literature

CM: Disclosure

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“History repeats itself until one makes history anew.”

The words are ingrained on the board, since day one of the semester course. They have burned their way into the the eyes of Uchiha Itachi, where he sits in front of them each day. Some days, like today, are spent with the capacity of his focus directed solely to these words rather than paying more attention to the lecture his professor gives on their current topics in history.

There is no other personal attribute to his history professor, besides these words, which are now like a stain on the green chalkboard. Although other teachers come and go throughout the day, none have touched them and they are, therefore, a symbol to the room itself, aligned in desk rows and tired minds. Robotic movements of note-taking and eyes straining awake, since many lectures can become easily tiresome and boring to most students! It’s a relief when the lecture ends and the snap of the book cover redirects the monotonous actions of the students in the room, only moving systematically when they are released, suddenly filling with some kind of life again as they quickly file out of the lecture hall, thanking their professor on the way.

Even as Itachi leaves the comfort of the wooden desk he has sat at for more than twenty weeks thus far, the words still tattoo across his mind as they did the first day of the course. His eyes yawn in a tired gaze while he swipes his attendance card to the front podium, where his world studies professor ushers himself out of the room.


It’s only eleven in the afternoon, much to his dismay, as he shifts the bag higher on his shoulder, deciding what to do until his next class at two o’clock. It’s much too tiresome and far away to visit home just for lunch, though he knows his mother would like it, and decides against this. He doesn’t want to think about his next course, rather he is looking forward to the two days he has off after tomorrow’s teaching in his economics study course. There’s only one person he wants to spend those two days with.
And it couldn’t hurt to see her now while the lunch rush-hour is still in waiting to come later.

∘∘∘


The bistro is more like a small cafe, many would argue, but it is open for breakfast and lunch until the early hours of evening. Most of it’s customers come after noon, for their specials in sweets and other desserts. Although Itachi knows it’s not a good idea to have sweets so early in the morning, he can always order from the breakfast menu or a cup of coffee in order to re-energize and fuel him for the remainder of the day. He’s not sure that he needs a sugar rush, however, when he can just see her, working behind the counter for her shift today. Itachi would normally feel guilty for prying her away from precious work-time that could possibly give her a few coins more on her paycheck at the end of the week, but looking at Yuki now, there is no guilt that floods his system as he catches the glance of her eyes meeting his.

“Itachi, I didn’t know you would come today,” her voice soothes over his ears to protrude a smile from his lips to the dark-haired girl. Yuki is only a part-time worker, since she has just two major classes at the university, but it always makes Itachi feel better to see her in the bistro, especially since it is a walking distance from the campus. Before he can even explain his appearance Yuki promptly excuses herself to see if she can take an early break in order to properly sit and talk. It’s his lucky day, Yuki gestures in a smile, when she swings back out, yearning to untie the apron from her front side and let down her hair for the little time she has. Itachi offers to buy something, at least so that she can still eat while on her break (her only one at that!) but Yuki begrudgingly rejects his offer, knowing she would not have much time to waste waiting for an order of food to come as well as eat it! Instead she ushers them both to a vacant two-seater table in the far corner of the bistro so that Yuki can fully enjoy her break and rest her feet.

“I was just wondering what you were planning on doing on Thursday, since we both have the day off,” Itachi follows as Yuki leans into the seat of the small corner table. The wood is polished and clean, but drives a kind of comfortable and homey atmosphere, as does the rest of the shop. Her black hair falls from the bun it was in previously, curling at the nape of her neck to meet past her collarbone. Itachi would never admit to Yuki that he comes all the way here just to see her, some days. Heaven forbid it!
There is a minimal spark clouded in Yuki’s greyed irises, causing a rise in Itachi’s thoughts momentarily that linger on the crease of her lips before she returns his gaze to speak up.

“There’s someone I actually want you to meet,” she admits, albeit releasing a titter from her lips in the process, shifting in her seat through the blank silence that overwhelms Itachi. Someone, he repeats, letting the words melt on his tongue, savoring them. But the taste is not a pleasant one and the savor on his lips has rotted to taste sour.

“Itachi?”
“Sorry, of course,” he replies, resilient as always. But he has to right to complain to her immediately, no liberty to judge right away. Even if he is her friend. His tongue dries with the bitter aftertaste.

∘∘∘


Much to Uchiha Itachi’s disbelief and misfortune, Thursday rolls around with haste. The remainder of that day his mind had been fogged with her words and the fear that tickled his stomach, knowing all too well that he would hear them soon. Sooner than later, anyways… The sun’s warmth is ineffective on him, dulling the cool shade of disappoint that lines the rims of his pupils and curls at the ends of his eyelashes. From the curve in his frown to the strain penciled into his eyebrows, his focus is lost in the scrabble of words as he glances to at his novel. One that Yuki had recommended from her advanced literature class, based on what they were currently reading together.

