A/N: Hi all! Well, here's chapter 14, I hope you guys like it. It is a pure Sasuke chapter and by far the longest one.Thanks so much for all the continued support, I appreciate it very much. Please tell me what you think. Thanks to my awesome beta uchihaledisko!
I don't own Naruto.
Catharsis: The process of expressing strongly felt but usually repressed emotions.
"If you call me baby one more time I will kill you...with my bare hands."
"Haahaaaa, it's like an angry kitten!" Kisame laughed. Sasuke frowned and said nothing. "Calm down baby Uchiha," he teased. Sasuke frowned angrily.
Itachi walked over to them holding Kisame's suitcase. "You know, your plane is leaving in, like, thirty minutes right?"
Kisame shrugged, smirking. "Yea, but if we do a hundred in your car, we'll get there in no time."
"The hell you are," Itachi commented, scoffing. "So I can wreck my baby?"
Kisame smiled evilly. "Don't tell me you forgot about the time when you broke one twenty to get to A – "
"Okay, okay, okay!" Itachi said quickly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He grabbed his other suitcase from the ground and hoisted it up over his shoulder.
Kisame grabbed it from him and held it up in the air. "You're gonna have to jump for it if you want it back!"
Sasuke face palmed. "Seriously? We're doing this now? You're like, twenty feet tall. How the hell am I supposed to reach that?" he whined. Itachi laughed in the background, amused.
"Jump muthafucka, jump muthafucka, jump~~!" Kisame chanted. Sasuke closed his eyes.
"I refuse to degrade myself by jumping up for my suitcase like an idiot. You know, I could always just kick you in the nuts. I have a pretty good shot and aim." He smirked as Kisame gulped, dropping the suitcase.
"You short guys are no fun. You never wanna jump for stuff. That's how we tall guys get our amusement." He watched as Itachi went over to the car and got in the driver's seat. Sasuke slid in the back, lying down. Kisame chuckled softly and climbed in the passenger seat. "To the airport!" he commanded.
Itachi shook his head, smirking wickedly. "Hey, do you think I can get there going one fifty without getting pulled over?"
Sasuke sat up, his eyes wide. Kisame smiled, nodding.
"Hell no!"
"HELL YEA!"
Itachi smirked, adjusting his mirror. He really didn't wanna crash his pride and joy, but he just couldn't resist a little freeway fun.
Sasuke wobbled as he climbed out of the car, dizzy. He couldn't believe Itachi actually did it. It must have been some kind of off day for the police or something because they didn't get a single ticket. Kisame stepped out of the car and watched as Sasuke tried to balance himself.
"Hey Itachi, I think baby Uchiha here's gonna blow."
Itachi frowned, stepping onto the curb. "Please not on the car." Sasuke stood up and glared at them over his shoulder. He let out relieved breath and leaned on the pole next to him. He watched as Kisame pulled out his suitcase and other things.
"I guess they let anybody become a doctor these days," he muttered.
Kisame snorted, laughing. "Didn't you know that me and Itachi got our degrees from the ninety-nine cent store?" he teased. He turned to Itachi and nodded. "Well thanks for the ride. I had fun in Baiton. I guess I'll see you in a few days."
Itachi nodded."Yea, see you soon. Good luck on that surgery."
Kisame smiled. "Thanks." He turned to Sasuke and ruffled his hair. "Later baby. Nice to finally meet you."
Sasuke waved him off and stood up. He walked over to the car and slid into the passenger side. Itachi got in the car and started it up. He backed out and sped off onto the highway.
Sasuke leaned back in his seat, looking up at the sky and musing over the past few days. It had been two days since he'd left his dorm and he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Being with his brother always had that effect on him. They'd spent the first two days in Baiton, sight-seeing and lounging around Itachi's hotel room. Sasuke even got to meet Itachi's...unusual business partner. He was definitely odd. His name was Kisame Hoshigaki, a seven foot tall hulk-looking man with the creepiest smile Sasuke had ever seen. He had found Sasuke extremely intriguing, watching him and laughing the whole time they were there. He turned out to be a really cool guy, despite how odd he was.
Sasuke felt worn out from all the walking they did. Baiton was by no means small, and it was overcrowded. All the skyscrapers made Sasuke's head hurt. He looked over at Itachi, whose hair was blowing in the wind as they sped down the highway. He insisted on driving with the top down, saying that keeping it up defeated the purpose. Music blared through the speakers. Itachi tapped his fingers along to the fast beat on the steering wheel, singing along.
"You're not tired yet?" Sasuke asked, yawning.
