Enigma
Chapter Ten
-Rage-
Talia swallowed as she led Sanosuke up the steps to her apartment. When she opened the door, she looked around and smiled when she was sure no one was home. "Alright, come on." She said, pulling him inside and then to her bedroom. Once they were in her room, she sat him down on the bed and tried not to look so nervous. "Now…please don't freak out." She said, her expression turning worried. She turned around and took a deep breath. "It wasn't much later after you left…that it started happening…" she whispered, slowly pulling off the straps of her dress.
And before Sanosuke could ask what, Talia slid the dress off and pulled up her white undershirt so that he could see her back. Sanosuke's eyes widened and he tensed, feeling his heart nearly stop in that instant. All across her shoulders and her back were large, purple and blue bruises. Some were yellowing, but others looked as if they'd been placed there just yesterday.
"Does…he beat your mother as well?" he asked softly, having difficulty breathing with the knowledge that his love had been enduring this for a year.
"No…at least not that I've seen…" she sighed, pulling her shirt back on and righting her clothing. She glanced back at him, though she couldn't meet his gaze. "So…Noriaki told you?"
"He just said…that I needed to see you naked." Sanosuke said, feeling his anger beginning to well up inside of him. "Your mother…she doesn't know he's been hitting you?"
Talia faced forward, trying not to cry. "She does…" she admitted, though her throat felt dry now.
That was the last straw for the young Uchiha. He stood from the bed, and even though Talia wasn't looking, she could feel the temperature in the room drop. "Where is he." He demanded, his voice low.
She turned around, her eyes slightly wide. "No!" she yelled, grabbing onto him. "You can't! You promised!"
"I promised I wouldn't overreact." Sanosuke replied coldly, gently prying her off of him, but keeping a hold of her hands. "Now tell me where he is."
She shook her head, unable to stop herself from crying now. "No! Please Sano, you're better than this!"
"I will not let him get away with hurting the most important person in my life." he told her. They both froze then when they heard the front door to the apartment open. Sanosuke's gaze shot towards the living room.
She grabbed him once more. "Please don't." she begged, giving him the most pleading look she ever had. "If you care about me, you will please just listen to me."
"You would have me do nothing?" he growled, returning his gaze to her.
Talia nodded. "It's easy to hurt someone who hurt you." She said. "It's hard to let go. Don't be like him." She swallowed, slowly hugging him.
"But Talia…you can't be forced to live like this…" he said, holding her carefully so that he didn't hurt her. "It isn't right, and I won't stand off to the side and do nothing while you're being hurt."
She rested against him, burying her face in his chest. "I don't know what to do…but you can't just kill him. He's still a person…"
He scoffed. "I wasn't going to kill him." he said. "I was just going to reason with him, and scare him into staying away from you."
She gave him a look, "That was not what I just felt from you…" she frowned.
Before he could answer, the door opened and Hajime stood in the doorway, looking annoyed. "You're back?" he sneered, glaring at Sanosuke. "Get out. Talia has chores to do." He ordered.
Sanosuke glared at him, and that feeling Talia had before came back. But he didn't release her, and he didn't move. "Fuck off." he said, startling the blonde, since he never used such language.
"Excuse me?" Hajime nearly spat, stepping closer to them. "What did you just say to me, punk?"
"I said fuck off." he repeated. "You can clean up your own messes, Talia is busy right now."
The older man actually laughed, before he smirked and grabbed Talia by the arm, attempting to pull her away. Sanosuke grabbed his wrist and twisted it, forcing him to release her. "You little bitch!" he hissed, glaring at Talia. "Hiding behind your little friendship with the Uchiha." He growled. "Must be nice taking prestigious cock between your worthless legs."
Sanosuke punched the older man square in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Do not ever speak to Talia that way again." He ordered, glaring with his now red eyes. "And if you so much as touch her again, I will break your hands."
"Get out of my house." Hajime spat out as blood filled his mouth from the punch.
He smirked humorlessly. "It was never yours, you leech." He sneered, turning and taking Talia by the hand. He brought her closer, and she felt the familiar, comforting sensation of Sanosuke's sand surround her. When it disappeared she saw that they were in his room at his house, and it was the messiest she had even seen it, since he wasn't done unpacking. "I'm sorry…you had to witness that." he said softly, keeping his hold on her. "I shouldn't have spoken that way in front of you."
