Fractured Minds

A human mind is a surprisingly fragile thing. Oneshot. Dark!Naruto

The bitter blanket of mist slithered around him. Morning sun was but a yellow dot on the silent sky; somehow lacking the intensity of its color. The red roses were leering at him, treacherous and burning. Screeching next to his ears were seagulls, vile little reptiles with wings.

They accused him of being weak and useless and Naruto had to endure: he had to listen to them, because if he wouldn't the dreams and what ifs would come back.

Kakashi-sensei said it wasn't his fault that Sasuke had died. Kakashi-sensei was a liar.

"Yo, Naruto."

The gulls were preaching even louder now, cracking in the language of birds and insane.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei."

His voice was different then he imagined it would be. It was a pathetic attempt at being cheerful, an anguished squeak of pain, raspy and somber.

"How are you holding up?"

'Sasuke is dead' he wanted to say, 'How do you think I'm holding up?'. The seagulls cackled.

"Fine," he answered. His voice wavered. "How's Sakura-chan doing?"

It was killing him: the dark void of anger and despair, the pain of loosing someone, the unimaginable cloud of hate that changed all colors into black. It was killing him but at least he was there, and even though it was his fault that Sasuke was killed, he extracted the ultimate act of vengeance – the masked hunter-nin was now a splatter of blood and gore.

Sakura, on the other hand...

"She's sad." Kakashi-sensei's voice was strangely wary, "She's sad and angry and there's nothing I can do to help her. This battle, she has to face alone. Although..."

He turned, looked up at his teacher, looked down again. Kakashi-sensei was a bit ruffled, a few bandages around the wounds he received from Zabuza. Otherwise, the man seemed to be okay.

'Appearance are deceiving,' a reptile with wings told him, 'and you are going insane, Naruto-kun.'

"Although?" he asked, ignoring the birds.

"Although she could use a friend."

He considered it but the snake of hatred won over in the end. The serpent – ugly and black – coiled around his throat and his mouth.

"She's going to blame me." his mouth accused.

Naruto couldn't control his mouth any longer, he was confined to his head, looking out of the blue colored windows. The seagulls flapped their wings in fright.

"Only you can help her, now."

'And who's going to help me?' The evil snake of darkness receded and he could control his body once more.

"Just give me a while."

Sitting there, motionless, he watched as Kakashi-sensei walked away. A seagull whispered to him that he should train, that he was weak but he could be strong.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hm?"

Another gull laughed at him, saying that his efforts were futile.

"I was wondering... if you could teach me-"

"Mah." the man sighed, "You know that I can't teach you any cool jutsu. Sorry, but your control is far too lacking."

"No." his voice was surprisingly steady and strong, "I was wondering if you could... teach me."

An eye-smile.

"Sure. No problem."

Sensei was walking away and Naruto noticed that the mists were less thick now and that the sun was bright again.

'That man... My brother. I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him... Fulfil my ambition Naruto... Kill him.' A seagull, cursed reptile with wings, mimicked Sasuke's voice almost perfectly. The vile bird was mocking him and the other birds cackled in malicious laughter.

Darkness returned, and with darkness an evil snake that took control of his body. A moment passed. A kunai whizzed. A seagull died.

"It's all your fault!"

Sakura's shrill was hysterical and black but he didn't hold it against her. He felt similarly.

"Don't-Don't come near me!"

He ignored her. She tried to struggle free, to claw her way out, but he prevailed. Her small fists left red marks on his shoulders, her nails dug into his skin.

His hug worked. Her struggle became reduced to a cry. Her arms clang to his chest as if he was her life-line. Maybe he was. Her salty tears stained his shirt just like her pain that gripped his heart.

With a start he realized that it was the first time he was so close to her.

It felt nice, holding Sakura-chan like that. She was a porcelain doll: fragile, beautiful on the outside, empty on the inside. He felt as if he could squash her to bits and pieces, shatter her mind, and this position of power intoxicated him.

"Sshhh." He comforted, "Everything's going to be alright. There you go."

"Why...?" she whispered and even though he asked himself many times, the answers were never clear.

'Why did Sasuke sacrificed himself for me? Why did he have to die? Why couldn't we go back when we had the chance? Why is the sky blue when I'm happy and black when I'm not?'

