My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen. No, I love ramen. It may be the best thing in the world. I have blond, spiky hair and bright blue eyes and six whisker marks, three on each cheek. When I was born the fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to put the Nine Tailed Fox Demon called, Kyuubi inside of me. Kyuubi is still sealed inside of me. The villagers hate me because of it. But I am going to show them! I am going to be the future Hokage! Believe It!

My best friend slash rival is Sasuke Uchiha. He is kind of emo and can be a bastard some times, but he can be a great guy when he wants to. He has raven hair that kind of looks like a chicken butt and onyx eyes. A lot of girls like him. I don’t know why. His older brother, Itachi, killed his whole clan only leaving him and Sasuke the only two left. Sasuke now wants to kill Itachi. Itachi wants Sasuke to be stronger so he can kill him. Can you say family troubles?

Then there is the very beautiful, Sakura Haruno. I have a crush on her. She has naturally pink hair and green eyes. She used to have her hair long, but then to prove she could be strong she cut it with a kunai. Now it is short, but she still is very pretty. She likes Sasuke. So does her old best friend Ino. Sakura stopped being Ino’s best friend when she realized they had to be rivals for Sasuke. Isn’t that sad? I think they are becoming friends again though. Sakura is becoming a very strong ninja and she has always been really smart. So brains, brawn, and beauty, isn’t she just perfect?

“Damien? Damien, are you there Damien?”

Who’s Damien? I don’t know any Damien. Is he from the Sound Village?

“Damien! What are you doing? Please Damien talk to me.”

Is he talking to me? He must have me mistaken for this Damien person. I am Naruto Uzumaki.
“Who is Damien?” I ask the man. He doesn’t look like he from around here. He is wearing a strange white coat that flaps as he walks towards me. He has plastic gloves covering his hands and as he comes closer to me he reaches his hands near me. The village starts to waver, fading in and out from my view. I can’t perform any jutsues. He must have done this to me. What is he doing? Who is Damien? I black out as he reaches me.

“His name is Damien Smith. He has made his own little world where his name is Naruto Uzumaki. He seems to live in a village of some sorts where the villagers all hate him, except for a few trusted friends. He even has a crush on one of his fictional characters. Another one of them even has a crush on him. It is interesting.”

“He has made his own little world?”

“Yes. He sits for hours, alone just staring into space mumbling the story to himself.”

“Amazing. When did it start?”

“Quite. He seems to have lost touch with reality right after he was admitted, after he saw his parents brutally murdered. He says that that was when Naruto Uzumaki was born. It seems Naruto’s parents were both killed by a fox demon with nine tails, leaving him an orphan. Damien even says that the fox demon that killed Naruto’s parents was sealed inside him. It really is amazing. He doesn’t even know that he is Damien and has asked me numerous times who Damien is.”

“Poor boy.”

“Yes. Poor, indeed.”

Ugh what happened to me? One minute some crazy guy in a white coat is calling me Damien the next I’m back at my apartment? Must have been some kind of crazy dream.

I live alone in this two room apartment. My mother died and father both died the night I was born. Kyuubi killed them. I never even got to meet them. But that is in the past right? I shouldn’t go all emo like Sasuke.

Well I guess I should tell you guys more about my life. Well I wear an orange jumpsuit, and blue sandals. Everyone is always saying how crazy it is for a ninja to wear orange, well I just have to say that it is perfectly reasonable for a ninja to wear orange at least I don’t wear anything except fishnet like some people. But then again who cares about what I wear?

My dear Sakura-chan wears a beautiful red dress, with white circles on the front and sleeves. The red dress matches perfectly with her beautiful pink hair. But she could wear dishrags and she would still beautiful to me. I’m sure Rock Lee would agree to that too.

Bastard Sasuke wears an emo blue shirt with an over sized collar with the Uchiha symbol on the back and baggy white shirts as well two weird white arm things that cover his probably cut up wrists.

You know I really do have more friends then just Sasuke bastard and dear Sakura. Let’s see, first of all I guess there is Kiba.

Kiba has shaggy, short, brown hair that he keeps under a fur lined hood and grey dirty jacket. He has two red tattoos one on each cheek under his eyes. You can’t catch him anywhere with out his white puppy, Akamaru. Me and Kiba once fought at the Chunin exams and I whooped his ass! HA! But um anyway, he is on Team Eight with Shino and Hinata.

Hinata has short dark hair and wears a tan jacket and leggings. She has pale violet eyes that all Hyuga’s have. Yes, she is from the Hyuga clan. She used to have this big problem with her cousin, Neji for her being in the main house hold, while he was in a side branch. But I straightened everything out by kicking his ass too!

I think she may have crush on me, but I’m not sure. She always blushes and turns red around me, at first I thought she had a fever, but hey, I’m not that dumb! So it took me a few years, but still. I think her and Kiba should get together, it is so obvious, even to me, that he likes her. I may have to get them together.

Next up is Shino. I don’t know much about him. He has an afro and wears small dark glasses and a huge collar that covers half of his face. He is mostly known for his bugs. Yes, bugs. It is kind of creepy really. He has a whole army of bugs crawling over his skin, under his coat and stuff at all times. They feed on his charka. I wouldn’t want to mess with him.


“Is he mumbling to himself again?”

“Yes I think we might have to get some special help for Damien.”

There’s that name again! Damien! Who is he? How come whenever his name is mentioned I black out? I thought it was all a dream? Where is the village going?

Sasuke!

Sakura!

Hinata!

Kiba!

Please!
Anybody!

Stop this!

Something is happening…please….somebody help me….

“What keeps happening to him?”

“It seems whenever he remembers he is in fact Damien, his “Naruto” side blacks out and it leaves him in a confused state.”

“So who are you going to send to help with Damien?”

“He is a specialist in Damien’s case, his name is Dr. Edward. Only twenty and already a specialist, he is truly a genius, I think he will be perfect with helping Damien.”

“I hope so for Damien’s sake.”

“As do I. As do I.”

I don’t know what is wrong with me. Is it Kyuubi? Then who is Damien? Wait where am I? Is this the hospital? Where is Baa-chan? Where is anyone? This doesn’t look like the hospital.

It is different. Like the hospital but not. I feel different too. I can’t move my arms. They are…restrained? Why am I restrained? Where is everyone? Who are these people? Is that that one guy? The guy that was looking for that Damien person? Where am I?

“Where am I?” I ask, surprised at how weak my voice sounds, as if I haven’t used it in a long time, but I use it every day. Why do I feel so weak? Like I haven’t trained in months. But I just trained yesterday. Where am I?

“You are at Saint Peters Hospital? Do you know who you are?” the guy in the white coat and gloves asks. Well of course I know who I am. Naruto Uzumaki. But where the hell is Saint Peters Hospital? I have never heard of it.

“Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village. Where is Saint Peters Hospital? Where are Sasuke and Sakura and Kakashi-sensai?” I ask quickly, looking around at the too bright white walls and fluorescent lighting. I look down at myself and see my orange jumpsuit gone, replaced by a horribly open hospital gown with tiny blue patterns covering it.

The guy shakes his head, as if disappointed by my answer, “Naruto, your name is Damien Smith. You are nineteen. Your parents were murdered at your house a couple months ago. You witnessed this and were sent here. We believe you suffered extreme trauma to your psyche and have lost touch with reality. You only think you are Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensai and everyone else aren’t real. Whatever you believe your life has been is just make believe, something you made up to protect yourself from reality. I know this a lot to come to terms with, but you must realize that you are Damien Smith and not Naruto Uzumaki.”

I could only stare at him. What the hell was this guy talking about? Damien Smith? Me him? What?!? Sasuke and Sakura, even Kakashi-sensai not real? Of course they are real! What about Iruka-sensai? This guy can’t say he isn’t real, right? I have known him since I was little? I don’t understand this. I shake my head at him, wanting someone to just tell me this is some kind of sick joke being played on me by the villagers.

Then my room door opens and I know that it is all a joke.

“Sasuke! Tell this guy he is crazy! He says you aren’t real! Tell him this joke has gone far enough!” I shout at Sasuke in relief. I wonder at his outfit though. He is wearing a matching white coat like the crazy guy next to me and white gloves too. He has a black T-shirt, but strangely it doesn’t have the Uchiha symbol on it, like most of his clothes do. He also has just weird looking blue pants that look a bit too tight on him.

“Who is Sasuke?” Sasuke directs the question to the crazy guy in the white coat. I glare at him, surely he can’t be such a bastard that he would go along with this. It isn’t funny any more. It wasn’t ever funny.

“Sasuke, this isn’t funny you bastard. Stop it and take me home. I think this guy did something to me. I feel weak.” I shout at him, glaring still.

“Sasuke Uchiha is Naruto’s best friend and rival. I will give you more history on him later, right it seems Damien thinks he is Naruto, but at least he is in this world.” The crazy guy tells Sasuke. Why does Sasuke need to know about himself? I am starting o swat. It is like a bad dream that I can’t wake up from, I need to wake up.

“Damien,” Sasuke turns towards me, he looks exactly like he should except maybe not as pale and his hair wasn’t in its usual spikes , it was down and shorter, but he still looked hot as ever.

“Damien, my name is Dr. Edward. You may call me Edward or Zach which is my first name.” Sasuke tells me, in his calm smooth voice, which would have been calming if I wasn’t turning so frantic.

“Sasuke. I will call you Sasuke or bastard if you keep going along with this cruel joke. Really why would you go this far, surely you have gotten a good enough laugh out of this, please is Sakura outside the door laughing too? Why would you guys do this to me? I thought you were my friends.”

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes and my arms are shaking. I try to break the stupid leather straps that are keeping me down. I should be able to break them easily, but the crazy guy must have given me something to weaken my muscles. I tug and pull at the straps, shaking the bed with me.

Sasuke signals outside for someone and a girl comes in with a needle. I shout and tug harder on the straps, they stay strong and the girl shoves the needle into my arm and a clear liquid goes into my arm and blood. I feel my eyesight start to faze.

