Blood Bond.
Treason. Plot.
Act One.
Prelude.
I
They say before you start a war
You better know what you're fighting for
Well, baby, you are all that I adore
If love is what you need
A soldier I will be
[Angel with a Shotgun - The Cab]
"This is the point of no return, isn't it?," she asked when she saw his hands dripping with blood.
"Yes," he answered and shut the door.
Her arms tightened around the sleeping boy's body on her lap. "All of them"?
"Almost." He cleaned his hands from the drippy red using a white towel; dark rims remained beneath his fingernails. "We're still looking for Danzō."
"And... Itachi?," she whispered. "What about him?" The fact he didn't answer probably spoke for itself. Her sight blurred. "Fugaku, please." She shivered. "If he-... Or you-... I just want to know if-..." The first tear ran over her cheek. For a short moment she saw clear, then her sight blurred again; cleared when a second tear dropped from the corner of her eye. "Is he alright?"
Fugaku put the towel aside. "We confronted him near Nakano River. Don't worry, he is arrested, but alive."
Her heart seemed to beat so loud that she feared it could wake the sleeping boy in her arms. "And what is going to happen to him?"
He stripped off the blood-soaked shirt and grabbed a fresh one. When he left a few hours ago, she had already known that he would need it. "We haven't decided yet. Still, treason is treason, Mikoto."
Mikoto wiped away her tears. "I see..."
Silence. For several minutes. However, Mikoto felt like Fugaku could hear what she thought anyway.
"I will speak up for him," he finally said. "Still, I have no idea whether I can save his life."
"You have to try though!" Fighting the tears, she could barely speak. Her voice sounded cold. "Itachi is our son after all! Please, I don't want to lose him."
"We already have." She faced Fugaku's back, therefore couldn't see how his eyes became suspiciously wet as well. "Convincing the others to spare his life won't change nothing. He made his choice! And there isn't nothing I can do to make him change his mind." Fugaku's shoulders trembled. "It would hurt less if he was-... if he was-"
"If he was dead," Mikoto whispered. She lifted the boy she held in her arms a little bit, pulled her legs back and bedded him back to the floor. "Yes, it would hurt less, if we could just grieve for our son's death instead of despising his treason."
From the place she sat, it took precisely eleven steps to reach Fugaku: ...eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven...
Mikoto put her arms around him, nestled her head against his shoulder and kissed his neck.
He sighed as his cheek sank into her hair. "I can't despise him for anything at all."
"Of course not," she mumbled. "He is your son, our child. You will always love him." And you'll never recover from losing him. It'll hurt forever. "However, make sure no one except me ever finds out how you truly feel. They would misapprehend your sorrow and stop trusting you."
He turned around in her embrace. I know, the blank expression on his face said.
Mikoto's heart wanted to break when she saw his wet cheeks and the reddened eyes.
She sobbed and clutched his shirt. "Don't hesitate if they insist on his death. Just do it." She shivered again. "And do it yourself! Make sure he won't suffer. Treason or not, you owe our son a painless death!"
Fugaku seized for her face, smoothly touched her temple, feeling her pulse beneath his fingertips. They slid down her jaw, over her cheek and finally stroked her lips, before he covered them with his own. "I promise," he whispered.
Mikoto put her arms around his neck sighing and nestled to his chest. You are a good man, Fugaku, she thought. I wish the world knew.
Someone knocked at the door behind them, made her cringe. "We are ready, Taichō. Are you coming?"
Mikoto felt – or at least believed to feel – how grudgingly Fugaku detached his lips from hers. "Immediately," he answered the closed door, as he kept his forehead pressed against Mikoto's. She bid her lip: the sudden harshness in his voice hurt. "Just go ahead, I'll be along in a few seconds."
"Yes, Sir." Beyond the doors, steps trailed away.
Mikoto took a deep breath before she wiped away Fugaku's tears. Despite her own, she forced a smile. "Are you ready?"
"No, but determined by all means."
He kissed her forehead, passed her by and took the eleven steps towards the sleeping boy.
Mikoto stayed behind. Fresh tears filled her eyes when she saw her husband kneeling down beside the boy, stroking his black hair.
"I love you, son," Fugaku whispered as he kissed the child's forehead as well. "It'll be over by the time you wake up. Everything will be fine." He kissed the boy a second time. "I promise."
Hi there, everyone, and thank you for hanging on so far!
This story is a sort of experiment: as you have probably already noticed, I am not a native English speaker. That's why I only published such a short extract so far to make it not too embarrassing ^^" However, since I started to study English Language and Literature in October, I was looking for a fun way to practise my writing skills and, thus, began to work on an English version of a fanfiction I originally wrote in German. As I can't tell myself whether the stuff I produce is correct (you know, grammar, spelling, commas, diction, etc.) or not, I need people more capable than me to judge. Therefore, if there is, for instance, an expression/phrase/sentence/passage that sounds weird or even awkward, please let me know, and maybe you can also advise making it sound better/more natural, etc. I'll be grateful forever since I believe it can be helpful for me to improve my skills, and therefore a more successful student at the university.
Besides, I'd be also pleased if you enjoyed the story ;) Cheers, Cedar.