A new one! Enigma only has one chapter left and I am in the process of finishing it up now. While that one's being written, enjoy the first chapter of this one. No clue what it'll be named.
Don't you just love my process?
Oh, some of this shit is OOC as fuck. Have fun with that. And its AU.
It's 2 am and I'm super hungry. Sorry for this whole issue here.
It was the same dream he had almost every night. He outright hated it just for the beginning. He always hated it because he felt as though he was drowning. The ice cold water penetrated his skin and set his lungs on fire. His eyesight grew dim as the moonlight faded as he fell deeper and deeper into the lake. How did he get here? He didn't quite remember.
The dream didn't last for long in the ice cold water, for there was more to this memory. This was when the dream turned good. He barely noticed the hand appear and grasp his collar, pulling him from the water. Though it was a great issue to pull him out of the water, she managed it. He accredited it to adrenaline back then, but he had never been so sure. He saw her terrified face, pink hair flying everywhere, while she tried to keep him from dying. She tugged his soaked clothes from his body and pulled hers off as well before pulling him to her body, trying to warm him up as best she could. She was scorching to him, but that didn't matter. He went seeking for her heat, grasping and holding tightly to her tiny little body.
"Don't fall asleep," she kept murmuring to him. He clung to her words and kept staring at her face, imprinting it into his memory. Her luminous green eyes and milky skin that positively glowed in the moonlight was enough to make him think her an angel. He clenched her hand tightly and shivered while she tugged him harshly against her, willing for him to stay awake.
The dream ended and he woke before the ambulance arrived. He didn't care. He didn't like the dream anyways. He liked the ending, of course. The imprint of her stayed in his mind's eye long afterwards. He knew who she was. He knew her name and where she lived and what school she went to. She didn't seem to remember him, though. She remembered nothing of him when he was fifteen and she was thirteen and she'd saved his life. It hurt him in a way. He didn't like that she didn't remember. It was imprinted into his mind, reinforced every night during the scant amount of sleep he managed.
He looked at his alarm clock. He had a good four hours before he had to get to school. He really hated that he wasn't getting any sleep, but waking up this early meant he could get out of the house before he woke up. He would make him late for school and everything in between. That was the last think he wanted. Sighing, he pulled himself out of bed. The best thing to do would be to shower and scavenge whatever change he could to get a coffee at the shop near the school. He could sit on his computer for a couple hours there and they wouldn't say a thing.
He stood under the spray of the shower. When he closed his eyes, it gave him a flashback to the dream. He bit his cheek and kept himself from hitting the shower wall. He really hated when it would come back to him in the waking world. He really did. He shook his head and stared angrily at the water swirling around his feet for a few long minutes before shaking his head again and getting to washing himself. He wasn't about to take longer than he should.
His little brother was just waking up when he left the house. He only knew because he heard the bedroom door open just as he got down the stairs. Too bad for him, he'd have to ride the bus today. Itachi didn't care. Sasuke could complain all he wanted, but his mother would stand by him at least. He wasn't ready when Itachi left; therefore he had no inclination to drive him. Itachi's mother was the only person he really got along with in the house. He didn't know why she was still married to him. He hated her sometimes for that fact, but couldn't find it within himself to hate her too much. He didn't know what was going on in her head just as much as she didn't know what was going on in his. He went with his original plan and sat in a coffee shop until school was set to start.
He saw her when he walked onto the school grounds. She was walking with his little brother and a blond, presumably his little brother's best friend. He stopped for a moment and stared, watching her. She was smiling and her green eyes were fixed on his brother. He wished they were set on him, but he had never had her attention save for the one time when she saved him. Her hair blew in the wind, so much longer now than it was three years ago.
Itachi had to remind himself to move. He couldn't just stand there and stare at her for who knows how long. It wasn't exactly socially acceptable. He glared at the ground and began moving. He sat underneath his usual tree, staring at nothing and drinking his coffee until the warning bell rang. He didn't have any friends here, didn't have any friends in general, and so spent most of his time alone and brooding. He would live for the time he could see her again, even from a distance. He was infatuated, he knew it, but she didn't even know his name, didn't even remember him. He didn't care at this point. Why should he? They came from different worlds and he knew it.
He knew she came from a well-off family, though not nearly as well-off as his own. He knew she was usually handed things, but he knew much of that as well. She didn't understand his anger and his fear. She didn't understand that, three years ago, he hadn't wanted to be saved. She had wrenched his plans askew and screwed his thoughts of the world. Now she was his angel and he couldn't seem to get her out of his head even though she hadn't passed another glance over him since the one time. She didn't even know they went to the same school or that he was Sasuke's brother. She didn't know any of this and he hated it. He hated just being able to watch her. He hated that she wouldn't understand and that's why he couldn't talk to her.
He just hated everything. It was the only thing he knew and so he clung to it. His hatred and anger at the world was what fueled him and gave him purpose to continue living. His anger was what kept his feet moving and gave him some kind of will to wake in the morning. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so angry with everything, but it was the only thing he had. It was the only thing he could keep close to him and fully, completely understand.
So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when she ran into him. His arm shot out reflexively and caught her around the waist just before she took a tumble. His mind was stunned into silence and he could only stare stonily at her as he lifted her back to her feet and set her securely on the floor. She was flushing and looking quite embarrassed.
