Distorted

Chapter 3

A groan escaped his lips as Sasuke awoke.


Feeling his back scrape against a cold stone wall, the man shifted and opened his eyes. It was dark. He felt his lashes brush against the cloth that was bound tightly around his eyes, covering almost half of his face. The putrid stench of the room invaded his nostrils, it smelled damp, dusty, and old.


He moved his arm, hearing the jingle of chains to his right as pain shot through his muscles. His chakra was low, being drained by the metal around his wrist, he assumed. When giving it an experimentally harsh tug it didn’t loosen, nor budge.

Sasuke breathed deeply, opening and closing his fist, as he tried to get the blood circulation flowing again. At least it wasn’t fixed above his head. He shifted, attempting to a get more comfortable position against the wall.


The raven slowly moved his head from one side to the other, listening to his surroundings. He heard nothing.


His head hurt, pain radiating from behind his eyes. He tried to remember what had happened. Then it suddenly it hit him. Yukio.


He tried to yank on his arm again, the chains grating in a protest, the sound flying across the room. He cursed harshly.


Abruptly, he stilled, hearing footsteps down the hall, slowly approaching him. He tilted his head slightly to listen better, jaw set tightly in place as pain pulled up his spine.


The person stopped. He heard them inhale deeply and then exhale again, mumbling something incomprehensible under their breath, as if trying to calm themselves. It was a girl.


There was a sound of keys jingling as he heard the girl unlock the door. It took her a few attempts to either find the right one, or get it in the keyhole, Sasuke couldn’t tell. When the door opened he decided to stay motionless, leaning limply against the wall.


He heard her approach him, setting something besides him onto the floor, before leaning down herself. Her clothes rustled, as he felt the presence of her warmth and heard her loud breathing.


Her hands grabbed his face, with icy cold fingers, almost making the Uchiha jump. She pressed the tips into his jaw, trying to get him to open his mouth, he felt a cold object press against his lips, the smell of food invading his senses. Sasuke decided it was time to speak.


"Where's the little girl?"


The girl gasped and immediately let go of his face as if she just had been shocked. The object, a spoon he assumed, fell from lips and cluttered to the ground, the metallic sound echoing through the room. As she scrambled away he heard her knock over something else, a cup filled with water, Sasuke quickly found out as he felt the liquid soak into his pants. He automatically looked down at the mess, even though he couldn't see it, before looking upwards again.


"Oh God, I'm sorry!" She gasped, breathing heavily, he thought she was about to hyperventilate. "I'm sorry!"


He heard her rustling, as she scrambled even further away from him. Her breathing was almost hysterical. Sasuke tried to angle his head into her general direction.


"Where's-"


"I'm sorry!" The girl called again, crying frantically, interrupting him.


Sasuke licked his lips, opening his mouth again, but the girl just kept on crying and apologizing.  He noticed that he wouldn’t get anywhere with her like this, so he tried to change his approach.


"Calm down, girl." He said, but she didn't listen, so he got louder. "SHUT UP!"


The girl gasped, and then shut up, muffled breathing as she covered her mouth.


"Calm. Down." Sasuke said slowly.


"I'm sorry." The girl whispered, she didn't move. "I was just trying to feed you. I didn't know you were awake, I swear."


Feed him? How long was he out for? It didn’t matter, he had to find Yukio.


"Listen to me, I was with a little girl before I got here, where is she?"


There was silence. "A girl? I... I didn't see a girl, you're their only captive, they brought you in alone."


Sasuke tilted his head at that, trying to listen to her better. "Alone?" He asked. "Are you certain?"


"Yes."


His heart began to race, as dread piled up in his stomach. Did they let her walk freely? Would they risk that? They said they wouldn't harm her if he cooperated, which he did, but still, would they really keep their word? Thousands of possibilities raced through his mind.


"How long was I out for?" He asked her, not being able to keep his voice from shaking.


"About a week." The girl whispered.


He cursed. Fist clenching against the chain. "The people who brought me here, the Shinobi, are they here?"


There was silence, then she answered. "I'm not too sure, I don't have much contact with them, I hardly ever speak to them, unless I'm spoken to."