"It's okay…" she sniffed, moving closer to him. "Can you just heal me?" she asked softly. "I want you to hold me and it not hurt…"
"Alright." he said, releasing her and stepping back. "You'll need to take off your clothes…at least the ones covering your bruises."
She nodded. "Um…you know…that's going to leave me in my bra and underwear." She said, a small blush coming to her cheeks. "So…could you lock your door…and try not to laugh, cause' I've never been that naked in front of anyone before."
"Yeah." Sanosuke said, turning to do just that. A blush came to his face as well as he thought about it. He was going to see Talia in her underwear. He turned once more and looked at her. "You should be fine now…" he said, feeling his heartbeat pick up in his nervousness.
Talia smiled slightly and turned away, facing the wall as she began to undress. It didn't take her long to get out of her clothing and before she could freak out, she pulled the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around her before sitting down on the middle of it. "Okay Sano, I'm ready."
He walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed. "Talia…" his cheeks darkened once more. "You're going to have to open this up." He said, reaching forward and touching the sheet lightly. "It's okay…I mean, you see me in my underwear all the time." He reasoned for both of their benefit.
"I know…" she blushed, pulling it closer. "It's just embarrassing…cause' well…" she turned darker. "I have boobs now…" she whispered.
"I know…" he said. "But…I won't do anything inappropriate…I mean, we're best friends."
She looked down, and he could have sworn he saw disappointment on her face. "Right." She said, exhaling before slowly lowering the sheet and pushing it aside so that she was mostly bare before him.
His gaze instantly went to her chest and his face turned a light red. "Wow…you really do have boobs…" he said without thinking, before shaking his head and looking up at her. "I mean…lie back so I have easier access."
She nodded and moved a bit, before she grabbed one of his pillows and turned on the bed so her back was to him. "Can you do my back first? Just so I can kinda lay down comfortably when you do the front?" she asked, glancing back at him.
"Yes." He said, bringing healing chakra to his hands and placing them on her back. "I don't want you going back there." He told her. "I fear that…because of how I reacted…he might do something worse than just hit you. And you shouldn't be subjected to that."
Talia looked forward, grabbing her hair and bringing it all over her shoulder so he could work. "I have to go back Sano…I can't just leave my mom there."
"But I can't risk your safety…I just got you back." The Uchiha frowned, sliding his hands lower.
She smiled, looking down at the sheets. "I will be okay Sanosuke. If it'll make you feel better, you can walk me home and I'll give you some kind of sign that I'm okay. If something does happen, I promise to come straight to you."
"Alright…but I still don't like it." he grumbled, placing his hand over the bruise on her hip and resting his chin on her shoulder. He looked down, smirking slightly as he stared at her breasts, or at least what he could see of them through her hair. They had really grown in the last year, to where they looked to be a nice handful. He wanted to touch them, but he had promised to be a gentleman.
"I know, but you'll just have to do what I say." She giggled, already feeling immensely better from what he had healed. "I still can't believe I made it an entire year without you, I definitely never want to do that again."
"Me either. I love my grandparents, but I think I've seen enough of the Sabaku side of the family to last me a lifetime. And not getting to see you or hear you speak was torture." He sighed, kissing the side of her head as he pulled back. "You can lie down now, I got everything on your back."
She nodded and placed the pillow down before she lay down and smiled up at him. "I'm glad. It makes me happy you missed me as much as I missed you."
He smiled down at her. "Talia…I think it's to the point where I can't live without you." he admitted, moving her hair aside and placing his hand on the bruise on her stomach.
She stared up at him, moving her hair for him so it was all out of the way. "I can't imagine what I'd do without you either Sanosuke." She smiled, placing her hand on his knee. "I hope you'll always be with me." She told him, a slight blush coming to her cheeks from both her words and the fact his hand had smoothed up her abdomen to just below her breast.
"I will, I promise." He said, slipping his hand up under her bra on her side to get the rest of the bruise. "We're two peas in a pod, as my grandma would say."
