The sun clung desperately to the mountainside as the last rays of sunlight were beaten down by the impending night sky. The sudden chill of night settled on my shoulders like one of my grandmother's hand stitched quilts leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. Somewhere beneath the hidden, sloped valleys Sasuke Uchiha was plotting the downfall of the hidden leaf and I stood here utterly powerless. My eyes scanned the hillside as the once busy glades were quickly abandoned by the weaker prey as the predators slowly slipped from their hiding places, the shadows all but concealing their movement. I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head, his gaze held a weight that I had never experienced before. Itachi had taken to the eyes well almost as if they were his own, I still had not become used to the way they moved over my form. My very own predator stood ten feet behind me, but for some reason I could not find the fear that should have me paralyzed. Every night we stood here still as statues taking in the sunset together as if we were lovers, he did not speak during the evenings, he just watched me intently before disappearing. My fingers dug into the flesh of my palm leaving a faint trail of blood running down my hand, the silence was maddening.
"Why can we not go to Sasuke now and explain everything to him?" I turned my head to the side, keeping the oldest Uchiha in the corner of my eye. The first time I saw his face, it was nestled between the worn pages of Sai's BINGO book. There in black and white beneath his painfully familiar image was the inscription: 'Itachi Uchiha S-Class criminal wanted for the murder and annihilation of the Uchiha clan. Suspected affiliation with the Akatski the rest of the words were lost on me as I found myself lost in his image. He was so similar to Sasuke, yet strikingly different in a unique way. His long brown hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a few rebellious strands slipped out and fell in his almond shaped eyes. Dark pools stared back, eyes so dark they were nearly black, they sat upon high, elegant cheekbones. His jaw was angular, attaining a certain maturity that Sasuke lacked. I would have considered him handsome, if it was not for the dead look that existed buried deep within those eyes...even now.
"My brother is not a fool he has surrounded himself with powerful allies, not even including the other Uchiha. You are exhausted, the healing process is taking its toll on you, and I myself am still gaining my strength and becoming accustomed to these eyes. We are in no condition to face him now, no doubt when he sees me Madara's sick mind games will make him believe I am a figment of a cruel genjutsu and throw him into a confused rage. He has become stronger, the best we can do now is follow him and make sure he doesn't destroy everything the hidden leaf is trying to create," he trailed off silently perhaps feeling the weight of our mission such as I have been. I thought of asking him if he thought the two of us were enough for such a task, but I stopped myself.
We had to be enough for Sasuke, if we weren't then no one would be. I couldn't have any doubt in my head, he could sense it. Itachi was a wanted criminal, his death kept his enemies in the dark, it was the only advantage we had. I couldn't exactly walk into the middle of the village with him and expect everyone to welcome him with open arms. I trusted Tsunade, but I quickly found out the Hokage alone is not enough to protect someone or overrule the elder's wishes. The thought of a certain white haired ninja ran through my mind, but I shook the thought out of my head. Kakashi-sensei would only complicate things even further, the less people knew the fewer people we had to worry about.
I inhaled wincing slightly as my chest muscles constricted with each breath I took, he was right. Most of my chalkra was gone, I was in no condition for a fight. Itachi's illness was aggressive, every time I pushed it back it seemed it came back ten times stronger. I was not quite sure how he survived as long as he had without medical ninjutsu, his strength still left me amazed. I turned my attention back out towards the hilltops, I knew one thing for sure. If we were going to be able to face Sasuke, I would have to find a way to cure Itachi, the strength to contain it left us both too vulnerable. Although this task was easier said than done, I had taken a blood sample when I first discovered his body back by the village. I had never seen this disease before and from the medical texts I scoured no one else had either. Another strong breeze blasted through the woods, it was the kind of wind that made your bones cold. I shivered involuntarily, it seemed winter was not far off the horizon. A large black cloak was suddenly around my shoulders protecting me from the caress of the wind, a pair of hands rested on my forearms.
"I am not scared to die," he whispered so faintly I thought for a moment I might have imagined the whole thing, "but I am scared to leave this world worse than I left it. You saved me Sakura, I will not let that be in vain," before I could think about what I was doing I leaned back into his tall form. He froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me close. He rested his chin atop my head as a thousand worries and cares seemed to be forgotten. Perhaps it was a primal instinct that stirred within us, a primitive need for the comfort of another, whatever it was we both needed it just as much as we needed oxygen. I watched the wolves on the hillside take down a young buck, I could feel Itachi smile as they tore through the carcass. We were not lovers, friends, or allies, we were something much more complicated.