In Their Shadow

Chapter 48

"You don't know how to deal with him?" Shisui finished for him.

"Exactly. He's...difficult. But he's not a bad guy. Its just...Lately, there's been this darkness in him." Sasuke said, a shiver running down his spine when remembering the events that took place in the Forest of Death.

"How so?" Shisui asked.

"When we were in the Forest of Death...He killed people." Sasuke began.

Shisui stayed quiet, allowing him to continue.

"It wasn't just one person...It was multiple people. He did it to protect us, the guys were trying to kill us because of some grudge. In that moment, I was truly afraid..."

Sasuke began to frown.

"But Yuma...The...Well, not the weakling, but the lesser of the team...He wasn't afraid...One minute he was there, right next to us, and the next..."

His frown turned into a grimace, remembering the bloody scene.

"They...They were all dead before we could even blink. He appeared behind them before we could even see him do it, and with a hand sign...They were all skewered...Rock and blood...And the bodies..."

Shisui put his hand on the younger boys shoulder, easing his nerves.

"He didn't just stand there...He embraced it. He had this look of bliss on his face. As if the blood bath soothed him. I've never seen him look so...Relaxed. I don't wanna judge him...He's a good guy...And he's been through a lot but..."

Sasuke's eyes got determined.

"He needs help. Whether he wants to admit it or not. But I don't think I can give it to him. Not after how I used to treat him." Sasuke finished.

"I see...I'm not going to pretend like I know how you feel Sasuke. But what I can say is..."

Shisui slapped his hand onto Sasuke's back, shocking the young Uchiha Prodigy.

"Do your best. Don't treat him differently. It sounds like what the boy needs is a friend he can talk to, not someone to pity him."

Sasuke's eyes widened, remembering Yuma's words.

"I don't need your pity!"

Sasuke looked to the ground in thought, as Shisui continued.

"What he needs is for you to be there for him, even if he doesn't want you to be."

"But what if I only make things worse?" Sasuke asked.

"Lending a helping hand isn't making things worse, its the right thing to do Sasuke. Trust me, I have experience. You're brother used to be quite a hard ass. But after enough pushing, he opened up." Shisui said, flashing Sasuke a full blown grin.

"You really think so?" Sasuke asked, not really being one to try and befriend people.

'That's usually Naruko's job.' Sasuke mused in his head.

"I know so. The worst thing you can do for someone lost in the dark is to not try and drag them back into the light. Even if they start kicking and screaming once you try, they'll be thankful for it later." Shisui said.