Brothers Reunite
When Kisame finished his story, Ino was in complete awe at the life he lived. What surprised her further was the man sitting in the room with them. After a brief silence, he finally spoke. "You know my brother," he said to her. "Sasuke Uchiha."
Ino couldn't mask the shock she felt. Her heart sped up and she felt an incredible amount of relief and happiness for her missing friend – unfortunately it subsided a brief moment later. "Why didn't you help him before now?" she pried. "You waited so long..."
He nodded and smiled a sad smile. "I have no answer."
"Times were rough," Kisame supplied, "but we're trying to make up for it. He's safe now."
And that was that. Ino pressed no further, seeing that it was a touchy subject. None of it was hers to know. She was just lucky she knew as much as she did and they were gracious enough to share.
||XxXx||
Today is just as busy as any other day, yet Ino can't help but think about her old friends. Sasuke, of course... but also Sakura.
"Stop thinking," Kisame demands. "It won't do you any good to worry."
"I can't help it," she mutters.
"What's your story, then?" he pries.
"My story?"
He nods. "Sob story. We all have one."
Ino wrinkles her nose in thought. "Well, my mother died in childbirth and my father got sick when I was five. I'm not from the slums, but I am an orphan. It was long before these new and fancy drugs were developed at Oto. I went to an orphanage for some years until some relatives were tracked down. They took me in and I studied to be a healer. Koharu found me fresh out of school and offered me a job. I think she was desperate for more pairs of hands."
"And you took it without question?"
"Yes," she admits. "I needed a job. I'm middle class and I had a debt... Now I don't... Well, financially at least."
"You don't owe us shit," Kisame insists.
"When can I see Sasuke?" she asks. "I just... I want to see for myself that he's all right. I don't understand why his brother doesn't seem more frantic."
"That's just the way Itachi is," Kisame says. "He's clairvoyant. He knows what a person's intentions are as soon as he meets them. I've known him since he was young. He's twenty-six now."
"How old are you, then?" Ino pries.
"Forty," he says.
Ino simply nods. To her, it is no secret that Kisame and Itachi are involved. She wonders how it came to be – not that she'd ever ask. She knows it's a story she'd never get to hear in detail.
"He's too young for me, huh?" Kisame asks as if reading her thoughts. "You're probably thinking how an old man with an ugly mug got someone so young and good lookin', huh?"
"Love is love," she says with a smile. Maybe that's what is so special about Itachi. Without his eyes, he sees the truth. His vision isn't clouded by appearances or shallow judgement. He sees what truly matters – a person's soul.
||XxXx||
When Karin returns, she tells everyone that security in the city has been heightened. No one is surprised.
"Would it be easier to bring Sasuke here rather than bringing everyone to Sasuke?" Karin asks. "Itachi can't go along and even if he could I'm sure he's not the only one here who wants to see Sasuke."
Ino nods. "I... I want to see him."
"Exactly," Karin says. "I'll bring him tonight. And don't worry... We won't get caught. I'm the best."
"No," Itachi murmurs. "Not tonight. I have a bad feeling about tonight. Tomorrow instead."
Karin raises an eyebrow, but soon relents. She won't question Itachi. No one does.
||XxXx||
Across the city, the president makes a surprise visit to Naruto's home. Naruto nearly chokes when he sees him standing on his doorstep, but he allows him in.
"Danzo!" Naruto greets loudly, hoping Sasuke might hear and take it as a hint to hide.
"I have a proposal," the president starts. "We want to carry on with the soldier operation."
Naruto pales significantly. "Why...? The success rate was low."
"That was over a decade ago," Danzo exaggerates, reading the younger man's hesitance. "We have new methods now, do we not?"
"Yes," Naruto whispers.
"Think it over," Danzo says. "I'll come by soon for your answer."
||XxXx||
In his room, Sasuke is hiding away. He's sitting in the closet, feeling nauseous. This is the first time in a while he's been so close to someone he's been forced to fuck. He lies down on the wood and stares at the floor as a spider crawls across his line of vision. He holds out his hand as the arachnid crawls into his palm. Sasuke sits up, turning his hand upside down but the eight-legged creature doesn't fall. It hangs on, spinning its web.
'I could go down there,' Sasuke thinks, 'and just like that, I'd be back where I was. I'd probably be tortured. Maybe I'd die.' He watches as the spider struggles, making its way back towards his palm. When it reaches, Sasuke turns his back around and stares at the creature. 'Life is so fragile,' he thinks, closing his palm and squishing it. He wipes the sticky mess on the floor with a grimace, but feels a twinge of guilt.
Soon, his closet door creaks open and he's glad to see it's Naruto. He rises to his feet and wraps his arms around the blond.
"I'm sorry," Naruto apologizes, rubbing his shoulders. "He's gone."
"Ugh," Sasuke draws away. "I felt so strange being in the same area as him."
"That's understandable," Naruto assures. "You have a history with him and he's the most powerful man in this country."
"I don't think he'd give me up if he did find me," Sasuke admits. "I was his favorite. He liked talking to me as much as he liked fucking me. He said he'd buy me if he could, but Koharu refused to part with me no matter how much he offered her."
"She must be going crazy without you," Naruto snorts.
Sasuke chuckles warily. "Good... She's the worst person I ever met. She gives Danzo a run for his money." He falters, admitting, "She told me to call her Mother... but I couldn't. She was the first person to touch me. In her eyes, that was fine. She said she was helping me relax, but she wasn't. All I wanted to do was fucking die."
