A/N: For once I don't have anything to say here O.o Which is unusual for me.
Just a small note for Okami Kage who asked me to answer their review at this beginning of this chapter: Thanks for your suggestion, but I already have the story figured out from beginning to end. While your idea was a good one, I already have one—which is similar to your suggestion—but isn't entirely the same. As for—what would appear to be—an advantage, if you think about it, Itachi would totally pwn Sasuke as he is right now. I mean, you can't even see where the attacks are coming from—not to mention that Sasuke got pwned by Itachi while he could see. :p
Chapter Fourteen: Ice Cube
The half moon hung low in the sky that night, its partial face tinged a strange orange, looking like a yellowed, wicked grin against the blanket of night: a grin of malicious intent. Wispy tendrils of dark cloud drifted across it on occasion, like a mask, hiding deception and ill will. It was in such a position that Itachi found himself, standing in the shadows of the forest's edge. Around him, two other subordinate members of the Akatsuki lurked, waiting on him to give the command to strike.
He turned his crimson Sharingan orbs to gaze down upon the village that lay nestled in the foothills of the land, cradled away, safe from outside dangers. The outward appearance was very deceptive in itself, as the village probably suffered more tragedies than any other in the neighbouring area. Within that village, was something more malicious, and full of ill will than any of the Akatsuki members had—put together. The village also had an odd tendency to experience regular lightning storms, which only increased the poverty of the area. But it was not surprising that there were many lightning storms in this area; no, Itachi understood very well the reason why this somewhat outlandish natural phenomenon occurred. Within that village, there was a terrible power, a power of cunning and cruelty, a power that was desired by the group.
Raising his hand slightly, he gave a small signal, the two other rogue ninja leaping forth into the shadows of the night, darting down into the darkness that blanketed the quiet village. There was a distinct aura coming from this village, Itachi noticed, closing his eyes for a moment. It was the sense of fear that loomed over the sleeping complex like a thick shroud. Fear was a good thing—it could be manipulated, and used.
He opened his eyes again and leapt silently down to join his comrades; coming up beside one, he nodded mutely as he indicated down the road, making a few more hand signs that gave further instruction. Taking up the lead, he dashed down the road towards the half moon that had now turned a hue of deep crimson; glancing up at it, he merely blinked, and betrayed no further emotion. He halted to a sudden stop as a drunk stumbled out of an alleyway nearby, falling to the ground dead. The man's body was glanced at briefly, and then ignored; Itachi had reacted automatically upon the drunk's movement and so quickly that it appeared he had just fallen dead out of the alley. Now there was a corpse left in the street—if the body was found before they completed their task, it could cause a delay. Things would not be anymore difficult; no…it would just slow them down.
The two other subordinates drew level with Itachi, as he reached the corner of the street, peering out into the darkness. A small market square was before them, devoid of the daytime merchants. It was here.
Using the Sharingan, he glanced around the edge of the square quickly, checking for anyone who might be around—whether foe or just unlucky bystander—before entering the square. He indicated for the Akatsuki subordinates to follow and pointed a cobblestone in the off to the side. It was laced with the tiny amount of chakra that indicated an exploding tag, but with his eyes he could see it faintly along the tile's edge. Carefully the cobblestone was removed, and the tag pocketed, revealing a narrow tunnel that dropped straight downward. Glancing at the smaller of the two subordinates, he nodded in confirmation.
Slipping down into the hole, there was a small thud, as he landed a few meters below; Itachi scanned the square once again for good measure. There was a lighting of a torch below and a quiet birdcall, indicating that the vicinity was safe for entry.
"Remember," Itachi said to the remaining subordinate, "We are to get what we came for, if the villagers get in our way, do not hesitate to be rid of them."
Without waiting for a response or indication that he had been understood, Itachi lowered himself down into the hole, landing neatly next to the ninja with the torch. He glanced at him for a moment then turned his gaze in the area in which they stood. A wide tunnel stretched out before them going on for a long ways; a quiet dripping could be heard every now and again, followed by a minute wailing of wind. The hole had an opening at two ends.