"Thank you," she whispered, though didn't look at him. Itachi only nodded. She didn't move for a long moment before Sasuke appeared beside her. He glared at his older brother. Apparently he was upset he didn't get a ride to school today. He grabbed her by the elbow.
"Come on, Sakura. We'll be late if we don't get going," his brother said, voice cold. He could only watch as he steered the interesting girl away from him. He felt slightly sad, watching her go. He only shook his head and set off towards his class. He didn't want to be late either.
"Who was that?" Sakura asked, turning slightly to Sasuke. "I feel bad that I knocked into him. He even caught me!"
"That was my older brother, Sakura. I can't believe you haven't seen him before," Sasuke said, stony faced. He didn't like talking about his brother. He didn't like that his brother had just stared at Sakura, a mix of surprise and something else in his eyes. Sasuke couldn't quite identify what. He simply decided he didn't like it and pulled her away as quick as he could.
"I mean, I saw him around before," Sakura shrugged. "I don't know his name and I didn't even know that he's your brother. I haven't seen him at your house, either." Sasuke wanted to groan. He had held open the door to conversation on this topic and he didn't like that she had taken it. He tried, desperately, to think of a way to change the subject.
"He isn't one you want to talk to," he finally said. "He's somewhat of a pariah." Sakura seemed to know that he didn't want to talk about it, even though she hated that he spoke of him in such a dismal way. She kept quiet as they slid into their class and took their usual seats next to each other. Sasuke knew she wanted to keep asking about it, but he thought he'd put a cork in it.
"What are you doing after school?" he asked abruptly in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts. Sakura only shrugged.
"My mom wanted me and Naruto home after school. She has clients at the gym today and offered to take us with her." Sasuke nodded. Sometimes, he could get all three of them to hang out, but when their mother wanted to bring them to the gym, there was nothing he could do to talk them out of it. Happily, it was only once or twice a week, so it wasn't all bad. "You could come with us, you know," she said, just before the bell rang. He only nodded in answer to her.
She saw him again when they were on lunch break. Sasuke was walking next to her and she nudged him. "What's he doing all alone?" she asked, sadness in her eyes as she watched him. Sasuke only shrugged. He couldn't pretend to know why his brother did what he did. As far as he knew, Itachi didn't have any friends. If he did then he didn't ever have them around. He honestly thought his brother was a sorry sack of shit, plain and simple. "You go on and sit with Naruto," she said, biting her lip. "I'll go sit with him."
"Sakura, you don't have to do anything for him. Don't feel bad for him," Sasuke tried to stop her, but she rolled her eyes.
"Everyone needs a friend, Sasuke," she shot back, sighing. "You'll see me after school, okay? Don't worry. If he's as rude as you say I'll see you in a couple minutes." Sakura wasn't going to hang around anyone that was an outright prick. Sasuke just sighed and nodded. He knew he wasn't going to talk her out of anything she'd already decided on. She pressed her hand to his arm for a moment before bounding off. He only shook his head and went to find Naruto at their usual picnic table.
Sakura approached him quietly. She didn't know how to alert him to her presence without frightening him. She stood a few feet from him for a few moments before speaking. "Hey," she called softly, hoping he could hear her. When she was unsure and a little afraid, her voice was just a little squeak. He looked up, however, definitely surprised. He didn't say anything, just watched her. There was something in her eyes that told her he was ready to run. He was guarded. He was a cornered animal trying to decide between fight for flight and right now it seemed he was weighing heavily on flight. "Can I sit with you?" she asked timidly. That look was still in his eyes, even as he turned back towards the field and nodded towards the spot next to him.
Sakura bounced to the spot and sat down, rummaging through her bag for her lunch. She was so hungry. She'd only had a light breakfast this morning. Her mother was on a health kick and therefore gave her very exact proportions of very exact items. She sighed. At least for lunch, her mom gave her a lot of veggies and such. The sandwich even had turkey, the only meat she would let her have. Sakura didn't mind it too much. She noticed that Itachi had nothing.
"Have you eaten anything?" He shook his head. "Are you going to get lunch?" He shrugged. He didn't have any money on him and it wasn't like he was going to hang around home long enough to grab something to eat anyways. Sakura bit her lip. "Here," she tore her sandwich in uneven halves and offered part of it to him. He glared at it, but his stomach growled. He really couldn't remember the last time he ate. "Just take it, 'Tachi," she said, her eyes challenging him. He blinked. He didn't know she knew his name, but he liked the way she said it. He silently reached for it and she pushed it into his hand.
It was just egg white, cheese, and turkey, but he couldn't be happier about eating it. When he finished what she'd given him, she was holding out a small baggie of carrots and celery. He didn't want to take it, but she shoved it into his hands as well. It seemed she wasn't going to take no for an answer. How annoying. He couldn't really complain, though. She was feeding him.
"You know," she sighed when they had finished sharing her lunch. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected this, not at all. "It's not good to starve yourself. It hurts your brain as well as your body." He grunted. He knew. His body was already feeling better as the food sat in his system. He didn't really have the means to do so, though. Sometimes he could get something to eat, but most times he stayed out of the house until his father had gone to bed and he could slip in quietly without being noticed. He couldn't go to the kitchen then. Any noise at all would wake his father. "Come to my house for dinner," she offered, finally turning her glowing eyes to him. He looked down at her again in surprise. She moved her head from his shoulder, for which he was upset about. He liked it when she'd done that.
