16
Age: 16
He pretended to be engrossed with the horror novel he was reading. That is what his life was, one horrific, terrible, endless novel. The clusterfuck of emotions that he had been feeling lately had been helpful in his nightly struggles.
He was beginning to perceive things to be different, almost as if there was more light in the room. His mind felt less foggy. Somehow, after all of these years he was beginning to feel at ease. If he had to write it out he would've written that he was 'happy.'
He looked at her sitting across the table for him reading the village's newspaper. More specifically the weekend's satire cartoon. Was this was friendship was? He wondered. She closed her eyes and laughed loudly at the image.
"Look!" She said pointing the newspaper towards him. He did.
Her hair was loose and messy, not held in a braid anymore. She wore her hitai-ate covered by some loose bangs. Bright lime green eyes, beauty mark on her cheekbone, her four pendant chakra stone necklace adorning her neck...
She was pointing at a badly drawn political cartoon of Sandaime Homage complaining about his back and wanting to drink prune juice. It was a jab at his old age for a Hokage. He simply closed his one visible eye as if smiling and distracted himself by pouring two cups of white jasmine tea, her favorite.
The two of them were currently sitting at the local teahouse around the Noa Manor. It was one of the first times that they were out in public together. And yes- It was the same teahouse where he had made her cry all of those years ago...
She continued reading, one hand holding up the folded newspaper the other taking a sip of tea. She placed her hand down on the table. He stared at it intensely. He held his book on one hand the other sat on the table as well. He would never not be thankful for the mask that covered his face, that hid his emotions from the outside world. Still staring intently at her hand he began slowly inching his finger towards her hand. It crawled across the table. She didn't seem to notice.
He continued his heart rate increasing. He was so close-
Finally he made contact. His eye remained on his book his finger intertwined with hers slowly. Realizing that something was touching her she removed her eyes from her readings, looked at his hand touching hers and then at him as he pretended he hadn't realized this.
"What are you doing?" She asked with suspicious narrowed eyes glaring.
"What are you talking about?" He deflected her question remaining indifferent.
"Why are you holding my hand?"
He finally looked at her. He was about to reply 'You're holding my-' when they were interrupted.
"Why are you holding his hand?" a third voice joined the party. The voice of a child.
"Ahhh!" You yelped taken back by the sudden presence. She pulled back her hand and turned to face Itachi who was standing next to their table. The boy was staring at her with a pensive look and his dark eyes. His hair had gotten longer and he wore a forehead protector at the time age of eight. She had heard that the young boy was now esteemed as the next Uchiha prodigy. Having graduated from the Academy top in his class at the age of seven he was on his way to achieve great things.
"I-I wasn't," she managed.
"Strange seeing you both out today," That voice. It was Shisui.
"Shisui-san!" She jumped to her feet, not expecting to see him today. "You're back early from your mission," she said embracing him tightly. He wrapped an arm around her and smiled at her for a moment- then his eyes turned to look at the silver haired ninja and he glared at him.
"Yeah- caught a lucky break," he said letting go of he embrace, but still holding her.
"I didn't know you two were such good friends," he said through a passive smile as he sought information as to what the hell he was going on between them.
He was more than well aware about the terrible history of rivalry and fighting that these two shared. Well at least from all the times she had told him how much of a terrible human being he was, and whatever he remembered from his late cousin's rants about him. During missions and teamwork he kept mostly to himself and he had never seen Ryou actually speak, less interact with him. Except for that one time..
"Well," she began placing a hand on his chest soothingly.
"As of recently, I've been helping Kakashi with this issue that he has." The way she emphasized on the word 'issue' made him think that she would tell him what it was later. However, today he wasn't having it.
"What issue?" He pressed in a more serious tone. He removed his arm from her. She looked conflicted, Kakashi simply observed carefully analyzing the tense situation as did Itachi.
"He has night terrors" she kept the information brief. "He really needs a friend which is why we're hanging out and why I spent the night over the other day."
Shisui felt something snap inside of him. Due to his unnerving emotion his eyes flashed crimson. "You spent the night?" His tone harsher, his threatening Sharingan starring down at her. "You don't even like him Ryou. Why the hell would you stay over at his place? And what about me? I am your boyfriend!"
She looked at him with both of her eyebrows raised fearfully. She didn't think he would get this upset about the situation.
"I'll get that tea to go," Itachi mumbled quickly as he sneaked off to change the order they had placed.