Unless she was spoken to? Was she a servant maybe? Sasuke contemplated, the girl was hardly putting up any fight spilling secrets, unless she had nothing worth telling.


"What do they want from me?"


"I don't know. They don't tell me anything, I'm just here to take care of you while you were unconscious." She said hastily. “I was just supposed to keep you alive.”


Sasuke frowned at that. "They don't tell you anything?"


"No."


She was easily giving him all the answers to question he had asked, not the answers he had hoped for, but still something considering how terrified she was.


"How old are you?" He asked her.


"Fifteen." She said quietly.


A kid… trapped in a cell with a former missing-nin. She was probably fearing for her life, he exhaled deeply, deciding to change the subject.


"Aren’t you going to pick that up?" He asked the girl, nodding towards the ground where he knew she had dropped the spoon and spilled the cup.


"O- of course!" The girl called, scrambling over to him. She halted a few spaces away, he felt her slowly bend near him, grasping the stuff and quickly putting it away. "I'm sorry about the water. I can get a fresh cup."


"There’s no need." Sasuke cut in, preventing the girl from going onto a rant again. "I am not very thirsty, nor hungry."


"O- okay!" She stuttered.


Sasuke shifted, sitting up straighter against the wall. He hissed at the pain.


"I'm sorry, I tried to heal your wounds as best as I could, but I am not a medic-nin." She hastily explained, he felt her grab his shoulder in an attempt to steady him, before quickly removing her hands, as if burned.


"It's fine." Sasuke said, exhaling through his nose. He tilted his head to look into her general direction again when he heard her stand up. "If you hear, anything, about a little girl, would you tell me?" He licked his lips, trying not to sound desperate, but he was.


There was hesitation in her voice when the young girl answered. "Of course." She finally said. “Maybe I could ask for you?”


“No.” Sasuke quickly cut in, fearing the naive girl would get herself in trouble if she started asking questions. “Just if you overhear something, don’t go asking questions.”


The door creaked open loudly, Sasuke stilled, listening intently, trying not to seem too tense. The girl gasped, immediately shutting her mouth and scurrying away from him.


"Rika-sama." The girl greeted the other person respectfully.


"I thought I told you to tell us immediately when he wakes up." The woman, Rika, hissed harshly.


Behind the blindfold, Sasuke’s eyes widened. He would recognize that voice anywhere, it was the voice of the woman that had threatened Yukio’s life. And her name, he heard Haru use it as well to address the red haired woman. Sasuke inwardly swore, he should have dealt with her when he had the chance.


"I'm sorry, Rika-sama! I just got carried away and I didn't think about it, I didn't mean to-" The girl hastily explained.


"It's fine, Yui. Go to your room and rest, you did well, but I will be taking over now." Rika's voice got soft, having a soothing undertone to it. He could tell that she cared at least somewhat for the girl.


There was silence accompanied by the rustling of clothes, Sasuke assumed Yui had nodded, before shuffling out of the room, hearing the door shutting behind her.


The stillness in the room grew, as he felt Rika's eyes digging into him. The air was tense as he could sense the hate radiating off of her.


"Where's the little girl?" Was the first thing Sasuke said, his voice echoing through the cell.


The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. Sasuke listened intently to her breathing, opening his mouth to repeat the question, but she interrupted him.


"Do you know who I am?"


He moved his head into her general direction, eyebrows raised slightly behind the blindfold. Did he know who she was?


"No."


"Of course you don't!" She snapped, stomping over to him. She loudly dropped to the ground before him, leaning in, she was so close to his face he could feel her warm breath fan across it. "Of course someone like you wouldn't remember!"


Sasuke frowned, trying to find out what she was talking about. His thoughts raced as he looked through the possibilities where he could have met this woman. He didn't recognize her, nor her voice, name, or face when he saw her in the forest.


His jaw tightened when she suddenly grabbed it painfully.


"I wish I could force you to look at me, look me in the eye and make you remember who I am!" She spat, fingernails digging into his face, drawing blood. "But I can't and you're so lucky for it."


There was silence as Sasuke said nothing, feeling her pulse race through her thumb.


"I'll ask you again, do you know who I am?! Do you?!"


"No." Sasuke answered, because it was the only answer he had. He did not know who she was.


"Oh, very funny." She breathed heatedly against his face. "I know who you are though, Sasuke Uchiha. As if I could ever forget!"


"I was eleven years old when you and Orochimaru's men came into my village. When you people raided it and slaughtered us all like animals!" She snarled. "I was only eleven years old when you came into my house killed my father and struck down my mother, before pushing me to the side and telling me I'm weak. And all that for a God damn scroll."


A scroll? Then it hit him, the red hair and green eyes he had seen in the woods. He knew her, it had been ages, but even after all these years he never really could fully forget his past.


….
….
….
….


Sasuke kicked down the door to the house, walking inside, harshly grabbing the man that was cowering on the floor. He had only been under the Sannin’s wing for a bit under two years, but he had learned a lot in that time. Be it how to perform summons, or how to blank out certain emotions. Sasuke hasn’t felt empathy in a very long time, guilt or shame managed to crawl their way back up is spine from time to time, but they never really stuck around for too long.


He and a few other men under Orochimaru's control were ordered to go to the village, close to the border of the Sound. There was a man, who had an important scroll, of Jutsus, his teacher had not yet discovered. So he sent Sasuke and a few others to raid the village and find it.


The raven left the house he had just entered, the man still cowering on the floor behind him. He had easily given up the information and whereabouts about the person Sasuke was looking for. It was pathetic in his eyes at how disloyal most people became in the face of fear. He didn’t want Sasuke to take his life so he offered another in his place, it was weak.


The Uchiha moved through the village towards the house he was pointed to. Eyes unknowingly adverted to the mess that was going on around him. He didn’t need to watch Orochimaru’s men to know what they were doing. He heard people screaming, begging for mercy, he continued his path though, forcing down the unruly feeling in his gut. Sasuke needed this, he told himself. He needed this power to beat Itachi  and if this was the way to obtain it, then so be it.


He reached the house, eyes scanning it, the curtains were drawn shut, lights off. It was untouched too, not damaged, not broken and not burning brightly. It oddly enough felt out of place with the rest of the village. Sasuke stepped onto the property, reaching for the door, pushing it open. The wood creaked loudly as he stepped inside. The hallway was dark and empty, shoes scattered at his feet, three pair including one of a child.  He left the door open as he slowly moved through the narrow hallway, Sharingan activated, Kusanagi in hand. He stepped over the books that were flung to the floor from the bookshelf, as if someone rushed past them in a hurry and had knocked them down.


He placed his hand on the handle of the door besides the shelf. He pushed the handle down, stopping quickly when he heard a small sound, from across the hall. His head snapped sideways, eyes focusing on the room it came from. He moved towards it’s and opened the door that led to it, the wood made no sound as Sasuke stared into the dark room. The light from the hallway gave the it an eerie shine.


His eyes halted on the family cowering in the corner. A man in front of his wife and child. He was holding a scroll in his hands, clutching it to his chest, Sasuke assumed that was the scroll Orochimaru wanted.


He took one step towards them, halting a fair distance away.


The man snarled. "What do you want?!" His voice betraying his face, trembling with fear. "Leave us!"


"Orochimaru wants something that you have." The Uchiha said, voice monotone. He saw the man tightening his grip around the scroll.


"Orochimaru is crazy!" The man hissed viscously. "Do you even know what he would do with this Jutsu?! It's dangerous! It should not fall into his hands!"


"I am aware." Sasuke lied. In fact he did not know what the Sannin was planning to do with that Jutsu in the scroll, he stopped asking Orochimaru questions about his antics a long time ago. What the man did was none of his business, Orochimaru gave him what he wanted, the power to kill Itachi and avenge his clan. What else he did wasn't up for Sasuke to know or decide.


Sasuke held out his free hand, the unspoken words of 'give it to me' hanging in the air. The man stared at him, mouth agape, he saw his wife grab his shoulder, frantically whispering something into his ear, but the man shrugged her off, shaking his head.