"I would not like to impose," he finally said after long minutes. Sakura scoffed. She pulled out her phone and sent a message, presumably to her parents.
"Now you don't have a choice. My mom's expecting you," she winked at him. He didn't like this, he decided. Sure, he'd been infatuated with her for a long time and had watched her from the shadows for a long while, but he had never talked to her, never gotten to know her. She was pushy and wanted it her way. She was going to extreme lengths at the moment and it was starting to annoy him. He just wanted to be left alone in his personal hell. Sakura didn't seem to care. She just smiled up at him, her eyes expectant. She was waiting for his answer.
"Fine," he conceded. He didn't know where she lived. He didn't know if his mother would be angry or if Sasuke would react violently. He didn't care. Sasuke could go climb a tree if he was upset. Sakura didn't seem to care. She didn't mention Sasuke, though he was sure there was something going on between them by the way his little brother had reacted earlier.
"By the way, sorry for crashing into you earlier," Sakura laughed. She had almost forgotten about it. "It was really nice of you to save me from taking a tumble, you know?" she laughed again. He liked her laugh. It sounded like little bells were ringing through his head. He wanted her to laugh more, but couldn't think of anything to say or do that would achieve such a thing. Sakura checked her phone. "Hey, we should start heading to the school if we don't want to be late," she said, hoisting herself up. She offered her hand to help him up. He stared at her hand for a moment before taking it and letting her hoist him up. He was surprised. She was quite strong.
He walked her to her class and received a glowing smile in return. It felt as though the sun shone on him for that moment and he felt rays of warmth enter his heart. He liked it when she smiled too. He decided he liked a lot of things about her now that he interacted with her up close, even if she was pushy and wanted things her way all the time. He thanked his luck, what little of it he did have, that she had crashed into him in the hallway.
"How was my brother?" Sasuke asked when Sakura sat next to him. She was smiling, which was usually a good thing. He wondered how his pariah of a brother had managed to make her smile. Of course, it was easy, but he had always thought his brother was quite standoffish and mean. He thought he would have sent her running for the hills.
"He was fine. He hadn't seemed to have eaten in a while, though. I gave him half my lunch and I'm making him come over for dinner tonight," Sakura shrugged. She didn't know how Sasuke didn't know his brother was starving himself, but she didn't dwell on it. Her mother would make him eat. She was very good at it. She was a mental health counselor during the day and was a professional trainer at the gym in the afternoon. The second job was much more of a hobby for her, but she seemed to enjoy everything she did.
"Itachi doesn't eat. It doesn't mean you have to take him under your wing," Sasuke said harshly, glaring towards the backboard. Sakura suddenly was very quiet. "What?" he asked, knowing he upset her. He didn't like when he upset her, but was still quite annoyed that his brother was trying to make friends with her. Yes, he knew that it was all Sakura's doing, but Itachi could just scare her off. He'd done it plenty of times before.
"I know that I don't remember everything before the accident, Sasuke, but I do know I was anorexic," she said softly, staring at her desk. He felt terrible now. He hadn't meant to remind her of that, but he was doing just that right now. He hadn't meant to do such things. He really had to watch himself. "I don't want him to waste away and die like I had been close to doing. I know. I've seen the pictures." Sasuke berated himself on the inside.
"Sakura, I apologize," he said quickly, trying to speak quickly before the bell rang. "I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about it later if you're still upset." Sakura only nodded, looking off out the window instead of talking to him. She was off in her own little world now, stuck in her own head. She didn't like it when these thoughts came back, but sometimes they came back unbidden and she couldn't help but to think about it.
She ran out of the classroom before Sasuke could catch up with her and he knew he really fucked up this time. Naruto joined him outside of his second to last class and he looked curiously at Sasuke's face.
"You alright there, buddy?" he asked, tilting his head. Usually Sasuke was in a pretty bad mood, but this was different. Sasuke was beating himself up and Naruto could see it. "What's wrong?" he asked, very concerned now. He was hoping Sasuke would say something before the bell rang.
"I upset Sakura. I reminded her of the accident and other…things." Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked to his seat. Much to his annoyance, Naruto sad next to him.
"Did she run off on you?" Sasuke would get even more upset when she ran off on him instead of heard him out. Sasuke nodded minutely. Naruto knew, then. Sakura was really upset. He guessed Sasuke had unthinkingly said something about anorexia. Sakura didn't remember herself being that way, but Naruto did and she had asked him to tell her everything one night. She had not talked to him for the rest of that night and it had worried him. She held it close to herself now and never wanted to be that way again.
"I did not mean to. She spent her lunch with my brother and he rarely eats. I told her just because he doesn't eat doesn't mean she has to take him under her wing." Naruto shook his head. Sasuke didn't know about that night so very long ago, but Naruto did. He and Sakura had snuck out that night and he would never forget what had happened.
