Stay With Me
~Chapter Nine – Out of Reach~
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"You never did tell me where exactly we're going," I spoke up as I hopped down from a large, smooth rock and onto the rocky river shore. "I want to know."
Itachi slowed his pace a little and turned his head to look at me, "We're going to a new village. A civilian village," he replied stoically. I halted in silent thought for a moment and watched his back then said,
"Why?"
Itachi stopped as well and looked back at me. I stared at him, right in the eyes, until he sighed and lowered his gaze.
Almost as if he was guilty.
"Because it's safe there. No shinobi from any of the Five Great Nations would ever need to go there or even pass through. It's remote and peaceful, and well hidden from the rest of the world. No one will find us. No one will interrupt us or try to separate us," he stepped forward and rested his hands on my shoulders. "That is what you want, right? I haven't given you much choice up till now. Sasuke, do you want to come with me?"
Uncertainty rang in my ears. The slightly narrowed look in his eyes told me that Itachi wanted me to say yes. And I wanted to say yes, didn't I?
Of course I did.
"I want to be wherever you are, no matter where that is."
I answered quietly. My voice sounded bitter in my ears, but maybe I was imagining things. Itachi slightly raised an eyebrow but then smiled, that warm, gentle smile. He leant down and kissed my lips chastely, careful not to bump any of our swollen wounds together.
My face, although it had regained much of its colour, I knew was still bruised and sensitive. Itachi's face was in no better condition. We had taken a few days to rest in the protection of the forest, and now finally we were heading towards our final destination. Without the ANBU trailing us, we could go at a slow and restful pace, which was good news for both of us.
I want to be wherever you are.
I hadn't lied to Itachi. As the hours dragged on into days, we continued walking. Supplies were scarce now, and we were resting more often than not. But all of my time was taken up by my insistent thoughts of the other day.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Why did he even have to ask? Why did Itachi doubt me? Didn't he trust my feelings?
Did he think he was forcing me?
The sun began to set and we moved further into the brush, setting up for the night. Itachi started a fire while I pulled out the blanket and laid it on the short, hard grass. We settled down next to each other, our sides brushing together as we stared up at the sky through the treetops. Slowly, the indigo sky was being stained by navy clouds as the sun finished setting.
Itachi wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close, nuzzling against my side. I shifted to avoid putting pressure on my wounds, and in return draped my arms over his chest. The chilled night air bit at our skin, freezing our wounds, but the warmth of the fire mixed with our body heat kept it at bay, enough for us to sleep comfortably.
Cuddling together, I let my eyes fall shut as I breathed in Itachi's familiar scent, mixed with the scent of the forest and night air.
XXX
He was always so sure of everything. No matter what it was Sasuke was doing, he was always sure it was what he wanted to do. His feelings never wavered, and he never had any doubts. Maybe it was just his childish naïveté, but I always loved that about him.
"Sasuke-chan, what do you want to be when you grow up?" our Aunt would ask him.
"I want to be a great shinobi, just like Nii-san, and work on the police force, just like Dad." He would answer.
He never even had to think about it. He had his dream, and he was willing to scale to any heights in order to reach it.
It wasn't that he would never be skilled enough, or strong enough, no, it wasn't that at all. But Sasuke never knew the evil secrets that our clan hid. He never knew the bloodstained path or the empty future. More than anything, I took Sasuke's dream from him. I murdered our family, abandoned him, and took with me all of his hopes and dreams, as well as most of his heart. That, more than anything, Sasuke can never forgive me for.
And I can't blame him. I was the one who decided to keep the truth from him. I know very well that if I were to tell him, he could be mine, and I could whisk him away somewhere safe. That is a hopeless dream that I will never live to recognize. My dream, Sasuke's dream, and the dreams of our clan will die with the last of our blood.
And like a bad dream, our entire existence will fade away when the sun rises.
Forgive me, Sasuke.
These hopeless dreams I've led you with will bring you only unhappiness.
But we can't turn back now.
I wanted to stay with you, in our home. I wanted to hold you during those long nights when you felt you weren't strong enough. I wanted to cradle you against my chest and stroke your hair, like Mother used to when we were infants. I wanted to take you into the forest to train in the early morning, when the sun would rise and the birds would sing all around us, just like Father used to.
I wanted to hold you higher above everything else, so that maybe, just maybe, you could touch the sky. Because the sky is the closest thing we have to Forever. No matter how high we manage to go, we will never touch the sky. It goes on forever and has neither a beginning nor an end. It is everything humanity ever wanted to be.
And I wanted to reach the sky, with you as my wings.
That was my dream.
But that dream, like the sky, is forever out of reach.
