Sins on Lowered Wings

Warning: Brief sexual situations.

Sins on Lowered Wings: part III: Black and White

While the rest of their friends partied at the festival the next day, the five who had their mission all prepared. They popped into the village every now and then for food or a break or simply to explore, but for the majority of the day, they rested, stretched, meditated, or did whatever it was they did to prepare. All of them had visits from people. It was usually friends or family who were missing their presences at the festival. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai all went around to visit their students. Iruka visited everyone. Naruto barged in on everyone.

“Neji!” he yelled, practically bursting through the door.

Neji heard the hard footsteps hurrying across the wooden floors, and he opened one eye to see Naruto sitting in front of him.

“Meditating again?” Naruto frowned. “You might as well just come out to the festival!”

Neji opened both eyes and smiled. “You always take your missions so seriously, Naruto. Why is it so unusual that I do the same?”

Naruto plopped next to the long-haired young man. “I guess I was just looking forward to seeing everyone,” he said softly.

Neji’s eyes softened as he thought about Naruto growing up without a family or friends. While the young blonde was so eager to be the best, he also lived for the days that he could be with his comrades as much as possible.

Neji took a deep breath and stretched, taking a more casual pose. He would stop meditating and speak with Naruto for a short time. It couldn’t do any harm.

“Perhaps this mission will end quickly,” Neji began. “Then the five of us will come back before the festival ends.”

“I guess so,” Naruto nodded. “But… you don’t expect it to go quickly, do you?”

Neji blinked. “I--”

“You’re a real genius,” Naruto grinned. “Not a dropout like me. If this mission was going to be easy for you, you wouldn’t really be doing all of this stuff. You’d be out with us. That’s how Tsunade usually gives us our missions anyway. We usually have to leave right away. But she gave you guys time to prepare.”

Neji grinned. “So the dropout has actually started paying attention. Fate cries.”

“Yeah. About paying attention…. Hey, Neji, did something happen between you and Sasuke?”

“…What do you mean?”

“He’s been acting funny since that night you guys fought.”

“Oh really,” Neji said, raising a brow. “Funny, as in…?”

“I dunno,” Naruto shrugged. “I can’t explain it.”

Neji tried not to smile. “Nothing unusual happened. Something else must be bothering him.”

“Maybe,” Naruto shrugged once more, standing. “Hey, Neji. Remember years ago when you almost killed Hinata?”

“…Ever hear of tact?”

“Sorry,” Naruto grinned sheepishly.

“And yes,” Neji said, a look of guilt washing over him. “Why do you ask?”

Naruto stared at the floor for a moment. “Was there ever a time when you wanted to do it again? Except… really do it this time?”

Neji’s eyes widened in surprise. “Absolutely not! And if I had succeeded there is no scenario in which I’d be happier for it.”

Naruto nodded and looked up, smiling.

“Well?” Neji asked, raising a brow. “Why did you ask me that?”

Naruto frowned slightly again. “I was just wondering. I was wondering if it was possible to hate someone at one point, and then go on never hating them again.”

“You know the answer to that better than anyone,” Neji said as he smiled his tranquil smile. “There are people in this world who won‘t allow us to feel hatred anymore.”

Naruto blinked and shot Neji a huge grin. “Yeah. Yeah! That’s right!” He jumped up. “I’m gonna go get some ramen! I’ll see you when you get back!”

Neji nodded and smiled and Naruto ran off.

Sasuke can never hate you again, Naruto, Neji thought. But you will have to find a new rival. I’m sorry, but I’m taking him from you.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Rock Lee, Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke,” Tsunade smiled. “I have a mission for you. Don’t worry, it won’t take you any time at all.”

“Understood!” Lee said enthusiastically.

“Yes Hokage-sama,” Hinata said softly.

Sasuke just nodded.

“I need you to meet a squad of sand village members at the halfway point and escort them to Konoha.”

Sasuke stared, his face serious. “Why not send a team of Genin for that?” he asked.

Tsunade only smiled. She was used to Sasuke’s personality. “Because we aren’t exactly sure what we’re dealing with. And it seems odd that the sand village would want escorts in the first place.”

“Do you think they are planning something?” Lee asked, surprised.

