Meltdown

Ch. 9

Hey I know it's been a year, and I'm sorry for that. I just had no inspiration to write any further. Now I do, thanks if you're still reading this fic to this day from way back when. Love you.

Everyone was more than worse for wear as the dawn brightened up the sky. Jun had found Hoshi pestering Itachi the night before, the mist ninja understood Itachi wanted to be alone- after all he had heard some rumors of him being apart of the akatsuki, he had no clue as to how he became a Konoha ninja but it must have been complicated and dramatic. The Uchiha's frame spoke volumes of his person, disciplined, sad, strong, but also tired and weak at heart. From one man to another he could see he was hurting inside, not sure what from but something bad enough to not be able to hide the hollows in his eyes. To say the least he was put through the wringer.

"Hoshi, would you care to go on a walk with me?" Jun had been tending to her for the past week, they were all slowly healing and laying low. Hoshi's legs luckily had not broken but only fractured under the collapse of the building they resided in momentarily. He'd watch her mend her legs in her free time, determined to be able to walk into Konoha with her troop.

"I'm not sure if I can stand up yet." The raven haired woman glanced up at the mist ninja with big sapphire eyes.

"I'll help you, here." Jun picked her up easily enough, his wounds weren't as severe as hers or Itachi's. "Lets walk along the shore."

"O-okay if you say so." Hoshi had been put on Jun's back, her legs dangling at his sides.

"See you in a few 'Tachi."

"Aye." The Uchiha languidly waved his hand up in recognition, currently he had been resting like the others. His eyes burned, they felt as if they could either burst into flames or start bleeding profusely. His heart hurt, he had always known how to cope with loneliness growing up. He missed Sasuke and loved him but he never had felt pain this severe from it. The pain brought him to tears, he was sure if he had let them fall they'd fall red. Madara, oh how he hated that man. Itachi knew the madman had come back for her, never quite leaving her radius, always silently needing to know every single detail of the one he loved. He hated his weakness more, he couldn't stop this man. He couldn't protect the ones he loved from this villain.

A fist slammed down onto the floor, his figure crumpled into itself, another fist ripped at the blanket he was under, Itachi willed himself not to scream into the pillow. A low growl filled the room instead followed by a choked sob. It wasn't very often when Itachi Uchiha broke down, but this was one of those times where he just utterly couldn't handle the pressure bestowed upon him. His life, his love, his brother all hung in the balance of this one mentally deranged man. A man he couldn't beat, he couldn't conqure, outwit, push back out of his bubble of security. He couldn't even as a kid, aside from murder the things Madara had him do- just for pure entertainment- you'd think Orochimaru was a saint from his actions.

His shoulders shook rapidly, his sobs turned into coughs, then coughs into weezes. His lungs had filled with fluid from his coughs, a cup lay nearby the ninja. He used the cup to spit in, blood lined the inside of the cup. Turning he noticed the pillow he laid on had been covered in blood as well. Suddenly feeling cold, Itachi blacked out into his pillow.

"Oh my young sir, are you alright? Answer me please." The old lady living in the house chirped in a panic, having her husband pick him up from the bed. They were only able to slightly move him into a sitting position. Itachi was having a hard time coming to, he couldn't see and he felt so weak.

"Boy, wake up." The old man shook him slightly, Itachi tried to open his eyes but they were dried shut from caked on blood. His voice was ruined, talking was useless. Itachi chose to nod his head.

"What happened to you? If you can get up do so, he'll help you up. We need to get you to the bathroom." Itachi tried to get on his feet, his bones felt shattered. Eventually he was able to rise and be walked to the bathroom close by. The woman had drawn a bath for him already.

"Strip your robes, I'll help you into the tub." Silently answering them he felt two pairs of hands ease him into the scalding liquid. He didn't bother to tell them it felt like boiling water, he enjoyed the pain for what it was worse. He could barely feel anything right now.

"Thank you" Itachi tried to muster out the best he could.

