Chapter 5
The bullet was meant for Itachi.
Unequivocally.
The moment Sasuke dove toward him with a shriek, tackling him to the ground with his lean form, the momentum and the surprise caused Itachi to collapse onto his back with a resounding thud. The gunshot rang in his ears next followed by warmth seeping into his left hand. When he looked down, it was painted red.
In the near distance, he heard Naruto cursing along with a few others who ran outside.
Immediately following their collapse, Itachi rolled them around, shielding Sasuke's injured body beneath his own while he withdrew his other gun from his holster and began firing rounds in the direction the shot came from. He emptied an entire magazine and then there was a screech followed by a thud and a painful howl.
Whoever it was that fired the first round either did not take off right after or suffered under Itachi's barrage of gunfire. What followed were men sweeping the compound following a trail of blood, and Neji on the phone calling in a medic.
"Bring him to me alive," Itachi demanded in a blood-chilling cold voice with more emotion than he was used to expressing. Even Neji's words paused for a second over the phone, eyes flickering over to him.
Itachi knelt down and picked the boy up bridal style, ignoring the stares he received from men around him, and he carried him inside the house, following a path of winding hallways until he stood in front of large double doors.
Beyond those doors laid a gigantic bed, big enough to fit a family of six. Very carefully, he laid Sasuke's unconscious body down, adding more pressure to the bleeding wound on his abdomen.
It was a through and through, enough to cause a lot of pain and blood loss, but it seemed close enough to his oblique that, with enough luck, it had missed his major organs. If he assessed correctly, it wasn't enough to take a life as long as the blood loss was quelled and immediate medical attention was sought.
"Where is the medic?" he uttered. His voice was low, definitely not loud enough to incite madness, but it was so terrifying in its natural state that Neji, who had followed him, paused by the doorway.
"ETA, two minutes," the brunette responded. "He was on the other side of the manor."
Itachi's hands felt warm and wet in the worst possible way, slippery if you will. The blood had seeped through Sasuke's shirt, turning the navy blue shirt pitch black.
"Thirty seconds," Itachi demanded. This time, his voice boomed, echoing in the room. "Or he gets a bullet in his stomach."
In the background, Neji's brows furrowed. Not that he was concerned about the medic, but the fact that Itachi threatened bodily harm because of someone else was something incredibly new. He glanced at the boy on the bed with a spark of wonder.
Seconds later, a tall redhead brushed past Neji and sauntered in the room, his pace lackadaisical and his features nonchalant. "You called?" he drawled, setting down a boxed suitcase.
"Fix him. Now," Itachi commanded.
"Hmm…." The redhead's eyes trailed up and down the boy's body once before they situated on the abdomen. "Alright. Step aside."
H.J.
It wasn't like his boss wasn't used to his followers taking bullets for him. Nor was he unaccustomed to being shot at. That wasn't anything new either. So Neji tried to wrap his mind around why Itachi acted more frazzled than normal. Actually, no, he took that back. He tried to determine why Itachi was frazzled because he never acted this way before. At least not in the years Neji was under his wing.
This level of attentiveness was odd to say the least. Was it because he dubbed Sasuke as his friend? Perhaps, he felt some sort of emotion akin to guilt for a young boy who, without being a part of their group, had taken a bullet for him without hesitation? Or maybe, just maybe, there was a spark of something there that caught the boss's attention, and he couldn't let go of something so interesting?
Neji sighed. Maybe it had become too boring lately if this was what he was mulling over. He backed away after Sasori walked in and retraced his steps back to the original scene, where he found Naruto managing… or more like freaking out.
"What the hell are you doing?! I said bind his wrists and ankles, not let him flop around like a fucking seal!" the blonde screeched.
Neji rolled his eyes and walked over, slamming his boot onto the intruder's head, and smashed his face into the grassy meadow. He applied pressure and proceeded to dig his boot into the skull, ignoring the wail and crunch underneath his shoe.
Naruto turned around swiftly from yelling at another suit, eyes wide and nearly spitting in the brunette's face. "NEJI-SAN, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! You scared me!"
"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings then," Neji dismissed. "What did you find out?"
Naruto huffed a breath. "One shooter. No signs of a second. The shot came from that direction." He pointed to a large tree adjacent to the side house. It housed branches that were thick and long, large enough to build a treehouse on, and definitely large enough for cascading leaves to shroud an entire individual.
"Have Kisame chop that tree down. In fact, chop down all the trees within a two-mile radius. What else?"
"Standard sniper rifle you could get anywhere on the market. Hardly anything special or rare. It's been secured. Single bullet casing near the same tree. He didn't even get a chance to take a second shot once Itachi-sama opened fire."
"Security cameras?"
Naruto shook his head. "That area is far enough from the estate that it's not covered by our cameras."
Neji scowled.
"Fix that."
"Already did."
Neji arched an eyebrow. "I guess you are learning after all."
Naruto pouted. "You don't have to sound so surprised. I'm not an idiot, you know. How's Sasuke by the way? He didn't look too good."
"He's hanging in there," Neji answered, removing his foot only to shove it into the intruder's side. That's how the brunette carried on the conversation, words coming out casual as fuck while he kicked at the man like he was a soccer ball. "Kind of looked more like a flesh wound than internal organ damage." Neji shrugged. "Sasori can do his thing."
"Damn," Naruto muttered. "I just hope he ends up okay. I mean, did you see the look on—"
The blonde's lips immediately fastened shut when he spotted the boss stalking their way. Neji, too, noticed the man around the same time and unglued his boot from the man's feeble body.
Above them, a crackle of thunder echoed, drowning Itachi's approaching footsteps. Moisture had been gathering in the air for hours now, and the culmination seemed appropriate for the situation.
One glance at his face and Neji and Naruto immediately began to retreat, slowly and steadily as if attempting to not aggravate a lion prowling toward its next meal. If there was one thing they could agree on, it was the intent in their boss's eyes. An intent to maim, not interrogate or torture. Simply maim.
Because it was evident who sent the hit man. Among the four heads of Japan, two minded their own business. There was only one individual, who was currently unstable and staging a coup, who had a lot of beef with Itachi and wanted to make his presence known. An ostentatious fellow.
So if the answer was clear as day to Naruto and Neji, then of course their boss had already reached the same conclusion. Hence, instead of needing to pull words out from the intruder's mouth with pliers and all the fun stuff, Itachi had one action to undertake.
Neji's eyes flickered to the axe in Itachi's hand, swinging heavily next to his side with each step. Daunting and prominent, red as the blood that coated the groaning man's face, the axe screamed death. Neji began slow and steady movements to back away, and he took Naruto with him as he did so.
"We're leaving," he murmured.
Naruto didn't question him, seemingly understanding the situation without another word from the brunette, and the two of them made it back behind the glass screen door that separated the house from the yard at the same time Itachi reached the man on the ground.
It was as if the axis shifted and they were looking at the unfolding events from different lenses. Neji and Naruto in blatant shock while Itachi sank into bloodlust.
The first time the axe was brought overhead and slammed into the intruder's body, a sickening crunch echoed so loudly that both bystanders could hear it from across the way. As if their boss and the heavens conspired, a downpour began in that very instant, so heavy that it soaked the two down to the bone.
Ha, Neji thought as he watched it unfold before his eyes. This time the rain did actually soak the unmoving body down to the bone. He was certain the first chop severed the spine, which probably brought upon instant death.
"Oh my God…" Neji heard Naruto whisper next to him. He didn't have to look at the blonde to understand what kind of expression he was making. Even the scene before him was a bit too gorey for his tastes.
Over and over and over again, the axe was drawn overhead and came down on the corpse like a vengeful god. Despite the man's jerky motions, the weapon came down with brutal precision. Each time he hacked into the corpse, it jolted along the grass as if the earth was trembling, the powerful force causing it to jerk upright before it fell limply again.
Itachi didn't seem bothered by the fact that the man was already dead. Either that, or he didn't care if it was dead as he exacted his punishment ruthlessly.
"It's like he's chopping up a roasted chicken," Neji mused. "Except into teeny tiny pieces, I guess."
"Jesus," Naruto swore. "Time and place, Neji-san."
"You notice how he's leaving the head intact?" the brunette replied, brushing off the previous comment.
Naruto pursed his lips. "How can I not when the rest of the body looks like chopped liver?"
"I guess we're going to make a special delivery after he's done."
It didn't matter if Itachi's expression was blank as he hacked the man to bits and pieces. It didn't matter if the blood splattered all over the boss's face and then proceeded to trickle down his chin when it met the rain droplets. Neji did not need to look at the pieces of bone and blood nor the man's face to determine that Itachi was beyond livid.
Under the shroud of rain and thunder, the both of them watched as the mauling turned into stomping on the body. Itachi's cold, dead eyes, deader than the lump at his feet, were filled with newfound fury so intense that it would have made the god of war cringe.
Neji's orbs squinted as the sound of pitter patter increased, zeroing in on Itachi's lips. From a distance, it looked like the man was uttering something in the rain, directing his words to the minced meat under his feet, but he couldn't be sure. He left it be with a sigh.
"I've seen enough. Let's go. He's going to be at it for a while."
"How can that be?" Naruto shrieked. "There's already nothing left!"
Neji shrugged. "Beats me."
H.J.
Two days later…
'I want one of those!'
'Screw you. Get your own stash.'
'I know Sasuke gave you a bunch. Sharing is caring, you know.'
'But I don't care.'
'Gah!'
A thick, hoarse groan echoed in the large bedroom, drawing both bystander's attention.
'Oh my god, he's alive!'
'Of course he's alive. His heart is pumping just fine.'
Sasuke felt groggy as if he'd been hit by a high-speed train. He attempted to shift from the position he was in, but that caused another groan to reverberate from his vocals. He even tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't pry them open no matter how much he tried.
In the background, he could hear two voices going back and forth.
'Oh my God, Sasuke! How are you feeling?!'
'He's hurt, not deaf, idiot. Go get Itachi-sama.'
The boy felt a warm palm in his, squeezing gently. "Hey, Princess. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."
Sasuke did so, his fingers closing around the larger hand in his, but his grip felt weak even to him.
"Sweet. Good job. You took a bullet two days ago. Do you remember?"
The boy's brows furrowed. Is that why his abdomen felt like it was ripping and on fire at the same time?
"Mhmm, no organs were hit. The bullet went in and out of you, so no exploding shrapnel either. You received a blood transfusion and have been sleeping for two days."
"H-Hospital?" Sasuke rasped as his eyes began to slowly peel open.
"No, Princess. You're at Itachi-sama's place, remember?"
Sasuke moaned again. His muscles were sore and his head was pounding, but that didn't mean his nose wasn't working. "W-Watermelon…" he rasped again, eyes finally open. Droopy, but open.
Neji grinned, pulling the sucker out from between his lips. "You know it."
Sasuke attempted to sit up, but his body was so weak and he was in so much pain that any movement made him wince.
"Here, let me get that for you," the brunette said, grabbing the remote on the nightstand and pushing a single button.
The boy found the bed, itself, whirring as it moved into an upright position, propping him upright along with it.
"I'll get you some water. Itachi-sama should be getting here any second now."
Sasuke watched the brunette leave, and his eyes began to close again, feeling heavier by the second. He nearly fell back into a slumber, but the sound of the door opening and shutting again caused him to jerk back awake.
Slow, quiet footsteps made their way to the bed, and it wasn't until they stopped that the boy was able to get his eyes to open and adjust to the light again. A tall, large figure stood bedside, and a soothing aroma filtered into Sasuke's nostrils. Something akin to a mixture of blue freesias, white peach, and clean musk.
His arm, which had needles taped to it, twitched at his side, wanting to reach out to grab ahold of that nice scent, but it was too difficult to do so. Sasuke's vision was also hazy at best, and it was hard to tell who the stranger was that stood next to him because a kind of darkness shrouded his vision, blurring the images that he perceived. Sasuke tried to squint, but that easily intensified his headache.
"Rest." The boy heard a voice command, and his eyes begrudgingly slid closed.
"Bossy…" Sasuke murmured as he began to drift off again, and even though he did not realize that his utterance caused the man's lips to twitch, he could feel his presence next to him settle in. The bed dipped gently underneath the weight, and a glowing warmth emitted from beside him like a human heater. "Warm…." he muttered.
The next time Sasuke woke up, the room was empty. This time he had an easier time blinking open his eyes. The curtains were drawn halfway, showcasing looming clouds, which were accompanied by a dark sky.
Surprisingly, he noted that, when he cleared his throat, he didn't feel as thirsty as he did the last time he was conscious, which was odd because he didn't recall drinking any water before he fell into his slumber. Speaking of, had it been a few hours, days, weeks? The boy's brows twitched, confusion entering his system.
When he moved about this time, his arm was more cooperative. Even though his fingers and body were still stiff, he didn't feel like he'd turn into a pile of jelly as soon as he moved. The wires and needles had been removed from his arm. Somehow, he found himself heaving his body out of bed and shakily approaching the body-length mirror attached to one of the closet doors.
As he stared at himself, he noticed two things. First and foremost, it was glaringly obvious that he was not wearing his own clothes. Large, black pajamas made of silk hung from his leaner figure and draped past his wrists and ankles. Second, when he lifted the top to assess the damage, he cringed at the amount of bandages that were wrapped around his abdomen and trailed over his torso and shoulder to secure it in place. The gauze along the side of his belly was stained a very light pink, but it didn't appear as though his stitches had been torn.
He winced as he looked over it and himself, feeling more like a ragged doll than a human being. When he dove in to shield Itachi from the onslaught of damage, he had acted on a whim. He had seen the glint flickering in their direction and spotted some odd movement in that direction, and next thing he knew he was diving toward Itachi. Whatever happened after that, he was unsure. Sasuke only remembered immense pain, the most he'd ever felt in his life, and then nothing.
Gently, he tugged the shirt back over his torso, covering it completely. He used the wall as leverage and began making his way along the length of the wall to get to the bedroom door. It wasn't a good indication when he began sweating from simply walking 50 feet, but the boy persevered, feeling his lungs suffocate under the same roof. He felt warm, bordering on hot. He wanted to get out of the room. Perhaps find a porch to rest at or maybe find a place outside where he could easily get some fresh air.
It wasn't until he placed a palm on the doorknob, ready to twist, that it involuntarily moved underneath his grasp and the door swung open toward him, catching him by surprise. Sasuke's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped from his lips, and then he completely lost what little balance he had and fell backward.
Immediately, he braced himself for a world of pain, but just as easily as he toppled over, he was rescued in someone's arms. This person emitted the same scent he had previously gotten a wisp of, and unknowingly Sasuke inhaled deeply and sighed. However, his peace and calm didn't last anymore than two seconds before a booming voice rang in his ears.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
The words were harsh and rigid as if the owner of it was just as inflexible and callous.
Sasuke frowned, feeling like a kid who was accused of breaking a vase, and looked up from the torso he was pressed against and into the eyes of the stranger he took a bullet for. No, wait, excuse him. Not a stranger. A friend.
Maybe they had dosed him up with something for the pain or maybe it was the near death experience, but Sasuke found himself uttering words he would have never said to a gangster of any kind if he wanted the right number of digits attached to his body when he left.
"You're being mean." The words flowed out fine, but Sasuke ended up coughing after, his voice shaking from unuse.
Immense surprise filled Itachi's eyes and quickly dissipated thereafter. Then, Itachi said something that nearly had Sasuke choking on his own spit. "I apologize."
"...Okay." Sasuke shifted, but the man didn't release his hold, one thick arm wrapped gingerly around his waist. "Um, can you let go?"
"Where are you going?"
"I want to get some air outside," Sasuke mumbled, looking toward the door.
"No."
Sasuke's frown deepened. "Then I want to go home."
"No."
"You can't keep me here."
"You're injured."
It was like listening to a computer program rat off numbers. Mechanical like a robot.
"Then let me go, so I can go outside."
It was then that Itachi fixed a glance on Sasuke that the boy had never seen before. The man's lips were almost imperceptibly pursed, conflict brewing in his eyes as if he didn't know how to discipline a brooding child, as if he'd never encountered someone who willingly went against his words before.
"Your stitches will tear," Itachi said at long last.
"I might die from being stuck in this room first," Sasuke rebutted grumpily.
Next thing the boy knew, his arms flailed as he tried to hold onto the strong body in front of him when he was swiftly and very easily picked up bridal style. A yelp escaped his lips and he was looking at Itachi's face with an alarmed gaze.
However, the man was no longer looking at him, and Sasuke was able to experience being in the arms of a man who took long, steady strides down the hallway with ease and grace. At approximately six-foot-three, the man must have weighed at least 190 pounds if not scratching the surface of 200, yet even with their collective weight, his feet did not make a sound as he walked.
Without having to support his weight on his own bare feet, Sasuke noticed that the pressure in his abdomen was alleviated. A pout pushed its way onto his lower lip anyway, causing it to jut out. "Where are you taking me?"
He was the recipient of an arched brow, something he found rather hilarious when it was glued onto the man's face.
"I'm taking you outside, Sasuke. Was it not your wish?"
Sasuke nodded, oddly finding Itachi's voice to be somewhat soothing no matter his robotic manners. "I want to go."
It took them about two minutes before a gust of wind signaled their change of scenery. The fresh scent of grass and wet dew invaded Sasuke's nostrils, completely blending in with Itachi's scent, and both came together to ease the antsy feeling in his chest.
Sasuke sighed gently as he picked his head up to examine the new location they migrated to. They were standing underneath a pavilion of sorts, which was attached to a pond filled with coy fish. An arrangement of rocks surrounded the circumference of the pond, paving a clear pathway for visitors to walk around it. A garden of green shrubbery surrounded one side of the pavilion, complete with a bridge built overlooking the pond, while the other side gave a clear view of the other half of the pond. It glowed with Chinese architecture no matter how he looked at it.
Itachi stopped next to the round table, which sat center stage under the pavilion, and gingerly set Sasuke down. The boy winced, the jostling motion of his body causing some discomfort, but otherwise the pain was tolerable.
"It's pretty," he breathed, the fresh air filling his lungs in mouthfuls.
The man did not respond, but Sasuke did not care. He even seemed to tune out Itachi's presence, which remained close behind him, indicating he did not perceive him as a threat.
Because, honestly, if the big, bad wolf wanted him dead, there was no reason for Sasuke to be alive and breathing at this point. And dare he say that, not only was he functional, he also detected a hint of consideration from his host.
Sasuke hummed quietly to himself, allowing his eyes to roam freely and take in the green plants and clean air. Eventually, as if the man had ascertained that he wasn't going to rip out all of his stitches and bleed to death on the ground, he eased up and sat in a chair next to him.
"Are you hurt?" Sasuke finally asked, gaze coming to look at the man. Itachi seemed fine. Sasuke didn't see any bandages peeking out of his clothing or detect any oddity in his movements. Plus, he was able to move with ease and speak to him like he was five.
"Are you an idiot?" Itachi asked swiftly in response.
Sasuke scowled. See?
"That's not nice," he replied.
Again, another emotion flashed onto Itachi's countenance. A new one, one that Sasuke was now privy to: exasperation. No, wait. Maybe it was fury? It was something along those lines.
"You could have died."
"Well…" Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't really think much at the time."
"Why did you do it?"
Sasuke waved him off. "We're friends, aren't we?" He joked, which he quickly realIzed after was the wrong choice of words, because Itachi took it seriously.
He should have expected that. The man always took everything seriously.
"Friends take bullets for one another?"
Confusion. That's what it was. A flashback of their previous conversation zipped through Sasuke's brain, and he was reminded that Itachi most likely never had an actual friend in his life before. Especially one that wasn't paid to take a bullet for him.
"The good ones," Sasuke responded, almost casually. No need to be dishonest there.
"I see."
Silence.
A few minutes flew by before the boy began to shiver, the night winds picking up around them. Almost immediately after, Itachi's voice boomed from behind him.
"We are going back."
Of course, once again, Sasuke was heaved into the man's arms without a single ounce of difficulty and without his permission. The boy pursed his lips.
"You're very bossy."
"I've been told."
"I'm not a pet you can manhandle whenever you want, you know."
Itachi ignored him, much to Sasuke's annoyance. "You will recover here in my estate, where you can receive immediate and frequent medical attention. You will not leave until you have fully healed."
Sasuke grumbled, a permanent frown tugging at his lips. "I don't need it. I want to go home."
"No."
"But what about my classes and work? I can't just leave my apartment high and dry for that long either. I'm fine now, and I don't want to stay here."
"It is not up for discussion, Sasuke."
"Why not?" Sasuke demanded, gritting his teeth when the words seemed to have vibrated precariously and caused his wound to sting.
In a single night, Sasuke must have contributed to Itachi's lifetime's worth of experiencing defiance. That much was apparent, but when he looked up at the man's face, expecting to see rage or a threatening gleam, all he received was a blank, if not calm, look.
"You are my friend, and you are welcomed in my home," Itachi stated.
Sasuke fixed the man with an exasperated look. "But I don't want to be welcomed in your home. I want to go back to mine."
"No."
"Itachi," Sasuke uttered, voice firm.
His name made his footsteps pause briefly before they picked up and remained steady again, walking back toward the direction they came from. "Yes, Sasuke?" Itachi answered, so politely and well-mannered that it made Sasuke's eyes narrow in suspicion.
"Home. Now."
"We are headed there now."
"No! Not your home. My home!"
"My home is your home. Hence, home, Sasuke."
"Oh my God, you're so hard to talk to," Sasuke seethed. "If you want me to heal, then I need you to remain a mile away from me. If not, I'm going to end up tearing out my stitches due to frustration."
"That's why you are here, where you have access to immediate medical attention."
A garbled screech echoed into the night.