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Reflections and Shadows	By : twistedsheets Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1577 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
Disclaimer: The day
Naruto belongs to me is the day the world will come to an end.
Author�s note: Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. I
AM STILL ALIVE! Sorry, sorry! Here is the next chapter. I didn�t put the lemon.
I decided it wouldn�t do well for the mood of this chapter.
And please read Chibi-onna1�s fanfics (specifically
Filling the Void and Queer Eye�)! She�s really
good.
Warnings: Yaoi. Light
Violence. Run away if scared.
Pairings: NaruSasu. KakaIru. ShikaIno, NejiHina,
SakuLee�and a whole lot more!

Chapter XI: Walking Barefoot on Broken Glass,
Part II

The Godaime Hokage was angry.
�I thought you�d have calmed down by now,
Tsunade,� Jiraiya said as he entered the Hokage�s office. He glanced at the
overturned furniture, the broken pottery, and the scattered papers. He took a
deep breath, inhaling the dry, choking scent of burnt wood. Tsunade�s tantrums
could be destructive sometimes. �But I guess you�re not.�
�They�re idiots,� Tsunade said in a flat,
unfriendly tone. She sat behind her table, feet dangling over one of the
armrests of her chair, one of the few furniture in the room undamaged.
�It�s their decision, Tsunade.� Jiraiya
picked up an upturned chair, positioned it upright, and sat on it. �And as much
as we both hate it, the Uchiha does have a point. They are not your only
concern. You have the whole village to take of.�
Tsunade grimaced. That was certainly true.
Amidst all the confusion, two high-ranking nins had defected from their
village, thus making themselves missing-nins. Tsunade has just only found out,
and sent a team to retrieve them, preferably dead. Looking at her, Jiraiya
could tell she was very much in the mood to mount heads on spikes right now.
��We�re lucky they�re not asking permission to go and kill
Orochimaru.� The toad sannin pulled out a bottle of sake from his belt, as well
as two small bowls and wordlessly offered them to Tsunade.
Tsunade took one of the tiny bowls. �What
makes you think they�ll actually ask my permission to kill Orochimaru?�
she asked as Jiraiya poured sake for her. She downed it in one gulp.
�Sasuke might not, but Naruto probably would.
Or maybe not.� Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. �So, why did you ask me to come here?
I�m sure you didn�t invite me here for the pleasure of my company or my sake.�
Tsunade slammed the sake cup on the table. �I
want to ask a few questions about a certain scroll your student left to the
Sandaime Hokage.� She then drew out an old sealed scroll, its pages yellowed
with age, edges already frayed and crumbling.�
Ah. That scroll. Jiraiya�s eyes
widened; it has been a long time since he�d seen it. �What about it?�
�What want I to know is what exactly is in
it, and who are the people who have seen it.�
�There�s nothing in it, Tsunade-hime. At
least, nothing I could see.�
Tsunade�s eyes narrowed. �What? What do you
mean?�
The Toad Sannin closed his eyes, remembering.
�He showed me what was inside that scroll once, a week before he died. It was
blank. I told him this and he just smiled at me. From what I�ve gathered,
whatever�s in that scroll, it�s not meant for everyone�s eyes, only for
selected people.�
Tsunade looked disappointed, then frowned in
thought. �I see. Did he tell you what�s inside?�
�Not much. Why the sudden interest in it? Is
it because of what happened recently?�
�Yes.� Tsunade picked up a scrap of parchment
from her table. �It seems your student gave instructions to the Sandaime about
that scroll, and told him something about it.� She squinted her eyes as she
read the notes. They were written in what could only be described as �chicken
scratch� scrawl, thus making it hard to read. �What he says here is that this
scroll should be given to his heir once their bloodline has been renewed, or
we�re to give it when he reaches his twentieth year.�
Jiraiya scratched his head. �His heir already
has children, well, child now.� The thought made him sad and angry at the same
time. They were two, and now only one was left. Jiraiya remembered the girl
most, the way she giggled as she tugged his hair. Jiraiya looked at Tsunade,
who glanced away. �You think they�ll never find the girl, don�t you? You think
she�s dead.�
Tsunade didn�t reply immediately, and then
with a sigh, she finally said, �Yes. It�s been weeks since�then. I doubt we�d
find the girl alive.� She waved her hand. �Don�t get me wrong. I want the girl
to be alive, but with each passing day, the chance of her being found alive
grows smaller and smaller. It�s a miracle if she would be found at all�dead or
alive. You should know that.�
Jiraiya had been a part of the search for Hisoka
since the start. They�d scoured the riverbanks, asked the neighboring villages,
leaving no stone unturned, but have turned up nothing. It was as if the river
had swallowed Hisoka up and like a greedy monster, refused to spit her out.
