Title: Crying Raven
Type: Oneshot
Warnings: None.
Pairings: None romantic/sexual. Featuring the relationship between Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Crying Raven
A Naruto Fanfiction
Kakashi wakes by a cold breeze that blows straight through the thin sheets. He jolts up, realizing that his window is wide open and that the temperature in his room is lower than usual. White curtains are flapping eerily in the wind. A dark silhouette sits at the foot of his bed, and he snaps his Sharingan eye open.
He breaths out as he recognizes his unexpected visitor. "Itachi? What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry I startled you, senpai."
Eyeing his subordinate sleepily, Kakashi throws his legs over the edge of the bed and sits up next to him. "Do we have a mission?" He's already mentally going through how to quickest get his equipment together if it happens to be an emergency. For him and his team to be sent out in the middle of the night without any prior warning is more of a regular basis than an occasional occurrence.
Still… something is telling him that Itachi isn't here for business. The lack of immediate response confirms that – it takes a few seconds too long for the younger boy to answer him.
"Mission?" Itachi says, staring blankly in front of him. "No. No mission."
It isn't hard to tell that something is wrong. Kakashi have worked with Itachi for years now and completed an endless amount of missions with him. Never before have Itachi been unfocused. In fact, it has been close to impossible to ever catch him with his guard down – even in the safety of his own village.
Only now does Kakashi notice the scent of blood surrounding the Uchiha – the light, subtle splatter of crimson on his clothes. Itachi is a good assassin – so for him to be even the least tainted by blood must mean that he has had a difficult mission – or multiple targets to dispose of.
Most likely both, judging from the exhaustion on his features.
Kakashi frowns. He knows how Anbu work, but he still doesn't like that a boy the age of thirteen already have to kill for his village. He could understand the necessity of it during war-time, but now he almost wishes that there was a minimum age required to take on some of the dirtier shinobi-work, genius or not. Itachi is not a child, but he has been forced to become an adult far too early.
"I'm sorry," Itachi repeats emotionlessly – almost mechanically. "I should leave."
He makes no move to do so.
Kakashi has never been social. He knows nothing about how to comfort someone. But it seems like Itachi desperately needs something or someone to anchor him to this world and for some reason he has searched his team leader out. In a way, Kakashi feels responsible. He knows better than to ask about his mission – rare is an Anbu mission not classified – and no matter how straining it has been, Kakashi knows from experience that the look in his eyes couldn't possibly have be caused by anything not directly personal.
"Itachi?" Kakashi says, voice a tad softer. "Is it Shisui?"
"Shisui," Itachi repeats, voice even more broken than earlier. He crunches down as if he just received a hard blow in his stomach. He removes his headband, and fingers pulls desperately through his long hair. The way the moonlight falls against his face gives away tears on his cheek. "Yeah. Shisui," he chokes out.
"I'm sorry." Kakashi has never seen Itachi cry before and he doesn't know how to handle it. He doesn't really know what to say. Is there anything he can say? "I… I lost my best friend too, when I was around your age," he finds himself confiding. "Obito. Obito Uchiha."
It feels like little of comfort. How is Itachi supposed to feel better by knowing that one of Kakashi's friends died? Why would someone mourning the death of a loved one find the knowledge of another death comforting in any way? He supposes it's the understanding, somehow. Of not being alone.
But Kakashi feels clumsy.
Stupid.
Itachi is smarter than that.
Itachi glances at him and his eyes looks tried and lifeless – almost dead. But then a hint of quiet understanding emerges, and he looks a little more human again, much to the comfort of Kakashi.
Apparently he did something right, then.
"He gave you your Sharingan?"
"Yes."
Itachi's lips twists upwards in something resembling a smile, and for some reason Kakashi can see a twinge of irony in it. His tense features soften slightly, slowly, but it's a big difference.
"I guess we're more alike than I thought," Itachi says and then he is silent second, before he speaks again. "Can you tell me about him?"
Kakashi nods, humors him. Itachi obviously needs the distraction. He's never told anyone about Obito. Not even Minato – Rin was the one who told their sensei about how Obito died – and for some reason it feels good to finally speak about it. It's still difficult, but Itachi feels like a person he can talk to.
"Obito shared some resemblance with Shisui," Kakashi begins. "It was something about their demeanor – a positive happiness that was almost infectious and put others at ease as well. He cared a lot about his friends. Of course… while Shisui was a growing prodigy, Obito was considered a failure."
Itachi stays silent, but his attention focuses on him in an almost unsettling intensity – desperate to forget whatever it is that's haunting his mind. Kakashi doesn't know what else to say. There are several memories he could share, but still today speaking of his old team creates a lump in his throat. Recalling too much may be more danger than it's worth. He has finally starting to move on.
"He really wasn't weak, though," Kakashi adds quietly, despite himself. "He just didn't live up to the Uchiha's high expectations." A rueful but fond smile makes his lips twitch. "A little oblivious, sure, and stealth wasn't exactly his forte, but he wasn't weak. I learned a lot from him."
"How did he die?" Itachi wonders out loud, and though Kakashi hadn't planned to go into details, he still does.
"A cave crumbled in…. enemy jutsu. He took a boulder for me."
"Hn."
Kakashi exhales slowly. "I was a fool. I never realized how much he meant until it was too late." He can't bring himself to tell Itachi about how he treated Obito – the remorse, the guilt and the actions that he can never repent for.
He can't change the past.
The only thing he can honestly say he didn't regret was following Obito that day, sacrificing his eye to save his life. And even that Obito paid back tenfold – more than anything Kakashi could ever hope to achieve. Obito gave up his life for Kakashi's, and handed him his kekkei genkai-powered eye, as if to make some sort of statement – that even in death, he had to beat Kakashi in kindness. Anything Kakashi could do, Obito could do better.
At least the things that counted.
"What about your family?" Itachi says, and Kakashi is thankful for the change of subject. This, at least, is a question he can easily answer.
"My dad was my last living relative."
The moon is covered by clouds, takes away what little light there is outside. Shadows fall over the room, covering them in darkness.
"You're alone."
It's not a question. It's a statement – or maybe an observation. And Kakashi almost denies it, but stops himself in time. What is the use? Itachi would see right through him. There's also something in those weary eyes that hits him as Itachi turns to him – loneliness – and it feels silly for him to try to deny the obvious.
"Yeah," he says quietly. It feels easier to admit in the darkness. Kakashi doesn't wallow in self-pity, but an uncomfortable surge clenches at his chest. It normally doesn't bother him. The people close to him only gets taken away – it's for the best that it stays like this. He doesn't understand why he feel the way he does.
Itachi nods slowly. Without a word, he reaches for his hand and takes it.
Kakashi is surprised. Itachi has, like himself, never been a physical person, and he didn't expect him to search out contact. He realizes that Itachi's hand is cold and trembling and the way Itachi's fingers clenches into his makes him even more concerned over the younger boy. But he manages to conceal all his emotions, not letting any of them show. Kakashi can keep his face without his Anbu mask.
He still wonders what has the unmovable Itachi this badly shaken.
"You're alive," Itachi finally says. "Thank you."
His words make little sense, but still Kakashi can understand them, somehow.
They sit silently for a few minutes. The silence is comfortable, the hiding darkness soothing, and as time passes Itachi's hand warms and the shaking stops. It eases his mind, somewhat.
Itachi gives his hand a soft squeeze before he lets go and stands up. "Thank you," he says again. "I will let you sleep now. Goodnight, Kakashi-senpai."
"Goodnight Itachi."
Itachi gives him a soft bow, and disappears.
Kakashi closes the window after him and goes back to sleep. He is awakened by Tenzo half an hour later and asked to go to the Hokage's tower immediately. There, he receives some terrible news – the Uchiha clan has been massacred.
Itachi Uchiha is the culprit.
A/N – Takes place after the Uchiha massacre, but before Itachi left Konoha, in case that was unclear. After leaving Sasuke, Itachi is too upset to flee the village instantly and seeks up the only person he has left. A sort of Hurt/Comfort fic. Leave a review if you liked the story! :)
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