Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Secret Love ❯ Plan ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: All original Naruto characters, settings, plot etc. are the property of Matashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement is intended and I make no profit from this story.

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　 Plan   　

This new island forestry was different to anything I'd seen before. The whole place was much different to the grassy hills of the tea country or the ferocious forests of the fire country. This place seemed more…tropical. It wasn't necessarily warm, not at the pace we were walking – from now on we were civilians and would use strictly common movements and actions – but the air seemed moist and the plants around us looked damp with dew. Even the floor was mossy, wet, yet it wasn't muddy. It was all very clean. I could get used to a place like this.

Naruto is following close behind me, I could hear from the squelching of his feet that he was finding it harder to move through the dense forestry than I was. What a loser. Sure, the trees were close together and you had to swerve from time to time in order to avoid puddles, but it certainly wasn't hard to move through, and as mentioned previously, it was not dirty either. I was particularly thankful for the latter fact since it meant we wouldn't need to purchase new clothes.

We couldn't risk stealing from anywhere now that we'd arrived, everything had to be strictly obedient and I was going to make sure we enrolled in everything we should. We couldn't stand out of the crowd; we had to blend in as though we really were civilians.

"Hey, Sasuke?" I smothered a sigh, what now?

"What?" I made sure to snap at him; he was more irritating the longer we stayed together; Sasuke this…Sasuke that…Sasuke…Sasuke…Sasuke. Argh! I needed to calm down. It wasn't his fault he had such little brains.

"Err…what are we gonna do…you know, when we get there. We don't have a place to live." He did have a point, but I'd already planned everything out. We'd get a job, we'd go to school…if we were expected to, perhaps they didn't go to school here as long as they did in Konoha. I knew in Konoha civilians were expected to attend school up until the age of sixteen. Whether the people here even attended school we'd need to find out later. As for where we'd sleep; I'd spotted a cave we passed a few hours ago and it seemed suitable enough for Ninja's like ourselves, with our strengthened senses we'd easily be able to cover for sleeping in a cave if we were found. We might do that until we could afford a place of our own from working. If I couldn't get something better that is. I'd rather not risk seeming odd.

"Sasuke-" He tried to contact me again, probably to repeat his question, but I silenced him with a harsh interruption.

"I will tell you what to do when it becomes necessary. I have everything figured out so just shut up." He grumbled a bit about me but I ignored it. I was unconcerned by his nonsense.

The foliage began to clear and soon we stumbled upon a small path, it was heading north east from where we stood but I didn't hesitate to follow it. There could only be one village on an island this small. And by common sense a path like this was bound to head to it. Sure enough, as I'd predicted, we found the entrance to the village Riera very soon. I heard Naruto puff a bit behind me, and was surprised by his actions…was he actually using his head for once? If we were not ninja then we would surely be worn out even by the short – for our standards - walk from the shore. I pretended he wasn't taking our situation into account. He must have really been tired.

Taking a look around at the village, I soon realized that this may not be as difficult as I'd first presumed. The people walking by us as we walked slowly down the main street took no notice of us, short glances and small frowns were all we got. Occasionally someone would smile and I knew that Naruto smiled back every time; it was just his nature. I didn't bother. Acting like a civilian did not entail acting nice. Stopping where I estimated was the centre of the street, for it was where the most shops were situated as well as people, I turned to Naruto sternly.

"Okay. I want you to listen carefully. I want no mistakes. You are to wander through town and look for jobs," he looked ready to interrupt but I spoke over him. "I want you to take a note of each with details of wages and working hours. Is that clear?"

"Well…what are you going to do? Why do I have to look for jobs?"

Sighing, I answered him reluctantly; why did he need to know so much? "I will be at the school. There is bound to be one here and we are going to atten-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sasuke! I don't wanna go back to school! Besides we can't go to school if we're working." He actually looked distressed at the idea, but I didn't give it a thought; he would do as I said.

"We will work part time, that is why you need the hours. Write everything down if you are incapable of remembering." And with that I took off walking again, passing him by without a glance, but I could feel his glare follow me up the street and smirked, if he actually thought it would make me take that back he had another thing coming.

