My Pain is Yours
Chapter 12: The Tragedy
A shudder rippled through Aiko and she held Shinsei closer, hugging her tightly as if to squeeze out all of her heartache. The tears cascaded down her cheeks as Shinsei clamped onto Aiko with such a tight grip that she was determined to never let her go.
"Aiko…oh Aiko…I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Remaining silent, Aiko knew that her words of comfort would be of no use while Shinsei was this upset. Her hazel orbs misted up in thought, trying to sort out a solution for helping Shinsei, and decided that waiting would be the best way to go about it. She waited patiently for Shinsei to regain composure, stroking her red hair in an attempt to soothe her faster.
It worked.
Wiping the wet streams from beneath her eyes, Shinsei coughed and spluttered a little before continuing. Aiko felt so horrible, watching Shinsei in such a condition, but saw her eyes become clouded as if in a trance as she continued, voice sallow.
But by this point in time, Shinsei just wanted to get it all out of her system.
"Shinsei?" Aiko murmured softly. "Are you okay to continue?"
Shinsei sniffled, inhaling a muffled breath of air and nodding stiffly. "Yeah, I can."
A little smile worked its way onto Aiko's lips; a compassionate smile that was in its own way more soothing to Shinsei than anything else in the world. She leaned into Aiko, merging with her body as she closed her eyes, exhausted as her story began to unravel farther.
"The police came…they demanded to know why Itachi killed Shisui."
"Here, I'll walk you to the door," Sasuke offered, reaching Shinsei's side as she began walking towards the door.
She grinned and threw her arms around Sasuke in a quick hug. "Thank you Sasuke! You're my best friend you know! I'll come tomorrow too, okay?" She pulled away and winked. Lately she and Sasuke had become so close; it had been a while since she had seen Itachi.
"Are you leaving already, Shinsei?"
Recognizing the familiar voice in an instant, Shinsei spun around to see none other than Uchiha Itachi standing behind her, smiling solemnly. Her spirits lifted as her heart began to race, her eyes welling up with tears as she cried out his name.
"Itachi!"
About to run into his arms as she always had, Shinsei suddenly stopped.
Why was his face so drawn and pale?
Pausing and cocking her head to the side, Shinsei analyzed the elder Uchiha heir carefully, noting the fatigued shine reflected in his eyes. Something wasn't right. Her sapphire orbs vacillated for a moment, unsure of what to do about Itachi. Itachi looked at her with concern.
"Shinsei, what's wrong?" Itachi asked, his voice sallow as he knelt beside her.
But before Shinsei could answer, however, the door slammed open.
"Itachi! Are you here?!"
"Come out! We need to talk to you!"
Shinsei flinched and Itachi got to his feet with a grunt, meandering to the door. Shinsei and Sasuke poked their heads around the corner and watched as Itachi came face to face with three of the Uchihas from police headquarters. Shinsei swallowed hard; her hand sought Sasuke's and clamped onto it tightly.
She had never been so afraid.
"What is it?" Itachi asked politely, stepping around to greet their visitors.
The man apparently leading their team clenched his fist as he stood, unyielding in front of Itachi. "Only two people didn't show up to yesterday's meeting," he growled, "where were you?" Itachi didn't answer. His questioner's eyes darkened. "Where were you?"
Still not answering, Itachi kept a calm, composed gaze, although Shinsei could sense his weariness beneath his cool façade. She edged into Sasuke, frightened. What did the police want with Itachi? And what was that meeting they were discussing?
She whimpered. "Itachi…?"
"Since joining the ANBU," the head of the trio continued, "you've pulled us through many situations, we understand that; but we can't make any exceptions."
Itachi nodded gravely to this. "I understand; I'll be more careful. Now, are we done here?"
Another person in the police squad stepped forward. "Not yet; we do have a few more questions." Itachi tensed. "It's about Shisui, he also missed the meeting." A flash passed through Itachi's eyes and Shinsei felt a shudder rip through her.
Why did she feel so sick all of a sudden?
The head spoke again, clearing his throat and glaring menacingly at Itachi. "He committed suicide by throwing himself into the Nakano River."
Shinsei gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening as if she were about to puke. What did they mean he committed suicide? Not Shisui! No! No! No! Sasuke stiffened, eyes wide and unbelieving, and Shinsei went into a state of shock. Her mind and body went so numb that she couldn't process even a normal thought; a breath escaped her feeble lips, as a tear slid down her cheek.
Shisui was dead.
Dead.
