The flood of alerts in my inbox was enough of a hint that it's working now... so with just a little more ado...
So um... yeah. I myself never having had to suffer a love triangle of this nature... have no solid idea on how one goes about being a prima donna when one finds out one has been lied to for several months straight. Of course... as you read on, clockwork puts down her own standpoint in the hope that it is a realistic one. Because the authoress can (sometimes) be a realistic person. Oh... and there is random crack. But that's to be expected.
Standard disclaimers apply and stick, like Teflon, or Gaara's mascara.
...clockwork and company proudly present:
Descent into Rapture, Chapter 26: To Rupture
Uchiha Kiyoshi had been caretaker of the Uchiha cemetery for many years. He knew many of those born Uchiha, and he was familiar with those who eventually died Uchiha. For six years, the fourteenth of this month bore witness to a dark figure, who would, from noon to sundown, watch over one particular gravestone. For six years, another shadow would stop by the gate, and with a shake of his head, Kiyoshi would send him away. For six years, the fifteenth of this month bore witness to a shadow, who would slink into the cemetery, and watch over the same marker, always with a bow of apology for being a day late.
This year though… this year, noon came and left, and the bright afternoon brought a crisp breeze, the promise of rain on the horizon, and Uchiha Itachi. And for once, Kiyoshi left him to give his respects to his parents in peace, while he left his little house at the base of the hill, gathered reinforcements, and set out to tame the sparse remains of winter's ravages on the other side of the cemetery. Reining growth while it was dead to the world was the easiest way to control it when it returned to life again.
It had crossed his mind that he might be bringing her to the gravesite, not exactly the most romantic of gestures, but Sasuke hadn't bothered to learn from the best. Continually set his trust up to be betrayed, but his life was at least less crowded. And if he were bringing Hinata here, what would it mean for the three of them? He really didn't know; that was the problem with the quiet ones. Never knew how they'd react once they moved past silence. But even with the thought that he might be destroying everything he'd done, everything Sasuke had been trying to be, everything Hinata thought she knew, he couldn't bring himself to care. What would happen would happen, and whoever was caught in the fall out was a rotten egg with rotten luck.
Sasuke had bought flowers and daifuku in attractive paper saucers and incense. She wondered if she should feel used when he wordlessly gave her her fragrant burdens. Treating her to lunch, idly telling bits and pieces about his parents; it all led up to this. Carrying the excessively expensive and exceedingly exquisite white blossoms for him so he didn't look so very feminine with velvet petals framing his face. She was not in this to make all the men in her life look better.
Someone had gotten there first. The headstone was clean, there was incense smoking in the marble urns and a bouquet laid before the gold leafed characters, and a very intent Uchiha Itachi kneeling before his handiwork.
"Itachi." Sasuke's whisper was automatic, as if he didn't quite know what to do now.
Itachi's head turned in response to the sudden tension, and the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Otouto. You're late."
Itachi really did have an automatic reflex to say something cutting in any situation. Unfortunately it seemed he'd reflexed before he should have.
It was seconds later that his vision expanded to notice Hinata.
Hinata looked from Itachi to Sasuke, and suddenly noticed exactly how similar the two looked when they were both fighting surprise and other emotions to keep a stoic mask on. It really couldn't be helped. She dropped the lilies in her arms and burst into laughter. If it took on a hysterical quality, well it couldn't really be avoided.
"This is it? This is the secret that everyone has been trying to hint at and conceal? You're brothers?!" She brought her hands to her face and her fingers came away wet. Neither Uchiha quite knew what to do with an unstable heiress, so neither did anything. Her next words brought them out of expressionless shock and into… more shock, not concealed nearly so well.
