Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.
Summary:
He was her captor. Yet it felt like it was the other way around. She was dangerous and distracting, and he couldn't afford to be distracted. Now with that damned Blood Synthesis affecting them both, Sasuke didn't know what to think anymore.
She just wanted to become stronger, to not be weak. And when he kidnapped her, she thought that all was over. But then she didn't expect him to be like this. She didn't expect him to be like anything, really. It seemed like there was more to Sasuke Uchiha than he let on.
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Pathways
Prologue
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Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw Itachi take on three Uchiha ninjas from the Military Police corps. From behind the shelter of the shoji, he could see all three sprawled on the dirt and Itachi hovering over them.
"You thought too highly of the size of your 'containers' and underestimated mine," Itachi stated monotonously at the three Military Policemen. "And now you are on your hands and knees on the ground."
Sasuke can't understand what's happening. What are they all talking about? What did he meant by 'container'? His brother…he'd never seen him like he was now.
The eldest of the three, Uchiha Yashiro was the one to speak. "Shisui had been watching you. Shortly after joining the Anbu, your actions started to become strange…so strange that we cannot ignore it. What are you thinking, Itachi?"
"Attachment to the organization…attachment to the clan," Itachi spat out, "why 'attach' at all?"
Sasuke stared at his brother's back. He didn't know what got to Itachi but whatever it is…it sounded very uncharacteristic of his brother.
Itachi continued speaking. "It is merely a disgusting action of restraining yourself and limiting your own 'container'. And now I finally understand it. You people dread and detest those you can't comprehend…how foolish."
"Stop it now, Itachi!" Sasuke recognized the voice as belonging to their father. "What is wrong with you, boy?"
"Nothing is wrong." Itachi said nonchalantly. "I'm just doing what needs to be done. That's all."
"If that is true, why didn't you come last night?" So…his brother didn't really come to the meeting. Sasuke had thought that they were just waiting to catch Itachi in a lie. But now coming from their father…
"To get closer to the top." Itachi replied.
"What are you talking about?" Even though Sasuke couldn't see their father's expression, he could tell by the sound of his voice that he was angry. Angry at Itachi.
Instead of replying, Sasuke saw Itachi draw a kunai and throw it at the Uchiha crest on the side wall. The fan depicted on the wall cracked. "My 'container' has given up all faith on this useless clan."
Sasuke couldn't believe it was his brother talking…it's as if a monster had invaded his Nii-san overnight and was the one talking-back to their father. How? How could his brother think that, after all the things he'd said about being the protectors of Konoha? The brother he knew was proud of their clan symbol…Sasuke looked at the cracked Uchiha crest Itachi had thrown a kunai at…This person couldn't be his brother…could it?
"Because of this pathetic 'attachment' to a clan, people lose sight of what's truly important." Sasuke's attention was drawn back to Itachi. "A real change can't take place when restraints and controls take over…where imagination and instinct are suppressed."
Sasuke didn't want to hear anymore, but he found himself unable to shut-out the sound of his brother's voice. What was he saying? Is everything his Nii-san thought him about having pride on their clan, all a lie?
Sasuke came out of his hiding place behind the shoji and saw their father helping the elder Uchiha. "Stop this talk of nonsense now or we'll be forced to put you in prison!" Yashiro shouted.
"So what's it gonna be? We will not threaten you anymore." Uchiha Inabi asked Itachi. "Captain," he said addressing Fugaku, "give us the order to restrain him!"
No! Sasuke couldn't let them put his older brother in jail! "Nii-san, stop it already!" he shouted desperately.
Itachi seemed to wake up from his rebellious daze upon hearing Sasuke's voice. He immediately bowed on the ground. "I didn't kill Shisui. And I apologize for all that I have said."
Sasuke sighed in relief and stood there watching his brother as his father went passed the two of them on his way to enter the house. When his brother turned and looked at their father's retreating back, Sasuke saw something very different on his brother's eyes.
Sasuke didn't know then, that he will come to curse those eyes with every bit of strength in his soul…those eyes that will haunt him in his dreams and waking hours...
Very soon.
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Hinata heard about what had happened. The whole village was talking about it, so it was impossible to miss.
She had been wondering why she often saw the Hokage pass by her mother's room. Now she knew that he was visiting the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke.
Him being confined in a hospital would also explain why he had been absent in classes for three days in a row.
Hinata knew him as the smartest student in their class at the academy. He mostly kept to himself but would always help other students who were having difficulty with the lessons. She remembered one time, during shuriken throwing lessons, that he had given her a tip on how to hit her target better when he saw that she was having trouble at perfecting her aim. She had been too shy to thank him back then but he didn't seem to notice and probably, with all that has happened to him, her missing 'thank you' would be the farthest thing in his mind.
Hinata doubted that he even remembered about it.
Rain clouds dotted the afternoon sky outside the window but Hinata knew that it would be another day before the rain finally falls. The weather had been like that for over two days, black clouds gathering overhead but never raining, just making the day seem dark and dreary.