A bar lifted from behind Shinsei's eyes and her tears burst forth until she was a crying mess on the floor. Shisui was dead; dead! How could this be true?! Shisui was so strong! So, so strong! Why? Why did this have to happen?! Sasuke placed his arms around her, trying to hush her sobs. It would have seemed like they were being ignored as the conversation went on.
"We know that you were like brothers," the leader said gruffly, trying to overlook the crying.
Itachi lowered his gaze. "Yeah, well, I haven't seen him lately; it's a tragedy."
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Shinsei continued weeping into Sasuke's warm chest, her tears rolling without end. Sasuke patted her head, whispering that it was all right and probably just a misunderstanding. Shinsei sniffled and shakily glanced up.
"We are the police, Itachi; we've decided to put forth our full effort into the investigation," the head said firmly, motioning for something from one of his comrades behind him.
Itachi narrowed his onyx orbs. "Investigation?"
Shuffling through his pockets, one of the police squad members withdrew a note and held it out, "This is Shisui's final note. A handwriting analysis was conducted and there's no doubt that he wrote it." He handed the letter to Itachi, who received it quietly and unfolded it.
While Itachi was skimming through its contents, the apparent leader of the squad took charge of the conversation again. "He was one of the most talented of the clan and the best at teleportation. He was always the first to take on any mission and he wouldn't have given up his life, or his clan, this easily."
Shinsei wiped at her eyes, trying to make the tears disappear, but they were easily replaced.
A deadly glower flashed through Itachi's eyes. "You shouldn't judge people by appearances or preconceptions."
The room went silent, chilling Shinsei as she watched Itachi clench his fists; she had never seen him so angry before and it frightened her. She held tight to Sasuke as the three Uchihas who had come to interrogate Itachi began to depart.
"We'll leave the note with you for the time being," one of them murmured.
"Take it to the ANBU Black Ops and request their cooperation in the investigation," the leader of the three ordered. "Hopefully we'll get some sort of lead. Remember, we have alternative information into the ANBU Black Ops, so if you destroy the note, we'll know." They began walking out the door, backs turned.
Itachi crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. "Why don't you just say it?"
The trio came to a halt and turned around.
Shinsei's breath hitched, her heart rate quickening again.
They all had Sharingan.
But, they weren't the only ones.
As Shinsei glanced over at Itachi, she noticed that his Sharingan was now activated as well, a vengeful gleam overflowing with hatred passing through his crimson orbs. She was immediately frozen by her fear as Itachi spoke, his voice harsh.
"You think I did this, didn't you?" Itachi demanded, nose crinkling in disgust.
Both Shinsei and Sasuke gasped.
"In fact, we do," the leader snarled. "If you did indeed betray the clan, you will pay!"
Itachi was through listening to their incessant verbal diarrhea.
In what Shinsei could perceive as a fraction of a second, Itachi lunged at those he would've once called family, using a powerful, swift ninjutsu, which caused them all to collapse on the ground, trembling under his wrathful gaze. Shinsei and Sasuke bolted to the doorway.
"Like I said," Itachi growled, "don't judge people by appearances or preconceptions."
Writhing on the ground, the trio struggled to get to their feet as Itachi straightened back up, looking down on them with his scarlet eyes. The one to lead them weakly looked up at Itachi, fear riddling his expression as Itachi glared down at him.
Shinsei was shaking like a leaf.
"You misjudge me completely," Itachi murmured, tone threatening. "All you keep babbling about is the clan this and the clan that; you overestimate your abilities and you have no idea of the depth of mine, which is why you're crawling right now."
Shinsei almost could bear to watch another moment of Itachi being like this; it wasn't him!
Heavy tears rolled down her cheeks, her only comfort being Sasuke's vice-like grip.
Itachi continued his angry speech, eyes terrifying his opponents. "You cling to your organization, to your clan, and to your name; but you are narcissistic and arrogant. You fear what you don't understand; pure idiocy!"
"N-no…!" Shinsei's voice cracked. "N-no more…!" Her face was red from trying to hold back the tears as she began to sob. "St-stop it…! I-Itachi!" Her words could not reach him.
Why did this have to happen?
"Itachi! Stop it!"
Flinching, Shinsei jerked her gaze over, eyes-wide, to Fugaku, who had just returned from his mission. Itachi blinked and tilted his head in his father's direction, glare still hostile. Fugaku helped the Uchiha police unit back onto their feet and exchanged some words with Itachi chiding him for his behavior. Shinsei breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged Sasuke.
Everything would be all right now, right? Fugaku was there to fix everything!
An unconvinced shine flickered through her eyes.
Right?
"What's wrong with you?" Fugaku insisted. "Your actions of late worry me."
"Why?" Itachi's gaze faltered. "I'm busy with work; that's all."
Fugaku furrowed his heavy brow. "Then why didn't you show up last night?"
Itachi hesitated. "I needed to achieve the next state."
His father frowned, wrinkles creasing across his forehead in confusion. "Itachi…? What are you talking about…?" A crazed look suddenly overcame Itachi as he seized a kunai in his hand and threw it into the wall behind his father, flinging it into the wall bearing the Uchiha crest symbol and piercing through it. A bead of sweat slid down Fugaku's face.
Shinsei couldn't take it anymore.
"STOP IT ITACHI! JUST STOP!" Shinsei screamed, racing out into the fray. Sasuke reached for her but tripped, falling to his knees. Shinsei went into hysterics. "STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Coming to a halt beside Fugaku, quivering and crying, Shinsei begged, "Please…just stop!"
Glancing over at Shinsei, a sudden wave of shock overcame Itachi and he dropped to his knees, bowing to his dishonored family members. Shinsei choked on her strangled sob as Itachi began to apologize in front of her, Fugaku, and the trio from the police unit.
"I did not kill Shisui," Itachi murmured, hiding his face. "But I apologize for…my inappropriate remarks…I'm very sorry."
Itachi? Shinsei flinched when he looked up at her, cowering beside Fugaku.
"Very well," Fugaku closed his eyes, holding his head for a moment. Before the other Uchihas could speak, Fugaku muttered, "I will take responsibility for what happened here. Shinsei, I will escort you home so that your parents won't worry; come along."
Nodding weakly, Shinsei complied as Fugaku led her away from the scene that would be forever burned in her memory. That would be a moment in her life that would come to haunt her for many restless nights.
But even so, she couldn't help but give in to a backwards glance at Itachi.
"Did he really kill Shisui?" Aiko whispered.
Shinsei shook her head, tears running down her face. "I don't know…!"
Rocking Shinsei back and forth in her arms, Aiko closed her eyes, suppressing an exhausted yawn as she caressed Shinsei's hair, convincing her to tell the rest. Shinsei was feeling so emotionally drained, so dehydrated as she sniffled again, nose raw.
Crying this much hurt like hell.
"And then," Shinsei hiccupped. "That night happened…"
"Huh?" Aiko shifted around. "What night?"
"The night that I left Konohagakure." Shinsei closed her eyes. "The night that I had my first vision." She bit down hard on her lip until she could taste a bitter, salty flavor. It diverted her attention from the grief for a moment, but it didn't stop it.
"What night?" Aiko pressed, knowing there was something more. Shinsei winced, drawing in a deep breath.
"The night that the entire Uchiha clan was massacred."
Pulling away from outside the door, Kisame scratched his head. Maybe listening wasn't the best idea? He shook it out of his head. Nonsense! He leaned in closer, wanting to hear the rest of the story as he shuffled his feet. He had been standing there, waiting to drag Aiko down to get something to eat, for almost half an hour.
The dark hallways were ideal for him as he chuckled to himself.
Just wait until Itachi hears about this…I had no idea they were so close!
"The…entire clan…?" Aiko's deep frown encouraged a nod from Shinsei.
"All of them…!" Shinsei's voice was weakening. "Every last person…gone…"
"From Itachi?" Aiko couldn't believe it. How could he do that?
"It wasn't his fault!" Shinsei screamed, eyes suddenly overflowing with tears again as she wrapped her shaking arms around Aiko's neck. "It wasn't his fault! It was orders! Orders! From those sick, twisted, bastard Elders! It wasn't his fault!"
"Let's just leave her there!"
"Yeah, she won't do anything now!"
Lying on the ground, Shinsei's body twitched; broken and bruised after being abused by those boys again. After the incident with Itachi, she had seen less and less of the Uchihas; Sasuke was always busy with his father, being taught special ninjutsu and Itachi was always busy on missions. Where did that leave her?
Alone and unprotected.
"Stupid redhead! I hope you die here!"
Waiting until she heard the receding footsteps, Shinsei weakly picked herself up and dragged her bloody body across the park. The beatings didn't hurt so much anymore; they were nothing compared to the emotional pain she was suffering.
Weakly wandering through the deserted town, Shinsei looked up and saw the clouds drifting over the moon until it had vanished from sight.
A rapid, sick feeling overcame her.
"Nnn…!" Shinsei collapsed in an instant, down on her knees as she clutched her head.
What was going on?!
She began seeing flashes and clips of Itachi and Sasuke's faces; then pictures of Mikoto and Fugaku welcoming her into their home; she couldn't control it! Holding back the impulse of screaming, Shinsei threw herself on the ground.
