressive volume. The boy half-turned, hair shadowing his face.
"HAKU ISN'T DOWN! HE'S STILL CONSCIOUS!"
She gripped the handle of her kusarigama even tighter.
"HE'S FAKING!"
Just as the words left her mouth, two things happened; first, Sasuke rose to his feet, ready to jump back and put some distance between himself and the injured boy. Second, Haku's hand snapped out to latch itself around Sasuke's right ankle and pull it out from underneath him.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Demon Lord Ninetails, Okami OST}}
Cold brown eyes met shocked red, and Haku used his good arm to lift himself up even as Sasuke's back slammed into the ground, knocking the breath out of his lungs with a whoosh of air. The other shinobi's mask was cracked, thin breaks emanating from the chipped left eye. Haku shook his head, dark hair whipping away from his face with the motion. Long locks fell from the bun holder, which was ripped away and thrown to the side of the battlefield as Haku rose, clutching his shoulder as brown waves of hair drooped over his masked face. Sasuke back-flipped to his feet, dancing away from the wounded ninja with the grace of a panther. He was gasping still, his body not yet recovered from its abuse.
Easy there. You're back in control now, but my jutsu and runes won't last forever.
I know. It's easier to fight in this form. I'll try to be fast, but this guy…he's stronger than we assumed.
Aa. And Haido's not exactly a lightweight either. The Sharingan will help, though. With both of them.
Hn. I hope so.
Sasuke concentrated on his breathing, focusing on regulating it once more even as he dodged Haku's speedy punch-and-kick taijutsu combos. Finally, about five minutes after his little rendezvous with the concrete, his lungs decided to cooperate and take in the air he needed. It was then that Sasuke implemented his plan.
{{Soundtrack Start: The Godaime's Fight, Naruto OST}}
They were still in the mirror arena, entrapped in a circle of ice panes. Sasuke smirked as Haku entered one of his creations, instantly reflecting himself infinitely through the others. With the Sharingan, he could see the streaks of chakra used whenever Haku Shunshined from one mirror to the next. In theory, if his hand signs were fast enough, and Haku didn't notice to change the genjutsu that reflected his image…he could mark the original and catch him off-guard.
The four-pointed shuriken in his eyes spun lazily, recording the battle and storing it in his memory banks for later use. As Haku made his first pass, Sasuke performed a series of lightning-fast signs.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"
A total of four small fireballs roared to life, one of them singeing the hem of Haku's shinobi pants as it passed, and flew into the mirror opposite Sasuke. Haku's low voice seemed to taunt him as it reverberated in the jutsu.
"That won't work…my mirrors are charged with hyoton chakra. There's no way you can melt them. You'd need something with the heat of the sun."
Playing along, Sasuke managed a frustrated grunt and jumped, smirking inwardly. Haku hadn't noticed, as only one of his mirrors reflected the burn mark.
Gotcha.
The Sharingan also noticed something else; when Haku "teleported" across to another mirror, the reflection in that mirror vanished when he was about halfway there. Therefore, if he could see the mirror Haku was aiming for, he could attack him on the way there. Therein lay the cornerstone of his strategy; Shunshin didn't allow for split-second dodges while in use. Haku's ice mirrors gave him all the protection he needed. Ergo, Haku wouldn't be expecting Sasuke to attack him mid-Shunshin, as he would assume that Sasuke couldn't see him.
The entire thought process took a grand total of 1.2 seconds. Uchiha were renowned for their visual prowess, after all…
Haku was preparing to move to another mirror; Sasuke's vampiric senses could pick up the gathering of his chakra. Then he activated the Shunshin, and Sasuke saw the Haku in the mirror behind him flicker out of existence. Vampiric reflexes aiding the movement, he spun, kunai in hand, and tackled Haku out of the air.
As long as he can't use those damn needles, I'm fine.
The long-bladed knife flashed as the light hit it, Sasuke's arm whipping down with all the power it could muster. It caught the edge of Haku's mask, and with a sound like breaking glass ripped through it like rice paper.
The shattered porcelain spun away from them, seeming to move in slow motion thanks to the Sharingan's powers of perception. The red paint gleamed scarlet in the light, like rose petals, or maybe blood.
Haku's face was feminine, with a soft jaw line and gently sloping nose, hazel-brown eyes framed with long, delicate eyelashes. The skin was pale, almost giving Sasuke's a run for its money. A thin sheen of light pink lipgloss shimmered on cupid's-bow lips.
This guy…there's no possible way he can be straight. Jesus, he's even prettier than Ino!
So you think the pig-girl is attractive?
Shut up, you know what I meant…
{{Soundtrack Start: Heavy Violence, Naruto OST}}
Those eyes, wide with what he almost wanted to call awe, quickly narrowed. Haku's fist tightened, and Sasuke had to bend backwards like a tree in the wind to avoid the resultant punch. Kami, he moved like a striking snake!
