It's All in Your Head
Author: Ladelle
Rating: M
Comments: And the plot bunny strikes again! This one is completely unplanned...but I love writing it.
Summary: Sasuke can predict the future and his parents see him as a burden. They send him off to a school for the gifted where he meets others with powers similar to his own, and deadly adversaries who want to use their psychic abilities for things less than good.
Based loosely off the Dark Visions trilogy by LJ Smith.
SasuNaruSasu
The teacher was talking, he was sure. Lips moved in an impatient way, dictating a lecture that Sasuke had no intention of absorbing. Even if he had the desire to learn more about rudimentary statistics, his vision was blurry and his breathes were coming out in short ragged gasps—symptoms he was painfully familiar with. He couldn't concentrate hard enough to keep his attention on the short statured man up front, much less take in the algebraic functions being scribbled across the dry erase board.
He closed his eyes out of habit.
It always seemed to help. If he let his guard down and just focused, the sensation would pass. That's how it had always been for him; he would feel it, he would focus, and it would pass. But this time it felt different—the brewing sensation in the back of his skull was beginning to creep forward, growing stronger instead of going dormant. He felt his hands grip the edges of his desk and he bit his lip as he felt the rush of cold mind ache reach the back of his eyelids.
A girl. He saw her, plain as day. She was sitting by a creek, two blonde pigtails bobbing on either side of her childish face, bright green eyes shadowed by thick eyelashes. Sasuke felt his breathing stagger as the pictures came faster, assaulting his mind like a strobe light in absolute darkness.
She turned around—someone was with her. She didn't look happy anymore. The wind was roaring against the pines, sending high pitched whistles through Sasuke's inner ear. The girl was screaming.
The scene changed.
He couldn't see her anymore—instead he saw a hair tie. It was on the ground—abandoned or lost, he didn't know. It was bright pink against the muddy creek bed—and oh, the water was raging. Loud and crashing—cold and tingling—Sasuke's skin broke into goose pimples at the foreign feeling of icy water gripping his nerves…and oh, God she couldn't breathe…
Sasuke's hands were gripping the desk even more tightly than before and he was gritting his teeth. Someone was calling his name from a distance but he couldn't tear himself away from the scene at hand. The water was so coarse—it was sucking him in. The girl's voice was high and frightened, calling for help but fading away. In fact, everything was disappearing…fading into the dark recesses of his mind. The sounds of wild wilderness were replaced by a small whisper of his name…though who was saying it he couldn't be sure…
"Mr. Uchiha!"
Sasuke's eyes bolted open and he glanced upwards, his expression numb and perplexed. The instructor was gaping down at him, his thin lips pursed in an uncaring curiosity. He was holding a large textbook in his hand and tapping his fingers idly against it and from around him, Sasuke heard other students laughing.
"Sleeping in my class is completely unacceptable. Remove yourself, at once."
As Sasuke slowly fazed back into reality he let his expression dim, taking on it's usual detached demeanor. He glanced around the room and felt the familiar tang of embarrassment overwhelm him, though he didn't bother to let it show. He knew he was different—that no one else saw what he saw and that no one else could ever understand.
He pulled himself up from the small desk as his teacher drifted away a girl from beside him spoke in a low tone. "What a freak."
Sasuke gathered his backpack into his hands and shuffled forward, ignoring the cynical and eager faces that examined his every step. It wasn't the first time he had experienced a vision in class, and after a short exhale of breath he committed that it wouldn't be the last.
As he crossed the teacher the older man grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. His face was wiry and wrinkled, more from stress than old age. He was tan with oily black hair and thin lips that creased at odd angles when he spoke.
"Your attention-getting games are getting old. Your father may be rich, but wealth won't save you from failing my class."
Sasuke bit his tongue. It was the only surefire way to ensure that he wouldn't verbally attack the older man standing in front of him for even offering such an offensive comment. Without a second glance at the aging man Sasuke turned towards the door and exited, light on his feet despite the weight of his book-filled bag.
For as long as he could remember, his life had been this way. Teachers always wrote him warnings about sleeping in class though Sasuke was sure they suspected it was something more. They had to of—because Sasuke was famous. And not in a good way. The kind of famous that makes young children move to empty towns where no one has ever heard of them, or the kind of famous that ends up in tabloids and cheap magazines.