Naruto's lips part in a mix of surprise and sympathy. It's the first time he heard the graceful brunet curse. "I'm sorry that happened to you," he says sincerely.
"It's disgusting," Sasuke whispers before shaking the memory away. "I try not to think about it."
Naruto can only nod. Nothing is ever just.
||XxXx||
The following day is the Holy Day. Naruto takes the day off and spends it lazing around with Sasuke. Come night, there's a knock on the door. Naruto is more than surprised to see his cousin standing there.
"Karin!" he exclaims, ushering her inside.
She smiles and says, "I'm here to get Sasuke."
Naruto turns around and sees the brunet standing on the stairway. "Me...?"
"Yes, you," Karin laughs. "Come on."
"Should I stay?" Naruto asks.
"It'd be easier," Karin nods, noting the sad look on her cousin's face. "Sorry, Naruto. I'll bring him back soon."
Sasuke stares at Naruto, slowly wrapping his arms around the taller man. He perches himself on his tip toes and pushes their lips together. Karin covers her mouth, stifling a smile.
"Bye," Sasuke says when they part.
"Bye," Naruto echoes, holding up a hand.
He watches in silent as the two of them leave, disappearing into the night.
||XxXx||
Outside, Sasuke sees flower petals on the ground. "They're from the celebration," Karin says, as if reading his mind. "By celebration, I mean the Holy Day. They cleansed the streets today. They washed away the spirits that might've been wandering – spirits of people who have died on these streets."
"What is there to celebrate?" Sasuke wonders. "Death?"
"Seems a bit macabre, huh?" she asks.
"More than," he agrees.
"They make it seem like it's a ceremony for the living," she adds. "Like, we're celebrating the ability to move on from death... and we're helping the spirits move on as well. There's so much more to it than that, though... and I think they're probably doing more bad than good."
"Stupid," Sasuke murmurs. "They have no idea..."
"No," Karin agrees. "They don't."
The trip is quick and Sasuke is surprised at how effortless it is. Karin really does know her way around the city along with all its nooks and crannies. With her, he feels safe.
Soon, they enter the forest and make their way to the Akatsuki's base. It's hidden well. Karin pushes tree branches out of the way, nodding for Sasuke to go through the door first. He pushes it open and steps through the archway as she follows, putting the branches back in place.
She leads him to a room with a fire and a sofa. It's small and hardly quant, but it isn't what Sasuke notices. He sees Ino. She doesn't hesitate to run forward and wrap her arms around him. He finds himself smiling as he does the same.
"I missed you," she whispers.
"I'm glad you're alive," Sasuke says.
When they part, Ino nods her head, gesturing behind Sasuke. He spins around and when he sees who is entering the room, he feels his heart start skipping beats.
"Itachi?" he asks, almost unsure. Itachi faces his brother, but there is a faraway look in his expression. That's when it clicks and Sasuke remembers that Itachi can't see him. "Oh," he says aloud.
"I see everything I need to see," Itachi says, reading his brother's thoughts. He holds out his palm and when Sasuke accepts it Itachi holds his hand tightly, as if trying to form a connection. "I'm sure you have questions..."
"Many," Sasuke confirms, drawing nearer.
"Let's sit down and I'll give you some answers."
Sasuke wraps his arms around his brother. "Sorry..." he murmurs, muffling the words into Itachi's shirt. "I just..."
"It's fine," Itachi promises, putting his hands on his brother's back. "It's been a very long time. You must hate me."
"No," Sasuke whispers wetly. "Somehow, I don't hate you... I'm sorry, I'm crying again. I've been emotional lately."
Itachi rubs circles around Sasuke's back. "You have reason to be."
Many moments later, they finally part. Itachi is smiling and it helps Sasuke feel more at ease. Together, they sit down and Sasuke briskly wipes his damp cheeks.
A moment later, Kisame enters the room and Sasuke eyes him with faint recognition. "You..." he murmurs.
"Me," Kisame responds.
Sasuke frowns and then glances back at his brother with a questioning look.
"I suppose I have a lot to tell you," Itachi says.
"You said I'd understand when I was older," Sasuke recalls. "What we are... what we do... but I still don't. You weren't there to show me."
"You would have learnt on your own if you didn't get stolen away," Itachi explains softly. "We lived in the forest," he continues. "We can see what others can't. It's a gift only we possess. That's what Uchiha is, Sasuke. We can move through worlds and speak to those long gone."
"Really?" Sasuke murmurs. His eyes are still leaking. He can't seem to make it stop. He can't help but remember seeing the ghost of a girl named Amaru. It wasn't just a fluke or a strange daydream. It was real. Now it makes sense why he saw her that day. He understands why he wasn't afraid. He sees know that this is who he is.
||XxXx||
At Villa Joy, Koharu is busy checking the cameras. "Violent customers," she murmurs. "How annoying." But still, she doesn't budge. She doesn't send her latest muscle to save the worker.
"Stop!" she watches the pink haired girl plead. "Stop...!"
The man doesn't. He curls his fingers around her thin neck and squeezes.
Koharu watches with dull interest, only turning her head when there's a knock at her door. "Come in," she says airily.
It opens slowly and Anko is standing in the archway. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, dear," Koharu says with a tight smile. "Any luck finding Sasuke?" She shakes her head. Koharu falters, no longer smiling. "I'm getting impatient, dear," she says tersely.
"I'm sorry," Anko apologizing, bowing her head. "I'll try harder."
"You do that," Koharu says before dismissing the woman and returning her attention to the on-screen violence. Unfazed, she continues to watch.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro