Hajime came out the building of the Uchiha police force rather slowly. His shoulders were hunched and his eyes had dark bags under them.
He had not slept in two days.
"Case closed... Finally." He sighed, before sniffing an odor, "I need a shower."
Hajime went to his home as several other police officers left the building. All of them were eager to meet their families and friends.
Hajime absently walked through the village like an injured bird falling through the clouds. He ignored every salesman that tried to talk to him, a protest that was happening about his clan, and even a shoplifter running off with something.
The shopkeeper watched with dissatisfaction as the officer just walked past by, lost in thought.
Hajime suddenly recollected himself, gaining focus and becoming present in the moment.
"Did I dissociate again... " He muttered.
Suddenly he sensed a chakra signature—Satoru's chakra.
Hajime headed straight for that location determined to arrest Satoru once again.
He saw the house where he could sense Satoru's chakra from. Hajime was alarmed that this wasn't Satoru's house.
'Is he trespassing?' he thought and walked to see through the windows to see inside.
Satoru sat on the couch reading a textbook meant for different medicines. Satoru noticed someone looking at him and turned to the window.
"If you want to watch me have a wank then you'll have to pay 1000 ryo per stroke. Pay or get out." Satoru said, making a motion of masturbation with his hand.
Hajime gagged from disgust but then asked, "What are you doing here? You lived with that girl, didn't you?"
"I got adopted."
"Who in their right mind would adopt you?" Hajime mocked,
"The woman standing behind you!" Satoru retorted, holding back a laugh.
Hajime turned around and saw Mitsuki standing there holding bags of what looked like groceries.
"Do you have a problem with my son, officer?" Mitsuki asked to Hajime who just walked away after saying nothing.
---
Hajime came out of a long needed shower feeling much better and relaxed. All that was left now was to eat dinner and sleep.
He walked through his clan compound, searching for Hiten as his mother had told him. Their father, while he was alive, didn't like eating without the entire family present.
That was something he liked about his clan and wanted to uphold. The strong sense of family and protectiveness.
'If only the village developed some sense and saw us like their family too...'
Hajime looked around the places where Hiten usually hung out. He would be helping out some shops for free icecreams or in the park with some other boys.
Hajime remembered the games his brother would play. They would take roles as powerful shinobis that existed and then would fight as per a storyline created on the spot.
He remembered fondly as he once saw Hiten roleplay as Kagami Uchiha and his friends would pretend to be the other students of Lord second.
One important aspect about this game was that the people playing it must back their role with their competence. Hiten simply never got the memo and took the role of Madara Uchiha only to lose five minutes in.
Hajime wanted his brother to remain little like he once was, play games all day and come home with a smile.
Hiten didn't deserve a life like his—enough blood has been lost already.
Hajime looked at their hiding spots in the trees at the edge of the park. Hiten and his friends had created a treehouse and call it their 'Secret Base' when they were little.
He could see fresh fingerprints on the tree bark, clearly giving away that Hiten was here.
He saw his brother in the treehouse with his friends. But what he saw made him stop.
Hiten sat with cigarette in one hand and a bottle of alcohol that was almost empty.
Hiten had his back faced away from Hajime, not aware that his friends had stopped laughing and looking Hajime in fear.
"What happened? Why'd you guys stop talking?" Hiten asked, looking at his friends who stared behind him.
Hiten turned to see what they were seeing only for him go wide eyed.
His brother was standing near the entrance with a look he didn't understand but his angry eyes—they looked... Sad?
"Bro! It's not what that! I-I swear!" Hiten stood up and backed off, trying to distance himself despite already having reached the wall.
"Swear? I don't trust your swears anymore." Hajime took a step closer, "Not after last time."
"Please—please don't tell mother!" Hiten pleaded, trying to shrink away from his elder brother.
Hajime didn't listen and grabbed him by his collar and body flickered away.
---
Harumi Uchiha let out a sigh of exhaustion. Cooking dinner for two of her boys was becoming more and more difficult. Her frail body found it difficult to do chores now.
Her husband would take care of all the difficult work, he wouldn't even let her hands get dirty. That was till he died.
Hajime, her sweet boy tried his best to like her husband. Even awakening the three tomoe at a very young age. But now, he cannot even come home due to his duty as a police officer.
Harumi then set the plate for Hiten, his favourite dessert—icecream, set next to it.
Her heart pained whenever she thought about her second son. He wasn't like his brother or even like father. Yet she loved him very much.
He struggles on things, stumbled but never stopped trying. But sadly people never cared about the thousand failure you face, they care about your one success.
All she wanted was to see both of her children succeed.
*BANG!!!*
The open was slammed open with force. Hajime entered while barely containing his tears. He moved to the side show Hiten who looked like he wanted to hide his face out of shame.
Harumi looked at her boys and gasped—the stench, the reddened eyes and flushed cheeks. It was unmistakable...
"...Di-did you drink again?" Harumi Uchiha asked in a low voice. Her eyes couldn't hold back her tears as she waited for an answer.
"Mother... I—" Hiten couldn't bring himself to look into his mother's eyes.
Because of that, he failed to notice as she began to fall. Hajime rushed out and caught her before she could hit the ground.
Hiten was jolted back to reality as he saw her brother holding his unconscious mother, trying to wake her up but failing.
---
The brothers sat in silence that was deafening to both of them. The sterile smell of disinfectants was all they could smell in the hallway.
Doctors and nurses walked past them with stoic expressions, the other patients looked away when Hiten looked at them.
Was it because he was an Uchiha... Or that he looked like a junkie. Hiten would never know or care. All he was thinking was how royally he messed up.
Hajime turned to look at Hiten to speak, only for him to turn away. "Hiten. Look at me."
Hiten remained turned away, wanting to leave. He wanted to be as far as possible from Hajime. He didn't want people to look at him and think of Hajime.
"When I speak to you, you look at me. Is that clear?" Hajime said in a more stern voice—like their father.
Hiten turned just a little to see him, "Who are you to order me around? You still want to keep up that act in this mess?"
Hajime frowned and his eyes softened, "What act? I'm trying to talk to you?"
"That you are better than me! That smarter, stronger and more loved than me! Bossing me around because you think you're actually something." Hiten glared at him with hate.
"I don't know what you are talking about. I don't think those things." Hajime said. The words cut him like a knife.
"You never do. You don't know anything, about me, about what I do or think. But you never stop fucking up my life! The hell is wrong is with you!"
Hajime's eyes widened for a second but Hiten noticed it.
"What? Surprised that I swore? Sorry, but I'm not cultured like you or the rest of the clan. I'm sure that disappoints you doesn't it? But you know what the truth is?" Hiten turned completely to face his brother with hate.
"I'm not the disappointment, you are. I'm not the weak one here, you are! I'm not the failure, YOU ARE!"
People turned to look at the two brothers, but none of them gave any mind. Hajime still didn't reply and hiten never understood why—so he kept going, knowing well he would regret it.
"If dad was alive... I would be loved, not you. I would be the golden child. The apple of his eye," Hiten activated his sharingan, "And you would be what I am."
"Watch. Your. Tone. Hiten." Hajime said through blinding anger. His eyes bursting with red light—showing a three tomoe pair.
Even Hajime's eyes were more vibrant and more beautiful than his. Hiten backed off. Did he go too far? He didn't know but now he couldn't take those words back.
---
Hajime couldn't remove his eyes off the room where his mother was in. He heard shuffling from the doctors. Nurses talking with a panicked tone.
He didn't need his eyes to notice their expression. He knew it was bad. Maybe Hiten understood it too. Hajime had watched him walk out of here.
'I need to stay strong. I can't let him feel alone.' Hajime thought, walking close enough to the room to peek through the glass to see the doctors.
From outside, he could a mask on her face and and IV drip attached to her hand. "Is that mask for oxygen? Was her heart affected?"
Hajime looked at the woman he saw few hours ago—Satoru's mother.
She was talking to some nurses. She was telling them to monitor her conditions and notify her if anything happens. Lip reading was a habit that he couldn't seperate from his life.
She saw him. Hajime stepped to the side as the door opened and She came out.
"I'm sure you have questions. Go on." Mitsuki said, she looked like she almost didn't care. Hajime just assumed that's how doctors naturally were.
"What happened? Will she be fine?" Hajime asked her making her break her stonelike expression.
"I don't know what you and that kid did, but her blood pressure dropped so low that her brain was starved of oxygen. Just one second in that state is bad."
Hajime's brows furrowed in worry as was about to speak again. "She'll be fine but she won't wake up for a while." Mitsuki said in assuring tone. Hajime was by no means assured and looked at his mother through the open door.
"Go and sit next to her. It helps in times like these." Mitsuki said walking away.
Hajime paused for a second, his mother's face which was now almost lifeless. How did all come to this?