“Why Sasuke?” I whisper before I black out once more.

“So that is Damien Smith?”

“Yes, you can see why I called for your help.”

“I will see what I can do; I think I will be able to help him.”

“I hope you can. Damien deserves a life in reality, not just as Naruto.”

“Yes he certainly does.”

What is happening to me?

Why can’t anyone answer that simple question?

Is this world real?

Is Kohana real?

Or is that other insane world real?

I have lived here my whole life.

Or is that all made up?

I just can’t….remember anything about Damien.

How can I be him?

Can anyone tell me the truth?

Can anyone help me?

Is this all some confusing jutsu?

Did someone do this to me?

Or am I doing this to myself?

Why was Sasuke there?

He said that…he wasn’t Sasuke.

But he looked just like him!

And if that other world is real, does that mean everyone I know isn’t real?

Sasuke? Sakura? Kakashi? Iruka? The Hokage? Jiraiya? Hinata? Kiba? Everyone?!?

How can that be?

Does that mean I wasn’t born a horrible demon?

That I didn’t kill my parents, or Kyuubi didn’t kill them?

Even in that other world I don’t have parents.

How can that be fair?

How can Kohana not be real?

How?!?

WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!!!

“Doctor! Doctor! Damien Smith is screaming in his room! He just keeps screaming! One minute he was just mumbling his “Naruto” story and then he started to scream! He hasn’t stop and it has been over ten minutes.”

Dr. Edward rushed to Damien’s room and held him down carefully, not wishing for the screaming boy to hurt himself.

“Damien! Damien! Please, calm down. It is okay. Shh…it is okay. Please calm down.” Dr. Edward held onto Damien as his screams died down and the boy started to cry instead.

“What is happening?” Damien sobbed again and again, while Dr. Edward motioned for a nurse to bring in some medication.

“Naruto” was injected with the clear liquid and was soon put to sleep. Dr. Edward sighed and carried the boy to his hospital bed.

Looking down on the unconscious boy Dr. Edward said a quiet vow,

“I will help him.”

“Naruto! Hey Naruto! Do you know where Sasuke-kun is? I wanted to give him these chocolates. You can have one is you want.” Sakura’s voice rings in my ears.

Is she real?

Did I just make her up?

I stare at her for a long time, wondering if she will disappear.

“Naruto? What’s the matter?” she asks me.

Does that mean I am controlling her?

Does that mean that I created her?

I am telling her to say everything?

I am telling everyone to say everything?

At least Damien looks the same as me.

Last I remember seeing a refection in “that” world. Damien had had blond, spiky hair like me. Maybe a little longer and the spikes hung down instead of like my flashing out. He had blue eyes too. Tanned skin too. He even had three scars on each cheek.

How did he get those?

“Naruto? Please answer me.” Sakura begs.

Suddenly she starts to swirl out of focus, in and out, fading from view and then right back to be a perfect little picture.

I step back.

No, not again. Why am I doing this to myself?

I snap my eyes closed. I don’t want to see her fading in and out of sight.

I do not want to know she isn’t real.

I don’t want to believe it.

I crack my eye open just a tiny bit and hear a dark chuckle.

“Damien. Oh little Damien. Open your eyes. Open your eyes to the truth.” I know that voice.

I don’t want to know that voice.

Please no. I never want to hear that voice again.

“Open your eyes Damien. You didn’t save them. You let me kill them. You just stood there and. Screamed. Those screams of yours. You didn’t even try to save them. You just watched. Watched and let them die.”

No! No! I couldn’t do anything! You killed them! You did!!! I…I…

“Face it Damien. You are the one who killed them. By not doing anything. You killed them. And you know it. Open your eyes to the truth. You are a murderer. A murderer even in his own little twisted make believe world. Killer.”

LEAVE ME ALONE!!! YOU KILLED THEM!! I DIDN’T! Please…I didn’t kill them! I would never…no I didn’t…

I fall to my knees as the man chuckles and keep repeating the same word over and over again.

“Killer.”

“Dr. Edward! It’s Damien. Something is wrong. He keeps screaming that he didn’t kill them. We aren’t sure who “them” are, but he won’t stop. He bites and scratches anyone who even tries to come close to him. Please come quickly.”

Dr. Edward rushes to Damien’s room.

When he gets there he sees exactly what the nurse had described.

Several doctors and many nurses were crowded around the bed in the middle of the room, all of them talking frantically as the boy on the bed screamed his throat out, for them to get away and that he didn’t kill them.

Dr. Edward pushes his way through the small mob, and reaches the screaming boy.

“Damien. Please Damien calm down. I am here, just please stop screaming everything is okay.” The mob had moved away from the two. Only whispers were heard from the crowd as the boy’s screams started to die down.

“Sasuke….I didn’t…I didn’t kill them. Did I?” Damien asks his voice not surprisingly raw and rough, each word sounded as if took effort to say.

“No. No, you didn’t kill anyone. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Dr. Edward whispers soothingly, brushing blond, spiky bangs from crying blue eyes.

Damien nods and grabs onto Dr. Edward’s hand tightly.

“Don’t leave, Sasuke. He came. He came to get me. Please don’t leave.” Damien begs, tears dripping down his cheeks.

The doctors and nurses have gone, realizing they weren’t needed and had other patients to worry about.

Dr. Edward sighs and then nods.

He takes off his white coat, throwing it over a chair, and just for a moment, to the whimper of Damien, let’s go of his hand to pull a chair to the bed.

He takes Damien hand again, as the boy gives him a small smile in thanks.

His blue eyes start to close, and Dr. Edward sighs once again.

This boy was such a mystery to him.

He wanted to know what troubled the boy so much that he was screaming that he didn’t kill anyone.

Dr. Edward absently rubbed the boy’s hand that he still held onto and felt himself start to tire as well.

He leaned back into the chair, never letting go of Damien’s hand and felt his eyes close.

They both sleep.

One dreaming of relief.

The other thinking only for the same.

“Zachie-poo! Where are you? I came to see if you wanted to go lunch with me? I just found this wonderful little café down the street and seeing as you spend way too much time in this hospital I wanted to see if you wanted to escape for a second and eat something. What do ya say?” the annoying voice of Dr. Edward’s self appointed “girlfriend” called from the waiting area before bursting into Damien’s room.

Now Dr. Edward had never ever said he would date the girl, but she had been saying that she was for years. He had met her in medical school and ever since she had been doing the same thing, despite his coldness.

“Hi Jenny…No, I am busy with this patient. Please be quiet Damien just fell asleep.” Zach said then turned around only to gasp in shock as he saw the girl.

“Oh it’s my hair isn’t it? I know I know it looks dumb, but I kind of like it. See I was trying to get my normal red hair streaked with blonde, but I think it added too much. Well pink isn’t that bad right? In Japan some people consider it a natural hair color.” Jenny went on and on. Zach just sighed. Before he had only considered the idea of testing Jenny for some kind of mental issue, but now he was sure that she might need more help then Damien.

Damien took this moment to wake up.

“Sakura-chan!!! I am so glad you are here!! So I’m not crazy? This is all a joke, isn’t it? I knew I was right!!! Please you and Sasuke get me out of these restraints and lets go find Kakashi. I have been here forever. They said you guys weren’t real, but now that you and Sasuke are here I know they must have been lying, right? Right? What’s the matter? I don’t look too different do I? Sasuke you bastard! Did you just tell her no to another date? Come on why can’t you just give her a break?” Damien asked not taking a breath until he had finished talking, his blue eyes wide with happiness, his tanned arms trying desperately to tug at the leather straps keeping him tied to the bed. It looked like he wanted nothing more than to jump up and hug the poor girl.

Jenny on the other hand looked like she wanted nothing more than to run out of the room screaming. She had never been good with the “crazies” as she called them. She was a great doctor who worked in another hospital and was known for her caring words and want to help people, but she was better with physically ill people. Right now she was hiding behind Dr. Edward, hands clutching onto his white coat.

“What is he talking about Zachie? Who is Sakura?” she whimpered from behind him. Zach sighed once more and detached her.

“Damien, this is my friend Jenny. Who do you think she is?” he asked in a calm voice moving closer to Damien.

“What is your problem bastard!?! She is Sakura! You know the girl who has been striving for your attention for years? You refuse to date her for some reason. I have no idea why! I ask her out almost every day! She always says no, but I’m sure she will come around one of these days. And they say I’m crazy! It is obviously her, with the short pink hair and beautiful green eyes. Why are you calling her Jenny?” Damien asked, outraged that the bastard was still going along with this joke! He had been hoping Sakura wasn’t in on it, but now it seemed she sadly was.

Jenny moved to Zach’s side, she looked down at Damien, her eyes held the caring look only a doctor could have.

“Hi Damien. My name is Jenny, but it sounds like your friend, Sakura is really lucky to have someone like you caring for her. I wish I was her. Zachie here isn’t the best boyfriend and you defiantly seem sweet. Why don’t you go back to sleep. You look exhausted. Now that is an order. Go to sleep. We will be here when you wake up.” She said sweetly in the same tone she used with cancer children that she always loved to help. Even though it broke her heart to see them suffering so she liked to know that she could bring them comfort with just a few kind words.

Damien seemed to be a bit reluctant, but with those last words his blue eyes were closed and his breathing became even, his chest lifting up and down gently.

“That was great Jenny. Thank you. You know, if you wouldn’t mind too much it seems that you really help Damien. Could you maybe come over here a few times a week just to visit him? It would really mean a lot to both me and him. See Sakura is like an older sister to him and just seeing you may help him.” Dr. Edward asked, his dark eyes pleading gently to the girl. That was something Jenny just couldn’t resist or say no to.

“Okay, fine. He seems sweet. Do you think you can get him better?” she asked her voice wavering with concern as she took a glance at the sleeping blond boy still strapped to the bed.

“I really hope so. I really do.”

So both Sasuke and Sakura are in that world? Are they here too? How can they be in both places? Maybe someone put a jutsu on me. Maybe it makes me go into a different universe. Then why isn’t there another one of me? What if he comes here and takes my place while I’m gone!

Well it makes more sense then this world being fake. As if I could make this whole thing up! My whole life a story! Ha! What a joke! No. No. Now I’m sure. I must have been hit with some kind of screwed up jutsu and it throws me into another universe.

But what about those weird memories? They were….horrible. Am I sharing his memories? This must be one screwed up jutsu. But at least I didn’t make this world up. No. Nope.

I have to go find Tsunade. She will be able to help me! She has to! I have to find her before I go into that other universe. That place is awful. They all think I’m crazy there.

Wait.

What if people here start to think I’m crazy? What if no believes me like no believes me in Damien’s world? What if I really am crazy?

My poor head. I need someone to talk to. I need someone who I know won’t think I’m crazy. Who will understand me and won’t second guess my sanity. But who?

Ah! I can’t think anymore or my head will explode! I need some ramen. I never get ramen in that other universe.

Off the to the ramen shop!

Oh no…no. NO! No! Why now? I was just about to get ramen! Please just a little longer! Please! No….

Naruto blacks out on the side of the road.

“No. No…please. No.” the mumbled from the cold white bed sends the nurse scurrying out the door to find Dr. Edward.

“Tell me whenever he wakes up.” That’s what he had told her to do as he had reluctantly left the room to answer another lesser patient’s needs. She sighed a love sick sigh. How perfect was Dr. Edward? Always caring about his patients. She sighed again before opening the door to his office.

“Dr. Edward? Damien has woken up.” The nameless nurse informed the doctor.

Zach looked up from the paperwork he had been filling out. His eyes, very handsome, but none the less usually cold and dark, brightened a bit at the mention of Damien.

“Okay, I’ll be right there. Thank you for telling me.” Zach said in a bit of a rushed tone, but even that couldn’t stop the way the nurse’s heart fluttered when he said thank you.

“No problem, doctor. Please if you need anything else feel free to ask.” With that she winked and finally left.

It was then Zach’s turn to sigh. Why couldn’t girls just leave him alone? Sure he could understand why they couldn’t help it. For years people had been telling him how very handsome he was. Cursed and blessed with pale skin, onyx eyes, and dark raven locks, he knew he looked good. Plus he was a doctor. Not only just a doctor, no a specialist, a well paid specialist at only twenty. Yes, he knew he was a catch.

But he was never really interested in flirty nurses, fellow drunk college girls, or the interns that always “accidentally” dropped their numbers whenever he walked by so that little strips of paper followed wherever he walked. No, never really interested. If he was he would have gotten together with Jenny years ago.

But he had never really thought of why he wasn’t interested. Usually when someone asked why he didn’t have a girlfriend he would just say he was too busy with work. They would then tell him to loosen up. Maybe it was work, maybe it was stress, then again he could just be asexual. Zach Edward shrugged and proceeded to open the door to his most thought about patient.

Damien Smith.

“Sasuke! Guess what! I think I have this all figured out. See, I think that someone put a jutsu on me so that I go into a different universe. See really I’m supposed to be in my world where I am of course Naruto Uzumaki, but I keep ending up here and Damien may even go into my world! So you see whenever I go back to my world I just have to ask Baa-chan about it and she will fix it. Then you can have Damien back and I can go back to my Sasuke. You must miss Damien huh? I mean you visit me and him so much. Hey is Sakura here today? I sure miss her. Oh yeah I’m starving! Does Damien get ramen here? I would love some ramen. Miso if you have it.” Damien shouted for the longest time, seeming to go on and on and on. Not that Zach really minded. Damien was just so…interesting and he was worth listening to, even though he was mentally unstable.

‘A different universe huh? Interesting. Defiantly creative. This must be a way for him to cope with the information given to him. He is progressing nicely. Jenny will be happy to hear this.’

“For the millionth time please call me Zach. I’m not Sasuke. So this is a different universe for you? And you think that the real Damien is in the Naruto world?” Dr. Edward asked as the boy’s doctor, though he wished he could talk to him as personally as Damien talked to him. He liked the fact that the boy already trusted him so much just because he happened to look similar to his own imagery character. It was amazing and very lucky for Zach.

Naruto nodded quickly, his blue eyes looked questioningly at Zach. He hoped he would believe him. Even though he said he wasn’t Sasuke, he was to him in this universe at least and that meant that he should be able to trust him, right? Then again he wasn’t even sure the real Sasuke would believe. Actually he would probably call him baka or dobe and smirk. The bastard.

“Interesting. Anyway, I’m sorry Jenny couldn’t make today a cancer patient of hers is having their first Chemo therapy and she promised she would be there, she sent her regards though as well as some chocolate. Would you like some?” Zach asked his voice turning from the informative doctor tone he hated using with the blond and into a friendlier, normal voice though still not on the same level of friendliness the boy used to talk to him. It was as if he was faking his friendliness and in a way it made him have to think which tone he hated using more. In the end he couldn’t decide.

Naruto once again nodded, smiling as a red chocolate box shaped like a heart, like the kind they sold on Valentines Day, was handed to him with a little card addressed to him saying that she was sorry and he hoped he had a sweet tooth. He grinned and opened the box quickly popping a sweet chocolate into his mouth and grinning even more.

This sweet sight made Zach smile a soft smile, almost laughing at the innocence of the boy, who was absolutely overjoyed by just a simple box of chocolate. It was hard to believe at this moment that just a few days ago the same kid had been biting and scratching people, screaming that he wasn’t a killer. It was impossible to even guess that this boy was mentally unstable and he had seen what he had. Those thoughts wiped away his smile and replaced it with a look of sympathy.

“Hey, Sasuke, make sure to tell Sakura thank you. Okay? Hey do you want one? They are really good!” Damien asked, offering a small round chocolate in his outstretched tan hand. By the way Damien was eating them, it made you both disgusted and wondering if they were really so good that the boy thought they were better then breathing. Zach wondered the same and took the chocolate. He popped it in his mouth and found that the blond had defiantly over exaggerated how the good the chocolate really was. Zach chewed and swallowed quickly finding it wasn’t so bad, just that he had expected better.

“So Naruto, tell me more about Sasuke.” He said taking a seat at the foot of Damien’s hard white bed. He was really interested about this Sasuke person. Who was he to Naruto? Why did he remind Damien of the fictional character? He wanted to know.

“Sasuke? Well in my universe he is a bastard. He is cold, cruel, and thinks way too much of himself. He has a huge ego and knows it too. His face usually has only two looks on it, serious and moody and cocky with an added smirk. That second face is usually just used around me. He thinks he is the great and almighty genius boy Uchiha. Just because everyone knows his great clan doesn’t mean he is all that and a bag of chips if you know what I mean. All the girls like him! I don’t really understand why. I mean sure he is handsome. That is a well known fact. But he always treats them as if they don’t exist! Always thinking about killing Itachi instead of anybody’s feelings! It is awful to watch Sakura get turned down by him all the time. He is really a bastard.” Damien rambled on and on as if he had wanted to complain about the stoic teen for years, but no one had wanted to listen.

As Zach listened his hopes of hearing about a great guy and best friends slowly went lower and lower until they were completely crushed. ‘I remind him of a guy he thinks is a bastard?’ the thought made him want to ask Jenny out, which was pretty much a suicidal thought.

“But…well I guess after what he has been through he deserves to have some perks in his life. I mean I never knew my parents so at least I don’t know what I’m missing, but he…he had a mom and dad. He had a whole clan. He had a huge family that he loved and that cared for him. Then he had to come home to…that. I can’t even imagine coming home to my whole clan dead, only to find my older brother the murderer. I can’t really blame him for always thinking about avenging them. I guess I would too.” Damien went on, his voice growing solemn and quiet.

‘So I am a avenge bent, depressed, bastard? Just great. Really.’ Zach thought, feeling a bit depressed himself at who he reminded Damien of. He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost didn’t hear Damien continue.

“And then of course there is the side no one else sees. Not even Sakura. The helpful side. The kind side. The side that makes me understand why all the girls love him even if they don’t see his last side. I have only ever seen this side in private situations. When we are alone training or someone else, but always alone. He will suddenly offer to buy me ramen or help me up from the ground. Then he will smile this small secret smile that he only shows me. It will be so soft and tiny the first time I saw it I had to look again to make sure it was really there. Finally he will make contact with me. Maybe a brush of the arms as he walks away or maybe he will place a hand on my arm as he helps me up. But then as soon as he shows this side, it is like he notices it he is doing it and it disappears. The smile runs away, the hand is taken back quickly and he rushes out a jumble of words that are supposed to mean he has to get home. Some times I wish I could always see that side of him. I guess I should just consider myself lucky that I see at all. Right?” Damien asked, his eyes leaving the dull blue blanket that lay over his legs and staring into the shocked eyes of the doctor.

‘So I remind him of a revenge seeking, misunderstood, bastard, that he maybe loves? And who is of course imaginary. Not what I expected. Defiantly not what I expected.’

“It seems you and him really have a sort of...” Zach tried to find the right word because it seemed obvious that Damien or Naruto didn’t understand his feelings for Sasuke. “connection.” He said at last.

Damien smiled and popped another chocolate into his mouth, chewing it happily as he thought of Sasuke.

A comfortable silence filled the room as Damien ate chocolate and Zach contained himself in his thoughts on the blond patient.

The silence was broken by the sharp and rude beeping of Dr. Edward’s pager. Zach glared down at the evil little black box and then looked back up smiling softly in a sort of apology.

“I’m really sorry Damien I have to go. I’ll be back when I can.” With that he got up his coat flapped with the effort and he rushed out the door.

Damien was left alone in his room with only his memories of Sasuke and a half way empty box of chocolates.

He found himself in a dark room. It was strangely familiar yet he didn’t know where he had seen it or how he could have ever seen it. He looked around, but could only make out faint shadows of shapes. He moved his hands against the walls, looking for some kind of light switch so he could see. Then he felt something thick and wet coating the walls as it were a thin second coat of paint.

