Rain drops trickled down the window panes in Itachi's room. The sound of the storm thundered outside. The only light came from under the door and a distant streetlight that shined across the backyard and through the window. Itachi lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He'd tried to sleep, but his brain had other ideas. Every time he closed his eyes the nightmares came back. He felt numb. He hadn't moved since he'd laid down after leaving the office.
Something inside him had broken; there was no way out now, no other option. But it wasn't the shock of the yelling anymore, it wasn't the threats, or the new restrictions. He was tired; so tired he couldn't even make himself feel sad. He just felt numb. His limbs felt slightly tingly. It felt like his brain was floating just above where his body lay and it was looking down at him, laughing and telling him how stupid he was.
He took a deep breath, he had to get back in control. He had to get a hold of himself. He slowly sat up and put his legs over the side of the bed, he could at least change out of his jeans. But he just stayed seated. He had to figure out what to do about Minato. If anything happened to him, it would be his fault. That was something he couldn't live with.
He checked the clock, it was almost 3am, maybe a change of scene will help, he thought. He slowly changed and grabbed a blanket and headed down the hall to the living room. When no one was around and all the lights were off he could almost forget where he was. He wrapped up in his blanket and lay down on the sofa. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the rain, on the dripping water, and the silence of the house. He started feeling less detached, but didn't fall totally asleep the rest of the night.
.:.
Deidara hit the punching bag repeatedly. He didn't bother with protecting his hands and he could feel the skin tearing off his knuckles. It was no more than he deserved. After five minutes of constant pounding he was out of breath and leaned against the bag. He panted and let the blood drip onto the floor. He'd been hitting the bag so hard that a spray of blood was all over his shirt, the floor, and the punching bag. His hands started to shake and then he realized that his whole body was shaking.
He walked over to the side of the room and slid down the wall until he was sitting. He was still breathing hard but now it wasn't from exertion, it was fear. He had never met anyone as terrifying as Fukaku. There was a sharp pain in his arm; when he looked down he saw blood darkening a spot on his shirt. He sighed, he must have popped a stitch or two; not that he was going to tell anyone about it. If his boss thought he was weak then he would prove him wrong.
He leaned his head back against the wall, how could he have been so stupid? He'd had one job: never leave Itachi's side. And he'd done that multiple times. When he'd seen Itachi being held by that large guy he'd realized his mistake and sworn he wouldn't let it happen again, but he had. From now on, he would never leave Itachi, never disobey an order, and never give Fukaku any reason to have him… permanently terminated, or killed, he thought.
It was confusing though, the way Fukaku treated Itachi. He would hire a person to protect him at the cost of his life, then would threaten Itachi and tell him they weren't related. It all made no sense. Deidara started to breathe normally again, he'd have to clean the floor. He walked up the stairs and to the kitchen where he grabbed a dishrag and headed back down. He spent fifteen minutes scrubbing the bloodstains off the floorboards, though he wasn't sure that he had made all of them. He shuddered, so being the kid of a mob boss maybe wasn't the pampered life he'd always thought it was.
Deidara finished up and headed back up the stairs. After he put the dishrag back in the kitchen he went to the living room to get some sleep. When he got there he was surprised to see Itachi on the sofa. He sighed, now where do I sleep? Then he sat down in an armchair and dozed off. He hadn't realized how tired he was before, but pretty soon he was fast asleep.
.:.
Mikoto yawned and walked into the kitchen. She put the kettle on and started heating up the frying pan. It was a Friday, at least Sasuke won't be in that bad a mood, she smiled. Her son was an interesting kid; so much like his father, she thought.
She frowned, Itachi usually woke him up by now; she walked down the hall and knocked softly on his door, "Sasuke, it's time to get up, breakfast in a few minutes." She waited until she heard a low groan and movement, then went back down the hall. As she walked past Itachi's room she noticed the door was slightly open, maybe he's up already, she thought.
Stepping back into the kitchen, she started to make eggs and a pot of black tea. Fukaku should be awake soon as well. After she finished making eggs she scraped them onto a plate and sat down with a mug of tea. Just then, Sasuke pushed the door open and walked in half asleep. "Good morning, Sasuke." She smiled.
"'Morning" Sasuke mumbled, sitting down at the table.
Mikoto sighed, "its Friday, the weekend is coming, are you excited?"
Sasuke shrugged as he ate, "Uncle Madara says I get extra training. So, that's kind of exciting."
