Story #1

Ping Pong

Chain-of-Sacrifice

Chapter One: Welcome to my Life

(Sasuke's POV)

"BOY!"

I jumped, my head hit the top of the table, and I gasped at the splitting pain.

"Shit!" I muttered. I grabbed the small shattered pocket watch on the concrete floor next to me. I had found it when I had been sent out of the house for grocery shopping. I checked the time hastily and cursed. "I'm late, he's gonna kill me!" I threw the pocket watch back next to the pile of junk that I had also found thrown away. I lifted the tablecloth that was hanging down over the side of the table, and crawled out under.

"BOY!" The voice roared again, sending cold waves through out my body.

I hurried to my feet, but stumbled, wincing in pain. I clutched my leg in agony. It had been six years since the accident, but both my left leg, and arm were still inflamed. I limped as quickly as I could to the stairs. As soon as I had made it up, an angry fist greeted me, nearly sending me flying back down the stairs.

"Are you deaf? I called you twice!"

"Nnn…" I clapped my hands over my mouth, and nose to stop myself from screaming out loud. My body automatically curled into a ball, as I lay there on the floor. I checked my nose, it was bleeding, but wasn't broken, thankfully! I wiped the blood off, with the back of my hand.

"Get up!" The voice demanded.

I tried to get up right away, but winced as both my leg and arm began acting up; it couldn't support my weight, which I know is kinda pathetic considering I weigh only about half of what would be considered the average weight for my age.

I felt the same hand that had nearly broken my nose, grab hold of my hair, scratching my scalp in the process, and I was forcefully yanked to my feet.

"When will you learn boy?" The voice scorned at me.

The hand led me around the kitchen, my vision soon became cloudy, and it took every muscle in my jaw to stop myself from crying out at the burning sensation I felt in my leg. My head was then slammed brutally into the counter next to the sink filled with soapy water.

"I want my dinner on that table in twenty minutes! You hear me?" The hand squashed my head into the counter threateningly.

"Y-yes father!" I gasped.

Big mistake. My head was taken off the counter, only to be slammed back down a second time. This time, a cry of pain escaped my lips.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me father?"

Again my head was lifted off the counter, but this time, I was pulled in front the sink, and my father slammed my head down into the water. I struggled against him, my lungs were already screaming for air. I pursed my lips together; I couldn't stand the taste of the soapy water. This didn't last long. I soon opened my mouth in a silent scream as I felt something hard jam into my ribs. The water filled my mouth, throat, and lungs, burning them to what felt like no end. Above me, my father was yelling, but I couldn't make out a single word of what he was saying due to the blockage of water in my ears. And I was hit again, and again, and again, and again. Each blow getting more forceful, with a scream that would go unheard.

It wasn't until I was sure I felt a rib fracture, wait! Make that a couple ribs fracture, did the beating finally stop. My head was pulled by my hair still, out of the water. I coughed up water back into the sink, gasping for air. Finally, my father released his grip from my hair and turned away from me. I clung onto the counter for support.

"Twenty minutes!" He said, holding up his fist. I saw that he wore a pair of brass knuckles. So he had gotten a new tool to use on me. I nodded my head solemnly.

"Yes sir…"

He left the kitchen without another word to me.

Well… welcome to my life. This is only a small fraction of what I have to go through everyday. My name's Boy. Well no…not really… actually I think it's Sasuke. The reason why I say I think is because well… I haven't been called by my real name since I was eight. Ok, I'll tell you what? Let's go back in time a little bit, and maybe this will all make sense.

So…nine years ago…

Mother was still alive. I was five, and had just finished my first year of school. I was excited, because later that evening, would be the kindergarten graduation ceremony. I remember, I couldn't sit still, I was bouncing everywhere off the walls. It drove my father crazy! But my mom was so happy. She couldn't wait to see me get my first little diploma, and I couldn't wait to hold it in my hands. But… when it came time for everyone to drive to the ceremony, the weather had an abrupt change. Thundershowers began; the storm was so bad, that you couldn't even see anything when you looked out the window. It didn't stop my mom though, she still got ready to go, but no one else did.

I remember sneaking downstairs after putting on my little blue graduation gown, I heard my parents arguing, and stood hidden against the wall to the living room.