I have to keep him from entering the mirrors again. I have a feeling that technique I used will only work once, as the element of surprise is crucial.
Shut up and fight. Your inner monologue is getting annoying.
Stop commenting and focus on your jutsu.
The Uchiha moved just in time to dodge another blow. It seemed that anger worked for the hyoton master; it sped his already-fast movements up until they were barely even visible, even for the first tomoe of the Sharingan coupled with vampiric sight.
"It's because you're Uchiha, isn't it."
The cold voice of the boy before him asked, even as he threw another fist.
Sasuke blocked, and responded,
"You could say that."
Haku countered with a sucker punch.
"How did you figure it out?"
Sasuke curled back, relaxing his muscles to avoid.
"What?"
Haku pulled back his fist and swept his leg forward, trying to catch the back of Sasuke's legs with his foot.
"The jutsu's only weakness."
Sasuke jumped, tucking his knees to his chest, before driving down to land on Haku's shin.
"Logic."
Haku hissed in pain as his knee buckled, sending them both to the floor.
"What was your thought process?"
Sasuke twisted so that he was on top, straddling Haku's waist with his hands keeping the teen's upper body in place.
"Why do you want to know?"
Haku bucked his hips and kicked his legs out, jolting Sasuke to the point where he was able to flip their positions.
"So that when I defeat you for Zabuza-sama, I can learn from this experience."
Sasuke growled and attempted the same move Haku had.
"Why are you so confident in your victory? I've broken your collarbone, dislocated your shoulder, dealt numerous wounds that will eventually result in death via mass blood loss, and you still think you'll win?"
Haku shoved Sasuke down powerfully, the force causing the Uchiha's head to come into painful contact with the concrete.
"Yes…because I fight for Zabuza-sama."
{{Soundtrack Start: Hinata vs. Neji, Naruto OST}}
Sasuke stilled, blinking the stars out of his eyes.
"Why…why do you fight for him?"
Haku glanced down quizzically, ceasing his movements for a moment. Sasuke elaborated.
"Why do you fight for Zabuza? He's a missing-nin, a traitor, and a murderer. Why are you so loyal to him?"
Haku sighed.
"Because he saved me from myself."
They're arguing again. Mother and Father. They seem to do that a lot now.
Except now she's screaming, begging for mercy, begging for Father to stop and listen to reason. Then there's a hiss of steel on steel, a flash of light, and one last scream cut off by a wet gurgle. Then there's more thumping, the sounds of metal hitting wood, and of limp flesh hitting the floor.
There's something seeping out from under the kitchen door. A liquid, dark, viscous. It sinks into the wooden floor…will it stain? Maybe. Probably. Then Mother will have a fit trying to get it out. I stick out a hand, curious. I don't think I've seen this before. It comes away sticky, and red. Wait…no, I recognize it. This is that same stuff that oozes from my scrapes when I fall down. What did Mother call it? Oh…that's right…she called it blood.
There's a lot more of it here than what I'm used to…I don't know how to deal with this. I decide, eventually, to just open the kitchen door.
That's when I see Mother, pinned to the wall by Father's old, rusty sword. She's been cut in half, her spine hanging grotesquely from her abdomen. Her legs are on the floor, connected by thin strands of organ to the rest of her. The worst thing is her face, though. Her eyes are still wide open, the dirt on her cheeks sliced away by tears in some places. Her mouth gapes at me, the maimed tongue lolling about in its chilling cavern of cooling flesh and saliva.
She died screaming.
I drop to my knees. Father did this. Father, who always loved Mother. Father, who loved both of us.
No. He couldn't have. It isn't possible. But it is. It is possible, because it happened. Or did it? Maybe I'm dreaming. Maybe none of this is real. Maybe I'll wake up to the smell of Mother's cooking, to the sound of Father's laugh.
Or maybe I won't.
I don't know anymore. Nothing is real, but everything is. Everything's a blur, yet somehow razor-sharp at the same time. I don't want to remember, but I can't forget. Even when I close my eyes she's still there.
Maybe this is just an illusion. I've heard people can trick your mind into believing anything, with the same energy I use to manipulate water. Mother called it chikara…no, that's not right…maybe it was chakra? I don't know. It doesn't matter. Or does it?
I don't know.
I don't know anything anymore.
Please, someone…someone save me.
Someone wake me up.
Please.
PLEASE!
"I remember it all…that night…"
Haku's eyes seemed to glaze over, a look Sasuke recognized. One that he'd seen before, in the mirror, on those nights when the full grief of his plight came crashing down on his shoulders all at once and he felt as if he couldn't move, couldn't breathe for the tightness in his chest and the immeasurable pain in his heart.
I don't know how long I've been sitting here. It's maddening, really…time passes so oddly now…almost as if it's rushing by faster than I can blink, and yet at the same time trickling like a cool mountain stream, slowly, surely, tumbling over rocks and trees and plants and me.
