The cool air of San Francisco brushed against my face while raking itself through my head. I stood there on the pier and glanced at my watch. 10:37 night sky surrounded me while the moon bathed me in its
light. The numerous aromas filled my nostrils as I exhaled. The sound of music played from my phone, interrupting the blissful silence I had loved so much.
"Uchiha," I answered nonchalantly.
"Do you always have to sound so stoic?"
"Do you always have to disturb my peace?" Kakashi chuckled before addressing the business he had to share with me.
"I wanted you to know that Ino had a message for you, again." I sighed in annoyance and closed my eyes.
"You called me at 10:37 at night to tell me some girl wanted to leave me a damn message while I'm working?"
"To be fair, its 1:37 AM here in beautiful Jacksonville."
"I'm hanging up now."
"Don't get too drunk or get a girl pregnant." With that, I ended the call and whispered to the heavens, "Please stay quiet."
I turned back into the hotel I was staying at, A Hilton. The Hotel towered over the other buildings in the vicinity, all small businesses and restaurants. I shoved my phone into the pocket of my gray
sweatpants and walked inside.
I walked past the lobby, seeing only one man there. I could tell he was in his 40s through his graying hair. He was married and wore a slightly worn down coat, probably a middle-class family man, the normal type.
I wasn't that type of person.
Years of Academy, Police work, Detective work, made me into the 24-year old FBI agent that I was. I finished my Academy Work by the time I was 18 years old, from then on, I worked with my best friend Naruto as a cop and detective. He didn't get an offer from the FBI like I did, which really annoyed him. I made sure to remind him ever so often if he ever got on my nerves. Still, he was a good detective, and Jacksonville was in good hands with him. Kakashi was the leader of the precinct, as well as the man who adopted me and cared for me for 11 years of my life. Besides those two, I had a small group of friends who also worked at the precinct and a couple of guys at the FBI Office I considered friends, but that was the extent of my social life.
I walked into the elevator, when it finally came down to the lobby after ages to be greeted by a woman on her phone.
She instantly stopped talking once her eyes laid on me. Her black hair tumbled down to her back and her slim body seemed to immediately reshape itself once she caught sight of me. She fixed her stance so that her ass was hanging out, making it look bigger than it was, and she rest an arm beneath her chest to push out her assets. She was a pretty girl, but I didn't really care much for pretty girls who flaunted themselves for me. They were only good for fucking my pain away, nothing else.
That outlook rubbed Naruto the wrong way, but its not like it wasn't true. Its not that I thought of women as objects, its just that I have so much...darkness inside me that I would really be doing them a disservice by pretending to care. So when the girl turned her attention to me with her brown eyes and her tanned skin, lips curved into a seductive smile. All I could think was, "I could use some stress relief".
So no, I didn't feel a spark, or some warm, fuzzy feeling like they say you get on TV. I just kissed her and pinned her into the walls of the elevator until she led me into her room.
She murmured some things that I didn't really care about, all I did was throw her onto the bed and fuck her. I kept going until I felt myself nearing completion. I thrust harder as she finished and leaked herself onto me. I was still a little while from my own climax, so I hurried and increased the strength of my thrusts so that I didn't have to stay in her room for any longer than I had to. One thrust. The sound of a gunshot. Two thrusts. Another shot ringing in the dark. Three thrusts. The blood pooling on the ground. Final thrust. Me collapsing at the sight of my older brother running away. I spilled myself into her as quickly as I could before throwing my clothes on, ignoring her cries.
"Hey! I don't even know your name!" I didn't utter a word as I exited her room, leaving a confused and tired girl in my wake. I walked to the elevator and quickly pushed the button to my floor. I pulled out my key and swiped, only to be rejected by the door.
"Fucking thing," I cursed. I swiped three more times before the damn thing finally gave in. I pushed the door open and threw my clothes into the table while kicking off my shoes. I collapsed in my bed and in a couple of moments, sleep came and took me.
"Hands up!" I pointed my pistol at the coated man. He slowly put his hands in the air and turned to face me. The face I saw almost made me drop my weapon. The long hair tied into a ponytail, the creases in his face, the cold, emotionless eyes that haunted me to this very day. Itachi Uchiha.
"Sasuke, its been a while," he uttered and that steely voice of his to match his emotionless expression.
