Sins on Lowered Wings

Warning: Non-Con/Rape

Sins on Lowered Wings: part VI: Seeing Double

Shikamaru stared at Tsunade for a long while. It was suddenly very silent there in her office.

“Do you have a problem with my request?” she asked.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. “I was kinda happy that I didn’t lose any of my memories.”

“And you’re surprised that I want to send you to the sand village where you might lose them.”

“Yep.”

“Well, that’s easy,” she grinned. “I assumed that even if you lose your most painful memories, you’d only think the situation was slightly more troublesome than you already do. Besides, your IQ can’t be harmed with memory loss. If you don’t find a way to avoid it, you’ll still find a way to save yourself.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Bothersome…” he muttered.

“But of course you’ll do it.”

“Of course I will,” he said, heading for the door. “Do I ever say no?”

“Keep in mind that you have time. I want Konoha’s security up and running flawlessly before our teams leave. I don’t know what they did to Gaara, but with him unable to defend his village, the sand has been an easy target for invasion for a long time now.”

“Always a party,” Shikamaru smiled before leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~

The hospital room was serene. It had the faint smell of flowers, and there was no danger of anyone dying or suffering. Sakura sat in a comfortable chair, wondering if Sasuke would wake up while she was still present.

He looked so peaceful there, and she didn’t want to wake him. She wondered exactly how much he forgot about her. There were obviously things about their friendship that he lost with his pain, but how much?

She looked up to see that one of the balloons she brought him was deflating and hanging limply with the others. She stood quietly and used a kunai to cut the string, walking over to the trashcan as she slowly pressed on the balloon, allowing the last of the air out. The air came out slowly and softly, making the sound of a snake.

“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” Sasuke yelled, bolting up in bed.

Sakura ran over to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

“Sasuke!” she yelled. “Calm down!”

He tried to push her away, yelling again, but she threw her arms around him and held him close. After a few moments he stopped fighting and pulled her into a hug.

“Sasuke, did you have a bad dream?”

He breathed heavily and nodded, his eyes taking in the pink of Sakura hair to remind him who he was with. She was a welcome surprise compared to the people in his dreams.

“What did you see?” she asked.

“A snake,” he said softly, his heart pounding. “But it was also a man. It was so real….”

Sakura closed her eyes. That was more than just a dream. Sasuke had remembered Orochimaru.

“What did he do to you?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Sasuke sighed, pulling away. “He was just… scary.”

“I see…” Sakura nodded sadly. “So… do you feel better? I heard you got into a fight. What happened?”

Sasuke averted his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it now,” he said.

“That’s okay,” Sakura smiled. “Later then. For now, I want you to eat.”

Sasuke nodded and smiled brightly. “You’re really nice, Sakura. I feel like we’ve been friends forever.”

Sakura smiled the best she could, but his words were painful. She had been his friend for years. She missed him so much while he was away with Orochimaru years ago. But if Sasuke even thought of her once back then, there is no way he’d remember it now.

“I hope you’re out of here soon, Sasuke,” she smiled. “The days have been so nice lately. You should be outside.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke smiled, almost bashfully. “I really want to get better too. There is a lot I have to do.”

Sakura watched him for a while, with that open, childlike look on his face. She half wanted to take advantage of this and ask him how he actually felt about her in the past. What did he actually think of their friendship? But she decided against it because she realized that he probably couldn’t remember the times when friendship mattered most.

“I brought you something to look at, though I’m sure you already have one at home,” Sakura said, setting a framed picture on his bedside table.

He gently picked it up and looked at it. It was a picture of him with Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and…

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, tapping the image of the blonde boy.

“Yes. You probably don’t remember when this picture was taken.”

“How old are we here?” he smiled tenderly. “I don’t look very happy, do I?”

“We were twelve,” Sakura giggled. “It’s when we first became ninja for Konoha at the genin level. It seems like just yesterday… but it’s been years since then. And, you didn’t usually smile then, but we knew when you were pleased.”

“I don’t remember much of anything,” Sasuke frowned. “And many people come to see me, but I only remember bits and pieces of them.”

“Here is another picture with everyone’s name on it. I wrote a little about them for you on the next few pages too. I did the same for Naruto, but he seems less interested.”

“So he doesn’t remember either, which is why he attacked me,” Sasuke sighed. “I wonder what I did to him….”

“You two have been through a lot together,” Sakura said, glancing at the picture with Naruto.

