I do not own any of the chracters in this story, except for Hashi, and of course, Haruka :)
Busy busy busy... My last major examination is coming up in 2-3weeks, but I'll try da keep up the constant updates :)
Reviews :)
Thanks ani-sand :D I wanted to find another more...erm... unusual and suitable name, but that was the best I could think of...ehehe... I'll keep up the updates!
Thanks unknown player :D I left this whole chappie to revolve around the two of them! It's not much of a fluffy chapter, but we can't rush these things!
Thanks Kouyan :D I guess Hashi turned out to be more appealing original character than thought! I'll try to keep it cute! muahahaha!
Thanks OpaquexSmiles. I can't believe it! Are you and your computer alright? I just couldn't resist not adding the little Team Seven moment, since Naruto was such a straightforward and blunt character! I don't have a juice box with me right now, how bout a virtual cookie? :D
Thanks Lighting Wings! Yeah..eheh sorry bout that uber confusing organization :D Seems like the Team Seven moment was an extremely terrible scene! Oh and I reviewed on your story before already, I think it was the previous week...I cnt remember! You have quite a promising plot there! Good Luck!
Thanks imm0rtal! Man the maid uniform is probably gonna haunt your cousin for life :D Hmm... I cant be sure how if their in character, but I try really hard to! It's my top priority! I probably always try to imagine the scene and supply it with what I know through mangas before I finalise it! Let's just hope it'll not fail me!
Thanks bLo0d-rEd-r0se! Glad you found it readable :D I'll work on it more!
& thanks all readers... for reading! :D
Broken bonds.
Chapter 10 Unimaginable
"No! Hashi don't-"
The roaring of disturbed waves as water exploded from their tranquil state to a mini tsunami interrupted her warning, muffling her voice completely. Ripples bubbled and the previously calm scenario was ruined.
"Urgh…Kami-sama…" She groaned in defeat, palm hitting her forehead lightly as she leaned back on a nearby tree trunk. Hashi laughed childishly as he paddled around the lake contentedly. Sasuke's eyes flickered from the little boy to the girl in distress next to him wordlessly.
"Let it go." His voice was even, so calm it provoked and added up to her irritation.
"Of course you'll say that, I'm the one who has to clean up after him." she shot back, dissatisfaction lurking in her every word.
"You brought him here, not me."
"…"
Almost a week since Hashi's arrival, and it was expected that the little five-year old would grow bored of the four walls surrounding and trapping him. He had been whining and complaining since the moment his female caretaker arrived at the Uchiha's house.
And that was what brought the trio to their field trip – the forest lake.
Only at the secluded forest, where the presence of people were at its minimum. Tsunade was not too fond with the idea of letting Sasuke roam on the crowded streets of Konoha. The discussions regarding his punishment were growing lesser, but there were still many doubts about the matter. She didn't want to take any risks of reopening up the closing hole of gossip.
Not that any of them had any objections to the location. Sasuke would have chosen this over the crowded street any other day. Hashi was fine with anywhere; he had the ability to turn every single little thing into his toy, and every single place into his playpen.
Trees cleared from the surroundings, it left rough soil and random growth of grasses on the surface of the land. This part of the forest was devoted for training's sake, it was far from civilization to prevent injuries of innocent lives and the quiet atmosphere was needed for ninjas to concentrate and hone their skills. The lake offered those who specialized in water elemental jutsus to train on.
The same lake that the five-year-old brunette was currently doggie paddling in.
Knees bending up to her chest, she covered half of her face with her right hand in defeat as her shoulders sagged, wasted and dead tired. What was she thinking? There was no way that hyperactive ball of trouble could contain his inner excitement.
Sunlight filtered through the thick blanket of greenery of the tree she sat, lighting the spot she sat on gently. The mild breeze was just strong enough to fan the stray strands away from her face. From where Haruka was, she could take in just enough of the land for her to lay back and still keep an eye out for the Hashi – the same boy who was a considered a danger to himself for his lack of self-restrain to everything.
Sasuke sat on the bottom of another tree not far away, eyes focused on the surroundings. Haruka snuck a peek at the raven-haired curiously.
"Can I ask you something?" the serene atmosphere and set her mind reeling through the past, the unanswered questions she struggled to avoid. She took his silence as an approval and continued. Her mood had no doubt dampened, knowing that she was crushing the rare moment of peace. But there was something that inside her that was hoping to get answers, to satisfy her curiosity.
"You wanted to destroy everyone in Konoha." Her voice was firm, her expression seemed like she was still levelheaded. Sasuke closed his eyes wearily.