There are footsteps in the hallway now. Many, all at once, like a herd of rabid wolves coming to slaughter me. Like Father did Mother.
Then the door slams open, and torchlight fills the room. I can hear the clanging of weapons in the hoard of people, all shouting, all angry and desperate to make their voices heard.
Kill him, kill him, they scream.
He's the Devil's spawn.
Musuko no Akuma. Musuko no Akuma. The Devil's Son. The Devil's Son.
No, I want to cry, no. I'm not the one you want. Father is. Father did this. But my throat won't work, and then they're running towards me. I shut my eyes against the tears, and remember what Mother always told me when I got hurt.
Yuki men never cry, Haku. They hold their heads high, and face their pain with courage.
I am a Yuki. I am my mother's son. I won't cry.
I won't cry, I tell myself, as they charge.
Torchlight dances along the walls in random swirls.
I won't cry. For Mother's sake.
They're so close I can hear them breathing.
I won't cry. I am a Yuki.
The first one throws his pitchfork at me. I can hear it whistling through the air. It will bring my death, I suppose.
My name is Yuki Haku, of the Yuki Clan of Kirigakure, and I WILL NOT CRY!
{{Soundtrack Start: Nightfall, Naruto Shippuden OST}}
"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I stood up to him. Had I fought him, instead of sitting outside the door like the good little boy I was…would it have ended differently?"
Haku was talking to himself now, completely lost in his own world. Sasuke couldn't help the sympathy that bloomed in his chest. That had been him, once. He'd had the same thoughts as the boy before him. He knew. He knew. Oh Kami, how he knew.
He knew how Haku would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking and sobbing. He knew the nightmares that stemmed from the trauma Haku had suffered. He knew the days of insomnia, the sheer horror that even the thought of sleep raised. He knew it all, because it was his life. Haku was the same as he was. Haku understood. He understood in a way that no one else could, that no one else would ever be able to, because he'd felt that same pain. The pain of losing everything he'd ever thought he'd known.
He knew that Haku knew, because he could recognize it. He could recognize it because he'd felt it.
And in that moment, Haku was no longer the enemy. He was the same.
I don't know what's going on.
I think I might have blacked out.
The last thing I remember is that pitchfork hurtling at me, the three prongs glinting in the light like butcher's knives.
Now, though…
Is this another dream? Am I dreaming now? Have I fallen asleep? Have I died? Have I simply moved on to another dream?
Is this even real? Or is it just another illusion?
Who's to say what reality is, in this world of lies. That's what it is, isn't it? A world made of webs and webs of lies, all connected in a master plan that only the kami know. A bigger picture. One that mere mortals cannot see. One man's dream is another's reality, so whose is truly right?
I don't know.
There's more blood on the floor. The torches have all gone out now, too, extinguished by something or someone I don't care to name. Not that I could if I wanted to.
Cold. Like dead bodies. Like spilt blood. Like shattered dreams. Like Father's heart, Mother's hands, and my eyes. It encircles me, envelopes me, encroaches me, eviscerates me. It's so achingly cold here. I can feel it in my bones, and yet it doesn't stop there, reaching past my ribs to curl icy fingers around my soul.
Cold. So cold.
Spires of ice surround me, like the towers of Amegakure that Mother used to talk about.
Your uncle was a ninja in Ame, she always said. He was called Hanzo the Salamander, for his very breath was poison. He took after Mother, with his long blonde hair and tan skin. I remember Mother, or Grandmother as you'd call her. She looked just like you. Just like you, my little Haku, so I named you after her. Hakurai, she was called. You don't look alike, but your spirits are the same. The same, snowflake, the same.
I wonder if Hanzo the Salamander would have done what I have.
The ice is starting to melt now, sending up a fine mist of freezing vapor that hisses like breath in cold, cold lungs. It's stained red, just like the floor. I know the stains will come out of my ice, though, because it will melt and freeze and leave all the dye behind.
I'm glad.
I've always preferred blue.
"I don't know. I don't know anything, not anymore. My only truth is Zabuza-sama's word. He's my everything, now."
It's cold, still.
I embrace it. It's all I have left.
I left Mother and Father's small cottage at the edge of Kiri a long time ago. Or was it a short time? I don't know. I can't tell. The days pass like water, fluid, in a never-ending stream of time and emptiness, always changing consistency but never content.
I've been living next to the dumpster for a while now. Long enough to get to know the family of dogs that shares it with me. They get most of the food, as I don't want to get bitten and I don't want to use my ice on the mother and risk hurting her. She reminds me of Mother, and it makes me sad.
So I let her take the scraps, in return for a place to shelter from the sleet.
Mizu no Kuni really is a sad place to spend the winter. It's always raining, snowing, sleeting, or hailing here. I hate it. The rain reminds me of tears. That's what mother used to say. That rain was the angels crying in heaven. Are you crying, Mother? Are you crying for me, alone and doubting life? Or Father, who's fallen to the deepest pits of hell? Maybe your tears are for what was, or what is, or what will be, or what never shall come to pass.