"Sasuke…" Mikoto hesitated, "When was the last time you just had fun? Life isn't all about fighting…"
"Training is fun." Sasuke interrupted.
Mikoto sighed again, "But there is more to life than just becoming head of the family. There are things about life to enjoy if you slow down and savor things."
Sasuke scowled, "If I slow down then Itachi speeds up, I'm going to defend my right to lead the family."
"Finish up eating and get ready to go," Mikoto said. Her son was starting to become his father, and while she was glad that he was determined and had a plan, it hurt to see him so focused on such a small goal.
Mikoto stood and started to clear the table. Itachi should be awake by now, she thought. Curious, she peeked into the living room. Her face softened and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. Itachi was still asleep on the sofa wrapped in blankets. It had been a long time since she'd seen Itachi look so relaxed, he almost looked like a kid again.
A loud shuffling by the front door snapped her back to reality. "Sasuke, I'll walk you to school today." She said, and smiled at her youngest.
"Whatever." Sasuke mumbled and stood up from tying his shoes. Mikoto walked over and slipped shoes on, then headed out the front door with Sasuke.
.:.
Fukaku stepped out into the hallway and walked down to the kitchen. Before he headed through the door he paused, something looked different in the living room. He frowned and switched the light on. He saw Itachi asleep on the sofa and Deidara slouched over in the armchair. He sighed, he guessed that Itachi might hate him more than usual today. Not without reason of course, he'd had to learn a lesson and that required him to take action. Someday Itachi would understand why he'd pushed him so far, someday when he was strong and a powerful part of the Uchiha. That is, of course, if he lived long enough.
He turned the light off and walked into the kitchen. As he walked to the sink he noticed a blood soaked dishrag. "What the hell…" he muttered to himself. He picked it up by a corner and headed to the bathroom where he dropped it into the laundry basket and washed his hands.
As he scrubbed, he looked up at himself in the mirror. Am I really that old, He thought. So old that someone would think I'm ready to fall? His own father had died in a fire fight before the Uchiha had taken total control of Konoha. He often wondered if he would have the same fate. Fukaku dried his hands quickly then walked back to the kitchen.
The water in the kettle was still hot so he poured himself a mug of tea, grabbed a stack of papers, and sat down at the kitchen table. He flipped absently through the stack, some people would be leaving Konoha this month. Not that he didn't like them, it was just business: if you couldn't afford to pay for the services of protection from the Uchiha, then you were asked to leave or forced out.
The kitchen door opened slowly and Itachi walked in. he didn't notice his father sitting at the table. As he poured himself tea he took a deep breath, he wasn't ready to be awake yet. He heard a throat clear behind him and he jumped. He whipped around. As he turned, his elbow hit the mug and spilled tea all over the counter and the floor.
Itachi's eyes met his father's and their gaze locked for a few seconds. "S-sorry… I didn't see you…"
Fukaku nodded, "its fine." He took a sip of tea, "how'd you sleep?"
Itachi grabbed a towel and started to mop up tea from the counter, "not well" he answered quietly.
"You slept on the sofa…?" Fukaku raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, so?" Itachi knelt down and started to clean the floor.
Fukaku shrugged, he didn't really care where Itachi decided to sleep "You might have gotten more sleep if you'd slept in your bed." He scribbled on one of the sheets of paper he was holding.
Itachi didn't respond and just poured himself more tea. Even though he'd gotten some sleep, he was too tired to talk, especially to his father.
After he finished adding sugar and milk to his new mug of tea, he headed toward the door. If he could not be in the same room as his father for a little bit, it would make his day that much easier. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to do since he couldn't leave the house, but being around his father wasn't in the plan.
"You have training tonight." Fukaku said as he sipped his tea.
"Yes father." He replied quietly. He was about to push kitchen door open when he paused. "I-I need to ask you something." He closed his eyes and gripped the handle of his mug tighter.
"Yes?" Fukaku looked up, curious.
"I want to make a deal." He swallowed hard, he'd never negotiated with his father before, but he had nothing to lose now, "Please, just listen."
There was a sigh from behind Itachi, "ok."
Itachi turned around and faced his father, "about Minato…" he paused, "I'm asking… no, begging you. Keep him out of everything, him and his family." He set his jaw, "Don't make them suffer because you're mad at me. They don't know anything about who you are or anything about the family."
Fukaku raised an eyebrow, this was new, "alright, If I don't, then what's in it for me?"