“Not at all,” Tsunade smiled. “I genuinely think that they think they’ll need help. Besides, they have someone with them who needs medical treatment immediately, and I need you to escort him here.”

“Understood,” Lee nodded. “When will they arrive at the halfway point?”

Tsunade only grinned. And it was THAT grin.

“We have to leave now to meet them on time, don’t we?” Sasuke smirked.

“Sharp as ever, Uchiha Sasuke,” Tsunade smiled. “I’ll expect you back very soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So to recap,” Shikamaru said, back resting against a wall. “We take who we can find, no matter what we see, and return here. We find out what the situation is from the people we bring back, then return with an appropriate squad to handle the job.”

“But if we know this group is holding so many people hostage,” Kiba began, “Why won’t Tsunade let us retrieve as many people as we can? With our tracking abilities it would be easy!”

“It’s because Tsunade doesn’t know what we’ll run into if we move in too far,” Sakura said softly. “I’ve thought about it. Tsunade seems like she is being secretive, but for the most part, she is probably confused about the situation herself.”

“Or she does know, and simply doesn’t want us to find out too much for our own benefits,” Shino said.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Neji said. “What matters is that we finish the mission.” He then smirked slightly. “We can snoop appropriately when we return to the village. Right Naruto?”

“Right!” Naruto agreed. He had been listening in on the conversation from the other side the brick wall. “Awwww! How did you know I was here?!”

Before anyone could answer, they heard footsteps approaching. On this road it could only mean that someone was leaving the village. Hinata, Lee, and Sasuke all ran past them on the road.

“Be back soon!” Lee grinned.

“It’s easy!” Hinata waved.

Sasuke gave them all a glance, but said nothing.

“Tsunade is a slave driver,” Kiba blinked as they ran past. “But I guess they’ll be back today.”

