Yes, yes, I know. I said I wouldn't write anything more for this fic. Well, it's not a sequel. This is just an Alternate Version of what could have happened. It stayed in my drafts for months. It would take too much effort to finish it. I rediscovered it today and thought that with a decent ending I could add it as a bonus for those who might be interested, since this story seems to be liked.

IMPORTANT: This doesn't take into account Chapter 2 and the end of Chapter 1. This is what would happen if Tsukiyo had failed to help the Trouble Twins and Danzou had succeeded like in canon. It's an Alternate Version, a "what if", in which Shisui died and Itachi joined Akatsuki.


It took months for Itachi to summon me after The Hellish Night.

I spent most of this time brooding and beating myself up for being unable to prevent Shisui's death and the Uchiha Massacre. This was exactly what I was fearing when the Trouble Twins signed the contract: I had become involved, I cared for them, and yet I had failed to protect them, to help them, despite knowing what they were going to go through.

I was moping.

Yatagarasu-sama didn't approve. The Elder was wise and friendly, but he wasn't the type to coddle endlessly. If he felt like anyone needed an attitude adjustment, he was perfectly happy to lecture and admonish.

"The past can't be changed, no matter how many times you try to reinvent it in your overworked little brain. You failed. We lost a summoner. But we still have one and he needs us more than ever. He needs your guidance more than ever. Stop moping. Make sure that you're ready to do whatever is necessary for him. Do better."

Two simple words for a challenge which was anything but simple.

Two words who haunted me every second, echoing in my thoughts again and again as I trained and trained.

Itachi was going to summon me, sooner or later. I was the most intelligent Karasu. I was his favorite. He might be moping too, but sooner or later he would need me, and I would be ready to do better.

That's what I was repeating to myself every day to stave off my worry for Trouble Twin number two. I knew he was fine because he had summoned several other Karasu but, as days passed, I became rather annoyed with him for ignoring me for so long.

As such, when he summoned me and I didn't sense any immediate danger, my first words to him after all that time was a very rude: "Fucking finally! It took you long enough!" I looked up from the stone where I was perched and stared at him in his Akatsuki gear from top to bottom. "I don't know what to think about that new fashion statement... Give it a few years and you'll probably look dashing, once you get rid of those dark rings under your eyes. You need to sleep more. Do you at least eat properly?"

After two seconds of silence, Itachi calmly replied: "Good morning to you too, Tsukiyo-san."

"Argh! Damn you, number two! Stop making me feel like a fool! Do you know how much I was worried, uh? Do you?! I was so fucking worried, that's how much!" I shouted, pointing the tip of my wing at him. "So answer the question! Did you eat today?"

"Not yet."

"Do I need to hunt you something?"

"No. I have some rice balls."

"Good, then eat." When he didn't move, I insisted. "Now, where I can see you."

After a few long seconds during which I was half-convinced he was going to ignore me, he sighed and retrieved the food from some inner pockets in that fancy Akatsuki cloak. When he sat down, he finally was at my eye level.

He didn't look good. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but right now it reminded me that he was barely fourteen. Fourteen, alone and traumatized. This was so messed up. It made me angry and worried and even more of a mother hen.

He was probably humoring me to get some peace, but I didn't care. I knew that all the other Karasu obeyed Itachi respectfully and wouldn't even think about ordering him around. Akatsuki couldn't be trusted about taking care of him. So if mother hen I had to be then I'd be the most terrifying mother hen of them all; just watch!

"Listen, Itachi. I know it's hard. Frankly, I wouldn't like to be in your shoes because this is just a fucking mess, but here is the thing: you're not alone in this, okay? I'm here. I know everything, and I understand what you're going through. I have your back. So don't ever pull that stunt again where you stop summoning me, alright? You better summon me at least once a week unless you're chakra exhausted or else I'll just be even more overbearing the rest of the time because the worry is driving me crazy, okay?"

Itachi had stopped eating in the middle of my little speech. He blinked slowly.

"Okay?" I repeated, fidgeting.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Good, good." I nodded then sighed: "So much trouble."

Itachi finished his meal, subdued. I couldn't bear it anymore. I hopped down on the ground and focused on my new jutsu. When I opened my eyes, I had a perfect view on Itachi's surprised expression (a barely there widening of his eyes). Ah! Proof of my awesomeness: I had surprised the kid!

No-one expected a summon to transform into an human, although most of them just lacked the will.

"I trained," I explained as I patted myself distractedly, to make sure I had all the right parts. "I won't fail twice. Wings are great but there are so many things I can do with hands and arms… like a hug. Want one?" When he didn't answer after a few seconds, I opened my arms. "I want one. Give me a hug."

Iceman slowly relaxed and leaned towards me, as if he was expecting me to be an illusion which would disappear to a hard touch.

I hugged him a little clumsily at first, just long enough for me to remember how a hug was supposed to feel like, not too tight, just a comforting touch; not too long either or he'd become uncomfortable. I withdrew, but I pet his hair, unbothered by his stare. "Don't you ever forget that I care, okay? Because I'll be really really pissed otherwise."

