Started On: October 27th, 2017 at 10:08 AM
As the sun raised itself slowly in the morning, beaming its rays of light on Konohagakure, in the forest near the Uchiha Compound were Itachi and Shisui, the two walking slowly with only one place in mind. The Naka River. Itachhi glanced up at Shisui, seeing the nervous look on his face.
Glancing away, Itachi breathed in shakily as the Naka River came into view. Walking towards the ledge, Shisui sat down and turned towards Itachi, watching as the younger male sat down beside. In complete silence, the two just stared at the river below them, its rough waters slamming against the multiple rocks along its path.
"Itachi..I'm sorry for never telling you about Himeko.." Shisui whispered guiltily, turning his head to the other. Itachi smiled softly at Shisui, shaking his head slightly.
"It's fine, Shisui. It must have been hard when she disappeared, so I understand you wouldn't want to talk about her." Itachi said gently. Shisui let out a soft sigh, his head falling in his hands. "Itachi…when you told me about that 'tugging' feeling, I was so, so…fucking scared." Shisui let out. Itachi glanced at Shisui, letting the other lean against him.
"Himeko felt the exact same thing whenever she got close to the gates, and it was all because something appeared on her wrist." Shisui breathed in shakily, a watery smile tugging at his lips. "It appeared on her 5th birthday, and it was so cute, ya know? It said, 'You have such beautiful eyes'. Himeko was flustered whenever she read it, it was so adorable and I never thought anything of it. Until she started leaving the gates in dazes because of that 'tugging'." Shisui let out a humorless chuckle, a tear falling down his face.
"I never listened to her whenever she requested to be taken out of the village. She was still so young, and I wanted to protect her because we were each other's only family. But, it got so bad she had to leave. She was depressed, always waking in the middle of the night and trying to escape the house because the tugging was just so painful and intense for her." Shisui let out a choked sob, Itachi watching the other sadly and rubbing his elder's cousin back.
"On her 8th birthday, I decided to let her go out of Konoha. She was so excited Itachi, her eyes lit up like the sun and her usually void face was filled with such happiness. Before she left, I made her promise me to come back safe, and she did. But…she never came back. I and the police force searched for a week, trying to find something of her, but we couldn't…she was gone." Shisui started to cry more tears, covering his face with his hands.
"Itachi, every day afterwards, I felt such guilt and self-hatred. I felt like it was my fault that she went missing that day, I felt like she left because I would never let her leave before. I felt like she never came back because she hated me. I felt so worthless, with only her small promise keeping me from doing something so stupid." Itachi's heart clenched, his arms wrapping around Shisui and tugging the male against his chest as the other cried, small choked sobs slipping in between his words.
"I hid my pain, guilt and self-hatred behind my mask 'happiness', and everyone thought I was okay..and then I met you, Itachi. You saved me from it. You befriended me when no one else would, and made me actually smile and laugh when others were fake. You helped me so much, you have no idea." Shisui rambled, hiccups of tears happening in between each word. Itachi blushed slightly at what Shisui said before shaking his head, rubbing the other's head gently, "Shisui, I'm happy you finally opened up to me. I knew for a while you were hiding something from me, and I wanted to help you for so long. Thank you for trusting me with this." Itachi murmured gently. Shisui let out a shaky breath of air, leaning away from the other and giving him a small grin, tears still rushing down his face.
"Thank you for being my friend Itachi…and I hope, because I told you this, you will tell me about that dream?" Shisui said, hesitating slightly at the end. Itachi tensed at the remembrance of the dream, flashes of Kohaku standing in the middle of a pile of corpses and Kohaku being stabbed racing through his mind.
Shaking his head, Itachi gave Shisui a small nod, making Shisui smile softly at the other. "Alright…this 'dream' was different than the others. Instead of seeing the 'dream' through Kohaku's eyes, I was there right beside him, transparent like a ghost would be. Also, if we ever touched, I would phase right through him." Itachi explained, a slight blush growing on his cheeks as he remembered that he witnessed Kohaku changing.