Itachi shook his head. "I'm surprised you are. You've been cooped up in that dorm too long. Just a day out in the sun and you're knocking at death's door." He reached over and flicked Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke whined, but said nothing. The sun was setting nicely and everything was peaceful. The soft vibration of the car was lulling Sasuke to sleep.
Itachi looked over at him, smiling softly. "Hey, how about we stay at home for a day or two and spend the last days somewhere else. Maybe Jade Lake?" Sasuke's eyes perked up, looking over at Itachi. Jade Lake was his favorite place to visit. It was a city the size of Baiton with less than one hundred people. It was mostly rural, with a few houses here or there. It was about a six hour drive. Sasuke couldn't believe that Itachi would be willing to actually go that far.
"You'd do that? It's pretty far and besides, we don't even have a lake house. Those things are fucking expensive." Itachi snorted.
"You know I'd do anything for you. And there are lots of lake houses that we could rent out. I wouldn't mind paying for it." Sasuke smiled and looked out the window. The wind blew at his hair, blowing it out of his face. He frowned, annoyed. Itachi laughed, changing the radio station. Settling on some rock station, he smiled slyly, peering at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye.
"So. Are you gonna tell me who that blonde guy was?" Sasuke scoffed.
"Just a friend of mine," he answered quickly. Itachi nodded.
"Sure~~" he said, unconvinced. "By 'friend' do you mean 'friends with benefits'?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Creep. It's not like that," he argued, blushing. Itachi laughed.
"Whatever, you two are totally fucking! It looked like you guys were having some kind of lover's quarrel back at your dorm."
Sasuke turned his head away, annoyed and embarrassed. "Why do you care anyway?"
Itachi shrugged. "No reason. I'd like to know who my brother's involved in. Plus, he seemed familiar."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Familiar? Have you been creeping around my school or something?" Itachi laughed.
"Nah, it's a long story."
Sasuke shrugged, motioning out to the highway."Well I mean, we're gonna be in the car for another hour and a half. Might as well past some time." Sasuke couldn't help but be curious. How did Itachi know Naruto? Itachi sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"You remember Shisui?"
Sasuke scrunched his nose. "Our crazy cousin on Mom's side?"
Itachi nodded, laughing. "Yea him. Before he went back to Korea to open his own private practice as a therapist, he was an intern at another office here while he was doing his PhD program. Some doctor name Shouta Masamune, I believe. He had to go there every day three times a week. He didn't have a car because he totaled it when he was partying one night, so I had to pick him up everyday. It annoyed the shit out of me. For a while, I would just sit out in the car and wait for hours, until one day I just went in. So I was waiting in the office, and out comes this redhead woman. Probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life, and trust me, I've seen a lot of women in my lifetime." He smirked, nudging Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes."Well, anyway, she came out and she smiled and left. I would see her everytime I came to pick up Shisui. Sometimes she would stop and chat for a bit. I never did catch her name. Near the end of his internship, he told me that she had a son and that he wanted to meet her son before he left off to Korea. She brought him in and he had the biggest, brightest blue eyes and the brightest hair I'd ever seen. I guess that kid from your school just reminded me of him, that's all." Sasuke nodded, taking it all in.
It couldn't be a coincidence. So Itachi, by some far-off way, knew Naruto. Sasuke smiled to himself. What a small world. He wondered if Naruto remembered him. Probably not, since he was pretty young back then. Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes, mouthing the words to a song on the radio. He propped his feet on the dashboard, earning a look from Itachi.
"This car costs more than all four years of your college. I don't want any marks on it." Sasuke snorted but moved his feet anyway. Sasuke crossed his legs in the seat, slowly falling asleep.
"Don't drool on the seat," was the last thing he heard before he drifted off.
"Where the hell are we?" Sasuke grumbled out tiredly. He'd woken up not too long ago and noticed the car had stopped. Itachi was outside, propped against the hood. He had his phone to his ear, talking quickly to the person on the other line. He looked extremely annoyed. Noticing that Sasuke was awake, he frowned.
"One minute Amane– Sasuke I'm just taking a business call. I didn't want to talk and drive. I couldn't concentrate, plus she insists on me talking to her without any distractions."
Sasuke groaned. "So she pretty much told you to pull over? Look, you don't have to lie to me. If it's some prostitute calling saying you forgot to pay, fine by me." Itachi flipped him off and put the phone back to his ear. Sasuke sat up laughing. He reached into his bag and pulled out a CD. He popped it into the CD player and turned it up, enjoying the music. Looking up at the sky, he noticed that it looked like it would rain soon. It had gotten gray and all the clouds looked really heavy. Sasuke loved the rain and was actually happy that it was coming. He wouldn't mind leaving the top down, but Itachi would complain about his car being too expensive to get soaked in rain.