"That's it? That's the big fucking secret? I don't get it." Her voice rose in pitch. There was far too much frustration, cruel irony, confusion and resentful helplessness in her to verbalize anything she could say to either of them. If anything she just wanted a storm to break so that she could scream without anyone hearing. She'd been losing sleep over a family's choice in heirs. Her family had been pussyfooting around something so trivial, so pointless. What did it matter that Uchiha Sasuke stood to take everything that by traditional right should be…
"This has never really been about me. Your little testosterone matches have all been because fratricide is no longer an acceptable way to inherit daddy's farm? I don't believe… Actually I do. Family." She spat the last word out, she had an audience, she might as well play to them. She had an internal warning that the hiccupping sobs of the dramatic and incoherent were going to start. "There is something very wrong with the world when the controlling 30 per cent of wealth can agree amongst themselves to do this with people's lives. And there's something wrong with all of us for letting them." The goddess of good timing allowed her to finish her sentence before the shaking started. And the weeping.
Both brothers made a move to do something, they weren't quite sure what, offer her a handkerchief, put an arm around her shoulders, something vaguely resembling comfort. However wet grey eyes pinned them to their places.
"This entire thing is so stupid. I hate—" she caught herself. Even in an uncharacteristic outburst she couldn't bring herself to say something so… absolute. She didn't hate them, didn't hate her family. She was too weak to keep a flame that hot alive, didn't have it in her to declare a cold war against the all the people who had a hand in her upbringing.
What could any of them do in Uchiha affairs? Those who stood to inherit were nothing but pawns, she knew that, lived it every single day of her life. If the Uchiha family decided something, there was no single family member that could argue, and no one was ever bold enough to ally themselves to fight a system that wasn't yet broken. And with that realization all the anger fled her, leaving her drained and resigned.
"I hate that anyone thinks this necessary." She resumed more calmly, kneeling to pick up the bouquets from the cold marble. "I apologize. I shouldn't have lost it in a place of peace. Where did you want these, Sasuke?"
She thrust the displays into his arms without waiting for an answer. She didn't know what she was going to do, but so long as she did it away from here, it would work for now.
Of course it's very difficult to get very far when the keys to your escape vehicle are in the pocket of the shell shocked fiancé (one of two) you have just strode away from in a determined manner that implies you will not look back, and if you even think of turning around, any god paying attention will rain sulfur and small yapping dogs down on your miserable shell of existence.
So it really was no surprise that once she had reached the bottom of the path, having managed not to break any bones while stalking down the worn granite steps, that she had nowhere to go. She couldn't tell if she had been in this place before, everything was cold grey stone. She was lost, she still had tear tracks running down her face, there wasn't an oven in sight, and nothing that she wouldn't feel bad about beating up violently. Including the hunched over man sweeping debris off grave plots. She noted the wicked looking shears and the lack of the usual gifts resting on the ground and surmised he must be the caretaker.
"E-excuse me?" she
tried hesitantly, wiping at her face, hoping her make up didn't
smudge too horribly
Well… fuck. He didn't notice the packages in his hands had fallen out of suddenly numb fingers.
"That was fun." Itachi stared down at the curling wisps of incense.
"By your definition, maybe." Where in hell would she be able to go now? He ought to at least see her home safely; she could take it out of him later. Or her family could while she protested half heartedly.
Itachi watched as Sasuke left without another word, uncaring of the powdered sugar on his shoes, or the scent of flowers being crushed by the inexorable force of gravity. He wondered if he ought to feel guilty for paying the dead more care than the very much alive woman who had let go of the bottled emotions that had exploded over them. But she had Sasuke… and Sasuke had left him with a mess. Itachi wasn't used to taking care of Sasuke's messes, but today, today he'd be a good older brother, and his parents' son. He picked up the small brush and began cleaning again, mixing sugar with ashes before casting them both away.
If I were a very distraught woman, where would I go? For comfort is the obvious answer. The real question was where would she find that comfort? He didn't think she'd call her friends or family, she wasn't the type who wanted her precious people to see her miserable. And if he did call her cousin, or god forbid, her sister, and she hadn't said anything, well he could reasonable expect to be force-fed his toes.
She was still in the cemetery, and most likely trying to stay as far away from their plot as she could.
Hanabi sneezed lightly. Gaara stilled his hand and asked after her health expressionlessly.