Talia shivered slightly, how she wanted to kiss this ignorant idiot. But what would he do? Should she just go for it? Or would it only weird him out? Then again, she was in only her bra and underwear, what boy in their right mind would turn down something like that? When she saw he was completely done, she sat up slightly and took hold of his wrist, placing his hand on her hip, but dangerously close to her thigh. "I think you missed one." She swallowed, leaning closer to him so they were face to face.
Sanosuke blinked, a small blush coming to his face from where his hand was. "I did? Wh-where is it?"
Talia tried not to growl aloud. Come on Sanosuke. She urged with her thoughts, meeting his gaze. "Right there." She whispered, pressing his hand a bit further down her thigh.
His blush got darker. "There?" he asked, looking down at where his hand was. "You want me too…but I've never…" his brow furrowed. He sounded so lame. "Shouldn't we…you know…kiss or something first? Or did you want me to just…get to it?" he wondered, meeting her gaze.
She sighed and looked off before glancing back at him. "I do want you to kiss me, you idiot." She grumbled, pressing her lips against his before he could say anything against it.
His eyes widened, but he returned her kiss eagerly. They broke for air then, but Sanosuke was back to kissing her not a second later. He gently pushed her back so that he was over her while she was lying down on his mattress. "Talia." He murmured against her lips, cupping her cheek.
She slipped her tongue into his mouth as he spoke her name, deepening their embrace as she wrapped her arms around him. "I've wanted to do this with you for so long Sano." She admitted, letting her hand trail down to the hem of his pants.
"Me too…" he said, placing his hand over her breast and squeezing lightly. "I just didn't know you did, otherwise I would have done something sooner." He slipped his hand beneath the fabric to touch her bare mound.
"That's because you're a moron." She grumbled, moaning softly as she grinded against him.
"I know." The Uchiha said, kissing his way down her neck as he pushed her bra up and tugged on her nipple. "I'm sorry."
Talia gasped, pressing her legs together. "I want you to touch me between my legs Sano…" she blushed.
"Okay." he nodded, smoothing his hand down her stomach to her panties. He cupped her then, before rubbing her through her underwear and feeling how wet she was. Then he pushed them aside and stroked her damp folds, before rubbing her clit experimentally.
Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door and the two separated immediately. "Sanosuke!" Natsumi called through the door. "What are you doing in there sweetie? You know I don't like locked doors!"
"Um…nothing! I was just helping Talia with something…we'll be out in a second!" he replied, having his sand bring them her discarded clothes so she could get dressed.
"No." she whispered, keeping her arms around him. "That's not fair…" she pouted, replacing his hand between her legs. "We were finally…" she gasped, biting her lower lip.
"Talia…" Sanosuke breathed out, rubbing her once more. After all, he couldn't deny her what she wanted, because he wanted it as well.
"What are you two doing?!" Natsumi demanded, banging on the door once more.
He glared over at the door. "Nothing!" he said, his sand gathering in front of the door to act as a sort of shield. "Just please go away! You're embarrassing me!" he said, leaning down and taking her nipple in his mouth.
The blonde moaned, letting her head fall back as he pleasured her. She lowered her hand and snaked it into his pants, grabbing a hold of his dick, which was rock hard. Her blush darkened and she couldn't believe how slutty she sounded, but she had wanted this from him for a long time now. "I bet…" she said, moving against hand and jerking him off. "If you put this hard thing inside of me…it would feel amazing…"
The Uchiha groaned. "Of course it would. You're so wet…" he whispered, slipping a finger inside of her.
The next thing they knew, the sand burst aside and Natsumi appeared, glaring at the bed before going wide eyed. "Oh my God! Sanosuke! What are you doing!"
"Mom!" Sanosuke shouted, his eyes widening as well. He took his hand from inside Talia and grabbed his comforter, pulling it up to cover the blonde. "I told you to go away!"
"Are you two having sex?!" Natsumi nearly shrieked.
Talia's blush turned an unhealthy red as she covered herself with the covers. "Trying…" she squeaked her correction.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Sanosuke grumbled. "Nori'd had sex by the time he was fifteen."
The pink haired woman almost exploded, grabbing Sanosuke's wrist and dragging him out of bed. "Talia get dressed. Lunch is ready." She ordered, pulling Sanosuke from the room and taking him to the training room. "Akito!" Natsumi yelled, stepping inside. "I just caught your son trying to have sex with Talia!"
