Coming back to Konoha wasn't exactly his idea of bliss. He just wanted a quick check, and let everyone else take a sneak peak of their targets. The whole plan wasn't much. Get in without being noticed, check the compound, and leave.
"This place looks like a dump," Suigetsu noted. Karin directed a blow to his head. "What the hell!" He hissed slightly in pain.
"Don't disrespect Sasuke-sama's residence!" The leader of Hawk gave no mind. He just looked around, noting the collecting dust modes piled around the house. Everything was the same as he had left it. While scanning the room, the floor had quickly clutched his gaze. Although it was clear there was even dust on the floor, it looked like some had been wiped, or taken away. His focus went to the spot, they were foot prints.
"What the…" Following the steps, they had lead to the stairs. With a steady pace, he followed the steps up the stairs, the rest of Hawk followed just as consciously. It had felt like an eternity until he had reached the top, but the steps weren't done. One by one, Sasuke followed, until he reached the familiarity of his childhood bedroom. And there she lay.
"Moroiko…" Sasuke had addressed the body, the bloody stains dried into the floor. He felt a pang of regret for leaving. Leaving her. Leaving her to this bloody fate.
"Sasuke-sama, what's with her?" There were two tones to Karin's question. Who was she, in a general sense. Why was she here, in a jealous tone. Could she not see that she was with the dearly departed? Silently, he took a step forward. The color was flushed from her once badly bruised body. Only tiny traces of purple and red could be seen. Her eyes held no trace of her once beautiful amethyst eyes. She wasn't there anymore.
"Are you okay now?" Sasuke whispered tenderly to the body, although it was more to himself. For the first time in a long time, he felt tears threaten to break through. It was all his fault, and he knew it too. If only he had acted sooner, maybe 7 years sooner, when he knew what was going on. Even 4 years sooner, when he actually understood. She would be by his side, in full health. Her beautiful features canceling out his monotonous ones.
"Sasuke-san, would you like to come and play with me?" Her brightly lit lavender eyes were almost translucent, and absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful for such a young girl.
"Uh…sure…" His own small voice held much shyness, she just offered him a hand. With much reluctance, he grabbed her pale hand, his own smothering hers. With a soft smile, she ripped herself away, poking Sasuke in the chest.
"Tag, you're it!" With that, she ran as if her dear little life depended on it. With a pout, Sasuke frantically chased after her. He was having difficulty catching up to her. She was too small, too fast. Finally, when he had been in arms length of her, he jumped with all his might, tackling her to the ground.
"Ow!" She cried as she collided with the cold Earth. "Ow ow ow ow, ow!" She stressed her last cry of pain, as Sasuke immediately got off of her.
"Moroiko-san! I-I'm sorry! D-did I hurt you!?" He panicked as she pulled up the right side of her shirt, where she collided with the ground. She hissed in pain as she hastily recovered herself.
"Sasuke-san, I best be going home before I get in trouble. I hope we can play again!" She called as she ran. She was trying to hide it, but Sasuke had seen it. The large and thick purple areas surrounding her right side.
That never left his mind. Why was it purple, instead of a pale cream color like the rest of her skin? Why was it like that? He hadn't noticed he received one as well, from impaling himself towards Moroiko.
"Itachi-nii. What's this?' He pointed to the purple spot on his elbow.
"That, is a bruise, Sasuke-chan. When you hit something too hard, it becomes weak, and hurts when you touch it. See?" Itachi raised a pale, slender finger to Sasuke's bruise, poking it gently.
"Ow!" He squealed, rubbing it. Itachi chuckled.
Why would Moroiko have a bruise that large? Was she so fragile, as her name implied, that just one collision to the Earth had given her so much damage? No, that wasn't possible.
That was the first time Sasuke had ever seen that from Moroiko. It definitely, wasn't the last.
"Oh my, there he is!"
"I heard he likes girls with long hair!"
"If that's the case, then I'll win his heart for sure!"
As the rumors had spread, Sasuke had just kept to himself. He ignored his current surroundings. There was only one vile curse that constantly plagued his mind. She wasn't here yet, and everyone who was enrolling had arrived.
"Sasuke-san!" If he hadn't learned to be so calm and collected, his coal eyes would have lit up at the sound of her voice. She appeared okay, he returned to his mutual ease.
"Moro-chan." She smiled at the nickname, taking a seat beside him on the bench. Many murderous glares burned into Moroiko's very being; she didn't feel a thing. "Are you okay?" Moroiko raised an eyebrow to her raven-haired friend.
"Of course I am, silly! Why wouldn't I be?" Many years of practice, and she had learned and perfected her shield. Her shield and barrier to prevent the many curious eyes. The curious eyes that would unravel her deep dwelling secret. It could never be found.
"You were late." He mumbled, she laughed softly.
"I'm fine Sasuke-san. Really, you shouldn't worry too much." He just wanted to tell her, 'If I don't, nobody else will.' But doing so may cause unwanted, undivided attention. He wasn't sure Moroiko wanted this to be a secret, but knew he should leave it as is. She was his first real friend, his real best friend. Going against their promise could end it all. He didn't want that. He needed her, for his own sanity.