It suited her fine; she loved the rain. The cold breeze it brought always made her and her sister want to cuddle next to their mother while the three of them drank hot chocolate on their futon. Her father would always disapprove of it but her mother would tease him, calling him a spoil-sport, until he finally relented to letting them do what they want. Hinata also knew that for all the show he was putting at being tough, he had a soft spot for her mother. 'Sure his feathers would be ruffled a little bit, but he'll get over it'…that's what her mother would constantly say.
Her mother, she could always bring a smile on their father's lips without fail.
Hinata glanced at her father, sitting on a chair next to her mother, his face very grim. She could only wish her mother could make him smile now.
But Hinata knew that she can't…not when she couldn't even open her eyes to look at him…at them. She had been like that for over a week now. Sleeping…never showing signs of waking up anytime soon.
She had once asked what was happening to their mother but their father only made the frown he was constantly wearing, since their mother became sick, much deeper.
Hinata didn't try asking again after that.
However…she knew that the life was slowly slipping from their beloved mother. How could she not? Every day, they watched the color slowly drain from her face. And they couldn't do anything about it.
At her tender age, she was forced to understand that people couldn't live forever…that they would eventually meet Kami-sama.
"Hinata," her father's voice broke her from her thoughts, "go home now, it's getting dark." He gestured for their nanny, Kaoru, to wake Hanabi who had been sleeping the entire time they were at the hospital. Hinata would rather stay awake herself and keep watch over their mother but she could also understand Hanabi. Her sister's barely three years old after all.
"Otou-sama…w-what about Okaa-sama?" Hinata didn't like the idea of leaving their mother's side.
"Go." Their father ordered firmly. "I'll stay here and keep watch over her. Kaoru-san, please take them home."
Kaoru bowed in acknowledgement and gently ushered Hinata and Hanabi out of the room. Before their nanny closed the door, Hinata chanced a last look on their mother sleeping on the bed.
That was the last time Hinata had seen their mother alive.
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"Obaa-san," Hinata addressed the elder woman as she tucked her to bed later that night, "Okaa-sama will go to heaven, right?"
Kaoru's a member of the Hyuuga family's Cadet Branch. A gentle and kind soul, she was the one who helped their mother raise Hinata and her sister. "Why would you ask that child?" The old lady said as she brushed the hair away from Hinata's face.
"Okaa-sama once told me, that good people go to heaven when they die." Hinata sat up. "Okaa-sama is a good person, so she'll go to heaven right?"
Kaoru smiled sadly and hugged Hinata's small frame. Although she was a barren, making her a good candidate to be a nanny, she thought of Hinata's mother as her own. So when Hinata and Hanabi were born, she thought of them as her grandchildren.
"Of course, my child…of course." She hugged Hinata tighter. "But your mother won't die. She'll be healthy again soon." Kaoru comforted the young girl, although she knew that what she said was far from the truth.
Hinata hugged the woman back. "I'm scared Obaa-san." She too, knew that what Kaoru said was a lie. "I don't want Okaa-sama to die. Otou-sama would be terribly upset if she did."
Kaoru knew how much Hinata loved her parents, even if her father made her stutter and made her nervous. With Hinata, it was easy to know whom she was comfortable to be with. She stutters when a person made her uneasy. That's why Kaoru knew that Hinata doesn't feel uncomfortable with her.
The child never stutters when the two of them talk.
"She'll be fine, you'll see when we come visit her tomorrow." Kaoru patted Hinata's raven hair and tucked the covers around her. "That is why you need to sleep now so we can go very early to the hospital." The old lady switched off the light, letting the room be enveloped in darkness.
"Good night, Obaa-san." Hinata whispered.
"Good night, Hinata-chan." Kaoru replied, gently closing the shoji behind her.
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The walk to the hospital the next day was pretty uneventful. It was just the two of them, Kaoru and Hinata; Hanabi remained at the house because the younger girl was still sleeping when they left early that morning, so they decided to come back for her later that afternoon.
Hinata looked up at the sky and smiled at the dark clouds overhead. The rain would be on its way shortly, she could tell.
"You look happy, Hinata-chan." Kaoru observed with a slight smile.
Hinata nodded cheerfully. "It's going to rain soon," she raised the basket of goodies she was holding, "and I've brought Okaa-sama's favorite chocolate drink. I'm going to prepare it for her when we get at the hospital."
Kaoru bobbed her head. "Ah, yes. Your mother loves drinking hot chocolate on a rainy day." The kind nanny inclined her head questioningly at Hinata's basket. "Oh, but what's that? Surely, that lollipop isn't for your mother, is it?" Kaoru said, gesturing to the round, swirly candy poking out of the basket's rim.
Hinata smiled. "It's for my classmate! He's also at the hospital and I'll come visit him too after I've prepared Okaa-sama's hot chocolate."
Kaoru nodded her head and offered to carry it for Hinata. "I'll carry it, Obaa-san." Hinata assured her, knowing that Kaoru isn't as strong as she used to be.
After that exchange, the two silently continued on their trek.
Upon reaching the hospital, they immediately proceeded to the room where Hinata's mother stayed. On the way to the room, a few medic nins rushed passed them in a hurry. Hinata saw them going to the same direction where her mother was.
