Sins on Lowered Wings

Sins on Lowered Wings: part V: Lying Reflection

Neji and Sakura sat back to back on the bench, completely exhausted. It had been days, and they were still trying to cure people of the effects of their memory loss. But the more time that went by, the harder it was to cure people.

Sakura was able to user her healing and precise chakra control to help the people with little loss to their long term memories and more damage to their recent memories. She made her way around the hospitals and clinics to see recently injured patients, and to see children who had little experience with the world.

But Neji had to work the hardest, getting little sleep and stopping only when he needed to. His friends insisted that he rest, but he pressed on, determined to save as many people as possible.

His most important patient barely made it back. Tsunade, the fifth leader, the Hokage… almost didn’t come back to them.

At first Sakura had tried to heal her mind, but deep down she knew it wouldn’t work. The damage was deeper, the manipulation of her mind was too strong. Whatever chakra was being manipulated inside of her to create the strong illusion would need Neji’s care.

“Stop it!!!! STOP IT!!!!” Tsunade had started screaming after Neji had slowed the flow of her chakra.

Sakura, Kiba, and Lee had to hold her in place. But they were hardly enough. Hinata had to run off to get Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei to help, and even then they had trouble putting up with Tsunade’s strength.

“I can heal him!” Tsunade yelled. “Let me go! I can bring him back! LET GO! I have nothing left if he dies!”

“He’s gone!” Sakura yelled. “Tsunade-sama! You got through this once! Just a little more! Let it sink in! He’s gone!”

Neji and Sakura knew better than to tell their patients anything but the truth unless it was absolutely necessary. People needed to deal with their past memories, and telling them something false might only trap them in the illusion forever.

“Remember the village, Tsunade-sama,” Neji said gently. “You protect and lead this village so that no one else has to face what you faced.”

“I don’t want to see this again…” Tsunade cried. “Not again….”

She stopped fighting, and started to settle down into a more peaceful state. But that wasn’t what they wanted. She was sinking into the illusion. The deep illusion in which the people she loved were still alive.

“The necklace,” Sakura whispered. “Tsunade-sama, where is the necklace?”

“I gave it to them…” she whispered. “The two people in my life that I loved.”

“And then?”

“No… no… no….”

“They didn’t make it,” Sakura said softly. “But you gave it to one more person, and he’s alive and well.”

“One more?” Tsunade said with tears in her eyes.

“Remember Naruto?” Sakura asked. “You gave it to him. He reminded you of those you loved. And remember me? Remember all you’ve taught me? You taught me so much because I wanted to protect those I loved. And… remember Orochimaru…? You forgot him recently because he was one of the great pains in your life. But because of him, you became Hokage. So you must remember him!”

Tsunade sat there, her youthful appearance returning. Her face grew serious and she put her face in her hands.

“We need you here,” Sakura said softly. “We need you, as the Fifth Hokage.”

Tsunade let out a deep, slow sigh. Her hands slowly slid away from her face. “All of you, get out,” she said firmly. “I’ve got work to do.”

She was back, and they all wanted to throw their arms around her. But instead, they left as she instructed after confirming she had completely recovered through a series of simple questions. They left, allowing her to deal with her pain as she saw fit.

And now that she was back, Sakura and Neji went around to every corner of the village curing those who were in obvious need. Everyone else would receive treatment later, no matter how well they looked. But they needed to target people who lost most of their memories.

“I’m going to make another go before I fall asleep,” Sakura murmured.

“Me too,” Neji nodded.

They both stood up, wavering.

A heavy hand then fell on Neji’s shoulder. “Neji, go to sleep for a bit. You’re exhausted.”

“Gai-sensei,” Neji said, looking up at the older man. “If I let people go like this for too long--”

“They will get worse,” Gai nodded. “But imagine what will happen if your technique isn’t as accurate because you’re so tired. The amount of chakra you’re using is unbelievable. Even for someone of your youth and beautiful energy… it’s too much. Now, Neji, go rest. You’ll be more useful to us that way.”

“He’s right, Neji,” Sakura nodded. “Even I’m getting more sleep than you. I’ll go take care of who I can. Please go to sleep.”

Neji hung his head for a moment, but eventually gave in. He nodded to them and headed home. The truth was, he wanted to help as many people as he could. He didn’t want anyone to bare losing most of what they knew and he didn’t want others to bare knowing people had forgotten them. But there was another reason deep down as well. He wanted to make up for his failures these past couple days.

