A while later, Naruto and Sakura manage to get the bells from Kakashi… And in such a stupid way. Naruto started spoiling the ending of a book Kakashi was reading and to block out everything, Kakashi had crouched down and closed his eyes.
After that, all of them headed back to the village. Sakura and Naruto grew excited about eating, saying how Kakashi was going to treat them. Akashi trailed behind them with his hands in his pockets, a bored expression on his features. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. Continue his missions with the ANBU? Go back to being a part of the incomplete Team 7?
His thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted when someone knocked him in the shoulder. Akashi stumbled back, but managed to stay on his feet. “I’m really sorry”. He heard from in front of himself. Glancing up, he was met with an old man with a kind smile on his face. His dark brown, wrong color, wrong color, eyes were crinkled at the corners, probably from old age.
“It’s fine, I was partially at fault”. Akashi bent down to grab the bags which the man dropped and picked them up. The man took it from his hands and bowed his head.
“Thank you”. With that, he walked away, leaving Akashi to stand in the middle of the street.
His hands laid limp at his sides. Itching to touch something… someone, but unable to.
He was gone, and he won’t be coming back. Akashi reminded himself. There’s no use being like this. He knew it would only bring him pain to remember.
But still… it hurt.
“Akashi? Are you coming?” The said boy looked up and noticed Kakashi and Jiraiya had stopped. The both of them were looking at him, waiting for a reply.
Forcing a smile on his face, he shook his head. “I’m heading home”. The men in front exchanged a look, before peering at Akashi.
“Are you sure? You haven’t eaten anything”. Kakashi had pocketed the book which he was reading. He was worried. He was really worried. He barely had any contact with Akashi these past two and a half years, and now that he had a reason to speak with him, the boy was shutting him off.
He saw Akashi give them a reluctant smile and wave, subsequently disappearing, leaving nothing but a brief red flash. Kakashi looked at Jiraiya once he heard him sigh.
“What’s the matter?” He asked, seeing the older man’s expression.
Jiraiya shifted on his feet. He cast a look at Kakashi, before glancing at the spot Akashi was previously at. “Akashi… Naruto told me they got into a fight before he left to train with me”. That was new information to Kakashi. He didn’t know about that. “They separated on really bad terms, so it’s no wonder no conversation sparked between them”. He said.
“Bad terms? What happened?” Jiraiya let out another sigh.
“Naruto… He told me Akashi got violent”. Kakashi was taken aback. Violent? Akashi? Towards Naruto? What sort of joke was this?
“Akashi would never purposely hurt Naruto, you must know that, right?” Jiraiya shook his head at his words. Kakashi didn’t believe him. “Do you know what Akashi told me on our very first mission as Team 7?” He asked and Jiraiya gestured for him to continue. “He told me he would burn the world down for Naruto… and I believed him when he said it, I still believe it to this day…”. He lowered his head and looked at the ground under his feet.
“But would he burn himself down for Naruto?” Came the unexpected question.
Kakashi’s eyes snapped up and he froze in place. Burn himself? “What are you…?” He began, but stopped.
“That’s the real question… Now, I’m leaving, I need to collect information about the Akatsuki”. With that, the older man disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi was left standing, alone.
He thought about Jiraiya’s question.
But would he burn himself down for Naruto? He had asked. Kakashi somehow understood. When he looked between the smiling Naruto and the spot Akashi was previously on, his heart throbbed.
He was already burning down.
And it may be too late to stop the flames from devouring him whole.
_
The moment he was within the safe confinement of his home, he dropped to his knees. The blade on his back was thrown towards the hallway and it harshly connected with the wall, before falling down with a distinctive ‘clack’. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but it still didn’t disappear. The image before his eyes remained.
Green, green, green, green.
That was all he could see.
That color seemed like it was almost mocking him.
Those bright eyes of his clouded his mind.
He hated it… He hated them.
“Do you?” The beast within him spoke, deciding the perfect moment to jump in.
“Be quiet…”. Akashi whispered, clenching the fabric of his pants. “I’m not in the mood…”. He leaned his forehead on the floor and breathed in. He can’t… The pain inside him wasn’t something he could handle.
“Then let me handle it”. He could practically imagine the fox’s face as it said that. Crimson red eyes peering through the equally crimson cage that held it captive.
“There’s no need for that”. He replied, sighing against the wooden floorboards. This pain was his and his alone, he didn’t intend to share it with anyone.
Especially not with it.
He heard its rumbling laugh from within him. “How you wound me, little human”. Its sarcastic voice rang out inside his head.