"B-brother…" I trailed off before regaining my senses. "You're under arrest!" I moved in to cuff him, but then, everything changed.
All of the sudden, the gun wasn't in my hands. I was frozen in time, my body refused to cooperate with me.
All I could do was stare as Itachi's hands closed around my throat and slammed me into the wall behind me, knocking the air from my lungs. I was 7 again, and my tiny limbs did nothing to protect me from Itachi's assault. I felt my vision go black as Itachi's vice grip on my throat took the very life from me.
"You are a disgrace," he whispered.
I shot up out of my bed in cold sweat and panting harshly. I gasped for air, greedily taking in as much as I could to steady my breathing.
I sat there for minutes, gathering myself until I felt that I could get out of bed and into the shower. The warm water instantly soothed my tense shoulders and I let it all on me for minutes, absorbing the warmth and telling myself that the nightmare I had wasn't real, just an illusion, a simple trick. The flow of water stopped soon after and I dried myself before slipping into a hoodie and jeans. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and quietly ate it while replying to some texts from my friends.
My phone rang and the Caller ID flashed the name: Naruto.
"Yeah?" I muttered through spoonfuls.
"Who's the best wide receiver in the league?" I swallowed my cereal before answering, "Julio Jones."
"Ha! I knew it! Eat shit, Kiba!" I couldn't help but let an amused smirk creep onto my face while listening to the idiot argue with Kiba.
"So how goes the search?" He asked me a couple of moments later.
"Fine. I got the guy already, I'm just staying an extra day because I want some peace."
"You have plenty of that here!"
"You literally screamed that sentence."
"Hmph!"
"You just crossed your arms, didn't you?"
"No! But I wish you would hurry up, my dad's birthday is soon, and you better be there!"
"You know I wouldn't miss Minato's birthday, idiot."
"Good, then I'll see you soon asshole."
"Bye, idiot."
I washed the dishes and put the cereal away before turning on the TV as background noise while I packed.
The news had the usual stories, a car crash, a kidnapping, a missing dog, the usual. I listened to it while throwing my clothes and other belongings into my bag while texting Naruto about what he should get his dad for his 47th birthday.
I finished packing and Naruto decided to get his dad a new phone.
Problems solved.
I sat down on my bed and stared out of the window from my 14th floor view.
I could see the busy, yet calm streets beneath me. Vendors selling things to the tourists, cars passing by calmly, and most of all, the vast ocean, filled with yachts and boats, yet still serene.
I closed my eyes and laid back, letting the calm air fill my lungs for a quick minute before grabbing my earphones and plugging them into my phone. I walked to the elevator and turned on some music, lightly tapping my thighs to the beat. A couple of girls ogled at me while I walked through the lobby, but I paid them no heed. Instead, I exited the Hilton and walked around, observing and taking in every detail.
I saw a man with some long hairs on his shorts, probably a dog owner. I saw another man standing at a bus stop while tapping his arms with his fingers, probably a smoker. I saw a woman who was talking on the phone with someone with a book under her arm, probably a college student. The profiler in me never quit, its like someone took the off switch and threw it out. I calmly walked around, noting the houses around me and the people around. I stopped when I saw some kids in an alleyway, probably smoking weed or something illegal. I decided to move on, its not like I didn't do the same thing when I was their age, so why bother?
Eventually, I made it back to the hotel and watched TV for a few hours, killing time until my flight. Once the clock hit 5 PM, I gathered my things and exited my room. I laid my key down at the front desk, ignoring the "come again" the man behind the desk gave me. The cab I called got me to the airport quickly and within 20 minutes, I was through security and on my way to the gate.
"45A," I muttered to myself while looking at the signs and keeping myself focused on my music so I didn't need to talk to anyone. I walked past some stores and other gates before stopping at a Villa to get a pizza. Pizza was one of my favorite food because of the tomato sauce in it, I had a thing for tomatoes. The two slices I ordered were quickly no more as I wiped my hands clean and proceeded to my gate right in time for boarding. Thank god, I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary to board the plane. The flight back consisted of me napping and watching some of my shows on Netflix that I had downloaded prior to boarding, I like to stay prepared. Sherlock was my favorite, naturally, the detective in me loved watching Cumberbatch at work.