Because some people… didn’t recover….

~~~~~~~~~~

Kakashi sat there, his forehead protector resting over one of his eyes. He sighed deeply, thinking of the past. He had gone to Neji directly to have his memories jogged, because he couldn’t deny that one of his eyes had special powers that needed to be explained. And it was fairly easy for Neji to bring his memories back, because as soon as Kakashi saw the sacrifice it took to get him that eye, and as soon as he saw memories of his father again, he knew he’d be worse off without the knowledge of the past.

He glanced over to Naruto who was lying on the hospital bed. The young blonde glanced back to him slowly, but said nothing.

“Think, Naruto,” Kakashi said. “You have to remember something.”

Naruto blinked slowly. Too slowly. He understood the words. Things like language couldn’t be erased. But everything else was blank. He simply shook his head.

“Well, let’s test your capacity to re-learn,” Kakashi said, a hopeful smile on his face that Naruto knew was there even though the older man had his mask on. “I told you my name. Do you remember it?”

“…Kakashi… Kakashi-sensei.”

“And the girl with pink hair who came to check on you?”

“…My teammate… Sakura….”

“The boy with long hair who has been trying to help you recover your memories?”

“…Neji.”

“And him?” Kakashi asked, pointing to the hospital bed across the room.

“…Sasuke,” Naruto said softly, shifting his glance to the sleeping young man with black hair and eyes.

“Good,” Kakashi said. “I suppose that’s good enough for now. I‘m going to let you get some rest.”

Kakashi stood and walked out of the room. After he shut the door behind him, his smile faded.

“I’m sorry, Kakashi,” Gai said, walking up to him. “I know we wanted Neji and Sakura to have another look, but I thought Neji needed to rest.”

“He does need rest,” Kakashi nodded. “It’s okay.”

“The capable members of the Hyuuga clan have been dispatched all over Konoha. I can try to--”

“I’ll only trust Neji to do this,” Kakashi said, shaking his head. “He’s their friend.”

Gai nodded. “He’ll just need some time.”

“How is your team?”

“Lee doesn’t appear to have lost much, so he’ll be one of the last to get treated. It’s the same with Tenten. Neji would have lost the most. It’s good that he was away.”

Kakashi sighed. “Let’s go get a drink, Gai. There is nothing I can do for them here.”

“’Them.’ So it’s as I feared.”

Kakashi nodded sadly. “Yes. As soon as Sasuke awoke, we found that we’d lost him as well. He didn’t lose as much as Naruto… but… he’s no longer Uchiha Sasuke.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata found that sneaking around was easy at the moment, and she snuck her way to Neji’s room quietly. When she looked inside, she found him sitting against the wall, fast asleep. He had probably tried to meditate and calm himself, but was too exhausted for even that task.

She walked over to him and gently shook him. It didn’t take long to wake him because he was in such an uncomfortable position.

“Who am I?” she said softly when his eyes opened.

He smiled gently. “Hinata, I wouldn’t forget you even if I were under the same spell as everyone else.”

She nodded and smiled, and helped him up. “Sleep on your futon, or you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Thank you, Hinata,” he nodded as he moved over to his futon. “I’ll sleep, I promise.”

“Ummm… Neji?” Hinata whispered. “Is there any way I can help you?”

“I’ll get Naruto back,” he said as he rested on his side. “I promise he’ll come back.”

Hinata was silent for a moment. “I was more worried about… what you would do if… if Sasuke didn’t…”

Neji turned his head slightly to look at her worried face. “Always thinking of others, Hinata,” he smiled softly, closing his eyes. “But I will be fine. We‘ll get everyone back.”

Hinata didn’t respond. Instead she reached down and helped him take off his forehead protector before he slept. She placed a hand on his forehead before gently smoothing his hair. And soon Neji drifted off, Hinata watching over him. Her gentle eyes glanced to his forehead where the cursed seal had been carved into him for her sake, and she thanked whatever power responsible for not letting him forget her. He could have easily let the seal become the most hated thing in his existence, but instead, Neji chose to protect her with his life.

~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto slowly slid out of bed when he sensed that no one else would be coming to see him. He slowly walked over to Sasuke’s bed, slow step after slow step. He stared down at the sleeping young man with empty eyes.

