Serendipity
Chapter Twenty-One
The constant jostling and unfamiliar sounds brought Sasuke out of a heavy sleep.
Everything in his head felt like it was swimming and his mind was in a deep fog. He felt a sense of dread as he opened his eyes only to be met with pure darkness. His breathing was heavy as he tried to make sense of what was going on.
Where was he?
The last thing he remembers is getting warm milk from Itachi's mom, and then nothing from there. Everything was a blank from there.
His head hurt.
His tummy felt like it was swirling.
The need to figure out where he was urged him to find out what was going on. He needed to get home, he needed to go to Itachi. Everything would be alright once he has located Itachi.
Sasuke attempted to get up on shaky paws, but was suddenly jerked forward. He hit something wooly, making him quickly sit up and away from it. There was something wrong, he could tell. He couldn't see anything. The smell of cardboard and perfume was heavy in the air around him.
For any chances, could he be in a box or something?
Wherever he was, he had no doubts that it was Itachi's mom's doing. It had to be her. Her face was the last thing that he could remember looking at.
But, why would the woman do that?
Whatever the case was, he needed to figure out where he was and get back to Itachi as fast as he could. Sasuke took a moment to think about his situation. If Itachi's mother took him and he was now in a box, he could easily escape from that. Turning into his demon form might not be so smart off the bat. On top of that, he had no clothes with him.
He could be just about anywhere, and simply turning could mean more trouble than it was worth.
No, he had to check where he was and then go from there. Sitting in this box to be taken wherever it was that he was going, was not an option for him. He had the dreaded feeling that the longer he sat here, the further he got from Itachi.
With that resolution in mind, Sasuke got into a fighting stance, claws drawn out. He infused his claws with purplish aura. It sharpened and elongated them, making them deadlier and larger than a regular cat would have.
Sasuke blindly tackled forward, shredding the wall of the box in his way. He along with the contents spilled forward, stifled air and artificial lights blinding him for a second.
Sasuke gasped at the confusing sight before him.
He was on a conveyor belt with several other boxes, being distributed into different bins. He was up high, slowly moving over head of several people sifting through what were essentially letters and other types of mail. His heart pounded harshly with fear, wondering what he should do next. He sight before him was not only confusing, but overwhelming for him.
Sudden loud beeping and a whirring sound caught his attention, and he turned his head to face a flashing red light…
After his mother hung up on him, Itachi didn't know what to think.
His mind was trying to justify that his mother wouldn't do anything to hurt Kitty. She was his mother, she knew how much the kitten meant to him. She wouldn't have. Itachi wanted to believe that his parents had not tried to hurt him in such a way, but the doubt in his chest was prominent.
Thankfully, Kisame was there to stop him from trying to call his parents nonstop. He offered to help him search for Kitty. It was better than arguing with his parents and if Kitty was in trouble, Itachi wanted to be sure he could get to him on time. There was no reason that he should waste his time trying to get answers from his mother when she had just said that she didn't take Kitty.
With a few phone calls, their friends were alerted to the situation and an official search for Kitty had started. Kisame headed out to meet up with Suigetsu who said they would search at the park. Pain and the others said they would head over soon to help search the area, essentially covering the whole of the neighborhood.
Itachi stayed back, just in case Kitty was around the apartment.
He called out to the kitten, hoping against hope that Kitty was near and would come to him like he always did. He wished that Kitty would come and jump into his waiting arms… Itachi was getting restless, and wondered if he should leave the perimeter of the apartment building when Miss Chiyo stepped out of her apartment, a sour look on her tired face.
"Sorry about the noise," he apologized once she finished her complaints, "My cat is missing and I need to find him." he explained to her.
Her face morphed into one of instant worry. Itachi didn't have time to ponder it. The woman was pushing him forward, insistent.
"Go, go, go search for him as much as you can, I will keep an eye here if I see him," she kindly offered, urging Itachi forward.
With that, Itachi felt a worry lifted off of his chest and nodded.
"Please, call me if you see him," he said, and rushed off to keep searching once she agreed. Itachi frantically kept calling for Kitty, not caring how he looked as he ran forward.
Chiyo cursed under her breath, stumbling back into her apartment the moment that Itachi was out of sight.
She reached for her cell phone and called Sasuke's. She wasn't sure what was going on, but hoped that she could get in touch with the boy in case something happened. She hoped that he had his phone, but with the lingering silence she was able to hear it ring, inside Itachi's apartment. She hanged up and called once more, praying that it was in her head, but the familiar ring tone blared from inside that apartment like a mocking siren.
Hanging up she looked up at the moon and prayed. There was nothing else that she could do. Itachi would have to find the boy.