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
As she repeated this, she then saw the scene where she was at the Uchihas with Sasuke and Itachi, and remembered yelling at him to stop. She gasped.
Suddenly, she could see the Uchiha crest dripping with blood.
Mikoto and Fugaku's blood.
A spark of fear coursed through her.
Forcing herself onto her feet, Shinsei wobbled a bit before trying to run. What was going on?! Why was she seeing these things?! Was she hallucinating?! Had she lost too much blood?! Her eyes found the sign to the Hokage's building and she staggered in.
Someone had to help her.
Leaning against the wall, Shinsei pulled herself down the dark, abandoned hallways. Usually the ebony abyss terrified her, but right now her mind was the scarier entity. She tore down the hallway, jerking her head spastically from side to side.
Where was everybody?!
That's when she noticed the door that had been left ajar, a faint light seeping into the hall.
Instinctively approaching the light, Shinsei stopped at the doorway to listen in on what was being said. Her heavy breathing hitched upon recognizing Itachi's voice.
"Tonight?"
"Yes, you must do it now before they go through with their plans."
"It shall be done."
"I'm sorry it has to be you, boy. But do you understand your mission? Spare no one."
"Understood."
"Very well then."
"Is that all?"
"Indeed. I dismiss you for the final time, Uchiha Itachi."
There was a whooshing sound and Shinsei slumped onto the hallway floor, mind blanking. What was going on? Itachi was going to kill his clan? No! That couldn't be right! Shinsei drew her trembling hands to her face. Why? Why? Why?
Tears of fury rushed to her.
Damn those Elders! Damn them! They were using Itachi! She cringed upon remembering her vision and came to a sudden, sickening realization.
Itachi was going to kill his clan.
And worse, she was already too late.
"Damn them!" Shinsei thrust her fist onto the bed. "It wasn't Itachi's fault!" The tears were still flowing.
"Shinsei," Aiko whispered, clutching her tightly. "I had no idea."
Clinging tightly to Aiko and crying even though it pained her to do so, Shinsei murmured, "You know the rest of the story…I met you years later after abandoning my own worthless village…I met you almost a year ago when you were traveling, didn't I…?" She tried to smile, realizing that a piece of her burden had finally been lifted. By Aiko's power, some of her agony had disappeared. But still-
What was this odd feeling of relief?
It was almost as if a great weight had been removed after weighing her down for so long.
One final tear escaped Shinsei's eye.
"Thank you…"
"Hm? For what?" Aiko blinked and Shinsei managed a genuine smile.
Giggling meekly, Shinsei shook her head, wiping away her tear and replying, "For being here. I don't know what I'd do without you." She exhaled through her nose, skin still red and raw, wincing at the pain. "I love you, Aiko; you're the closest friend that I've ever had; now you know everything about me." Aiko grinned and ruffled her hair.
"If you really love me, you'll lie down and get some sleep," Aiko winked at her and Shinsei nodded, crawling into bed. "There you go…I'll see if I can find you something to drink, chances are you're probably a little thirstier than you'd like to admit, no?"
Nodding and closing her crystal clear blue eyes, Shinsei began drifting off to sleep.
Maybe for just this one night, she would be able to go into a peaceful slumber without the agony to torment her for endless nights. In her sleep she mumbled Aiko's name, wiggling around and spraying her hair across the pillows.
Aiko shook her head in silence, peering around the dark room.
"I'll see you in the morning, Shinsei."
Prodding his fingers on the kitchen tabletop, Itachi peered at the floor, his thoughts unknowable. He looked up, however, upon hearing Kisame's arrival in the doorway. The Uchiha looked up calmly and narrowed his eyes.
"Yes?" Itachi murmured.
"I've got something that I think you'll love to hear," Kisame leered.
The Uchiha exhaled through his nose, refusing to look at his partner until he placed an elbow on the table, gaining his attention. Itachi released a small sigh, granting Kisame his consideration for a moment.
"About what?" Itachi asked. Kisame's smirk widened.
"You and Gaki-chan."
Author's Note: Stupid Kisame! Oh my Jashin…eight pages…wow…okay, I'm exhausted! It's time for me to go to bed! Please, please review, I would appreciate it oh-so much! There is a new poll on my profile regarding upcoming stories that I would love my readers to take, please and thank you!
Also, thanks to mistress akasha, Cheeky Half-Demon, and yoyshaia-chan for reviewing!
So…that means you must review!
0/_\0
Remember, certain Uchihas, (ahem, Itachi), are known for being 'violent'.
-Aiko of the Akatsuki