Itachi broke eye contact and stared at the floor, "I-I'll do whatever you want. I won't see them again, I'll protect Sasuke for the rest of my life. J-Just promise me you won't hurt them." He looked pleadingly into his father's eyes.
Fukaku frowned, "you'd do anything? You'll never question anything again and put yourself into whatever I ask you to do 100%?"
Itachi's face hardened, "yes."
"Alright, I won't touch them." He paused, "but if you don't hold up your end of this, I will make them suffer and force you to watch." Fukaku's voice was serious, "And don't think for a second that I'll forget."
Itachi nodded, then turned to leave again. He was about to push open the kitchen door when it swung open and he stumbled forward, dumping tea all over the floor and Madara.
Madara, who looked half asleep, reached up to catch whatever was falling towards him and caught Itachi by the arm before he knocked them both over. "What the…" He started, blinking a few times, trying to figure out what just happened.
Itachi pulled away from Madara as fast as he could. "I-I'm sorry…" he said, feeling his spine begin to tingle the way it usually did around his great uncle.
Madara scowled, "watch where you're going."
Itachi slowly backed away into the kitchen. He looked into his empty mug and placed it back onto the counter, then grabbed the towel for a second time. He edged closer to the door and started to wipe up the spill.
Madara moved around him and started to make coffee. He really didn't understand why this family was so obsessed with tea, it had no bite and it made you sleepy. Sure some of it had caffeine but it didn't make you feel awake. He stirred instant coffee into hot water then started to drink it carefully. He sat down at the table with Fukaku, but stared past him out the window over the sink; he didn't want to waste time discussing anything with his nephew. He smiled to himself, up until today he had yet to see Itachi do anything except get yelled at, start arguments, and generally cause problems. But tonight he would finally get to see him fight, and that's what mattered. Sure, Sasuke was talented and he had the curse mark going for him, but there was a reason Fukaku was keeping Itachi away and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.
Itachi finished cleaning the floor and started making his third mug of tea. When he reached for the kettle he found it almost empty. He sighed quietly and filled his mug with tap water, then threw it in the microwave. The room was filled with an awkward silence, no one acknowledged each other's existence. In the silence Itachi thought about what he'd just done: pretty much swearing eternal cooperation and loyalty to the family, if not he would have to watch the people who had taken care of him the most suffer and inevitably die. It had been a stupid decision to make, but it would at least protect Minato for a little while at least. Itachi had no assurance that his father wouldn't hurt them, but he also didn't do anything unnecessary. All his father ever wanted was for him to go with everything and now he would, he had no other choice.
Fukaku stared at the same sheet of paper for a long time. He was doing work, but his mind was elsewhere. He thought it strange that Itachi had made a deal so suddenly. The only reason he could come up with was that whoever these people were, they must have meant a lot. On the one hand he was slightly annoyed that these people, this family, had taken precedence over his own family, but now things had changed. At least he hoped they had. The last thing he felt like doing was ordering a killing. Things in Konoha had been peaceful and he didn't want to have to deal with the police again. His father had no problem killing; that used to be the way people would be dealt with if they couldn't meet the protection costs. But Fukaku had changed that, it had been too messy. He sighed and thought about what Itachi had said, that he'd do anything. That would be put to the test later.
As soon as his tea was done, Itachi left the kitchen. He couldn't stand being in the same room as his father, but being in the same building as Madara gave him the creeps. He walked back to his room and sat at his desk. He had no e-mails and no texts, not that he normally texted people. He picked up the book he was reading, War and Peace by Tolstoy. If he had nothing better to do he may as well read and pretend that he was somewhere else.
.:.
Sasuke scowled down at his lunch, he couldn't help but feel that his class was filled with idiots. They all just sat around and talked about pop stars and snot. None of them had any sense. He stabbed at the broccoli on his plate with a fork.
"Hey Sasuke!" A girl from his class with long blonde hair walked over, "Can I sit with you?" she smiled and tossed her ponytail.
Sasuke's eyes flicked upwards and his frown deepened, "I was just getting up. You can have the table to yourself." He grabbed his backpack and tray and stood up.
The girl's face fell, "Oh, thanks…" then she smiled again, "Are you gonna head outside?"
"I don't know." why wouldn't she just leave him alone?
"S-Sasuke…" the girl's cheeks turned pink. "Actually… I was gonna tell you something…" she stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She took a deep breath, "Sasuke, I like you!"