"Shisui!" She tensed up. "I-I didn't think you would be this upset. I was going to tell you, you just hadn't been around-"
She was interrupted by Kakashi who now stood between them. He stood facing Shisui. What the hell was he still doing here?!
Any normal person would've run for the hills. After all this was the wrath of the infamous Uchiha Shisui that he would have to face.
"Shisui-san," he said in a calm tone. "I'm the one you should be upset at. I-"
He wasn't allowed to finish. In his anger Shisui wasted to time in kneeing him in the stomach. "Ugh.." Kakashi groaned clutching it, bent over in pain. He grabbed him by his shirt's collar and held him up ready to strike again.
The culprit of this entire situation was speechless. She had never seen him this angry. She was about to lean over and aid him, but with Itachi at her side now holding her arm slightly shaking his head she was warned not to. The commotion drawing the eyes and interest of other nearby costumers. The owner of the place observed as he was ready to kick them all out.
"Shisui!" She snapped her hands clenched at her sides. She looked at him with an aghast expression. His red eyes turned to hers and he simply tossed the other ninja to the ground.
"I asked her to stay." He said through a strained voice as he slowly straightened out his back. The young woman left Itachi's side and confronted Shisui touching his face. "Shisui, please, look at me."
He wouldn't even look at her. "Nothing happened. I slept in the living room sofa, read a book and left first thing in the morning. I promise." She said with wide eyes looking into his red ones. He finally dared face her with hard eyes and a hard jaw.
"You've never mistrusted me before. Why now?"
He reached for her hands and brought them down.
"It's not you I don't trust. It's him." He darted his eyes towards his fellow ANBU.
He couldn't put his finger on what it was. He trusted Hatake as a Shinnobi of the same rank and respect as him. However, the idea of his long-time girlfriend being alone with him... There was just something about the way he looked at her, and the way he always seemed to appear around her that just made him feel distraught about the circumstances. It hadn't been a concern since she had always claimed that she "hated" him. He looked at her expression carefully; in her eyes she held both regret and sincerity. But part of him couldn't help but wonder what the root of their mutual obsession with each other was and where it originated from...
He remembered one particular instance in which he- the thought of it made him feel sick to his stomach.
"Ryou, please wait outside with Itachi," he said almost through gritted teeth.
"Shisui!" She repeated his name in a pleading tone. He flashed her a warning look in return.
She looked between the two of them before stepping out with the eight year old and the tea.
She hated being told what to do. She hated seeing Shisui angry and more than anything she hated being the reason for it. Her conscience wasted her insides with guilt. She hadn't been completely honest with him- but if he was this mad with this, she couldn't even imagine how he would react if he knew about the other stuff.
"I've never seen Shisui-san so angry," Itachi commented only making matters worse. She fiddled with her voluptuous her nervously .
The older Uchiha composed himself and took a deep breath before addressing him with a passive smile.
"You might be in denial about it, but I know it. I can see it." He began frowning. Both of his eyebrows knitted.
The other remained silent and heard him out.
"I see the way your eyes trail after her whenever she walks, wherever she is. There-There's something about it... Almost as if she makes you sick." he paused for a moment. "What I want to make clear is that I don't want this event to repeat itself. The idea of my girlfriend sleeping at another man's house- makes me nervous. Understand?"
The other ninja didn't break eye contact still staring at those infamous red eyes. It was then that he was taken back by his eyes they were no longer the normal Sharingan, the one he was familiar with, his eyes had morphed into the legendary Makengyo Sharingan. He felt his blood run cold. Shisui's Makengyo Sharingan was known to be mortal. Everyone that had ever witnessed it was dead. There was no witness record about the inhumane things those eyes could do.
"I hope you respect her and my wishes. Understood?" With a tightly, menacing smile, he gave him a hard pat in the back and strolled away to met her outside of the teahouse.
Shisui Uchiha looked at the crying girl before him. The couple was currently disputing in the privacy of her manor's patio.
"Shisui I swear, nothing happened." she repeated with one exhausted breath.
"And I believe you," he said with a set frown on his face.
This wasn't the first time they fought. Like any normal couple they had had their ups and downs before. However, by far this was probably their worst fight yet.
"But the way you keep on repeating it, its almost as if you don't believe it," he withdrew his hands from her cold ones. "I'm just-" She reached for her face wiping away her lost tears. "I love you Shisui and I don't want to lose you over something so ridiculous." He leaned in and brought her to his chest in a tight embrace.
"I know," he murmured.
They embraced for a moment.
"Ryou..." He began. "I don't want to see you with him again."
Was all he said. She shut her eyes tightly as she fired her face on his shoulder.
