DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. I do own the plot and other characters not in Naruto.
Prologue
He sat up suddenly and the blood that drenched everything from his dreams was still in his mind's eye. He blinked, staring at the person he saw in from of him. It couldn't be her. She was dead. He knew it to the depths of his core. He had personally ended her life. There was no way she could be alive. And yet...there she stood. He shuddered and turned away from her, drawing his blankets up to himself. "Go away, Nakari. Go away."
He didn't like how his voice shook. He hated himself for it. It showed his weakness. It was just like his weakness during that important mission so long ago. He couldn't kill his brother then either. His dark eyes opened slowly and he saw her still standing there. Her ghost looked at him with sad eyes. He could almost hear her voice call out to him, "Itachi..."
The ghost woman's eyes were wide and dark, like his own. She stepped toward him and her steps sounded wet. He looked down and saw nothing. He wondered why he had heard that sound. He looked up and saw that Nakari was close enough to touch. He wanted to. So badly that he could cry. His hand raised slowly and moved to her outstretched hand. His warm fingers trembled as the passed through her hand. "Nakari, I'm sorry."
The longing touch that they couldn't share ripped at the Uchiha's heart as a pungent smell attacked his nose. He blinked hard to clear his vision. Things blurred and when he could focus again Nakari was bleeding slowly. Her hands were pressed against her bleeding stomach as more wounds appeared on her as if from nowhere. To him it looked like she was being attacked by Kamaitachi.
He knew different. He remembered every single wound he had inflicted upon her and knew that her injuries were from him. He stepped closer to her, wanting to pull her fragile body to his, regardless of the blood that dripped down her body. He froze in his movements when she opened her mouth to speak, glistening tears clinging to her pale cheeks. "Itachi-sama, how could you?"
"I..." his voice caught in his throat. He couldn't say it. He knew why he had done it. He knew who had helped him accomplish the deed as well. But knowing wouldn't do anything. He couldn't bring her back to life. He could do nothing to make things right again. Not for her. "Nakari, I..."
Someone knocked on the door. Itachi's dark eyes flashed to it and he looked to where Nakari had stood. The smell of blood was still thick and clung to his senses, but the ghost had left him alone. Maybe...just maybe, he'd be fine. Maybe that was going to be the only time he would see her ever again. He walked to the door and looked at the shark man who stood outside it. "Yes?"
"Breakfast is ready, Itachi-san. It was Deidara's turn to cook." Inside, Itachi winced. The blond wasn't a very good cook, but he was at least better than Tobi, or Zetsu. He didn't trust Zetsu's cooking if meat was involved. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Why couldn't Deidara's girlfriend cook more often? Kairi could make food way better than anyone else in the Akatsuki.
"I'll be out in a minute." He bit his bottom lip after shutting the door in the shark's face. He needed to calm himself and regain his emotionless mask before leaving his room. He sat on his bed and found himself almost wishing that Nakari's ghost would come back to him. He punched the bed next to him and sighed. It was going to be a long day.