Contrition [Itachi Uchiha x Reader]

#32: Conversation

"You have got to be kidding me!" [Name] watched in horror as her car was engulfed by people meandering up and down the busy street outside Ōtsutsuki Engineering Inc. Bright banners and posters with the words ELECTRONEXPO-2017 covered every inch of the glass building. Kiosks and stalls were lined with items on display. A man in the middle of it all stood atop a raised platform as he explained the features of the new V-12 engine, with the crowd meticulously hanging onto his every word. A giant plasma screen outside the building periodically flashed the words "Special Guest: Mayor Shimura!" in a large font.

"Oh I forgot that this was today..." Sasuke remarked, dejected. "What do we do?"

[Name] was too awestruck to speak. Before she could contemplate a solution to this new found predicament, a sharply dressed man tapped on her window. "Are you here for the expo, miss?"

"No."

"Well then, the road's closed. I suggest you go around."

No shit, Sherlock. "Thank you."

"Do we come back tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, as the car reversed onto another street.

"Tomorrow might be too late. We need to talk to Shisui now." Much to her joy, she found an empty parking spot opposite a clothing store.

"How do you plan on drawing him out?" he asked.

"I'm not." She unbuckled her seat belt. "You are."

"And what if someone sees me?"

"If anyone asks..." she said, rummaging through her glove compartment. "...you're here to invite your cousin to your wedding. Perfectly normal."

"Yes, that's plausible," he deadpanned. [Name] noticed how he was trying to mask his nervousness with dry humor. She wondered if involving Sasuke was a bad idea, and what Itachi would think if he ever found out.

If this ends badly, I may never know.

As she watched Sasuke leave her side, she subconsciously ran her hand over the bruise on her wrist that Obito was kind enough to leave her with.

"Look at what he's done to you!"

TenTen had gone MIA after her last text and she had received no word from Hinata. A few good hours is all she had before the public got word of Itachi's return.

A police car whizzed past her stationary vehicle, sirens blaring. Danzō, the man who tried to have me killed, is going to be here.

Sasuke and Shisui appeared in her rear view mirror, seemingly engaged in deep conversation. At the sight of the silhouette of the woman in the driver's seat, Shisui's expression contorted to one of pure horror. He began to retreat in a desperate attempt to return to the safe confines of his office building, but by the look of it, Sasuke had quite the death grip on him.  "Five minutes," she heard Sasuke say.

Defeated, the older Uchiha begrudgingly got into the car. "I told you not to come here."

"Things have changed," she replied. "Itachi has been arrested. They're probably transferring him as we speak."

Shisui clenched his fist. "Arrested? The last thing I heard was that he was abducted by gangsters."

"Yes and no. We don't have the time to talk about that. His Parole Hearing is on Monday which means we have less than forty-eight hours."

"To do what?"

"That brings me to my next agenda. Do you know a good criminal lawyer?"

"I'm not helping you until you tell me what's going on!" Shisui bellowed, infuriated. "How the hell did Itachi get arrested? Where were you? Why haven't I heard from him in weeks?" Sasuke seemed taken aback by his usually docile cousin's sudden outburst.

[Name] studied him carefully before speaking. "Shisui, you have every reason to doubt me but all you need to know right now is that we need to reopen the case from ten years ago."

"How do we do that?" Sasuke interjected. "And shouldn't we be worrying about his Parole Hearing first?"

"There's nothing we can do about the hearing. It was a blatant disobedience of his Parole conditions. But if we manage to reopen the case, we might be able to get a stay on the heari-"

"And what makes you think they would just agree to reopen an already decided case?"

"In light of the new evidence, coupled with the fact that there was collusion between the police and the actual perpetrator, they won't have a choice but to order a retrial."

"What new evidence?" Sasuke asked.

[Name] turned towards Shisui. "Tell him. Tell him how Itachi was intoxicated when he shot his parents. Tell him how he was under the influence of the drug, Scopolamine."

The blood drained out of Shisui's face.

"You've know all this time, haven't you? You knew it but you didn't tell anyone. Why?"

Shisui swallowed hard. "I can't... talk here. I have to get back..." He seemed to be having a moral dilemma as he alternated between leaving and staying.

Sasuke placed a stern arm on his shoulder. "Shisui."

"I can't talk here," he repeated. "Meet me at my apartment at two."

[Name] shook her head. "It's too dangerous. I know a better place. Do you know where Might Gai lives?"

"That's like a four hour drive from here! I can't get away for that-" One look from Sasuke silenced him. "Fine."

"Oh and about that criminal lawyer, I suggest you bring one along."

"Yes yes, now go!" he said, exiting the vehicle. "And do not come back here again!"

"That depends on the degree of your cooperation."

*

"How did you know?" Sasuke asked, as they left the city behind and proceeded towards the more peaceful side of Konoha. "Did you actually manage to get my brother to talk?"

"I didn't have to," she replied with a wink. "He talks in his sleep."

Sasuke's expression instantly turned into one of disgust. "Did you two...ever...?"

[Name] cast him a confused look. "Use your words, Mr. Uchiha." 

"Sleep...together..." The words seemed to cause him physical pain.

"What? No! Well in the literal sense, yes. We shared a bed-" she paused, realizing how it could be misinterpreted. "Not like that! I mean, you have no idea...there was a snake and...I mean a real snake, not a- I mean-"

"Please stop talking."

Not a single word was uttered throughout the rest of their journey.