ILLUSIONS - ITACHI UCHIHA

four

Itachi ushered Saori through the dark halls, and she decided not to speak. A peculiar thought traveled through the paths of her mind. Yes, she had only known Itachi for not even the whole day. So why did it feel as if they were close? How had they already arranged plans to meet? Itachi was sneaking out for the first time, solely for her. Why?

Saori perceived to be comfortable around him, yet she wasn't. A pulling feeling sat in the pit of her stomach. They were strangers, weren't they?

 Captivated away from her thoughts, Itachi abruptly stopped. Saori barely stopped herself from bumping into his back.

She peered over his shoulder, seeing a small set of stairs leading to a door. Itachi moved aside, indicating for Saori to go first. She hesitantly moved her feet forward, making her way to the top. Hearing Itachi's footsteps behind her, she opened the door and was appalled.

This door led to the roof of the school. The frightening yet comforting night sky brimmed with stars above. Each one glowed with a majestic aura, creating a beautiful effect on the inky sky. The pale, crescent moon only showed a sliver of its celestial whole.

"Wow", Saori uttered as Itachi walked to her side.

"Pain told me about this spot. He said nobody ever comes up here, so I figured it would be a good spot to hide."

Saori frowned. "But we're not hiding, are we?"

Itachi shrugged. Saori thought about how hard it would be to converse with this guy if he wasn't even going to respond verbally.

She shut the door behind them and walked a few steps forward, seating herself down, criss-cross-apple-sauce.

The edge of the roof was only about fifteen feet ahead of her. There was nothing that would keep her from falling. She could walk off the roof. Saori wondered what would happen if she did that, though it was pretty obvious.

Itachi sat next to Saori, mirroring the way she sat. He gazed up at the sky, and Saori couldn't help looking at his eyes.

She was still fascinated by how dark they were. The perfect shade of black, like obsidian. There was no real emotion behind them, just mystery.

"You have really pretty eyes, you know".

Stupid. Why did she have to say that? Now it seemed like she was making a move on him.

But Itachi didn't seem fazed by it. Although he had a questioning look, he didn't reply. Saori was starting to see exactly what kind of person he was.

She fidgeted with her sleeves. "Can I ask you something?"

Itachi stared straight at her (which was slightly intimidating), and replied, "Yeah?"

"Why did you get sent to this school?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Touchy subject.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it, of course", she added quickly. He nodded.

However, his reaction had just made Saori more curious. Aside from the fact he wasn't a talker, he didn't seem like some criminal (unlike the other kids in their lunch group).

"You spill, and I will", she spat before she could stop herself.

Itachi raised his eyebrows. "Okay..."

Surprised that he agreed, Saori mentally slapped herself. She didn't want to tell him why she got sent here. 'I just have a horrible dad and have had a traumatic childhood so I tried ending it but that didn't go very well so here we are.' Sounded pathetic.

Instead, she lied. "I ran away from home. Not just once, but a lot of times. I would be gone for days, going anywhere but home." Saori felt terrible for lying, but there was no way she could bring out the truth.

"The last time I left", she continued. "I was gone for nearly a month. My dad lost it. After getting really mad, he sent me here."

Itachi didn't seem to catch her lie. "Why did you run away?"

"Well, my dad and I aren't exactly close", she said. At least that was true. "My mom passed while giving birth to me, so he's all I have. But it isn't easy when he cares about work instead of me". Her whole life, Saori learned that if you want a smooth lie, you have to include a part of the truth. That is exactly what she did.

Itachi studied her in silence; the light breeze was the only thing heard. He had a grim expression as if someone had threatened to punch him.

"I talked", Saori continued. "So it's your turn".

Itachi looked away from her and looked deep in thought. "I had a great family. My little brother, Sasuke, was out at school one day, and so was I. My mother and father didn't go to work and stayed at home."

He looked over at Saori to see if she was listening, and she was. She nodded her head, indicating for Itachi to carry on.

"I came home from school", Itachi continued, looking back at the starry sky. "And I found my mother and father on the ground in the living room. They were bleeding and unconscious. I tried to wake them, shook them and everything, but they died right there. In my arms."

Saori's heart sank. She had no idea his story was going to be this serious. "I'm really sorry", Saori said, but she was honestly still trying to process what he had just said.

Itachi didn't reply. "My brother came home and saw there, my hands covered in blood from holding my parents. He thought I was the one behind their murder, and ran to the police. To this day, he probably still hates me."

"Itachi, I'm really, really, sorry", Saori said with empathy, because she really was sorry. He had been wrongly accused and lost his parents, as well as his little brother. "Did the police believe you?"

Itachi shook his head. "I could see that they didn't, but there was no evidence that I killed them. So they had no right to imprison me."

"So they sent you here", Saori said, followed by Itachi nodding. "Gosh, how old were you?"

"Thirteen", Itachi stated.

"Wow", Saori whispered and shook her head. "I didn't know the reasons for being sent here were so, I don't know, serious."

"Most kids here are lucky they aren't in prison right now", Itachi said.

"But I don't get it. Who killed your parents?", Saori asked with a sad shine in her eyes.

"I'm their first suspect", Itachi spoke. "Whoever did it left no evidence. They never found out."

Saori pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, she felt a hot lump of anger arise from her stomach. "But that isn't fair", she argued. "You don't deserve to be here. You're a good person."

Itachi shrugged. "It is what it is".

For the first time, Saori noticed something; a glistening in his eyes. Something behind them, uncovered. A glimpse of true emotion. Pain.

It was frighteningly similar to Saori. She knew exactly how it felt. How it made your shoulder feel ponderous. How it left your insides stiff. How it made your heart hurt. No, not hurt. Ache. It made your heart ache.

Heartache. It was such a horrible concept. It was the whole reason for her suffering.

~

A/N:

UGH-