Blood.

He screamed as dim, flickering lights turned on, showing that he was in a room with two freshly killed people.

Their bodies lay limply against each other, one a man the other a woman. Blood was everywhere. There was so much. It was almost too much to be possible. It coated the walls in uneven splatters. It stained the hardwood beneath his feet, streams of blood running in between the cracks in the wood, seeming to try to follow him as he backed away a look of horror and disgust distorting his face.

He didn’t even realize he was still screaming. That he had kept screaming. A loud, high pitched sound that echoed in the otherwise silent room.

A stench filled his nose and the taste of copper and iron coated his mouth as he breathed in the scent of fresh blood and death.

It was obvious the people had been tortured as the flickered lights showed they had their eyes dug out, veins lying limply from the empty sockets. Fingers and piece of flesh were strewn around them, being drowned in blood. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises. But worst of all was the look of pure pain, terror, and anguish that the eyeless faces held, as if even in death their killer was still torturing them.

His eyes widened and he turned around to vomit everything his stomach contained, the taste and smell of blood and death not leaving. His senses reeled; he became dizzy and thought for sure he would faint.

“Mom. Dad.” He whispered, refusing to look at the bodies. He fell to his knees, blood staining his hands and knees as he vomited more the only thing coming out was acid that burned his throat, but couldn’t burn away the evilness of the blood taste.

“Ahh...so you have returned, killer. Come to see what you did? See what you didn’t stop? Are you proud of your masterpiece? I would have to say it is…beautiful. A very touching piece. But I guess you learned from the master, no?”

“I-I didn’t do this.” He ground out, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks, mixing with burning tears. He felt like he couldn’t get enough air, his lungs felt like they were collapsing, falling in on themselves. He tried to get air into them, taking deep breaths only to inhale more stale death scented air and having acid burn up his throat.

“Oh, but you did. You certainly did. Why would you want anyone else to take credit for your masterpiece? Your great work? As your teacher I advise you don’t let your work get taken.” The voice went on, he wouldn’t look up, he couldn’t look up. He felt like the world was spinning, he closed his eyes trying desperately tried to stay in control, but didn’t even know what he was trying to stay control of.

“I didn’t do this! Why?!? WHY?!?” he finally shouted, forcing himself to look up, but before he could see who the killer was the room started to spin at full force and the man just chuckled.

Blood started to pour out of the walls and come up from underneath the floor boards. The eyeless sockets of the dead bodies started to cry blood and all of the open wounds started to bleed as if freshly cut. Soon blood started to fill the room.

The man kept laughing as the red copper filled liquid started to drown him. It poured into his nose and down his throat, before he could even cough it out, as if trying to replace his own. It stained his blond hair, making it heavy and hang down, gripping onto his scalp. It ran into his blue eyes, turning them red.

He screamed, only to have blood fill his mouth, turning it into a loud gurgle.

“How does it feel to be in your own masterpiece?” he heard the voice ask before he disappeared under the waves of blood.

Zach rushed into the room as Damien screamed in his bed, the chocolate box lay smashed on the floor, with the blankets and sheets. The bare bed was soaked to the metal frame with sweat. And the boy on top of it thrashed and screamed, eyes shut firmly.

“Damien! Damien please wake up! It’s okay!!!” Zach shouted, running over to the bed and pulling the punching and kicking boy into his strong arms. Damien’s blue eyes opened to meet dark onyx.

“The blood. Oh god the blood! It was everywhere! It’s still on me! Oh god it’s still on me! Get it off! Oh god the blood! The blood!!!” Damien wailed frantically trying to scratch off the skin off his hands. Zach gasped, alarmed, and grabbed onto the boy’s hands, stilling their frantic action.

“Damien there’s no blood. It’s okay. Calm down. Everything’s okay. It was just a nightmare. Shh…it’s okay.” He whispered, holding the boy close. Damien looked down at himself, then at Zach.

“But the blood, Sasuke.” He whimpered, blue eyes welled with tears and fear.

“It was a nightmare. There is no blood.” Zach said, sternly looking the boy in the eyes. He felt the blond’s ridge body go limp in his arms and his frantic breathing even out a bit.

“Everything’s okay. Shh…it’s okay.” Zach kept repeating this, rocking gently back and forth as a parent would to a young child. The boy sighed and nuzzled into the doctor’s chest, suddenly very tired.

Dr. Edward sighed as well and kept rocking back and forth till soft snores came from the blond patient.

“What happened to you?” he whispered more to himself as he kept rocking back and forth, thinking.

“Hey Sasuke-kun! Do you wanna maybe go get some-“

“No.”

“Oh…well maybe tomorrow then. Bye Sasuke-kun! Bye Naruto.”

I watch quietly as Sakura runs away from the training field, waving behind her, mostly at Sasuke, before running out of sight. Sasuke turns to me, eyes intense but his face otherwise emotionless.

“Hey dobe, what’s the matter with you? You haven’t said anything annoying in a long time.” Sasuke asks me, an eyebrow raised, a thing he always does when he is confused or questioning someone.

I can only stare.

Am I really back? How long will I stay this time? Do I have time to tell someone about where I got to? Where I have been going? Or in a moment will I disappear? Replaced so easily by someone who just looks like me? Someone insane, someone that has a horrible past, someone as lonely as me. I sigh, looking at the ground sadly.

Then a cool hand pushes my chin up and I gasp as I meet breath taking onyx eyes, seeming to try and stare into my very soul.

“Look at me when I am talking to you. What is the matter with you?” Sasuke’s eyes soften, moving back and forth, searching in my eyes for something that only he would be able to see in me.

“Promise you won’t say I’m crazy.” I whisper, never quite meeting his gaze. He only nods. I sigh once more and actually wish I would go to the other world. At least there the other Sasuke doesn’t get this close to me, or asks me such hard questions.

“Well I think I keep disappearing into another world, another reality, where some kid named Damien Smith looks exactly like me. His parents were killed a few months ago or something.” I sigh again, looking away again. I just can’t keep looking into those eyes; those eyes that they say don’t exist.

“Whenever I go to that world I am in a mental hospital, with everyone saying I am Damien that I am crazy, that you don’t exist, that no one I know exists. That you don’t exist.” I look back at him, trying to stop the tears from forming in my eyes. The thought is just so painful. He only keeps looking at me, willing me to keep going. I nod and take a deep gulp of air.

“There is a person there that looks exactly like you. His name is Zach Edward; he is like Damien’s doctor or something. When I first saw him I thought for sure he was you. He is really nice, always visiting me. I guess he misses Damien or something. I already told him that I was from another reality. He kept asking me about you and I told him all I knew.” I almost blush as I remember what I said, tears still at the edge of my eyes as I also remember that other doctor telling me Sasuke wasn’t real.

“And what did you say, dobe?” He asks with well hidden curiosity, I barely hear it myself, but I’m used to that hidden stuff. I do blush this time and shake my head.

“Nothing! Just about you know Itachi and stuff and how you are so mean to Sakura and stuff. Oh yeah and there is this really nice girl named Jenny, she looks exactly like Sakura and even likes Zach. She was actually afraid of me when she first saw me, but then she bought me chocolate.” I almost smile at that memory, the chocolate was really good, I don’t get to eat a lot of chocolate, it is too expense here. Sasuke is just staring at me, but I can see the small quirk at the edge of his mouth, he wants to smile, I know he does. It makes me so proud that I can make Sasuke at least want to smile. Dr. Edward was a lot easier to make smile.

“Sasuke? I-I saw some of Damien’s past…I don’t know how, but I did. I-It was horrible, Sasuke. Someone killed his parents, and it was so bloody and they were so lifeless and-and…” I trail off, tears flowing easily down my cheeks. I close my eyes and look away from Sasuke once more, the memory is burned into my brain. I can’t stop seeing it.

I am suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. I open my eyes and see dark eyes staring down at me once more.

“I know, Naruto. It was like that when I came home, but don’t worry…just don’t worry.” He whispers this to me and I remember that Sasuke went through the same thing as Damien did, coming home to find your parents dead. I close my eyes again and cry into Sasuke’s chest. It is too horrible to even try to imagine. Sasuke rubs my gently as I cry, and then leans down in my ear and whispers,

“You have to wake up, Damien. You have to wake up.”

I pull away quickly, breaking his embrace and backing away. Sasuke just stares at me again. His mouth opens and closes as if he is saying something. But I can’t hear him. Everything starts to grow fuzzy and it is like I am underwater.

I hear Sasuke’s voice once more before I black out.

“Stay awake, Damien. Please, try to stay awake.”

I wake up, shouting, tangled in my sweat soaked sheets. I sit up and look out my window, sun peaking through the curtains. It was all a dream? Could have really been all a crazy dream, maybe some bad ramen? I look around my apartment; everything looks the same, messy and unorganized as usual. Could have really been a dream? No Damien Smith? No Jenny? No Dr. Edward?

I run a hand through my untamed spikes and slowly untangle myself from my sheets. Never again am I eating ramen before bed. I get up from my bed, memories of the dream coming back to me as if I had really experienced them. But it was just a dream. A silly, horrible, nightmare. I take a quick shower, get dressed, and eat a quick breakfast before going out into my normal, every day, life. No shots, no restraints, no doctors unless I get really hurt. Nope, nothing is out of the ordinary.

I grin brightly to everyone I pass, racing towards the meeting spot, eager to see Sasuke for some reason. I feel a shiver run down my spine even as I run as I remember that last part of my dream, Sasuke embracing me, looking down at me with those damn dark eyes of his. I shake my head, spiky bangs flying around my eyes and finally see the bridge coming up, Sakura as usual clinging onto Sasuke as if he were her only lifeline. Sasuke is looking as if he wants to throw her off the bridge and make sure she drowns personally.

I missed them so much.