Sasuke froze, he hadn't expected to her to say anything like that. Then he scowled, "Get out of my way, I have better things to do."
The girl's eyes widened and her mouth opened as if she was going to say something. Her eyes filled with tears and her face twisted into a scowl, "well you're stupid anyways!" then she turned and ran out of the cafeteria, her sobs echoing behind her.
Sasuke shook his head, the girls in his class were the most annoying. They were always coming up to him and slipping notes into his backpack. They were all so wound up about liking boys that it detracted from their intelligence. He walked out of the cafeteria and headed to his locker, he could at least go outside and walk around or something. He grabbed his jacket and slammed the door shut.
"Sasuke!" there was a yell from behind him and he slowly turned around.
"What do you want loser?" He glared at Naruto. He noticed the girl from earlier was standing behind him.
"You made Ino cry! Apologize to her." Naruto snarled.
Sasuke snorted, "Make me."
Naruto hesitated, he couldn't get in any more trouble or his parents would ground him forever. But he couldn't just let Sasuke hurt people, "I'm giving you one more chance! Geez Sasuke, why are you so mean to everyone? Itachi isn't like that at all! How are you even related!?"
Sasuke turned purple with rage, "Don't you ever talk about him again!" he screamed and jumped at Naruto, pinning him to the ground. He started punching blindly, his anger boiling over. He faintly heard a scream in the background. All of a sudden he felt arms grab him from behind and drag him away from Naruto. He struggled against them, then started to calm down.
"Sasuke!" his teacher's voice thundered above him. She waited until he stopped moving then let his arms fall to his sides. "What is going on here?"
Naruto stood and wiped blood off his face and glared at Sasuke who just scowled back. "Nothing." Naruto said.
"Then who started this?" she demanded. Neither of them said anything. They both knew what was coming next. The teacher sighed, "alright, principal's office. Now." She looked at Ino, "You can head back to lunch." Then she walked behind Naruto and Sasuke all the way to the office.
.:.
Deidara was just finishing up bandaging his hands from the night before when the phone rang. He sighed then picked up, "Uchiha residence?"
"Hello, is this Sasuke's father?" there was a slightly agitated voice on the other end of the line.
"No, he's busy right now, can I take a message?"
The voice sighed, "Please inform him that Sasuke needs to be picked up right away and I would like to have a meeting with him as soon as possible."
"Sure, who's calling?" Deidara asked.
"Konoha Middle School."
"Ok, I'll let him know." Deidara replied, then hung up the phone. The boss wasn't gonna like this. He walked down the hall and knocked softly on the office door. He winced as his injured knuckles hit the wood repeatedly.
"What do you want?"
"Hey boss, Sasuke's school called."
There was a long silence inside the office, then the door opened, "what did they want?"
"Uh," Deidara started, still nervous around Fukaku from the day before, "he needs to be picked up and you have to schedule a meeting with them."
"Did they say why?"
Deidara shook his head, "no."
"Dammit." Fukaku swore, he had a lot of paperwork to get finished. He squinted at Deidara, "Your arm is bleeding again," he pushed up the sleeve and saw the blood soaked bandages and sighed. "You stay here and I'll send Itachi to get him. Let me look at that arm."
"No, its fine, I can go." Deidara stepped back, pulling his sleeve down.
"Deidara, if I need to call the doctor again I need to know." then he walked down the hall to Itachi's room and knocked on the door, "Itachi, you need to pick up Sasuke from school."
Itachi looked up from his book startled, then checked the time, it was only 1pm. He stood and grabbed a jacket and opened the door, "is everything ok?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He probably got into another fight, I'll call the school later and clear stuff up." Fukaku sighed.
Itachi nodded, then went to the door to put his shoes on, he was surprised when Deidara didn't follow him, "Am I going alone?" he asked, curious.
"I have things to do and I need to look at the stitches in Deidara's arm. You're fine."
Itachi stood and opened the front door, it had been a long time since he'd left the house alone; he almost forgot what it was like. He walked quickly, not wanting to make anyone wait, though he wasn't looking forward to the walk home with Sasuke. It would be quiet and tense, but it wouldn't compare to when they got back to the house. He approached the school, reminded of the day Orochimaru had started everything. He sighed and opened the door. He walked into the office and saw Sasuke sitting on a bench with his bag. Their eyes met and Sasuke scowled.
Itachi closed his eyes, "Come on, let's go."