He remembered Sakura laughing and dancing around the water's edge and staring down into the water from the safety of the pier. They had been walking around the lake when they heard a splash. Naruto had thought it was a duck, but Sakura saw ripples just off of the pier. She ran. She ran so quickly that her breath made mist in the air when she stopped. She paid no heed to the freezing water, just reached into the water. She searched and searched; her body almost halfway in the water, when she pulled him out. His long hair covered his face and he looked almost like a drowned rat. Sakura hadn't asked for help as she drug him out and all but tore off his clothes, pulling hers off as well save for anything that would protect her modesty. He watched as she pulled him close and whispered and talked to him.
He had been standing and watching for a long five minutes when she finally looked up at him and screamed to call an ambulance. Feeling so very stupid, he reached for his phone and dialed nine-one-one. She stayed there with him, holding him so very tightly and trying to warm him when the ambulance finally arrived. She had let him go then.
Itachi had transferred to a different school the following year and in that time, Sakura had her accident and forgotten all about him. Itachi knew nothing about her accident and Sasuke knew nothing of his. It made Naruto feel bad almost; that he knew everything hen the other two did not. He sighed and shook his head, the bell ringing through his head. He couldn't do with thoughts like these. He already had bad enough grades.
Sakura was waiting for them on the steps afterschool, her key in her hand. Itachi was walking away from her and Sasuke knew better than to open his mouth at this point. Naruto took Sasuke's lead and kept his mouth shut, just in case Sakura shut down on him as well. Sakura smiled and gestured towards the parking lot. Sasuke sighed in relief. She seemed to have gotten over her upset at least.
"Are we stopping at home first?" Naruto asked, looking down at himself. "I don't want to exercise in my school clothes." Sakura just nodded. She was too busy driving to answer him. Naruto had his driving license too, but their father didn't exactly trust him with his personal car. He thought Sakura a much more cautious driver and so allowed her the use of his vehicle instead. "I'll give you something, Sasuke."
"Like I want your smelly old gym clothes from three years ago," Sasuke deadpanned. Sakura laughed.
"Would you rather some from me?" she asked, peering at him in the rear view mirror. He grimaced. It seemed it was between Naruto's smelly old clothes or Sakura's feminine ones. He sighed. She would definitely make him wear hers if he tried to go in his school clothes.
"Fine, Naruto," he ground out. He didn't enjoy it, not one little bit, but it was better than feminine things. Naruto just grinned. They pulled up to the house and Naruto was out of the car before it even stopped. Sakura just shook her head and parked. She and Sasuke walked up the front steps together.
"When will my brother be over?" Sasuke asked before he went trailing after Naruto.
"He's supposed to be here at six-thirty," Sakura answered. "I'll get you home before then if you want." Sasuke nodded. He and his brother didn't have much to say to each other, even if he drove him to school some days. Most days he was gone out of the house before Sasuke even woke up. It was frustrating. Why couldn't Itachi just be a normal human like everyone else?
"Sakura," he caught her just before she began going upstairs. "I'm really sorry, you know? I really wasn't trying to hurt you." Sakura just shook her head.
"It's fine, Sasuke. Just drop it, okay?" she was forcing herself to keep calm and he knew it. He sighed and let her go, wandering through the first floor to Naruto's room. He was rooting through his closet and began throwing things on the bed. He grinned at Sasuke when he realized he was in the room.
"Here you go," he said, tossing some clothes at him. "You know, the best thing to do is to leave her alone until she comes to you," he told him, pulling his shirt off. "You should trust me, you know. I've been living with her for twelve years." Sasuke just rolled his eyes and began changing as well. He could take Naruto's advice, but this would be the first time out of several. He wasn't about to change his old ways now.
"I'm sure she'll get over it eventually, she usually does," Sasuke said, shrugging. Naruto didn't say anything in response. They were quiet until they heard the front door open. Naruto gestured towards the door and Sasuke nodded.
"Hey, mom, what's up?" Naruto asked as he shut his bedroom door. His room was off the kitchen, though he wasn't too happy about it. It gave his mother and Sakura full license to be loud as hell in the morning in an attempt to wake him up early. He wouldn't come out of his room to spite them, but it still was quite annoying.
"Are you ready?" she asked, about to turn around. "Sakura said that Sasuke's coming with us and there's a boy named Itachi coming over for dinner tonight." She didn't ask Sakura why she did anything anymore. She just let her have her way at this point. Sakura wouldn't bring anyone home that was a danger or was incredibly rude.
"We are. I'll go check on Sakura," Naruto offered, already heading towards the stairs. He hadn't heard anything from her room for a while and was pretty worried in the first place. Sakura had always had some pretty bad mental health problems. He didn't like it when she was too quiet like this. He knocked on her door. He didn't get an answer just yet and he knocked again, louder. If she didn't answer yet, then he was going to just walk in and deal with her wrath. "Sakura, if you don't answer I'm coming in," he warned. She still didn't answer. He sighed and pushed the door open.
