The Uchiha massacre - a beautifully and carefully executed murder at the hands of a madman in search of power. Or not.
A figure stood, looking at the carnage. The area was silent. It would probably have been considered a deserted area, had it been for the countless bodies lying in pools of their own blood. The silence hung over the area like a thick fog, it was almost suffocating. Blue orbs scanned the area for any signs of life.
There were none.
A sudden, loud scream echoed through the empty streets, causing the girl to jump slightly. She let out a breath. 'Sasuke.' she thought. The wind carried wisps of her bright blonde hair to her left. She sighed and closed her eyes, reveling in the silence that had taken hold of the area once more. As she opened her eyes she saw a person walking out of one of the houses of the Uchica compound. Long, black hair tied into a low ponytail. The unmistakable Sharingan eyes with three black commas swirling around in the red iris.
"Itachi..." The girl whispered, causing the man to turn in her direction. She steadily gazed into his eyes, mentally congratulating herself for not blushing or looking away. She felt her breath hitch as Itachi smiled at her. "...Tsukiko." he said. She used the body-flicker technique, disappearing from where she had been perched high up on the roof of a tall building, only to reappear in front of the Uchiha in a blur of color.
"You killed them...all?" It had been intended as a statement, but instead came out as a question. His piercing eyes connected to her icy ones. He didn't understand why she was here. Why had she come? He stared at her, silently asking for an answer as to why she was there. She, of course, completely understood what he meant. After years of being in the same team as the stoic Uchiha, she understood how to interpret certain things - like his silences.
"You're my teammate, or at least, you were, so I know when something's going on. You've also seemed to have forgotten who my father is. I know what happened, what you were told to do..." She trailed off, staring back at him. His eyes were teary. "You've been crying." She lifted a hand to his cheek and cupped it. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. She had always been the one to calm him. Tsukiko brushed her thumb over the long line beneath his eye. "Sasuke is still alive." he said suddenly, causing Tsukiko to frown ever so slightly. It made sense. Itachi loved his little brother more than anything. "He must get stronger. He must defeat me, kill me, and restore honor to the Uchiha name..." Tsukiko heard him sigh. Doing this to his little brother was killing him, she knew. She felt two strong chakras stirring somewhere far off, in another part of the village. She could tell Itachi felt it too.
"They're coming for you, Itachi." she said. Itachi finally opened his eyes to meet hers. He had to leave soon. He knew that and she understood. She moved her hand from his cheek to the back of his neck and leaned forward to put a long, lingering kiss on his cheek. She stepped forward and snaked her arms around his neck. She pulled back from kissing his cheek and rested her forehead against his temple. "I'll look after him." she whispered quietly. "I'll help him. I'll help him get stronger. I'll help him get the power he needs, I promise you. Just...stay alive, Itachi, long enough for Sasuke to..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Itachi smiled softly. Tsukiko was indeed a very loyal and precious friend. Even now, she was still there for him. "Tsukiko, I promise." he whispered.
"They are getting closer. They'll be here in about a minute." she said and whistled a low, four-note tune. Itachi knew what is meant. He lifted his right hand and placed his open palm on her stomach. The first ANBU landed on a nearby roof. As soon as his feet touched the roof, Tsukiko let out another soft whistle. It was time to put their plan into action. "Thank you, Tsukiko."
Itachi pushed her away with the hand that he had placed on her stomach, causing her to fly a few meters back before hitting the ground. Tsukiko glared at him. "Why?! Why kill them?! Why are you leaving?!" Tsukiko yelled at him, glare becoming more and more fierce with each passing second. Itachi didn't answer. Tsukiko pushed herself up on her elbows before using her hands to steady herself. She felt something wet beneath the palm of one of her hands and raised it to her face. The pale flesh was soaked in crimson. Some of the blood rolled down her arm. Tsukiko shivered and started to shake - only enough to make it seem believable to their spectators on the roof. She let out a strangled cry as she jumped up and backed away from the blood spilling out of a young woman's corpse. She quickly drew a kunai from the holster on her right thigh, blood on her hand slowly rolling down the handle and onto the blade. She turned back around to face Itachi. "You're a monster!" she yelled and charged forward. She aimed the kunai at his heart, but he easily deflected the attack with his own ANBU sword. They stood there, metal clashing against metal, both pushing against the other's attack. She glared at the impassive Uchiha and let out a small growl as she felt herself weaken under his sword. She then heard another sword being drawn out of its sheath. She looked into Itachi's eyes. Then she was suddenly flying backwards as Itachi pushed her away with his sword. The two ANBU that had been watching the whole scene had decided to attack him. Tsukiko got to her feet quickly, shared a look with Itachi, who was still battling with the two ANBU, and rushed into the house she'd seen him come out of.
"Sasuke!" she cried out. "SASUKE!" She rushed through the house, searching for the boy she promised to protect. Fake tears poured from her eyes, all for the sake of the act. She finally made it to the room that belonged to Itachi's parents and saw Sasuke on the floor. The sounds of the fight had ceased. She noticed small, wet spots on Sasuke's shirt. Itachi had definitely cried for his little brother. She ran over to the boy and leaned her head over his body so her 'tears' would fall in the same place as Itachi's. If those ANBU saw that Itachi had cried, his entire plan could be ruined. She heard the ANBU enter the house. She looked at Sasuke before grabbing the unconscious boy by the shoulder and shaking him. "WAKE UP!" she yelled at the young boy, knowing he wasn't going to wake up very soon. The two ANBU entered the room and Tsukiko turned towards them. "Get medical help!" she snapped at them, but neither made a move. "GET MEDICAL HELP, YOU IDIOTS!" she yelled at them, waking them from their daze. Both of then ran off, leaving Tsukiko with Sasuke. Once their chakras disappeared, so did the act. She stopped the tears immediately. She took the young boy in her arms and rested his head on her chest - like a mother would with her baby. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll help you. I'll find a way to make you stronger." she said, knowing he wouldn't hear a word. "I'll take care of you so you can reach your goal and complete Itachi's plan...Your brother was a great man Sasuke, be very proud of him..." she whispered. She felt the ANBU and a few others approaching the compound. Once they were in the house she let fake tears stream down her face once more. The medics were in the room first, taking Sasuke away from her and out of the house. Once the medics had taken Sasuke, the ANBU entered. "Where is Itachi?" she asked as she looked at them. The ANBU looked at each other, she assumed, since she couldn't see anything with them wearing those masks. "Uchiha Itachi...got away." Tsukiko turned her face to the ground and looked at her hands, which were resting on her knees. She was still sitting on the ground. Blonde bangs fell in front of her face and created a curtain to hide her face, as well as the relieved smile on her face. 'Stay alive, Itachi.'
