15Summary: Gods don't get involved in mortal affairs for any real reason, noble or otherwise. When it really comes down to it, it's just for the sake of entertainment. Sasuke Uchiha finds this out all too well as he treads the uncertain, often rocky path to redemption. This story is AU, wherein Sasuke died as a result of his wounds at the VotE after his final battle with Naruto. Not canon-compliant after 698. Gen fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything that can be found within the Naruto universe. All copyrights of the series belong to their respective holders and I make no profit in writing this. The plot for this fanfiction however, is my own.
Chapter 2: A Different Dysfunctional Family - Fugaku
"Of all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these,
'It might have been'."
–John Greenleaf Whittier
Maud Muller – Pamphlet
Grief.
Grief has a level of devastation that no natural disaster can claim. It doesn't even have a finger to lift and yet its searing, ravaging, touch can penetrate the deepest, darkest crevices of the human heart. No vein, no chamber, nor sinew of muscle is spared. It's a form of rot that, if not stopped, decays a person from the inside….out. Grief is a staple ingredient that makes up the complex recipe that is the human experience. It's the blackest, most bitter cup of coffee that sits at life's breakfast nook that no one wishes to drink. However, it must be ingested in order to better appreciate the sweet perkiness of pancakes or the warmth of eggs, whichever style of preparation is preferred. It makes the rare syrup sweetened moments all the more savory. And for all the things it does, grief makes you tired, and no one knows that better than Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku kneeled in the traditional form known as seiza before his fellow clansmen, back straight and shoulders tense despite the fact they wanted nothing more than to wilt like two ice cream scoops on a melting sundae. They were in the chamber hidden underneath the Naka Shrine, an edifice they had been associated with and tasked with its care since its construction. It had been around since the founding days of the village, said to have been crafted by Uchiha Madara himself. Personally Fugaku thought that was a load of crock. The man was a shinobi, not an architect.
His eyes snapped into focus as a hush fell over the previously murmuring congregation. A young, long haired young man—Uchiha Inabi if his memory served him correctly—had stormed to his feet, his Sharingan eyes were red flashing rubies in the dim candlelit chamber. His form was rigid with anger, it was justified anger no doubt, but that was the most dangerous kind.
"Enough! Is this not what Madara-sama warned us of?! Look at us!" Inabi gestured—a little too dramatically really but not so over the top he would be called out for it—towards them all. "We've been reduced to nothing but rats! Scurrying around in the darkness, just trying to survive on the scraps the village deems fit to feed us! And they have even been so considerate as to put us in a monitored cage! 'Clan grounds' and 'cage' must be one and the same to them!" At his words, others began to speak up as well, though some were not as passionate or as loud, their words still bounced off the walls of the room and their eardrums.
"They watch us night and day…I spotted an anbu through my window the other night!"
"My paperwork for becoming a sensei got 'lost' again."
"Whenever I show up at a training ground, most people leave…they think I'll steal their jutsu."
Fugaku closed his eyes tiredly as the words fell on him like rain. However as soon as the 'drops' touched him, they turned into caltrops that dug into his skin with a dogged determination. Sadly some of these complaints did have some base for suspicion. Most wouldn't believe owning a clan compound would be a bad thing but it was when you weren't allowed to leave it as often as you would think. Whenever a member attempted to move out on their own, outside of the district, they faced a variety of obstacles. Getting the paperwork just to file for the move was difficult. Then there was finding an apartment building that wasn't "full" and inevitably the person moving would have to deal with uncomfortably attentive neighbors. At least living in the compound provided support from fellow family members.
"Fugaku-sama! We must do something!"
"We can't let this continue! It's a violation of the rights we were given as a founding clan of the village!"
"Talk to the Hokage!"
"Oh don't waste your breath. He and his advisors are part of the problem. We'll have to use force."
"Che. With how weak the village has gotten since the Kyuubi attack, it wouldn't be too difficult…"
"Just what are you implying?!"
"We are the most powerful clan in Konoha! Overthrowing the Hokage would be child's play."
"ENOUGH!" The room was so quiet then that rolling tumbleweed would not be remiss in the backdrop. Except for the fact it wasn't native to the area. Fugaku had stood in his anger and was glaring down at them all, reddened eyes effectively biting any lingering wagging tongues. His voice was low, dangerous like an unseen ditch that if not paid the proper attention, consequences would be suffered. "You speak so openly of treason, which only proves the validity of their suspicions!"
"Then we just sit here and do nothing?! Wait until they decide to wipe us all out?!" Inabi sneered. Fugaku was disquieted to see a few elders nod out of his peripheral vision. His worry was further compounded by the soft murmuring of agreement that rustled through the crowd as wind rustled through the grass blades of Kusa. It wasn't a majority, but it was concerning all the same. But just because people didn't speak out did not mean they felt differently from those that did.
"No. We prove their assumptions unfounded through peaceful means Inabi. Until you or anyone else comes up with a coherent plan that WON'T end in our deaths, I suggest you sit down and shut up." Even as the words left his lips he knew they held no substance, not even in his own heart. The rift between the village and the Uchiha had once been but a crack, back when Madara had abandoned the village but over the years it had deepened into a large ravine. Giving the Uchiha clan reins to the police force had been both a blessing and a curse and Fugaku wasn't entirely sure the Nidaime Hokage had been ignorant of. Sure it was a position of power, but it was an authoritative position that was feared, distrusted and loathed. The rumors that the Uchiha clan had set the Kyuubi on the village did not help their PR matters either.
