5 - Remains
The city of Sora-ku had a strange hold on Itachi's brother. The first time Akemi spotted its steel buildings and gray edifices in the distance, the three-year old froze in the middle of the concrete path, his eyes big and round.
Itachi stopped, asked if he was alright, but Akemi just shook his head like one shook off a bad dream and pressed his lips shut tight before picking up the pace to catch up with Father.
Akemi's actions only grew stranger once they actually entered the crumbling, desolate city, his twin running past their parent to slap his hands against the side of a towering office building.
"It's a city...an actual city!" Akemi had exhaled in an unfamiliar tongue, voice trembling. "It's like I'm...home..." Longing and awe strangled his speech as he stared at his reflection in the metal wall.
Father sent Akemi a concerned look before saying they didn't have time for sightseeing.
His brother's shoulders drooped, Akemi's head hanging low while he pulled away from the building.
Gloom shrouded his twin from thereafter, which did not go unnoticed by Father. Maybe that was why the man hastened the introduction between his sons and Nekobaa at the supplies shop. Afterwards, leading the twins deeper into the city until they reached a little store sitting on a street corner.
Its windows were grimy and gray, old newspapers cluttering its doorway, but inside the shelves were cramped with a rainbow spectrum of candy and other treats. A jukebox by the counter played a cheery tune while Father bought Itachi some dango and Akemi a strawberry popsicle, and once they left, the man pretended not to notice Akemi slowing them down as he hung back to snap photos of the city until the dusky skyline was miles behind them.
Father hadn't journeyed to Sora-ku for over a year now, too preoccupied with clan business in Konoha. He started sending Itachi and Akemi in his stead once they turned five, which made Father's declaration over the dinner table rather meaningful since the clan head planned to join his sons on their trip to the city this weekend.
"You have brought great honor to the clan with your academic success," the lines over Fugaku's mouth smoothed out in a rare grin, "Since your graduation is coming up, now is the time to prepare for the trials awaiting you as a genin."
Itachi, stoic, nodded. Inside though, he was warmed from head to toe that his father was going out of his way to help him pick out a suitable weapon from the supplies shop. At least until he caught sight of Akemi's paling face, and remembered what happened the last time they traveled to Sora-ku.
Itachi had been setting curved kunai on a black tarp lying on the tunnel floor. He carefully bundled the items together and tied the resulting roll with ninja wire before placing it in a burlap sack. He was standing the bag against the wall beside two others when a brown ninja cat wearing a sky blue kimono strutted over.
"Denka," Itachi inclined his head. "Please tell Nekobaa my father will pay off our debts next month."
Denka's furry lip peeled back in an imitation of a human grin, and he flapped his paw dismissively. "Hai, hai," the feline turned towards the bags, "Will you really be alright carrying these by yourself?"
Itachi smiled a little. "Actually, I'm not—"
"Am I late!?" Akemi came skidding to a stop in front of them, camera hanging around his neck bouncing with the momentum. "Sorry, I lost track of time!" He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.
Itachi shook his head. "No, you're right on time."
"Ahh," Akemi started when Denka's bushy tail brushed against his bare ankle, the cat sitting at his feet, "I see you've summoned another shadow clone to aid you," the feline nodded in approval.
Itachi and Akemi blinked twice.
A beat of silence passed before Itachi murmured. "Another?"
"You think I'm his shadow clone!?" Akemi's mouth fell open, astonishment deepening the crevices of his face. "Wait, wait," he stared down Denka, who was beginning to look uncertain, "You thought I was a shadow clone this whole time?" He frowned at the ground and rubbed his chin. "But my biology tetxbook says even identical twins have slightly different chakra signatures."
Denka reeled back, his fur rising. "You are twins?" His tail swished agitatedly while he stepped back on all fours, shaking his head. "No, no, that cannot be."
Itachi tensed and Akemi's head whipped up, their eyes widening as Denka glared at Akemi. "Your chakra... I can sense it now..." His voice cooled with cold fury. "No human could maintain so much..."
The twins made fast eye contact, but couldn't do more before a tidal wave of killing intent crashed into them.
"Serpent!" Denka stretched out like a panther, unsheathing his razor sharp claws to the twins' horror. "Did you think I would be fooled, deceived!?"
Akemi fell back against the tunnel wall, knees buckling and face gray. His mouth opened and closed with two false starts before he managed. "What are you talking ab—"
"This is not your true form!" Sweat broke out across Akemi's forehead, the six-year old's eyes wider than moons while the cat stalked towards him. "You...youuu..." Denka's hiss crescendoed into a roar, and then he was airborne, claws aimed at Akemi's chest.
The attack struck true, Akemi screaming soundlessly as Denka's claws raked through his shirt, tearing skin and shedding blood.
The boy sank against the wall while the cat launched himself back, landing in a predatory crouch a yard away. Only to hiss with displeasure when Akemi popped in a puff of smoke, leaving a broken log in his place.
