Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Thicker than Blood ❯ Twice is too Much ( Chapter 5 )

Thicker than Blood

 

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them!

 

Chapter Warning: Bright rainbows, fluffy bunnies and angel choirs ahead… Yeah right!

 

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Chapter 5: Twice is too much

 

Sasuke…

 

The night was beautiful… for lack of better words. The full moon hid itself behind thick clouds which reduced what little light it gave, perfect for the task which I had imposed on myself. The air was chilly but there was no breeze, as if the wind itself held its breath for me. A thin mist fogged up the area, covering the leaves with scattered drops of dew. My dampened clothing glued itself on me like a second skin with a freezing hold but that was the least of my worries. Everything was silent and solemn, utterly peaceful as I jumped from branch to branch. My actions betrayed nothing. The darkness embraced me as I merged my body with the shadows that sheltered everything in the stillness of the night.

 

The late night stroll through the woods would have been enjoyable, if it wasn't for the certainty of dread that awaited me at the end of my mission.

 

Sharingan eyes gleamed red with fervor, piercing through the dimness as I tracked the path Sakura took. It was an easy trail to follow. She did not use her charka and jumped though the trees the way she usually does. Instead, she took her time and leisurely strolled through the forest as if she was going someplace ordinary. Stray leaves, broken twigs and delicate footprints embedded on moist soil guided me to the area where she went. But even if there were no markers around and she took extra care of concealing her trail, I had this strange feeling that I knew exactly where she was headed.

 

The path was vaguely familiar, as if I had been there years ago. Though I could not pinpoint exactly why, it felt as though I was running across the same course again, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the destination.

 

Better said…it felt as if I was reliving the same experience twice.

 

The dread in my heart intensified to a point where I could almost hear it pounding painfully on my chest and I nearly slipped off branch I landed on, dazed by the emotions that welled up inside of me. There had been very few circumstances when my calm, unruffled personality failed me and each instance, although memorable, was something I didn't want to experience ever again.

 

Once was when I had the fight with Naruto and the next was when I saw may parents die.

 

The fire rushing though my veins and the uncontrollable trembling in my limbs told me to prepare myself for something worse… far worse.

 

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The dried leaves beneath my feet crackled softly as I landed on the ground and surveyed the environment, hinting for any sign of movement that was not my own. There was none except what one would normally find in a forest at night. The tension in the atmosphere was so dense it was almost tangible. Red eyes scanned the area for anything out of place and my fingers tinkered with the kunai on my belt, something that had become a habit to me since the massacre of my clan.

 

I abruptly sensed movement coming from the left, not far from where I was crouched. My whole body stiffened into a defensive stance, trained fingers gripped the cold knife tightly. Alert and prepared for whatever caused the noise, I calmed the loud beating of my heart and strained my eyes against the darkness in an effort to recognize the source of the commotion, but I couldn't see anything past the dim lighting. So I pressed myself against the shadows and waited patiently for it to reveal itself.

 

A sudden rustle of leaves came from behind and made my heart skip a beat. Caught by surprise, I jerked my head instantly towards the source of the sound with the kunai held in front of me; ready for the attack I was certain would come even though I knew there was no time for me to react.

 

Shit. I mentally cursed myself for being so careless that I let an enemy take advantage over me so easily. Where had all that training, all that hours spent honing my skills gone to?

 

Apparently, it all left me to be killed.

 

I held my breath as the next seconds flashed before me as if in slow motion. I expected a sharp knife to suddenly appear and cut me down dead before I even had the chance to see who it was. I knew I was a second too late.

 

The bushes shook violently for one tense moment….and I gave a soft sigh of ease…

 

A growling wolf emerged from the thickets with what seemed to be its meal wedged between its tight jaws. Blood was dripping from its mouth and the wounded animal struggled futilely before succumbing to its fate. The unfortunate prey was devoured ruthlessly and I watched in relief that it was not my blood staining the soft grass tonight. The hunter licked its lips to savor the last traces of its treat before running off deeper into the forest in pursuit of its next prey.

