Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto.
The last chapter kept disappearing because of a bug on the site. Sorry 'bout the confusion, I think things are normal again.
One more chapter after this one and then you guys can decide whether or not I should write an epilogue~
When we finally do return to school, everyone badgers us in an attempt to find out where we've been. We just tell extravagant lies. It's none of their damn business anyway. I don't feel like talking about it and neither does Sasuke. I'm not even going to spill the beans to Kiba. This one is going in the vault.
Our parents have been acting strange lately, as if they're stepping on glass. They're too cautious. Strangely enough, Kisame and Itachi are also acting the same way. I won't question it. Not yet.
Sasuke's mood has been pretty low for the past few days. He sleeps as soon as he gets home and he hasn't even been doing the assigned English readings. The teachers are giving him an out, though, since he's not well. It's no longer a secret. It's something even the students now know about – Sasuke is sick.
After school, we both go back to Sasuke's house. His father is in the kitchen filling his mug. "Sasuke, Naruto," he greets us flatly.
"Hi, Dad," Sasuke murmurs.
"Yo," I say.
"There's tea left if either of you want any," Fugaku points to the pot on the stove.
"Thanks," I smile, while Sasuke simply nods his head.
Fugaku looks like he wants to say something more, but he doesn't. Instead, he places a hand on his son's head briefly before leaving the room.
I open the cupboard and turn to Sasuke. "Want?"
"Sure."
I pour two cups and we sit and drink in the living room. "Exams will be starting soon," I mention, taking my backpack off.
"Hn…" Sasuke mumbles, doing the same.
"What exams do you have?" I ask him, pulling out a math textbook.
"Calculus, English, history, economics… but I'm getting econ and history exempted because I have over a hundred percent in those classes," he says. "You?"
"Uh…" I muse aloud, trying to think. "Math, English, history… and I take two electives. Thank fuck we don't have exams for electives."
"Ha… yeah," he say. I think he's trying to sound a lot livelier than he feels.
"You can nap if you want," I tell him.
"Can I?"
"Yeah," I nod. "I'll just study quietly."
He gives me a gracious smile before lying down on the sofa. I stare down at my textbook in an attempt to study, but I think it's pretty obvious I won't be getting much done.
The following week is the last week before finals. On the last day, the teachers let us go home early to study, though I think they know that most of the kids will be heading to parties. Me and Sasuke are no different.
For once, Sasuke isn't fighting to prove me wrong or pretending everything is normal because we both know it's not and everything is fucked.
"Let's go out," he says to me.
"Where?" I ask.
"Anywhere," he shrugs.
"Ino's having a party," I tell him. "She invited us to go along… but I didn't know if you'd be into that."
"Sure," he says carelessly. "Let's do that."
We drive across town and park on the side of the road. When Ino opens the door, she looks happy to see us and we're immediately greeted with the sounds of laughter coming from inside. "Hey," she grins. "I didn't expect you guys to show up. Come on it."
"Yeah, we thought we'd stop by," I say, grinning back as we step through the doorway.
"Alcohol is in the kitchen," she adds, jabbing a thumb down the hallway. "Fix yourselves up some drinks. We're mostly congregated in the basement and in the living room."
"Sounds like a plan" I tell her. She shuts the door and I drag Sasuke down the hallway. "What do you want?" I ask him.
"Whatever," he says. I make him a light drink and he scoffs at me. "Are you joking?" I let out a sigh, making it a bit stiffer. He gives it a taste test and muses. "Hm, better."
I make myself a weak drink. If he's going to go crazy tonight, I'll have to stay sober enough for the both of us... but I hope he doesn't.
We enter the living room a few minutes later. Inside, everyone is gathered around. I spot Shikamaru with Temari, Kiba with Hinata, Ino with Sai as well as Sakura, Chouji, Tenten, Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin and Shino.
"Hey," I hold up a hand simultaneously greeting everyone in the room.
"Naruto," Tenten says. "Long damn time, huh?"
"Yeah," I chuckle. "Nice to see you. How's college?"
"Dull," she admits. "Ready for exams?"
"Absolutely," I lie.
She smiles deviously. "So, I hear you and Sasuke are now a thing?"
"Yeah," I confirm.
"Funny," she chuckles. "Anyway," she pats the space next to her. "Sit."
I drag Sasuke across the room before plunking onto the sofa. Sasuke settles on my lap, ignoring the awe-filled eyes of everyone else.