XXX
The morning was bright like the day, yet cold like the night. The birds would sing to wake us from our sleep, and we would gladly let them.
I felt Itachi stir and rise next to me, but I wasn't ready to get up. Just a little longer, I thought. Let me sleep, just a little longer.
But when Itachi stood up, leaving my side, I shivered violently from the sudden chill. Curling up on my side, I sought desperately to regain the warmth of Itachi's body heat, but my wish was not granted.
Opening a single eye, I glared at Itachi's retreating back half-heartedly. With an irritated sigh, I sat up and stretched my arms up above my head.
Yawning, I stood and began to repack our bag. Itachi returned shortly after I was done and told me to light a fire, and I noticed he was carrying the knife we had in one hand, and a dead hare in the other. The brown rabbit had blood soaking the fur of its neck, signally that it was indeed deceased.
Without wasting time, I performed the necessary hand signs and relit last night's fire. Itachi set to work skinning and cleaning the meat with the knife, gracefully disposing of the inedible parts next to our fire pit.
In a matter of moments the meat was cooked, turning a delicious golden brown colour. Taking it from the fire, Itachi evenly divided the morsel in half, handing me my share. I gratefully accepted it and felt my stomach rumble, obviously thankful for such a breakfast.
We ate in silence, savouring the juicy, tender meat that filled our mouths. I kept my eyes on the fire as I took in probably the only meal I would have all day. We needed what little food we had left for the trip.
As the sun rose above the forest, the warm golden rays of light beamed through the leaves, striking the ground in rows of radiance. Itachi and I sat there, basking in the glow of the world around us. Our world.
We finished our meal, with the air of contentment hanging around us like a curtain. The silence was welcoming and serene, and it suited both of us in this one moment.
How long had it been since we were like this?
Since we were happy.
After cleaning up from our campsite, we began walking again. Itachi walked slowly enough that I could limp beside him, though I knew it was partly because he was limping, too. It would be quite a while before we were back to our regular physique.
We didn't say much over the course of that day. The endless path before us seemed to grow even longer the further we walked. But I had no choice but to trust Itachi. He was my only chance. There were no other options.
Not that I needed any other options, of course.
Annoyingly, I found my thoughts drifting back to Konoha over and over again. This was the longest and farthest I had been away from home. Had the snow melted a little yet? Or was it still piling up?
Were Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi-sensei worried about me? Were they thinking of me?
Did they miss me, too?
I couldn't block the thoughts from my head – the thoughts of my best friend, rosy cheeks and soaked blonde hair, as he went tumbling down a hill of snow, and an entirely separate body with matching red cheeks and bright blossom-pink hair, running after him. And Kakashi-sensei would be sitting on a snow-free branch, watching his students from the corner of his eye, while he scanned his orange book mercilessly.
And for once in my life, I found myself missing someone who hasn't my deceased family.
I want to go home.
Terrified, I stopped dead in my tracks. My gaze was glued to the back of Itachi's head as he continued to walk in front of me, seeming not to notice that I had stopped. Horrified, I allowed myself to look Itachi up and down, trying to reassure myself that I wasn't homesick.
But I couldn't deny the ache inside my chest; the yearning, to see my comrades again.
And for a moment, I wondered if I was a complete idiot. Being away from people you cared about hurt, yes, I couldn't deny it. But it didn't hurt nearly as much as being away from the one person you love the most.
This was nothing compared to the separation between Itachi and I these last five years.
Naruto and Sakura, and even Kakashi... I cared about them, yes, but their lives were meaningless compared to Itachi's. They were insignificant. They meant nothing. Nothing compared to Itachi.
Right?
XXX
I didn't love anything like I loved the sky.
It was the only thing in the world that didn't have an end.
Itachi used to tell me that the sky was the only eternal thing we humans could name, and that it was humankind's dream to reach it someday.
I wish I could fly.
Itachi used to pick me up and lift me high above his head, and twirl us around in circles. He would tell me to close my eyes, and I would. He would tell me to extend my arms, and I'd obey.
It felt like flying.
The way the sun was warm and bright against our skin, illuminating us, making us glow. Everything about those times is precious. Because in my memories, life is perfect. There was never such a thing as sadness or suffering. Every day was something filled with joy; something to be coveted and cherished.
Something that is so far away now.
It was bliss, euphoria, joy...
We were so happy.
When Itachi would lift me off the ground, I felt so far from the entire world. All I could feel was the wind. All I could see was the sky. Life, and anything that might be painful, was left to rot on the ground beneath me.
Except Itachi, of course.
Itachi was like my wings.
He flew with me, not beside me, or in front or behind me, but with me. Like we were connected.
What was so wrong about that?