"When he was done his morning routine, he left and headed towards Konoha first, which gave me the idea his village was close by. What shocked me was that he watched me on the tallest tree that hovers over the gates, which suggested that he dreams of my life as well. But the question is…why doesn't he talk to me? Is he afraid?" Itachi muttered softly. Shisui wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulder, tugging the younger male against his side, "It could be anything, Itachi…but you were on that tree the day you felt that painful tug, right? Does that mean you dream of his life a few days in the past?" Shisui questioned curiously.
Itachi gave a slight nod, "I believe so. This dream I had might of proved my point. I think that tugging I was feeling is connected to the dream I had." Itachi paused before breathing softly, letting out his nervousness with it. "After he saw me, he left once I was gone after whispering 'I'm sorry'. When he did, I was tugged with him, witnessing corpses upon corpses surrounding him in some clearing…In the middle of my shock at such a sight, Kohaku got hurt in the shoulder by a kunai, and after that, when I was being pulled away from the 'dream', I managed to witness Kohaku getting stabbed in the stomach."
Shisui breathed in deeply, eyes straying down to the river below them, "So you are thinking, when you felt that painful tug that day, it was because he got hurt?" Shisui questioned. Itachi gave a firm nod at Shisui, eyes shimmering with his conviction at his theory.
"Alright…if this true, you feel the tug whenever you are around the gates, or whenever this…'Kohaku', is being hurt physically?" Shisui asked to confirm. Itachi gave another nod, now looking slightly nervous. Is he going to faint whenever Kohaku gets hurt? Shisui frowned slightly in concern, rubbing Itachi's back soothingly.
"Shisui…he's going to be hurt again…" Itachi whispered nervously. Shisui paused, his eyes glancing at Itachi and noticing his worry and fear in his eyes. "Why do you think that, Itachi?" Shisui asked slowly. Itachi glanced down at the ground, rubbing his arm slightly as he spoke, "Well…my first 'dream' was of his father abusing him…my second 'dream' around the end, it seems his father assigns him missions, and well, there was this 'dream' which consisted of him getting stabbed." Itachi hesitated as he stopped, turning his head away from Shisui and murmuring softly.
"Itachi, there's something else. Tell me." Shisui demanded, watching as Itachi's shoulders shook before he managed to speak, "In this 'dream', he was…getting undressed, and I saw…scars…a lot of them…on him.." Itachi whispered. Shisui breathed in deeply, eyes blown wide open with shock. "Scars? What did they look like?" Shisui questioned. Itachi turned towards Shisui, staying silent for a few moments to think.
"He had many kunai scars along his back and chest, but the worst one on his back was a large ragged scar. It seemed more recent than the other ones, as it was still a bit pink…I believe it was caused by lightning release. The next biggest scar was across his chest…it went from his left hip to his right shoulder. It was more recent than the lightning one, as it was still red and was all stitched up." Itachi explained, pausing to think a bit more before continuing. Shisui frowned sadly at hearing how many scars were on Kohaku, and tried his best to ignore his fear that was desperately trying to break into his chest. He shouldn't fear this. Itachi would never leave the village, he understands this.
Shaking the thought away, Shisui focused more on what Itachi told him, catching a stray thought that flew past. "What if you only feel that painful tug when Kohaku gets hurt severely?" Shisui questioned. Itachi blinked at the idea, his eyebrows furrowing at the thought.
"That could be true…" Itachi muttered softly to himself. Shisui smiled slightly at the other before glancing back down at the river, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"We better get back.." Shisui said, pushing himself to his feet and lending a hand to Itachi. Nodding in agreement, Itachi took Shisui's hand and let his elder cousin tug him to his feet. Itachi watched the river below for a moment, the waves crushing against the rocks and sides of the ledge.
Letting out a tiny sigh, Itachi turned around and hurried after Shisui, who was waiting by the forest tree line. Once they were beside each other, the two walked into the forest, disappearing in the foliage.
"Make it stop…make it stop…" A raspy voice whispered. Creaks of the wooden floor boards made whoever spoke tense, showing it was a male snuggled in the corner of two walls and his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. His body trembled, head buried in his knees as his breath trembled with each exhale.
