From a young age Sasuke cared for nothing but fulfilling his destiny; to seek revenge for the death of his fallen family and restore their honour and eventually reinstate the dwindling number of one. Admittedly the opposite sex was not at the top of his agenda, they merely lingered in his blindside whilst he ventured closer to his ultimate goal. When his mind would quiet down and the vengeful thoughts would finally give him a moment of respite he would often ponder what life would bring to his feet should his revenge finally be completed.
Would he live a normal life? Fall in love and raise a family like his parents had in their youth? Would he even be capable of love after living through such hate and turmoil? Would he go back to Konoha and turn over a new leaf or go elsewhere where no one knew of him or his past? He knew it would take a particularly strong leap of faith for him to return to Konoha after all the battles that had incurred between them, but he knew deep down it was where his roots were. They were so embedded in the earth that it would take a cataclysmic event to uproot them and bring them to the light.
But in the turn of events that he found himself in, had the ability to rip out the rotten and decayed family roots and give him the chance to spread the seeds of his history afresh, to give the Uchiha name new roots in which they could ground themselves once more. Yet it wasn't his own seed that would be the first to be planted, it would be that of his brother's unborn child. It was obvious from a young age that Itachi was a paternal person, it was in his nature to care and nurture those around him: especially him; Itachi was practically a father to him in the times when his own father was not on the scene.
However this time it would be him who would look after Itachi and that meant looking after Reina and her unborn child as well.
"You're going to be alright." Sasuke murmured lowly from his place kneeling before Reina whose eyes were wide with unshed tears. Reina stared back at Sasuke, the realisation of her situation finally beginning to show as her snowy façade began to crack and weeks of bottled emotions finally unleashed themselves. Hugging her knees Reina buried her face into her arms and wept an inundation of salty tears streaming down her face whilst muffled cries passed her lips. How could she not have seen the signs? The fatigue, the vomiting, the Datsue-ba's riddles and how could she have overlooked their single night of intimacy? It all added up. She was carrying the child of Itachi Uchiha, who somewhere, was oblivious; he was oblivious to both her and Sasuke attempting to rescue him and oblivious to the fact he could be a father.
Wearily Sasuke sat eased himself from the floor and beside Reina, wrapping an arm around her fragile form with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed. He was never one to comfort those in need, he merely thought them as weak an pitiful and unworthy of his acknowledgement; but this time around was different, the young woman beside him was his family, and was carrying his possible niece or nephew. It was in this time that he would prove to himself that he was capable of turning a new leaf.
Initially Reina flinched at his tenderness something she thought he had forgotten about; but before long she warmed to his touch sitting up from her foetal position and leaning into his arms grateful for the comfort. Sasuke held Reina close, she cradled against his chest as she continued to sob quietly; if he could do one good deed for his brother then it would be to keep Reina safe. Cradling her protectively Sasuke held her close, the quiet cries eventually coming to a halt before nothing but their hushed breathes filled the air.
"I promise you, I'll keep you safe." He murmured soundlessly, his thumb idly caressing her shoulder gently; occasionally hiccupping Reina smiled slightly, inhaling and calming herself as she closed her eyes for a brief moment of solace. The brief moment was exactly that: brief. Reina breathed in before relinquishing her hold on the young raven's shirt and wiping away the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Sasuke sat wordlessly and watched as the young heiress composed herself once more, her honey eyes now slightly puffy and red; she exhaled deeply and sent a grateful smile his way before tearing her eyes from his to her stomach.
"Arigatou Sasuke. I…I promise I won't be a burden."
And she was true to her word.
From that point on the minor crack in the pale kunoichi's façade was not mentioned and the brief glimmer of the raven haired shinobi's humanity was forgotten about. The pair ventured on through the dense forest, every tree wilted and dying around them. Considering that Yomi was an extension of the living world, it was obvious that no life lingered here; if it had, then the lurking demons and vengeful spirits took sadistic pleasure in snuffling it out as quickly as it came. Everywhere radiated death, from the eerie almost greyscale sky to the foliage that clung to the skeletal like cicadas. Nothing stood a chance so the pair's hopes of returning unscathed were faltering with each step they took deeper into Yomi. Yet by some stroke of uncanny fate the way to shinzui no besshi was signposted. Was it some cruel trick or an even crueller pitfall of a trap?
There was only one way to find out.
The stone ridden road that led to the shinzui no besshi was surprisingly crowded; the recently humiliated deceased trudging along like pigs to the slaughter. Some comforted one another, attempting to regain their dignity which was lost at the riverside; whereas others simply walked on oblivious to their disgruntled forms. They all wore plain white yukatas, previous statuses of wealth and power lost amidst the sea of seemingly endless white. No, they were equal now no earthly possessions or birth rights separated them. They were the dead. They were the damned.