The flight eventually landed back in my home of Jacksonville, though home was always a good place to return to. I quickly grabbed my one bag and made my way out of the aircraft and eventually outside. I took my earphones out when I saw a familiar face greet me with a wave.
"Nice to see you again, Grey Goose."
"Not bad to see you, dog." Kiba laughed and led me to his car. He always called me Grey Goose since it was my favorite Vodka, and I called him dog because of his love for, well, dogs.
Not that hard to understand.
Once we got rolling he started asking about San Fran. "How was it?"
"Same weather, good bars, pretty place."
"You know what I mean." I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"The girls were nice there, but they weren't anything special."
"Like you didn't get some."
"Of course I did, but you know me."
"Course I do, the cold Uchiha only fucks for fun."
"I wish it was fun," I thought to myself quietly. We pulled up to my apartment building and Kiba bid me farewell.
"SASUKE!" Naruto engulfed me in a bear hug, almost knocking me over. Loud motherfucker always was in my ear, annoying me about whatever crossed his mind, though it was pretty funny sometimes. Naruto was one of those loudmouth people, but when you needed him to listen and have a serious conversation, he was there, he was one of the reasons I made it through my parents' deaths. He was still annoying, though.
"Get off me," I mumbled before shoving him off. His whiskers curved down and his lips turned into a pout like a little kid. I shouldered past him and into the apartment building, hoping that I could get to my 3rd story sanctuary before Naruto could bother me some more. The only problem was, his abode was right next to mine.
"So get this, one of the guys at the station…" I tuned him out while he rambled on about some cop that gambled away $500 to Kakashi and whatever else he wanted to say. The way Kakashi ran things was always...different, not in an illegal way, more of Kakashi being really laid back and indulging in simple things like gambling and sex whenever he wanted, and he wasn't shy about sharing his experiences. He was always a different kind of leader, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Man knew what to do in most situations and always kept a calm mind.
I shoved my key into the door of my apartment and tried slamming the door in Naruto's face only for him to stop it with his leg.
"Ow! Asshole!" I gave him an amused smirk before opening the door and letting him invade my place. It wasn't much, plain apartment with light blue walls and a couple of posters hanging on by way of thumbtack. The couch showed a little wear and tear from mine and Naruto's scuffles as well our constant jumping during Sunday's football games. I had 1 chair at the small dining table that looked brand new because I usually just ate on the couch while watching TV. The kitchen was relatively small, but it did the job whenever I needed to cook for myself or a rare guest. My main attraction was my bedroom, largely in part because I loved my bed. It was really comfy and I could sleep there well when my brain wasn't plagued with nightmares. The bathroom was simple: sink, shower, toilet, not much to it other than that. I liked the place, rich and extravagant never suited me and my lifestyle, plus I made 90k a year, not really enough to live rich and extravagant anyways.
I went to the bathroom and turned on the sink after throwing my things onto the floor. The cold water I splashed onto my face gave me a feeling of ecstasy, sometimes I liked to enjoy the little things of life. I took off my shirt and walked out of the bathroom to see Naruto settled on the couch already with Netflix on already. I quickly unpacked my things and took a towel before heading to the bathroom.
"This show Daredevil is really good!" He exclaimed in excitement, drawing another amused smirk from me. I stripped off my clothes and entered the shower, one of my safe places. I could hear Naruto gasping and shouting in excitement, almost drawing a laugh from me. Daredevil was a good show, it depicted the gritty side of the law well, even if it was from a vigilante's standpoint and not a law officer's.
A lot of people tend to think that being an FBI Agent or even a detective is like being on Criminal Minds, if only it was that easy. Criminals can be easy, robbing a store without a mask, dealing drugs in the most obvious places, simple criminals were easy. But serial killers, the ones I chased, were a whole different story. They killed with meaning, with purpose, like someone put them on this Earth for one reason: kill, and then kill again.
In the beginning, when I was still a Jacksonville PD detective, catching one was hard for me and Naruto. We had never seen something like our first dead body before, and quite frankly, it scared me.
50 stab wounds.
Precise. Deadly. Bloody.
The dead woman's blood coated the grass nearby, turning it from green to a sickly crimson. Her eyes had been ripped clean out of the sockets, that alone made Naruto empty the contents of his stomach. Kakashi had said that you always remember your first the best. I thought he was talking about sex, but I was wrong and completely unprepared for the violence that was laid out in front of me, in front of the world.