Because Sasuke could see the future.
Not like sci-fi movies presented it or like phone psychics tried to claim—but he would see and feel bits of it now and then, and for the most part his sight was always dead on. Even at a young age, his visions had been nearly crystal clear.
When he was six years old Sasuke's cousin had disappeared. It had caused a huge family ordeal and the majority of the small town he lived in had pooled together resources to find the missing boy. They searched for nearly a week, but the small body of Shisui Uchiha remained undiscovered.
Sasuke hadn't been told about his cousin, merely because he was too young and his parents hadn't wanted him to share in the stress. And so, on one normal school day he drifted into his elementary art class, grabbed a box of crayons and drew. Small scratchy strokes painted a vivid picture of a valley and loose gray tones brought together the swell of a local well, smothered in greenery and flowers. He had subconsciously placed an X over it, and when his teacher asked him why, he had only said, "X marks the spot."
Nearly two days later his cousin was found—a horrible accident, they claimed—drowned in a well hidden near the back valley of the local middle school. When they showed the well on television, it was identical to Sasuke's drawing, and his parents seemed more than disturbed. His older brother had comforted him though, telling him not to worry.
A few weeks passed and his art teacher quit, unable to look at Sasuke the same. She claimed he had the devil inside of him and that he could see straight through her and people began to whisper about him when they thought he couldn't hear. That he was creepy and evil; things that children shouldn't be called.
A great deal of time had passed since then, and many visions followed. He kept most of them to himself, especially considering the rumor mill that gripped his private school like the plague. Rumors that he and his brother practiced voodoo and read tarot cards—or even more ridiculous ones stating that the Uchiha family placed curses on people they didn't like. The worst rumors were the ones that claimed that Sasuke didn't have any psychic abilities at all. Students whispered that he secretly killed people and then acted as if he had seen it, only to bring himself attention.
And if you knew Sasuke's family, this scenario could be completely plausible.
The Uchiha family was rich—and not only that, it was competitive. Every parent made as much effort to make their children seem the most promising, and at the moment, Itachi was the apple of everyone's eyes. He was tall and handsome and extremely well educated. To everyone else…he was normal.
But Sasuke knew better. His brother was far from the average college student. In fact, Itachi shared the same talents as him—he was just better at hiding them. He had taught Sasuke how to control the malevolent feelings that came with a vision and had even explained why not to speak of them. But before he could give more advice, the older boy was sent off to a private college, leaving Sasuke to fend for himself at his own prestigious high school.
It had been years since Itachi had left and Sasuke had made an effort to survive on his own. Now he didn't speak of his talent at all. He acted as normal as he could, except he refused to be social with the people around him. The more people around him, the easier his secret would be revealed. So on days like this he simply acted as though he had fallen asleep and quietly excused himself from school.
Sasuke entered the main office, prepared to sign out and leave. He had no intention of lingering until the final bell tolled, but he was sure the lady at the front desk would attempt to make him stay. It was normal for her to do so, but Sasuke had learned how to make her give up. He would simply look at her—no, look into her. She was afraid of him, and Sasuke found it amusing.
"Leaving early again?" The woman said. She was young and vivacious, with bright blue eyes and creamy skin. Her lips were bright red with a smooth lipstick and her outfit hinted that she couldn't be too much older than Sasuke. He glared at her and etched his name onto the small clipboard pad near the door. She seemed to take the hint and kept quiet, but from beside him, the door to the office drifted open and an anxious looking man bustled in. He swept straight to the receptionist, holding a manila envelope in his hand. When he spoke, his voice was low and airy.
"Geneva…there's a problem…"
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Her voice was low and crisp and the man shoved the envelope towards her, his mouth moving impatiently with words Sasuke couldn't understand. He was speaking in inaudible whispers and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
The girl opened the envelope and her eyes grew wide. "Where?"
"I don't know…" The man said, and Sasuke let his vision drift down to the papers in the girl's hand. More specifically, pictures.
Bright green eyes; blonde pigtails. A pudgy face encircling a pretty little smile. Sasuke immediately recognized her as the young girl from his vision, but he felt unaffected by it. This sort of thing happened to him on a weekly basis and he wasn't surprised. He sighed and peered up at the receptionist who seemed to have noted his interest.