His hands shook, suddenly flying towards the male's dark, messy brown hair and clinging to it tightly, his breathing becoming heavier and more broken. "Stop…please…" The male whimpered out, his nails slowly digging into his skull.
Footsteps neared the male's door, making him tense and try to hide deeper in the corner. With an eerie creak, the door opened, showing a tall figure standing in the light.
"Time for some more fun~" The figure chuckled out, stepping into the room and showing it was a tall woman, having short blonde hair with golden yellow eyes and tan skin. On the left side of her face, it was covered in a large burn, its skin being red and having a bit of the skin peeling off on the side. Wearing a tight black t-shirt and black tights, the woman walked over to the boy, kneeling down in front of him with a smirk.
"You ready for some fun again, Kohaku-kun~?" The woman purred out. The male, named Kohaku, flinched back at the word 'fun' and clenched his eyes shut, the woman letting out a loud laugh in joy at Kohaku's reaction. Straightening herself up, the woman licked her lips and harshly grabbed Kohaku's wrist in her hand, tugging the weakly struggling male up and out of the room.
Outside the room was a dark hallway, lit up with candles hanging on each door and numbers hung on the wall besides the doors. The woman tugged Kohaku down the hall, the little light showing dried blood stains of people being dragged along the floor, handprints on the walls and floors showing that some tried to struggle or just couldn't keep themselves on their feet.
Reaching the end of the hall which showed a white door with golden engravings, the woman slammed it open and tossed Kohaku inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Her golden yellow eyes sparkled with amusement and joy as she looked at the male, watching as he scrambled towards the corner of the room to try and hide.
Grinning to herself, the woman strutted over and picked Kohaku up, the male breathing in short gasps of air as fear pulsed through his system. Setting Kohaku down on a metal table, the woman grabbed metal armbands on the side of the table and tightened them around Kohaku's neck, arms, torso, and legs.
Humming happily to herself, the woman walked over to a rolling table which had a metal case laid on top of it and tugged it beside the metal table, her grin now bordering on insanity.
Kohaku whimpered slightly, watching as the woman opened the case and showed many torture instruments, all cleaned up and sparkling. The woman giggled, running her hands over each instrument, adoration visible in her gaze.
"Which one of my babies shall I use today, hm?" The woman drawled out. Glancing at Kohaku, the woman smirked slightly and stopped her hand on one of the instruments, her fingers slowly curling around it. "Let's have some fun with the deadly stuff today, my lovely toy." The woman said, taking out a medium sized syringe which showed to have dark purple liquid inside it.
Kohaku gritted his teeth, tears shimmering in his eyes. The woman walked over to Kohaku, her petite yet calloused hand caressing the male's face gently, her fingers catching the tears on his eyelashes, "Such a wonderful expression you made..." The woman sighed out softly, pulling her hand away with a smirk. Kohaku's eyes widen, a gut-wrenching scream tearing from his already abused throat, the syringe buried deep in his right shoulder. Blood dribbled out between the thin, sharp metal, Kohaku writhing around on the metal table as tears cascaded down his grime filled face.
The woman grinned brightly, her golden yellow eyes a lit with pleasure as she pushed the syringe deeper in Kohaku's skin, making the young male let out a raw scream filled with excruciating pain that raced throughout his system.
After a few moments, the woman ripped the syringe out of Kohaku's arm, giggling as she licked at the tip of the needle with a smirk. Kohaku panted, eyes half lidded and dazed, amber eyes dull and lifeless while sweat coated his whole body. Pain flared every five seconds throughout his body, making him tense and spasm from the pain before he was forced to relax.
"Such delicious expressions…I can't wait to make more..." The woman whispered to herself, small giggles escaping her lips as she stared at the weakened male. Kohaku didn't respond, his dazed eyes staring at the wall emotionlessly while tears slipped down his cheeks. The woman watched the male for a moment before grinning brightly, titling her head back and letting out rich, joyous laughter.
"He's finally breaking!"