Something inside of him told him that he knew this person. The person lying there with dark hair, dark eyes underneath the sleeping lids, and dark clothing. This person was familiar. It was as if something deep inside of him was whispering to him, teasing him about the fact that it knew something Naruto didn’t know. But he found that everything he felt for people was coming back as a rush of impulses rather than actual memories. And the impulses were painful remnants of whatever happened to him in the past.

When he looked at Kakashi, he felt the need to test his strength. When he looked at Sakura he felt the need to hold her. When he looked a Neji he felt the need to beat him to a pulp. And when he looked at Sasuke…

“Big brother…” Sasuke whispered in his sleep.

…Naruto felt the strongest need of all the others. The need to win.

The young blond moved to the side of Sasuke’s bed and wrapped his hands around the young man’s throat. He slowly started to squeeze, causing Sasuke to shift, and then unconsciously grab at his wrists. And then, the dark eyes snapped open.

Sasuke looked up to see the wild looking blonde glaring down at him, and he soon saw black patches floating in front of his vision. Quickly he knocked Naruto back and sat up, gasping for air.

“What… are you doing…?!” Sasuke gasped, looking to the blonde. “Who are you?!”

Sasuke slid out of bed and kept his eyes on the blonde, who looked as though he wanted nothing more than Sasuke’s death.

Naruto didn’t even feel in control anymore. He felt like a slave to the impulses inside of him. He only wanted to obey the emotions associated with each person he came across. To his delight, he watched as Sasuke, in his weakened state, nearly slumped over soon after leaving his bed. He slowly moved over to him, staring down at him like a predator.

“Who’s hungry?” someone called out as they knocked on the door.

Kiba opened the door slowly and walked in with two bags of food in his hand. He looked up to see Naruto staring out of the open window.

“Where is Sasuke?” he asked, walking in and setting the bags down. “Bathroom?”

Naruto pointed out the window. Kiba blinked and ran over, looking down four stories to see Sasuke running away from the hospital.

“Why’d he run off?!” Kiba asked, surprised. “And why does everyone in your team seem to jump out the window when they want to leave the hospital?!”

Naruto shrugged, watching as his rival moved further and further away. The empty feeling in him started to return.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Once we’re done here,” Tsunade said to the available jounins, “I’ll be sending teams to Suna. We have to find out what happened to the sand village. My guess is that it’s in chaos. We only have a select few who have been able to cure people in Konoha. Hopefully they had people as well, but there is a good chance they did not. Right now the Hyuuga clan members who are skilled enough are making their way around Konoha with the medical team members, healing who they can find. We’ll also have to give attention to people who think they don’t need it after the major victims are cured. Our village comes first, but we can’t neglect our allies. As soon as teams are available, I’ll be sending them off.”

“How are we going to stop the effects of the memory loss once we reach the sand village?” Asuma asked.

“I’m still researching that,” Tsunade responded. “But in the meantime, I need you to find me teams of people who won’t suffer as much if they fall under the effects. For example, this memory plague seems to affect everyone in different ways without a set pattern. People like Naruto and Sasuke with so much of their lives filled with pain are not good candidates. On the other hand, we’ve recently found that Lee suffered only minor memory loss, but is able to perform his duties well. A type like him would be best. But this is harder than it seems. Even the most seemingly innocent, such as Hinata, fell to pieces as soon as one person was removed from her past. We have to consider the weight of these memories and how the people or events erased affect people. Understood?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!” the jounins responded in unison.

“And in the event that we can’t find enough people, assemble people whose skills will not diminish in battle even with their memory loss.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

“Good,” she nodded. “Now go.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Neji’s white eyes opened the afternoon of the next day. He came to the realization that he lost valuable time, and quickly tried to sit up. But he felt weight on him, and when his mind cleared somewhat he realized that someone was there with him. Someone’s head was resting on his chest, one of their arms draped around him. Not fully aware yet, he assumed it was Hinata. Forgetting that so much time had passed he thought she might have fallen asleep there on accident after seeing him to bed.