Please, be safe Sasuke.
Sasuke jumped off the line and into a different one before he could be tossed into what looked like a scary hole in the wall. The other mail fell, and Sasuke heard a terrible sound follow it. He swore it was like he could hear the mail give off a cry of death or something.
He wasn't sure what that place was, where the box was going, and he didn't want to find out either.
He scrambled over piles of mail. Kicking off several of it, and fell into one of the large bins that people were hunched over. Sasuke meowed desperately as he kicked off the slippery letters, damaging a few in the process.
One of the person's sorting through the mail suddenly screamed, some shrilly girl with a loud voice.
"A RAT!" she cried, starting a panic.
A few more screams rang out before a manager was called in. The manager was a bald headed strict man that drew command of the room with just the sound of his voice. The workers calmed down and followed instructions to evacuate the area.
The manager then called for animal control once they caught sight of the small kitten causing mayhem.
Sasuke wasn't sure what way to go, he couldn't find the exit and his small heart was beating fast in fear. The thought of getting back to Itachi was the only thing that kept his legs moving. By the time that he spotted the exit, it was too late.
While the workers had moved out of the room quietly and efficiently, Sasuke was left stuck inside what he was now sure had to be some sort of post office. He chose a corner to stop and think about his next move. He tried to collect his frantic thoughts about how he was going to die and never see Itachi, and decided he needed to be strong.
Think, Sasuke, think…he told himself.
He eyed the exit, and knew that was his only option. That was where everyone had gone, and hopefully had completely left.
There was no way that he could transform into his demon form. He would be found out and then he'd be treated lower than trash. They would surely mistreat him and kill him if they ever found out that he was some form of shapeshifter.
No, he had to get out through those doors and dodge anyone that could be near. It was his only hope. Was he was outside he could figure out the next step.
Every time Sasuke moved to get closer to the exit, something scared him. Be it any little sound, or the sound of voices.
He was terrified.
The situation he was in wasn't ideal and he wanted Itachi.
The animal control people didn't take long to come in with cages and other equipment. They opened the doors, keeping them like that as they set up.
Sasuke poked his head out of his hiding space, wondering if he could make his way out without being seen. He took a deep breath, trying his best not to over think things. This was his only shot. Like a bullet, he rushed the open doors as fast as possible. He was sure that he was going faster than any normal cat could go, but somehow that wasn't good enough.
Not when he slipped up.
That was his mistake, he figured, when he felt a painful pinch at the back of his neck. His body crashed to the ground, paralyzed with whatever they had shot him with. He was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and came face to face with the grungy face of some man.
The man scoffed, looking him over and holding a device over his forehead. It gave off a few beeps, and finally clicked decisively with the words 'Animal' flashing over the screen.
"Just some dumb cat," he muttered angrily when the device beeped with a blue light. "These dumb people calling us out here for such a useless thing," he groaned, stretching as he motioned for the cage door to be lifted.
"We get paid either way, so who cares, Bob. At least we don't have to deal with one of 'em pesky shifters. Fuck that would have sucked." The other complained as he opened the cage. The cat was thrown in, like he was nothing but a worthless bag of trash.
"True that, Glen," Bob cackled, "The last fucking time we had to deal with one of them fuckers we ended up injured. Damn shits think they're all that." He rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
"Silly fools think that they can become something in life, I don't care who advocates for them or whatever," Glen scoffed. He took a glance at everything they had brought in order to catch the cat, and shrugged. "Well, clean-up will ya, we have to get this cat to the pound, Kabuto won't be happy if we just lag it around here," he said, stretching as he walked away.
"Where are you going?" Bob huffed, annoyed with his work partner's departure.
"I'm going to go warm up the car, hurry it up," Glen sounded just as annoyed, throwing his arms around as he left.
Bob bristled with anger, muttering under his breath as he collected everything. He packed things up as quickly as possible, lastly grabbing the cage and ran to the car, tossing everything in the back of the van. Sasuke's cage along with everything, knocking his limp body around.
Sasuke breathed hard, he was awake, able to see everything, and it was frustrating that he couldn't move his body. Tears pricked his eyes and he prayed that Itachi would find him and kill these two idiots. He will make sure that Itachi pays these men back, he was so sure he would. Damn it, he cried.
He was scared.
He wanted to go home.
Morning was breaking and Itachi still hadn't found Kitty.
The whole night had been fruitless, and hopeless.
He was growing desparate, hoping that his friends had better luck in finding him but he knew better than to hope for that. They would have called him the minute that they found Kitty, so Itachi knew, he knew but he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to hope that his friends would surprise him with the kitten, safe and sound.
He was making his way back to his apartment where Kisame said to meet them. Kisame hadn't said anything and more than likely they were all taking a break and getting food. More than likely they had been just as unlucky as he was in finding Kitty.
He didn't have the heart to tell his friends to keep searching. He knew better than anyone how ensuring that you took care of yourself, especially when doing a search, was so important. You couldn't place your own health in danger when trying to help someone else.
He knew that, but he wanted to scream.
He wasn't hungry, although no doubt he was.
He wasn't tired, no matter how heavy his steps.
He just couldn't rest, not now, not yet.
Kitty needed to be in his arms.
His stomach churned, blaming himself for being so careless to leave Kitty alone with his mother like that. He should have never done that when he suspected that she was up to something. He couldn't breathe at the thought that Kitty could be hurt or worse, just because he had disregarded him. This was all his fault, his own dumb fucking fault.
He should have known better.
This was happening because he was so stupid.
Itachi wiped at his face and ran his hands through his tangled hair, flinching a bit when his fingers got caught. He tried his best to calm his thoughts, the last thing he needed was making his friends concerned with him. They would stop the search and worry about him instead when Kitty was more important.
Itachi slowed in his walk when his apartment building came into view.
He felt cold and empty. A feeling he had never felt this intensely before. Loneliness blanketed over his entire being and he didn't want to go back to his apartment. It just felt like suddenly he was missing a part of himself, a feeling so acutely pressing into his very soul. A gaping hole in the middle of his chest ached back at him, confusing him, and he couldn't breathe…
It made him feel lost...broken…
He blinked, bringing himself once more out of his thoughts.
He sniffed, wiping at his face with frustration, and blinked at the sudden light touching the earth. He looked up, his eyes transfixed at the sight of the never failing sunrise. It wasn't magical, or anything all that special like he had heard others refer to the sight of it.
It just washed away the night and brought forth a bright new day.
Too bright….
Itachi willed the tears away. It wasn't the time to cry. He needed to focus in his objective, and like any other mission, find what was missing. He needed to be strong and think rationally, it wasn't the time to fall apart in his fear, in his hopelessness.
He will find him.
The glint of something on the ground caught his eye, and he frowned. It was familiar, and he moved toward it with renewed purpose.
There was no mistaking it, the collar that Neko-baa had given him to place on kitty.
Itachi's hand clenched around the soft black collar and inspected it. He noticed how the sphere with the stone was still locked in place. The collar wasn't broken, ripped, or held any damage, meaning that someone had taken it off Kitty and just left it behind.
But this was a lead, a clue, something that he latched onto.
He suddenly remembered that Neko-baa had mentioned that it was an important piece, protection and something else. He reached for his cell phone, quick to make the call to Tamaki. She could explain it all to him.
This was hope.
This could mean everything and nothing in getting Kitty back.
Mikoto couldn't stay still.
She hadn't slept all night as she was jittery with worry.
How could she have been so stupid as to make a mistake like that?
The sun had barely just risen when she decided to drive off to a pet shelter. She was determined to find a replacement cat for Itachi.
How hard could it be to find a cat like the one he had?
It was just some regular gray colored cat, nothing all that special. It wasn't like the little creature performed any useful tricks. He was just a lazy regular house pet. She'd go into the shelter and find something similar to that. Itachi might appreciate it or not, that didn't concern her as much as a possible reunion between Itachi and Izumi did.
She knew her son was more than likely on his way to them and he would demand that they return his cat to him.
She might as well have something for him when he got there. She'd just tell him that she got it because he said he lost his, it was all the same.
It was fine.
It would have to do.
There was no telling where that cat was now. They couldn't stop the package until it reached a proper destination where the postal people had promised to hold it for them. There was nothing else they could do since it was out of their hands. She could only hope that her instructions would be heeded. They could be liable for trying to ship off a living creature like that.
There were protocols for such a thing.
She was the worst demoness in existence, she knew.
It was such a stupid mistake. One that she was desperate to right. Itachi couldn't be that mad over a stupid animal…could he… Mikoto cursed, knowing her son she knew that he would be extremely angry and disappointed in her.
She hated that.
She had to make up for it.
Reaching the shelter, she parked her car before, in a tornado of a mess, dragged herself out and towards the building. She stumbled a few times as her heels clicked over the slick floors, and righted herself, leaning heavily against the front desk. She cursed as she got her coat caught on one of the cages sitting nearby, kicked it, and harshly turned to face the person in front of her.
She ran her hands through her messy raven hair, trying to compose herself as she was greeted. The look in the employee's face said it all.
She was looking crazy.
