Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A Red Rose ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!
A/N (06-27-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.

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Time seemed to move on into forever as Itachi quickly had me sweating profusely and gasping for breath from the exertion.

“Ready?” he asked, once again moving his hands up into a fighting stance.

“No,” I croaked. “A few more minutes.”

“I’ve already given you a minute.”

“Nng,” I groaned.

Itachi lowered his hands and reached for a flask of water that he had left nearby.

“Here,” he said, offering me the water.

I took it without hesitation, gulping down the contents in seconds. The cool water was refreshing and helped me slow my speeding heart rate.

The training had all been physical and Itachi was a very demanding taskmaster. His speed, agility, and power were all exponentially greater than mine, and that fact was made painfully evident in the sparring sessions between us.

After showing me a couple of base moves, he had tried to get me to hit him. Obviously, I had failed. He had either dodged or blocked my kicks and punches every time so I couldn’t land a single blow. He was much more advanced than I was but I was also quickly improving.

“How about we take a break,” I suggested, crossing my fingers.

Itachi seemed to hesitate but then he nodded and sat down on the grass. I sat down about a foot from him. I was still wary enough not to get too close.

“Is it just me, or is it getting lighter?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Dawn is coming,” Itachi replied.

“Really?” I said, startled. “Already?”

He nodded, gazing up at the lightening sky.

“Have you had, like, any sleep?” I was shocked we had stayed out so long, but at least I had already had a couple hours of sleep.

“I’m fine,” he said, still not turning away from the breaking dawn.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I scolded.

His eyes were suspicious when he turned to face me.

“Why do you care?” It was a genuine question with no antagonism in it.

I blinked for a second. Why did I care?

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just one of my many traits to actually care about people.” Unlike some people.

He didn’t answer me. Instead he stood up and motioned back to the house.

“We should head back.”

I rolled my eyes at his evasiveness but stood up to follow him nonetheless.

When we came out from underneath the canopy of trees I saw that the sky was actually much lighter than I had thought.

“How long were we there?” I asked, amazed so much time had passed under those trees.

Itachi looked back at the sun peeking over the horizon.

“A few hours,” he answered.

Time flies when you’re having fun... or working yourself to the bone, I mused. So much for beauty sleep.

“Can I ask you a question?” Itachi started, not looking at me.

“Uh...sure?”

“When you were being questioned by my father,” – Ah, so the man was his dad. – “and then threatened, you reacted... strongly.”

Well, that was an understatement.

“That’s not a question,” I hedged.

“My question is: Why?”

I shrugged, “I honestly don’t know for sure. I can make a guess though...”

I hesitated on how much I should actually reveal about what I had guessed.

“Ok, what is your best guess then?” Itachi continued.

“Well,” I figured I might as well lay it all out there, “I’ve been having these dreams that could possibly be memories coming to the surface while I’m unconscious.”

We had reached the house but Itachi stopped at the entrance without moving to go inside. I supposed that there was more privacy out in the garden than inside the house so that worked for me. I wasn’t interested in sharing my dreams with anyone else at the moment.

I continued, “The first dream happened at one point when I had collapsed from exhaustion in the forest you found me in. I was younger – maybe about seven or so – and I was scared. I was alone in a large house that was completely empty of everything.

“The second dream came after you had rescued me from the forest. Unlike the first, I wasn’t a direct part of this dream. At first it was a sequence of scenes that spanned a number of years of a happy family of four: a mother, a father, a younger daughter and an older son. But then it took a dark turn. Some guy in a mask directed a mob to the family’s home. The mother, father, and son were all killed. I didn’t see what happened to the daughter.”

I shuddered. Even days later, the dream still seemed so real to me.

“The first dream had been almost purely emotional and second dream had felt distant and fuzzy – like watching something through a fog – but the third dream was longer and more detailed either of the others. The same mother and daughter from the previous dream were in a park. The kid hurt herself but her mom showed her how to heal her injuries. Then the mother and daughter were in a bedroom with the father and the mother was reading to the girl. The kid said that her father protected them from bad people.”

Throughout my brief explanation, Itachi had been listening keenly and now he seemed thoughtful, contemplating what I had said.

“How old would you say the girl was when she hurt herself in the park?” was his first question after a few moments of consideration.

“Maybe around four years old.”

“Hn... And what was the oldest approximate age of the girl during the second dream sequences?”

“About eight, I’d guess, but I don’t know how much time passed between that scene and the family’s... murder. The boy’s body looked to maybe be a teenager but still young... maybe 14?”

“How much older was the boy from the girl?”

“Possibly two years. So if the boy was 14, that would make the girl...”

My voice broke as the implications hit me.

Itachi finished for me, “That would make her about your age.”

His gaze on me I could almost describe as compassionate.

“I have to ask,” he began, “but did she look at all like you?”

“...yes,” I whispered. “She did.” And even if the similarities hadn’t been obvious, I still couldn’t ignore the feeling deep in my heart. That was my family that I had seen.

And they were dead. Hot tears blurred my vision and began running down my face.

“How am I supposed to find out who I am if the people who knew me the best are dead?” I cried.

Itachi didn’t have an answer to that question. So he changed the subject.

“How do your dreams relate to your reaction earlier?” he inquired.

It was difficult, but I managed to force my despair to the side for now. I could not allow myself to dwell on an uncertain future and an even more mysterious past when the here and now needed to be dealt with. So, for the time being, tears would be wiped away and any rioting emotions would be buried.

“Well, when you were holding the kunai to my throat,” I unconsciously felt the white fabric still wrapped there, “all I could think about was the cut that it had made and that I was bleeding. Truthfully, it was more the blood itself that was the issue.”

I winced as I worked to recall the memory that I had purposefully buried as much as was possible.

“It felt like I was... afraid of it. No, not really afraid of the blood itself... It was more like the blood caused the fear.”

I wrapped my arms around myself as a chill danced down my spine and I had to force myself to continue my thought.

“I think I was traumatized from before I can remember and I think that blood had something to do with it. Going off my dreams, I’d say it was the... death of my family. All the blood really stood out in that one.”

A single tear escaped as my eyes closed from the internal pain and suddenly a warm hand was wiping away that tear.

My eyes opened again to look into twin dark depths. But the darkness in them wasn’t frightening to me now. Rather, it was like the comforting darkness that protects a child when they hide under their blanket from the things that scare them in the outside world. Slowly, I was coming to accept Itachi as my protector in this strange and unfamiliar village full of strange and unfamiliar people.

Itachi’s hand moved back to its usual place at his side, close to his weapons. I could still feel his touch on my cheek.

“That would also explain your adverse to it when you bit me.” I watched as a small smirk appeared on Itachi’s lips.

That memory brought back a little of the warmth and flushed my cheeks with embarrassment.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I belatedly apologized. “But you were pissing me off.”

The smirk widened to an actual smile, the first I had seen on his face. “You’re forgiven.” He held up his hand. “It’s nearly healed anyways.”

I returned his smile. “So,” he continued, “You think you were traumatized sometime in the past – possibly when your family was supposedly murdered – and you think that this trauma has caused you to become... afraid of blood?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I said as my smile and the good feelings quickly faded away again. “What I did... It was kind of instinctive, like a defence mechanism or something. I didn’t really have any control over it. I just kind of saw the blood and panicked… or something.”

I shrugged. It was hard to describe when it didn’t even make sense to me.

“Can we just let this go for the moment?” I begged. I had no desire to run through the emotional gambit all over again. Itachi didn’t say anything in reply but he seemed to be letting it go for the moment as he finally turned to walk inside the compound.

He led the way through the maze-like corridors and I followed, going over the moves Itachi had shown me in my mind to avoid thinking of our conversation and the revelations that it had led to. I was so deep in the replay that at first I didn’t recognize the voice that stopped Itachi in his tracks.

“Where are you going?” it asked smoothly.

I managed to stop myself before I crashed into Itachi for the second time. Then I looked up and saw who had spoken, wondering how the hell I hadn’t recognized it.

It was Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi’s father and the police chief.

It was the first time I had seen him since I had blacked out after meeting him and my details on that incident were still a little fuzzy, but he looked angry.

I moved slightly behind Itachi, not that I expected him to protect me or anything. He was just better equipped to handle this than I was. Not to mention that I had the slightest inkling that this man hated me.

“Answer me,” he said in that same smooth voice that was completely bellied by the anger in his expression.

Itachi just stared back at him, as calm and composed as ever.

“We were going to the kitchen to get some food,” he replied smoothly. “Is that alright, Father?” Only that last word contained a bit of emotion in it, almost as though it had been gritted out.

By my judgement, Fugaku looked ready to turn purple but I may have been a little bias, having a bodyguard who tended to show as much emotion as a rock and all.

“We need to talk, Itachi,” his father ground out then glared at me. “Alone.” Then he gestured towards the open door he had come out of. From what I could see, it was the same room that I had first met him in.

Itachi walked fluidly past him, no hesitation or fear in his steps, temporarily leaving me in the hallway with the madman. With a last cursory glance at me, Fugaku followed his son through the door and closed it behind him.

Before the door shut completely, however, he gave me one last parting comment.

“Watch yourself,” he warned. “One suspicious move and I will take any step necessary to neutralize the threat to me and mine.”

