It never mattered whose it was – either his or the enemy's. Either way, gravity pulled the crimson liquid down, trickling along ANBU armor and skin until it dropped and soaked into the ground. It was in that way that they were the same – mortal, imperfect, vulnerable. No matter how skilled you were, you could – would – still make mistakes. Get injured. Hiss as a blade slid through your flesh. Everyone teased that his unmarred skin made him look untested and green in the field, but the look in his eyes as he glanced back proved otherwise. It was the same hollow, haunted look within those black – and sometimes crimson – irises. The same look of those who had killed, maimed, tortured – done whatever necessary to protect their village, their clan, their family.
His own blood always made him frown. Blood meant an injury, which meant a mistake had been made. He knew that he was apt to make them – no one had a flawless record – but he knew there was always room for improvement. And letting himself be struck meant he was not improving. He always found his target. After the deed was done, he was able to pause and reflect on what bodily harm he had sustained. Most were just glancing slices along unguarded strips of flesh – where his light ANBU armor did not protect. They healed easily, some not even leaving scars behind. But he still remember where each blow landed – still remember the small rivulets of blood trickling down his skin.
So he fought to improve. His skill was all that allowed him to protect – his work was all that kept others from making the same sacrifice. If he could just taken down one more enemy – just finish one more battle – it meant no one else had to. He couldn't possibly do it all...but he could try. His desire for peace meant making sacrifices – putting blood on his own hands to keep others from the same fate. To keep their flesh unmarred by scars and unstained by blood. So he kept on making sacrifices...until he had nothing left to give.
Hello lovely readers! So, I've decided to go ahead and upload my 365 Day Writing Challenge drabbles from deviantART over here to Fanfiction! And I've decided to organize them in several ways: Hinata-centric drabbles, Itachi-centric, ItaHina-centric, stand alone stories, and even a few with an RPC of mine! If a fic is short and not really it's own story, it will be uploaded as a part of the drabble stories as individual chapters. This fic "Trickle Down", for example, is the first "chapter" of the Itachi-centric drabbles, which I've grouped together and called, "Cursed Heart". So, for any little Itachi drabbles that aren't full short stories, look here! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this piece! It's short, but hopefully worth a read n_n ~BlackRoseDragon13