I turned off the shower and dried myself before slipping into a tank top and a pair of black shorts. I left my hair alone because no matter what I did, it would always end up its messy self. Kakashi had said it was one of the reasons girls threw themselves at me, but like I said before, didn't really make a difference to me. When I stepped out, Naruto was still in front of the TV, a plate of Bagel Bites next to him.
"I left yours in the microwave," he muttered, still fixated on the show in front of him.
"Hn," I grunted in response before moving to the microwave and retrieving my 9 circles of cheesy goodness. What can I say, I'm addicted to anything with tomato sauce. I also lived off mostly microwavable food, so its not like I had a lot of options.
Sometimes I would eat plain tomatoes to satiate my hunger, plain freaking tomatoes.
I moved to the couch and sat next to Naruto, watching the show along with him. I had already seen it, but Naruto seemed to be enjoying it a lot, so I let him be. The scene that was playing was Frank Castle, The Punisher, splattering the blood of prisoners across the wall and on the floor. Gore. Crimson liquid. Slit throats. I was used to way worse.
"Wow…" Naruto's eyes widened at the sight before him, absorbing every inch of detail as if it would disappear if he didn't.
"Reminds you of the Weston Case, doesn't it?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. He grinned at me and nodded.
"All the blood and bodies, remember when we took down that son of a bitch?" I smirked at the memory. Jameson Weston was a 350-pound lunatic, one who killed 7 men in the hallway of a church. Naruto and I tracked him down and beat him down together before arresting him. We were a killer team, both of us extremely skilled in weapons and close quarters. We sparred often, though I came out on top most times.
Weston took a lot of hits and delivered a lot as well, but in the end, we knocked him unconscious. People of the church said we did Christ a huge favor by locking away Weston. I got a good laugh from that one.
"Aren't you tired?" Naruto asked. I nodded my head and stood up. I threw out our garbage and slowly walked to my room, where my bed was waiting. "Don't forget about tomorrow!" Naruto yelled. "Hn." I collapsed face first onto the bed and pulled the blanket over myself. Within a minute I drifted off to the sound of Naruto cheering about Daredevil winning some fight or something like that.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring music at roughly 10 AM. It was Minato's birthday today, and I still hadn't gotten him a gift.
I rose from my slumber and looked out the window to see rain pouring heavily onto the ground. I stretched my arms and yawned, releasing the tension in my bones and whatever desire I had to still sleep. I quickly brushed my teeth and hopped in the shower while playing music on my phone to keep myself engaged.
Music was one of my stress relievers, I loved listening and seeing how beats changed and how words melded together to make something truly stunning, which is a really fancy way of saying I really liked music. After hopping out of the shower and slipping on some clothes, I grabbed the keys to my Camaro and exited to go and find something for Naruto's dad.
The man had always been kind to me whenever I was at Naruto's house, so the least I could do is get him a good present.
I walked into a crowded mall and stood in front of the directory, trying to decide which store to go to. That's when it hit me. Minato never really cared much about clothes or that other bullshit, but he loved to collect various hunting knives and mount them on the walls. So without another thought, I turned around and headed back to my car with the image of what I would get him fresh in my mind. I started my car and the engine roared to life while the rain pelted the exterior of my car in an almost picturesque way.
Good old Jacksonville.
I raced out and to the nearest place that sold hunting knives: Buck Knives Dealer.
I walked in to see various assortments of knives and racks of other collectibles. The place was a hunter's dream, same for a collector like Minato. I looked through the knives, examining each one to see whether Minato had already gotten that one or not.
After about 10 minutes of searching and wandering, I found it, the prize.
It was a three pronged blade, the middle one extending out the furthest while the two on the side curved outwards. The handle was wrapped in a brown cloth with something written on it in Japanese. I brought the knife to the front of the shop to pay for it, since it seemed perfect to me.
"$300 sir." I handed him a handful of bills and observed the writing while he counted them.
"What does this mean?" I asked, the inquisitive side of me taking over.
"Ah, its the symbol of the Flying Thunder God," the shopkeeper answered. I furrowed my brows and frowned at the thing. What the hell was a Flying Thunder God?
