Title: He Died With a Smile On His Face
A single tap. That was all the strength that Itachi could muster, before his life came to its conclusion.
One tap on his brother's forehead turned out to be the last, for everything had finally ended. "Sorry, Sasuke, there won't be a next time." He wondered if he wasn't indulging himself too much. What would Sasuke think of his insane older brother, the embodiment of evil, becoming kind again at the end? Perhaps he would assume it to be another aspect of his insanity.
By the end of it, he simply couldn't help the smile that crept on his face. One last indulgent action. It was the first time he expressed a genuine emotion in years. Along with the satisfaction that this action brought him this action also guaranteed that should Madara meet Sasuke, an Amaterasu would consume Madara in black flames. Yet another step he had taken to ensure his precious brother's safety.
His fingers brushed down his brother's forehead, leaving a trail of blood as his arm slowly dropped along with his body. A thud was heard after that as Itachi's body collided with the cold, wet ground. His brother stood there, dumbfounded. Shocked to still be alive, and later, he fell to the ground himself. His body was quivering, and his eyes were still as round as dinner plates.
Everything went blank for Itachi after that. Not a sound was heard. He felt nothing but numbness. And, that feeling alone had seemed to signal the end of his life. The pain from overusing his Sharingan should be consuming his thoughts.
Was he happy? That was the question that has been going through his mind. He got what he wanted in the end: his brother was safe; that's all that ever mattered to him. But why didn't he feel anything? He couldn't feel hurt, and he couldn't feel happiness. Perhaps it made sense, because he was dead. But still, he had always thought death was inevitable. He always felt as though he was prepared for it. Would it really become the source of his sudden apathy?
No, it might be the case that he had felt this way for years and refused to acknowledge it. His final moments had shaken loose emotions that he had suppressed. Now, he had slipped back into the lifeless state that had permeated the majority of his final years.
His thoughts were disrupted when a ray of light blinded his "vision," making his eyes shut tighter. For a moment, he panicked. Towards the end of the battle, his vision had left him completely. The light in his eyes should have left him completely. Thoughts spun constantly in his mind. He imagined the worst things that this could mean and dared to hope that this might signify something good. He took a deep breath.
This was truly bizarre…the light continued filling his vision, prompting him to open his eyes. He blinked away the light, registering everything that had happened so far. His life seemed to flash before his eyes then. The battlefield he saw when he was 4. The mission he conducted, slaughtering his entire family.
It looked like he was in a field, but there was a bright light surrounding it. That was the first thing that struck him; he could tell what it looked like. To his now perfect vision, it almost looked like paradise.
His eyebrows furrowed. Paradise? Was this where he really belonged? He was certain that such a place could only be tainted by his presence. The failure that slaughtered his clan when he couldn't think of a better way to bring peace.
"Hey," a girl around his age called. She was wearing a smile on her face, and that alone made Itachi's heart flutter.
He was...feeling something again, and oddly enough, it felt...wonderful. He felt...welcomed just by seeing her. He felt the way that he always did when he saw that smile. Like, he had finally made it home.
"Took you long enough, Itachi. We have a lot to catch up on," Izumi continued and Itachi just smiled, accepting her hand.
He was sure of it. He could finally have peace after all these years.
Author's Note: This is a co-written ficlet that I wrote with Team_Cap. This version is slightly different, because I just can't help but edit my story every time I read it. Shout out to the people that leave reviews! I thrive on feedback. Also, shout out to the people who follow/favorite me and my stories. It flatters me that you like my work enough to do so. I can't be sure anyone still cares about Demon Investigator, but I'm still working on the next chapter. You'll see by this weekend.