Sasuke looked at the large image of the four teams of people, each with their instructor with them. He had to smile when he saw Neji, who was still taller than everyone else back then, but still shorter than he was now, so it was still worth a good smile. And Neji looked as serious as ever. He skimmed through the pages that Sakura wrote for him.

“Hyuuga Neji,” he read, “The first jounin of our generation. Now we all have to do what he says.” He laughed at the little image Sakura drew of Neji, his face completely serious while he gave silly orders to the other little drawings.

“Neji was always a genius,” Sakura nodded. “He surpassed us all so quickly.”

“Nara Shikamaru,” he continued. “Everything is always troublesome for him. But he’s got an IQ of over 200. He’s almost as great as the wonderful Sakura!” And another drawing of Sakura sticking her tongue out at a lazy-looking Shikamaru.

“He’s great when he’s not being lazy,” Sakura giggled.

“Inuzuka Kiba,” Sasuke smiled. “As loud, or louder, than Naruto. Always with his doggy Akamaru. Great senses, very strong, and did I mention… very loud?”

There was a picture of Kiba with a cute little dog in his arms (though Akamaru was far too big to hold now), and Sakura swore she almost saw Sasuke gush at the cuteness of it before he caught himself. “Nice drawings,” he said simply, cracking a smile.

Sasuke went through the other images and profiles as well, getting a good laugh every now and then. But finally, he settled on the profiles for their own team.

“Umuzaki Naruto,” he read softly. “Has a lot of stamina and a LOT of chakra. Very strong and brave. Never gives up. Loves his friends more than anything. Thinks of Sasuke as a brother. VERY LOUD.”

Sasuke looked at the large group image again, in which Naruto looked so happy and alive. The complete opposite of what Sasuke saw days earlier.

“Thinks of me like a brother?” Sasuke said softly. “…Then why?”

“I’m not sure,” Sakura responded. “But we’ll get him back. It’ll be okay.”

He looked down at the papers once more, and read one last profile.

“Uchiha Sasuke. Says he hates a lot of things, and loves very few things. The genius survivor of the proud Uchiha clan. Number one ninja of our class.”

Sasuke looked at the group image to see what looked like himself. His eyes looked so deep and dark, and his face looked like it had never known a smile.

“Sakura,” he began. “I hope the old Sasuke never comes back. The more I learn about him, the less I like him. I hope I can just stay this way… with the ability to smile.”

Sakura looked at the picture sadly. She knew she should love the fact that Sasuke was happy now. But the cost seemed so great. But she couldn’t figure out if people cared because they missed the old Sasuke, or if they cared because the new Sasuke didn’t miss what he lost with them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Neji sat up in his favorite tree, looking out over the village. Tsunade had forbade him from working today, and said that his sole duty would be to relax. He felt a little uneasy about not working. He always thought someone might need his help. But what the Hokage wanted from him, she got.

He looked up at the birds, not even bothering to count them today. A warm comfort washed over him with the sunlight, warming his skin and hair. Tsunade even told him to stay out of uniform today. He still wore his forehead protector, but he felt odd without the heavy cloth of his uniform. He finally realized that he needed to learn to relax again.

But it was hard to think clearly after everything that had happened. Not only was he baring the emotional weight of those he helped, some of his friends were still lost without their memories, and he almost lost Hinata.

And Sasuke… that was another issue altogether.

He couldn’t figure out what went wrong. Sasuke had only lost a few of his memories before they returned home. And Gaara was already gone by that time. So why?

Neji remembered altering Sasuke’s chakra to help him gain back the few memories he had lost. It was right after Neji and Sakura had saved Tsuande. And it all seemed fine. Tsunade made it back, and Sasuke looked fine after his chakra points were hit. He feel asleep, which was normal after being drained of so much energy. And then… when he woke up….

“You’re awake,” Sakura smiled down at him as he lay in the small sick bay near the Hokage’s study.

And then… that smile. That childlike smile that he gave to Sakura nearly sent her falling backwards. She spoke to him for a time, asking questions about his past that he couldn‘t answer. But as soon as he asked to see his brother, she ran off to get Neji, tears in her eyes.

But Sasuke remembered him, which Neji was happy about. The problem, however, was that Sasuke was no longer Sasuke. And this new Sasuke still wanted Neji to be his lover. It made Neji almost feel unfaithful… even a bit dirty.

Not that Sasuke would have him being anything but that… under normal circumstances. Whatever normal was.