"Anything?" he asked quietly, his inquiry echoing ever so slightly before fading away.
There was a shake of the head, and Itachi narrowed his eyes. He was at least expecting a guard to be posted, if there were no guards, then most likely traps. Traps, or the villagers were fools. If what they were keeping contained lay ahead, he could expect traps to be laid for someone trying to leave, rather than go in. Confidently, but not once dropping his guard, he proceeded forward into the darkness.
Wordlessly they traveled in the dank underground, their steps echoing on the hard ground, and squishing in patches of mud. Though he kept it subtle, Itachi avoided stepping through the mud when possible, the sound irking him to an endless degree.
Tap…tap…tap…squish.
Outwardly he blinked, but a shiver had run down his spine and the sound. An image of a kunai being plunged into a man's heart flashed in front of his eyes for a moment.
Squish.
A katana being ripped through an old woman.
Squish.
Shuriken being bombarded into a small child.
Squish…squish…squish.
Each image was worse than the last, but his eyes remained fixed on the path ahead as the pictures flashed across his mind. He blinked again as another image came across his mind: a man standing in a ready stance, positioning himself protectively in front of a frightened woman, a katana pointed threateningly at the both of them.
Squish.
The man lay dead, his innards spilling out onto the wooden floor; the woman was sobbing, pleading—
Tap…tap…tap…
Itachi and the subordinate passed out of the patch of mud, coming onto hard stone floor again. Not a single trap so far. This village really was full of idiots, just like the village he had left nine years previous; the lives of fools were useless lives, lives depending on the lives of the powerful. There was no purpose for fools in this world—there was no point in them living. In his mind he could see the woman lying dead, his thirteen year old self standing over both the bodies, his eyes lingering on the trailing blood—the blood of his parents.
They were all fools, all of them.
"Itachi-sama?"
He turned his gaze to rest on the ninja who accompanied him, and realized that he had been standing still in front of a wall that had risen up before them. A small door was built into the side of the wall, a piece of paper connecting the frame to the slab in the wall: a seal. Fools. They knew enough to fear the terror that was on the other side of the door, but the most they did to protect themselves was to put a simple seal on the door? Reaching out with his hand, he snatched the piece of paper off the door and crumpled it in his hands.
Grasping the handle, he slid the door open, his Sharingan eyes peering perceptively into the room. He motioned for the subordinate to step forward, and upon the entrance of light into the room, there was a cry, followed by some scuffling. Itachi turned his gaze onto the small wretched creature that had scampered into the corner and was not quivering with fear. A girl—late teens—with sandy hair and caramel eyes was curled up in the corner, looking at them in abject terror. Dressed in rags, sporting an anorexic frame, and looking like she had ever bathed in her entire life, Itachi noted with contempt that he had probably never seen a more pitiful creature…save for one other.
Ignoring the girl, he peered up at the ceiling where a grate resided high above; this was probably where food was dropped down. Whoever was keeping this girl was compassionate enough to keep her alive, but did not know that her sickly state could provoke that which they feared to emerge. He looked down at the girl again and took a step forward.
"Come," he ordered in a low tone, but the girl refused to move.
"W-who are you?" she choked out fearfully, wringing her hands in fear.
"I am Uchiha Itachi," he told the girl evenly, "And I have come here to free you."
A curious expression passed over the girl's face, "Free…? But why? …Don't you hate me?"
His voice was devoid of emotion; he took another step forward, "Hate you?"
"Everyone else d-does," the girl seemed nervous about the closing space between them, "That's why they keep me here. They hate me."
"They hate you because they fear you. They fear you because they don't understand you," Itachi said evenly, "I do not hate you, because I do not fear you, and I do not fear you because I understand that which instills fear on this village."
