Toward Retribution
Disclaimer: This is a purely non-profit story, the characters of which do not belong to the author.
Warning: Rampant yaoi lurking within (ItaSasu, KakaSasu). Spoilers from chapter 343 onwards.
Author's Notes: This is an idea I've had for a while but it's turned out rather differently than I expected. In my head this happens after Sasuke defeats Orochimaru, and then has gone on an AU tandem (sans "Hebi") to kill Itachi.
When Sasuke finally decides to return home he doesn't bother to announce or mask his arrival, but Konoha's perimeter scouts are rather diligent in their duty and when he arrives at the gate there are teams of ANBU dispatches waiting for him.
"Uchiha Sasuke." The voice from behind the mask is eerily familiar and Sasuke is aptly trying to place it with a person rather than listening to the words said voice produced. "I don't know what you were thinking when you decided to come back here, but we're putting you under arrest."
The ANBU quickly form battle positions around him but pause at Sasuke's unresponsiveness.
"I'm not here to fight you." The words are measured but non-threatening and quick, silent glances pass among those assembled.
"If your intent is to harm Konoha or any of its inhabitants, then you will have to fight us," the lead mask says, but is careful to ensure that his tone is kept neutral. "But if that's not your intention, why are you here?"
"That's my business," Sasuke says immediately, and thinks he is rather certain who the masked man is. "If you don't mind, Neji, I'd like to get through."
"We're under orders to bring you to the Hokage immediately." There is no indication to confirm or deny his deduction. He is appeased by this lack of reaction; to do more would have been an insult to both of them.
"Very well." His easy acquiescence sends another ripple through the sea of masks.
The man he thinks is Neji motions to the other ANBU to take the lead and Sasuke follows in silence. They choose to take to the rooftops not to alarm the villagers, and Sasuke's eyes roam, curious and disinterested, at the changes to a village he had once called home.
The ANBU motion for him to stop in front of the Hokage's door and tell him that they must perform a seal on him before he can enter.
"There's no point in trying to restrict my movements," he says dispassionately. One of the ANBU is angered by his comment but is silenced quickly by Neji, whose only response is to knock smartly on the dividing wood.
"Enter."
-----
She has been dreading this moment since the report came, and all the nerves in her body screamed 'trap'. When the door opens she is confronted with the shadow of a boy she once remembered, but the years have melded his face into that of a young man who has never been to Konoha. She senses a quietude and restlessness all bottled up together underneath his stoic face, coursing through his veins like the cursed blood of his clan.
Uchiha Sasuke takes three steps toward her desk and stops, looking at her expectantly.
"Welcome back," she says, because the word 'home' is caught somewhere in her throat. This boy was and is an enigma to her. When she says nothing further for a time, Sasuke shifts his weight with the slightest movement that she takes to mean impatience at her continued silence. She had been measuring her words, but she's starting to think that it matters very little what she says so she goes straight for the million dollar question.
"What do you hope to gain by coming back here?"
"That's personal."
Nothing's ever personal to you but your multitude of secrets.
"You do understand that this makes things awkward for the both of us? Naturally, I can't have you simply walking around as you please. You'll have to be kept in confinement—"
"I didn't come back to be kept in your cell," Sasuke cuts in smoothly.
Tsunade stares hard at him for a moment, letting his disrespect slip by with no reprimand. "That choice isn't yours to make. I've been informed of your desire not to fight, but if you insist on being uncooperative then we have no alternative."
"I could have eliminated all of them in the time it took them to bring me here," he says quietly. It should have sounded cocky, it should have irritated her, but somehow her instinct tells her that it is not boyish pride that makes him state such a fact. She can easily believe that this young man can overpower a village, even one as strong as Konoha. That alone is enough to send a lightning bolt down her spine.
As if to prove the truth of his statement, one of the younger ANBU reaches forward in angry rebellion at Sasuke's statement, but the Uchiha has moved so fast that his blade is at the tip of the other's throat before the man's fingers can even move more than a few centimetres. The other ANBU have reacted to this outburst and there is a loud commotion as bodies and furniture are shifted in preparation for combat.
"Enough!" Her voice cuts sharply through the tense atmosphere and there is a slight hesitation before all the bodies under her control move back to their original positions. Sasuke sheaths the blade with lightning speed and the man whom he was holding hostage crumples to the ground in a heap.
He is looking at her expectantly, but they both know that in the end he will get his way. After years of rebuilding since the last great battle, she is unwilling to jeopardise all that they have accomplished as the price of justice.
"What do you want, Sasuke?" It is her final question as he turns to leave.
She's not sure if he hesitates before he answers, but there is something akin to nostalgia in his voice. "I came back to claim what's rightfully mine."
If this answer surprises her, she is even more surprised when the ANBU that she sends to tail Sasuke report that he has taken up residence in the old Uchiha area.