A soft chuckle made its way past Itachi's lips, stretching them briefly. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, until his forehead touched my shoulder. His hand grasped my wrist, gently, just to hold onto me. "You shouldn't," he breathed.

His voice was so raw with sadness and loneliness that the anger left me. Only the fondness stayed. "That's not for you to decide, Itachi. I care for you and I won't let you pull that bullshit about being killed by your brother or whatever because that's not the way for any of you to be happy and safe, and that's what you deserve and that's what you'll get. You're going to take better care of yourself and we're going to make this right. End of discussion."

"How?"

"First, there is a reason you called me. What was it?"

He pinched his lips. "I have to send a report to the Hokage. It has to be discreet."

"As I thought. So, I'll go to Konoha. Name one of your old comrades you trust with your secret."

"Tsukiyo, no."

"Tsukiyo, yes," I responded with a glare. "I'm not letting you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Itachi. No self-sacrificing bullshit and all that. You're going to have support, I'm making sure of it. Give me a name or I'll choose myself."

"It's too dangerous to involve anyone."

"Then choose someone strong enough to deal with it."

We stared at each other until Itachi finally admitted his defeat and sighed: "You know there is only one person that can be."

I beamed. "Yeah!"

o

It was strange to walk along Konoha's streets.

First, of course, there was the fact that I was walking instead of flying. That jutsu really was my masterpiece, even if I missed flying when I was in human shape.

Then, there was the fact that no matter how much I looked around, the Uchiha's symbol had disappeared. It was wrong.

The lack of police force was noticeable. I am sure the shinobi forces did their best to compensate but how could they replace a whole clan in so little time? Danzou was a delusional idiot for thinking that cutting Konoha's left hand was good for the village.

It took me several hours to find the man I was looking for. I was lucky he wasn't out on a mission, I supposed.

He was leaving a shop with a bag of groceries in one hand and a book raised in front of him in the other.

I followed him from afar. I wasn't trying to be undetectable, just discreet enough that any shinobi looking wouldn't realize what I was doing. Hatake Kakashi would barely need a few minutes to notice.

That was proven when he walked into a side alley. Here was a trap for me! I walked after him nonetheless, unsurprised when I found the alley empty.

I was suddenly pushed deeper into the shadows, a blade at my throat.

"Why are you following me?" Kakashi breathed in my ear.

His Killing Intent was surrounding me in a threatening fog. It was low enough that a civilian would be shaking and a trained ninja (or animal ninja, like me) would simply be wary. I supposed my tail had been so obvious that I didn't register as a serious threat. Good.

I shivered once and leaned a hand against the wall to steady myself. "I need to speak to you," I whispered. With my raised hand, I made a few hand signs I had memorized from Itachi's missions: 'friendly', 'intel', 'confidential'. I knew them because they had been shown to me, but I never had to make them before (wings, not hands, remember?) as such I was slow and clumsy.

"Who are you?" He asked, his KI diminishing.

"That hurts, favorite human of mine. Don't you recognize me?" I teased him, feeling better without his menacing aura. "My name is Tsukiyo."

I could feel him stiffen and lean forward. I heard him sniff at my neck and stopped the smart-ass comment that was on the tip of my tongue.

"Henge?" He muttered before saying: "Is that supposed to make me trust you? I know who you are loyal to."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. He's not your enemy."

Kakashi snorted and whispered in my ear. "That sounds like a fascinating story, Tsukiyo-chan. I'm eager to hear it."

The blade at my throat withdrew. An arm gripped my waist. A second later I was dragged into a shunshin. If he wasn't holding me up, I'd have stumbled and fallen to my knees. The disorientation was even worse in an human body, it seemed.

"Stupid body flicker," I mumbled before collecting myself and looking around.

Kakashi pushed me in an empty and nondescript room, closed the door behind us and sealed it. His groceries had disappeared somewhere along the way. "Remove the henge," he ordered. There wasn't any of the humor I was familiar with. He was all business and command.

I did as he asked. Annoyed to find myself at his feet now that I had shrunk, I flew to the nearest windowsill to be a little closer to his eye level.

"It's a long, complex and very confidential story. You're not supposed to know it, but I convinced Itachi that he needed to trust someone else than the Hokage with it so… listen carefully and don't interrupt me, or else I might cry a little if you give me the opportunity to."

Kakashi listened and never interrupted. Once I had finished, he rubbed the edge of his mask and asked: "Let's admit I believe you, what do you… what does Itachi need from me?"

"Keep an eye on Sasuke. Watch out for Danzou. And when the time comes, have Itachi's back."

"And what do I get from it?"

"You'll be the most informed individual after the Hokage. Plus, you get visits from yours truly to brighten your life! I know, I know, that's priceless."

"Maa, I don't know… I might need to take a better look at you."

I transformed back into an human and hopped toward him.

Before I could say anything, he snorted. "You move like a bird, hopping around."

I gawked at him. "Excuse me! I'm the most elegant lady you have ever seen, that's what you were trying to say, right?"

It only made him laugh harder.

I hit his forearm and let out a grunt.

Great. This cooperation was going to be fun!