Passing a shop I peered through the window to check the time - it was half four in the afternoon. This place was rather warm for being further south. Usually the southern islands tended to be colder, yet this one seemed almost tropical. I noticed by what the people were wearing, some in jackets and others in trousers, while few wore skirts or shorts, that this was probably a colder day for this village.

Following a few more road directions and guessing my location, I unbuttoned my over shirt, taking pleasure in the feeling of the very light breeze sinking more easily through my clothes and onto my skin. I kept my mind on the target as I moved though, paying only slight attention to the buildings around me and looking for only one. What I found instead of a school was three large buildings, only one and a half of which I could see.

I knew immediately, from the children emerging from one of the doors, that this was what I was looking for. Ignoring the smaller bodies I moved through the crowd and straight into the building, noting immediately that there was no protection around this place. I was a stranger to this town and yet it was easy for me to locate and enter the school with ease. This place…was not like anywhere I'd been before.

I made my way down the first corridor until I came to a door labelled as 'office'. I knocked once before entering. It was a quiet room with only one woman sitting at a desk, while a similar desk behind her was empty. She had red hair and a firm smile on her lips, certainly not someone Sasuke thought should be working in a school. Directly in front of her was a large wooden counter on which a few papers were stacked.

"Excuse me." I had to be polite, of course; I wasn't going to insult her before getting what I wanted. "Do you know where the headmaster is?" Because that was who I'd need to talk to.

She smiled sweetly at me and answered in a kind voice, "Yes, of course, it's the first door on the left as you leave this room; it'll say 'Mr Okido' on the door." Her voice didn't even sound forced, she genuinely seemed happy and nice. What a weird person. I nodded and left, hoping that this 'Okido' man would be less cheerful than that woman had been.

I reached the room without problem and sure enough, the name was on the door with small writing underneath saying 'headmaster's office'. It irritated me. I didn't bother to knock this time, figuring the man probably wouldn't mind since he would be gaining two new students. And as expected the man inside did nothing but smile joyfully at me and gesture at a seat in front of his desk.

This room was much different from the other in the same way that it was similar. Predictable. Boring. Bright; not the colours, they were simple and plain, but the atmosphere made me want to leave. Mr Okido, I presumed, sat behind a large mahogany desk in the centre of the far wall opposite the door. He looked…nice, for lack of a better word. He didn't look like a head master should look. Children couldn't be that great.

And this man certainly seemed to think things were great. His grin won over Naruto's by a mile, stretching over almost his entire freckled face. He was ginger and pale, with a small pointy beard at the tip of his chin, and a pointy little moustache to match. His suit was green and blue over his large, plump form, and from what I could tell he wasn't tall. He also looked a little young to master a school this big, but I didn't bother saying anything. I couldn't be too rude.

"Me and my friend just got here and would like to enrol ourselves here, I assume there are papers we will need to fill in or such?" this time he laughed, a large, boisterous laugh that filled the room and brightened the atmosphere yet again. I could almost feel my eyebrow twitch.

"Of course young lad. What do you know! I have some right here!" And with another giggle he produced a folder from a drawer behind the desk. I didn't pay much attention to him as he flipped through the files until he came across the one he wanted. I was glad when he began putting the folder back, though, the sooner I got out of there the better. This man was too…jubilant.

"Here we are! I've given you two of everything, that way your friend won't have to fill these out either. And here at Riera's learning facility we value human rights more than anything; you'll find no questions in those papers that you will be forced to answer." Again with that stupid laugh, "but we would like you to at least try heh." And then, when he actually winked at me, I wanted to grab him by the throat and shove him head first through his desk. I controlled the urge. It wasn't very strong anyway.

I was about to get out of that place when he stopped me again with his chirpy, painstakingly annoying voice. "Oh, and if you need anything…you know, any help with getting started out in this village. Since you're new and everything heh, don't hesitate-"

"We won't be needing any assistance in starting out." I interrupted abruptly, would this man ever stop?

Obviously not. "Oh, Hogwash! If you ever need anything I'll be right here to help you. I basically run this town and you can count on it that not a soul goes unhappy." I very much doubted that, and I said so before walking out, papers snatched from the table with a glare aimed at his jolly face. What nonsense did these people believe in…nobody goes unhappy? Ridiculous.

