"Hana Inuzuka?!", Izumi and I blurt out, our jaws dropping as the four of us sat in the gazebo. Hana's two dogs were sending us glares for intruding on Shisui and her. It was getting cold and Izumi and I were drenched from head to toe. As if the stormy weather wasn't enough already.
The long strands of my hair dripped with water and my clothes were well...soaked. Izumi and I shivered from the cold howling wind as we scooted closer next to each other. Shisui was staring at us with a smirk, suggesting that we deserved what happened to us. Hana's eye was twitching as she stared at Izumi and I with dismay.
"So what brings you here?", Hana asks, clenching her jaw as she folds her arms over her chest. Shisui inched closer to her, his tousled hair falling over his face. He wraps an arm around her shoulder and says, "Hana, darling, calm down".
I arch a suggestive brow and exchange a quick glance with Izumi. Eventually, Izumi and I couldn't hold back our laughter as we witnessed the scene before us.
Shisui couldn't help the tint of blush that stained his cheeks as Hana send us death glares.
"What's so funny?!", she demands, as she was about to lunge forward towards us, which put Izumi and I on alert.
"Hana, darling calm down", Shisui's hand snaked to her waist, holding her back from attacking us.
"Yes, Hana, darling calm down", Izumi teased, stressing on the darling part, earning a snort of laughter from me. My shoulders were shaking uncontrollably as I laughed at the scene before me.
Hana stopped trying to attack us when Shisui leaned forward, tightened his grip on her waist, pulled her closer and whispered something inaudible in her ear, making her blush. Hana instantly chuckled and buried her face in the crook of his neck to hide the red tint that appeared on her cheeks.
Shisui simply smirked when Hana smiled against his neck. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and they remained like this until I loudly cleared my throat.
"Shut up Itachi", Hana groaned in annoyance, earning a soft chuckle from Shisui.
Izumi smirked and remarked, "well I guess it's not only the girls whose hearts will be broken".
"Tell me something I don't know", Shisui chuckled, lowering his head to tickle the tip of Hana's nose with his own. Hana chuckled softly before leaning away from Shisui's embrace, and engulfing one of her dogs in a hug.
"Ah don't worry I still love the two of you too", Hana snuggled beside her dog, hugging it tighter.
"I'm sorry", Shisui directed his speech at the other dog, "there's not enough love for the three of us here", he smiled.
As if it understood, the dog jumped beside Hana and somewhat growled at Shisui. Shisui simply laughed and brushed it off.
"Dont you usually have like three dogs?", I inquire when I notice the missing hound.
"Uh he's sick so he's being taken care of", she shrugs off.
"Well Hana, Shisui, do we even get an explanation as to how this profound love happened between the two of you?", Izumi arched a brow suggestively.
Hana darted her eyes to Izumi and sternly replied, "No", she stressed on the single syllable, making Izumi pout her lips.
Shisui then darts his eyes to the two of us and inquired, "what brings the two of you here?".
"Well..um..for starters", Izumi stammered before I cut her off by saying, "Izumi's 'S-rank mission'", I shrug off, rendering the two lovebirds confused.
Izumi slaps my arm loudly, earning a yelp from me, "goodness Izumi calm down", I sigh, rubbing the side of my arm.
"S-rank mission?", Shisui and Hana give us their confused expression as I contemplate whether I should elaborate.
"Yeah, apparently every girl in the village is curious to find out who Shisui's secret lover is to the point where they hired Izumi over here and offered her money", I point at Izumi with my thumb as I stare at their shocked faces.
Their heads turn in Izumi's direction and Shisui inquired, "Is that true?".
Izumi begins to rub the back of her neck nervously and responds, "well you see, I've just been laying around this entire time and had nothing to do", she gives off an awkward laugh before taking me by surprise by pinching the side of my arm.
"OW!", I yelp and clutch the aching area, "that hurts Izumi", I complain. She gave me a side-eye and retorts, "Maybe you can learn to keep you mouth shut a bit".
"Are you for real?", Hana retorts, looking dissatisfied, but she still couldn't hide the hint of smirk on her lips.
"Uh-ha", I reply instead of Izumi, earning a side-glare from her.
"I mean I was curious myself", Izumi elaborates, inhaling in a deep breath before sighing.
"Well, if you weren't a good friend of ours then you'd be in my hounds' clutches", Hana somewhat reassured, or threatened...
"Really?!", Izumi beams, making Shisui scoff.
"Yeah you knucklehead", Hana snorts and snuggles into Shisui's built figure, resting her head on his chest as he wraps an arm around her. Izumi and I were about to genuinely smile at how cute they were before Hana's tone of voice altered into a threatening one and she growled, "Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind and unleash my hounds on you!".
Her feral Inuzuka demeanor left me like: 👁/👄\👁
Izumi and I inch closer in fear as we get up on our noodle legs. Hana looks scary with her fang-like teeth gritted together. Next to her, Shisui had an amused smile on his face, revealing his deep dimples. He shrugged off as we made eye contact and that's when I realized that Hana was counting to five.
"...Four"
Izumi grasped my wrist simultaneously and dragged me along the bridge attached to the gazebo. We began running on the bridge under the stormy weather. We were both laughing wholeheartedly, but we needed to catch a breath or else...
It took me a moment to register the fact that Izumi had grasped the wrist where the four vertical lines ran along.
The rain trickled down my face which eventually stirred with my real steamy tears when I remembered. Izumi wasn't aware of this. Her hand was still clutching my wrist as she panted for breath.
Even when she looked up at my eyes, she'd never noticed whether my eyes were shedding tears or if it's just rain.
Something in my heart told me that Hanabi would know, even under this pouring rain.
Izumi looked amused and happy, which I didn't want to ruin. And so I smiled at her genuinely, my eyes still shedding tears when I relived the way Hanabi's nails were dragged across my wrist.
"We'll catch a cold if we stay out in this rain", she says, then adjusts her hair before resuming, "we better head back to the Uchiha district".
"Yeah, lets do that", I whispered with a smile on my face as we both begin to walk back to the Uchiha district.
Izumi has endured a fair share of sorrows as well. Her father was a non-Uchiha which was the reason her mother moved out of the Uchiha clan at first. When her father died protecting her during the Nine-Tail's attack, that's when her emotions manifested until she awakened her Sharingan.
I'd only been interested in befriending her when I found out that she'd unlocked her Sharingan way before I did, which sounds selfish. She'd sometimes be the reason I'd blush, like when she offered me dango on the bridge where...
So as I walk side by side with her I can't stop my mind from wondering whether I should've let her in on everything. Maybe I can open up to someone about what's happened.
No...
Last time I let someone in they ended up...dead...and empty...
I push that thought deep at the back of my mind and shiver as I listen to Izumi babble about Shisui's and Hana's relationship.
"Who would've even thought that it'd be Hana?", Izumi stated in disbelief, scoffing as she resumed, "I mean they do look cute together, but I just wonder how it all happened"
The next half and hour were spend with Izumi babbling about Shisui and Hana as I communicated back by nodding and making sounds that suggest that I agree with her. I'm too tired to do anything honestly.
"Itachi...", she suddenly says, making me arch a brow when she halted in her tracks. I halt as well and look over to her, where her expression had altered completely.
"Yes?"
Her expression suggested that she was contemplating to say something, but she says it regardless.
"Look Itachi", she steps closer as the rain pours over us, "I know you haven't been yourself for the past four years and I can totally understand, but..."
I hold my breath as the heaving rain pours mercilessly over us. She looks into my eyes with such intensity that I can't avoid her.
"I know you've had a liking to...Hanabi ever since our Academy days. I know there was something very vibrant about her that just intrigued you...and I get it, I-I completely do, but Itachi...", she lowers her voice a bit and for a split moment, all that was heard was the sole sound of the pounding rain upon us.
"Izumi...", I remain at loss of words as I think to myself: Am I really that shallow to read?
"...Itachi, for the longest time I-I have thought about you—about us I mean and..."
I purse my lips together as a crease forms between my brows, in total anticipation of what I knew was coming.
"And I know that you've remained attached and that you're unable to let go—even after four years-"
"Izumi", I interrupt her mid-sentence, not wanting her to continue, I say, "Listen, for the longest time, I have and always been aware of how you feel towards me, believe me I do...if anything, I'm thankful for you and how you feel, believe me...but Izumi..."
The two of us instinctively lower our heads as we bite back our tongues. A chill howled past us, whisking away my dark locks as I get the courage to speak again.
"...I-I can't just like you just because Hanabi is gone now...", I force the words out my mouth, then hold my breath, awaiting her response.
Her eyes glistened a bit, the sparks of disappointment evident as she peers right back at me. When she was rendered speechless, I decide to take the leap and settle this once and for all.