My grin almost hurts as I run up to them as fast as I possibly can, turning myself into what must look like a gold and orange cloud of dust. I stop right in front of them and immediately tackle Sasuke to the ground in a huge hug. I can hear Sakura gasp but I don’t care, that horrible nightmare made me realize that I should do what I want, well even more than I usually do that is.

“Dobe, what are you doing?” Sasuke asks, and is that some pink on those pale, pale cheeks of his? I grin foxily, a mischievous glint in my eye I am sure and hug him tighter.

“I’m just glad to see you, you cold, blushing bastard!” I shout, though it muffled as I nuzzle his chest a bit. He feels warmer under me, but makes no move to push me off. I almost want to just stay in his lap, but I have to greet Sakura too. So I jump off of him, leaving him a bit dazed and run towards Sakura, giving her a tight, not able to breath, waist hug.

“Naruto, why are you so happy?” Sakura asks confusion fully audible in her voice. I just shake my head and let her go, my grin never leaving my face.

“No reason.” I say, rubbing the back of my head a bit sheepishly as Sasuke finally gets up from the ground, blush quickly fading, but still looking a bit dazed and ruffled. Ah…it is good to be back. Not that I was ever gone that is.

Sasuke coughs suddenly, starting out as a mild cough, but soon had him doubled over, not getting enough air. I watch in horror as he falls to the ground, clutching at his chest, still coughing.

“Sakura! Do something!” I shout, rushing over to Sasuke, but she just stands there, still as a statue, her face in a look of deathly shock. I don’t bother shouting at her anymore and just look down at Sasuke, unable to think of what to do. He keeps coughing, a horrible wrenching noise that makes my chest hurt from even hearing it. I pick him and throw him over my shoulder before dashing to the hospital, not even a blur to the people I pass.

“Baa-chan! Baa-chan! Please hurry! It’s Sasuke!” I shout in utter panic, bursting through the doors of the hospital drawing attention to myself in the worst way. Sasuke just shudders and keeps coughing in my arms.

Tsunade appears in front of me quickly and takes him out of my arms reluctantly. She starts to shout orders to the other doctors and nurses, who put Sasuke on a gurney and wheel him past two sliding doors just too fast, he looks back at me and gives another cough before disappearing.

Tsunade turns to me as I watch him leave, a stern, yet concerned look on her face.

“What happened?” she asks, using that formal tone.

I can’t form words, I can’t think, I just want to see Sasuke, I want to make sure he is okay. I want to be with him. I can only stare at the doors that he disappeared behind.

I feel myself being shaken and look into large brown eyes.

“Naruto, what happened?” she repeats slowly, hands on my shoulders. I want to look back at the doors, but she keeps my gaze and I slowly close my eyes, take a deep, shaky breath, and open them again.

“I don’t know. One minute he was fine and the next minute he was doubled over on the ground, coughing.” I finally say, remembering how happy I was just a few moments ago and now my life was once again thrown into turmoil.

She gives my shoulders a light squeeze and nods her head solemnly before letting me go and stepping back.

“Don’t worry, Naruto. I will do all I can for him. Wait out here until I come and get you, okay?” she says in that damn formal tone still. I nod my head, dazed and sit down on a hard, uncomfortable plastic char, watching as she disappeared behind the same sliding doors as Sasuke.

Times passes slowly, each tick of time taking what seems like years to pass. I only watch the doors, trying my best not to blink. The clock tells me all I need to know. That with each passing minute, Sasuke is still in there and I am still out here. I have no idea what is happening anymore. I can’t even think about my nightmare as time keeps ticking away from me.

Finally Tsunade comes out. The clock tells me it has been just three hours, but it seems like it has been three lifetimes. I watch as she walks towards me and it as if time has fully stopped now, dread runs through my veins, cold, making me shiver and feel like I am going vomit as she approaches me. Sweat appears on my skin; my hands are gripping the edge of my chair so hard it hurts. Time has stopped, even as she still moves towards me till she is standing in front of me.

And with one shake of her head, it seems as if my time is up.

My blood seems to freeze and boil at the same time, no thoughts can make it to my head, I want to do a million things at once, yet I can only sit there, staring at her.

“There is nothing we can do. He only has a few hours to live. He says he wants to see you.” I can hear her words, yet they don’t make sense. How? Why? No. Just no. I shut my eyes, feeling myself shaking. I don’t want to be here. This isn’t real. It couldn’t possibly be real. He is fine. He has to be fine. He was fine. How is he not fine?

“Naruto, please come and see him, he really wants to see you.” She says her voice sad and heavy. I open my eyes, feeling tears at the edges and blink them back. Unsteadily, I stand up and follow her past those same sliding doors as he went through, the clock ticking behind me.

She takes me to a closed off door, where there are no windows and opens the door for me. I shakily walk in, still blinking back tears, unsure what is happening.

And there he is.

Tubes are stringing through his wrists and across his chest, machines connected to him with cold needles and fluid. His eyes are closed and he looks so fragile, shaking as he breaks into a fit of coughing. His once handsome black hair as dulled in the fluorescent lighting. His pale skin looks sickly and his veins can be seen with piece of tape holding needles in him.

I can’t stand it and look away, unable to hold back my tears now. I can hear his painful coughing, echoing in my ears and I know nothing could be worse than this. Nothing.

“Dobe.” He calls out weakly, coughing again before letting it subside. I walk over to the side of his hospital bed, staring through cloudy eyes as he stares up at me.

“Yeah, bastard?” I say, trying to act as if it is all normal, as if he isn’t…as if he won’t…as if everything is fine. As if he is fine. I watch as he tries to smirk and ends up coughing instead, machines beep in the background, the only noise besides his coughing.

“Naruto…I’m sorry.” He says weakly, staring up at me and I see that he is nothing like the Sasuke I know. He is so weak. So pale. So sickly. I want to look away, but I just shake my head, and wipe my tears, only to have them replaced by new ones.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Sasuke.” I say, trying to smile, but only able to give a small turn of my lips.

“Yes, I do. I’m sorry that I was never as nice I wanted to be to you. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I am sorry I never told you how I really felt.” He says, reaching out a hand to me, before pulling it back and coughing again. I feel more tears welling up and just let them slide down my cheeks, forming wet lines across my scars.

“It’s okay, Sasuke. I forgive you. Just rest. Don’t talk too much.” I whisper, watching as he coughed, his whole body shaking under the thin covers. I wanted so much to shout to him that he would be okay, to shake him till he stopped coughing for good, to tear those needles and tubes out of him and carry him out of the hospital, to never look back. But I stayed quiet till he stopped coughing again.

“I love you, Naruto. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” He says hoarsely, staring up at me with tired onyx eyes. I nod, trying to swallow the lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away, trying to make my mouth not seem so dry.

“I love you too, Sasuke, please just rest. It’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” I repeat this again and again as he looks at me intensely, eyelids heavy over his eyes, chest going up and down roughly.

“I need to tell you one more thing, Naruto.” He says so softly that I have to lean down closer to hear him. I nod again, more tears running down my cheeks, landing on the cold tile floor.

“Anything.” I breathe, leaning in closer to him. I can see him struggling to keep his eyes open. He leans towards me and grabs my hand in a weak embrace. He coughs again before staring at me, almost looking through me. I watch as his eyes move back and forth as if searching fro some kind of answer in mine. Tears are starting to form in his eyes and he leans towards my ear, faint breath on my ear.

“Please wake up. Please stay awake.”

And I black out.

“Oi? Dobe? Come on I didn’t hit you that hard.”

I crack open my eyes, blinking as everything around me was still fuzzy. Soon Sasuke’s frowning, pale face came into view, looking down at me, annoyed and yet in his own special way, concerned.

“Sasuke?” I said weakly, unsure if this was real or not.

Was Sasuke really dead? Or was this real? Or was Damien’s world real? Was he insane? Had he killed people? Were his parents even dead? Or in some other universe were they still alive?

Maybe, somewhere out there, he had everything. Maybe if he just kept sleeping or kept blanking out, or just stayed where he was, lying on the ground, maybe, just maybe…Maybe he would find the perfect world, where Sasuke loved him, where all of his friends were real and there for him, where his parents were still alive, where Sasuke’s parents were still alive, where no one had ever died. Where no one would ever die. Maybe if he closed his eyes again, he would wake up in a different place and everything would be okay. Where everything would be perfect.

“Of course it’s me, get up dobe. You have to get up. We still need to find out where the missing nin is.” Sasuke replied impatiently, holding out a pale hand to help him up.

Naruto looked at it and then at Sasuke’s face. Was that really Zach Edward’s face? Or the face of a dying man? Was this the person who had held him in his arms? Or the person he had let die in his arms? He just wanted to stay here, he didn’t want to get up and face whatever reality he was supposed to believe now. He remembered what Sasuke had told him twice now.

“Please stay awake, Damien, just wake up.”

“Please wake up.”

Who was he? What was he? Where was he? And who were the people around him? The answers used to be so easy to answer. He used to be

Naruto Uzumaki.

Ninja, human.

The Hidden Leaf Village.

Sasuke, his rival, best friend, and love of his life.

And now…now he was supposedly,

Damien Smith.

Mental patient, human.

Saint Peter’s Hospital.

Dr. Zach Edward, doctor, good listener, and…too soon to tell.

Who was he? He wanted to scream the question. He just wanted answers. Answers that wouldn’t blow up in his face. He just wanted to close his eyes and wait for a new reality to set in…

“Naruto! Get up now!” A pale arm shot out and grabbed him harshly by his contrasting tanned arm. He yanked roughly and pulled him to his feet and stared him straight in the eyes.

“Naruto, stay with me. Don’t black out again. We. Need. To. Find. The. Missing. Nin. He has some important information.” Sasuke growled, still holding his arm. Naruto could tell he was furious, but just gave him a lazy, broken grin.

“I guess we better go find him then, huh Sasuke? I mean, it’s not like you are dead or anything. And I’m not insane. Oh no, we are just on another mission. We just need to get information from him. No one will die. No never.” He replied, a cold edge to his voice. He started to walk slowly and easily, shaking Sasuke’s hand off of his arm. He looked over his shoulder.