The young man sighed deeply, his long hair flowing freely in the wind. He knew it was wrong of him to consider Sasuke a stranger now, even if Sasuke was so different. It was still Sasuke. He had to believe it was still Sasuke. It was hard, but he had to believe his Sasuke was still in there somewhere.

My Sasuke, he thought with a smirk. He was starting to sound ridiculous, even in his own head.

But one thing he did know was that Sasuke would probably remember everything that was happening to him now even after recovering his memories. What would the old Sasuke want Neji to do now? How would the old Sasuke want Neji to treat the new Sasuke? And… did the old Sasuke like himself enough to come back and erase the new Sasuke from existence?

“This is just the way I am,” Sasuke had told him once. “Withdrawn, cold, dark. That’s the way it will always be. My life has turned me into this. Or rather, I have turned me into this, and I’ll have to live with it. But at least now I have things that make me happy. There is nothing I can change, so I will focus on what is now.”

Well, Sasuke found a way to change. And with all the pain he had been through, would Neji ever be able to find out which memories were keeping the old Sasuke hidden?

If only he could find a way to talk to the old Sasuke and ask him….

Once again, a sigh. He was frustrating himself. He jumped down from the tree without making a sound and headed for the flower shop to buy something for Hinata.

~~~~~~~~~~

He walked through the caverns, his white silk robes swishing lightly as he walked. He looked very regal. Proud and elegant, but with something very cunning about him. They were all like this, the people who shaped and lived in these caverns.

“The girl was very pretty, wasn’t she?” the man said as he sat next to one of his comrades. “She seemed so fragile. So willing to please. Perhaps Konoha has many girls like her.”

His comrade smirked, and continued to stare at the marble statues ahead of him. This area of the caverns was well lit, and there were many statues to please the eyes. Nudes, most of them with a very classic feel. Many with large angel wings that extended high above them.

“The others called her Hinata,” the man continued.

“I suppose you want her,” his comrade smiled. “Would you like to add her to the collection?”

“Perhaps I would add more than one from that country.”

“For now, shouldn’t we stay focused on the sand? You seem to have a lot of fun with the women there.”

“The sand produces fewer girls with the kind of innocence I saw in Hinata. I want her. The others are appetizers.”

Both men heard the bell sound, alerting them it was time to eat. They both moved out of the large statue room and through the stone halls to the dining area, where many of their comrades would meet.

“I suppose,” the man said before sitting, “That I’ll have to visit the sand to satisfy myself for now. But it is for everyone’s own good. We will bring peace to the world this way.”

“Not to worry, my friend,” his comrade smiled. “No country can stand against us. We will find you the girl. And if not, I know your type.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto paced back and forth in his cell, many levels of security traps and restraints standing between him and Kakashi, who watched him with his one visible eye.

“Naruto.” Kakashi spoke through a small microphone hooked to his jacket which then projected his voice through speakers in the cell. “I know you can still reason and that whatever little bit of logic you could previously retain is still with you. So why did you attack your friends?”

Naruto said nothing. He only continued to pace. But his lively, cheerful bounce wasn’t in his steps. Now they were heavy.

“Answer me, Naruto,” Kakashi said firmly. “Give me a chance to understand.”

“I want to feel whole,” Naruto hissed, his voice barely coming through Kakashi’s earpiece. “What did you all do to me…? Why can’t I remember anyone? The only one I have is myself….”

“Naruto,” Kakashi said, softening his voice. “The people you’re attacking now are the people who care about you the most. They have helped you through the most painful moments of your life.”

“I don’t care!” Naruto yelled, glaring at him. “I don’t feel whole. I’m empty now. They helped nothing. NOTHING. You people… this place… it is nothing to me. I only have myself. And Sasuke… he will acknowledge me. Everyone will….”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and stared at the young man.

“No wonder you feared Gaara so much in the past,” Kakashi said softly. “Because you knew there was a possibility that you could have become him if things had been just a bit different.”

“I fear no one…” Naruto said lowly.

“In the past, you feared many. Especially one your age by the name of Gaara. He only loved himself then, and sought to feel whole in much the same way you are now. You feared him because you saw yourself in him. I would never have understood it fully until now.”

“Why are you telling me this…?”

“Gaara never made himself whole by taking the destructive path. It only made him more empty. The same will happen to you if you continue. The way Gaara became whole was by finding out what it meant to love and protect others. Now he‘s the leader of his village.”

“Don’t give me lectures. This Gaara was weak. When everyone acknowledges me, it will be different….”

“People did acknowledge you,” Kakashi said calmly. “And look what you’re doing to them.”

“Look what they did to me. I know my past. I know what happened. I don’t need those memories of everyone hating me. As long as I know, that’s all I need. And everyone will pay!”

Kakashi sighed and slipped his favorite book from his pocket. He turned around and started to leave the compound.

“Naruto,” he said before taking the microphone off. “You could make friends with anyone in the past and you saved many lives. You gave people hope. Through all of that you were acknowledged because you changed lives for the better. If you continue on the path you’re on now, people will only try harder to forget you.”

Naruto’s glare faded a bit as he watched the instructor leave.