“That’s the plan”. He leaned back, blinking his eyes. The lids felt heavy for some reason, but he wasn’t tired at all. He felt the familiar throbbing inside his chest. The sorrow filling him up. He wondered when he last felt like that.
“We both know the answer to that”. The Nine-Tails spoke up, as if purposely trying to make him remember that night.
The night that happened not so long ago.
He didn’t wish to remember the events of it, so he chose to lock it all away. Somewhere nobody could ever find it. “I don’t like thinking about what happened, so refrain from ever mentioning it again”. He got up in a standing position.
The fox chuckled at his words. “Politeness isn’t your strong side, boy”. It replied.
He unzipped his outer layer, before letting it slip to the ground and pool at his feet.. “It never was”. The protector he wore on his neck went next. Untying it, he let it drop down. The metal on it clicked against the wooden floor. He made his way towards the bedroom and took off the rest of his clothes along the way.
The pieces of clothing were spread across the hallway, from the living room to the bathroom. The painfully cold shower didn’t help with his state of mind. It just brought back the feeling from that moment.
The coldness he felt… and how much that coldness hurt.
How cold the chains felt… he thinks he’ll never forget it. How warm the blood was… he was certain he would never forget that.
He felt his left hand twitch so he glanced down. The fingers were shaking and they almost looked like they were convulsing. The things he had to do with that hand… He clenched the hand into a fist and slammed it into the tiles in front of him.
They cracked and the pieces fell. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Calm down. He told himself. It passed. He told himself. You don’t have to worry. He told himself.
It’s not your fault. He lied to himself.
“You seem to be doing that quite a lot… Lying”. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The mirror in front of him clearly reflected his form. It reflected his tired appearance. His lifeless eyes. The scars on his body. Each and every one of them held a story he wished not to tell. Eyes trailed over his skin and they stopped at his face.
He raised his hand and touched the spot above his right brow, slowly letting the finger slip down to his cheekbone. He was saved the day he got that scar. His finger dug into the bone of his jaw, leaving a white crescent mark from his nail. Calmly scratching down, a thin trail of blood followed his finger all the way to his collarbone.
“You’re still as self-destructive as ever”. He stopped once he heard the fox. Self-destructive? Was he? He let his hand drop down and watched as the cut stitched itself up in a matter of seconds.
“It doesn’t matter if I am… Everything heals in a moments time”. Water slipped from his damp hair and down his jaw. He followed the drop till it reached his chest.
He only wished his heart did the same.
_
He stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his body. After briefly rummaging through his closet for some comfortable clothes to wear, he removed the towel and put the clothing on. The wet towel dropped to the ground, unnoticed, and he crawled onto the bed. He laid his head on the pillow and breathed out.
The water from his hair soaked into the pillow, but he paid it no mind, he just relaxed his body and let the softness of the bed swallow him up. He needed it…
…Comfort.
But… he had nobody to receive it from.
“Nobody?” The fox spoke up and he opened his eyes.
“What? Volunteering yourself?” He mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric of the pillowcase.
He heard the fox growl at his words. “No… I meant my other half… your other half”. It spoke. Its words made him roll to his back.
“I have no intentions of doing that”. He answered, placing an arm over his eyes. The early morning rays had pierced through the blinds of his windows. Seek comfort from his estranged brother? He’d rather lay here till the end of his days.
With that thought in his mind, he let himself relax even further.
Dreamland awaited him.
…
The sky was dark, but something seemed off about that.
The road in front of him was lightened up and he couldn’t see what was lighting it up.
Heavy vines hovered over the road in an arch. They connected from one side to the other and spread out for miles and miles.
Albeit reluctant, he walked along the path and under the vines.
As soon as he stepped under them, the exit behind him got closed off. Thick vines rolled and tightened around one another, blocking the way back.
He glanced in front of himself and continued on his way. There must be an exit at the end of the path.
He was wrong.
He didn’t know for how long he was there, but the road was never-ending. His feet had already numbed from all the walking.
Was it seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? He couldn’t make out the time that passed.
So he continued walking.
And walking.
And walking.
And walking.
Until…
…
Drip…
Splat…
Drip…
Drip…
Splat…
He froze in his tracks as soon as he heard the sounds. The pungent smell of blood attacked his senses and he stumbled back, almost tripping over himself.
This was a dream.
Wake up. He thought.
“Wake up”. He whispered.
Drip…
“Wake up!” He clenched his eyes shut.
Splat…
“Wake up!” He screamed and his nails dug into the rough skin of his palms.
Silence.
It stopped.
The only thing he could hear was his own heavy breathing. He felt cold sweat at the back of his neck, before it slid down along his spine.
