Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
A/N: I give extra, extra, lots and lots of special thanks to: Tsebe Uchiha, Johnnyfan122 and Ellyrox598 for reviewing my last chapter!! :D
(Also, if you're wondering why it is saying this is chapter 15, it's because I had combined some of my earlier chaps so they wouldn't be so short and stuff) :)

I hope you like this chapter because I kinda got it out sooner (hehe, I skipped/bludged some of my studying time... which was very naughty of me :S)
Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Stop or Break?

I stared at a wall as blankness filled my mind. Silent tears brushed my cheeks. My chest felt like it was empty, a hole left there…

Swings squeaked as they lightly swayed in the breeze. Children's giggling laughter filled the air...
The park was deserted. Everything was dull, drained of life. Not a living soul was seen for miles… All the senses really picked up on were the echoing, repeating sounds that slowly drilled into her mind; etching into her hollow depths...

I woke up with a loud gasp as the familiar, so long ago, images filled my mind; dreams that were once reality. I felt arms wrap around me, they pulled me into their chest; that was when I noticed I was crying again. "I…I had those d-dreams…"
He hushed me and rocked me like a small child.
Time passed with only the faint whimper or ragged breath that escaped my lips as I sat in his embrace. "Thanks Naruto," I said as I pulled away from his comport.
"Do you need anything?" He asked.
I shook my head, "No thanks, I think I just need a shower. I might go for a walk after."
"Ok, if you're sure." He ruffled my hair with a small, sad smile.

The water was icy on my skin even though it was boiling hot. Steam filled the air, fogging up the mirror and windows. I turned off the water and lightly stepped out of the shower; I felt heaver than what my step sounded. I wrapped a towel around me and looked at my diluted figure in the mirrors reflection. Hair clung around my face; it was now black from wetness instead of its usual raven colour. My skin was slightly tanned. I didn't have very big breasts like the other girls, but I was tall and slender, and I had a bit of an hour glass shape – almost. I lifted my hand up in-level of my head; they were slightly smaller than the other girl's my age, almost childlike hands. There were faults with me, I wasn't perfect – why did I have fan boys then? As I finished inspecting my blurred figure I locked eyes; they were a different colour, a different blue…? My lip pulled with confusion. I leant forward with my arm outstretched to wipe away the mirrors fog.
A squeaky noise was heard as my image started to become clearer.
I had seen Sasuke's mum in one of his old photos before but I never really noticed that I looked slightly like her, except, my features were more childish – cute. My nose was more curved, like a kid, instead of being dead straight like hers. My eyes were a little differently shaped than hers – looking almost feline. My lips were around about the same size, maybe a little thinner than hers, but my lips were more pinched – the shape I could say was perfect but they were average in fullness. And lastly, my face was a little more round than hers – childish again… We both had high cheek bones, in proportion features and same colour hair. I finally looked at my eyes; they weren't white blue anymore from being wet. They were a dull, dark blue…?

The sky was still covered by thick, grey clouds; they never did clear up, only stopped raining for the time being. I walked mindlessly; I wasn't connected to my body, I didn't want to be; it felt like there was a hole for where my heart should be… I only faintly saw the odd tree or building in my unclear vision – nothing mattered.
"Jade..." My eyes lifted from the ground. It was Kiba. He had a warm smile, but his eyes were uncertain...almost painful. I tried giving him a reassuring smile but it felt like it only showed him something much worse, for his facade dropped; his face showed what he was keeping. He reached out a hand as if to comport me but I pulled away. I didn't trust; I was cautious. He frowned as he let his arm fall back to his side. I looked away from his saddened face. "I heard. I'm sorry." I looked back to him; he was trying to take another approach with me.
"Heh. What's there to be sorry about?" I tried lighting the mood, but to my ears it sounded like I was in denial. Sick.
He pulled me into a hug. I didn't move but I also didn't respond. Not yet.
"How come you never came to me? I'm always here for you... You know that."
I flinched away. This was exactly why I didn't Kiba, "because you like me... I-I didn't want to hurt you like me..."
He softly smirked and lightly punched my jaw as if we were best friends – how it should have been like from the start, no attachments, no unwanted feelings, only friendship between the two of us. Only the friendship I felt he should have only felt too.
"You didn't." My head tilted to the side confused from his reply. "I found someone Jade." He smiled. I blinked then wildly smiled.
"Really? Who's the lucky girl? How long have you been going out?" Now my life felt like it lost a piece of its self, a piece that was pulling me down, suffocating me.
He paused and then lost his happiness. "We're not going out..."
My eyebrows scrunched together. "...Oh?"
A cocky smile came to his face, "...Well not yet!"
I crookedly smirked. He took a double take and hugged me again. "I truly am sorry about what happened. That bastard!" I buried my face into his shoulder, biting my lip.
After a long time I pulled away once I felt a little better. He rubbed my arm, keeping his warmth near me. "You never did say who, Kiba." I said crossing my arms, even though it felt like it took too much effort.
His normal smile appeared again. "A girl..." He winked.
I slightly glared, stop playing with me! I want to know!
"Geez Jade, settle. I'm not going to say until I get her!" A toothy, cheeky smile appeared.
"Hey! You can't say 'I like someone' and then not say who you actually like. That is just plain torture!"
He became genuine, "I'm sorry, but you do know how word spreads around here." I raised an eyebrow still not too pleased with him. He ruffled my hair like a little kid. "Don't worry, Jade, you will be the first person I tell. Promise!" He put his hand to his chest as if what he said was an oath of honour. A true promise.
I put my hand on my hip, letting him off the hook. "Fine... And I am not a child, Kiba. Remember who is older here!" I said referring him about ruffling my hair. I stuck my tongue out.
"Ah, but who's the most immature?" He said with a large lopsided smile eyeing my tongue. I put it back inside and huffed. Fine, fine you win this time.