-----
When Kakashi returns from his mission a few weeks later there are more whispers than usual as he goes to hand in his mission report.
"Kakashi-san…" Iruka's face seems slightly worried as he hands over an urgent message scroll, which makes everything clear once he has read the contents.
"Oh," is the only response Kakashi can think of. The years had been piling since Sasuke's defection and Kakashi had been sure he would never see the boy's face again. He's not sure whether this news should anger or please him, so he settles with thanking Iruka politely for giving him the message and calmly walking out. He has instructions to report to the Hokage immediately but his feet have other plans and before he knows it the gates to the Uchiha compound loom before him. He can feel the eyes on him without being told of their presence. It hadn't been his intention to end up here, but now that he has it seems to him a misdemeanour to pass on by as if nothing has occurred.
This will be a pain to justify later, he notes languidly as the heavy gate swings open noiselessly beneath his hand. No doubt within a few minutes Tsunade would be informed of his visit but Kakashi hasn't obeyed too many rules for a time now.
The path to the main house is lined with memories and the Sharingan starts to sting as he tries to block out the images that are being drawn into his eye. When he reaches the front door there is no need to knock because Sasuke is already waiting at it expectantly, no emotion on his face as they study one another.
"Kakashi." No suffix of any kind, let alone the revered –sensei.
"I thought I'd drop by since it was on the way." He has been infamous for his lies; he doesn't see why things should start to change now. "Don't say that I'm the first visitor?" It was meant as a joke, but he can sense Sasuke's slight unease at the phrase. His former student says nothing and doesn't bother to invite him in, and Kakashi is familiar enough with him to know that silence is a refusal.
"Why are you back?" Kakashi asks softly, when it is obvious that Sasuke will not break the deadlock.
"You make it sound as if I shouldn't be." The Sasuke of old would have said this with defiance but this older, fragile-looking version says it with a weary acceptance that disarms him.
"You betrayed the village," Kakashi says evenly.
"The only ones I betrayed were Naruto and Sakura." There is a pause. "And you. You most of all."
He thought that the years had provided immunity against feeling of any kind pertaining to matters of Sasuke's betrayal, but from the mouths of strangers words are always less dangerous. Not knowing how to respond, Kakashi turns on his heel and lets himself out.
-----
After managing to frighten several civilians on his first trip out, Sasuke is summoned to the Hokage's office – a request which he deems reasonable to fulfill.
She is visibly irritated but struggles to keep her temper in check. "We've made no official announcement about you yet, Sasuke. Going out in public like that—"
"You mean you haven't figured out what to say, so I'm just a dirty secret until you make a decision?" he says flatly.
"I've given you a lot of leeway." She isn't happy that he puts the matter as succinctly and undiplomatically as that. "As I said at our first meeting, you can't wander around town as you please."
"I needed to buy some things."
She picks up a scroll on her desk and reads the report, giving him a sceptical look. "Groceries."
He gives a half-shrug, one of the most human things she's seen him do for a long time.
"You could make this easier on the both of us and just let me know what it is you're here for."
"As I've said, that's—"
"Personal." She rolls her eyes. "That helps me very little in coming to a decision about your motivations."
She lets out a sigh. "Alright, look. I am asking you to lay low for a while. The Uchiha compound is yours, but try not to pop up around town more than absolutely necessary if that's possible."
He gives a small nod, walks out, and she's as lost as ever in coming to a resolute decision.
-----
He is walking down a little-used back alley heading back home when there is a loud gasp from behind him.
Sasuke turns around in time to catch glimpses of a blur of yellow and the outline of a fist heading directly for his face while a woman's voice yells "Naruto!" as knuckles connect with his chin and send him sprawling back into the side of the stone building, spitting blood. Instantly another body is pressed on his own and it takes him a moment to realize that this isn't another attack but instead a hug as he feels the warm moisture of tears on the fabric of his shirt.
He lifts his arms to fit awkwardly around his friend's form, still clutching to him tightly. Around the mass of frizzy blond hair he sees a young woman with familiar green eyes and short strawberry-pink hair.
"Sasuke-kun," she says with a small smile, and he feels like they are all twelve again, like nothing has happened to cause a rift between them.
Naruto has finally let go of him and they look at each other face to face for the first time in years. Sasuke notes the more rugged lines of Naruto's face, the tanner skin and scars of wisdom embedded beneath the self-same goofy smile.
"Welcome home, Sasuke." Naruto is smiling at him as if he has never been so happy, and Sasuke is a mixture of both confusion and guilt at being forgiven so easily, reaccepted so fast. He lets none of this show on his face as he turns to study Sakura, who has grown into a lady with an air of self-confidence.