The possibilities are endless, no?
I miss you.
I'm lonely, here in this miserable world. I'm alone. Everyone is gone.
Am I crying, now? Or is it just the rain? Or is it your sorrow I feel?
I don't know. I don't think I ever will.
All I can understand is the sadness in my chest.
It hurts.
It hurts.
IT HURTS!
{{Soundrack Start: Guren, Naruto Shippuden OST}}
Get up, gaki.
I look up. His voice is cool, soft, and harsh. It's a voice with a promise of strength, of power, of immeasurable skill. The voice of a true man.
His mouth and nose are covered in a bandage mask, and he wears a Kiri ANBU uniform. I shrink back. Mother always said not to go near shinobi. That they would kill me without a second thought because of what I am. Who I am.
W-who are you?
A rogue ninja. You don't need to know my name, he says.
Why are you h-here?
Isn't it obvious? I sensed your power. I've come for you.
No. No. This isn't happening. This can't be true. He doesn't know. He's bluffing. No way. No. No. Oh Kami no.
Your chakra is unusually high for a little kid, so I came to check it out. To see if you were a threat.
What?
Those eyes are examining me now, figuring out the little cues in my body language.
Don't try to lie. You have a Kekkai Genkai, gaki, and you'll be hunted if you stay here too long.
Oh, I say.
I don't want to stay here anyway. But I have nowhere else to go. Wait…maybe…?
Would you mind if I came with you?
He's surprised, I think. It's hard to tell with the mask. Then his eyes go blank again, and I silently droop. It was a long shot, anyway…
He huffs. His breath slips through the cloth and forms a puff of mist, like a minute cloud or a dragon's sneeze.
If you can keep up, I won't be the one to stop you…
Haku. Yuki Haku.
I introduce myself, and stand. Or try to. He catches me before I fall too far.
Just this once, I'll carry you. Got it? So hurry up and get stronger, gaki.
What's your name?, I ask.
He sets me on his broad back, next to a huge sword, and turns away.
Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist.
Zabuza…it fits. It fits the man walking beneath me, with his long strides and muscles, his scruffy brown hair and black eyes, his enormous sword and slashed headband.
Momochi Zabuza…
I like it.
And right then, I make a vow; to become strong, for Zabuza-sama. To become useful to him, to ensure that he does not regret the kindness he's done to me.
And in that moment, I am his.
"He saved me from my demons. My fears. My worries. My emotions. Everything. He made me the person I am now, and for that my humanity is a small price to pay. Shinobi are tools, after all, simply means to an end. We are not meant to feel. We are not meant to fail. We are not meant to dream. And, most of all, we are not meant to break."
"Why, then, do we?"
Sasuke asked softly. Haku's gaze flicked down at the other teen, whose crimson eyes seemed to glow in the light.
"Why do we listen if we are not meant to feel? Why do we learn if we are not meant to fail? Why do we achieve if we are not meant to dream? Why do we grow if we are not meant to break? We are not tools…we're human. Nothing can change that."
Haku's eyes widened.
"We do not kill because it is what we are used for. We kill because we must protect those we've left behind. Do you understand? We are not the kunai…we are the weapons master."
"We don't have a choice."
"We always have a choice. Life is made of choices."
Haku couldn't seem to find a counter-argument for that. His grip on Sasuke loosened, and the boy shook his head slightly to clear it.
"I am nothing but a tool. Zabuza-sama's dreams are my own, and I will see them fulfilled."
"Therein lies our difference. You dream for another, while I dream only for myself."
Haku nodded, then got up, dispelling his ice mirrors.
"May the stronger ambition be victorious."
Sasuke said nothing, simply tightening his hitai'ate.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Chokkaku, Bleach OST}}
They lunged at the same time, streaking forward like shadows in the night. Featureless, formless, simply blurs of motion against a backdrop of thick fog, their paths marked only by the sparks that flew from their clashing weapons.
Sasuke's lip twitched into a slight snarl.
Move faster. Move faster, dammit. MOVE FASTER!
He was pushing his body to its limits, vampiric or no, and Haku still kept pace.
You haven't trained yourself like he has, gaki. He's definitely been training speed and agility, instead of everything like you have. You have the right body type for his style, to be sure, but you haven't been working to your strengths.
Tch. I guess you're right.
We'll figure it out after this mission. Kakashi will probably have something, considering he's seeing you at high-Jounin speed right now.
That's if he doesn't decide to demote me or remove me from the Corps entirely.
Relax. Everything will work out how it's supposed to. For now, concentrate on your battle. Haido is putting up quite the fight. I won't be able to hold out much longer.
