Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Who knew... ❯ 23. BETRAYED ( Chapter 23 )

23. BETRAYED

 

The girl fell down on her knees.

 

She coughed.

 

She brought a finger to her lips.

 

And puked.

 

Literally.

 

Itachi, knowing the girl could handle herself, went to check on the other four Konoha shinobis.

They were opening their eyes, and Kakashi was already sitting, head in his hands, as if he had a massive headache.

 

“I see you all are alive.” the young Uchiha said.

 

Shin looked at Asuka, still on her knees, and hurried towards her.

 

“Asuka! Oh dear, what happened? I remember you speaking, and then…then I thought I was fainting…are you fine? Did you faint too?” her father asked her worriedly.

 

Asuka looked at him, pale and tired, and said nothing.

 

“It was Orochimaru.” Itachi said. “Not really him, but yokai puppets. He wanted Asuka and me, but did nothing to harm us, except…” pain shot in the teen's neck. “…except when Asuka tried to fight him” he lied. `So that really works. The bastard really put a seal on us. And it forces us to lie about it. Ingenious.' He thought.

 

“Orochimaru? You mean you attacked Orochimaru? Asuka? The hell has gotten into you?!?” her father screamed at her.

 

Ren and Shisui were just awake, trying to stand up and barely making it.

 

“I did. And you know nothing. Now, if you don't mind, leave me alone, Taichou.” The girl said, looking into her father's eyes.

The man was taken aback. Was this really his daughter speaking?

 

“Leave her alone, Yoshizumi-san. He was pretty…harsh, on her. He said…things.” And here he looked significantly at the Yoshizumi man, still kneeled beside his daughter. “And he sort of…kissed her, I think.”

 

A kunai flew across the air, hitting a branch right a couple of centimetres on the left of Itachi's head.

 

“Did anyone allow you to speak in my defence?” Asuka bitterly spoke.

 

“Ja. Demo, you were not speaking. And Yoshizumi-taichou needed to know what happened.” The boy said, as coldly as ever.

 

Asuka didn't know how to act, how to behave. She wasn't sure that Orochimaru had said the truth, but the thought bugged her.

 

`Ok. I'll ask him as soon as we get home. I don't want to make a scene now. And I don't feel like speaking at all. I'd better apologise, by now.' She thought.

 

“Gomennasai. I didn't mean to sound rude. I have been unpleasantly hit by the unexpected turns of the events. Now, all I want to do is going home.” She said, a light smile on, which she hoped didn't look too fake.

 

“Hai. Sure, Asuka.” Her father nodded. “now, we'd better hurry. We have even more things to report to hokage-sama.”

 

* * *

 

Asuka lied in her bed, finally, after a long time.

She had been there for the past 13 hours, or so, but she got just a little sleep.

 

Too many things were on the kunoichi's mind, burdening her with doubts that she wanted to erase.

What…just what was she supposed to do?

 

Ask her father, and having a confirmation of everything Orochimaru had said? The only thought nauseated her.

`Some things are better let unsaid' she thought.

Yes. But if Orochimaru had been honest, there weren't chances for her to keep the truth hidden.

 

Orochimaru.

 

She buried her face in the pillow, disgusted, and ashamed of herself for letting him do that.

 

He had…kissed her?! How else was she supposed to define the wet, cold, disgusting lips that she felt on her own???

 

The bastard.

 

She felt as if she had been raped.

 

Perhaps she was exaggerating, but…but he had…he had really touched her in a way she wouldn't have surely allowed him to. He had taken her first something. He had stolen her first kiss.

 

Then, a realization hit her.

 

It wasn't even Orochimaru who had kissed her.

 

She felt the nausea increase.

 

She had lost her first kiss to…to a puppet made of mud?!?!

 

Apparently that was so.

 

`Get up now, girl.' She commanded herself. `Do something.'

Asuka got up, and headed to the bathroom, where she washed herself.

 

She looked in the mirror. Oh, at least that. She studied carefully her features, which were the ones of her old self. Her real self. Her thirteen years old self.

 

The girl combed her hair into a high ponytail, put on her trademark dark blue t-shirt and white short shorts, slipped her shinobi sandals on, and grabbed her weapons sack.

 

She opened the door, careful not to make any sound. What time was it? She looked at her watch. Mmm, it was 9 pm. So she had been in bed definitely more than 13 hours. And no one bothered her…that only meant that her father had said something, to her family and the maids.

 

Awesome.

 

She felt the anger grow, and dashed to the Konoha training grounds.

 

* * *

She kicked the wooden target, with all of her strength.

 

She had been there for quite a long time, at least a couple of hours.

 

She prepared herself for another kick.

 

Her body froze. She put her hand into her sack and threw a shuriken.

 

She heard a light scream.

 

“Asuka-san! It's me!” a woman's voice cried. Rumiko-san, one of the maids. Ops.

 

“Sumimasen!!! Sumimasen, Rumiko-san!” the girl dashed in front of the old woman, and bowed. “I didn't expect anyone to come here at this late time…and I thought that whoever came…well. I thin k you know what I thought.” The girl sweat-dropped.

 

“I know, I know, Asuka-san.” The woman patted her on the head. She had been a sort of maternal figure for her, when she was a child. “Demo, now you need to come with me. Your parents and the elders wish to speak to you.” The woman said, looking away.

 

Asuka's heart skipped a beat.

 

Her father?

 

The elders?

 

…your ojii-san, and the Yoshizumi elders, sitting in council, talking about your own future while you are on a mission…

 

The snake's words echoed in her head. The girl raised an arm, and moved it, as if chasing the bad thought away.