The real Akemi stood by the exit, wide-eyed as Itachi dragged him out the passage by his elbow and slammed the metal door shut behind them.
Worry and confusion battled for dominance on Itachi's face while Akemi released a ragged breath, neither boy quite able to process that Denka—playful, peaceable Denka—had tried to tear Akemi to pieces.
"Why?"
Itachi gripped Akemi's arm tighter as his brother bowed his head, bangs shadowing his expression. "Why do they all hate me?"
Itachi didn't know what to say. He'd never heard of a summon attacking someone without provocation. Yet, this wasn't the first time Akemi's encounter with a summon went wrong. Itachi witnessed the phenomenon himself a couple of months ago.
He'd been practicing evasive maneuvers with his crow Yuri when Akemi entered the field to pass on a message, only to nearly lose his eye as Yuri swooped down on his face. Itachi immediately called her to his arm, and the crow obeyed, but Yuri had bristled the entire time Akemi was there. Later that night, Akemi told him a similar incident occurred when he first met Kakashi's dog summon, Pakkun, who tackled him to the floor before the Hatake managed to wrangle the hound.
Itachi was perplexed, especially since none of the summons ever explained why they hated his twin.
Akemi sighed. "You should go back," he pulled away and Itachi reluctantly let him go, "You can probably still take the supplies."
Itachi heard the unspoken—It's me they hate—but couldn't honestly disagree. Still, he felt horrible leaving Akemi alone on the street, so rushed to retrieve the supply sacks. He found them where he left them, no Denka in sight, and quickly dragged them across the floor and out the door.
When he returned, Akemi was in the same spot Itachi had left him, staring down at his hands like he'd never seen them before.
Like they were something that just didn't belong.
.
"Stay behind me," Itachi whispered as they traversed the dimly-lit passage connected to the supplies shop.
Akemi slowed without protest, Itachi's body shielding him from view while his eyes scanned the area anxiously.
Neither of them could convince Father to leave Akemi at home, their parent insisting they might need an extra hand to carry gear. The siblings would have kept trying to convince him, but their father started getting suspicious so they'd given up quickly.
Thus, they had all traveled to Sora-ku, Akemi's lips locking and nerves undoubtedly worsening every time Fugaku sent a narrow-eyed look back at him while they leapt through the forest.
Itachi himself wasn't feeling too good as they entered the shop's foyer, but his fear abated somewhat when Nekobaa didn't even glance at him or Akemi before scowling at their father. "So the great clan head has finally decided to grace us with his presence?" The old woman's mouth twisted around her pipe, her displeasure clear.
Fugaku had the decency to look abashed. "Ah, well, I've been busy—"
"Excuses, excuses!" Nekobaa whipped the pipe out of her mouth and jabbed it in his direction. "Interest rates have gone up since you last came here, Fugaku," she glowered, "I hope you can deliver."
Itachi wondered if Nekobaa had known his father back when he was a child, and if that was why she spoke so candidly with him.
This thought faded when three of the cats lounging around the old woman got up and jogged over to him, eager for petting.
Akemi's breath hitched as the cats curled around their feet, the boy latching onto the back of Itachi's shirt.
"It's okay," Itachi craned his neck back, voice low. "They're not ninja cats."
Akemi released him immediately, pink coloring his cheeks. "O-oh."
"Why would ninja cats concern you?"
Itachi and Akemi stiffened, the eldest swiveling around to see their father looming over them with Nekobaa nowhere in sight. The old woman must have left to fetch the weapons from the back room.
"Itachi?" Fugaku crossed his arms, tone demanding an explanation.
Itachi didn't let his apprehension show, though his mind was scrambling for an excuse. He didn't want to lie to his father, but knew the man wouldn't handle the truth well. At best, Fugaku would consider the summons' reactions to Akemi another failing on Akemi's part, something that made his twin lesser than Itachi. More likely, however, the truth would elevate Fugaku's suspicious, and while Itachi wasn't exactly sure what their father would do, he was certain whatever he did would lead to Akemi suffering.
"I'm allergic to them."
Itachi turned to his brother who was staring morosely at the floor.
"Allergic?" Fugaku raised a single brow, unconvinced.
Akemi looked up to meet his eyes, pouting like he'd eaten something sour. "I didn't want to tell you because I can't explain it, but I think I'm allergic to animal summons." He stooped down and took a calico cat into his arms, stroking her back as he rose. "I'm not allergic to regular animals," the calico rubbed her face against Akemi's collar bone, purring as if to emphasize his point, "But I had a bad reaction to the ninja cats last time I was here."
Fugaku grunted. "Then why didn't you have a reaction the first time I brought you here?"
Akemi shrugged. "Some allergies develop over time." He started scratching the calico behind her ears.