Naruto joined them on the proper side of the wall. “Why can’t I go?” he frowned. “STUPID SASUKE!”

~~~~~~~~~~

The three sand village members stood in a circle around him. He wore a long brown cloak and hood to keep his identity covered, but that wasn’t his idea at all. He really had no idea what they were doing out there.

A black butterfly flew past him and he smiled, moving out of the circle and trying to catch it. Those around him knew better than to grab him by force. They only kept a close watch on him.

“Wait!” he whispered, reaching out as it landed on a white flower. “I won’t hurt you.”

The other sand village members watched his childish amusement in awe.

“Don’t go too far,” one of them said as kindly as he could. “We need to get you to the Hokage so you can be healed.”

“I don’t feel sick,” the young man said. “Do I have to go? I like it here.” He turned to them, frowning like a little boy who was denied the chance to go out and play.

“Yes, I’m sorry, but you have to go. I’m sure it won’t take long. Then you can come back home.”

“Good!” the young man beamed. “And I’ll see Kankuro and Temari when I get back, right? You said they weren’t there at the time we left.”

The rest of the squad tried not to frown or look disturbed at the innocent request. The truth was, they had no idea were Kankuro or Temari were located.

Tense time passed. The sun had long passed the highest point in the sky. But they were thankful that they didn’t have any encounters. Occasionally the young man would get restless, but then he’d only turn his attention to some other wonder of nature.

Finally, they detected the presence of three people, all very strong. And these people weren’t trying to hide their presence, meaning that it probably wasn’t an enemy squad. They glanced towards the trees as the three of them emerged. One of them tall, with a bobbed haircut and an odd green outfit. The next was a fragile looking female with short dark hair and very unusual violet-tinted eyes. And the last…

“They brought Uchiha Sasuke!” one of the sand members called out. Soon the young man in their group found himself surrounded by them.

“What is it?” he questioned quietly. “What’s wrong?” He looked up to see the oncoming group.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but what is the meaning of the Uchiha being a part of this group?” one of the sand members asked as the Konoha squad reached them. “Last I checked, execution would have been too light a sentence for this traitor.”

“Sasuke is our comrade,” Lee said sternly. “And one of the most trusted ninja in Konoha. The past is the past. The Hokage herself appointed him for this mission.”

Hinata didn’t know what to say, so she only stood next to Sasuke in support.

“Lee!” came an excited voice. “Let me through!” the young man called out from behind the wall of his squad members. They moved just enough to let him pass, watching as he ran up to Lee with a smile on his face. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me?!” the young man pouted slightly.

Lee’s eyes widened in surprise as the young man removed his hood. “N… no! Of course I haven’t! You just… I was just surprised….” Lee said as he looked to Sasuke and Hinata, who were also trying to hide their surprised faces. As the young man wrapped his arms around Lee for a hug, Lee shot the other sand members a questioning look.

“When he returned to the sand village,” one of them began, “It was like this. He’s like a child again. We can’t find anything physically wrong, and most of his memories about people and places are all intact, but other memories, such as much of his childhood and missions are gone. Obviously he can’t fight as a ninja anymore. And we have no clues as to what caused this change in him.”

“I feel perfectly fine!” the young man said, sounding annoyed. “Lee, they keep telling me something is wrong with me. I know I’ve changed, but I feel better now than ever. And I remember you guys perfectly!”

Lee only smiled and nodded. “I see,” he said gently. “Well, we should get you back to Konoha just in case, Gaara. We have a festival going on, so you’ll probably have a lot of fun!”

“Really?!” Gaara smiled, eyes wide. “Then I have no problems with leaving!”

“We’ll take it from here,” Sasuke said. “Let’s go. We want to make it back before dark.”

“Wait,” Hinata said softly. She barely rose her hand to point towards a path of trees to the south. “Someone is coming.”

Sasuke looked up to see that she had her Byakugan active, and if she saw someone they were definitely there.

“How many?” he asked.

“Four,” she said softly. “All with a murderous intent.”

“Are you going to fight?” Gaara frowned. “Let’s just run! We can outrun them!”

Sasuke turned to him in disbelief. “YOU… want to run?!”

“Gaara,” Lee said gently, “We can’t turn our backs on them. For whatever reason, we can’t even detect them without Hinata.”

“That’s right, Lord Gaara,” a deep voice responded. Everyone whipped around to see a man dressed in white standing directly behind Hinata.

“H… how?” Hinata questioned, her heart pounding in surprise. “I didn’t see…. How did…?!”

“Get away from her,” Sasuke glared.

The man in white looked into Hinata’s eyes and smiled. “You’re right. We won’t be needing her right now.” He then looked to Lee. “Nor is he a priority.” His eyes finally fell upon Sasuke. “But you… you must be purged.”

“It’s them!” Gaara pointed in surprise. “The ones who made everything peaceful.”

“That’s right,” another man in white said, appearing behind Lee. “Come home with us, Lord Gaara. Temari and Kankuro are waiting for you.”

Gaara approached the man near Lee, but Lee quickly held him back. “Gaara isn’t going anywhere with you,” he said firmly.

“But Lee--” Gaara began.

“Gaara,” Lee smiled. “You said you would come to the festival with me. It’s only being held for a short time. Temari and Kankuro will understand!”

Gaara nodded and stayed where he was. The men in white only laughed.

“It’s fine,” another said, appearing behind the sand squad. “We’ll just take him,” he said, pointing to Sasuke, who now had another man in white standing by him as well. “After all, it’s for the good of the world.”

Suddenly Hinata turned faster than the eye could see. Juken! She thrust her palm towards the stomach of the man behind her, her hand almost glowing a dim blue with the chakra running through it. But the contact wasn’t made! She found that the man was no longer there, and she quickly scanned the are with Byakugan, knowing that she had to try something.

At the same instance that Hinata moved, Lee had grabbed Gaara’s wrist and pulled him away from the man in white closest to them. It took only a second, and it was all the time Sasuke needed. He inhaled, and as he exhaled his breath turned to fire, and he rained down balls of flame at the man. In the meantime, Lee had moved to the man who had been behind Sasuke, his fierce kick cutting through the air like lightning.

The sand village squad had turned on the forth member of intruders, kunai and shuriken cutting through the air.

But of all the attacks, not one of them hit.

Everyone pulled themselves together, preparing for an attack. But nothing came. Instead, they stood alone. They were no longer at the halfway point, but instead each of them stood in a field of glowing white flowers. It was night now, and the stars were bright.

Dispel! Hinata closed her eyes and tried to push away the illusion, but when she opened them again she was still in that same field of glowing flowers. She called to the others, but no one answered. She waited for them to break her out of the illusion, but she remained. She considered using her divination to cut the enemies who might be beside her, but then she risked hitting her friends as well.

Sasuke had also failed at dispelling the illusion. He sighed to himself as he pulled out a kunai, preparing to cut himself and let the pain carry him out of the illusion.

“Have you felt so much pain in the past that doing that to yourself means nothing to you?” a deep voice asked.

There was still no one there with him, but he could hear the voice clearly. Swiftly, he aimed for his thigh and brought the kunai down. But it was stopped as though someone had grabbed his wrist just in time.

“Your eyes have turned red,” the voice said. “How strange they look now. It only heightens the look of your dark intentions.”

It was true that Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, but his eyes couldn’t detect a hole in the illusion. There were no weak points. In fact, his eyes detected no illusion at all.

“Let us take the pain away,” the deep voice said. “Trust me, in no time you will be as happy and carefree as Lord Gaara.”

Sasuke frowned deeply. “What good would it be?” he growled. “You think in can erase MY pain?! Don’t think so highly of yourself….”

But Sasuke knew something was deeply wrong. He didn’t know what they did to Gaara, but to make him as he was must have taken a lot of time, effort, and severe brainwashing.

“We can take away anyone’s pain. You won’t remember why it hurt so much. You won’t remember a thing. And we’ll keep you from ever being hurt again.”

“Why don’t you start by getting rid of this illusion?” Sasuke smirked. “It’s pissing me off.”

“You don’t like the scenery? Well, I’m sorry if you don’t like flowers. Because you’ll be waking in a field of them soon.”

Sasuke blinked before he realized he was lying down. He quickly jumped up and looked around. He was standing in a field of flowers once again, but this time they were real. The scent was more real, and they were no longer glowing. And it really was night now, and the moon was high above him. The field of flowers was surrounded by mountains, and he could see no way out yet. He’d have to explore.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lee was the first to wake from the illusion. He was back at the halfway point, and was startled to see that it was night. He thought only an instant has passed, but apparently he was in the illusion for hours. He turned to see Gaara asleep on the grass, the other sand village members kneeling around him, still caught in the illusion. Hinata was lying down, but her eyes were open. She was still awake, but her mind was still lost as well.

Quickly, he ran over and shook her out of it. It was easy now for whatever reason. She blinked a few times, acknowledging the fact that someone was with her again.

“It’s night?” she asked.