~~~~~~~~~~

The young woman sat in her room at the vanity, brushing her blonde hair. Outside she could hear the sound of the wind blowing over the sand, the gentle lull that was always a part of her home. She sat looking into her mirror, her mouth smiling but her eyes empty as she continued to let the brush glide through her hair. Some of her golden strands fell and landed on her crimson gown, unnoticed by those eyes that no longer cared for much of anything anymore.

Someone tapped on her door and entered quietly. She didn’t turn around as the person entered the elegant room, which was fit for a princess with it’s sandy gold color sprinkled all around.

“This village isn’t suited for you, Temari,” the man said. “Sand everywhere, little greenery. It’s not for someone as refined as yourself.”

Temari only continued to brush her hair.

“Perhaps we will move you to Konoha when we rule there as well. Would you like that, Temari?”

The sound of the brush mixed with the gentle gusts of the wind outside. She smiled at her reflection innocently.

“So beautiful, Temari,” the man said. She heard the swish of his white robes as he walked over to her, his cold hands falling upon her shoulders from behind, the thin straps of her nightgown underneath his palms. “Like a doll. Unblemished by the world and without a care. Just as girls should be.”

He put his hand on the brush as it passed through her hair again and gently took it from her, discarding it on the floor. Her hands fell to her lap now, with nothing to occupy them.

“Such a good girl,” the man whispered in her ear, his hands pulling the straps of her silk gown down her shoulders.

She seemed not to notice or care as the gown slipped low enough to reveal her breasts, even though everything was there for her to view in the mirror in front of her. Her eyes remained with the eyes in the reflection, never taking notice of the soft, ample mounds that had appeared in the new image of herself.

The man reached forward with both hands, taking the soft flesh into his hands and squeezing gently. But the innocent smile never disappeared from Temari’s face. It was hard to tell if she even knew he was there at all.

His hands slid down to her waist and he slowly grasped her and pulled up gently. She stood automatically, but still without comprehension in her empty eyes. Still, she stared into her own eyes in the mirror, even as he pulled the chair away and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing against her.

“Such a good girl, Temari,” he whispered again. “Make your master feel good tonight. Just like the good girl that you are.”

She moved automatically again as he gently put a hand between her shoulder blades and pushed forward. As she started to lean forward slightly he slid his hands down to her wrists and had her place her palms on her vanity table. He nudged a knee between her thighs so that her body automatically moved, and she spread her legs just enough. And there she stood, bent over for him, breasts bare, her empty eyes staring into the mirror. He grinned darkly as she slid the crimson silk of her short nightgown up her bare behind.

The young woman looked into her eyes reflected in the mirror now. She heard but didn’t respond to the rustling fabric behind her. The sound of robes dropping to the floor. And for some reason now, her reflection seemed different. While she smiled into the mirror, her reflection looked very angry at her.

“Good girl. Such a good girl,” the man whispered, reaching forward to fondle her breasts again, squeezing the pale pink nipples there.

Her reflection looked so furious, no matter how much she smiled at it. Something about the girl in the mirror was very different from her. Very hurt and upset… even afraid.

She felt something prodding her, spreading her open as she stood there. And without anymore warning the man grabbed her waist and roughly pushed forward. A whimper escaped her lips as he held her in place, the man leading her through actions that she knew nothing of or remembered nothing of.

“It hurts,” she whimpered softly. “It hurts….”

“That’s a good girl, Temari,” he said between uneven breathes. “Good girls shouldn’t like this. You don’t like this at all do you? You’re such a good girl.”

“It hurts,” she said again, a little more pleading in her voice.

