Chapter 23 – Heartaches

"Talk"

'Think'

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto sensei. So…yeah.

Sasuke

Sasuke was half-sitting on the bed when Itachi entered.

"Niisan!" yelled Sasuke. He scrambled to get off his bed but was stopped by Itachi.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke?" asked Itachi. His question was answered with Sasuke's cry. He held Sasuke until he's tired, and put him to sleep.

The quiet night allowed Itachi to mourn for the loss of his parents in silent.

The following morning, Itachi brought rice balls for Sasuke and for himself. Over breakfast, Sasuke heard voices "Isn't that Naruto? What is he doing here?"

"Same as you" answered Itachi "He and his sister lost someone important to them yesterday. I heard she died while hugging them"

Sasuke has gone quiet. He'll never be able to feel his mother hugging him, his mother's smile, his father's approval nod, he could not even showed his father his shuriken jutsu- by that thought, tears were dropping down his cheeks.

"You want to talk about it?" asked Itachi quietly.

"I'm weak! If I did't let myself being captured yesterday, otōsan and okaasan didn't have to die!" said Sasuke, half screaming, half crying.

Itachi stared at Sasuke impassively "You are right. Otōsan didn't have to die. He could just stand there, waited to be saved while watching you and okaasan died. That is, if he was a heartless man. But he was not. He cared and loved you so much that he thought nothing of his life. He willingly traded his life so you could live, Sasuke" Itachi added "Otōsan's death was a heroic one, befitting of a father and of Konoha shinobi"

"I can still hear it in my head" said Sasuke, drawing his knees to his chest "He said he was cleansing-no, saving the Uchiha, something about someone's death and Ma-something Sharingan, and the masked man"

'Mangekyō Sharingan?' thought Itachi 'Saving the Uchiha clan? I have to tell Shisui'

"Your doctor said you are okay to go home' seeing Sasuke's clouded face 'Shisui offered a room in his house for a few days-"

"Okay" said Sasuke.

"Okay to what?"

"I-I'd like to stay in Shisui's house" said Sasuke.

Smiling, Itachi said "You know he stayed with your friends Naruto and Noriko, right?"

"What?!"

Naruto and Noriko

"…thank you…for…saving…me" the echo in Keiko's voice woke Noriko from her sleep. She stared at her surrounding until her view fell on a pair of blue eyes. The look of shock and disbelief mirrored hers.

For a while, none of them said anything. Then Naruto broke the silence "she's really dead?"

"I'm afraid so, Naruto, Noriko" said Shizuka who has been watching them.

"Why kaasan? Why?" asked Noriko with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"From what I heard, the guy who killed her used to love her but was rejected. That could be a reason" answered Shizuka

"That happened long time ago!" protested Naruto.

"Some people has problem of letting go of their anger, sadness. Instead, it grows and grows and sometimes, the person just snapped" said Shizuka.

"Is that what happened yesterday?" asked Noriko.

"I don't know" answered Shizuka, sadly. Keiko's death was a great loss to her. She's lost her best-friend, her strength and a person to talk to apart from Shisui.

Seeing Shizuka's sadness, Naruto and Noriko get off the bed and hugged her.

"I'm sorry kaasan" said Noriko.

"Me too, Shizuka-obasan" said Naruto, then he asked while furrowing his eyebrows "Why she said thank you to us for saving her?"

"We didn't do anything" he added in low voice.

Shizuka smiled amidst her tears. She sat down on a chair, rubbing their heads and said "The Kyūbi killed her brother, so Keiko used to hate you guys. Nevertheless, she did not let her hatred conquered her; instead, she used it as a bridge to get to know two wonderful people that she loved with all her hearts. They are both of you. So, she's thanking you guys for saving her from the fire of hatred that might consumed her"

"Like that guy?" asked Naruto.

"Yes" said Shizuka with a smile "Next time someone hurts you, think of this moment. Do you want to be weak like that guy who succumbed to his hatred? Or you want to be strong like Keiko-obasan who not only conquered her hatred, but also turned it into something good?"

Naruto and Noriko were silent.

"I want to be like Keiko-obasan" said Naruto, smiling "I want to turn all the hatred into a bridge that connects me and other people. And when I'll become Hokage, I'll protect them"

Noriko just smiled at Naruto's declaration. While she didn't want to be like that guy, she didn't know if she could be as forgiving as Naruto or as strong as Keiko-obasan.

"Anywhere, Sasuke also lost both of his parents yesterday. So Shisui has invited them to stay with us for a few days" said Shizuka

"What?!"

Naruto, Noriko and Sasuke were discharged together.

"I'm sorry, but I have to stay here, there's an emergency and I'm needed" said Shizuka in haste before she walked to an emergency room.

Naruto and Noriko stared at Itachi, who stared at them impassively while Sasuke looked at Naruto and Noriko with curiosity.

"Why don't both of you lead us to your home, then I'll go get your lunch" said Itachi.

"Okay" said Naruto and Noriko in unison.

On the way home, Naruto and Noriko walked in front while Sasuke and Itachi walked at the back.

"Poor boy…"

"I heard his parents died in front of him"

"I heard they were stabbed"

"Why is he with them?"

"They already killed someone"

"No, I heard she was killed by someone else"

"Yeah right, last time, their mother got stabbed, yesterday someone close to them, you don't see the pattern?"

As Itachi listened to the whispers, he looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes. It appeared Sasuke was wrapped in his world. Then he looked at the yellow and black heads in front of him. Their heads were down and Noriko's fist was grabbing her pants.

'Is this what both of you have to endure every day?' asked Itachi silently.

Once they arrived, Noriko showed Itachi and Sasuke the house and the guest's room while Naruto checked on his garden. Itachi then left to get his and Sasuke's clothes while Sasuke stayed in the room.

The quiet of the house was stifling to Noriko so she went out to her training post. She didn't feel like punching so she grabbed a leaf, sat down and did leaf exercise.

Moments later, she felt Naruto next to her. Opening her eyes, she saw Naruto also did the leaf exercise too. Noriko smiled.

End Chapter 23

Obasan – aunty

Ojisan - uncle

Okaasan – mother

Otōsan - father