To Live Is To

Chapter 3

A reminder that this book is going to be dark. These next 3 chapters discuss child trafficking and all the things that come with it.

"Now everything goes back to its place
My shadow's reflected on the sky
I'm standing on the darkness
Head down, to my heels"

Itachi's first look into this world's child trafficking goes like this:

It's not a particularly interesting day in many ways. Itachi has spent a couple weeks making himself look like a new regular at the nearby park. He makes sure to stay away from the other children, making a show of having no friends. Each time he goes to the park, he goes alone and sits alone. It's quite tedious, but it isn't for naught.

A woman walks up to him after the second week of him coming to the park alone almost everyday. She's been there every day he has, and probably the other days as well. She doesn't seem to have a child who's playing in the park, though.

"You seem lonely, can I play with you?"

"Why would you want to play with me?" Itachi wonders, managing to pull some childlike innocence from the very depths of his being. He looks at the floor as if he's never had someone ask him that.

(He hasn't, but it doesn't bother him as much as it bothers the child this woman thinks he is.

Why doesn't it bother him?)

"Do the other children not like playing with you?" She asks with an outwardly kind smile, sitting down next to him.

"My mother says I'm odd." Itachi offers in lieu of an answer.

"I don't think you're odd."

His head snaps up. "You don't?" He breathes, before frowning and narrowing his eyes. "Why?"

"I think you're a very nice boy." The woman pats his head as Itachi looks up at her in wonder.

"My mother says nice boys get sweets so I never get any." Itachi says sadly.

"I have some sweets, would you like some?"

It's almost too easy, Itachi muses.

"Yes!"

"Come with me, then." She stands up and holds out her hand for him to take. Itachi takes it easily and she pulls him up. Itachi knows that she wouldn't have been able to do so without him allowing it. Small comforts, he thinks.

The woman gestures for him to follow her and he doesn't hesitate before doing so. Itachi doesn't intend to eat anything she gives him, of course not.

Itachi yawns on the walk to wherever the woman keeps her "sweets" and she turns to look at him.

"Goodness, you must be very tired. For a little boy such as yourself to spend so much time at the park so often with no supervision...." She trails off like she's just suggested something horrible.

"Mother and father are busy during the days... I have to go to the park or the mean lady next door will come."

"I see." She guides him to a car and opens the door. "What's your name?"

"Itachi." Itachi says as he enters the car. It's already a fake name in this world. It's a strange thing to think about so Itachi doesn't think about it.

"That's a lovely name. Rest now, Itachi."

Itachi blinks his eyes blearily, "But the sweets...?"

He sees something akin to sadness in her expression when she says, "Will be there when you wake up."

Itachi, in her eyes, is a naive, trusting child. The Itachi she will see when he's brought to where the other children are kept is nothing like what she thinks.

She gets in the front seat of the car and begins to drive.

Itachi waits with his eyes closed and even breaths.