Its claws outstretched, jaws open wide, a maw of electric fury, Kirin descended upon the small, broken figure of Itachi Uchiha with a crash that rumbled the heavens, shaking the very earth to its core.
Fear. Pain. Regret.
Suddenly, a blossom of pain exploded in his chest, unfurling and wrapping around him, clenching his heart. It was agony, yet comfort, all at the same time. Colourful and diverse, the sensation overloaded his senses, leaving him strangely numb. Tingling in anticipation almost. Almost pleasant at first, it began to smother Itachi, constrict him, grip him tighter in Death's clawed hand.
Love. Joy. Loss.
It was then, that he saw her, ruby eyes blazing from within the darkness, a malaise of emotions showing. Somehow, it was her face that was there when he closed his eyes, waiting in silent tension. Calling out words that he couldn't hear, lips frozen in a scream nobody could hear.
Lonely. Broken. Afraid.
At that moment, he knew deep down in his heart that there, right then, he would die. Until then, it hadn't fully hit him in it's entirety that today, his life would end.
It would all finally end.
Clinging to life a little longer, focusing the broken thoughts and concentrating at the last task at hand, the dark haired man managed to break Sasuke's curse mark, remove Orochimaru and his snakes from his younger brother and show him the Susano'o technique that he was sure Sasuke would later learn. Feeling as though he'd completed his goal and knowing that the elder of the males wouldn't live much longer, a slow and painful walk was made, filled with so much pain and emotion to where the younger man stood, pressed up against a wall in fear.
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
Swaying heavily, every breath was painful. He lurched forward and gripped his chest, attempting to stop the rush of blood that spurted from his mouth in a violent coughing fit. An arm was left outstretched as he walked, in line with the younger male's spiked hairline.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Thick crimson liquid poured down pale skin, staining a shirt and dry ground. Painting a bloody canvas. Telling a horrific tale. Of lies, hate, revenge. Such bittersweet revenge...
Echo. Echo. Echo.
The sound of dripping blood seemed to echo around the silent graveyard of pale white rubble, showing an eerie likeness to bleached, dry bones.
One. Two. Three.
The last steps to his final goal were made. The flesh-hungry fingers were not searching for eyes though. A familiar gesture was made when Itachi pressed two fingers two Sasuke's forehead, firmly, forgotten words whispered to the wind.
'I'm sorry Sasuke... But there won't be a next time.'
Falling. Deeper. Darker.
A slight smile graced tired lips, tired eyes finally closed, a weary body laid to rest. The red skeletal figure quickly disappeared, muscled detail unwrapping itself from bones, those too dissipating until nothing more that a ghostly after-shadow was left. Flushed forehead skin met cool, hard concrete as the former Akatsuki member fell to the side, mind taken by an abyss of great sadness, but final dying relief as well. No longer sourcing any energy to move, he lay motionless, flickering in an out of a conscious state, thoughts hazy and slow.
He'd done it. Finally. Completed his life-long plan. . . . Had it been worth it? Hearing slow footsteps a little way away, and the dull thud of a tired body next to him confirmed the thought. Of course it had be all worth it. It was his baby brother, his younger sibling, his little Sasuke. Young, innocent Sasuke. Finally, maybe he'd be able to live without his older brother's terrible shadow casting despair upon him.
Just as he was drifting away, a foreign pressure could be felt on his chest. Sobbing, crying, whispering. Something that didn't want to let go. Something that wasn't coping.
Just like him deep inside.
One eye managed to open slightly, snatching a picture of a tormented Ankoku, face twisted in anguish and grief. He wanted to say something, anything, but simply couldn't. Raven black hair splayed out beneath him like a fan, falling so perfectly in the dirt where he belonged. He didn't deserve her, with her angelic features, gifted skills and beautiful but hidden personality... She deserved better. Much better. Far better that he could ever have given the woman.
"Shh... Shhhhh..." he managed, coughing and wheezing slightly, ever breath, sound and word a struggle. "It's... Alright..." giving her delicate and petite hand a gentle squeeze, the edges of Itachi's pale lips tugged up into a weak smile at the girl he so adored.
"Don't you dare tell me it's alright, because it's not!" She almost shouted at him. "It's not . . ." She added, much quieter this time, still sobbing violently, each tear leaving a small dark spot on the Uchiha's shirt.
There was no reply in the world that could convince her it was okay. Because it really wasn't... How can a dying man say words that clearly don't ring true? It's hard to be persuasive once you've knocked on Death's door. "You'll... Be alright..." Coughing dryly, blood ran scarlet trails from his lips as he lay there, trying to fix and comfort something he couldn't.
She looked up at him with crimson eyes that held so much grief that no words could describe it. "No I won't." She stated simply before taking a large gasp of air, having been sobbing for so long. "You . . . You idiot . . ." She half-whispered, burying her face in his chest again. "I hate it when people tell me it's going to be alright. Because it never is! It never is . . ." More sobbing. More crying. More tears. More pain. Her small hands each gripped onto his shirt as she desperately tried to calm down.
He wanted so badly to be there for her, to comfort and hold her, but he couldn't. Again, he'd made her cry... He did that all to often, didn't he... 'Reach up and hold her!' his mind insisted, body screaming in protest at his movements as Itachi pulled up slightly, slack core muscles rippling in an attempt to pull him up. A gentle kiss was all he could manage, whispering,
"Ankoku... I... Love you..."
There was a long silence as he hit the ground again, a little cloud of dust swirling up underneath as he fell. Deeper and deeper inside himself until he was floating just about the river of his consciousness, the raging flow slowly ebbing to a stream, a trickle, then nothing as it all faded to black.
Itachi Uchiha was dead.