It was true; Zian's voice was getting wearier as he fought to keep the vampire at bay. Sasuke shook his head and leapt again, this time up one of the huge support columns that led to the scaffolding. Below them he could hear the sounds of Kakashi and Zabuza fighting, as well as the howling of ninken he presumed were Kakashi's.
The I-beams shuddered slightly as the two teen ninjas landed on them with enough force to shatter a man's spine. Sasuke straightened, as did Haku, and turned towards the center. They were on opposite sides of the bridge, opposite sides of the battle, and yet as their eyes met, a strange sense of understanding passed between them. They jumped, clashing at speeds to rival a Tokubetsu Jounin. This lasted for several minutes, this mindless fighting carried out by instinct and reflex.
Then Haku knocked Sasuke off-balance and into open air.
Shit!
You've got…bigger…problems, gaki. I can…only hold this…for about thirty more seconds.
So almost as soon as I hit the ground, I'll…
Attack.
Then there's only one thing to do.
I'll see you in a few, gaki. Good luck.
I'll need it.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Exile Vilify, The National}}
Sasuke arched backwards, flipping so that he curled against the air, back rounding and limbs streaming limply in front of him. His eyelids fluttered, taking in one last glimpse of sky and sun before closing.
He didn't want to do this.
It was too much of a risk, all to protect a secret he knew he'd have to reveal one day.
Why not today?
It would be so simple to land and shake it off, to let Zian's jutsu fail as Haku came down, to attack him and drink the blood from his veins.
But his teammates would think him a monster.
As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke cared what they thought, in a way. He'd come to value their companionship, even if Sakura was too violent for her own good, and Naruto was completely obtuse, and Kakashi permanently tardy.
Maybe because he'd been alone for so long he'd forgotten what it felt like to be cared for, to be valued as a person and not an object, to be accepted.
He didn't want to throw that away.
Part of him knew that the truth would come to light someday, and that the other three members of their team would drift away in disgust, or fear, or some combination of both. Hell, he'd braced himself for it when Kakashi had seen his kill on the mission to the chocolate factory.
Even since then, Kakashi had seemed more distant to Sasuke. Like he didn't want his student to know that he'd seen it.
Their ties were already breaking, but Sasuke vowed not to let them go easily.
He relaxed his body, circulating his chakra in a calming flow. He could hear the wind rushing past him, feel the resistance of the air. It was oddly soothing, despite the knowledge that he was most likely falling to his death.
He flinched as his back caught a stray piece of rebar, which ripped a huge gash across the right side of his lumbar region. His vision turned white as the pain shot through him, paralyzing him with its sheer intensity.
Then he slammed into the concrete with a series of nasty-sounding cracks, and everything went black.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Rubik's Cube, Athlete}}
Sakura saw it all, as if in slow motion.
She saw Haku's kick land, burying itself in his stomach. She saw him take a step back instinctively, to recover his balance. She saw him slip off the beam over two hundred feet above the ground, an expression of shock painted across his face like an artist's masterpiece.
Even when in free fall he looked beautiful, almost like a bird spiraling to earth, wings broken under the weight of the world.
Oh Sasuke…
Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to cushion the blow when he did, eventually, hit the ground. She was too far away, and too small to stop a boy her size (roughly) hurtling down at terminal velocity.
That logic didn't stop her from running towards him.
He really was heavier than he looked, she reflected. A slight boy made entirely of densely packed sinew, he was only 5'3" and he weighed around 140 pounds.
Offhandedly, she wondered why she was thinking about her teammate's weight when she should probably be panicking over the fact that he was about to crash rather unceremoniously into the bridge.
Then he hit the ground.
There was a dull thud, accompanied by the sharp, short sound of bones breaking, over and over and over, like the chirping of macabre birds in trees made of ivory, like the sound of a whip cracking, like the thunder that accompanied lightning in a rolling boom that shook her to the core. The entire structure shook with the force of the impact, and Sakura's breath caught.
If he'd even survived the fall…Sasuke would probably never be a shinobi again.
He would be crippled, her beautiful teammate with the bottomless black eyes and hair like raven feathers. Her teammate, with his lithe strength and his sarcasm. Her comrade, with his bouts of hilarious (if not irrational) anger and his smirks. Her Sasuke.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Inner Sakura remarked snidely upon her use of a possessive coupled with the thought of Sasuke. Sakura ignored her in favor of the rising panic that was beginning to fill her.
Sakura had never been religious—in most shinobi families, the gods weren't held in high esteem—but in that moment, she sent a silent message to whoever was up there listening, be it gods or angels or the souls of the departed.
Please. Let Sasuke be alive. Please. Just let him live.
She knew it was selfish, to wish him a lifetime of pain over a quick death, but she couldn't help it. The grass was green, the sky was blue, and Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were Kakashi's students. It was one of the accepted rules of life, now. If Sasuke died…life would go haywire. Naruto would be devastated. Kakashi would close off. And she would be left by the wayside as they continued on, unable to move for her grief.
