Chapter 8
Was he just not scary enough anymore?
As he approached his office, Itachi's gaze trailed over to the men guarding the hallway. Immediately, their spines straightened so rigidly they might as well have been replaced with titanium poles, and they proceeded to bow so deeply that they could have easily tipped themselves over and fallen on their faces. So no, that was not the case.
Then, that meant everyone was terrified of him except Sasuke.
That left a bad taste in his mouth. He couldn't decide if he liked it or not, but he could verify that it certainly bothered him to a certain extent. The thing he kept mulling over was why the boy wasn't afraid of him. Had he done something to allow the boy's defenses to drop or was Sasuke simply naive and unaware of the creatures in the dark?
Itachi almost sighed.
He nearly interrogated the boy last night about the tall blonde who approached him so casually at the festival, but why do that when he could easily seek his answers via his connections? Besides, he could imagine Sasuke's reaction: a twist of his face, falling from the mention of the unfavorable meeting, followed by the avoidance of the topic.
At that point in time, his reaction had been unsightly. It was unnecessary to look over at Neji and Naruto, who had shielded Sasuke from behind, because he could feel their piercing stares when he acted out of character, but if he could feel embarrassment or guilt, he would not be the head of his organization. He had not expected to move so naturally and instinctively in front of the young boy, blocking the path of the stranger. Perhaps, if he had thought about it from the perspective of protecting the boy who had protected him, then it was rational in nature.
Leaning back against his office chair, his eyes trailed over to the vase of flowers sitting innocently on the center table. Even from a slight distance, he could smell the sweet, mellow fragrance, which penetrated his office that early morning when he stepped in.
When Itachi woke up today, he was in an unfamiliar, strange place. He was referring to his mental state, not a physical one.
He had glanced down his chest to find a head full of raven spikes and an arm slithered around his waist. Granted, the arm had paused mid-back because Itachi was much, much larger than the boy's tiny frame, but the point was that Sasuke was without reservations. Defenseless and clingy in his sleep.
The boy was a cuddler. He should have known. The man's bed was the size of approximately two and a half king sized beds put together, but, sometime in the middle of the night, the boy had chosen to remain close and curl against his chest instead.
This was the extent of Sasuke's fear of him or perhaps his survival instincts: nonexistent.
Nevermind that they were both men, but such an open display of affection and physical contact was completely foreign to him.
In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd conclude that the boy viewed him as a protector and did not acknowledge his status as a ruthless, vicious leader of one of the most powerful yakuza organizations in Japan.
That was different. He could think of a myriad other adjectives to describe it: abnormal, new, alien. Just to name a few.
In addition to that, Itachi's typical resting heart rate was fifty beats a minute, but that morning, it was definitely exceedingly high.
He had sliced more fingers off than he had cared to recount. Tortured wicked deadbeats until their souls had torn into slivers so thin that they would never be reincarnated. More blood awashed his hands than a senior cardiovascular surgeon's encounter with the number of chest cavities he or she pried open during open-heart surgery .
Itachi was the harbinger of all that was foreboding. Granted, he mostly dealt with miscreants, who dipped into his business like bloodsucking leeches, but that didn't mean he treated citizens with anything, but stoic nonchalance. As any logical person would do, he monitored his territory closely. Eyes and ears were placed expertly throughout the city, distributed into groups, who led different lives in different economic sectors. Each had an expertise, assigned by Itachi, himself, that he didn't feel a need to go into detail.
All in all, he wasn't a decent person in any sense of the word. Yet, for some reason, Sasuke didn't think twice about curling into him like a baby kitten.
His first thought: How absurd.
His second: What a peaceful, innocent face.
Finally: Warm.
So instead of thinking nonsense thoughts, he found himself in his office pooling over items that he had neglected last night.
It was barely scraping past six in the morning when his office door opened without even a knock, causing Itachi's mood to shift, evident in the callousness brimming in his eyes when he looked up from a report of his stock holdings.
