Hello! I felt so relieved that I was able to finish my chapter 2, but actually, I am still wondering whether my first chapter is all right. I have not received any reviews. --
But that's okay! I just continue with the story, because I enjoy writing it, and I hope that you enjoy reading it too. :)
Chapter 2 - Phantom Killer
From Sasuke's Point of View
I waited and waited for the truth to be unraveled. Day and night took turns to rule the sky, and time passed by so fast. But my Granny still did not tell me anything, until the day she had to pass on. I regretted that I did not plead with her to tell me the reason why my Mom had to go away out of my life. On top of that, I regretted that I did not save her, when I had the chance to do so.
I still remembered that it was a sunny Sunday. Itachi and I were at home, watching television, drawing cartoons, playing hide-and-seek and anything that could make any child happy. We were very happy, but not for long. Itachi had a bad habit of sneaking out every time Granny was not looking, and Granny had to thwart his plan every time.
"Grandma!" Itachi shouted in a pleading tone to Granny, who was 'guarding' the door, "I want to play football, so let me out!"
Granny's sympathetic eyes looked down at my brother, "No, you mustn't go out. It's dangerous out there," she said with a concerned voice.
"I can take care of myself, so please, you gotta let me out!" My brother's foot stepped onto the carpeted floor violently.
"No! Itachi, like I told you, it's really dangerous out there," Granny argued.
My ten-year-old brother daggered at my Granny in the eyes and said grudgingly, "I hate you."
Granny's face changed. That warm smile on her old face disappeared, but she did not take her eyes off my brother's. I decided that it was the high time for me to interfere, after I had been watching idly in the 'audience seat' for so long.
"Bro, you can't say like that to Grandma! That's so rude!" I stood up from the couch in the living room.
"So get used to it!" Itachi scowled. He thumped up the stairs towards his room, and slammed the door hard.
My eyes lingered at Granny's face, hoping that she was not angry. A small tear formed in her right eye; from that, I knew that what she was feeling at that moment was clearly worse than feeling angry. She was very disappointed, not at the fact of Itachi claiming that he hated her, but at the fact that she had failed to be a good grandmother… a perfect grandmother for me and my brother. In the bottom of my heart, she would always be my perfect grandmother, knowing that everything (like not allowing Itachi and me to go out during the late evenings) she did was for our own good. The fault is with the town that we lived in, Hidden Leaves. Hidden Leaves was a very 'famous' Japanese town for its unsolved murder cases. In other words, it was a 'ghost town'. Murders were so frequent that everybody was afraid of letting their young ones to go out alone. My Granny was no exception.
We thought that our home was the safest place to 'hide'. How very wrong we were…
On the same day, I confronted my sulking elder brother, who was watching 'Star Search', a singing competition live on television. A ten-year-old Britney Spears was performing a classic old song, 'I'll Be There'. She was so innocent that it is hard to believe how she has turned out to be now.
"Bro, go apologize to Grandma. You hurt her feelings," I sat next to Itachi, whose eyes still set upon the television screen.
"Itachi!" I pulled his arm with purpose, but he slapped my hand away.
"Shut up! I'm trying to listen!" He said, pointing at the singing Britney Spears. I was heading for the remote control on the coffee table, when Itachi suddenly barked,
"You'll turn the TV off and I'll kill you!"
Biting my lips hard, I folded my arms on my chest; I had no choice but to wait for the popular show to end. "What's the big deal about this show?" I thought. The last time I watched the singing competition, the better singer was eliminated, whereas a more beautiful opponent with a flawed voice went through the next round. I shook my head sadly, and turned to see the latticed window in the small living room. The gate at our house garden was widely open. My heart stopped. Didn't Grandma lock the gate this morning?
Piang! A shattering sound echoed throughout the house. The source of the noise seemed to come from the back of the house. Itachi scrambled to his feet and ran to the kitchenette. I followed him behind, complaining,
"Now when something happens, you go see-"
I was unable to continue my words, as I saw shiny red fluid on our path. Our Granny was sprawled motionlessly in a pool of blood on the tiled floor. Itachi gasped out a soft "I'm sorry, Grandma.", as tears flowed down his pale cheeks.
Cops tried their best to search for the murderer, but their efforts were futile. According to their investigation, the fingerprints found at the crime scene did not exist. Other than that, no murder weapon was found. The weirdest thing of all is that the only damaged organ in my Granny's body is the heart. Her heart was torn into pieces, like it exploded. Everything in her body was in perfect shape, except her one and only heart. "That killer is no human being. He's a 'phantom killer'," my inspector uncle concluded.