I sighed as I made my way through the village again, keeping an eye out for the dobe. My next problem was where we would rest, but that all depended on the job we'd get, and the job we got depended on the school hours, which I wasn't going to find out until I handed the papers back and received the introduction. I knew immediately who I'd be sending back tomorrow. Naruto would handle someone like that so much better than me, I wasn't afraid to admit that. Idiots often flock together.

Now where was the dobe?

You would think that, being such a small village, a blond idiot would be easy to find. Obviously that was not the case, since despite the assignment I had given him, I could see him nowhere. I'd walked the main street repeatedly; looking for him as he was supposed to be looking for jobs. My patience had nearly given out when I eventually found him.

His voice was what alerted me to his location – I could identify his loud, playful laugh anywhere. It came from a run down, two story building, quite obvious a bar, at the far end of the road, nearer the school than the entrance, surrounded by trees all along one side. As such it appeared to be at the end of the entire village. Taking a look backwards to the exit, I finally realised just how small this place was. Nevertheless, I entered the grungy looking bar with distaste. We would not be getting a job here. I refused to degrade myself.

Naruto knew immediately when I stepped in, bouncing over from where he'd gathered with two men and a woman at the bar. I glared at him and sneered, "What do you think you are doing here? In a disgusting place like this?" He just laughed again and grabbed me tightly by the arm, dragging me over to the bar stools where the people were waiting with amused smiles. I ripped my arm away from him when we got there; refusing to take the seat he pushed towards me. Looking down at the bar in hatred, I began calming my mind down. Trying to at least; I wanted out of there.

The lady standing with one of the men behind the bar – a tall, slim, brunette woman with an abundance of make-up coating her face – giggled deeply at me. "Well, you are a feisty one, aren't you?" I did not answer her. We had no business here and I didn't intend to stay. Stepping away from the bar, I prepared to leave; I'd wait for the dobe outside, if at all. But a strong, determined hand found the curve of my back, settling there and keeping me firmly in place.

"You can't go outside yet Sasuke." I couldn't believe the nerve this boy had. "These nice people here are gonna help us. I've told them our whole story and-"

"You've done what?" I couldn't help it, not only had he talked to me as though I were a mere child, but to have blown our cover when we'd been here less than a day…but I began to question Naruto's sanity for an entirely different reason as he promptly walked from the bar to the door, a frown on his face and his hand still in place. How many times had he pushed me around in a matter of minutes? I certainly would not stand for this. But I also could not cause a scene; not when we were so new to the village. I held my tongue, and my actions, as he stopped by the dirty mahogany door. We still weren't leaving?

He whispered to me, a strange expression on his face. It made the feeling appear within me once more and I closed my eyes to listen. "I didn't tell them the truth. I told them all I needed to and I'll tell you all that later. Don't worry, it actually helped…" he trailed off, taking us back towards the bar and I opened my eyes to see him smile again. Damn this feeling to hell! "As I was saying – not only are they gonna give us a job, but we'll get to live here too." I swore my eyes widened a fraction. He wanted us to live…here? But it was a bar. Not a very successful one, but a bar nonetheless. What was he thinking?

"Oh yeah, sure you boys can stay here. It ain't much, but upstairs the whole flat's free. Me and Siizo here live in a house along the edge of town so we don't need the room. Besides we'll let you stay for free if you don't complain about the wages." He winked at Naruto and the dobe laughed. What was I thinking, coming here? I hadn't met anybody sane since I'd stepped foot inside the village. I glared at them, but they just seemed to brush it off; like I didn't really matter. As though I was a mere child. They spoke to Naruto more maturely than they treated me.

I took a good look at them. The man who'd just spoken had his arm around the woman's waist – Siizo, he said her name was? – and she was leaning heavily on his broad shoulders. For such a thin lady she looked even skinnier beside him. Not that the man was fat…just…big. He reminded me of that man…Jiraiya, who Naruto had trained with. His hair was thinning too at the front and his face matched his body. To some this man might have looked intimidating but not to me; I was a ninja.