"Hold on!" the receptionist interrupted, "are you Sasuke's father or legal guardian?"
"No, I'm his brother." Itachi said, the last word almost got stuck in his throat.
"You need to see the principal. We need to discuss Sasuke's behavior. He's with the parents of the other student right now, but he'll be done momentarily."
Itachi nodded and sat down on the bench next to Sasuke.
"Why didn't he come himself?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.
"He's busy." Itachi replied quietly.
Sasuke grunted, "Typical."
The office door opened and Naruto walked out with Minato behind him. Itachi saw Naruto's cut up face then he looked up and his eyes locked with Minato's.
Minato half-smiled, "Itachi, you look better than yesterday."
Itachi didn't know what to do, Sasuke was watching and he would probably tell his father. He looked at the floor and clenched his jaw. You're doing this to protect them he told himself, you have to do it, for them.
"Itachi, when are you gonna come over and play video games again?" Naruto's voice pierced his heart. He felt tears gather at the corners of his eyes and he stared at the floor.
"Alright Sasuke, come into my office." The principal's voice broke the silence.
Sasuke stood and walked into the office. Itachi followed closely behind, as he walked past he glanced at Minato again. He wished he could at least tell him that he couldn't speak to him for his own benefit, it was for his own safety. Their eyes met again, but this time Minato gave him a questioning look. Itachi looked away again and headed into the office.
"Have a seat gentlemen." The principal said. Itachi and Sasuke sat down. "I'm going to be blunt. This is the third time Sasuke has attacked the same student in the past two months. I can't keep on looking the other way just because your dad gives the school funding."
"What happened?" Itachi frowned and looked at Sasuke who just crossed his arms and looked away.
"His teacher found him punching Naruto in the face repeatedly, and neither of them will say why."
Itachi's eyes widened. He'd heard Sasuke got into fights, he'd heard about the stupid challenges, but this was just straight brutality. "What's going to happen to Sasuke?" he asked.
"School policy says that this time he gets a suspension, but the next fight means he has to leave the school." he paused, "I'm sure your father will call and we can work something out. Education is important and I don't want to see Sasuke cut off possible opportunities. That being said, if this behavior is being reinforced at home…" he looked expectantly at Itachi.
"My father can call you later and you can discuss this with him, I'm just here to pick up Sasuke." Itachi stood up, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable; the same way he felt in the doctor's office. "Come on Sasuke." And they both walked out of the office.
They left the school building in silence and started walk back to their house. They were almost home when Itachi stopped, "why do you hate Naruto so much?"
Sasuke stopped, "stop trying to be so self-righteous. You think I'm wrong for hating him, but you've always hated me. I don't see the difference." He snarled.
"I don't hate you!" Itachi was exasperated, "don't you remember? We used to be friends!"
"You were only nice to me because you had to! Because dad said you did!" Sasuke screamed.
They were in front of their house now, "Father didn't tell me to! You're my brother, Sasuke!" Itachi shouted back.
"Well if I'm your brother, then why didn't you help me fight that guy? Why didn't you stop me from getting poisoned by him in the first place?! Admit it, you hate me because I'm gonna be head of the family!"
Itachi stared back, he couldn't respond, "I-I tried…to…" he started to say.
"And by the way, he's your dad." Sasuke interrupted, giving him a nasty look. Then he turned and went into the house.
So he'd told him, Itachi frowned. He had made one mistake, one wrong turn and now everyone exploded at him. He walked into the house and remembered the look in Minato's eyes: the confusion, the questions, and sadness. That had hurt to see.
Itachi stepped through the front door and closed it quietly behind him. His father was nowhere to be seen, but Madara was waiting in the living room. He looked bored, "Sasuke, come in here."
Itachi watched Sasuke face his uncle. He was about to head to his room, but he was curious. He slowly untied his shoes and listened.
"I told you not to fight other kids."
"Yeah, so?" Sasuke responded.
"Your father said the same thing."
"Does it look like I care?" Sasuke sounded annoyed. There was a loud smack and Itachi flinched.
"You may not care about other students or your education and to be honest, I don't really care either. But don't you ever be rude to me or disobey what I say again." Madara wasn't yelling, but his voice sounded angry. Sasuke was silent, then Itachi heard Madara speak again, "You have special training tonight. Now get out of my sight before I let your dad come and punish you more."