 

I forced myself to relax and fight the anxiety that was clouding my mind and overwhelming body. I knew I was acting too uptight and edgy over something as simple as spying on my wife, treating it if it was a high ranking operation of utmost importance. I wondered why I even decided to bring a weapon in the first place. I certainly had no intentions of killing anyone. All I wanted was the identity of the man Sakura was with.

 

Then again, my gut instinct and the lingering feeling that I was headed towards an S-class mission refused to be ignored. Intuition was what kept me alive after all these years of being a shinobi and I learned from experience never to disregard it. The life of a ninja was much like that of the wolf and its meal. It was a constant game of hunter and prey, kill or be killed.

 

For the moment, I too was playing that game... and although I knew I was supposedly playing the role of the predator tonight…

 

My subconsciousness told me not to be so sure.

 

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The faint, rasping whispers carried by the wind almost made my heart stop beating. I nearly lost my footing as soon as I heard the voices. The branch I landed on creaked slightly and I instantly veiled myself its shadows before I loose the rest of my composure. I forced myself to breathe and to remain calm even as my inner self yelled to be released and announce my arrival by drawing blood.

 

The source of the murmurs was coming from a small clearing directly behind tree I landed on, but I did not have the courage to look past the barrier just yet.

 

With my body crouched inconspicuously and my back pressed against the wood, it did not take too much out of me to recognize her soft, feminine voice, the other was deep and husky. It was apparent from Sakura's pleading pitch and the man's sharp tone that they were having an argument but I was still too far away to hear any of the words they uttered... or perhaps the murmurs were dulled by the loud throbbing in my ear, my pulse echoing inside my head. In any case, I felt lightheaded and dazed, definitely not in the position to think clearly and try to decipher what they were saying.

 

I tried to hold back the fury that threatened to burst out and reminded myself that this was just another mission, one among many others I had done flawlessly. I forced my mind into a mental state of complete apathy, killing all the emotions I had since it does little to good let feelings cloud one's judgment in situations such as this. The ability to consciously detach the human aspects from one's self was the most important attribute of being a ninja… and I was a supposedly a master of this skill since it came to me so naturally.

 

All of those thoughts, however, flew out the window the moment realization hit me like a lightning bolt. It was like a having a cold shower after coming out from a blistering, hot spring. My blood seemed to freeze instantly and so did the rest of my body.

 

I had heard that other voice before.

 

His voice sounded so familiar, like a forgotten memory or a repressed perception preserved within the confines of my subconsciousness. Whether I simply forgot or refused to remember… I wasn't so sure.

 

But even though I couldn't tell if he was a friend of mine, an acquaintance from old times, or an enemy from long ago, I was certain that it belonged to someone I had dealings with in the past.

 

She was with someone I knew.

 

The man spoke again, a deep grumbling sound that made it seem like it came from deep within the earth. It sounded cold and emotionless. I thought Sakura wanted something different in her life. How she fell for someone who had a voice with the same quality as mine was beyond my understanding.

 

My imagination instantly ran wild and I envisioned his filthy hands on Sakura's pale skin, his rancid breath on her shoulders, his hungry lips on her body. A mental picture of him caressing her in ways only I was permitted to do so made me want to vomit…and the bitter fact that I knew who he was added insult to injury.

 

I walked out the house earlier confident that could control my emotions and had no intentions of killing anyone…

 

But I'd be damned to hell if I let him take my wife so easily! Who was this bastard who assumed he can just lay my wife in the middle of the forest and get away with it?!

 

My knuckles turned white and almost cracked from the pressure as I clenched it tightly. A bead of cold sweat dropped down from the side of my forehead and my teeth chattered from the fierce anger that wanted to run wild and destroy everything within sight. Shallow breaths escaped my lips as both my arms and legs stiffened. My instincts screamed for bloodshed, still unable to believe the latest revelation I had found.

 

But the discovery was not enough just yet and even though I knew I would be horrified at what I would find… I needed to know more and there was only one way to find out.

 

With the stiff fingers of one hand digging into the hard wood for support, I crept around in an angle just enough to peek through the outline of the trunk by the corner of my eye, my back pressed to the tree as close as possible to camouflage myself and remain hidden from their view. Careful not to make so much as a noise least they detect my arrival, my other hand splayed across the wood for balance and a foot found a lower branch to step on. Cold sweat tricked down the length of my spine and my whole body became rigid, eager to find out who it was… but also troubled… for exactly the same reasons.

 

I took a final breath as I mentally prepared myself for the scandalous picture I was certain was behind my hiding place.

 

I craned my neck to one side, the view I had was just enough to see the silhouette of the man who lay on top of her, his darkened limbs entwined with her pale ones and their flushed bodies meshed together in an embrace so tight they almost looked one.

 

“Please let me go…” I heard Sakura's pleading voice and she squirmed under him as if she wanted to be free but he pressed on tighter and subdued her struggles. A small sense of ease swept across me with the knowledge that at least she was resisting him and was trying to escape his hold.

 

I activated my Sharingan and focused my eyes on the face of the man who I swore would be dead before the night ended….

 

…

 

But nothing…

 

Nothing on earth could have possibly prepared me from what my eyes so clearly looked upon.

 

The rest of my sanity fled me as I stared upon the face that was so similar to mine. True enough, because the accursed blood runs though my veins were the same as the ones that runs through his.

 

It was a slap on my face when I finally realized why the voice sounded so familiar.

 

It was the voice I had grown to despise, detest and loathe with every fiber of my body!

 

My blood boiled with a frenzied fury like nothing I had experienced before and my whole body shouted for vengeance the moment I discovered that it came from the man who destroyed everything that I held so dear… the man who forced me into the path of darkness… the man whose destruction was the sole purpose of my existence…

 

The voice belonged to Itachi Uchiha.

 

…

 

My heart was beating erratically, way beyond my control and it felt like my lungs failed me. The hairs on my back seemed to stand up as my adrenaline heightened senses focused on the man that was the source of my suffering. I tasted bile in my mouth but I pushed it back. A trembling hand reached for the cool metal that thirsted for his blood and I cursed myself for bringing nothing else. The man had `S-class' pouring out from every pore of his body and anything within a mile radius from him was considered dangerous territory.

 

Logic told me that I was not prepared for this confrontation but reason fled me the moment I realized who he was. I was not about to pass out this chance of killing him when his fate wandered so closely with mine, prepared or not.

 

I had his death all planned out in my head since the time he laid his ultimatum on me. It would be slow and painful, equivalent to the years worth of torment I had undergone because of him. I wanted to watch him bleed to death, his life's essences slowly ebbing out of his body. I wanted to see him suffer and feel the pain that I had to go through every single day. I wanted to see his eyes loose their acclaimed power… and surrender to mine.

 

The kunai in my hand felt colder than usual as if it too was anticipating the fatal strike that I had yearned to give after all these years of waiting. I would get only one shot, one chance, a single opportunity to avenge my clan… and I'd be damned it I let it go to waste. I gripped the cold steel tightly and bended my knees, poised for the attack that would bring an end to my misery.

 

…

 

The attack never came…

 

Because he spoke again… in a voice so clear it sounded like the ringing of a bell on a windless night…

 

“You can choose to leave if you want to, I will not stop you. If you go now, I will erase your memories and you will never see me again.” He said it in a calm voice that was veiled with malice.

 

My body was stunned by the meaning behind his words. I had forgotten about Sakura amidst the outrage that overwhelmed my emotions upon seeing my brother again. His statement snapped me out from my need for revenge and I instantly remembered my reason for being here. Hesitation held back my attack.

 

I pried my eyes away from Itachi and focused them on hers. Her jaded orbs were misted and silver traces of tears outlined her pale cheeks. Her pouting lips trembled, weighing the options given to her cautiously. It looked as if she wanted to say something… but the words were trapped inside her throat refusing to come out. Her graceful hands held onto his shoulder in such a way that I could not tell if she was pushing him back or pulling him closer. I would like to think that it was the first one, but the way her palms slowly rolled against his skin had me seriously doubting.

 

“Leave, Sakura! Leave and I will kill him…” I willed my thoughts on hers as I continued to stare at her motionless form. Her silence was unnerving and I found myself holding onto my own breath, waiting for her answer. The tension in the air was overpowering my senses, caught between wanting to know her reply and wanting to answer for her with cold, hard steel. The next moments passed by like hours but she still said nothing.

 

“What's taking her so long?! Just answer and leave, dammit!”

 

Eerie seconds passed by but still no word came past her lips… Could she honestly be thinking about staying with him? Time felt suspended in the air and my anticipation grew to a fevered pitch. Just the possibility that she could choose to stay with him had me on the verge of delirium.

 

“I made my choice…” she finally said. Her voice sounded clear and certain. I watched her hands cautiously travel from his shoulders to his nape, fingering the dark hair that was loosely tied behind his neck.

 

My heart literally shattered to pieces as I watched her kiss him with a fevered passion that she never gave me. They moved again and every gasp that went past her lips made me shudder. Every moan she offered made my skin crawl. Pure, unrestrained desire was evident in her jaded eyes. Her face contorted in one made up of pure pleasure and she screamed unintelligible words out into the air, her mind lost in the frenzy of her yearning. As if their intimacy wasn't fiery enough, she arched her back and brought her body closer to his, yielding everything to him. Her fingers dug into the cloak beneath her and savored the sensations that raked though her body. Her slender legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him deeper into her and encouraging his actions with a pleading voice. She grew restless underneath him, searching for the feeling that I somehow failed to give her.

 

Never, in all the days she had with me, did she show such fervor like the one she was giving him now and it hurt me more than anything else. It was a direct stab to my already broken heart.

 

It was way beyond betrayal now.

 

She clung to him for dear life and gave up everything she had left to surrender and he took it all in, consuming her and possessing her in every way imaginable. His lips ravaged hers, indulging in the sweet sounds that she made. Rough hands snaked all over her heated body as he thrust into her, claiming her as his own. His tongue traced pleasing patterns all over her skin and his lascivious eyes traveled to her most sensitive areas. All the while, she reveled in the attention he was giving her.

 

And I was forced to watch all of this, glued to the spot by the vision of Sakura submitting herself to the one person who destroyed my life. I tried to turn my head away from the sight but my body refused to obey my commands. I tried to close my eyes but an unknown force held them open. My lungs shouted for air and my limbs felt frozen and numb. The kunai in my hand felt heavy, a dragging weight that was insistently pulling me downwards… or perhaps I was growing weaker with every passing second. Sanity was slowly slipping away from me, escaping through my fingers like desert sand held too tightly.

 

“Say my name, Sakura…” Itachi demanded with a persuasive voice that was anything but gentle.

 

My heart stopped beating completely and a wretched choke was trapped inside my throat.

 

“Please don't, Sakura! Please don't say it… anything but his name!” I pleaded with everything I had in me and hoped that the wind brought the silent message to her ears.

 

…

 

My hope did not last long.

 

“Itachi…” she murmured softly…

 

Her voice was barely a whisper but I heard it clearly, as clear as the vision that was presented before me. It was the ultimate betrayal anyone could possibly do. It pierced though my skin like a hundred kunai knives and the pain was so unbearable I could hardly hold on to my consciousness. His name on her lips was the last thing I needed.

 

But, as if she hadn't tortured me enough… as if she wasn't satisfied with my pain… as if my suffering wasn't adequate just yet…

 

She had to repeat it…

 

Over and over again…

 

“Itachi!” she yelled out his name.

 

“ITACHI!”

 

And my world shattered before me.

