.Songfic, Uchiha Itachi, Furuya Jin, Orochimaru(briefly), Kazeuta Midori.
Song: Dooms Day
Artist: Gackt
There was a silence that hung over the two as the recognization occurred between them.
Uchiha.
Boy.
They stood across from each other in the snow, on either side of the gravemarker. But something was different. Something was wrong.
-The pretty moon is smiling…-
Jin's eyes narrowed.
"You…"he breathed, feeling as though this were too hard to believe. "You…I…it's you…it's actually you…" It was getting hard to breathe for Jin, and he was feeling more livid than ever. "You….you killed …you killed her…" Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"Her? I don't know what you're talking about." He did indeed know what Jin was talking about.
"You know damn well what I mean!" Jin spat. "And who I mean!" Itachi stayed cool.
"Midori." Jin looked absolutely beside himself.
"Why?" He whispered, trying to control his temper. It was not working.
"It was necessary."
"Necessary?!" Jin snarled. "She loved you, and her death was necessary to you?!" Itachi's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?" Jin threw the picture at the Akatsuki nin. Itachi snatched it out of the air, looking at it silently. His face was stony.
"What is this?"
-In the quiet night, it's laughing…-
"It's you. You, and Midori. Quite the childhood image, don't you think?" Jin growled. Itachi looked unperturbed. "What, do you deny it?" Jin asked, a rather nasty smile on his face. "Because she kept this. Obviously she felt something for you…Or do you deny that too?!" Itachi said nothing.
-Once more, I murmured your name…-
There was a sudden wind, and an eerie silence fell once more. The wind was followed by a rustling of branches, and the two looked up. There, in the trees. There was someone there, watching them. Jin's eyes went wide.
"Midori…"
-Above the scattered glass, a cold wind is dancing…-
The girl jumped down, landing silently in the snow.
It was indeed Midori.
Itachi's eyes narrowed. What was this? Midori was indefinitely dead. He had killed her himself. Jin looked confused, and frightened almost. But as they both looked at her, they noticed something. Her eyes were dark. Cold. Empty. Her skin lacked the luster that life had once given it. Yes…there was something wrong. Jin approached her slowly, but Itachi stayed where he was.
"M-Midori…is it…is it you?" Midori said nothing, seeming to stare right through him. There was suddenly a laugh from within the trees. Someone else was here. Itachi said nothing, but seemed to know who it was. His hand was on his katana. It was Orochimaru who stepped into the moonlight, moving to stand behind Midori, laughing. He pulled her face towards him, his hand on her chin, tilting it up.
"Do you like my new toy?" He asked, a frightening glint in his eyes. His hand stroked her face almost lovingly. "She is very lovely, isn't she? But...I suppose only Itachi knows just how lovely she can be…" Jin's eyes were wide, and he had backed up to stand near Itachi, who was glaring at the older nin.
"What are you talking about?" Jin snarled. Orochimaru smirked at Itachi.
"Why not ask our Akatsuki friend? Or…didn't Midori ever tell you?"
"Tell me what?!"
"So you never did wonder why Midori kept that picture? Or why she took on that mission when no one else would? Why sometimes you would wake up at night, and Midori would be gone?"
-I await your return…-
Jin looked helplessly from Midori to Itachi, and then his eyes narrowed.
"She was with him…" Itachi said nothing. "…She…loved…him…" He glared at Itachi.
"How could you kill her?! How?! Did you truly feel nothing for her?!" Still Itachi said nothing. Orochimaru laughed again, letting go of Midori and stepping back a few steps.
"Take in the sight of her now, both of you. It may well be the last one you see." He laughs again.
"Kill them."
-Before falling into sleep…-
Midori could see what she was doing. She could hear their voices. She could even feel the cold of the snow around her. What she could not do was control her body. She could not speak…her movements were not really her own. She was under some spell…Some horrible spell… She rushed at the two suddenly, Itachi and Jin, and both leapt out of the way. Jin looked horrified, and Itachi's face remained blank. Midori has apparently decided to go after Jin first, following his movements, and slashing at him savagely with her kunai. Jin dodges and dodges, but Midori is fast – she slices open the back of his vest.
"Midori!" He cries. "Midori…" He knows this is useless. He leaps from branch to branch into a tree, but she follows. Itachi watches this, seemingly indifferent. Midori knocks Jin out of the tree, and he lands hard on his ankle. Itachi suddenly rushes in between the two, blocking her blow. She shouts in anger and annoyance, leaping back.
-My shouting voice resounds…-
She now rushes at Itachi, who seems to be more of a challenge. He matches her blows each time, feeding her some of his own. But when she ducks under his arm and goes for his chest, he throws her back. She lands on her feet, sprinting to reach him again. Midori is beyond reach – Itachi knows this. She would have recognized him.
Midori knows she wants to stop. She wants to end this. Wouldn't she rather be dead? Yes…yes, dead before hurting those that she loved.
'Itachi…' She murmurs, knowing he can't hear her. 'I love you…'
-And I embrace your unforgivable sins…-
Jin gets up, and though his ankle is injured, runs at Midori and Itachi, and moves to get Midori's attention to him. Itachi catches him in the stomach with his elbow, and throws him back into the snow. Jin cries out, and Midori turns to him suddenly. She runs at him now, but Itachi, it seems, will not allow this. He runs to the two, stopping Midori in her tracks.
-I saw your dream…-
He catches her in his arms, and with all of her willpower, she stops herself from stabbing Itachi. He looks down at her, as Jin struggles to get up, and notices something.
She is crying.
-The dream you can't awaken from…-
Itachi stares at her for a moment. Jin watches her sadly.
"M-Midori…" He murmurs. Tears stream down her cheeks from empty eyes.
"Kill me." She suddenly whispers, and she sounds choked, as though it pains her to say it. "Please…Kill me….Itachi…" Itachi's eyes narrowed in slight confusion. "I can't…control this…please…" She gave a shuddering cry, and suddenly, the Midori they knew was gone.
-While leaning against the windowsill…-
But Itachi knew something that Jin did not. Midori's soul was intact. Her mind was still there…she just could not access her body's 'controls'. Midori's body fought against him, but Itachi held her to him. Delving into her mind, he saw a myriad of images, but only one stuck out more vividly so far. It was him. It was of Itachi standing against her window one night when they had been together. Suddenly in the memory, Midori was there too.
-And being softly embraced by the moon…-
In the memory, Midori embraced Itachi suddenly, and for some reason, he held her there. "I love you…" She had whispered.
It was like moonlight shining into the shadows.
-Your shouting voice stops…-
Midori's suddenly alien voice screams out in annoyance; she tries to get free. Jin has gotten up out of the snow. Finally, Midori manages to free herself from Itachi's hold, and leaps back. Jin makes ready to move to her, but Midori notices.
-And my unforgivable crime continues…-
She's too quick for the wounded nin, his ankle is slowing him down, even if only a bit. Midori pauses, but only for a moment. With a swift, quick movement, Midori has driven her kunai into Jin's heart.
-Your heart…-
Jin coughs, and blood trickles from his mouth, flowing steadily down his chin, and down his chest. Midori's now cold and empty eyes stare down at him, and he knows she is gone.
-Your arms…-
He could remember that the same arms that had driven that knife into his heart had once held him so dearly, even if they were only lying.
-Your voice…-
"Goodbye…" He murmurs. "Goodbye, Midori-chan." Midori pulls her kunai from its place in his chest, and watches him fall. Tears stream down her cheeks, and even in dying, Jin smiles, a few of her tears falling on his hand. "Thank you."
-Everything…-
Jin coughs once more, and he is gone. Midori stands over his body for a moment, and then turns to Itachi. He has had his back turned to the scene.
-Until we love each other…-
Midori looks at Itachi now, and he turns to her. For only a split-second, Itachi can see the true Midori in her face.
-Until it drives us mad…-
Itachi was watching her as she shook the knife for a moment, as if trying to clean it somewhat of blood. She looked up at him, and then stopped.
-I hold you whom I loved too much…-
She is still crying, and now it is only Midori and Itachi…just like the time before…just like so many times before…
-I destroyed over and over again…-
Itachi suddenly moves out of the way as she sprints at him. She slices open his coat sleeve, however, cutting his arm in the process. His eyes narrow, and he moves to hit her in the jaw, but she flips, and lands a few feet away, catching herself in the snow.
-Does it reach you now…-
Midori landed near Jin's body, and looked over at it, frowning.
-His kind voice…?-
She could see memories of all the good days she'd had with Jin…the two of them. His smile had always been infectious.
-Can you see it…?-
She looked down at her hands now. They were fairly clean, but they felt as though no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to get the blood off.
-Your arm dyed red…-
Itachi takes the moment it took her to stand up to rush at her, and catch her by the stomach with his fist, throwing her back into a tree. Snow plummeted down all around them from the dead branches above, and Midori fell to the ground. Itachi stood in front of her, staring down at her with hard eyes. She was trying to catch her breath, while trying to stand, and Itachi grabbed her by the throat.
-While shaking, the last sound is erased…-
She can't breathe…can't think…can't move…She's falling fast into that same nameless, colorless, endless darkness that encompassed her the last time. Ah, fond memories.
-While weeping for our unforgivable sins…-
Itachi has apparently driven away whatever presence was holding Midori's true self back. There is something in her eyes now…something almost human.
-Ephemeral dreams, sorrowful dreams…-
She smiles up at him lovingly, her cheeks soaked from tears, which are subsiding slowly. Her shaking hand moves to his cheek.
"Oh Itachi…" She sighed, as he let her slide back to the snowy ground. She was in a dreamlike state now.
-Painful dreams announce the end…-
Midori could barely discern what was reality, and what was an illusion. She could see Itachi clear enough, but the snow was untouched around him. The moon was full and lustrous. And the cherry trees were in bloom, even in the dead of winter. The cherry blossoms were always blooming in her dreams…always, always when she was with Itachi.
-Into gentle dreams…-
What she had not realized, was that when Itachi had thrown her back, that fist had held a knife, and had pierced her stomach. Blood was issuing forth from the wound in her abdomen, and from her mouth. What little color she had had in her skin had drained. She looked as though she were becoming part of the moonlight that surrounded them. Itachi took Midori in his arms, and watched as her eyes began to close.
-Into beloved dreams…-
"Ne, Itachi-kun…the sakura trees are blooming…they're so…beautiful…" She murmured. Itachi looked around, and there were dead trees. A forest of death, cold and icy. There were no sakura here.
"Yes…they're beautiful, Midori…" He replied. He shut his eyes, and he could actually almost see what Midori was seeing. Her spirit was still alive, but this body was dying. Itachi wondered what was to become of her. He kissed her gently, knowing no one could see, and looked down at her. She was fading faster and faster as the moments passed.
-Like that day…like that time…-
"I love you, Itachi-kun…" She whispered, closing her eyes. "So very much…" Itachi looked down at her almost fondly. There was something in his eyes, but Midori could no longer see it.
"Goodnight, Midori." He said quietly, setting her down under a dead tree. The moonlight trickled down to settle on her. Itachi knew that there was a chance this wasn't over, but he decided to dismiss it for now. He pushed her hair out of her face, and gazed down at her for a moment. In that instance, he decided that he had loved Midori…even if that love wasn't very strong. Even if it wasn't as deep as her love…it had been love.
With that thought ending, Itachi took off into the night, pulling his coat up around his neck. It was cold…and he was tired.
Owari