Everyday, he could feel the growing frustration and fear in Naruto, even
Sasuke, making it harder and harder for Jiraiya to tell them that Hisoka was
lost to them. �Have you told them that?�
�Not yet. Perhaps I should. Tomorrow, maybe.
It would be cruel to raise their hopes up, only to be let down in the end.�
Tsunade shook her head. �I don�t think it would make any difference, though,
when I tell them.�
She looked at Jiraiya then, her sad, tired
eyes belying the youth of her face. �Why did it have to happen to them? They were
so happy. Orochimaru�I would never forgive him for this. Never.�
�Neither will I, and I think they would never
forgive, too. I just hope they�re old and wise enough to prioritize their
remaining child than revenge.�
�I hope so, too. But they are still grieving,
Jiraiya, and grief can be overwhelming, even to the strongest of hearts. It
could break them, as it did to me.�
They were silent for a moment, and then
Tsunade cleared her throat. Jiraiya didn�t miss the hoarseness in her voice and
the brightness in her eyes when she spoke again. �Anyway, as I was saying, his
heir wasn�t given this when he was with child, but,� Tsunade paused, drumming
her fingers on the table, �I believe it�s possible he has seen this scroll.�
�And why do you think so, Tsunade-hime?�
�I found the scroll lying on the floor a few
days ago, when I was searching for something else. It bore no signs of being
tampered or opened. I didn�t think much about it; I thought it had just fallen
from the shelf. But when I picked it up to put it back in its place, I
felt�something.� Exasperated, Tsunade let out a sigh. �I can�t explain what it
was, but I sensed something had changed in that scroll, which was strange,
because I have never touched it before.�
�And you researched about it, and found that
it was the scroll my student left for his son. So what has the scroll have to
about what happened with Naruto and his family?�
�Naruto worked in that place when he was
pregnant with the twins. Given Naruto�s nature, he could have opened that
scroll out of curiosity.�
�That�s more than possible, but you
said the scroll wasn�t tampered with.� Jiraiya felt a headache coming, and it
wasn�t because of the sake.
�It doesn�t look tampered with. The
seal isn�t broken. I suppose I should ask Naruto about it.� Tsunade looked at
the parchment again. �It also says here that the scroll contains information
about the reflection and the shadow.�
�Reflection and shadow? What�s that?� It
seemed like his headache was about to become a full-blown migraine.
�I don�t know. I was hoping you knew
something about it. You�re useless, Jiraiya.� She ignored the Toad sannin�s
outraged gasp. �What disturbs me is what Sasuke said when I asked him about
what happened when Orochimaru came face to face with him.� Tsunade gripped the
parchment in her hand. �Before Orochimaru threw Hisoka into the river, he said
to Sasuke, �Your daughter has no use to me without her brother. She is only
a shadow to her brother�s reflection.��
Jiraiya went cold all over as he finally
pieced things together. �Then��
�Then Orochimaru knows something about what�s
inside the scroll. How he found and how much he knows, I can only guess, but
the point is, he knows.� Tsunade shook her head. �It can�t be just a
coincidence that he told Sasuke about the reflection and the shadow. And I
don�t think it�s also a coincidence that he took both of the twins.�
�So the question now, is, what are we going
to do?�
Tsunade slumped in her seat. �I don�t know.�
She eyed the scroll on the table warily. �I suppose we have no choice now but
to give this scroll to him when he turns twenty, seeing as we missed the last
opportunity to do so.�
�Don�t you think that after what happened, we
should give it to him now?�
�That�s exactly why we should wait. If they
read this now, in their current state, I don�t know what they�ll do.�
Jiraiya nodded, but then he frowned. �I don�t
see the difference. Naruto�s going to kill when he reads this, anyway,
regardless of when we give him the scroll.�
Before Tsunade could reply, there was
discreet knock on the door. �Tsunade-sama, it�s me, Shizune.�
�Enter.� Tsunade raised her brows when she
saw Iruka just behind Shizune and the squirming bundle in her arms. �Why is
Hikaru with you?�
�Sasuke and Naruto are having a
little�discussion,� Iruka said. �We decided it was best that we get out of the
way.�
�About damn time.� Tsunade muttered. �They
better not destroy my tower with their discussion, though, or I�ll have both
their heads.� She tossed the scroll to Jiraiya, who caught it with a startled
yelp. �You keep that until the time comes.� Sighing, she looked at Hikaru, who
was wiggling in Shizune�s arms. �Looks like I won�t have much sleep tonight.�
------
�Sasuke-kun.�
Hot. The water was hot, almost scalding as it
hit him in tiny, hard bursts, like red-hot needles piercing through his skin.