A death glare was the only proper response to such antagonistic language.

Once there was a barrier between us and I was alone, I hesitated. I wasn’t going to run – I knew now that I wouldn’t get far even if Itachi didn’t notice right away – but I had no idea where else to go.

As I stood there contemplating what I should do, I caught the sound of murmurs coming from behind the thin shoji screen. Taking a step closer, I could make out the voiced of Itachi and his father, though not quite what they were saying.

Hmmm... I took a moment’s consideration, then pressed my ear to the door with a devilish grin.

“This route is quite the detour from going from your room to the kitchens, Itachi.”

“Yes, Father, but a necessary detour. Amaya-san was feeling lightheaded so I took her to the gardens for the fresh air,” Itachi lied flawlessly.

It took me a second to realize that the ‘Amaya’ who he was referring to was actually me. I still wasn’t used to my recently appointed name.

“I didn’t sense you walking by earlier. How long does it take for someone to get some fresh air.”

“She was admiring Mother’s plants and the night was mild enough so I allowed her to linger.”

Well, technically I had been admiring the foliage while I had been out there; though that hadn’t been what drew me there, nor had it been what made me stay. That had been all Itachi. But if I hadn’t know the truth myself, I would have believed Itachi’s effortless and convincing lies.

There was silence for a moment, during which I assumed the elder Uchiha was deciding whether or not to believe his son. In the end, he fell for Itachi’s falsehoods.

“Alright, but no more midnight strolls. From now on, I want her inside the compound buildings before night fall and she does not leave until the break of dawn. Am I clear?”

Silence.

“Yes, Father.”

Well, damn. Fugaku appeared to be extremely determined to keep me a prisoner here while everyone else seemed fine with letting me have at least some semblance of freedom. The jerk.

“Also, until her status is known, keep your distance from this girl. For all we know, she could be just some worthless kid off the streets with no family name or heritage what-so-ever.”

That had me bristling with indignation. My status? I may not have any family here – they may even be dead – but that didn’t necessarily mean that I was some poor, penniless, homeless kid and the allusion that I was pricked at my floundering self-esteem. I was not a nobody. I had had a family... once. And it was a good family, a nice family – at least from what I had seen in my dreams.

I ground my teeth together to keep from barging right in there and speaking my mind to the arrogant man’s face. Around here that would only get me in trouble. To redirect my anger, I pressed my ear to the door once again and listened intently for Itachi’s reply.

“I don’t think she’s from some nameless family,” he said, defending me.

“What makes you say that?”

“Her skill level in taijutsu suggests that she comes from a family with an extensive heritage of shinobi.”

I was slightly shocked. Okay, I was really shocked, and surprised, that Itachi didn’t reveal that I had dreamed of my family. He was keeping that information from his father.

Why?

Not that I was complaining – I had known that I was taking that risk when I had told Itachi in the first place. But what motivation would the seemingly loyal shinobi have for lying to his own father?

“Hmmm... that is true. But we still do not know for sure, so keep a careful eye on her.”

“Of course, Father.”

I would have to consider the possibility of my guardian being a pathological liar later as I heard one speaker move toward the door.

It opened and Itachi stepped out.

Outwardly, he appeared as in control as ever, but I could see the marks of strain around his eyes and could sense his heightened alertness in the way he moved. He was holding himself in check.

“Follow me,” he ordered briskly before moving down the hallway. I quickly caught up with his long stride.

Glancing his way once, I whispered, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Itachi returned without slowing.

“For not telling him about my dreams,” I expanded.

Itachi finally looked at me and his pace slowed incrementally.

“We still do not know for sure whether those dreams were just dreams or actually memories. It would be unwise to base conclusions on unconfirmed information.”

Implying that his father would have jumped to those conclusions had he told him.

“Well, thanks anyway.”

Itachi’s eyes met mine again and this time they didn’t look away.

“Then you’re welcome.” His voice was full of something that I didn’t yet want to define.

Breaking our stare, I noticed that we had unconsciously stopped moving as we had spoken.

Ok... Time to change the subject.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To clean up and then to get your tracking bracelet,” he replied immediately.

The tracker which would put an end to any chance I had of escaping and eluding capture. Although, admittedly, any of those chances had probably disappeared the moment I had met Itachi. A resigned sigh passed my lips as I accepted that I was about to place my fate fully in the hands of this still unfamiliar village.

“You’ll explain everything about this village and what goes on here to me afterwards, right?” I demanded. “I was promised an explanation and an attempt at finding my home in exchange for my cooperation, even if my family isn’t there.”

“I know what you were promised,” Itachi intoned. “I was there.”

“Just checking,” I muttered.

After a quick shower and change, we were on our way to what Itachi succinctly informed me was the Hokage Tower. The walk itself was done in near perfect silence as Itachi was still unwilling to reveal anything to me until I was properly banded, like a wild bird captured from the forest, and I really had no idea what to say to get a conversation going. What kind of normal conversation would we be able to have anyway?

So instead, I took the time to think...and reflect. In my mind, I looked back on everything that had happened since I had awoken in that accursed forest. One scene quickly started replaying itself over and over again – the scene when I had finally defeated my attackers in the woods.

It was that feeling that came with the light. It just wouldn’t leave me alone. Chakra was how the old man – the Hokage – had seemed to refer to it. At least that was the impression I had received.

I had closed my eyes that time in the forest, but now I wanted to see it for myself. What was chakra exactly? How did it work? More questions that I could answer on my own.

Looking at the hands that had been the source of that odd light previously, I knew that I wanted to try to summon it again. But I was hesitating. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I attempted to call up that raw feeling once more. Would it be as large a reaction as last time? Would people get hurt?

Slowly, I had let Itachi move more and more ahead of me until there was a full foot between him and me.

Then again, the old man hadn’t seemed worried that I had chakra, only that I didn’t seem able to control it. The way they had referenced it had made it seem commonplace.

So maybe all I had to do was learn how to control it...

I slowed down some more. Itachi was now at least two feet ahead. I moved another foot to the right so that he wasn’t directly in front of me. He glanced back at me one but I just smiled and waved.

His look was sceptical, but he didn’t say anything or change his pace. As long as I followed, he didn’t care how exactly I got there.

Properly positioned to cause the least amount of damage (we were moving along a relatively empty street with only a few straggling villagers heading towards the market), I moved my gaze down to my hands once more.

Here we go, I decided. This time, I kept my eyes open as I moved my arms up as they had been before.

Nothing.

Well, the feeling had come from the inside me, right? So maybe I had to find it inside again. I tried to focus, tried to find that spot in my chest that I had felt the last time I had activated this chakra, but it was no use.

I couldn’t concentrate. I was trying to find this elusive spot while simultaneously keeping pace with Itachi so that I didn’t fall too far behind, making sure that I wasn’t too close to him, as well as looking out for other possible bystanders.

I growled under my breath. Why wouldn’t anything work out for me? This one little thing that was all I was asking. But no. Life had to be a bitch.

As abrupt as my anger, my fisted hands were suddenly giving off multiple scarlet-coloured sparks!

My stunned eyes watched as the lights ceased just as quickly as they had begun. Then my eyes widened in astonishment.

Was that it? Had that been the key all along?

In the forest, I had been afraid for my life and that fear had brought the light to life. Here, I had given way to anger. But the reaction hadn’t been nearly as strong as the first.

Maybe the power generated was equivalent the strength of the emotion itself? But then, I had been much more angry or upset before that I had been just now... Perhaps, the combination of the anger and the fact that I had just been focusing on the chakra had caused the sparks to emerge in this case.

I should try again-

“What are you doing?” Itachi demanded.

I looked up and realized that I had stopped in the middle of the street. My epiphany had caused my focus to shift away from following Itachi. As my eyes caught his, I could swear that, just for a moment, they were red. But the moment passes in an instant and they were once again the coal black that was gradually becoming more and more familiar.

“Nothing,” I hedged.

That remark received a raised eyebrow.

In response, I just rolled my eyes and resumed walking.

Itachi continued along beside me this time. When I slowed down to gaze at some particularly delicious looking fruit displayed by one of the street vendors, Itachi slowed right along with me. So I gave up my experiments for the time being.

After some minor dawdling on my part, we eventually reached our destination.

Looking up at the tower, it seemed more imposing that it had the last time I had climbed those steps.

For what seemed like the hundredth time already, I sighed in resignation.

Itachi surprised me, however, when we didn’t go to the same room as before. Instead, we circled around the main floor until we reached a flight of steps that stretched downwards. Flickering torches lit the windowless stairwell.

As Itachi began to descend into the gloom, I hesitated at the top step. I was essentially being given a piece of jewellery, right? So why on earth did we need to go down into some creepy-ass basement in order for me to get it? What if it was a dungeon down there? Were they going to imprison me where nobody would be able to hear my screams?

Consciously, I knew that these fears were unfounded, but my subconscious continued to bombard me with suspicions and nightmarish imaginings.

My breathing and heart rate increased dramatically. I was beginning to panic.

Itachi paused a few steps down and turned around to discover why I wasn’t following. His calm eyes found my frightened ones.

He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. His following action said enough.

The steady pressure of his hand holding mine was my only source of reassurance as we made our way below ground.