BlueStereo - I know, I know name change and where the hell have I been. I'm sorry I did my a level exams and started university this year and I just hate it so I'm back, nothing like writing a good lil number to make the days go faster eh. I don't own Naruto.
Chapter Twenty: Older Siblings Part One
Delicate eyelids fluttered open as the rays from the sun shone down; Hinata sighed lightly and turned over, groaning slightly at the feel of the cold bed besides her rather than the partner she knew had been besides her the previous night. Still half asleep her lip stuck out slightly and her eyebrows furrowed although her eyes had once more fallen shut.
It was the slightly dark chuckle and the opposing quiet and yet melodious laugh that caused her to freeze her position. She recognised at least the dark chuckle to be that of her bed mate however the other ... she sat up and gasped clutching at the silken covers as she saw that both her dear cousin and dear lover were watching her curious beginning to the day.
The two had obviously been speaking and had not been up for chatting for too long, although Itachi's side of the bed had cooled considerably; her cousin was in his nightwear which his soft locks brushing against his uncovered chest. She had never seen him look as relaxed as he did in that moment and she couldn't have been happier to see the moment that her serious cousin relaxed.
Once it seemed apparent that she was finally fully waking up the two young men nodded at each other respectably and then Neji left, not wanting to disturb the two now that his younger cousin had awakened. Itachi left his place and walked towards the young lady with a decisively evil look on his face.
Hinata barely had the time to react before her world was thrown into chaos, laughter bubbled up and flowed from her mouth as Itachi tickled her, it was so unlike the 'him' she had first met but she could easily see it being an action the old trouble free Itachi would have taken.
Once suitably punished, her torturer walked past her red faced, panting form and walked into the bathroom where he began to make the preparations for his bath by selecting his bath milk and setting the taps to a decent temperature before he began to fill the tub.
Hinata knew that as their holiday was coming to an end Itachi would want to see his siblings and in a strange way, so did she. She wanted to know everything there was to do with this strange, mysterious and yet completely captivating young man.
Soon after he had actually entered the tub Hinata, gathering her wits trudged in, recovered from her aching sides. She sat on the edge of the large corner bath and glared at the culprit who; when she realised hadn't noticed her enacted her revenge.
And so the foam war began,
Once again the room was filled with sounds of Hinata's shrieks of laughter and Itachi's chuckles as foam flew from opposing sides. The battle ended, with both sides losing valuable assets but Hinata just simply couldn't keep stoic at the amount of foam that coated Itachi's face regardless of the unimpressed expression he was adopting.
As they settled the mood grew sombre, the thoughts of what was still to come keeping hold of them both and not letting go. "This morning," she hesitated looking down at her devoured nail buds, she didn't want to cause trouble but at the same time, she wanted to support him the best way that she could. "Was everything alright? You seemed; you s-seemed troubled," she finished nervously.
Things may have been different but she was hyperaware that this was still Itachi she was dealing with, and although the mood had been light and friendly. He wasn't going to change overnight and the constant questioning may begin to get to him. Goodness knows enough people had questioned him.
"Jet and Yuuka ... it has been a long time since we've seen eachother and regardless of whether they are awake and well or not. Things won't be the same between us, I was never close to my family except Sasuke but before him; I had them but ..." he trailed off with a sigh.
Hinata stayed quiet.
It wasn't long before he began to speak again; speaking was all seemed to be doing these days. Explaining and exploring different things that had happened.
"Itachi, darling, just sit right there while mummy runs to grab her daily organiser from the kitchen, I'm pretty sure I had the silly thing at breakfast. Anyways don't touch any of mummy's things and keep quiet because daddy is working just next door and you don't want him to get mad if you get nosey!" Mikoto called absently as she lightly jogged out the room.
Itachi may have been extremely bright for his age but he was still a six year old child and he happened to be a six year old child with an exceedingly sweet tooth. He also happened to know that his mother kept a bowl of his favourite candies around here somewhere.
It was just a matter of finding them and eating them before she got back or he got caught.
As he bent down to rummage in the large cupboard by the wall he didn't notice the shadow overhanging and before he knew it, he was banging his poor head as he was lifted out of the cupboard by the back of his expensive shirt. Only to see the furious, disapproving face of his father.
"What is this? I come in to check for a few papers and I see a little weasel stealing from his own mother?" his dark eyes flashes dangerously and Itachi whimpered pathetically from where he dangled in his father's arms. Of all the things to happen, this would have been the one thing he hoped wouldn't.