However amongst the crowd of snowy faces and yukatas, one strand of colour stood out brightly like a rose amongst thorns. There in the congregation was the indenture thread the same one that had shone so vividly back at the Sanzu River; Reina eyed the thread before turning to Sasuke.
"It's him, I can feel it." She murmured.
"Me too. Let's go." Pushing their way through the crowds the shinzui no besshi that was once so small in the distance began to grow bigger and taller until, before long, it towered above them like one of the grand palaces of the Daimyo Lords. But the actual enclosure was far from grand; in fact it was the complete opposite. No awe of grandeur filled the air like one would expect it to, instead only the foul stench of excrement stung their nostrils as the residing occupants emptied their somewhat archaic chamber pots from their windows. Yet it wasn't merely that odour that made their nostrils sting; standing guard at the enclosure gate was the most horrifying oni they had ever seen.
As if the Datsue-ba had not humiliated the dead enough the guarding oni was picking shiryō at random tarnishing their immaculate kimonos with sludge from its body, so potent some vomited without warning then the oni would laugh, its cackles as loud as thunder. Despite its gluttonously gelatine form the oni was far from harmless looking; its body almost covered the entire archway some shiryō having to fight their way through its slimy form when it refused to move out of the way. Those who were forced to fight their way through resembled flies in a spider's web when they entered the body of the beast, they lashing out violently to free themselves from the sticky substance.
Depending on the temperament of the oni some would pass freely whilst others disappeared into nothingness, dissolving away when the oni decided not to let them go. The sight before Reina and Sasuke made their stomachs churn with a sense of uneasiness.
"We're going to have to find another way in, we can't risk facing that thing." Reina whispered lowly, inclining her head towards the bankside that was shadowed by the forest. Sasuke nodded holding onto the hilt of his sword as they slipped away into the darkness of forest as quickly as they came. The grass crunched softly beneath their shoes as winter's breath crystallised the greenery with ice. The air was chillier than when they had first ventured into Yomi; Reina revelled inwardly relishing the ironically beautiful scenery around them. She was a winter child through and through and it would seem if her workings out were correct that her child would be of the summer- just like their father and uncle.
Sasuke noted the discreet look of sentimentality that graced the young kunoichi's face, fully comprehending why his brother had fallen for her in the first place. She was a half written book, he could read so much about her then even with his eyes she remained an enigma. He found himself speaking without realising wanting to know why such an expression had found its way onto her freckled features when surrounded by such a dire environment.
"What's with the look?" He murmured before he had a chance to stop his disobedient tongue; Reina paused, broken from her thoughts an almost timid smile creeping onto her increasingly bashful face.
"Oh, it's…it's nothing, merely untimely sentiments. Anyway, the enclosure wall is ahead, we're best doing this with no chakra, the more we use it the more it attracts those seeking a feed…" She uttered quietly, her eyes scrutinising the area as if the surrounding cretins were eavesdropping, which she knew was highly likely. The beings that existed in Yomi craved to feel alive once more, to feel that almost ethereal sensation flourish in their empty carcasses. They longed to feel something, anything whatsoever opposed to that of insatiable hunger alongside mind-numbing nothingness.
Disparate to the qi that flowed around the living form, upon meeting the hand of death the natural quantity of existing light qi begins to expire, it slowly but surely being replaced with that of dark qi, the quintessentially ironic life-force of the dead. The recently deceased find themselves fighting against yet another egg timer as their bodies act as a chemical catalyst unwillingly, they oblivious to the fact that when the final essence of their former qi diminishes and is replaced by that of dark qi, they are irrevocably marooned in Yomi for eternity. That is the reason the oni and passing monsters are so intrigued by that of brief glimmers of light qi, it as enticing and addictive to that of earthly, human cravings. It was for that reason they had to remain undetected, she had learned that much from her last visit; plus they had to ensure Itachi did not reduce his chakra and trap himself unwittingly.
It was why they had to act fast.
Silently the pair scoured the wall line before both took a run up to the wall, with ease they scaled the concrete barrier; using the momentum from the run up Sasuke scaled ahead leaping forward resembling a cat leaping from one roof to another. He caught the rail of the second storey walkway effortlessly, pulling himself over the small wooden fence and onto the planked walkway that covered the entire upper level; the building itself consisted of three blocks that resembled a straight edged 'C'. Reina too scaled the first barrier with the same ease, she just as feline as the younger Uchiha; but she did not make the second story so easily. From the brief moment that she leapt from the outer fence towards the second she disappeared from sight, glimmering away like a candlewick being extinguished.