He shifted a bit under the weight, finding that she felt oddly heavy. Suddenly, he caught the familiar scent. It was a little like incense and a little like the leaves on the wind. Neji sat up and looked to see Sasuke lying there with him. And then, his heart rose and sank all at once.

Sasuke stirred slightly and then opened his black eyes. He realized that Neji was no longer asleep and he sat up, giving him room to sit up and move as well.

“Sasuke,” Neji said softly. “You should be in the hospital.”

Sasuke’s black eyes stared at him sadly.

“I know you’re bothered after finding out that you lost your memories, but I need you to--”

“Where are they?” Sasuke interrupted. “Why can’t I find my family?”

Neji opened his mouth to speak, but could find no answer. He believed in being honest with people who were suffering through this, but the scope of Sasuke’s loss was too immense to explain it simply.

“You said I lost my memories,” Sasuke said. “Then what did I forget about my family?!”

“Sasuke… I don’t think we should talk about this now. You should return to the hospital. I’ll come later.”

“Someone tried to kill me there. A blonde guy in the same room as me.”

Neji looked up, surprised. “Kill you? He would never--”

“It’s true!” Sasuke insisted. “I’m not going back there!”

Before he could protest, Sasuke gently placed his hands on Neji’s cheeks. He leaned close until his forehead rested against Neji’s, and then he gently wrapped his arms around the other young man’s shoulders.

“I want to stay here,” Sasuke said softly.

Neji could only sit there, tense. It was as if a complete stranger had come into his house. But sensing no resistance, Sasuke leaned in and kissed him gently, one of his hands sliding into Neji’s long hair. After a moment, Neji pulled away and stood.

“I can’t do this,” he said.

“I remember you,” Sasuke said. “I’ve forgotten almost everything else, so why ignore the fact that I remember you?”

“I can’t do this because you don’t remember yourself!”

“Afraid you’re taking advantage of me?” Sasuke smiled, happy that Neji might be worried about him. “But wouldn’t I want this anyway?” he asked, standing up and wrapping his arms around Neji once more.

Neji sighed gently at this person who was so willing to show his emotions. This person who so readily smiled. It wasn’t Sasuke at all.

The dark-eyed ninja stepped away and looked at the floor timidly. “Neji…” he said softly. “You… you did win the bet.”

Neji’s eyes widened at the sight of the normally solemn looking Sasuke with a slight blush showing in his face, his normally proud eyes aimed at the floor.

“Sasuke,” he said finally. “I’m tired. I have to save as many people as I can. You understand, I’m sure.”

Sasuke looked up and nodded.

“Good,” Neji said. “Then I’ll be off. You can stay here if you like. Hinata will be by.”

Sasuke nodded again and Neji quickly prepared to leave. This was all too much for him now. Losing Sasuke like this was too much. As he wasn’t the only one who could be lost. The weight on Neji’s shoulders was growing.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata dropped in after her training. She was happy that Neji had decided to stay with her family for a long time. He cured the lonely feeling that she felt while living with the high expectations of her family. With cousin Neji there, she didn’t feel so isolated. And she finally felt like she had a close sibling, so they were really like brother and sister. Most of the people who grew up with her were moving out on their own, but the protective Hyuuga family was finding that the branches were growing too distant. Neji and Hinata were the jewels of the clan now, and they wanted to watch them grow and protect the village.

She heard a noise coming from Neji’s room and almost jumped. She remembered how tired he was yesterday and quickly opened the door to make sure he was okay. But instead of Neji, she found a more curious sight.

“Hello,” Sasuke said, tilting his head. “Hinata!” he smiled brightly. “Neji said you would come by.”

Hinata entered the room and shut the door, making sure no one else from her family was home before doing so.

“Sasuke,” she said softly. “Why are you here?”

Sasuke’s smile faded and he looked at the floor. “Oh. Well, this will sound stupid, but I don’t know where my family is.”

Hinata swallowed and looked away.

“What?” he asked, looking afraid. “Where are they? Not even my mother is around. No one is there. Hinata, this will sound ridiculous to you, but it is as if my entire clan has disappeared.”

“Umm… let me get Kakashi, okay Sasuke?”

“No!” he said, grabbing her wrist before she could leave. “Hinata, please! Neji wouldn’t tell me either! How would you feel if you came home and no one was here?!”

