"Bittersweet Symphony"
Act II: That of the Uchiha Clan


'I don't remember much of last night, and I feel kinda groggy..'

"Oy, Ino.." his hands would caress her cheek as she layed there on the bed. The beige covers would cover half of her body as the rest was there for the world to see. Her back was glazed in dew as the sun shined down on her figure. Her long blond locks would cascade down to the edges of the bed. A hand was dangling from the edge, as his hands caressed her cheek once more. "Ino, Oy Ino wake up.."

Her eyelids would rise, revealing light blue hues. She bit her lip, as she spoke. "...Shikamaru?"

"I need to go, I have business to take care of today," said the man known as 'Shikamaru.' He began to zip up his suit pants, and then grabbed his flannel shirt as well as his black suit jacket.

"Will I see you again tonight?" she remarked, turning to her side looking up at him.

"I don't know, really..." he grabbed his keys. "I'll see you sometime soon..." and then left her apartment.

He walked down the stairs, and then outside of the building.

Ino hated when he had to leave. She cherished all the nights that they spent together, even if they were only for a couple of hours. Despite the fact that Shikamaru was the only man she had allowed to in her life, she could never change what she was. After all, Shikamaru wasn't the only man who wanted her...

When you're a prostitute, men are always barging at your door...

She sighed, and then grabbed the same shirt she wore last night and wore it. She grabbed a cigarette pack and her lighter from a cabinet near her bed. She pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and then smoked looking out the window. 'Shikamaru, you were so good last night. What's troubling you...?'


"From here you can see the house where Mitarashi-san lives..." Kakashi pointed out the huge house on the block near Kakashi's place that seemed to come from some rich neighborhood. The house didn't look like a house at all, it looked more like a condo. "He's one of the richest men here. Well, besides your brother..."

It had been two hours since the two had left, and set out on this 'tour.' From what he saw, he could tell that Konoha City was completely diffrent from Oto City. First thing, was the weather. It was different, and strange. The sun only shined in the wee hours of the morning, and then the clouds would settle themselves in. In Oto City, it was sunny when it was sunny, and it was raining when it was raining. But it never gave such a gloomy atmosphere, as that of Konoha City.

From the tour, all Sasuke has seen so far was the mayor's house, the grocery stores, and the malls. And upstate of Konoha City was basically covered in forest life, without a trace of malls or supermarkets. Kakashi said that the suburban part of Konoha City is the most dangerous one. 'Why?' Sasuke had asked him when they were looking around. 'Because, there's so many backstabbers in the suburban areas, if you get into trouble, they won't help you out, you know? It's a pretty bad way to live...'

Sasuke sighed, hands inside his pockets as he walked with Kakashi down Snake Street. The only street he's seen so far that he had interest in, was the one he had been waiting to see...

Genkai Street.

That's where all the syndicates were.

"Kakashi," Sasuke asked.

"Hmm?" he turned around to face the young Uchiha. "What is it?"

"Are we going to see Genkai Street?"

"No."

"Why not!" he demanded. He was curious to see where his brother had been all his life, too.

"It's too dangerous to go in there without getting shot or stabbed."

He sighed. "Whatever..."

"I'm serious, Sasuke. If you go in there, despite that you're Uchiha Itachi's brother, they'll kill you just for trespassing."

"Trespassing?"

"Mitarashi-san declared that only crime bosses, syndicate thugs, or crime lords can enter Genkai street. He had to, because of all the people starting wars and getting themselves killed."

"Oh, I see..."

"Besides, I have a better place to take you once we're done with the tour."

He cocked a brow, "And where's that?"

Kakashi grinned underneath that mask. "You'll see."

Hours had passed, and Sasuke was both fascinated and bored with the city he now resided in. The people seemed friendly, but were all weirdos. This one person they saw was walking down near Hokage Village, talking about how a killer bunny came in and ate all of his children. Kakashi responded by saying that the killer bunny was probably his wife gone mad.

"You see, a lot of people go mad in Konoha City..." Kakashi replied, right after they left Hokage Village. "It's not their fault, though. It's because of the weather. Or, that's what we like to believe..."

Before they could tell, it was already evening. The lights lit up the street sidewalks as Sasuke and Kakashi walked back down to Scarecrow street. Sasuke was both exhausted, and famished. He could hear his stomach growl...

