Sins on Lowered Wings

Warning: Non-conc acts, sexual situations.


“…Neji?”

“Sasuke.”

“Can I make a last request before you try to make me your bitch?”

“Is this concerning the actual act of me making you my bitch?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. Then No.”

“Fuck you….”

“I will.”


Sins on Lowered Wings: part VIII: Echoes

“Seriously, this is important,” Sasuke said, jumping down from the branch and landing next to Neji.

“I’ll hear your request. But no promises,” Neji smirked, not moving his eyes from the stars.

“…”

“What is it?”

“…”

“What?”

“…”

“Sasuke… if you don‘t answer now I won‘t grant you this chance ever again.”

“I need you to -- I want to be… to be -- shit! Forget it….” Sasuke sighed, turning and walking away.

“The worst I can do is say no.”

“…You’ll probably take it the wrong way,” Sasuke said, stopping not far from where he started.

“Since when do you care if people take you the wrong way?”

“…That didn’t sound right.”

“No. No it did not.”

“I care this time,” Sasuke sighed, turning back to Neji in frustration.

“Just say it. If I say yes, then I’ll have my fun with you. If I say no, then I’ll still have my fun with you.”

“…Blindfold me.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Are you serious? That’s really it?” Neji chuckled.

“What are you staring at? Will you do it or not?”

“This is more than a simple request. Are you afraid I’ll use Byakugan? I’m sure the view would be nice, but-- What? What was that look just now?”

“Stop trying to read me.”

“Relax Sasuke. I’ll blindfold you if you tell me why. I know better than to think you want to appear submissive in any way.”

“I can’t look you in the eye, Neji. Not while…”

Neji laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Sasuke frowned.

“So it is my eyes,” Neji said, still smiling. “Do they make you that nervous?”

Sasuke walked up to him slowly, his movements flowing with the shadows around him. He walked right up to Neji and backed him against the tree trunk, his piercing glare meeting Neji’s pure white eyes.

“Point made,” Neji said with a sly smile.

“I’m going to tell you something about me that I haven’t told anyone,” Sasuke said very seriously. “I tell you this because it isn’t in your nature to dishonor others. So that even if you started hating me, I know you wouldn’t tell anyone this.”

Neji’s smile faded, and he became more attentive.

“Years ago… when I was with Orochimaru… He --,“ Sasuke voice cut out, and he looked down for a moment before returning his eyes to Neji’s. “Orochimaru wanted my body for more than a vessel for possession,” Sasuke said in a breath.

Neji opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke lifted his hand and pressed his fingertips against his lips. Sasuke spoke seriously, hiding his pain so well it was frightening.

“Whenever he fucked me,” Sasuke continued, leaning closer, “He’d make sure I looked him in the eye at all times. He’d get off on my humiliation, my tears, my pain… and on days my body failed me, the shame in my eyes when I shot a load against my will. It always hurt, I always hated it, but being the fool I was I let him keep doing it. And I always had to look into his eyes..”

Neji’s white eyes were wide with shock, Sasuke’s fingertips still gently on his lips. And still Sasuke continued.

“If I looked away, he’d fuck me again. If I closed my eyes for too long, he’d fuck me again and again. But my eyes could never betray me, and sometimes it would go on all night. The times I did manage to keep my eyes on him, I’d wake up screaming or in a pool of my own vomit.”

Sasuke slid his fingertips from Neji’s lips and wrapped his hand around Neji’s throat, squeezing tightly, a frightening rage growing in his black eyes.

“Sometimes he’d strangle me like this while he was inside me, just to see me struggle for air or to see the fear growing in my eyes. If I passed out my ass contracted on his cock, and he’d fuck my limp body, only to start over because I didn’t keep my eyes on him.”

His hand squeezed harder, and Neji placed a hand on Sasuke’s wrist, but he made no move to stop him.

“I lost my mind the night he made me suck him off while he guided a snake up my ass. I broke. I would take anything that even resembled pleasure in my shattered state, and it was like a nightmare as I listened to myself begging him for more as he snaked his long tongue up my ass, licking at my prostate, and making me come, over and over and over. And when I came to my senses, with more shame than before, it took him the entire night and the next afternoon to rid himself of the excitement of seeing my dead, broken eyes the day before, begging him to shove his tongue deeper inside of me.”

Both of his hands wrapped tightly around Neji’s throat and he slammed him against the trunk of the tree.

“I can never undo this!” he said with his jaw clenched. “I can’t erase what I’ve done!”

He then jumped, completely startled to feel Neji’s arms wrap around him, bringing him out of his nightmare. His hands immediately fell from Neji’s neck and he tried to pull away, but Neji held him there. He pushed and started to put up a fight, but he couldn’t make himself try too hard. It wasn’t long before Neji felt tears falling against his neck as Sasuke stood there in his arms, sinking in the shame of his confession as well as the shame of his tears.