"Ah, okay, just find those files. They're extremely important. I'm not flying all the way out to Sydney to look for something that's probably just on my desk. Seriously, how do you guys survive without me?" He listened for a bit and laughed."Yes, you would all be jobless and homeless. Now I have to go. My brother is getting impatient." He paused."Yes, he's younger. He's 19." He paused again, looking at Sasuke."Yea, he's a little brat. A moody little thing." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Alright, bye. Findthosefiles!" he added quickly, ending the call. He walked over and slid into the driver's seat. Frowning, he turned down the volume.
"Honestly Sasuke, how the hell can you listen to music that loud? It'll blow out your ears," he lectured.
Sasuke smirked. "You're getting old," he commented, ejecting his CD from the player.
"Work ages a person. You wouldn't know, since you're too lazy to get a job," he teased.
"I can't help it. I mean, come on. If I get a job, I want it to deal with my major, which is impossible right now. At this point, my best bet is working at a fast food restaurant. Now you tell me what 'Would you like fries with that, sir?' has to do with photography."
Itachi laughed loudly, shaking his head. "My God, Sasuke. You're such a little brat. There's nothing wrong with working at a fast food restaurant. But if you're that against it, you can always pick up little side jobs in photography." Sasuke scoffed.
"I haven't even gotten a degree in it yet. I'm sure no one wants to hire me this soon."
"True, but just show them your portfolio and all that. You're an amazing photographer."
Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, smiling softly. "You think?"
"Of course I do. I wouldn't lie to you. I don't see why you doubt yourself so much. You're so obviously talented." Sasuke didn't say anything, thinking of his father. He'd been told many times how useless a major in photography was. How it was a waste of time and that a couple pretty pictures in odd angles couldn't put food on the table. It wasn't his fault that he doubted himself.
"Fuck him," Itachi said matter-of-factly, reading Sasuke's mind. Sasuke sighed and turned away.
"Yeah, you're right."
There was a lot Itachi didn't know about Sasuke and Fugaku's relationship. There was an eight-year age difference between the two. Itachi moved out of the house right after he graduated, leaving Sasuke alone with his father for alot of his life. Itachi had practically fathered Sasuke from long distance, calling to check up on him, give him guidance, and coming to visit pretty often. He understood certain aspects, such as Fugaku's aversion toward Sasuke because of his mother's death and how Fugaku pretty much disregarded him after trying to play 'father' for a year after she died. What he didn't know was the abuse Sasuke had to go through.
No, Fugaku never actually physically hit Sasuke, but the verbal and emotional abuse hurt worse than any blow could. He'd be sure to remind Sasuke how pathetic and useless he was every chance he got. He even told him that he should be the one dead instead of his mother. At first, Sasuke didn't understand the bitterness that his father showed him. He went from the loving caring father that Sasuke was used to, to the hateful father that he knew now. He was quick to tell Sasuke what a disappointment he was and how his ambitions were a waste of time. At one point, Fugaku had come close to actually hurting Sasuke. He was out in the backyard, taking pictures of the scenery when all of a sudden, Fugaku stormed out and destroyed the camera. He'd grabbed Sasuke, screaming that he had no right to use the photography equipment because it had been his mother's. After that point, his violence and anger seemed to have simmered down to a suppressed form of hatred.
Once Sasuke moved on to high school, it was as if they were both strangers living in the same home. Whenever they did have to communicate, Fugaku never bothered to hide his disdain. Sasuke had tried desperately to hold on to any hope that his father would one day love him like he used to, that he would snap out of his angry daze and go back to being the father that he once was. Even to this day, he still held on to that hope. Once Sasuke went on to college, his father had tried to become more civil. Whenever they would talk, he'd pretend like he was concerned or actually cared, but to Sasuke, that was a thousand times worse. The fakeness in his father's voice made him nauseous.
Letting out a sigh, Sasuke broke away from his depressing train of thoughts and looked over to Itachi. His eyes were focused on the road, his fingers still tapping on the steering wheel. His hair sat a tangled mess on his head from the wind. He had long since put the top back up on the car, sensing that it would rain soon. Sasuke could feel a headache coming on. He didn't bring his medicine, since Itachi knew nothing about anything he was suffering. He planned to keep it that way. The last person he wanted to know how pathetic he had become was Itachi.
"Hey there, you look like you're about to shatter the window. It's very expensive you know. Penny for your thoughts?"
