• …The Downward Spiral…
    Chapter one: The Missing Piece…


    “Sasuke-kun!” Squealed a familiar, annoying, high-pitched voice. Sasuke grimaced, not even looking up from the scroll he was reading with half-interest.

    “Sasuke-kun!” The red-headed annoyance chimed again, this time louder. Sasuke looked up at her, almost regretting his decision to free her. If it wasn’t for her chakra-sensing and healing abilities, he would have let her rot in Orochimaru’s compound.

    “Hn.” Was his reply. Karin looked at him, hurt-filled eyes watering behind her glasses.

    “Sasuke-kun is so mean! Any how long are we going to sit around in this stupid cave, anyway!? I’m so bored!” Her querulous tone agitating him even more.

    Just as Sasuke was about to lose it, the other thorn in his side, Suigetsu, sauntered in, flipping is spiky blue hair, and flashing his pointy, shark-like teeth in a grin.

    “Karin, why don’t you just shut the ******** up? Even a stolid b*****d like Uchiha could be driven crazy by your nagging bitchiness.” Suigetsu insulted. Even if he was a sharky b*****d, Sasuke appreciated the way he handled Karin and her fangirliness.

    Karin huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

    “No one invited you into this conversation, Guppy.” She smiled at her retarded nickname for the mist missing-nin. “It’s just me and Sasuke-kun.”

    Suigetsu laughed, allowing them an even better view of his pearly whites.

    “Yeah, right, Karin. You might as well talk to that wall over there. It’d pay you more attention then pretty-boy.” He grinned, and Sasuke felt a vein start to pop.

    It went on like that for only-god-knows-how-long, before Jugo, sensible, quiet, compassionate Jugo, walked in. He silently pulled Suigetsu and Karin off of each other, cleaned up the blood, and left the room. Sasuke sighed in relief, thanking Kami-sama that he had brought Jugo along too, otherwise two of the three of them would end up dead. And it sure as hell wouldn’t be him.

    With a sigh, Sasuke rolled the scroll back up, and ran a hand through his spiky black hair. He laid back in the chair, and allowed his midnight eyes to flutter closed. He too, was getting slightly sick of sitting around in the cave, just waiting on Pein for new orders. As much as he disliked taking orders from the pierced freak, it only led him that much closer to his ultimate goal.

    Sasuke sighed again, this time in frustration. He never had been one to idle for too long, and the boredom was killing him. If it was possible, he’d say he was dying from it.

    So this was why he ended up strapping on his kusanagi, and using his honed ninja skills, he snuck out of the cave, not wanting anyone, (mainly a certain red-head) to accompany him.

    He reveled in the feeling of the wind whipping against his face as he ran, hopping from tree branch to tree branch. It just felt so….right. But this was expected from a Konoha shinobi, even a rouge one, who’s home was in the forest. They were made to navigate through the trees. The physical activity kept him occupied, kept him from thinking, kept the loneliness he felt away.


    Hours later, with Sasuke drenched in a cool sweat, clothes and hair sticking to his body, he stopped, resting on a very large tree. When he had gathered his breath, and actually noticed where he was, his obsidian eyes narrowed into thin slits. Before him sat Konohagakure, or what was left of it, after Pein’s attack. A few buildings and houses stood, but not much else. Villagers and ninja were everywhere, desperately trying to restore their precious village.

    The bleak expressions on most of the villagers faces gave him some satisfaction, but only a little, since it was not his doing. He wanted to have been the one that had caused all this misery, all this destruction. He wanted the village to suffer, suffer like he had. Not only had the village elders order his own brother to slay every single Uchiha, they had had the gull to keep it a secret from him.

    So he had spent the rest of his life training, working so hard, to achieve a false goal. Even after he had killed Itachi, not knowing the truth, he had felt nothing. No sense of accomplishment, nothing. It wasn’t until Madara Uchiha had found him, and told him the truth, had he felt something. He had felt hatred, and rage, but mostly self-loathing. He hated himself the most, for being so stupid, for wasting his life, on something so petty. Sasuke had not only ruined his life, but had ended so many others, he had even ruined his best friend’s life…..


    Sasuke shook his head, trying to clear his mind of thoughts about sunshine colored blonde hair, and sparkling azure eyes…..

    The last Uchiha mentally slapped himself, and returned to watching the village. A few shinobi were standing outside the gate, looking haggard, large purple bags under their eyes. It seemed they were all on high alert, and everyone barely got any rest, just so they could do their part.

    Sasuke sat there for hours, why he didn’t know, but his posterior was sore, almost numb, and it was getting close to evening now. Nothing very exciting was happening, and he was ready to leave.

    “HEY, SAKURA-CHAN! WAIT UP!” Shouted a familiar voice. Sasuke turned his head at an almost 180 degree angle, and stared at a familiar mop of spiky blonde hair. Naruto ran up behind the pink-haired kunoichi, waving an arm frantically. His orange jumpsuit was eye-achingly bright against the dim green of the plant-life. Sakura turned slowly, a vein in her forehead throbbing disgustingly.

    “YOU IDIOT!! STOP BEING SO LOUD!! THINGS AREN’T LIKE THEY USED TO BE, CHE!” Sasuke almost scoffed at her hypocrisy.

    Naruto hung his head, looking like a kicked puppy.

    “I know.” He said it so quietly, Sasuke had barely heard him. Something in his chest clenched tightly. Sasuke would have said it was his heart, but he had gotten rid of that a long time ago.

    Sakura rested a fingerless gloved hand on his shoulder.

    “Look, Naru, I’m sorry. But, with Konoha as weak as it is right now, we need to lay as low as possible, in case another land notices. It’s been hard on me, having to heal all these people. Hell, it’s been hard on all of us. Especially you.” Her voice remained steady, but she sounded like she was going to cry. She took her hand off of his shoulder, and stared at the blonde ninja for a few moments. When he didn’t respond, she murmured something to low for Sasuke to hear, and started walking ahead.

    “IT’S OKAY, SAKURA-CHAN!!!” Naruto yelled. Sakura stopped, and turned around to look at her hyperactive teammate.

    He flashed her a foxy grin. Sharp white canines, and crinkled eyes gave him an even more animalistic appearance. That grin was the first of Naruto’s that Sasuke had seen since he’d betrayed the village. Was it always that heart-warming? Had his tan always looked so beautiful, contrasting with the white? Or had he just forgotten?

    Naruto ran after his kunoichi teammate, shouting things about supplies, jutsu, and ramen. Some things just never changed.

    Sasuke watched them travel down the path, and over a hill. He had felt warm, and complete, but when the blonde kitsune was out of sight, the lonely, empty feeling had returned. Only this time, it was worse.

    Sasuke silently jumped off the tree branch, landing with grace among the shadows. He stealthily sprinted after his former teammates, already forming a plan in his head, along with an epiphany.

    Sasuke knew what he was missing. What he needed.

    And what he needed……was Naruto…..