You & I - Just a bet ˢᵃˢᵘⁿᵃʳᵘ

2

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A few days later, I found myself back in the sparse bathroom. As I struggled to sit on the cold edge of the bath, I reached for the tweezers with trembling fingers to remove the glass splinters from my skin. My father was once again furious. His latest flame had left him and I was the outlet for his frustration.
When he threw the bottle of alcohol against my body, it shattered with a dull bang. Some of the splinters dug into my skin and a sharp pain shot through me.
I pulled out the last splinter with a muffled hiss, but the pain didn't go away. It burned terribly and the alcohol that was still in the bottle and running over my skin made it burn even more unpleasantly.
The dull thuds on my body still echoed in my ears as I slowly rose from the edge of the bath after I had finished. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs as I dared to look in the mirror. The face staring back at me was marked with pain and disappointment, a sad reflection of my life.
A lone tear made its way down my cheek as I forced myself to breathe deeper to quell the rising pain.

After scrubbing the last remnants of the alcohol from my skin and carefully disinfecting the wounds, I returned to my room. I reached for my old cell phone, one of the few luxuries my father allowed me, and texted my best friend. It was an ancient, worn cell phone, it was tiny and still had number keys that were worn from countless typing sessions. But it was sufficient for my needs.
Gaara was the only friend I had, the only one who didn't think I was completely crazy. In fact, he was also the only one with whom I spoke and wasn't mute. He knew how things went at home and what my father did to me and it was similar with him. That's probably why it was so easy for me to open up to him. Even though we hardly saw each other because I simply didn't have any free time or a private life of my own, we got on fantastically well and I'm absolutely grateful for that. We understood each other, with all our idiosyncrasies and quirks.
He was a bit strange in his own way, but everyone thought the same about me. A boy who went out in the shade in a sweater and long pants when it was over 30 degrees. Gaara made my miserable life a little more pleasant and who knows, if I'd never met him, I might not even be here anymore.
A tired smile forms on my lips as I put my cell phone aside and lay down on my bed. My hand rested on my stomach and a sharp pain shot through me from the latest wound.

I went through this whole ordeal for twelve endless years. By now I was 17 and it was just miserable.
A few weeks later, when I was about to serve my father dinner, he grabbed my arm roughly and made me sit down. "We're going to move back to Konoha," he began to tell me. "Your mother and I have decided to give each other another chance. We're going to be a real family again."
A heavy lump formed in my throat as I listened to my father's words. The idea of moving back to Konoha triggered a mixture of hope and fear in me. Hope that maybe something could change, that this new beginning could be a chance to escape the endless cycle of violence and suffering. But at the same time, the idea filled me with fear, fear that nothing would change, that my father would continue to exert control over my life. "You can have something to eat to celebrate, so have some," he added.

With a dull thump in my chest and a feeling of powerlessness constricting my throat, I forced myself to free my hand from his iron grip. A tinge of panic coursed through my veins as I slowly stood up, my eyes firmly fixed on the floor so as not to challenge the rage in my father.
I nodded to my father, even though my insides were screaming in protest, and took a bite to eat myself. As I sat down again and forced myself to eat, I felt each bite sit like lead in my stomach and the taste was bitter and bland at the same time.
My father's words echoed in my mind and I wondered if this new chance for my parents would also mean a chance for me.
Maybe my father would change and treat me differently? At least I hoped so.
Inevitably, I thought about what my mother would be like or my brother. I could hardly remember either of them, I only had blurry images of my mother in my head. I only remember that she was very pretty.
Would she even recognize me?
Could she love me?
I'm also curious about my brother. We were twins - would he look just like me?
Even if my situation didn't allow it, I still felt a certain anticipation for what was to come. Maybe, just maybe, this return to Konoha would be a light at the end of the tunnel that I so desperately needed.

A month later, we were standing in front of the front door where my mother and brother lived. My father pressed the doorbell and his hands were shaking slightly with nervousness. I tried to stay calm, but the tension was palpable, especially in my father.
As the door slowly opened, my mother immediately rushed towards me. Her embrace was firm yet gentle, and a wave of warmth flowed through me. It was a warm welcome that surprised me and almost brought tears to my eyes. My father also received a loving welcome. It was still as beautiful as in my memories.
"Come in first. You must be very exhausted from the long journey," she said as she led us into the house.
We entered the house and gradually brought our suitcases into the house, which we first put down in the hallway. Then we went into the living room, where my parents both sat down on the couch. I looked around and it was all so strange and new. Nothing seemed familiar.
I wondered what my room would look like. Would it be as lovingly decorated as the rest of the house?
"Come with me, I'll show you your room," my mother said at one point and got up from the couch, breaking my thoughts. My heart beat faster with excitement and nervousness as we walked down the hallway and climbed the stairs.

My mother stopped in front of a door and knocked. A strange feeling came over me. Didn't I get my own room? But before I could think about it any further, my mother opened the door and I recognized Sasuke, who was sitting on the bed, engrossed in his cell phone.
"I'll bring your new roommate over," my mother explained with a gentle smile. An uneasy feeling ran through me. A roommate? That probably meant that I would have to share my room and that also meant that sooner or later he would inevitably see my body. Questions would come up that I couldn't answer. He'll think I'm a freak. "Roommate?" Sasuke asked, confused. He immediately put his cell phone aside and stood up, his expression revealing that he was annoyed. But my mother started laughing slightly and neither Sasuke nor I understood why as we both looked at her in amazement.
"That's right, I forgot to tell you when they were arriving! Your father and brother moved back in today. They just arrived," our mother explained with a hint of excitement in her voice as she broke the news.
"A month gone already?" asked Sasuke, annoyed and sighing with stress. "That's right. Your brother and you will be sharing a room, just like before," said our mother and took a step to the side so that Sasuke and I were now facing each other.

A moment of silence followed as we eyed each other skeptically. There was a trace of suspicion in Sasuke's gaze, while I struggled to hide my own emotions behind a tired façade. But behind Sasuke's expression, I could see a certain hostility.
He looked so different from me. His dark hair and eyes contrasted sharply with my light strands and blue eyes. Not only that, but he was several centimeters taller than me. It was almost surreal that as twins we could be so different. I had heard that it could happen, but it was still strange.
I forced myself to avert my gaze from his face and lowered my eyes to the floor to hide my embarrassment. A nervous tingle ran through my body as I could no longer hold his gaze.
"And where should he sleep?" Sasuke finally broke the silence. "Well, in your bed. It's big enough for both of you," my mother blurted out euphorically.
"Are you crazy? I'm certainly not going to sleep in a bed with him," he said angrily, pointing his finger at me. I didn't say anything back and continued to stare at my feet, but I definitely agreed with him!
"But why not? You slept together in the same bed back then," said our mother, confused. "That was 12 years ago! We're not kids anymore," my brother replied, upset.
"Oh come on, you're brothers, twins even. Don't be like that!"
They argued on and on and I didn't feel like listening to it any longer. I left the room and went to explore the other rooms in the house. Some were filled to the brim with boxes and therefore inaccessible. But despite the chaos, I liked it here and I secretly prayed that my parents wouldn't split up again.

As I strolled timidly into the living room, my eyes fell on my father, who was sitting on the couch. Hey, come here, we need to talk," his annoyed words reached my ears and an inner sigh followed. An impulse to turn around throbbed inside me, but I stood still, unable to move. "Now come here and sit down," he suddenly ordered a little more angrily, causing me to flinch and slowly walk towards him and sit down next to him, already waiting for the expected trouble.
"Listen, what do you say we start over here? We'll do everything differently here than we did in Suna, okay?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly gentle. I looked at him open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
An apology?
Was that possible?
I had to be dreaming, didn't I?
I nodded automatically and a smile flitted across his face. "And don't tell anyone about our relationship in Suna. Otherwise you'll regret it," he added. Afraid of the consequences, I nodded again and looked at my hands. No one would believe me if I ever confessed anyway.

We remained silent for a while and when I was sure that no more words would follow, I got up and crept upstairs to see where they were with their argument.

"All right, but he'll stay here in your room until then, okay?" I heard my mother say.
"If I really have to," Sasuke replied, annoyed. Their argument seemed to be over. Mother noticed me and beamed warmly at me. "You'll soon have your own room, but until then you'll have to share with Sasuke. That's all right for you, isn't it?" she asked. I just nodded silently. What else could I do? There was nothing I could do about it anyway.
'Why don't you talk to me now? You haven't said a word since you got here. Are you still angry?" she asked me. I shook my head and just smiled at her, which made her groan in disappointment before she left the room and I followed her.

I fetched my suitcase from the hallway and dragged it into Sasuke's room. "You don't need to unpack that stuff! You won't be staying in this room for very long," he snapped directly at me. A silent sigh escaped my lips as I gave him a cursory glance and nodded in resignation. My brother didn't seem to have become particularly friendly.
"Tell me, why do you look so feminine anyway? Change yourself. After all, you're a guy," he continued, without a trace of empathy. Silently, as I always did, I didn't say anything back, not even a nod. Why did he even care what I looked like? That was my business, not his. If it bothered him, he could just look away.
"Apparently you have no idea yourself. Let me make one thing clear: We have nothing to do with each other at school and we're certainly not related. Our different looks make it impossible for anyone to mistake us for brothers anyway, let alone twins. So just stay away from me," he added angrily.
I nodded weakly again, secretly hoping that this was only temporary and that we would gradually grow closer again. After all, we were brothers; it would be a shame if that no longer mattered. But for now I was grateful for the suggestion, because at first glance he seemed to be a bit of an ass. I had already avoided people like that in Suna.

He didn't have to become my best friend, even if I kind of wanted him to. For a start, it would be enough if we just shared a room. I hoped it would pass quickly and I would soon have my own room.

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