“That was the strongest illusion I’ve ever encountered,” Lee nodded.

“Sasuke…?” Hinata blinked, looking around.

“…He’s not here,” Lee sighed.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned the area. But she couldn’t see anyone anywhere.

“I don’t see him,” she frowned, her eyes showing worry.

“We have to finish our mission,” Lee said softly, nodding to Gaara. “We’ll take make sure he gets to Konoha. Tsunade needs to know what happened.”

It was well into the afternoon when they arrived. Konoha was still full of activity due to the festival. Lee had to stop Gaara from running off through the streets more than once. The other sand village ninja did not enter with them, however. Having completed their mission, they preferred to return home to deliver the message that Gaara had arrived.

“Neji and the others have already left,” Hinata said softly as they approached the Hokage’s main building.

“Left?” Gaara asked. “Where?”

“The same place you came from, Gaara of the Desert,” Tsunade said, walking up behind them before they reached the front doors.

She looked him up and down. “You don’t seem to be injured,” she smiled.

But she knew something was amiss when Gaara so readily smiled back. “Not at all!” he said cheerfully. “It must have been a misdiagnosis, because I’m fine.”

“Hokage-sama,” Hinata said softly. “What did you mean when you said it was the same place Gaara came from?”

Tsunade sighed gently. “Gaara’s team went to the same place as the five we just sent out. They were reported missing, and only Gaara returned home. When they contacted me they were under the impression that Gaara was in some kind of coma. I never expected to see him fully awake and lively so soon. But that makes my job easier.”

“So the people who took Sasuke…” Lee began.

Tsunade’s eyes widened. “Took Sasuke?!”

“Hokage-sama,” Hinata said, looking somewhat ashamed. “We were attacked by a group of four dressed in white. They took Sasuke away.”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and she turned to Gaara. “It’s time for you to give us some answers.”

“…He sure sleeps a lot,” Tenten blinked, seeing Gaara on the hospital bed.

“Years of improper sleep will do that,” Lee nodded. “But I think Tsunade also gave him something to see that he didn’t have any nightmares. I‘m surprised it‘s working though….”

“So what did he tell Tsunade?”

“He doesn’t remember the details of what happened to him,” Lee sighed. “He said they went into the unexplored country, but he couldn’t remember why. He also said that he encountered those men in white and that they were very kind to him. And then he says he remembers Temari and Kankuro telling him to run. Since he trusts them, he ran, but he doesn’t know why. He also doesn’t seem to have any recollection of the way he used to be. He doesn’t understand why anyone would be surprised to see him so happy. As a result, he doesn‘t see any reason to be healed.”

“It’s a little sad,” Tenten sighed. “It seems like it will crush him to go back to the way he used to be.”

Lee was silent for a moment. “Tsunade refuses to heal him. There is a chance his new personality was brought on by brainwashing or by some illusionary or mental techniques. But she says that as long as he’s so happy this way, she can’t bring herself to reverse the effects without his consent.”

“But then he’ll never be the Gaara we know again!” Tenten said, surprised.

“But remember what that Gaara was like?” Lee said, looking to her. “He suffered most of his life. He killed so many people. Maybe… maybe it’s better for him this way? It’s hard to tell right now.”

“…Could they do the same thing to Sasuke?” a familiar voice asked.

“Naruto!” Tenten said, turning. “Did you hear everything?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “And they took Sasuke, right? Right?! And Sakura and the others are headed straight for them!”

“Shikamaru and the others will probably find him,” Tenten said hopefully.

“Or they’ll turn out like Gaara!” Naruto said, pointing to the sleeping ninja. “I want all my friends to be happy, but not if it means they’ll no longer be who I remember!”

“Naruto,” Lee said, watching Gaara sleep. “Haven’t you ever wanted the easy way out, just once in your life? When things got hard, didn’t you ever wish that it could just be washed away?”

Naruto stopped talking and stood there, unable to say that he had never considered it.

“I’m not saying that I want our friends to stop being exactly who they are,” Lee frowned. “But if this does happen to anyone else, it would be cruel to force them into going back when they aren’t ready.”

Naruto looked down at the floor and nodded. “But for some people, they can’t have the past erased,” he said lowly. “Sasuke’s family will never come back. And the others…” he paused, realizing that Sasuke would have to have the most pain erased.

“Don’t worry,” Tenten smiled. “The five that went will be fine. They’ll come back never knowing what could have happened.”

Lee and Naruto fell silent, and Gaara stirred in his sleep, a smile crossing his lips for an instant before he moved on to his next pleasant dream.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So then, Naruto fell on top of him right when Tsunade walked by!” Kiba laughed.

Shikamaru laughed. “Sounds like Naruto did a great job impressing Tsunade as always.”

“And here I thought I’d get to hear some genuine guy talk,” Sakura grinned. “Is this really all guys talk about? I thought there’d be more.”

“Girl talk is infinitely worse than guy talk,” Shino said calmly.

“No way!” Sakura laughed.

“I have to agree with him,” Neji smiled. “You should hear Tenten sometimes. Girls can be a million times more graphic than guys ever could.”

“Hey!” Kiba smiled. “Did you guys hear about the time Neji got attacked by that bird?”

Neji’s shot a glare at him. “Are people still talking about that?!”

“Only all the time,” Shikamaru smirked. “But seriously, let’s take a break and have a look around.”

The group nodded and stopped their race through the treetops. They jumped to the ground and stretched a while before sitting.

“Out of curiosity,” Kiba said, sitting down next to Akamaru and petting him, “Did you guys see the others come back yesterday?”

“Their lights were still out last night,” Shino said, shaking his head. “They did not return yesterday.”

“How odd,” Sakura blinked. “I wonder what took them so long.”

“It’s too bothersome to think of the possibilities,” Shikamaru shrugged before lying down and staring at the clouds. “I’m sure it took time transporting whoever was injured.”

Neji closed his eyes for a moment, giving them a good rest. He thought of the other team. All of them were people he cared deeply about. And something deep down hit him. It was as if he knew something had happened. But he opened his eyes and decided not to jump to conclusions. It was pointless at this point.

The journey was a long one, through forests and fields, over hills and mountains… but they finally made it when night fell the following day. Even though they ran like the wind and met no resistance, the journey was simply a long one to begin with.

Shikamaru stopped and had everyone rest. They rotated a lookout and saw to it that everyone got some sleep. Tomorrow they would move in.

~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto sat watching Gaara intently. The red-head was watching the fireworks with the awe of a child. There was no trace of malice or darkness or care left in him. He looked so happy… so innocent.

So unlike Gaara.

Naruto thought back to when he met Gaara years ago. Even then the sand ninja seemed like he was in endless pain. And Naruto had feared him so much then. They all had. Even Sasuke seemed convinced at one point that he would die by Gaara’s hand. And that insanity that the red-head had possessed was so frightening that even his family feared him. But now, it was as if someone had stolen Gaara’s body.

That isn’t Gaara sitting there, Naruto thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Naruto didn’t care what anybody said. Erasing the past was a horrible idea. What Lee had said to him before made sense, and it was true that Naruto had thought about washing all the pain away. But to erase the past completely? To erase everything that shaped him and made him stronger? To erase the memories of people he had known, even if they hurt him? And to erase the missions that caused him pain, even if he saved a life or helped someone? He couldn’t bare the thought of losing so much, no matter how happy or light he thought it would make him.

He stared at Gaara longer, trying to find some evidence that it wasn’t really him. Trying to find proof that the Gaara he knew was still out there somewhere. But no matter how hard he looked, every inch of the person sitting there was Gaara.

“If we don’t have our pasts, we end up repeating the same mistakes,” a friendly voice said.

Naruto moved over and Iruka-sensei sat next to him. They were far enough for Gaara not to see them staring, but not so far that they couldn’t see his every reaction to the fireworks booming in the night sky.

“Imagine what will happen when he returns home,” Iruka frowned. “What if some people still fear him and hate him? He could end up making the same mistakes he made before.”

Naruto nodded, a little afraid of what would happen then.

“He has people who care about him now,“ Iruka continued. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the trails he overcame have probably been erased from his mind.”

The young blonde realized that wise Iruka was probably talking to him more than talking about Gaara. He probably knew that Naruto was relating everything that was happening now to his own experiences. He glanced at Iruka and smiled before turning his attention to the red-head who still sat with eyes filled with fascination.

“…But I can’t help but wonder,” Naruto said at last. “I can’t help but wonder what Gaara, Sasuke, and I would have been like if our pasts weren’t so filled with pain.”

“I can guess,” Iruka said, looking at the young man. “Gaara probably wouldn’t exist at all. You wouldn’t be anywhere near as great a ninja or friend as you are now. And Sasuke… he’d be better than you at everything just as it was before.”

“HEY!!!!”

“…BUT he’d be doing it all in Itachi’s shadow, constantly seeking acknowledgement of his own worth. In other words--”

“He’d still be Sasuke,” Naruto said. “He’d still go through life wanting the same things that he did after his family died. But this time--”

