Not Right For You

Chapter 17

Sasuke

I park the car and get out and jog over to her side before she can get the door.

"Charming." She smiles and looks around.

I take a staggering breath as I reach for her hand. She startles but doesn't retract her hand. I feel her warmth in my hands and walk ahead.

"Sorry." I mumble with a sheepish smile.

Should have asked her first, you baka.

I shake my head and lead her down the well travelled path and we see a clearing. 

I gulp. I have never taken someone here before. It's usually me all alone, hanging out here before I have to go back to the house.

As if sensing my nervousness, she squeezes my hand and gives me a reassuring smile. We step out of the clearing and her breath picks up at the sight

"What is this place?" She asks as she walks further, looking around at the place.

"It's called the Naka Shrine." I say as I follow her down the steps and walking across the flat land to the shrine.

There was a huge torii with the Uchiha crest on it. We bow and walk through it and see the old structure standing majestically.

She looks at me with wonder in her eyes. I smile and motion her to go in.

"Are you sure?" She asks, gulping.

I nod and lead her to the threshold and we step inside. I bow and pray for a while before hunting for a coin in my pocket.

Sakura hands me one with a hole in the middle and I smile softly. We offer it and bow again. We walk out of the shrine and I lead her around the shrine. 

I relax under the sound bustling leaves and flowing wind.

"I come here often when I have to get away. Itachi is the only one who knows that I come here often."

"I have met Itachi through Naruto. It was a passing introduction but he seemed like a good guy."

I roll my eyes. "He is as annoying as Naruto." I smile softly, "But he's the best big brother I could ask for. For all the grief he puts me through, I know he will be right by my side if I need him to be."

I stop and lead her to the shady cedar tree. I sit against the bark and Sakura sits beside me. We sit there in silence and enjoy the flowing winds for a while. 

"I- have a difficult relationship with my dad." I sigh and pause for a moment to gather the right words.

"My dad owns a construction company. We are a pretty big deal in Konoha. The Uchiha's are one of the noble clans of Konoha. And my dad is the head right now. So there's always a pressure to be good successors to the clan. There are certain expectations he has from his sons and I never seem to meet those expectations. Itachi was always the perfect heir and I struggled to meet his expectations. I think it started from there. There's this tension in our relationship because neither of us are ready to compromise and meet in the middle."

I feel her hand sliding into mine as she squeezes my hand.

"It wasn't always like this. I remember my dad being more laid back when I was a kid but that seems a thing of the past. I just want our relationship to go back to that. I want him to see me as more than an heir. I want him to see me as his son."

"Have you tried talking to him about this?"

I sigh and shake my head. "It started to change after he was appointed as the head. I didn't notice it for a while. He started working more, being less present at home, telling us to focus more on our studies. We stopped having Sunday morning breakfast together as a family, there were elders in and out of the house, more business parties. It was like he just paused my childhood and told me to grow up essentially. So I did. Cause I thought it would bring him back. When that didn't seem to happen, I grew resentful. I stopped trying to get his attention and just pulled away."