"You cannot lie to us," said Fugaku annoyed. Everyone gathered this evening to hear what really happened to their pride and joy. Shisui is one of their most talented people and he deserves everyone's protection. Everyone outside the clan knows what happens if they dare to hurt the pride of the Uchiha clan. But to everyone's annoyance, Shisui kept quiet the whole time about who took his eye and refused to give any useful information. He cannot risk starting a civil war and he certainly does not want to destroy this village because of his negligence. They are currently fighting in a war and everyone should focus on that and ignore everything irrelevant. He will deal with his problems without anyone interfering and making the situation worse than it is.
Kagami, who is resting right behind his son, hopes Shisui will let at least him know who stole his eye. As a father, he feels powerless and he worries Shisui is drifting away from him since the boy lost his eye. Kagami can see he is suffering and struggling to cope with his missing eye. "Everyone came here for you," Kagami said worried his son might be banished from the clan.
Shisui shook his head. "Have I ever done anything to be suspected by you? I did not give away my eye and I put a fight. That eye is useless anyway." Shisui felt his heart throbbing in pain upon remembering the night Danzo brutally took his eye. That pain is still alive and it is keeping him awake in the middle of the night.
"There are many ways to use a sharingan and we cannot risk people finding out our secrets," Fugaku said on a stern voice. He will soon lose his temper with the boy and he might even punish him for disobeying him.
Shisui is aware that the world evolves every day and people are inventive but he has to believe that nobody will make use of his eye before he gets it back or before he destroys it. "I did not see their faces and I don't remember everything."
"Lies!" shouted an older man. "How dare you lie to all of us!? What do you think we are?!"
Shisui clenched his fists over his knees and looked down. His face shows no emotions but deep inside he is troubled by everything that is happening. How can he solve this problem without getting everyone involved? He really wants to protect his clan and keep it out of useless fights but they simply do not want to understand. He is quite clear but their obsession with the sharingan and their pride clouds their reason! He cannot lie and tell that a Kumogakure or Sunagakure is involved in the surprise attack. Shisui really hopes this war will end soon and he cannot have his clan accuse other villages for something they did not do. Imagine what the Uchiha clan will do if they have to face such a situation. Another wave of pain went through Shisui's orbit, paralyzing half of his head and freezing his mind.
"First they dismiss Sasuke from a mission and now they steal an eye from our clan? They are provoking us Fugaku!" shouted another man, getting on his feet. "We are no longer trusted by those people!" Everyone started showing disgust towards the Kage and elders who rule the village for their own good.
"When I arrived, Shisui was already unconscious. I really do not believe he is lying to us," Itachi finally said after he slowly and carefully thought things through. Itachi is aware that the clan is capable of destroying innocent people and no matter how much he wants to be left out of this discussion he has to step in and help his friend.
The whole room remained in silence after Itachi spoke. They started thinking if the two boys are really honest or simply fooling with them. A stolen sharingan is serious business and if they do not understand the gravity of the situation then the clan should take action. Shisui smiled to himself seeing his cousin lying for his sake. It is true that he was almost unconscious when Itachi found him so it does not exactly feel like they are lying. He wants to be honest with the clan but he has to lie a little for their sake.
Fugaku closed his eyes and exhaled exhausted. He knows those boys have no bad intentions but he sometimes feels like they are egoists. "Since you put it like that…"
The meeting ended with many angry and unsatisfied people. Fugaku gave his older son a cold look as he walked back home with Mikoto and Sasuke. Itachi told Shisui that his father often looks like that so he does not seem to be angrier that before the meeting. The boys laughed for a while, remaining behind in the meeting room. Shisui leaned over the cold wooden wall with his legs stretched in front of him. He covered his sewed eyelids with his right palm. From time to time he feels like he still has that eye and nothing changed but reality is that he lost it and his vision is not as good as before. He is still adjusting to the change and he has to move fast since he will be expected to go out there and help with the war.
"Does it hurt?" Itachi asked worried about his cousin.