Itachi watched Sasuke walk down the hall holding the side of his face. There was still a small part of him that wanted to bring him ice, give him a hug, and tell him everything would be ok.
Madara walked down the hall, then he noticed Itachi still in the doorway, their eyes met and Madara paused, "Do you need something?" he asked mockingly.
Itachi scowled, "Not from you."
Madara laughed, "Oh yes, how was seeing Minato again? His kid is the one Sasuke fights with isn't it?" he smirked and maintained eye contact.
"None of your business." Itachi moved to push past him, he was starting to get sick of Madara's cryptic questions and mind games.
"Was he not happy to see you?" Madara's smirk deepened.
"I said it's none of your business," Itachi said louder trying to push past Madara again.
Madara's smirk faded and he grabbed Itachi's shoulder, "Watch it kid." He whispered in Itachi's ear, "I can be your worst enemy or your best friend. You already know that I control everyone in this house. If you think making peace with your dad will end your problems, you've got another thing coming." He gripped Itachi's shoulder tighter making him wince, "Your father didn't keep his promise before, what makes you think it'll change now?"
"Back off Madara." A voice came from behind him.
Itachi felt Madara's grip on his shoulder loosen. He realized he hadn't breathed in a long time and started to take deep breaths. He could feel sweat drip down the side of his face.
Madara didn't turn around, "I'll see you later." He said then turned to leave the house.
Itachi didn't move, just watched his great uncle slam the front door. He didn't realize he was shaking until he tried to take a step and stumbled.
Fukaku shook his head, he was starting to regret having Madara stay with them. "Madara is a liar, Itachi. Whatever he said, it's not true."
"I'm not so sure," Itachi scowled.
"Believe what you want." Fukaku shrugged. "Be ready for training in a few hours, I have some things to finish first." He turned to go.
"Aren't you going to ask about Sasuke?"
Fukaku paused, "I'll call the school later. I'm sure there is an arrangement we can come to." Then he continued into the living room.
Itachi walked back to his room and picked up his book again. He was shaken from his run in with Madara, but he was also tired. It was more than tired though. He just wished it would all end: the yelling, the anger, and the ridiculous expectations. He hated them, but now he was just too tired to fight it anymore.
.:.
Minato and Naruto sat on the front steps of their small house. Naruto held a rag up to his face trying to stop the blood from pouring out of a cut on the side of his face. Minato sighed and watched cars go by. "Naruto, what happened?" he wasn't angry, there was a different feel to the situation this time.
Naruto looked away, "He made Ino cry."
"Sasuke did?" Minato asked, and Naruto nodded. "Did he hit her?"
"No… she said that he was mean and ignored her, she was really upset... I didn't like seeing her like that." Naruto looked up at Minato, tears gathering in his large blue eyes, "then I saw him in the hallway and I wanted him to apologize so she would stop crying… but he just…" He sniffed and tears rolled down his cheeks.
Minato put an arm around Naruto and let him cry. "It's ok, Naruto, you were just trying to do the right thing." He said reassuringly. In truth he was proud that his son stood up for another kid.
"I don't understand, dad. How can Sasuke and Itachi be related to each other? They're so different… Itachi is nice and fun, but Sasuke…He's angry and mean and he hurts people…"
Minato sighed, "Itachi and Sasuke have a difficult life. People react differently to hard situations and I think that whatever they have to deal with makes Sasuke very angry." He looked down at Naruto, "If someone is acting like that it's usually because of a lot of reasons, and even though you don't know why, you just have to take care of them the best you can."
"So I should just let Sasuke hurt people?" Naruto looked confused.
"No. hurting people is never ok, you just try your best to be a friend for him. That does NOT mean that you let him hurt you." Minato said sternly, taking the cloth away from Naruto and looking at the cut on his face.
Naruto was quiet, "Dad… why was Itachi acting so weird? Why didn't he say hi?"
Minato held the cloth back up to Naruto's cut, "I don't know, but I don't think we are going to see him much anymore." Minato felt a part of him grow heavy, he'd seen the sadness in Itachi's eyes, seen him holding back words. He'd wanted to say hello, wanted to greet them, but something was holding him back and Minato had no idea what it was.
They sat in silence for a long time, Minato put his arm around Naruto again. Watching his son get hurt tore holes in his heart. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, this hadn't been what he'd wanted for his child. He'd wanted to get away from violence. To raise Naruto in a place where he could be safe. But now he could see that he'd failed. This place was toxic.
