Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Here to Eternity ❯ A Fine Mess of Everything: Part II ( Chapter 51 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Kat: -sigh- Welcome, friends, to the fifty-first and final installment in `From Here to Eternity!' It's been a good run, y'all. Before we go, I'd like to thank a few people.

BHS: For always being cool.

Stakeh: For always being awesome.

Bitenshi: For rocking the party.

Junsui Kegasu: For being a freaking rocker.

Fantastical Queen Ebony Black: For the constructive criticism. And ruling the turf.

Perc: For the Ultimate Review.

Pi: For being number 1,000.

And to everyone else for reading and reviewing! It's been real, you guys. I'm sad it's over.

But Let's not be like American Idol and have six hours of nothing before the good stuff. Without further ado, I give you:

From Here to Eternity

The Last Chapter

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 111111111111111

There were some times in his life where Itachi Uchiha wondered if God was getting back at him for doing something very, very wrong in his childhood. Now was one of those times.

Ten seconds left, and the score was Roots, 72, Foxes, 70. Typical. Very typical. Itachi rubbed his eyes, situated himself outside the sideline, and took a deep breath. He glanced over to the bandstand where Kankuro was talking avidly with a flute player… a male flute player. Itachi ground his teeth.

“Are you ready?” Referee-named-Phil said, the silver whistle a centimeter from his mouth.

“Just blow that thing,” Itachi hissed, his anger overcoming his exhaustion. His bitten nails dug into the orange material as he waited, tense, for the screeching sound of the whistle to start the game once more.

Shisui managed to take three elbows to the ribs just by standing still. He eyed the Roots' center viciously, already planning his demise. He locked eyes with Itachi, who nodded.

The whistle blew, and Itachi slapped his hand to the ball. The four players on the court split apart from the group in a mad dash. Itachi held the ball over his head.

“Come on, dammit,” he muttered, watching the group anxiously. “Someone get open…”

There! Kisame had knocked away two people at once, and was completely free. Itachi hurled the ball down the court to him.

Suddenly, Shisui was down by the hoop. Kisame passed the ball to the Uchiha, and he shot.

The crowd erupted as the ball swished through the net.

“YES! YES! YESYESYESYESYES!” Naruto screamed, jumping up and down. He dropped back into his seat, and bear-hugged a very surprised Sai. “We're gonna WIN, Sai!” Then he pushed away. “I mean, we're gonna win… you… can… say you cheered for the winning side!”

Sai gave a weak smile.

“Oh, yeah! That was amazing!” Haku said, clapping his hands.

“We're ti-ied! We're ti-ied! We're ti-ied!” Ten-Ten and Tayuya sang.

“Oh, this rocks!” Ten-Ten exclaimed, punching the air with one tightly clenched fist. “Tayuya?”

“Yeah?” the redhead said, turning in her seat.

“I'm getting my bellybutton pierced!” Ten-Ten said firmly. Tayuya frowned, her brows knit.

“Uh…” she said. “…'Kay?”

“I knew I liked you!” Ten-Ten said, grabbing Tayuya's hands, and kissing her full on the mouth.

“My word!” Haku said, his voice hushed in shock.

“Girl on girl action, and it's doing nothing for me,” Naruto said sadly, shaking his head. “How depressing. Huh? You all right, Sai?”

“J-Just… surprised,” Sai said, staring at Ten-Ten and Tayuya as though they had morphed together into one giant lesbian bot of doom. Naruto laughed, and nodded.

“I know. They can go three minutes without stopping for air,” he remarked sagely. “I don't know how I know that, so don't ask.”

“No, I mean…” Sai bit his lip. “Aren't they… worried?”

“About what?” Naruto asked brightly, sipping his Mountain Dew.

“Oh, I don't know… what other people think?” Sai said, his voice dropping to a whisper. Naruto regarded him carefully, then turned to the girls.

“Ten-Ten?”

Ten-Ten and Tayuya had ceased their make-out session, and were now calmly watching the game.

“Yes'm?”

“What do you think of other peoples' opinions?”

“Uh…” Ten-Ten glanced at him. Then she said, with the monotone of one reading from a textbook, “I don't give a flying fuck what they think as long as I'm happy. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, just curious.” Naruto glanced knowingly to Sai, and shrugged. “What can I say? She's confident.”