“We aren’t sure he’d ever actually overcome his weaknesses,” Iruka nodded. “I wish Sasuke didn’t have to face what he did. But the point is, we can’t wipe these things away and just expect life to get better. It doesn’t work that way.”

Naruto looked to Gaara once more, who was now approaching them with a smile.

“Without our pasts, we lose ourselves,” Iruka said softly, the sound of the fireworks drowning his voice out to all but Naruto.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke sat in the sunlight, looking out at the yard that his family always kept looking to elegant and tranquil. He listened to the flow of the water and exhaled slowly.

“I heard you aced your test in school today,” Itachi said, walking up behind him and placing a hand on his head.

“It was easy,” Sasuke said. “There was no challenge in it.”

“Everyone else failed, Sasuke,” Itachi said, ruffling his hair.

Sasuke turned and looked up at his big brother.

“I don’t want you back,” Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing. “Give it up.”

It took less than a second, a single blink, before Itachi was gone and his old home had faded. He was back in the company of the men dressed in white.

“So,” one of them said in an amused tone. “Happy memories don’t phase you at all.”

“I’ve worked through all of this,” Sasuke snorted. “Do you really think I need you to show me my past as if I haven’t already thought about it millions of times before?”

“Well, if happiness won’t phase you,” the man smiled. “We’ll have to use other means.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat there, waiting for the next illusion to bore him. And the men sat and waited, watching the next trace wash over him.

And then the dark-haired young man froze. They watched as his body tensed, his eyes rolling back into his head. And then a horrible, agonized scream erupted from Sasuke’s mouth. And another. And another. They kept coming, and they wouldn’t cease.

“He’s worse off than the desert boy,” one of the men said. “I wonder what he sees…?”

I thought I had worked through this….

“Power does not come free, Sasuke,” Orochimaru grinned. “Your body is mine now, and until you become my proper vessel, I’ll have to put you to use in other ways….”

I thought it was all over. I thought it was resolved….

“B… big brother. Why?!”
“…To see what I was capable of,” Itachi glared.

Apparently it’s not all taken care of….

“You’re bleeding more than I expected,” Orochimaru smirked, breathing heavily. “I should be more careful with my future body.”

The shame, the hatred, the pain… it’s not healed yet….

“Hate me, despise me…. Run and run….” Itachi said lowly.

But….

“Welcome home, Sasuke,” his friends said as he stepped into the village for the first time in years.

I’LL NEVER SINK THAT LOW AGAIN!

It was like the world around him shattered around him as the illusion broke.

The men dressed in white looked at him in surprise as he overpowered their technique. His eyes turning bright red as awareness returned to his face. He glared at them in complete rage.

“You have ten seconds to let me go,” Sasuke hissed. “Or I’ll start creating illusions of my own.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Neji feel into a deep sleep soon after being relieved of his watch by Shino. He felt fully comfortable in the forest clearing. The air was warm and the grass was soft. The surroundings claimed him and then seemed to melt into his dreams.

Soon he was back in the field near Konoha, that same night he and Sasuke had finished their missions and returned home at the same time from totally different locations. That night their paths had crossed, resulting in the bites and bruises that covered them both. Of all the times they had crossed paths, Neji remembered that time being the most beautiful. Perhaps that’s why he found it in his dreams so often.

He remembered every detail.

The grass was green, the stalks smooth. Neji passed through slowly, not eager to get home after his mission. He still had his mask on, but it didn’t matter just then. The sensations of the breeze through his hair and the way the ground moved under his feet…. The way the night air was so crisp to breath in, and the way the distant lights of Konoha shown like stars in the distance.

And then, in that same field, he saw someone else emerge. Or rather, he felt him. It was the wave of chakra that he felt as the person ran past him at amazing speed. But then, the person stopped and slid for a ways before the friction caught him. But he never lost control, and the stop was neat and smooth. And when he stopped, his black eyes were fixed on Neji.

Neji took a deep breath and stared at Sasuke, a good amount of distance still between them. Sasuke was dressed in all black, with only his head and arms exposed to the night. If it weren’t for that he could disappear into it. The look suited him perfectly. Neji, on the other hand, was in an outfit that was almost the same, but completely in white.

Sasuke started to approach slowly. He was graceful and strong, like a panther stalking his prey. Neji didn’t know when, but he had started moving towards the young man at the same pace.