He had a rough idea where this conversation was leading to already.
"Your point?" he kept his voice impassive, honest.
"Would you have killed Sakura or Kakashi?"
"Falcon was strong enough to deal with them."
"And Naruto?" her voice was slowly breaking, she could hear it, she could feel it. He knew it too, yet he knew the fact that she hated being lied to more than anything else.
"My primary goal was to exterminate the elders first, and then everyone else. No exceptions." It was all true. When he had been with Team Falcon and the Akatsuki, his eyes saw nothing but revenge for his brother's life, his parent's death, and his clan's undeserved massacre.
Silenced by the answers he had provided, she carefully analysed them in her mind.
"What about me?"
She knew that it was stupid of her, to ask such a trivial question. Who was she? A mere Konoha genin during that time, hardly able to keep up with the rest of the class. Was she expecting herself to be an exception to his killing? But there was something inside her, something that clung onto a pitiful hope that he would answer differently. It was impossible – she knew – yet it was human's nature.
To believe in the impossibility of miracle that defied logic.
He had expected the question long before she had decided to ask.
-
-
-
-
"Probably."
It was not an illogical answer. If there was anyone that he felt the slightest pressure in killing, it was her. She was special, like a companion in the nighttime. In addition, she was definitely weaker in the way of the ninja compared to him; there was no point in competing with her. He didn't feel the slightest bit of pressure with her.
It was a simple friendship.
Yet, if the situation forces the need to, perhaps his hesitation would not affect his mission. After all, this was for his aniki.
"Are you disappointed?" his question held no signs of mockery.
She breathed in an excessive amount of air, shoulders rising up exaggeratedly as she allowed her them to fall smoothly when she exhaled.
"Yes."
She would not deny it; she was disappointed with the answer, for Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto...
And herself.
She didn't feel the need nor to cover up her disgruntle and dissatisfaction, it was evident even if she lied.
"I wanted complete destruction and revenge; I didn't care about those 'bonds' with anyone in Konoha." His voice turned unusually soft, dark. His hands balled up into tight fists as memories surfaced and filled his mind.
Orochimaru.
Karin.
Juugo.
Suigetsu.
Itachi.
Madara.
He hissed unconsciously under his breath, hands digging even deeper into his palm at the individual as his eyes hardened and glared at the ground frigidly. The one that had used him, with every intention to mislead his actions.
He felt truly, utterly foolish. How could he be so ignorant to step out of the picture and reanalyse the situation he was in?
Worried and inquisitive eyes focused on the Uchiha's tightly clenched fist and glacial expression warily. He was not too far away from her, close enough for her to lean herself towards his direction and stretch out her hand to uncurl his fingers. Yet, she found herself stopping halfway through.
No. she couldn't do that. It was probably ridiculous and paranoid of her to cut off all sort of physical contact with him. But it wasn't for him; rather, it was for her own sanity. To restrain the concrete support that surrounded her heart from breaking down. She had always thought that it was safe, but the wall was like glass, fragile and so breakable around him.
It was dangerous.
She bit her lower lip and slowly drew her hand back to her body, clutching it with her free hand as if to control its will to reach out for his hands.
Sasuke broke out of his trance and leaned the upper part of his body forward slightly as a rock whizzed past and over the his head. He turned his still lowered head towards the black-haired kunoichi and eyed her, a bored expression present on his face.
"Do you really think it would hit me?"
She shrugged absentmindedly and turned her attention away from him towards Hashi, eyes avoiding his accusing gaze. "It only held the purpose of bringing you back to reality."
She would have to find other ways to solve such problems. Until she was confident that the walls surrounding her was solid.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned back again, eyes flickering between the brunette and Haruka. Her eyes reflected genuine concern and fondness for the little boy, something that baffled him.
"Why are you so eager to help him?" it was not normal to have her take in someone and claim full responsibility over a person whom she had no connection with. She was helpful when needed, but not ridiculously helpful to go around and take in homeless kids.
"I just…feel like we're…similar."
He gazed at her vacantly, mind wandering. It didn't take long for him to realise the meaning behind her words.
They were both from the Hidden Village of the Mist.
Her eyes lifted up to watch the five-year old every once in a while as she fingered the silver chain on her wrist ideally. It was becoming something similar to a natural habit. The simple piece of accessory was the only materialistic possession she had to remember her parents by.
Particularly her mother.
Her action did not go unnoticed by the observant raven-haired ninja. Her delicate finger traced the curves, outlining the shape of the bracelet. She turned her attention down fully to the arm chained by the silver object on her lap as her tracing ended at the only flaw on the bracelet.
