Warning: This chapter deals with the Uchiha Massacre. Graphic descriptions of gore and death to follow.
Chapter 3 – Blue Fire
It had been nearly a year and a half since Yugito had moved in with Naruto. In that time, she'd entered the Academy, as had the young boy. She was eleven now and Naruto was eight.
Yugito had been enjoying the Academy. She'd learned so much from the teachers, and so had Naruto. Every day, they would walk home after class and talk about what they'd learned. On this particular day, Yugito was waiting outside Naruto's classroom, as class had run a bit late.
She heard the shuffling of feet and the sound of books settling into bags as the class let out. Naruto came running out of the classroom, grinning brightly. "Nee-chan! Thanks for comin' to save me! I thought school was gonna last forever!" Yugito giggled at his silliness as he wrapped her in a hug.
Yugito ruffled his bright yellow hair. "Silly boy," she purred affectionately.
"I'm not silly!" Naruto wriggled free and dashed down the hall, swerving around a group of chattering fourth years. He'd left his backpack on the floor in his rush to escape the "torture" of school. Sighing, Yugito picked it up, shaking her head. He's always forgetting stuff like this. She hurried towards the Academy exit.
Naruto was running circles around the yard as he waited for her. Most of the kids in his year had already gone home, but several, including a glum-looking boy with black spiky hair, had stayed to train with shuriken. Sasuke, was it? The boy threw the shuriken robotically, hitting the target dead center each time, yet his face stayed in an expression of endless gloom.
Yugito had heard some of the girls in her class gossiping that Sasuke's cousin had died recently. Perhaps that was the reason for the sorrowful expression that decorated Sasuke's face. She felt sorry for him and wanted to do something to cheer him up.
"Oy! Naruto!" she called to her "little brother". "Do you want to stay a bit and practice shuriken?" Doing that might improve Sasuke's mood, as well as improve her (woeful) shuriken skills.
"No way!" Naruto yelled vehemently. "Sas'ke's a jerk, I ain't gonna practice with him!"
Yugito stalked over and took the eight-year-old's hand. She led him out of the schoolyard. "Naruto," she reprimanded him once they were out of Sasuke's earshot. "You know that wasn't nice."
"Sas'ke's not nice either!" retorted the young boy. "He shoved me in class!" Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Mr. Perfect, hmph!"
"Naruto…" Yugito sighed. "Would you like it if somebody called you a jerk?" She really couldn't understand boys. Why can't they just get along? All they do is constantly try to one-up each other! "When people aren't nice, usually it's not just because they hate you. You know how when you're feeling sick, you get grumpy?"
"Yeeeahhh…" Naruto dragged out the word.
"Sasuke's cousin died last week. I bet he's feeling sad. And I bet you've done the same thing to him too." Yugito squeezed Naruto's hand as they walked. "I was thinking that we might make him some cookies to cheer him up."
"All right!" Naruto cheered, his mood toward Sasuke turning 180 degrees and taking off, although Yugito suspected that it was only because he liked eating cookies himself. "Let's do this!" He squirmed free of her grip and dashed down the sidewalk. "Come on! Let's go!"
Yugito smiled and followed him.
-=- OoO
Naruto and Yugito hurried down a quickly darkening Konoha street. It had taken longer than they'd expected to bake the cookies, because neither of them had made cookies before. Then, Naruto had spilled flour all over himself. Yugito had been forced to wrestle him into the bathtub and scrub him. All things considered, she hadn't done that bad of a job, although doughy globs of soapy flour still lingered in his hair.
"How're we gonna get into the Uchiha place anyways?" Naruto asked as they walked down the road. He had unabashedly stolen a cookie ("Hey, I helped make them, dattebayo!") and was munching on it, smacking his lips loudly.
"Um…" Yugito hadn't exactly thought about that. The Uchiha clan compound was one of the most guarded places in the village, second only to the Hokage's tower. It'll probably be locked up tight at this time of evening, she thought as they rounded the corner. "I don't know… maybe we just knock?"
"I don't know about that…" Naruto groaned as they stared up at the huge gate that led into the Uchiha compound. It was intimidating, made of heavy timbers from the surrounding forest. The Uchiha fan loomed on either side of it.
Yugito shuddered. Something was very off. Usually, there would be sounds and lights in the compound at this hour. Tonight, no such comforting sensations were near. The Uchiha compound remained dark as the moon came up, shedding its harsh pale light on the massive gate. The silence was deafening; Yugito strained her ears but could hear nothing.
"M-maybe we should go home," Naruto peeped. Yugito clapped a hand over his mouth. She could hear something now, the sound of feet tapping against the pavement, coming nearer and nearer. Her brain was not helping, conjuring images of monsters and Kiri shinobi holding swords that dripped with scarlet blood.
A boy zipped around the corner and crashed into her. "Ah!" she yelped, pushing him off with a violent shove. Naruto tackled the boy.
"Leave my nee-chan alone, you meanie! Sasuke-teme! I'll-I'll chop you up and eat you in my ramen! I'll break your legs! I'll – "
"Naruto! I'm fine!" Yugito shouted over the squabbling. Both boys shut up. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. Naruto is…I don't know what to say. I did not raise him to be like this!" She threw up her hands in a helpless gesture and took a deep breath. "Let's start over."
She extended her hand to Sasuke. "Hello, Sasuke-kun? I'm N-Tsukihi Yugito, Naruto's adopted older sister. We came to deliver some cookies to you." Yugito held out the slightly smushed cardboard box, which was wrapped in red paper and tied clumsily with a white ribbon. "But we can't get in. I'm glad you showed up when you did!" she said brightly.
"Um… thanks." Sasuke hesitantly took the box with a small smile. He shyly slipped through the gate with his present as Yugito and Naruto turned and headed towards their home.
-=- OoO
They had only walked half the distance to the corner when a horrible scream rang out from behind the Uchiha gate. All the hair on the back of Yugito's neck stood up at the bone-chilling sound. Ice seeped into her muscles, creating a disconnected sensation. She gripped Naruto's hand. That shriek. It couldn't be! It sounded like … Sasuke.
Why, oh why did we turn our backs on him? Why did we walk away when everything felt wrong?! her mind screamed. Something awful is happening! Her mind raced. We must go help him! But Naruto - Her little brother's knees were knocking together in fear. I must help Sasuke!
Yugito made up her mind.
She bent down to look the trembling boy in the eye. "Naruto. Listen to me. I-I need you to go find a ninja. Anybody – I don't care who. Find them and tell them – Tell them there's something wrong in the Uchiha compound."
Naruto nodded dumbly.
"Now go!" She gave him a push, and Naruto raced toward the Hokage's tower, into the night, as fast as his legs could take him. Yugito only hoped he found a shinobi fast. There was no telling what could be going on in the Uchiha compound. But she had to go in. There was no other way.
She bit her lip and slowly turned towards the gate of doom. Sasuke had left it open a crack when he entered, and as Yugito peeked through the narrow opening, her young heart almost stopped. She couldn't breathe. Kami, this can't be real!
It must be a dream, she thought numbly. We're in the safest place in Hi no Kuni. There's no way something like this could…happen…
Death. Death was everywhere, wherever her eyes touched. She was frozen still, the horror of the situation soaking into her mind. A river of blood ran down the main path of the compound, dull and crimson. It seeped into her shoes as she stood. Corpses with their throats slit like slaughtered pigs slumped against walls festooned with smears of scarlet. Stab wounds oozing blood yawned like the mouths of tormented spirits. Over it all, the cold stone moon loomed huge in the sky.
Who would do this? Yugito thought, sickened by the sight. Her stomach unexpectedly heaved, and she vomited her dinner onto the concrete, clutching her belly. The blood soaked deeper into her shoes, feeling sticky and wet between Yugito's toes. As she gasped for air, she saw Sasuke running deeper into the dark compound.
"Otou-san! Okaa-chan! Nii-san!" his screams begged. "Otou-san! Nii-san! Okaa-chan!" she heard faintly, as Sasuke's shape disappeared into the shadowy maze of the Uchiha compound.
"Sasuke-san!" Yugito shrieked, shocked out of terror by the gravity of Sasuke's reckless action. If the murderer's still here, that's the worst possible action to take! Her feet began to move on their own, following the bloody trail Sasuke had left behind. Someone wants the Uchiha dead; all the Uchiha; Sasuke's going alone; they'll kill him, too!
Yugito had always been a fast runner; she'd been praised in both the Kumo and Konoha schools for speeds that nearly matched the adults, despite her small size. In the last race at the Academy, she'd run a seven-minute mile. But the speed borne of her desperation far outstripped that record. She sped along the Uchiha compound pathways faster than she'd ever run before, following Sasuke's tracks.
The footprints faded as the trail zigzagged deeper into the compound though the metallic, sickly odor of blood still lingered strongly. Maybe it was just the adrenalin, but Yugito felt as if her senses were on overdrive. She could smell everything, from the reek of litter behind someone's house to the acrid smoke of a candle that had been extinguished just now. Not only had her sense of scent had been affected, but her ears and eyes also had sharpened. She could hear every cricket's chirp and see clearly, even though it was night.
It was the biggest house in the compound, and Sasuke's scent trail led straight to it. Cautiously, Yugito approached. The sliding door was open, and Sasuke's shoes and bag sat neatly beside it. She could hear a low voice speaking, and then Sasuke's voice erupted in a tortured wail that shredded Yugito's sensitive ears.
Fearing the worst, Yugito abandoned caution and rushed through the house, following the screams. She burst through an opened door, her heart pounding heavily. Sasuke was kneeling in the center of the room, mouth stretched in an endless scream.
Two bodies, a man and a woman, were lying in the far corner, sleeping eternally in a pool of blood. A young man wearing the ANBU uniform stood over them. His face was cold and impassive, but his arms were trembling. He looked up, and Yugito saw his eyes; burning red orbs with black pinwheels stared at her.
"You should not be here."
Yugito's knees quaked at the ferocity of his glare; it took all her will not to run away. "What do you mean?!" she gritted out. "And what are you doing to him?!" she yelled, gesturing at Sasuke as the boy's wails petered out and he slumped forward onto the ground. I am not going to let you get away with this!
Yugito dropped to Sasuke's side, feeling for a pulse. He was still alive – that much was sure.
"This is a personal matter," the young man replied. "It concerns only the Uchiha. I apologize, but- "
Sasuke's body stirred. Yugito leapt back, unsure of what would happen. The eight-year-old sat up, wiping a bloody scratch on his face. His eyes flickered red for an instant before he noticed her. "Tsu-tsukihi-san?" he asked, dazed. Then his head jerked back to the young man. "Why?" he pleaded. "Nii-san, why?"
"To test my strength."
"That's not an answer!" Yugito yelled as she helped Sasuke up. Her whole body burned with anger. "Only a coward who's afraid of being found out would say something like that!" Her vision turned red. "What are you really up to?"
"It is a thing of great importance." The ANBU bowed his head as Sasuke roared and tried to charge him. Yugito lunged and barely caught him in time. He struggled and kicked, clawing at her arms; she knew she couldn't hold him for long.
"Let GO!" Sasuke snarled. "Itachi, what is this? What do you mean? Don't give me this crap!" He rammed his elbow into Yugito's stomach, and she gasped for breath, involuntarily letting go of him. She lunged again, her rage feeling as hot as molten steel, but her fingertips only grazed Sasuke's ankle before her chest slammed into the floor. In a moment, Itachi had used the Shunshin to transport himself between Sasuke and Yugito, then simultaneously pinned the girl while incapacitating Sasuke with an uppercut to the solar plexus.
Sasuke dropped to the floor by Yugito, gasping. The girl snarled and tried to worm free from under Itachi's foot. Strangely, she felt as though she was burning up.
Dark red chakra began to bubble around her hands. Yugito shook with surprise. "What the heck…" she hissed as it rolled up her arms and surrounded her body. She felt a sudden blast of power, and with a roar, she surged upwards, catching Itachi by surprise. He fell, landing on his back.
Hello, Yugito, a melodic but strong voice said.
"Who are you?" she growled angrily, curling her fingers into fists. "Itai!" Her nails had lengthened; they'd become three-inch claws. "What is happening to me?"
It would be best if you do not speak aloud. I am in your mind.
As she struggled to process what the heck exactly was going on, Itachi rose to his feet. "Sasuke."
"Itachi. I'll KILL YOU!" Sasuke screamed furiously, clawing his way to his feet as well.
A low chuckle came from Itachi's mouth. "Foolish little brother."
I should go for now but call on me if you need me. My name is Matatabi. I am your guardian, the voice finished. Yugito growled softly as the chakra cloak dissipated.
"If you want to kill me, despise me; hate me. Flee, clinging to life and surviving in that unsightly way. And someday, when you have the same eyes as me, you will find me." Itachi's figure wavered, then flickered away as Sasuke lunged for him, fingers finding only empty air. Yugito caught him before he fell.
Eyes as red as blood glared up at her, a single black tomoe spinning around the pupil. Sasuke blinked, and his eyes became onyx orbs again. His eyelids fluttered and closed, the exhaustion of fear overtaking him. His head was still lying in Yugito's lap when the ANBU found them.
A/N: Only one more chapter, and the Prologue will have been resolved! Unity Part 1: Demons in the Mist will hopefully be up near the beginning of September! ~Miss Citronella