She was lying under her covers, hiding her face in her pillows. He crept up to her side and wondered why she was so upset over something that Sasuke of all people said. He sat next to her and put his hand on the small of her back, "Are you alright, Sakura?" he asked. She shook her head. "What's up?" She didn't answer. She moved slightly just to put her hand in his lap. "Sak, why'd you do it again?" he asked, picking her arm up and inspecting the red lines threading across it, some still bleeding slightly. "I have to tell mom." She didn't move. She knew. She didn't know why she did it. She was just so depressed lately. Naruto just shook his head. "Actually, I won't. Just make sure you wear a long sleeved shirt tonight." Sakura wondered why he wasn't telling their mother. He didn't want to because Itachi was supposed to be coming over tonight and he thought he could get the older boy to talk to her about it and get something out of her that their mother couldn't. Sakura shut down when their mother tried to talk to her about it, even though she was a mental health counselor. Naruto thought it was because Sakura didn't want their mother to know about the dark thoughts in her head. Sakura wouldn't even tell him. "I'm going to go with Sasuke and mom. I'll tell her that you're taking a nap," Naruto sighed, patting her back and pulling himself up.
"Where's Sakura, Naruto? We have to get going," his mother asked when he got to the bottom of the stairs.
"She's sleeping. I thought I'd just let her sleep," he shrugged. His mom nodded. When Sakura could sleep, she let her sleep. Their mom thought she wasn't getting any sleep lately and he thought it best to let her believe that to get away with situations like this. He and Sasuke walked out the door, his mom right behind them, and led him to the car. He watched Sakura's window while they pulled out, but there was no movement. She probably felt like lead at this point. She couldn't move. He was just too worried about her.
Naruto had brought Sasuke home and now he was staring up at a boy that looked much like him. Itachi seemed rather uncomfortable as he stood right outside the door, his face rather pinched and hands tight in his pockets. It seemed as though he would have much rather had Sakura answer the door and Naruto could understand it, but she was still hiding upstairs. He thought he would have to bring Itachi up there at some point in an attempt to get her to talk.
"Come on in," Naruto said, stepping to the side. Itachi hesitated. Naruto knew he was wondering where the hell Sakura was. "I'll bring you to her if you want," Naruto offered. Itachi's eyes snapped to him. The older boy looked like he was about to run and the mention of Sakura was the only thing that brought a semblance of calm to his eyes. Naruto grinned, gesturing to the stairs, "Come on." Naruto was really sick of talking to mutes at this point.
Itachi followed Naruto closely up the stairs and watched him stop at a door at the end of a hallway. He watched him knock and receive no answer. He knocked again and there still wasn't an answer. Naruto sighed and opened the door, gesturing to the older boy to follow him in. Itachi raised a brow and followed him inside the room. It was a nice room, painted in ivy green and white furniture everywhere. It was quite pretty and nice. He watched with interest as Naruto sat next on the bed and searched under the covers.
"Sakura, Itachi's here,' Naruto said, pulling the blankets back. He was answered with a groan. "Oh, just talk to him. I'll be back to get you for dinner," he pat her shoulder and shook his head, getting up. He didn't look at Itachi, didn't want to. He left the room, leaving behind a very confused Itachi that didn't know what to do and a Sakura that didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't even want dinner at this point. She just wanted to continue hiding in her blankets and ignore life.
"Sorry about him," she said softly. Itachi had to strain his ears to hear her. "I don't know why he brought you up here."
"Why are you in bed at this hour?" he asked, deciding to try and talk to her instead of just standing there and waiting for her to speak.
"No reason," she shrugged. She weighed telling him, wondering if he was just as messed up as she was. She didn't know. She knew he had no clue about her accident, but didn't know if she wanted to tell him, didn't know if he would look at her like she was insane. He noticed her arm was hanging out from under the blankets and he took interest when he realized blood was running down her arm, most of it dried however.
"You cut yourself?" he asked. It would have sounded incredulous if he had allowed any emotion at all into his voice. He wasn't one for that, however. He just watched the lump under the blankets. She seemed to curl up into a smaller ball and pulled her arm back underneath the blankets. They were more alike than he thought. He pushed himself to stand in front of her. He waited, patiently, until she looked at him. It took a long moment, but he finally saw her bright eyes catch on him. He shoved his arm out to her and pulled back his long sleeve.
Her small, thin fingers reached out and traced the wounds that mirrored hers. He shut his eyes in an attempt to put up with the physical interaction. Her fingertips danced over the scars and fresh wounds, tickling him. All of a sudden, her hand was around his wrist and pulling him down, down, and into her bed. Her arms were around him tightly and his face was pushed into his neck. He was so surprised, he couldn't move, his hands landed awkwardly at her sides. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He had never been in one such as this. Girls rarely even looked his way let alone wanted to hold him.
"Why do you do it?" she asked softly. He could hear her much better from where she held him. He didn't need to strain so much to hear her from here. She needed to know. She needed to know why he hurt himself when he was just as well off as she was. She brushed her fingers through his hair, admiring it almost.
"My family is not very nice," was all he could say. She didn't question him. She didn't tell him that Sasuke didn't seem so mean. She didn't want to. Perhaps Sasuke was a right prick to him with the way he spoke about his brother. "And yourself?" he couldn't help but ask. He didn't know if she was going to give him a vague answer or not, but hoped she wouldn't. He had been so obsessed with her for so long. He didn't want her to give him a vague answer. He had never even thought he would have gotten this far.