The last man, more like a boy since he only looked about twenty compared to the couple who seemed in their forties, slouched on the bar from our side, yet he didn't look like a customer; I guessed he might have been a barman or something. The place was dead anyway. He was a bit more like myself. He was lean and tall…well; I suppose he might have been slightly short for his age in comparison to me at fifteen. Unless I'd guessed wrong about his age. He wore dark casual clothes and looked more normal than anybody I'd seen in this village yet. His hair was blond, but in a dirty way, not like Naruto's which was more like florescent – annoying – and his skin was pale; he didn't seem to be paying much attention to the conversation so I forgot about him as I turned back to Naruto.

Why did the boy still have his hand on my back? "We will not work here."

Naruto looked aghast. "Teme! They are going to let us stay here for free! This is really great."

I shook my head and turned more to face him, his hand retracting with the movement. "No, dobe. They will pay us pennies" I heard the older man try to say something, but ignored him. "I don't want to work in a place like this."

"Shut up, Sasuke. This is a good deal and you know it, stop bitching!"

I almost gasped. Bitching! I growled, hoping he'd surrender. "This is a dingy little bar. We won't get paid enough for food and clothes, so getting to stay somewhere that is falling apart isn't exactly compensation."

"It's hardly falling apart, sure it's shabby but it just needs a little work…some paint and stuff. This is a good deal and if you don't take it, I will. You can go and find somewhere else to stay if you're going to be so bitchy!" I sneered at him; I wish he wouldn't call me that!

"I am not being bitchy, I'm thinking with my brain. Something I don't expect you to understand since you don't have one!" He actually scoffed at me. I can't believe him, scoffing at me!

"Oh come on, you're the bitchiest person I know, even worse than Ino! This place ain't bad Sasuke. This is the best we're going to get."

"Ch, do you even remember what the other options were?" He probably wouldn't since the friendliness I sensed here suggested he'd been nearly nowhere else.

"I remember all the ones I went to. This is the best we'll get; I don't want to sleep outside till we work up enough money for a stupid hotel. This will be ours!"

Hardly, it would still be theirs and they'd pay us nothing….I didn't want to work in a bar! "We're not working here."

My head snapped round when the man from behind the bar laughed. "It's okay lad. We'll pay you fine enough. It won't be the best but it will be good for the living arrangements. We pay young Riki -" he gestured the man at the bar "- the same and he don't complain. We'll even let you guys live here, just 'cause you got nowhere else." He paused for a moment, but I only glared at him. He'd interrupted our argument. But as I turned back to Naruto, I found I didn't want to argue. What was that point? I didn't care anyway.

"The name's Kippomaru, by the way, Sasuke. Naruto's told us all about you." I sniffed, how dare this man call me by name; he didn't even know me.

"Where's the room?" At this Naruto hopped up and down beside me, a grin lighting up his whiskered face. I wondered if he'd found a good excuse for them, but in my mood I didn't ask. I wanted to see for myself what a state we'd be living in.

"Yay, Sasuke! I'll Show you right now! Come on!" He reached out to grab me again, but I pulled away; he'd had his hands on me far too much for my liking. Physical contact was something I despised. It brought things inside me to the surface that I'd rather stay hidden. I didn't miss the look on Naruto's face as he turned to lead me up the stairs, telling Kippomaru – 'Kippo' he addressed him as – that he'd be back in a minute. I wouldn't be.

He took me through a door at the side of the bar, and up a set of stairs to the side. The room behind the bar appeared to be nothing more than for storage. It was quite big too, what a waste of space. The stairs spiralled as we ascended and I could actually imagine they might have looked nice once upon a time.

The staircase lead into a small rectangular room, what I took to be the living room, which had two windows along the length of one side – The one I presumed was at the front of the building - a door at the far side, and two more doors on the back wall. Furniture was scarce. I'd expected that since he said no one lived here. But there wasn't even a television; just two scruffy couches and a coffee table. With a small huff I walked through the first door on the right.

It was a kitchen. To be honest I was rather surprised by it. Not that it looked any cleaner than the rest of this place, but it was equipped with what looked like a washing machine, and a cooker, and a microwave, and a refrigerator, not to mention a little round dining table. There was a sink with a window above it, letting light into the room and bringing the dust nodes to life. Hn, the room was small but I'd admit it was adequate for the two of us. If anything actually worked that is.

