Chapter 19: Unspoken Feelings
Yuhi Kurenai was in a good mood. She had just completed a successful B-rank mission and was on her way to her favorite izakaya to celebrate with a few cups of sake. The evening was pleasant, and the weight of the mission was off her shoulders.
That good mood evaporated the moment she turned a corner and saw the scene unfolding down the street. A group of older boys were circling a smaller one, who was curled up on the ground. One of them was kicking him, his voice loud and cruel.
*"Aren't you an Uchiha? Aren't you from the mighty clan? Weren't you a genius?! Hahaha! Say something! Why aren't you saying anything now?"*
Kurenai's blood ran cold, then hot with anger. She quickened her pace.
"What are you doing? Stop that at once!" Her voice, sharp and authoritative, cut through the evening air like a knife.
The boys flinched, turning to see a fully-grown kunoichi in a jonin vest, her expression dark with fury. Panic flashed across their faces.
"Ah! It's an adult! Run!" one of them yelped. They didn't need telling twice, scattering like cockroaches and disappearing down adjacent alleyways.
Kurenai didn't bother giving chase. Her concern was for the boy on the ground. She knelt beside him, her voice softening considerably. "Hey, little guy. Are you alright?" She helped him sit up, gently brushing the dirt from his clothes.
*Thank goodness I showed up,* Ren thought, keeping his expression dazed and fearful. He looked up at his rescuer. Shoulder-length black hair, striking red eyes—this was definitely Yuhi Kurenai. *An unexpected encounter.*
"I-I'm okay, miss," he mumbled, shaking his head.
"Can you get home by yourself?" she asked, her eyes full of concern. "You know what? I'll take you. Just in case those brats decide to come back. Which way is your house?"
She helped him to his feet and let him lead the way. They hadn't gone far when a figure came sprinting out of the Uchiha compound's main gate. It was Sasuke, his face a mask of frantic worry.
He skidded to a halt when he saw them, his eyes wide. The worry on his face instantly twisted into anger.
"YOU IDIOT!" he roared, storming up to Ren and completely ignoring Kurenai. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" The anger was raw, but beneath it was a thread of pure, undiluted fear.
"I… I was waiting, and you didn't come back…" Ren stammered, putting on his best scared-little-brother act. "I wanted to find you…"
Sasuke's shoulders slumped slightly in relief, but the anger remained. "You moron! No one told you to come looking for me! You'd just get lost or cause trouble for someone! You're nothing but a burden!"
"Hey," Kurenai interjected gently, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Your name is Sasuke, right? Don't be too hard on him. He was just worried about you. Everything's fine now."
"Who's worried about *him*?" Sasuke snapped, though the protest was weak. "I just don't want him wandering around making the Uchiha name look worse than it already does."
"Well, since he's home safe, I'll be on my way," Kurenai said with a small smile.
"…Thank you for bringing him back. Sorry for the trouble," Sasuke muttered, offering a stiff, formal bow.
"Don't mention it." With a final nod, Kurenai turned and walked away, her red eyes thoughtful.
Sasuke watched her go before rounding on Ren again. "Get inside. Now." His tone was gruff, but he carefully herded Ren through the gate rather than dragging him.
Once inside, under the brighter light, Sasuke finally got a proper look at his brother. His clothes were disheveled and slightly torn from Ren's earlier torch-making.
"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice losing some of its edge.
"It… it was Kenji," Ren said, looking down at his feet. "He… he hit me."
"Kenji?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the name sparking instant recognition and fury. "That piece of trash dared to lay a hand on an Uchiha?" The cold anger in his voice was palpable. *He's going to get what's coming to him tomorrow.*
They ate a tense, silent dinner—a rare occurrence for the two of them—before retiring to their respective rooms.
***
The next morning, Sasuke marched to the academy with a storm cloud hanging over his head. He was a boy on a mission.
"Sasuke-kun! Good morning!" Sakura chirped the moment he entered the classroom, bouncing over to his desk.
Sasuke brushed past her without a word or a glance, slumping into his seat and staring daggers at the empty space where Kenji usually sat.
Sakura's smile wilted. "He ignored me again…" she whispered, her shoulders slumping.
"Hehe, shot down again, huh?" Ino said, sliding up beside her friend and slinging an arm around her. "Don't worry about it, Forehead-girl. You'll get him one day."
"Yeah… I'm used to it," Sakura said, forcing a smile. "And I'll keep trying! I *will* make Sasuke-kun notice me!"
"That's the spirit!" Ino cheered. "You can do it!"
"You too, Ino-pig!" Sakura said, nudging her friend playfully.
"Me? What about me?" Ino asked, tilting her head.
"You have to work hard too!" Sakura whispered, leaning closer. "Go find someone you like!"
Ino blinked, taken aback. But then an image flashed in her mind—a boy with calm, dark eyes and a quiet demeanor. A small, private smile touched her lips. "Well… I already have someone I like."
"Really? Who? Who is it? Someone in our class?" Sakura's eyes widened with gossipy excitement.
"Hehe… not in our class anymore," Ino said, her smile turning a little sad.
"Not in class…?" Sakura's face fell as she realized the implication. "Ino… don't tell me you're still hung up on… on *Ren*?" She knew about Ino's crush. They'd even made a silly childhood pact—Sakura would marry Sasuke, and Ino would marry Ren. But that was before… everything.
Ino didn't deny it. She met Sakura's concerned gaze squarely. "Yes. That's right. I liked Ren-kun from the first day he came to school. And I still do."
"But… but Ren-kun, he's… he's…" Sakura struggled to find a tactful word. "*Different* now. How can you still like him?"
"I know he's different," Ino said, her voice firm with a conviction that surprised even herself. "But I believe he'll get better. I have to believe that."
"And what if he doesn't?" Sakura pressed, her voice gentle but worried. "Wouldn't you just be wasting your time? That's so… sad."
"No, he *will* get better. I believe in Ren-kun." Ino's gaze drifted past Sakura, toward the back of the room where a girl with long, chestnut-brown hair sat quietly by herself. "Besides… I'm not the only one waiting for him."
Sakura followed her gaze. "Akane…?"
"If I give up now," Ino said, her voice dropping to a determined whisper, "then I lose to her." Akane seemed to sense their attention. She looked up, and her eyes met Ino's. There was no hostility in the glance, just a quiet, shared understanding. A silent acknowledgment of a rival.
Akane had liked Ren, too. Quiet, introverted Akane, who had been isolated for years by Kenji's bullying. Ren had been the first person to treat her normally, to talk to her without fear or pity. She had watched him, silently adoring him from afar, too shy to ever approach him the way the bold and confident Ino did.
Ino had sensed Akane's feelings almost immediately and had treated her as a rival ever since, picking petty fights and throwing scornful looks her way. She would never willingly cede ground when it came to Ren.
Akane, for her part, understood the reason for Ino's hostility. And rather than backing down, it had only solidified her own quiet resolve. She would wait, too. She would believe, too.
The two girls held each other's gaze for a moment longer before each looked away, a silent battle of wills and hope declared over the fate of a boy they believed was lost, but whom they refused to let go.