Because she could've saved him.
She could've caught him.
If only she was closer.
Naruto shouted something from behind her, and the clangs of metal from their right silenced. If she'd looked back, she would've seen Kakashi, frozen in shock and guilt, drop his kunai. She would've seen Naruto tugging Tazuna along behind him, racing after her. She would've seen the blonde's barely repressed tears.
But alas, she never did.
She just kept running.
"SASUKEEEEEEE~!"
"SASUKE!"
"SASUKE-TEME~!"
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Guren no Yumiya (Lullaby Version), AmaLee}}
It hurts. All I can feel is pain. It's gripping me, pulling me into its embrace. White-hot. Stabbing. Aching. Asphyxiating. Agony.
Oh Kami…
Make it stop. Make it stop.
Please make it stop.
I hate it.
It's everywhere; I can't get away, however hard I try.
Knives driving deep into my bones, heating until they melt and flow through my veins like liquid flame, burning me away slowly. Slowly. Too slowly.
I know I'm dying. I can feel it. My consciousness is pulling away from the surface, sinking deeper and deeper into my mind until I can't feel anything but the pain.
Make it stop. Why won't it stop? I can't do this. I can't take this anymore.
The pain. Oh Kami, the pain…
The darkness is comforting, soft and warm and soothing like a mother's caress. I begin to sink into it, and slowly the pain begins to fade.
No, gaki.
Who is that? Whose voice?
Don't give in.
Who are you? I don't know.
The pain is good.
This…this is crazy. How is this agony a good thing?
It means you're still alive.
If this is what awaits me, I don't want to be alive.
Fight, gaki.
But why?
For them. For me. For yourself. For her.
"SASUKEEEEEEE~!"
Who is that…?
Who's calling me?
Fight.
…Her voice is familiar…
We're all rooting for you, gaki.
Who is?
"SASUKE!"
"SASUKE-TEME~!"
Fight it.
Wait…I think I…
We're waiting on the other side.
Zian?
Yes, gaki. Now fight.
…I…
Fight.
It hurts…
Fight.
I…
FIGHT! YOU CANNOT DIE HERE! YOU HAVE MORE TO DO! REMEMBER YOUR NINDO!
"I will protect those precious to me…that is my nindo, my ninja way!"
I…I'm…sorry…everyone…
血
{{Soundtrack Start: This Broken Soul, Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon OST}}
Naruto couldn't see. The mist coupled with the dust thrown up from his teammate's less-than-friendly encounter with the ground obscured his vision to the point where he couldn't even detect his own hand before his face. Nevertheless, he still dragged Tazuna through the haze to reach the place where the Uchiha had landed.
The sight wasn't pretty.
Sasuke lay on his back, left knee bent, right leg straight. His right arm rested on his stomach, while the left lay out to the side. His head was twisted to the left, cheek resting on the cool floor. Naruto could almost believe he was sleeping, if it wasn't for the blood.
It pooled around Sasuke's lower back, as well as flowing freely from his chest. Four ribs had blown out through the front of it when the boy's back impacted, sending shocks through his body that escaped through the weak points in the ribs where they met the sternum. The skin had shredded, and shards of the bone lay about the area like tiny needles, or fragments of pearl coated in red wine.
Sasuke's left arm was askew, twisted at an unnatural angle at the elbow. It was also covered in blood, no doubt from the mess of flesh and bone that had once been his torso.
The worst part of the scene was his face. Sasuke's eyes were still wide open, staring at nothing and everything at the same time. A thin trail of blood wormed its way from his broken lip, caught as it was in razor-sharp fangs.
A small gasp from behind him alerted him to Tazuna, who was shaking. Naruto couldn't blame him; he knew he was ashen-faced, the blood having drained away at the awful sight.
Sasuke, dead in front of him, blood seeping slowly into the ground.
Oh Kami, how am I gonna break it to—
"Oh Kami…Sasuke…"
—Sakura-chan…
He looked over to the pinkette, her face whiter than a sheet, viridian eyes wide. Sakura looked as if she'd just been punched in the gut…and in a sense, she had. They both had.
Sasuke, who had seemed so powerful, so invincible (though Naruto would never admit it) just a few minutes earlier…was dead?
Naruto was almost certain of it; the boy's chest wasn't moving, and he gave no sign that he was, in fact, breathing. No new blood coursed from his wounds to paint the earth. No fingers twitched, no lungs breathed out sounds of pain.
It seemed impossible, but his senses weren't lying. Sasuke was dead.
Kyuubi chuckled in the back of his head. Naruto ignored him, or at least tried to.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…the Uchiha bastard is finally dead. Thank the Kami.
Stop it, Kyuubi.
What? Can't I be happy that the one you bitch about so very often is finally gone?
I…it's different then you think.
Mmmm, is that so? Then enlighten me, gaki.