“Sasuke, I can’t answer you,” she whispered. “I don’t know how.”

“Just tell me anything you know!”

He looked at her with desperate eyes, like a young child who got lost in a crowd. Hinata thought back to when she first saw Sasuke years ago. She wondered what his mental age could be right now. When had his family died and how much of his current memories were intact?

“Don’t make me, Sasuke,” she said, freeing her hand. “I’m not the person who should say anything.”

Sasuke sighed heavily and plopped down on the floor, pouting like a little kid. “I’m afraid,” he said sadly.

“Um… let’s go for a walk,” Hinata offered, extending her hand to him. “We’ll find Kakashi-sensei!”

Sasuke smiled and jumped up, taking her hand. He smiled so innocently. So freely.

After a long while of searching they found Kakashi as he exited a bookstore.

“Well, well,” Kakashi smiled. “On a date?”

“K… Kakashi-sensei!” Hinata blushed.

“Just kidding!” Kakashi laughed.

“A... actually…” Hinata said, looking at the ground. “Sasuke was… wondering about his family.”

Kakashi glanced to Sasuke, who looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“…I see,” Kakashi nodded.

Just then Sakura walked by, and seeing the three she ran over to see them. Hinata pulled her aside and told her what was happening, and then they both returned, looking to Kakashi for guidance. By now Sasuke was seeming somewhat alarmed.

“Let’s go stand by the water,” Kakashi smiled the best he could. “It’s soothing.”

Sasuke blinked and followed, and the four walked slowly to the lake. Kakashi nodded to the girls who stayed at the top of the hill by the road, and he walked down to the lake’s edge with Sasuke.

From there, Sakura and Hinata watched as the two sat down. They watched intently as Sasuke and Kakashi stared out at the water for a while before Kakashi turned to speak, though they couldn’t hear from where they were standing. He spoke for a long time, probably trying to find the right words. Occasionally he would stop and scratch the back of his head, or simply seem to stare at the water until he could clear his thoughts. But finally, they knew he told Sasuke the dreaded truth of his family’s fate.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi as if he had been told an insulting lie. But when Kakashi didn’t waver, his glare faded into disbelief. He turned to look at Sakura and Hinata, who stared back at him sadly, not knowing what to do or say. He shook his head slowly and looked at Kakashi again, grabbing his sleeve and shaking him, whispering something inaudible to the girls. And once more, Kakashi turned to him and placed a hand on his back, re-confirming for Sasuke the painful truth.

Sakura and Hinata ran down to the water’s edge when the crushed young man started to cry.

Sasuke clung to Kakashi as he cried, as the man was the closest person to give him comfort. And soon he felt Sakura’s warmth, and then Hinata’s.

“Who did it?” Sasuke whispered between sobs. “Who did it?”

Sakura looked up with shocked eyes when she realized that Kakashi hadn’t told Sasuke who had actually killed the clan. He had only told him that they were dead.

“That isn’t your concern,” Kakashi said, rubbing Sasuke‘s back. “It was a long time ago.”

“Everyone?!” Sasuke cried out. “Every single one but me?!”

Kakashi nodded sadly. “Everyone….”

Suddenly Sasuke froze and grabbed his head.

“Itachi…” his whispered hoarsely.

“The memories are resurfacing!” Sakura said. “We have a chance to get him back now!”

“To test your capacity?!” Sasuke yelled. “Is that the only reason?!”

“Sasu--” Sakura began.

But suddenly, the young man jumped up and pulled away from them.

“Sasuke?” Kakashi asked, standing up.

“My family is dead,” Sasuke said softly, tears running down his cheeks. “I want to be alone….”

Sakura looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Sasuke… we shouldn’t leave you like this….”

“Please go!” he yelled.

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, but then nodded. “As you wish,” he said.

“But--!” Sakura protested.

Kakashi shook his head and pulled her and Hinata along.

“Hinata can watch him from far away,” Kakashi explained once Sasuke could no longer hear.

“Why didn’t he return to normal if he believes you?!” Sakura asked frantically.

Kakashi shook his head. “Perhaps he needs the whole truth,” Kakashi said. “But we should let it sink in bit by bit so he doesn’t go into shock and reject his past completely.”

The three went off to a restaurant for tea, Hinata using her Byakugan to search Sasuke out every now and then to watch him. She would continue to watch even after the other two had to attend to their duties.

