The Insidious Effects of Love

Chapter 26: Torment

"You guys knew Kabuto before he was with Orochimaru? And he had a sister?" Hinata was shocked as she looked at both Uchiha's face.

"Yes, they were orphans and my father allowed them to stay with the clan. We grew up together actually." Itachi said solemnly.

Sasuke added, "That's why Kabuto turned to Orochimaru. For revenge against Itachi, it eventually grew and spread to the entire Uchiha Clan."

"What happened between you guys?" Hinata asked confused. She needed to know what happened.

"She was also a part of Anbu." Itachi began. "In Anbu . . . when someone is hurt during a mission and can't go on . . ."

"You have to kill them." Sasuke concluded. "The village can't afford for them to be found, tortured, and expose the village secrets."

"Oh," Hinata said softly. She peered up at Itachi and felt terrible for him. He was forced to end a friend's life for the sake of the village. How many more times will he sacrifice himself for Konaha?

"At first, Kabuto blamed himself. Before the mission he got into a fight with his sister. Kabuto always had anger issues, so he attacked her and managed to injure her. They always got into arguments like that." Sasuke explained.

"I told her to sit out on the mission," Itachi continued. "But she wouldn't listen . . . she was mortally wounded and I had to end . . . her life."

"Of course, Anbu can't disclose that information to the public, but then Kabuto learned how she really died. He assumed Mika was killed by the enemy, but he realized Itachi was the one who killed her." Sasuke sighed. "Probably Orochimaru told him in his efforts to recruit Kabuto."

Hinata remained silent as she thought things over.

"If Mika's really alive, wouldn't Kabuto know? It is Orochimaru's village, Kabuto would have known Mika was there." Sasuke told Itachi.

"Indeed, if he knew she was alive this entire time, he wouldn't feel the need to avenge her." Itachi thought out loud.

"A clone." Hinata blurted out. "He must have cloned her. He was able to clone himself! He must have a clone back at the village."

"If that's the case, we are basically dealing with another Kabuto." Sasuke groaned.

"So all of Orochimaru's plans . . .?" Hinata asked.

"Still in effect." Itachi ended.

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Sasuke sighed as he walked back home with his brother beside him. "Why can't that prick stay dead?" he muttered to himself.

"You need to be more careful Sasuke," Itachi warned. "You will be targeted soon."

'Soon? More like now,' Sasuke inwardly scoffed as he thought about those faceless men. At least now he knew the source and didn't have to think he was slowly losing his mind. He was about to open his mouth and mention them but Itachi continued speaking.

"And Hinata, she needs to be careful as well. Especially now that her curse seal has been removed. She had it longer than you so it immensely effected her when it was forcibly removed."

"Hinata? Why would Kabuto bother to target Hinata?" Sasuke scoffed. "He only even paid attention to her because Orochimaru needed her."

Itachi sighed. "You can't be this dense Sasuke,"

Sasuke turned to him, slightly annoyed. "What?"

"Hinata and I are seeing each other."

"Makes sense, since you both already plotted to kill me." Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes.

Itachi chuckled. "Plotted to kill you? That's a stretch, don't you think?"

"Plotted to kill me, plotted to have a psychopath take over my body," Sasuke listed, "Same difference really."

"Is there something else you want to add?" Itachi asked sarcastically as he ruffled Sasuke's hair while walking past him.

Sasuke smirked, "I just hope you're happy nii-san." he said as they finally reached the gates to their home. "And we need a new car. I'm tired of walking."

Itachi laughed again, "Get your own car or take a cab."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Itachi opened the gates and they continued walking down the pathway. "Wow, I never thought of that, no wonder you're the prodigy in the family."

"Why do you expect me to buy you a car?"

"You know, as a gift . For the whole childhood trauma you put me through. 'Hey Sasuke I'm going to let you think I murdered our clan, fast forward 5 years, JK I was framed'." Sasuke explained. "It will be less of a sting if there was a car thrown in."

"I'm sure." Itachi replied dryly when they finally made it inside their house. "I'm going to take a shower but will be leaving soon."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, feeling nausea creep through his body.

"I still need to report to the president about my mission." Itachi explained.

"Oh, well how long will that take?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Probably a couple of hours since this concern Orochimaru. Why?"

"I just . . ." Sasuke didn't understand why he was having trouble with this. Why was he holding back? "It's nothing, just wondering what you were going to say."

"I'm going to tell them the truth," Itachi said as he began walking to his room. "We need all the help we can get to get rid of Orochimaru's last legacy. Then we'll be free."

"Yeah, ok." Sasuke replied as Itachi left him alone in the living room. Not knowing what to do with himself, Sasuke decided to just go to his room. They ate at Ichi's so he wasn't hungry. He was tired, but didn't want to take a nap. He hadn't slept in a couple of days . . . he felt like he was going crazy.

Maybe he should attempt sleep, but every time he did, something happened.

Sasuke decided to chance it and lay down on his bed. He didn't understand why he was so perplexed. Maybe because some part of him didn't think it was real. Every time he somehow escaped being captured, he would have to clean up the blood from the masked men with towels or whatever piece of clothing he could grab. But once he washed them, there would never be any bloodstains. All injuries he sustained in the scuffle would be gone in a matter of minutes.