It wasn't that he had a trigger-happy finger, but he did consider firing a couple of rounds in that exact moment… until his gaze landed on the guest: Sasuke. Any instinct to punish and attack disappeared like a wisp of smoke. It happened so quickly that he nearly got a headache.
Still in the pajamas Itachi had lent him and barefoot, the boy looked like he had just rolled out of bed and made a beeline to his office. Twisting his fist and rubbing at his droopy eyes, Sasuke bit back a yawn and his eyes met Itachi's.
"What are you doing out of bed, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, voice harder than steel. The tiled floors were particularly chilling in the morning especially before the sun rose. A good portion of the floors were laced with marble flooring, and they could easily deliver a cold if he wasn't careful.
His tone either escaped Sasuke's detection or, perhaps, the boy simply didn't care, because he wordlessly began padding closer to Itachi.
"Sasuke. Where are the slippers I bought you? Why aren't you wearing them?" Itachi demanded.
"'Tachi," the boy finally said. It sounded more like a whine than a mumble. "Why are you nagging at me so early in the morning?" he asked sleepily, coming to stand beside him.
Itachi gritted his teeth, jaw nearly dropping. He stared blatantly at the discombobulated, sleepy boy, a pointed, hard look setting permanently on his countenance. He scowled. That's what he did.
See?
If Sasuke wasn't Sasuke, Itachi would have pegged him as insolent, but something inside him defined his words and actions as cheeky, if not endearing.
Before Itachi realized what he was doing, he reached his hand up, grasped onto raven strands, which fell between his palms like silk, and tugged. Definitely not hard, but enough for the boy to jerk fully awake, shriek, and swat at his hand, but, by then, Itachi's hand had returned to his armchair.
What formed on Sasuke's face must have been what ordinary people call a "pout". The ravenette's bottom lip jutted out slightly, the plump flesh within appearing pinker, glimmering with saliva.
"Brat," Itachi added as if his mere action wasn't enough for Sasuke to comprehend why he'd done it. The pout was worth it though. Finally, something the boy didn't like. Itachi stowed that away for future reference.
"If I'm being a brat, that means that you've spoiled me," he retorted, leaning his backside against the edge of Itachi's desk, leaving little space between his outstretched body and Itachi's office chair.
The man's eyebrow rose elegantly. "Pray tell, how have I spoiled you?"
At his prompting, the boy grinned… as if he expected Itachi to ask that specific question.
Incredibly cheeky, he thought to himself.
This boy, who had been hunched over for days after getting shot, was now sitting on top of his desk, legs swinging with the little room they had, as he splayed open a palm and began to number things off with his fingers.
"You baby me." Itachi kept his face neutral. "You feed me your stash of sweets." The boy didn't realize how those stashes came to be. Oh, if he knew. "You treat me like I'm as delicate as glass and pick me up so I don't break when my feet touch the floor (Sasuke snorts), but I like to think it's more like a prince. Not a princess. Not like Neji says." Itachi's jaw twitched. Princess? "You lend me your bedroom when you don't have to. I know there are, like, a dozen other rooms around here. There has to be." Seventeen. Bedrooms, that is, but that didn't mean anything. Easier to keep an eye on the boy. "Aaaand you take me out to do fun things."
Itachi considered Sasuke's comments, which were based on facts presented through his own actions.
"That's five things right there, and I've only been a guest here for two weeks, so if you take five and multiply that by the lengthier period of time you'll know me, then by that time in the near future, I'd be spoiled rotten. Maybe even turn into your very own toddler."
"Absurd," Itachi uttered, having a strong urge to uncharacteristically roll his eyes, but he didn't.
Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes for him instead, letting the matter rest. A brief moment of silence before he spoke his next words softly. "I couldn't find you when I woke up."
Itachi sat a little straighter and bestowed a hard, chastising look on the boy. "Don't tell me you walked around the complex without footwear so early in the morning because you were in search of me," he deadpanned. The mere thought sounded preposterous in his head.
Again, Sasuke's lower lip jutted out in what Itachi would now define as his signature pout. "It was cold in bed," he whined.
