Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Haunted
-:-
The golden sunlight caressed his face. Its warmth danced along his arms and warmed him to the core. When a cool breeze swept by, causing his hair to fly up into his face and his shirt to brush against his middle, he brought his arms up to his chest in an attempt to stay warm. Another gush of air caused the surrounding sea of grass to rustle like crashing waves. The leaves of the surrounding trees were pulled of their branches and gently floated down until the breeze would sweep them back up.
He found that just lying there in the grass relaxed him. He could stay like that all day, but he knew his father would not be happy with him if he did so. Still, he would enjoy it for however long he could. He sighed, and a small smile of content graced his lips. That smile quickly faded, however, when the sound of footsteps came from behind. Itachi quickly jumped into action, grabbing the intruder and pinning them to the ground. He was, to say the least, surprised who he caught.
The small girl beneath him shifted uncomfortably.
"Sorry." She smiled nervously as she said, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."
Itachi didn't say anything. Instead, his mind went to how awkward the position they were in was. Forgetting the fact that he had a kunai to her throat, all Itachi could do was think about how he ended up straddling her hips, and it seemed she was thinking the same thing. He quickly jumped back up onto his feet, his embarrassment perfectly masked, and held out a hand. She took it, and he pulled the blushing girl to her feet.
The girl was just a year younger than himself. With dark hair that was shorter than his own, the common Uchiha ebony eyes, and a petite frame, she was fairly average looking. Even her smile looked like the rest of the girls' in his clan, but for some reason that smile of her's was contagious, and sometimes Itachi felt his own lips curling upward.
"What are you doing here?" Itachi asked, a brow raised in curiosity. Their hands were still intertwined. A light rose color dusted the girl's cheeks at the thought and she looked away.
"Nothing." She shrugged. "Just wanted to see how you were doing." Her hands slipped out of his; Itachi's arms fell limply to his sides. Her arms wrapped around herself as she turned her back on him. "You've been avoiding everyone lately," she said quietly, almost as if she were holding back tears.
Itachi was taken aback. "Have I?"
He took a step forward, an arm outstretched towards her, but she her began to shake, and he drew back. She gasped out in pain, and when she started coughing, her hands flying to her throat, Itachi's heart sank. She fell to the floor before Itachi could get to her, and it was at that moment he saw the blood that encircled her.
They were no longer in the grassy field. The warm sun had vanished behind the horizon; the trees were replaced with walls. They were in a house. The cold wood surfaces gleamed with her blood as the moon cast its pale light over them. Itachi's hand tightened, and he froze.
The sword that he once carried fell the ground with a dull clank, the noise ringing out into the night. It was covered in the same dark red, and little rubies splattered off as it hit the floor. He looked down at his hands that rested at his sides, only to see that they, too, were covered in the same substance. Itachi's hands shook as he raised them to his face. It was just a terrible nightmare he would have to awaken from, he thought, but he knew no such salvation would come for him. So he ran, picking up his sword as he darted out the door.
The young ANBU ran through the blood stained Uchiha compound. No bodies were in sight. He held the sword in a death grip, awaiting for anything that might come at him, but he was greeted merely with silence. Being as careful as possible, he began to walk up and down the streets, keeping a wary eye open. Rustling to his left caused him to pause. He sensed no chakra and could see nothing in the shadows of the buildings, but the rustling continued. He cautiously took a step forward, a low moan emanating from the dark corner when he did.
Dark figures began to emerge, and Itachi immediately knew who they were; his family, his team, his friends. Their eyes were hazed over, long gashes adorned their bodies, and dried blood covered their clothes and skin. They stumbled toward Itachi, who slowly began to step back. They called out to him, asking why he did this, what have they done to deserve it, that he should die with them, that he didn't deserve to live. All terrible things.
No words would form. Itachi shook his head, silent tears streaming down his face as they got closer.
Their cold fingers grabbed his arms, yanked on his hair, and tore at his clothes. When the moonlight began to fade to black, he woke up. His heart was pounding in his ears, and a cold sweat ran down his bare back and chest.
It was just a nightmare - one that would haunt him always.
A/N: A friend of mine pointed out that I'm always writing sad stories. I'm sorry. I did it again. I hope you liked it anyway. And I would like to thank my awesome editor, YouStoleMySocks.