Happy Accidents

Chapter 53: Bonding

It was a short trip for the two of them back into the city, but they entered into an area Sakura didn't recognize as they drove. They passed some older houses on one particular street until they came to an empty lot that was much further down and significantly further away from the rest of the houses, and Sakura felt her heart drop at the sight.

It was the remains of a burned-out family home. She'd seen that same home in photos, though they'd been out of old news articles. Based on the debris,  it looked like it had once been at least a two-storey home, but no one had bothered to clear the lot since the fire. Why would he want to bring her here, of all places, on his birthday? It seemed... a bit morbid, but whatever his reasons, the place had to hold some significance for him. Sakura followed as Sasuke exited the car, following quietly behind him until they were on the front lawn, staring at where the front door to the home would have been.

"This is... your old family home, isn't it?" Sakura asked, glancing up at him. His face was a mix of emotions, clearly reflecting the struggle that was going on inside. It was a face that made Sakura worry greatly about his mental state; by his more recent actions, she could tell that he was still sensitive when it came to his family and his brother.

Sasuke was experiencing all kinds of emotions right now. He felt the sadness from everything he'd lost here, from the life that he'd been forced to leave behind after the place had burned. He felt the anger of his brother's betrayal, the way he'd left Sasuke with nothing but scars and horrible memories. He felt the loneliness he'd cursed himself to living with because of everything he'd lost. It tore at him from the inside, like it was trying to claw its way out and shred him in the process.

Underneath all of those negative feelings, though, were other ones. He felt the sensation of happiness and love fighting to peek out from underneath the blanket of negativity it was trapped under. He'd been alone for so long, but he wasn't anymore. He had her standing beside him, supporting him, waiting for him. Loving him. These were things he'd never expected in his life, and yet here he was with them.

"Yeah... it is," he said finally, turning and taking a seat on the front lawn. Sakura followed suit, taking a seat beside him as she listened intently, letting him speak. "I used to sit here on the front lawn and wait for my brother to come home every day," Sasuke continued, staring absently up at the sky. "I was always done school a little bit earlier than him, and we lived right across from it, back there." Sasuke pointed toward what appeared to be a park, where they could faintly see a school building.

"Itachi had after-school activities, while I  didn't, so every day I'd wait. He'd come home, and I'd beg him to play, but he usually had homework that was more important." Sasuke remembered how much he loved his brother, how attached he'd been to spending time with him. Itachi tried to play with him when he could, but he'd often had to brush his little brother off for other priorities. At the time, Sasuke had usually got upset, but he understood the priorities Itachi had at the time as an adult. With his brother's betrayal, many of those memories had soured, and they even hurt to think about.

"I still... don't remember exactly what happened that day, but I remember everything after," he continued. "I remember waking up in agony. I remember screaming and crying for my parents, screaming for my brother, asking where they were, asking what happened. The nurses wouldn't tell me at first. It seemed like they were afraid of how I  might react to the news. At the time, I was angry, and I just wanted answers. I understand it better now. I understand... a lot of things better now." He still struggled with understanding parts of it, but he was genuinely trying to understand better.

Sakura listened intently to his story, feeling her heart break over and over again the more he spoke. He truly had suffered more than anyone she'd ever known. No boy should have endured the things he did. She imagined if he hadn't, he would have been kinder, sweeter, and less closed off from the world and those around him. Sakura could see that his walls were starting to come down, but it was a slow process.