.:Sasuke's view:.
I felt cold as I stood there. The rain felt warm compared to what I was. Darkness surrounded me from the black, night sky. Shock overtook me; I stayed there without moving a muscle for hours on end. I uncomfortably clamped my teeth shut. My jaw tensed as I unwillingly thought that.
It was night now, the worst time in the world. Unwanted memories reappear while others stay deep within the minds depths, swallowed in blackness till they seep through the broken cracks.
"Hey, girl attracter, your name is Sasuke Uchiha, right?"
"..."
"Heh."
My fingers roughly ran through my ebony hair. The mind was like a maze of locked doors, slowing waiting to be picked open.
"Hum. You have...pretty eyes..."
"Hn."
"And you know what else? If you get pass your mean brooding you're kinda nice... I like that."
But a crevasse can be made, too deep to reseal, too wide to heal.
"I HATE YOU!"
Deadly toxins could be tasted in the back of my throat; emotions that triggered unwanted feelings. I looked out the window near my bed with a frown. It was raining again; coldness for the world, sadness in a whirl. Tears leaked from the sky, washing away yesterday's fears that passed by.
...Where is she?

.:Jade's view:.
I violently shivered. I brought my arms up to hug myself from the rains coldness, and sneezed. It was pitch black. I was surprised I hadn't bumped into anything. The wind howled as I kept mindlessly walking; that was all I did after Kiba and I went off on our own separate directions. My clothes awkwardly clung to my raw body.
I sniffled. I only just notice I had ended up at the Uchiha minor. I walked through its empty streets. It was so lonely, so empty... Unforbidden... I let my hand run along a wall. I could feel cracks under my fingertips; I followed the unevenness until I brushed across a hole. I stopped to look at the wall. I was hard to see until a flash of light scraped across the sky. The Uchiha symbol burned into my mind again... I had never been here before, but for some reason I felt strangely safe within the compounds walls... I felt a tear escape my eye and I slumped against the wall in front of me. I curled my legs up to my body and quietly cried into my jeans.

After some thinking and talking to myself – depression – I started walking back to Sasuke's apartment.
I began packing some clothes, I was going to take up Naruto's offer for me to stay at his house for a while...

Thump.
I coughed from the wind getting blown out of me. I unsteadily got off the floor and looked at my surroundings. It was morning. I could feel Sasuke approaching my room hastily. I started my packing again.
I felt like shit as I tried getting my stuff together. I was all shaky and almost on the verge of tears. Just go, Sasuke. Just go... Can't you see you've finally won? I'm broken like a rag doll...

...Don't worry I'll be out of your life like you wanted so long ago.

I finally turned to look at him. He looked tired and his eyes had no more vacant hostility held in them... They looked pleading, sad. I looked away from his stare to the floor. For once, this time, I turned my back on him... I finished the last of my needed articles and picked my bag up. I neared the door he was leaning against and looked to the side, away from him. A sad smile came to my lips as I saw the photo; a thirteen Sasuke and I were on the floor laughing as we had chocolate on us. That was the first day I had ever seen him show that sort of emotion. Actually, that would have been pretty much everyone's first day to see that much emotion from him since the Uchiha massacre – I was truly happy then for Kakashi's absurd appearances, he captured the photo.
I looked back at Sasuke. He was looking at what had caught my interest. We locked eyes. I frowned. I took one last look at our memory before I face it down on the dresser.
I didn't dare look at him when I brushed pass.
"Wait..." I heard his smooth, deep voice say.
I paused, waiting.
I felt his hand uncertainly place on my arm. I cringed from the touch. He pulled away. I looked over my shoulder at him. He had a frown set. I abruptly looked to a certain area in the hallway. "Yo," he said once the smoke cleared.
None of us replied.
He looked between us, also eyeing my bag, and then he scratched his silver hair. "...We have a mission. Be ready in twenty minutes."
I sighed and place my bag on the floor and then headed to the shower with some spare clothes since I fell asleep in yesterdays ones that had already dried.