I walked out and through the second door on this wall, ignoring Naruto as he enquired about my opinion. This one was a bedroom, the only one in this flat I guessed, and it was small. I was, again, surprised that it fit a double bed in it, not to mention the long wardrobe against the wall. I was uninterested in this room and so wondered through the only door left; hoping that this one would not be as bad as I expected.

It wasn't. It was worse. This was the bathroom. Not that there was a bath, no, but there was a shower, coated in so much dust and mould that I had to turn my eyes away. The toilet faired a little better but the water inside was a filthy brown colour and the whole room stank. I quickly turned around and left, shutting the door behind me.

I turned angry eyes to Naruto, but when he opened his mouth the say something, I punched him. Hard. Not hard enough to draw attention to us, but hard enough to draw a satisfactory groan from his body as he lay on the floor. That was for touching me.

Because believe it or not, I was actually more upset about him putting his hands on me and pushing me around than I was about this apartment. Because, having looked around, I liked it. I could picture it the way I wanted it. I could picture it being a good little flat after I was through with it. Maybe not the best, since it was above a dingy bar…but that could also be mended. I would think of ways to make this place successful and up our wages. I would make a plan.

Speaking of which…

"Fucking idiot. What the hell did you think you were doing, Naruto? Changing all of my plans, and ordering me around like some insignificant child." Naruto's deep blue eyes stared up at me from his position on the floor and that fucking feeling pooled in the bottom of my stomach. I almost felt bad for hitting him. The poor boy had thought he was doing what was best. "What story did you give them anyway?" I took a seat on the ground in front of his, my legs crossed as I watched him get into a more comfortable position. I though he might shout at me for the punch, but he didn't. Probably knew he deserved it. Probably knew it had been coming.

"I told them we were from a little village inland, didn't give them a name, I'm not that imaginative, but I don't think they really cared anyways…erm, I said that there was trouble there and that we were poor and were forced to leave. I said we were orphaned brothers who came here looking for work and education, you know, since you said we had to go to school here, I figured I'd stick to the plan. And that was about it, they pretty much offered us this place if we worked for...um…£40 a shift, I think it was…but it is different depending on how long the shift is."

He looked at me then, his eyes boring into my soul in a way that I hated but he'd always managed to succeed at. I felt as though he could see right through me. But all I could say was; "You said we were brothers?" I knew my face must have broken its usual indifference, but it was just…so stupid. We looked nothing alike. And the thought pissed me off. Why the hell did he want us to be brothers so much? I didn't want him as a brother.

He laughed a little, seeing his silliness. "Yeah, well, I said that we were step brothers; that your mom married my dad so…yeah." I felt like arguing with him, but I couldn't be bothered. I was tired. I was sitting on a dusty wooden floor in an unfamiliar village where the people were so weird I almost couldn't stand it. I just couldn't be bothered.

"Hey…Sasuke?" he said again after a moment of silence. I couldn't even muster the energy to scowl or snap at him.

My reply was clearly tired. "What?"

"Are you okay? You know…with this?" For a moment I wasn't sure what he meant, but when I realised he was talking about our accommodation I grunted, knowing he'd understand. I didn't care. The silence returned and I stared out the window, you could hardly see through the glad due to stale dust and deal insects, not to mention the spider webs.

"…Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Is it okay if I go back down? I want to talk with Rizzo and Kippo some more." He sounded so hopeful, as if my answer meant everything, although I knew he'd go with or with or my permission.

I felt myself sigh, but heard nothing. "…whatever."

"Where will you sleep tonight?" He asked, almost immediately following it with "'cause I'm taking the bed."

"I don't care. I wouldn't sleep in that dusty bed anyway. I'll clean everything tomorrow and…sleep on the floor tonight." He seemed slightly disheartened but I couldn't tell why.

"Well…I'm gonna go back down now…you sure you're okay?" Why…did I look sad to him or something?

"Go." And he did, but not before pausing at the staircase, turning back to me with a frown and saying, "didn't you get something on the school today?" Hn, and I'd almost forgotten about it. I knew it was early in the evening, but I couldn't be bothered filling out the forms tonight. We'd do it in the morning.

"I have everything sorted. I'll tell you in the morning about it."