Maybe Temari was right and he was having PTSD. That would explain why he relived attacks and kidnapping attempts with the masked faceless men. It would also explain why he was always on edge around Itachi and Hinata all of a sudden and didn't want to confide in them. Usually, those who suffered from PTSD felt jittery or avoided people who reminded them of their trauma, and Hinata and Itachi definitely reminded him about his ordeal with Orochimaru, mainly because they made him go through the affliction in the first place and was why he just couldn't "let it go".

Sasuke sat up again, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Maybe he had PTSD and the masked men were a figment of his imagination but . . . was it supposed to feel like this? Was it supposed to be so real? His heart would begin to race, his breathing would become hitched in his throat . . . maybe he should go talk to Sakura about this.

But he realized he was kind of avoiding everybody – anybody who he worked with on Orochimaru's case.

Is that why he was starting to turn to Temari? Because she was the only person who didn't remind him of everything?

Sasuke grabbed the side of his head, trying to wrap his mind around everything, he just didn't know anymore; he just didn't know what to do!

He heard footsteps outside his door and slowly lowered his arms to his side, dread filling his stomach. That couldn't be Itachi . . . he felt when his brother chakra signal left their home. Whoever was outside his door . . . he didn't know.

"W-Who's there?" Sasuke called out then cursed himself for doing so. Why was he acting like a scared little boy? As if he was trapped inside his home with the bodies of his family members dying all around him? He was a grown ass man! He was in Anbu! He should just get up, open the door, and go kick some ass!

But he was rooted to his spot on his bed, fear creeping through every crevice of his body.

"Ssssasukeee," a whisper hissed across the room as his door began to slowly open. "Didn't you hear me calling you?" the door opened and a figure emerged, it was a masked man!

"You again," he growled as he got up, eyes bleeding red as his sharigan blazed, "I'm going to kill every last one of you!" He shouted as he jumped from the bed, launching himself at the figure.

"Ssssasukeee!" The figured yelled as he tried to strangle it as it fought him.

"No more," Sasuke yelled, he wasn't going to fall for this anymore! he gripped the figures neck in an attempt to choke it.

"S-Sasuke, Sasuke, what are you doing?! It's me!" He suddenly heard a woman's voice scream and he stumbled away, eyes wide as his vision cleared.

"H-Hinata?" Sasuke panted heavily as he inched away from her body. Hinata grabbed her neck, massaging it as she stared wide eyes at Sasuke.

"W-What just h-happened?" She asked as she moved away from him, leaning against the doorframe. Her body was tensed as if she was preparing to be attacked again.

"What are you doing here? Where's the masked man?!" Sasuke enraged, yelled at her.

"What masked man?" Hinata asked confused as she looked around quickly. "There's nobody here but us,"

"No I just saw you," Sasuke exclaimed, "You're fake! You're not real!" he stood and slowly made his way over to Hinata again.

"Wait, Sasuke." Hinata began as she shakily came to her feet. What the fuck was wrong with him?! "Sasuke I'm real, I'm really Hinata." she tried persuading him as she moved away, but the breath was knocked out of her from being choked and she found it difficult to even think clearly.

"No you're not, this is all in my head," he yelled as he gripped his head roughly. "Get out of my head!"

"Sasuke stop!" Hinata screamed as he began hitting his head. "I'm real! I'm really Hinata!"

"Then what the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Itachi wasn't answering his phone, so I came to see where he was. You weren't answering your phone either. I knocked on the door but nobody came. I noticed your chakra signature and came inside to see if you were ok."

"If you're the real Hinata, what happened that day in the hospital when you touched me? When I first got marked by Orochimaru?"

"I somehow calmed you down," Hinata said slowly as she made her way closer to Sasuke. "Something about both of us having his chakra inside us . . . I was able to take away some of your pain," she said as she eased her way to him. She reached out and grabbed both his hands, slowly lowering them. "Sasuke, let me help you again," she whispered before Sasuke's sharigan melted away from his eyes, causing him to see the marks his hands left around her throat.

"I'm so sorry, I thought . . ."

"No, Sasuke, it's ok," Hinata told him before he tried to move away from her again. "Just, relax, I'm ok, just relax,"

"No, I need to get away from you," Sasuke suddenly said as he broke free from Hinata.

"Sasuke, let's wait for Itachi to come back together." Hinata said quickly. "Actually let's go to him, we don't have to stay here."

"No, my . . . my," Sasuke winced as he grabbed his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly. "I'm fine now, just give me some space."

"You're not fine, Sasuke you could have killed me!" Hinata yelled as she watched him sit down on his bed, clutching his chest tightly. "Who are the masked men you are talking about?"

"It's all in my head." Sasuke laughed humorlessly. "I'm crazy,"

"You need to tell me what's going on." Hinata said, "Where did Itachi go? You can't be alone right now."

"Alone," Sasuke repeated as a far-away look overcame his features. "I was all alone,"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"When Orochimaru took over my body, I was nothing. I was . . . all alone,"

"S-Sasuke," Hinata whispered as tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she began to cry. She walked over to him and kneeled before him, grabbing his hands and looking into his eyes. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

Tears streamed down her face as she looked down at their hands intertwined in his lap. "There was no other way," she cried, "No other way."

She wasn't sure if he heard her, much less if he noticed she was before him, but she just wanted his torment to end. Unfortunately this time, she couldn't take away the pain.

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A/N: Yes, both chapter 25 & 26 uploaded in one day! Yeah! Hi-five! Sorry if this is too depressing. I want to show Sasuke's struggle and get you guys to understand *cue creepy soundtrack* the insidious effects of love! Muwahathatmadenosensehaha

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^_^ Hyuugamistress94 ^_^