Shisui decided not to cover that eye and to proudly show it to everybody but the clan did not receive the news too well. They complained about him being reckless and they think people from the village are trying to slowly destroy them. "Have you told anyone about who sent you that night?" he changed his subject. Of course it still hurts and of course he suffers but he has to pretend.
"I was with Sasuke when she came so he knows but he did not tell dad or mom."
"Let's keep it that way. Tell the brat to keep his mouth shut," Shisui said absent minded. He did not mean to be rude with Itachi but he knows his clan can be quite violent if the situation asks for it.
"They are teammates. He will not hurt her," Itachi replied annoyed by his cousin's words. "Speaking about her," the words caught Shisui's attention and he looked at Itachi with questioning eyes. It felt like Itachi was really bothered by her existence in his cousin's life, "she is nice but she is not suitable for our clan."
"I know this." His voice was nostalgic when he replied. Hearing those words made Itachi feel sorry for bringing up the subject. He lives under the impression that Shisui does not really think about what will happen if he really were to marry her. "But time might change the clan for better. If not…" Shisui made a short pause, "…we will see then."
"You know I have nothing against her but our clan has different ways."
A shock of pain went through Shisui's head, making him grunt. He rested his forehead over one knee and closed his only eye. Sakura told him that he will have episodes like this and that it is normal but getting used to that pain is something he just cannot manage to do. Shisui smashed a fist on the ground, trying to shift the pressure from his head to his hand. Itachi remained silent for a long period of time, feeling sorry for the man in front of him. "Who was it?" Not even Itachi knows who took the eye. He never insisted on the matter, hoping Shisui will tell him everything once he feels better.
"You know there is no money to rebuild the hospital?" Shisui changed the subject again. Itachi is his friend and he is dear to him but he does not want to get anyone involved. His only happiness is that Itachi still remembers how to save someone.
"They closed half of the Academy and improved a couple of hospital rooms there. I know."
"There is no money for new equipment either."
Shisui leaned over the wall, hands over his thighs and head tilted to look outside the small and only window in that room. It is painful to see Itachi work for the man who took his eye but he is aware that Danzo does everything for the village. Accepting his methods is difficult but the intent to keep Konoha safe did not die. Shisui took a deep breath and counted until ten. He cleared his mind and gathered the strength to get on his feet and walk towards Ichiraku Ramen. "I did not betray the clan," he told Itachi as he wiped some invisible dust from his trousers. "I did fight with all I had." The man walked towards the exit, hands inside his pockets. "I was just bad at math."
Itachi remained unmoved from his spot. He kept on staring at the place Shisui sat. "I never doubted you."
Shisui nodded as he walked outside the room. His cousin is too good and too kind sometimes.
The village is crowded but it is expected at 6 o'clock everyone to walk here and there, looking for a restaurant where to drink and eat or simply taking a walk through the market for clothes or presents. Hating to walk through crowds since he lost his eye, Shisui walked over the roofs of the buildings around the market. His missing eye is catching a lot of unneeded attention from people he does not even want to notice. If everyone stares at him and pities him for what he became, he will only get angry and eventually hit someone out of impulse. Shisui jumped from roof to roof with his hands inside his pockets, staring down at the village and carefully analyzing people who might be dangerous.
Today he does not want to feel bad or embarrassed for having lost one eye. He wants to walk next to Sakura as the proud man he once used to be. It is tough to admit it but he feels stupid if not inferior for losing one eye to the man he once used to admire. He cannot sleep and he has nightmares night after night. The image of Danzo taking out his eye is still clear in his mind. Accepting therapy might have been smart but he was too proud to admit that he is terrified and he needs help. Somewhere inside his heart, he hopes Sakura will see the cry for help reflected in his only eye and insist on helping him.
Shisui has yet to master his jutsus with only one eye and so far he failed all of them. Having two sharingans is essential when one wants to be on top of the others and lead. For Shisui, being a leader means the needed responsibility to do good things and walk towards peace. He cannot leave his clan to be consumed by envy and jealousy; he needs to show them that everyone goes through the same pain and all they have to do is focus on doing good in order to be well treated. The village is not marginalizing them for nothing: the Uchiha clan is consumed by jealousy and other dark emotions which cloud their reason and push them toward destruction. It is true that in the past the clan had to go through a lot but everyone of that time suffered because of war.