Sasuke stood under the shower, still and unmoving, one hand pressed against the
tiles, the other gripping the shower knob.
�Your daughter has no use to
me without her brother. She is only a shadow to her brother�s reflection. As
the Kyuubi brat has your son, it is only fair that I do this.�
Fingers
stiffened into claws, nails scraping against the tiles. �NO!�
�Now we are, as they say,
quits, my dear Sasuke-kun.�
Swirls of steam curled around Sasuke, but the
heat he felt had nothing to do with the water. Claws turned into tight fists,
and in a heartbeat, he slammed one against the tiles.
The tiles shattered on impact, scattering
bits of porcelain shards into the air. One caught Sasuke by the cheek, slicing
through the flesh. A streak of blood appeared, but the hot water quickly washed
it away, leaving only a stinging pain in its wake. He could feel his fist throb
from the abuse it had taken, but he didn�t care.
Outside, he could hear footsteps, hard and
heavy beats against the floor. Naruto. So the time had come for their
confrontation, the one Sasuke knew was long overdue. He had expected it
earlier, but he had once again underestimated Naruto�s capability for tolerance
and patience.
Not that they had much opportunity in the
first place. Sasuke spent almost all his time training and looking for Hisoka,
coming back to the tower only to eat, change, or sleep. He hadn�t done much of
that in the past few days, too. Kakashi had remarked that he was getting
thinner, and that he was paler than a corpse.
With a quick twist, he shut off the shower.
Stepping out of the stall, he grabbed one of the towels and began vigorously
rubbing himself dry. He quickly dressed himself and went to the living room,
where he found Naruto leaning against a post, his eyes closed. They snapped
open as soon as Sasuke was a few feet away. �Sasuke,� he began, �we need to
talk.�
�What do you want?� he said in deadpan voice.
�I think we should postpone joining the
search for tomorrow and the ones for the rest of the week. Let the others do it
for now.�
Sasuke snorted. �You can�t be serious,
Naruto. I�m not about to leave to those idiots the search for my daughter,� he
said, his voice filled with contempt. The ANBU had proven themselves utterly
useless in protecting his children and looking for Hisoka. It would be
stupidity to leave the search to them.
Naruto took another deep breath. �We need a
break, Sasuke. It�s been almost two weeks.�
�A break?� He stared at Naruto in disbelief,
and then frowned when he realized the blonde was serious. Rage surged within
him. �So what are you suggesting? That we forget about Hisoka? That we give up
looking for her? Is that what you want, Naruto?�
�That�s not what I meant, Sasuke! I��
�I won�t do it! You don�t understand,� Sasuke
spat out. �You would never understand.� He could feel his whole body
shaking with fury. What was Naruto thinking? �
Naruto recoiled at Sasuke�s words, as if he�d
been punched in the stomach. �Fuck you, Sasuke!� he snarled out. �Don�t you
fucking dare say that! You�re not the only one who�s suffering here!
Hisoka was my daughter, too. I carried her in me for nine months! I felt her
kick within me. I gave birth to her.� Naruto jabbed his trembling
finger on Sasuke�s chest, tears in his eyes. �I love her, damn you, no less
than you love her.�
�Then why do you want to postpone the
search?� Grabbing Naruto by his collar, he hauled him closer, until they were a
few inches apart. Sasuke looked at Naruto straight in the eye. �Do you think
she�s dead?�
Dead. The word hung between them,
a sharp knife poised to cut and make them bleed at the slightest touch. Sasuke
knew it was the first time any one of them gave voice the word they�d so feared
since Hisoka�s fall into the river.