She never showed up the following day. That was Sasuke's cue, just to make sure she was still breathing. He needed her to be alive. Even being bloody and broken, would have been fine. Actually, no, it wouldn't. He didn't need to see more people he loved, mangled and crimson-soaked. He wouldn't see it, ever again. He would save her before such a thing would happen.
"Moro-chan!" He called, barging right in to the Kokoro complex. Shock brimmed Moroiko's veins.
"Sasuke-san, no!" Insanity glazed over her fathers eyes'. He had never seen him commit the crime before.
"And who is this Moro-chan," He sneered the nickname her best friend had given her. "A friend has come to visit you?" Her father released the grip on her throat, his intense gaze on Sasuke. "So it's the Uchiha boy?" He asked with mock surprise. "The lonely Uchiha boy, here to take away my coveted daughter?" He scoffed. "I pity you, boy."
He dare not think of his actions before hand. Reaching for the handy kunai kept in its protective pouch, he thrust it forward, striking the hand that reached for Moroiko. Trying to ignore the pain that brimmed his hand, her father still brought his blood soaked hand to her stomach. A sickening grin plastered on his face.
"You're such a worthless daughter. Constantly bringing shame to our family name. I have no use for such," His demeaning acts were emphasized with a punch. "a useless," Punch. "daughter!" That was where Sasuke drew the line. He kicked her into a wall for god's sake! He took a step towards her father, she looked at him strongly.
"Don't, Sasuke-san. It's alright." How could she even speak, let alone defend the one attacking her?
Her father had a satisfied smirk plastered on his face. "That's right. You enjoy the fact that I'm even giving the time of day to even look at you." His smirk faded as he turned to head to a different room. "Worthless little shit."
That was it. He beat his daughter down with blood stained hands, and left. It was worse than watching her die. Than watching his parents die. It was absolutely heart breaking.
"Moro-chan…" Sasuke whispered tenderly as he knelt beside his best friends' beaten body. "I'm so sorry Moro-chan." She replied with nothing, her throat not allowing her to speak. She felt as if she were suffocating. She couldn't breathe.
"S-sas-suke…" He tenderly stroked her crimson stained face.
"I'm here, it'll be okay." Hoping not to move her too much, he gingerly picked up her pale form, and left the Kokoro complex.
"Why do you let him?" Although Sasuke was directing his inquiry to her, he mostly said it to himself. She couldn't reply anyways. "Why can't you stand up for yourself?" He was breaking. In due time, he had come to love her, and it killed him to see her like this. In due time, he had come to love Kokoro Moroiko. He loved her gentle heart.
"Sasuke-san…Gomen." She stirred awake, gripping his shirt.
"Everything will be okay…" He murmured as the rain began to fall. He looked up. A wistful frown plastered its way onto his face. "Time rains on the innocent…" He sounded wise for his age, just by speaking his heart.
As the months passed, Moroiko began living with Sasuke in the empty Uchiha complex. Her father never found her whereabouts, thankfully. But as the time had faded, Sasuke began to notice something. With the time going by, Moroiko never changed or grew out of her old habits. She lied constantly when he knew something was bothering her. She would never tell.
"She's like a rose that won't bloom," He whispered as he could hear her sob softly in her room. "Like winter's been keeping her from fully blossoming." He sucked in a breath before entering the room with no knock.
"Sasuke-san!" She gasped with surprise, not being able to make herself presentable. He sat beside her.
"Moro-chan…" He whispered before pulling her to himself. "Don't waste your whole life, trying to fix mistakes that weren't yours." She looked at him quizzically, unsure of what he was saying. "To get back what was taken away…" His voice was dropping octaves quickly, with the volume decreasing. "Because you'll miss what you have right in front of you." The space between them was closing, until his breath caressed her whole face.
"Sasuke-san…" He just silently pulled her face closer.
"Do you see what you have?" She gave the slightest nod, until there was absolutely no space in between them. Their lips were barely touching, as he proved his love with what little instinct he had. There was no love in his heart, only revenge. But for Moroiko, he had an entirely different heart. One filled with compassion, love, and every emotion in between. When he pulled away, he held her forehead to his.
"I will never allow you to be hurt."
Empty promises. That's all they really were now. Empty promises that never were fulfilled.
"I want you to be by my side. Through everything. Even I kill my brother, and when I plan to revive this clan. I want you with me." He whispered tenderly as they lay together in bed. Nobody knew of their newfound relationship. Moroiko gripped tightly at his shirt, her head buried in his chest.
"Always." She whispered. He sighed happily, rubbing the Uchiha symbol on her back.
How could he have done this to her? He was absolutely blind.
"Moro-chan…Gomenasai…" For the first time, in a long time, he sobbed over her body. He wasn't holding it in anymore, he couldn't. "I never should've left you. I was supposed to take you with me. We were supposed to live happily together. But what have I done? I let him find you. I left you defenseless, regardless of how great of a kunoichi you were." He acknowledged every mistake he made over three years, in three minutes. Silence eerily filled the room.
"But my biggest regret…" He choked. "I never told you," With his tear stained face he looked into Moroiko's off white skin, into her dull and lifeless eyes. "How much I really loved you…" His pale, trembling fingers were raised to her face. "Now all I need to know is…"
"Are you doing okay?"