"Ok, well we have been getting some extra activity happening near the outskirts of the border. I need Team Seven to check it out." Tsunade briefly informed us.
"Where exactly?" Sakura asked.
"Near the old grave yard."
We all looked at each other questionably. This was quite strange.
"What sort of extra activity?" Kakashi asked.
"I am not sure. That is why I asked for this team to check it out. Just find out whatever it is, and depending on the situation, get rid of it!"
We all nodded and headed out as we heard Tsunade call Shizune to her another bottle of sake, her other one was almost half empty.

--XXXXXXXXXXXXXX--

It had been a couple of days. Nothing was too good. I kept my distance from Sasuke, even when he tried talking to me. Naruto was pissed with Sasuke. Sasuke was still very cold – nothing too strange there. Sakura was on the rebound (meaning that she was trying extra hard to get Sasuke after our fallout). And Kakashi was trying to keep the peace between us... as well as him reading...
A very bad time for any of us to be doing a mission right now...
It was midday and still very cloudy. I was with Sakura getting water for tonight while the boys were getting firewood (Sai was not here for this mission).
"Ah. Isn't he just so dreamy?" She was rubbing it in my face. "Especially by the way he talks to me and looks at me?" I raised an eyebrow. Ok, so she was trying to rub unimaginable stuff into my face. Yes, yes Sakura. His very nice, 'you're still annoying Sakura, piss off' and his very romantic glares were to die for!
I am very jealous; I wish I was in her shoes!
Not.
So I just nodded along with whatever she was saying so I could crawl into a corner and die quicker.

.:Naruto's view:.
"Grr! Sasuke!"
He stared me down.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?! Can't you see that you hurt her?!"
"...Yes."
I seethed. "Yes! Is that all you can say? YOU FUCKEN BROKE HER HEART, YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" I charged at him.
He easily dodged my hit. My eyes widened. I growled with anger and pulled back to hit him again...

.:Jade's view:.
An explosion was heard. We all ran over to the sound. I ran as fast as I could though, making me well ahead of Sakura.

I walked into the clearing and saw a tattered body. I quickly rushed over to it. "Naruto! Naruto?" I yelled. I kneeled down to him. He was breathing; he was still awake, barely. I put pressure onto his deep cuts. I looked around; Sasuke walked over. I bitterly glared. "What the hell happened?!" I asked.
He eyed Naruto, who in return mock smiled. I got very confused by their nonverbal conversation. Sasuke finally shrugged once Naruto pouted.
Naruto fainted. I started to get worried. I made my hands glow and lightly healed his wounds. It was only an over glaze so he would stop bleeding. I was not a pro with healing so it took a fare bit out of me; I decided to let Sakura do the proper job when she got here.
I regained some common sense and gave Sasuke a dirty look. "Why the hell did you fuck with me?! ...Why the hell do you always let me win our fights?"
He looked me in the eyes. "I don't."
My lip twitched angrily. "Yes you do! By the distance you walked and how long ago we just left, it only look you about five minutes flat to take Naruto down, when it would have taken me about twenty minutes depending on the situation... Fuck you Sasuke!" I growled and ripped my eyes away from him.
"Stupid Uchiha's!" I muttered as I walked away to tell Sakura and Kakashi exactly where to go to find the two idiotic boys who don't know when not to have a fight on a mission.

It was the next day; Naruto was fully healed so we could finally, properly, start this mission off.
"Sasuke, Jade, you search the north-west side of the grave yard while Sakura and Naruto searches the south-east, and I'll go along the border line." Kakashi informed. We all headed to our directions instructed.

.:Sakura's view:.
I pushed down the thought about Jade and Sasuke teamed together as Naruto and I walked the grounds, searching for clues. I squealed as I saw something vilely disgusting. Naruto rushed over with his guard up, asking what? I pointed.
"Eh, that's a bit..." he stopped talking then grabbed a stick.
"What are you doing?!"
He started poking it, almost making the... thing... fall off. "It's dead." He finally said.
"Well of course it is! Look at it!" I pulled a face. He poked it again; I swear I saw the decomposing fingers move...

.:Jade's view:.
I looked around as we slowly walked. It seemed deader up this end of the grave yard – spooky. It felt almost like some place I had been before...
Flies were buzzing around a tomb stone, I looked. There was some sort of rotting thing sitting on it, almost like flesh; a putrid stench made me want to baff...
I walked away, but my foot got stuck on something; I shook it. It wouldn't get off. I looked down as I kicked hard to free myself, to see what it was. I heard a sickening crack. A hand was sticking out of the ground. An infested, decaying hand. It started to move till another crack was heard. The ground started to shift under me, I sharply jumped away.
I looked at Sasuke from the sight. Then we both snapped to the direction of a scream. Sakura. Fingers pierced my body. I cried out in pain until I felt the sensation get ripped away from me. "Thank you Sasuke." I said as I held my side.

It was raining, we forgot about Sakura's scream as we faced our own problems. I gouged it in the head, but no change, it didn't stop it.
Blow after blow.
Nothing did.
There were hundreds of them; they were crawling, infested with maggots, worms and other decomposing things. Bone could be seen. Eye's lost of colour. Pale, dirty skin.
...Revoltingly foul.
I got into a stance, waiting for another round as I kicked the one I was fighting to the side – back into the crowd.

It had been a long, none moving time...
They were besetting. Shit! Sasuke and I slowly closed in on each other until our backs touched. We breathed, trying to get our breath even as we watched them slowly get awkwardly, sloppily closer. "Are you ok?"
I felt him nod. "Are you?" He asked.
"…Yes." How are you supposed to kill the dead? "You ready to go again?" I felt him nod again. His muscles tense, preparing. I grabbed his hand, he turned his head to look at me the best he could, I turned mine as well so we could see each other side on. I smiled with a hint of slyness, "just like old times?" I asked. He smirked. He flung me up into the air as I held onto his wrist, bringing him with me. I twisted around, as we were still moving upwards, till he grabbed my ankles. In a flash I ripped my sais out of their holders when we were starting to fall down; gravity started its toll on us as Sasuke started our spinning. I held my arms out, holding on tight as my blades cut through the walking dead; slicing them through their abdominal, cutting them in half when I was getting swirled around in circles by my companion. Some were finally starting to fall dead to the ground; where they belonged. Yes!
We got ready to attack again but they all fell down as two figures walked out.
Two men were standing before us; one was quite tall, while the other was average. "Why hello," the shortest one said. He had ash blond hair, pale skin and dark green eyes
I crossed my arms over my chest, even though it hurt my side. I did not trust these people. Sasuke stepped forward, "Name your purpose."
The ash blond opened his mouth to reply until we heard people coming. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi stepped into the clearing. They looked worn out, tired.
"Ah, our other guests have arrived." Our green eyed intruder said with a smile on his face, he spoke quite like a gentlemen. "Welcome Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto."
"...I believe we asked you a question," I said stepping beside Sasuke as our team walked closer to us.
He looked at me. His smile changed into something else... "Hum, yes. I suppose you did... But I have a different matter I want to discuss now; your eyes."
"What do you mean?! Who are you?!" Naruto demanded the best he could, being in a weak state.
He avoided Naruto's question and kept looking at me. I nodded, telling him to go on. I was curious. "You probably do not know who you are, do you? ...If it was not for time evolving eye colours, your eyes would have been a dead give-a-way from the start. But since it is raining, it shows who you truly are… A true weakness for the clan, so many died because of those eyes…" The man's eyes ascended to Sasuke's, and then he turned to his partner, "…and I thought Itachi Uchiha assassinated all the Uchiha's…?"
"Aren't you-" Kakashi intervened until our intruder politely stopped him from speaking.
"Kakashi, it is very rude to interrupt someone who is speaking. I was finished with that subject anyway..." He turned to his partner, "I believe I have used up my supply. Time to go, do not you think, Urufu?"
His partner looked at us. He was abnormally tall, much tanned, buff, and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He nodded for response.
The ash blond faced us again. "It was nice meeting you. Hope to see you again one day." He affably said as he bowed and disappeared into a scatter of dead leaves...

"...Aw man, I can't believe they got away that easily! And we didn't even get his name!" Naruto said ticked off. He really hated that guy's poshness...
As much as I hated it so, yet didn't... I was leaning on Sasuke as he supported me back to the village, with the others; mission was accomplished. We could finally go home... Now all I needed to do was think about what I was going to do with my life; was I going to take up Naruto's offer or was I going to go by my gut feeling that said 'he did try to repair things on the mission', and see how my heart pumps by staying at Sasuke's?
Was I going to become more shattered, or stay and cling onto what little happiness I had left in my life?
Will my heart stop... Or break...?

A/N: Eeek! It's been so long since I've written! Did I do ok??
Elark! -hides-