"What are you saying?" the girl hugged her knees; she was pressing herself against the back wall, almost like she hoped it would swallow her.
"There is something kept inside of you, something so powerful and evil that they hate," Itachi replied calmly, "I want it from you, and if you give it to me, they will no longer hate you. But you must come with me, or they will leave you down here forever."
The girl sat up a little straighter, looking at herself in confusion, "Something powerful and evil…"
"A demon resides within you," Itachi took another step, and this time the girl did not flinch away, "Come with me, and I shall free you of it. And when it is gone, you can return here, and they will accept you."
"A-accept me…" the girl murmured, "And all I have to do is come with you?"
"Yes."
There was a long pause before the girl stood slowly to her feet, her legs and arms no more than skin and bone, "I want to come, please…please take me. I'll do anything; just get this thing out of me. I just want them to like me…I don't want to be hated anymore…"
A foolish child, Itachi noted condescendingly, but she was needed. It was only for a while anyways; once the process was complete, the girl would die. A fool's death—an unnoticed death. Apart from the shock and fear that she was missing, the village wouldn't care that she was gone, and over time they would forget her.
He beckoned the child to come forth, and on wobbly legs, the girl did. He ruffled the girl's dirty hair in pretended affection and took the torch from his companion.
"Help her," he ordered coldly as they entered the mouth of the tunnel.
Slowly they made their way along the tunnel's expanse, not making hardly any noise. The girl was slung over the back of Itachi's companion, and was so weak that she could barely keep consciousness. It was probably the power of the demon within that wretched body that kept her alive each day, without it, she would be dead. The girl had better live through this—at least long enough to remove the demon. Then the girl could die for all he cared—die a fool's death, a death not worth mentioning.
Tap…tap…tap…
And then there were those, he told himself quietly, who were so pathetic that they didn't even deserve death.
Squish.
His brother's distraught and anguished form lay crumpled at the bodies of his parents. 'Why?' 'How?' The questions were echoing in his head. He didn't need to answer to that brat—the lowest of the low, the biggest fool of all. Itachi blinked the memory away, his brother's fearful sobs fading with it. It was true, he found himself emphasizing to himself, there were some people too pitiful to kill.
A loud rumbling and roar, followed by a thunderous puttering, caused Sasuke to sit bolt upright in his bed, reaching for a kunai that he remembered was nearby. After groping around under his pillow for a second, he brushed the forehead protector and paused. No, he wasn't in Orochimaru's fortress—they weren't under attack. The darkness around him wasn't from the dark windowless room, but rather the blindness that he suffered. He was in his bed, at the Uchiha manor, in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He shook his head at his reaction, but old habits die hard.
A frown creased his brow as he continued to sit upright in his bed; what was that dratted sound? He could determine that the rumbling was coming from outside, somewhere in the backyard, and moving around. But what on earth was it? Had it woken Sakura up? He turned his head towards her corner of the bedroom.
"Sakura?"
There was no response, and as he listened carefully, he could not hear any breathing. Perhaps it was the thunderous roar from outside, or maybe it was simply because breathing was so quiet, but he couldn't tell if she was there or not.
"Sakura?" he inquired a little louder, but still received no response.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he tried standing up, holding out his hands for balance. There was a bit of vertigo, but he took a careful step forward, his world steadying slightly as it made fresh contact with the ground. Holding his had out in front of him, he took careful steps until his hand bumped into a wall, causing him to start slightly. He listened carefully again for signs of breathing, knowing that he was nearer to where Sakura slept. He didn't catch the sound of inhalation or exhalation, but he did hear the clink of dishes coming from the general direction of the kitchen. He took a few steps sideways, slowly overcoming his dizziness, and poked his head out the door.
"Sakura?" he called louder, and there was an abrupt clatter in response, followed by hurried footsteps.
"Oh! Sasuke, you're awake!" came Sakura's concerned voice, "I was just about to come check on you. You didn't hurt yourself crossing the room did you?"