Sasuke sat staring at the water sadly. He had been there for hours, not knowing what to do or exactly who to turn to. It felt like just yesterday he was sitting with his family having dinner. And now, he was alone. He couldn’t fully comprehend it. How could it be that everyone was gone? Why was he the only one left? If he didn’t have such an unexplained trust for Kakashi’s words, he would have written it off as ridiculous right away. But he trusted Kakashi for reasons he couldn’t explain, and there was no mistake in Sakura and Hinata’s eyes. There was also no mistake in the area where his family used to live. He was alone.

Something deep inside of him wanted to direct the anger at someone, but he would probably never find out who the killers were. It had been years, after all. There was nothing he could do. Hours ago, when the others were with him, he saw a terrifying image of his brother’s face, and hoped that Itachi hadn’t suffered at all.

He sat there until the sun went down, staring out at the water, letting it all sink in. He was surprised that he hadn’t cried more. It was as if all of the tears were already gone.

“Sasuke,” an emotionless voice said behind him. The voice was so empty and soft that he wasn’t startled when he heard it. He turned around slowly to see an emotionless blonde young man with empty blue eyes. He was wearing the same all white clothing that Sasuke had on, since they both came from the hospital.

Sasuke jumped up. “You again! What do you want?!”

The blonde stared at him for a while, an eerie emptiness in his eyes. Sasuke opened his mouth to question him again, but was stopped when he felt a fist strike his face. There was a lot of force behind it, and it sent him flying back into the water behind him.

Sasuke splashed around frantically and fought to stand, but suddenly the other young man was upon him, grabbing for his throat and attempting to hold his head underwater. The will to survive strong, Sasuke swung his fist to the air, connecting with the other young man’s chin. It gave him enough time to get his head above water for air. But when he did so, he could tell the blonde young man wasn’t stunned in the least. Afraid, Sasuke pushed him away with all his strength and stood in the shallow water.

“Who are you?! Tell me!” Sasuke yelled. “What do you want from me?!”

“I want to win,” the other young man hissed softly, approaching.

Sasuke stumbled up the hill as best he could, running for his life. It was as if he had felt this fear before from long ago. But as soon as he reached the top he found that the blonde was already there.

“Are you okay… scaredy cat?” the blonde said with a dark smirk before spinning in the air and landing a hard kick to Sasuke’s chest, sending him tumbling down the hill once more. He landed just before hitting the water with a hard thud.

The blonde started to make his way down the hill once more. Sasuke sat up, dazed and afraid. But right before the other young man got to him, someone jumped in front of Sasuke’s sight.

“Naruto, stop!” Hinata cried out, standing in front of Sasuke with her arms outspread. “Sasuke can’t fight you! He doesn’t remember how! He doesn’t have the will to anymore!”

Naruto looked at her for a while with unfeeling eyes.

“Move,” he muttered softly.

“No!” she said, shaking her head. “Naruto please!”

“Move!” he said firmly.

“Naruto…” she said sadly. “Please… we’ll help you. But please--”

“Kage bunshin no jutsu,” Naruto muttered, forming a seal with his hands.

Sasuke stood and found himself backing up with Hinata as they were surrounded by at least twenty figures who looked exactly as the blonde did.

“Sasuke,” Hinata whispered. “Please go get help. I’ll see if I can--”

Sasuke heard Hinata’s voice suddenly disappear with the wind. A flicker of blue light hit his vision for an instant.

“Rasengan….” Naruto whispered to himself as the ball of swirling energy in his hand connected with Hinata’s stomach.

Sasuke watched helplessly as she was thrown backwards with such force that her body skid against the surface of the lake for a time before she finally sank far in the distance where the water was dark.

“Hinata!” Sasuke yelled, preparing to swim to her, but instead he was punched in the stomach, and then the chest, and then a kick to the head. The many clones of the blonde attacked him… or toyed with him.

Without the will to fight, and only worried for Hinata’s safety, he didn’t make much of an opponent. Soon he was lying on the ground, beaten, bruised, and completely afraid.

“You win…” he coughed, blood seeping from his mouth. “You win, okay? Now let me go to Hinata!”

Naruto watched as Sasuke managed to stand again, wobbling and weak, but not broken. Sasuke’s worried black eyes turned to the lake and he tried to run for the water to save Hinata, which only made rage burn inside of the blonde.

