Black Light (Naruto)

Chapter 57

Hello! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

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Hikaru blinked. Then he blinked again, sighing harshly. Sasuke entered, closing the door. He looked absolutely livid, eyebrows furrowed in anger, eyes shining with something that Hikaru could only describe as tears. His hands were balled at his side, and his chest was heaving. 

"Hikaru." 

It was short, swift, biting into him. Hikaru tried not to think too much about it, as it was more than obvious the chunin was grieving. Very angrily, yes, but it didn't change the fact that Sakura had been his teammate. 

A teammate that he had killed. 

"You--" Sasuke stalled for a second, gears turning. He appeared to not care about Kakashi, who'd wisely pulled out his book and pretended to not be listening. "You dragged Sakura into something she shouldn't have been in, didn't you?"

Hikaru tried to respond, only to find that his throat had choked up. 

"You dragged her into the mess, and she died like that. She died." Sasuke hissed as if he was trying to process it himself. "Not because of you, though you're a main factor, but because of whatever you're against. And whatever did that to her, to Sakura who wouldn't kill a bird for dinner, is your fault."

Hikaru blinked once more. His hands were shaking, and he felt like there was a spotlight on him. He knew he wasn't in a crowd, but kami it felt like everyone in the entire world was glaring at him. 

"You helped them do that to her." Sasuke muttered, staring harshly down at the floor, swallowing tightly. "And now it's your job to fix it. Do something for once and actually avenge her. Stop standing around."

It was as if Hikaru and Sasuke felt the same helpless frusteration. 

"I'll fix it." Hikaru said, his voice soft. Silence pressed heavily down upon him, a hundred million eyes on him, making him feel small although he was taller than Sasuke. 

A flash of red in Sasuke's eyes, and then Hikaru knew.

"You'd better."

He'd only worsened everything. 

Sasuke turned and left, a little calmer after slapping Hikaru with what they both deemed the truth. Kakashi glanced over at him. 

"Maa, do you need comfort?" Kakashi eye-smiled, holding up Icha Icha. "I have books."

He didn't know what about the situation he found amusing. His arms and torso were encased in bandages, and his wounds were starting to sting, along with his eyes. His brain was running a track in the single line that Sasuke had said, making plans upon plans upon plans. 

But Hikaru stared at the three brilliant orange books that Kakashi had held up, Kakashi's black eyes curved into a smile. A bead of sweat dripped down Kakashi's forehead as his body posture grew increasingly awkward. 

He laughed. He didn't know where it came from, but he was laughing. It wasn't a pretty laugh like the ones that Hikaru had read about once. It was filled with tears and sounded digusting to Hikaru's ears, but it was filled with varying degrees of amusement. 

His lungs needed air, and Hikaru drew in a breath, his shoulders shaking. Kakashi continued to hold up the books, pretending to look highly confused. 

He only laughed harder, clutching at his stomach as pain slowly crawled up his arm. 

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Hikaru had come to a helpful realization. 

He was exhausted. He was tired of moving, tired of going and running through plans until his brain was completely exhausted. He was tired of the nights without sleep, filled with dreams of Hamasaki torturing Sakura.