Summary: AU. After five years, Itachi is finally in custody and on trial for the murder of his parents. Sasuke is scheduled to testify against him. How far does one go to spare the person they love?
Pairing: Itachi/Sasuke
Warnings: AU, Language, incest, yaoi [boy/boy, lemon in later chapters
The Webs We Weave
Life taught you how to fly and then you flew away from me.
You left me haunted, star, the ending image of one.
Chapter 1
Fine, white threads clung desperately to the windowpane as a light breeze drifted through the screen. The fragile netting swayed gently in the wind, deceptively innocent in its frailty. Though delicate, the sheer design was flawless and more than strong enough to serve its purpose. Rays of sunlight reflected off of the intertwined silken filaments, illuminating a transparent and barely discernable substance coating each string. The thin glaze was not only the foundation of the network but the genius behind the trap set to ensnare. A spider web.
The eight-legged insect, cleverly hidden amongst the shadows cast by the window's wooden frame, watched intently as an unsuspecting fly approached the glass. The predator's fangs twitched in anticipation as its prey flew closer. Six beady, black eyes glinted with excitement as the target met its mark. Set, trap, and won.
The little fly, upon realizing its grave mistake, began to flail about with the frantic desire to be freed.
The gaze of a not-so-innocent bystander darkened at the observation.
'Foolish creature, don't you know there's no escape?'
Nevertheless, it continued to struggle against the restricting silk threads that confined the captive to its prison.
'Resistance is futile.'
The captor slowly crept toward its squirming hostage. Pausing before its hysterical victim, the spider hovered over the fly, viewing it with an almost fascination. It was as if the arthropod was prolonging the tiny insect's state of fear and desperation for its own twisted pleasure.
'No one is going to save you.'
Breaking from its momentary reverie, the spider quickly leaned in and sank its fangs into the fly, injecting its lethal venom into the small insect's susceptible bloodstream. The fly continued to writhe, this time from searing pain rather than the desperate need to escape. Slowly but surely, the fly's thrashing movements began to lessen until the tiny creature fell completely still.
'Torture, isn't it?'
Sullen, onyx eyes narrowed.
'At least, for you, it's over.'
"Uchiha Sasuke?" a quiet voice inquired.
The now vacant stare of the spectator was abruptly torn from the lifeless fly upon the web to the soft-spoken receptionist who had uttered his name.
"The doctor will see you now."
The room was large – too large for its purpose, in Sasuke's opinion. He supposed it was intended to accommodate the anxious or potentially claustrophobic, though such would be an imperfect rationale. A spacious room that was meant to comfort those who fear confined spaces would only upset those who fear the opposite. It was a flawed design.
He was beginning to wonder if there was anything in the world that wasn't.
"Good morning, Sasuke," a gentle, sympathetic though professional female voice greeted once the raven-haired teenager had entered her office. "Please, have a seat."
Silently walking over to the long, russet sofa he was so intimately acquainted with, the pale Uchiha sat down and stared impassively as the woman took her usual seat before him.
"How are you today?"
No response.
The woman almost sighed. Always formal and straight to business. Some things never change.
"Sasuke, last week we had spoken about your decision to avoid all contact with the accused until the trial. I have recently been informed that you have changed your mind. Is this true?"
His eyes immediately averted from his therapist to the floor. "Yes," he stated firmly, though his confidence in the choice seemed to waver momentarily.
"You seemed so intent on contact prevention before. What changed?"
"My lawyer said we need his confession and I'm the only one who can get it."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"Because he's my brother," the last word was spoken with bitter contempt.
"Do you think that he will confess?"
"If not to me, he never will," he replied. 'I know him too well.'
"How do you feel about having to face him?"
No response.
"Sasuke?"
"I…" he began, but the words became caught in his throat. Every single night since he agreed to see Itachi, he had spent countless hours thinking about that very same question. Over and over again he replayed scenarios in his head of what he was going to do. After all these years, he knew exactly what he wanted to say to the man who took everything away from him. However, he was clueless as to what he would say to his own brother.
"You don't have to do this, Sasuke," the woman gently assured him. "It's a choice, not an obligation. He can still go to trial with or without a confession."
"No," he stated with abrupt resolve. "I need to see him again."
The counselor blinked in surprise. "Why?"
Sasuke couldn't tell her the truth. She wouldn't understand. No one could.
Finally, he looked up from the floor and met the gaze of the woman before him. His cold, sharp eyes burned with intensity. So full of hatred. So fake.
"Because I hate him."
What he had wanted to say was…
'Because I love him.'
TBC
Word Count: 856
From now on you can expect the Word Count to be somewhere around 1,500. For those of you who are not fans of short chapters, I apologize, but I don't ever write chapter fics – so this is the best I can give you.
It's been a over a year since I have written any form of fanfiction, and I've never done Uchihacest before, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Please review and let me know what you think so far! Feedback is motivation. As are cookies. :3