"That's what blankets are for, Sasuke." He must have been looking at the boy like he was retarded or something, because he received an epic snort and eye roll.
"But you're warmer."
"Oh wow, am I interrupting something?" An amused voice piped up in the background. "I was knocking for ages, Boss. Thought the office was empty. My bad."
Itachi's eyes slid coolly away from Sasuke, sudden aggravation filling him to the core. It was not left unnoticed by the brunette who cringed and took a small step back.
See? He was utterly terrifying.
Itachi looked back at Sasuke, who was busy humming underneath his breath with legs swinging and eyes roaming the contents behind him. The boy met his stare, cocked his head just slightly, and then, a small grin bloomed on his face, stretching his mouth and causing his cheeks to fill with natural color.
Not an ounce of fear or wariness in sight. Absolutely zero self-preservation skills.
Unbelievable.
Instead, it was Itachi who felt odd. With the way his heart pounded and his sudden parched throat, someone would have thought he was having a heart attack.
"G'morning, Neji," Sasuke chirped with a wave.
"Sasuke-sama," Neji greeted, looking him up and down with a teasing grin.
Itachi stood abruptly. "You're going back to bed," he stated as if he'd come to a solution to an ongoing dilemma. Sasuke was back in his arms once again, another whine hanging off of his lips, but rather than annoyance, Itachi felt more reassured.
Once he had returned the boy to his niche and made sure the blankets were over his small form, Itachi returned to his office. Of course, Neji remained there during Itachi's mini field trip, greeting him with one of his annoying grins.
"Boss."
Itachi grunted, choosing to ignore the abnormal ticks of the brunette's face. "Report."
"Orochimaru has been embellishing his territory. The ports have been three times as busy, mostly with imports. Mostly in the middle of the night. The regular exports are going out as scheduled. You think we ought to give him an idiot's guide to remaining in cognito when doing business?"
Itachi nearly snorted. "Not surprising. Find out when his biggest shipment is, and tip off our source at the station."
Neji clicked his tongue and saluted. "Sir, yessir."
"Switch up our method of delivery. Stop using the ports for now."
"Shall I be extra creative?"
"Go crazy," Itachi responded nonchalantly, garnering a full blown grin from Neji.
"Woohoo! Don't worry. We'll still cruise under the radar as usual."
"Anything else?"
"Nope," Neji stated, popping the /p/. He miraculously procured a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped the paper, and stuck it into his mouth. "Naruto and I are going to stop by the store though. Quitting smoking is such a bitch."
"Then don't quit."
Neji's laughter blared into the room. It was boisterous with a tint of cynicism. Nothing pure and hearty like Sasuke's. "Speaking of, you haven't smoked much lately. Are you trying to quit, too, Boss?"
It wasn't that Itachi was trying to quit. When Sasuke first got shot, the fumes were detrimental to his health. The boy had hacked half a lung from simply being around Itachi after he smoked. So, in order to prevent his worsening symptoms, Itachi held back.
He found himself raising his shoulders in a shrug, and he waved the man away.
"Sure, sure," Neji replied easily. Before he left, Neji tilted his head in Itachi's direction. "Need anything from the store? Maybe a bottle of water?" he suggested in a teasing tone.
Itachi picked up his stapler and tossed it in his direction. It narrowly missed the brunette's head as he ducked out of the room, all the while laughing hysterically.
H.J.
Sasuke looked up lazily from the book he was reading when there was a knock on the door. Itachi never knocked, so he knew it couldn't have been him when he answered.
"Come in," he called, setting his book aside.
Neji poked his head inside. "Hey, Princess," he grinned lackadaisically at him. "What's up?"
"I'm bored out of my mind," the boy groaned. He arched a brow at the brunette as he flung the blankets off of his body. "Isn't it a tad bit early for you to be sucking on candy?"
"Are you going to give me something else to suck on?" Neji's lips twisted mischievously as he occupied the seat next to the bed, just close enough for Sasuke to smack him on his bicep with a gigantic eye roll and a huff.
"You're terrible."
"You don't know the half of it." Neji winked vicariously.
"Was there something you needed?"
"I can't come by and hang out with you?" Neji feigned hurt with a palm over his chest, forcing Sasuke to swat at him again. "Oww! Okay! Okay! Just came by to see if you wanted anything from the conbini. Naruto and I are going to hit it up."
Sasuke was quiet for a second. Then, he uttered slowly and carefully, "You mean 'hit it up' like go there and buy some snacks and whatnot, not hit it up, right?"
Neji stared at Sasuke for a cool second. He blinked once while his brain processed the boy's words, then twice. Then, he fell on the floor laughing. Literally. On the floor clutching his stomach like he had appendicitis or something.
Granted, Sasuke still did not receive overt confirmation that this entire mansion housed an elite yakuza organization, but it's not like he needed to nor wanted to know. He waited for Neji to pick himself back up and snorted when the brunette wiped furiously at his eyes to erase the tears.
"Glad I became a comedian overnight," Sasuke said with a 'hmph'.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Neji responded as he attempted to use a breathing technique to calm himself down. With a final chuckle from the brunette, Sasuke found his spikes ruffled by Neji's large palm as he told him, "That was just so cute."
He grimaced and ducked away. "I was just making sure," he grumbled, spine straightening as he fully swung his legs off the bed. "In that case, take me with you. I could use a break from doing absolutely nothing with my life."
Neji's arms raised in an X instantly. "I'd love to cure your boredom, but uh, no. Do you think I'm crazy enough to take you with me?"
Sasuke pouted. "Why not? I was just in your car a few weeks ago. How's it any different?"
"Boss will kill me. That's what's different."
"What-"
Another knock echoed in the room. This time, it was more musical in nature. A blond head of hair popped in. "What's taking you so goddamn long, Neji-san?! You texted me thirty minutes ago and told me to warm up the car. THIRTY minutes! What the heck? Oh, hey, Sasuke! What's up?"
Sasuke shook his head and his lips twitched slightly. What an odd bunch they were. "Naruto, take me with you to the conbini. I want to get some snacks."
"Oh! Sure thing, Sasuke!"
"Did you get something shoved so far up your ass that it stabbed and destroyed your brain in the process?" Neji butted in with a growl, vexation exuding from his words.
Sasuke nearly choked on his tongue from hearing something so explicit, especially when Neji was usually so laid back to a degree of being serendipitous by nature. Yet strangely, the word choice suited Neji's demeanor.
Naruto picked up his agape jaw and his brows furrowed. "That's a little mean, Neji-san," he whined. "Why can't we take Sasuke?"
Sasuke nodded along. "Yeah, why can't we take Sasuke?" he repeated, but pouted when Neji pulled the blonde aside. With a shrug, the boy slipped into the background and began to pull on a clean pair of pants and socks. He overheard the fierce whispers of conversation on the side and wondered why they bothered lowering their voices if they were going to be so loud anyway.
It went something like it always did:
'I know you're rather happy-go-lucky by nature, but I didn't know you were idiotic, too.' Lollipop. Suck. Suck.
That was definitely something Neji would say.
'What's wrong with taking him, Neji-san? It's literally a mile away and three-fourths of that mile is from here to the gate. Besides, Itachi-sama says anything within reason.'
Sasuke tuned in, fascinated, as Neji's face twisted and he let out an impatient sigh and crossed his arms. 'Exactly. Within reason.'
Naruto gawked. 'Are you saying this wouldn't be reasonable?'
'I'm saying, if it was any more unreasonable, then Itachi-sama would have adapted the ability to smile.'
'But I mean look at him. He looks cooped up. At this rate, he might make a run for it or something. That would be worse.'
Sasuke cued his puppy dog eyes and bestowed upon the pair his large, unblinking eyes that pleaded for mercy. He even released an innocuous whimper for good effect, watching as the two men folded underneath it in less than a second.
'See?' Naruto hissed, elbowing Neji viciously.
The brunette shoved the blonde aside with a single palm as if it was the most natural thing in the world, causing Naruto to stumble back a few steps. The blonde glared at Neji, dumbfounded, while the brunette ignored him and swiped back his long tresses with a sigh. "Fine. You can come, Princess," he grunted. "We want to be there and back before anyone realizes we've left." Then, he pointed a finger at Naruto. "If anything happens during or after, I'm going to throw you under the bus and let it flatten you into a pancake."
Naruto ignored him and Sasuke was on the receiving end of a grin. A smile wormed itself onto his own features. "I'm going to go buckle in my seatbelt. I'll give you guys five minutes to get ready. You can ride shotgun, Sasuke."
"Am I riding shotgun because Neji is driving?"
Naruto nodded his head, a look of fear flickering behind his baby blue eyes.
"Should I bring you a barf bag?"
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sasuke, but I've already stored a few in the back seat," Naruto replied, nodding as he ducked back out of the room.
Neji swiveled and set a hard look on Sasuke, more serious than the boy had ever seen from him. "Don't talk to strangers. Just stick with me. And no loitering."
Sasuke stared oddly at the man for a split second before he nodded dutifully with a goofy grin on his face. "Yes, mommy dearest."
"Sassy brat," Neji said without any heat. "Man, if I'd known you'd be like a second, more mellow Naruto, I would have been stricter with you from the beginning."
The boy grinned. "You totally sound like a mom. How old are you anyway? You don't look any older than me."
Neji shrugged. "Too old."
"Pfft. What's with that? At least tell me if you're younger or older than me."
"What's with this sudden interest in my personal life?"
Sasuke snorted. "I'd hardly consider asking for your age personal. If you haven't noticed, the conversations you have on a daily basis with the people here are morbid and cynical by default. Someone asking about your age is considered very normal conversation in civilian life."
"That's so cute, Princess," Neji snarked. "And for your information, we're the liveliest bunch in the industry. But enough chit chat. If we don't leave now, Naruto is going to throw a temper tantrum the size of Mount Everest."
"You're terrified of his temper tantrums?" Sasuke teased as he rummaged through the walk-in closet. He found a big, black hoodie that was at least twice his size and slipped it on without a second thought, relishing in the comfort he received from it.
"I'm terrified for my eardrums. Man, you are in a good mood today, aren't you?" Neji replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm excited for our journey."
"We're going to the store," Neji deadpanned with an arched eyebrow.
"You do know that, since I've been here, I've only been able to go out into the world once, right? And that was with Itachi, you, and Naruto by my side. The last time I was such a hermit, I was in my mom's stomach."
"Oh, believe me. I know that better than anyone."
The drive to the convenience store wasn't as bad as Naruto made it out to be. For one, Neji actually kept his eyes on the road this time for the majority of the trip there. Except for when he took his hands off the wheel to leisurely unwrap his lollipop, root beer this time, the brunette kept his hand on the wheel.
"I'm regretting introducing you to those lollipops," Sasuke said as the double doors to the store chimed and they stepped inside. "How many do you eat in a day?"
Neji tilted his head in thought. "Upwards of twenty?" he responded as he rummaged through the lollipop selection.
Sasuke sighed. "You're going to get diabetes soon if you don't slow it down."
"Aww, are you worried for me, Princess?" Neji smirked. "Better diabetes than lung or throat cancer. Doesn't matter anyway. I'm due when I'm due. In my line of work, I'd be lucky to live past thirty."
A frown marred the boy's face. "Don't say that."
Neji paused, glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke, held his gaze for a few seconds, and relented.
"You know, at first glance, you appear cavalier and laidback, but that's not really who you are, huh? Your actions always seem intentional like you've calculated the next ten steps in your mind already. You appear easygoing, but everything you do seems purposeful. Even the things you joke about can't be taken at face value."
"…" Neji straightened up with a bag full of pops in his hand. "Why don't you go grab what you want to grab, Princess? And then, we'll get going."
Sasuke stared hard at Neji, but with the brunette being so evasive and tight-lipped, he sighed and let it be. "Okay."
That's how he found himself staring at the selection of dango against the back wall of the shop. There was mochi and daifuku, too, but he was only interested in the dango. It was one of the treats that Itachi had shared with him, and he had a strong inkling that it was the man's favorite food even though he had never uttered a word about it.
He grabbed two plates of multi-flavored dango and he slid to the other side of the counter, but before he had a chance to examine the goodies, he felt an odd presence behind him and froze when an unfamiliar voice slithered into his right ear at a proximity too close for comfort.
"Why's a pretty thing like you hanging out with those macho thugs?"
It was undeniably a low hiss, and it didn't take a street smart kid to detect the threat level associated with such an improper question.
Sasuke's body jerked away from the offending breath against the shell of his ear, and he swirled around to identify the person who was behind him. His alarmed gaze settled on an unfamiliar man with pale skin, yellow eyes, and long hair.
What terrified the boy was not the invasion of his personal space, but rather the eerie feeling he experienced the longer he was under the scrutiny of the stranger's odd, gleaming stare. He swallowed hard and nearly shuddered at how dirty he felt just from being on the receiving end of it.
He didn't even realize his gaze had defaulted to searching for Neji.
"Aww, now, come on. Don't be like that. I just wanted to have a little chat and welcome you to the neighborhood," the stranger hissed.
As the counter dug into the tail end of his spine, Sasuke stared at the man apprehensively. His heart thumped in his chest as he muttered a weak "Neji" and held on even tighter to the plates of dango in his hand.
Not even two seconds after his one-worded utterance, Neji's tall, wide form stepped in front of him and Naruto found his way to his side.
"I gave you the common courtesy to not be greeted by the barrel end of my gun a few weeks ago when you trespassed, yet you don't seem to appreciate my finer qualities. This is my neighborhood and you are as welcomed here as the shit stain on the bottom of my shoe."
"Tsk. Tsk. So hostile, you little punk. Where's that mother of yours who forgot to teach you any manners?" the man hissed, casting an excited look in Sasuke's direction. Instead, all parties involved heard a click and yellow eyes was suddenly staring at Neji's gun. He licked his lips menacingly. "Do you really want to be the catalyst for an all-out turf war? If so, I invite you to shoot me."
"Why don't I give you a map so you can find your blind ass back to your own neighborhood?" Neji responded monotonically.
"Where's the fun in that? I'd much rather take another look at that adorable boy behind you, because I definitely didn't take you for the protecting type. What's his name? Is he as pure and untouched as he looks?"
Sasuke shuddered at the change in the man's tone of voice, which dripped with a kind of lust that made all parties involved feel immediate disgust and revulsion.
"I'll give you two seconds before I shoot out your knee caps. No turf war if you're still alive and kicking- ah, I mean flapping around, right?" Neji said.
The brunette's voice had grown unbearably cold and callous as more words left his mouth, causing Sasuke to shrink further back behind him to hide. If Neji was so on edge around the man, then the stranger must be a really bad man. Sasuke started when he felt a hand on his shoulder and his head jerked in Naruto's direction, but the blonde's gaze was focused solely on the enemy before them.
"My, you are so testy today, Hyuga Neji. I guess the young ones these days just don't know how to relax." Yellow eyes huffed a gruff laugh as if he was entertained by something. His laugh dissipated as he inclined forward in an attempt to peek over Neji's shoulder. A sly smile filled his features. "Itachi must really like this boy if he has his two guard puppies following him around."
Sasuke shivered involuntarily and, when his head dropped, he noticed that he had, at some point, grasped onto the hem of Neji's untucked shirt. His fingers were trembling and it wasn't until then that he realized how clammy they'd turned.
Suddenly, Sasuke missed Itachi to a degree that caused his heart to clench painfully in his chest. Was this the fear he felt coursing through his veins?
"Your two seconds are up," Neji stated, finger twitching over the trigger.
Orochimaru licked his lips, smirked, and took a few steps back. "I'm done for today," he said flippantly with an eerie smile. "I'll see you later, koneko-chan," he hissed.
Sasuke's fingers tightened drastically around Neji's shirt, tugging the fabric so hard that the front collar nearly choked the brunette. It was only when the doors chimed, signaling the stranger's departure, did his shoulders sag.