�No,� Naruto replied in a quiet voice. He
shook his head. �I don�t know, Sasuke.� He put a hand over his heart. �I can�t
feel her anymore, but that doesn�t mean she�s really dead. I can�t accept that
she�s gone�I don�t want to accept that she�s dead.�
�She�s not dead.� Sasuke abruptly let go of
Naruto�s collar, causing the blonde to stumble back. �If she�s dead�Naruto, if
she is dead�� Sasuke�s eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists, �it would be my
fault she died,� he said. My fault. My sin. �I didn�t reach her in time.
I��
Naruto�s fist hit Sasuke squarely on the jaw,
cutting off the Uchiha�s words. Sasuke took a few steps back. �Don�t say that!
If Hisoka were dead, it wouldn�t be your fault. Orochimaru would be the
one who killed her. You weren�t the one who threw her into the river.�
�You don�t understand! I let her die!� The
air around them whistled as Sasuke slammed his sore fist into Naruto�s cheek.
Naruto�s head snapped back at the blow, and it threw him almost halfway across
the room, landing on the floor with a loud thump.
Sasuke could hear their ragged breathing,
loud and strong inside the room, punctuated by the heavy beats of their hearts.
He could feel himself trembling still, from fear, anger, or guilt he couldn�t
tell. �I couldn�t do anything! I was pathetic, Naruto. I just lay in the
mud and couldn�t do anything when he threw her into the river!� Don�t you
understand, Naruto? I saw her die in front of my eyes. And I couldn�t do
anything. It was like then. On that day�when my family was killed, I could do
nothing.
Naruto pushed himself up so he was crouching
on the floor. Sasuke warily shifted his feet, preparing himself for an attack.
Instead of attacking, Naruto spoke, his voice low and even. �Maybe I don�t
fully understand what you�re going through. But I do know one thing.�
�I want her back. I want her alive.
I want her here, playing with Hikaru.� Naruto looked at Sasuke. Grief had made
Naruto thinner, and brought dark shadows beneath his eyes, but there was no
mistaking the determination in the fierce light in his eyes. His lips were
drawn into a tight, grim line. �I want her with us.��
�Then why? Why do you want to postpone
the search?�
�Because of Hikaru. Or have you forgotten we
have another child?�
Sasuke stared at Naruto for a moment,
confused. �What about Hikaru? He�s fine. Hisoka needs us now and Hikaru��
�Hikaru needs us too!� Naruto snapped back.
�It�s not fair�to Hikaru, to us, and to Hisoka! Do you think Hisoka will like
how you�re treating her twin? We�ve been neglecting him, and don�t think I
didn�t notice how you�ve been deliberately ignoring him.�
�I�m not ignoring Hikaru. I��
Naruto plunged on, heedless of Sasuke�s
words. �You are. You�ve always been wary of Hikaru. I don�t know why. Maybe
it�s because you�ve always loved Hisoka best.�
You�re wrong, Sasuke thought. He let out a
long sigh, feeling all his anger slip away from him.
He cared for both of his children, even
perhaps loved them. Sasuke honestly didn�t know. It took him years to determine
his feeling for Naruto; his children were another matter. He�d been loveless
for so long he found it hard to know what love was, but he could not deny the
fierce, protective feelings he had for his children, or the sudden burst of
pride and joy whenever he thought of them. But as pleasant as these feelings
were, they came with a fear Sasuke didn�t know how to face.
Sometimes, he could not bear looking at his
son. It was too painful, and always, Orochimaru�s face would appear, mocking
him. I will have your children, Orochimaru�s reptilian eyes would say. I
will have your son. And there will be nothing you can do to stop me. Anger
and guilt would fill him, choking his breath away. It was easier to avoid the
boy than to face the bitter truth�that he might not be able to protect him when
the time came.
Sasuke was sick of the grief that seemed to
shadow him since the day he�d been born, his birthright and curse as one of the
Uchiha blood, as a wielder of Mangekyou Sharingan. He�d been so sure Hisoka was
safe from that curse. She�d been so like Naruto with her sunny smiles and
exuberant ways, and most of all, female, with little chance of obtaining the
Sharingan. With Hikaru, he�d been afraid, so afraid that his son would take up
his burden.