"How have you been?" she asks when he doesn't know how to reply. "We were away when you got back. We tried to visit as soon as we found out but they stopped us. The ANBU, I mean." Sakura smiles sheepishly at this unnecessary clarification, and Sasuke feels a little more at ease because of her nervousness.
This is how it should be, he thinks. We don't know each other anymore.
"We should go out for ramen!" Naruto blurts, and somehow this ancient statement breaks all of his anxiety by its quaint timelessness. The beginnings of a smile work their way onto his face as Naruto waits his answer keenly.
"You're still addicted to that disgusting stuff," he says with a hint of humour, much to the horror of Naruto. While being counselled on the wrongs of disrespecting ramen, Sasuke reflects that Naruto's character has remained so static compared to his own. The brash anger and easy forgiveness, the eternal worship of ramen – he doesn't think he can remember one trait about himself that is still the same since he left.
Naruto's commotion combined with Sakura's earlier scream had been sufficient to draw a crowd to the otherwise unused street, and Sasuke thinks it is time to leave before too many pairs of eyes spot him.
"It's probably not the best idea," Sasuke interjects between bouts of ranting. "I really should get going."
He is bounding away on rooftops before either of them can protest.
-----
The ANBU who are sent to watch Sasuke's movements report nothing from within, and after 3 months of inactivity, Tsunade deems it safe enough to leave the boy alone. It is almost two months later that Kakashi sees him again, shopping inconspicuously for groceries under the guise of a mask and hat. Without the telltale red of the Sharingan, he looks like any other young adult on a sunny afternoon. Even in disguise, Sasuke's good looks are apparent to those that gaze on him and there are two young women in a corner whispering excitedly as he walks by.
Some things never change, Kakashi thinks wryly as he moves on an intercept course. Sasuke is about to pay for his purchase when Kakashi intervenes, offering his money to the cashier instead.
"Here, it's on me."
Sasuke just looks at him blankly, but when Kakashi takes it upon himself to help carry some bags and they are well on their way back to the Uchiha house, he finally speaks.
"You didn't have to do that." Sullenness creeps into his voice, not wanting to be indebted to anyone.
Kakashi smiles. "You must be short on money since you haven't taken on any missions."
Sasuke just shrugs his shoulders slightly. "The perks of having had a rich family." He pauses. "And there are other ways to get money."
Kakashi notes the tinge of regret and looks away; Sasuke is best studied with the ears, not the eyes. "Nothing you would do over, hopefully."
"Hopefully."
When they reach the house Kakashi sets the bags just on the inside of the door and Sasuke says, "I was going to make some tea."
And Kakashi realizes that it's Sasuke way of inviting him to stay, so he asks if he could have some as well. They don't discuss what Sasuke has been doing for the past few months – for the past few years – when all that was heard were distant rumours. They let the vapour from the mugs infuse the air and Kakashi tries not to think about all the things that he would do over if given the chance.
-----
Several weeks later there is loud banging on the door.
"Oi, Sasuke!!!"
He had at first decided not to demean himself by answering to such crude behaviour, but when the knocking continued for close to fifteen minutes his patience runs out. He slides the door open with authority, causing the knocking Naruto to almost fall headfirst into his hallway.
"You're making a scene." His tone has an underlying hint of steel that Naruto has never picked up on.
"Then you should open the door faster!"
"Why are you here?" he asks, slightly exasperated.
Naruto holds up a plastic bag with the Ichiraku Ramen logo stamped on the front, beaming. "You said it wouldn't be a good idea to go out, so I brought the food to you."
Sasuke is left speechless by this act of thoughtfulness or insanity, he can't say, so Naruto takes the opportunity to continue. "Sorry we didn't come earlier, but Granny-chan wouldn't let anyone around here for a while and then we were sent on another extended mission."
Sakura is standing behind Naruto, looking slightly nervous by his lack of response. "Do you mind if we come in, Sasuke-kun?"
His dark eyes graze over them both before he turns and heads back inside. When he doesn't close the door behind him, his two former team-mates give each other knowing looks and offer up smiles.
-----
Kakashi becomes his most frequent visitor although even those visits are rare. Through these interactions, he comes to learn that Sasuke's constant isolation leaves him desperate for human contact, although this is a need that the Uchiha himself may not even recognize. He feels the confliction of opposites that collide within Sasuke's mind, notices both the content and restlessness that fight for dominance. Slowly the layers of detachment are peeling away and Kakashi thinks he's close now to finding out what it is Sasuke returned for.
Kakashi visits on this day with his routine stock of groceries but he doesn't sense until he opens the door that there is something different about the air and by then it is too late. The Uchiha mansion has been transformed into a vortex of other dimensions, the floor warping in monochrome swirls as the walls contort into irregular shapes. He tries calling for Sasuke but gets no response, so he carefully makes his way through the house lest some other genjutsu is also in place. He activates his own Sharingan to search for the source of the illusion. He finally traces it to the centre of the house, the bedrooms, but is completely unprepared for what he will later come to understand.