Shaking his head, he mused quietly over her fretting, but paid no attention to it. "What time is it? And what is that sound?"
"Oh, the genin group that I requested is currently cleaning out the yard and that's Konohamaru operating the lawn mower," Sakura replied offhandedly, "And it's about eleven o'clock in the morning—you looked tired, so I let you sleep in."
"Hn."
"Anyways, do you need any help getting washed up?" she asked him in a cheerful manner, "I've already set out some clean clothes for you in the bathroom."
He shook his head again at her, and offered her his arm, "Just get me to the bathroom and I'll be able to manage."
Giving a small 'mmhm' she took his arm and led him down the hall to the bathroom, Sasuke counting the footsteps as they went. About twelve, he noted to himself as she placed his hand on the doorframe.
"Your clothes are on the right of the sink, closest to the door, and a stack of towels is on the left of the sink, near the shower," she told him, "Oh, and don't leave your dirty clothes and towels on the floor. When you're done, just give me a shout, I'll be in the kitchen."
He nodded once and he heard her turn and leave down the hall, humming a tune quietly to herself. He caught a few notes and paused a moment, the tune sounded vaguely familiar. Shrugging he entered the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Running his hand on the counter, his hand brushing his clothes, then the towels once he got past the sink. Making a mental note to himself of the room's layout he got undressed and stepped inside the shower, turning on the cold water.
The icy sensation caused his mind to clear instantly, and after a few minutes of standing still, he reached for the hot water tap. He slept better than he had thought he would, having being back in this house; all things considered, he was very surprised that his sleep had been so dreamless. There were so many memories that he had tied back to this house, most of them bad, and those were the ones that stood out the clearest. Sakura had told him that he had appeared tired, and let him sleep in. It was most likely the exhaustion from using so much chakra the previous day that had drained him—whatever the reason, he was thankful for a peaceful night's rest.
After a little while longer, he turned off the water and toweled himself dry; taking the clean clothes that Sakura had set out for him, he dressed quickly, doing as she had recommended, feeling the inside for the tags, to indicate front and back. He was hit by another spell of dizziness when he took his hand off the counter to pull on his shorts, and held his forehead with his hand on the wall until he could balance again. Removing his fingers from his forehead, he thought of the protector that Naruto had returned to him; it was still under his pillow.
He opened the door and listened carefully. He could hear Sakura in the kitchen, talking to somebody—maybe that Konohamaru she had spoken of. No, but the lawn mower was still going outside, so it was most likely one of the other genin that had come to call. The notion brought a small nostalgic smile to his face—he could recall the times when they were given missions such as the one, Naruto complaining loudly while he and Sakura put up with it. He heard Sakura's musical laugh come from the kitchen as more dishes clattered—sounds that indicated she was handling some glasses.
He thought of calling out to her, but then changed his mind—it wasn't far to the bedroom, and he probably wouldn't need her help anyways. As long as he could keep a hand against the wall, and took is slowly, he should be okay. Taking a few tentative steps into the hall, he placed each footfall with care; the hand on the wall slightly in front so that he could tell when he came to the door, instead of falling over like he had at the junction in the hospital.
Crossing the room was a more difficult matter as he found that Sakura had placed a number of objects around her corner of the room—his throbbing toes told him that they were books, heavy books. He couldn't walk along the wall's edge then, he surmised, not if he was going to trip over heavy books and who knew what else.
He released the wall and stood for a moment, his feet braced as the dizziness slowly crept up on him. Taking a step forward he carefully mapped out the room in his mind, placing special emphasis on the books he had knocked his toes on. He took a few more steps and found that if he concentrated, it wasn't too difficult; if he placed a mental image in his head of where things were, opposed to just wondering where they were, then his balanced steadied slightly.