“Well come on Sasuke, if your so sure we have to find this guy. That this is all so real. We need to find him soon, don’t we?” he asked, already trying to imagine what horrible nightmare would happen, or what dream would happen and then be simply stolen at the last minute. He blue eyes were dull and he had none of his usual enthusiasm.

Sasuke stared at him, then smirked.

“Sure thing, dobe.”

‘I’m just glad your still here.’

Naruto smiled to himself. If he just got whatever that was planned over quickly, then he would just black out again and everything would be alright again. Maybe he would even get back to the hospital with Dr. Edward. He was always so nice to him.

The ground under him flew past as he jumped from branch to branch. He took a side glance at Sasuke who was jumping right beside him. He would miss Sasuke though. Nobody could ever replace Sasuke. Even his look alike, even someone who shared his personality. Nobody could replace the person he had shared all of his…He paused in mid thought. Were they memories? Or was he in love with his own imagination?

He took another glance at Sasuke and decided he didn’t care if all this time was all made up. Whatever it was that he remembered doing with Sasuke, it was special and no one could ever get as many memories that he would cherish forever as Sasuke already had.

But what if he had to give Sasuke up? What if he never saw him again? What if…he never, ever got to see him again? Never got to talk to him again? Never got to fight with him again? Never got his chance to kiss him again?

Naruto blinked back tears, focusing on the branches passing so quickly under his feet. What was he doing? He wanted everything to go back to the way things were. When he wasn’t wondering what universe he would be thrown in next. When he wasn’t wondering if he would ever see Sasuke again. When everything was normal. When everything could be explained. When everything was perfectly real. When everything and everyone told him, that this, his life, was reality.

He opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them when he felt a cool hand slip into his, a warm body suddenly so close to his, even as they kept jumping.

“Stop thinking so hard, dobe. Everything will be okay. There’s no point in worrying. Once this mission is over, everything will be okay again.” Sasuke said, smirking knowingly.

Naruto frowned up at him. He was just a figment of his imagination. He knew nothing and everything Naruto knew. He was just talking about a mission. He had no idea what Naruto was going through. He had every right to be worrying. But…

He wiped his eyes with his other hand and tightened his grip on Sasuke’s hand. He would be okay. He wanted to know he would be okay. He just wanted to run away from everything. From himself, from the world. Maybe he could dream up a world where it was just him and Sasuke. Where even he couldn’t get to them.

But if that didn’t happen. Just for now. He had to be okay.

And then Sasuke pulled him to a stop, both of them landing just outside a large clearing. Sasuke was still holding his hand and didn’t even seem to realize it. Naruto looked down at it, then up at Sasuke before grinning his blank grin. His emotionless grin.

“Why’d we stop, bastard?” he asked with an easy going tone, not even bothering to take a look of their surroundings. Sasuke looked over at with an annoyed look. The look people gave that one person that just couldn’t play right, that was messing up the game.

“The guy is right over there! What is wrong with you today, dobe? Did you get drugged?” Sasuke hissed in annoyance, his charka already masked, he gestured to the clearing and Naruto looked over in the direction, brushing off Sasuke’s annoyance.

A hooded figure. Naruto couldn’t even tell the gender, though he already knew it was a man. He could see no distinguishing features. Just a body mass, wrapped in a slick, leather cloak, hood up and covering all of the head and shadowing the face. Naruto couldn’t help but think that it was like an empty space. Emptiness where the face was supposed to go. Black and nothing else.

Naruto shivered and held onto Sasuke’s hand tightly, crushing it. Sasuke, again, didn’t even notice.

“Are you just going to hide in the bushes, or you going to come after me? Are you so scared you won’t even face me?” A hiss, no not even that. A dry whisper. The sound you hear before dry leaves catch on fire. It was the voice you head in nightmares, when you are running in the dark from a horrible monster. It was a voice that…

Naruto knew.

That…

Damien knew…

Naruto or was it Damien? Who ever he was he fell to the ground, his knees crumbling under him, unable to support him as he stared in a horrible daze, the voice echoing in his ears, playing like a broken record.

Sasuke’s hand dropped out of his and he curled into himself, wanting to throw up. He felt a burning rage inside of him. It was so strong it almost hurt. He wanted to hurt something, and at the same time he wanted to cry.

“No…no…not again…not in this world…no…not here…” he muttered to himself. He didn’t know who he was right now. Or where he was. Or what he was doing here. He just wanted to run away. He clutched his head, covering his ears, but it felt like he was almost trapping the words inside his mind. Screams flooded his ears, mostly his own. Blood spattered in front of his closed eyes. Darkness started to flood him.

Maybe…just maybe he was finally leaving? Maybe he wouldn’t have to face this fear. Maybe he would just disappear into the darkness. Forever.

“Naruto! Naruto, snap out of it! Get up right now!” Sasuke’s voice broke through the darkness that had started to surround him. His voice interrupted the screams. Blue eyes opened to see a pale face staring down at him, a mask of annoyance concealing concern, replacing the blood and gore in his memories.

“Yes, Damien, I’m sorry, Naruto snap out of it. Get up. Fight me. Remember what I know you want to forget.” That voice. That voice, why wouldn’t it go away!? He cringed and couldn’t move, even as Sasuke offered his hand. The rage was still building up inside him, but he was too….too…too afraid to let it out. To even move from his spot on the ground.

“Naruto, get up. You need to get up.” He wanted to listen to Sasuke. He really wanted to, but it wouldn’t work. His legs wouldn’t respond. They felt like lead. He couldn’t lift them. His head was a rock on his shoulders and his hands had to hold it up. He couldn’t move. He wouldn’t move. Screams started to drown out Sasuke’s voice and he couldn’t hear anything. His eyesight started to go red and he could only see blood stained walls, blood dripping off the ceiling and onto the hard wood floor.

His hands clawed his head and he squeezed his eyes shut again, but he couldn’t block it out. Any of it out. It was still in his head. Still in his head. It wouldn’t come out. Why wouldn’t it get out!? Why couldn’t he leave? Why wouldn’t he let himself just leave this world before he died? He just wanted to get out. He wanted out of his head!

He barely heard the outside world, the world surrounding him now. He faintly heard Sasuke’s voice. He heard dark laughter and his hands clawed into his head even harder, drawing blood. He felt it trickle down his temple, staining his gold hair. It scared him even more and he started to remember. Started to remember that night.

He heard Sasuke shout and the clink of metal against metal, but couldn’t even bring himself to open his eyes. He felt himself start to fade. Not like he usually did. He didn’t black out. He didn’t even move. But the world around him got dimmer. And dimmer. And darker. Until it was…that night again.

Damien woke up in the middle of the night. He didn’t know what had woken him up, but he couldn’t go back to sleep. He was sweating and looked around in his dark, empty bedroom.

He had come back to his parent’s house for the weekend, taking a break from college. He was working on degree in Creative Art so he could one day become a famous manga designer. He loved to draw. It was his passion, his obsession. But he still had a long way to go.

He looked around his bedroom, the walls littered with sketches of leaves, and fire, fight scenes, and even a few kissing scenes here and there. A particular fight scene shined in the moon light filtered trough his window. He had drawn some sort of massacre, even he didn’t know who the people were. There were bodies strewn across from each other, leaning against walls, lying, faceless, on the ground.

Damien stared at it, running a hand through his short, blond spikes, trying to calm himself down. He should just go back to sleep. Nothing was wrong. Just go back to sleep.

But he couldn’t shake it. He couldn’t stop thinking that…something was wrong. He frowned at himself before sighing and slipping out the bed, shivering when his bare feet met the cold hard wood floor.

He walked silently out of his bedroom, planning on just getting a glass of water and going back to bed. And if that didn’t work he could just pull an all nighter, get some studying done, or, the more likely scenario, draw until his hand fell off or the sun came up.

He yawned, making his way towards the kitchen. Then he heard it. It was faint. It could have just been his imagination, but…he wasn’t sure.

He strained his ears. And yes, there it was again….

Crying. Sobbing. Whispering.

All coming from upstairs.

What was going on?

He stopped in the middle of the family room and looked back up the stairs, where he had just come from, his eyes wide and his ears trying to hear more. He started back up the stairs and started to hear more. Was that laughter? More whispering. More crying.

Then, he heard a scream. It was high pitched, screeching, sounding more animal than human. It was cut off. It didn’t stop. It wasn’t drawn out. It was stopped. It was cut in the middle. Damien’s bare feet thudded against the stairs as he ran up them as fast as he could.

“Mom?!”

“Dad!?”

“Where are you guys?!”

“MOM!?”

“DAD?!”

No answer. He didn’t even think to get his phone, or anything. He had to find his parents. All the news reports he had ever seen went into his had. Mass murder. Family found dead. Suspect not found. Bodies tortured before death. Found floating in the river. Bodies mangled beyond recognition. Killed. Murdered. Dead. Dying. Gone. Dead.

Killed.

Damien reached his parent’s bedroom and rushed through the door, falling to the ground, onto his hand and knees. He started to scramble onto his feet when he heard something else.

“How nice of you to join us, little brother.”

“…Raine…” Damien looked up and saw his older brother. His cut from the family older brother. His insane, sent to an asylum older brother. The brother that he had always hated.

Even in childhood, there had been something off with the older boy. Nothing noticeable and could’ve been called accidents. He would hold the door open for his dad, do the chores when his mom was sick, make breakfast for him in the mornings.

But… The door would catch his dad’s heel at the last minute, the chores always seemed clean, but then, when you looked closer, were even dirty then before, and his breakfast always looked great, but the eggs were always a bit runny, the toast just a bit undercooked, bacon just a bit burned.

They could’ve been called accidents, but Damien had seen the glint in Raine’s eye whenever he complained about it, the smug laughter, the triumph. His parents told him Raine was just a bit touched in the head and to not make a big a deal about it. But Damien knew it was more than that. He knew there was something wrong with his older brother.