Fugaku regarded Akemi coolly, but Itachi let himself hope. Akemi's lie was good, sprinkled with truth, and if believed might convince their father to allow Akemi to avoid summons from now on. Problem solved.
Nekobaa returned, wooden box in her hands rattling with the tools inside. "Here's the latest shipment of kunai and shuriken. We also have swords that enhance fire release—"
A low growl erupted behind her.
Akemi dropped the calico, startled, and the feline yelped in surprise, though she landed on all fours.
Itachi angled himself in front of his brother while Denka and Hina appeared by Nekobaa's feet, their teeth bared and ears peeled back as they glared daggers at Akemi.
Fugaku blinked, and Nekobaa's brow furrowed, the woman following their line of vision over to Akemi who had lost two shades of color.
"Imposter," Denka hissed.
"Fraud!" Hina spat.
Akemi stepped back twice, each insult striking him like a physical blow. Yet, faster than Itachi could move, Father appeared behind them and caught Akemi's shoulder.
"Itachi," Fugaku stared down Akemi, who had froze beneath his hand, "Pick whatever weapon you want. We will wait for you outside."
Panic bloomed across Akemi's face, and Itachi reached for him. "Tou-san, he—"
Fugaku vanished in a whirl of leaves, his brother disappeared with him, and Itachi's arm fell, uselessly.
.
The two Uchiha reappeared in the tunnel, Fugaku releasing the boy whose face had turned green.
"Ughh..." Akemi clutched his stomach, staggering over to the wall and leaning his hand against it. "You could have warned me, Tou-san." He swallowed the bile crawling up his throat, scowling at Fugaku. "You know how shunshin effects me."
"What are you?"
Akemi's hand arched along the wall, nails scraping at the dust and eyes widening under the cover of shadows. Slowly, he straightened, releasing his stomach and cautiously turning to Fugaku.
The man was staring at him, features devoid of emotion, and something cold hardening his eyes.
"What?" Akemi exhaled, voice small and frail. Quickly, however, his eyes crinkled with a grin and he held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, you caught me, I'm not really allergic to summons. It's more like they're allergic to me—"
In a burst of smoke, five hawks appeared on the ground between them, Fugaku rising from where he'd summoned them faster than Akemi could blink.
"What is it?" Fugaku asked the hawks in a monotone, and it took Akemi a minute to realize he was the "it".
A sudden chill spread across Akemi's chest, freezing his heart and turning it into glass. "Tou-san..."
The man ignored him, attention solely on the birds who were scrutinizing Akemi, their sharp gazes pinning the boy in place.
"This chakra..." The largest hawk spoke, his gray plumage matching his wise, aged voice. "It's..." Akemi stepped backwards, anticipating another attack, but his back hit the wall and he realized he was cornered. "It's not human."
Akemi flinched while the other hawks circled him, extending their wings to their fullest span and a couple even taking flight to assess him from above.
"I..." Akemi grappled with his tongue, forcing speech over the lump in his throat. "I don't know what you're talking abo—"
"Lie!" A beady-eyed hawk squawked from the floor.
Akemi shook his head. "No, really, I don't—"
"It's not human," the gray hawk asserted, narrowing its dark eyes.
Sweat accumulated along Akemi's forehead, and he said, "No, I am human."
"Not true." An ebony hawk perched on Fugaku's shoulder, the man a stone statue.
Akemi jerked his head in negation. "No, I am. I am hu—"
"Lie!" The beady-eyed hawk stared up at Akemi with all the judgment of a court jury certain of their conviction.
Akemi scowled if only to hide how his heart was beating louder than a stampede. "No, please, just tell me why you think I—"
A red hawk nipped Akemi's ankle and he yelped, his leg kicking out, but the hawks on the floor took flight to avoid it.
"Lie, lie," the beady-eyed bird taunted, every bat of its wings splitting the air like thunder.
Akemi's fists clenched, his eyes squeezing close. "I am not—"
"I'll ask you again."
Akemi's eyes popped open as Fugaku's dark orbs turned red in the beginnings of his Sharingan. "What are you?"
Akemi faltered, and the hawks above screeched. "Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie!"
The boy's lips quivered, and he cried. "I'm your son!"
Fugaku just stared at him.
Akemi pushed off the wall, his hand slapping over his heart. "I am Uchiha Akemi," he declared, his eyes gaining a wet sheen, "Your son," he intoned.
Fugaku's irises faded to black, a world-weary look pinching his face before apathy took its place. "No." The tunnel walls seemed to cave around Akemi as the man concluded. "You are not my son."
The finality of his statement punched the air from Akemi's lungs, the boy wheezing while clear liquid pooled in his eyes. Then he was gone, bolting out the corridor and slamming open the front door, running until his little body was swallowed up by the sun's pale light.
