Diary Page 25: The Truth † Sasuke †

Dear Diary,

I've learned that if there is one thing in life that is important, it's those you love. There is nothing that can value as much. Because without them, what are you?

~*~*~*~

The house I approached would seem warm and welcoming to anyone in my position. Standing in the stinging rain and biting cold, shaking so much that you felt like you would fall to pieces. Anyone would be bolting for the house, ready to relish in the feeling of warmth.

Anyone but me, who knew what kind of monster lay within the house, undoubtedly waiting.

My chest ached, my stomach felt like it was about to turn inside out, and my limbs shook not only with cold as my feet dragged towards the door. A chill swept through my body, the familiar of finality that calmed me slightly.

I stopped outside the door, fingering my necklace underneath my jacket, as if it would provide me with strength. Drawing in as much air as I could, I grasped the door knob, and slowly pushed the door open. The blast of heat did not warm my chilled body. I had to fight to close the door, the wind desperately trying to make its way into the warm Hanako house.

I cringed as the door made an unpleasant slam when the gust of wind faltered under the force of my pushing. I froze, my muscles locked as I listened. I heard the steady ticking of the wall clock on the wall, the soft hum of the heat coming from the air vent, the mumbling voices coming from the television. Other than those things and the erratic beating of my heart pulsating in my ears, I heard nothing.

But he was here, and I knew it. I could sense his presence in the house hold, making the deceiving atmosphere colder, more eerie.

My green eyes swept slowly across the living room to my left, the dining room to my left, and up the staircase. But I saw no one.

I quietly removed my shoes and my jacket, hanging it on the hooks beside the door. My feet made no sound as I took a few steps away from the door. My heart beat faster when I heard nothing. Holding my breath, I stepped towards the staircase with the hope that maybe my father was asleep in his bedroom.

I hesitated, grabbing hold of the rail on the stairs, ready to make a mad dash for my room and lock the door.

“Welcome home.”

I lurched forward, catching myself on the stair rail when I heard the voice from behind me. My breath came out in shallow gasps as I turned my head.

My father’s auburn hair was wet and smelled of shampoo, as if he’d recently taken a shower. His face cleanly shaven and dressed in a grey sweater and jeans. His handsome face was twisted into an amused grin, one that sent paralyzing fear shooting up my spine.

My eyes wide with fear, I gasped, “F-father.”

I squeaked when his calloused hand struck my cheek, sending me back into the door way. It stung, but was dull compared to the fear. I used the door handle for support as I struggled to stand, all of my fight-or-flight instincts in over drive. My eyes darted around for any means of escape. But he was too close now.

“Where were you?” his tenor, honey like voice gave away nothing but curiosity, but his eyes blazed malignly.

My mouthed open, but no sound came out as he stopped in front of me.

I gasped when he grabbed my face in one of his hands roughly, his hazel eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Well?” I shut my eye as his vile smelling breath wafted into my face, burning my eyes. I pulled me closer. I grabbed his hand, which was trembling from the control it took to keep himself from crushing my jaw.

I couldn’t give him answers otherwise, right?

Growling, he threw me to the ground, and I knocked my head on the wall, dazing me for a moment.

“Do I have to ask a third time?” he asked as he grabbed me by my wrists, dragging me to my knees.

“I-I was . . . “ my mind reeled as I tried to come up with an excuse.

I couldn’t possibly tell him that I took a trip with my friends without his permission, not that he’d allow me to go.

Because if I told him that, he would immediately jump to the conclusion that I had told someone about him, and would force me to give names.

Oh God, anything but that.

I could live with it if it was only me, if I was the only one punished.

But if my father hurt someone close to me- one of my friends- because of my carelessness, I would never forgive myself. Rambunctious Naruto, headstrong Tenten, flirtatious Kiba, shy Hinata. . .Sasuke. And all of my other gang mates. Hell, even Ino and Sakura.

All of them were important to me.

“I. . . I was. . .” I spluttered again, feeling panic rise in my throat.

