Solitude

Chapter Thirty Six: Twisted Paths

❝It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.❞ ㅡ Kotone

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CHAPTER THIRTY SIX:

TWISTED PATHS

                           Darkness had wrapped him in a suffocating embrace of empty promises and troubled thoughts, breathing a cloud of distant memories upon his exhausted mind. His body felt heavy, as did his heart as he was thrown into a void of if's and doubts — had he been wrong to place his fate in the hands of a man as cunning as evil, or was his decision the one that would lead him towards his revenge?

As his eyes landed on the unconscious boy lying by his feet, Sasuke Uchiha felt himself sink deeper into that pool of contradictions and burning thoughts. The words his blond friend had thrown at him before lashing out as hope abandoned his pure heart had stung, his boundless trust and loyalty had clawed at his walls and made a mark in his bruised soul, sprouting a feeling of uncertainty and almost regret in the young Uchiha.

Drops fell from the leaden skies, soaking the battlefield and bringing a sense of false peace to him. Closing his eyes, Sasuke let out a sigh and turned away from the one person he had learned to respect above everyone else — even if he had never dared to admit such feelings, not even to himself. And as the path stretched before his dull gaze and his numb legs carried him towards a new destination, the boy felt those invisible strings that bounded him with Konoha and his life there slowly break.

"That was truly awful."

Instantly snapping from his numb state of mind, Sasuke turned towards the source of the feminine voice. Startled by the appearance of a girl no older than him, he could only narrow his eyes at her as he chastised himself for not noticing her presence sooner.

"I suppose what they say is true: the Uchiha really are cold-hearted people with only power in mind," she kept on with a careless shrug as she sat on a branch above him.

Anger flooded within him as her words struck a nerve, and Sasuke pulled out a kunai.

"Why do you look so mad?" the girl asked as she twirled a strand of blue hair around her finger, dark-grey eyes watching him closely. "Am I wrong?"

The kunai flew towards her, but she took him by surprise. With a quick flick of her wrist, she caught the weapon and sank the tip into the trunk of the tree.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke demanded to know in a growl, not letting his shock see the light.

At that, her lips pulled into a pleased smile.

"Oh, so I have the attention of Sasuke Uchiha," she evaded his question while looking extremely satisfied with it. "I can already feel the glares of your fangirls on my lucky self."

Her carefree attitude, as well as the underlying teasing tone in her voice, only managed to piss him off even more. However, her next words made him freeze.

"I remember that boy," she mused while looking at the friend he'd left behind. "Is he your friend, too?"

"Too?"

The girl hummed in thought, and a sad smile formed on her lips. "I almost pity him. Not even two days ago, Rei was leaving him... Did you use that to your advantage?"

Sasuke dropped his defensive stance against his own judgement; but he was tired and felt no hostility from her — only an immense amount of chakra. "You are the one that helped Rei get away, uh? You are Kotone."