Sasuke sighed. "More like a dollar." He laid his head against the window, looking at Itachi. Itachi sighed softly, turning the radio station. He smiled at the song.
"And I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love's suicide," he sang softly. Sasuke smiled.
"And I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life." he hummed.
"Mom loved that song. She'd sing it all the time for us when we'd get sad or hurt. Well, more for you, since you're a klutz."
Sasuke laughed softly. "Yeah I was. Though I have to admit, I'd pretend to be sad just to hear her sing. She had such a beautiful voice." Itachi nodded. He turned toward Sasuke, looking at him sadly.
"You know Sasuke, I want so much for you. You didn't get to be with mom as long as I did and I just want that for you. I want you to find someone as loving and caring as her, someone who can be there for you. Man or woman or even fish, I don't really care. I just want you to be happy."
Sasuke looked at him confused. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
Itachi sighed. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but lately I feel like you just haven't been happy. Like genuinely happy, and I really want that for you. I know father didn't do shit to help with that, and I can't always be there to watch you. I don't know, it's just been nagging at the back of my mind for a while now." Sasuke nodded. He really wanted to tell Itachi about everything, but he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to make him worry. It was bad enough that he was worried now.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he answered quietly. With all he was going through, he highly doubted it. How long could a person starve and cut themself before their body just quit? His guess was not too much longer. Letting out a long sigh, he clicked his tongue. "You're starting to sound like a dad or something."
Itachi laughed. "I am aren't I? I can't help it. I only worry because I love you, you know that."
Sasuke smiled. "Yea whatever. Don't worry so much, it'll stress you out. It's already enough that you work twenty hour shifts and sleep on the side of the damn road."
Itachi rolled his eyes."That was one time! You're never gonna let that go, are you?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Never. Well, at least until you do something even more idiotically reckless. I swear, that's just crazy. Who does that?" he asked incredulously. Itachi snorted and changed the radio station as the song came to an end.
They drove in silence for a while, Sasuke enjoying the rain covered scenery. It looked so beautiful; the way the sky was still bright, but mixed with a dark gray as it rained. The rain fell at a terrible angle, showing signs of a possible tornado. The trees shook violently, leaves flying everywhere. A lone weeping willow sat in the middle of the grass, the only tree that looked unaffected by the harsh rain. That made him think of Jade Lake and how most of the trees that surrounded the lake were weeping willows. It was the perfect place for a picnic or to get beautiful shots.
Sasuke felt his good mood fly out of the window once he saw the 'Welcome to the Beautiful City of Lemingway' sign as they exited off the freeway. His head began to throb as the houses began to look more and more familiar. He looked over at Itachi, who smiled softly.
"It's only for one day. We can go to Jade Lake tomorrow, I promise. It won't be that bad." Sasuke sighed. He didn't know the half of it. They turned down a curved street and stopped in front of a large brick house. It was a beautiful house with a perfect lawn and flowers that lined the sides of it. Sasuke felt sick just looking at it. Itachi gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and slid out of the car. He stretched and motioned for Sasuke to get out as well. Sighing, he climbed out. It felt weird being back home. The only thing that made him feel better was the lack of a car in the driveway. That meant his father wasn't home.
"Well, come on then. I still have a key." Sasuke nodded and followed Itachi up the path to the front door.
Their house looked the same as it always had. The furniture was all the same, in the same place. It looked as new as the day it had been bought. Sasuke took off his shoes, stepping on to the plush carpet. He padded his way through the living room, looking around. The nostalgia made him both happy and sick. It felt good to be home where all his happy memories of his mother rested. He could see the pictures of his family lined up against the mantel. Pictures from when he was a baby up until eight years old were scattered all across the wall. He heard Itachi snort, pointing at one and smiling. Sasuke looked up, laughing. It was a picture of him, a chubby smiling baby, nude with his bare bottom on display. Next to it sat a picture of eight year old Itachi holding newborn Sasuke. Behind them, their mother and father stood, smiling. Sasuke picked up the picture, smiling sadly. His mother was truly beautiful. She had long, thick black hair and beautiful dark eyes. Her skin was like porcelain. Her smile was bright and cheery, lighting up the whole picture. Her arms were wrapped around his father's waist as she smiled lovingly at all of them. His father stood, smiling a smile that Sasuke hadn't seen in over eleven years. That was probably the happiest he'd ever seen him. He put down the picture and sighed, looking at the rest of them. Most of them were candid shots of young Sasuke and Itachi, running around and having fun. Others were loving shots of their parents or group photos.
It was hard for Sasuke to look at all of them. They pretty much covered the whole wall. It reminded him too much of how happy his family once was. He couldn't believe his father had actually kept these photos; it made him sick.