“Apparently.” Sai sat back against the wall, his eyes narrow.

“Somethin' wrong?”

“No. Of course not. It's just… No. Never mind,” he said, shaking his head.

“What?” Naruto pressed. “What is it? Tell me!”

“Well,” Sai said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “At my school… if two girls did that in the hallways… they'd basically get lynched.”

“Oh, yeah, that happens here, too. There's just more people to lynch, so we don't care as much,” Naruto said with a wide grin. “You get lynched with your friends, so it's all good! We protect our own.” Then he laughed. “Right, Haku?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, of course,” Haku said, clearly not paying attention to the conversation one iota. “We protect our own.”

Sai shook his head. “Whatever you say,” he said skeptically. Naruto sniffed, and turned back to watch the game.

There were four seconds left on the clock. Itachi had the ball, and an opening. He shot for the hoop… like a tiger… dribbling effortlessly around offending players. Or so it seemed. In reality, Itachi couldn't have felt worse. He couldn't seem to get enough oxygen to his limps; they felt like useless chunks of wood sticking off his body.

He was at the hoop. All that was left was to go up for the lay in-

WHAM!

Suddenly, he was on the ground, and his ribs were on fire. He cried out in pain, his hands going to his side.

The ref's whistle blew shrilly, and the crowd roared in anger and in bewilderment.

“F-Fuck,” he choked out, coughing. He wrapped his arms around his waist, and desperately tried to climb to his knees.

“Shit, Itachi!” Shisui said hoarsely, dropping to his knees beside his cousin. “Are you okay?”

Itachi then slowly began to realize what had happened. When he was going for the lay-in, someone slammed into him. And apparently, it had been on purpose.

“Well, I'm just dandy, Shisui. How are you?” Itachi demanded, shoving himself up into a sitting position. A stab of pain slice through his chest. “Ahh… shit,” he cursed, rubbing his side.

“You bastard!”

Itachi thought for a moment his cousin had been addressing him, but when he looked up, Shisui had risen, and was glaring ominously at the Roots' red haired center. Itachi was not surprised.

The redhead merely grinned. Shisui's fist clenched as he felt white hot anger flow through him. He didn't even realize that he had lunged for the center until he felt Kisame grab him by the back of the uniform and haul him backward.

“Woah there, Turbo,” the co-captain said, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, easy!” Phil said, pointing at Shisui. Then he turned to the center. He reached into his shirt pocket, and pulled out a red slip of paper. “Malicious contact! You're out!”

“What!” the center said, angered. But it was clear that he had achieved his goal; Itachi was in no shape to keep playing. Shisui abruptly turned away from the teen, to Itachi, who remained on the floor.

“Can you stand?” he said, his voice calm. Itachi made a valiant attempt, but collapsed.

“I… I can't…” he rasped, shaking his head. Shisui bent down, and grabbed hold of both his arms, heaving him to his feet.

“Put your arm around me, if you can,” he said grudgingly, sending a candid glare over to the Roots' center. Itachi dutifully slid his arm around his cousin's neck, grimacing at the feeling of sweat under his arm. Kisame walked up to his other side, and lifted his arm up around his neck.

“You okay, `Tach?”

“I'm fine,” Itachi insisted, hating instantly the way his voice sounded like that of a five-year-old. “This isn't necessary-“

“Shut up,” Shisui snapped, cutting him off.

“Christ, Itachi, you are… short,” Kisame noted, as they eased Itachi down to the bench. Ibiki groaned, and glanced at the clock.

“Two shots!” the ref barked.

“All right, Yusuke, you're in!” Ibiki bellowed, jerking his thumb at the court. Sasuke's head snapped up.

“Yes, sir!” he said, hopping to his feet. He glanced down at Itachi, then out to the court. Ibiki walked over to him, and placed both meaty hands on his shoulders.

“Okay, Yusuke-“

“Sasuke, sir!” Sasuke said shrilly. He didn't mind all that much; at least he wasn't calling him `Itachi's Little Brother…'

“Sasuke, right,” Ibiki said. “All I need you to do is make these foul shots; you got that? Make these shots and we will win!”