Hikaru was one of his most compelling reasons
why he wanted to be rid of Orochimaru and Itachi, why he decided to risk
Naruto�s fury in joining the hunter-nins to hunt them down. He didn�t want his
son to grow up with the shadow of curse he�d carried, didn�t want him to commit
the sins he made. The fact that Hikaru looked so much like him didn�t help
assuage his fears.
Naruto was wrong. Sasuke cared about Hikaru
so much it scared him.��
-------
Naruto glared back at Sasuke, oblivious to
the other�s thoughts. He could feel the rage and frustration pulsing in his
body, making him tremble with their intensity. Why did Sasuke have to be such
an obstinate bastard? Didn�t he understand? He didn�t want this anymore than he
did. �I�m not giving up! I never gave up on you; what makes you think I�d give
up on my daughter? But that doesn�t mean we have to neglect Hikaru.�
�I know,� Sasuke replied quietly, surprising
him at the sudden note of gentleness in his tone. Sasuke crouched beside him.
�Naruto, I can�t help it. I keep thinking about her. What if she�s out there,
helpless? I can�t stand it.� He clenched his fists. �I drives me mad, not
knowing if she�s dead or alive, unable to do anything about it.�
�And you think being an asshole to your son
is going to help things?� Naruto snarled back.
�Things between me and Hikaru will always be
complicated,� Sasuke said in the same quiet voice. �I can�t promise you
anything, but I�ll try to be a better father to him. He deserves so much more,
after we had failed him and Hisoka. Sometimes, I wish��
�We can�t go back, Sasuke,� Naruto said,
tears slipping down his cheeks, voice hoarse with grief. �I wish we would
change a lot of things. I wish we�d listened to Jiraiya�s warnings. I wish for
lot of things, but we can�t go on like this. What we have is now and the
future, and we�re wasting it arguing like this. It�s stupid, even for you.
Hisoka would be disgusted with us acting like this.�
�She would be.� Sasuke closed his eyes. �And
this is pointless. We�ll do it as you wish. I�ll tell the Hokage that we won�t
be joining the search for the rest of the week. Hikaru needs his parents around
him now more than ever.�
Before he could stop himself, Naruto lunged
at Sasuke, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace. Sasuke barely
managed to catch him in his arms. �I�m so sorry,� he sobbed out, all his
pent-up feeling pouring out in a great flood of emotions. �I feel so guilty,
wanting this, postponing the search. I want Hisoka, I want her with us, but
Hikaru needs us too.� I had to choose. It�s not fair. They�re both mine. I
loved them both. �Do you think Hisoka would understand? Do you think we�ll
find her?�
Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto. �Yes.
We�ll find her. We�ll never give up hope.�
Because that�s all we have
right now,
Naruto thought, stilling his sobs, hope and faith, and our family and
friends. It wasn�t a lot, but maybe it would be enough. It had to be
enough.
Don�t give up on us, Hisoka.
We�re coming for you.
-------
It only took Sasuke a few minutes to reach
the cliff.
In the chase to retrieve the twins, the trip
here seemed like an eternity.� The place
looked different now, not quite as muddy as before, and the river beside the
cliff was no longer the raging monster that it was on that day.
He was alone, having left Naruto with Hikaru.
Relations between him and Naruto have eased in the past week, though there were
still tense moments, such as when he said he�s still pursuing his plan of going
hunter-nin. Naruto didn�t object, but he didn�t agree, either. They also
haven�t decided what to do with Orochimaru, but he wasn�t their priority
now�Hikaru and Hisoka were.
He has also been trying to spend more time
with his son as well, but it was not easy. Hikaru was so much like him in many
ways it disconcerted him. Hikaru has Naruto�s eyes, though, and maybe, he had
thought as he watched his son play with Naruto, part of his spirit as well.
That thought gave him much comfort for the future�a future that might not
include Hisoka.
The search had been going on for more than
three weeks now, and there was still no sign of their daughter. It took all of
their willpower not to give in to the despair that was slowly creeping into
their hearts.�
Where are you? Sasuke stared at the river
for a long time, watching the slow, steady flow of its waters. His grip
tightened on the sunflowers� stems, crushing the soft stalks. The flowers
drooped slightly, as if bowing from the sun the flowers seem to adore so much.
