Trust In Me (Uchiha Love Story)

Chapter 16: Understanding Part II

                  

Just a heads up - the next chapter is done, but it's quite long and will not be posted until next week or so!

OoO

Like many nights before, she shot up out of her bed into a sitting position. Her hands clutched the sheets so tightly they turned white and every bone in her hands were visible. She was soaked in a cold sweat, with her heart beating wildly against her chest, as if it was trying to escape her body. She felt a tingling sensation all of her body – the sensation of fear.

Her eyes darted around the room in those early seconds of her waking, and then the sound of running footsteps outside. The door flew open, revealing a disheveled looking Izuna. His hair stuck up all over the place and his pants hung loosely off his hips as he quickly approached her and wrapped her up in his arms in an embrace that promised to protect her from everything that could harm her.

This happened nearly every night. She would wake up and Izuna would already be running to her to see what was wrong. Then, he would hold either until she drifted off to sleep or told him he could leave, though he always did so reluctantly.

He rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles, and kissed the top of her head, whispering to her. "It's alright. I'm here."

She clutched him tightly, afraid he would somehow disappear, and it seemed plausible in the early moments when she woke from these terrors. She never remembered what happened in these nightmares, except Izuna's bloody and lifeless face, and a number of dead Uchiha. The rest she couldn't remember to save her life. And this time was no different.

When she finally lifted her head and looked at Izuna, a flash of his bloody face flashed into her mind. She reached out and touched his face, moving a stray strand of hair from his eyes and smoothing it down. He was alright. He was alive. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Same thing?"

She nodded. "Still nothing, except the usual." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Izuna sat next to her, an arm around her shoulders to keep her close.

"I wish there was something I could do to help you." The arm he had around her tightened. She buried her head into his shoulder, feeling his anger and frustration as well as her own. "I feel helpless, sitting here and watching you suffer every night, knowing there's nothing I can do. And then knowing how much pain you're in..."

She closed her eyes, absorbing his warmth. She still felt uneasy and wish there was something they could do. These nightmares were going to kill her. She barely slept and on a few occasions nearly suffocated in her sleep.

And it scared Izuna shitless. Each time it had happened, he had come in here and either found her disoriented and scared, or had to wake her from her nightmares before her screaming woke up the entire clan. Then the few occasions she nearly suffocated herself, he nearly had a heart attack. This was why he was scared to leave her alone, ever.

For the longest time he held her and didn't have a care in the world for anything else but her. Seeing her like this tore him apart, more than any fight they had, like the one earlier that day. He had his reasons for these fights, and they were to keep her safe. She had no regard for her own safety or health, and it made him look like that bad person. But, he would admit he may have overreacted with Hisen and that beast just a tad. Had it not been for Madara, she would not have talked to him.

"What did Madara say to you?"

"That you love me and you're scared to lose me again. That's that short version."