“Maybe this bet isn’t the best thing for you…” Neji whispered. “I only wanted to--”

“I want you to hurt me,” Sasuke said softly. “Hurt me, humiliate me, punish me… just don’t make me meet your eyes like he did.”

“After what you’ve just told me, how can I--”

Sasuke pulled Neji against him tightly, his heart pounding between them both.

“I let him do those things to me! I didn’t stop it! I DIDN’T STOP HIM!”

“Sasuke, you didn’t ask for--”

“Punish me for my sins,” Sasuke whispered into his ear.

Neji took a few deep breaths, taking in all he’d heard.

“I told you that I would consider your requests and that nothing was guaranteed,” he said gently, but firmly. “And so far you’re getting the blindfold. The rest… we’ll work out as we go.”

After a long while, after the few tears that Sasuke had disappeared, after Neji was sure that Sasuke had told him all he wanted to for the time being, they finally let go of each other. But they soon embraced again when Sasuke saw the bruises his fingers had caused on Neji’s skin.

~~~~~~~~~~

“The next one will hit you!” Lee yelled as he jumped down to the ground not far from them. “You’re going to make Sakura cry again.”

Naruto glared and turned to face him. He wanted to beat this one also. He had been ignored by this one as well, hadn’t he?

“Sasuke,” Lee said, “Naruto remembers all of his skills, but he doesn’t remember all of the times he used them. He’s not as efficient as he could be. Don‘t worry, just come over to me.”

Sasuke stood there, a little afraid.

“I’m leaving,” he said finally. “I’m going with him.”

“Sasuke,” Lee blinked, “You can’t go after Hinata alone. Don’t be hasty.”

“He’s not going for Hinata,” Naruto smirked. “He’s going because I want him to!”

Naruto sprinted forward and spun in the air, a fierce kick aimed straight for Lee’s heart. But even though he considered himself fast, he felt the impact of the kick being blocked before it could do any damage. And when he looked to Lee again, the young man was no longer where he was supposed to be.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Lee said, now standing behind him as though he never moved. “We’re friends.”

“Friends?!” Naruto growled. “What kind of friends would make me like this?!”

Lee watched as dozens of shadow clones of Naruto appeared around him. Sasuke, having seen this before when Hinata was attacked, backed up a good deal. In Naruto’s rage, there was no pattern or reasoning behind the attacks. The clones simply threw any attack they could manage at Lee. But now, Naruto watched in anger as every kick and punch was blocked, and Lee never had to move more than three feet from where he originally stood. He became a green blur as he dodged and blocked every attack that came at him.

“You’ve forgotten what drove you to become stronger,” Lee said in a disappointed voice. “You’re skills are far below what they used to be.”

A ring of clones appeared around Naruto, shielding him from view. Lee watched for a moment before he saw a flicker of light. As soon as the clones disappeared with rushes of air, he saw Naruto charging at him, a perfect sphere of swirling energy in his hand. The Rasengan attack was the same that had knocked Hinata into the lake weeks before.

“I’ll kill you!” Naruto yelled, rage building.

Sasuke watched as Naruto lunged, directing the energy at Lee’s stomach. But as soon as he blinked he saw that Lee was no longer there. He had completely avoided Naruto’s attack. The only problem was that now Naruto was moving too quickly to cease his attack, and Sasuke was too afraid to move out of his path.

Sasuke only had a few seconds to shut his eyes and avoid seeing the world spin around him. But the world stood still for too long, and he finally opened his eyes to see Naruto on the ground just a foot in front of him, with shuriken and kunai piercing his arms and legs. The blonde groaned and tried to lift himself from the ground, but he only slumped down again.

“I didn’t think you were one for weapons, Lee,” Naruto called back to the green clad ninja. “At least, that’s what I’d heard….”

“I’m not one for weapons,” Lee said.

“He didn’t throw them,” Sasuke whispered. “Tenten must be hiding somewhere. That’s what he meant when he said the next one wouldn’t miss. She can hit the same mark a hundred times in a hundred tries.”

“Where is Hinata?” Lee asked.

With great effort and some help from Sasuke, Naruto managed to stand, pulling the weapons from the backs of his arms and legs one by one.

“Dead,” he hissed. “She’s dead!”

Another kunai streaked through the air and grazed his cheek.

“I’ll ask again,” Lee said. “Where is Hinata?”

“Which part did you want first?!” Naruto yelled.

Another kunai grazed his other cheek.

“Enough,” Lee sighed. “You’re coming with me, both of you. Please forgive me for anything I do to you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Lee dashed forward so quickly that he seemed to disappear from view. But this time, it was his attack that missed. His fist, which was headed for Naruto’s stomach to knock the wind from him, hit nothing but air. He turned to see that Sasuke had managed to hurl himself at Naruto just in time. But his speed was incredible.

“Lee,” Sasuke said gently. “Just let us go. It’s dangerous if we stay here. We aren’t a part of this village anymore.”

“The village is a part of you,” Lee said, shaking his head. “I can’t let you leave.”