That is all about my Granny. I wished that I could add more, but that's all about it. Itachi took her demise quite badly. After her funeral, he did not attend school for a few days. In an effort to cure his depression, my Dad sent him to the best therapist three times a week. I thanked God that he had recovered, but I had a bad feeling that he was still taking the blame for Granny's death.
"Itachi, it's not your fault that Grandma passed on," I told my brother on our ride home from school. Anyway, I still had not spoken a word to Sakura, but I had opted to put that problem aside.
Itachi widened his large eyes and said incredulously, "Why are you telling me this?"
I scratched my head, thinking of what to say, "Er…well…I just think that it's not your fault that Grandma passed on."
I looked over the bus passengers at the wet windscreen, which indicated that it was still raining cats and dogs outside. My heart was praying silently that by the time I reached home, the heavy rain would stop falling. Being a sufferer from 'hydrophobia', I was greatly terrified of large bodies of water, including rain. My Dad said that I almost got drowned in the bathtub, but I could not remember anything of it.
A sad and painful memory is best to be forgotten.
"Sasuke, I appreciate that. Thanks," Itachi, who was sitting beside me, spoke, "I have a great surprise for you. I promise that you'll flip at this. You know about this concert at school to celebrate fifty-years-anniversary? I signed you up as my bassist. Cool, huh?"
"Cool," I said meekly, before I realized that his word 'you' in his line was actually referring to me. "What? I never agreed to be your bassist!" I said out aloud.
Itachi breathed in some air and exhaled, "I'm sorry that I did not ask you before, but you gotta trust me. You'll be a good bassist."
I smiled half-heartedly and stuttered, "You're kidding, right? Tell me you're kidding. I tell you what: I don't play bass guitar."
"You don't play, but that doesn't mean you can't play. Didn't you learn to play bass before? Five years ago?" Itachi stressed, his fingers tapping on his knees.
"That-was-five-years-ago. Besides, Naruto only taught me the basics," I said sullenly.
About five years ago, Naruto taught me how to play a rhythm guitar, before switching it to a bass guitar. Like Itachi, Naruto was very enthusiastic about rock bands. Not for me; I prefer to read books about rocks and geology. I was never interested in handling a guitar at first, but Naruto pleaded with me that I had to try learning to play the musical instrument for the sake of killing time. I learnt well, and it was fun, but it was not really my cup of tea.
"No problem. Kakashi and Guy can teach you a thing or two. Playing a bass is not that hard, monitor. You can get 'hot' girls really easy," Itachi said, with his tongue stuck out in a playful manner.
"I'm not interested in girls," I stated defiantly.
He chuckled, "Whatever. But if you change your mind about being my bassist…"
I put on a brave front and announced, "I won't change my mind."
The bus came to a halt so abruptly that I nearly flipped out of my seat. Itachi laughed his heart out, as he took his bag and alighted from the bus. I followed suit, gazing at the bluish white clouds in the serene sky. It looked like the rain had stopped, much to my delight.
"Sasuke," Itachi nudged my shoulder, pointing at a girl standing near our pitch black gate, "Is that your 'girlfriend'?"
Sakura was waving at us; her yellow polka-dotted red dress was a silhouette to the whole dirty green environment. She had an oval face frame with perfectly-shaped cheek bones. As a finishing touch to her beauty, her wavy pink hair was flowing passed her shoulders down to her waist. Her lips curled to a sweet smile.
"You left your book on your desk." She placed my Mathematics text book gently in my hands, and added, "Keep it safe. You don't want to lose it again."
"Thank you so much! No wonder I feel something's wrong, like my bag is lighter," I hugged my thick, heavy book to my chests.
"Don't mention it. I have to thank my Dad, or else, I can't find my way here. My Dad's a cop, F.Y.I. (for your information). Without him, there's no way I know about your house address," said Sakura.
Itachi smirked cheekily and leaned closer to my ear, "Be careful with her, Sasuke. Her Dad's a cop."
I made a fake cough, shooting him a piercing look, hoping that he would shut his foul mouth. His puppy eyes winked at me, implying something that a teenager would understand. I was a teenager, so I understood his meaning thoroughly. But I pretended not to. Having a 'crush' was not for me; a 'crush' can really crush those who are careless enough to let their guard down.
"It's getting late. I'll see you around, Sakura. Bye bye!" I sprinted towards the gate and unlocked it frantically. Behind me, Itachi shouted, "Sasuke, that's really pathetic!"
I was not going to ask her to come into my house, and I was not going to be a bassist.
End Of Chapter 2