In his eyes a distant look as he remembered that one day when he saw them on the graveyard...
Ryou had spent the following weeks running missions and errands around in the village. In her free time she would bond with her father and Shisui at separate times. Both whom she felt hadn't bonded with enough in past time. It had even gotten to the point where she had extremely clingy of the Uchiha. She would go out of her way in an attempt to prove her wholesome loyalty to him. So far he wasn't very swayed by her attempts and she was beginning to run out of ideas.
She hated being told what to do. Following orders that weren't hers, but for Shisui she would do it. She would do anything for him. He had been nothing, but good to her and how did she repay him? By going behind his back to see her childhood rival. It wasn't fair. Because of this she hadn't seen a certain silver haired young man for some time now and she didn't want to.
Right now, she currently sat in Shisui's bed. Her eyes were focused on his door. She didn't dare blink. Dreading that she might miss him if he arrived sometime soon, she didn't dare move. A couple of moments she heard him shuffling around downstairs. He was home. She felt her stomach fluttering anxiously. Her face burning. Inhaling and holding in her breath she attempted to calm down her jumping nerves. He made his way upstairs and opened his bedroom door. The lights in his room did not work when he tried them. Instead he was greeted by a pair of glowing green eyes in the darkness.
"Ryou?" He said as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.
His girlfriend had been on edge lately. Ever since they had fought they had both been walking on eggshells. He hated it. He hated what had happened it was so stupid...
"What are you doing?" He said confused closing the door behind him.
She appeared to be engulfed by his blanket. The only thing peeking out was her neck and face. She slowly stood up and approached him quietly with long strides. There was something in her attitude. In her objective. Not breaking eye contact she grabbed him by his shirt's collar and pulled him dangerously close so that he could feel her breath on his lips.
His blanket rolled down from her shoulders and came cascading to the floor.
"You."
A couple of weeks later Ryou found herself washing some dessert plates in her home. Shisui had just kissed her goodnight and left. Ever since they had taken that important step in their relationship things had formalized a lot between them. Her father was presently sitting on the kitchen table looking through an old family album. Reminiscing in the absence of his wife and other daughter.
When suddenly the doorbell rang. Ryou didn't give it much thought, neither did her father he just muttered a short 'I'll get it' and went to open the door.
She looked at the clock in their kitchen. It wasn't too late.
'Shisui must've forgotten something,' she thought looking over her shoulder to see if there was anything he had forgotten in the kitchen table.
Her father returned a moment later, both of his dark eyebrows were scrunched and his eyes were narrowed.
"Look what we've got here, Ryou-"
Still washing the dishes the girl turned around and almost had a heart attack when she saw who it was.
She clumsily hung on to a dish she was about to drop when she saw Kakashi standing next to her father.
"-A boy that actually knocks the door." He said with his eyes wide. "Figures," He shook his head and turned to face the silver haired ninja. "Come tree-stalker, we just had dessert, but I'll serve you some more." He said
"No Sir, I think I'm-"
Aru didn't bother listen to the silver haired ninja's protest he sat him down on the family table and sat a plate of mochi in front of him. "Now, what brings you here stalker?"
The nickname was in reference to the first time Aru Noa had meet Kakashi Hatake in a rather compromising position on a tree outside his house. Let's just say Kakashi wasn't fond of the new nickname. With a stiff back Ryou began rushing through the stack of dishes she had to wash.
"I can't sleep in my apartment. So I came to sleep over here." He said dully.
Ryou's father stood up from the table both of his hands touching the wood on top of it. Ryou sweat dropped and almost face palmed, fucking idiot… Why did he have to be so blunt? He had to leave. Shisui would kill him and who knows what he would do to her if he knew he was here.
"Ryou…" Her father growled.
She turned to look at him with a tired expression, his eyes were gleaming. Kakashi was watching the man carefully.
"I like this young man, and his honesty." He said with a grin.
"Better than that Uchiha boy- thinking I don't realize when he sneaks right under my nose…" he muttered under his breath.
He then approached Kakashi and put a hand on his shoulder, patting his back.
"You're welcome to sleep anywhere and anytime in this house. As long as you respect my home and my daughter." He said with a small smile, his eyes however were hard and blazing with venom. "Understood?" He said his hand tightening on the young ninja's shoulder. The conversation was only a reminder of Shisui's treating words from that day back at the teahouse.
"Outo-san!" Ryou hissed finally turning around.
"Right." Aru regained his composure. "It's getting late for this old man." He said arching his back stretching.