Kakashi must have heard it, as well. "Oh, right. Since it's already 9 o'clock, how about we head down to that place I told you about?"

Sasuke looked up at him. Since there was nothing else to do, he hoped that the place he was talking about was a diner or something. "Sure..."

Kakashi smiled, "Good. I've been kind of nostalgic for a while now. It's been ages since I've entered in there..."

"In there, where?"

Kakashi looked at him, and then patted his head. "In there where indeed."

Sasuke was confused. "Eh, forget it. Let's just go."

The two headed down towards Akimichi Street, which was the home of the diners, bars, and other places to eat. The Akimichi clan thrived with the diners that they had opened, as well as the buffets. The one place that was famous with the Konoha City residents, however, was Akimichi Bar. This bar was home to many of the citizens, as well as one of Kakashi's favorite spots.

As soon as they entered, Sasuke could tell that he was in some other place. The people were all cheery and dancing; some were drunk, while others were mad. Most of the women in the bar were either hookers, or young things trying to find a sense of place in a rebellious world. One of these was Mitarashi Anko, who was sitting near the stage.

On the stage stood two women. One was a blonde, with extremely large breasts. The other had black hair. She was skinny, yet fair and beautiful.

"Oh, Kakashi welcome!" the bartender replied.

"Oh, Asuma. Busy tonight aren't you?"

Sasuke sat down besides Kakashi, glancing around the place.

"Hey there."

Sasuke looked to his right and noticed this blonde speaking to him. She was cute, with long blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wore a purple sleeve-less dress, wearing white sparkling heels. He could tell that she was probably here to 'work.' For the first few seconds, he ignored her.

"I said 'hey there,' jeez what are you, deaf?" she replied.

"Hey. There, are you happy?" Sasuke replied, ordering a drink.

"No, but perhaps I can make you happy later..." she smirked, placing her hand on his lap caressing it. "What about it, huh? Just you, and me...at my place..."

"Ino-chan, Sasuke isn't that type of guy..." Kakashi replied, sipping his drink. "Besides, I'm sure Sasuke's still a virgin."

Sasuke gave Kakashi a death glare, before sitting on his left side.

Ino sighed, "Well then forget it. My services are for those who have experience." She got up, and walked over to another table.

"Don't worry about it, Sasuke. Ino's not really like that. It's not the life she wants, but needs..."

"She needs?"

"Forget it, you'll understand later..."

Sasuke grabbed his drink and then sipped some of it down before glancing back towards the stage.

Take my photo off the wall if it just won't sing for you
'Cause all its left has gone away
and there's nothing there for you to prove
Oh, look what you've done you've made a fool of everyone...
Oh well it seemed like such fun, until you lose what you have won...

The blonde was singing, while the one with the black hair was shaking her hips to the song. The way the blonde would sing, it felt as if she were some sort of siren, leading the men with her entrancing voice towards their death.

"That's Tsunade. We call her Tsunade-hime." Kakashi replied, glancing towards the stage. "She's actually 50 years old."

Sasuke could not believe what had just came out of Kakashi's lips. "...You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, I'm not. Tsunade-Hime's 50 years old. Amazing, isn't it?" he grinned, and then ordered another drink.

"What about the one with the black hair?"

"That's Shizune." a woman answered. She had shoulder length layered hair, with scarlet eyes. "She's Tsunade-Hime's best-friend, and they've known each other for a really long time..."

"Oh, Kurenai. I didn't know you worked tonight..." Kakashi replied. "But then I saw Asuma working and I knew you were here, heh..."

Kurenai blushed. "W-What are you trying to aim for, Kakashi?"

"Nothing" he said innocently, and then went back to his drink.

"Ah, well." she looked at Sasuke. "Who are you? Are you new here around these parts?"

"Uchiha Sasuke.."

The whole bar went silent. Tsunade stopped singing, Shizune stopped dancing, Ino stopped flirting...

The only sound you could hear was from Kakashi slurping his drink, on purpose. "Well now, it was bound to happen wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked. He didn't like the way people were looking at him. In fact, it was down-right irritating.

"You see, most of the people here are afraid of Uchiha Itachi, your brother. So, since you're an Uchiha..."

Sasuke blinked, and then sighed. "There's no reason to hate or fear me just because I'm of the Uchiha Clan..."