“He can’t approach us as enemies, Sasuke,” Naruto said softly. “He’s holding back. Otherwise, we’d be in custody by now. We have to use that. He’s weak because he lacks hatred.”

Sasuke stared at him, trying to figure out where he’d heard those same words before. Could it be that he was remembering more of his past with Naruto?

A shrill scream suddenly rang out and was silenced just as quickly as it came. Lee stood watching Naruto and Sasuke, but worry and doubt shadowed his features.

“That sounded like Tenten,” Sasuke said, glancing up towards the trees.

Lee stood his ground.

“So what will it be?” Naruto smirked. “Will you check on her, allowing us to escape in the process? Or will you leave her in order to capture us?”

Lee suddenly felt the faint presence of chakra around from somewhere close by. But he couldn’t tell which direction it came from. It felt far too faint to be a threat, yet far to out of place to be anything else. And he was sure the threat was building as another scream erupted into the air. Whatever it was, Tenten was suffering.

“Lee, I don’t remember anything about you,” Naruto smiled darkly. “But I feel things. I know things without remembering. And you are predictable and linear in your ways. You won’t let Tenten suffer. Even as I say this to you, you still know you’ll go to her. You’ll lose us and fail your mission. But it’s either that, or let Tenten die. And you’ve already made your choice.”

For a moment, it looked like Lee wouldn’t do as Naruto had predicted. For a brief moment Sasuke could see that Lee fully intended to fight them both and drag Naruto back to the Hokage. But Tenten screamed once more, and this time her voice cut out and a sick, gurgling sound hit Lee’s ears. Before they knew it, he had disappeared from view, leaping up into the trees to find her.

“Tenten?” Lee whispered softly, walking along the branches.

He saw the glint of moonlight hitting metal in her hand, and quickly made his way to her. But what he saw nearly made him fall away in horror. Tenten was impaled against the trunk of the tree by a long, thin sword that had pierced her straight through the stomach. The blood was still spreading and staining her clothing, thin laces of blood flowing to her feet. Her hands were pinned to either side of her body, long blades pierced through them so they couldn’t move from the tree trunk. And then, the thin, needle-like blade that had stabbed her straight through the throat. The scent of a well-known poison hit his nostrils, and he knew that the sword was covered in it.

“Tenten,” Lee said, trying not to panic. “I’m going to get help! I promise I’ll be back!”

He didn’t know whether or not she could hear him, and he couldn’t bring himself to check her pulse. He had to believe she was alive.

“Lee,” a deep, eerie voice whispered.

The whisper flowed with the wind and nearly disappeared as it passed his ears.

“Lee… let’s play….”

Lee sensed something behind him and quickly turned around. But there was no one there. He even looked down to the ground below and saw that Naruto and Sasuke were long gone. He suddenly had the sick feeling that leaving Tenten alone might not be an option. He turned to face her once more.

“LET’S PLAY!!!!”

Lee’s almost yelled out when Tenten’s head snapped up, her eyes lifeless and blood flowing down her lips. She ripped her hands away from the tree, spraying blood onto them both. Lee, for the first time in a long time, had no idea how to act. So he had no time to prepare himself when Tenten pulled the needle from her own throat and aimed it at his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shikamaru put all of his items together to go on his mission. He always had to carry very little, because not only had he figured out the probability of using certain so-called “necessary” items for a mission, there was also the fact that carrying too much was simply too troublesome. However, he did have some necessary additions, such as a few slips of paper with Naruto’s and Sasuke’s likes and dislikes, and a few vials of specially-made antidote that Sakura had provided him.

“Their medicinal knowledge is incredible in the desert, as is their knowledge of poison,” Sakura had told him.

The sun wasn’t up yet when he arrived at the meeting spot on the road out of the village. Chouji was well-prepared and wide awake. Ino, on the other hand looked incredibly ruffled and tired. Sakura looked just as tired, but a little more eager to leave and find her teammates. Kiba wasn’t being his usual loud self, and he rode around on Akamaru in a small circle. And then there was Shino, who wore his sunglasses despite the sun still sleeping, and Shikamaru couldn’t tell he if he was tired or not.

“So this is it,” Shikamaru sighed. “Six here, six not.” He glanced to Akamaru. “Seven here, six not.”

“We finally get to take action,” Kiba said. “It’s about time.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru nodded, “But we didn’t expect so few to be going, and we thought we would be able to send separate teams to deal with Gaara’s village and Naruto’s disappearance. But now we can only deal with Gaara’s village and hope we run into a clue that gets us to Naruto.”

“And Hinata,” Kiba said softly.

“To recap for those of you who have been busy,” Shikamaru said, getting everyone’s attention, “First we’ll start with Team Kurenai. Hinata was kidnapped and might still be in a coma. But if we find her unharmed we might have to leave her, as our mission is to obtain information about the sand village.

