WANTED: Itachi Uchiha

Nijuunana

The clock on the wall was one of two opponents Itachi had to conquer. The other was the psychologist that sat opposite him, their pen poised above the paper of their notepad. They hadn't written much, then again, he hadn't said much for them to remark upon. 

He wanted to tell them. He wanted to admit he had attempted to take his own life, and had almost succeeded. But that would be admitting he had failed - and failure was not in the Uchiha's vocabulary. In fact, even thinking about the word left a sour taste in his mouth, it coating his teeth and tongue as though he had swallowed half of Suna. 

The clock was almost upon the hour, then he'd be free to go and catch up with the paperwork that had been glaring at him from its perch on his desk. A couple more minutes, that's all he had to endure. 

"Uchiha-san, if you refuse to talk then you're not only wasting my time, but you're wasting your own as well." The psychologist sighed, taking off their glasses and setting them in their lap. "I cannot force you to talk, however until you do so I cannot assess your current psychological state and until then I cannot render you fit for duty."

Itachi blinked, opening his mouth to respond only to have the psychologist silence him with a wave of his hand. "Until you cooperate and allow me to make my assessments, I have no choice but to suspend you from active duty, with immediate effect." They stood, curling the notepad to their side in an attempt to hide the notes he hadn't even realised they'd made. 

Fuck. 

"Goodday Uchiha-san, please come back to me when you are ready to talk."

Outside Reina sat on a nearby bench, nibbling at the packed lunch Mikoto had made her. Now that she was eating again, Mikoto made sure that her hand was always occupied by some sort of sustenance; fruit or pocky, the Uchiha were determined to put the meat back on her bones. 

However seeing Itachi leave the psychologist's office made her bones shudder. 

"What did they say?" Reina asked, ignoring the bad juju vibes the elder Uchiha was giving off. 

Silence. 

Itachi didn't stop to talk, instead he allowed his feet to carry him, his head a blur of thoughts, some darker than he would care to admit out loud. 

"Itachi, stop." Reina ordered, her tone sharp but not cutting. Surprisingly, he halted. Reina took hold of his hand, looking up to gage the expression on his face: completely devoid. "Whatever they've said we'll figure it out. But right now I can't have you wandering around aimlessly whilst you're in this frame of mind, so tell me," Reina paused, squeezing his hand to make him look at her. "where do you want to go?" 

°°°

Reina didn't imagine she would find herself back at Shisui's apartment block so soon. Memories of the last time flooded her mind, the nauseous feeling that made her stomach churn beginning to convulse once again. Itachi had led the way, the entire time he never let go of her hand, as though if he let her go he would disappear from the real world and back into the darkest depths of his mind. It was at the threshold of Shisui’s apartment that Itachi finally let go of her hand; her palm slick with sweat and her fingers clammy. The jingle of keys broke her line of thought. Itachi didn’t wait for her, instead he ushered himself inside, the keys still dangling to and fro from the keyhole; Reina withdrew the keys and closed the door behind her. 

The last time Reina stood in Shisui’s apartment she hadn’t really looked as to where she stood; previously, the overwhelming scent of dust had greeted her, assaulting her nostrils and making her eyes itch whilst adrenaline made her skin stand to attention. Most of the walls were occupied by a myriad of shelves, each one housing rows upon rows of books and scrolls; occasionally a photo frame peeked out from behind a stray scroll, bright smiles watching from behind the panes of clouded glass. The sound of something hitting the floor startled Reina.