A sinking feeling started in the pit of her stomach. "Okaa-sama…!" Hinata cried and ran as fast as her young legs would carry her. Ignoring Kaoru's calls.
Okaa-sama…please not yet!
She stopped in front of the doorway. Her father was hunched over the bed, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. The medic-nins were on the process of placing a white sheet over her mother.
Time seemed to stop as the white material descended and covered her mother's face. To Hinata, she only appeared to be sleeping. Her mind worked in a fast speed, memorizing her mother's face…every detail and every contour…when her mother's image was finally etched permanently in her memory, time went back on track…
And it was faster than when it stopped.
"Okaa-sama!" She cried, dropping the basket she had been holding.
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His feet pounded the pavement as he run aimlessly. The bodies of his relatives, his family, littered the place. Their eyes were opened and their faces held an expression of shock, as if they couldn't believe what was happening before they were killed.
There was a lot of blood. There was Itachi.
Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He gasped. A dream…?
He started to sit up but the pain in his right arm stopped his attempts. "Oh no…" he whispered, remembering the similar pain he felt when Itachi's thrown kunai grazed his arm.
"So…" …it's not a dream after all. Sasuke ignored the pain shooting up his arm and shakily attempted to sit up once again.
Foolish brother…
After successfully being able to sit up, he slowly placed his feet on the cold floor, taking note as he did so, that he was in a hospital, judging from the rows of empty beds next to the one he was currently on.
His feet protested against the cold tiles but Sasuke paid no mind to it and proceeded to make his way to the door, leading out of the room.
"He's the only survivor…poor boy…" Sasuke heard one nurse say as he opened the door.
Live on in shame…
"Didn't he have an older brother?" Sasuke flinched upon hearing this.
"Supposedly, but his whereabouts are unknown."
"I can't believe the illustrious Uchiha clan would fall over night. Imagine what that boy would be feeling now." Sasuke knew that that particular sentence was aimed at him. "Poor boy…" He didn't want their pity. I need to get out of here…
Run and run…
He heard the voice of Itachi goading him as he made his way to his clan's side of the village. By the time he had arrived at the entrance to the Uchiha compound, it was already raining in sheets. But he didn't let the pouring droplets of water stop him and he continued to run blindly, only stopping for a second when he saw hazard signs closing off the entrance. He went in anyway.
Cling to life…
Sasuke continued running until he came to the river where he practiced his first ever Katon technique…where his father… Just as I expected from a son of mine…
Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and balled his hands to a fist. "They're all gone…" he murmured in a disbelieving manner, as if he was reminding himself but finding it hard to believe himself. "Otou-san…Okaa-san…"
Blame me…
"Itachi…" Sasuke growled out from tightly clenched teeth. His brother who he admired and envied all at the same time…the one responsible for the pain he was feeling now. "Why...?" He whispered quietly. But he knew the answer to that. Itachi had told him the reason of it all.
To test his 'container'.
It made no sense to Sasuke's young mind…who only knew of happiness, until now. To kill their family for a stupid 'container', just to test strength…it sounded very shallow.
And selfish, even for his brother.
The rain was making numerous ripples on the surface of the river but Sasuke could still make out his distorted reflection on the water. He could still make out the tears reflected in the water welling up in his eyes but never falling. He found that he can't make them fall anymore.
Slowly, like in a dream, he watched his reflection morph into the image of his brother. The face of Itachi seemingly taunted him, daring him to get revenge.
Kill me…
Sasuke's face contorted in anger. "Yes, I will kill you!" He shouted and lunged at the image, forgetting that it was only a mere reflection created by his imagination.
A bubble of air escaped from his mouth when he gasped from the coldness. Strangely though, his body welcomed the numbing sensation it brought. It made him forget the pain and sadness he was feeling in his chest, if only for a moment.
There, enveloped by the darkness, Sasuke made a vow to himself. He would become an Avenger. He will seek retribution for his clan…for his father and mother. For himself.
He swears it on his tears that refused to flow. Tears of sorrow…
He will kill Itachi but until then…
Hate me…
This will be the start of his suffering. Until blood would have been split, he will never shed a single tear. Until tears of sorrow turn into tears of happiness…
Never will they flow.
He will obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan…and then…
One day, come before me with the same eyes I bear now.
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It rained that day.
The cold breeze that used to comfort her before felt cruel on her skin. The water droplets that soothed her with their pitter-patter on the rooftop were now an annoyance for her.
She had no one to enjoy the cold breeze with…No one to cuddle with while listening to the droplets as they fell from the sky.
Everything was silent around her, only the sound of the rain could be heard. It drowned out her cries and her father's, whom she had only seen to cry then.
He would change drastically after that…never showing signs of sadness or happiness. It's as if his ability to feel these emotions died along with his wife.
Hiashi, Hinata's father, wouldn't be the only one to change drastically after that.
Hinata, without the comfort of her mother, grew up to be terribly insecure and timid. But the most noticeable change, however, was her love of the rain.
For her…the rain would be a reminder of the day she had lost her dear Okaa-sama.
And from then on, Hinata hated when it rained.
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To be continued.
Author's Notes:
Hi, I just revamped the summary, and removed unnecessary scenes in this prologue.