He wakes feeling as though someone has thrown him into a brick wall a thousand times, then made him crawl through a mile of mud and thorns. He doesn’t want to move. He doesn’t want to breathe. He just wants to sink into his bed, hide under the warm covers, and never go outside where those gold eyes are waiting for him.
His cell phone rings, letting him remember who he is and how he can’t skip out on a single day of work. No matter what. He winces as he moves his arm to reach the loud black device on his night stand and answers it without looking at the number.
“Sasuke Uchiha speaking.” He greets formally, before realizing how sore his throat is, how much it hurts to speak. It makes him realize how much he screamed last night. He pushes the images out of his mind, the memories; instead, concentrates on getting out of bed to get water.
“Bastard! Where are you?!? It’s Sunday! I’m supposed to be having five bowls of ramen by now!” the loud voice of his best friend bursts from the small phone and he holds it away from his ear, grimacing.
He doesn’t want to deal with his friend. His very loud, friend that would notice in an instant that something was wrong. The blond idiot had always been able to do that no matter how good of a mask he wore. The dobe could always see through it.
“Dobe. Shut up.” He says, hearing his thin, cracking whisper of a voice, so used to his usual deep, smooth one. He moves out of bed, wincing, but able to handle the pain for the most part before he moved into a sitting position. Pain shoots up his spine. He can’t move. He won’t move. He almost drops his phone and only just holds back a shout, instead mumbling curses. It hurts.
And he wonders what he has done to deserve both the pain and the even more painful memories now given to him. And he wonders if when the pain fades away, when the bruises, bites, and scratches, fade back into flawless skin, will the memories fade with them? Or will he always have that night etched into his mind, always in the back of his thoughts, waiting to be triggered? Will this one stupid time of helplessness and weakness haunt him forever?
And he wonders, will the man with gold eyes give him more things to remember? Like he promised?
The thought makes him shudder and want to take another shower, but he has to get out of bed first.
“Sasuke? Hey bastard! What is with your voice? Are you sick or something?” Naruto’s voice comes from the phone, wavering with concern and worry. He doesn’t answer as he braces himself to just get out of the bed and to ignore the memories of being ripped apart from the inside, out.
‘Just get out of bed.’ He repeats again and again in his head and quickly stands up.
Only to fall to his knees, this time unable to hold back a shout of pain.
Gods it hurt, it burned. And damn it! He was a Uchiha! He was supposed to be able to handle any pain in silence, with a stone mask on his face. Instead he was clenching the white carpet in his fists, trying to build up the courage to get up again. He had dropped the phone next to him.
“Sasuke?! What happened? Are you okay? That’s it, I’m coming over.” Naruto’s concerned voice reached his ears as he just lies there in pain. He winces as the phone hangs up.
He couldn’t let Naruto see him like this. He had to get dressed. He had to make himself perfect. He had to make himself a Uchiha again. Nobody was allowed to see him in pain like this. Nobody was allowed to see him weak.
Especially Naruto.
He braces himself. He closes his eyes and pushes himself off the floor again. He climbs to his feet and feels the pain again. It races up his spin, fire. He is sure of it. His….attacker had put fire into his body, to torture him for the rest of his life.
To punish him for being perfect.
To punish him for being pretty.
To punish him for being a hollow mask over an ideal life.
He stiffens every muscle in his body, trying to suppress the pain, try not to allow himself to feel. He allows his mind to start to drift off to that one place in his mind where he could find peace. A place of nothingness. Sometimes this place was filled with good memories, usually with Naruto. Sometimes it was just blankness, white and nothing else.
But he couldn’t reach the place in his mind. He kept being stopped by his voice. His touch. The pain.
‘He’s tainting my mind too. I can’t let him control me like this!’ Sasuke thinks to himself, still feeling the pain shooting up and down his spine like a broken elevator. But he ignores it. He is a Uchiha. He doesn’t know how many times he is reminded of this.
So he straightens up, doesn’t allow himself to even wince in pain, and walks over to his closet.
But he doesn’t even take a step before there is a knock at the door.
Fear shoots through him for a moment. Could his attacker have found him? Was he coming back for him? Was he going to put him through more torture, both physically and mentally?
But he calmed himself down, reassuring himself that it is just his idiot of a best friend. He lets Naruto knock on the door as he slowly gets dressed. He is only able to get on a pair of black sweat pants before he is sure Naruto will break down his door. Or that is what he tells himself as he bites his tongue to hold back even the slightest noises of pain.
He walks towards the door, suddenly feeling nervous as he reaches it. Is he ready for the outside world? If he even opens his door will the golden eyed man somehow find him? Somehow get him? Will he drag him by his hair out the door? Will he find another ally? Will he see more of his blood pool at his feet, in the dirt and scum?
Somewhere in his mind he knows he is being irrational. That he knows who is behind the door. That there is no way the man could have found him. That there was no way the man would ever have a chance to do that to him again.
But he couldn’t bring himself to open the door. He hears Naruto shout at him behind the wood, hears his threats that he going to break open the door, hears him say he is going to go get the manger to open the door, hears his friend’s footsteps fade away.
But he can only slide to the floor, as far away from the door as he can get. He huddles himself in a corner, trying to find the blankness in his mind, trying to escape the world. But he could only relive the night again and again.
Naruto had the manger open the door and told him to wait outside. Sasuke hadn’t answered him a single time he had knocked or shouted for him. He was afraid something had happened. He had imagined all sorts of things that could’ve happened to his best friend, but he couldn’t have imagined what he found in the room.
Sasuke was huddled in the corner, his head covered by his arms, knees tightened to his chest. He was shaking and not making a sound. The room was disheveled, not normal for the usual perfection the Uchiha demanded of his own room.
Naruto walks over to him, kneeling in front of him.
“Sasuke?”
No answer.
“Sasuke? Answer me. What happened?” He reaches out to touch his friend’s shoulder, but Sasuke cringes and moves away from his touch. Naruto stared. It was as if Sasuke had been broken, or turned into a well hunted animal.
“Sasuke? Tell me what happened. I just want to help. Please, tell me.” he says softly, unable to understand how why his friend was like this.
No answer.
Naruto looked a little closer at Sasuke shirtless body and stifled a gasp. Scratches, bruises, and bites littered his back and neck, his skin was more purple and red than its normal flawless cream color.
“Sasuke…what happened to you?” he said more to himself than Sasuke before bringing out his orange cell phone.
“Sasuke, I’m going to call 911. You’re hurt. You need to see some doctors. It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that you get better. And that something like this never happens again.”
No answer.
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Chapter notes: Hi there! Violet or A Vampires Butterfly here! Ugh...I just looked at the Most Recent...*shakes head* I'm so sorry. I will try to give people regular updates, but you know...real life hates authors and teachers have no respect for the 'But I have to update a story tonight!' excuse for homework. *sighs* Anyhoo! Enjoy! Actually betaed by Archaic Aphorism! So love her! She has awesome stories. Once again, Enjoy! With much love, A Vampires Butterfly ^.^
Chapter end notes: Damn I loved that ending...>.< See you all next chapter! Which will come with reviews. Pay up! *holds out hand* With much love, A Vampires Butterfly ^.^