The place where a fragment of the accessory was lost.
"Your habit is still unchanged." He stated, remembering how she would always fiddle with the bracelet.
He remembered questioning her once about her weird habit. It was out of boredom, a completely random question he had no interest in. It was, however, the answer that baffled him.
"I wanted…
…to reconnect."
It was the same answer…
"Care to elaborate?" his voice was dull, bored, but it held slightly more interest than the last time he asked about it.
She smiled and tilted her head sideways to meet his dark-coloured orbs.
"I'll think about it." She replied jokingly, breaking into an even wider smile and chuckled as he narrowed his eyes.
Haruka closed her eyes slowly, slowly taking in the surrounding's indescribable comfort. She felt safe; the silence assured her with the absence of commotions. Hashi's occasional laugh added a tint of innocent joy to the atmosphere. The trees blocked out all the pressure of life, all the worries.
With him sitting not far away from her, talking, felt like nothing changed except for the never-stopping concept of time.
But suddenly, it felt like it was frozen, ticking counter clockwise seconds by seconds,
Minutes by minutes,
Days by days,
And stopped, right back where it started.
Unconsciously, as if the soft rhythm, the hushed rustling of leaves on the trees behind her wavered every few seconds, she allowed a small smile to grace her face.
She was never the class belle, never known as someone with a beautiful complexion or anything along that line. Black hair, reaching slightly past her shoulders. Slightly round eyes with a lighter shade of forest green pupils. The curve of her lips was thin and pinkish, though striking compared to her unusually pale skin.
She would have looked like a ghost if her complexion were any paler. No doubt, she wasn't one to have caught unnecessary attention on the street.
But right now, with the timid smile and unclouded expression on her face, she looked beautiful to him.
Beauty rests only in the eyes of the beholder.
He fought down fresh feelings of temptation and he directed his gaze towards the ground. This was… new to him. This wild, almost uncontrollable feeling. It had been mild in the past, something he had waved off dismissively without a second thought.
The feeling seemed to have gotten stronger through the years, gravitating even more potently to the thought of holding her nearer.
His jaws tightened tenaciously as he dug his fingers into the ground forcefully, releasing the sudden surge of energy that coursed through his veins, the same feeling he got when he had embraced her. It was chaste, yet perfect.
"Onee-san!" Hashi scrambled out from the shallow edge of the lake, hands cupping together as he ran up to Haruka. She opened her eyes slowly and leaned forward to peek into Hashi's cupped hands.
"You caught a fish?!"
Hashi nodded and beamed proudly, turning towards Sasuke as he stretched his arms out fully for the raven-haired Uchiha.
"Look nii-san! Aren't I something?"
Drips of water leaked out from the tiny opening between his two hands. The petite fish swam lower and lower as it struggled for oxygen. Hashi was clearly elated by his achievement, eyes wide as he waited for Sasuke to say something.
Was this what his aniki had sacrificed himself for? Innocent lives of those he knew and didn't?
"What do you think nii-san?" he pressed on impatiently, moving nearer towards the teen. Sasuke stared at the fish for a moment, before moving his gaze to Hashi's eyes.
"It's a pretty fish."
This was like the brotherly interaction he and Itachi used to share… so familiar and nostalgic.
"Hashi! Put the fish back! It's dying!"
"Eh?"
She scrambled towards the two males and carried the brunette to the lake, squatting down at the edge as she broke away and urged Hashi into the water.
"Let it go." Sasuke heard her instructed. Hashi gave her an unconvinced stare, looking over her shoulders towards him. Sasuke let out a nod of reassurance, clearly supporting the idea of letting loose the fish.
Hesitantly, Hashi bent over slightly and lowered his hands down to the water. The fish wriggled from the confines of the five-year old and his grip, flowing steadily away from the three of them. Hashi pouted juvenilely, eyes watching as the fish swam further and further away.
Was this what his aniki had wanted? For him to live a life his older brother could only wish for?
After all these times of self-inflicted anger, sorrow,
revenge.
Was this what his brother had aimed for? To sacrifice everything to protect this peaceful and bustling Konoha?
To have him feel this weirdly pleasant feeling, have him experience these things that Itachi himself would never be able live through his life to understand?
If this was so…
Sasuke glanced up at the sky, his eyes staring at nothing in particular.
"Arigatou…Aniki…"
Perhaps, his brother was even more respectable, more self-sacrificing than anyone could ever imagine…
.:Chapter 9 End:.
R&R! :D