A Mind is A Terrible Thing to Lay Waste || lunamist » vonlane

Chapter 4

Sasuke was sitting in a small room with a single bed and chair. It didn't seem like the kind of room the Hokage's house would have, but he doubted he'd been placed in the most luxurious one available. After all, his status was tantamount to a criminal. He was lucky he wasn't in a holding cell being questioned by Anbu operatives right now. At first, he'd been so exhausted he'd fallen into a deep sleep, but that had only lasted a few hours and now he found himself sitting by the window, staring out onto a moonlit village which was once his home. But now, it felt as foreign to him as happiness.

He sat there thinking over what he'd seen in Naruto's mind. Marveling at the strength Naruto must contain to have stayed sane all these years with that demon locked inside him. And yet, that wasn't what was keeping him awake now. No, thoughts of the Kyuubi weren't what was keeping Sasuke awake, but rather what Naruto kept locked away in that prison of a room. Naruto's soul had told Sasuke that he knew what was in there, and, he was right. Sasuke did know what his friend kept locked away. He knew it the minute he saw the room and felt the presence within. Pain was in that room. And not just any pain, but the pain Sasuke had caused. The utter grief and despair Naruto felt over what Sasuke had done. That was how he could still care about Sasuke. How he could go on with life and not let those feelings consume him.

Burying his head in his arms, Sasuke breathed Naruto's name into the cold night air as Neji walked into the room. Not even bothering to lift his head, Sasuke muttered, "What do you want Hyuuga?"

Neji smirked a very Sasuke-like smirk. "So, is this what the great Uchiha Sasuke is really like?"

Now Sasuke did look up, glaring coal black eyes into Neji's utterly white ones. "Get out."

But instead of leaving, Neji walked to the single chair in the room and sat down, quietly folding his arms across his chest. "We need to talk."

"Hn. I don't see why."

"Ok. I'll talk, you listen."

"Whatever," Sasuke mumbled.

"I hate you, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Good, if that's all . . . "

"I hate that trying to rescue you three years ago almost got us all killed. Did you know that?"

-Silence-

"Chouji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee, Naruto, and me."

-more silence-

"But more than anything, I hate you because of what you did to Naruto. No, what you continued to do to him. His best friend, the one he cared for more than anyone. Leaving him wasn't even enough for you - no, you tried to kill him. But even with all of this, Naruto remained your friend. All these years, he's searched for you, tried to become as strong as he could so that one day he could save you - bring you home. At first, Sakura supported him and defended you as well. But as time went on and you tried once again to kill her friend, even she abandoned you. And yet, for some reason, Naruto remains loyal. It is - perplexing."

"And you care about this why?" Sasuke asked, his voice icy cold.

"Several years ago, Naruto saved me. In my defeat, I was reborn. He allowed me to live a life I thought was closed to me. I owe Naruto more than I can ever repay, but tonight, I'm going to try and at least make a dent in that debt."

Sasuke only continued to glare.

"As I see it, you have a second chance. You have the opportunity to correct the mistake you made three years ago."

"And what mistake would that be?"

"You chose to leave. You sacrificed not one life, but two with that decision. You think you've grown stronger, gained more power from your decision and in truth, I can't argue with that. But, alone, you can only grow so strong. At some point, the power levels off and you're stagnant. Years ago, you abandoned your greatest strength."