Shisui shook his head and left behind his thoughts as he jumped to the main road, right in front of Ichiraku Ramen. Sakura was already there, leaning over the wall next to the entrance, face down and eyes scanning the ground. "I am sorry," he apologized for being late. "I was held by some problems."
Sakura looked up, cheeks slightly pink. Her hair is neatly caught in a tight bun and she wears a light line of pink lipstick. She really wanted to look as normal as possible but she also wanted to look nice so she asked her friend, Ino, to give her some advice about how to look when having a date. Ino herself has never been on a date but she likes to wear makeup and she constantly looks fashionable so she landed Sakura her lipstick and told her to act natural. Of course, Sakura had to tell her that the date is not with Sasuke in order to get the needed help and the blond was more than shocked to hear her childhood friend will go out with another Uchiha, much older than her. Ino worried a little and made sure the man does not have other intentions and he simply wants to slowly catch her attention. Not sure of what to believe, Ino told her to wear what she usually does and not go with him in strange places or any places where nobody could hear or help her in case something goes wrong. But since Sakura knows Shisui much better than Ino, she pretended to listen to Ino but to follow Shisui wherever he decided to go. "I was late myself," she admitted remembering how much Ino questioned her.
"I see…" he nodded and the two remained in silence. He hoped it would be natural and he could lead her but now he has no idea what to do next. "Are you hungry?" he asked and Sakura slightly shook her head. He is not hungry either but he should remember to set the next date at a restaurant. "Shall we…walk?" he finally asked not wishing to spend the whole night in front of Ichiraku.
Sakura bit her lower lip, embarrassed but disappointed as well that there was nothing more interesting to do. As she was waiting for him, she somehow expected something like this might happen and thought a little about what to do in case he does not have a better idea. "Actually I wanted to go to the Hokage Rock and look at the village from there." All this time Sakura was too embarrassed to look him in the eye but after proposing him to go and watch the village she looked at his face for a few moments before looking away again. She wants to act natural but everything seems embarrassing and she fears she might act like a fool. This is not their first time alone but this is the first time they are one a date and somehow it feels different.
Shisui scratched the back of his head and looked away as well. For a reason he feels awkward as well. He waited for so long for this day to come that he feels stupid for not having planned anything to make her feel less embarrassed. "Sakura," he called on a serious voice, catching her full attention. "I…" He wanted to tell her to act normal but on second thoughts he changed his mind. He does not want to make her feel bad for being a little tense. "Shall we buy ice cream?" he asked pointing to the store behind him.
Sakura nodded and the two walked to the store. They bought water and ice cream after which they walked in silence, Shisui leading the way and Sakura walking behind him. There are many things Sakura wants to know and she wants to ask him tonight but she fears she might open scars he tries to heal. Sakura is no fool; she knows Shisui is human and she knows losing an eye had great consequences, both mentally and emotionally, although he might not show it. She is a doctor and she knows how people react when they lose body parts. Of course she noticed the lack of light in his eye but she does not dare to persuade him in any way. Shisui might get angry or even violent if he is pressured to do something he does not want to. Having lost one eye surely made him feel inferior to many and his reputation is starting to fade. She has to be patient and wait for him to open to her. Ever since that night when she rushed to Itachi begging for help she had to face a really angry Sasuke. He questioned her a lot, wanting Sakura to tell everything she knew about who took Shisui's eye. She never lied and was honest when she said she had no idea but for Sasuke everything seemed a lie, as if she were hiding the truth in order to catch his cousin and forever destroy him. She never saw Sasuke so angry and having him treating her like some traitor is painful. Every time looking at her with cold eyes and even screaming at her on occasions caused Sakura to waste nights crying and praying for everything to end so she could live in peace. It never crossed her mind Sasuke would doubt her in any way since he should know she is not capable of hurting people from her village much less someone close to her.
