Chapter 28

Suiren kept her eyes closed as she yawned, not wanting to face reality just yet. She turned to her right side to shift into a more comfortable position, but her face was met by the impact of a soft thing, and something else wrapping over her waist.

"Ung?" Suiren frowned, then opened her eyes. What greeted her was the sight of a black shirt with a fishnet detail over the chest area. Itachi. Suiren glanced up to see his watchful eyes staring back at her. The moment she did, everything that had happened that morning came back to her. From grocery shopping, to the encounter with Eito and his shinobi, then Itachi saving her, and then their-

"Ah."

Suiren blushed immediately and impulsively tried to get away from Itachi's embrace, but he pinned her to the mattress, positioning himself so that she was trapped in between his arms and legs. The two stayed in that position for a few seconds, staring at each other's eyes in silence.

Suiren almost forgot to breathe as Itachi slowly bent down, bringing his face closer while maintaining eye contact. Their noses briefly touched, then he moved upwards to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead, causing a shiver to run through her whole body. His lips stayed on her forehead for a long time, before he finally moved away and looked Suiren at the eyes again, giving a soft smile.

"It's not a dream," He said loftily, his sentence snapping Suiren back into reality. Tears formed near the corner of her eyes as she soaked in the meaning of his words.

"Really?" She tentatively asked in a small voice.

"Really."

"You're telling the truth…?"

"I am."

"But… How?"

Itachi's heart winced a little when he saw the confusion in her expression. Suiren frantically tried to form a logical conclusion in her mind, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. In a split second, she felt herself being lifted from the bed and into Itachi's embrace, her hands and cheek against his chest. His touch was warm and soft, bringing a calming effect to her turbulent mind.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize my feelings," He started. "Truthfully, it's been mutual since a long time ago. I just held myself back because someone like me doesn't deserve this kind of happiness, and it might put you in danger. But now, I don't want to regret anymore. Will you accept me, Suiren?"

Suiren buried her face even farther into Itachi's chest. "You already know my answer."

Itachi's smile grew. "This time, I won't be holding myself back anymore," He promised as he ran his hand through Suiren's hair, twirling the rare red around his finger. "I'll make up for the lost time and prove myself with my actions, alright?"

"… Okay."

"Then from today, we're officially lovers."

Suiren returned Itachi's gesture by wrapping her arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. The two stayed in the position a bit longer, the room silent except for the sound of their breathing, until Suiren had to break the silence because she couldn't take the heat anymore.

"What time is it?" She asked as she finally loosened her grip on her beloved.

"Just in time for dinner."

"Oh, it's already night time…?" That explains my grumbling stomach. "We shouldn't be late."

"Hn."

The whole time at the table, Suiren felt as if she were floating. The world seemed to be in a dreamlike state, and her chopsticks froze midair as she suddenly remembered Itachi's words, the memory unconsciously bringing a smile to her lips.

The flowery atmosphere surrounding her was too much for everyone at the table; it was as if they were being blinded by some invisible light. A flurry of side glances was exchanged across the table, but nobody knew the reason for Suiren's behavior. Only Itachi acted normal, holding his rice bowl gracefully.

"Argh, I can't take it anymore!" Deidara yelled as he sprang from his chair, creating a scratching sound as the wooden legs scraped across the floor. "I'm eating in my room, yeah!" He huffed as he grabbed his bowl and stomped off.

Suiren snapped out of her trance just as Deidara disappeared into the hallway.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. All she received were mixed stares of disbelief.

"I wonder if the world is ending soon…" Sasori shook his head as he placed his empty dishes into the sink and left. The others followed him with thoughtful expressions, leaving only Suiren, Itachi, and Kisame at the table now.

Kisame eyed the two, then grinned. "I think I might be the only one with an idea," He chortled, then stood as well. "Well, I guess I'll leave you two alone now. Don't get ahead of yourself, Itachi. I'm not sure how thin these walls are…"

Itachi rolled his eyes as Kisame's laugh echoed in the hallway.

"What's he talking about?" Suiren asked.

"Nothing. Are you done?" Itachi changed the subject. Suiren looked down at her half-eaten bowl, and quickly stuffed the rest of its contents into her mouth, swallowing with a little difficulty.

"Done."

Itachi resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "Let's return to my room then."

Since it was nearing summer, it was still light outside, so the two spent some extra time together instead of returning to their respective quarters. Suiren opened up a botany book about poisonous plants, while Itachi sat in his chair as usual with a book about forbidden jutsus. But not even a few minutes had passed when Itachi noticed a certain someone's stare on him.

"Do you need anything, Suiren?" Itachi smiled gently as he turned to face her. Suiren's face blushed as she realized she had been caught looking since the beginning.

Itachi waited, but Suiren remained silent. It reminded him of the times when they had first met. Suiren had kept silent for the most part, and only talked when he spoke to her first. She had really changed throughout the moments they had spent together. She was also more open with her expressions. Well, he could say the same for himself.

Itachi closed his book. "Why don't we take a break today?" He suggested as he rose from his seat.

"?" Suiren stared in confusion as he sat on his bedside instead.

"Come here, Suiren," Itachi beckoned to her.

Suiren's heart skipped a beat as she drew closer. How could she go against his wishes when he was asking with such a gentle voice and sweet smile? She sat next to him, but Itachi pulled her shoulders until she was laying on his lap. Suiren immediately grew stiff, and stared and Itachi accusingly.

"Relax," Itachi smirked as he leaned his face over hers. Suiren could feel his hair tickling her cheeks, and the only thing she could do to distract herself was stare into Itachi's seemingly endless irises.

"-ful," She mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Beautiful."

"Yours are, as well."