Akito stopped his exercises and looked back at his wife and son. "Okay…?" he asked, not seeing why it was a big deal. "Perhaps it was her welcome home present to him." he shrugged.
"No…I was helping her with something…and it escalated to that." Sanosuke grumbled, looking down.
"How dare you take advantage of her like that!" Natsumi scolded. "Talia is too innocent for you to use those manipulation tactics on!"
"What?!" Sanosuke's gaze shot up to her. "She came onto me! I'm not going to say no when she asks for it!" he replied, blushing because of his words.
"He has a point dear. I mean, can you imagine me saying no to you that time we were sixteen, and-" Akito started to laugh, but stopped when he caught his wife's murderous gaze.
Natsumi growled lowly, looking down at Sanosuke. "Have you even told her you're in love with her yet?"
"I just got back." Was all he said as he ripped his arm from her grip.
She glared down at him. "See." She said to Akito, pointing to their son. "You're not allowed to have sex with her unless you've told her that you love her."
"No." Sanosuke said firmly, though he was trying to quell the shaking in his system, since he'd never defied her before.
Natsumi blinked, seeming confused before she glanced down at him. "Excuse me?"
"I said…no." he repeated, nodding as if to affirm it. "What Talia and I do is none of your business. You can't be this harsh with me after being so loose with Nori, it's not fair. You always talk about not treating any of us differently, that we're all equal, but even you don't treat us the same mother."
"Excuse me, child that came from me." She said, smacking him over the head. "Everything you do is my business." She told him harshly. "And how dare you disrespect me like that! I am your mother, of course I treat you all different, because you are different. You don't understand anything about your brother, so do not talk like I just let him do whatever he wants." She glared. "Especially seeing as you can't even tell Talia, your best friend, you even like her like that. At least Noriaki is clear about his intentions and has told Hikari he likes her. You will be respectful of Talia and your mother. And now you're grounded." She said simply, looking at Akito and silently telling him to back her.
"No training, and no Talia, for a week." Akito said, making Sanosuke go wide eyed.
"No! Take away the training, but I can't leave Talia alone!" he said, looking between them. "You can even ground me for two weeks…please…"
Natsumi shook her head. "No, it's not grounding if you don't lose what you want most." She said strongly. "Seeing as you have no respect for anyone but yourself, you will learn some. You can hang out with Talia for the rest of the day, but after dinner you will take her home and be back in no more than ten minutes. Do you understand?"
Sanosuke glared at her. He couldn't just tell them about her abuse…it wasn't their business, and Talia would be mortified. But they just didn't understand. Maybe if his mother had actually left when he'd asked, he would have told Talia of his feelings. Just gotten caught up in the moment and confessed everything. But she wouldn't even try to see reason. She said he didn't understand his brother, but she didn't understand him. Neither of them did. "You just don't get it." he growled, moving past her and walking down the hall to go back to his room.
Just as he got there, his door opened and Talia walked out, fully dressed. She looked over and when she saw him, a light pink came to her cheeks. "Oh hey Sano…" she said softly, poking her fingers together. She couldn't believe how embarrassed she was for practically assaulting him. "Look, I'm really sorry for…um…you know…I just couldn't help it. You know, heat of the moment and all…"
Disappointment welled up inside him, and he looked off so that she wouldn't see it. "Oh…it's alright." he said, schooling his features and looking back at her. "I'm grounded from you and training for a week, so today is all we'll have together for a while." He told her.
Her eyes widened and a look of pure panic flashed across her face. "What?" she asked.
"That's what my parents said…I tried to reason with them, but my mother won't listen to me." he sighed, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "But I promise…I will be there for you if you need me. All you have to do is rub this." he told her, lifting the necklace he had given her. "The heat from the friction will alter the speed of the sand slightly, and I will be alerted to it."
She smiled, reaching up and touching the necklace. "That's good to know." She whispered, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you." She said. "For being my knight in shining armor."
He returned her embrace, laying his head on top of hers. "You're welcome." He said, holding her close. "Did you want to eat here? I…don't really wish to be around my parents, but if it will make you happy I can bear through lunch."
Talia looked up at him, giving him an encouraging smile. "Sanosuke, they just love you, and I know they want what's best. You were probably being a butthead anyway." She giggled, leaning up and hesitantly kissing his cheek before meeting his gaze. "I bet if you behave, your mom will let you be with me. She knows how much I…" she paused, wanting to tell him now how much she was in love with him. But she didn't want to scare him away. "How much I deeply care about you."
