Genta opens his eyes, and peers drearily out from underneath his thick blankets. The soft patter of rain against the roof comforts him as the last of his forgotten nightmare fades away. He pushes back the blankets, and sits up, silently watching the rain roll down the window in dancing patterns that he traces with his eyes.
Rain has always had a certain pull on him. Something about the way the droplets embrace him as they fall. It's hypnotizing. While everyone else puts their head down and rushes past, he lifts his head and closes his eyes. He used to imagine that the rain was hugging him, welcoming him to the world.
He swings his feet out of his bed and pads as quietly as possible over to the window. He touches the cool glass, physically feeling the barrier between him and the rain. He keeps his fingers on the glass as he moves them to the handle. He grips the lip, and tugs the glass until it's open. No rain comes into the room, so Genta gently sticks his hand outside.
Fat drops plop onto his hand, and a smile tugs at Genta's lips as he watches them roll of and onto the ground below. He brings his hand back inside, and glances over his shoulder. It's a habit he developed while in the Boss's hideout. When he doesn't see or hear anyone, he places both hands on the windowsill, and jumps outside.
It doesn't take long for the rain to soak through to his skin, but the weather is warm enough that he doesn't have to worry about getting sick. Not that he's ever been sick anyway. He stands still for a moment, listening for the sound of movement, but hears nothing. He walks to the middle of the desolate pathway, and raises his arms slightly, palms up, to catch more rain.
Then he tilts his face up, eyes closed, and just allows himself to feel. The rain is gentle as it lands on his skin, and rolls down. It tickles slightly, but he ignores the feeling. Then he slowly opens his eyes. A raindrop immediately lands in his eye, but he blinks it away. He can feel it leak through the corner of his eye, and run smoothly down his cheek, slightly warmer than the other raindrops as they glide down his skin.
Time slows as he watches the rain fall towards him. He can hear the patter of the rain as it touches down, and the sound calms him. He lets his body relax, and peace sweeps through his body.
Genta doesn't pay attention to the time until someone clears their throat. He drops his hands and cowers, fully expecting a blow to the back of his head for his 'stupidity'. When the blow doesn't land, he looks around. On the porch opposite of Itachi's house a dark figure stands waiting.
It takes a moment for Genta to recognize Sasuke, still slightly dazed from the emotional whiplash. He trudges over the hard dirt packed by many feet to the porch, afraid of what is to come. Surely now he has to be punished for leaving the house without permission?
Sasuke lifts his arms once Genta joins him, and Genta flinches back, but not away. Running away only ever makes it worse. After a moment he dares to look at Sasuke once again. The man is holding up a towel in a silent offering. Genta can't read the look on his face. If he had to guess, he would say the man is displeased, but Genta can't tell what he's displeased at.
Genta takes the towel, and places it over his head to scrub out the water collected in his hair. Then he places the damp towel on his shoulders, knowing he's not going to be able to dry his clothes. Sasuke opens the door and walks inside, waiting for Genta to follow before he closes it behind them.
Then he turns and walks quietly through the house, with Genta directly behind him. He walks into a closet and rummages around for a bit. Then a triumphant smirk crosses his face and he holds up a pair of shorts that're about Genta's size. Then he leaves the closet and into another room a bit further down the hallway. Genta peers into the room, but decides not to enter when he sees the woman sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Sasuke re-emerges a minute later with a tee-shirt thrown over his arm. He hands Genta the clothes, and places his hands gently on Genta's shoulders to steer him into the bathroom. Genta understands the silent demand. Genta flips on the light and closes the door. Then he carefully pulls on the shorts and the too large shirt.
He gathers up the wet clothes and wraps them in the towel to try to catch the water that drips off before it can hit the the floor. Then he opens the door and flicks the light off. Sasuke holds out his hands, and Genta places the soggy clothes into his hands. Sasuke disappears into another room, and Genta watches as he hangs the clothes up to dry.
After the clothes are hung he walks back out to the hallway and offers his hand for Genta to take. Genta stares at the hand. It's a foreign gesture, one that he's never had the pleasure of experiencing. He places his hand in Sasuke's waiting palm, unsure of what to do next. Sasuke closes his fingers gently over Genta's, and then tugs him until they're standing on the porch once again.
Sasuke leads them over to to a bench, and sits down. Genta follows his lead, secretly pleased to be near the rain once again. "When I was younger I used to come out and stand in the rain too." Says Sasuke, speaking for the first time that night. Genta looks at the man, waiting for him to continue. Sasuke doesn't disappoint him.
"I lost my whole family when I was your age. All in one night. These houses used to be filled with people, and all of them were relatives somehow. The sound of rain was, is, always so gentle. It was... comforting I guess, to listen to. I used to imagine the water would wash away my loneliness, and when the rain stopped, I would be able to see everyone again." He trails off, and then smiles in a bittersweet way. "It took me a long time to figure out that what I was looking for was standing in the rain with me."