Sakura sighed, heart throbbing in pain. Everything always seems to go wrong when it comes to her relationship with Sasuke. Everything she did was to make him notice her but in the end she only made him lose his trust.
The two sat on the edge of the cliff, facing the village and eating their vanilla ice creams. She made sure she sat so he can see her from the corner of his eye. Since they remained in silence the whole trip to the cliff, Sakura dared to bring up a subject which occasionally hunts her. "Are you still mad at me?" Sakura asked licking her ice cream. She wanted to ask this for some time but feared he might say he will never forgive her. Shisui gave her a puzzled look. "You know, for killing our teammates with my stupid plan some months ago."
"I was never mad," he admitted remembering the night he shouted at her accusing her of intentionally killing everyone. "I was only frustrated for not being able to save everyone."
"I never really wanted to kill anyone," she tried to defend herself. Uchihas always seem to change their feelings depending on the situation. She learned that they feel more than everyone else and that they sometimes tend to exaggerate everything. "I also said some mean words…"
"They changed a lot the way I thought things so I should be thanking you."
Sakura was also frustrated for not being able to save anyone but she could not tell him. She bit her lower lip. "Shisui…" She wants to ask him about what happened but she fears he might get angry. He wanted them to go on that date so she wants to give him the best memory ever but she also wants to help him. "Will you tell me the truth?"
Shisui finished his ice cream in silence, thinking of what to tell her. Lying to her is not an option but telling the truth might cause problems. The first thing Shisui wanted to do was to grab her by hand but his heart hurts and he feels even worse when he sees her small hands. Sakura was the one who sewed his eyelids together after he lost his eye. He calculated his words, deciding to risk everything to tell her his true feelings about the incident with his eye. He needs someone to hear his pain and give him the needed attention. "I hated you for sewing my eyelids together," he admitted. "Of course, it was not your fault that I lost an eye but I felt like because of you I will never see again." Anger was so strong that he felt like he had to get his revenge on her. But Sakura watched over him every day until he was discharged, healing his wounds and giving him medicine. Her beautiful heart kept him sane and constantly made him remember she has no fault, nobody but him is responsible for losing his eye. She was the best medicine he had and thanks to her he did not get mad with anger.
Sakura's heart throbbed in pain hearing those words. "I'm sorry I…"
He silenced her by clasping her hand in his. "I was arrogant." His heart feels lighter after admitting his sins and pain. "You were too good to me." Shisui reached the bottle of water to clear his throat. He released her hand, feeling his palm growing cold and regretting his action just so he could drink some water. "It is hard…" He put the lid back and played with the bottle. Sakura nodded, waiting for him to tell her everything he has to say. "And now I am a handicapped not even worth taking as lover." It is painful he wasted his own chances with her. No woman would take now a man like him.
"That is not true," she told him. "I really think you are really attractive. You are kind and strong and…" She still likes him the way she always did.
"I wanted us to laugh on our date." Instead he feels like he is having a therapy session with Sakura.
Sakura also thought the date will go differently but it seems that there are things which need greater attention. "I thought so too but the times are not helping…"
"Yeah… You are going on a mission this weekend, right?" Sakura nodded as she was looking at the village. "What is it about?"
"Me, Kakashi-sensei and Sai have to go to Sunagakure to put explosive tags on the rock cliff surrounding the village. The mission itself is dangerous as now there are many sand storms and we might get buried beneath the sand but it is the best moment as nobody is guarding outside the walls."
"That wall is not going down with just that," Shisui mocked the decision taken by Yondaime and Shikaku.
"We will have to try…"
"Why so few people are sent?"
"We need to hide our presence and the more we are the higher are the chances to be found."
Shisui nodded. The two remained in silence again. Both want to have a happy meeting but neither is strong enough to laugh as if the world is not suffering. You see, they have not forgotten about their dream to finish this war and go on a trip to see the beauty of this world. "Shikaku-san said that if we manage to destroy the wall, Sunagakure will leave the war."
