Н‘¾Ð‘¯Ð‘¬Ð‘Μ Ð‘»Ð‘¯Ð‘¬ Н‘¾Ð‘°Ð‘Μ𝑫 Н‘©Ð‘³Ð‘¶Ð‘¾Ð‘º €¢Ð’Ƒ𝒙Н’Ƒ• A Light of Mine

To say that Sasuke’s reaction was surprising would be a lie.

Akashi had expected something like that.

“Karin?!” The raven-haired boy exclaimed, sitting up in a haste. His eyes were wide as he stared at Akashi in disbelief, “You want me to make a child with Karin?!” He asked, leaning back.

Akashi sighed, also sitting up, “Well… I expected that reaction.”

Sasuke went silent. He was just blankly staring at Akashi.

The redhead reached his hand forward and placed it onto Sasuke’s shoulder, lightly pressing his fingers into it, “Hear me out?” He asked, watching as Sasuke averted his eyes, “If you’re worried about you and her sleeping together, that doesn’t have to happen.”

That seemed like it caught Sasuke’s attention, “What?” His confused tone rang out.

“There may be another way for you to have a child with her… But, we need to go to Konoha.” The moment those words left his lips, Sasuke’s expression shifted into that of reluctance.

“Back to Konoha?” His voice came out a little bit shakier than usual, “Are you fine with doing that?”

Akashi’s heart constricted inside his chest. The situation had unexpectedly changed and it seemed like they would be making their trip back to Konoha sooner than planned, “I am.” His hand slipped from Sasuke’s shoulder, but before it could fall, the said boy caught it with his own.

“Akashi, are you fine with that?” For the first time in a while, Akashi was caught off guard. The pure, unadulterated worry which was directed at him caused him to fall into silence.

There were a lot of things they would need to worry and think about after the decision is made, but it would all be worth it, “Don’t worry about me… I’m fine,” Sasuke sent him a suspicious look, “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not lying to you.” Lying had always been one of the few things Akashi despised. People around him always seemed to be doing just that.

Lie.

Sasuke still didn’t look convinced and Akashi found himself shaking his head. Without a word, he reached his arms forward and wrapped them around Sasuke’s shoulders, “I want this… This way, your dream can come true and that’s something I wish to see happen.” The other boy’s warm fingers pressed into Akashi’s uncovered skin and he sighed out.

“What about your dream? There must be something you want… right?” The question got whispered out.

His dream?

Did he have one?

Naruto’s face flashed through his mind and Akashi remembered.

His dream was for Naruto to become Hokage and… for him to learn about their parents.

Half of his dream had already come true and the other half was definitely going to come true… But, now?

What was his dream now? At this moment? What were his wishes? His desires?

They’re in your arms, are they not? Kurama’s unexpected voice rang clear in his mind.

In… my arms? Seriously… How dumb could he be? The answer was right in front of him… Literally in his arms…

“You… You are my dream and I already have you, don’t I?” Sasuke froze in his arms and Akashi closed his eyes, leaning further into his warm embrace, “My dream had already come true.” His lips pressed shut as he brushed them across the side of Sasuke’s neck.

Silence filled the dark room, leaving only their slow breaths to fill in the empty spots.

Akashi felt Sasuke shift and a moment later, he found himself staring up at the boy, “We leave at dawn. Now sleep.” With that, Sasuke lowered himself onto his side as he pulled the sheet back over their bodies.

As soon as that happened, Akashi moved closer to him and wrapped his cold arms around his warm body.

_

Morning came faster than anticipated and they made their way to Konoha. It will take them a week or so, since they were far away from the village.

Very far away.

_

Things were supposed to go well. There was nothing indicating that anything bad would have happened. They just needed to get to Konoha.

But, there Sasuke stood, watching as the vibrant green around them was stained with crimson red.

Akashi was still, back turned to him, as the chains rattled around his tense form. Dark drops sliding down the silver metal.

