Don't Stare at the Sun or You'll Go Blind

Chapter 9

Was it some sort of prank? It was definitely a blatant abuse of power on his brother's part. But why? And why drag their father into this? Itachi and Fugaku weren't on the best terms right now, but surely his brother wouldn't abuse his power to punish their father with a low level, escort mission. Once again, Sasuke was left with more questions than answers when it came to Itachi.

"Sasuke-kun, you're more than welcome to travel in the carriage with me. Walking must get tiring after a while," Naho offered through the window of her carriage.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Pass," he dismissed.

Sasuke wasn't sure what was the worst part of this mission: Naho's unwanted, persistent affections or the awkward silence between him and his father. From the moment they had left the Hokage's Tower, Naho had been like an annoying bur at his side. At first, she just wanted to hold his hand (which he had glared at her for doing), but then she had taken that as permission to loop her arm through his and squeal in his ear about how cool he was. Sasuke was sure that he'd never understand girls.

If Naho couldn't stay away, his father was the complete opposite. Fugaku seemed tense and unhappy about something that he wasn't willing to share. Fugaku had never been a talkative man, but he seemed to retreat into his thoughts even more than usual. He kept his distance from Sasuke, only relaying information necessary for their mission and nothing else.

Sasuke wasn't sure what he expected from his father. He was still confused as to why Itachi had stuck him with their father, but he'd considered that Itachi had inadvertently done him a favor. Thanks to Itachi, he had to spend the next week with an annoying fangirl. But he also got to spend that week with his father. For a short moment, Sasuke had entertained the idea that this might not be a punishment at all. But when Fugaku had been even less willing to interact with him than usual, Sasuke had quickly abandoned any budding hope. He had wanted to be disappointed, but he quickly got over it. This was a mission after all. Even a low-level mission like this was no place for emotions.

"I don't know if you remember me, Sasuke-kun, but you saved my life a few years ago," Naho tried again. When Sasuke didn't respond, she said, "I'm glad to have you here with me now because I know that you'll protect me."

Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long mission.

~:~

Sasuke had never seen a problem with how little his family tended to communicate. The silence had always been peaceful, never uncomfortable or awkward. But after two days on the road with only Naho for company, Sasuke was starting to wish that he'd been assigned a different partner for this mission (or that he wasn't assigned the mission in the first place).

It's not that he was ignoring his father. If anything, it felt like his father was purposefully ignoring him. Sasuke wasn't offended. Not really. His father was probably even more upset to be assigned protection detail. So, it was a bit unexpected when the first words his father chose to speak to him were, "You shouldn't treat the girl so rudely."

Sasuke had raised a brow in question. They had stopped for the night, Naho and her attendant retiring to her carriage while he and his father had sat silently beside a small fire. Ever the proud and disciplined man, his father sat up straight and looked down at him from his seat across the fire. Sasuke felt moderately self-conscious in his much laxer slump against a tree with a leg pulled to his chest. Subtly, he shifted positions before answering. "I'd hardly consider how I've treated her to be rude," Sasuke replied in a measured tone.

Fugaku frowned deeply and Sasuke immediately tensed. "She is a relative of the fire daimyo. Her words hold weight. Your poor behavior will be a reflection of not only Konoha but the Uchiha as well," Fugaku admonished, every word weighing down on Sasuke.