Shisui ducked under a kunai, his once onyx eyes drowning in a crimson red with three tomoes twirling around his pupil. Quickly, Shisui leaped back, dodging the kick Itachi sent towards him and quickly pairing the kunai Itachi held with his own. The blades clashed, letting out a high pitched squeal as they grinded against each other with sparks flying.
Grinning brightly, Shisui vanished with a shimmer, making Itachi quickly leap back in the air and twist, tossing the kunai he held behind him and hearing the clang of metal which told him he guessed where Shisui went accurately. Now falling midair, Itachi righted himself and started going through hand signs, stopping on 'tori' as he breathed in deeply. Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. Itachi thought, letting out a roar of flames towards his cousin.
Quickly, Shisui disappeared, the flames licking his clothes as he did so. Reappearing in the cover of leaves, Shisui quickly tugged off his vest and tossed it towards the river below him, panting slightly. Suddenly, Itachi fell from above him, pinning the male on the branch he was sitting on with a kunai resting against his throat threateningly.
Shisui froze in shock, his mind working at what just happened before he grinned, "Good job Itachi! You finally won the spar!" Shisui congratulated, making Itachi smile slightly as he got off his cousin, tucking the kunai in his holster. Sitting upright, Shisui ruffled Itachi's hair with a proud smile before getting to his feet and leaping back into the clearing, Itachi quick to follow.
"I'm curious, did you lean the 'shunshin'?" Shisui asked curiously. Itachi let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he sat down on a log. "No, I haven't yet. But, let's just say you were fighting a kage bunshin the whole time." Itachi said. Shisui froze, blinking rapidly before he threw his head back and let out loud laughter, "Oh my god, seriously? I can't believe I didn't even notice!" Shisui laughed out. Itachi smiled softly, wincing when a sharp tug was felt in his chest.
Seeing this, Shisui stopped his chuckles and looked at Itachi worriedly, "Are you alright?" Shisui asked, walking over and sitting down beside the other. Itachi shrugged, rubbing at his chest anxiously. "I'm not sure. Throughout the spar, I felt small tugs but this one was a bit stronger than the others." Itachi explained softly, not even trying to hide his relief at feeling the tugging. It told him Kohaku was still alive.
Shisui frowned, wrapping his arm around Itachi in comfort. "It'll be okay Itachi. I'm here for you." Shisui murmured quietly. Itachi nodded slightly, giving his elder cousin a smile full of gratitude. "Thank you, Shisui." Itachi said quietly.
Breathing in softly, Itachi tilted his head back and looked at the sky, noticing the orange and pink splattering across the skyline as the sun slowly started to set behind the Hokage Monument. He dearly hoped Kohaku was okay. Having dreamed a bit about the other, he started to care for him, which made Itachi confuse but he slowly got used to it in time. But is Kohaku really okay like he is thinking? Itachi frowned slightly, his hand reaching up and resting on his chest right above his heart, clenching the fabric of his shirt tightly. His heart has been clenching painfully for some time now after each tug, and it hurt. It's like, his body knew something was wrong with Kohaku.
As Itachi was drowning in his thoughts, Shisui watched the male with sad eyes, a strained smile tugging at his lips. Sighing, Shisui stood up and let out a groan as he stretched himself out, making Itachi snap out of his thoughts and look at him curiously.
"Come on, let's get you home before Mikoto-obaa gets mad at us for being late for dinner." Shisui said, pushing himself up to his feet. Itachi stared at Shisui for a moment before sighing softly, getting to his feet as well. As he got to his feet, Itachi stumbled, eyes wide as his heart clenched painfully, like a hand reached into his chest and was squeezing it.
Falling to the forest floor on his knees, Itachi panted, his hands reaching towards his chest and clenching his shirt tightly in his grasp. His heart beat loudly in his ears, his heart gasping and curling from the excruciating pain it was going through. His heart beat was so loud he couldn't hear Shisui's concerned and fearful voice calling out to him.
Gasping, Itachi fell forward, curling into a ball as the pain in his chest grew, darkness curling in the edges of his vision. He felt numb everywhere besides his heart, which just kept getting more and more painful. Itachi let out a scream of complete pain and anguish, tears slipping down his cheeks as he clawed desperately at his chest.