"Thanks," I muttered before running to my car to stay as dry as possible. I had to admit, after examining the knife closer, it really did look badass, I kind of wanted to keep it for myself.
I drove past slow-moving cars and motorcycles, clocking in at 105 MPH, my Camaro was pretty fast. Its not like I had to worry about tickets either, all I had to do was look at the cop and he would recognize me, probably try to start a conversation or something to avoid the awkwardness and kiss up to me so I wouldn't tell Kakashi about it. Once, this new cop, fresh out the Academy, caught me going 130 and didn't know who I was. I flashed him my badge and he froze, like he thought I would shoot his ass or something. Started mumbling, "Sorry, sir" and some other crap. It was funny to hear him call me Sir, considering the guy was probably around 26-27, a couple years older than me. I always got a good kick out of that stuff.
Once I reached my place, I quickly wrapped the knife in some golden paper and a silver bow, making sure it looked extra fancy so it made me look better.
I waited for Naruto to show up at my door while sipping on some coffee and reading an email from work. It was a congratulations from my Senior Officer, Ibiki Morino, an expert in torture methods. He actually taught me how to improve my methods so that they were both more effective and legal, so I owed him a great deal.
Even so, my gratitude didn't last long, because I would be stuck on desk duty for the next two weeks, Ibiki's congratulations for me detaining my most recent serial killer. I never said it to his scarred face, but desk work was probably my least favorite thing in the world, like ever.
It was so...boring and...not fun.
But there was no avoiding it, so I would have to soldier through without complaining, unless I wanted to incur Ibiki's wrath, which I didn't.
"Sasuke! Let's go!" Naruto's voice sounded from behind my door. I grabbed my keys and Minato's gift before swinging open the door to greet the blonde. He was dressed in the ugliest orange button-down I had ever seen, and I let my distaste for it show by curling my lips and scrunching my nose.
"What?"
"Seriously?"
"What?" I shook my head at his answer and finished buttoning my own black shirt and zipped up my jeans. We made our way to my car, trading our usual jabs the whole way down until we reached my baby. Within a minute, we were speeding towards the party, blasting music that Naruto deemed, "artistic". It was some bullshit, that's what it was.
"I'm putting on my bluetooth."
"Sasuke! These songs are great!"
"You consider some emo guy screaming great?"
"Yeah!" "I hate you, so much."
"Love you too!"
"I'm putting on my bluetooth."
"But you always listen to The Weeknd and stuff about alcohol and girls!"
"And?"
"It's depressing!"
"Your taste in music is depressing."
"Hmph!" He pouted and crossed his arms, which I took as a signal to play my music. We drove along to the tune of Travis Scott, all while Naruto scowled at me every time something remotely bad was said. It was like he was a little kid, and every time he shot me that disapproving look, all I could do was smirk at him in satisfaction.
After 15 minutes of me enjoying Naruto's pain, we stepped out to the sight of many parked cars in front of Naruto's childhood home. The rain was still going strong, pattering against the cement of the sidewalk and the tiles on the rooftop rhythmically as Naruto and I made our way to the concrete steps and ascended to the lilac front door. Before we could even knock, the door swung open, revealing a red-haired woman.
"Boys!" Naruto's mom, Kushina, threw her arms around the both of us. I gave her a small smile in return and Naruto started to laugh and grin.
"Hey, Mom!" I nodded my head to her in greeting, which she laughed at.
"Old habits die hard, eh Sasuke?" Kushina was my mom's best friend back in the day, and she would always try her best to mother me around whenever I was at Naruto's place, making sure I ate so much that I thought I would vomit, scolding me when I got in trouble, and even coming and cheering us on in the school's football games with Minato. She was truly a kind woman, just like my mother was, Naruto was lucky to have such loving parents. I used to envy him for having such a great relationship with them to the point where I started ignoring him. When he found out, we had a huge argument that led to us fighting in the nearby forest. We both ended up with busted lips, but we were fine after that. It was weird, whenever Naruto and I had problems, we would fight, but then go back to being best friends after, like nothing had ever happened.