Standing near where the estimated the bed was, he prodded around the floor with his foot, wanting to find the bed with his leg before he bumped into it. Unfortunately, balancing on one foot still was beyond him and he wobbled precariously, and tipped forward. His loud curse word was muffled as he landed face-first into his mattress. He had been able to tell where in the room it was, but he had been unable to reach it without his blindness causing difficulty for him. Scowling, he picked himself up and reached for the forehead protector; after tying it firmly around his head, he decided to take another stab at walking on his own.
As he made his way across the room, he was thankful that there was no one watching, as he found it very humiliating to be cautiously crossing a bare floor, with nothing but the wall and Sakura's books to be worried about tripping over. When he almost repeated the incident of crashing into the doorframe like he had done at the hospital, he grudgingly decided that he couldn't take any more. He didn't want to call for Sakura—but he would rather be devoid of bruises.
"Sakura," he called loudly out of the doorway and the chattering stopped from the kitchen.
When she arrived, he didn't allow her time to speak as he offered her his arm. Her gentle grasp held onto him securely and he could imagine the slight frown that could be decorating her face at that moment.
"What are you doing all the way over here?" she asked, her voice laced with concern, "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
"No."
"Good," she scolded sternly, "I think it's still too early for you to be walking on your own. I mean we'll gradually work at it, but we should practice on your balance first."
"We'll start this afternoon," he told her, giving her a small nudge, indicating that he did not want to continue to stand around.
She gave a small sigh, "If you insist, Sasuke. But we'll wait until the yard's done. I've got something else for you to do in the meantime."
She led him down the hall into the living room, before turning and heading down the side hall that went outside to the backyard. A slight frown marred his face.
"Where are we going?" he asked her as she opened the back door, the whirring of the lawn mower still putting around outside.
"Out back," she replied simply, "It's a nice day outside today and it's stupid to sit around indoors."
Mercifully the noise of the lawn mower stopped as they exited onto the veranda. It felt warm outside, and there was a slight breeze blowing over the garden, giving the occasional rustle. There were a few birds were chirping in the trees, and a clear odor of freshly cut grass hung in the vicinity. Sakura guided him forward and he knew that the edge of the porch was drawing near; he trusted her judgment, but knowing it was there made him a little apprehensive.
"The edge is here," she told him kindly, "Sit."
He complied by dropping to the ground, sitting cross-legged on the wooden flooring.
"There's a pole on your right if you want to lean against that," she said in a voice that made him imagine a smile on her face.
"Sakura-neesan!" came the voice of a young girl from behind, maybe eleven or twelve years old, "Do you need anymore help in the kitchen?"
"Iie, Moegi," Sakura's voice was projected back from where they came, "Can you finish up that one flowerbed?"
"Hai!"
Someone energetically rushed by Sasuke as Sakura returned inside; he sat quietly, listening to his surroundings. There was the sound of the feet against grass and then footsteps running across the lawn.
"Konohamaru-kun, are you taking another break?" he heard the young girl exclaim in exasperation.
Konohamaru…that was the kid that used to idolize Naruto when they were kids, Sasuke remembered; that's why the name had seemed familiar to him. Heavens knew why he chose Naruto to admire of all people.
"No, I'm done mowing the lawn," came a lazy retort, "I'm just waiting for—"
Footsteps behind him told Sasuke that Sakura had returned and there was a slight clinking that came with her.
"Yippee!" came the voice of Konohamaru, "Lemonade!"
He acted like Naruto too.
Giving a light laugh, Sakura set something down beside him, "Do you want some lemonade, Sasuke-ku—Sasuke."
"Aa," he responded automatically.
His mind had just become preoccupied as he noticed she had corrected herself and dropped the 'kun' suffix. Mentally he frowned, not that it bothered him that she didn't say his name with the annoying suffix, but it was the fact that it had slipped out, that suggested to him that she still regarded him in a way she had before he left Konoha. However when she had corrected herself, a small sense of surprise came to him. He had thought before when she hadn't used the 'kun' suffix, it had meant that she had held something against him, or something had changed between them, and he shrugged it off, knowing that it was most likely to be expected. But she had just corrected herself, which meant that either it was out of habit, or she was trying to avoid saying it for some reason or another.
