He held on to the rail of the bridge thinking to himself. What was he searching for? Would he find it? If he did, what would he do about it? All these questions swam around in his head, practically making him dizzy. He gripped the rail firmer, to a point where his knuckles were actually turning white.
He had killed all remaining members of Akatsuki. Why? Maybe for the same reason he killed his clan. Because they were no longer of use to him. Because at the time, he felt that angry, and unwanted. Like a statue hanging on the wall, something of value that no one was allowed to touch. So it just sat there. Collecting dust, getting old, living out its life without purpose, or proper use.
But that's not what he had wanted. He was always searching for something to fill the gap in his life. He still hasn't found it. He is once again alone. Without purpose. Without use. Without peace.
I am Uchiha Itachi. He thought, holding tighter onto the railing. Killer of the Uchiha clan. S-rank missing-nin. Wanted for countless murders, and betrayal of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I can not take back these horrible things. As much pain as they have caused me, and others, I will never be forgiven for what I have done.
But, the ninja's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of someone walking the trail that lead to the river. He quickly darted into the trees to hide himself.
I very pretty girl walked from the trail, and onto the bridge. She held onto the railing and watched the water flow under her, just as Itachi had done. In Itachi's eyes, she was very beautiful. Her long blond hair fell neatly at her waist, and her blue eyes matched the water dancing below the bridge. But he was very troubled to see a Konoha headband tied around her waist.
She rested her elbows on the railing, and watched the water tumble over the rocks in the river. Itachi felt like bolting, running away so he wouldn't have to fight, but something in her eyes made him stay where he was. It was almost a dejected look, like someone had taken the dancing light out of her eyes. Maybe she was searching for something to.
But he knew that he could never meet her, he had too much in his past. Most of Konoha's ninjas would strike first and ask questions later. He was after all, an S-ranked missing-nin. So he quietly started to retreat from the trail.
"I know you're there." The girl's voice came from behind him, but when he turned he saw that she hadn't taken her eyes off the river. "You can come out you know. You don't have to, but you can."
Her voice was soft, and sincere. No one had ever talked to Itachi that way. He carefully walked back out onto the trail, wondering if this was some kind of trap. The girl took her eyes from the river, and placed them on Itachi.
At first she was somewhat startled to see his Sharingan eyes, and red and black Akatsuki coat, but she quickly got over the shock. This must be Sasuke's brother. She thought slowly. But I have no reason to be afraid of him, he's obviously not attacking me, so I might as well give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Oi, I am Yamanaka Ino." She said, bowing her head to the black haired man before her. "May I ask who you are?" Of course, she already knew who he was, but it was only polite to ask him to introduce himself.
"Um…" Itachi started out, he had never had anyone formally introduce themselves to him like that before. Well he had, but that was before he had killed his entire clan. "I am Uchiha Itachi." He returned the bow.
"Very nice to meet you Itachi." Ino said sweetly, giving him a smile before returning her eyes to the water in front of her.
Itachi took a step forward so he was at the railing to, standing next to Ino. He rested his forearms on the rail and started to fiddle his thumbs nervously. "Um, do you know who I am? Like actually who I am?"
Ino took her eyes from the water again, and looked into Itachi's face. His red eyes looked nervous, and sad, but she could detect no betrayal within them. "Yes." She started out simply. "I knew your brother, Sasuke." Itachi flinched at the sound of his brother's name, but Ino continued on. "He was a friend of mine actually, but he's gone now, so it's not like it really matters."
It hurt Ino to think about how Sasuke had left. He had betrayed them all for power. He had been gone for four and a half years, and he still had not returned to the village. He had killed Orochimaru, even though she had no idea how. She had heard that the man was immortal, but apparently not since his body was found outside the village. Since then, Sasuke had taken over the sound village, and he apparently was still in power, but she wasn't completely sure. She tried to stay away from the gossip about Sasuke; it hurt her to much to think about.
"It's my fault." Itachi stated plainly. "If I hadn't done what I did, Sasuke never would have run off on his quest for power. That's the only reason he went, to gain power. To kill me."
"It's not your fault." Ino said slipping her hand into Itachi's. At first, he was startled by this advance, but he quickly realized that he like the feeling of having her fingers intertwined with his. "What Sasuke did was his own choice; you didn't have anything to do with it. You couldn't have stopped him even if you'd tried."
Ino's words comforted Itachi. It was like for the first time in his life, someone didn't judge him by his past, and didn't blame him for the mistakes of his brother. It was a good feeling, having her standing close to him, their fingers intertwined. And for the first time in his life, he felt at peace.
Well there's chapter 1! Please tell me what you think of it so far by submiting a review! Updates coming soon!