"If…" Being on a mission that might end this war is more than a privilege and he wants to be part of that team. "The idea is good but…you need more people…" The mission needs him and maybe he can convince Yondaime to put him on that team. He knows he is weak right now and he is not yet used to fighting with only one sharingan but he can stick some explosive tags here and there.
The two remained again in silence. They are admiring the village and appreciating the fake peace. "Will you please tell me if the one who took your eye is the one who destroyed the hospital and took the files?" Sakura insisted on the matter.
"The one who took the files is without doubt Orochimaru." Shisui answered only half of her question but Sakura understood that the who hurt him and the one who destroyed the hospital are one and the same person.
Sakura is his precious girl, he wants her out of the mess he created. He wants her safe. He wants to stay all day loving her. He wants to make love to her and open his eyes every morning to see her. "Can you forget this tonight?" he asked hoping they could enjoy themselves.
"Of course…" she promised.
Shisui shifted closer to her and grabbed her behind her shoulders, pulling her to lean over his body. He rested his cheek over her head with the intent to push her head over his shoulder. Sakura obliged and rested over his body. Shisui's hand traveled down from her shoulders and over her back, fingers gently rubbing her back and provoking a wave of pleasure in her body. Sakura rubbed her cheek over his shoulder. She likes the feeling awakened by his touch. Feeling her melting over his body, Shisui raised her chin with his other hand and stared into her emerald eyes. He pressed his thumb over her lower lip, pulling it gently down as he traveled to her chin and down her pale neck. Her skin is smooth. Sakura moaned when he touched her collar bond with the back of his fingers. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth and got back on her rear, face red like a tomato and eyes randomly looking towards the village.
The sound came out her mouth before she was even aware of it. "I am sorry I…I normally don't do this…" Sakura shook her head feeling humiliated by her own stupidity. She is surprised she is capable of making such sounds and she hates that he had to hear it. Sakura turned to face him to apologize again when Shisui grabbed her from behind her neck and pulled her in a lingering kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise but his dark eye looked back into her green ones with the intent to relax her. Sakura relaxed in his grip and leaned closer to him.
They have always been close. She met him quite often and before she knew it he was always there, next to her, hugging her, sometimes holding her hand and spending a lot of time together. She never minded either of those things but maybe she should've. Was she too easy to control? No, Shisui would never do anything to her and he never tried to influence her. Their relationship is special; many would kill to have what they do: they can communicate without words and they can trust each other with their lives. A relationship which started without them even realizing it and hopefully, it shall never end. Sakura might not have intimate feelings for him but she cannot think of a life without him there, next to her.
Their kissed deepened and Shisui bit her lower lip, asking for permission to enter her mouth. Sakura coyly opened her mouth even sticking her tongue a little bit out to meet his. Seeing the way she is responding is making him wish for much more. He shoulder not be greedy and he should be careful not to scare her but he might never catch her like this ever again. Their tongues gently touched in a playful duel before the two parted for air. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. This is her first real kiss and although it is not with the man she loves it feels right.
"Say my name…" he whispered. Sakura swallowed before moaning his name on an erotic voice. She did not mean to sound like that but that kiss was breath taking. "God," he exclaimed going crazy. He feels like she is provoking him to take her right then and there, "one of these days I will make love to you," he told her. Sakura opened her eyes and stared at the man. He declared something outrageous but she cannot argue that. Thank God at least he has some self-restraint or she would've accepted him without second thoughts.
"Don't think poorly of me," she begged him with teary eyes. She loves another man and yet she is here, kissing him and hoping for much more.
Shisui kissed her upper lip, sucking it gently when he retreated. "Never," he promised her. He could never think of her as an awful person. Sakura is without doubt a selfless woman who would do anything for her friends. She is strong and determined and he loves her way too much to think of her as a bad person. If only she would love him back…. "Take care of yourself…"
"I will…"
Happy New Year everyone!
Please enjoy my new chapter and I look forward to reading your reviews!