"I need a cat, like now. A gray one," she said when the person asked her what her reason for her visit was. "Like…" she looked around, grasping a pamphlet. "Like this one here," she pointed to a gray blue cat at the front of the cover. She cursed as she nearly slipped for moving so suddenly.
"Uh, we might have a few like that one," The employee eyed the pamphlet with unsureness, "I can show you a great selection, why don't you follow me to the back where we keep our cats," The employee walked over to the back, opening a door that lead to another room.
"Great, perfect," Mikoto followed the employee, clicking her way over and willing herself not to topple over.
She was led to a room lined from ceiling to floor in square cages. She looked at each cat carefully, making sure she inspected every last one. It had to be as close as possible to Itachi's little cat. Mikoto spent the next few hours going through each cat, until she had narrowed it down to five of them. She couldn't find the exact shade of gray blue that Itachi's had been.
Their fur was all wrong in texture as well.
Their eyes were the biggest difference though, yellow, orange, green, blue…no red. Although when the one with blue eyes turned his head, his would reflect back red… it would have to do.
"I've chosen," she finally declared, making the employee sigh in relief.
"Great, now we will have to go through paperwork and get the adoption process started…" The employee jumped when money was shoved in their face.
"No need, it's coming with me now," Mikoto bared her fangs, giving no room for argument. Her eyes flashed red and the employee jumped to fulfill her request without question.
"Sure ma'am." They said. "Let us pack up the cat for you," they took the money and moved to release the friendly cat. Mikoto frowned, thinking that this one maybe a bit bigger and lankier than Itachi's little chunky Kitty.
Oh well, he'll just have to feed it.
"I hope this is okay," She whispered, watching as the cat was placed in a carrier for her. The employee was talking, saying something about proper pet care and things she would need to purchase. She wasn't paying attention. Her mind was somewhere else, filled with worry over her son.
I'm sorry, Itachi. This is the best I can do for you…
Itachi got to Neko-baa's home and Tamaki was there to greet him, worry filling her eyes as she asked for him to clarify what he had failed to properly tell her when he called earlier.
"I don't know where Kitty is." Itachi explained, "He was gone when I got home and although I suspect my mother for his disappearance, I don't know how to prove it was her. What if he ran away because he didn't want to be with me?" Itachi stressed his insecurities over Kitty wanting to stay as his pet. He had expressed it before as well, despite Tamaki assuring him that cats were just full of personality.
"Don't say that Itachi, no cute kitty would leave an owner that takes great care of them." Tamaki huffed with anger, "No, you have to talk with your mom again and get her to say what she has done. I agree, it had to be her," Tamaki's face was full of rage, like Itachi had never seen before. She honestly had no doubts in her head that it was his mom.
Itachi was hesitating on that.
He didn't want to believe it, but he…
"I found his collar, is there a way that we can use it to locate him?" Itachi pulled the collar out to show it to her.
Tamaki refrained from touching it, knowing that the collar was special to Itachi and Kitty. It had been made with pure intentions for the both of them.
"Let's see what Neko-baa says. Has anyone else touched it?" She asked, leading Itachi towards the back room.
Itachi frowned, "I think they have, someone took it off of him." Itachi clutched the collar close.
"That's not good." Tamaki said. "From what I know the bond of that collar was made especially for you and Kitty, for someone else to get a hold of it is bad. Besides, I have a feeling that what this collar will tell us is who did this," she explained.
"We can't use it to locate him?"
"No," Neko-baa, who had heard everything from the other room spoke. "Come here Itachi," her wrinkled hand reached for him. Itachi didn't hesitate to take it, allowing her to pull him close to her. She closed her eyes, concentrating. What she was doing, whatever was happening, Itachi didn't know but hoped it would be what helped him with finding Kitty.
After a while, Neko-baa let out a heavy breath.
She released Itachi's hands and motioned for the collar. She inspected it, opening the small latch of the sphere that contained the enchanted stone, and watched it swirl in tinges of foreign mauve that had nothing to do with either Itachi or Kitty. Tainted by the person that had every intention of separating the two…
"Itachi," she called to him.
"Yes," Itachi perked up, eager to hear what she had to say about the situation, ready to do anything if it meant getting Kitty back.
"Someone close to you, a relative has taken Kitty from you. It was a female, and she didn't do it out of malice, but her intentions were clear that there was something they wanted from you." Neko-baa looked at him, watching the moment that Itachi recognized who she meant. This was the proof he had been lacking and it had just slapped him in the face.
"Mother," he spat the word.
Itachi suspected it, but hadn't wanted it to be truth. He had wanted to believe her. He was truly wasting his time here.
He needed to go see his parents and get the answers from them.
"Itachi," Neko-baa called before he had a chance to turn and rush to find his parents. She could see the energy that Itachi was exuding and knew that what she was about to say wasn't going to be easily accepted. "There's more to it than just that. This situation is not going to be easy for you to accept but I think waiting is your best answer," she said. "There is nothing else that you can do."
"Waiting?" Itachi asked in disbelief, not understanding what she was trying to say.
Why would he just sit back and wait?
He needed to find and ensure that Kitty was safe. He needed to go and do his best to find him! He couldn't just sit on his hands…
"I have reason to believe that this situation is out of your control. You're going to have to trust that Kitty can find his way back to you," She placed the stone back into the sphere, and motioned for Itachi to take the collar back. It held no other value now.
Itachi bristled, glaring at the collar in her hands.
How could she tell him to just sit back and do nothing?
Kitty could be out there hurt, or worse. He didn't know what his parents could possibly do. Neko-baa had never seen Kitty hurt. She couldn't understand the worry that was festering in his chest. If she could, she would not be asking him to do nothing.
What a stupid solution.
He couldn't.
He took the collar back from Neko-baa and turned to leave without saying anything else. Tamaki and Neko-baa watched him as he made his way to the door.
"Itachi, be there to catch Kitty when it's time, please, don't ignore my words." Neko-baa called, but wasn't sure if he heard when all that answered her back was the sound of the door slamming close at his departure.
…I can't rest…
Itachi ran to the nearest transportation facility.
While his parents lived a few hours away and he was able to make it there on foot alone within a few minutes, the world they lived in didn't work that way. It was so frustratingly restricted. Itachi would be seen as a threat if he bulleted himself across the city boarders. Being a demon wasn't all it was cut out to be, it didn't matter how strong you were, because they weren't the only thing that shared this earth.
Rules were made for that purpose.
Showing identification was necessary if you were going to be going on foot. The next best thing would be taking the train straight to his parents' home. It only took about an hour if he did so, and although that was still a lot of time, he knew better than to cause trouble that was unnecessary.
He couldn't find Kitty if he was detained.
Despite what he had been told by Neko-baa, he looked over his shoulder, calling out Kitty's name. He was frantic, slamming into the payment window past others that protested and cursed him for cutting in the line.
"I need a ticket," his eyes flashed red, scaring the ticket person at the front. Even so, she was miffed an d told him off, letting him know that he was being rude. He had no time for her lectures and let her know just how much her life was in danger if she didn't do as told.
With a chill down her spine, she produced the desire ticket and then hit the emergency button, alerting authorities to the crazy mad man about to board one of their trains. One that was easily spotted as Itachi wasn't making himself look sane at all with how he was calling out for Kitty.
People backed away from him in fear because his sinister aura was suffocating.
His shaking body and jerky moves terrified them.
He had to be unstable.
Security and officers were all being notified, and told to pursue the man. When they saw him, they started to follow after him, intent on stopping him and asking him if he was alright. Not that he was staying still or making things easy for them. About five of them were hoping to surround and corner him, exchanging locations as they followed.
"He's at the south gate, I have him on sight"
"Where, I don't see him?" The other officer called.
"No, he's at the north gate, he's rushing to catch the train," Another called.
"No way, stop confusing us, he's at the west gate," A fourth huffed. This caused them to start arguing with each other.
"Hold up everyone, why are we all thinking we are seeing this guy in multiple places?" The fifth smartly halted the others, realizing that something wasn't right. Every officer was told to catch the man that they thought they were seeing, but at the end of the day, neither of them caught anyone.
The mad man disappeared without a trace.
Sasuke groggily came too.
Sometime after being paralyzed and crying, he had unwittingly fallen asleep. Either that, or there was another effect to the drug that they had given him. His head hurt a lot more now and he was barely able to move- locked in place.
Slowly blinking his eyes open and shutting them when bright light hit them.
He felt a cold, rubbery hand tap him on the back, and it had him slowly moving to stand up. His paws were shaky, and he felt incredibly thirsty. His vision was moving and he was disorientated. He didn't feel good at all.
"Damn you Bob, with what the hell did you hit the little dude with?" A female voice asked, sounding annoyed.
"Relax Amy, I just did what was necessary, nothing that will kill it," Bob responded. "It'll live long enough to make us some money,"
She huffed, running her fingers over the kitten's back. "Let's get one thing straight. Kabuto runs this animal shelter only and only for the capture of shifters. The harvest of their organs are the reason that we get paid. This kitten is part of our front, if we have sick animals we are in danger of getting investigated, is that what you want?" She bared her teeth at the man across from her.
"I got it, sheesh," He rolled his eyes, "Someone needs to get laid," he rudely remarked as he left.
The girl ignored him in favor of given the kitten a proper check-up. She was good at her job and was able to tell that the kitten was simply dehydrated after some prodding and probing. The kitten hissed at her, uncomfortable with the treatment.
"There we go," She said as she pulled on his back, inserting a needle in between the shoulder blades. "This will help hydrate you and soon you will be in your cage with a kibble and water," She nicely said with an equally nice smile.
Sasuke recoiled away from her, hissing in her face. This only made her giggle and prove that she was not all there in the head. He wasn't an idiot.
Even with his brain killing him, he knew he was in danger right now.
Every time she turned to face her computer to input any information, he had the urge to run off. Something he was unable to do because as he was chained to the damned table. It barely allowed him to move and the chains rattled every time he moved.
"Amy," The door opened to show a man with gray colored hair tied in a low pony tail enter the examination room. The girl looked up with fast attention.
"Yes Mr. Kabuto?" She asked.
"Get that cat in a cage already, we have important people coming over to adopt a pet. We can't mess this up," Kabuto looked the kitten with disgust, and then left.
"Yes sir!" Amy chirped with affirmation that she understood his command and started to clear up the medical equipment she had been getting ready to use in the finalization of her examination of the Kitten's health.
Sasuke shook, a cold feeling washing down his entire being.
He was placed inside another cage. Amy ripped her gloves off and called for someone to come grab him and take him to the cat room. She walked out just in time to let in a huge man with an incredibly scary face.
I have to get out of this alive. Itachi needs me to go back to him safely. Damn it.
Itachi couldn't sit still throughout the train ride.
It was to the point that he had three different attendants following him everywhere. Frazzled they kept asking him to please sit, or if he needed anything. He kept to himself. Not daring to tell them what it was that he was missing.
What he was needing.
They couldn't provide it.
No one could.
Besides that, he had several texts and calls from his friends, asking him to please meet with them, to please listen to what they had to say. That it was time for them to come up with a different plan in their search for Kitty. That they were worried about him and wanted him to come and take a rest and eat a meal…all things that Itachi refused to do.
Not when Kitty was still out there missing.
He didn't want to rest.
He didn't want to eat.
Palpable relief had filled everyone once Itachi got off the train, taking with him the heavy aura of dread and desolation that followed him. Everyone watched him as he ran off, calling out to Kitty like they were a person that he had lost. Many started to assume that he had lost a child or something with the way that he was acting.
Some felt sorry for him and others just thought that he was crazy.
Itachi didn't care what they thought of him.
From the train station he ran the rest of the way to his parent's house. He didn't acknowledge anyone that wanted to talk to him. He ignored cousins, aunts, and uncles on his way. He didn't care if they would get mad at him or thought he was rude.
He was a man on a mission.
It was clear that his parents had been waiting for him when the door opened the first time that he knocked. He didn't even have to wait. It left a sour taste in his mouth, the pit of his stomach churned sickly.
His mother acted surprised to see him. She smiled, pulling him into the house and asking him if he wanted anything to drink. Asking if he wanted to sit at the couch and take a break, she was so happy to see him.
"Itachi, darling, say something," She urged when he remained silent.
Itachi gritted his teeth, simply seeing her brought forth all the broken emotions prickling his chest. He resisted going all the way inside, wanting nothing to do with his parents at the moment. He stuck his ground, talking to her from the open doorway. He only had one foot in the house, swallowing back tears because he already anticipated what he was going to hear.
He was here for one thing and once he got it, he would leave.
There was no other reason.
He needed to hear it from her.
"Where's Kitty?" He asked his voice cracking under the pressure of his fear. It made him bite the inside of his cheek, cursing himself for sounding so weak.
Mikoto gritted her teeth in anger.
"Itachi, I told you that I don't know where your cat is!" She huffed, placing both her hands on her hips. She was sticking to her story. She was lying through her teeth at his face. "Why do you keep blaming me?"
Itachi let out a breath, his eyes steady as he looked his mom in the face.
"I'm not an idiot mother. There is no one else that was around him. So suddenly you leave and he is gone as well? There's no other explanation than you took him." Itachi stated.
Mikoto paused, looking at him with consideration. She finally let out a heavy breath, like there was something weighing her down. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"Itachi, a cat is just an animal. They aren't all that loyal and they just go as they please," his father cut in, moving in to place a comforting hand on his wife's lower back. Mikoto smiled at him gratefully, leaning into his hold.
Itachi turned to him, "Father, why are you taking mother's side. Kitty did nothing wrong, why are you both doing this to me," he demanded, giving them a pleading look. "I'll do anything you want, just please give me back Kitty," The words were heavy, but he meant them. He'd do anything to have Kitty back in his arms.
"I'm sorry Itachi," Mikoto started.
Itachi glared at her. He was ready to tell his mother what he was thinking but his father once more stepped between them.
"Look boy, it was just a cat. We got you another one because your mom knew that you'd keep blaming us for his disappearance, you can take that one if you wish, but we are not going to fight over this," His father said sternly, finality in his tone.
Itachi glance down at the dull gray cat that was lounging on a cat bed, in the corner of the room. He then looked back to his parents, noticing how both were a united front, a wall in his way telling him what to do and what to accept.
"You got another cat…" he was deliberate with his words, emphasizing each one of them.
"Of course, I don't want you to be sad Itachi. It is just as good as your other cat," His mom sweetly said, "Why don't you go pet it and see that you will like it just as much," Her smile was encouraging.
"No," Itachi said.
Fuck, she couldn't even admit that she had taken Kitten. She wasn't telling him where he could find him. They weren't listening. He'd do anything…
Both Fugaku and Mikoto looked at their son with slightly widen eyes at the flat tone their son had just used with them.
"Itachi," His mother gasped.
"Itachi, enough with the nonsense, get in here and shut the door. Let's talk like adults." His father gestured for them to go to the living room. Itachi shook his head.
"What are you two not understanding? The one that I want is Kitty. I want him back, please give him back to me!" Itachi gritted his teeth, watching his parents closely. He was begging them at this point.
"Itachi, it's just a cat-" His mother insisted.
"HE" Itachi emphasized, realizing as he looked between both his parents that neither of them had any idea of where Kitty was. It hit hard that somehow his mother had lost the only thing that had brought him so much joy and made everything in his mundane life bearable. "You two have no clue where he is," Itachi said.
It wasn't a question and both his parents gave him shamed looks.
Itachi's hands balled in anger, taking a step back.
His mother took one forward and cracked, spilling the truth forward.
"I know you're mad Itachi, but all I wanted was for you to listen to me. I just wanted you to go to Izumi so I thought taking Kitty would motivate you to do so." Mikoto explained, looking at her son with an apologetic look on her face. "Please forgive me Itachi, I didn't mean to anger you like this, just understand. Besides, it's alright, I might have lost Kitty but I got you a new cat," she offered the cat she had gotten once more when Itachi didn't acknowledge her apology. "Also, Izumi will come over. I bet that seeing her will cheer you up!"
"Your mother made a mistake son, we all do that. Just let's put this behind us and come in to have dinner with us. We can talk more about it over a warm meal," Fugaku tried to placate any arguments that could ensue. He didn't see what the big deal over a cat was.
There was a perfectly good one that Itachi could have in their living room at the moment.
Itachi chuckled, shaking his head as he stumbled back. He brought his hand up to his face as more laughter racked his body to the point that it sounded like something else.
Something terrifying.
Both his parents watched him with worry. They had never heard Itachi make that kind of sound before—more of a broken cry than a laugh at this point. Their son was shaking where he stood, head bowed down, bangs shadowing his face.
He was breaking, inside he was suffocating.
His insides constricted painfully and tears pricked his eyes, but he refused to cry. Not in front of his parents, not when anger burned in his chest. He was a fool. He'd disregarded Kitty. It was all his fault. He was so stupid. Kitty wasn't here and he was left all on his own.
He was gone…
Kitty….where are you…
Itachi gritted his teeth, breathing heavily. He turned away, determined to get away from his parents. He didn't want to look at them anymore. He flinched, snatching his arm back when his mother reached for him, calling his name.
"Itachi!" his father bellowed, holding his wife who was pushed away harshly. "Boy, what…"
"STOP!" Itachi screamed. The act itself so out of character for him, "If you cared so much the two of you would be able to understand that I am not looking for a relationship. I will never date Izumi or anyone that you choose. You came into my home, where I trusted you with what was mine and then act like it means nothing. Does anything that I hold dear to me, care about, or think even matter to either of you…" Itachi turned to look at his parents and trailed off at the shocked looks on their faces.
Itachi's mouth worked to form words.
He had so much to say to them.
There was so much that he held back just because he was the perfect and polite child that they had raised. Just because he hated conflict and never wanted to go against what his parents taught him. But he was breaking and there was nothing left to say…
The anguish of his voice bore heavily from inside of him but there was nothing else that he wanted to say.
Nothing that he felt would be understood.
"Please stay away from me. I don't want to hear from you, I don't want to see you." Itachi pulled out the cell phone in his pocket and threw it on the ground, and crushed it under his heavy boot. "I want absolutely nothing to do with you."
