Book 1: Dancing With Lightning [Naruto]

Drifting

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" Haku screamed. Rage built like deep water currents. He did everything right - everything -and still this was a goddamn mess. Hoshino was the new life he'd made and that MONSTER quite possibly squandered it. That's when his anger came, unleashed without thought of consequence. Even those that didn't earn this wrath today earned it at some point. He'll reduce the snake to human rubble. Mild mannered Haku - a wicked tornado now.

Red. Everything went red. Sasuke's vision blurred as a flame curled in the pit of his stomach. His brain went on overdrive as it picked every moment that he'd spent with Hoshino. His smile. His laugh. His fierce determination. All the sparring practices. All the comfort. All the LOVE Hoshino gave him. Everyone.
The memories weighed down on him but instead of breaking even more, his heart turned ice cold and slunk into the shadows as his brain took complete control. The flames in his stomach rose up to his chest and crawling through his veins, took over the rest of his body.
His fingers coiled into fists, crushing the kunai he'd held. The metal pierced the skin of his palms but he barely felt it. Waves of fury rolled off him as the blood rose to his cheeks. The term fury barely even touched the tip of the volcano that he so clearly was in that moment.

There was a scream from deep within that forces its way from Naruto's mouth, it is as if his terrified and enraged soul had unleashed a demon. All he felt was anger. Deep within him, he felt an overwhelming sense of rage, sadness, and need for REVENGE. For once in his life, he understood how Sasuke felt. How he felt the NEED to avenge. They were united in that goal now. The other presence inside him fueled his rage, stoked the fires of his fury and heartbreak.
An eye for an eye... That's the saying... A deep voice growled from within, but I think that TWO eyes would make an appropriate payment.

Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. Gaara thought worriedly. Hoshino's chakra... it was fading into the air like the mist. Within him, he felt the dark presence rumble with worry and frustration. Then, he felt something snap.

It's like a void. A dark void. A never ending dark void that consumes everything, so you're left feeling nothing. Empty. Nothing to subside your hollow soul that creeps in the shadows, away from any other human life because it's emptiness is so consuming it cannot bare to pretend that everything is okay.

Nothing is okay! People walk around this earth each day and pretend that everything is okay, and it always will be. Why can't we all just admit that we are just hollow plastic dolls with a painted face revealing no guilt, sadness, emptiness - emotion.

Everything around him was dark. Completely black. It was weird, Hoshino mused to himself.

Is this what death feels like? I expected something or someone to greet me. He looked around and decided to walk around blindly. This went on for hours, until finally, there was light ahead of him.

His dull blue eyes lit up and he quickly ran towards the light. When he arrived, he saw... a campfire? There were benches made of wood on each side. Stones surrounded the fire. The fire warmed Hoshino's cold skin. He slowly walked over and sat down on a wooden bench.

His face glowed a soft yellow and orange. It's still hard to believe that he died. He had let his guard down. He pulled his face into his hands. Gosh... I'm such a fool. Is this how I'm going to spend of afterlife now? Sit here and do nothing?

He sighed, forcing down the wave of frustration and fury in his chest. He felt so awful- he was leaving so much behind: his mother, his siblings, his clan, Haku, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi... why was I born this way? Why did I die this way?

"It's not your time yet." A deep, powerful voice suddenly spoke up. Hoshino jumped and whirled around. No one. There was nothing to prove where the voice had come from.