The man looked down as his shaft entered and left her body, the tight opening trying desperately to stretch enough to give him easier access. Some of the soft shaved flesh there appeared to sink in with his length before being freed again when he pulled out for a short time.

“It hurts! It hurts!”

“Such a innocent girl,” he grinned. “It will only hurt a little longer.”

Her chest bounced and swayed and heaved as he pounded her from behind. Her arms grew weak but something in her made her stay upright. And now, that reflection was more furious than before. But not at the man. With her. The girl in the mirror didn’t like her at all, and she couldn’t comprehend why that could be.

“I’m going to put it in a new place, my good girl,” the man said softly. “It will hurt a little more, because you’re such a good girl. But it will all be over soon.”

“She hates me,” Temari said in a voice so soft that her own ears couldn’t hear it. She stared at the girl in the mirror. “She hates me so much….”

Tears rolled down her face. But not at his assault. It was for something else. Perhaps for the girl in the mirror.

She felt his shaft pull out of her body, and instead it was placed somewhere else. Her nerves screamed at her as he spread the smooth flesh of her behind.

“It will all be over soon, my good girl.”

Gaara’s head snapped up when he heard Temari’s scream. He quickly dropped his book and ran out of his room. Her screams and cries echoed throughout the halls. They sounded absolutely terrible to him, like nothing he could ever remember hearing.

“Lord Gaara,” someone said, stepping in front of him quickly.

“It’s my sister! Something is wrong with Temari!”

The man only smiled at him, standing there like a statue in his white robes, which swished ever so gently like the wind when he moved.

“Do not worry, Lord Gaara,” the man smiled. “My friend has gone to see her. He will help her, I promise.”

“But I want to see her!” Gaara insisted.

“But my Lord, there are other things we need you to attend to right now. Other more important things.”

Temari’s terrible screams turned into helpless cries and whimpers. Gaara shook his head, incredibly disturbed by the sound. The echoes bounced off the walls, and it sounded like more than one person was screaming. Soon it sounded like hundreds, even millions of screams to his ears.

“Desert coffin…” he heard in the back of his mind. And then more screaming. His name being said in a dreaded tone, then more screaming. Sand… blood… suffering… tears… more screaming. More and more screaming… screaming that was quickly silenced in an instant… only to be followed by more--

“Lord Gaara,” the man said gently. “Your mind has wandered. We must get you to the Kazekage’s chambers. He wishes to speak with you.”

“A… About what?” Gaara said, trembling slightly at the continued sound of Temari’s tortured voice.

“You see, he is the new Kazekage. We have to see that the old Kazekage is properly… put to rest.”

He took Gaara’s wrist and began to pull him along, but Gaara could only look at Temari’s door.

“Let go,” he insisted. “Let go! Temari is in pain! LET GO!”

“She feels no pain,” the man smiled. “And if she does, we can erase it.”

Gaara had no fight in him. Only a desperate feeling as they moved away. Temari’s cries becoming fainter and fainter.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hinata’s room was slowly starting to fill with flowers as Neji brought more day by day. Others would bring them as well, but none as consistently as him. With every day that passed he became more and more worried. And with all the emotional stress he was going through, he was losing too much sleep and had barely any appetite. There were too many things that he wanted for others right now, and he didn’t even realize that his own well-being was in danger.

He walked without seeing that day, his body moving automatically to the hospital where Hinata was being kept. And he only saw her. He deliberately avoided Sasuke’s room because he didn’t need to feel any worse or conflicted than he already did. Furthermore, he still had work to concentrate on.

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside, walking over to her bed in the dark room without any problem. But the machines didn’t sound right. Something was very wrong! He reached out for her but then saw that she wasn’t there. He tried to tell himself that she had simply been moved to another area, but her things were still in the room, and the bed looked as though she had been ripped from it.

The flowers dropped to the floor as he dashed out and got the attention of the first nurse he saw.

“Hinata… where is she?!”

“She’s in her r--”

“She’s not there!” he insisted. “Did she wake?”

“No, she was still in the coma, sir,” the nurse said, hurrying to her room. Upon finding that Hinata was missing, she called to other staff members.

Hinata was supposed to be there. Something was wrong.

Neji quickly closed his eyes and used his Byakugan, his veins standing out around his eyes as he did so, taking in every detail and seeing through his surroundings. He searched the hospital with his ability, but she was no where to be found. He then searched outside without ever moving from his original spot.

Finally, he found her. She was being carried away… out of the village.

