WANTED: Itachi Uchiha

Nijuushi

Reina always woke up at the crack of dawn after drinking. It was a rare occurrence. She never usually drank, but last night had been an exception. She didn't drink to get a buzz or to feel merry. She drank because she didn't want to feel anything. The most precious person in her life was gone forever, why would anyone want to feel such a monumental loss, willingly? 

The only plus side to being an Hitori who possessed the Soujuu bloodline was that she physically couldn't have a hangover. Her body, using its molecular magic, would filter out the alcohol way before it had the chance to make her headache and stomach gurgle. So when she awoke the next day, it still dark outside, Reina felt physically right as rain. 

Emotionally was another story. 

Itachi was still out cold behind her, he having the same idea of wanting to drink away any emotional integrity he had left. They weren't wrapped in each other's arms despite their close proximity, in fact they slept back to back, their feet the only body parts to become tangled. 

Thankfully the Elder Uchiha didn't snore, unlike his brother. But despite the lack of roaring snores, Reina was awake. Wide awake. Glancing over Itachi's shoulder, Reina spied the time on the clock: 5.30am. She scowled, rubbing the palms of her hands into her eyes. She'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. 

She wondered how the younger Uchiha was faring, whether he was still out for the count or whether he had rolled over despite the pillow fort she had built against his back. 

Might as well go check. She pondered, trying to shimmy off the bed without waking Itachi. Success. The Elder Uchiha remained out cold, stealing her half of the quilt as soon as she vacated the bed. 

"Thief." Reina whispered, tempted to rag the quilt off of him in spite. She didn't. He had been through enough without her stealing his quilt as well as his bed. Instead she  headed out to check in on Sasuke, her feet sticking to the wooden floorboards. 

Dotted about the hallway were an abundance of family photos, a literal timeline of the family's history. There were photos of a younger Fugaku and Mikoto, they both possessing the same, sultry glints in their dark eyes. A clear Uchiha trait as when she looked at photos of the two boys they too had inherited their parents alluring eyes. 

Yet the thing she noticed the most was how Itachi's eyes died over time. In the photos of his youth, his eyes, although dark, were bright and so full of life. It was as he got older that his gaze dimmed, they becoming mere black sockets. He truly was a dead man walking. Any spark that he had once possessed was gone. Evaporated before her eyes. 

It was truly heartbreaking. 

Reina tried not to linger for too long, her chest aching at the photographs. When she entered Sasuke’s room, the young raven was busy throwing up in a bin. 

"Nice. Very classy." Reina whispered, her tone clearly amused as she handed him a nearby towel. 

"I hate you." Sasuke groaned in between retches, gladfully accepting the towel. "I'm never going out with you again."

Reina chuckled and climbed into bed behind him, rubbing his back as he continued to vomit up his Bloody Mary and tomato. "No you don't. You love me really."

Sasuke groaned in response. 

"What's going on?" Itachi asked from the doorway, he rubbing his eyes and yawning. 

"Sasuke’s dying." Reina whispered. 

"I hate you both." Sasuke hissed. 

Itachi rolled his eyes and crawled into bed beside Reina, instantly making himself comfortable. Reins pulled some of the quilt off of Sasuke, handing it to Itachi who nodded in thanks. "I just came in to see if he was ok." Reina replied, continuing to rub Sasuke’s back in soothing circles. 

"I'm obviously not ok." Sasuke spat, groaning as he lay back down. "And why the fuck are you both in my bed."

"It's bigger." Itachi replied nonchalantly, adjusting the pillow beneath his head. 

"And comfier." Reina added. "No offence, Itachi." Itachi hummed in agreement.

"Well shut up and let me sleep." Sasuke muttered, closing his eyes to stop the room from spinning. 

"Sleep Tight, Sasuke-kun."

"Fuck off."

°°°

"Are they dead?" Mikoto asked, leaning against the door frame. 

"No." Fugaku replied. "But they will be when I'm through with them." He added, his brows furrowed together. "Drinking my secret sake."

"It's not exactly secret, Dear." Mikoto replied, a light chuckle passing her lips. "I mean you keep it behind the water scrolls. It's hardly a revelational hiding space."

Silence.

"Exactly." Mikoto chimed, kissing her husband on the cheek as a consolation prize. "It's not as though they drink it every week. It was a hard day for them all, especially Reina." Mikoto quietened. 

"She done well." Fugaku replied, watching as Reina turned over in her sleep and hugged Itachi, Sasuke mirroring her action and hugging her. "I'm glad we made her stay." Mikoto nodded. "The boys seem to be good for her." 

"And vice versa."

Fugaku nodded in agreement. "Especially Itachi." The pair stood in silence, watching their Elder son wrap a protective arm around the Hitori Heiress, his hair sprawles in every direction. "He's home a lot more now that Reina is here. It's been nice to have him home. Even if the three of them bicker like siblings." He smiled a rare smile, wrapping an arm around Mikoto and kissing the top of her head. 

"Makes you broody, doesn't it?" Mikoto sighed, feeling like a lovestruck teenager all over again. 

"I would say three children is quite enough." Fugaku replied, playfully nipping at his wife's neck. A rare moment of affection that earned him a squeal of delight. 

"Let's go make breakfast." Mikoto said, straightening her yukata and Fugaku's unruly hair. "They'll soon wake up when they smell the bacon."

"I'll be surprised if they can stomach anything after the amount they've drank." Fugaku noted. 

"Well, then," Mikoto smiled. "more bacon for us."