Disclaimer: Naruto © Kishimoto Masashi

A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome to Last Breath, my re-write of Fool. Darkrisingphoenix was kind enough to point out that my paragraphs were rather short in Fool, and that I had a little too much dialogue. I tried to make it longer, but heh, it didn't seem to work. ^///^" Again, I have not watched Naruto in forever, so I don't know if there was actually a battle going on before Itachi left Konoha, or if he had anything to do with the Hokage, but in this FanFic, it all happened. I also kept the OC's name from Fool. So . . . here it is. Enjoy!

I ran, tearing past the bushes and branches that swept at my face, leaping over the roots that teased my feet to trip. My face was badly scratched, my thighs burned, my lungs were threatening to burst, and I could barely see through all the foliage the trees and shrubs provided. I was running for a hopeless cause, but desperation fueled me, its light sending energy throughout my body and pushing my legs to go faster, swifter. I knew my heart was about to give out—it had never been strong—but I kept running.

Running for my life.

Running for his.

I burst onto an open field, skidding to a stop before an acre of fighting shinobi. Kunai clashed against kunai. Bodies fell to the ground, never to get up again. Rain came down alongside red droplets. It was a fight for safety of Konoha—no, it was a game. Team with the most left standing wins. That was how war worked. I was taught that.

My eyes carefully scanned the battlefield, combing the shinobi for him. Flickering from man to man, helplessly watching my comrades fall, I didn't notice someone come up behind me.

"Over there."

Glancing at the mob of spiked silver hair, my eyes followed the muscled arm to the fingertip where it pointed at a lone figure that stood atop a hill, silently observing the war.

"Thanks, Hatake." The man nodded as I took off, dodging the falling bodies and flying shuriken.

I scaled the hill quickly, urgency rushing through my veins. My chest tightened as I reached the top—there wasn't much time left.

"Hey!"

The figure turned at my voice and stared at me, his red eyes briefly flashing black. A torrent of wind swept his dark bangs across his face. Beads of rain caught on his long eyelashes as it poured down, harder than ever. His cloak caught around his body, showing off the perfect figure. My breath caught at how beautiful he looked—how deadly.

He stared at me, his gaze hard and penetrating. "Kaede."

Anger quickly replaced the desperation I had only seconds before. Pulling out a shuriken from a pouch attached to my hip, I hurled it at him, screaming.

"You d-mn b-st-rd! You freakin' betrayed Konoha! Where are you gonna go?! Join some d-mn Akatsuki?!"

I threw myself at him: punching, kicking, screaming with all my might. He dodged all my attacks with obvious ease. He was mocking me—of course he was. What was an ANBU shinobi to do against an S-ranked criminal? The very thought only added more fuel to my anger. But no matter how many kicks, punches, or jutsu I threw, he always managed to deflect them with godly grace.

"I hate you! I thought you freakin' loved me! Was that the only reason you noticed me? To get to the Hokage?! Did you really not feel anything during our moments together?! Are you really that cold?!"

I pulled a kunai out of my pouch and readied to pounce back on him. My fingers cramped—the kunai I held dropped to the ground. My chest clenched painfully; my heartbeat was quick and erratic. I collapsed.

"Kaede!"

I was instantly enveloped in a warm embrace before I even had time to hit the ground. His cloak was damp from the rain, but he held me close, trying to keep me alive. We both knew it was useless. There was no way my heart would be able to handle this level of emotion.

"Kaede." He murmured my name, burying his face in my wet hair.

As my heartbeat was thumping unevenly in my ears, a sudden realization struck me:

I was going to die.

Ironically, it was the first time I had felt content in a long time. Despite the fact that I only had seconds of my life left before it ended, I was safe. Safe in his arms. While I laid there, my life flashing before my eyes, I understood why he didn't fight back when I was attacking him: he wasn't mocking me—he was protecting me. Protecting me from himself. He still loved me.

"Earlier," I breathed, my eyesight dimming, "you were afraid to fight back . . ."

He stared back at me, his eyes somber.

". . . you were afraid to hurt me . . ."

He blinked. A single tear slid down his face, mingling with the raindrops.

". . . kun. Itachi-kun . . ."

With my last breath, I told him:

". . . aishiteruze [I love you]."