“Akashi?” Sasuke warily called out, not taking his eyes off the redhead, not looking down at the dismembered remains. He stepped forward, the grass bending under his feet as they made contact with the ground, “Look at me.” He said, taking another step forward.

He watched as Akashi turned around, pale face stained with crimson as translucent drops slid down his cheeks.

FLASHBACK

They were jumping from tree to tree, not making any stops. The forest around them just kept on getting denser and dense. The light could barely pierce through the thick treetops, “We’ve been running nonstop, let’s take a small break.” Sasuke called out to the redhead ahead of him.

“What? Are you possibly tired?” The other boy called out back to him, words coated with humour.

“Very funny… I’m serious.” Even though Sasuke knew that Akashi was more durable than him, he was still human and he still needed to take a breather. Running for so long takes a toll even on the best.

Clicking his tongue in mock annoyance, Akashi slowed down and stopped soon after, letting himself sit onto one of the thicker branches. His legs dangled off the side as he grinned at Sasuke, “Come here!” He childishly patted the spot next to himself and tilted his head.

Exasperated, Sasuke did as he was asked. The moment his backside made contact with the branch, he found himself on his back, staring up at vibrant violet eyes, “Why am I not surprised?” He nonchalantly asked, feeling Akashi’s fingers brush his hair back.

“Isn’t this a romantic spot? Look, the sun is shinning through the trees, the birds are chirping, I am here.” Sasuke averted his eyes as a laugh left his lips. His voice resounded through the area around them causing Akashi’s grin to widen, “I’ve set a pretty good mood, haven’t I?”

Sasuke shook his head, closing his eyes in the process, “If you’re expecting me to take my clothes off in the middle of nowhere, you’re sorely mistaken.” The situation was somewhat hilarious to him.

It seemed like such an Akashi-thing to do.

“Awww, and here I thought I was going to get lucky.” The boy above him jokingly pouted, violet eyes shinning with unrestrained mirth.

Sasuke bit his lip to force back another laugh, “In the middle of the woods? Shameless.” Was what left his lips in the end.

As if he knew, which he probably did, what Sasuke was going to say, Akashi reached his hand towards him and brushed his jaw with his fingers, “As if you mind.” He said the usual reply and leaned down, violet eyes fluttering shut. But, before their lips could brush together, his eyes snapped open and he hastily stood up, “Just our luck.” He whispered, staring in one direction.

Sasuke stood up, confusion written all over his features, “What?” It was then, that he saw it.

Him.

A man landed on a tree a few feet away from them. The first thing Sasuke noticed about him? The gruesome scar which spread from the man’s brow, across his nose and to the bottom of his jaw.

“Oho? Did I interrupt something?” The man’s voice rang out. He sounded amused, “Little lovebirds?” His light eyes trailed over the two of them.

“You are?” Akashi asked and Sasuke peered at him. Was he feigning not knowing the man? From the looks of it, Akashi’s whole form was tense… He either knew the man or had heard about him at least.

“You wound me, little boy… Don’t you remember me?” The man asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment, “After all, you were the one who scarred me, right? Konoha’s Ripper?”

Not even a moment passed, before the air around them turned cold.

Konoha’s Ripper. That was what Akashi was known as during his ANBU days. The name had gotten so infamous that even Sasuke had heard of it while with Orochimaru.

Konoha’s Ripper. A merciless ANBU who didn’t shy away from spilling blood. One which didn’t shy away from staining his hands red.

It had greatly confused Sasuke when he first found out that Akashi was Konoha’s Ripper. What flashed through his mind was one particular memory of the Chunnin Exams. Akashi had once said he’d rather not get his hands bloody.

But, later on, it had made sense why Akashi had chosen a path like that.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sasuke heard Akashi’s answer.

The man in front of them laughed, slightly bending backwards. As if what Akashi said was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life, “That’s funny… There’s no mistaking that red hair, you know? Your wolf mask had hardly hid anything other than your face and lucky me, I had the honour of seeing it that one time.”

Sasuke, feeling left out, stepped a little bit in front of Akashi, hiding half of his form, “What business do you have with us?” Even thought he had asked that, the answer was obvious.

