Disclaimer: See prologue.
Opening Thingy
Yay! I updated! Go me!
Thank you for your great reviews. Just keep 'em coming!
Ok, I know I promised Hinata and OC's in this chapter, but I had sudden inspiration to write this part last night. Plus, I want to get into Sasuke's character some more. So I got off my lazy butt and followed Sasuke as he left Peaceful Valley Mills. I wanted to write a Sasuke-centric chapter, anyway. So here it is.
Warnings: Ok, you see some OOC-ness, but it's intentional, and I don't think it's that bad. I mean, this IS an AU, and the people here are NOT ninjas. So there's no need to "measure your capacity -as a ninja-" if you aren't a ninja, right? So there. I just gave away who I'm gonna introduce. Whatever.
Chapter Four: Uchiha Bonding
Sakura stared after him interestedly. Those eyes…so deep and full of past sorrow…Sakura could tell just from his eyes that he had many inner scars. She couldn't help feeling sorry for him, even though he had just insulted her. This boy intrigued her. She wanted to know more about him.
Evidently, Sakura decided against following him. It didn't seem like he would be the one to talk, anyway. She turned on her heel and walked away briskly to find her sister.
The dark-haired boy, on the other hand, continued to storm off to the exit. He really didn't feel like staying here, what with all the stares he received.
Why did I come here again?
He slouched past the sliding doors.
"You are in entrance—"
"Oh, shut the fuck up." He grumbled.
As he walked outside, the sun hit him directly with dazzling radiance. He used his hand to shield his dark eyes.
"Just my luck. Why couldn't they have forecasted a thunderstorm or something?"
His eyes became adjusted to the light, and he continued to walk away from the mall. His feet dragged along with a scratching sound, scuffing his boots. He didn't care. Sasuke stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and continued down the road, brooding away.
After a good five minutes, he was still trudging along on his way home. Sasuke stopped walking when he heard the hum of a car engine approaching. He turned his head slightly and saw a black convertible out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke continued to walk again, a bit faster this time. He sighed heavily, and murmured,
"Oh, spare me. Not now."
The black convertible with red leather seats pulled over next to Sasuke. The driver slowed down a bit to keep with his pace. Sasuke determinedly stared ahead, trying to ignore the vehicle.
"Yo!" a voice called from the front seat. "Hey, Sasuke, you going home? I'll give you a ride."
"No thanks, Itachi." Sasuke grumbled, eyes fixed on the pavement in front of him. (A/N: Yes, it is Itachi! He didn't kill his clan, by the way. How could he? He's not even a ninja in this AU!)
"Oh, I see. You're angsting again. Come on, bro, get in the car."
"No."
"Sasuke. It's going to rain soon, I heard it on the forecast. You'll get soaked."
"It's going to rain? Good. Then, I'll be able to drown myself." Sasuke scoffed, walking faster.
"Hey!" Itachi sped up a bit to catch up, "Don't say stupid things like that. Sasuke, I'm your older brother, and I say GET IN THE FREAKIN CAR."
Sasuke stopped. He exhaled loudly and opened the passenger door. Reluctantly, he sat in the front next to his brother.
As soon as the door closed, Itachi sped away like a madman. Sasuke was almost thrown backward out of the roofless car, but luckily, he held onto the sides of the red leather seat. He looked at his brother beside him. Itachi's long dark hair was blowing in the wind, and he had his favorite red-and-black, custom-made jacket on, which had a flaming red "A" emblazoned on the back.
The car took a sharp turn in one direction, and Sasuke frowned.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Oh, I just gotta pick up some friends," Itachi replied. His brother groaned.
"Damn it, Itachi, why did you have to join that stupid gang?" Sasuke complained.
"Akatsuki is NOT a gang." Itachi protested. "It's a band of antisocial adolescents, who come together like a family."
"There you go, sounding like a dictionary again. Why can't our family be NORMAL? Why did we all have to be geniuses?"
"What? You don't like being smarter than other people?" Itachi turned to look at his little brother. "I personally enjoy being able to beat Kisame in scrabble."
"Anyone can beat Kisame in scrabble." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He's got the IQ of a goldfish."
"Yeah, well…we both got 'top of the class' in middle school! Don't you enjoy being a genius?"
"Oh yes, of course I love beating the crap out of everyone in academics." Sasuke replied sarcastically, "I've been labeled the biggest nerd in our class history…"
"You have?"
"Yeah…"
At first, Itachi said nothing. Then, he started to laugh.
"I'd have thought they'd label you a 'goth' or 'punk', but a NERD? That's probably because you write so many goddamn poems! You're just another emo poet!"
"Shut up. Not even they think I'm emo. I'm NOT emo. What have they labeled you, anyway?" Sasuke grumbled.
"Me? Oh, I've been able to retain my status as a 'badass punk'."
Sasuke cringed. "How is that possible? You were top of the class every single year."
"Yeah, but you forget that I've joined Akatsuki, and about my special talent." The elder Uchiha swelled with pride.
Sasuke remained silent. Then, he slowly formed the words.
"What—does—DDR--have to do--with being--badass?" He asked through clenched teeth.
"Oh, look, there they are!" Itachi said, not answering Sasuke's question. A group of older teenagers were standing by the side of the road, in the same jackets as Itachi. The one with a blue face and gills turned and waved. Itachi pulled over next to them.
"It's quite sad that out of all of us SENIORS in Akatsuki, I'm the only one who can afford a car." Itachi said as he slowed down.
"Shut up, Uchiha." The girly-looking Deidara scoffed, "That's all your family's money."
"Yeah, so let us in the car, or we'll kick your rich little ass!" Zetsu growled from under his…plant?
"Yeah, whatever. But you'll have to survive sitting in the back, cuz my little bro is coming for a ride!" Itachi joked, ruffling Sasuke's hair. Sasuke rolled his eyes and slicked it back once Itachi stopped.
"Where's boss?"
"I think he said he's taking violin today," Kisame said.
"Yeah, he called me and said he couldn't come today. Imagine a guy like him, playing violin!" Sasori smirked. The rest of Akatsuki proceeded to snicker at the thought.
"I'll pass on this ride." Sasuke mumbled, getting out of the car.
"We're just a few miles from home, Sasuke. I can drop you off quickly." Itachi said.
"I don't care. I just don't want to ride with these clowns."
"Hey, you little—" Deidara was cut off by Itachi.
"Don't worry about him. He's just got to blow off some steam. He had to get saved by a girl today."
The whole group then let out an enormous roar of laughter. Sasuke resisted the urge to beat the living crap out of all of them, especially his brother. The sky began to accumulate dark rain clouds.
"Hey, is he allowed to stay at the house alone without adult supervision?" Kisame laughed. "Since your parents aren't there?" This caused another roar of laughter.
The young Uchiha froze.
"This is your fault, Sasuke!"
Painful memories came flooding back. A rush of cold emotions flooded over him.
"You did this! You murdered them!"
Sasuke started to walk fast.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Your parents died late last night."
"We of the Hyuuga clan mourn the death of your parents, Sasuke."
He proceeded to walk faster.
"YOU'RE A SELFISH BRAT, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE DEAD!"
Sasuke felt a drop of water on his shoulder. He heard Itachi yelling his name, but he did not want to talk to his brother at all, not even look at him.
Another drop fell, on his head. It was going to rain. But he didn't care.
Then the black convertible, now with its hood up, came up next to Sasuke.
"Get in the car, it's raining!" Itachi called, but to no avail. Sasuke then went into a full sprint down the sidewalk toward his home. The car did not follow. Instead, it turned around and drove off to the Akatsuki's destination. Itachi gave up.
The rain began to pour down. It went slowly from big droplets to huge sheets of water falling from the grey sky. Sasuke was soaked to the skin. His boots splashed in puddles of rain as he made his way home. Water sprayed against his face, blurring his vision. His hair, now entirely drenched, was plastered against his head and neck. His bangs covered his eyes.
Sasuke stopped and turned his head to the sky. He let the water fall on him and rinse away the anger from his experience in the mall. He wanted to wash away those memories of years ago, but it was impossible. It was his fault.
"Damn it." He said.
Author Note-ness
Ooo, angst! This was a bit of an angsty chapter, wasn't it? We fangirls love angst!
Well, anyway, I hope Itachi wasn't too OOC. But I'd like to imagine that he would have behaved like that if he was a normal teenager. I dunno. That's my opinion.
This chapter was pretty random, and off the top of my head. I wanted some interaction between brothers, so there it was. I'm pretty happy with it. Plus we get more of Sasuke's character! Yay for us!
I don't feel like giving a preview anymore. So please, just REVIEW!Tsune