“I can do that, sir,” Sasuke said, but he already felt his arms and legs filling with lead. He chanced a quick look up into the audience; there was Dad, looking concerned for Itachi. Of course. Sasuke clenched a fist. “I… won't let you down.”

“That's my boy!” Ibiki laughed, slapping him on the back. “Now get out there and WIN THIS GAME!”

Sasuke nodded curtly, then jogged out to the court with the rest of the team.

“Hey, it's the little man!” Sakon laughed, his hands on his hips. “You here to save the day for us?” They were all in their positions around the key, and Sasuke took his place. He swallowed, and looked at the ref.

“Two shots,” Phil reminded him, passing him the ball.

Meanwhile, up in the stands, the tension was high.

“Oh my God… Sasuke-bastard, you can do this!” Naruto hissed into his shirt. “Foul shots are your fucking specialty, right?”

“Come on, kid! Give `em hell!” Ten-Ten yelled, clapping her hands together.

“Oh, I hate to put pressure on Sasuke,” Haku mused, “but… SASUKE, YOU HAD BETTER NOT MISS THIS!” he screamed suddenly, his face red.

Sai glanced down at him in horror.

Sasuke didn't hear them. He didn't hear anything except for the pounding in his ears. He bounced the ball once, then spun it in his hands, and bounced it again. They were pounding on the bleachers, now. He felt the butterflies in his stomach and chest. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't-

Calm down, Sasuke. Your father is watching.

`I'm gonna show him…' he thought. `I'm gonna show him I can be just as good as Itachi! This is my chance!'

He grinned. Then he took aim, and shot.

The ball hit the rim, bounced up once, and tipped over to the side.

“ARRRGH!” Sakon moaned, pulling at his hair in frustration. “Little Man! Not cool!”

The crowd groaned. Naruto fell off of his bleacher, and Haku dramatically put a hand to his forehead in mock faint.

Sasuke wiped his face with the back of his hand. Shit. Fuck. How had he missed that? He glanced up into the crowd, where his father was sitting, his eyes narrow and disapproving. Sasuke swallowed.

“Sasuke.” It was Kisame. “Watch where you're puttin' your hand.” He gave him a thumb's up.

Duh. The basics. The ref bounced him the ball. Sasuke dribbled it twice, and spun it in his hands. He formed the `T' with his thumbs, and smiled.

Yeah. He could do this. He… had… to do this.

He shot.

The ball sailed through the air, taking an eternity to reach the basket.

SWISH.

Nothing.

But.

Net.

The ball drifted down through the hoop with the greatest of ease. The clock started again, 3… 2… 1… and the buzzer sounded.

The game had ended, and the Foxes had won, 73 to 72.

Sasuke wasn't aware of this until Kisame heaved him up onto his shoulders.

It was at that moment that Itachi Uchiha lost consciousness.

The gym was deafening. But a few voices stood out over the top.

“HOLY CRAP OH MY GOSH WE JUST WON!” Haku screeched, flapping his hands, greatly resembling a psychotic chicken. He flipped around, and hugged Sai, who gave a strangled, “Erp!”

“AAAAA-RIGHT, SASUKE!” Naruto cried, jumping up. He reached over, and pulled Ten-Ten to the bandstand fence. He kissed her on the cheek, then hugged her. “WE JUST WON!”

“I KNOW!” Ten-Ten hollered.

The cheerleaders proceeded to go insane, jumping up and down, doing high kicks and splits in the air. Kankuro brought the band to “attention,” and conducted the school song.

Sasuke was in heaven. Kisame spun him around several times, before dropping him onto Shisui and Sakon's shoulders.

“Incredible work, cousin!” Shisui laughed.

The crowd had spilled out onto the court. Everywhere, Konohaton people were high-fiving, and laughing. Naruto was among them. He elbowed his way through the crowd, to Neji.

“Neji! Neji, hey!” he said, grabbing the boy by the shoulder. Neji flipped around shortly, his eyes narrow.

“What is it?” he growled.

“Great game!” Naruto said, ignoring the voice. “You did very well!”

“I hardly scored a point,” Neji noted, raising his eyebrows.

“That doesn't matter!” Naruto insisted. “You did great! Hey,” he said, reaching out, and taking Neji's hand. “Wanna go celebrate?”

