Let The Silence Be Broken
Chapter Six
Thank you so much for the feedback on the last chapter, I deeply appreciate it!
Thank you so much Knight Rider, Itachi Toriniti and Yasha for the beta. All mistakes are my own.
Chapter Six:
Uchiha Itachi awoke, slumped over the reports on his desk in the study. He had blacked out after going days without sleep while working a case for his side job.
Removing the reading glasses that pinched his nose, he frowned at the bent frames and began to straighten them out again. Such clumsiness was unlike him, yet this overwork was the norm during the holidays since it allowed the man to avoid the painful memories that the season would evoke.
While he was tidying up the reports, the door bell rang so he headed to the living room, thinking that visitors were rare this time of year. However the most unusual visitor would soon greet him. A ginger Akita sprang on him when he opened the door.
“Waa! Kurama likes you!” Naruto exclaimed, surprised the shy pup took such a liking to his sensei.
“Is he your dog?”
“Yup. I found the little guy in a box when I was coming home from school one day.”
“I just couldn't leave him there, you know?” Naruto admitted.
Without warning, the excited Akita galloped through the house, prompting his owner to chase after him. “Oi, Kurama, stop running!”
Itachi watched the two go with an amused look on his face. Well, that's a first. You couldn't have found a better owner, he thought.
Meanwhile Naruto stumbled into the study, finding his pet playing with what he hoped was anything but a book. Upon realising that it was only a baseball, he breathed a sigh of relief and picked it up. He had blown his holiday money all ready and could not afford to replace any books.
“Look what we just found,” Naruto grinned, bouncing the ball between his hands as he strode into the kitchen with Kurama trotting beside him. Forming a pitcher's stance next, he then hurled it at the Uchiha.
Catching the ball before it landed in the spinach pie, Itachi glared at the boy and opened his mouth to speak but tensed up instead.
His reality had been wrenched away by a memory that currently replayed in his mind. And there a younger Itachi was running towards a certain little leaguer at the community park in his town town.
“Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun! Can you sign this ball please?” Itachi teased, handing it over with a grin to his little brother who gasped excitedly in turn.
“Is this my home-run ball?!” Sasuke squealed, looking it over in awe.
“It sure is, didn't I promise to get it back to celebrate your first home run?”
“Unh! Thank you Itachi!” He cried, flying into his brother's arms and hugging him tightly.
“You did great out there today, Sasuke,” the older Uchiha remarked, pleased with his brother's performance at the inter-district finals.
“That's cause of our practice!” The boy declared proudly, then he skipped off to show his team-mates his new treasure.
Drawn back to the present by Kurama's whimpering, Itachi found the dog lying at his feet. Setting the ball down on the counter, he bent down and petted the pup's head.
“Itachi, are you okay?” The boy asked, wondering what caused the troubled look on the man's face.
On the other hand, guilt was gnawing at the Uchiha's conscience. For in the end, Sasuke had given Itachi that treasured ball to cheer him up, following a three-way argument with their parents during the holidays. And he repaid the gesture by losing it. Furthermore, he forgot his love of playing the game with Sasuke.
“I didn't come all the way back from my trip empty handed you know, I picked up something for ya.” Naruto said in attempt to lighten the Uchiha's mood.
“I'm still not very good at skiing though, I kept falling down,” he continued while digging out a poorly wrapped present out of his backpack.
Marching over to the Uchiha next, Naruto shoved it into his hands and waited an eternity for him to open it up.
Accordingly, the Uchiha's expression changed from sullen to surprised then to impressed, in response to his gift. He dangled a falcon charm from its chain, admiring the detail on the wings.
“Thank you Naruto,” he said quietly, looking over at the blonde who had unexpectedly good taste.
“Did you know I like birds?”
“Of course, I'm psychic!” The blonde laughed, “nah, I remembered seeing some birds set as your laptop's wallpaper the first time I came over, so I thought you probably liked them.”
Quickly grabbing the man's keys from the key rack, the eager blonde handed them to the Uchiha. “Let's put it up in your car now!”
“Let's go Kurama.”
Indulging Naruto in his rashness, Itachi followed him outside to the car but his mind was elsewhere. There was simply no way for him to avoid his memories now.
The kitchen was unusually quiet while Uchiha Itachi cooked dinner for two. He glanced at the clock often, wondering where the boy who would be now sprouting off about his day could be, as Naruto had never been late for his evening lessons.
He had just called Naruto's house with no luck when said boy turned up with a bruised face and bleeding lip, plus his jacket was torn in a few places.
“Naruto? What happened to you?” The worried man asked, watching him worriedly as he limped inside with a grimace.
“I got into a fight at school,” the blonde replied, while taking off his shoes at the mat. “So what's for dinner?”
What's with that nonchalant attitude? The man's brows lifted in inquiry before reality set in on him.
“You're not being bullied at school, are you?” The Uchiha asked, suddenly aware that Naruto could be trying to save face in front of him.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” He added after they walked into the dining room.
“No...it wasn't me,” Naruto turned and winked at him. “Some seniors were bullying the new transfer student.”
“I couldn't just stand there and watch, I had to do something to help him.”
Naruto had been strolling past the junior block after school when he heard the shouts of protest. Running into the classroom, he found the transfer student pinned against the wall by a senior, while another had been emptying the contents of his bag onto the floor.
Naturally, Naruto had yelled at them to the stop, but they ignored him. So he charged in only to receive a thrashing for his efforts, as two against one was never fair after all. But it had been enough to save the transfer student.
“It couldn't be helped,” Itachi said softly and his face revealed a hint of pride over the blonde's actions.
Catching the rare expression on the man's face, Naruto then smiled in relief at his words. Had he been expecting Itachi to be disappointed in him?
Be that as it may, he could not help but feel happy over the man's concern for him. Realising that he mattered to someone, confirmed his existence since no one would worry about a worthless person.
Pushing those pathetic thoughts to the back of his mind, he pulled out a chair. “I'm starving, who knew fighting could make you so hungry,” he grumbled.
As if coming to the rescue, Itachi put a bowl on the table and Naruto peered inside hoping to find noodles. His nose crinkled in confusion upon finding a wet cloth instead.
“Is this some kind of joke?” He asked the older man but said man kept silent and walked out of the room.
Returning to the dining room with a first aid kit in hand, Itachi removed some of its contents, walked over to the blonde and commanded him to face his direction.
Taking up the cloth next, Itachi proceeded to circle Naruto's lower lip, removing the blood there, then he applied the ointment.
It was not long before the blonde had blushed at the contact. He liked those long fingers smoothing gel on his cheek, although the skin there was tender to the touch. It was the first time someone was touching him after all and he enjoyed it.
“Th-thanks for bandaging me up, Itachi,” the boy said shyly, when the Uchiha had finished the job.
Dinner was served soon after and under dark lashes, Itachi gazed at the boy devouring his meal. Naruto's selflessness by protecting another at the cost of his budding reputation, and then dragging himself over for lessons, had stirred up something inside the man.
And it was his duty as a tutor to answer that fierce determination by guiding Naruto to achievement. Uchiha Itachi would teach the boy seriously from now on.
TBC
A/N: Naruto's determination finally reached Itachi. Thank you for reading.