“She’s been kidnapped!” he said as calmly as he could. “Alert the--”

Suddenly he ducked, and as he did the felt the force of the boards’s swing. Someone had tried to hit him from behind, obviously forgetting that he had 360 degree vision with his ability active. He quickly spun around to see Hinata’s doctor with a board in her hands.

“Explain yourself!” he demanded.

He quickly reached behind him and grabbed the wrist of a nurse who tried to inject him with something, pulling her in front of him and practically tossing her against the doctor.

“They said that if we give her to them,” another nurse said, “They’ll make everything good and pure forever and ever….”

“Who said?! What are you talking about?!”

“Sir!” another doctor called from down the hallway. “Some of the hospital staff is under the illusion. They didn’t show it until today!”

Neji turned to see that the man had been badly beaten, and some of the usual hospital staff was missing. It seemed that only those still within their illusions were surrounding him. They had probably done something to the others already.

“Who did you hand Hinata over to?!” he demanded, glaring at them with his piercing white eyes.

“It’s okay,” the nurse said softly. “She’ll be safe and happy for the rest of her life.”

“Safe? She’s in a coma,” he said in frustration as he prepared to run after whoever had her. “She needs Konoha right now.”

“Naruto will take her to them. Nothing will hurt her.”

Neji froze for a moment before searching for Hinata’s presence again. The one carrying her… was…

“Naruto!” Neji said lowly as he bolted through the hospital and out of the building. As he did so he detected three presences following him soon after.

“What’s wrong?” Kiba asked.

“Hinata has been taken,” Neji called back to him.

“By who?” Shino asked, never once losing his composure.

“Naruto has her,” Neji explained. “He’s taking her to the enemy. Some people in this village have been so badly brainwashed that they‘ll do anything to keep their pain away. They freed Naruto and he‘s taking Hinata to the ones pulling the strings.”

“Akamaru!” Kiba called out to his faithful friend.

“Hang on!” Akamaru barked as Kiba jumped into the large dog’s back without ever breaking his pace. Soon they were dashing off, following Hinata’s scent.

“Is there a chance that all of the people they’ve affected will feel the urge to go to them?” Shino asked, finding that he was having a bit of trouble keeping up with Neji.

“I hope not,” Neji sighed. “We’d have to fight our closest friends if that’s the case.”

Suddenly the two saw that Akamaru and Kiba had stopped and were standing perfectly still. They caught up and stood next to them, their attention now on Naruto, who was kneeling down over Hinata, who he had placed on the ground.

“Go back,” Naruto glared. “All of you.”

“Hey, man,” Kiba said, his hands raised to show he was unarmed. “She’s in a coma. She needs to get back to the hospital. Just relax and give her t--”

“Shut up!” Naruto growled.

“Okay… okay…” Kiba said, trying to calm him down.

Neji thought Kiba’s behavior odd until he noticed the kunai in Naruto’s hand.

“Hinata doesn’t deserve this,” Shino said. “She’s innocent. Whatever you want to accomplish, there is no need to drag her into it.”

“He’s right,” Kiba nodded. “You lost your past, but we want to help you get it back, okay?”

They slowly started to move forward, but Naruto wasted no time in raising the sharp kunai and pointing the tip at Hinata’s throat. Alarmed, Neji stepped in front of Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino, stopping them.

“Please don’t hurt her,” he said. “Tell me what you want and I’ll do it. But let her go home.”

“What do you care?!” Naruto glared. “…Dropout.”

Neji blinked, feeling that the situation felt very familiar. “Did you have something you wanted to say to me?” he asked, crossing his arms. “You seem to like me the least of everyone right now. But there is no need to take it out on Hinata.”

“Don’t act like you care about her!” Naruto said, his hand shaking dangerously on the handle of the kunai. “You’re right. I hate you. And I know you think I’ll never be anything, but I’ll make you acknowledge me.”

“Naruto,” Kiba said as gently as he could. “You sound like you did way back when we were in the academy. People have acknowledged you since then.”

“We just have to get you to remember,” Shino said calmly.

“Please,” Neji said. “We’ll do anything in our power to help you. I promise. Just don’t hurt her.”

“Is she that important to you?” Naruto said with unfeeling eyes.

Neji nodded slightly as did the others, unsure of how to respond to him when he had that look in his eyes.

“Tell me,” Naruto said lowly. “Why is it that no matter what I do, everyone in the village cares for everyone but me?”