"I'll be in my room. Have a good evening you too. And please don't make me wake up." And with a warning gaze he disappeared to his room.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" She hissed dropping the dishes she was washing and stepping over to him.
"I told you, I haven't been able to sleep." He repeated himself as if it was the most logical explanation.
"Are you insane?!" Exclaimed. "Do you know what would happen if Shisui-san knew you were here?" She said hands over her head.
"I needed to see you."
"No, no, no," she said repeatedly. She leaned over and grabbed him by the arm pulling him up. "Shisui and I are in a very good place right now and it took us a lot of time and work to get there so- no. I am not allowing you to ruin it again!"
He remained stiff like a rock and unmoving. It took You a couple of moments until she finally managed to drag him out of her house. They were at the gate now. She ended up dragging the chair in which he was sitting out with him. Sweat beads were forming on her forehead. He was heavy and simply remained unmoved with his arms crossed over his chest.
"There," she said dusting her hands off.
"Since when do you do what others tell you?" He asked placing his hands in his pockets.
'Now he stands up?!' she screeched internally. After all that work.
"I would do anything for Shisui. The only thing he's ever asked of me is not talk to you and I will do just that." From her tone he could tell she was dead serious. She really wasn't messing around. She wasted no time in pressing her hands against his back and pushing as hard as he could hoping to get him at least past the gate. With his heel dragging in the ground carving a two lined pattern he was making an effort to fight back.
"Who says he has to know?" He said making her push even harder. "It wouldn't be the first time we keep something from him," he said turning to look at her with a knowing look.
He was so unnerving she felt like strangling him in the spot.
"Leave me alone!" She said flustered, finally shoving him past the gates of her property with one final push. It took her a moment to slam he gate's fence in his face and locking him out.
"Why are you even here? Every single time I do something for you I always end up getting the short end of the stick one way or the other. So deal with it! I am done getting hurt!" She stomped her foot and returned to her home furious.
"Wait." He easily hopped over the large, elegant fence. He rushed and was now standing before her preventing her from coming into her own residence. "Wait-!" He repeated once again.
"Get out of my way unless you want me to sock you in the face. Don't you get it?" She attempted to push past him. He reached for her arms in an attempt to hold her in place, instead she took a swing at him. He managed to hold her strong first in his palm. 'That was close...' he thought.
She pulled her hand back quickly afraid that Itachi or Shisui might be nearby watching her, fearing that they might pop out of a shrub at any moment.
"I feel indebted to you, so now I will do something for you."
"What can you possibly give me that I don't already have," she slid past him and opened the door of her home ready to step in.
"I'll help you get what you want most." he said ominously as he tried to face her.
She stopped and peered with a pensive expression.
"What I want the most?"
Both stepped inside of the manor.
She had allowed him in with one condition.
"I let you do this and you will never speak to me again."
She had decided to swear him off. For her good, his own, Shisui's, everyone's.
He had agreed.
The corridors were long and elaborate chandeliers with gems filled every room. The carpet's were made of imported, colorful silk. Large arches opened every room of the house. It was no wonder the Uchiha clan had been so eager to receive the Noa heir into their family.
The Noa clan was well known not for their fighting skills, but for their clever crafting of gems made out of pure chakra. Some say that these gems could move and buy mountains. Hiroko Noa, the founder of the clan, was approached by Hashirama and Tobirama Senju when the Leaf Village was in the works of being founded. They needed financial funding for their growing city and came to the highest bidder in the nearby lands. They offered him a name, a fruitful territory and their undeniable loyalty. He accepted and with their help they inaugurated the village.
To commemorate the new found alliance Hiroko crafted one pure gem necklace for the first Hokage. He wore it proudly every day. In this day Ryou wore a necklace possessing five of those stones. Enough to probably purchase a small country.
They had only become involved in the world of ninjutsu until recent generations. Kakashi hated to admit that he felt a little intimated as he walked through the manor with her. For the first time he was in her turf.
"Don't let him intimidate you. He sleeps like the dead." She said as they made way upstairs into the second floor of the house.
"Is he always like this?" Kakashi asked still eyeing the artwork on the walls as they advanced.
"No. That's a first. He's harmless I swear. Just likes to test the boundaries." She said as they reached a door. Kakashi didn't seem convinced. "I am not my father's property and he knows that. He can't forbid me from what or who I do and don't do. He respects my space as long as I'm honest with him. So you should consider yourself lucky, now you are in the graces of the powerful Aru Noa." She opened the door to her bedroom.