"I won't give it to you! Over my dead body!" He yelled across the room. The wife stared at her husband and then at Sasuke arms tightening protectively around her daughter. The little girl stared at him, short red hair, green eyes brightly lit with fear.


Sasuke waited a few more seconds, staring at the man, their eyes meeting. He gave him another chance to hand it over, turning the Kusanagi so that the blade gleamed slightly in the moonlight. Threatening him with unspoken words. The man's eyes wandered to the sword, before turning back to face the raven.


He bared his teeth, almost seeming like a rabid animal. "I will not give this Jutsu to the likes of you or Orochimaru!"


Sasuke heard the wife gasp at those words, grabbing her husband's shoulder, but the man didn't break eye contact. Sasuke blinked, stepping forwards slowly.


"Very well, then I'll just have to take it."


He appeared in front of the man, grabbing the scroll with his free hand, giving the husband and father another chance to save his own life by just letting go, but he didn't. So Sasuke's blade pierced his chest. The man gaped at him, eyes wide in shock, his grasp loosening around the scroll.


Pulling his sword out, then man slowly slumped over, the scroll staying in Sasuke's hand as blood pooled around his feet. The woman screamed, launching forwards to grab her husband. Leaning over his heaving body. The little girl was not making a sound, just staring at him with eyes so big and fearful, he thought they might pop out of her skull.


He turned away from the family, leaving the room, just as he was about to reach the doorway and step into the hallway he heard a scream.


He turned just in time to see the wife launch herself at him, teeth bared in a snarl, kunai out. "You murderer!" She roared and then she gasped, when she ran right into his blade, she looked downwards in shock as if not remembering the sword being there before.


She fell to the ground with a small thud, struggling to breathe. The silence was deafening as Sasuke stared at the woman clinging onto her life, eyes on his. The girl let out a whimper, he watched her run over, dropping at the body of her mother. Shaking her, but the eyes of the woman were dull and empty already.


Sasuke watched the little girl grab the kunai from her mothers in blood covered hand. She shakily stood up, holding it in front of herself. The Uchiha was about to raise his sword and strike her down too, just like her mother and father, but then he didn't, oddly enough. He didn't know why.


Instead he let the little girl charge him, burying the kunai in the flesh of his upper leg. She panted staring up at him as he looked down at her, her eyes were so full of fear. He felt like he was staring down at his former self when he discovered Itachi in the bloodbath of his parents. His fingers tightened automatically around the hilt of his sword, he was nothing like Itachi. But if it meant becoming like him, to beat him, then so be it.


The girl gave a cry and yanked the kunai back out of his leg, leaving only a dull throb behind, as he felt the blood seep into his pants. He watched her pull back, going for another stab, this time aiming a bit higher towards his stomach. He grasped her wrist before she could, squeezing it. She gave a cry, letting go of the kunai and dropping to her knees. He let go of her, as she stared up at him, tears falling down her face.


His hand tightened around the hilt of his Kusanagi, blood dripping off the sharp blade. He set his jaw in place. He was not like Itachi, but he would do anything to gain the power to avenge his clan and kill his brother. Anything.


His grip on his sword relaxed and he exhaled deeply. He was not like Itachi.


"You're weak." He said to the girl who just stared, eyes fixated on his blade stained in her families’ blood. Was he really that different? He was. Sasuke was certain of it.


So he left the girl and the house behind, heart racing in his chest, as his eyes raked across the village that was now nothing except a pile of ash, eerie orange glow going up into the night sky. He stepped over a dismembered body on the floor, not even sparing it a glance.


Deep down a dreadful feeling started to arise. He was slowly becoming afraid of who he was turning into. He was terrified of becoming like Itachi. The more he turned a blind eye towards what others did, the more he himself slaughtered and killed, innocent or not, the more it felt normal to him, almost natural. He had to become stronger and if he lost all sense of emotion, if he just became empty, it was a price he was willing to pay.


…..
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…..
…..


"I remember." Sasuke said after a few beats of silence. “I know who you are.”


He heard the woman inhale deeply, furious, still keeping a tight hold on his jaw.