He quickly rose the kunai and plunged the tip into Hinata’s shoulder.

“STOP!” Neji yelled charging at the blonde. But Kiba and Shino quickly grabbed him, pulling him back.

“Do not move!” Shino said firmly. “He’ll kill her for sure.”

Naruto slowly licked the blood from the blade before lowering the kunai again, dragging it across the top of Hinata’s thigh. They others could here the fabric tearing and watched helplessly as the blood started to seep from her body, staining the cotton white hospital clothing.

“Naruto stop!” Neji yelled. “Just tell us what you want!”

“Go back,” Naruto said simply. “If I see anyone following me again I’ll hurt her more.” He pointed the blade at Hinata’s eye, the tip barely touching her. “You’re clan is proud of these eyes aren’t they?”

Neji looked at Hinata who was looking pale and weak in her endless sleep. He breathed heavily, and with one deep breath he made himself turn away. Akamaru nudged Kiba and Shino and they soon followed. First walking, then running, then in full sprint for the village. But even as they ran Neji never lost sight of her. He watched her with his Byakugan, making sure that Naruto wasn’t hurting her. Making sure that he was simply running with her and that she’d really be safe long enough for them to save her.

It wasn’t long before they reached the village gates. Having reached his physical and emotional limits, Neji collapsed as soon as they were safely inside.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke stared at the black stone monuments that seemed to stretch on and on and on. He had read over the names again and again. He found the neighbors who always saw him off to school. He found his parent’s friends. He found his father. He found this mother. But the name he couldn’t find was his brother’s. He searched for hours, but couldn’t find Itachi’s name on the monument to the fallen Uchiha clan. It hurt him to think that people could forgot his brother. He didn’t want Itachi to be forgotten. As cold as he could be sometimes, he still loved him.

He ran his fingertips gently over his parent’s names once more. He could hardly believe they were gone. He had lost so many years of his life. He had startled himself to look into the mirror. To see someone so many years older than the little boy he was when he last saw his family. But he knew it had to be for the best. If he lost so much, his life must have been unbearable. But of course that would be the case if his whole clan was ripped from him.

“You really think that living in bliss without the past is the best thing for you?” a serious voice asked.

Sasuke turned around slowly, and found himself face to face with… himself. They were both wearing the same black cotton shirts and sweatpants, they both had the same features. But the one who had just appeared had an aura as cold as ice.

“Who are you?!” he asked, stumbling back in surprise and nearly falling against the black stone monuments.

“I am you, of course,” the cold mirror image said, remaining in his kneeling position and staring up at his frightened double with piercing eyes.

“It’s an illusion…. Genjutsu….”

“Then use Sharingan and see through it,” the cold one smirked.

Sasuke looked down at the ground for a moment, averting his eyes.

“You can’t use it, can you?” the cold one asked, standing and approaching slowly with the grace of a panther. “That ability awoke in a battle you can’t remember. You used it to protect people you can’t remember. And… you were targeted by others for this ability that you can’t remember.”

“I’m better off without it,” Sasuke said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to live as a ninja. I don’t want a heart that enjoys killing. I don’t want to be like you!”

“But I am who you are. I am the true you. No matter what path you take, it is likely that you will become me.”

“You’ll never be able to come back. I hate everything about you. I’ll never let those memories resurface. They’ll be lost forever.”

“It’s not only yourself that you’ll lose then,” the cold Sasuke said seriously. “You lose everything that you went through with all of the people who got you this far.”

“I still have them, and I’ll start over with--”

“There is no starting over. The fact is, you are a stranger to them. You can never be me.”

“No. And I wouldn’t want to be. I hate the thought that something in my life turned me into you.”

“Not something,” the cold Sasuke said, standing in front of his double. He slammed his hand on the monument behind the frightened Sasuke’s head and smirked as he tapped a blank spot there. “Someone.”

The childlike Sasuke was frightened enough as it was, but then became even more startled when he heard others approaching. He saw Shino and Kiba supporting Neji and walking him home. The long-haired ninja was very unsteady. Sasuke started to raise a hand to get their attention, but when he turned to break away from his other self he saw that no one was there anymore. He was alone.

He slowly turned to look at the spot his colder self had tapped, and found there was actually room for two names there beside the rest of his family. One for him. And one for Itachi.


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

(Okay… so there was a little more teasing. ^_^; Soon, I promise. It's hard trying to give everyone a decent amount of time in the story with such a large cast.)