Chapter 3: The Dreams of Children Part II

Chapter 3: The Dreams of Children Part II

With that, I left them behind and proceeded to go to the Uchiha training grounds. It was where Itachi trained with Sasuke, within the woods nearby the village. It was also where my sister taught me the basics of ninja tools, hitting multiple targets with a single flick of your wrist. Me and Sasuke hadn’t forgotten, which was why I was certain he’d be there trying to perfect more of Itachi’s moves.

“You know you didn’t have to do all of that?” Sui said close behind. I didn’t look at her, but I knew Sui was following me the whole time.

“And what? Just let them believe that they could ‘save’ Sasuke.” I said hopping from tree to tree.

“Oh no I think what you told them was right, but I’m surprised you did. That’s the second time you lost control today.” Sui caught up to me and we began to jump side by side. “I thought you were going to fix that.”

“I did control myself.”

“Yeah, and that’s the problem. If that’s you controlling yourself, then you need help.”

“…” I wasn’t going to tell her she had a point. So instead, I decided to say nothing.

“Have you ever thought that maybe it’s you who needs to be comforted?”

I stopped on one of the tree branches. Some ways away, Sasuke was throwing shuriken at targets. Working himself hard. He was a lot less rigid than he was in Yakiniku Q. He even had a smile across his face as he hit the target’s center.

“You see, he’s fine. Just like I thought he’d be.” Sui said, stopping beside me.

“Then why are you here if you knew he was fine without your apology?”

“Because you didn’t think he was fine.”

The realization kicked me off my feet, and I sat on the branch, hanging my legs off the edge in defeat.

“With how you talk about him, you treat him like he’s some child. It’s as you said. We’re ninja.” Sui sat down next to me. Her hand intermingled with mine. There I truly saw the bandages on her hands. I felt their weight. I felt the dirt on them. They weren’t like Ino’s, which were purely aesthetic just to look good. No Sui’s was from pushing herself every day to become a ninja. “Sasuke doesn’t need his big brother to protect him. Especially since he wants to kill his real one.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” I sighed. “It’s just I’ve never heard him talk like that. As if I wasn’t a part of his goal. It sounded like he was even pushing me away.”

“That’s just how brothers are. Sometimes they need space to figure out what they want in life.”

“I feel like you’re talking about yourself now.” I said, laughing as she put her head on my shoulder. “I never knew you had a brother.”

“Yeah… I do. He’s a year older than me, and we barely talk. With him being a Genin, we talk even less now.” Sui stared up at the sky, and I figured what could be on her mind. There was a full moon tonight, and it seemed so close we could grab it. Just like last time.

“Man, it’s really been five years since we met like this huh.” I said, tightening my grip as if she was going to disappear.

“Running away from the village—”

“An Uchiha and a Hyūga. Who would have thought—”

“We’d get along.”

We stared into each other’s eyes. The world was gone just like then. Away from the politics, away from the schemes, away from the pain. Just an endless dream.

“You know you never told me your dream.” I said, stroking her hair. Even with her eye covered and her prying into my life I still found myself drawn to her. I never questioned if she was only around me because it was her job or if she liked me because I already knew the answer.

“You already know my dream.”

“Well, I want to hear it again unless…”

“I’m chicken, I get it. Ha-Ha, very funny.” Sui let out a deep breath. Her white eye captured the moon’s reflection in it. “I want this. What we did today. I want friends, people I can laugh with, get mad at, and fall in love with.” She gripped onto my hand tighter; her face burned a lovely shade of pink. “Being born with both eyes. Having to keep one hidden... It makes everything so complicated. I just want to be normal for a change.”

She stared at me. Her one eye now captured my face, which had a smile on it. I removed her eye patch. If only for a moment I wanted to see it. It was black, the same as mine. A black and white eye. What caused me pain and what made her special were just these two little things. There was a stray cloud that blocked out the light. We could barely see in front of us. Our eyes glowed red within the darkness.

“Then let’s just be normal for a change.” I leaned in close. Just as I had done all those years ago. Yet this time, she didn’t pull away.

“If only for this moment.” Her voice caught in her throat, but I understood. Even as our lips connected. I understood. Even as I walked her home, our hands still entwined. I understood. We were ninjas, and we both had our roles to play. I covered her Sharingan eye, and she smiled at me. A smile of pure bliss, one I’d never forget.

“And you thought I would blow it.” I said, blowing it.

“Yeah, for a moment I thought you were going to keep my eye patch.” Sui said, laughing.

“Well, now that you mentioned it…” I stepped forward and snatched her eye patch, snapping it from her face. I stared at her once more, and she was beautiful. “You look better without it.”

She stopped laughing and glared at me. “And now you blew it. Saying things you don’t mean. What a joke. Now I have to get a new one.”

“Jokes to you truth to me. Remember.” I said, returning her comment from earlier.

“Oh, so you’re serio—” Sui went to say something, but I once again pushed my boundaries. She still hadn’t worn her forehead protector, so I decided to put it on for her. She squirmed at first, but I thought it looked fine.

“How’d I do?” I said, dusting my hands of one another as a job well done. “I preferred if it didn’t have to be covered, but I know some ninjas who wear it like that.”

“Well… I like the idea, but you know I’d need it custom made to be an eye cover, right?” Sui stood there rigidly, with her headband replacing the eye patch.

“I know that. I just wanted to keep this a souvenir.” I said dangling her eye patch in my hands.

“What! Who said you can have that?” Sui lunged for it. I pulled it back with a smile. “Yuki… you really are blowing it—”

There was a sound of the sliding door opening, and I disappeared from her view as someone came outside of her home. Within a nearby tree, I watched as some of her clansmen came up and talked to her before bringing her inside. Geez, the Hyūga complex is always so strict.