At that he looked even more disheartened, but nodded and left me alone. I sighed and stretched out on the floor, wincing at the thought of the dust clinging to my clothes. I should have been grateful; I had a roof over my head. But I could only feel slightly bemused. I don't know why I felt so tired. I knew, technically it was expected since we'd been travelling so long with only one short break. But I was different. I don't get tired any more. I haven't in so long.

In all honesty I feared sleep. I feared my nightmares and I feared waking from them. Because my life was almost the same as my dreams; a nightmare. Yet for the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to rest, and as my eyes grew heavy and slid closed, I couldn't help that my lips twitched at the sound of Naruto's laughter drifting up from the bar below. Perhaps…this wouldn't be so bad.

The yelling was insistent, causing my head to throb and pound in distress; wouldn't this stupid kid just shut the hell up? He was only about 10; the boy. Barely old enough to be a ninja. I wished we could shut him up, but not even my paralysis jutsu couldn't get past his secure mind and so the rest of Akatsuki were trying to shut him up the 'easy way'. Well…it had been called the easy way up until now.

The boy wouldn't shut up though, yelling and cursing about "wretched animals", "monsters", "inhuman barbarians" and other general insults. It was getting the others frustrated. It was usually the jinchuuriki's who were labelled as 'monsters'. I just watched from the sidelines. I have to say that I've never felt so out of place. I knew, for the first time since I'd joined, that I really didn't belong there. Oh well…whatever.

I saw them dragging the kicking, raging boy over to the circle and vaguely wondered what they were doing. It took me only moments to realise. They had run out of patience. They were going to do it with him conscious. I'm not sure how I knew, but at that moment I knew it wasn't going to be nice. I watched, numbly, as they strapped him down, because he was still fully able to walk and they couldn't risk that.

I felt sick. I'd never really killed anyone before. Nobody innocent. Nobody like this child before me. He was just a child, panting and screaming, and now, begging. I turned my head away, looking at the wall and the rest of Hebi as they stood beside me. I could tell by the looks on their faces that none of them enjoyed what was happening.

"Please" the boy begged, his voice tearing my eyes back to him and I stared into his coal black eyes, watery and pleading. "I don't want to die…please. I don't understand, I never did anything wrong…" I stared, keeping my face apathetic as he wept on the stone floor. We were in some sort of old basement this time. It was cold and the boy shivered, though I didn't think it was from the icy air, more than likely it was from the sobs that wracked his little body.

I felt sick. This was so wrong. I'd seen people die before, I'd seen many ninja fall when I was with Orochimaru. But they were fighters, they were strong, they fought for their lives and died for their own purpose. Those people, I knew, had killed others. I knew those people were skilled killers. Even the ones that may not have killed…they were not innocent. They were all dangerous, mercenaries or pawns who willingly gave their lives to the snake.

This little boy. He was no killer. He wasn't a mercenary or a pawn. He was just a little boy. This was nothing I'd seen before. The only name I could find for this was murder. They were going to murder him, and I stood by and watched as my uncle approached him. I watched, cold heartedly as he raised a fist and hit the boy, sending his small body slamming down onto the ground with a sickening thud. I watched as he told the boy – the innocent child – that he was nothing, that he was just a monster, that he was worthless and that nobody would come to save him because of those reasons.

I felt sick. But I watched as Akatsuki got into position, as they began this thing they called a 'ceremony'. I could hear the eyes opening, the feeling of the demon chakra spilled through the air and the child screamed again, in fear, in shock, in desperation. He begged for his life but they could not hear him, or chose to ignore him. But I watched. I couldn't take my eyes off him. They had reduced him to nothing, in only a matter of moments since they had tied him up, they had made him plead for his life. All the way here this boy had been so strong. He'd shouted and tore at them with his nails, insulted them and yelled in anger, his small frame bursting with rage. But now…now he was reduced to a scared little child. No…he was always a child, he was just scared in the beginning. He didn't understand.

It was then that the screaming really started. His body stopped moving and he was thrown down on his back, the muscles in his arms and chest – which was bare from his struggling – twitched from the strain and pain. His voiced echoed in the cellar, this dungeon we were in. His pain was so obvious that my headache was left forgotten as I watched him in horror.