And then he had finally caught him. In his second year of high school, his brother’s last, he had caught Raine going…crazy. He had watched and taped his brother go to a local strip joint, pay for company, and then…kill the girl. Damien couldn’t have stopped him, so he did the next best thing and made sure his brother wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.

He had watched his brother torture and kill that poor girl. Ripping out her hair, cutting off her fingers, slicing open her throat and chest. All the while smiling that insane, cold, smile. The one he smiled in every single photo they had of him. It had been horrifying to watch, but Damien hadn’t been able to look away.

He had given the tape to his parents, who had cried, both shocked, but…Damien had a feeling they had expected it almost. He had watched as his parents called the police, watched as they dragged his brother away. He had been laughing as they handcuffed him and walked him to the police car.

“You’ll regret this, mother, father…Damien. You’ll regret this day.” And then he had just kept laughing, joyless laughter. Laughter that held just pain and hate and…insanity.

Damien had had nightmares about it for years following, locking his windows and doors every night before he went to bed, afraid his brother would come to get him right as he closed his eyes.

And now here he was. Damien looked up into stormy blue eyes that looked dark and deadly in the shadows. Short crimson spikes that looked more like blood than they ever had before that night. Pale skin that glowed in the blackness, showing he hadn’t seen the sunlight in a long, long time.

“You act as if you’re not happy to see me, dear little brother.” Raine said, his low, dry voice mocking him, as he took a step towards him.

“What are you doing here, Raine? Where are mom and dad?” Damien asked, standing up, glaring with utter hate at the older boy.

“Mom? Dad? Why, Dami, they’re right here. Me and them were just talking a bit. About the past. Catching up, you could say. They were just saying how wrong they were to send me away like that. Isn’t that right, mother, father?” Raine said, that chilling smile on his lips as he turned sideways, gesturing to the darkest corner of the room.

Damien felt as if time froze as Raine moved so he could see. In the corner, his mom and dad were tied together by thick, rusted chains that cut into their skin.

His mother’s bright blonde hair was slashed right down to the scalp, only bloody tatters remaining. Her right eye was black, her nose smashed at am unnatural angle. Her only eye that wasn’t closed shut was rolled back into her head and he could make out red blood veins trailing through the whiteness. Her face was twisted with pain, her lovely features contorted and changed with fear and horror.

His father leaned against her heavily; his right ear was cut off, blood trailing down from the gaping hole. Both of his cheeks were cut off, bone showing through the bleeding flesh and muscle. Blood dripped down from his mouth and Damien could see gaps from where teeth had been yanked cruelly out. What was left of his face was stained with blood and he just looked tired, as if he were sleeping. As if he had taken off his face to rest.

Both of their arms were twisted and broken at angles that made them twist together, holding onto each other in death. Both of their ring fingers had been cut off, golden bands still on them, glittering in the moonlight. Their throats were slashed into uneven pieces, strips of flesh still clinging to the bones, blood running down in a steady stream down their chests.

Damien’s throat closed in horror and he couldn’t stop looking at the blood, the glazed over eyes, the twisted angles, the mangled flesh. He started to back away, tripping over his over feet and falling to the ground, unable to look away.

“I guess they’re not feeling very talkative right now, Dami. Precious little Dami, always the family favorite. The little traitor. Why did you have to go and follow me, Dami? You could’ve just stayed home that night. Stayed in bed like a good little brother. But no, you followed me, Dami. You are one twisted little freak, Dami. You watched me kill her. You didn’t even try to stop me; you taped it instead of calling the police. Admit it; you’re as twisted as me, Dami. You’re just like me.” Raine said, walking with steady steps toward Damien, who was frozen in fear, feeling bile work its way up his throat.

No. No he was nothing like him. He had to tape him so he couldn’t kill anymore. He didn’t have time to call the police. He hadn’t known what was happening. No. He was nothing…just no. No.

“Mom….Dad….” he could only whisper it, still looking at their mangled bodies, even in death still being tortured.

“Yes, they’re dead, Dami. And I guess you watched this too, didn’t you? They were screaming an awful lot, Dami. Were you listening at the door? Did you hear that last scream? Did you hear the finishing of my, no I’m sorry, our masterpiece? Do you like it, Dami? Do I need to give you time to go get your video camera?” Raine’s voice was filled with cold hatred, hate that had built up with all the years he had been in that tiny room, planning his escape. Planning all of their deaths.

He stood right in front of Damien now, looking down at him, his features half hidden in the shadows. He looked like a demon, exactly like the killer he was.

“You…you killed them, Raine. You…YOU KILLED THEM!!” he screamed, tearing his eyes away from their bodies and looking up at his older brother, the murderer. Only to get slapped with a knife. A thin, cutting knife. Already dripping and stained with dried rusty blood.

Damien lifted a shaking hand to his cheek and felt a well measured cut, right under his eye. He gasped, tears pouring from his eyes, mixing with crimson tears from his cut. He started to shake and tried to get up to run. But Raine held him down, raising the knife.

Damien screamed as loud as he could and tried to fight off the other boy, but was too weak, just couldn’t get a good grip. Soon he was pinned to the floor, knife hovering above his cheeks.

“Let’s call this payback, huh, Dami?” Raine whispered and laughed darkly before pushing the knife against his cheek. It felt cool and dangerous against his sweat slicked, tear stained, and blood washed skin. He looked into his older brother’s eyes and promised himself not to scream.

The second cut was made right below the first, made slowly and easily. The knife cut through his skin like paper, not making a noise except for just the quiet hiss of skin ripping and blood seeping out. He made one more, just below the second one. Then went to the other cheek, making the same exact cuts, mirroring each other exactly.

Damien didn’t even wince as the knife ran back his right cheek, blood running down his face freely.

“Perfect, Dami. Just perfect. You know, these will scar. They will be there forever. I’ve tested on myself, just for this day. They will be there forever. To remind you of what you watched. Of what you didn’t stop. To remind you that you’re a monster just like me.” Raine whispered in his ear, knife swirling his blood in circles over his cut cheeks.

Damien closed his eyes, not trying to block out everything. Trying to sink into the floor.
Trying to die. Trying to kill himself with just his mind. Chanting. ‘Please, just kill me now. Kill me quickly.’

Then the knife was removed, but Damien didn’t move or open his eyes. His brother’s weight was lifted off of him.

“Heh, bye bye little Dami. Don’t forget about me. Don’t forget your dear brother Raine.” That dry whisper of a voice and then the small sound of the knife, slashing through more flesh. Damien thought it was his and waited for the pain and then…death. But he heard a loud thud and finally opened his eyes.

He saw Raine’s dead body at his feet, even more blood staining the hard wood floor. The knife stuck out straight from his chest, directly into his heart. And his face. It was still smiling that cold smile. Even in death. Raine had got his revenge.

Blue and red lights came from outside the window and Damien heard the ever familiar police sirens, but they were muted. Damien stared at his brother’s dead body and then his parents. He curled into himself, closing his eyes and covering his ears.

Even as the police kicked down his door and shouted downstairs, heavy footsteps thudding up the stairs, kicking down his parent’s door. Even as little beams of light flooded the room, washing over his parents, then his brother, and finally him, huddled in the corner. Even as they wrapped a blanket around him and tended to his wounds, carrying him out of his house. The house he had lived in his whole life. Even as they brought him to the hospital and cleaned him up.

He only opened his eyes when the blood was washed off and when the bandages were on. His doctor came into the room and he grinned brightly at the man.

“Do you know your name, young man?” the doctor had asked quietly, sitting at the end of his crisp hospital bed.

“My name is Naruto Uzumaki.”

Sasuke dodged another kunai and sent a glare towards the hooded figure. He already knew what was going on. He knew everything. And he knew he had to win this fight. For Naruto. For Damien. For both of their lives. For both of their realities.

“You have to wonder why he made you so evil, Sasuke. Why did he pick you to carry his burdens? He gave you the older brother. He gave you his past. He got off easy, just making it so he never got to see his parents. Why is it you are the one made evil and twisted? Why did he sacrifice your soul? Why are you the one stuck in the dark while he prances in the sun?” the hooded figure asked, chuckling. Sasuke saw two stormy blue eyes staring at him, through him, chilling him to his very core.

Sasuke didn’t like the questions the mysterious man asked. He knew why he was here. What purpose he served in the Naruto world. He was Damien’s alter ego. The one that got tortured by Raine. The one that kept Naruto or Damien going. The one that Damien needed to get rid of his sadness. He couldn’t be sad, couldn’t think of his parents murder, or his brother, if it was another person who had experienced these things.

Naruto couldn’t have nightmares about parents he had never known. Naruto couldn’t hide his emotions or wear a mask because he didn’t need to. Naruto had a dream. Naruto was always showing his emotions. Naruto was carefree and determined. Naruto was the sun.

And everyone needed a moon.

That was Sasuke. In Damien’s mind, Sasuke was his darker, cooler half. He was the guy Damien wanted to be in a twisted sort of way. He was cool and loved by girls everywhere. He was hot and perfect at everything.

But he was also sick in the head. He had a bloody, dark past. One that could be remembered. He had a dream too, one that Damien couldn’t have. He had given Sasuke his one dream. He had given him a hope for revenge. While at the same time having Naruto to make sure that dream didn’t end with a nightmare.

Sasuke and Naruto. Both Damien’s alter egos. Both serving their own purposes. And now, Damien needed to fight off his last nightmare. The last thing that stood in the way of his recovery. Something that Sasuke, therefore Damien too, knew he needed. If he just killed this one last nightmare…

The Naruto world would be gone forever. Or at least the world Damien had retreated too. He would have to deal with reality alone. Without Sasuke by his side. Without being Naruto. And maybe that was why this fight was so hard.

“He deserves the sun! It is better than the darkness you promised him.” Sasuke shouted, making hand signs, but they wouldn’t work.