"That night, when you and Orochimaru's men came to our village, that was the worst night of my life." She hissed lowly, he felt her breath fan across his face again as she moved even closer. "The night when you told me I'm weak. I will never, ever forget that. The night where you killed my parents. You murderer." She paused, breathing harshly, he could feel her racing heart beat through her sweaty palm.


"I swore revenge. I spent years on the streets after what you did, barely a handful of us survived. And then three years ago, the Master found me and he took me under his wing. And I told him my story and he promised me to grant me my revenge and so now here you are."


Her Master? No, the Master. The way she said it implied a name not a title. Sasuke knew there was someone bigger and more greater behind the attack on him, there's no way they could have constructed it themselves.


"Your Master?" Sasuke asked, testing the title theory.


"Not, my Master. The Master." She snapped at him, sounding almost hysterical while doing so and confirming what Sasuke had initially thought about. "He is the Master of us all and we all are made to serve him. He will purge this world from people like you, scum. He is kind to those who obey him, but merciless with those who do not fit his views. He will change the world for the better."


Change the world to the better? He tried to think about anyone he had noticed or heard about the last couple of years that were known as The Master. He could think of none. Which meant that the person was either not making any moves or staying under the radar, but this still left one question unanswered.


"What do you want from me?" He asked her.


"I told the Master about you and he immediately was intrigued. He didn't tell me what he needed you for, not yet, as long as he still needed to prepare, but he told us to keep you alive and that you're the key for the new world order. The Master is very sick at the moment and needs some time to prepare in order for him to reach his goals. Our goals." She said her voice almost sounding sincere.


What did he have that was so important? It didn't take Sasuke long to figure out, there were only two possibilities after all. Either his bloodline, or his, no, Itachi's eyes. He assumed it was the latter. He cursed inwardly letting his head fall against the concrete wall behind him.


He heard her get up and move away from him. The tone of her voice getting fierce. "Whatever it is though, I hope it's long, painful and slow. So that you can finally feel the way I felt all those years ago, you killed the only people I had, and burned my village to the ground." She slammed the door loudly on her way out, the sound thundering through the room.


“Wait!” Sasuke called loudly and Rika did, she halted behind the door.


“Where is the little girl?”


The woman didn't answer at first, the silence stretching on and on until she finally uttered the words Sasuke was dreading to hear. "Dead." Voice muffled by the door.


Sasuke's heart lurched into his throat. He felt nauseous.


"What?" He asked breathlessly, feeling every muscle in his body tense as he leaned his ear towards her, praying he misunderstood.


"Dead." She repeated. Her words feeling like razor blades on his skin.


"You said you wouldn't harm her." Sasuke whispered, voice shaking slightly. She was only a child, she had nothing to do with this. If he had just been faster, if he had taken her out immediately the fight wouldn't have been dragged out for so long. If he hadn’t let them set off those traps, they would have not gained the upper hand.  He had fought too cautious, too slow, too careful and now he paid the price for it. No, not him, Yukio, she paid the price for it.  "She was just a child, why - you said you wouldn't harm her."


Rika took a few seconds to respond. "She was giving us unnecessary trouble. If she would have just stood still it would have not been an issue, but she just had to resist." She said, voice tight, wavering slightly, before she hastily left. He knew she was lying. Lying through her teeth. Yukio posed no threat, they killed a defenceless little girl who just wanted to play ninja.


He killed her.


Sasuke slammed the back of his head against the concrete wall behind him, closing his eyes tightly. She was only a child. He had been stupid for letting her get so close to him. He was responsible for her death. It was dangerous to follow him around, he knew that, but still he let her. He let the child be killed, her blood stained his hands.


He exhaled deeply through his nose, trying to will the crippling sense of guilt away. 


The silence dragged on as the sadness started to well up inside him. His throat closing tightly, almost painfully around his sharp breaths as he swallowed down the feeling of grief.  Yukio was dead. She looked up to him and he had gotten her killed. He felt warmth soak into the cloth wrapped around his eyes, as he sat there in the quietness of his cell.


He would never forgive himself for this.




---



Takashi stood in front of the mirror, pale hand going through his brown hair, eyes narrowing at his reflection. His fingers brushed against his collar, tugging to fix it. There was a knock on his door.