“Next, Team Kakashi. Naruto is still deep in the memory illusion and a danger to everyone. If we find any information regarding him we are to find him immediately. This isn’t the norm, but if we see Naruto, we have to put the sand village mission on hold to bring him back. We can’t chance his power getting out of control.

“Sasuke was last seen with Naruto. He still has his memory loss, but we don’t know much more about his mental state at the moment. I’m sure you can all imagine what will happen if he suddenly starts to have flashbacks if and when we find him. Never let your guard down no matter how weak this new Sasuke seems.

“Next, Team Gai. Tenten and Lee were attacked days ago. Tenten is in critical condition. Lee is stable, but unable to participate. The attacker is currently unknown, as security only returned to its normal state a couple days ago when the last of the village was tested for memory loss, with people either being cured or replaced. Everyone is now aware of who to let into the village and who to place into custody, which was difficult when the same people they saw everyday were suddenly found to be under the illusion.

“Neji isn’t here for many reasons. Firstly, as we know, he’s one of the most dangerous and powerful people in the village, and Tsunade doesn’t want to lose him to this illusion. Secondly, the Hyuuga clan seems to have intervened because Hiashi is gone, and Hinata is missing, and they don’t feel comfortable with the head of the clan and the head daughter AND Neji leaving the village. And then there is the fact that Neji himself isn‘t sure what would happen if he fell under that illusion.

“Finally, Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai will stay back to protect the village in case of retaliation for whatever damage we do. Any questions?”

“What are the teams when we need to separate?” Shino asked.

“Ino and Chouji will stay with me since the rest of you have some serious bad luck running through your teams,” Shikamaru smirked. “The remaining team is Shino, Kiba, and Sakura with Shino as the leader. Anymore questions?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Well now!” Kakashi said, walking up with his trademark masked smile. “Quite the teams here. Don’t stay away too long.”

Sakura glanced to Kakashi, who looked so relaxed even with Naruto and Sasake gone. She wished she had the same faith and strength he did right now. She watched curiously as Kakashi walked up and handed Shikamaru a very small package, which Shikamaru quickly tucked into his pack. In fact, everyone leaned in for a closer look, but thought against asking right now.

“Hurry up,” Kakashi smiled. “Get going.”

Shikamaru grinned. “Yes sir. Alright guys, move out.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m sorry, Neji,” Lee said.

Neji looked up to see that Lee was awake. Their circle of friends had seen enough of the hospital these past few months, so Lee was given permission to rest at home. Tenten, however, had to remain under close supervision in the hospital.

“I feel stupid, falling for something like that,” Lee continued. “I got careless. I was overconfident.”

Neji cracked a smile. “The same as always then?”

Lee frowned, but it wasn’t genuine.

“Will you be in bed much longer?” Neji asked.

“I didn’t get much poison because Tenten missed my heart,” Lee said. “It sounds weird, doesn’t it? To say that Tenten missed….”

“She didn’t want to hit you,” Neji said. “She was already unconscious.”

Lee nodded.

“Where is Gai-sensei?” he asked.

“He was panicking over you, so I sent him home,” Neji smirked.

“And he listened to you?”

“He did. Deep down he knows you’ll be perfectly okay. He’s probably just very hurt after seeing Tenten.”

Lee sat up slowly.

“Neji,” he said, examining his friend. “Why aren’t you out there with the others? And don’t tell me what the Hyuuga’s want or what Tsunade wants. They’d all listen to you if you really wanted to go.”

Neji sighed and looked away for a moment.

“Old demons,” he said. “I have a lot. And it seems that no matter how strong people have grown over the years, no matter how much they’ve softened themselves to the past, the painful memories don’t go away. The pain still lives in our pasts and can be erased by a simple illusion. And if my painful memories are erased, I think I might lose myself. I fear I’d be as bad as Naruto, Sasuke, or Gaara. I‘ll forget my friends out of guilt for treating them so badly in the past, especially Hinata. I‘ll forget my clan for hating them in the past for the wrong reasons. I‘ll forget my father because of the way I suffered when I saw him suffering. And I‘ll lose myself, for in the past I hated my future, even though it hadn‘t come to pass yet.”

“But we remember,” Lee said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and even if you did lose all of your memories, you’d be one of the ones to regain them because we remember for you. While Sasuke was surrounded by and driven by others who ran on hatred, you’ve been surrounded by friends, even if you didn’t know it in the past. It isn’t as though you’ve had years without acknowledgement like Naruto or years of hell with Orochimaru like Sasuke. It isn’t as though people have lived in fear of you since your birth like Gaara. Most of your old demons are made of guilt. And we’ll all be around to tell you that there is no reason to feel guilty.”