Sasuke instantly drew his sword, his eyes flaring crimson instinctively as they flickered about in search of the gold orbed kunoichi; it was in the same split second that he felt a gush of cool breeze hit the back of his neck. Turning quickly his eyes widened at the sight before him, there mere paces away stood someone he had not seen nor thought of since he was a child; it was that same person who was the cause for the young heiress' sudden disappearing act.
"You should know better than to let a lady in her state climb a building Sasuke-kun." The dark haired male crooned somewhat teasingly as he smiled that forever heart-warming smile, Reina tucked neatly in his arms like a newly wedded bride. Immediately the scarlet bled away from Sasuke's eyes, his now onyx orbs depicting shock and disbelief; he knew where he was and had been told what to expect, but his first encounter of the deceased had caught him off guard, the situation surreal and unfamiliar to him.
"Sh…Shisui?" Sasuke whispered dumbfounded, his brows knitted together as they betrayed his usual stoic mask; Shisui's smile widened as he nodded, a low chuckle rumbling down his throat and to his chest. Reina stared up at the male holding her, his speed and precision stunning her to silence; she had heard of his abilities in her younger years, rumours of his ability spreading like wildfire. She herself had never had the fortune of meeting him before his suspicious and untimely demise but she knew from people who had encountered him that he was a dedicated and loving soul, one who would sacrifice himself for his loved ones without the slightest hesitation.
In many ways he resembled Itachi, even his physical appearance reminded her of him, down to the finer details of his form such as the feminine almost androgynous allure of his eyes, his lashes as dark as the irises that they framed. It was then she was shaken from her thoughts, his words suddenly bringing her back to reality.
"My state?" Reina questioned dazedly as she stared up at the curly haired male, her arm swathed around his shoulder as he supported her small form easily. Shisui grinned lopsidedly at the pair like a Cheshire cat who knew something they did not; Sasuke frowned unsure as to whether he was referring to her semi-ghoulish state, or her delicacy of early motherhood.
"Do you really think you can sneak in here with a bun in the oven and people won't notice?" Shisui murmured amusedly, his smile widening at the sheer look of horror that had spread onto Reina's face as if her deepest, darkest secret had been publically announced. In a sense it had, at that given time only she and Sasuke knew of her affair, even then the validity of her reasoning still needed to be proved.
"H-how do you know that? Y-you couldn't possibly…" Reina stuttered as she attempted to wriggle free from his arms, a bubble of anxiety simmering away in her stomach. Shisui's grin softened into that of a tender smile as he complied with her unsettledness and placed her carefully down onto her feet. What little colour that had returned to her pallid cheeks left as quickly as it came, they now resembling the snowdrops that inhabited the surrounding forest.
"You have two chakra signatures Reina-chan. You have your own…well not your own chakra since that is technically merged with Itachi's; but then there is another, given it is faint but it is there none the less." Shisui murmured gently as not to startle the obviously already shaken young woman before him; Sasuke watched almost incredulously as Shisui explained, he concentrating on Reina's chakra signature to find the elder male's words true. There ebbing somewhat rhythmically in her lower abdomen was a separate chakra, it flowing in sync with that of her own. Reina stared down at her stomach, she placing a hand on the small bump that could be easily mistaken for bloating; disbelievingly her eyes flickered back and forth from her stomach to Shisui who merely continued to smile both through his eyes and lips.
"Come, Itachi will be back soon. You obviously have a lot to talk about." Silently Shisui inclined his head, motioning for them to follow him, his casualness unnerving the muted pair; he was acting like their meeting was normal, like they were back in the real world and not that of the afterlife. After conferring with one another momentarily Sasuke and Reina followed suit along the walkway, conspicuous glances peeped out from closed over doors watching as they, the living, mocked them unintentionally.
The walk was short, before long they found themselves debating to go into the small apartment that Shisui stood outside, his hand extended motioning for them to enter. Was Itachi already inside? If he were, did he know they were here? Or had their presence merely been gone noticed by Shisui? So many questions had arisen silently in such a short space of time; the main question that Sasuke wished answered was that of Shisui's presence in the company of the recently deceased. Shisui smiled once again able to spot the inner conflict of an Uchiha a mile away as he shut the door behind them, they all now residing in a cramped apartment.