"Yes." He said, eyes not leaving the mirror, instead using it to stare at the door behind him.


Kiri came in, dressed all in black. His face was worn in a deep frown. Takashi raised his eyebrow in an unanswered question.


"We asked everywhere, no one has seen the Uchiha ever since that day. The last person he spoke to was the old Lady Mika, we are assuming." Kiri finally said, walking inside and closing the door behind him, giving the two of them privacy.


"Did she report anything unusual?" He asked his friend, who shook his head in return.


"No, she said he acted as normal as always. Brought her the groceries, didn't say anything, she said he seemed sad though. As if something wasn't quite right. She wasn't too sure. His attention wasn't really on her, she said, he seemed distracted."


Takashi nodded slowly at that, turning to look at his friend. "That doesn't give us much."


"No. No it doesn't." Kiri sighed, fingers brushing his scalp. He licked his lips, then asking, "Have you contacted the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf yet?"


"Yes." Takashi lied, turning away from Kiri to stare at his own reflection again. He looked sick. Skin paler than usual, eyes dull and deep set. He hadn't slept properly in days. "We will have to wait for an answer."


Kiri said nothing as he just nodded, knowing fully well that the man was lying. But he didn't call him out on it, instead he left the room, letting the door fall softly shut behind him.


Takashi let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, swiftly moving over to his desk and yanking open the top drawer. The contents inside gave a harsh sound as they slid across the wood.


He stared down at them, cold fingers grasping the envelope besides Sasuke's sword. He spared the blade one last glance, it was still covered in blood and dirt, it was evidence after all, he wouldn’t tamper with it anymore than it already had been. He looked away before slowly closing the drawer again, locking the weapon used for murder out of his sight.


He stood in silence, fingers coming up to trace the outside of the envelope addressed to the Hokage. An envelope containing a letter, accusing Sasuke Uchiha of murder and requesting a four man squad to help with the investigation.


His chest tightened painfully, he couldn't help but feel like he had just betrayed his friend. However, Yukio's mother needed this, the village needed this, and so did he. They all deserved closure after all.


He shakily exhaled, closing his eyes tightly and slamming the envelope onto his desk with a soft curse. He felt like scum, feelings of shame about himself and his emotions welled up in his chest making him wonder how low he had sunken, and how could he let one man destroy him so much. How could he let his judgment be so clouded.


Takashi tried to force himself to think of something else and quickly summoned a messenger hawk. It stared at him, head tilted to the side, yellow eyes piercing his gaze intently. He somehow felt as if the bird was judging him, and nearly laughed out loud at that. Sasuke made him weak and pathetic. A joke really.


"You shouldn't have gotten attached."


Sasuke’s voice echoed through his head.


I really shouldn't have. He thought to himself. His hand came up to his face pinching the bridge of his nose. The hawk screamed loudly, startling him. He looked at it, watching the bird skitter slightly on his wooden desk as it approached at him.


He exhaled, leaning forwards and tying the envelope around the hawks leg, who was holding it out for him.


"Alright, listen." He said, voice tight, the hawk watched him. "I want you to bring this directly to the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. No one else. Directly to him and don't leave until you get an answer. And don’t let anyone stop you. You got me?" The hawk screamed so high Takashi winced.


He held out his arm and the heavy bird jumped on it, digging his claws painfully in his arm. Takashi opened the window and before he could even speak the hawk was already gone, shooting urgently through the sky.


Takashi's eyes grazed over the village, watching the mostly empty streets. The sun was shining, which was odd, considering all the rain they had before. Such a beautiful day on an event like this. The sky was a deep blue. The afternoon seemed to be filled with warmth and joy. Yukio would have loved it.


Takashi pushed away from the window, leaving it open and moving to the door. When he opened it he was greeted by Kiri who was leaning against the wall opposite of him, watching him.


"You did the right thing."


The man didn’t answer at first, moving down the hallway, hearing his friend follow him. "I know I did." He finally said, when Kiri fell into step beside him. They left the building, the warmth of the sun reminding him of hot summer days.


It was a beautiful day, too beautiful for a funeral.

----

Thanks for reading :)