Gravity

Emotional Baggage

Blood everywhere. They were dead. Mother and father were dead and Itachi killed them and why? Why would he do that?! He- They were supposed to be family- No, no, no, no.

The whole Clan is dead. They were alone. So much blood and so many bodies over and over again.

Sasuke reached out through all the darkness and blood and bodies, screaming. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be alone. He needed to stop Itachi who kept killing and killing and killing-

"Sasuke."

A hand clutched his own.

He was drowning in blood. He was too weak. He was too weak to be killed and he was too weak to save anyone! Why was he so useless? He couldn't do anything-

"Look at me. Let me take over from here, alright?" A cool hand touched his face. "Open your eyes."

Sasuke tried. He tried to listen. He tried to push them open. But all he could see was blood. So much blood and darkness and Itachi murdering everyone-

A blur of colour, purple and brown, passed by his blood-filled gaze, and a forehead pressed against his own.

"Good. Trust me?"

It was Izumi. Of course, he trusted her.

"Always." He tried to say. He didn't know if he succeeded, or if his words were drowned in blood and bodies, but he tried.

"Good, Sasuke. Good pup." Izumi sounded soft, a tone reserved for the hardest days, one where all they could do was huddle up on the couch or one of their nests and just lay there. "I'm taking over, alright?"

The blood disappeared, along with the bodies and Itachi. No, instead he was on a field, their usual training field. Kakashi was reading his book at the base of a tree, Naruto was trying to attack him, but Kakashi easily flipped him over. Sakura huffed and shook her head.

Izumi threw him a smile from her perch above Kakashi, sitting on a tree branch.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at their antics and walked their way.

He felt eyes staring at the back of his head, cold and piercing, but the cold was smoothed away. A crackling warmth greeting him, and the piercing gaze disappeared.

.::.

Izumi glowered at the curse mark. It was on Sasuke's scent gland and the sight terrified her. If it kept causing Sasuke pain it could damage him or his Omega side which was only still a pup. She didn't know anyone who had lost their secondary gender, or if it was even possible, and Izumi didn't want to find out. She didn't want Sasuke or his Omega to die. What would happen to him then? By the Sage, Sasuke was only a child. Why was it always him who had to suffer?

Izumi saw red again but gritted her teeth and forced her anger back.

Hatred wasn't her way. This was her life.

It didn't belong to Itachi. It didn't belong to Konoha. It belonged to her.

To them.

It was their life.

Izumi flinched and forced her hands back open. Blood trailed down her palms from where her nails had torn open the skin. Izumi grimaced, but shoved them out of the way when she heard footsteps coming her way.

"Izumi-san?" Sakura sat down by her side. "He's stopped shaking. What did you do?"

"He's under my genjutsu," Izumi said. "That should give him a bit of time to rest."

"You put him under a genjutsu?" Sakura startled.

"Yeah, genjutsu's can be used to subdue someone you care for, not just to torture the enemy. Imagine if Naruto was under another's control? You could use genjutsu to knock him straight out. Or if Sasuke refuses to sleep? You can give him pleasant dreams, like I'm doing now." Izumi frowned. "It's hard, genjutsu is difficult. It's why it's so rarely used in most cases."