The Memory Keeper (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty Five- The Finer Art

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter twenty five of TMK. I hope you enjoy it! Not much to say. Sorry for the wait? I'm definitely going to gloss over Kimi's training within the Torture and Interrogation Force and move straight into the ending of it, which will be the main focus of the next chapter. If anyone wants it, though, I'll write it and put it up in the extras some time. No song for this chapter, though I might come back through and edit something in if I find something that fits.

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Naruto.
WARNINGS: Blood, cussing, and guilt.

Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.
This is what memories look like.
This is what thoughts look like.
'This is what song lyrics look like.' 

--

   Here I was. Again. The nightmare realm. It seemed it would be forever embedded into my dreams.

   There is someone else there, too. His back is to me and he's crouched near the ground no more than ten feet from me. Fabric hangs down between his knees, blackened and destroyed. All of his clothes were like that- tattered and charred. Part of his back is exposed. The skin there is mostly black, with bits of crimson-pink just barely showing through. He's so frighteningly still. My feet are cemented into place, rendering me unable to move. He turns suddenly, a strange wobbling motion in his footsteps. My eyes place this motion almost immediately. A hobbling step, waver, drag, hobbling step. Repeat. 

   The bandages that covered his face in life have fallen away, all incinerated and hanging loosely around his neck. His face is completely destroyed. Unrecognizable. The skin covering his face is no longer there, all having melted away. His blood vessels have all burst, his nerves have fried along with the majority of his muscles. His jaw opens and closes a little bit. His eyes bore into me. They're large and round and completely accusing. His teeth are covered in bits of burnt muscle. I feel my heart thudding in my chest. He steps closer, closer. His bone gleams in the dim light. As he closes in on me, a pounding noise begins ringing through my ears. My heart beat- ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. It looked like he had been tossed into a fryer, fried alive, and he had been. By me. I did this to someone. I killed someone's team mate, someone's son. I killed someone's important person.

   I fall to my hands and knees. My stomach lurches with a sickening twist and I begin to dry heave. Dosu still approaches still, semi-steady on his feet and just out of reach. The overwhelming realization that this was all my fault comes crashing on my shoulders. The dry heaving stops. I curl up, knees to my chest. No tears come as the bandages brush across my skin, and not when I can feel his hot breath on my cheeks. Just guilt.

--

   Never before have I woken up like this.

   A first time for everything, I guess. My entire chest aches with phantom pain. The first thing I do is bolt straight up in bed. My hand flies up to clutch at my chest. The pain sends me reeling, barely able to keep my eyes open. It felt like I was stabbed through with a katana, directly through my heart. The blankets pool around my stomach. If my internal clock was anything to judge by, it was still pitch-black outside. Somewhere around six, if I were to be more specific.

   It takes at least thirty minutes for the pain to subside enough for me to move. I ease my way out of bed, sliding my legs over the side and slowly standing. My whole body feels weak- looks like everything was beginning to catch up with me. Fabulous.