At some point in the night, Sasuke ditches me to hang out with Juugo and Suigetsu. I'm kind of relieved to see him socializing.
Lee has been fawning over Sakura for most of the night. He's been in love with her for a long damn time. I don't think Sakura even realizes it. She probably assumes his childhood crush disappeared a long time ago. Hah.
When Sakura leaves the room to refill her drink, I decide to follow her and do the same. This time, I just get a glass of water.
"How's Sasuke?" she asks.
"All right," I shrug. "Well… fuck, that's a lie. He's pretty sad."
"Hm," she frowns. "I still want to apologize to him…"
"He's around here somewhere with Suigetsu and Juugo," I tell her.
"He's going to be downright awful to me," she mutters.
"So, what?" I shrug. "He's like that to a lot of people. If he's being mean, I'll take it as a good sign… because he's been a lot softer to everyone lately and I know that's never a good sign."
She frowns at that. "Oh."
A second later, Lee enters the room, placing his empty cup on the counter. "Naruto," he nods at me, "Could I have a moment alone with Sakura?"
"Sure," I smile at them both before leaving the room. I stand outside the door like a nosy piece of shit and listen to Lee ask her out on a date.
"What?" I hear Sakura respond, as if she's taken aback at the request.
"Let me take you out," he repeats himself.
"Out…?" she questions.
"I've… I've loved you from the moment I saw you," he says sincerely. "That never went away."
"Oh," she whispers.
"You don't have to answer now, but –" he starts, only to be cut off.
"No, Lee…" she interrupts. "I want to say it now."
"Okay," he replies.
She makes a long hm'ing sound before saying, "Fuck it. Let's go on a date."
I can't help but grin at that. I walk back into the room and sit back down. A minute later, Lee returns looks excited alongside a smiling Sakura. Hopefully she's learned her lesson and won't do to him what she did to me. I think she has.
As midnight passes, I decide to go find Sasuke. I check the basement, where there are a bunch of other kids sitting around, but not Sasuke. I continue looking and eventually find him sitting on the back balcony with Juugo and Suigetsu.
"Hey," I hold up a hand.
Sasuke is sitting on a lawn chair, a half-empty drink in hand. Juugo is leaning against the railing while Suigetsu smokes what smells like a joint of marijuana.
"Naruto," Sasuke says my name.
"What's up?" Suigetsu asks offhandedly.
"Not much," I shrug, shoving my hands in my pockets as I approach them. "Sasuke, how many drinks have you had?"
"Three," he says, "but I'm fine."
"All right," I murmur. "When do you want to head out?"
"We can now." He stands up, nodding to his friends before following me back inside. He empties the rest of his drink down the sink before throwing the cup in the garbage. We enter the living room and I announce our departure. After exchanging goodbyes, Sakura decides to tag along.
"Sasuke, can I talk to you?" she asks as we slip our shoes back on.
"I'm not looking to have my faults thrown in my face today, Sakura," he says flatly, "but thanks for asking this time." He opens the door and steps outside. Me and Sakura follow.
"I'm not going to do that," she promises. "Look, I'm sorry. I was out of line. I was making your business my own. I was being spiteful and I'm sorry, okay?"
He lets out a sigh and stares at her with a particularly dull expression. "Okay," he says simply.
"I… was trying to convince myself of something I wasn't yet feeling," she whispers. "I was so jealous of Naruto… I was jealous he was the one you ended up falling for and not me, so I said some mean things. It's true, you weren't what I expected. Naruto was always telling me that I didn't know you as a person and I only liked the idea of you, something I made up in my head… He was right. He was fucking right. I got disappointed. I felt bad for expecting so much from you and I felt pathetic for getting angry when you didn't deliver. So, I'm sorry, okay? I mean it, I'm fucking sorry."
He looks bemused. "All right, Sakura. Just stop it. I forgive you."
"Just like that?" she asks.
"Just like that," he says.
"Why?" she murmurs. "You have the right to hate me."
"I don't care about you enough to hate you," he admits before turning away and sauntering down the driveway and getting into the passenger seat of my car. He might not be trashed, but he's a little drunk. I can tell.
I smile sheepishly at Sakura, who simply shrugs. "I think that's as good as it'll get," she says.
"Probably," I agree before offering her, "Need a ride home?"
"Nah, I'm going to crash here," she says. "We're studying tomorrow… Well, we will be if Ino isn't too hungover."