Suiren felt that the more she stared, the more she was drawn into those black orbs. It was as if she was being sucked into them, as if they were tempting her to be mesmerized forever. She wouldn't have minded it if it really happened. But Itachi brought her out of her dream with his next words.

"Suiren."

"Huh?"

"Do you think… you would be able to tell me about your past now?"

Suiren blinked. It was an unexpected question that had slightly ruined the peaceful and sweet atmosphere. She supposed he had been curious the whole time, but had been respectful enough to not ask until now.

"I…" Suiren lifted herself up from Itachi's lap, sitting upright while facing away from him. She had always been planning to tell him someday, but now that that time had arrived, she didn't know what to say. Her heart felt a pang as she recalled her childhood. Even though she had two personas inside her, it would be a lie to say that her experiences as a child in the shinobi world didn't affect her at all. The hurt that she felt as Suiren before her memories returned were also a part of her.

"If you don't want to, it's alright," Itachi tried to console Suiren when she didn't reply. He was slightly disappointed, but he didn't want to push her to say anything against her will.

"No, it's not that, Itachi-kun," Suiren said quietly. "It's just…" She smiled ruefully. "I'm not quite sure how to tell it to you…"

Itachi could hear the unsteadiness of Suiren's voice and the slight trembling of her body. Was her childhood really that painful?

"Suiren, look at me," Itachi coaxed her as he calmly took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him. Suiren slowly locked eyes with his, her face grim.

"It's okay. I'm here with you now. Nothing can get to you now that you're with me. Do you trust me?" He asked seriously.

Suiren pondered over his words, then nodded. She visibly relaxed at his soothing words. Of course, this wasn't like back then. Even if Shisui wasn't here anymore to comfort her, she had Itachi-kun now.

Suiren leaned into Itachi's arms, her cheek resting against his cheek and one hand grasping his shirt.

"Okay, I'm ready," She took a deep breath and exhaled. "You see, it started when I was three years old… Actually, it would be easier for me to just show you my memories with my Mangekyo."

"Are you sure?" Itachi asked in surprise.

"Yea, I'll be okay since you'll be with me. And I'm sure you would like to see Shisui as well."

"I'll be holding you the entire time."

"… Hn."

Suiren grip on Itachi's shirt tightened as she activated her red genjutsu and stared at Itachi. And just like that, they had gone back to the time when she was thrown away into the Hyuuga household. The memories all passed by, to the time she spent training at the Hyuuga's, to when she was almost forcefully branded with the curse and awakened the Sharingan, and then when she was thrown back to the Uchihas and trapped in the secret room. Itachi clenched his hands in anger when he saw the scenes unfold. He felt a fire raging in his heart as he saw the young Suiren get abused. Even he had received love as a child, but she had received none of it since the beginning. It broke his heart to see her pass the days sitting expressionlessly against the wall.

Suiren could feel his grip tightening on her hand. She rubbed his hand soothingly.

"It gets better," She promised.

The next scenes were filled with Shisui. Itachi saw Shisui's surprised expression as he discovered Suiren, and his earnest efforts to bring her as much joy as possible. Then came the part where Suiren awakened her special ocular jutsu and spent her days watching his and Shisui's activities. They also saw the day of Suiren's birthday, where she had received Itachi's stolen hair-tie as a gift.

"Ahh, I forgot about this part… How embarrassing," Suiren blushed.

Itachi was incredulous. Now he understood why she would say confusing things about knowing everything about him and being on his side from the beginning.

But the fluffy atmosphere immediately took a dark turn as Suiren's memories finally reached the end, with Shisui entering her room the night of the Uchiha Massacre.

"Ah," Suiren unconsciously took a step back as she saw Shisui's bloody face. The couple watched as Shisui made kid Suiren agree to his promises, then sealed her in the casket. Then the dimension turned black, signifying that she had entered her coma state.

The two returned to reality. Itachi sat stunned for a few seconds, then snapped out of his thoughts to check on Suiren. She was very pale, and her face had a horrified expression and a thin layer of sweat. Her palm had turned stark white from gripping his shirt so tight.

"Suiren. Suiren!" Itachi grabbed her hand, and the action woke Suiren from her daze.

"Ah, Itachi-kun… I… Huh?" Suiren started, then stopped as tears suddenly poured down her face. She couldn't stop the flow of tears. All she could do was sit quietly and cry. "I'm sorry…" She mumbled out as the two faced each other. "I guess… I'm just so relieved that I was finally able to tell someone my story."

"Suiren…" Itachi reached forward and brought Suiren back into his embrace to comfort her. "It's alright. You'll never be alone again in that dark place. I'm here for you now. I'll always be by your side."

He hugged her even harder, burying his into her hair. At that moment, all Itachi could think about was to protect Suiren with his life. All thoughts about Sasuke and his future plans were forgotten. His head was just full of thoughts of his beloved.

Suiren nodded slightly as she felt his arms tighten around her. She wasn't sure if Itachi would keep his promise, but she did know that his words at that moment were genuine. His words made her smile.

"I'm going to keep you accountable for what you just said," She gave a small laugh, then yawned. All the crying had made her eyelids feel heavy.

"Alright," Itachi agreed, then adjusted his position so that the both of them were laying down on the bed.

"Good night, Itachi-kun," Suiren yawned again and snuggled up against his chest.

"Good night, Suiren," Itachi kissed her forehead, but Suiren had already fallen into a deep sleep by then. Her face looked the most peaceful it had ever been that night.

A/N: Long time no see everyone! It's been a difficult past few months. But it's now winter break so I tried to make this chapter a bit longer to make up for my long absence. I'm determined to finish this story though, no matter how long it takes, so please bear with me. As always, thank you for even reading my story! It honestly means so much to know there are people out there who think that the stories I've kept in my head are worth reading. Happy holidays!