"Doubtful." He snorted. "After all, she knows how much I care for you, and she didn't bend at all. She even defended Nori and his philandering ways to me when I tried to use an excuse similar to that. She defended him, and said that I don't understand him." he pouted.
She laughed. "But you don't." she said, seeming to brighten. "I sure as heck don't. He's definitely a mystery to me. I can't imagine what goes on in his head. I mean, he saved me and was really nice about it. It was like he was a different person."
"That doesn't mean she has to defend him!" he said. "He never got into trouble for having sex with random girls before dumping them on the curb, and I fool around with someone I've known and cared for my entire life and it's a crime?! It just doesn't make sense!"
"Well…maybe they think you're better than that?" she said hopefully. "After all, you should only do that sort of thing with someone you really…um…you know…" she blushed. "Love. That's why I…I wanted-" she was interrupted with the slam of a door and suddenly Hayate was running down the hall.
"Come on Sano! Talia! Lunch time!" he declared, practically ripping Talia from Sanosuke and dragging her down the hall.
"Sometimes…I despise this family." Sanosuke muttered to himself, before turning and going to the kitchen, where everyone else was seated at the table. He took the chair next to Talia and sat down, still sulking about everything.
Lunch went by fairly smoothly, everyone actually having a good time and laughing. Sanosuke had to admit, Hikari wasn't a half bad addition to their family. She was able to not only put up with Noriaki and his brashness, but keep him in line somewhat as well. When they were done, Noriaki and Hikari headed out for the day and everyone went to do their own thing. Talia and Sanosuke spent the rest of the day together, enjoying being with one another as they caught up. Despite having written letters to each other constantly throughout the year of his absence, it was different to just hang out and talk. Dinner finally came around and it was just Sanosuke, Talia, and his parents, since Kanamé and Izayoi had gone out to a movie together and Hayate was at Chitose's.
Unfortunately it came time for Sanosuke to take Talia home. Natsumi walked with them to the door and gave her son a sad look. "Be safe okay, and come back quick. We'll see you around Talia." She waved as they headed out.
Talia smiled, looking over at Sanosuke. "See, I told you. She's going to loosen up."
"She only said we'd see you around, not that it wouldn't be in a week." He pouted, unconsciously taking her hand and holding it as they walked.
"Stop being such a downer." She giggled. "Everything is going to work out. You'll see, we'll be back together in no time. You just have to behave." She said, bumping her hip against his as she snickered.
He looked over at her, the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly. "I always behave."
Talia's smile grew, until they were finally in front of her apartment building. She sighed and looked up at the place. "Well here it is."
He nodded, before squeezing her hand and looking down at her. "Remember…I will always be there if you need me." he said. "And I won't leave until you signal me from your bedroom window that everything is alright."
She met his gaze and nodded, leaning against him. "Alrighty. Thank you." She smiled once more before pulling away from him and heading up the steps. Sanosuke watched her ascent, until she disappeared down the hall. His gaze moved to her window, where he waited. But something disturbed him, sand pressed against his skin and suddenly Noriaki appeared beside him.
"Where is Talia?!" he demanded, looking around nearly panicked. "You two were gone when I got home." He said, before going wide eyed.
Sanosuke frowned. "She's…upstairs. I'm waiting for her to signal me." he said, pointing to the building somewhat confused.
"No! You've got to stop her!" he yelled, running towards the steps, though he stopped when they both heard her scream in absolute horror.
"Talia!" Sanosuke shouted, letting his sand take him up to her room. He ran out into the living room, nearly panicked. "Talia!" he said once more, his gaze landing on her.
The blonde screamed out once more, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held something close to her. It wasn't until he took in the full scene that he realized she was drenched in blood and holding her dead mother in her arms. Talia sobbed, hunching over the blonde woman, her grip iron on the body. The place looked like someone had been massacred, and it wasn't too far from it, because Talia's mother wasn't whole.