In the centre of the room stand the Uchiha brothers, Itachi looming behind Sasuke and resting his head on his younger brother's shoulder. Sasuke has his head thrown back and his eyes are shut desperately tight, sweat trickling down pale skin that is completely covered by the spark of the curse seal. Itachi's right hand is resting over Sasuke's, which is clenched around his hardened cock, moving feverishly. Itachi's ivory fingers are riding halfway up Sasuke's shirt and stroking his abdomen, brushing occasionally over peaked nipples and causing his brother to moan. Sasuke is using his left hand to rub deliriously over the puckered markings of the curse seal, rocking harder with the motion as his skin turns a sallow shade of grey and his hair starts to grow out. Sasuke lets out another half-strangled moan as bones begin to protrude out of his back, and Itachi's head snaps up in time for Kakashi to see that his pupils are oozing red onto his cheeks so only the whites of his eyes remain. Itachi disappears in an explosion of blood and semen as Sasuke's wings burst forth and he comes loudly onto the floor.
The curse seal retreats as Sasuke is a crumpled heap on the ground. A floorboard creaks as Kakashi shifts his weight and Sasuke's head snaps up, noticing him for the first time, stopping the nauseating effects of his Sharingan. The jounin is able to move unhindered out of the room as the dimensions return to normal. When he returns there is a blanket in his hand which he drapes over the shaking shoulders. The clean towel he carefully places a few feet away, unsure if Sasuke is comfortable enough for Kakashi to touch him.
Some more pieces fit together and the mosaic isn't quite incomprehensible anymore.
"There are no more ghosts, Sasuke," he whispers. "You dispelled them."
When he leaves he tries not to think about how aroused he is by what he has witnessed, and Sasuke will later pretend he has not admitted that when fingers graze the curse seal in a certain way there is a tingling sensation that works its way up the sinews of his neck into the base of his tongue that makes him restless. When Sasuke says that he just needs to release and Kakashi tells him it's not healthy to do it that way, Sasuke scoffs and dares him to suggest a better alternative. When he can't think of one, Sasuke somehow persuades him to be the better alternative – and Kakashi tries not to think of Itachi's bleeding eyes as his fingers stroke the mark on Sasuke's neck to elicit a satisfied groan, fighting to keep control of his arousal.
-----
After enough time has passed, Kakashi senses that while Sasuke has returned to put demons to rest, there is something else he is waiting for. While their physical relationship has moved beyond the bounds of propriety, Sasuke is still an unsolved puzzle with regard to everything else. The townsfolk are simply told that a newcomer has taken up residence in the Uchiha area and that it is now off limits. There are no more whispers. Tsunade has stopped worrying. He exists only marginally on the minds of those who know he has returned, and only fully in the minds of three people. In this unassuming existence, months and more months pass.
They have gone back to having tea, a tradition started on the first day of their acknowledgement of each other. Kakashi is taking a sip of the hot liquid when Sasuke's melodic voice breaks the silence.
"I wanted to see what it would be like to live in this house peacefully again."
The gentle whir from the ceiling fan is soothing, hypnotic. Sasuke's eyes roam around the room, seeing things much differently than Kakashi. He thinks that the house looks so lonely with no ghosts to watch over it; no more memories that haunt and stain. The hard truth, which he begins to learn, is that peace cannot eradicate the years of turmoil that have seeped into the walls.
"I am sorry, Kakashi," Sasuke says softly. "Hard as that may be to believe." Almost a smile.
"I don't think it's hard to believe at all," Kakashi replies, wanting to question further, scared that if he does Sasuke will simply clam shut again. So he says nothing more, wanting to stay one step forward instead of moving two steps back. He leaves with a sense of promise, thinking that perhaps, after all these years, retribution may come after all.
Kakashi has always misjudged Sasuke.
-----
"Mother, father."
This is the prayer he has been saying for years now.
"I'm sorry I haven't been here to attend to you all these years." He has lighted some incense and brought in some fresh flowers from the small garden he has been keeping. "I'm sorry I can't be here for as long as I should."
Apologies taste bitter in his mouth but he needs to say these words before they eat him from the inside, before he rots away.
"I'm sorry I didn't bring Itachi back like I should have. He should be here, attending to this house, but it won't be empty for too long now." Smoke fills the room dreamily and Sasuke thinks that he's finally content.
When Kakashi knocks on the door a few days later with no answer he lets himself in to discover another mistake he should have prevented.
Fifteen years to the day since the Uchiha Massacre, Uchiha Sasuke dies painlessly in his sleep from the decay of his Sharingan. And once again there is a ghost wandering the Uchiha halls.
End