Fugaku didn't call him back, even as Itachi came rushing over, a brand new tanto strapped in a sheath slung over his back. "Tou-san? Where's Akemi? I heard the front door slam—" He suddenly noticed the hawk summons, and fear trickled over his visage, his dread expediting when he spotted drops of blood splattered on the floor. Above them a little handprint sat in the dust on the wall while ahead the front door stood ajar.
Itachi raised his head, skin around his eyes strained with horror, and he didn't so much as acknowledge his father before taking off towards the exit.
"Akemi!" Itachi shouted, call echoing through the empty city while he scanned the region as smog above casted shade across the landscape, making it hard to spot the dark-clothed boy speeding out through Sora-ku's rust red gates.
Itachi surged after his twin, not bothering to call again since Akemi was nearly half a mile ahead. Rather, he pushed himself to his top speed, blurring through the gateway right as Akemi reached the forest edge and leapt onto a tree branch.
Itachi gained on him, reaching the same tree in under a minute and hurtling through the treetops fast enough to create wind turbulence. His catching up wasn't due to personal skill so much as the fact Akemi wasn't looking before he leapt, his twin's head bowed while he stumbled upon every landing. Therefore, it wasn't surprising when Akemi finally dropped on a branch, misstepped, and fell, plunging to the earth.
"Akemi!" Itachi shouted because his brother was falling like a bird without wings, making no moves to brace himself for the impact, and Itachi was still yards away—it was going to be close!
Itachi dove off the tree, descending at an angle while Akemi's slack body dropped to the earth a few feet ahead. He landed in a roll, rapidly uncurling just in time to catch his twin. The impact sent them into a skid, Itachi's arms locking around Akemi as dirt was tossed up around them and browned the air. Soon they slowed to a halt, Itachi sucking in a deep breath since the wind had been knocked out of him, and promptly falling into a coughing fit from the dust while Akemi laid prone on his chest.
"Akemi?" Itachi sat up, stifling his coughs and pulling his brother up with him.
"I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home—" Akemi repeated in a frenzy, so softly Itachi could barely hear him.
"Akem—"
Akemi lurched up, crystal rivers running down his face, and Sharingan eyes a stunning gold.
Itachi gasped.
"Why can't I go home already!?" Akemi wailed, burying his head in Itachi's shoulder and gripping the front of his shirt.
Itachi hugged him back instinctively, but his mind was a thousand miles away, for Akemi had the Sharingan, and it was no normal Sharingan. Two black tomoe swirled in Akemi's golden irises, so brilliant a shade even the skin around Akemi's eyes were outlined in gold.
Akemi's sobs intensified, piercing the air, and Itachi choked down the questions flooding his throat. Akemi was crying, and he had never cried in front of Itachi before, so this was more important.
"Shhh," Itachi tightened their embrace, standing up himself and his twin.
Akemi sagged against him, crying wretchedly while Itachi shushed him again.
"I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home already!" Akemi wailed into Itachi's shoulder, and the eldest frantically searched his mind for guidance, not stopping until he remembered how Akemi comforted Sasuke back when their little brother first started teething. Akemi used to stay up all night, rocking Sasuke and saying—
"Cálmate," Itachi articulated the best he could, though the syllables tied his tongue in knots.
Akemi stilled, quieting, and Itachi took it as a good sign. He cupped the back of Akemi's hair, stroking it as he repeated. "Cálmate...Hermanito."
Akemi went silent, his hands falling from where he balled up Itachi's shirt to hang loosely at his sides.
"I'll get you home." Itachi promised.
Akemi didn't reply, but didn't fight it either as Itachi readjusted his body to rest along his back while he gripped Akemi under his knees. "Hold on."
Itachi waited for Akemi to wind his arms around his neck before leaping into the air, pushing himself to his limits once more as he sped through the trees. Every second was an hour, his every breath like inhaling fire. Yet it couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes to reach Konoha.
The two guards at the gate were shocked, but quickly grew concerned once they fully took in Itachi's appearance. He was panting, dirt and sweat and his brother's tears staining his clothes, and perhaps a twig or two sticking out of his hair. His arms were trembling, sore from carrying his brother for half an hour without break.
"Please, let us through," Itachi said once he caught his breath, his skin clammy from the wind he created while dashing through the forest.
One guard approached, reached out, but aborted the motion when Itachi stepped back instinctively to shield Akemi. "Are you two okay? Where's your parents?" He searched behind them, his hand fingering his weapons pouch. "Were you attacked?"
"No," Itachi rushed, aches and pains catching up to him now that he wasn't moving, "My brother isn't feeling well, I need to get him home."
The guard blinked, but only took one look at Akemi, who likely looked as bad as Itachi, before nodding. They let them in and Itachi shot off to the rooftops, tiles and cement blurring beneath his sandals and oxygen scalding his lungs. Yet Itachi didn't stop until they were on the doorstep of their home.
He nudged the door open, not bothering to take off his shoes before entering the living room. "Kaa-san?"
From the staircase came a creak, and Itachi looked up to see his surprised mother on the steps.
"Itachi?" She quickly noticed the lack of Father before seeing Akemi.
Her eyes widened, and Itachi explained. "Akemi isn't feeling well, so I brought him home."
It wasn't a lie. Itachi honestly didn't know what had led Akemi to such a state.
He suddenly recalled the blood on the floor and Father's cold expression, but didn't dare analyze the memory while Mother rushed over and bent down in front of him. She held out her hands, and Itachi hesitated, but soon slid his brother off his back and into Mother's waiting arms. Akemi sniffled, but didn't speak as he twined his arms around Mother's neck and hid his face in her collarbone.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Mikoto asked, cradling Akemi to her bosom. "Does your stomach hurt? Do you feel sick?" She turned, heading back up the stairs and leaving her eldest to watch until she disappeared from view.
Itachi felt useless, useless and foolish. His brother was hurting, and Itachi had allowed him to be hurt, left him alone with Father when he knew something would happen—
A little body crashed into Itachi's leg, short arms curling around his calves.
"You're back! You're back!" Sasuke rubbed his face against Itachi's leg much like Nekobaa's cats had done earlier. "Missed you!" Sasuke's rosy cheeks dimpled as he beamed up at Itachi.
The eldest smiled, patting the toddler's head and causing Sasuke to wriggle with pleasure. "I missed you too," he said simply.
Sasuke let him go and tugged at his shorts. "Play! Let's play!"
Itachi's smile fell, his eyes darting up to where his mother and twin disappeared.
Sasuke tugged at his shorts again, his onyx eyes glimmering like starlight. "Play, pleeease?"
Itachi looked down, face creasing with fondness. "Okay, Sasuke." The toddler lit up, his body shaking with anticipation. "Let's play catch outside."
"Yay!" Sasuke grabbed his hand, his little fingers engulfed in Itachi's, and ran to the front door, bouncing with every step. Itachi let him lead, wishing all of life's problems could be solved so easily.
.
Shikaku left a meeting among his fellow clan heads, his brain buzzing with thoughts of the war on the horizon, when he spotted a tiny toddler standing in the middle of the darkened hallway.
He paused, wondering why a child was alone in the Hokage Tower at the same time he noticed the Uchiha crest on the front of the toddler's navy blue shirt.
"Shikaku-san!" The child pointed directly at him, his childish slur prevalent. "Me...you...shogi!" His cheeks puffed in determination, black eyes remarkably intense for someone who couldn't be older than one.
Shikaku lifted a brow, easily deciphering the broken Katonese. "You want to play shogi with me?"
The toddler bobbed his head, cheeks still puffed and finger held high.
Shikaku wondered if this was a joke, but Uchiha were not known to be pranksters and he sensed no one close enough to watch this potential joke unfold.
Deciding to take the challenge seriously then, Shikaku asked, "You know how to play shogi?"
The child's stance didn't change as he proclaimed. "Nope!"
Shikaku blinked, expression blanking.
The child gazed back.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Shikaku sighed. "Okay," he grasped the back of his neck, massaging the nerves there, "How about I teach you how to play shogi first, and then we can play?"
Akemi, pointer finger still raised, blinked. "...Good idea..."
They walked out the Tower together, the toddler struggling to keep up with Shikaku's pace though the man was walking purposely slow, when a voice cut through the nighttime silence. "Akemi?"
Across the road under a streetlamp stood Uchiha Fugaku, appearing shocked before he strode over to them, and Shikaku suddenly noticed the tear troughs on both Uchiha's faces.
"Ah, this must be one of your sons." Shikaku was glad since he was going to walk the child back to the Uchiha district himself, and that would have been troublesome.
"Yes," Fugaku picked up his son, and the child rolled his eyes. "This is Akemi, my second, who has a terrible tendency to wander and..." A disturbed look crossed Fugaku's face, as if the man was remembering a brutal crime scene. "Do other odd things..."
Shikaku's lips flicked up, and he drily asked, "Like what? Rise at the crack of dawn, read the morning paper and sip a cup of coffee?"
"You've seen it too!?" Fugaku suddenly gripped Shikaku's shoulder, wild-eyed as he invaded the Nara's personal space. "I-I tried telling Mikoto, but she said Akemi was just imitating me and it was normal for children to imitate their parents!"
Shikaku's mouth parted in shock, the man having never seen the Uchiha so frantic. "I, uh, wasn't being serious," he got out eventually, and Fugaku quickly released him, shifting back.
"Oh... Yes, yes, of course." Fugaku regained his composure, smoothing down his hair. "Well, I thank you for finding my son, Shikaku-san." He nodded. "Goodnight," he turned and left.
"Bye-bye!" Akemi waved from where he was slung over Fugaku's shoulder, and Shikaku waved back.
The Nara carried on home, Akemi's face following him all the way to bed. It was his eyes, Shikaku eventually realized what he'd fixated on, those endlessly black eyes full of intellect and comprehension Shikaku had only ever seen in the young children of his clan.
"Huh," Shikaku chuckled. "Maybe he's got a bit of Nara in him."
...
The next time he saw Akemi, Shikaku answered a knock on his door and found no one outside until he looked down.
Akemi, with a booklet tucked under his arm, beamed. "Shogi!"
Shikaku glanced around, but seeing no Fugaku, asked, "Do your parents know where you are?"
Akemi inclined his head. "Yes..." His forehead knitted together, mouth moving soundlessly while he practiced his pronunciation before saying, "I leave note."
Shikaku hoped his calligraphy was better than his speech as he allowed the boy entry into his home. Yoshino peeked out the kitchen, and upon seeing Akemi, immediately came over and crouched down to pinch the boy's cheeks.
"Aren't you just the cutest?" she cooed.
Akemi, face smushed together, managed to sound serious. "That is...debatable. I have twin, so he have equal cute."
Shikaku's eyes narrowed. That level of rationale shouldn't be possible for an one-year old, not even Nara children were so cognitive at his age.
His wife noticed too, but continued to fawn over Akemi until the boy went to grab the shogi board off the bookshelf. As the child placed it on the porch, Yoshino shot Shikaku a questioning look. He shrugged, and she frowned, but let the matter drop while Shikaku sat across from Akemi.
"I try reading it," Akemi slipped the shogi instruction manual out from under his arm, "Too many big words." He held it out over the board and Shikaku accepted it. "Can you give definition of words underlined?"
Shikaku leafed through the booklet, eyes widening at the amount of kanji highlighted with green marker on every page.
"I can't read good," Akemi pulled out a tiny notebook and pen from his shorts pocket, "But I understand what you say."
Shikaku memorized all the highlighted words and set the book down, folding his arms. "It would take hours for me to define them all," he sighed.
Akemi cocked his eyebrow in challenge, clicking his pen and holding it over his notebook as he huffed. "Then we better start now."
Shikaku, curiosity piqued, smirked. "Trouble, that's what you are, right, kid?"
"Something like that." Akemi's smile grew razor sharp.
...
Shikaku did not see Konoha or Akemi for some time, too embroiled in the depths of the Third Shinobi War. By the time he did, the boy was now two, and just as eager as ever to have a shogi match against him.
"I brought my big brother, this is Itachi." Akemi strained to push a white stroller through the door, since it was taller than him, his twin sitting inside it and glancing at the interior of Shikaku's house.
Shikaku noted the idle curiosity on Itachi's face, and was struck by the utter lack of recognition or care the boy displayed towards his surroundings. Only now upon seeing a face identical to Akemi's did Shikaku realize just how vastly precocious Akemi was for his age.
This was further proven when Itachi raised his hands, making grabbing motions, and Akemi immediately pulled out a purple sippy cup from the back of the stroller and handed it to him. Itachi guzzled the drink, causing some of the juice to dribble from his mouth.
"Wow, you were really thirsty, huh, Nii-san?" Akemi pulled a napkin from his pocket, wiping his older brother's face and taking the cup back.
Shikaku was borderline disturbed at this point. Akemi was not merely self-aware, but understood how his self related to the people around him, something that should be impossible even for geniuses his age.
"Sorry about that." Akemi stored the sippy cup back in the stroller. "We can play shogi now."
He placed Itachi in the living room near the television, setting the channel on a cartoon show, and walked over to the porch. Shikaku was lining the pieces on the board when a knock resounded from the front door. Yoshino went to get it, and Shikaku thought nothing of it until Uchiha Mikoto, hands on her hips, glared down at her son.
"Uchiha Akemi," both males winced at the use of his full name, "What did I tell you about running off?" Her eyes narrowed until they were pure black diamonds.
"Uhh," Akemi rubbed the back of his neck, his smile too large, "To always leave a note?"
Mikoto pinched the bridge of her nose. "That is a rule when we're at home, not when we're in the middle of a grocery store."
Akemi opened his mouth, but Shikaku patted his knee. "Trust me, squirt, there's no winning this battle."
Akemi scowled at him. "I'm not a squirt, puberty just hasn't—"
Mikoto caught his ear and Akemi yelped as he was dragged up. "We are going home now," she hissed before turning to Shikaku, a pleasant smile suddenly adorning her face. "Thank you for indulging my son, Shikaku-san. He doesn't have many friends, but he always talks about you—"
"Kaa-san!" Akemi whined, blushing.
Mikoto, still smiling pleasantly, said, "Oh, you don't want me to share embarrassing stories with Shikaku-san?" She lowered her head to whisper. "Maybe you should have thought of that before running off and scaring your poor mother half to death."
Akemi gulped, looking truly ashamed. "I'm sorry, Kaa-san. It won't happen again."
Satisfied, Mikoto released him, and soon the Uchiha trio left.
Shikaku started packing up the shogi board when he found a little notebook beneath it. He picked it up, recognizing it as the same one Akemi had wrote in when he asked Shikaku for definitions. The Nara opened it to make sure, but stopped short at the sight of curved lines and dots beside the kanji on the page.
He squinted, muttering. "That's not Katonese..."
He kept staring at the oddity, eventually realizing that some of the curved lines repeated, much like a code...or a language...
Shikaku tucked the notebook in his pocket, resolving to return it to Akemi the next time he saw him, and pondering how a two-year old who barely grasped Katonese had already learned a language so foreign.
...
Fugaku, sitting on the bar stool besides Shikaku, who was nursing a beer bottle, asked, "Another language?" The Uchiha angled his ear towards the Nara, doing his best to ignore the jazz music drifting across the room as well as the incessant chatter behind them.
"-it's La Chakra, man, I'm telling you!"
"No, her name is Ra Chancla!" The spiky-haired chunin shot back at his friend from across the table.
"Ra Chancra, La Chancla, who cares?" The brunet banged his fist on the table. "Point is, we've got to track her down before she steals all the kids' sandals!"
The spiky-haired ninja looked contemplative. "Well, maybe we can appease her by burning shoes in a bonfire—"
Shikaku set down his beer bottle with a clink. "Actually, Akemi was writing in two languages." Fugaku appeared stunned. "I got a couple of analysts to look at his notes, turns out he was writing in Eigoha and Supaingo."
Fugaku's brow furrowed. "I've never heard of those languages."
Shikaku shrugged. "Neither had I, which makes sense considering less than three percent of the Elemental Nations' population speaks it."
Fugaku's eyes darkened. "So where could Akemi have learned it?"
Shikaku looked over the man warily, but forced himself to appear nonchalant. "He probably read it in a book, the guy loves to read." He downed the rest of his beer, setting his cash on the table and signaling the bartender. "Well, it's getting late, and you know how my wife gets if I stay out too late. Guess I'll see you around, Fugaku."
The Uchiha appeared mildly irritated, but nodded. "Fine, but we should talk more when you get the chance."
The Nara muttered an agreement as he departed, leaving the Uchiha to digest all he'd been told.
So Akemi's strange mutterings were an actual language—no, two languages. That wasn't very incriminating, simply meant Akemi was highly-intelligent, something he'd already known.
Sighing, Fugaku rose from his stool and strode out into the crisp nighttime air.
He needed to gather more information, from Shikaku, the Hatake boy—though he might be hard to track down—and even the Hyūga clan head. They were Akemi's closest companions, and he needed to figure out why the boy was spending so much time with them. For the safety of his clan and family, maybe to protect all of Konoha.
Fugaku stuck his hand in his pocket, fingering the vial of Akemi's blood he obtained when his hawk bit the boy's leg.
First stop was the Police Force forensics lab, then he would go home.
.
Itachi's twin had locked himself in his room, not leaving it for anything that night, or the following day. Mother brought food up to him, setting dishes outside his door where they remained untouched for hours until she picked them up and threw them away.
"We have no choice," Mother decided, scowling determinedly as she entered the kitchen with Itachi trailing her. She went up to the coffee machine on the counter and pressed the power button.
"Let him have mocha," she grieved, handing Itachi the entire coffee pot, and even adding a cup of milk and sugar on a saucer to go with it.
His mother watched solemnly while Itachi walked over to the patio, dabbing a handkerchief under her eyes, for the woman had been trying to curb Akemi's coffee addiction for years, and this undoubtedly would make her son relapse.
Father entered the house right as Itachi was crossing the living room. He eyed the pot of coffee, but merely bid his son goodnight before heading upstairs.
Itachi stopped to watch him, face expressionless. Father was responsible for Akemi's current depression, at least partially, and while there were no signs the man had physically harmed Akemi—excluding the small cut on Akemi's ankle Itachi was sorely hoping derived from an accident—Father must have said something awful to have so throughly crushed his twin's spirit.
Itachi blew out air through his nose, frowning at the floor. He respected Father a lot, took pride in being such an accomplished shinobi's son, but if ever Itachi had to chose between him and his little brothers...
Itachi swept that line of thinking from his head, not wanting to be riled up when he approached his emotionally vulnerable brother. Soon calming, he slid open the screen door and stepped out into the cool night air.
Akemi was sitting by the pond, legs folded beneath him as he leaned over the water's edge. He was dressed for bed, wearing black shorts, a baggy, green t-shirt and white slippers. On closer inspection, however, his hair looked unkempt, long bangs curtaining his eyes and strands sticking up in the back.