Hisoka had loved sunflowers. Sasuke
remembered the way his daughter smiled when she first saw the flowers in Ino�s
hand when she had come by to visit. She�d squealed and scampered towards the
flowers as fast as her plump little legs could carry her, touching the flowers
almost reverently before gleefully massacring them. Sasuke had been so amused
by the whole thing he didn�t mind the mess she�d made or the assorted yellow
and green stains Hisoka had left on his shirt when she clung to him after she�d
plucked and crushed the flowers.�
�It�s been a while,� Sasuke murmured,
cradling the sunflowers close to his chest to prevent them from touching the
ground. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he said, �I promise, Hisoka, that��
He stopped. No, I will not promise.
Promises mean nothing to the dead and the missing. �I miss you,� he finally
managed to say. Sasuke paused, leaving a hundred words unsaid. I dream of
you all the time, nightmares more terrible than anything I�ve had, worse than
the ones I had after the massacre. Even when I�m awake�the nightmares don�t go
away.
The memory of her fall was a hot knife that
cut and seared through his soul, leaving him breathless and shaking. Sasuke
thought of all the sins and betrayals he had committed for one reason or
another, and knew this was the price he paid for them.
They say the Sharingan brings forth madness
to those who possessed it�in more ways than one. Sasuke thought he knew what
insanity was the day he saw his brother hovering over his dead parents, his
sword gleaming with their blood, but he was wrong.��
�Everyone misses you. One day�� He took a
deep breath. �Maybe one day, I could ask for your forgiveness. Alive or dead,
if we meet again, I hope you can forgive me.�
Then he abruptly threw the sunflowers into
the river, watching them slowly fall, scattered by a brief gust before landing
on the peaceful waters. His eyes followed the flowers as they rose and fell
with the river�s currents. When they were only specks of yellow and green, he
turned to head back to the tower.
To his surprise, Naruto stood in his path
just a few feet away from him, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
Sasuke paused for a moment, staring at
Naruto, wondering how much he�d heard. Then he resumed walking. �Let�s go.
Hikaru�s waiting,� he said as he passed by Naruto.
�Yeah,� Naruto said. And together they walked
back to the Hokage tower to their son.
-------
�It�s very dusty here, isn�t it?�
Sasuke looked up from the box of Spic and
Span he was opening and glared at Naruto. �Usuratonkachi. Of course. This room
hasn�t been used in many years. What would you have expected, that they�re all
neat and shiny?�
Naruto scowled at Sasuke, waving the mop in
his hand threateningly. �No need to be nasty, you bastard. Or do you want me to
shove this up your ass?� He glanced around again, noting the once-white sheets,
now colored grayish-brown with dust and grime. It had been almost three years
since anyone lived in this place, and it showed. He sniffed the air, almost
choking at the dust and the dry, musty smell of mold and mildew. And blood.
Old blood, but still strong.
Naruto shivered. They were in the Uchiha
compound, in Sasuke�s old house, cleaning it for the move tomorrow after almost
a month and a half of staying in the Hokage tower.
And what a big house it was, Naruto had thought to
himself when he saw it, looming ahead of them. It was like what he imagined,
big, tall, dark, with many twisting passages and corridors, and untended stone
gardens, choked with weeds. Torn and dirty banners with the Uchiha fan
emblazoned on them fluttered in the cold breeze, some twisting this way and
that, as if trying to escape from the wind�s icy grip. On the gate in front of
Sasuke�s house, a torn wooden umbrella lay on the ground, rolling back and
forth until Sasuke grabbed it and staked it upright into the ground.
Naruto has never set foot in Sasuke�s old
home or the Uchiha compound. In the past years, the place remained unlooted,
almost undamaged by man. Naruto didn�t have to be genius to know why. The place
was too creepy.
It still was. As they walked towards the
house, Naruto could not help noticing how big and empty the Uchiha compound
was. The vacant houses, stores, and streets, all still and quiet in their gray,
crumbling poses. Hard to imagine that this had been once been home to the
Uchiha clan, a bustling center of activity, home to many of Konoha�s best nins.
All gone now, because of one man: Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke�s older brother.
Sasuke didn�t speak to him the whole walk
towards his house. The Uchiha was probably too lost in the memories of the
past; too busy listening to the whispering of ghosts to pay attention to him.
Ghosts that cry out for vengeance, weeping bitterly for the betrayal of their
clan in the hands of one of their prodigies. But only Sasuke could hear them,
roaring in his ears, in his blood, in the deep silences of his mind.