My father ran a teasing finger from my cheek to my chin, a grotesque smirk on his handsome face. I shuddered.

“You were. . . ?” he purred.

I was. . . what?

What was I doing all day?

“I. . . was . . .” I gulped. “L-looking for a job!” I burst out, suddenly remembering my dwindling stash upstairs.

My father blinked.

“A job?” he smirked. “Well then, I suppose I can’t be angry with that.” His voice was soft, very controlled.

I didn’t like it.

“Why were you so late?”

“My last interview was long, and then I took the long way home because I was being followed by a gang. . . They left me alone after a while though. I’m so sorry, sir.” I answered instantly, hope rising in my chest.

My father ran a hand through his hair, looking up nonchalantly at the ceiling.

“I see. . . Well, I suppose that I could let it pass this one time.” He said thoughtfully, though his tone held a mocking undertone. I swallowed nervously, watching his every movement.

His movements were fluid and certain as he brushed passed me to my dripping wet coat. Glancing at me with his piercing hazel eyes, he reached into one of my pockets, fishing around in it as if searching for something. I felt my heart beat quicken, dread rising in my throat. In that pocket, he withdrew a napkin. . . A Subway napkin that I had stuffed in there after lunch at the food court in Southern Washington D.C.

The hair raised on the back of my neck.

We had no Subway in Konoha.

Smirking, my father reached into my other pocket, quickly withdrawing a soggy pamphlet. On it was a message from the Yuuhi Skating Rink owners and information on a skating camp that would be taking place this summer. Asuma had gotten for me after Sasuke and I had returned from the trail in case I was interested.

I could feel all of the color drain from my face as my father turned to me, his eyes narrowed and glittering with anger, contradicting the sick smile on his face.

I shrank back against the wall, turning my head away from him as he approached, biting my lip.

“So, where exactly did you go again?” his voice was an octave lower than usual, coming out in a sinister hiss.

I didn’t get the chance to speak before he had lunged at me, pinning me to the wall by my throat with his elbow while twisting my arm painfully.

I let out a strangled cry of pain as he crushed my windpipe, gasping for air. His face got really close to mine, glaring into my fearful eyes.

“Why would you lie to me? It concerns me.” He hissed, pressing harder onto my throat.

I couldn’t draw in enough air to whimper.

My father threw me to the ground, kicking me in the hip. I drew in a breath full of air and released it in a hoarse cry.

“Tell me, were you with anybody?” his inquiry was still calm, his anger not to the point of fury yet.

I coughed violently, unsurprised to cough up a small amount of blood as I struggled to my hands and knees. I clutched my hip as it ached horribly.

“No.” I said hoarsely.

“Oh, really?”

My heart leaped into my throat as his calloused fingers ran up my shoulder, pinching the green fabric of my shirt he plucked something off of it.

I heard his voice shake with rage as he shoved a single hair in my face.

A beautiful, sleek, raven colored hair.

“I don’t suppose that this is one of your hairs?”

My fingers dug into the carpet beneath my, my whole body beginning to shake with trepidation as my father circled around me, absolute fury evident in every tensed muscle in his burly body.

And suddenly, I found myself flying into the opposite wall, an explosion of pain coming from my rib cage. I groaned, clutching the source of the pain. My father was beside me in an instant.

“Why do you lie to me?” he growled, grabbing my hair, pulling me upward. I scrambled to my knees.

I gasped as he kicked me again in the back, causing me to cry out in agony.

“WELL?!” he screamed, stomping on my head, scrambling my thoughts.

He pinned me to the ground, digging one knee into my back, while his hands shoved my face into the floor and twisted my arm. I squirmed, trying to breathe better, and twist my arm in a proper direction.

“Who the fuck was with you, you little bitch?” he snarled, twisting my arm until I thought it would pop out of its socket.

I cried out in agony.

Through the pain, I continuously told myself to keep my mouth shut. I bit my lip, tears slipping from my eyes as the pain in my back and arm worsened.

