Chapter 11 - Indelible

The car door slammed behind him with a loud bang.

The finality of the sound unlocked the door that held back his emotions. His fists shook as tears streamed down his face. His hands came together on his steering wheel, forming a barrier between his tears and the leather.

"Uchihas never fall in love, my ass." his voice thundered through the vehicle, hand swinging to punch the passenger seat.

"What are you doing in my bed?" his scratchy voice boomed, aggravating both his and her hangover

"Stop yelling!" she rolled over, hand massaging her scalp to ease the rude awakening.

Roughly brushing his hand through his hair he walked out of the room towards Naruto's room. His mind making a mindless scurry to sort the puzzle. Just as his fists lifted to knock, a loud screech came from behind. She must have just figured she was naked, seeing as she was red with fury and had a tight grasp on her sheet.

The door to Naruto's room opened revealing a half dressed Ino with a scowl on her face. "Why the hell are you both so loud!" she hissed through her teeth

"Where is the dumbass?" Sasuke pushed past Ino

What he hadn't expected was to be mooned by his best friend. Angered and temporarily disgusted, he made a 180.

"Nothing happened." Ino spoke

Sasuke and Sakura shared a brief look before he snorted at Ino,

"I meant, between the two of you." the blonde placed her hand on her hips as she walked into the kitchen, too hungover to deal with this. Gulping down a cup of water, she turned to rummage the bare hotel cabinets, pulling out a wine bottle.

"You both drank yourselves to shit. Billboard here threw up all over herself in the uber." she gulped the drink down, proceeding to pour another glass. Sakura's eyes twitched, her knuckled cracking. He hadn't realised till that moment, as oxygen filled his lungs, the panic that settled within him.

"Why am I still naked? With a stranger?" Sakura hissed at her best friend

"Well he was supposed to give you clothes to change into." she shrugged, ready to take another sip when Sakura grubbed the glass, emptying its contents before doing likewise with the bottle.

"What the hell Sakura?!"

He had left at that moment, just relieved that he hadn't hurt her. He could hold his head high when he saw her, yet for some reason, just the thought of her filled him with intense dread.

Sasuke wiped the tears that lingered under his lids in a fell swoop, wiping the liquid on his now rumpled trousers. Reaching into his pocket, he dialed the first number that came into mind.

"Little brother." was the croaky voice at the end of the line, "I assume you know how to read a clock."

"Itachi," Sasuke's voice wavered on the line, brittle and breathy, alerting Itachi. Sitting up in haste, "Sasuke?"

"I messed up."

~.~.~

"So you left?" Itachi whisked his coffee, the brothers seated in the furthest booth of a late night diner.

"I couldn't stay. She said the same thing that night." the forlorn look in Sasuke's eyes worried Itachi but he kept his expression neutral. Pity was not what his brother needed.

"What exactly happenedthat night?" the older Uchiha's eyes creased, looking past his brother.

"I don't want to."

"You don't have a choice. Her memories from that night never returned and from what you're suggesting, she's broken up with you - twice now."

Getting up, Sasuke dumped a few bills unto the table, walking out, leaving Itachi behind. Rolling his eyes, Itachi turned back to his coffee, sipping as he watched his brother's car whip away.

~.~.~

Her voice haunted him that night, just as it always had. Her words followed his every footsteps, mimicking his movements as his own shadow. Getting dumped twice was a definite record for him. Many women threw themselves at him, He was yet to be dumped by another once - let alone twice.

"Sasuke-kun?" she had concern all over her face when he walked into her apartment, his hair disheveled, countenance disgruntled.

Without a word, he slumped in her laps, hiding his face when close enough, taking deep breaths, soothing his pain with her scent, as her fingers played with his locs.

"He hit you?" her voice broke, the sadness trickling in. He stiffened at her words, the phantom of his uncle's arms crawling over him. The pain replaying itself over and over again - his body stiffened as a log, his breath turned shallow as a panic attack began to ensue, again, that night.

"Shh, shh," Hinata drew soothing circles on his back, her voice soft as a whisper, "you're safe here. It's okay here."

He fell apart in her arms that night and many nights after. He had always feared vulnerability in every way, but with her, he could be vulnerable, he could release the pain.

"That's all it ever was." Sasuke stared himself in the bathroom mirror, looking past his reflection, to the figment of his imagination, her words.

"That's all she ever was." he whispered to himself, enforcing the logic he had conjured. "I couldn't have loved you. Uchiha's never love." a stray tear found its way on his face. Wiping it away, Sasuke stepped into the shower, blasting it on full pressure, he allowed the water to run over him. Repeating the mantra that cut his soul in pieces.

AN: I'm so surprised by this consistency lol. Hope you enjoyed it. Read and Review! I like to know your thoughts. Stay safe everyone!