"Can I have another glass, Sakura-neesan?" the boy, Konohamaru, asked in an exuberant fashion.
"Hey, I haven't even given everyone their first glass," she scolded with a playful tone in her voice, "You can have another one when everyone else has gotten one."
There was the clinking of ice against glass as she poured some more glasses beside him, and nudging his arm, she handed him one. He muttered a quiet, automatic "thank you" and took a sip from the glass while she cheerfully handed out others to the genin group that was crowding around them. He couldn't say that he particularly liked children—especially loud and obnoxious ones, he added as Konohamaru let out another exuberant exclamation. Once the children had had their fill of lemonade and returned out the yard, he told Sakura so.
"What will you do when you restore the Uchiha clan?" she laughed, sitting down beside him, her legs hanging over the edge of the veranda—he could tell because her feet would occasionally bump the wooden side, "They'll start out as children too."
"They'll be Uchihas," he stated indignantly.
"Oh, and all Uchiha children are quiet and calm?" she teased him, and then there was the jingling of ice as he assumed she took another sip of lemonade.
He grunted in reply and took a sip of his own lemonade, noting that it was made perfectly—it was not too sweet and was a little on the sour side.
"I dunno, Sasuke," she said after a moment, swirling the ice around in her glass so that it tinkled musically, "I wouldn't have called you a quiet and calm child when we were in the academy—that's what made you popular. You were a good student who was nice and talked kindly to everyone; you tried hard at your studies, but you found time to smile and laugh."
A frown descended upon his face. "I don't remember ever being like that," he stated bluntly.
A quiet 'thunk' between them signified that Sakura had put her glass down, "Well, that was before…well, when Itachi—"
"Aa."
He did not want to remember that time.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, Sakura kicking her feet back and forth idly. The genin group was squabbling amongst themselves, arguing over who had to do which task in the garden, and it sounded like the one, Konohamaru, was losing the fight. It was funny how they paralleled Team Seven, but by the sounds of things, the third party of that group was nothing like he had been.
"You know," Sakura pondered serenely, "You smiled a lot back then. That was one of the reasons I liked you—you had a nice smile."
Sasuke did not know what to say to this, so he remained quiet, and took another sip of the lemonade, grabbing an ice cube as he did so. He let it slowly melt in his mouth, the frozen water thawing slowly as time ticked by.
"You laughed back then too," came Sakura's somber voice, "I don't think I've seen you laugh since."
"I laugh," he stated indignantly, the ice cube getting in the way of his tongue and slurring the words slightly.
"I mean really laugh, Sasuke," the projection of her voice turned to face him, "I'm not talking about giving an amused snort once in a while—I mean really laugh, and really smile."
"I haven't had any reason to smile," he said shrugging, the ice cube slightly smaller in his mouth, and not hindering his speech as much.
"I mean, that's understandable, considering what happened to you and everything," she said quietly, her voice turning away from him.
He scowled mentally; they were back on this topic again, and he did not want to speak of it. She didn't know it, but the entrance to the room, where he found his parents dead, was a little ways from here, and the closer they got to discussing the massacre of his clan, the closer the room seemed to feel. It was like a twisted presence that was looming over him, getting closer to him every time he thought about the deaths of the people he cared most for. He didn't want to have to go into that room if he could help it—he wasn't ready, not yet.
"But you know, you could learn to smile again," Sakura said passively, "I know that you can't ever forget what happened, but that doesn't mean you should let it hang over you all the time. It's just stupid not to smile ever again, over anything."
She sounded slightly uncertain, like she was pondering if the massacre of over a thousand people would be something to make an exception to. It was obvious that she was aware that she couldn't begin to understand.