Neji looked toward the window to see a bird flutter by.

“Thank you, Lee,” he smiled. “But I think I should go now. I have to talk to Tsunade about something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Lee grinned. “Can’t have you running off alone.”

“Such words of the springtime of youth!” Gai yelled, popping up out of no where, startling them half to death. “Oh my students! How much like me you have become!” He suddenly grew stern. “But you will give the others a head start,” he said, tossing a vial of antidote to Lee.

“But--!” Lee began.

“You have a strong poison in you,” Gai said, shaking his head. “You have to let it cycle through. Besides, you and Neji are a great deal faster than the others.”

“It’s fine,” Neji nodded. “I still have to convince Tsunade anyway. “But something tells me she’ll say ‘yes’ if it means getting Naruto back.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hello again, Naruto,” a gentle voice said. “You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you. But as you can see, due to our past encounter, I haven’t aged at all.”

“Who are you?” Naruto asked. “Where am I?”

“You’ve forgotten me? Well, I suppose that’s natural. We met years ago, after all. And we didn‘t know each other long. My name is Haku.”

Naruto stared at the boy for a long while. He had a beautiful face, long hair, and gentle eyes.

“I don’t recognize you at all,” Naruto said flatly. “I don’t have time to play with kids.”

“Is that so?” Haku asked. “It’s sad, Naruto, to see you without your carefree nature. But I must admit that I might have messed that up a bit for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“I trust that Sasuke didn’t die from my attack? I didn’t aim to kill, and I wasn’t one for missing. I am out of practice now, however.”

“Why?!”

“My body moved on its own….”

“Sasuke…?!”

“What’s that look for…? You complete… moron….”

“I didn’t ask you to do this! Sasuke! Sasuke?! SASUKE!!!”

“…You must live on….”

Naruto dug his fingers into his hair, pushing something deeper into his mind the harder he tried to recall it.

“Don’t tell me I miscalculated?” Haku said with a worried look. “Surely he’s alive now. But if he did die, it was such an honorable death. For him to die for you like that….”

Naruto swallowed, getting a headache. “He’s alive.”

“Good!” Haku smiled. “I could tell he meant a lot to you.”

Naruto flinched at those words.

“He doesn’t mean anything to me,” he hissed. “And neither do you.”

“I suppose I should expect that,” Haku smiled sadly. “It was through me that you finally saw death, wasn’t it? I wonder how horrible my body must have looked when I died. I only remember sparks, a brief surge, and then sudden warmth. Soon after it happened, I realized that I had done exactly what I wanted to do. I did what I was dedicated to do, and I hope that you are still dedicated to something fully.”

“If he was ever anything, it was dedicated,” someone else said.

Naruto turned to see someone new approaching. He shot a questioning look towards Haku, but Haku had disappeared. Naruto turned in a circle once, trying to catch sight of him again, but he really wasn’t there anymore.

“Look at you,” the new young man said. “You’ve really become a pathetic little bastard, haven’t you?”

This young man was about Naruto’s age, and had short black hair and eyes, and he always wore a smile. Though there was something wrong with that smile. Something hidden. It mimicked something warm, but it was really very cold and unfeeling. It wasn’t genuine at all.

“So Sasuke has become a traitor again, and this time you’ve joined him. You’re both lower than slime, aren’t you? Everything I said when I first met you really turned out to be true.”

“Who are you?” Naruto asked, frustrated. “What do you people want with me?”

“Don’t pretend not to know me,” the young man smiled. “I’m a much more recent addition to your life than Haku. You can’t have forgotten me. I’m a teammate of yours after all.”

“You’re no teammate of mine. You were no where in the pictures I had of my past. I’m sure of that. There were twelve of us.”

“Someone had to replace the traitor, remember? But if you insist on playing the fool, I’ll tell you. My name is Sai. Pleased to meet you… again.”

“Sai?” Naruto said slowly, trying to pull up a memory.

“I see that you’ve been trying to cover up for that small penis of yours lately,” Sai smiled. “I thought you got over that. I thought you learned to control yourself a little more than this.”

“Look asshole--” Naruto began sharply.

“Naruto,” someone said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder from behind.

Naruto whirled around, intending to throw a punch at however dared to touch him, but he couldn’t bring himself to once his eyes landed on another young man, the same age as himself and Sai. This young man, with an expressionless face and strong eyes all framed by reddish-brown hair, looked at Naruto as an equal. Naruto’s eyes couldn’t help but focus on the red mark that stood out on his forehead. It was the character for the word “love.”

And now, it was Sai’s turn to disappear.

“Naruto,” the young man said gently. “You won’t find yourself if you continue on this path. You’ll only know sorrow, as I did all my life before I met you.”

All of Naruto’s anger faded. When he looked into this person’s face he saw himself reflected somehow. It was as though he knew they had some kind of understanding that no one else could share.