He scowled and pulled out another kunai, making a running tackle towards the hooded figure, before pulling up at the last minute, and jumped into the air, pushing off a tree trunk for support, throwing six kunai, thin strings attached. He smirked as the figure didn’t move and threw six shrunken with the same strings tied to them into opposite tree trunks, tying the man with them and keeping his rooted to the spot.

He fell gracefully back to the ground, in front of the man, thin, see through strings, pressing tightly against the leather cloak. He walked towards him and moved to pull off the hood when he felt a cold, vice like grip around his neck.

“Do you really think that is true? Do you really think that little Dami deserves the light? What about Naruto? Why do you think Dami picked Naruto to be him in this little made up world? Why not take some reasonability and take his own past? Why does he torture you, Sasuke? Why does he hate you? Why does he condemn you to the darkness, Sasuke? Why do you let him hide while you fight for him?”

Freezing breath against his ear and Sasuke could only make small choking sounds in response, the hand tightening, squeezing till Sasuke was desperately clawing at the hands, but they wouldn’t loosen. He tried to kick behind him, but his legs were knocked out from under him, making him fall to his knees, hand still tight around his throat. Sasuke closed his eyes, mouth open, trying to take whatever air he could get. He could feel himself starting to loose himself, loosing consciousness, loosing the will to fight.

“Does it look like I’m hiding?” Naruto, or was it Damien? It didn’t matter. They were both and all, one and the same. And whoever it was, they had blond hair, blue eyes, and marks ready to be healed at last.

“Let him go! I am ready to fight you…” Naruto said, leaping into the clearing. The hooded figure just chuckled, a sound that made all who heard cringe. Pale, scarred hands lifted slowly and pulled down the hood, revealing a pale pointed face, stormy blue eyes, and crimson red hair.

“…Raine…” Damien whispered quietly as he had that night. Raine just chuckled again and cold hands slipped away from Sasuke’s throat, leaving him to fall with a soft thud to the ground. Naruto flashed a concerned look to Sasuke’s fallen body, relieved when he saw Sasuke’s chest start to rise and fall heavily, even as he stayed otherwise motionless, eyes closed, limbs limp.

Damien stared back at Raine as his older brother walked towards him. Even as he did, crimson spikes flashed to long ebony strands, stormy eyes flashed to crimson and black, and then back again. Itachi to Raine. Raine to Itachi. Back and forth. Back and forth. Till Damien could barely tell the difference. Both of them terrified him.

But Naruto knew what to do. Naruto always knew what to do. Itachi didn’t scare him and Raine was just another enemy that needed to be fought to Naruto. So Naruto knew what had to be done and grinned coldly before pulling out a kunai. But even as he held it in his hand and pointed it at Itachi, it melted in his hand.

Damien stared up in hidden fear as Raine came closer still till he was only a hand’s width away. Damien felt his mouth go dry and his courage start to leave him. This was the man that had killed his whole family…had scarred him….that had killed himself right in front of him.

But Naruto wouldn’t let himself loose his courage and stared defiantly into crimson eyes, black pupils. Itachi stared back, emotionless as always.

“Do you think you are strong enough to win?” Itachi asked, voice void of emotion, though his words were mocking Naruto without needing emotion to express such trivial things.

“I don’t think I am. I know I have to be.” Naruto said and glared, trying another kunai, only to have it melt away again and tried for a direct kick to the torso. Itachi caught it with ease and pulled him to the ground, staring down at him.

“Do you really want to win? Do you really want to leave this world?” Raine asked, staring down at Damien’s scared form on the ground, golden hair bright against the hard, dirt ground. Raine pressed a foot on Damien’s chest and added pressure, feeling the bones underneath bend. He waited for snap, the sickening crack of bones bending till they couldn’t.

Damien gasped for air, feeling pain shoot up from his chest, staring with wide blue eyes at the foot on his chest, then back up at stormy blue eyes.

Naruto glared into crimson eyes and grabbed the foot on his chest, ignoring the pain. He pulled it off of him and scrambled off the ground.

“I don’t want to leave this world,” Damien said, breathing heavily, chest hurting with every intake of air.

“And this world will never be truly gone.” Naruto said, panting, hands turning into fists at his sides.

“As long as I still remember Sasuke and everyone else in this world,” Damien continued, glaring steadily into stormy blue eyes, made from ice and burned with stone.

“I will always be Naruto Uzumaki; number one knuckled headed ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village.” Naruto said proudly, like he did so many times before to prove himself to all the nonbelievers. He glared into crimson eyes, black commas floating lazily.

“But I will always know that I am really Damien Smith; soon to be number one manga designer in the world and all of history.” Damien said and started to run at Raine.

“And no matter what happens…”

“And no matter whom I think I might be…”

“I know that it doesn’t matter because I will always have my friends to reassure me…”

“That I am who I am.”

Raine’s eyes got wide as Damien punched him again and again, till Raine was pushed against a tree. Damien kept punching, eyes closed and squeezed shut. He punched and punched, before tears started to roll down his cheeks and a cool hand touched his shoulder.

He stopped in mid punch, only to see the scenery had changed completely. They were at the swing. Where Naruto had sat so long ago. He was staring at Sasuke and punching thin air, Raine or Itachi no where to be scene. Sasuke smiled down at him, one of those rare smiles that no one ever got to see. And then Sasuke was hugging him and he melted in the embrace. He looked up at Sasuke and the Uchiha kissed him gently on the forehead.

“Wake up now, Damien. You won. You have to wake up now...” Sasuke whispered gently and Damien nodded and held onto Sasuke as tightly as he could as he felt himself start to fade for the last time.

“Sasu..ke…?”

Blue eyes opened, only to be blinded by burning florescent lighting. He winced and turned his head, burying his head in the soft pillow underneath him. He was so warm and he remembered having a really scary…yet nice dream. At least at the end. He tried to remember it, seeing only very hazy images. Then he saw stormy blue eyes glaring down at him. Or at least that’s what he remembered.

Damien shot into a sitting position and looked around, just to find himself in yet another hospital room. He had the room all to himself and machines were hooked to his arms, beeping quietly in the background. He felt terribly weak and his head hurt, but he knew exactly what he wanted to do right now. He reached for the button to call a nurse and moved to press it when he heard his door open.

“Oh good. You’re finally awake, Damien.” Zach Edward said, a look of relief on his pale features as he stepped into the room, walking quickly to Damien’s side.

Damien. His name was Damien. He…wasn’t crazy anymore. He was Damien Smith. He was at Saint Peter’s Hospital. His name was Damien. Damien.

“My name is…Damien Smith….Your name is Zach Edward….I am at Saint Peter’s Hospital…My…my…family is…dead…They were killed by my…brother…Raine….My name is Damien…I am…Damien…” He said sounding surprised and in complete awe. Zach’s eyes widened and he nodded his head in response, wondering what had come over his patient.

Damien grinned happily and laughed brightly before pulling Zach onto his bed, hugging him tightly, still laughing. He put his head in the crook of Zach’s neck, still laughing.

“My name is Damien! My name is Damien Smith!” he said, his voice muffled as he held onto Zach tightly, as he had Sasuke just before leaving.

Zach didn’t know how to respond and sat stiff and awkwardly in his excited patient’s lap and said patient tried to crush him. And then he felt something warm and wet on his neck and looked down with a sad sort of smile as he saw Damien crying and still smiling in his shoulder. The doctor closed his eyes and hugged Damien back as he heard the boy keep mumbling…

“My name is Damien. I am Damien Smith.”



My name is Damien Smith. I like ramen. No, I love ramen! It may be the best thing in the whole world! I have blond spiky hair, blue eyes, and six scars on my cheeks, three on each cheek. When I was nineteen, my older brother, Raine killed my parents and himself in front of me. I was sent to Saint Peter’s Hospital for six months after due to a traumatized psyche and because I had lost touch with reality. Some thought I would never make it out. But I showed them! Now I am a manga designer and just started to write my first manga, which I’m going to call Naruto.

My boyfriend slash doctor slash soon to be husband, is Zach Edward. He is really sweet and understanding and yet can be a total bastard sometimes! Like when he tells me it is bad for my health to eat only ramen. Bah! He has raven hair that he wears down and is reaches his ears now. He wears it emo style. Which I happily point to him whenever I can. He has onyx eyes and all the nurses and girls like him! But he’s all mine. No matter what he says about me being his. Freaking bastard with a ego the size of Texas and beyond….He has one younger sister and a mom and a dad still. His sister’s name is Violet. She looks exactly like him! Just mini….She is creepy too. When I stayed the night, she took pictures of me when I was asleep and put them on the internet…And then showed me….Creepy….

Then there is Jenny Holt. She is the best! She gives me candy every time I see her! She is like an older sister to me. Though….whenever I say something stupid she tries to give me a concussion…She is so strong for a girl her size! It is scary…She has pink hair right now, though it is naturally red, and beautiful green eyes. She works as a doctor for cancer patients. Mostly children. I have no idea how she does it. Whenever she takes me there to visit they all look so sad and weak. But whenever she talks to them they always brighten up. She says I help cheer them up, so I come as much as I can. She has a boyfriend who runs a gym. His name is Ronald Rogers. But I call him Rocky, since he is always working out. He is a very upbeat and nice kind of guy. He always brings Jenny flowers and candy and stuff. She gives me the left over candy, since she’s always afraid about getting fat off of it. She can be such a girl sometimes. I think she is going to be Mrs. Rogers soon. I’m almost afraid to see the wedding….

My life is at its best right now and I can only see it getting better. I have and always will remember Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. But I don’t need them to survive now. I have a perfect reality now. Where it is still scary, I still get nightmares, and not everything goes as planned, but I know it will be okay. Because even without Sasuke to tell me it is okay, Zach is there. And even though I’m not Naruto, I know I can still make my dream come true.

Who knows? Maybe one day my manga, Naruto, will be one of the top mangas. Maybe even one day, you’ll read it and then everyone will know and remember me and my imaginary friends. So then, that reality will always be real. In mine and everybody who reads it’s head.

"Reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein