Big thank you to all who reviewed the first chapter! So, I'm kind of intending to update this twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays), since the chapters are shorter than my norm. Of course, we all know how dependable such intentions are (coughcoughnotatallcough), but I'll try.
So. Here we are with chapter two.
The Philosophy of Self
Chapter Two
"Do you think he's lying?"
Sakura scowled and scrubbed her hands through her hair. "While I admit that Sasuke is capable of lying very convincingly—he's a ninja after all—I don't think this was a lie. He sounded too confused. Sasuke would never admit to being so lost, even if he was feeling it. And… Sasuke is very prideful. He wouldn't see the need to lie in the first place."
Tsunade tapped her fingers thoughtfully against her desk. "Of course," she muttered. Sakura waited.
"Obviously, he looks like Sasuke," Tsunade said. "More telling, his DNA matched that which we have on record for Sasuke."
"Do you think he could be a clone of some sort?" Sakura asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if such a thing was possible—what ninja called clones, bunshin, were illusory, and did not have DNA. But, Sasuke had spent years studying under Orochimaru, who was known for his mad-hat biological experiments. Maybe…
:But he recognized me,: Sakura thought. :Unless Orochimaru could clone memories as well as bodies, then it is Sasuke.:
"Mmph," Tsunade said. "Or he might just be suffering from amnesia."
"Oh," Sakura said, blushing a little. Faced with a simple, logical solution made her theory seem… silly. Then she frowned. "But you said nothing physically was wrong with him."
"Nobody is quite sure what causes amnesia. It might not be detectable by physical means. Perhaps it is psychological. Perhaps something happened that Sasuke's mind has locked away, to protect his sanity."
Feeling frustrated and thus a little prickly, Sakura grumbled: "What sanity?"
Tsunade's lips twitched, but she grew solemn once again. "I would like to check for psychological trauma, but… I hesitate to send a Yamanaka into his mind. If he is lying, or even if he isn't and he just perceives it as a threat, he could trap them. Or even destroy their mind."
"What?" Sakura said, startled. "But is that even possible?"
She stopped. "Oh. The Sharingan?"
Tsunade nodded. "The Sharingan affords its user a certain level of resistance to psychological attacks, and also makes it easier to counterattack in the same way."
"Hm," Sakura agreed unhappily. "So what, then? Could we just have an interview psych evaluation done? Could we trust that?"
Sighing, the Godaime Hokage rubbed her temples. "I don't know that we have many other options."
Sakura had no reply to that. Tsunade continued: "I'll have Shizune do it. Sasuke won't recognize her, and she's been trained in non-confrontational interrogation."
"Right," Sakura's scowl returned.
The black-haired woman gave him a small, professional smile as she came into the room and saw that he was awake. "Hello," she greeted. "I'm Shizune, a medic-nin. I specialize in head-injuries, among other things."
He blinked. "I was told that I only have chakra exhaustion; severe, perhaps, but under control."
She nodded, keeping her eyes on his face calmly. "The only physical distress we could find was chakra exhaustion. But I think you know why I'm here."
His dark eyes swept across her face a few times and then he said: "It is because of what I said to Haruno-san. That I am not Sasuke."
"Yes, that's right," she agreed. "Can you tell me who you are, then?"
He opened his mouth to do so… and stopped.
Who was he?
Who… He remembered… so many things, all confusing. Disjointed images of faces, places. And darkness. He remembered a darkness so complete and encompassing that he became it. But who was he?
"It's okay, don't worry if you can't tell me," Shizune said soothingly. He might have been insulted by the patronizing tone, if he hadn't been preoccupied. "We'll try something else. Can you tell me where you were born?"
Images of dense trees, and faces carved into rock… The swirled symbol of a leaf etched into glinting metal. A flash of red and white fan. "I… was born in Konoha."
"Alright," Shizune nodded. "Can you tell me about your family?"
"My family…" he spoke haltingly, stilted by the flickers of what he assumed were memories. The fan that stoked the flames. :Katon jutsu.: Red eyes with black tomoe, :the Sharingan.: "Uchiha…"
He was vaguely aware of the hidden flash of smugness in Shizune's gaze.
"I had a brother."
Nii-san! Nii-san!
Sorry, Sasuke… not today. Next time.
He was startled by the burning that started in his chest. He stopped talking.
Shizune waited, but when it was apparent that he wouldn't go on, she started to speak, very gently: "Uchiha Sasuke was born in Konoha to the Uchiha Clan. He had a brother."
He knew that. He knew that, but—
"You look like Sasuke," she continued. "And DNA analysis has shown your DNA to be a match to the records we hold for him. Is it possible that you just don't remember that you are Sasuke?"
He was silent.
"Are you… afraid to be Sasuke?" Delicately asked.
"I'm not…" Why? Why, nii-san? Why did you kill them all? "I don't…"
Hate me, despise me…
Was he Sasuke?
"I don't know," he said, quietly, to his own question and to hers.
Sakura, Tsunade, and Ibiki watched Shizune's interrogation through the security cameras that were installed throughout the hospital's Secure Ward. The feed that displayed Sasuke's room was pulled up onto a larger screen, so that they could see the image in a larger format than the post-card-sized general monitors. The sound from the room's microphones piped the conversation into speakers that spat out Sasuke and Shizune's voices with a distinctly tinny quality.
But, the video and audio were good enough that they could make confident analysis of his behavior and answers.
"You're right, he isn't lying," Ibiki told them both only a few moments into the questioning. "I've seen the Uchiha's psych file, and he isn't acting in a manner consistent with his… personality. I'd say that he truly doesn't remember that he is Sasuke."
Sakura was watching the interrogation with a frown on her face. No, Sasuke wasn't acting in a manner consistent with his personality. It was like he was a whole other person. She couldn't remember Sasuke ever being quite so… elegantly polite. But then, she had known him when he was a child, with a child's brusque courtesy—they say please and thank you, but not necessarily as if they mean it. Maybe as he got older…?
:Yes, because Orochimaru was just so insistent on good manners,: the sharp little voice of Inner Sakura sniped. Sakura's frown deepened. What had happened to Sasuke to change him so much?
He was describing his family now, at Shizune's behest. Sakura saw, if no one else did, the flash of pain in his dark eyes as he spoke of his brother. He fell silent after, and the Shizune spoke to him.
"I don't… I don't know." His voice was soft. Sakura tried to swallow the pity that welled up at his tone.
:He abandoned us. He left us for Orochimaru,: she reminded herself fiercely, :And he attacked us when we came to get him back. I shouldn't pity him!:
"What do we do now?" she asked Tsunade, forcing her voice to be firm and steady.
"Now?" Tsunade asked. She straightened, still staring at the screen. "The Council is clamoring for a trial. They want to try Sasuke for what he's done."
Sakura looked like she wanted to protest, and then all the fight drained out of her. She knew they couldn't protect Sasuke from the consequences of his actions.
"But for them to be able to, and to be able to do so fairly, he needs to have his memories. He has to testify." Tsunade frowned.
"Can't we plead for leniency, on medical counts?" Sakura asked. Ibiki snorted, and Tsunade's face twisted.
"No," the Godaime said bitterly. "The Council has already made it plain that they will overrule me if I make any attempt to delay or mitigate Sasuke's case. They believe," she spat "that I am compromised in this, because of my relationship with you, Sakura, and with Naruto. So they'll push the trial forward, even if Sasuke can't even tell them he is who he is. And if he can't testify for himself, they'll make their own judgments on his motives, and pass whatever verdict they want."
Sakura swallowed. "You don't think they'll…"
"Probably not," Ibiki rumbled. Sakura looked at him. He crossed his arms over his chest. "He is the last of his bloodline. And the Council doesn't want to lose the Sharingan."
Tsunade nodded grim agreement. "Most likely, they'll order him stripped of his shinobi rank, his chakra permanently sealed, and a period of house arrest."
"So," Sakura murmured.
"So," Tsunade echoed. "We help Sasuke regain his memories."
Sakura felt a stirring of unease.
"I want you to play a major role in rehabilitating him. He recognized you, you said, even if he didn't know you beyond your name. It stands to reason that he'll be more responsive with someone he knows. Also, you knew him; you share his memories, and so are the logical choice for this."
"What about Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura demanded, dread making a hollow pit of her stomach.
"They will play a part as well," Tsunade assured. "But all of Sasuke and Naruto's past interaction have been volatile, so I don't believe it would be a good idea for them to have too much contact. Not until we have an idea of how Sasuke is going to react."
That was probably wise, considering the number of times the two had nearly killed each other when they were younger. And not so younger. But that didn't mean Sakura was pleased with the situation.
"Tsunade-shishou—" she started. The Hokage interrupted.
"I know, Sakura." Her amber eyes softened as she looked at her student. "If you start to think it's impairing your ability to complete the assignment, come tell me."
"Yes, Shishou," she said resignedly.