I chuckle at that. "Good luck."
"You, too," she smiles.
We hug before parting ways. She goes back inside and I hop into my car.
"Did I piss her off?" Sasuke asks.
"No," I say. "Were you trying?"
"No," he promises.
"All right," I mutter, not quite convinced.
The drive home is silent. Sasuke plays with the radio, changing stations until he stops on a news report.
"…for the assault of a minor, an allegation that was never proven. Time of death was 11:16PM. Police do not suspect foul play due to…"
"So many sick people running around," Sasuke mutters before changing the station again. "I guess some people get what they deserve."
"Yeah," I frown, tightening my grip and keeping my eyes on the road.
When we arrive back at the Uchiha house, it's quiet; however, whispery voices can be heard from the living room. I exchange a glance with Sasuke, who shrugs in response. The two of us walk down the hall and see everybody congregated in the living room – Mikoto, Fugaku, Itachi and even Kisame.
"What the fuck is this?" Sasuke asks crudely, crossing his arms.
"Nothing," Mikoto says in a shrill tone. It doesn't take a genius to see that she's clearly lying.
"Liar!" Sasuke calls her out, staring at the faces of everyone in the room. "What happened?"
Mikoto lets out a soft breath, standing up and stepping towards Sasuke. She cups his face in her hands and stares into his eyes before promising, "From now on, things will be different." Her tone is strange and she's emphasizing every word as if there's a hidden message in what she's saying. Clearly, Sasuke senses it, too. He takes a step back and stares at her.
"What do you mean?" he asks weakly.
"He won't hurt you," she continues. "No one will."
"Mikoto," Fugaku interjects in a sharp, warning tone.
"Mom," Sasuke's voice breaks. "What did you do?"
She says nothing. She just gives him an incredibly sad and piteous look.
"Mom, please," he whimpers, letting out a shaky breath. "Y-you didn't…"
I swallow heavily, not understanding what's happening yet too afraid to ask. Clearly it's something pretty serious and heavy.
Itachi stares at his brother with a dull look in his eyes. Next to him, Kisame has his sharp gaze fixed on Sasuke, who starts crying.
Kisame clicks his tongue and cuts in. "She didn't," is all he says.
"Then…?" Sasuke trails off, staring at Kisame with wet, pleading eyes.
"I did," the broad man finishes.
Sasuke presses the back of his hand to his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut. He looks like he's grieving, but I don't know what for. He lets out a loud, gut-wrenching sound before letting out a string of gasp-like sobs. It sounds like someone is pulling his heart out of his fucking chest and I still don't fucking understand why. So I stand here still and clueless, not knowing what I'm supposed to say or do.
Itachi lets out a sound of irritation, getting up and standing in front of Sasuke. "He's dead!" he shouts angrily, shoving Sasuke, who stumbles backwards but doesn't fall. "You should be fucking happy!"
Dead? Someone is dead?
Sasuke presses his palms to his eyes and sobs even harder at the disgust in his brother's tone. I approach him tentatively, putting a hand on his shoulder. He crumbles at the contact, sinking onto the floor and shrieking into his hands. Honest to God, it's scaring me. "S-Sasuke," I say his name, kneeling down next to him.
"I can't," he moans miserably, pulling at his hair. "I can't… I can't… I can't…" He leans forward and starts hitting his head off the floor repeatedly.
"Can't what?" I feel like I'm yet again watching him lose his sanity. I reach forward and pull him into my chest. He leans against me, lying limp and lifeless apart from the tremors.
"Not everyone gets what they deserve," Itachi continues, crossing his arms. "So we decided to deliver justice, baby brother."
"What?" I choke out, staring up at him. "Who?"
"Who do you think, Blondie?" Kisame asks me wearily, as if I'm an idiot for not catching on by now. "That fucking pervert," he answers after a moment's pause.
"What?" I repeat myself stupidly.
"HE'S DEAD!" Itachi shouts, throwing his hands up. "Mom let Kisame into the hospital and he held a pillow over the pervert's face. The end."
I feel my eyes go wide. Part of me is relieved, but the rest of me is in disbelief.
Murder…
They murdered someone.
But I know why. They did it for Sasuke.
"Please try to understand!" Mikoto attempts to reason with Sasuke, but words are lost to him by now.
