Lifeless
By Crimson Insanity
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Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. I do own the plot, and my OC's.
A/N: Alright, the prologue is going to be a songfic. And quite tragic. It may be a bit confusing, but you'll understand what's going on in Chapter One. And due to my own reasoning and the plot of the story, Sasuke is only 2 years younger than Itachi, so during the actual chapters, where Itachi will be 17, Sasuke and everyone else will be 15. (Unless if they AREN't the same age as Sasuke. And also, the jounin's ages will be the same as the manga and anime. Will be in third person POV.
Legend:
Normal textnormal writing.
Italics Flash backs or thoughts
Bold Flash backs that no one is actually having but is there to explain something.
Bold italicslyrics.
Main pairing: Itachi/Oc
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AND VERY ANGSTY.
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Prologue: Chinoumi; Sea of blood.
It felt as if she was drifting weightlessly over the darkness. Is...is this death? Images flashed into her mind. SOunds too. Screams, surprised yells. Splattering of blood. She felt the cold metal of a kunai pressed against her neck, and those cold crimson eyes staring back at her. "Don't forget me..." she heard herself saying. Then her eyes opened. Her room was shrouded in shadows, but light still poured through the window. Then she remembered why she was here, and what those memories are. Its been a year since she 'died'. A year since the Uchiha and Kurosora clans have been brought down.
I'm so tired of being here
Surpressed by all my childish fears.
If you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave.
Your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone.
12 year old Chinoumi lived in a normal, if not messy, apartment with her 'onii-san', the infamous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. But she was not a Hatake. She was the heiress to the powerful Kurosora clan. Why was she here then? She'd rather not remember. Chinoumi looked over at the shadows that roamed her room, her eyes blank. But in a split moment, Chinoumi was sure she saw a pair of crimson eyes, standing out against the dark. Fear clutched her, but only for the split second that she saw it. Chinoumi sighed.
Its been almost a whole year since that day.And though the killer had abandoned the village, she could still sometimes see traces of him. Which is why she tried so hard to not look out the window at night.
The moon. It would always bring him back into her memories, despite how she wanted to forget. Although it never glowed red, as his eyes were, she could still see the spinning wheel of the Sharingan on the moon. And then there were the shadows that flitted in and out of her vision. And with them blood red eyes.
These wounds won't seem to heal.
This pain is just too real.
There's just too much that time cannot erase...
Chinoumi's hand went up to her throat, where the scar was plainly visable. And as her fingers brushed the reminder of death, she could suddenly feel the kunai against her neck again, and the pain the would not let go of her. She almost choked on non-existant blood, and her head hung, as if she really was dead. A year. It may seem long or short to different people, but for Chinoumi, it felt as if it had never passed. As if not a moment passed. She felt as if she was still trapped in the night of that massacre, eternally. Dying over and over again. Her small hand was still at her throat, caressing the line that was etched into her skin. Aside from that, and her inability to talk, Chinoumi was physically fine. But she still felt the blood dripping from her mouth, rolling down her chin, as well as the blood that flowed from the wound on her neck.
When you'd cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand
Through all of these years
But you still have...
All of me...
A small, weak smile appeared on Chinoumi's lips as she remembered how they first met.
She was only eight at the time, a mere ninja-in-training.She was on the swing, as usual, alone. It wasn't as if she didn't have any friends. It was just that she didn't like being with them as much as being alone. And then she saw the man running down the street, carrying what loked like a scroll with him. Behind the fleeing man were several normal villagers, trying to be heroic. She knew that this one could very well be a ninja that is capable to killing them. So, being the foolish little girl that she once was, Chinoumi leapt off the swing and pulled out a few kunai.She threw some at the man, and he stopped and sneered at her.
"Such a weak child. Why are you being so stupid?" he hissed, putting the scroll in a pocket and pulling out several weapons of his own. Chinoumi was quick, but not strong. She was ablet o dodge the projectiles that came her way, but the man caught her by the back of her kimono and held a knife to her neck. her big eyes widened in fear, realizing how stupid she was. She struggled, but only a little, in fear that the knife would be drawn across her small neck.
"Let her go." a voice said from in front of her. She stopped struggling and saw the boy, only a bit older than her with several of his weapons drawn.
"And who are you, little boy. Not another ninja-wannabe trying to be the hero now, are you?" the criminal smirked. The boy just stayed silent as he quickly preformed a few hand seals, and the ground split beneath the man's feet, then he was pulled under, whie Chinoumi was dropped to the floor. She quickly scurried away from the man, scared that he would be able to attack her even with only his head portruding the earth.
Chinoumi had then known him to be the famous Uchiha Itachi, a ninja over-achiever. She hadn't seen him too often, as he was often out on misisons, but whenever she did, she thought he'd act arrogant and silent. Chinoumi's first thought was that he was an emotionless jerk, always doing things for himself and himself only. But she realized that he does have emotions. Monthes after the scroll-stealer incident, Chinoumi had wandered the woods near her home, happy to get away from the lievely atmosphere of the Kurosora Estates. Not long after she had ventured into the forest had she heard muffled sobbing. She followed the sound curious, and came upon Uchiha Itachi.
"Uchiha?" she asked uncertainly. The figured stiffened, and seeme dlike he was hastily wiping away tears.
"What do you want, Kurosora." he retorted in his usualy stoic tone, although Chinoumi had heard the slight wavering in his voice.
"You're...crying..." Chinoumi said, almost not believing herself.
"I'm not!" Itachi seemed almost angry at her for assuming such. But she just bit her lip and went over to the Uchiha, crouching beside him
"What's wrong?" Her voice unusually soft.
"Its nothing of your conce-!" but he was cut off by the small hand on his shoulder. "Its nothing..." he replied more calmly.
"Well, it has to be something if it made you cry!" Yes, Chinoumi was persistent. So persistent Itachi had actually gave in.
"I'm afraid...my family, they expect so much from me. I'm an Uchiha, I've got to do great things. That's what I keep hearing. But what if I don't do great things? What if..I fail?" Itachi was surprised at himself for confiding something like this to a little girl. Strangely, the girl jsut laughed quietly.
"I doubt that they would punish you. I've heard that your parents are really nice. If they really love you, they wouldn't care about how far you get in life." she replied. Corny, but true.
"But...its not like that in the Uchiha household..." but he stopped when a small hand covered his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life
You left behind...
Ever since, she had found Uchiha Itachi an interesting person. He had always acted so silent and anti-social to everyone, but she'd often see a small, secret smile on his lips whenever he looked at her. And whenever an older kid had picked on her, he would always somehow find her, and his presence alone is enough to scare the kid away. She had never understood why was nice to her and her only, but perhaps it was because he trusted her? And she trusted him back.
The smile dissappeared and was replaced with a frown. That was all gone now. Everything. Chinoumi shouldn't have trusted him. Trust had never got her anywhere. She was living with Hatake Kakashi for a reason. She was cut off from society for a reason. Because she can't face the life that she had. The life that she had when she was a foolish, weak little girl. She couldn't stay in her own house, fearing that she would once again see the bloodstained walls. And she thought that living with Kakashi would stop bringing these memories to her, the memories of the life that she left behind. But even here they still fleeted in an out of her mind. The Itachi-like shadows, the moon that sometimes turned red, the tears she shed that she imagined as blood.
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All of the sanity in me
When she looked in the mirror, she would often see Itachi appear behind her, smilling as he usually did when he saw her, then his face would become emotionless, and he would hold up the kunai that almost took her life. Spots of light reflected form the city she would see as Itahci's Sharingan. Everytime her eyes closed, she would see him. Chinoumi drew her knees up to her chest and hid her face in her arms, silently shedding tears. Even after so long, it still effected her. So many times she would have wished that Itachi had killed her sucessfully, so that she didn't have to suffer from this.
"I'm sorry...Please...forgive me.." Chinoumi's head snapped up, looking around at the pained whisper, but saw no one. She clenched her hands into fists, her nails almost drawing blood from her palms. My sanity is slipping, with every passing moment...WHY DO YOU STILL HAUNT ME LIKE THIS! But still no one appeared. She hid her face again, hoping to fall into a dreamless sleep. But sleep did not claim her, and she remained awake, dwelling in her own imaginary abyss.
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still
Have all of me...
I tried so hard to tell myself
That you're gone
And though you're still with me
I've been alone all along...
He's not here anymore...but why do I keep feeling like he was? Why do I keep hoping that this isn't real, that it had never happened...when I know it did? The whole time. They whole time you had only wanted to gain my trust, for your own, pathetic, selfish purposes! And I still trusted you! She thought angrily, still crying. Chinoumi didn't ask for much. She only wanted to be free from this. Free form the bloody nightmares and the almost-real visions. But she can't. She can never forget. She would have to live with these memories, even in sleep. She knew that, and eventually gave into exhaustion.
When you'd cry
I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream
I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held you hand
Through all of these years
But you still have
All of me...
Crimson eyes watched the girl. his heart wrenched at seeing her so broken. He would have given anything to sit beside and just hold her, telling her he was so sorry, that he...loved her. Love? He closed his eyes and dissappeared into the shadows.
"I'm sorry."
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A/N: Wow. That was so sad. I would have cried if I was that emotional. But I'm not, so I won't cry. It was kinda hurried at the end, but still sounds good, neh? Well I warned you about the angstiness. The next chapter will take place 3 years from the prologue, meaning Chinoumi would be 15.
Notes about the Chapter: Chinoumi means 'sea of blood'. Quite appropriate when you think about it. And I think I may have made Itachi a little OOC, but don't worry, he gets to be his evil little self in the next chapters.
PLEASE REVIEW!