Karasu stopped moving in his tracks and turned toward Iruka again, his expression confused as he raised an eyebrow. What was so funny? the boy wondered. Yet it wasn't just the laughter; it was also the look Iruka was giving him, unaware that the older man was experiencing an echo of the past.
When Iruka spoke again, Karasu's raised eyebrow gave way to a thoughtful frown. He reminded Iruka of a former student? He raised his eyebrow again, tilting his head slightly to the side as he simply stared at Iruka.
//Sasuke?// Karasu repeated in his mind. He had heard of him, but nothing more. He didn't even knew that Sasuke was from the Uchiha Clan. Before meeting Sarada, Karasu had thought he and his father were the only Uchihas left. That was until he found out, that his father wasn't even an Uchiha but only an ill man. Finally, after staring at Iruka for way too long, Karasu shook his head, recalling the teacher's words about the need to at least nod to acknowledge that he had been spoken to. And he did exactly that, acknowledging that he had been spoken to.
Iruka couldn't expect many words from him, though. Karasu was known for not saying much or really talking to others. Sometimes he could be heard whispering somethig under his breath, but if spoken to directly, he would fall silent, only muttering single words every now and then. Hardly anyone even knew what Karasu's voice really sounded like. And many of the others, especially the children, found him odd, even scary, when he would simply stare at them endlessly without saying a single word or betraying any emotion, before turning silently and walking away.
What they didn't know was that, inside his head, he was saying something, even a lot sometimes.
Yet none of this thoughts ever truly made its way out of his head to become words, spoken by him. Rumors had already begun to circulate that he might be deaf or unable to speak. And in a way, they were right. He could not speak. However, not because he was mute, as many assumed.
Was it simply that he didn't want to say anything? Or perhaps that he didn't know how to properly put his thoughts into words? Or was it because he had been conditioned to remain silent, because his "father" had never permitted him to speak, and any violation of that rule resulted in harsh punishment? Or perhaps it was because he found himself in a place unknown to him, surrounded by people he didn't knew, in a new life that felt so alien to him, where nothing seemed familiar or customary, far away from what he knew and had been used to.
Perhaps it was a bit of everything.
In any case, Karasu continued to stare at Iruka, as if telling him to continue to say what he had intended to say. After all, he surely wouldn't have struck up this conversation without a reason.