A violent shiver raked through his body as he tried to calm down.
“Calm down…”. He took a deep breath and released a shuddering one.
He repeated the process over and over again, until he was in control of his body. The fear quickly drained away and left him calm. It was over.
That was what he thought.
Drip…
He felt something drop onto his forehead. Shakily raising a hand to touch the liquid, he realized it was warm as soon as he made contact with it.
He brought his hand back to take a look at it and he felt a chill go down his spine.
It was blood. Dark, crimson, blood.
Swallowing, he raised his head and looked above himself.
He realized it in that single moment…
… He had made a mistake by doing that.
Crunch…
A body was twisting inside the thick vines. Its bones breaking with each moment that passed.
Crunch…
He heard them grind together and he saw the flesh break as they pierced through.
Thud…
It dropped in front of him, even more things breaking as it made contact with the ground. Its hand shifted to the side as it tried to pull itself up. The neck twisted around, dark hair matted with blood fell over its face. The hand had multiple broken fingers, and none of them had a nail in place.
The other hand extended towards him and he took a step back in horror.
Its shoulders cracked and broke as its arms wound up in front of itself. Its back arched when it tried to stand up. He could do nothing but watch, as it managed to straighten up. Its back stretched and a crack resounded through the dimly lit space around them.
Its body was still horribly disfigured. Shoulders were out of their sockets and its arms hung lower than normal. Its legs were in a harsh X as it wobbled towards him.
“… Akashi…”. The said boy froze in place at the mention of his name. “… Akashi…”. It repeated and picked up speed towards him. He took fast steps backwards, afraid to turn his back to it.
This isn’t real.
Wake up.
Please wake up.
He just wanted to wake up.
“Akashi”. He clenched his eyes shut as he heard the whisper next to his ear. “Akashi”. It said once more and he felt something touch the side of his face. His body trembled in barely restrained fear and he dared not open his eyes. “Look at me…”. He didn’t want to. “Why won’t you look at me?” It asked and its voice teared at his eardrums.
“That’s my boy… That’s my boy… That’s my boy?”. His eyes snapped open when he heard it say that. That proved to be a mistake on his part, because he will never forget the sight that greeted him.
The so familiar eyes stared right back at him.
He should have kept his eyes closed.
“Why did you leave me?” He couldn’t look away as it asked its question. He had no answer. “Why did you leave me?” It repeated in a more forceful tone. He still had no answer.
It raised one long arm and slid a finger down his jaw.
The motion felt so familiar… He almost broke down right then and there.
“Why?” He shook his head at the question.
“I’m sorry…!” His throat already felt raw. It raised one disfigured hand and grabbed him by the chin, slowly tilting his head back. He had no strength to fight back.
It grinned, flashing its rotting teeth at him.
And before he knew it, its cracked lips found his own.
They tasted of pure death.
And he wished for nothing more.
But… death.
It separated from him and his legs gave out, consequentially making him fall onto the hard ground.
“Akashi…”. It spoke up once more, the grin nowhere to be found… And Akashi dreaded the words that would come out of its mouth.
“Why did you kill me?” It asked and the tears slipped down.
An onslaughter of emotions pierced through his body at that very moment.
Pain.
Grief.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Regret.
He wasn’t prepared for what came next.
He felt a low rumble from the ground he sat on. The vines above his head shifted and slithered, but didn’t disappear.
He smelt it before he saw it.
Blood.
Dark, crimson liquid came in a tidal wave towards them. It slammed into the vines, but they stood strong, not letting a drop pass through them.
He could do nothing as he watched it approach them.
Casting one last glance at him, the thing shifted and broke down. Its limbs fell apart and cracked even further, leaving nothing but dry bones in its wake.
He closed his eyes as the wave came closer.
It felt tiny compared to the amount he had spilled.
…
His eyes snapped open to the sight of his bedroom ceiling. He sat up and something dripped down from his eye. He raised a hand and wiped under it, clearing away any proof of the tears that were shed. His body felt hot… too hot. He could feel the sweat that pooled at the back of his shirt.
Another shower it is.
The moment he stepped out of it, he felt the oncoming signal. Sighing, he walked over to his closet to grab his ANBU gear. As he heard a knock come from his window, he opened it and was met with a masked ANBU squad member. “You have been summoned by the Hokage”. The ninja disappeared at his nod.
When the window clicked shut, he looked at the spot his blade was supposed to be at. Seems like it was still in the hallway. Without another word, he raised his hand and it appeared in his hand. The seal he engraved onto it briefly glowed a bright red, before receding back into the hilt.