We made our way into the living room, where most of the guests were. Minato was standing in the middle, talking to some of his old friends and having a drink. I spotted a table nearby littered with colorful boxes and nudged Naruto. We left our gifts there and proceeded to make our way through the room greeting guests here and there and grabbing a nice glass of champagne, the fancy type. Perks of going to rich people's birthday parties. Minato was one of the best lawyers in the state, naturally he pulled in an ungodly amount of income every year, though he never let the money get to him, something I respected him for. Eventually, after greeting some rich old people who I didn't know and giving them fake smiles, Naruto and I reached Minato.
"Hey, dad!" Minato turned around to see the two of us and grinned, looking exactly like Naruto with that cheery smile.
"Boys!" He ruffled our hair before sipping on his champagne.
"God I'll need a whole bottle of this to survive all of these rich, pretentious assholes," he muttered, much to my amusement and Naruto's shock.
"Dad!" He protested.
"I'll be right there with you," I muttered in response, chugging my whole glass before taking another. Minato chuckled and Naruto shook his head in dismay as I downed my second glass even quicker than the first.
"Easy there, you'll need your strength for all your desk work tomorrow," a voice behind me said.
Kakashi clapped my on the shoulder with one hand before ruffling my hair with the other. Why does everyone have to do that?
"Hn," I grunted in annoyance at him reminding me of the stacks of paperwork I'll be plagued with for the next 10 business days.
"Uh oh, he's upset now," Kakashi teased.
"You're such an asshole," I muttered quietly so only he heard it.
"I know, it's liberating, now shut up and put on a good face for the incredibly rich and famous," he answered, leaving me to get drinks and probably flirt with some women.
"I can't believe I used to teach him," Minato reminisced. Occasionally, Minato would teach some Criminal Justice classes at college and he just so happened to be Kakashi's teacher. They became good friends over the years and remain that to this day.
"Don't worry, dad, you're still not 50 yet! So enjoy yourself instead of thinking of the past!" Naruto clapped his father on the back, who in return scowled at Naruto for bringing up how close he was to being half a century old. I smirked into my glass before taking a sip of it and leaving Minato to greet his other guests.
Naruto and I spent most of the party trying to avoid as many people as possible, even going into his old room and camping out there for a couple of hours before Kushina found us and gave us a firm scolding. We tried to hide in various places before finally settling on the basement, even if the room was damp and reeked of something. We stayed down there for at least 30 minutes before we heard Kushina gather the guests to cut the cake, which we went upstairs for.
"Happy Birthday to you…" the voices chorused badly. I could tell Minato wanted to laugh at how badly they were singing from the lopsided grin on his face and his fists clenching in an effort to stifle anything from coming out of his mouth. Thankfully, the singing stopped soon, and Kushina cut the cake along with Minato, their hands joined and smiling at each other. Eventually, Naruto and I went up and got some, followed by Kakashi and then the blood-sucking leeches. I took one bite from the chocolate cake and immediately recoiled at the taste, sweet things didn't sit right with me for some reason, I never understood why. I shoved my remaining cake onto Naruto's plate, which he happily accepted and almost inhaled in one breath.
My eyes scanned the room before landing on Kakashi and some girl. They were talking, actually flirting. I moved in a little closer, subtly of course, to listen in on their conversation. However, right when I was in range, Kushina clapped my shoulder and smiled.
"Great night, huh Sasuke?" Kakashi heard, and he turned his attention to me before quickly turning it back to the girl. However, much to his dismay, the girl followed his eyes and they landed on me, unfortunately. She openly gaped and I could see in her eyes that same feeling all the girls had: desire.
I quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd, only to be grabbed by the shirt and pulled back by a white-haired man.
"Sorry," I muttered with a teasing glint in my eyes. Kakashi met my eyes with a similar twinkle before ruffling my hair again, "Damn kid," he sighed before smiling through the mask he always wore that covered his mouth and left eye.
"Maybe you should stop chasing one night stands and actually find someone for yourself," I suggested jokingly.
"Why?"
"I don't know, so you could have kids and stuff like that," I shrugged my shoulders, still teasing.
"I have you," he answered unflinchingly, catching me off guard.
"Y-you consider me a son?" I asked, the hope in my voice was actually fathomable, even tangible. He nodded his head and smiled at me.