"But you don't get it, Sasuke. Most of the Uchiha Clan members were..."

"I know they were killed! But, me and my brother survived..."

The people at the bar looked at him for a couple of seconds, as if giving him their pity. Sasuke hated the looks on their faces, and then left the bar. Kakashi walked right behind him.

"Oy, Kakashi you idiot. You didn't pay for your drinks..." Asuma blurted out, as the door shut abruptly.


"You could've told me."

"I wanted you to see how they were..."

"I didn't need to." Sasuke remarked, walking down the streets. It was raining again, and he began to feel a cold come his way...

"I just wanted you to see..." Kakashi replied, standing in front of him. "Not everyone's going to be happy that you're an Uchiha. Many of them will be angry at you, but remember this: the better man does not start fights. He walks away from them."

"Sounds like a coward to me..."

"Heh, does it now?" Kakashi replied.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm tired, can we at least go now?" He walked further on his own, letting the rain cloak him as his entire attire was soaked, as well as his hair.

Kakashi glanced up into the sky, and then sighed. 'Obito, I'm sure you wouldn't want your cousin suffering now...'

Sasuke continued walking on his own. He hated how everyone in that bar gave him those looks...

They gave him many looks. Mostly pity, sadness, or fear.

Ever since his clan was massacred, he's been living all by himself. For once, he wanted to have a sense of reality and a sense of family. Now that he is in Konoha City he can feel it, but not from the people whom he had hoped...

From his brother, he would surely get his wish.

He finally reached 22 Scarecrow Street, and entered the not-so lavish building. Kakashi had given him in the keys so he could go on ahead to catch some sleep, and that's exactly what he did. As soon as he entered his room, he jumped unto his bed and fell asleep.

Well no one told me about her...
how many people cried...

He had a dream that night.

A flash of pink...

Another flash of dazzling green...

but its too late to say you're sorry
How would I know?
Why should I care?

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him in his dreams. She wore a long white dress, and her long pink hairs were being blown by an invisible wind. He couldn't see her face, but everytime he tried to figure out who it was, all he could see was a flash of green light...

Please don't bother trying to find her
She's not there...

'She's not there..'

Sasuke tried to reach out to the figure, but then it began to disappear...

All he could hear now was the rain, falling along with a soft melody. The kind of melodies you would hear inside of a music box...

'I'm dreaming...'


"So, Sasuke is there with you?"

"Yes, he's sleeping in the room that I had kept for him." Kakashi replied. He was sitting in the living room on one of the old couches, talking on the phone.

"Is Sasuke doing alright?" the voice on the phone asked.

"He's doing alright, at least I would like to think so. Don't worry about it Itachi, Sasuke's in good hands. You know that..."

"True," he scoffed. "Well then, I will pick up my dear little brother tomorrow..."

"As you say."

"I hope to see you soon, Kakashi-san." Itachi replied, and then hung up the phone.

"Who were you on the phone with?"

Itachi turned around and noticed her standing in front of the door. Her long pink hair would cascade down towards her breasts. Those green hues of her's would sparkle, she was very tired. He could tell that she wasn't getting enough sleep for awhile now. "With Kakashi-san." he replied, walking towards her.

"Oh, I see. But Itachi, it's kind of late to be up..." She began to entwirl a strand of her pink hair in between her fingers as she looked up at him. "Is your brother coming soon?"

"Tomorrow, I will go pick him up."

"Oh, I see. I can't wait to meet him..."

"Sasuke will love his sister-in-law..." He caressed her cheek, and then planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go to sleep, Sakura. From the way you look, it looks like you need it my love..."

She nodded, and then kissed him innocently on the lips. "Goodnight, love." She walked out of his room, and closed the door behind her.

Itachi sat against the edge of his bed and began to think. "It seems like you have brought him to me, eh Obito?"


Author's Notes: There's the 2nd chapter. I'm sorry if it's boring, but I kinda have a flow of how I want the story to turn out. Also, the bold and italic words are lyrics. When Tsunade is singing, that song is "Look What you've done" by Jet (their lyrics, not mine ok.) and when Sasuke's dreaming is "About Her" by Malcolm McClaren. (This song is important later, heh..) I'm currently also working on the 5th chapter to the ItaSaku fic, so it should be up by today, along with this chapter or tomorrow! hope you enjoyed it! much thanks to my beta reader, nikusan!