“No. I don't,” Neji said icily, tearing his hand back. “Not now, not ever. Go home, Naruto.” Then he turned, and marched away, leaving Naruto in a haze of confusion.

“What the hell did I do now, huh?” he called after the Hyuga. But he either ignored the blonde, or didn't hear him. Naruto sighed, feeling hurt and befuddled. He crossed his arms, and scowled.

He felt eyes on his back, so he turned. There was Sasuke, atop Shisui and Sakon's shoulders, staring at him with concern. Naruto grinned, and gave him a thumb's up. Sasuke smiled slowly, and returned it.

“Sasuke! Sasuke!”

Sasuke didn't even notice Sakura until she was right below him.

“What is it, Sakura?” he said, feeling generous.

“It's your parents! And Itachi!” Sakura said, pointing over to the stands. “They just left in an ambulance!”

“All three of them?” Sasuke snapped, squirming down from Shisui and Sakon. He pushed and shoved and elbowed his way through the crowd to the stands. He couldn't find his mother, father, or Itachi anywhere.

`They're gone,' he thought, numb with shock. `They left me here by myself. They actually left me.'

“You need a ride, Sas'?” Kisame asked, picking up his empty water bottle, and heading for the locker room.

“No. No,” Sasuke insisted. “I'm sure one of them will come back for me.”

“Are you su-“

“Yes.” Sasuke turned to stare at the older boy. “I'm sure.” His ecstasy and euphoria were gone, replaced by a hollow emptiness. He bent down, and picked up three empty water bottles, tossing them in the garbage can. “I'm going to change. They'll probably be back by then.”

But when he returned to the emptying gym, his duffel over his shoulder, his parents had not returned. Ibiki informed him that they had in fact left in an ambulance; Itachi had passed out.

“Typical,” Sasuke muttered as he trudged out of the gym into the school. “That stupid… girl. He would faint.” He dug in his pocket for his silver RAZR cell phone, and pulled it out. No messages. Fuck. He felt like crying, he was so frustrated.

As he left the school, he caught sight of a boy he had never seen before speaking with a man.

“God, Yamato! You said five o'clock… where were you?” the boy demanded, his arms crossed.

“I'm very sorry, Sai,” the man, Yamato, said. He had on a brown suit and a sheepish grin. “My car broke down.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Sai said skeptically, his eyes narrowing.

“Come on… there's still some teachers who want to talk to you,” Yamato said.

“They don't need to… I want to go here,” Sai said firmly.

“Are you sure?” The man sounded shocked and relieved at the same time, as though he were “having his cake and eating it, too.”

“Yes,” Sai said, with a smile. “This is definitely the school for me. It's big, but not huge. I met some students; they all seem very friendly. I've made up my mind. I'm sorry I have to change schools again, but…” His face grew dark. “I can't stay at Roots any longer.”

If Yamato was surprised, he hid it well. “Well… that's great! I'll-“

Sasuke was out the door before he heard any more of the conversation.

A new student.

Whoopdee-fucking-doo.

He dropped his bag to the ground and leaned against the wall as he waited. It was pitch black outside; the clouds covered the sky, blocking out the moon and stars. The only light was the pallid, sickly yellow light given off by the lights above the school's front door. That, and the headlights of all the cars that were quickly pulling away from the school.

“Sasuke-bastard? Hey.” It was Naruto, coming out of the school. “Nice shot, Rex.”

Sasuke stared at him, then cracked a smile. “Thanks, Dead Last. I thought it was pretty nice, too.”

Naruto laughed appreciatively. Then he quieted, and leaned against the wall several feet from Sasuke. “So… you here by yourself?”

“Apparently I am. My parents are coming for me,” Sasuke said bitterly. Don't get any ideas. They didn't forget me. They didn't, goddammit, they didn't so stop staring at me like I'm a freak because they

(didn't forget about me! they're coming you'll see you'll see Daddy wouldn't leave me at kindergarten he's not a dummy and mommy mommy would remind him and I don't wanna be here when Itachi gets out of class too because he's so much better than me and I know it)

“Oh. Well, I'm waiting for Iruka,” Naruto announced, as though this was something to be proud of. He grinned. “So… uh…” He cleared his throat. It became clear to Sasuke very rapidly that Naruto did not enjoy the silence that he cherished.