"I was in a car accident about a year and a half ago," she murmured, tensing. He took it upon himself to pull away from her. He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he slowly wrapped an arm around her and brought her to his chest. She adjusted for him so it wasn't so uncomfortable. "I don't remember anything before it except for waking up in the hospital. Part of me doesn't even know who I am. It's enough to make me go insane." He didn't know what to say. He was glad she told him for he knew now why she didn't remember him. He wasn't glad that she felt that way.
He didn't know what to say and so didn't say anything at all. She seemed happy enough to lay there with him, though, her face pressed into his shoulder. He buried his hand into her hair, the same way she had, and pulled his fingers through gently. It seemed to make her happy.
"Why do you not wish to eat? You made such a deal about it with me," he said, guessing that's why she still hadn't come out of bed. He didn't know why he was given the task of getting her out of bed and downstairs, but he didn't care. He wanted to get closer to her and this seemed like a great way. She was curled into his arms, comfortable. Her blank eyes were fixed on her arm. She hated her arms. She didn't know why she kept cutting herself when she hated herself so much afterwards.
"I was told I used to be anorexic," she shrugged. "But I really don't feel like eating."
"Nor do I. Shall we choke something down together?" he offered, watching her. She blinked. She nodded. He pulled them off the bed and made sure she was steady before letting his hands fall from around her waist. He had liked holding her like that, but wasn't about to keep her in bed when she didn't want to be there. She flushed when he found her face. "Find a shirt," he said quietly, tugging slightly on the pajama shirt she wore. She flushed again and nodded, going to her closet and pulling out a sweatshirt. He waited for her to lead the way out of her room. She stopped by a door halfway down the hallway, however. He waited patiently while she washed up and wrapped her arms. He had wondered why she wore sweatshirts when it was still quite hot outside.
He followed her down the stairs and was curious when she hid behind him. He wondered why she didn't want to be seen and wondered if it was because of her sweatshirt. Did her parents care about her self harming unlike his own? Possibly. That could be why she didn't want to be noticed. She would rather have him be the center of attention so it wasn't noticed. He could understand that.
"Oh, hello, I heard the door open a while ago. Did you go and try to get Sakura out of bed? Sometimes it's pretty impossible." A rather irate looking woman with sandy blonde hair and eyes that reminded him of Sakura stood in the kitchen holding a spatula. She was smiling, though. He wondered whether she looked irate because she was really or if it was just the way she looked.
Itachi didn't answer. He wasn't about to talk to anyone but the girl standing behind him. He grasped her wrist and pulled her out from behind him, putting her into sight. Her mother smiled and a man with graying hair that sat at the dining room table got up and walked to them.
"I don't know how you managed that, young man," he smiled at Sakura. "How are you feeling, dear?" Itachi thought her parents tiptoed around her, were rather wary of her. He wondered why. She seemed to need nothing more than a good hug and some simple understanding. She had responded well to him. He figured her parents wouldn't try to get her out of bed anymore if she was so adamant about staying and hiding. He figured they wouldn't try and make her eat if she really didn't want to. He thought it was just as bad as his parents. They yelled about his indiscretions and the way he could do nothing right. Her parents noticed she had a problem but were too afraid to do anything about it. They were on opposite sides of the spectrum, but both were pretty terrible.
Sakura managed to break away and lead him to the living room, where Naruto was sitting around and watching something. Sakura didn't want to talk to her parents anymore and so sat close to Naruto, leaning slightly into his side. He grinned at her and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side for a short moment. Itachi sat on her other side and simply watched them interact. Had Naruto been invited too, he wondered, or did he live here? He didn't quite know. Naruto definitely wasn't related to her.
"Thanks, Itachi," Naruto grinned at him now. "It's usually pretty hard for me to get her out of bed and if we tell our parents, she'll end up back in the psych ward." Sakura tensed at his words and let out the smallest squeak imaginable. Itachi thought that meant she didn't want to go back there, no matter what. She didn't seem too fond of the idea, at least. Naruto shushed her. "They ignore stuff like this and think something's really wrong with her head." Sakura nodded numbly.
"Of course there is something wrong," Itachi cut across Naruto's words. "Sakura does not know how to deal with it accordingly and so harms herself. I take it your parents will not invest in counseling for her because they think it is just a phase and will fix itself." Naruto was surprised at Itachi's words. Since when did he speak so much and so forcefully? Sakura was just listening avidly and pressed herself into his side. He understood that his words were true at her actions.
"They've tossed her in the psych ward before," Naruto said, staring at the floor. "They just don't understand." Sakura shook her head. Itachi just sighed. This is not what he wanted to talk about. His parents were much the same and it hit too close to home. He was just going through a phase and it would be over soon. It would fix itself. In reality, he knew he needed help but didn't know the way of going about and getting it. "The funny thing is that my mom's a mental health counselor," Naruto said, staring at the floor, his hands tight on either side of him.
"She does not want to accept that there is something wrong with her daughter," Itachi said smoothly. "When someone is in that field they are wonderfully adept at denying the obvious in their own kin. There is nothing wrong. They are just a little more tired. They are just going through a phase. If they are suicidal, they do not know why, only find it better to toss them off for someone else to help them. Sakura might try and say something, but your mother will only hear that she is hurting herself and needs to be on suicide watch. She will not hear that she needs to speak and be heard." Sakura was avidly listening to Itachi now.