Itachi used to always say that we could never let anyone know about how close we were. I knew why too – they thought it was wrong. Our bond, which was stronger than any other bond in the world, was something to be shunned. Berated.
Despised.
Itachi told me once that our bond was so precious; some people spent their entire lives wishing they had it, too. And it wasn't hard to see why. The harsh reality called Life wasn't able to touch us in our world. We were safe from everything, because we had indestructible walls surrounding us.
And most people waste their whole lives, only dreaming of having what we had.
XXX
To say that I was surprised was a huge understatement.
The 'quiet, peaceful village' my brother had mentioned was nothing like what I'd imagined.
I could faintly see the large wooden houses behind the city walls as we neared the bridge that led to the entrance gates.
It reminded me of Konoha.
Only the city itself seemed much smaller; and it was a civilian village. Children and livestock ran freely in the open fields; orchards surrounded the city walls, and on the other side of the city was the vast western ocean.
It was beautiful.
As we came over a large hill, I could see numerous boats docked the piers that made up the entire western wall. People, who I assumed were fishermen or hobby sailors, were scurrying about their boats and hoisting sails. There were dozens of farmers and agriculturists roaming the fields and orchards, tending to their animals and gardens.
As we crossed the large wooden bridge that stretched across the (now very calm) River of Blood, I could see clearly beyond the gates and into the streets of this magical city. They were crowded with people – happy, bustling people.
I let Itachi lead me to the gates, where two people that I guessed were guards greeted us. One man, an older guy with a thick gray beard and a receding hairline, smiled genuinely when he saw us. His younger and equally cheerful partner smiled as well.
"Well, well, well," the older gentlemen chuckled as he came right up to us, his eyes focused on Itachi.
"I never thought I'd see you of all people looking so beat up, Itachi-san." He laughed heartily, placing his hand on Itachi's shoulder, "It's good to see you've finally come home."
Itachi tilted his head downwards in a polite bow before responding,
"It's good to see you as well, Shichiro-san." He turned to the other male, "You too, Taoroku-san."
"Welcome back, Itachi." He replied, casually, before he turned towards me. "And who's this?"
Itachi placed a hand on my back, between my shoulder blades. "This is Sasuke, my younger brother."
Both of the men's' faces seemed to light up at Itachi's declaration, and the older man at once held his hand out for me to take, a large grin stretched across his face,
"Oh! You're the infamous Sasuke-kun?!" His smiled widened as I took his offered hand, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Nakase Shichiro, and this is my son, Taoroku."
The younger man reached out his hand as well, which I also accepted. "We've heard a lot about you," he smiled, releasing my hand, "It's good to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you as well," I replied, rather awkwardly. How did these people know about me? Did Itachi really talk about me that much?
Shichiro's grin shrunk only slightly as he turned back towards Itachi, his eyes shining brightly. "That house hasn't been touched since you left, Itachi-san. Yorikujo-san figured it'd be best to leave it the way it was, for when you returned. She knew you'd come back eventually," and his grin widened again, as his eyes closed in an upturned position.
Itachi smiled back, and bowed to show his gratitude. "Thank you for welcoming my brother and I back. Please pass my thanks on to Yorikujo-san as well, when you see her." And with that he straightened, and gestured for me to follow him as he walked past the two village men.
"That's no trouble at all, and be sure to come by with your brother later! I'm sure my wife will be happy to see you. You can stay for dinner," he offered, and Itachi turned back to him with that same smile,
"Thank you, that sounds wonderful. We'll be there," he said and turned, walking away, with me following right behind him.
People seemed to stare at us as we passed by them in the streets, but not in an unpleasant way. Most would gasp and point to us in astonishment, many would smile and wave, and some would even call out a 'welcome home!' to Itachi when we walked by.
We walked right through the village, until we were near the several docks that lined the beach. As the ground took a slight inclination upward, I saw a larger house nested on top of a rocky cliff, overhanging the sea. The house itself was large and consisted mostly of giant wooden pillars supporting it, and its walls were large panes made of clear glass. A balcony protruded from the rear end on the house, and hung almost further over the ocean than the cliff itself.
I gawked in amazement at the beautiful craftsmanship of the architectural structure, which looked more like a work of art than a building. Was it really a house? It looked so complex and articulate – it must have taken years to build.
Itachi sauntered right up to the front door, which was large and made of a beautiful red oak wood. Without hesitation, he grasped the bronze handle and opened the heavy wooden door, allowing light to flood the already bright house.
"Welcome to your new home, Sasuke."
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Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so insanely long. What can I say, life interfered. Anyways, I apologize this chapter was boring/rushed/sex-less. I hope the next chapter (which hopefully won't take as long .) will make up for it. Thank you for reading!
