R e d W a t e r

C h a p t e r III

Five years later.

I was twelve years old by then and Itachi was eighteen.

He and my father had always been pretty tense around each other and would fight about little things. Dad would start fights more often and Itachi would have to try and talk calmly to sort out whatever he was angry about. The fights had gone on more lately.

The only time I have ever heard Itachi yell at dad, let alone anyone, was that day. The day everything changed into a living hell.

I had just gotten back home from school, semester grades in hand. When my dad found out about them, he asked to see the grades. I hesitated but gave them to him, nervously looking up at his face, trying to see whether he'd be angry or encourage me to do better.

"Hm…" I saw his eyes shift from grade to grade on the paper as it was listed. Then they stopped at one in particular and looked to me. "You have a D in history." I knew that tone. And I knew what was coming next.

SLAP.

I stumbled back and as I caught my balance, Dad shoved me down again. "This is unacceptable, Sasuke! I've put up with your crap in the past but not this time!" This time he kicked me in the stomach. I coughed, kneeling on the floor.

Dad grabbed my shirt, forcing me up, just as Itachi entered the room. I looked over, wincing from the pain in my stomach. At first, Itachi's voice was calm and his expression unreadable. "Dad, what did Sasuke do?"

I knew my dad wanted to ignore him because he knew Itachi would get involved if the issue was about me. "…your brother has a D in his history class." The grip on my shirt tightened, to the point where I could barely breath.

"So?" Itachi approached slowly and I saw the anger growing in his eyes.

"So, Sasuke needs to be taught a lesson!" Dad raised his arm, about to strike me again.

"Get your fucking hands off of him." Itachi hissed.

"Don't use that language with me, boy." Dad growled back, but let me go. "I'll deal with you later." he told me.

"So you think beating the shit out of him is going to make him smarter?" Itachi stepped in front of me, blocking him from me.

"This doesn't concern you, Itachi!" Dad reached out to grab me again but Itachi slapped his hand away.

"Don't you ever touch him again!" Itachi's voice was getting louder and even more dangerous.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?!" Dad yelled at him.

"You come home angry everyday, Dad. You come home and then you take that anger out on Sasuke!" Itachi didn't even look at me the whole time talking to Dad. "You can yell at me. Beat me till I pass out if you must...because I'm sure it makes you feel great to see your son on the ground, unconcious. But touch Sasuke, and I'll kill you."

I was shaking in fear as I looked from Dad's wide enraged eyes to Itachi's own cold, hateful eyes staring back at our dad.

"You don't know anything! Nothing of what Sasuke and I have gone through! Here you are, bitching about these stupid little problems when Sasuke, your son, was probably raped five years ago!" Itachi was yelling now.

Our dad looked at me in shock. I backed away cautiously, afraid he would try and hit me again. "…Sasuke, you…"

"BUT of course you didn't know this! Why? Because YOU were too fucking wrapped up in your own crap and beating the shit out of him while I'm not around to notice!" Father pushed Itachi to the wall, grabbing his collar.

"You look here, son. I've been doing all I can to help this family maintain as best as I can." It was probably the millionth time we had listened to that line being told to us from our father. Dad turned and looked to me. I was standing alone where Itachi left me, staring at them with scared eyes. "Now, Sasuke, who did it to you. Who-"

Father was about to release Itachi when my brother spat, "It's too late. I killed him. I fucking killed him because I hated him." Itachi grabbed a hold of Dad's shirt and pushed him. Hard. I shut my eyes, in time to hear glass shattering and feel shards come at my face.

When I opened them, I felt the same horror that I had five years ago. But instead of some random guy, my father. He stared up at me, his eyes wide with shock, blood streaming down his face and neck. I took a step closer, whispering, "…d-dad…?" before turning to Itachi, who was just as shocked as I was. Large shards of glass were embedded into his skin and the puddle of blood under him was growing a stain in the carpet.

That was when mother came home, walking into the room where we stood. "Is everything alri-" She shrieked in horror and anger. That was when I saw Itachi's hands. Bloody from the shards of glass.

"M…mom?" Itachi said. I could hear panic in his voice. She ran over to her dead husband screaming at Itachi.

"W-what did you DO?!" she screamed at Itachi.

"Mo-mom…I-I…"

"G-GET OUT! You…you MURDERER!"

"N-no, mom-" I tried to say but Itachi stopped me.

"No…I have to go." Itachi whispered.

"Itachi, no…p-please!" I yelled through my tears.

He leaned into me, hugging me tightly and whispering, "It will be alright...I'll come back for you. Take you away from everything..." right before mom grabbed his shoulder, shoving him away from me.

"J-just go, Itachi!" I heard her cry as I stared at the ground, my vision blurring from my tears. And then he left. Just like that, I lost a father and my brother in a matter of seconds.

I stared up at my sobbing mother as I cried also.

Itachi…

And everything went dark.

I woke up in a white hospital room feeling dizzy and drowsy. The brightness of the room was irritating my eyes and I squinted to get a better look at my surroundings. Sitting up, I looked around to see if anyone was in there. That was when everything hit me at once.

Flashes of the corpse of my dead father.

And then when mom told Itachi to get out.

"…no…" I heard myself whisper out loud. Then I heard movement coming closer. My head jerked in it's direction.

A doctor smiled a friendly smile to me and said, "Ah, son. You're awake finally!" And took me by my wrist, about to get me up to stand and walk. I looked up glaring at the man and jerked out of his grip.

"Get away from me." I said to him angrily. "I don't need your goddamn help." He just looked at me in surprise and concern. When he took me back to where my mother was, he began talking to her.

"Your son's behavior is understandable. It will take some time for him to cope with his father's death. I'm very sorry for your husband's death. The accident was terrible, I'm sure." he told her.

"Thank you, doctor. We will be going now." Mom said in a hollow tone.

Accident? So mom disguised dad's death as an accident, then? I thought to myself, silently following her to our car.

The car ride home was silent and she didn't glance at me even once. Not even when I tried to talk to her. "M-mom…w…what's going to happen to us now?" I asked quietly. Mom ignored me, her dark eyes still focused on the road. All of this. It didn't seem real. Not really. I guess I still had hope that Itachi would come home soon.

But he didn't.

I didn't see him for another two years.

And by then, I had already given up hope.

T o B e C o n t i n u e d…

P l e a s e R e v i e w.

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