"Hey, Itachi," Naruto was looking at him in the strangest way. "You're really smart, you know?" Itachi didn't answer, merely nodded his head. Sakura was pressed against his side and Naruto shook his head. She had decided she really liked him now and she wasn't about to let him get too far away from her at this point. He liked the idea. Itachi seemed smart and good for her.
"Dinner's ready!" Sakura detached herself from Itachi and stood, offering him her hand again. He didn't hesitate in grabbing it and letting her hoist him up this time. Naruto followed slowly behind, running his hand through his hair and yawning. He hadn't been sleeping all afternoon like Sakura and was pretty tired now.
Sakura offered him the seat next to her and Itachi sat. He was glad she was sitting next to him and Naruto was close by. He decided he liked Naruto. He seemed pretty concerned about Sakura and wasn't shrugging it off like their parents were. He had decided Naruto had to be adopted. He didn't think anything terrible of him for it, just didn't think it was possible he was related to anyone in this house.
"Tonight we have spanish rice and veggie soup," their mother said, smiling as she began to serve everyone. Sakura didn't seem too happy about the fact she was going to have to eat it. Itachi watched her curiously, his own food in front of him, as she slowly began eating. He followed suit and figured out why she wasn't too happy about it. The soup was far too salty and was comprised mostly of watery cabbage. The rice was far too spicy and nothing could be tasted besides the curry powder that'd been used. He could understand why Sakura wouldn't want to eat a damn thing in this house when she was being fed food like this. He knew that her mother also fed her as though she was three sizes bigger. He wondered why.
Sakura didn't say anything for all of dinner and just picked up her plate and his as well, washing them in the sink before disappearing up the stairs with a soft mention of homework. Itachi didn't know if he was allowed, but no one stopped him as he followed her up the stairs. He remembered where her room was fairly easily and knocked twice before quietly opening the door. She was sitting on her bed, a book open on her lap and her laptop open beside it. He nodded to her and sat next to her.
"Don't you want to go home or something?" she asked as she read the textbook. She had to come out with an essay fairly quickly. Itachi only shrugged. It was only about eight right now and his father didn't go to sleep until ten or so. He wasn't about to go home when his father was still awake. If she really didn't want him around, he would go to the coffee shop again and just sit on his computer. He would rather stay around her, though.
"I would rather not," he said quietly. "I enjoy your company." Sakura blinked and blushed. She liked his company too, especially after he had shown her what he did. It was a pleasant discovery, at least for her. It wasn't so pleasant for anyone else. Itachi leaned against her side and watched her. She didn't mind it too much. She did the same to him.
"Why don't you eat much?" she asked as she typed away. He watched her fingers fly across the keyboard and he was entranced for a moment before realizing she had asked him something.
"I do not like being at home and I rarely have money on my person," he answered her readily, wanting to be as open with her as she was with him. If he wasn't, he was afraid she would shut down on him and any progress he made would go to waste. He didn't want any of it to go to waste at this point. Sakura nodded silently. "I wait for everyone to go to bed before going home and then I leave before anyone wakes."
"I suppose that's smart if they aren't the nicest," Sakura said, shrugging. Itachi nodded. He had already finished his homework long ago at that coffee shop. The workers there knew him quite well at this point and would give him a free coffee in the afternoon. It was obvious they thought he was a college student. He had done nothing to make them think otherwise. "I'll start bringing more food in my lunch to share with you. You're welcome to come here for dinner as well."
"I do not need your charity, Sakura," he said. He didn't want to make it seem as though he didn't appreciate it, but he didn't want to take things from her just because she felt as though she needed to give it to him. She flushed and bit her lip harshly, glaring at her computer. "Did I upset you?" he asked, knowing he had in the back of his mind.
"I told you. I used to be anorexic, or so I was told. There are pictures of me like that and Naruto told me all these things of when I was. I don't want you to end up like that too," she said harshly, glaring at the screen. Itachi was surprised with the amount of force behind her words. She was usually a quiet little squeak of a girl and generally didn't have enough care to use such force.
"I must apologize," he knew he was in the wrong. He wasn't about to upset her further. "I am not used to someone caring about me like this." Sakura only nodded. She still didn't look up from his computer screen. "Would you like to join me for breakfast tomorrow?" he tried. He could actually grab some money and treat her for dinner. Then he wouldn't feel so badly about her always giving him food. He would just have to find some money around the house. His father tracked everything that had to do with his bank account and questioned him endlessly when he took even five dollars out. There was usually a twenty laying around the house somewhere. He knew where to look.
"Are you sure?" she asked, turning to him. She didn't want him doing anything he would get in trouble for.
"Take it as a gratuitous offer," he said, happy that she had finally turned to look at him.
"Well, you said you rarely have money on you. If you want breakfast, I'll treat you to it," she said sweetly. Sakura was seriously the sweetest girl he had ever met and he was getting distracted by her. He had never noticed a girl like this and couldn't quite take his eyes off of her now. He didn't think he could say a word against her at this moment.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"It's almost nine now. Do you need to leave?" she asked. He shook his head. He only needed another hour until he could safely leave and miss his family. Perhaps Sasuke would still be awake and would attempt to ask him about his time here, but that was it. He could deal with Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't nearly as bad as his father and do-nothing mother. Sakura yawned. She shut her computer and leaned over the bed to pull another textbook from her bag. Itachi watched her open it.
