Prologue
Pinks and oranges broke through the blackness that was once night; dawn was approaching fast, and the beauty of it all was, quite simply, mesmerizing. How long had it been since she had seen a new day approaching? Two years? Three? Too long, really. Mornings were never for her, but this time, she realized, would be the most spectacular moment of her life.
Life truly was beautiful.
Her own pink eyes reflected the light and colors from the sky, while a normally extinct smile lifted her paling pink lips. Emotions and feelings had been lost on her since birth, but now, in this moment, she could feel a barrage of everything she had never known.
It was absolutely amazing.
"Is this what I have been missing?" She murmured tiredly to herself, though she knew he had heard her words.
He glanced down at her with those red Sharingan eyes of his; that blank mask portraying nothing of what he was feeling. He had always been good and hiding his emotions, though, he could admit defeat in the category when compared to the woman resting her head on his lap. Hiding emotions is a task learned, but being born without them is a life without meaning.
It is what made her the perfect monster.
Yet, here she was, in her moment of weakness, smiling like a happy child – and he couldn't deny that it was absolutely stunning, She has a face meant for a smile.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to him, she was just that. He had never been normal, so it was obvious his view of what was beautiful would have been different from the rest. He was a rebel by nature. Her hair was as white as snow, and held perfect waves; her eyes were large and a soft shade of pink, with a unique black ring around her irises and framed by luscious lashes that matched her locks. Her nose was small, and her lips perfectly plump, perfectly pink, and perfectly matched for his.
He just couldn't understand how anyone could not find her as exotically beautiful as he did. No, instead most people were put off by her appearance...and odd behaviorism. They called her a monster: Death.
Perhaps that was why we was so drawn to her; he was an outcast, a murderer. They belonged together in some messed up and twisted way.
The image of his father turning in his grave made him mentally chuckle. Here his son was, sitting and watching the sunrise with the woman who had once stolen his attention and henceforth been banned from seeing – though, he should have known his eldest son was never one to follow his rules. Yes, realization finally hit him. He would always break the rules for her.
She would always hold a special place in that iced-over heart of his: forever irreplaceable.
Time truly slowed for no one, no matter how badly she wanted it to. I do not deserve it, She thought scathingly. The sun was fighting the darkness quickly, for she could just faintly see the few remaining stars glittering against the lightened sky, and hear the birds chirp their morning hellos.
Everything around her seemed so exuberant and alive, contrasting to her normal somber and quiet evenings. It was unusual, but she – dare say – loved the atmosphere and feelings it gave her. Perhaps she was human after all.
"I wish things could have been different," She clutched her stomach as she felt the fatigue begin to wash over her, "I suppose fate has other plans, though." She chuckled lifelessly.
It was too soon. It was unfair. She may have deserved it, but the once growing life inside her had not.
"Forgive me, Itachi-san."
He closed his eyes and clutched the smaller hand that was intertwined with his own. "Do not be sorry," His eyes opened to see those beloved pink ones staring back at him, "Nothing is ever promised."
She timidly positioned herself on to her back with the help of Itachi's hands, then slowly brought her own bloodied one to his cheek, to which he once again closed his eyes.
"Show me those eyes...those beautifully dark ones."
Abiding by her request, he released Sharingan and re-opened his lids. It was like seeing her in a whole new light; he could no longer see her chakra fading. Her time remaining. It was in that moment he felt the stabbing pain in his chest, and the pressure building behind his eyes.
Time was never going to stop for them.
"You'll take care of him, won't you?"
"For as long as I am able to."
Ah, how could she forget? Uchiha Sasuke was going to be coming after his elder brother, and avenging their clan. If only he could know the truth.
Akiyo, the aforementioned, was no more than five, but he was smart and already knew too much for a child his age. He was her carbon copy, born from the same village; she had rescued him from sure death two years prior. He was the only thing she had ever had a burning need to protect. She regarded him as family... like a son.
The only child she would ever have, now. And she didn't even get to say goodbye.
"Thank you for staying with me, Itachi-san." She whispered quietly as bloody tears began to cloud her vision. The pain had subsided, and now she simply felt cold.
"I..." He hesitated, "Will wait until the very end."
This vulnerability was new and frightening. He was Uchiha Itachi: The murderer of his clan, the heartless Shinobi that killed without remorse. Feeling sadness and regret were foreign feelings that he did not like, at all.
It had been his fault for this, though. He hadn't been able to make it in time, he hadn't been able to stop that fatal blow. Now, he was paying for his one moment of uncertainty with the death of his unborn child, and the woman he had grown to...
"I wonder if there is space in heaven, for the both of us?" She questioned softly with half lidded eyes.
"No, I am destined for a much darker place." He replied numbly.
"Ah," She coughed, as more blood escaped her throat, "Then I hope to go wherever you will be. That would be heavenly enough." She smiled that foreign smile and clutched on to his hand even more.
He dipped his head down, the ends of his bangs tickling her face. "I am sorry..." His lips touched hers in a fleeting kiss.
"I do not regret my time with you, Uchiha Itachi." She rasped out, trying to find any form of strength so that she could hold on for just a little longer. She didn't want to stop looking into those charcoal colored eyes that held no readable expression.
He could see her fighting to stay awake; the pain inside his chest was almost too much to bare, so he spoke those final words.
"Let go..."
And so, with a fleeting glance and smile, she did. To die by your side, Itachi-san, is such a heavenly way to die.