Small pools of black chakra seeped from his open mouth and dribbled from the corners of his eyes, soaked with tears. Every opening on his body was used for extraction; his eyes, his ears, his nose, mouth, fingers, toes. Blobs of that hideous chakra floated out through the fabric of his torn trousers and he screamed. So loud and with a voice so broken and pained that I couldn't stand it. I turned and walked from the room, though the long corridors, and though the entry of this place. I don't even know where we were and at that moment I couldn't think of anything but what I'd just witnessed. What I knew was still happening from the muffled noises that carried through the walls.

He was still screaming.

I was sick.

It didn't take long for Hebi to join me. Karin's eyes were wide and unblinking and Juugo looked as though he was going to cry. Nobody asked me about my leaving. Nobody questioned the patch of vomit on the earthy ground. I wouldn't have answered them anyway.

I can't remember how long it was that we stayed outside, in the heat of the desert we were in, looking at nothing for miles all around us. Our only entertainment the horrendous noise coming from underground. I couldn't stop thinking about that child. I knew eventually the screaming would stop. And I had to be in there when it did. I couldn't risk the rest of them thinking I was anything but strong. I didn't want my uncle to know how that had made me feel. Because I don't feel any longer. I'm empty. A shell. I'm not supposed to feel any more. I still felt sick.

I knew when it was coming and I entered the basement again. His voiced was cracked and weak and it was obvious what was happening. It was almost finished. I got back down there – Hebi in tow – just in time to see it. I took my place against the wall and watched again. I saw his eyes clear from that bubbly black chakra, the last of the trails slithering out of him and I saw his eyes as he died. I watched as a single tear escaped a blurred eye and I couldn't take my own off him.

I could hear Akatsuki step down from the alters; their job complete. I heard as most of them sauntered off, glad to be finished. Madara approached the body, limp and broken, cutting the bonds before turning to me.

"Clean up the mess." I knew what he meant and I wanted to hit him. I wanted to hit him more than I think I've ever wanted to hit somebody before. Even Itachi. Because I didn't want to hit Itachi, I wanted to kill him. There is a very clear difference.

So I did as I'd been told. Telling my followers to stay there, I carried the corpse away, back out into the desert and along a few miles to a cliff. I don't know if you'd call it a cliff really -it was a strange place. The sand stopped at a drop almost like a waterfall only not flowing. I dumped the boys body just before the ledge. Then I dropped to my knees beside him.

I continued to stare. His blank eyes stared right back at me and I wished he would blink again. Scream and yell obscenities that ten year olds should not know. I don't know why I felt so sad. I couldn't explain it. I didn't even know this child. I ran a hand through his tousled dark hair. It was spiky, almost like Naruto's, but not near as messy.

I wanted to cry. I felt like it would ease the feeling gathering in my chest. But tears would not come, I knew why. It was because I truly did not care for this boy. I cared for what he stood for. They had just murdered a child in cold blood. He was defenceless. He was a mere little boy, killed simply for being a jinchuuriki. Yeah. It hurt more thinking about the cause of his death than the fact that he was dead. I don't know why but I felt something I was almost sure was fear trickle down my spin and I shivered before pushing him over the edge.

I didn't watch as he fell. I tightened my hands into firsts. I didn't care about the boy. He didn't remind me of Naruto and I was not afraid. I was not afraid. I was strong and I was just being silly. Why should I care that he was murdered because he was a demon container. My answer was simple and it came to me straight away.

Naruto.

It was the only answer I could come up with. See? I'm not in denial. I'm simply remembering feelings I used to experience when I still had a purpose, before I'd lost everything and they had built up and broken me down slightly. That was all. I was not in denial so I could admit that. I did not care about Naruto, I just felt things when I remembered him. That was all. And I'd prove it. I'd prove to everyone just how cold I was. I'd prove to myself.

I'd give them Naruto.

My eyes snapped open, the dream fading into the back of my mind, my memories. I had a lot of them. Every night they would come back to me. Every time I slept. Looking out the window I saw that dawn was approaching. I could hear Naruto snore in the bedroom and only then realise I'd been covered by an old blanket.

Yeah…that could have been worse.

　 …

z 88;

There you go! Sorry about the time to upload. I’ve been waiting until I get at least one review -.- not ‘cause I’m greedy but because I keep forgetting it’s on here =P

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