"Dad, are you mad?" Naruto asked quietly.
Minato looked down confused, then smiled at his son, "no, Naruto, I'd never be mad at you for standing up for another kid." He held Naruto tighter, "I love you."
.:.
That afternoon came too quickly. Itachi looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. His father had seemed too eager about training, which was making him dread it coming. He was almost finished with War and Peace, but he didn't want it to end. He closed the book.
There was a loud knock on the door, "Itachi, get ready. I'll meet you in the basement in five minutes."
He sighed. So it was time. He changed clothes slowly and grabbed his hand wraps. He noticed for the first time how dirty they were: yellowed with sweat, brown with dirt, and red with blood stains. They had been so clean when he first got them, icy white and soft. Now they were old and stiff. He felt like he could relate somehow.
Itachi shook his head and walked down the hallway. He bumped into his father who was also heading towards the basement. Then they walked down the stairs. Fukaku opened the basement door and headed in, followed by Itachi.
As soon as he walked in he could sense an electric atmosphere. He looked up and saw Madara and Sasuke, that wasn't normal. What are they still doing here, he wondered.
"Hey" Sasuke frowned, "This is my training time. Get out."
Madara smiled and started to laugh, "Don't worry Sasuke, this is your special training."
Itachi looked at Fukaku, "What's going on?" he demanded.
"Training." Fukaku said, then turned the lock on the basement door.
"Allow me to explain," Madara started, "today we are testing you both to see if you can remove yourself from a fight. Sometimes even the strongest fighters can be brought down by the weaker if emotions get in the way." Madara kept his eyes on Itachi.
Itachi started to feel uncomfortable and looked longingly at the basement door.
"Your father and I have decided that you," Madara pointed at Sasuke, "and Itachi are going to fight each other. You will continue to fight each other until one of you concedes or has the other incapacitated."
The last word sent chills down Itachi's spine. He'd already had that happen once recently and he didn't want another painful injury, again. But he also didn't want to fight Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Madara, he felt unsure. Itachi was just naturally stronger than he was because he was older. As much as he wanted to fight, he hesitated at the thought of being beaten by Itachi. As these thoughts ran through his mind he remembered part of what Madara had said: the strongest fighters can be brought down by the weaker if emotions got in the way. He smiled.
"You can begin anytime." Madara said, walking over to stand next to Fukaku.
This is actually happening, Itachi thought. He saw Sasuke stretch his arms and start to get ready. Their eyes met. Sasuke ran forward and attacked. "W-Wait!" Itachi yelled, blocking attacks from Sasuke. He continued to defend, trying to wrap his head around what was happening. After all the lectures about protecting Sasuke he'd been given, now he had to hurt him? It didn't make sense.
"Itachi! Attack!" he heard the sharp yell of his father. He tried to think of a way to attack that wouldn't hurt Sasuke, but he was just so small. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his father start to walk around the two of them, watching everything. "Attack Sasuke now or I'll hurt them!" Fukaku yelled.
Itachi felt his heart snap. He scowled, then kicked Sasuke in the chest. He watched his little brother slide across the floor then pick himself up, he let out a terrifying yell and rushed over again. This time he threw his entire body weight into Itachi, sending them both to the floor.
They rolled across the floorboards, both trying to get the upper hand. Itachi was stronger, but Sasuke was smaller and faster. Every time Itachi would try to pin him, he would slip away. They separated and stood up.
Itachi felt a tug at the back of his head, he's your younger brother you shouldn't be doing this. He frowned harder and tried to ignore the voice. He landed a blow on Sasuke's face which made him stumble back a few steps.
"Stop holding back!" Fukaku shouted, "Do you want them to suffer!?" Itachi scowled and punched again.
Sasuke dodged and managed to kick Itachi in the stomach. He watched as his older brother doubled over. He smirked and grabbed the front of Itachi's shirt and punched him in the jaw as hard as he could, then let go and watched Itachi crumple to the ground.
Itachi felt nausea start to build. He started to get up, but there was a sharp pain in his side, he tried again but he was met with the same sensation.
Sasuke kicked one last time, this time he heard Itachi yell. He stepped back and his eyes widened as he watched Itachi start coughing and gagging. A spray of blood covered the floor and a trickled out of the side of his mouth.