“Acknowledge me,” Naruto whispered sharply, diving at Sasuke.

Sasuke landed hard on his stomach as a sharp blow hit him in the back. Soon Naruto was sitting on top of him. The insane blonde slid his arm around Sasuke’s neck and put him in a headlock, cutting off his air.

“Get off of me!” Sasuke gasped. “Hinata might die!”

“Acknowledge me,” Naruto said very softly, but still with rage in his voice.

One of the clones knelt in front of Sasuke and grabbed a fistful of his black hair, pulling his head up as the real Naruto tightened his hold on Sasuke’s neck.

“Acknowledge my strength, Sasuke,” the clone in front of him said without feeling or emotion.

“You’re strong,” Sasuke hissed, his face turning blue. “You’re… stronger than me….”

Naruto heard the words, but he was still empty. He still wasn’t satisfied.

“Fight back!” he yelled to the choking young man. “Fight back, or I’ll kill Hinata next!”

Sasuke wanted to fight, he wanted to save Hinata, he wanted it all to end. But he felt helpless and weak and lost.

“Fight… fight… fight… fight me! FIGHT ME!” Naruto and his clones yelled. Soon it turned into an unbearable chant as they surrounded him.

“…I can’t,” Sasuke said between his coughs and gasps.

“Show me your true power so that I can be satisfied in defeating you!” Naruto yelled.

"You’ve become my best friend. That’s why there is meaning in defeating you!" Sasuke heard in the back of his mind. Whose words had those been?

Naruto glared furiously at the beaten young man beneath him who refused to give him true satisfaction. His urges told him, deep down, that this person needed to be beaten. It drove him. It was one of the few impulses that actually surfaced in him now. He needed to prove his strength. He needed to be acknowledged.

He needed… to dominate.

Sasuke felt like he would pass out until he felt the cold air hit his skin. He felt multiple pairs of hands holding him down on the ground, him still on his stomach. But the strangest sensation was the cold night air against his skin as his shirt was pushed up his back and his pants and underwear were pulled down his legs and tossed to the side.

“What are you doing?!” he yelled. But one of the clones placed a hand on his head and slammed it down against the grass.

Even more clones extended their cold hands to spread his thighs as his muffled yells disappeared into the ground.

"I’ll make you feel the power that you’ll soon have," someone’s snake-like voice whispered in his mind from some deeply buried memory. "Bare it for now, and let it increase the hate that drives you."

He yelled again, struggling in vain as he was held down. He only succeeded in turning his head just enough to get a glance at the dark water in the distance. He shut his eyes and prepared for what would come next.

But the pain didn’t come, and the grip the clones and Naruto had slowly slid away. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked up to see Neji, his chakra burning with immense power in his silent anger. In his arms he held Hinata, who was drenched from head to toe. Slowly, he set Hinata on the ground. And no sooner had she been set down that he had disappeared from view. But Naruto and Sasuke could tell where he was from the sound of the air rushing to the space where the clones were disappearing as Neji destroyed them all with one hit each. He wasted no energy, and he was as agile and graceful as ever. But in his eyes they could see rage.

Soon, all that was left was Naruto, who stood staring with an empty gaze at the white-eyed ninja. But slowly, Naruto’s eyes drifted to Sasuke, who was pulling his clothes on. Sasuke’s dark eyes looked up at Neji with adoration, which stung Naruto to the core. He looked back to Neji, who stood there, strong, proud, and completely without fear.

“I’m curious as to what buried memory brought this about,” Neji said, slowly approaching. “Tell me, what would possess you to attempt to murder my cousin and rape your best friend?”

Naruto, for whatever reason, felt himself hating this person. Even while Neji was trying to help him in the hospital, he hated him. He couldn’t remember why, nor did he care. But he needed to defeat him.

“I have no time to babysit you,” Neji glared.

Before Naruto could blink he felt what seemed like dozens of needles hitting his body before blacking out.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You got to her just in time,” the medical member said to Neji, who sat outside the emergency room. “She’s in a coma from losing oxygen, but we will do what we can to revive her.”

“Thank you,” Neji nodded. “Please tell me when Hinata wakes up then.”

“Yes sir,” the medical member nodded.

“And Naruto?”

“Your martial arts skills are amazing, sir. His energy was spent, but he’ll be perfectly fine. However, after what you and Sasuke have told us, he’ll be in custody.”