There was a darkened spot on the floor, and near it was a charred, stinking corpse large enough to be a man's. Noriaki appeared in the doorway beside Sanosuke, a frown on his face as he looked over the scene he'd already caught a glimpse of. Sanosuke could hardly breathe. He couldn't even move to comfort his best friend who was sobbing uncontrollably. "What happened?" he barely got out, nearly becoming physically sick from the scent of burnt flesh and fats.
Noriaki looked to the blackened body. "I…heard about your encounter with the step-dad…and I know I was right about Talia being abused. I wanted to make sure it was okay for her to come back here…" he admitted. "When I snuck my sand eye in, it was just in time to see him beating her mother, right before he slit her throat."
"And…did he do that to himself?" Sanosuke asked. He knew his elder brother used fire in almost every jutsu he did, and so he wouldn't be surprised if Noriaki had taken it upon himself to dish out his own form of justice.
Noriaki frowned. "No."
"I see." He said, his gaze moving back to Talia. He finally willed himself to move and walked over to her, crouching next to her. "Talia…we need to go." He said, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to be around this."
"No!" she screamed, smacking his hand away before she resumed hugging her mother. Noriaki sighed and walked over to his brother.
"Talia, you have to listen to him. I've already sent a sign to my parents, they will be here soon."
The blonde sobbed out, looking back at them. "This is your fault!" she yelled accusingly, streaks running through the blood on her face. "If you had just left me alone! What's wrong with you! How could you do something so disgusting!" she spat out, beginning to cry once more.
It wasn't very long after that Akito and Natsumi appeared in the doorway of the apartment. Natsumi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she surveyed the scene. "Oh my God."
"What happened here?" Akito asked, surveying the scene and beginning to piece things together himself.
Noriaki looked over at his dad, before walking past him. "That disgusting piece of filth killed her mother and he was going to kill her, so I did the only logical thing…and burned him alive." He said, before disappearing out the door.
The Hokage sighed and went next to Talia, crouching on her other side. "Talia, you need to leave now." He said softly, though his tone brooked no argument. "The scene has to be documented and cleaned up, and you could use a bath as well."
"No." she shook her head, trembling. "I…I can't leave her."
Natsumi walked over, kneeling beside her as well. "Sweetie, she's dead. You need to let go and come home with us." She said, placing her hand on Talia's back. She looked to Sanosuke and gestured for him to go and pack as many of her clothes as he could.
Sanosuke nodded, reluctantly going back to her room and taking her duffel bag out of her closet. He packed as many of her clothes as would fit, mostly just the ones he knew were her favorites and were special to her. If she needed anything more his family would me more than happy to purchase them, and so it was not a problem. Then he took her backpack and filled it with her pictures and other items she may want to decorate the guest bedroom in to make her feel more comfortable. Once that was finished he grabbed her toiletries from her bathroom and zipped up the bag, taking both with him as he went back into the living room.
Talia was no longer holding her mother, instead clinging onto his as she cried and was comforted. His father appeared to be in some sort of meditative state, but he knew it was simply the jutsu the Hokage used in emergencies when he needed to contact a large amount of people. More than likely he was bringing the necessary teams here to clean up the scene and take care of the bodies. And that was something Talia did not need to see. He walked over to his mother and friend. "Let's go." He said softly.
Natsumi nodded and leaned over, lifting Talia up into her arms, only able to do so due to the fact she was a seasoned shinobi. She disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving Akito and Sanosuke to follow soon after. When they arrived home, everyone was there and trying to help out. Izayoi and Natsumi had taken Talia into the bathroom to help her get cleaned up and Hayate was standing beside the door, listening in case they needed him for anything.
When Akito and Sanosuke arrived, Kanamé came up to them, clearly confused as to what was going on. "Mom says to put her things in your room Sano."
"Alright." he sighed, turning to head that way so he could unpack for her. He looked back at his brother. "Will you help me? I need to make room for her things…"
Kanamé nodded and followed his brother to his room. "What happened?" he asked hesitantly.
Sanosuke set Talia's bags down on his bed and move to his dresser to begin emptying out two drawers for her. "Talia's stepfather has been beating her…ever since I left…" he told him. "And when I found out today…she told me not to do anything to him…that I was better than that. So I didn't. But when he came home and was cursing at her and degrading her, saying she had chores to do and for me to leave…I told him to fuck off and clean his own house." He said, moving his clothes to different drawers, not even looking back at his brother. "He tried to take her from me, and I stopped him, but when he called her a whore I couldn't hold back anymore, so I punched him. Then Talia and I left."