"You've seen her, haven't you?" She said, and she shuffled out from behind the employee desk to him. She held the paper out to give Sasuke a clearer view and Sasuke turned around and grabbed the hilt of the door, his expression numb and uncaring.
"I don't know who she is." He said. At least it wasn't a lie.
The woman grabbed Sasuke's arm and whipped him around so that she could see his face clearly, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Her lips were pursed and her cheeks were reddening.
"Look, I….please, she's my sister. If you know where she is…"
Her voice came out in short whispers, obviously trying to hold in sobs. From beside her the older man spoke.
"She had a field trip today—to the zoo. She wasn't on the bus to come back…and she's not at the zoo."
Sasuke glared with annoyance at the older man, irritated that he was looking at him with such pleading eyes. The receptionist still clung to him desperately and Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Of course she's not. He took her to the creek."
The woman's eyes widened and she glanced back at her father who looked confused.
"Who? Who took her?" He almost demanded, and Sasuke pushed through the door, eager to get away. In his mind he scolded himself—he had said too much.
From behind him, the woman's voice pierced the hall. "Uchiha—is she—"
Sasuke gave her one last look, a cold and receptive one that answered her question. Tears spilled down her cheeks as Sasuke turned away, thankful that the bell had tolled and the halls had become infested with students leaving for the day. With halls this crowded he couldn't be followed and with the way that man was staring at him, he wanted to disappear as quickly as possible.
"Sasuke honey, we need to talk." His mother's voice was as sweet as honey and stuck to his mind like fast-holding glue. Even though her expression was sweet he could sense a nervous tension underneath it and it made him feel uncomfortable.
"Sasuke, son, have a seat." His father's voice was much more readable—strong and accusing, but strangely calm at the same time. After a few moments Sasuke sifted to the couch and sat, allowing his mother to take a seat beside him and place a soothing hand on his leg.
"Is this about Sadie?" Sasuke questioned, referring to the elementary school girl who was found drowned nearly a week and a half ago. His mother nodded and his father's lips curled downward in disapproval.
"I thought we had an agreement, Sasuke. No more of this nonsense…" His father's voice was irritated and his mother's grip tightened on him, as if expecting his father's next statement.
"You know your mother and I care for you, but this was the last straw. My company can't keep covering for you and your…problem."
Sasuke's expression fell downward. What his father was saying was the truth. When the police had asked Geneva and her father how they knew where Sadie was, they had immediately referenced the name Sasuke Uchiha. Not only had his father's corporation had to dodge accomplice to murder charges, but they had to keep the media away from the company as well.
"Honey, it's not that we don't love you—" His mother began, but Sasuke interrupted.
"It's that you don't believe me." Sasuke felt his heart beat slow and his head feel thick with tension. Somehow he had known this day would come, but a part of him felt vaguely disappointed it had arrived before he had even graduated high school.
There was a long pause before his father spoke, his baritone voice commanding the attention in the room. Sasuke glanced up and so did his mother.
"Your mother and I found you a school. A good school—meant for people with your condition."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. His condition?
"It's obvious to us that we have put too much stress on you and that's why you force yourself to…reach out in the ways that you do."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Reach out?"
His mother smiled sweetly and her eyes softened. "Sasuke, honey. It's for the best. They have therapists that will help you organize your thoughts so that you won't have to make up these…stories anymore."
Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. His parents were going to send him to a loony bin, all because they thought he was starving for attention. He didn't even understand it—especially considering his visions were always accurate. How could they think he was lying? Unless…they thought he was responsible for all fo them.
"When am I leaving?" Sasuke asked, his mind going numb again. He had no friends—it felt almost expected that he would have no family as well.
His father cleared his throat. "Tomorrow morning. It's better to get this mess cleaned up now."
Sasuke snorted. That's right. He wasn't their son, he was just a mess. And like all messes he was better cleaned by just being swept under the carpet. He frowned and stood up, his mother glancing up to him wistfully.
"We love you, Sasuke."
And Sasuke shrugged, not really believing her words. "I need to go pack."
He disappeared up the long flight of stairs and gripped his head as another vision forced its way into his mind.
Focus, he thought.
And for a moment, the pain was gone.
A/N--> I've got so many stories going I don't know what to do with myself. But when you gotta write, you gotta write!
R&R please!