“You have my acknowledgement,” the young man said. “Because of you the Sand and the Leaf will be allies for generations to come. You’ve taught me a lot, and because I have been given a new life through your teachings, I hope to teach others in my own village.”

Naruto felt tears rising into his blue eyes just as the world around him started to dissolve.

“Wait,” he called out as the young man started to fade with the world around him. “Wait!”

“There is still time, Naruto. You can still make things right….”

He vanished and faded into the coming reality, though Naruto desperately tried to find him again.

“Come back! GAARA!”

Naruto extended his hand to the last place Gaara stood, but after blinking just once he realized that he was now staring at the ceiling from a bed in a very dark room. And the dream that had just left him was fading fast. But for whatever reason, he still remembered the young man’s name. Gaara.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Cousin Neji?” little Hinata whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you crying?”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” the little boy screamed. “I hate you! I don’t want to protect you! I HATE YOU HINATA! YOU AND YOUR FATHER!”

Hinata trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. She watched as her sobbing cousin ran from her. In turn, she ran to her father in tears and told him what Neji had said. But for some reason, her stoic father looked even more cold than usual.

“Daddy!” Hinata cried. “What’s wrong. Do you hate me too?”

Hinata’s father closed his eyes and placed a hand on her head.

“Hinata,” he said softly. “Forgive Neji for saying those things. I must tell you this. Your uncle Hizashi is gone, Hinata.”

“Gone?”

“Yes. Uncle Hizashi has died. Neji no longer has a father.”

“Why?” Hinata asked, bursting into tears again.

“Because of me…” she thought she heard her father whisper.

She charged at Neji as both of them fought in what had been the most important battle in their lives. She was just twelve, and he was only thirteen, but they knew, deep down, that this would change the course of things forever.

Hinata was bruised and in pain from head to toe. Blood slowly seeped from her lips. But Naruto was watching this whole exam, and she knew she had to win. She had to fight, though it was harder when she realized that she hadn’t managed to injure Neji at all.

She lunged at him, palm ready, though she could no longer produce enough chakra to stop his attacks. But she wouldn’t give up. She would try. There was a chance she could beat him, and she would take it. Her palm reached forward faster than the eye could see and she saw it headed for his chest. But Neji’s speed was much greater, and with an easy twist of one hand he blocked her attack, and with the other hand he delivered one of his own. Everyone around them watched, waiting to see who would falter.

And then, Hinata fell.

It was like slow motion to her as she fell to his side, her heart feeling as though it would burst, blood rushing from her mouth. She hit the ground hard, never feeling so much physical pain in her life. But what hurt the most was the cold way Neji regarded her. But he watched her stand once more to face him, and she told him that she knew he was in emotional pain with the issues of their family. And as if exposing something he didn’t want everyone to see, even though his last blow to her would surely become fatal if not treated soon, he ran at her with explosive speed. It took four of the elite Jounin teachers to keep him from killing her on the spot.

When she approached she saw Gai sensei practically crying tears of joy upon finding that Neji had been promoted to the elite Jounin level. Tsunade and Kakashi were smiling, trying to calm Gai’s excitement, and Kurenai and Asuma shook their heads with bright grins. Hinata was more happy for Neji than he realized. He was the first in their large circle of friends to reach such a high rank. The rest of them were the average Chuunin level, except for Naruto and Sasuke who were both away from the village and therefore weren’t present to take the retake Chuunin exam, leaving them behind the others. The only one who surpassed Neji in rank among their friends was Gaara, who became the Kazekage, leader of the sand village. Also, Gaara’s siblings, Kankuro and Temari also became Jounin for the sand village.

But in Konoha, there were no doubts about Neji’s talent. Within a year of hitting the Chuunin level he had already been promoted again. Tsunade was fully aware of his unsurpassed fighting ability, leadership abilities, and most importantly, his calm and collected nature. Hinata had no doubt that at the moment, there were few people in existence who could lay a finger on Neji.

She finally realized that he wasn’t with the celebrating teachers, and she wandered off back home to see if he was informing her father of his achievement. He would do so humbly of course, as was often his nature now. Neji had changed so much over the past couple years. It was only a couple years ago that he was her family’s enemy, but now he lived with them and made peace with them. He came to Hinata, head bowed, asking forgiveness. He was once again part of the Hyuuga family.