He stood by the door, she advanced and instantly collapsed on her bed, sinking into the comfy mattress.
She noticed that he was looking at her lavender room carefully, analyzing the paintings on her walls and the elegant white furniture. Next to her bed she had a picture of her and her teammates, another of two young girls which he assumed was her sister and on the wall next to it was one of Ryou when she was younger with her family. Noticing he was looking around the room, she cleared her throat calling for his attention. He wasn't the first boy to be in her bedroom both Obito and Shisui had been here before, but he was acting as if he had never been in a girl's bedroom before.
"So- why are you really here?" She asked looking at him through her dark eyelashes.
He sat on the chair next to her desk where many maps, scrolls, and books were laying amongst many other utilities.
"I came to help you with your investigation." He simply stated.
She stretched out her tired limbs in her bed.
"For some reason I don't believe you." She rolled over , looking at him now upside down in her vision.
"Not like it matters, since you're already here and you will not leave... There are plenty of rooms in the house, have your pick. I will see you in the morning." She said sitting up. "Goodnight," she said in a 'get the hell out of me room' tone. Making him leave.
Kakashi stood in the dark corridor by himself. There were so many doors in the long corridor, he wasn't too sure of where to go. He proceeded to walk down the long corridor, still not sure what room he would take. It wasn't until he reached the end of it that he realized a room was missing. Approaching it, he knocked on the wall there was an echo meaning something was behind it. He felt the wallpaper and saw a corner where it was peeling. For a moment he hesitated whether he should peel it or not. He tore it slightly and decided not to before walking away again. He was barely going to walk into a random room when he was suddenly pinned against the wall roughly.
"What do you think you're doing?" A voice hissed in his ear. "Snooping around my house."
Ryou was wearing a white jinbei with some grey green markings long the edges of the shorts and sleeves. She didn't look pleased.
"Is that what you came here for?" She asked close to his face both of her eyes narrowed.
"I already told you. I came to help you with your investigations."
"Is that why you're looking and touching everything here? I didn't look through your stuff when I was in your apartment."
Suddenly her sensitive ears heard a shuffling in the dark.
"Great. You woke my dad up." Tugging at his arm she dragged him further into the darkness of the corridor. Where she pressed him up against the wall.
It was pitch black, not much could be seen in the darkness. Ryou heard her father shuffle his feet outside of his room. He stopped for a second and she heard the wood crack again. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and focusing chakra into her glowing eyes she saw her father leaning an ear against her door before walking off once again. She knew he wouldn't do anything to her if he caught her in a compromising situation, she felt he didn't have that right- however, she wanted to spare him the awkwardness of that scenario.
With a sigh she turned to face the grey haired ninja who was inches away from her. She closed her eyes for a moment releasing the chakra she had focused in her eyes and turned to face him. She found he was looking at her with such an intensity, feeling uncomfortable she turned away and began walking back towards her sister's room.
"This was Miharu's room." She said standing outside the room. "I've never gone in." she said shortly her voice still a whisper.
Karachi was dumfounded. He felt like doing a face palm.
"You mean to tell me-" he began in disbelief. "You've been investigating a murder for the past 5 years and you have never actually seen the scene of the crime?"
"Basically." She said in a sad tone.
"I never got to see the room after it happened. My father wasn't in his best mind. So he sent a work order for the door and windows to be permanently sealed." She explained.
"You have to go in." He urged. All it took was one determined look. She looked at him and nodded, he was right. With her trembling hand reaching for the edge of the wallpaper taking in the delicate paper she slightly pulled-
"I-I… I don't know…" She said in an uneasy tone letting it go.
"I can't." She repeated her voice cracking.
"You have to." He pressed.
"No!" She said a little bit louder this time.
"What was it you said to me? 'Face your fears?'"
She nodded feeling her anxiety growing and she once again reached for the wallpaper. Her hand froze and she stood there for what seemed forever, but had only been one minute. Growing impatient he reached for her arm roughly and pulled it down scraping half of the wallpaper off revealing a white door underneath it.
Ryou gasped and turned to face him hitting him in the arm.
"W-Why did you do that?!" She repeated both of her eyes wide. Cold sweat perspiring in her back. She couldn't believe she was actually going to go into the room.
"You have to go in. You will never make progress unless you actually root yourself in the scene of the crime." He explained calmly.
"I-I guess your right." She said glancing away from him.
This time filled with determination she managed to scrape of the rest of the wallpaper. Underneath it, the door to Miharu's room. The crime seen was finally uncovered.