"I came for your brother Sasuke-kun. The afterlife can be a lonely and cold place at first, sometimes all one can wish for is a familiar face to help with the transition. However something tells me that I may have travelled a wasted journey…" Shisui murmured slyly as he positioned himself on one of the futon cushions that surrounded the low slung table. Reina's eyes widened as she stood staring at Shisui a sudden wave of nausea crashing over her body; the reality of her situation once again had caught her off guard sending her into an almost catatonic state knowing that Itachi could walk through the doors at any given moment.
She was lost for words.
Sasuke stared up at the silent kunoichi from his place beside Shisui, he knew it was a lot to take in all at once and given her circumstances and recent confirmation of her pregnancy he knew it had taken a toll on her. Shisui stood silently and grasped Reina's forearm gently, like she were a startled animal he carefully guided her to the adjacent room, unadorned shoji screens dividing the two quarters. Sasuke watched wordlessly from his floored position observing how Shisui, forever loving in his actions, aided her to a tattered futon where once there seemed to whisper words of comfort to the doe eyed girl, her orbs now glossed over with tears.
It somewhat boggled him how the current events could make a person scale from one end of the emotional spectrum to another; they experiencing such powerful sentiments that renders them either blind with rage or overwhelmed with anxiety of future happenings. They had experienced so many emotions in the span of a day or two that he realised he had forgotten what half of them felt like to undergo. If anything he partially commended the young woman for wearing her heart on her sleeve, for allowing her inhibitions to become public knowledge as it was in some way a brave thing to do. On the other hand he knew this could also be a hindrance as people could then read you like an open book and use the given information against you without the slightest hesitation.
"Shisui…thank you." Reina whispered softly as she squeezed the elder Uchiha's hand gratefully; he returned the gesture silently sending an encouraging smile her way before leaving her to gather her thoughts, closing the screen door over slightly behind him. Sasuke watched the curly haired shinobi carefully noting his still youthful and seemingly lifelike appearance despite how the years had passed; resuming his place beside Sasuke, Shisui's smile faded from his lips, a serious tone now lingering on his face. Sasuke waited patiently for his elder relative to speak knowing that when he was ready and had found the right words he would do.
"I assume you have come to know the truth behind your brother's actions Sasuke-kun, so I feel that you should know a further truth…" Shisui's expression merely darkened as the words began to leave his mouth, each one so familiar to the words of his brother's story; each one had made a momentous sacrifice in their short time on earth, but despite the immaturity of their actual ages, both Shisui and Itachi had shown great maturity and had dealt with things that no child, shinobi or not, should have to go through. In one instance Sasuke felt his stomach drop as Shisui's syntax continued to speak of bloodshed and betrayal but on the other hand his stomach would twist and simmer with an unbridled anger at knowing what his hometown had done to his family.
"But you see Sasuke-kun, we chose our own fate. We chose to disappear like ships in the night because it was what we thought best. Neither of us wanted to leave you, you were so small and hot-headed, even now you're still the same child who would once cling to me. It's just that now that child has seen so much hatred and chaos that they are lost. But now? In this very instance? You have the opportunity to allow that child to have a second shot at being part of a family…a clan; and the odds are that it may not ever present itself again…" Shisui finished, his dark orbs staring into Sasuke's, it unnerved him a little, to see the usually happy go-lucky Uchiha so stern and sombre. He averted his eyes feeling like a child again, like the child Shisui spoke of, the younger version of himself; he was so conflicted inside, all these years he had willingly eaten the lies that had been fed to him that he knew no other way than darkness.
Without him realising tears had fell from his eyes, leaving silvery like trails down his porcelain cheeks; like a bystander Shisui watched as years of conflict brewed and battled in the orbs of his younger relative. In the past Itachi and Sasuke had been like brothers to him, they had done everything together, they were their own little family, them against the rest of the world. It was not often in the world that a second chance presented itself to people, but the situation that Shisui found himself involved in was something he was not going to allow to pass by freely. Itachi had a second chance at life, to be the brother and role model Sasuke needed in the past few years but also to pursue another opportunity; he had the chance to pursue his own happiness and even in the brief time he had been in Yomi with him, it was evident that the young kunoichi that lay sleeping in the other room was the source of happiness he wished he could have had.
"When your brother enters? Don't be so proud Sasuke-kun, pride and Uchiha's do not bode well." Shisui smiled, the sombreness that once enraptured his face having dispersed and replaced with that of a familiar warmness. Sasuke stared at his elder incredulously once more, the conflict still simmering away whilst an almost butterfly sensation began to fizzle alongside it. As if on cue the door knob rattled before the door swung open revealing a white kimono clad Itachi, his headband nowhere to be seen; the items that occupied Itachi's arms instantly clattered to the floor the space that they once occupied now replaced with that of a crying Sasuke.