 

Ok.

 

You got to be brave.

 

“Hai, Rumiko-san. Let's go!” she said, and followed the woman back to the Yoshizumi mansion.

 

* * *

 

The room was dark, and it now reminded her of the one in which she had met the old Osagawa. Bad memories.

 

She had never liked the council's room, its dark wooden walls and ground…this room scared her.

 

When her ojisan had told her that one day she would preside the clan's meetings in that room, she, only 5 years old, had began crying.

 

And the feeling had never left her.

 

In the squared room, she had always felt surrounded by evil glares, glares who were there to judge her, and that probably would never truly welcome her. As one entered, they were welcomed by 4 elders on the left and 4 on the right side of the room, while in front of them sat the clan head, her ojiisan, and her father.

 

She entered biting nervously her lip, but soon stopped; she had to be brave. She was the heir, after all. And when she would become head of the clan…quite a few things would change.

 

She arranged her blue and white yukata, which she had to wear when she was called by the council. This thing was one of those she would change. Freedom of clothes.

 

She raised her look, only to see that two more seats had been added, in the left wing.

 

“You wished to see me, elders?” she asked, bowing politely and then sitting on her knees, in the Japanese fashion.

 

“We did, Asuka.” Her grandfather spoke.

 

“The time has come to take important decisions, dear” her grandmother added.

 

“But first, we want to apologise. You came to know that in an horrible way. Gomennasai.” Her grandfather said, and all the presents bowed to her.

 

“Came…to know? What did I come to know, ojisan?” she asked. Her heart was beating wildly in fear.

 

“You have proven yourself to be worthy of being the clan heir. And as the clan heir, you have duties and responsibilities towards the clan.” Her grandfather said.

 

The girl looked at her father, who wasn't looking at her. She couldn't see his eyes, in the dark of the room. And this scared her even more.

 

“Hai, ojiisan…this I know.” She nodded.

 

“Asuka. To make a long story short, we have chosen the man who proved himself to be praiseworthy of your hand and of our clan. You are engaged, Asuka.”

 

…the Yoshizumi elders, sitting in council, talking about your own …thinking about whom the best nominees are…

 

The snake.

 

Orochimaru.

 

Orochimaru had told the truth.

 

Orochimaru hadn't lied.

 

“Asuka, meet your future husband.” Another couple of candles lit up, allowing her to see better.

 

“I already know him, ojisan.” She said, bitterly.

 

Uchiha Itachi was in front of her, his father sitting at his right side.

 

“It is a honor for me to have been chosen as your future husband, Asuka-san.” The boy said, mechanically, as if he had had to learn the sentence forcefully, and bowed. “And it is an honor that you accept me as your future husband.” He added, in the same, flat tone as before.

 

The girl's eyes widened. Accept? Who did she accept?

 

She abruptly stood up.

 

“Shut your mouth, Itachi-san! I haven't accepted anyone yet!” she screamed in anger and frustration.

 

She turned to face her father, and her grandfather.

 

“It's…it's incredible! You have just proven to be more lying than Orochimaru!” she spat out.

 

“Calm down, girl. Don't say things you are surely going to regret.” One of the elders said.

 

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You lied to me about this whole thing…Orochimaru didn't! oh my god…” she put a hand on her forehead.

 

“I just…I just learnt to hate you. All. From first to last. To me you are just scum.

Traitors.

Funny, isn't it? I was in the middle of a mission, worried sick that my mistakes may have hurt you.

But! But you were all planning against me! What a wonderful, strong familiar bond we share!”

 

She paused, a pause pregnant with hatred and anger.

 

“I'd kill you all, at this very moment.” She whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

“Asuka! I won't stand this behavior of yours for another moment! Now sit and calm down! Things are already set!” her grandfather screamed angrily.

She looked deeply at him.

 

“Ojiisan…what did you teach me about respect, honesty, loyalty…?

You are just a fake.

A fake family.

A fake clan.

You…sold me.

You sold me in exchange to an improvement in the bloodlines of our clans…”

 

“Asuka…” her father spoke.

 

“DON'T!” the girl hissed. “Don't you dare speak to me. Ever again.”

 

…Come look for me, Asuka-kun…I will be there for you, when you'll feel that the whole world betrayed you. I will be by your side. Come to look for me…

 

She breathed deeply.

“Just for you to know.

My brother Shin and Ren are the only things keeping me from going to him.

But actually…no. There is one more thing.

I will become the clan head, and there's nothing you can do about it. According to your own laws, it's me the strongest member of the clan.

I will marry the Uchiha.

My father was weak, and he escaped, but I won't.

I will be head just enough to change the rules, and witness your downfall, because those who plot against their own blood aren't worthy of respect and power.

I will wait until Shin is ready, and then I'll leave. You will see my face no more.

I will marry the Uchiha.

I will bear his children, if I must.

But to you…to you, I will be nothing.

Shin'ichi, I am no longer your granddaughter.

Shinji. Father. How I despise this word. I am no longer your daughter.”

 

And that said, she went out of the room.

 

“Asuka!” her father, shocked, called her.

 

Itachi dashed away, and followed her, grabbing her wrist just out of the room.

 

The girl turned to look at him in the face.

 

“Asuka…” he hugged her, and kissed her cheeks, stained with tears.

 

“I thought…” she sighed “I thought I was in love with you…” she said, burying her face in his neck.

 

“Why, Itachi? Why didn't you tell me anything? I trusted you with my life” she said, pushing him violently away.

 

“Asuka, I…” but everything she gave him, was a strong punch in the stomach.