Veil of Darkness | Yan! Itachi x Reader |

Chapter 18

The air in the small room felt heavier than usual, suffocating even. Y/N paced restlessly, her fingers anxiously picking at the thin fabric of her shirt. Something was gnawing at her, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The world Itachi had built around her, the safety she’d clung to for what felt like an eternity, now seemed... wrong.

It started with a whisper in the back of her mind, a small, barely noticeable shift in her thoughts. But once that whisper grew louder, she couldn’t ignore it. There was something she wasn’t seeing, something just beneath the surface that made her skin crawl.

Her hand drifted to the black stone hanging around her neck, the necklace Itachi had given her as a symbol of his love—or rather, his ownership. It felt heavier now, a weight she could no longer bear so easily. She had tried to convince herself for so long that his actions were out of love, that he was protecting her. But why did she feel like she was suffocating?

The silence was broken by the soft creak of the door. Itachi wasn’t here yet. He always locked the door when he left, but today... he must have forgotten. Y/N’s heart raced as she stared at the open door, a mix of fear and excitement bubbling up inside her.

What would he do if he found out?

But that didn’t stop her. Her legs moved on their own, carrying her out of the room and into the hallway. The house was dark, eerily quiet, the walls closing in around her as she crept down the narrow passage. She wasn’t sure where she was going, or what she was looking for, but something inside her urged her to keep moving.

She reached a small study room, the door slightly ajar. It was a room she’d never seen before, one that Itachi had always kept locked. But now, it was open, beckoning her inside. Y/N hesitated for only a moment before pushing the door open wider and stepping into the room.

The first thing she noticed was the smell—old paper and leather, like the scent of a forgotten library. It was almost comforting, in a strange way. But that comfort quickly evaporated when her eyes landed on the desk in the center of the room.

Papers were scattered across the surface, some neatly stacked, others crumpled in disarray. Her fingers brushed over the documents, her heart pounding as she picked up the first piece of paper. It was a missing person’s report. Her breath caught in her throat as she scanned the details.

Name: Aiko Yamamoto.
Last seen: Three months ago.
Status: Unresolved.

Y/N’s hands began to shake. Aiko. She remembered her—she was a student, always quiet, always sitting in the back of Itachi’s classes. Y/N hadn’t thought much of it when Aiko stopped coming to class. People left all the time, right? But now, seeing her name on this report...

What the hell was this?

She frantically flipped through the other papers, her blood running cold as name after name stared back at her. More missing students. More unresolved cases. Some of them she recognized—faces she had seen on campus, Emily, Sara, people who had just... disappeared.

Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Why would Itachi have these? Why were they here, hidden in this room?

And then, her eyes landed on something else. A file with her name on it. She froze, her fingers trembling as she picked it up, her heart thudding in her ears. Slowly, she opened the file, her eyes scanning the contents.

Name: Y/N L/N.
Status: Monitored.
Action: Isolated for protection.

Her head spun. Isolated for protection. Was that what this was? Protection? Or was it something more sinister? The words blurred as tears pricked at her eyes, her throat tightening as she struggled to breathe.

What has he done?

It all came rushing back to her—the odd disappearances, the way her friends had slowly vanished from her life without explanation. She remembered the way Itachi had always been there, always watching, always protecting her. But now... now she wasn’t sure if it was protection at all.

The walls of the room seemed to close in on her, the weight of the truth crashing down like a tidal wave. She had thought he was her savior, her protector. But maybe... maybe he was the one behind all of it. Maybe he was the reason her friends were gone.

Y/N stumbled backward, nearly knocking over a chair as she clutched the file to her chest. She couldn’t stay here. She had to leave. But... could she?

Her mind screamed at her to run, to get as far away from Itachi as possible. But a small, insidious voice whispered in the back of her mind—Where would you go? Who would believe her? And even if she did leave, would he let her?

She felt trapped, cornered like a wild animal with nowhere to turn. Her chest heaved as she backed away from the desk, her fingers tightening around the file. She had to confront him. She had to know the truth.

---

The sound of the front door opening sent a jolt of fear through her. He was home.

Y/N scrambled to hide the file, shoving it under a stack of papers before slipping out of the study and back into the hallway. Her heart raced as she made her way back to her room, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the door.

The second she sat on the bed, she heard his footsteps. Slow, measured. Like a predator stalking its prey. Her breath hitched in her throat as the door creaked open, revealing Itachi standing in the doorway, his dark eyes locking onto hers.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice low and calm, but there was an edge to it, something dangerous lurking beneath the surface. “You’re awake.”

She nodded, trying to keep her breathing steady, trying to act normal. “Yeah... I couldn’t sleep.”

He stepped into the room, his gaze never leaving hers. “Is everything alright?”

Y/N’s stomach twisted. She wanted to confront him, to demand answers, but fear kept her silent. She wasn’t ready. Not yet. So she forced a smile, though it felt like a mask.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

Itachi tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as if he could see right through her. Her heart pounded in her chest, her hands trembling in her lap. She wondered if he knew. If he could sense that something had changed.

But he said nothing. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek in a gesture that had once made her feel safe but now only filled her with dread.

“You know I’ll always take care of you,” he murmured, his voice soft, almost soothing. “No matter what.”

Y/N forced herself to nod, though the words tasted like poison in her mouth. “I know.”

Itachi’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before he finally pulled away, turning toward the door. “Get some rest,” he said quietly. “You’ll need your strength.”

And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Y/N sat there in the silence, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. The truth was a tangled mess, and she was caught in the middle of it. But one thing was clear:

Itachi wasn’t her protector.

He was her captor.