Sasuke…I didn't hate him. I didn't even really dislike him. I…I considered him a friend. My first. And I think he felt the same way. At least…I hope he did.
Tch. Naïve as always, kit. You really think the Uchiha bastard would consider anyone or anything his friend besides the pole lodged nine miles up his ass? Don't make me laugh.
You're wrong. Sasuke and I…we're the same. And now…it's my duty to fulfill his dreams.
If you're hoping to repopulate the Uchiha clan for him, I've got some bad news…
I know I can figure out who he wanted to kill. I'll get Sasuke's vengeance for him, in his memory.
…Why? It doesn't do anything for you.
Because that's what friends do, isn't it?
Sakura sank to her knees, and Naruto bowed his head, biting his lip to prevent a sob from escaping.
He couldn't show his emotion, for her sake.
Not because he wanted to impress her, or look like he didn't care.
Because she needed someone to hold her while she cried.
血
{{Soundtrack Start: Together, Eragon OST}}
Sakura was numb.
She couldn't feel her body, couldn't control her actions. She felt like a house of cards, ready to crumple at the slightest of breezes, completely unstable, fragile, made of a thousand broken pieces meshed together to form a whole.
Her hand shook as it brushed against his cheek, and turned his head to face her. It was still warm, warm enough that she could fool herself into thinking he was still alive, that he was only sleeping, that everything would be all right.
But she was wrong. Nothing was all right. Nothing would ever be all right again.
Because Sasuke was dead, and her world was hanging by a single red thread.
"You know, Sasuke…"
She spoke, voice shivering slightly.
"I was always the best kunoichi in the Academy."
Beside her, she could sense Naruto trying not to cry.
"I knew all the Shinobi Codes by heart."
His blood was the color of roses, she mused.
"I remember when Iruka-sensei tested us on them."
A beautiful, rich red.
"I got a perfect score, of course."
He always was beautiful.
"I remember one question most of all, though."
With that silky-smooth hair.
"It asked, 'Explain Shinobi Code 25.'"
Those deep, inky eyes.
"I was one of the only ones who answered correctly."
That porcelain skin.
"Shinobi must never show their emotions."
That sly smirk.
"Emotions are a weakness."
Even in death, it was imprinted in her memory.
"A distraction."
Everything about him was.
"You knew that, didn't you?"
Sasuke was just one of those people.
"Of course you did."
He was memorable.
"You'd think me silly, now."
He refused to be forgotten.
"You'd accuse me of trying to fail the mission, wouldn't you?"
Sakura vowed then, to never forget him.
"Because even though I know the rules…"
Even if the rest of the world did, he would live on in her mind.
"…I can't seem to follow them, can I?"
He didn't deserve to be forgotten, so she would make sure…she would make sure they all remembered.
As her vision blurred, and Sakura realized belatedly that she was crying, the first drops of salt water fell from her eyes. They splashed against Sasuke's face, and for a moment it looked as if he were crying, too.
That was the catalyst she needed. And as Sakura broke down, her hands clenching in Sasuke's bloodied shirt, she wondered if she would ever be able to follow Code 25 again.
血
~Tsuzuku~
A/N: I'M BAAAAAAAACK~! Hey guys, sorry for the wait…I've been feeling absolutely AWFUL about this, so I whipped up a super-special chappie for ya: 9375 words, baby! YEAH! Three chapters in one! Also, I'm working double-time on the next chapter, which will finish up the Team Kakashi vs. Gatou arc of the story (which has taken FAR too long…). I was planning on ending it here, and making this over 12000 words long, but realized I kinda wanted another cliffhanger. Because I'm evil like that. Alright, now that that's outta the way, the reasons for my absence are as follows:
-Kaa-chan took my laptop for a FULL MONTH (July 23-August 20).
-My family and I took a vacation to the Big Island (August 21-31).
-School started (September 3-now).
So basically I'm writing when I should be doing my history notes on the Reign of Terror, but I can't concentrate when I have this many ideas! I blame reading about different punishments during the French Revolution for Sasuke's current situation: did you know they threw dead cats covered in dung at the wealthy people? I didn't! XD My muse quit on me while in Hawaii (otherwise I would've updated there…), but luckily made a happy return yesterday in the form of the totally-emo flashbacks and Sasuke's accident/death/whatever you want to believe. Which is totally an oxymoron, but I don't care. Because reasons.
Which reminds me…curious, but do you guys think Sasuke is dead? If not, why? I wanna hear some theories, 'ttebayo~!
And as for the Attack on Titan marathon with TDCT-chan…oh my Kami. I have a new love for you, my otaku sister. We went to Little Tokyo for udon, then into the anime store there, where I bought:
-Sakura's hitai'ate
-Itachi's necklace
-RTN!Sasuke's Uchiha fan necklace
-A Sasuke keychain shaped like a shuriken (which is currently on my backpack, go figure…)
-Much candy
Oh, then we went into the little grocery shop thingy there and bought a crapton of Hi-Chew and Pocky. And went home to watch AoT, draw anime stuffs, and pig out on epic Japanese junk food. She sent me home with amazingsauce fried rice. :3 On that note…"Mikasa…frick YEAH!"
