Contrition [Itachi Uchiha x Reader]

#11: Contusion

"Itachi? What are you doing here?"

It was half past six and [Name] had only just returned home from the University when her doorbell rang. On the other side stood a rather cheerful looking Itachi Uchiha.

The man smiled innocently. "May I come in?"

[Name] noticed the change in his demeanor as she allowed him inside. "Make yourself comfortable."

"You've got a nice place," he complimented.

"I don't remember telling you where I lived," she said, cautiously.

"I followed you here from the University. I hope you don't mind." He was still smiling.

"Itachi, I can't have a session with you without your parole officer present. You know that."

"I suppose you couldn't make an exception just this once?" His eyes danced around the room, taking in every detail. "It's important."

[Name] sighed. "You are quite the mystery, you know that? Alright, what's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

"Aren't you going to offer me something to drink first?" he inquired, grabbing a magazine from the coffee table. "It's etiquette."

"Itachi, what do you want?" She was beginning to get impatient.

A smirk made its way onto his face. "Sit down, [Name]."

The woman obliged. "You have five minutes before I call Officer Hoshigaki to come get you. Go."

"I simply realized that you know an awful lot about me, whereas I know nothing about you," he stated, matter-of-factly.

"It's my job to know about you. You're my client."

"And you're my counsellor. Surely I have the right to know atleast a few things about you."

"Fine," she conceded. "What would you like to know?"

He leaned forward on his elbows. "Have you ever undergone psychotherapy?"

The woman scowled. "Why do you wish to know that?"

"Oh, I'm just curious." 

"Yes." She couldn't help but feel that the conversation was about to take an unfavourable turn.

"And why was that?"

He knows. "I was traumatized by an incident that happened when I was a child."

"Hm. The death of your parents?"

"Where are you getting this information from?" 

"That's not important."

[Name] clenched her teeth. "You don't know the whole story."

"Then tell me the whole story," he said, leaning back.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. No harm could possibly come from recounting the tale, one that she had uttered countless times to medical professionals, relatives, and therapists. Perhaps... she thought. Something good might. If this is what I need to do to make you trust me, then so be it. "It happened when I was ten. My parents and I were at the supermarket that Sunday afternoon. They were busy arguing about which detergent to buy or something...I don't really remember. The place was fairly crowded, it being the weekend and all. Frankly, no one could have noticed the man with the gun as he casually sauntered into the store and shot the cashier. We were in the back, so we only heard the gunshot. My father, being the practical man that he was, pushed my mother and me to the ground and asked us to stay down. Needless to say by that time everyone had begun panicking. Three more shots and a couple of screams later, there was eerie silence. Apparently the perpetrator had sealed the exits and there was no way out. We were his hostages. My father was quick to notice the telephone on the Help Desk but getting there meant running all the way across the store and thankfully, he decided against that. There was another family of four crouching behind the shelves just like we were. But those in the front of the store were the ones in real danger. The shooter kept firing mercilessly. Of course I was beyond terrified. My most vivid memory was of my mother wrapping her arms around me in a feeble attempt at protecting me while my palm muffled any scream that might have escaped my lips."

Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing. The files that Deidara had given him simply stated that [Name]'s parents had died in a mass-shooting that had occurred years ago.

[Name] took a deep breath before continuing. No holds barred. "After five minutes or so, the gunshots stopped and I dared to open my eyes. I managed to catch a glimpse of his blood-stained face and the sinister smile as he looked around the store for his next victim. His eyes fell on the little boy in the back of the store and he didn't hesitate in pointing the gun at him. That was when things turned for the worse. My father immediately jumped in front of the boy and tried to reason with the murderer. It was a stupid move because the very next moment, my father dropped to the ground with a bullet in his skull. Before I even knew what was happening, my mother carried me in her arms and ran. I soon found myself being pushed into a storeroom of some sort. I remember being told to close the door from the inside and to never open it no matter who asked me to. At that point of time, I was too scared to disobey. Do you have any idea how many times I have replayed that moment in my head, wishing I could have redone it?" She smiled weekly. "That was the last I saw of my mother. I still wonder why she left me alone in that storeroom instead of joining me. We could have both lived. Maybe she wanted to hold him off, delay him by even a second if she could. The police arrived after what seemed like years. They had to kick the door down and they found me curled up in the corner of the room, crying my eyes out."

"I had no idea that you were there when it happened," Itachi muttered, defeated. His motives had been to simply intimidate her regarding the amount of information he had on her. But he hadn't expected this. 

She's just like Sasuke, he thought. This was a mistake.

"It was kept a secret from the media to spare me the torture. I wasn't even mentioned in any of the police reports. My uncle took me in and I had to go see a therapist. I didn't want to, at first. I mean, therapy wasn't going to bring them back. What's more is that people expected me to forgive him and forget the whole incident. They told me that hating the man would only keep me from living my life. It all sounded like bullshit to me then. Maybe it is. I don't know how people can simply get over things. It's impossible. I mean, I still haven't. But I got through it. I didn't forgive him, nor did I forget about it, but I learned to live with it. That's the best you can do, I suppose. You can accept the bad things and not let it destroy you. Then you move forward. But I'll never forget that face, or his name... Hidan."

"Then why did you help him?" Itachi bellowed. "Why did you agree to be his counsellor? He murdered your parents!"

"I had often wondered about his motive for killing all those people. I'm sure that, in his own way, he was justified. They say that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. I simply wanted him to have a future. But I also had an ulterior motive: a rather selfish one. I wanted to see him change. I wanted to see him repent for his sins, to feel remorse and regret. I wanted him to apologize, not just to me but also to the families of the other victims. It was only fair."

"You're insane!" he roared, his tone laced with a hint defeat. "People don't change!"

[Name] managed a small smile. "That may be true. But it doesn't mean that they can't grow. Now, would you still like that drink?"