"...Izumi...I don't want to hurt you in any way-"
"What are you talking about Itachi? You can never hurt me, you're nice and gentle. Just seeing you like this...", she chokes on her voice then lowered her head as her shoulders began to tremble".
Then she snaps.
"Why can't you comprehend it?!", she looks at me with tears rolling down her face, "I-I can't stand it when I see you self-destruct yourself like this! It just doesn't sit right with me", she sobs harder and catches me off guard when she takes a fistful of my shirt.
"Izumi...", I stare at her wide-eyed.
"You keep clinging on what hurts you when there's so many people around you that can give you the cure. You keep on self-destructing, not knowing how it hurts those around you. You...you...", she clenches her jaw, our faces close together and the pouring rain seems endless at this point.
Her lip quivers as she divulges the following, "you...Itachi Uchiha", more tears roll down her face, "are selfish", she yells at my face, rendering me wide-eyed at what she's saying.
My limbs tremble as I recall Danzo's words, how he'd blamed me for Hanabi's death.
Am...am I selfish?
My lower lip quivers as tears stream down my face. Involuntarily, I grasp Izumi's hands and make her let go of me as she keeps on sobbing. With a heavy heart, wide-eyes and shaky limbs I slowly turn my back on Izumi and tread a few steps away from her only to be stopped by what she said next.
"What's the deal about Hanabi anyways?! What is it that she had that I don't?!", her words pierced my chest, making it ache.
"All that Hanabi ever did was get into trouble with almost everyone! Why do you still cling onto someone that's problematic?!", she shouts at me.
At the mention of Hanabi, I was no longer immobile, because right then, she wasn't the only one who'd snapped. In a flash I look back and lunged right at her. She flinched when our faces came into close contact with each other. My hands tightly gripped either side of her arms, making her wince a little.
"Don't you ever dare and disrespect Hanabi again!", I menacingly hissed, my grip tightening on her. It took me a moment to realize that I've instinctively activated my Sharingan which rendered her trembling against my touch as she stared right into my crimson eyes.
She was shaking with fear, her lower lip quivering at this menacing sight of me. My grip on her arms further tightened as tears eluded my eyes when I stared at her. I remembered everything again, it executed over and over again my brain.
As Izumi cried out from my tight hold, that's when I've been yanked off of her when Shisui delivered a punch to my face. I was sent back and tumbled on the ground. When I sat up straight again all I saw was a trembling Izumi, who I'd accidentally used one of my torturing Genjutsus on.
Hana was hugging Izumi as Shisui stared back at me with a clenched jaw and a look of disgust.
"What's going on with you?!", he demanded, infuriated at my actions. But I was even more infuriated with myself right now.
How did I dare and do that to Izumi?!
With a quivering lip and a trembling body I wiped away the blood on the corner of my mouth and ran away.
***
I'd cried as I ran away from what I've done. What's wrong with me? Why did I do that?
All these emotions were just too much, too much for me to conceal anymore that when I got home, three pairs of eyes fell on me.
Mother, Father, and Sasuke stopped whatever they were doing and took in the sight of me.
"Older brother?"
"Itachi", mother gasped as I passed the threshold and ignored her completely. The punch from Shisui still fresh.
My dad who was seated on the ground had frowned upon me as I instinctively stop. I fixate my eyes elsewhere as I take in a deep breath and say, "I've been kicked off of the Anbu..."
"I heard", he replied flatly then sternly added, "listen Itachi it's been four years, you can't stay halfway dead forever!", father complained, making my heart clench as my already bloodshot eyes tear up again.
"Telling me to get over it won't help me either...", I hiss as I lower my head.
"Itachi, I know you're sad and I know you're hurting, but you have to get it together!", he snaps at me and I only tremble further.
Out of frustration, I whip out Hanabi's teleportation kunai, and for a moment my family thought I'd aim it at one of them. But what happened was that I muffled a scream when I held up the back of my hand and pierced it with the kunai.
Everyone fell silent at my gesture, even father had his eyes widened and mother gasped.
I look straight into father's eyes and retort, "the real problem is that nothing hurts at all, that's the problem! This void and guilt left me numb and empty!".
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A/N:- Uhhh sooo I really don't know what to say, so I'll just leave the speaking to you. Comment and vote...and next chapter or the one after might be Hanabi's P.O.V...not that she can actually see...and that's on me..
~A