He struggled to get down and stopped instantly when those flashing eyes darkened even more. He was dropped and his hand grabbed roughly, he barely had the chance to find his footing before he was being towed along like a misbehaving truck being taken away.
"That woman is way too soft on you boy! You show promise but promise alone isn't going to get you anywhere in life, you need to learn the harsh reality!" he snarled as he strode towards the backdoor, Itachi's little legs struggled to keep up but the imminent danger of being left outside; the one place his mother had forbidden him due to the large size seemed to leave him forgetting his struggles to keep up.
"You stay out here and see what it's like to fend for yourself with no mother or father to protect you. Maybe when you see how much you need us you will cease with this pathetic behaviour,"
The child was shoved outside and the door unceremoniously slammed behind him. Itachi called and shook the door but the large structure had been made to withstand fully trained intruders let alone a tiny child. When his strength tired, he sat down with his back to the door and pouted, trying hard to fight off the threat of tears.
He was six years old now, he was a boy and boys didn't cry like the girls at school did when their hair was pulled. So what he was locked outside, he hadn't been out there before, although he was the type that enjoyed staying inside during school playtime he couldn't deny that just sometimes feelings the wind in your hair and the sun on your face felt nice.
He stood up and stuck his tongue out at the door, glad that no one was there because obviously he would be punished. His father did not take kindly to that sort of subordination. He squinted to look around the large space but all that he could see was green and bursts of colours from plants carefully planted by the staff.
In the vague distance he felt the gaze of something ... of someone. He frowned to himself and began walking in that direction. He knew that their family had staff but funny enough he had never actually managed to meet any although he may have seen some in passing.
They never looked at him or smiled or even acknowledged that he was there. To feel that gaze ... it was different, as different as being outside in such a large space before. His mother had spoke worriedly about how dangerous it would be for him to go out there alone and that her wardrobe couldn't afford to be ruined by frolicking outside with her young son.
The closer he got to what he believed was the correct direction, the further from his house he was and soon some outhouses that he had only ever seen from inside the house, so small looking from the large windows and yet as they were moving closer and closer into his range of vision they weren't as small as they had appeared.
It was hot and he had no idea how long he had been out when he reached a small central point in the garden, a small fountain sat upon grassy cobblestones; spurting water from a dolphin tip. There stood a girl, older than him watching him with a strange smile and sat upon the fountain was a boy, reading.
Itachi blushed, overcome with a shy feeling and looked around for a place to hide but the pretty girl – she looked so much like him, he didn't understand – smiled and beckoned him over to her. Slowly, slowly he walked towards her. His mother had always told him to be careful of strangers but she wasn't that old and she was in his garden.
She couldn't be a stranger ... could she?
"Are you lost?" her voice was like an angel and Itachi grinned and ran the rest of the way to her. He was always desperately lonely in such a large house and with stifling parents, well his mother was kind but she was also a busy lady and she couldn't play with Itachi all the time. He had his baby brother, but he was still just a baby and Itachi wasn't allowed near him.
"No silly, I live here!" he proclaimed loudly, like the girl had just told him a funny joke or something,
The girl exchanged a look with the boy by the fountain. Itachi wasn't so sure how he felt about the boy; there was something strange about him. There was something strange about the whole situation and yet he didn't feel threatened by their presence, there was something familiar about them.
"You live here?" she asked again and he nodded,
"I'm Itachi Uchiha!" he beamed and she nodded as it all came together in her head. She didn't need to look at the other boy to know that he too understood the situation. This here was their younger half brother, well ... one of them but they didn't hold hope of ever meeting Sasuke.
When the silence dragged the little boy frowned, "You didn't tell me your name, mother says it isn't polite not to give your name when someone else offers theirs!" the girl giggled and the boy looked amused, Itachi pouted until the girl bent down so she could be on level with him, rather than looking down at him.
She knew that the poor boy would have got enough of that, living in that large house, with that man.
"I'm Yuuka and that boy is my brother Jet; he doesn't speak much so don't mind him." She frowned at a mark on the little boy's wrist caught her eye, "That's a nasty bruise there, did you fall?" she asked curiously. Jet's attention was also gathered by this comment.
Itachi looked down and shuffled his feet, he didn't like to talk about his bruises and his father didn't like it either. The repercussions for such a thing ... thankfully no one had ever asked and so he had never made the mistake of saying anything naughty.
He didn't want his father to get mad at him again. He was mad enough.