“Alone?” Sasuke asked with a smirk when they were close enough. He rose a hand and removed Neji’s mask slowly, dropping it to the ground. Neji only smiled slyly in response as Sasuke circled him, making his way behind him and gently removing the white ribbon from Neji’s long hair. But he didn’t drop it to rest with the mask. Instead, he placed it into his pocket before turning Neji to face him.

“Are we going to leave these on?” Neji smiled, tapping Sasuke’s forehead protector.

“Of course,“ Sasuke smirked. “We’re still in uniform. We should act accordingly. And… someone might get hurt.”

A slight breeze blew, and Neji’s long hair sailed along with it. As soon as that breeze had passed, after Sasuke had allowed himself time to take in the beautiful image, they were upon each other.

Neji felt Sasuke’s hands slide into his long hair, sharply pulling it back so that Neji‘s head tilted back with it. When Neji’s body obeyed Sasuke stopped pulling and grabbed the back of his neck, moving in to taste the soft flesh just next to his throat. The simple sensation of Sasuke’s tongue sliding over his skin, after waiting for so long to feel it again, was far too much. He grabbed Sasuke’s shoulders and pushed him back just slightly, but only enough to kiss him deeply, sliding his tongue as far into the other young man’s mouth as his body would allow. The way they pressed against each other caused a dangerous friction, a hardening madness that would become uncontrollable.

But Sasuke lost control first. He lunged forward with force that Neji hadn’t expected and brought him to the ground, his body resting on top of Neji’s, positioned between his thighs. The tall grass completely concealed them, and the breeze that passed over it concealed the movement they caused.

Sasuke’s black eyes stared into Neji’s snow white eyes, which always held a violet tint depending on the light around him. They both saw lust in each other’s eyes. But more than that, they saw need. An intense longing that they were too proud to admit having in words.

Neji realized that Sasuke’s hands had pinned his wrists to the ground just above his head.

Not this way, Neji thought as he smirked and started to lift his hands. Submission isn’t for me, Sasuke….

But Sasuke only smiled darkly, grinding against the long-haired ninja, sliding roughly between his thighs. Neji’s resistance ended almost immediately, his eyes closing slowly and his head tilting back against the grass.

Sasuke lowered his head, tightening his grip on the other young man’s wrists as he brushed his lips against Neji’s. “You stopped fighting for a moment.” Sasuke whispered, almost teasing. “Feel good?”

“Adequate,” Neji replied in an amused tone.

And then Sasuke slid against him again, and Neji inhaled sharply, growing harder under the welcome assault. Even with his eyes closed, he knew Sasuke was smiling down at him, testing to see how long he could tease him. Apparently it wasn’t very long, because with a burst of strength Neji easily freed his wrists, causing Sasuke’s weight to fall on top of him. But the increased contact only made matters worse. Neji’s hands moved roughly over Sasuke’s waist and backside, pulling him down to increase the friction. Sasuke’s mouth had descended to the side of his neck. And just as Neji arched his body slightly to meet his lover’s movements, Sasuke bit into the side of his neck at the wave of ecstasy, even harder than he realized. Neji inhaled as soon as he felt the pain hit, but he soon felt the slight trickle of blood being kissed and licked away.

“Looks like I’ll have to apologize,” Sasuke smirked, kissing the wound one last time before sliding down Neji’s body. “I’ll try not to bite,” he said softly, his hands parting Neji’s thighs a little more.

But no matter how much Neji wanted to drown the rest of the world out, he slid a hand into Sasuke’s black hair. “Wait,” his whispered.

Sasuke felt what Neji felt the moment he looked up. Squads of people heading home for Konoha. Their chakra powering their bodies to move faster. The two young men sighed deeply and stood slowly. They knew they wouldn’t get another chance tonight. They had to report in as soon as they returned home, and it would take a long while. And what they wanted was no interruption and no responsibilities battling them for a night of pleasure. So they would have to wait.

Neji used his Byakugan for a moment, noting how far away the squads were. The then let his eyes rest and turned to Sasuke. But when he did he found the other young ninja’s eyes focused on the bite mark he had inflicted. They had an unspoken rule that no marks be left that didn’t look like they were caused in battle. But Sasuke’s look held more than guilt for a broken rule. There was something more apologetic there. Something softer. Without realizing that Neji had caught the look in his eyes, he went and picked up the mask where he had dropped it, handing it to the long-haired ninja.

“I’ll be on my way…” Sasuke said, turning to Konoha.

“Understood,” Neji nodded. “Have a good evening.”

And they both continued as though their paths hadn’t crossed at all. Neji continued walking. Sasuke sprinted for home. And not far behind them followed unknowing interruptions.


~*~*~*To Be Continued*~*~*~