Kisame lets out a sigh. "I work with cops," he says. "As soon as I heard this damn story, I knew the fucker wasn't going to get much time, even with a trial. Rapists never do. It's better this way. Sasuke would have had to speak in front of a jury of people who would ask him cruel and unfair questions. Victims of these kinds of crimes rarely get the justice they deserve. Instead, they're handed blame."
Itachi is nodding along to everything Kisame is saying. He looks so fucking satisfied.
I stand up and I try to force Sasuke to his feet, but he doesn't budge. Instead, I pick him up bridal style and carry him upstairs and away from everybody else. I put him down on his bed and he sits up, looking stunned. "I feel sick," he whispers hoarsely.
"Like… you're gonna… throw up?" I ask.
Instead of answering me, he stands up and rushes out of the room and down the hallway. I follow him into the bathroom, where he proceeds to throw up into the toilet. Good aim. At least he didn't miss. I crouch down and rub his back.
I guess Sasuke was right when he said he felt like Kisame was a criminal. He's proved to be capable of some pretty serious shit. Then again, so did I and so did Itachi. So did Mikoto and Fugaku, since they knew about it. Maybe Kisame was onto something when he said the Uchiha name is cursed. I don't know many people who would be capable of such an easy kill.
Funny. I always knew there was something strange about the Uchihas.
Nothing will ever be the same now.
"Are you okay?" I ask after Sasuke stops puking. He doesn't respond. "I'll get you some water…"
I leave the room and rush downstairs, avoiding everyone else in the house and filling a glass of water. Unfortunately, when I am about to go back upstairs Itachi stops me.
"Why is he so fucking angry?" he demands. He doesn't understand. Then again, neither do I really.
"I don't know," I admit. "Maybe he has some conflicting emotions."
"Tch," Itachi clicks his tongue, disappointed. "That's stupid. I disapprove."
I force a bitter smile before going back upstairs. Of course Itachi wouldn't understand. For fuck's sake, I don't either… but I can at least sympathize. Itachi can't do that, either.
When I return to the bathroom, Sasuke is exactly where I left him. He didn't even bother wiping the puke off his chin. I hand him the glass of water, which he accepts and sips on slowly.
"You should wash off," I suggest softly, grabbing a tissue and cleaning his chin. I help him stand up, waiting for him to agree or disagree, but he does neither. He's still silent. "Sasuke, please say something…" I plead.
He doesn't. I let out a sigh and move past him, reaching for the bath taps. I turn them on and wait for the water to get hot. Sasuke watches with a blank look on his face. A moment later, I put the plug in and let the tub fill up. "Come here," I whisper, grabbing the rim of his shirt and beginning to undress him. I pull his shirt up over his head and discard it onto the floor before reaching for the button on his jeans. He stands still the entire time, allowing me to pull them down along with his shorts. He steps out of them and steps into the half-full tub. I remain silent until it's deep enough, then I stop the tap from running.
"Am I getting the silent treatment?" I ask him lightly.
Still, nothing.
I grab a bar of soap and start to lather. As soon as my hands touch his skin, he shudders and begins crying again. "I'm sorry," I apologize, though I don't know what I'm apologizing for. I guess that's stupid of me. "Do you want me to stop?"
He shakes his head. At least I got a response. He pulls his knees to his chest, almost as if he's shy even though it's nothing I haven't seen and thoroughly explored. I guess now is different. After wetting his hair, I grab a bottle of shampoo and pour a bit into my palm before washing it. I've never done this sort of thing before, but I remember when I was young baths always calmed me down. My mom always ran me baths after I had fits. She'd wash my hair and I'd sit in the water until it turned cold. I'd feel better after that… It was like my temper was the water. As it cooled down, so did I… but clearly Sasuke is different.
He cries the entire time. He presses his eyes to his knees as I rinse out his hair. He's shaking so much. I don't understand why.
I pull the plug and grab a towel, helping him dry off before taking him to his room and picking out something clean. I help him into a pair of shorts and an oversized long-sleeved shirt. Once dressed, he flops lifelessly onto his bed and near the doorway, turning off the lights. "Bye," I whisper before leaving. I slip out of the house without a damn sound.
When I get home later on, my parents act normal. Still, I choke on my words when they strike conversation and they give me a knowing look that tells me they knew what Kisame planned to do.
"He was a bad man," my mom says simply.
"Now he's a dead man," my dad finishes.
I find that frightening. I guess you never truly know what people are capable of until they're faced with a really fucked up situation. I'm bad at keeping secrets, but this is one I'll take to my grave.