"I fell," he mumbled
Yuuka grabbed his chin and lifted it carefully with a soft smile that made his insides warm up.
"It's alright Itachi, I understand, I used to fall a lot too," she nodded when Itachi's eyes flew to look at Jet, just to make sure that he too either believed that he had 'fallen' or knew how he had fallen. The little boy shook his head from the moment and looked at both the two other older kids.
He may have been young but even he could see they looked alike. Sure while he had darker raven hair, Yuuka and Jet had a light shade, it was easier to see without the sun that their hair was not black. And their eyes were not as dark as his but a grey chalkish colour.
"Are you...?" he trailed off and Yuuka giggled again,
"My, you are a smart one aren't you Itachi," the little boy beamed at the praise, "Yes, Jet and I are you're siblings but we have a different mother to you and your brother, that's why we live down here. Don't you ever feel alone alright, we may not be with you but we love you and we know what you're going through," she hugged the little boy close to her chest.
He may not have understood what she was trying to warn him about but he could feel the emotion in her words and the warmth in her hug that she was sincere and did care about what happened to him. He felt safe with her, a feeling that was much too fleeting for a child such as he.
"So, you finally met him did you? Think you could poison him against me?" Itachi froze in his half sister's arms and began to tremble at the sound of the cruel voice. He didn't understand why his father seemed to be being so mean to him that day. Wasn't this what he had wanted?
Jet was standing in front of his half brother and dear sister within seconds; he knew the score of encounters such as this. He had not been a child for a long time; he knew what his so called father was capable of despite his title of being their primary carer. He may have convinced other than their mother's death was an accident but he knew better.
"He is just a boy, he doesn't understand what is happening here? Besides you were the one who tossed him out here of course we were going to communicate. Mikoto wouldn't let her darling son outside, forewarned by her 'caring' husband that their first born son may be hurt by the dangers in such a large estate" Yuuka's tone was no longer sweet and happy but dry and sarcastic.
Her arms had tightened around the child and her eyes had narrowed upon surveying this man. It broke her heart to know that she was going to have to give Itachi back to him, knowing what would happen to him inevitably, more and more falls especially as Sasuke grew older and become more and more cherished.
"Hand the boy over. This was all I wanted, for him to see what happens to those who aren't good children and do as their told. I'm sure this has been a learning curve for him now Itachi come here," Fugaku was no kind in his calling of the boy which of cause didn't win him the response he expected.
But he was only a child and there was always ways to get children to do what you wanted when they didn't understand how manipulation worked.
"If you don't come here Itachi you'll never see your brother and sister again, I'll make sure they have a terrible fall and go to the hospital like you did when you broke your arm. Your mother may also go away for a long time to punish you for being naughty! Naught boys don't get to have mother's," his sneer was particularly mean and his siblings didn't move especially when the little boy began to cry.
He didn't want them to get hurt; they had been nice to him. They had made him feel safe in his home and turned a scary situation into a friendly one. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt like he did or have to go to hospital and have to lie about what happened.
He pulled away from his sister, trying to see through his tears and yet not wanting to see her sad expression at his bravery. His little fist briefly squeezed at Jet's trousers before he stumbled towards his father. His mother had always said that if you cared about something, you had to protect it even if it hurt sometimes.
Fugaku grabbed the back of the little snot's collar and jerked him to one side, " Well this has been fun hadn't it, a lesson for us all I think. That I should never be disobeyed and that the repercussions would be more than any of you are willing to pay," he grinned before shoving his younger son forward and walking after him,
Leaving the young girl tearing and her brother gently grasping her shoulder.
" ... it seemed that my father hadn't wanted my mother to let me out so that she didn't find out about them. They lived in one of the large outhouses back there and they had done since my mother and father married. I didn't see them for so long after that but whenever I looked outside, I thought of them,"
Hinata was horrified, were none of his memories nice. Sure she had heard of people who had truly lived hellish lives but to finally meet someone who had seemed to have such a damned existence. It was, rather humbling for her; it made her thankful that she had people like her aunt who strove to stop bad things happening to people. Just the way she had by taking Hinata in and by attempting to help Itachi.
"I still don't know how they ever got round to leaving that place but when I next saw them, it was after the time I had got in with Deidara and the gang."
As Itachi finished his story he watched as Hinata had carefully absorbed all of what he said like she always did and he felt a pang of pain in his chest, soon he would have to make decision and he knew it would be hard!