“What's new, Naruto?” Sasuke asked dutifully, with a tiny grin.

“Since you asked,” Naruto said darkly, “I believe Neji and I have reached a fork in our relationship, and I believe dumping him to be the right… prong.” He nodded, finding this euphemism to suffice.

“The right prong, huh?”

“Yeah. You gotta problem with that?” Naruto challenged jokingly, before laughing. His laughter died quickly, and his face turned melancholy. Sasuke didn't like to see that on Naruto's face. “He's… got some sort of problem with me, I think. I dunno. He won't talk to me… I give up. You know?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke said abruptly, Gaara's face flashing through his mind, before fading out. “I know what you mean.”

At that moment, a car pulled up to the curb, and someone honked.

“That's Iruka! See you tomorrow, Sasuke-bas… Sasuke,” Naruto said, walking over and waving, before disappearing into the car. Sasuke offered a small wave, and they drove off.

And then there was one.

The parking lot had totally emptied by now; Sasuke really was alone.

He pulled his cell phone out, and looked again. No messages.

“Fuck!” he snarled, jamming the phone back into his pocket. He crossed his arms; he had been boiling in the gym, but now that he was outside, he was freezing cold.

At that moment, a slick black car drove almost soundlessly up to the curb, and the window off the passengers' side rolled down.

“Sasuke,” said the voice from inside. It was… Orochimaru? “Do you need a ride?”

Sasuke glanced at his watch. 10:30. No. He didn't. They were coming back. They would show up two minutes after he left and discover that he had left without a care.

But…

He folded his numb fingers inside his jacket sleeves, and thought of the heat of the inside of the car. He bit his lip, and glanced up to the road.

…

…Shit.

“I guess I do,” he said quietly, picking up his bag. He walked over to the car, and pulled open the door, sliding inside, and setting his bag on the ground.

Warmth. Sweet, blessed warmth. He could breathe again!

“Thanks,” he said quickly, buckling his seatbelt.

“Don't worry about it,” Orochimaru said, shifting the gear, and driving. His pale face was given a ghostly glow by the glow-in-the-dark things on the dashboard. Sasuke folded his hands in his lap, unsure of what else to do with them.

“I saw your parents leave with the ambulance… Itachi, right?” Orochimaru said, his voice hinting at laughter.

“Yes,” Sasuke said icily. “And they didn't even tell me.”

“Didn't tell you?” Orochimaru said, surprised. “That's not something parents should do.”

“Well… they were worried,” Sasuke said, feeling the need to defend his parents.

“Ah, of course,” Orochimaru said. “And Itachi? He passed out, hm?”

“Fainted is more like it,” Sasuke said bitterly, crossing his arms. Orochimaru chuckled.

“Yes, Itachi can be a bit of a drama queen, hm?” He grinned.

“You can say that again.”

“You're not like Itachi, though, are you, Sasuke?” Orochimaru said, though it was more of a statement than a question.

“Oh, God, no,” Sasuke said.

“You're stronger. And smarter, right?”

“Of course!” Sasuke said, sitting up a little straighter.

“Of course,” Orochimaru said, his thin lips pressing together in a smile. “Which street do you live on, Sasuke?”

“Uchiha Avenue,” Sasuke said darkly. “Where else?”

“Mm-hmm. I thought so,” Orochimaru said, taking a right turn.

“Did you stay for the whole game?” Sasuke asked, glancing up at Orochimaru, then back out the front window.

“Oh, yes,” Orochimaru said. “All of the teachers come to the first game of the season.”

“Oh,” Sasuke said. “I live right here.” He pointed out the window. Orochimaru slowed down, and pulled into their driveway, beside Itachi's red sports' car. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at it.

“Is that Itachi's car?” Orochimaru asked.

“Yes,” Sasuke said, a little nastier than he meant. He instantly regretted it. Orochimaru remained silent, and Sasuke grabbed the door handle.

“Sasuke.”

His hand froze. Orochimaru gently placed his hand on Sasuke shoulder.

“If you ever need to talk, don't hesitate, okay?”

Sasuke nodded, not looking up. Orochimaru moved his hand, his fingertips brushing against Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke took that as cue to leave. He pushed open the door, and picked up his bag.

“Thanks for the ride,” he said. Orochimaru nodded.