She walked into the house but saw no sign of her father or sister. Someone was approaching from the hallway though, and she turned to see Neji rounding the corner. He stopped when he saw her and smiled gently. Her mouth nearly fell open when she saw what he was wearing. He was now clothed in the robes of the Hyuuga clan, specially fitted to suit his lifestyle of constantly being on the move and fighting together with Lee and Tenten and Gai.

He walked up to her and placed a brotherly hand on her head.

“You look wonderful,” Hinata smiled shyly.

“I feel wonderful,” he smiled. “Thank you, Hinata, for everything.”

And then, years after Naruto’s and Sasuke‘s return to them, she had almost forgotten someone so close. She had fallen into that memory altering illusion. But Neji brought her back, and when she came to she was staring up into those serene white eyes.

“Hinata… wake up….”

Hinata slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her vision was blurry and she felt so weak and drained. There was very little her mind would process until she saw someone sitting to her side. A young, blonde woman with empty eyes and a smile that made her look like an oversized doll. It took a few minutes for Hinata to recognize who she was looking at.

This horribly empty looking person was Temari. Hinata was in the Hidden Village of the Sand.

Hinata thought back, and the last thing she remembered was Naruto’s Rasengan attack blasting her into the lake. As she thought she started to circulate the chakra in her body the best she could, which in turn got her blood flowing enough to make her feel warmer and a little less weak. Soon her vision started to focus a little more, but the more it did, the more she knew that something was horribly wrong with Temari, who sat staring into space beside Hinata’s bed without moving or saying a word.

Someone opened the door and Hinata quickly shut her eyes and pretended still be in her coma.

“So this one is broken?” asked a man’s voice as his footsteps made their way to Temari.

“Yes, unfortunately,” said another man. “Isn’t it sad. We put so much effort into erasing their painful thoughts, and they return the favor by breaking down. It just goes to show that most people are not worthy of purity.”

“But she is alive, which is all I need right now,” the first man said in an amused voice.

Hinata kept herself from jumping in surprise when she heard Temari pulled from her chair and felt Temari’s weight suddenly fall onto her body. Temari’s soft chest was pressed against Hinata’s stomach, and there was the shifting of fabric to the side of the bed. Hinata gathered the strength to open her eyes just enough to see the man undoing his robes, and then preparing to undo Temari’s clothing as well. But Temari made no sound and no attempt to fight. Disgusted and terrified, Hinata made the mistake of opening her eyes too wide, and the man who planned on observing Temari’s rape suddenly gasped and pointed to Hinata.

The man who had bent Temari over the bed quickly pulled her motionless body away with such force that she hit the wall behind him when he released her. She slowly slid down to her knees on the floor, still smiling that horrible smile.

“It looks like my new good girl is waking up,” the man who threw Temari said.

Hinata stared up at him with frightened eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” he smiled darkly. “You’ll know true peace without pain or suffering once you’re all better.”

And then he smiled at the other man before leaving, but not before forcing Temari to stand and pulling her along with him. And then, for the moment, Hinata was left alone to heal and to think.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Boys, get cleaned up for dinner,” Mrs. Uchiha yelled from the kitchen. “You both smell terrible. Dinner is almost ready Itachi, take Sasuke with you.”

Itachi finished stretching and stood up slowly. He glanced over to his little brother, who was covered with dirt and mud from attempting to train with him that day.

“Let’s go, Sasuke,” Itachi said gently.

To Sasuke, Itachi’s voice was always gentle, but still a bit cold. Though, he was used to it by now. Itachi showed no emotions. Sasuke had only noticed this recently when he started going to school and meeting different people.

“Quickly,” Itachi said. “Dinner is almost finished. You must be hungry.”

Sasuke obediently took his clothes off, and Itachi did the same. They stepped into the shower room and Itachi nudged a stool over for Sasuke to sit on. He then turned on the showerhead and started to wash himself off. Sasuke watched the water on the shower room floor grow a bit darker with his older brother’s dirt and sweat. He then watched it darken even more after Itachi handed him the showerhead to rinse himself off. Itachi had fully soaped up and rinsed and moved into the tub, and Sasuke was still washing dirt and mud off.

Finally, with a glint of what Sasuke thought might have been amusement in his eyes, Itachi reached out and took the soap, helping his little brother to get clean. Sasuke tried to get this dirt from his fingernails so his mother wouldn’t scold him, and Itachi started to shampoo his little brother’s hair. After much work, Sasuke joined Itachi in the tub. Sasuke gave a deep relaxed sigh and slid deep into the hot water.

“Tired?” Itachi asked.

“Yeah,” Sasuke beamed.

“You did well today,” Itachi said.

“Really?” Sasuke smiled brightly.

“Really.”