 

I tried to block out her voice but failed miserably. I held both palms against my ears but his accursed name echoed inside my head… louder and louder each time. The dreadful visions of the massacre flashed back in my mind and once again, I watched Itachi destroy the things I valued most. Once again, he was ruining my life and taking my family away from me, only this time, in a method so much worse than death.

 

And I was compelled to stay there, her screams rooted me to the branch I was standing on, not caring if I was out in the open anymore. The intent to jump in and drive the kunai though Itachi's heart was stronger now more than ever, but the sight of Sakura's yielding body held me frozen. Her voice sliced through me and the pain was so intense that it seared though my flesh, through my bone, and right through my soul. I was tempted to cut myself with the kunai in hopes that it would wake me up from the nightmare I was in… but I knew that this was no dream. It was as real as it could possibly get.

 

Never in my life, did I feel this powerless, this weak …and once again, I failed to protect the person I cared for most in this world…

 

It was torture the first time… the way his katana pierced though my parents body… abandoning them at death's door and leaving me with memories of blood and pain.

 

But this time… this time…

 

It was just plain cruel.

 

…

 

Time seemed to pass by so slowly, like waiting for a fresh rose to wither or watching a grand lake turn into a desert. I could do nothing else besides stare vehemently at the scene laid before me. Itachi rolled over to his back with Sakura stretched out on top of his chest. Her eyes seemed fuzzy and dazed and her body trembled allover, still recovering from the impact it received. A scarlet blush that complimented her whitened skin perfectly stained her soft cheeks. Her hand reached out to stroke Itachi's shoulder, caringly dragging her slender fingers over the planes and muscles of his arm as if she was memorizing them just by plain touch. Pink locks were splayed all over his chest, covering his torso like a cascading waterfall of cherry blossoms, satisfaction written all over her womanly face.

 

I had never seen her look so beautiful in my life, but the sad part was… that beauty was not meant for me.

 

The way Itachi's hand possessively snaked up her spine suffocated me with mixed emotions that ran though every inch of my body. The sight of him owning her was worse than having him strangle my neck and watching me die a slow and painful death. It would have been kinder of him, actually, if he just killed me now.

 

But Itachi was anything but kind… and as if to prove my point…

 

His eyes wandered and searched though the darkness… until it found mine. My mouth fell open with apprehension. He knew I was here all along, unable to take my eyes off them, once again… loosing everything I own to him.

 

He stared right back at me with sarcasm written all over his damned face, his arms around Sakura tightened even more, holding onto her as if she was a precious jewel that he managed to steal away from my tight grasp.

 

I finally realized that the whole scene was staged for my sake, for the benefit of showing me just how ruthless he could be, that he had the ability to take everything that mattered most to me. He made Sakura shout his name, he claimed her and snatcher her away from my reach… simply because he knew I was there… that I could hear her say his name… that it would tear me to pieces.

 

His sharingan stared back at mine. Anger, fear, disgust, powerlessness… and everything in between flowed out from every pore of my body. The need for violence was uncontainable but although my hand craved for his blood, I knew lost what small chance I had for vengeance. I was in no condition to think clearly now, let alone fight a criminal of his level. Weakened from all the emotional torture I had undergone in such a short amount of time, all I wanted to do was to rouse myself and wake up from this awful nightmare.

 

If only it was that easy.

 

The way his eyes gleamed and the arrogant smirk on his face conveyed an unspoken message to me. `I have taken your life away from you again. Is your anger strong enough to challenge me now? Prove to me that you are a worthy Uchiha. Show me what you are capable of, my foolish brother.'

 

I looked at the trembling kunai on my hand. The metal caught the moonlight on its shinny blade and reflected my red eyes on it, the eyes of an Uchiha, eyes sworn to vengeance… eyes on the verge of tears.

 

The knife thirsted for his blood… I thirsted for his blood… but it was all that I could do.

 

What am I capable of?

 

I was capable of nothing.

 

No matter how much I trained, regardless of the abilities I acquired…I was still that worthless child standing in the old Uchiha complex, weak and constantly overshadowed by my brother, unable to protect my family and myself.

 

I was still lacking.

 

Blood rushed inside of me, adrenaline coursed though my veins and forced me into action. My heart pounded, too loud to conceal anymore and instinct started to kick in. I knew he was going to use his tsukiyomi and force me to relive this dreadful experience all over again. Barely making it out alive the first time, I seriously questioned if I could survive his mind torture again. It would be so much more painful this time, so much more real… because Sakura, the one person I trusted in this world, played half the part in it.

 

Once again, I watched helplessly as he took my family away from me.

 

Once again, I couldn't stop him.

 

And once again, I did the exact same thing I had done the night I witnessed him kill everyone I loved.

 

…

 

I ran away.

 

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Somehow, through all the knots and ties of the jungle, I found myself right where I started. I grabbed the doorknob of my apartment and went inside quickly, slamming the door behind me with a loud thud.

 

Panting heavily, I leaned on the door almost immediately and hoped that I could block the memories of the scene… that it would stay outside the walls of my home. I even wished I never left at all and witnessed Sakura's betrayal. Ignorance never appealed to me until now.

 

It was dark inside my living room without any source of light except a draped window where beams of moonlight escaped from. Fatigued eyes squinted against the darkness, trying to make out the bulky furniture as I tried to make my way into the place I called home… but it was not even that anymore.

 

Itachi stole everything I have. Sakura was my home… the one person I looked forward to after a long gruesome mission, but somehow I had lost her too. She used to heal all my injuries with her caring hands but this time, she inflicted me with a wound so deep I doubted if it would ever mend. She was the one that mattered most to me, now she meant nothing.

 

My thigh banged against a wooden chair and my searching hands knocked over a flower vase, the sharp sound of shattered glass echoed so much louder against the eerie silence of the room. My knees hit the edge of the couch and I tipped my exhausted body into it, arms and legs splayed uncaringly against the soft mattress. Every single inch of my body ached. It even pained me to force my mind to think.

 

I waited patiently, my whole body shrouded in darkness, not even daring to move an inch.

 

I waited for her like I had done every night… even though I doubt if she would even think of coming back. She had chosen Itachi. I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears.

 

She chose him.

 

But still, I waited…

 

Why?

 

Because it was all that I could do.

 

…

 

The shaft of moonlight rested on the flat surface of a small wooden table located on one side of the couch. It held an antique lampshade that was given to us as a gift on our wedding day. I stretched my tired arms and placed the kunai on the table. I did not want to hold the thing any longer, it reminded me too much of the scene that I would rather forget.

 

My fingers traced over a delicate object just as I was about to withdraw my hand. It was a gold picture frame that held the image of the two of us together. She was sitting down demurely with her hands on her lap while I stood behind her with my hand on her shoulder. Her smile was radiant, fresh and so much alive. I on the other hand, looked as if I would rather be somewhere else. It was a charming picture, really, and I never noticed it until now. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips… before I slammed the frame down violently, almost breaking the delicate glass.

 

That woman on the picture was a different Sakura. The Sakura that I know now is nothing but a whore!

 

An hour… maybe two… maybe less, I was not certain about anything anymore as I continued to wait behind the darkness.

 

My eyes darted quickly when I heard doorknob turn. The front door creak open and light from the outside peeked through the thin opening. I knew instantly that it was her.

 

My pulse quickened… my breath hitched and sharingan eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

 

Finally, she's home…

 

(*evil cliffhanger*)

 

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A/N: Yeah, I made Sasuke look like an ass earlier on purpose. A big YAY! for me if it worked. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, esp. those who risk detention/getting grounded just to read my fic. You know who you are! I will be rewriting Chapter 1 soon. I never realized how crappy it was until now.

 

Next Chapter: A Bit too Late - ooohhh… I smell blood… but whose blood `evil laugh'