“I understand,” Neji sighed. “Thank you for everything.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything,” Sasuke said as Neji entered his hospital room.

“You wanted to save her, which is enough,” Neji said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to the bed Sasuke was sitting on.

“Will she be okay?”

“…Yes. She is strong.”

Sasuke nodded sadly. “You must be upset that you have to come here so often lately.”

Neji said nothing for a moment, which made Sasuke uneasy.

“Did he do anything to you?” Neji asked finally.

Sasuke quickly shook his head. “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

Again, more uneasy silence. Sasuke looked down at the bed sheets, afraid that Neji might be disappointed in him.

After a long period of waiting, he was nearly startled when Neji stood up.

“L… leaving?” Sasuke asked, trying to stop his heart from pounding.

“Not yet,” Neji murmured.

He extended his arms and slowly pulled Sasuke into a hug. Sasuke sat in surprise for a moment before gladly returning the gesture.

“I almost didn’t look for you two,” Neji said softly. “And if I had been just a few seconds late, Hinata might be dead, and he might have hurt you more than he already did. What good is my power if I can’t use it for those closest to me?”

Sasuke smiled brightly, and buried his face into Neji’s neck. “But you made it,” he grinned.

Neji pulled away to take a good look at Sasuke. Sasuke looked at him with curious black eyes, his face covered with various bandages. Those eyes were so trusting with nothing hidden. It was a good quality to have, but it wasn’t Uchiha Sasuke.

“Why?” Neji said as he stared into those eyes. “Why have I been doing nothing but failing since all of this began?”

Sasuke tilted his head and blinked curiously at those words. He watched as Neji sighed and walked over to the window, placing a hand on the wall next to him and hanging his head.

“What do I have to do to bring you back, Sasuke?” he said softly.

“Am I so bad this way?” Sasuke asked. “I have to be happier now than I was before. I know it. My family was slaughtered! And what could I have gone through before when I was actually there to see it happen?! I’m sad now, but what was I like before? I was worse, wasn’t I?”

“You found out about your clan?” Neji asked, turning to face him.

“And why is it that when I smile, people act as though I’m so strange now? Did I never smile before? Were people happier to see me in pain?! And you look at me the same way! Why?!”

“Because you were always on the edge of darkness, and that’s the Sasuke we grew to know. We didn’t like to see you in pain, but as you are now, you’re a complete stranger to us. And whether you realize it or not, if you lose your past, not only are you a different person, but it hurts us to know that you forgot what we all went through. That is why we look at you with eyes such as these, Sasuke.”

Sasuke frowned and stared at the bed sheets again, and Neji’s gaze returned to the window. But truly, he was watching Sasuke in its reflection. It then dawned on him that Sasuke was informed about the past, and accepted it, but still hadn’t returned to being himself. And with that thought, Neji’s heart nearly sank to the floor.

“I still look like my old self, don’t I?” Sasuke asked, lifting his eyes to look at the back of Neji’s head. “My face, my hair, my body. The shell is all the same.”

Neji said nothing. He only leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against the cool glass of the window pane.

“We have time together, finally,” Sasuke continued. “My body alone should be enough for that, right?”

Neji inhaled slowly and let the breath out again. He heard Sasuke slide out of bed and walk up behind him, and soon he felt the warm chest against his back.

“I’m tired,” Neji said softly.

“I’ll wake you,” Sasuke whispered into his ear.

“You’re hurt….”

“I’ll bare it.”

“You’re not yourself….”

Sasuke’s hands slid over Neji’s chest as he caught his reflection in the window. Sasuke looked at him, his eyes serious, his face solemn. A perfect copy of what he used to be. “I can pretend,” Sasuke whispered, his breath hitting Neji’s ear.

Neji felt himself shiver, but slowly pulled away and moved away from the window.

“You’re hurt, Sasuke,” Neji said, his back to the other young man.

“Neji--”

“Stay here and get healed,” Neji said. “When you’re better, you’ll give me what you owe me.”

Sasuke stood there, staring at Neji’s back. And Neji moved toward the door, opening it and glancing at Sasuke one last time. But what he saw wasn’t his Sasuke. It was a stranger with the same voice, same body, same face… but not the same spirit.


~*~*~*To Be Continued*~*~*~
(The teasing ends soon! I promise! XD )