It hurt. It hurt so much. There's no word to describe. It feels like someone tore into his chest and tore his heart out, yet he was still alive. Writhing around, Itachi let out choked screams and sobs, feeling hands pin his arms down and legs pin his own.
A hand strayed away from one arm, quickly grabbing hold of Itachi's chin and forcing the head to hold still. Itachi let out a fearful scream, his eyes snapping open and seeing onyx-brown dyed in a flood of crimson with three black tomoes swirling around a black pupil.
Once seeing this, Itachi eyes drooped shut, his conscious being forcefully shut down as the genjutsu from the Sharingan forced his mind to sleep.
Itachi eyes snapped open, a gasp flying from his lips. Once his fuzzy vision adjusted, Itachi saw himself a complete white room. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Itachi slowly pushed himself up to his feet.
"Hello." A raspy voice whispered. Itachi startled, swirling around and his eyes widening in shock. In the corner of the white room was a black table with two dark gray chairs, a male with messy, dark brown hair sitting in one of them.
"K-Kohaku?" Itachi stuttered out. The male glanced at Itachi and gave a silent nod, bringing a white cup to his lips and taking a small sip of tea. Itachi breathed in shakily, hesitantly walking over to the amber-eyed male and sat down on the chair across from the other.
Itachi glanced at the male, eyes wide with curiosity and awe. Kohaku glanced over after a moment of Itachi staring at the other, making him blush slightly at being caught. Shuffling slightly, Itachi glanced down at the white cup of tea in front of him, at times glancing up to see Kohaku taking small sips of his tea with his eyes closed.
Letting out a puff of air, Itachi tilted his head up, staring at Kohaku with narrowed eyes, "Why am I here with you in this 'dream'?" Itachi asked. Kohaku slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Itachi, taking one last sip of his tea before placing it on the table silently.
"You are here because this 'dream', as you call it, is something that will scar you for life." Kohaku explained dully, his amber eyes closing. Itachi tensed, worry flaring in his chest.
"What happened?" Itachi blurted out. Kohaku blinked his eyes open, turning his head in Itachi's direction and glancing down at him, his eyes looking lifeless.
"That will only be known by me." Kohaku said quietly. Itachi frowned, concern shining in his eyes as he looked up at the other.
"But-" Itachi started, freezing when Kohaku brought his hand up to silence him.
"I will not tell you, Itachi." Kohaku murmured. Itachi clenched his jaw, frowning in frustration at the other before letting out a silent sigh.
"Fine. I'll respect your privacy, since it seems you don't get much from me dreaming of you." Itachi said gently. Kohaku gave a slight nod, taking another sip of tea from his cup. Itachi glanced away from Kohaku, eyes wandering around the room before looking back at the other, "Kohaku…how are you stopping me?" Itachi questioned curiously.
Kohaku let out a soft sigh, lowering his cup and looking at Itachi with dull eyes. "Because I am from the clan that has caused you to 'dream' about me, I can control what you see and cannot see. Of course, some dreams I cannot stop. This one I could because of my high level of desire and…'desperation' I felt so you will not witness this 'dream'." Kohaku explained. Itachi straightened, his ears instantly catching the word 'clan'.
"What clan are you from? I want to meet you outside of these 'dreams'." Itachi asked, eyes shining with hope. Kohaku flinched slightly, turning his head away from the other and down to the floor, "That cannot happen, Itachi Uchiha. You will found out someday, but for now, I'll not tell you my clan name." Kohaku muttered. Itachi frowned slightly in disappointment.
"Alright, I understand." Itachi said quietly. Kohaku glanced at Itachi, the Uchiha tensing when the room started to be overcome from darkness.
"I'm waking up…until next time, Itachi Uchiha." Kohaku whispered. Itachi eyes widen, watching as the darkness enveloped Kohaku and himself, only able to make out a small smile tugging at Kohaku's lips before the two were consumed in darkness.
Completed On: November 8th, 2017 at 10:05 AM