"Everything still looks the same..." Itachi trailed off, looking around. He looked at Sasuke, watching his reaction.
Sasuke nodded his head slowly. "Yes, pretty much. Even the furniture is the same. I wonder if my room is still the same," he mused. He heard a snort from Itachi.
"I hope mine is. I'm pretty sure that there's some kind of marijuana left in there somewhere."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Really? Idiot."
Itachi shrugged. "What can I say? I was a stupid, curious teenager." He continued to look around, making his way toward the kitchen. Sasuke shook his head and walked up the large staircase in the back of the room. It led up to the second floors, which had ten identical doors. Sasuke walked down the hall slowly, examining all the doors. A nostalgic smile crept up on his face as he spotted the uneven paint on his room door.
It was from when he was in tenth grade. He had an awful day of school on top of coming home to his father's crap and he just lost it. He destroyed the whole door and bloodied up both his arms. He trashed his room and even broke the window. Once he calmed down, he realized what he'd done and felt like an idiot. It was winter time, and the breeze he had to put up with for a week was terrible. He had to get a whole new door and stitches. He couldn't believe what a crazy teenager he'd been back then. Granted, he was still crazy now, just a different kind of crazy.
He opened the door, laughing softly, rolling his eyes. The room was painted a deep blue, posters covering the walls. Most were weird demonic posters, remnants from his Marilyn Manson phase back in his junior year. Some of his old artwork was taped sloppily to the wall. His bed was still as perfect as he left it two years ago. He lay back on the bed, sinking down into the soft blue comforter and looked up at the ceiling. He smiled at the mural he'd painted with his mother. It was an abstract of angry reds and soft blues with splashes of calm greens. On nights when he couldn't get to sleep, just looking up at the ceiling was enough to lull him into a peaceful night's rest. Sighing, he looked over to his nightstand, grabbing his stereo remote.
'I can only imagine the last thing I was listening too,' he mused. He pressed play, rolling his eyes at the heavy metal sounds that filled the room. Laying in his room listening to his odd music made him feel like he'd been transported back two years. It felt like he'd never left.
The sound of footsteps made him look up. Itachi stood in the doorway, smirking. He held up a quarter bag of weed.
Sasuke snorted, pausing the music. "You actually found it. What the hell were you going through in high school?" he teased.
Itachi rolled his eyes and put the bag in his pocket. He sat down at Sasuke's feet and crossed his legs.
"Who knows? I only did it twice. It was terrible so I just stopped. I guess I have to get rid of this evidence." He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He smiled, remembering the mural that his mother and Sasuke had painted all those years ago. It was beautiful. It surprised Itachi how talented Sasuke was at painting at the young age of six. Looking around the room, he laughed. He remembered something Sasuke told him about some 'angry-angsty- teen-phase' state his room was in. Posters of God-knows-what covered the dark walls. Stacks of CDs lined the dresser and nightstand, stacked high as possible.
Itachi sighed, turning his head."I don't wanna even look around this room. Who knows what I'll find?"
Sasuke smiled. "Well I know what you won't find. Unlike you, I didn't keep stacks of porn around my room."
"I was doing what every normal teen my age did, unlike someone I know who was the most non-hormonal teen then and now."
Sasuke shrugged. "My bad, I just don't see the appeal in photos of naked women."
"...Naked men?" he prodded. Sasuke rolled his eyes, not responding. Itachi laughed. "Come on down to the kitchen with me. I'm hungry." He stood up and stretched, cracking his back. He grabbed Sasuke's foot, trying to pull him up. Sasuke pulled away, sitting up. He stood up and looked around again.
"Hmm, I think I want to take my CDs. I kind of miss them," he said absent-mindedly. Itachi nodded but said nothing. He walked out of the room and into the hallway, Sasuke in tow. They walked to the stairs, Itachi stopping abruptly.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" Itachi smiled and shook his head. He walked up to the rail, turning around. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Why are you sliding down the rail? Seriously?" he laughed. Itachi positioned himself on the rail, looking back at Sasuke.
"Because fuck you that's why," he smirked and slid down. He let go, landing on his feet. He gave a quick victory cheer when he made it to the bottom. Sasuke walked down the stairs laughing as he walked past Itachi and into the kitchen. Even the kitchen looked the same. It looked like something you would see in a Good Housekeeping magazine. The counter tops were marble, the cabinets were a pretty blue that matched the walls. Sasuke sat down at the long table, crossing his legs in the chair. He watched as Itachi searched through the fridge, looking for something to eat. He pulled out all the ingredients to make a sandwich and closed the door with his foot.
"Vo you vant a shanwish?" he said, the loaf of bread in his mouth distorting his words.
Sasuke shook his head. "I'll pass."
Itachi shrugged, opening his mouth and dropping the bread on the counter. "Suit yourself." He put down all the stuff and started making his food, humming quietly to himself. Sasuke looked around the room, his eyes stopping on the quote his mother had artistically painted on the wall.
'A beautiful family, made from love' He shook his head and turned away, idly watching the clock. Itachi sat down in front of him, and took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Hey, we should look around the garden next." He sat down his food and rested his head in his hands, and watched Sasuke.
"Sure. It feels like were sight-seeing in our own house."
"Yeah, it's been years since I've been here. Maybe we should take pictures?" He shrugged and took another bite of his food. Sasuke started to hum then stopped, and shook his head.
"Dammit, that dumb song is stuck in my head," he grumbled.
Itachi laughed and smiled evilly. "What, you mean 'Michael'? I love that song."
"Yes, I know. You only played it a million times in the car." He face palmed, and tried to get it out of his head.
"Beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor, Sasuke you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore!~~"Itachi sang, and smiled.
Sasuke scoffed. "Don't put my name in there! And that song is catchy, just annoying."
Itachi pouted. "Don't deny your inner dancewhore, Sasuke." They laughed. Sasuke shook his head and turned away.
The sound of the front door opening sounded through the house as the door creaked. Sasuke and Itachi stopped laughing abruptly. The door closed and the sounds of footsteps were heard walking down the hall. Itachi stood quickly, and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked back at Sasuke. Sasuke looked over at the wall, avoiding his gaze. Itachi frowned. He took a deep breath and started,
"I'll go greet him. Oh, and Sasuke?" he paused, waiting for Sasuke to look at him. "Try to understand him a little okay? I know that nothing can excuse him from acting so pitiful and abandoning his son over something so senseless, and I know that I can probably never forgive him, but please. For your sake and his, just try to fix things between you and him. I can see how sick you are, Sasuke. I don't really know what it is exactly, but I can see it. You need him in your life more than you'd like to think. And now is the time for him to step up and be a father rather than the pathetic excuse for one he's been." He stopped, and sighed. He'd finally said what he was waiting to say since he picked Sasuke up at his dorm. He wanted his father and Sasuke's relationship to get better, he really did. Itachi turned and walked out, leaving Sasuke to watch him go. Sasuke heard their mumbled voices; he could hear how genuinely happy his father was to see him. He laughed bitterly. Of course he would be happy to see Itachi, who wouldn't be?
Itachi didn't understand. He didn't know. If he knew what his father did to him all those years, then Sasuke doubted Itachi would be trying to reconcile their relationship. He'd be doing the exact opposite. Of course he couldn't tell his brother. He hoped that today Itachi wouldn't see what he couldn't explain. But after two years, he couldn't imagine having a good conversation with his father. His breath hitched as he heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the kitchen. Suddenly, they stopped. He looked up and locked eyes with his father.
"Father. It's good to see you." He held his gaze, not blinking. Fugaku quickly looked away.
"Sasuke, same to you. How have you been?" Crossing his arms, he smiled forcibly.
Sasuke shook his head. "I've been... fine." Fugaku nodded. They stood in an awkward silence. His father looked at the ground and sighed.
"So…how have your studies been-" he started, Sasuke cutting him off.
He put up a hand. "Just stop." Fugaku's eyes widened. He looked up and saw Sasuke's fist clenching.
"Sasuke? What's wrong?" He was surprised; Sasuke never talked to him like that. "I want to know how school is going for you."
Sasuke sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this fake conversation. He could clearly see the disdain in his father's eyes. He could tell just by looking at his body language that he honestly didn't care. Looking over at the doorway, he felt his heart drop when he noticed Itachi wasn't there. He shook his head slowly.
"Everything is going fine," he said shortly.
Fugaku frowned. "So what major did you change to? Hopefully something of use to your future."
"I didn't change. I'm still doing photography."
Fugaku scoffed, crossing his arms. "You still refuse to change to something more sensible I see. Why not business or even law school?"
Sasuke shook his head. "That's not what I want to do. It's a waste of money to go to school for something I'm not interested in." Fugaku shook his head and looked away. He turned back, locking eyes with Sasuke. He pursed his lips tightly together.
"Honestly, I will never understand why chose such a useless major like photography. Making a living off of taking pictures? I'd be surprised if you could survive a day," he lectured, condescendingly. Sasuke looked away. It was starting. His father had dropped the civil facade and was starting with the insults. It looked as if he stopped caring, since Itachi wasn't in the room.
"I can't help it if photography is what I love to do," he said quietly.
Fugaku scoffed."What you love to do? It's not about what you love to do; it's what puts food on the table. You don't see your brother running around doing something useless like photography."
Sasuke clenched his fists to his side. "I'm not Itachi."
Fugaku laughed humorlessly, shaking his head. "You're right. You're not your brother. He actually turned out alright while you're sitting here chasing foolish pipe dreams. Just stop it."
Sasuke looked up, feeling himself getting angry. What the hell? He had been trying to be civil and tried to have a good conversation with his father. Did he really wanna play this game right now? It was so old it made Sasuke sick. He was beyond over it.
"Are we seriously doing this now? It's been two years father, and this is what you have to say to me? What happened to that fake smile and your 'concern' a few minutes ago?"
Fugaku raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Well well, I guess you're no longer the little boy who just sat there pathetically and took whatever I gave you all those years ago. Nice to see you finally grew up." He smiled condescendingly at him. "Now it's time for you to grow up and get over those stupid dreams of yours. You're not even good at it."
Sasuke looked away, staring at the clock. He was surprised that he didn't feel the sadness that usually came with his father's words. All he felt was anger. He could feel it building up inside him, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. The only time he'd ever felt this angry was when he destroyed his room door and went on a psychotic rampage. He definitely couldn't let his anger get the best of him; it could get really dangerous if he did.
Sighing, he closed his eyes. "It'll be an amazing day when you realize that I'm gonna do what I want and you can't tell me otherwise."
Fugaku lifted his head, scoffing. "Obviously I wasn't strict enough. I guess somewhere I went wrong with you."
Sasuke threw his hands up. "Not strict enough? Ha! You didn't even give a shit. You went wrong everywhere with me."
"Tch, obviously not. You're such a thick-headed child, I swear. Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. I tried to raise you right and make sure that you wouldn't grow up stupid like you are now."
Sasuke let out a frustrated growl, lifting up his shirt sleeves. He turned his arms toward his father. Fugaku raised an eyebrow, unfazed.
"You think your words had no effect on me? This is what they did to me! You have no clue what I had to go through being told I was nothing and pathetic and as good as dead all my life! You didn't even raise me. Itachi did!"
Fugaku smirked, laughing. "What's this now? I see you've turned to some kind of attention-starved child now, if those marks are anything to go by. Grow up and get over it. Don't you dare say I didn't raise you because I did. I raised you to be strong and smart, but obviously you've turned out to be weak and pathetic. You disappoint me."
Sasuke felt himself shaking. This was exactly why he didn't want to come home. Years of unresolved tension and anger had built up between them. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened, and Sasuke just knew that this was how it was going to turn out. His father was just so fucking dumb. He had no idea how much his words effected his life. It was because of him that he was so fucked up. It was because of him that he couldn't just enjoy life like every other teen his age. It was because of him that he thought he was so worthless and underserving of anything.
"What would mother think?" he asked lowly. He saw Fugaku tense up. "What would she say if she saw how you've been treating me for the past eleven years? You think she'd be proud to see what a fucking disaster I am because of you?"
Fugaku clenched his jaw loudly. "Don't bring your mother into this. This has nothing to do with her. You have no right to talk about her."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You have no right to talk about her. Especially since you sit there and call photography useless, something you know she loved."
Fugaku shook his head. "So is this what this is all about? You're trying to do photography just because of your mother? Don't be stupid. You don't deserve to hold a camera, much less do something that Mikito loved. Don't sit here and pretend like you actually loved her. It's all your fault." He stopped, balling his fist. "You should be the one buried instead of her and we both know it."
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Sasuke exploded angrily. He felt his breathing quicken and his chest tighten. Did his father just accuse him of not loving his own mother?
Fugaku bit his lip, deliberating whether or not he should say anything. He didn't want to bring up painful memories. Looking at the expression on Sasuke's face, he decided he should. This boy had gotten too cocky; he needed to be knocked down a bit. He needed to learn his place.
"It was because of you that Mikito died. She got sick with that god-awful disease because she refused to get a goddamn abortion that could've saved her life. She was stubborn and wouldn't listen to me. We already had Itachi, a smart child who had a future ahead of him; it would be okay to just let you go. But no, she had to be stubborn and keep you. And now, because of that idiotic decision, she's gone! And for what? For this," he motioned his hands toward Sasuke, making an expression of distaste, "a fucking crazy failure of a child! She gave her life for a weak, useless disappointment like you. And you sit here and talk about her as if you understand. You don't know anything! You need to learn you're place! I've never cared about you! I've never loved you; I never have and I never will."
Sasuke stood, gaping. What the hell was he talking about? Was he really the reason his mother died? It made so much sense. The way his father had treated him, as if he was some sort of pariah. The anger that he had; it all made perfect sense. And finally hearing those words...it hurt. He felt himself shaking with anger. Tears began to form in his eyes. He was seeing red. His breathing began to speed up and his heart pounded in his chest. All the anger he felt building in his body felt like it was about to burst.
Maybe it was his exhaustion. Maybe it was because he hadn't taken his medicine in a few days. Maybe it was all the anger and hurt from today and all those years of emotional abuse from his father building up, or maybe it was a combination of everything. Whatever it was, it was the thing that finally did it; he finally snapped.
Letting out an angry yell, he reached over and flipped the table, shattering the plates lined up on it. Fugaku jumped back, avoiding the glass shards. He looked at Sasuke, his eyes wide in shock and confusion.
"Sasuke, stop this now!" He clenched his fists to his sides, watching his son. Sasuke gave him an angry look and turned away. He stormed out into the living room, leaving Fugaku behind. The sound of glass shattering made Fugaku's head snap to the door. Quickly, he ran out to the living room and stopped, gaping. Sasuke stood in front of a large mirror, shattered to pieces. Blood dripped down his hands.
"Fuck you," he huffed out. "Fuck this house! Fuck this family!" He turned towards the wall, staring at the pictures. "Why the fuck do you still have these!?" He walked over to the mantle, grabbing a bunch of family photos. He began throwing them at the wall, smiling wickedly at the sound of the frames shattering. "Pictures of us smiling like we're a happy fucking family!" He turned and threw one at the wall behind Fugaku.
Fugaku ducked. He felt himself growing angrier with each frame that shattered on the floor. He watched as pictures of his beautiful wife were thrown angrily across the room.
"You better stop this right now," he said darkly. Sasuke turned to him, laughing bitterly.
"Or what? You're gonna hit me?" he laughed, holding his stomach. "Get the fuck on. Don't try and tell me what to do. You're not my fucking father," he spat.
Fugaku clenched his fists tighter. He let out an angry growl and started toward Sasuke.
"Don't you even dare." Itachi's cold tone stopped him in his tracks. Itachi had been sitting on the porch, giving them time to talk. The sound of glass shattering made him come in to assess the situation. He was surprised at the scene before him. There was glass everywhere and Sasuke was bleeding.
"Itachi, stay out of this!" Fugaku shouted, his eyes locked on Sasuke.
"Sasuke," Itachi started, ignoring his father. "Calm down."
Sasuke threw another frame, laughing manically as it shattered.
"Don't tell me to calm down! He's the one who called me crazy! I'm just showing him how fucking crazy I really am!"
"SASUKE!" Itachi yelled, grabbing his wrists. Sasuke pulled away from him, backing into the wall.
"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" he screamed. Itachi flinched, drawing his hands back. "You all make me sick! You claim to love me and care about me, but you sit here and side with that sick motherfucker! Fucking hypocrite!" he spat bitterly. Fugaku took a step toward him, his fist balled up.
"I'm not taking anyone's si-"
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU FUCKING PSYCHO! I don't have to take this shit from anyone, much less you!" he exploded.
Itachi brought a hand to his temples, sighing exasperatedly. What the hell? "SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" He couldn't take this anymore.
"YOU DIDN'T LOVE HER!" Sasuke shouted suddenly, tears pouring down his face." You didn't love me or her and now I can see that. I don't know why I even tried. You're so fucking pathetic that you ruined your own son! FUCK YOU!" He turned around, stomping to the door. He grabbed the door handle, ripping it out of its hole. Turning around, he pitched it at the window, shattering it. Quickly, he walked outside and turned down the street.
He walked for what felt like forever, panting like a mad man. As he walked, he felt himself starting to shake. Tears began to blur his vision. His legs began to give out on him. He collapsed on a random lawn, pulling his knees to his chest. His sobs wracked his body as he sat on the grass. His head felt like it was going to explode. This was just too much. He needed help. He needed somebody to come help him; to come save him. He couldn't take much more of this. He didn't know how much longer he could last.
"...S-s-somebody..a-a-nyb-body. Please…."
A/N: Ahh the angst, it's killing me! I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll try to get 15 up ASAP. Though I'm pretty burned out from just everything going on now, I'm determined not to let it effect my updates! :3
Let me know what you think.