He sheathed the blade and disappeared in a flash of red.
_
He appeared in front of the Hokage’s desk and immediately read the atmosphere. Something had happened. Something big. “Akashi”. She said his name even though he had a mask on. That gave him reason to believe this was important.
“Why have you summoned me?” He asked and took the mask off, letting it hang from his waist. He had noticed the rest of Team 7 was also there, minus him.
Tsunade’s face hardened at his question. “The Kazekage of Suna has been taken by the members of the organization called the Akatsuki”. Since Naruto and the rest of them gave no reaction to that, he guessed she had already told them the news.
“The Akatsuki? You mean the ones who are after the Tailed Beasts?” He asked. The organization Uchiha Itachi was a part of had started their move. Kidnapping the Kazekage? They sure are bold.
“Precisely… You are to take part in this mission with the rest of them…”, she gestured behind him to the rest of Team 7, “… and aid Suna in any way possible”. He nodded at her words and put the mask back on.
“I understand, it will be done”. She sighed at his words.
“You haven’t changed at all…”. He heard her whisper the words. What is there to change? He has no reason to do that. It’s fine as it is.
He’s fine as he is.
“Are you sure about that?”. The beast within his mind asked, but he chose to stay quiet.
_
The Hokage and Iruka walked with them to the Konoha Gates. “Okay, we’re off now!” Naruto put his backpack on.
“We’ll be back, Master”. Sakura told Tsunade.
“Right…”. She said back to her.
“Naruto, Akashi… good luck!”. Iruka told them, making Naruto turn to look at him.
“Thanks”. With that, they started walking away.
“Akashi!” The said boy turned back to glance at Tsunade. “Come here for a second”. The boy followed her orders and stopped in front of her. She reached a hand forward and placed it on his shoulder. “Take care of those two, will you?” He nodded, but she couldn’t see the expression on his face. “They’re young and inexperienced… I’m worried about them”. She admitted, removing her hand.
“I will”. With that, he turned around and disappeared, reappearing next to Kakashi.
He had given him one of the kunai which held the seal. He had also given one to Sakura and Naruto… For safety measures.
But, before they could go any further, Akashi stopped once he sensed the arrival of a certain someone. A few moments later, Jiraiya appeared in front of them.
“Hey! Are you off on a mission now, Naruto?” He asked the said boy. Naruto raised a hand in confirmation.
“That’s right!” He answered.
“Oh, more importantly”. Jiraiya walked through their group and to the Hokage. “Tsunade, I’ve got some information for you… The Kazekage-“. He was interrupted when she spoke up.
“I know”. She pointed at Team 7. “I’m just about to send them off to Suna now”. Jiraiya turned around and looked at them with a baffled expression. Naruto proudly nodded.
Jiraiya turned back to Tsunade and bent down to whisper something. Akashi couldn’t hear what he said, but he was sure it had something to do with the Akatsuki. Leaning back, he walked up to them.
“Naruto, Akashi, come here for a second”. The two boys glanced at one another, before following after the older man. “Listen up, Naruto. Don’t get reckless against the Akatsuki, you too Akashi”. The masked boy scoffed at his words.
“When was I ever reckless? Why are you even telling this to me?” He asked the man, making him sigh.
“They’ve got business with me. So this time I’ll go to them!” Naruto interrupted their conversation, and angry expression taking place on his features.
“You have indeed gotten stronger… But if you don’t keep your cool, you’ll just be asking for trouble. Losing your cool right away is a bad habit of yours”. Naruto grit his teeth at his words and Jiraiya bent down to his level, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Naruto… I think you know, but don’t use that power”. Akashi heard him say.
Power? What power?
“My other half’s power”. The fox spoke up and Akashi shifted on his feet.
“I know”. Naruto reluctantly replied, not meeting Jiraiya’s eyes. The said man walked away from them and towards Kakashi. He said something and Kakashi nodded at his words.
“Let’s get a move on!” Naruto had gotten ahead of them and was walking away. Sakura hurriedly followed after him, leaving Akashi behind with Kakashi and Jiraiya.
“We’re off!” Kakashi called out to the Hokage, before, he too, turned around.
Akashi stood in place.
“Jiraiya, there’s no need to worry”. His flat voice rang out from beneath the mask he wore and the older man looked at him. “As long as I’m there, nobody will get hurt”. With a nonchalant wave, he followed after the others.
The older man watched as the redhead walked away.
Nobody will get hurt, eh? It didn’t give him any comfort to hear those words come out of the boy’s mouth.
Didn’t people always get hurt in his presence?
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