"Do you have anything other than that?" he asked. She was doing math homework now. She just shook her head. He supposed she was lucky. Seniors had so much homework than the other classes did, though he didn't have an issue getting it all done. She seemed frustrated however. She bit her lip and glared at the book, as though she couldn't quite figure it out. "Would you like help?"
"No, it's fine," she ground out.
"Sakura, I have already taken this class. I am quite sure I can help you," he said quietly, offering his hand. She sighed and slid her book to him. It was a pretty simple problem and he figured she really didn't do well with math. He sighed and let her push herself closer. He explained the problems for her and talked her through a couple until she was managing by herself. He thought she would have taken far longer to complete it without him.
"It's nine-thirty," she said, checking the time on her computer before she shut it and put it on the floor. She reached for the remote near it and turned on the television. He wondered if she did this most nights. She shoved herself back against the wall so she could watch comfortably and tugged lightly on his sleeve to make him join her. He sat next to her and she leaned on his shoulder. He was getting used to this by now.
He was surprised when he heard her breathing turn slow and felt her body slump against his shoulder. He sighed. It was probably best that he go home at this point. He carefully pulled away from her and got off her bed. He pulled her gently to lay her down and pulled a few throw blankets she had on her bed over her.
He left her home then, though came upon Naruto by the door. He had been at the bottom of the stairs, about to check on them no doubt, and seemed pretty surprised to see him coming down the stairs. He stopped to allow Naruto to talk to him.
"Is she sleeping?" he asked.
"Yes. I will be here tomorrow. She wants to go to breakfast," he answered shortly. Naruto nodded.
"Are you going to get shit from Sasuke for hanging around her?" he asked curiously. Sasuke had been texting him the whole night, trying to figure out what Itachi said and what he was doing every moment of the few hours he was there. Naruto didn't understand why Sasuke had such a big problem with his brother. He thought Itachi wasn't that bad. Itachi was pretty okay by Naruto's book by any means.
"I can deal with him," was all Itachi said.
"Nah, I'll say something to him," Naruto said cheerily. "He'll listen to me, especially if I let him know that Sakura likes you and that you're good for her." Itachi raised a brow at him. "Sasuke doesn't like you. I'm guessing you know that. If you're good for her, though, he'll drop the issue."
"Interesting. I do not think that will make a difference, however. He will still not enjoy my presence. That is how Sasuke is when it comes to me," Itachi said, his hand on the door. He was trying to leave. He wanted to get home and get to sleep so he could be up on time. He hated being late doing anything and Naruto wouldn't help that fact.
"Hey, we're protective of her," Naruto laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "I mean, she's been a lot more fragile since that accident."
"Do not give her so little credit," Itachi said. He had to remind himself that only Sakura knew somewhat of the issues he faced himself. "She is stronger than she seems." He thought their protective nature was good; however it might be perpetuating her mental health issues in the first place. If she was protected all the time, she wouldn't learn how to deal with her own thoughts.
"Like I said, Itachi, you're pretty smart," Naruto grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow," he waved, though was only standing three feet away. Itachi nodded and left, Naruto locking the door behind him.
He was relieved when he got home. His father and mother were definitely asleep at this point. He wasn't sure if Sasuke was or not. He guessed he would find out. He quietly entered the house and managed to shut the door without a sound before carefully climbing the stairs. He was just about to enter his room when Sasuke appeared behind him. Not wanting his parents to wake, Itachi nodded towards the door. Sasuke followed him in and soundlessly closed the door.
"What did you do?" Sasuke asked, his eyes suspicious. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know why the pariah was trying to make friends now. Why did he have to go after his friends? Sasuke had always hated when Itachi talked to anyone in his circle of friends. He had always wondered why he couldn't go off and find his own.
"We had dinner. I helped Sakura with her math homework. I came home," Itachi said simply. "Do you know she has issues getting out bed?"
"Well, yeah," Sasuke said, his tenseness relaxing.
"Do you know that she harms herself?" Itachi asked next.
"Yes…" Sasuke answered, wondering where this entire thing was going.
"I was wondering," Itachi said simply. "She seems to think much like I do." Sasuke understood then. He understood why Sakura was so entranced by his older brother and why she could help but want to help him. She saw in him something that was within herself. She had never had a friend like herself and it was probably something special now that she had.
"Just don't do anything that makes me want to punch you in the face," Sasuke warned as he opened the door. Itachi only stared at him. Though Sasuke could understand why they wanted to be around each other so much, he could still be rather annoyed about it. He liked to keep his friends to himself. He sighed when he got outside the door. He supposed he shouldn't hate his brother so much. He hardly knew him, anyways. Anything he did know was because his father would complain about nothing else. If Sakura found that having him around was worthy, though, perhaps he had been wrong about him.
Itachi sighed as he laid back on his bed. He hadn't expected his brother to leave so quietly and quickly like that. He was quite used to his brother blowing up at him because of something he had done. He had learned to steer clear of his brother. Perhaps he didn't have to steer clear of him so much anymore. Perhaps Sakura joining him during lunch was the gateway to what he needed to begin fixing things. He didn't know. He sighed again and shut his eyes, turning on his side. He really needed to get to sleep.