Even if Itachi’s true talent did not lie in the analysis of sentence structures and literary devices, at least not as much as Yuki’s high caliber, he would read it because she asked him to. With the smile it brought to her visage, the gleam in her eyes upon the topic of fine literature, it was more than enough for him to pursue more in the study; at least to see her smile so easily. Even with such lingering thoughts and spread out words that cease to catch his attention any longer his attention flies elsewhere in his recent memories to his past conversations with the only person he might trust with such a delicate topic. Not that Shisui would ever let Itachi go without knowing what it was exactly that was bugging his closest friend; never!


“I just have the feeling that this person isn’t going to be good.” Even over the phone, there is evidence of Uchiha Itachi’s disbelief and special, worrisome nature. “As much as I don’t want to say it, I think whoever this person she’s talking about is not good news.”

A rumble echoes through the light static of the phone pressed to Itachi’s ear, eyes boring into the blank wall of his home desk, growing more weary with each minute that passes. It’s obvious the other person is used to this, by now, but doesn't complain much, complying to Itachi’s worries.
“I think you’re overreacting,” Shisui banters, running loose fingers through the mess of strands that curl up at his ear helix and run along the nape of his neck. “I also think you’re just jealous,” the snicker leaves his lips so easily, but he knows his friend all too well in the sense that his words will not overpower Itachi, only used for his own free-verse humor. He understands his worries, however, having listened to the same worries for years now in regards to Hunnutsuka Yuki. “Why don’t you just tell her?”

Shisui is not as patient as Itachi, heaven knows, and constantly wonders why his friend has never confessed to her before. But he doesn’t have a good answer, either.  Silence fills the gap between the phone line until Shisui perks up, again, to comply with his friend’s request.

A sigh stumbles the waves of the phone, reaching Itachi in a low tide when it takes Shisui a moment to recover himself. “Okay, I’ll see what I can find out about him, but I’m not promising anything. I’ll see you later,” he confesses, relieving a tiny fraction of the worries built in Itachi’s imagination. But it doesn’t distinguish them, yet.

“Thank you,” Itachi swears, wishing Shisui a good night until the line drops and Itachi is left to the oblivion of the single lamplight shedding him into the late hours of evening, mulling over his remaining thoughts.


Now, he has to face whoever this man may be, without the settling content of Shisui’s short-lived research that he has requested to be conducted on the new character. He was always better at socializing, Itachi remembers wistfully, thus he is sure that if the person Yuki is referring to is known at the college, then it will take Shisui little effort in pulling together some profile on him.

“Itachi, I’m glad you could make it.” The real world reels Itachi back in, however, and the words spattered across the pages of the novel he once fingered tenderly before now crack close at its spine. A smile dares to tear its way to his visage as he stands to greet Yuki, as well as the companion she has brought along. But that resource of evidence lies in the next however-many-days, when Shisui actually gets back with him about the matter. For now he is on his own.

∘∘∘


“Even if it was just a hunch, your guesses are always better than mine,” Shisui admits in a defeated tone, pacing the floor of Itachi’s spacious bedroom, squatting to the rolling chair at his desk-side to further face his friend.
“And?” Itachi presses, though his eyes lack sleep and his mind clusters with worry that is all but unrequited.

Shisui licks his lips once, before pulling himself to the edge of the bed’s foot. “Apparently he graduated from our class in school and decided to come and pursue for a major at the college,” Shisui gossips. “But it seems like he ended up pursuing something else…” A red streak runs through Itachi’s irises, as does the hot glare run in his family.

“You mean-”
“Yes, unfortunately. There’s a lot of girls at the campus who rumored about him getting a little too friendly and tales of how their friend’s fell for him, before he left them anyways. It seems like he’s quite practiced in his field,” Shisui jokes in disbelief. The thought alone tightens Itachi’s knuckles, on instinct, and the spark of red in his gaze gleams to the opposite corner of his room, where he might as well burn a hole through his staring.

Shisui continues to poke and prod at his companion, lazing at the ruffled comforter of Itachi’s foot-bed. “What are you going to do about it, Itachi?”
Hopefully, the right thing.

“I don’t know yet,” Itachi relieves an assertive tone, pushing himself out of the office chair spiraling in front of his desk to stand at his feet, deciding on how to approach the subject. Although there are various ways of how Itachi wants to settle the issue, he knows it is not right, nor would Shisui let him make such hasty actions recklessly! Already, it has been two days since the afternoon of meeting Yuki’s current interest, and Itachi’s current demise. Needless to say, it was not as pressuring as Itachi imagined, much to his surprise. He was seemingly gentle with Yuki and made small talk with Itachi, though an easy facade is not enough to cure Uchiha Itachi of his disbelief previously.

“Just remember not to get ahead of yourself, Itachi,” Shisui reminds, though he can feel the focus fading from Itachi’s mindset. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
oneshot commission for MikoYami
Thank you for commissioning me, though I apologize for the wait!

I had a lot of fun with a college setting for Itachi and Yuki this time, although when it comes to modern au I can never completely figure out what exactly Itachi might do (job-wise and in college, anyways, concerning what kind of classes he takes or what his major is...).

Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Hunnutsuka Yuki (c) MikoYami 
© 2016 - 2024 cafenzie
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