Genta puzzles over the man's words, not knowing quite what they're supposed to mean, but welcoming the peace they bring him anyway. His eyelids begin to feel heavy, and he tries his best to keep them open, but he slowly looses the battle.
He feels Sasuke adjust him so that he's leaning on the man's side, protected and kept warm under the arm the man places across his shoulders. The last thought Genta has before he allows his eyes to close is that he truly feels safe. It too is a foreign feeling. He's only felt it since meeting the Uchiha's. Then sleep claims him.
Sano isn't surprised when she wakes up to find the other side of her bed empty. It's not unusual for Sasuke to disappear on nights when it rains. She walks out to the porch, where she know's he'll probably be sleeping on the bench she got for him after the first night when she found him on the ground.
She comes to an abrupt halt when she see's him. There's a boy under his arm, clutching Sasuke's shirt tightly in his hand, but sleeping deeply. Sasuke has his head thrown back over the back of the bench, with his mouth open as he pulls in deep, even breaths. She knows immediately that the boy must be Genta, and that Sasuke now trusts the boy more than he did just yesterday.
She walks back into the house and slips on her shoes. Then she walks outside and across the street. She opens her neighbors door knowing two things. First, Itachi already knows it's her. Second, he won't actually mind that she walked so familiarly into his house. They're constantly in and out of one another's houses, so knocking isn't really necessary anymore. Especially because she's the only civilian in the family. Everyone else can just sense the chakra in the house.
Itachi smiles, and hands her a cup of fleshly brewed coffee, already knowing why she's come over. Sano accepts, knowing it's been made up the way she likes it. Itachi takes another cup and takes a drink. "How did it go?" He asks.
Sano shrugs. "They're sleeping." She admits. "That means he trusts the boy."
Itachi nods in agreement. Not long after he felt Genta leave, he felt Sasuke join the boy. He never cared much for the rain like his little brother does. He used to find the rich greens and browns the rain brought out quite beautiful, but that's about the extent of his fascination.
"I must admit, I didn't think it would only take a day for Sasuke to warm up to the boy." Says Sano, taking another sip of the coffee.
Itachi nods in agreement. "Neither did I, but as soon as I realized what he was doing, I knew they would get along well. The boy reminds me of Sasuke at that age. Alone in the world, and looking for someone to care... Actually, he's more like Naruto. He has the same feeling to him that she did."
Sano nods, and looks down at the dark liquid in her cup. "He does. I'm no shinobi, so I can't feel what you do, but she was always so warm."
The two sin in silence for a while, finishing their drinks, and placing them in the sink. Finally the door swings open and Sasuke walks in with Genta trailing awkwardly behind. Sano watches the boy bunch the too-large shirt in his hands tightly like Nao does when he knows he's in trouble.
Itachi notices the boy's uneasiness also, but doesn't comment. "Do you feel better now?" He asks both of them, slightly teasing his brother. Sasuke just rolls his eyes. "Why don't you go get dressed? I'm sure Itachi would enjoy taking you out to see what kind of skills you have." He offers.
Genta grins, and races up the stairs, nervousness completely forgotten. Sano rolls her eyes at the men. "I do hope you plan to go with him, dear. It's only fair since you volunteered him."
Sasuke sighs. "I suppose I could go. Is Nao out with Aki and Sou?" He asks, knowing they're probably already at school. Sano nods. "I think we need to look into Genta's past. Wherever he was, I think he was being abused. Or at least he was neglected." He mutters unhappily.
Itachi nods. "I thought the same think. Yesterday when you were scaring him." He tells Sasuke bluntly.
Sano sighs. "I wish you shinobi didn't always have to be the necessary evil in these situations. Of course I also wish there weren't wars, but that's the will of a naïve dreamer."
"It's a dream that we all possess. unfortunately the wants and needs of people will always differ, and that's what starts wars. There's never a right or wrong side, there are just the differences in opinion." Says Itachi sagely.
"I'm ready!" Says Genta excitedly as he races back down the stairs.
Sano laughs. "Whoa there tiger, you need to eat first."
Genta pouts. "I'm not hungry, though." He claims.
Sano laughs. "You may not be, but Sasuke here gets grumpy when he's hungry, so we should feed him before you go."
Genta curls his shoulders in defeat, and drags his feet as he walks to the table.
The three adults follow, each carrying a plate. Itachi also holds Genta's, which he place in front of him.
Genta picks up his chopsticks, and the four of them dig happily into their meal.
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Sorry... My life=chaos. -.- I do hope you enjoyed this chapter though... even if it is just a character background chapter... yeah...