"I mean, I did raise you for 11 years, I would hope so." With that, he turned and left, leaving me a little shocked but for the first time in a while, truly happy. Maybe I wasn't as lonely as I thought, maybe I just made that up, maybe I should stop trying to be so dark all the time and accept that the people around me really do care.
But then, I turned around to something that shocked me to the very core. I saw...my parents. It was my dad's 30th birthday, and I remembered that my mom tried to force feed him cake. They ran around the table until she finally pinned him down and shoved the spoon in his mouth, almost choking in it. I remember me and Itachi bursting out on laughter, rolling on the floor like madmen. I smiled at the thought, until I blinked my eyes and saw it was Kushina feeding Minato, not my parents. I wouldn't have the luxury of seeing them chase each other like that, I wouldn't have the luxury of seeing my brother laugh with me ever again. I didn't know why I was remembering all this right now, but then I remembered I had at least 8 glasses of that champagne, and it was distorting my mind. I took a couple of deep breaths before steadily walking and leaning on a nearby wall to regain myself. There I stood, people laughing and celebrating around me while I leaned there, a blank look on my face as I stared ahead at nothing in particular. It was like time sped up while I stood there, motionless, like a statue.
"Sasuke," I heard a voice that resembled my mother's say. I saw snapping fingers in front of my face and my name again. "Sasuke?" I looked to my right and saw a dark-haired woman standing there, bearing a close resemblance to me. That's when I said the only thing that came to my mind, a single word escaping my parched lips and traveling through the air, resonating around me.
"Mom?"
Reality came back. I was staring at Kushina, who froze when I said that single word, the look in her face changing from confused to concern almost immediately. I looked around to see that only Minato, Kushina, Naruto, and Kakashi remained, I had missed all the other guests leaving. All of them were staring at me in shock, they had no idea why I said what I said, but their faces all changed like Kushina's, worrying for me.
I blinked a couple of times and regained my senses before pushing off the wall and staring at the ground.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," I whispered before briskly walking out the door and towards my car.
"Sasuke! Wait up!" Naruto called out to me. I was about to chastise him and tell him to leave me alone, but then I realized I was drunk out of my mind and Naruto was my designated driver, so there was no escape for me. I sighed deeply and slid into the passenger seat of my car and handed the keys to the blonde, who took them eagerly and jumped into the driver's seat. The drive home was relatively quiet, save for the noises of the city and Naruto's occasional humming, probably an attempt to get me to say something.
Even when he parked the car in the complex garage, the humming continued to the point where I was about to punch Naruto in the mouth to make it stop.
"Can you not?" I demanded. He shrugged his shoulders, feigning ignorance as to why I was mad before grinning mischievously at me.
"We're not talking about it," I stated in finality, causing Naruto's shoulders to droop in defeat.
"You do know that talking about it makes it easier, right?" He reasoned. I nodded my head, knowing fully well that he was right, in most cases. For me, talking was never a strong suit, especially about the incident. Kakashi had gotten me a therapist in hopes of bettering my mental condition, but it really had no effect on me, in fact it probably made me worse, so he canceled the sessions. I just couldn't move past it, not while Itachi was still out there doing God knows what. In order for me to move on, I needed closure, I needed to know why he did it, or even if he did do it, after all Kakashi named him the primary suspect and once he fled, everyone believed him to be guilty. I walked up the stairs of the building in silence while Naruto begged and pleaded me to talk to him, but I just couldn't.
"Please Sasuke! I'm begging you!" I stopped walking at the desperation in the voice, I couldn't stand to hear him so distraught because of me.
"Naruto...I trust you, but I just can't."
I made sure he could hear the finality in my tone, which he did, so he dropped the subject, deciding to walk with me in silence. We made it to our respective places and without any other words spoken between us, went our separate ways. I sighed and stumbled into my room, carefully plotting each step in fear that I would fall on my face. I looked out the window to the night sky, the darkness that I had grown accustomed to greeting my onyx eyes. I leaned my forehead against the window and closed my eyes, letting the cold glass wet my hair and skin, sending shivers through me. I stayed there, listening to the sounds of the night, the chirping of birds, the occasional person's footsteps on the sidewalks, my steady breathing, a couple of cars driving past the building. I backed up and collapsed on my couch, the back of my head colliding with a pillow. I set my alarm for 7:00 AM and quietly fell asleep, cursing the fact that I had desk work the next day.