He stopped what he was doing and placed his hands on top of his dresser. "Nori suspected she was being abused…and had been keeping an eye on her in my absence. When he heard about what I said to Hajime…I guess he'd been following us around…he went back to the apartment to make sure Talia could return there, and caught the bastard in the act of killing Talia's mother. So Nori burned him alive." His grip on the edge of the wood tightened. "If I had known…I wouldn't have let her go up there…she saw it all…"
"Oh my God." The elder grimaced. "But…why would Noriaki do that? He should have gotten mom and dad the second he saw it."
"I don't know…and now Talia's upset, and she blames Nori for everything…I don't even know where he is. He just left once mom and dad showed up." Sanosuke said, getting a hold of his skewed emotions and resuming his task. "Will you unpack the backpack? It's full of her pictures and stuff…just put them wherever you think looks best." He said, grabbing the duffel and beginning to put away the clothes that didn't need to be hung up.
Kanamé nodded and began to do as he was asked. He just didn't understand Noriaki's reasoning for killing that man, no matter how despicable he was. The two worked in silence until they were done and then went into the living room, where Akito was sitting with his face in his folded hands. "Hey Dad." Kanamé called, sitting down on the couch across from him. "What's going to happen?"
"I don't know." Akito sighed wearily. He looked up at his sons. "Talia can stay here for as long as she needs, of course, that's not an issue. But as for your brother…I can't just let this slide. He took justice into his own hands. But nothing can be done until we find him and I get his side of the story. The full version." He rubbed his forehead.
"I can always look for him." Sanosuke offered, since he wanted to speak with Noriaki about it privately.
"But what about Talia?" Kanamé said, looking to his brother.
"That shouldn't be a problem." Izayoi said as she walked in, drying her hands with a towel. "Mom wants her by herself for a little bit, she finally calmed down and mom has her in Sanosuke's bed. She's talking to her and making sure she's alright."
Akito ran one of his hands through his hair and glanced at Sanosuke. "Go find him." He said.
Sanosuke nodded and turned to leave, passing Izayoi and hearing her whisper something about the roof of the house before she went to the kitchen. He glanced back at her, before using his sand to take him up to the roof, where he found his older brother sitting and staring out at the Uchiha Prefecture. He didn't say anything, instead walking over and taking a seat next to the middle triplet.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Noriaki said, not sparing Sanosuke a glance.
"No." he replied. "Mother is taking care of Talia and talking to her alone." He looked over at him. "So what really happened?"
The triplet frowned. "I told you what happened. That pig slit that woman's throat, he would have killed Talia too…and I knew what he'd been doing. So this time I burned him alive."
"Why?" he wondered. "I mean…you could have gotten mom or dad and let them deal with him."
Noriaki scoffed. "Why? So he could be put away, possibly let off the hook? We all know he's a snake. The only way to handle that was for him to die. Or else he would have harmed your little Talia. And you couldn't do anything, because for some reason that blonde little idiot has a heart of gold, anything you would have done would have made you the bad guy." He said, looking down as he leaned forward and rested his crossed arms on his knees. "And I don't care if I'm the bad guy…she needed someone to focus all that pent up rage on, with him in jail or sentenced to death she wouldn't have that. Sometimes you just need someone despicable to blame, and if that's me…well then at least it's not you."
Sanosuke frowned. "Why would you do that for her? For me?" he asked. "You can't stand Talia, and you only ever tolerate me."
"You're my brother." He grumbled. "I would do anything for you…"
Sanosuke faced forward and took this all in. A small, slow smile made its way to his face. For Noriaki to go so far, to do all of this for him, it meant a lot. He looked back at Noriaki and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I would do the same for you." he said. "So thanks."
He smirked, looking back at him. "No you wouldn't." he said, though there was nothing harsh behind his words. "You're way too nice, even if you do pretend to be like grandfather." Noriaki stood then and looked off. "I wanted him to suffer. So I trapped him in a genjutsu, so he relived abuse as he felt himself burning, even though all his nerves had been fried."
He rose as well. "I may be nice, but it's like you said. You're my brother." he said, looking up at the stars. "Dad wants to talk to you about what happened, by the way."