Sasuke lunged forward and threw his arms around Itachi’s neck. He then scooted back over to his side of the tub to sink into the water again with a smile.

“Can we go again tomorrow?” Sasuke asked hopefully.

“Forgive me, Sasuke,” Itachi said. “Another time. I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

Sasuke sighed with his mouth underwater, making little bubbles at the surface. He then smiled cutely and nodded with understanding.

Itachi shifted uncomfortably where he sat and looked as though he were deep in thought for a while. Then, he reached out and picked up one of the bottles near the tub.

“I’m not that sore,” Sasuke said, eying the strong smelling massage oil.

“You will be later,” Itachi said. “You must prevent these things, in case something were to happen later and you need to take action.”

Sasuke sighed and climbed out of the tub, standing next to it. Itachi opened the bottle and started to pour the liquid onto this hand. Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the smell, but extended his arms anyway. Itachi took each hand and rubbed the oil over Sasuke’s arms.

“Turn around,” Itachi said, ignoring Sasuke’s sneer at the smell.

But Sasuke did have to admit that the warm oil felt nice on his skin. Itachi rubbed it over his shoulders and back gently, which was instantly relaxing. He then felt Itachi’s hands move over his behind, then down to the backs of his thighs, then to his calves. By now the scent was so strong that Sasuke thought he would be dizzy.

“Hold still,” Itachi said.

Sasuke heard the water splash a bit as Itachi got into a more comfortable position to reach forward and pull Sasuke so that his behind was against the edge of the tub. Itachi then reached in front of his younger brother, lowering his head to Sasuke’s side as he rubbed the oil over the front of his calves and thighs.

“Want me to turn around?” Sasuke asked curiously.

“No.”

The bottle squirted again, and Itachi’s hands glinded over Sasuke’s chest, down to his stomach.

“Done?” Sasuke asked anxiously, either wanting to get back into the tub or to go eat.

“Not yet.”

Sasuke let out a surprised yelp as Itachi wrapped one arm around him while the other slid past his naval, rubbing the oil over his groin.

“What are you--”

“It’s painful to pull a groin muscle,” Itachi said simply. “You wouldn’t be able to train for days if you did it.”

Sasuke nodded as Itachi’s hand continued to slid between his legs, the warm oil feeling better than he wanted to admit. Finally Itachi released him.

“Back into the tub for a bit,” Itachi said.

Sasuke nodded and climbed back into the tub, giving another relaxed sigh.

“Sasuke,” Itachi said with a wave of his hand. “Come here.”

Sasuke blinked and inched forward from his side of the tub, waiting for Itachi to tap him on the forehead or splash him in the face. But instead, Itachi reached for him and pulled him into a hug, Sasuke’s legs on either side of his.

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asked, surprised at the affection from his stoic older brother.

Itachi said nothing, he only held Sasuke against his chest. But soon, one arm fell away and Sasuke felt Itachi’s hand moving beneath his backside. Suddenly, something pressed against his behind, dangerously close to entering his body in a place where things normally only exited. Slowly, without letting go of Sasuke, Itachi started to lean forward, and Sasuke felt himself sitting back onto whatever was threatening to enter him from below. Ever so slowly, Itachi continued to push his weight forward, and in his confusion Sasuke wrapped his arms around his brother tightly.

“Sasuke…” Itachi whispered.

“Boys!” their mother called out from behind the shower room door. “Come on! Dinner is ready!

Sasuke practically jumped and Itachi immediately let go of him.

“Go on,” Itachi said softly. “Go out first. I’ll be there soon.”

Sasuke nodded and trotted out to get dressed. Before the door closed he saw Itachi reaching for the showerhead and turning the water to an unpleasantly cold temperature. After the door shut he heard his brother leave the tub, and he heard the shower‘s spray for a good few minutes.

Sasuke looked down at the golden colored shower floor as he stood under the water’s spray. It seemed as though more filth was coming off of him then he thought he had on him. Somehow he felt it mirrored his relationship with Naruto right now. He couldn’t see his sweat washing away because of the floor’s color, but he could see the hint of blood and feel Naruto’s semen leaking from his body. It hadn’t been long since Naruto needed another release, and Sasuke was his toy. It was hard and fast with Sasuke against the shower wall, Naruto behaving like a slave to his most animalistic urges. But it made Sasuke feel as though someone wanted him and needed him for something. No one in Konoha seemed to want him. And if they did want him, they didn’t want him to be happy anymore. They wanted that dark, depressing shadow that he once was.

Sasuke cleared his throat and tasted the salty cum at the very back of his tongue. He swallowed hard and shut his eyes, trying to relax.

And then he sank to his knees, trying to let the shower wash away the tears of shame and depression. So this is what it felt like to be wanted by someone…. And if this person didn’t want him, then no one would want him. There was only one more option open to him that would wipe this pain away.

Death.