As the meeting tapered off and small groups stayed behind, Fugaku felt like a shipwreck survivor. He was floating in the middle of an abyss with only a piece of wood to keep him afloat. For just as tenuous as the relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan was…so was his position of clan head. He was sinking fast and had to stop the leak before it sank all of them. Each step home felt like he was walking on water…and chakra was running out fast.
Xxxxx Some Time Later xxxxX
"Mikoto?" His tone was low and soft and despite that, it was a particularly loud thunder clap in the constant thunderstorm that rages within the house. It was a storm that holds little to no lightning, save for the brief, neurotic flashes of life that occasionally steal across his wife's eyes. She started, startled by what she perceives to be his sudden appearance and looked up to him with washed out dark eyes that used to gleam like pieces of fine polished onyx. Now, they were as dull and bleak as the remaining drops of cheap dollar store paint. Dark circles born out of exhaustion stood out like target rings around her eyes.
Fugaku found her sitting at the table, a cup of lukewarm green tea sitting in between her dainty hands, her fingers tight. Mikoto's entire frame was as frail and slight as a trim glass goblet, constantly teetering on the edge of some surface, threatening to fall—or jump—into the abyss and shatter. Her hair spoke of multiple worry induced meetings with her hand and her clothes were slightly rumpled. As it was early afternoon, the only light penetrating the bleak kitchen streamed in through the window.
"Oh….hello Dear." Her voice was somehow even softer than his, barely a raspy whisper. The smile that laced her lips had the sincerity of face paint and was wiped away with the ease of it. Her mouth became a trembling upside-down U as she bit her lower lip. "Do…you know when Itachi-kun will return?"
"…His team just checked in a little over an hour ago. They should be at the gates in less than half an hour, an hour tops." His voice held none of the resigned nature of repetition. He told her this less than twenty minutes ago but he had developed a level of patience previously thought impossible for him, so it didn't bother him as much as it previously did. Mikoto seemed to shrink in on herself a little at the reminder and nodded meekly. Hesitantly, he rubbed her back for a few scant minutes before he left her to her solitude. It was the only thing he could do.
His bare feet shuffled across the polished wooden floor, so loud…loudloudloudloud in this stillness. They dragged him, almost against his will, down the hall. Itachi's first steps echoed in his memory as ghostly toddler feet stumbled, and past 'I love you's floated in the air like a sweet fragrance. However as he neared a certain door, wailing weeping and clinical apologies soured it to a bile summoning odor. The distinct lack of infantile cries made it feel all the more hollow. Taking a deep breath, Fugaku tiredly slid the door open to reveal a vacant nursery.
Dust would have lined the living mausoleum but Fugaku was all too aware his wife spent far too much time in here. Whether it was healthy or not, it didn't matter. He couldn't—wouldn't—take this one thing away from her. The floor was a grassy green carpet and the walls a pale, barely there blue. The one window in the room was framed by royal blue curtains that were permanently drawn shut, letting in little to no light. Directly below the window laid a pristine wooden crib, the sheets perfectly made and small stuffed toys softened the corners. The mobile that dangled over it was silent and the plastic yellow stars and crescent smiling moon were motionless. Their glow-in-the-dark paint coats glowed in an eerie shade of green in the darkness.
Fugaku dared to step foot inside and waded past the piles of colorful building blocks, toy shuriken, a ball and other assortment of toys before he stood directly over the crib. He nearly stepped on the damn Jack-in-the-box and merely pushed it to the side with his foot, giving it a small glare as he did so. He picked up a small, lime green stuffed dinosaur. It had a mean upper bite and its tail was less pointy and more like a ball with fabric scales on it. The arms were pudgy and it had a goofy lopsided grin on its face. The blue bow around its neck was still there, even if its shiny patina faded.
Itachi wasn't meant to be an only child. Three years ago his wife had been pregnant with their second son, Sasuke. Fugaku had been so proud…so happy that he would have another son that would no doubt be as great as his older brother. The two would be as great as Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna and they would lead the clan into a new golden age. Looking back now, the Uchiha cursed his foolishness, his greed, his stupidity. In those days, power and the clan had been the only two things on his mind. They were placed on pedestals like idols and ones he paid far too much homage to. He had lost sight of what truly mattered…he replaced "family" with "clan" and "happiness" with "power".
Sasuke had been a stillborn. That was his much needed bitch slap to reality but Fugaku would have given anything to have the price changed. The dinosaur squeaked weakly as his grip around it tightened. The sound startled him and he looked at it before his eyes slipped closed in grief. He took a long, bracing breath and tucked it back in its tiny little corner along with a plain teddy bear and stuffed red dog. He glanced back at the door as he heard Itachi's low reassuring voice and Mikoto's soft, worrying whispers. Shutting the door behind him gently, he left down the hall. In his absence, an unexplainable breeze caught the mobile and the plastic universe began to sway, to spin…to change. The moon's grin became a little more of a smirk, a little more sinister…but perhaps…it was just the light?
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This is an interlude of sorts. It occurred around the same time Sasuke arrived in Yuki no Kuni. Sasuke will not arrive in the Hidden Leaf Village for some time, due to reasons that will be expanded upon once we check in on him again.
A few announcements: I've decided it may be best if I update every other week…simply because I'm starting to feel like I'm posting rushed work. So there will be no update next week, I'm sorry.
As for the pairings in this fic: this is a genfic. Sasuke will not be romantically involved with anyone, male or female. If there are side pairings, there are side pairings but they won't be the focus of this story.
Lastly, a huge thank you to evilsugarnazioverlord for editing this chapter.