Itachi struggled to breathe. His throat burned and he could taste a weird mix of iron and bile. He could feel himself shaking and hyperventilating. He pictured Minato's face and remembered everything Minato had done for him: taking him to the doctor, welcoming him into his home, showing him a world of warmth and kindness. Itachi felt something inside of him click, there was no way he was going to let that all go to waste and be ripped away just because he didn't have the guts to fight his own brother.
He pushed himself off the ground and faced Sasuke. He could feel all the anger from the past few months surge through his veins and burn in the pit of his stomach, he felt the blood drip from the corner of his mouth, slide down his chin, and heard it land on the floor. He glared at Sasuke then attacked with all his strength.
Sasuke was surprised, he hadn't expected to see Itachi get up again. Even if he had, he didn't expect to see Itachi get up looking stronger than he had at the start of the fight. He dodged a few quick attacks, but a kick connected with his leg and he fell to the floor. A second later Itachi was on top of him. He punched repeatedly until Sasuke managed to break free.
Itachi saw Sasuke move toward the other side of the room. He turned and attacked again, grabbing Sasuke's shirt and slamming his knee into Sasuke's stomach. Then he grabbed his throat and pressed his back against the wall. He felt Sasuke go limp.
Itachi blinked. He looked down and saw his baby brother, his face covered in blood, slowly wheezing and gasping for breath. What have I done, he thought, loosening his grip and watching Sasuke fall forward onto his knees.
Sasuke looked up slowly and met his brother's eyes, he held his gaze for a few seconds. "I-Itachi…" then his face twisted into a smirk, "You lose." Then he jumped up and slammed his fist in to the side of Itachi's head.
Itachi felt his neck twist and pain exploded at his temple. He saw the room swirl around then felt the back of his head slam into the floor. Everything went black.
.:.
There was a ringing in Itachi's ears and a throbbing pain in the back of his skull. His torso hurt. He slowly opened his eyes, letting the light make them sting and run. He stared up at the ceiling and lay still. He could feel a throbbing in his jaw. As he lay, he realized that his eyes weren't running; he was crying. His mouth tasted awful and that in itself almost made him throw up.
"Finally awake then?"
A voice startled him, he'd thought he was alone. He turned his head to the side, wincing as it throbbed more from the extra movement.
Fukaku was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He sighed, "Your head's going to hurt for a few days."
Itachi opened his mouth to respond, but ended up coughing instead. He winced as every breath made lightning bolts of pain shoot out across his ribs. He uncovered his mouth after coughing and saw blood on his hand.
Fukaku walked over with a water bottle and Itachi's medication. He watched as Itachi struggled to sit up, then he reached out a hand. Itachi ignored it at first, trying a few more times to get up, then scowled and looked away but grabbed his father's hand and let him help. He took the medicine bottle and quickly swallowed two pills, letting them calm down his stomach. He sat a while and just stared at the ground vacantly. "How could I have done that…?" he asked quietly.
"Done what?" Fukaku asked, leaning against the wall again.
"I hurt him…" Itachi's expression changed to horror.
"It's what you had to do."
"I almost killed my own brother…" the shock of what had transpired that afternoon was starting to hit him.
"If you hadn't hesitated at the end you would have won." Fukaku said.
"Even if I had won, we'd still both be bleeding. It doesn't matter if it was me or him, we just fought each other with the intent to kill… because you wanted us too…" Itachi's eyes were growing wider, "I could have killed him."
"You have the potential, that's what I needed to see." Fukaku knelt down next to Itachi, "I'm not disappointed."
Itachi ignored his father, "S-Sasuke, how is he?"
Fukaku sighed, "He's fine, better off than you." He paused, "come on, it's late. You've been unconscious for a few hours, let's get you back upstairs."
Itachi stood up shakily. He would have fallen if Fukaku hadn't grabbed his arm. They slowly went up the stairs and through the living room. Itachi felt his eyes start to close half way down the hall. He felt very heavy all of a sudden and felt himself slipping then slowly falling through the air. The blackness was comforting now, it felt warm and calming.
Fukaku grunted as Itachi's full weight almost dragged him to the floor. He sighed and readjusted his grip then continued down the hallway to Itachi's room where he left his son on the bed then turned to leave. He heard a cough then gasping and whipped around.
Itachi lay on his side, his eyes half open. "Why did I have to do that?" he whispered.
Fukaku remembered seeing his son looking up at him with big black eyes, asking him the same question almost ten years ago. He held Itachi's gaze for a minute, then walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Because you had to." Then he left the room, closing the door quietly, and walked back to his office.