"You're welcome dearie. I'll stay and clean you up." The elderly woman shooed her husband off for some alone time. "Are you alright dear?"

Itachi nodded.

"Don't lie to me sweetie, I had a few boys of my own you know. I can tell when they are lying, and I can with you too." She got a wet wash cloth out to slowly wipe the dried blood from his eyes.

"I miss Sakura." Itachi choked out.

"Is that your wife?" Itachi shook his head.

"Do you love her?" A short nod.

"Is she safe wherever she is?" A shake.

"Then why are you all the way out here?" An eye was able to open, sharringan had been activated. Calming he was able to turn them to a soft black.

"Deployed. Mission." Itachi coughed.

"It doesn't look like you completed it." Another shake.

"You need to get on home." A nod.

"Well... I can get you on the road tomorrow and no-one would suspect a thing. I have an old carriage that I used for supplies, as long as you hide your ninja gear and wear these robes you can make it back to Konoha smoothly. No one will want to raid a manure carriage." She giggled, before Itachi could protest she poured a bucket of hot water on top of him. "I am not going to let you decline me boy, let me do this for you. My life is almost over, my children are gone, and it'd do good to my old heart knowing I helped a handsome little boy get back to his love in her time of need."

"Aye." Itachi mumbled, and slumped back into the tub. He felt faint again.

"Now you just rest in there, I'll come an get you when supper is ready." She left the rag with him and added a partition for him when his teammates came back.

The bath water had turned amber with a tinge of red from his blood, soap was mixed into water. Mint filled his nose, it soothed him slightly. Leaning back into the tub he submerged himself into the scalding bath water. The tub was large, interesting for a home by the shore not in a village to have such luxuries. They must have saved up for it. Itachi's hands were already starting to prune up, he gazed at his body underneath the suds- black, yellow, and blue bruises littered his body. There were new scars he had not noticed before everywhere, a couple gashes every couple of inches apart. He was sure his face wasn't much better, especially if his eyes began bleeding again. It was a wonder he still had his teeth, all of them. They seemed to be the only thing left intact on him. He lightly grazed his hands over his lips, they were slit, his nose was crooked, eyes bloody, hair came out of his head in patches, bones broke but quickly healed by Hoshi. He felt exhausted, his soul felt exhausted. If he were to ever make it back home he'd retire from being on the front lines. It wasn't worth it anymore. There was only so much he could take, only so many times he could heal. Itachi may be ANBU but he was human, he was mortal.

The water cooled to a less scalding degree, the bathroom he resided in had a muted green color on the walls, they reminded him of Sakura. His scalded skin matched her hair color, he frowned into the suds. There once had been a time where it had only just been them. She was a cat and he was a criminal. They were each others worlds. When did it become so convoluted, it was simple not long ago. When did he start to drift, when did he start to lose himself after he had just only found it?

Smells of dinner wafted into the bathroom, he could hear loud chattering in the living quarters. Itachi's eyes drooped, charcoal eyes going flat, he felt himself distancing again. His pain subsided slowly, having an out of body experience. Looking at himself in the tub, he leaned forward to his person soaking. Brushing away a stray lock of hair, he gave himself an empathetic look and a smile. His bathing self looked so low, he looked like his child self, learning to put it all away- trying to forget it all. Eventually the pain stopped, he felt nothing, and was having a hard time remember his past. At what point did he forget, was it just now or earlier? Itachi couldn't remember why he was hurting for the life of him, but figured it was for the best. A few giggles echoed, sweet like a wind chime in a spring breeze.

"Are you ready to come out dearie?" The old woman brought a big bath towel to the edge of the tub. "Do you have the strength to get out?"

"Yes." Itachi whispered and willed himself to stand, his body screamed in protest but he could only slightly hear their plea.

"Good boy. Dinner is sitting by the table, now lets get your robes on." The woman toweled him down since he could barely move and helped him dress and eventually combed his hair as he ate his dinner by his bed.

Itachi could finally sleep through a night.

Hey thanks again for reading, there will be more around the corner.

-LadyMarrowind