He was faced with the concerned gazes of the two men before him, especially Neji's eyes, which bored holes into his skull. A large palm came down on his head, catching him off guard, and when he looked up, he received a small smile from the brunette.
"Everything's okay," Neji reassured. "He's a piece of work, but he wouldn't have done anything with us here."
Sasuke swallowed audibly. "Who was he?"
"Trash."
Sasuke's lips formed a thin line, attempting to hide the quiver in them. "I… I want Itachi," he whispered in a voice so low and disconcerting that Naruto and Neji exchanged a look over his head. "C-can we go home?"
"Mhmm, you read my mind, Princess."
The drive back was filled with thick tension, but for different reasons.
"This is bad… this sososo bad… oh my fuck, this is super, ultra bad. Itachi-sama is going to kill me! How are you not panicking right now, Neji-san?!" Naruto shrieked from the back seat. His hair was disheveled from the number of times he ran his hand through it.
Neji's hands tightened on the wheel and his teeth remained gritted. A glance over at Sasuke and it was evident the boy was still a bundle of nerves, but for different reasons than the blonde. Sasuke was shaken up because he was violated by a sociopathic, disgusting piece of filth. Orochimaru's presence was enough to make any sane person go nuts. It wasn't hard to tell that Sasuke lived a fairly sheltered, if not normal, life. If anything, his encounters with people on a day-to-day basis would never have put him in the path of someone with such murderous intent.
On the other hand, Naruto was going nuts because he had initially agreed to take all responsibility in the event anything happened to the boy. Not that it mattered anyway.
Neji's foot lowered on the gas pedal and he trained his eyes forward, itching to return as soon as possible. No matter who said they'd take responsibility, it was Neji who allowed for the events to transpire. He knew better, but grew lax because he had felt sympathetic for the boy. So, as far as responsibility went and given his status, he was to bear it all in the end.
"No. That'd be too easy. Itachi-sama will cut off my balls and make me drag my ball-less sack around the courtyard until I've painted it a new color. Oh my god, Neji-san, what do I do?!"
Naruto's panicked ramblings didn't help one bit. Neji growled, shutting the blonde up instantly. They had entered the gates and driven up the long windy path to the driveway, and Neji had finally slowed the car down as the mansion came into view, but before it stopped, Sasuke was already prying off his seatbelt.
"Sasuke, hold on," Neji began, but his eyes widened when the boy went for the door handle. Neji slammed on the brakes immediately, forcing the car to a halt, but not before Sasuke shoved open the door and climbed out. Thank fuck he had done what he did when he did because the boy stumbled slightly, but did not fall nor crash into anything when his feet hit the ground.
Naruto and Neji stared in utter shock, not knowing what overcame the boy to do something so rash and unlike him until they saw him run the last few meters to the mansion… and crash into Itachi's arms.
Blood drained from the blonde's face. A permanent look of horror settled in. Neji, too, felt dread creep into his chest, something he had not felt since he was a child. Guilt awashed him for failing his oyabun, but he kept his mouth shut. Itachi did not want to hear his excuses nor will he ask for them. No matter the reason, the reality was that the events occurred and time could not be rewinded to correct those events.
Sasuke had run into Itachi's arms without reservation, and from the looks of it, Itachi did not question his actions one bit as he hefted the boy into his arms and wrapped him in a protective embrace. Immediately after, his cold, unsettling gaze turned toward their direction.
Even from a distance, Neji could see, practically feel, the anger that brewed in the Boss's eyes like a raging monsoon. It swirled and thrashed, looking to maim and shed blood.
Their blood.
He had never seen Itachi get so irrationally angry over another person before. One look at Naruto, and Neji knew the blonde was thinking the same thing.
Neji didn't believe in a god, but if there was one, he had hoped that his actions that contributed to the riddance of scum on this Earth had built enough karma to withstand the onslaught of pain he would experience in the coming moments.
He would never beg for mercy. He would take his punishment like the shateigashira he was.