Oh Kami, the otaku-ness. Anyway, I'm sorry for the shittyness of last chapter. I read back over it and thought, "Oh Kami, this is so cracktacular I can't even believe it." And then I went and left you on a cliff for five weeks. I officially hate myself. T-T
So, if you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, here's an omake.
KBA-chan's Omake Theater!
This Week: Add Bacon Strips and Bacon Strips and Bacon Strips
"Is breakfast done yet?"
Naruto whined, leaning back in his chair. Sakura shouted from the kitchen,
"NOPE!"
Kakashi giggled, still reading his little orange book.
The blonde sighed, before getting up to go and look for Sasuke. He hadn't seen the other teen get up, come to think of it…
He'd walked all over the house, checked all the rooms, and even looked underneath the furniture, but there was still no sign of the Uchiha. Now beyond annoyed and starving as hell, Naruto stalked into the one place he hadn't examined: the kitchen.
What he saw, however, shocked the hell outta him.
Sakura was there, sure, chatting amiably with none other than the last Uchiha and the object of his search.
Who was holding a pan in the palm of his hand, using his Fire-natured chakra to fry bacon.
The sight was so ridiculous that Naruto froze in the doorway, then promptly collapsed to the floor in laughter.
Who knew Uchiha Sasuke used chakra to cook bacon?
Itachi: Oh otouto…*sighs*
Sasuke: HEY~! I TAKE OFFENSE TO THAT!
Mikoto: *le death-stare that all moms seem to have* Boys.
Both: *shiver* Sorry, Okaa-chan.
Mikoto: *smiles* Good!
KBA: …O-O"
TDCT: I gotta learn that.
KBA: You already have the death glare, though…
TDCT: True, but still.
Sasuke: *shivers again* That stare…it makes me feel like winter is coming.
KBA and TDCT: …Winter is coming…
Sasuke: It's a—
KBA and TDCT: GAME OF THRONES OH MY KAMI YESSSSS!
Sasuke: THANK KAMI SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS!
KBA: I love Tyrion. He is awesome. And he slaps Joffrey repeatedly.
TDCT: I would love him if he wasn't a Lannister. Lannisters are disgusting.
Sasuke: True…and they support incest. But Tyrion. Tryion. TYRION. Oh my Kami.
KBA: Jaime and Cersei would be cute, if they weren't…ya know…brother and sister.
TDCT: All Lannisters need to die. Also, Hodor.
Sasuke: Hodor.
KBA: Hodor!
Sasuke: …I love you two.
Mikoto: *perks up* Grandchildren?
Sasuke, KBA, and TDCT: NO!
Sasuke: IN A SISTERLY FASHION! KAMI, MOM!
Mikoto: *slumps* Oh. Awwww~…
Itachi: *pats Mikoto's shoulder* It's okay, Okaa-chan. It's okay. You'll get your grandchildren.
Sasuke: *stares* You do realize she wants them from you, too, right?
Itachi: …Shit.
Mikoto: *eyes glowing; looms over Itachi and Sasuke* You boys will give me grandchildren…right?
Itachi and Sasuke: *squeaking* Hai Okaa-chan!
KBA: *snickers* You two are so whipped.
TDCT: So true. Anyway, who's the intro guy and/or gal this chapter?
KBA: Come on out, you!
*door opens*
Haku: *wearing his pink kimono* Hello, Katana-san, EmoOtaku-san.
Itachi: …woah.
Sasuke: I think I've seen you before…I recognize the face…
KBA: Ummm…Sasuke, Itachi…that's Haku.
Itachi and Sasuke: *facefault* WHAT?!
Sasuke: HE'S EVEN PRETTIER THAN SAKURA!
Everyone Else: *whip their heads around to stare at Sasuke*
Sasuke: …I just said that out loud, didn't I?
Kakashi: *from far, far away* I SHIP THAT!
Itachi: Where did Sakura go, anyway?
KBA: She said she had some rabid fangirls to beat up. Something about them getting 'too damn annoying for their own good.'
Mikoto: Sounds like something my Sasu-chan would say.
Sasuke: *grooans* Okaa-chan, please…
KBA: Alright, enough with the Sasuke teasing, he's already blown out his ribs this chapter. Haku, if you will?
Haku: Hai, Katana-san. *Announcer-Voice-no-Jutsu!* Sasuke, dead?! Team Seven is thrown through a loop as the truth descends upon them, but is everything as it seems? Join us next time for: An Illusion of Hope? Sasuke, Avenged!
Sasuke: That…that was intense. Do I really die?
KBA: You'll find out…:D
This chapter's page break is chi, or blood.