He wondered if the seagulls knew the answers. Maybe he should ask the crimson roses?

"I don't know." he answered and she shifted in his lap.

At the moment, she was made of glass, and he needed to treat her delicately, least she brake. Still, she was beautiful, his Sakura-chan always was, and their close proximity only magnified the effect. Her butt rubbed against his tight as she held his chest and he could smell the sweet scent of her hair. He wanted to do things to her – things he didn't really think he understood.

It was weird – he never thought about Sakura-chan like that – she was always cute and smart and that was it. But now... He wondered if she would notice if he grabbed her bum.

No, he shouldn't. He wouldn't want to brake her.

"Why did it have to happen?" it tickled his chest when she asked that. His left hand rubbed her side gently and his right was nearing her backside. Stop, he told his right hand. The hand didn't listen.

"Why can't we go back in time?" he tried to stop his right hand, he really did, but the limb ignored him, sneaking down Sakura-chan's back until it was too late.

Nothing happened. Perhaps she didn't feel the soft caresses of his hand, perhaps she did.

It took him a minute, a lifetime of sweating, but finally, his hand listened and moved up to Sakura-chan's hair.

"I will protect you, Sakura-chan. I'll always be there for you. I promise."

She nodded into his chest and he marveled at the softness of her bottom. His right hand twitched in desire. He wondered how her breasts would feel.

"Thanks, Naruto."

"You did a good job. I'm proud of you."

Laying on the bed in Tsunami's bedroom, Naruto stared at the mirror. The reflection stared back, bathed in shadow and blood.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he asked. Was it only him, or was his reflection in the mirror darker? He resolved to ask the seagulls later. They were surprisingly knowledgeable.

"Sakura's a lot better now. She even came down for dinner. You did well."

He nodded. The reflection sneered. Sakura-chan came down for dinner... that was probably good. Then again, he didn't eat since yesterday and he was perfectly fine.

"I know you took Sasuke's death hard, but you need to get over it."

He wanted to say something, to protest and shout, but he didn't know how. His head was eerily empty.

"It was my fault."

Kakashi-sensei sighed and Naruto wondered if his teacher was hundred years old.

"Death is a curious thing. There were many philosophers that tried to define it. There were many shinobi that tried to avoid it. The simple truth is that we live and then we die. I'm not going to tell you how it wasn't your fault, because partially, it was. Likewise, I'm not going to blame you because if it weren't for you, Sasuke would die anyway."

His teacher took a long, tired breath. He listened. The insanity started to recede. The reflection of the mirror wasn't dark anymore.

"You're my student, Naruto, and I know you're strong. I know you can do this. Don't let the guilt and the sadness get the hang of you, don't let it happen. I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't want you to wallow in self-pity. What kind of friend would you be then?"

Suddenly, it was clear. Clear like the December snow, the light washed over him. The seagulls couldn't talk, Sakura-chan wouldn't brake, there were no evil snakes inside of him.

The sanity welcomed him. He was hungry, he realized, and he wanted to sleep.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" his voice wasn't pathetic anymore, and although it wasn't its usual cheerful tone, it wasn't broken either.

"Hmm?"

"You still have to train me." he grinned and sensei gave him an eye-smile.

"Meh, I guess it can't be helped. But first, get some food and sleep." the older man left. Naruto couldn't care less.

He had to train in order to protect Sakura-chan and kill Sasuke's brother. After all, he was Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Naruto would never brake a promise.

Outside, the seagull said that insanity wasn't that easy to get rid off.

Naruto dreamed of darkness.

The darkness was deep and he was falling down, faster and faster, until he wasn't falling down anymore, until it was the world that was upside down.

Interest. Humor. How could the world be upside down? A giggle.

On the way, he met a porcelain statuette of Sakura-chan. The figurine smiled. It said: "I will always love you, Naruto-sama."

Desire. Admiration. Lust.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan."

A pair of red eyes. An evil grin. Nine-tailed fox.

Fear. Disgust. Power.

He woke up. Was he under the shower?-no it was only the sweat.

"You are going insane, Naruto-kun." a seagull nearby whispered.

Was he still dreaming?