𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

Soon

Shisui and I bade Itachi farewell after completing another lesson a week later. He had started to teach me how to mould my chakra so that I could turn it into water, as well as utilise my surroundings and use the water of any living plant around me. So far, I'd been capable of creating two perfect Water Clones, but Itachi wanted to see what my limit was and push me further.

"I almost made three today," I complained to Shisui as we rounded the hallway to Karin's wing of the compound. Walking past him as I clutched a hand over my stomach, I was chatting to him as if I wasn't being held captive by his family. "The heat was getting to me."

Ever since I had managed to become what Shisui called a C-rank level shinobi- more specifically, a chūnin- I found that everything became more relaxed. I could walk and talk freely with Shisui, mostly because all we spoke about was my training, and other members of his clan paid little to no heed of me. I didn't feel like a prisoner that much; the only thing that reminded me of my forced capture was the fact that I had a human being growing inside of me. But apart from that, the entire atmosphere had changed. I didn't feel insecure or weak beside any of the Uchiha; likewise, I felt like a majority of them no longer looked down on me as inferior.

Then I realised, it wasn't his clan's attitudes that had changed.

It was mine.

I no longer walked around in fear of the people who held me prisoner- I hated them, yes, but I didn't fear them. At least, not anymore. I no longer shrunk away when they looked at me; I stood tall and stared at them right back. I was finally at their level; well, getting there, anyway.

The realisation that one day, hopefully in the near future, I'd be able to stand my own against the Uchiha, made me stop in my tracks.

Soon, I thought to myself, eyes widening. Holy shit. Soon.

"Kohana? Are you okay?"

Shisui's voice broke my out of my trance, and I looked at him with a wide smile spreading across my face.

"I'm great," I said, letting out a loud sigh and beginning to walk again, this time with a quicker pace. "I feel great."

Shisui chuckled under his breath and jogged to catch up to me, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Are those the hormones in you working?" he mused as the door to Karin's quarters came into view. I squinted as the door opened, seeing a woman in our uniform white dress and white shoes stepping out with a woman with short, cropped black hair and the same dark eyes as the other Uchiha I had seen previously. I don't know why, but I felt relief as I saw the pair begin to walk towards Shisui and I. Seeing the woman in the white made me remember that I wasn't the only one suffering- there were plenty more of us. God knows where, since I rarely saw anyone other than Shisui. But it was a reassuring feeling, knowing that there were others who shared my pain. I smiled brightly at the woman as she drew closer and closer. 

Then I noticed how haggard she looked. 

How tired, worn out, and dispirited she was.

How sullen her cheeks were; how lifeless her eyes were.

How she looked at me like she wanted to do nothing else but die.

Slowly, my smile faltered.

And as her face came into full view, my reaction changed immediately.

"Kagura?!"

The woman accompanying the young girl looked alarmed at my exclamation, and eyed Shisui out in curiosity.