Chapter 2 - Part 2: Memories

Part 2: Memories

Sasuke carried me back to where the others were being pestered by the girl ghost. He set me down next to a tree and got out a kunai.
Well, it looks like its time for me to go, said the ghost.
Youre not going anywhere! he cried.
Sasuke charged at the ghost, but he fell right through her. He must have forgotten that shes not all there. When he turned around she was gone. When he looked back at me he saw my kunai necklace fall out of my hand. He picked it up and stared at it as if by doing that he would know what to do with it.
You have to push down the top, Rene said breaking the silence.
What is it? asked Sasuke.
Memories. Who are you anyway?
Rene, have you seriously not figured that out yet?
Hey, you know Im slow to figure things out. I havent been paying attention either.
Let me help. Who does he look like?
I dont know. He kind of looks like&uh&um&wait, no! It cant be! It is! He looks like&ITACILICIOUS!!!
Shoot me now. Alright well go with that. Now, you have to consider who Nia spends most of her time talking about. Then you put two and two together and get what?
Sasuke Uchiha.
Ive got to hand it to you Rene that took a lot less time than I thought it would take.
Im still amazed that I said Itachlicious and didnt get a concussion.
Ill give you a concussion if you dont stop.
Gonan look, the memory thingy is working.
My little kunai necklace opened up when Sasuke pushed on it. It would play all of my memories. Right then it was playing one of the few memories that I didnt like to watch.
* * * *

A six year old me was sitting in the middle of a flat, barren wasteland that, only a few minutes before, had been my home. We were due to leave for the Chunin exams that day but couldnt because of my sudden outburst of power. It seemed like I would sit there forever but then I saw a hand reach out for me. The fingernails on the hand were painted black and there was a ring on its finger. I took the hand and smiled up at my brothers face. It was not every day he would actually smile back but then he did.
Stay back big brother, I dont want you to get hurt, I whimpered.
Dont worry, you wouldnt hurt me unless you wanted to, said Itachi.
Itachi, I think you should go.
Didnt you hear what the ghosts said?
No
They said that anyone who has power that they cant control must be killed. Thats why you need me to stay.
I hugged him and cried out loud. My friends were standing farther away. At this point I didnt care if my friends saw me hug my brother.
Itachi, Im scared, I sobbed.
Dont worry, I heard that your sensei already has a plan to keep your powers at bay, he said.
Does that mean I wont die?
There is a small chance that that I wont work, but its very unlikely.
What will happen if it doesnt work?
Then your power will awaken in about six years. She can only do it once and if it doesnt work then youll be out of options.
But that was my home. Where will I live?
Ill keep you with me. That way the ghosts wont bother you.
Good.
* * * *

Why did she go with him? asked Sasuke.
Nobody knows why she went with him but Im sure she came to regret her choice after he tried to kill her, said Eskerna Sensei.
Thats a lie! I couldnt just let that pass.
Everyone was looking at me. They hadnt seen the girl ghost bring back 75% of my chakra.
Why do you bother Nia? asked Eskerna Sensei.
I bother because I dont like it when people tell lies about my brother! I snapped.
You were the one who told us that he tried to kill you.
Its the way you said it that makes it a lie. I told you that I would never defend myself against one of my brothers even if he were aiming to kill. I told him to kill me but he just couldnt do it.
Are you trying to say that you tried to commit suicide?
What Im trying to say is that everything he has been accused of doing was false. I did all of it accidentally and he covered it up and made it look like he did it.
So you would just sit back and watch him take your punishment?
The only time it really mattered, I was four years old and had no idea what was going on.
They younger of my two brothers was standing next to me. He was frozen solid and I dont think he was breathing either. I think Sasuke was the only one who made sense of what I was saying.
Nia&t-thats imp-possible you c-couldnt have, he stuttered.
I dont think anybody but Eskerna Sensei realized that Sasuke was my brother.
Itachi was very good at covering up the evidence that all of those things were my doing, I said.
But why did you do them in the first place? asked Sasuke.
You make it sound like I had a choice. I could never control my power. Pretty much the only thing I knew was that whenever it happened, people were going to die. It all started with my dog, Chief.
So youre afraid to tell anybody because you think someone who can do something about it will find out.
I dont care if every good guy in the world knows what I did; its the bad guys Im worried about. Sasuke, I think its time your eyes were opened to the truth.
What are you talking about Nia?
Im pretty sure that everyone thinks that Itachi is responsible of the deaths of everyone on our clan but me and you. Whoever said that is wrong. If anyone is at fault, then its me.
Thats impossible, I saw it happen myself.
Itachi has erased every piece of evidence that I had anything to do with it including what any witnesses might have seen. He wanted to erase it from my memory too but I wanted to remember what he did for me.
Then youre the only one who has proof.
You dont want to see proof.
Why not?
Its the only memory I havent seen a second time. Ive never touched any memories that had to do with my power. You probably would have seen it if I had stayed knocked out a little while longer.
Then something strange happened. This happened whenever I was around one of my brothers. My kunai necklace started acting on its own accord. The few time this had ever happened I had been lucky that I hadnt seen that certain memory. This time I wasnt as lucky. The kunai necklace confirmed that it was a memory that I hadnt seen twice. I prayed for it not to be that one. Fortunately, it only showed what it had to.
* * * *

I was lying on my side crying until I thought my eyes would pop out of my head. I looked down at the kunai in my hand and brought it up to rest on my neck. Just before I applied pressure Itachi blasted through my barricade causing me to drop the kunai. If he touched me, he would die unless the terrible power had receded. He proceeded with caution.
DONT TOUCH ME, YOULL DIE! I screamed.
Nia, calm down, I think its gone, he said.
You think its gone? You have to know its gone before you can come near me!
Im not going to let anyone know that you did this Nia!
You cant change whats already true Itachi!
I already have, now everyone thinks that I did it. I told them I did it on purpose.
Why would you do that?
I dont want you to get hurt.
When did you start caring?
I guess I dont show it, but I care about you and Sasuke more than I care about myself. I would give my life to save yours.
Itachi, theres something else. In the part where I couldnt control my actions there was a summoning juitsu. Sasuke will be coming home soon.
Ill go stop it, you have to leave. Take everything you can carry, you wont be coming back. Your sensei said you are leaving for the village of haunts tonight.
What about you?
I have to stay here and play bad guy.
Do you think Ill ever see you again?
It doesnt matter just go!
* * * *

That was all we could see. I was glad it didnt show anything unnecessary.
Why does it do that? I asked no one in particular.
It seems to do that whenever were around one of your brothers, said Rene.
But its never acted this way before.
Maybe it acts different when the three of you are together.
I&dont understand what you are trying to say Rene.
Was I not supposed to know that?
Renes eyes were not as quick as mine were. I could easily see where she was looking without anyone knowing. Just as I suspected, he was hiding in the tree behind me.
Didnt I tell you to cover me?
I asked in a way that must have made him feel guilty.
He was too far away, I couldnt get him without giving away my location, said Itachi.
If youre going to be of no use, then why dont you leave? Youre starting to be more of a hindrance than a help.
You wanted me to follow you so we would attract more demons.
I attract enough demons on my own. You can go and take some well earned time off.
Whatever.
Man Nia, whats your deal today? asked Rene.
I dont know what you mean, I said.
Usually youre friendly and sarcastic and forgiving and open around him. Today youre all like mean and dismissive.
Im just really not in a good mood today Rene.

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