"Haku, stop shoving!" came the hushed hiss.
"I can't believe you two are doing this." It was a growl that had on several occasions brought men to their knees.
"Oh shush, Zabs, you make us sound so immature."
"Zabs?" Ino choked, momentarily forgetting where she was before recovering herself. "Where the hell did you—?"
"SHH!" Haku snapped as quietly as he could. "I'm still in shock from witnessing this."
"I'm leaving. Voyeurism is such a dirty feeling."
"We are not!" "Don't be so mean!"
The two remaining shifted positions to get more comfortable.
"Think they'll kill us if they find out we were here?"
"Well, they might kill you. I think I can outrun them."
"I'd be more worried about your girlish good looks if Hanabi managed to catch you."
"True. Well, if we stayed at the Club, we might survive. Tsunade would kill them and beat our remains if she had to pay to get bloodstains out of the floors."
The occupants of the room had no idea their 'bonding' session had witnesses. They were far too involved in their current activities.
"Spades."
"Why do you always get the useful hands?"
"I believe in the heart of the cards."
"We're playing Crazy Eights."
Sasuke had been looking everywhere. He didn't remember half the names on the headstones he passed, all he knew was that he couldn't find the navy blue figure he had arrived with. He knew he wasn't supposed to be straining himself, he was recovering still, but he was panicked and maybe concerned for her wellbeing, and he couldn't find her anywhere. He'd checked the discreet benches on the way to the farther gravesites. He'd checked the parking lot several times; he was just about ready to give up until he remembered that he hadn't seen Kiyoshi while he'd run around like a headless chicken. It was a very close to defeated Uchiha Sasuke who knocked on the door, and an unsurprised Uchiha Kiyoshi who opened it. Hinata was sitting at the small table with a cup of tea; the pungent scent filled the room. She looked up at him, and her eyes widened.
"Sasuke, what on earth did you do to yourself?" Her eyes focused on the ragged tears on his hand as she stood to pull him inside.
He looked down, finally associating the stinging in his hand with his stumble. He had grabbed at a tree to keep from landing face first in a headstone. The tree hadn't appreciated it.
"I tripped." He didn't feel like elaborating on his bout with an overgrown shrubbery.
"Are you alright?" The two questions collided and hung in the air heavily.
It had been a long time since Kiyoshi had had taken care of people that weren't six feet under, but he couldn't recall anything quite so awkward as these two. But the girl would be good for the Uchiha family, he could tell that much.
/end DiR 26. And there you have it. So it took me three months. I blame life. And an ADD muse. You would not believe how much stuff I got done in other fics, fics that shan't be posted till one of the current works finally ends. Of course, because I wasn't doing homework... bad things may have happened to my grades. Oops. Bad math major, no cookie for you.
I'll have fled the country by the time you get down to this note, and I hope, if you have anything to say about this chapter, it will be constructive and helpful towards the off chance I have to do another similar scene. Otherwise I'll not be bothering to put down my froofy drink.
Let's do Review Responses (yes clockwork is sporadic and inconstant. Like a function of... Never mind.)
Isane: I do us both a favor by updating. Peace of mind, lack of mob; good things. So glad you enjoy my little behemoth, I know how it feels to be a picky reader. And the Sakura bashing is indeed subjective, and I felt the need for a villain. Of course, my non inclusion of her of late may or may not be indicative of... something.
redoxequilibria: Yay math. In principle fate is just the outcome with the highest probability. So fair coin or not, something happens.
a'tompic-pom: I hope I write like a third year in college (!! don't remind me). Yay, increasing fanbase!
Blue Quartz Foxy: I already thanked you. But thank you again. And by the way, writing your SS gift was fun.
Thank you everyone else for your support and manic pleading for updates. clockwork appreciates them and hopes you continue to enjoy Descent into Rapture.
If you are unsure, please do look up the meaning of a 'scalene triangle' it might tell you where this is going. And if, but I hope not, you're only in this for the pairing, you can get out now, while there's still time.
:end of final message: