Ardent Acquisition

Chapter Fourteen: not afraid to die

It was cool. That was the first thing I registered before anything else. Not the way my throat seemed to be on fire or the wound on the back of my head. But that the air was cool and the ground was soft. Splinters of pain entered my head when I opened my eyes. 

It was day. And alarm wracked my body. 

"Sas-"

"I'm here." The cool voice called to my left and I sat up to look at him. The Uchiha looked the same as ever. Cool, calm, and collected. I could read nothing from his facial expression and his eyes were blank. "Are you done trying to kill me?" And for a moment Sasuke almost seemed like his normal cocky self. But there was no smirk. No playful lilt in his eyes. Just coldness. 

"I want you to come home, Sasuke." I pleaded. It seemed as if I was always pleading with him. But my pleas fell on deaf ears. 

"I'm not going back, Hitomi. And you know that." 

"I love you." It hurt for me to say. More than the burning in my throat. I winced. "Please..." I whispered. Sasuke did not break eye contact with me. 

"No." 

"Is that all you're going to say to me Sasuke? After everything? You leave me with a fucking note and all you can say is no? Do you still love me, Sasuke?" He was staring at me. And for a while, said nothing. 

I could feel my heart beginning to shatter. 

"I think it's time you move on, Hitomi." And then he was gone. And I could feel nothing. 

~

Naruto was waiting for me when I got back. I saw a piece of crumpled paper in his hand. I knew he was angry, I did. But I didn't have the energy to fight him. I felt...lost. 

How were you supposed to feel when your reason for fighting was now gone?

"You were just gonna leave me with a note? Like Sasuke did you?" I pushed past him into my apartment, hoping he wouldn't follow behind me. But he did. "You were so angry that he did that to you and you tried to do the same to me? Hitomi--Look at me!" I looked at him and he stopped. "Hitomi, what happened?" His voice was quieter, smaller some how. And I knew what he was seeing. Grass in my hair from Sasuke laying me there, his hand prints wrapped around my throat. And emptiness. In my eyes. The once bright blue just flat. 

"He's gone." My lips felt numb when I said that. 

"We'll get him back, Hitomi." I shook my head. It hurt too much to cry. Sasuke cared about his revenge more. And whatever feelings he had for me, if they did survive these past three years, they were being ignored and he acted like they didn't exist. I knew what he was saying back there, before he left. He was giving me the closure that I never got. Sasuke was breaking up with me. 

All I could feel was confusion and numbness. "You're mine,"  swirling through my head. How could I be yours, Sasuke, if you didn't want me?

"Hitomi, what happened?" I didn't answer Naruto. I Just walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I needed to think. And the only way I could do that was in the bath. 

I got it just hot enough to gently burn my skin. And then, I laid my head back, drowning out all of the memories of Sasuke Uchiha. 

~~~

Sorry this is super short and it's been like what? A year? I'm really gonna try to finish this because I don't wanna leave y'all hanging!!! Somewhere inbetween work and a baby I will try to find the time. Thank you for sticking with this so long and now I'm gonna plan the rest out so the next chapter can be longer :-) (Also Hitomi's story is being rewritten it's better thought out and written way better if you want to check it out! Everything is gonna be in just one book!)