Mikoto and Fugaku watched him with sad expressions.
Itachi didn't say anything else, and both watched their son walk away from them.
Mikoto wanted to run after Itachi and try to reason with him, but Fugaku held her back. He shook his head at her, telling her to stop.
"I believe we've gone too far this time Mikoto," he told her as he held her close to him. "We have hurt our son and there's nothing we can do until he stops being angry. We have to wait for him to come to us when he is ready,"
"What if he doesn't, what if he stays away forever," She cried.
"We have to trust that he will come back," Fugaku sighed, closing his eyes as what just happened broke his heart.
She nodded with reluctance, watching her husband with her own breaking heart. She knew he was right, but the mother in her wanted to go to Itachi and console him. The one thing she was unable to do at the moment because she'd made a mistake.
She regretted taking Kitty away from Itachi.
I'm truly sorry…
Itachi took the train back to his apartment.
He solemnly waited in line, didn't fight getting in even when the crowd pushed past and against him. He stood where he was, seeing and hearing nothing. He walked the rest of the way and by sun down he had reached his destination.
Kisame was the only one there to greet him, telling him how the others had gone home to rest and would meet with them in the morning for a better search plan. The man asked him about where he had been, and why he was so quiet. Everyone was so worried.
He even tried to assure him that they will find Kitty and not to worry, he had gathered some help guides on what they could do to try and get him home. Kitty was probably just out exploring and got a little lost.
Itachi remained silent through it all.
Kisame was worried about how Itachi's face remained completely blank, devoid of any emotion. The raven nodded his head once when asked if he was listening, not uttering a word.
"A-are you okay?" Kisame whispered, grasping Itachi's shoulders when he tried to move past him. He wanted to stop his friend and keep an eye on him, because he was scaring him.
Itachi grabbed his hands and removed them from his shoulders. He patted Kisame's hands in assurance before moving past him.
"I'm fine," he said, walking towards his bedroom. He was tired. He wanted to sleep or something, but his mind was a storm and there was nothing that was distracting him. He needed a book or something, just anything that would preoccupy his mind.
He had a few case files he had yet to review, he should really look into them. They were important because it was the case of someone that had lost their life. The family needed to know if they were going to be able to recover the remains.
He should get on that.
…I can't rest…
"So…how about some dinner," Kisame called, flinching when he was met with the sound of the door closing. Itachi had left without confirming anything, and although he thought at first that his friend would go about panicking, searching for Kitty, this calm truly scared him.
It was somehow worse than seeing Itachi panic and run around in a frenzy.
He'd never seen Itachi look so…cold.
After the examination room Sasuke had been brought into a pale blue room that had nothing but rows on top of rows of cages. The bland color felt depressing and he anxiously watched as he was transferred into one of the cages.
The man followed protocol.
There was no room for escape.
He was securely transferred and given a poke when he initially refused to move. Sasuke watched wide eyed as the man gave him a glare.
Large ruby eyes watched as the lock was set in place, trapping him. Sasuke slammed into the cage, testing just how strong the bars were. Throwing himself against it a few times, wanting nothing more than to be let out. No one was listening and no one cared what he wanted, so that meant executing a plan was in order.
The cage was nothing too special, he thought.
He could easily break through with his powers and then he'd be able to escape.
He had been paying close attention to everything around him. He was inside a building, escaping the cage was going to be the simple part. The rest was what was troubling.
The facility had double doors, with each one needing card identification for access. There was a back door where animals that were sick were taken to be disposed of. Although Sasuke wasn't sure if it led out anywhere, he noted that the other rooms had windows. He bet the one next to this one had one, and it was the closest.
Although he had no idea where he could be, running and getting back to Itachi's side was the number one thought in his head.
He had to try.
He needed to get back to Itachi no matter what. He bet that stupid demon was tearing up the world searching for him. Itachi needed him right now, he was sure. He needed to get to his demon now before he drove himself crazy.
Sasuke took a deep breath, getting in a stance as he allowed energy to flow through him.
He felt the surge of electricity enter his toe beans when sudden laughter had him halting. For a moment he thought he'd been caught and the stupid oafs were back to foil his plans.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. They'd kill you in a heartbeat." A voice from across him taunts in a snide remark.
Confused, Sasuke suddenly noticed several eyes locked on him. He flinched, taking a step back when more mocking laughter met his ears. He looked towards the one cat laughing. A white cat with black beady eyes stare back at him with a sneer that rivaled the Cheshire cat.
"If you want to live, keep a low profile. They're watching us…"
The sight of a camera blinking with a red light was all the proof needed that his words were true.