This wouldn't be so concerning if Akemi wasn't shaking with silent sobs, his hands pressed over his eyes while his tears dripped into the pond below. "It's too big," Itachi picked up Akemi saying, "This h-house is too big, nuestra casa nunca fue tan grande y it s-shouldn't have shoji doors or tatami mats... The world shouldn't have ninja or chakra or summons and...and nothing...nothing is like home. Why can't I just go home!?" He dissolved into incoherent sobbing, his last question in a language Itachi could not grasp, though his despair was clear.
Itachi almost turned back, doubting Akemi would appreciate him witnessing him being so vulnerable. However, Mother was counting on him, and even Sasuke seemed upset when he told him Akemi was "sick", so Itachi steeled himself and closed the door behind him.
Akemi stiffened, breath hitching, and Itachi gave him a minute to compose himself before approaching. He set down the coffee between them as he sat, observing the moon's crystal blue reflection in the pond as he said, "Mother made you some coffee."
Akemi scrubbed his cheeks before facing him, but the puffiness lingered around his eyes.
"Really?" Akemi asked quietly, then crossed his arms and groaned. "Jeez, I'm not on my deathbed, she didn't have to go that far."
Itachi remained expressionless. "You skipped four meals. Mother would consider it a national emergency if you missed just one."
Akemi suddenly reached over and poked his cheek. Itachi blinked at him in surprise while Akemi pulled back, saying, "Sorry, you made a joke, I had to make sure you were actually my brother and not someone under a henge."
Itachi's face softened. "You don't have to act like you're okay when you're not." Akemi's face shuttered, his feelings diving behind ironclad walls, and Itachi quickly rectified. "And you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just want you to know I'll be here...whenever you're ready."
Akemi got up, and for a second Itachi thought he'd said the wrong thing, but his brother merely stuck a silence barrier seal on the door behind them before returning to sit by the pond. Itachi waited patiently as Akemi's expression dropped, exhaustion weighing down every pore on his face while he stared at his shimmering reflection in the water.
He didn't look away from it as he said, "I..." Akemi frowned, squinting at the boy in the water like he didn't recognize himself. "I'm different from you," he finally decided, "And I don't just mean my foresight, though that's a part of it."
Itachi waited for a moment, but when his brother simply glared at his reflection, he prompted. "What else—"
"I was self-aware as a baby." Itachi's teeth clacked, his mouth clamping shut. "Completely cognitive... There's never been a time where Uchiha Akemi didn't know who he was or what world he was in. Everything was already planted in my head...history, facts, languages, images of other lands and cultures..."
Itachi nearly asked for more details, astounded his theory about Akemi being born knowing was true, but Akemi was confiding in him, and Itachi refused to be selfish.
"It doesn't really bother me that much, the knowledge or my foresight, or how it weirds people out." Akemi's lips hitched up. "Actually, that's probably the best part, freaking people out." The good humor faded fast and Akemi stared evenly at the pond. "It's just lately, I can't help but wonder why...why is this happening to me? Why was I chosen? What am I doing here?" His voice rose, anger and sorrow twisting his face. "Why does Uchiha Akemi even exist!?" His hands balled up, shaking with rage as he glared at his reflection.
"Why am I here?" he asked quietly, like he didn't mean to say it.
Itachi frowned. "Akem—"
"Am I still human?"
Itachi's frown deepened. "Of course—"
"How do you know?" Akemi rounded on him. "Having awareness at birth, seeing the future—even my dōjutsu is weird! What about any of this sounds like I'm human!?" Anger rolled off Akemi in waves, but Itachi knew it wasn't aimed at him. His twin was simply venting his frustration, an emotion he perhaps had never really let himself feel until now.
"I'm not even sure what I am anymore! If I'm still human, and I just..." The fire died in Akemi's eyes, and he looked like he might cry again. "I want to go home."
Itachi's face scrunched up. "But you are home."
Something shattered in Akemi's eyes, and Itachi recoiled as he chuckled bitterly. "Home?" He continued to laugh at a joke Itachi didn't get.
"Don't you..." Itachi chose his next words carefully. "Consider this home?"
"No, no, you're right, I'm home." Akemi threw his hands up to gesture at their house, bitter smile smeared across his face. "And I won't be leaving it anytime soon... Maybe I never will..."
Akemi hopped to his feet and left without looking back. Itachi watched him disappear into the house before frowning down at the untouched coffee, staring at his black reflection in the drink and knowing he'd made Akemi feel worse.
"I really am a useless brother." Itachi bowed his head.
Sorry it took so long to get this up, but this chapter is a two-parter (kinda like how Chapters 2 and 3 are) so it ran longer than I was expecting lol
Anyway, thanks for all the lovely reviews! I hope everyone enjoys all the twists and turns as we delve deeper into the plot!
Next time: Fugaku's investigation continues, and Mama Mikoto steps up!
Take care, everybody :)