"It will continue to follow me," he stated coldly, "until the clan is avenged, until Itachi has paid for what he has done; the fall of my clan will always be the first thing in my mind. And until things are put to an end, I have no reason to smile."
She gave a weary sigh, "No offense, Sasuke, but that's stupid. You should smile when you're happy, even if Itachi is out in the world. Would you give him the satisfaction knowing that you gave up enjoying life just because he was alive? You can't tell me that you're constantly thinking of your clan, every minute of the day. There must be some time that you tuck away that thought and focus on other things."
He scowled slightly, ignoring the reason in her words. The ice cube in his mouth was no larger than a sliver on his tongue and it slowly melted away, becoming no more than a trickle of water.
"Don't be annoying."
"As you will, Sasuke," she replied and the sound of movement told him that she was standing up, "Just try to smile a little more. For me? Please?"
He grunted in a way that was neither yes nor no, and held out his empty glass of lemonade for her to take from him. After taking the glass from him, he heard her collect the rest and pick up whatever she had brought them in on. After she departed, he shifted his position so he was leaning against the pole she had notified him about earlier, letting one leg hang over the edge of the veranda as he listened to the genin group hard at work.
Smiling… He shook his head slightly side to side. No matter what Sakura said, he knew that there was no possible way that he could bring himself to smile. The very word seemed strange when mentioned in association with him. Smile for her? He didn't have any reason to smile for her, or for that matter, anyone. Itachi lived, that was reason enough not to smile to begin with.
Would you give him the satisfaction knowing you gave up enjoying life just because he was alive?
Who said he wasn't enjoying life? Perhaps a part of him didn't particularly find it thrilling, but that wasn't the point. Even if he wasn't exactly enjoying it, Itachi didn't have to know that it was as a result of him. Sasuke ignored the fact that that probably wasn't Sakura's point. She said to smile when he was happy, but he couldn't be happy when his brother was alive—true happiness had been stolen away by his sibling, and true happiness could only return once Itachi had atoned for the crimes he had committed.
The light footfalls, which he had come to associate with Sakura, returned, and sitting down beside him, she took his hand. Her thumb grazed his knuckles briefly before she turned his hand over, and slapped something down in his hand. He closed his fist over it, feeling its shape. It was an egg shape, and by the feel of things, made of wood, with tiny little grooves or cracks running over it, making the surface a little rough.
"What is this?" he asked her, holding up the object.
"It's a simple three dimensional puzzle," she replied lightly, "It'll be a while before Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon are finished in the yard, so in the meantime you'll be working with this."
"You want me to assemble a puzzle?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised slightly and a dubious tone in his voice.
"Yeah, basically," she replied cheerfully, "It'll help you be able to do everything from cooking to opening locked doors, dismantling traps and an assortment of other things. If you can assemble even the most complex puzzles by touch, there's hardly any small job you can't do."
She took the puzzle from him and after a brief moment, she returned it in two pieces to his hand. He tossed them lightly in his palm, listening to them clack against one another.
"Two pieces?" he asked her, a little surprised.
"Mm, not as easy as it seems," she replied, a mischievous tone in her voice, and in his mind's eye, he could see a matching expression on her face, "It can fit together in multiple ways, but you'll know that it's right when the two pieces don't have a gap between. Good luck."
And with that, she stood up and went out into the yard, calling the children happily, leaving Sasuke with the simple, yet intricate puzzle to work on. This was going to be a piece of cake.
A/N: (Goes chasing after a thought that she had, but lost.) Oh yeah! In grade nine, an ex-druggie came and spoke to us about what it was like to live the lifestyle she had. I don't remember much about it except that she said that when someone is stabbed, it's the same sound as when someone steps in the mud. That's what the whole 'squish' thing was about. It's kinda creepy, but I wanted it to provoke memories embedded in Itachi's mind and what better way to do it than for him to hear the sound of stabbed people? Okay, now that just sounds creepy. x.x