Chapter 54 - S

Almost two hours later, Sasuke is once again sitting with his legs crossed and closed eyes, groaning bodies sprawled on the grass laying across from him. They seem to have grasped the importance of teamwork when one is as weak as they are. Their plan was faulty and gave much to be desired but at least he finally got a light work up from them without using chakra.

He's lowered his standards so much is not even funny.

"Here," Rowan voice calls from his left and Sasuke extends his arm to receive the water bottle with only a nod in her direction as recognition of her actions. Rowan huffs but still sits next to him, drinking her own water, her irritation clear in her brusque movements. The slight tremble of her hands was the only hint indicating her uneasiness, as it always happens after these kinds of mock fights.

"You know it's creepy how you barely sweat whenever this 'all against one' happens, right?"

There's no answer coming from him, but he doesn't think Rowan expects one from him. She just continues being silent next to him as both look at the people finally attempting to stand up, looking red in the face and so tired; their heavy breathing accompanying the sweat that falls from their skin. The ones that escaped the worse help the others that are worse and are barely able to move.

"I hope we never find ourselves fighting on opposite sides," Rowan mutters solemnly as they continue to watch. This time Sasuke does bother to look at her from the corner of his eyes, only to find her steadily staring at him. "I was one of the snippers that day you first woke up. You stopped my gun with a pen. I didn't even think that was possible, but the things you can do are really terrifying."

Sasuke gives her a condescending smirk. "Are you afraid of me then?"

She swallows. "I am. You're really frightening for someone so young."

"And yet you're the one who constantly requests to shadow me."

"Someone has to do it." She shrugs, placing the water bottle on the ground next to her before settling against a trunk. "Besides, you kind of remind me of my younger brother."

Sasuke can let the conversation die there, but he still has to wait for the Governor to come from a briefing he sent a clone to spy, so he doesn't currently have anything better to do until it dispels. He mentally shrugs and once again throws her a look. "Does your brother also scares you?"

"Not in the sense you think, but yes. Though I was referring more to your eyes; they're similar." He arches an eyebrow and she rolls her eyes at him. "He had dissociation so he couldn't really feel much of anything. Or understand what he felt, anyways. His anxiety didn't help him much either."

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke turns his head to glare at her better, the 'explain' on them heavily implied.

She crosses her arms, unimpressed. Though Sasuke can still notice the way her eyes soften and her lips briefly tremble before she sighs. "You look like he always did when no one was looking at him. He was good at imitating other people's emotions but only when he was around people. When he was alone though, it was as if he didn't know how to act. You both look at everyone like they're from a magazine, not real. Maybe it was because emotions didn't come easily to him, or at all."

"It sounds useful," he says, taking a gulp from his bottle.

"He used to say that, too: the pros outweighed the cons. But… I remember the day our dad died. He was nineteen and from when we received the news of the funeral day, he looked lost. He told me he loved our dad and that he knew he should feel sad, but there was nothing. He had to put something in his eyes to cry and to accompany our mom so as to look like a normal grieving son. In the end, he even wondered if he actually loved anyone."

She looks at him with a frown. "When I look at you, it reminds me of him before he went to a doctor. There's a weight on your shoulders it shouldn't be there. Too heavy for someone your age to carry it alone."

Sasuke returns her gaze evenly.

"Are you offering then?" he says, at last, a cruel smirk forming on his lips as his eyes slowly bleed red. "Do you presume yourself strong enough to carry my sins? I can show you if you want. Don't go blaming me if you end up insane though."

There's fear in the tenseness of her shoulders and the smell of cold sweat. She clenches her jaw, her frightened eyes never leaving his mismatched ones. But her determination only lasts a couple of seconds before she's blinking and looking away.

"I already told you: You scare me. I don't think I would be of help."

Sasuke snorts, his eyes returning to normal as he stands up. The Governor wouldn't be in his house, but he can still sneak in and read some of his documents without alerting any guards.

"Do you have someone important in your life, Uchiha?" Rowan asks when he gives his first steps away from her.

No, he wants to answer, as there's no one alive. However, his eyes drift unconsciously to the bandage covering his palm.

"I do," he ends up answering, perhaps because of the personal story she offered.

"Are they alive?"

"He is." Sasuke clenches his hand before turning his head and throwing a nasty smirk at her. "I'm waiting for him to come so I can kill him."

Without looking back, he walks away, leaving the still-exhausted people he's had to teach and his guard behind.

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