“Any time,” he said. Sasuke closed the door, and Orochimaru drove off.

And Sasuke was alone again.

2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222< /div>

Naruto wearily curled up in bed, his eyes closed.

“I don't wanna break up with Neji…” he murmured. “But… I think I have to.” He choked back an almost-sob, and turned over.

33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 3

“Ten-Ten?” Tayuya said as she turned into the city center. They had dropped off Temari five minutes earlier, and were on their way to Ten-Ten's apartment.

“Yeah?” Ten-Ten said, her hands behind her head. Her mind was jumping back to the note, burning a hole in the back of her pocket.

FAGGOT! YOU DESERVE TO DIE! BURN IN HELL! YOU WEREN'T WORTHY OF HIM! I HOPE YOU FUCKING DIE, WHORE!

“I…” Tayuya bit her lip. “I think I'm going… I'm going to give the baby up for adoption.” The words came out so quickly that she wasn't sure Ten-Ten had heard.

But she did. Ten-Ten jolted up, and hugged Tayuya, despite the fact that she was driving.

“Oh, Tay, good! That's great! You shouldn't have a baby, you should be having fun and relaxing and screwing around! You're a kid, you shouldn't be raising a kid! That's a great choice, I totally support you!”

“Ten… Ten-Ten! You're going to make me crash!” Tayuya squeaked, desperately hanging on to the wheel.

“Oh! Sorry,” Ten-Ten said, releasing her girlfriend. “My bad.” She smiled. Tayuya felt a huge weight leave her chest, and Ten-Ten gently rested her head on her shoulder as they drove. Tayuya awkwardly wrapped an arm around her, juggling the steering wheel with one hand and one knee.

“I thought it was a good choice, too.”

44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 4444444444

Shisui crossed his arms as he lay on his bed, blocking out the screaming with headphones.

`He didn't even say anything about the game,' he thought angrily. `Not a fucking thing.'

55555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 555555555555

Haku sat against the wall, the house empty except for him, his cell phone open in his hand. The text message read;

We won 73 to 72. Isn't that g8? Met a Roots boy. He's totally gh3y. He was staring at Ru-Ru like he was god. It was crazy.

See U tomorrow, k? Luv ya.

He smiled, and pressed `Send.'

66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666 66666666666666

Kankuro came in the front door, dropped his keys in the bowl, kicked off his shoes, and set his hat on the table. He yawned, stretched, and climbed the stairs.

“Temari? You home yet? Hey, `Ri?” he called, glancing around. “She must not be home,” he murmured. He glanced at Gaara's door. There was silence within the room, so he decided to let him be. He walked into his own room, and closed the door.

At that moment, Temari walked in the front door.

“Bye! See you guys later!” she called. Kankuro heard her go into the kitchen, no doubt to get Gaara some food, then heard her soft footsteps coming up the stairs. She walked down the hall, and stopped at Gaara's door.

“Gaara? Sweetie, I brought you some dinner. Gaara? Gaa-“

She pressed her hand to the door, and, to her surprise, it swung open. She looked inside the room. It was too dark to see, so she reached out for the light switch.

CLICK.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Kankuro jolted up from his chair, and stumbled out into the hall. “'Ri! `Ri, calm the fuck down, what is it?” he demanded. Temari stood, with her back against the wall. There was a bowl of microwave ramen on the floor where she had dropped it.

She pointed into the room, her eyes wide.

“Blood… blood!” she shrieked, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh God, bloooood!”

“Temari!” Kankuro said firmly, grabbing her, and spinning her around so that he could see her face. “Calm… down…”

Temari nodded, her breathing erratic.

“I am calm.”

“No. Calm down.”

“I… calm. Yes.” She took a deep breath, and nodded. “I am calm.”

“Good.”

Kankuro released his sister, and turned, steeling himself before walking into the room.

The window was open. That he noticed first; Gaara never opened his window.

Then he saw the wall.

“Jesus… fucking… Christ…” he breathed, pressing his hands to his mouth. The light tan wall had been… cut… by something,

(that fucking switchblade)

and it was in the shape of Gaara's tattoo. The kanji symbol for `Love.' It was huge, from the bed to the ceiling. Something red was rubbed into it, in the pattern of the symbol.