"I figured…after all, I did just murder somebody." He smirked, glancing down. "Well, better get this over with." He sighed, walking over to the edge and jumping off the roof with Sanosuke close behind. They walked into the living room together. "You wanted to see me dad." Noriaki said, almost nonchalantly.
"Don't act so casual Noriaki, you're just going to piss me off." Akito said, rising from the couch. "I'm going to need you to tell me what happened in detail, and I also need a written statement from you to put on file. After that, I will have to talk with your mother and the elders about what to do…there may even be a trial."
"It's amazing, don't you think? As long as we're killing people from other villages it's okay. Doesn't matter that they aren't bad people. But you torch an abusive asshole in your own hometown and suddenly you're the bad guy." He said, looking off.
Akito glared at him. "Don't get smart with me. Nobody here is saying you're the bad guy." he said. "But no matter how abusive he was, he was a civilian whose life you took into your own hands, and this matter has to be investigated properly in order to follow the law. You can't just suddenly become some vigilante and dish out what you believe is justice."
"I would have done the same thing father." Sanosuke said. "If Talia hadn't begged me not to, I would have killed him slowly, and made him suffer. Not in the same manner, but just as painful."
"Not to mention," Noriaki said, meeting his father's gaze. "I bet you were real fair when that rapist came after mom on your honeymoon in the Crescent Moon Islands." At his father's slightly shocked gaze, he smirked. "Yeah. She told me all about it. Because sometimes, you just have to act."
Akito's gaze hardened. "Regardless, this matter has to be handled according to Konoha's laws, and until something has been decided, you are suspended from any missions, and are not to leave this precinct. So if you want to see Hikari, she will have to come here." He said.
He shrugged. "Fine." He said, turning and heading down the hall towards his bedroom. Kanamé sighed and looked back to his dad.
"Nothing bad is going to happen, right?"
"I don't know." Akito admitted, looking to his eldest. "I would like to say no, because he is my son…but you'll find Kanamé, that you must be as unbiased as you can when it comes to politics and your family." He sighed. "Favoritism doesn't look good, after all. But I will do everything I can to make sure the elders see reason…based on what little he told me."
"I know Nori can be difficult…cause' you and him almost have nothing in common, but I know he wouldn't do something like this without a good reason." Kanamé said, trying to defend his brother, even though he knew his father would try not to be against him.
"I know son." Akito nodded. "I have to go to the office and take care of some things…if your mother asks, I'll be home late tonight." His deep gaze moved to Sanosuke. "Don't beat yourself up about this, you had no control over it." were his last words before he left.
Sanosuke frowned, looking after his father. Had it been that obvious? He returned his gaze to Kanamé. "Do you think I can go back and see Talia now?" he asked.
"You can always check." He said, before heading to his own bedroom. Sanosuke followed after him and as he came to his room, he saw Natsumi coming out. She looked over at him and gave him a small smile.
"She's asleep now, so be quiet when you go in." she said, walking over to him and hugging him tightly before kissing his forehead. "I need to go protect your brother now, so watch over her like you always do."
"Mother…" Sanosuke said, keeping her from leaving. "You were right…about me not understanding Nori…but…I think I do a little better now." He smiled slightly. "Please tell dad that what Noriaki did he did for me…so that Talia wouldn't blame me for what happened."
She kissed the top of his head once more. "I know…that brother of yours, he's so darn smart. He's a lot like both your grandfathers. For some reason he can see a bigger picture. Unlike his mom and dad, we all like living in the moment." She chuckled, hugging him tighter. "Talia is too sweet. She couldn't love someone like your dad or your brother. You need to be her foundation now." She said, before pulling away and brushing his hair back. "Protect the house. I'll be back later with your dad."
"Alright." Sanosuke nodded, turning and going into his room, making sure to be quiet. He saw Talia asleep in his bed, and couldn't help but feel that it was right. She should stay there for the rest of time. He sighed, taking off his clothes until he was down to his boxers. He went over to his dresser and took out some sleeping pants and put them on. Then he carefully crawled into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "I'm so sorry Talia." He whispered, burying his face in her hair. "This is all my fault." He sighed, closing his eyes, but not sleeping until he felt his parents come home. Because it wasn't until then he knew that everything was okay. Or as okay as it would get.