“No one.” I gasped.

My father clenched his jaw, squeezing my arm until the blood could no longer flow to my fingers.

“Then, I suppose that I’ll have to force you to talk.” He sneered, the grotesque grin back on in his face.

He chuckled darkly as he twisted my arm with as much force as he could.

I let out I high pitched shriek of agony.

|:|

The vast emptiness of the Hanako compound was slightly disturbing, reminding me cruelly of my own. However the feeling disappeared as I gazed at the single lit, undoubtedly warm home.

I ducked into the bushes outside her house, the storm never ceasing its screaming. Crouching low, I bolted to the nearest window, all instincts on high alert. My body was familiar with the cautious way my body moved, reacting the same way it did when I was on a mission. The adrenaline pulsating through my limbs made everything much more sharp, made time go by so quickly. Every sound was a cause for suspicion.

There was a car in the front driveway, no doubt Azami’s father’s, which made me have second thoughts about coming here. If her father was here, she would be alright, correct?

I thought so, at least.

Frowning, I pressed myself against the wall beside the window and slowly craned my neck over my shoulder to peer in.

I saw the living room. For the first time I realized that I had never seen the inside of Azami’s home. My eyes swept across the cream colored floors and robin’s egg and brown décor. I saw Azami’s jacket hanging up beside the front door, her shoes in the doorway. The warmth of the house was tempting, the steam of my breath on the window unbelievably taunting.

There was nothing amiss, I thought. . . . until I saw a splash of color, a shocking contrast to the light carpet.

Bright red. Only a few spots, but my eyes didn’t miss it.

‘Is that. . . blood?!’ I thought in alarm, the hair rising on the back of my neck as my suspicions were yet again raised.

The stupid little voice in my head was smug, I could tell.

A sudden crash nearly made me jump, my heart skipping a beat. Alarmed, I crept carefully to the side of the house, edging my way to another window. However, all caution was momentarily thrown away when I heard a piercing scream above the wailing wind.

The first thing I registered as I peered in this window was the enraged, frightening tenor voice shaking the panes of the glass.

“YOU BITCH! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?!” the ear shattering voice held so much menace and malicious intent that it was sickening.

More sickening still, much to my horror given the circumstance was a small, utterly terrified girl who stared up at a large man in fear. He towered over her, flexing his thick bands of muscle. She backed away from him, trembling with fear.

She ducked her head, her bleeding lips moving quickly, her voice too quiet for me to hear.

“SHUT UP!” the man screeched, backhanding the much smaller girl across the face.

He was almost a foot and a half taller than she was, with dark auburn hair and hazel eyes that glittered with malice

I had to bite back a cry of horror as the man did the unthinkable, something that I couldn’t imagine someone could do to their own relative, their daughter, no less!

Azami’s thin frame crashed to the floor painfully as the despicable man’s large fist smashed into the side of her head. The periwinkle haired girl curled up into a ball at his feet, clutching the side of her face as she groaned in pain. Bright crimson liquid oozed through her fingers.

All of my muscles locked as a violent torrent of emotions knocked the wind out of me, made me dizzy.

Rage, confusion, fear, shock.

I clenched my jaw, grounding my teeth together so forcefully that it hurt. My fists clenched and my limbs trembled as Azami, the girl I had held in my arms just hours ago, whimpered, trying to crawl away from the sick monster that laughed at her pain as he approached her. A snarl so very nearly ripped from my throat as he yanked her up roughly by the arms and began to shake her violently, his grip so tight that her arms began to turn purple.

Her emerald eyes held so much fear and pain, that I felt the compelling, almost painful urge to reach out to her, to bust in the house and beat the shit out of this man that dares call himself her father.

“YOU THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD RUN AWAY FROM ME, DIDN’T YOU!?”

Azami looked away from him, trying not to cry as she moved herself in a way that made her less vulnerable.

“ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!” Azami’s father- the vile beast- roared in fury, turning her around and slamming her into the wall by my head.

My breathing hitched and I remained absolutely still, praying that he wouldn’t see me.

He pressed his full weight on her back as he clutched one of her arms in his hand. Rage flodded my system when I noticed the strange way it hung from her shoulder. Dislocated.

I watched as Azami fought for air, her face twisted in pain.

“N-no.. . . I . . .w-wasn’t” she managed to gasp out as he gave a hank on her dislocated arm. She whimpered.

“Then who were you with?” The red-haired man hissed by her ear.

I held my breath as I registered the hidden threat that the words entailed.

“N-nobody.” Azami wheezed as her delicate figure was crushed to the wall. She coughed.

“YOU LYING BITCH!” her father bellowed as he shoved her to the ground again, slamming his foot into her rib cage with as much force as he could exert.

I bit my own finger until in bled to muffle the roar of absolute fury as Azami cried out in agony. The sound was worse than knives puncturing my chest. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My vision flashed red as hundreds of carefully studied diagrams of how to torture someone to death ran through my head. But not even the most viscous plan would be too horrible for this man. This man needed to die in the worst way possible and sit in the seventh circle of hell. I would send him there personally and deliver him to Satan on a silver platter.

Azami’s face twisted in torture as she clutched her side.

The hatred I had for this man rivaled mine for Itachi’s.

Whatever Azami had done in the past, I could not picture her doing anything that would earn such punishment as this.

Azami screamed with pain when her father slammed his foot into her petite rib cage, again, and again, and again.

Rage like I’ve never felt before licked at my limbs like hungry flames, engulfing my heart in an inferno of hatred until the world was completely crimson.

“I’ll ask you again, wench.” He nudged her dislocated arm, making her groan into the carpet. “WHO WERE YOU WITH?! If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out another way, and then you know what will happen to them-”

“NO! No, don’t hurt them, please.” Azami begged, great tears dripping down her bruised and bloodied cheeks.

My eyes widened in both disbelief and horror. She was more worried about our well being that her own right now?!

The bastard smiles in satisfaction before knocking her onto her back, and stomping onto her stomach. A feral snarl ripped from my throat as Azami gasped, agonized sounds that I’d never even heard before sounding in her throat. She coughed up a mouthful of scarlet liquid as her delicate frame curled up into a ball.

“WHO?!”

But she only bit her lip and didn’t answer, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her head defensively.

The red-haired man’s face reddened with rage, his hazel eyes blazing as he flexed his thick bands of muscle.

“Get up.” He hissed, yanking Azami up by her good arm.

She looked as though her legs would give out because of the pain she bore, but fear drove her onward as she was forced up the steps.

I couldn’t move. The torrent of emotions was so violent that I could barely see. I felt light headed after awhile, and it was only then that I realized that I hadn’t been breathing.

I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly through my nose so that I could remain calm, though my limbs still trembled.

“AND YOU ARE NOT ALOUD TO EAT, NOR STEP OUTSIDE THIS ROOM UNTIL I TELL YOU TO!”

I jumped when I heard that slam of a door, the vibrations shaking the glass again. Tiny vibrations pulsed through the window and wall as footsteps descended down the stairs.

My narrowed eyes followed the filthy bastard’s classily dressed figure as he approached the front door, grabbing his car keys and coat. As he opened the door, I pressed myself closer to the side of the house, craning my neck so that I could look over my shoulder towards the driveway. Azami’s father turned to lock the front door, and took a mental note as he hid it in the fern above the porch. I watched, holding my breath as he lit a cigarette, and unlocked his doors of his car (a brand new, red Ferrari). He sped out of the driveway precariously.

As soon as he had disappeared into the storm, I sprinted to the front door, fishing around in the fern for the house key. The wind was worse at the front of the house, since there was nothing there to block its viscous torrent.

I fumbled with it in the darkness as I unlocked the door with numbing hands.

Shuddering at the blast of heat, I entered the now quiet house.