Kankuro didn't even need to touch it to know that it was blood.

“Kankuro,” Temari cried, coming into the room. Her face was the color of granite.

“WHAT?” Kankuro demanded, his eyes wide.

Then Temari said, her voice eerily calm,

“Gaara is gone.”

77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 777777777

Sasori was almost asleep when the phone rang.

“Hullo?” he mumbled into the receiver.

“Hey, babe,” said the voice. “Wanna hook up?”

“Fuck you,” he hissed, instantly awake. “What the fuck are you calling me for? I told you… No. I'm not interested. Leave me the fuck alone.”

“What about your friend?” San said. “The pretty blonde one. I bet he'd be interested.”

“You leave Deidara the hell out of this!” Sasori snapped, standing. “You leave him out of this, you hear me?”

San merely laughed, and hung up.

Sasori slammed the phone down, feeling more afraid than he had in years.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 88888888888888888

“Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha?” a voice said. Keiko and Heisuke stood quickly. The waiting room of the hospital was a truly terrible place; so cold and white and sterile. It was a nurse. “Come with me.”

They nodded, and followed the woman as she led them into the hospital, down halls and past patients who looked near death. Though the hospital was mostly empty this late, it was still disturbing.

“Here.” She said, pointing at a door. Then she left, and Keiko flung herself inside the room.

“Itachi! My baby!” she said, dropping her purse and jacket to the ground and crossing the room to where her son lay, unconscious, now in a hospital gown and in a hospital bed. She gently touched his face, and brought her hands to her mouth, unsure of what to do. “Oh, God, Heisuke, doesn't stress trigger it? What if… what if…” She broke down, sobbing. Heisuke wrapped his arms around her, and guided her to a chair, where she sat.

“Mr. Uchiha?” It was Dr. Kurabo, standing at the door, his awkwardly large glasses hanging on his nose. “May I come in?”

Heisuke nodded, and the doctor walked in, closing the door behind him.

“What's the verdict, Doc? Is my son gonna die a slow, painful death, or is there still some hope?” he asked stonily, his arms at his sides.

Dr. Kurabo cleared his throat.

“Actually, there may be hope, Mr. Uchiha. We were wrong; Itachi most definitely doesn't have HIV.”

Heisuke could have hugged the man.

“Oh…” he said, slumping down into the chair, relief filling his system.

“Oh, thank God! Thank God! Thank God!” Keiko sobbed, her face in her hands.

“Please, wait,” Dr. Kurabo said, holding his hand up. “There's something else.”

“Nothing could possibly be worse than that,” Heisuke said, rubbing his eyes. He seemed very tired.

“Well,” Dr. Kurabo said, pulling some papers out of a file he had with him. “After screening Itachi's blood, we noticed that his white blood cell count was down, and he was anemic. He had a shockingly low number of platelets… those clot blood. Also, Itachi complained of being constantly tired, and he has strange bruises showing up all over his body.”

“What strange bruises?” Heisuke demanded, feeling dread grab hold of his stomach.

“See for yourself,” Dr. Kurabo said, gesturing to Itachi. Heisuke stood, and walked over to his son. It was true, there were quite a few bruises dotting Itachi's arms. And on his neck, and chest, and the bruise from his head wound was still quite bad. Heisuke hadn't even noticed.

“What does this mean, Doc?” he breathed, already knowing the answer.

“We can bring him in as soon as Monday for his first round of chemotherapy,” Dr. Kurabo said, his voice level. “If it is what we think it is, we've caught it early. We can treat it, we can-“

“What does he have?” Heisuke hissed.

Dr. Kurabo sighed.

“Itachi Uchiha has leukemia.”

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 9999999999999999

And then there were none.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000

Kat: Happy Fifty-First, all! Thanks for sticking with us!

Soriko: It's been… fun.

Naruto: I'm gonna miss you guys!

Sasuke: How sad.

Sai: Penis.

Karene: I'M DRUNK!

Kat: … -shakes head-

Authoress: Hey! There's no reason to be sad! Look for the FHtE gang in the soon-to-come sequel, `A Hazy Shade of Winter!'

Kat: … Free advertise much?

Authoress: Well it is my fic.

Until then!

Scapegoat, OUT!

Start, 05-09-05

Finish, 05-15-06