"You can't drive in that!" Said my father, Uchiha Fugaku. He was sitting in one of the big sofa chairs, watching TV, or at least trying to, but my mother, Uchiha Mikoto, was standing in front it, blocking it from view. Which was kind of hard since we have a big huge plasma TV. I guess I forgot to mention that my family is well… filthy rich. We live up north on a small mountain. We don't own the whole mountain, but we do have a huge set of land.

"Come on, he's been looking forward to it all day! I can't just tell him sorry, we're not going anymore!" My mother Argued, stubbornly.

"Sure you can, I'm sure he'll understand!"

"Well I want to go! Are you coming?"

"I'm sure as hell not going! And neither are you!"

"What? We're not going?" I blurted out, giving myself away.

"You go to your room!" My father bellowed at me. "And no, no one is going!"

"Don't you get mad at Sasuke!" My mother yelled, defending me. "Get in the car Sasuke, we're leaving in about five minutes."

I nodded, slipping into my raincoat, and boots. My mother looked at Fugaku expectantly. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm not going." He repeated.

Now it was my mother's turn to sigh.

"I can't believe you're going to let the weather stop you from going to your own son's graduation."

"It's not a graduation. He is moving from kindergarten to grade one."

"Fine!" My mother snapped, grabbing the keys to the car off of the coffee table. "If that's how you want to be, then fine!"

"Honey..." My father began, but my mother cut him off.

"I'll be back in about three hours!" With that, she took my hand, and pulled me out of the house.

Soon we were off, driving down the dark road through the woods, for town, which was only about twenty-five minutes away by car.

"We're late!" My mother muttered. She stepped on the gas, reaching past the speed limit.

"Mother, are you mad at me?" I asked.

"No, why would I be mad at you Sasuke?"

"You sound mad…"

"I'm just upset with your father that's all."

"He doesn't like me very much."

"Now don't you start! Sasuke, your father, and I love you with all our hearts. You understand that?"

She eyed me in the reviewing mirror, waiting for my response. I smiled bashfully,

"Yes, I understand, I'm sor- mother look out!" I screamed.

My mother had been watching me, she hadn't seen when a group of deer wondered stupidly into the middle of the road. She going to fast to stop, and turned the stirring wheel sharply, to avoid hitting the deer, but plunged into a nearby tree. My head hit the window, and I was knocked unconscious.

"SOMEONE GET HELP!"

"CALL AN AMBULANCE THERE'S A KID INSIDE!"

I heard the voices yelling, and I wished they would stop. I had such a huge headache, and something was wrong… I couldn't breathe properly. Plus it was hot. Why so hot? I couldn't understand my surroundings. Where was I again? Where was mom?

"Mother…" I cried out hoarsely, but something thick entered my throat, choking me.

I heard a loud sound, and felt a tight pair of hands grab me. I opened my eyes, but was blinded by the bright orange light, and the heat stung so badly. I was pulled roughly away, and swung over someone's back.

"Are you ok?" I heard the voice ask.

"Mom…" I said, weakly, looking back at the flames, as I was taken further, and further away from them. "Where is she? You have to save her!" Suddenly my mind snapped back to reality.

"Calm down!"

"Where is she? We can't leave her!" I pushed away from the man who had saved me, and began running back to the burning vehicle.

"Stop! Come back!" The man ran after me, grabbing me, refraining me from going any further.

"MOTHER!" I screamed, the tears began leaking down my face."

"It's too late."

"NO! MOM I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU!" I managed to escape the man's grasp, but I had barely gone a step when the car completely exploded.

"MOTHER!"

…

Well… She died. I survived. I had no critical injuries, aside from the small bump on my head, so the man who had saved me brought me home. I never did thank him, heck; I never even got to see what his face looked like. Let's just say my father wasn't to please with the news. Hell ya he was angry, he was beyond rage.

That night, I was beaten senselessly. It was my fault mother was dead. For that, my father hated my guts. We had no neighbours, so there was no one around to hear my screams. My father said I was confined to my room for the rest of the summer, and threatened to beat me again if I was caught leaving my room. He then left me in a heap of mess, to suffer in my misery.

I was five. I thought he was just punishing me for mom's death, but I soon realized not long after that night, that he was punishing me for life. And so, my living hell began.

TBC