Beads
I was reading over a couple of the most recent manga that revealed the truth about Itachi's mass murder of the Uchiha Clan. In that I noticed it mentioned he killed his lover. This is a story about how and why he keeps that simple beaded necklace around all the time.
I've been very careful about being non distinct about the woman he loved, we don't know anything about her, so see her as you want to see her. The only thing I did choose to do was I made her a civilian, she'd of never known what was coming.
This may contain spoilers for the reasons why Itachi committed the crimes he did if you haven't read the manga so read on with caution. It's not my fault if I reveal something you didn't want to know and you keep reading.
I own nothing of the series known as Naruto.
It was warm there, nested in the blankets with her pressed up against him so soft and comforting. Maybe it was greedy of him to have done this. He shouldn't have used her so, but at least this meant it wouldn't hurt so much. Her hair fell around her so beautifully as he leaned up on one arm. She lay sleeping there as soundly as a child. Touching her cheek he was glad she'd never made it into the ninja ranks, she didn't have the heart for it, so gentle and sweet. The necklace that rested there on her pale flesh took him back as he touched the identical one that hung on his.
!!
"Here, I made this for you." Her hand held a simple string of small rounded beads. He looked at her curiously. "Why'd you do that?" She blushed lightly and glanced away. "Well, I wanted you to have one sense it's the same kind as mine, I thought it'd help you remember who's waiting for you after every mission." Itachi's hand caught her chin and turned her to him. "I didn't need a reminder," he kissed her then. From that day onward he'd had the necklace with him.
!!
He regretted only one thing about loving her there as he stroked her lightly in her sleep. He regretted that she was part of the same clan. A long distanced cousin, but still part of his list. At the same time though he wouldn't have wanted her to live thru the burden he would leave behind. The dark eyed man ground his teeth for a moment as he thought of his task. Looking to the window he knew he had wasted more time then he should have. Still he had to spend just one more day with her. It wouldn't be enough, but it would have to be all he had.
Reaching to the gear he'd left nearby he fished for a kunai with an eerie grace, knowing where it was without having to look. Today was the last he'd see of her, or anyone else, except for the one he'd asked to spare. He wasn't sure who was more a sacrifice them, or himself, but he was willing. It was his mission, his orders were clear. Even as he raised the blade over her beautiful neck he felt his resolve shake, if he could do this one, he could do them all without flinching. Still he paused, not realizing he'd been holding his breath till he heard her stir slightly.
His name whispered from her lips was the last he heard from her voice as he made the blow. Instant, silent, painless, and precise. He felt her body jolt and relax in a split second. Clinching the blade he closed his eyes and turned away. That was it. The hardest kill he's ever made. When his eyes opened they held that cold hearted resolve that would rest there for the rest of his mission. The eyes that would hide his pain for years to come.
As he dressed in the gear he'd need for tonight his finger's brushed the beads he wore. Itachi stopped then a moment to consider leaving them. That made him look to where her body lay. She'd told him to never take them off, they were her charm for him. To keep him safe, and guide him back. They didn't seem right to wear for this, yet he couldn't bring himself to remove them staring at her still figure.
Itachi stood now at her door, a slow breath released from his body. He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Forgive me..." He turned fully as he looked now at her face. A light smile rested there, her eyes closed, hair hiding the cut he'd made. As if she were just sleeping. "I'll see you again someday. Promise." He left her then, locking the door behind. He wasted no time in his task from that instant forward. Precise and deadly he cut down so many of his own blood. None causing him hesitation. None matching his skill. None causing the pain he'd felt then.
As he stood before the Hokage he paused. He'd secured his brother's safety, and he'd made sure of his status. "Can I request one last thing?" The old man looked at him questioningly, it was odd for Itachi to ask for more then he'd already bargained after. "Hmm?" The soon to be hunted criminal let his expression relax a bit. "Can you make sure that her beads are buried with her?" The old man knew who he meant, the two weren't very open to many people, but he'd seen the way they'd looked at each other and caught Itachi at her shop once before a mission saying he'd be careful. It wasn't hard to tell who the younger man referenced. "Yes, I'll be sure of it, and that she's as beautiful as ever." With that assurance the two men never laid eyes on each other again. Itachi vanished for years into the quiet of that night.