The man was here to kill Akashi.

“I’ve been tracking you for an awfully long time now… And now that I’ve finally caught up, I won’t be letting you live another day, not after you killed him, not after you almost killed me.” The man’s mood had an instant change. There was no longer any amusement in the way he talked, only blankness and seriousness.

Akashi went silent.

“You do remember, don’t you? Four years had passed since that day,” the man reminded him, “Four years had passed since I, Yakusho Miran, had decided I was going to have my revenge”.

Yakusho Miran? This was him?

Sasuke had heard about the man. He was a rogue ninja from Konoha, one who left before either of them were born. He had apparently decided that Konoha was no longer a village like it once was and saw fit to leave it.

Seems like Akashi, while he was an ANBU, got a mission which was somehow connected to him.

“Why do you tell lies?” Akashi suddenly questioned, “You are not Yakusho Miran… That man is already dead.”

Sasuke blinked in surprise. Dead? If Miran was dead, then who was the man in front of them? “So you do remember… How was it? Killing a helpless man as he tried to protect his family?”

The situation got all the more confusing.

“Helpless? How is a man, who managed to kill half of my squad, helpless?” Akashi bit out, “I killed him because he was a threat to Konoha… As are you.” His voice got lower as he glowered at the man.

“Yakusho Miran… You killed him and left his family without any sort of income… You left three kids without a father.” The man forced out, teeth starting to grit together.

Akashi took a deep breath, “And? Why was it any concern of mine? Their father was a criminal and he got what he deserved, besides, what about their mother? They still had her.”

“My sister killed them and then herself a week later.”

There was no visible reaction from Akashi, but Sasuke knew. He knew. The man’s words had a harsh impact on the redhead. A few moments passed and Akashi took a step back, body convulsing as a violent tremble ran through it. He said nothing as the trembling got worse.

“For a man only fluent in the language of death, silence is praise indeed.”

Sasuke had no time to do anything as silver chains, covered in crimson, whipped towards the man. They pierced through his body and the man’s mouth opened up in a silent scream. Sasuke stood still as the scene before him unfolded. He heard bones cracking, he heard flesh breaking.

He saw everything.

Gurgles left the man’s lips as crimson drops slid down the side of his mouth.

Akashi had no mercy.

Red splashed the area around them. It dripped from the vibrant leaves, staining the dirt beneath them. Sasuke watched as Akashi took a shaky step forward, before the redhead jumped down, pulling the man along with him. The two of them descended towards the ground and it didn’t take long to reach it.

There was a ground shaking rumble as the man’s body slammed down, even more cracks resounding through the otherwise quiet forest.

Sasuke waited for a few moments, before following after them.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he saw the carnage in front of him.

Multiple body parts laid surrounding Akashi’s feet, but the boy wasn’t looking at them, he was facing the treetops which lay above them.

FLASHBACK END

_

“Akashi?” Sasuke said, eyeing the damp spots on his cheeks.

The said boy clenched his eyes shut, the remains of his tears joining the ones already on his cheeks, before he slowly opened them, “I… didn’t mean for the children to die,” he trailed off, averting his eyes, “The children were never meant to get hurt.” His voice trembled and Sasuke watched as the chains slowly slithered back inside him.

“That wasn’t your fault.” Which was the truth. Akashi was just doing what he was ordered to do. How was he to know that the woman was of a fragile mind?

“Was it?” Akashi mumbled, “I said the man was a threat, but was he really? He had went and made a family of his own, far away from the clutches of Konoha… I ruined his little paradise.” He grit his teeth as the words left his lips.

“You were just following orders, the consequences had nothing to do with you and didn’t you says so yourself? The man had killed half of your squad before you could kill him… He was a threat.” Sasuke pushed on, trying to make the situation better.

Akashi went silent once more and Sasuke walked towards him, ignoring the wet crunches as his feet made contact with the man’s remains. He reached his arms forward and wrapped them around the distraught boy.

No words were exchanged between them.