Small wonder Sasuke was so obsessed with his
role as an avenger. Naruto could imagine Sasuke going home every day, back into
this dark empty place, greeted only by a deathly stillness, when once relatives
would call out to him, ask him how he was. How could he forget, when every day,
he would see these houses, scarred and crumbling, silent witnesses to what
happened?
Silences were by no means a stranger to
Naruto. All his life he�d been subjected to them, hostile, malignant stillness
that threatened to choke him every time he breathed. Under the circumstances,
it was a miracle neither of them had gone mad. Well, maybe just a
little�with Sasuke just more than a little.
�We should start in the rooms upstairs.�
Sasuke was staring at him, an impassive look on his face.
Naruto grunted and swung the mop over his
shoulder, all the while avoiding Sasuke�s penetrating eyes. He followed the
Uchiha up some stairs then down one hall that looked more used than the others.
�Is this where your room was?� Naruto suddenly asked, curious.
�Yes.� Sasuke gestured to a door, the first
one from the right, shut tight with a padlock. �That,� he began, voice dark and
bitter, �was Itachi�s room.�
Naruto said nothing. Sasuke then opened the
door just a few steps from Itachi�s room. �This is my room,� he said. �We could
clean this first. We�ll be using this for now.�
Looking around, Naruto was surprised to find
that Sasuke�s room was only a little different from his (Sasuke�s was cleaner
and more organized, though). His eyes searched for personal mementoes or photos
in the room, but found nothing. The room was almost bare, utilitarian at most.
�I thought you�d have photos in here,� he murmured to himself.
�I did,� Sasuke said from behind him. �Once.�
He took set down his own pail on the floor. �Let�s start. We need to finish
early.�
And so their cleaning began. It was an
immense task, considering how large it was, but hell, he�d done chores like
this as a genin before, so it shouldn�t be problem for them. The first thing
Naruto did was open the windows to let the warm morning sun into the house. He
briefly wondered how long the house had been in darkness, and if sunlight was
enough to chase it away. It has to be, for now, Naruto thought.
Sasuke was quiet during the cleaning,
sometimes stopping abruptly to stare into space or some random furniture. Naruto
didn�t say anything, figuring it was best to leave Sasuke alone in this matter.
It would be good therapy for the Uchiha, he supposed.
When it was all over, Naruto flung himself on
Sasuke�s bed. Lifting his sweat-soaked shirt, he took a quick sniff and gagged.
�Geh. I smell like a wet dog. I�m getting a shower when we get home.� He turned
to Sasuke, who had sat beside him, a haunted look in his eyes as he studied the
newly-cleaned room.
�It�s a good house,� Naruto finally said,
staring at the ceiling. �Big spaces, strong walls, and clean floors. Hikaru
would have a big place to play in.� He didn�t mention Hisoka. It hurt too much
even to think of her. He looked at Sasuke, and said quietly, �It�s a good place
to make new memories, too.�
Sasuke�s lips twitched into a small smile,
his first since Hisoka disappeared, his dark eyes unreadable. He lay on his
back on the bed, rested his head against Naruto�s shoulder and murmured, �Maybe
it is. Someday��
~T.B.C.~
Author�s note: Hah! Finished this long,
long chapter! Un-beta�d for now, will post beta�d chapter as soon as I get it
from Chibi-onna. Was anyone OOC? Please tell me!
Very difficult chapter to
write, with all the emotions going on. As some of you may have noticed, this
chapter is almost all in Sasuke�s POV. This chapter, however, does not mean
everything is resolved, they�re just choosing to move on, one step at a time.
Naruto: Well, in the end, he made a
choice, and he chose Hikaru. Kind of sad for Hisoka, but you could see the
logic.
Sasuke: I hope this explains much
of Sasuke�s behavior with Hikaru. He�s just in a lot of pain right now. While
he may seem to be cruel, Sasuke�s just overwhelmed with a lot of things�guilt,
anger, sadness, and most of all, fear. Naruto�s the only thing that kept him
grounded. Well, and Hisoka, but she�s gone.
The Scroll: Well, I explained a bit
about it. I�m sure you�ve guessed who Jiraiya�s student was.
Comments and Criticisms are
welcome and appreciated.
- 12
- 13
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Reflections and Shadows