𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

Adrift

"Mother, please..."

Itachi exchanged a concerned look with Izumi as they both stood outside of Mikoto's bedroom, the heavy silence even more unnerving than the endless sobbing that had come from her in the week following the announcement of Sasuke's death.

As Yuta fidgeted around in his mother's arms, itching to get down, Izumi remained unmoving as she frowned at Itachi.

"Has your father even bothered checking up on her?" she asked in a strained whisper, astounded as to how callous Fugaku had been regarding the death of his youngest son. Since the announcement had been made, the leader of the clan had shown little to no remorse over his son's death, and had barely been around to comfort his mourning wife.

"You know he hasn't."

Growing angrier with her father-in-law by the second, Izumi relented and finally put Yuta down.

"Nana! Nana, are you in here?"

As Yuta walked over to the door and started knocking, Izumi lowered her voice.

"Why does your father act as if he doesn't care that his son's been executed by the Senju?!" she whispered furiously, turning her full attention towards Itachi as she fumed on the spot. "Was Sasuke nothing more to him than a pawn?!"

"This has given him the perfect opportunity to boost morale around here," murmured Itachi under his breath, arms crossed as he watched Yuta try to open his grandmother's bedroom door to no avail. "It just makes everyone even more determined to destroy the Senju."

"Sasuke was his son!"

"I know. But that's father for you."

"He's no father," spat Izumi, aggressively crossing her arms. "Yuta, come on. Let's leave nana alone for now. Home time. Let's go."

Grabbing Yuta's hand, Izumi shook her head and muttered to herself as she stormed out of the house with her son in tow, leaving Itachi alone in front of his mother's room.

"Mother?" implored the Uchiha, lightly rapping his knuckles against the flimsy paper door. "Mother, are you in there?"

He heard scuffling from the other side, and in a few seconds was greeted by the sight of his mother standing in the doorway. 

"Hello, Itachi," said Mikoto in a small voice, her eyes burning red as she stood before her eldest son with her hands demurely held in front of herself. Dressed in the same black kimono she had worn to the memorial service held for Sasuke, Mikoto's normally proud and esteemed posture was now nonexistent; the woman standing before Itachi was nothing more than a shadow of the woman she used to be.

"How have you been holding up?" asked Itachi softly, his heart breaking for his mother. For a fleeting second, he felt nothing but pure, genuine loathing towards his father for making Mikoto suffer like this.

"Just fine," replied Mikoto quietly, tucking back loose strands of hair that had fallen from her bun. "How is Yuta? I couldn't bear to have him see me in this state. He doesn't need to be worried about me as well."

"He's fine," reassured Itachi, reaching out and placing a hand on his mother's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"So sad," sighed Mikoto, shaking her head as she covered her face. "My Sasuke... how could this happen..."

"Don't worry," said Itachi firmly, straightening up. "We'll make sure the Senju pay for this. They'll be sorry. Just watch."

Seeing his mother so distraught and wrought with grief, Itachi briefly believed that his brother had been executed by the Senju. It would have been much easier too, if they had actually been responsible for his mother's desolation.