"S-Sasuke?" Itachi uttered in disbelief, his arms immediately enclosing around his brother tightly, relishing the closeness; Sasuke held his brother as humanely possible as he could, his face buried into the crook of his neck whilst saline droplets continued to fall from his eyes. Shisui grinned sentimentally from across the room, relishing the embrace and silent forgiveness between the pair; Itachi stared at Shisui, the shock still etched deeply onto his dark features.
"Nii-san I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Sasuke sobbed quietly, his voice cracking with the pure emotion that oozed from them both; Itachi's eyes no longer able to hold back the tears allowed the floodgates to open, his own cheeks stained with the salty dews as he buried his own face into his brothers messy dark locks. The pair merely held one another for a few moments, it being the first time in nearly a decade that they had shared a sentimental moment and been in such close proximity.
"Sasuke what…what are you doing here?" Itachi murmured softly holding his brother at arm's length; Sasuke wiped the tears with the flat of his hand, clearing his throat before meeting his brother's dubious gaze- he felt like a child again whenever his brother looked at him like that, like he had to tell the truth no matter what.
"We've come to take you back. You don't belong here." Sasuke began.
"We?" Itachi asked, his stomach knotting up with a familiar feeling; then he saw it, the thin twine of chakra around his wrist, it leading off towards the small bedroom. Sasuke watched a number of emotion flicker across his brother's face, their usual façades rendered useless for once; Shisui too watched Itachi intrigued by how his friend will react to the sleeping beauty next door. Itachi stepped silently towards the door, the thread around his wrist flaring up and shining brighter the closer he got. Laying a hand on the partially opened screen he peered inside, his eyes widening at what they saw; in that instance it felt like his heart had crawled from the depths of his stomach up into his throat where it thumped and took his breath away.
The other two males watched inquisitively having ever only known of his love for Sasuke, his family and Konoha; silently Itachi slid the screen door open closing it equally as mutely behind him, the breath that he had unknowingly been holding passing his now dry and parched lips. His eyes could not leave Reina's sleeping form, despite it being a mere few days that the pair had said their final farewells, it felt like an entire lifetime ago. He closed the distance between them, the thread flaring up with a human like excitement as the pair grew closer to being reunited once more; with each step that he took he could feel his own chakra reach out for hers, it resembled a sensation of butterflies in his stomach along with widespread goosebumps.
Taking the space next to the futon Itachi found himself smiling without realising as his eyes drank her in once more, this time more in awe of her than previously. Reina's breathes were soft and quiet, somewhat peaceful despite the emotional turmoil that ran through her thoughts; her dark locks contrasted against the lightness of futon, they like ink running on pale rice paper. Idly Itachi twisted a strand of her hair around his fingers his thoughts frivolously fading back to their one night together back at the oasis; he remembered how her hair had clung to her damp skin whilst the smile never left her lips or eyes.
Gently he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, he noting how the rosiness of her freckled flesh had returned since he last saw her; upon their skin making contact a spark reignited between the pair, their chakras rejoicing silently whilst sending a wave of hair-raising impulses throughout their bodies. Reina's breath hitched behind her parted lips, her dark lashes fluttering open as the sensation rushed around her body; once again honey melted into cocoa as they stared at one another wordlessly. It didn't take long before Reina was in his arms having somehow found her way onto his lap; Itachi breathed her scent in, his face buried deep in her dark chocolate locks. Reina clung to Itachi, one hand nestled in his own raven locks whilst the other rested between his shoulders; to her he smelled the exact same, he radiated the same warmth and comfort whilst to him she reminded him of spring protruding from the harsh winter, the respite he so long yearned for.
Shisui watched like a child from his place at the cracked screen door, a wide smile plastered on his own pale features at seeing the hushed elation that exuded from his childhood companion. Before long tears were rolling down the young heiress' cheeks but they were not like the tears that she had previously shed, no, these tears were that of joy and gratitude of being reunited with the one she loved. Shisui's smile only widened further at hearing Itachi laugh, admittedly it was a quiet laugh, but it was an expression of happiness he had wished his friend to experience for the longest of times. Itachi too smiled, but it was a quiet smile to that of Shisui's gleeful one, Itachi's smile shone both in his eyes and danced on his lips before they were captured in one fell swoop.
Shisui watched before sliding the door shut; the tale of how Izanagi had battled through the underworld to find his beloved Izanami to bring her back to the land of the living instantly springing to mind, however it was in this instance that the roles had been reversed.
He simply hoped this tale had a happier ending.