(A/N) I'm glad my dear readers don't have any homicidal tendencies, or I'd be buried by now. Another late update, but I have good excuses! Extreme tennis lessons began and I can only describe them in one word: Hell. I went to Florida and took my handy, dandy notebook but I didn't have any time to write. We went on a nomadic adventure from Ft. Meyers, to Tampa, to Orlando, and then to West Palm (which was weird for me because Ocean City is nothing like that). Then I went to Harrisburg to visit my cousin. I'm also planning my annual Halloween party (this will be the fourth). Yeah, it's September, but I learned the hard way you have to plan early. And another thing, school's back and ready to tear me apart. I had to go on my birthday, which sucks. I went bowling with some friends to celebrate. My friend and I have the same birthday, so we wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese's but they said I was too old. Anyway, that's it about me.

You'll notice that this chapter's title is Eclipsed Verse 1: Our Broken Ways. I'm separating the song to make for six different chapters.

Notes:

Italics: Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Naruto, but we all know that.

Mikadzuki

Eclipsed Verse 1: Broken

We love our tragedies.

We're both broken in our own little ways.

We're broken, and we fit together just right.

You know I saw the black inside your eyes.

I saw they were eclipsed by mine…and they looked just right.

-0-

The sky was still mourning as Sakura awoke the next day. The sun was hiding, realizing that it was not worth revealing itself. Her window was fogged, but it didn't matter; there was nothing to see anyway. She was glad not to be awakened by the forceful sun, once again concealing herself in the shadows playing with her emotions as if she were a marionette. Her pillow was soaked in tears that had pasted themselves to her face and as soon as she regained her senses, a crushing weight fell down on her chest. Desperately trying not to reflect or reminisce, she hid under the covers and curled into a ball.

"Oh, no you don't," Tsunade said, ripping off the covers.

"Why are you still here?" Sakura asked, trying to find some source of warmth on her bare bed.

The Hokage had stayed the night, leaving her duties to the ever so reluctant Jiraiya. It placated her somewhat that the woman would do that for her, and warmed her during the rainy night when everything had come to the surface, causing her heart to cave in.

"I said I'd stay with you," she replied in that stern voice of hers.

And she would. Tsunade would stay with her as long as it takes. She was never one for work, anyway, and the girl meant too much to her.

"But you have to be at your office," Sakura said, secretly thankful for her company.

"Jiraiya's there."

They both knew that wasn't reassuring, but neither said it aloud.

"But he's not the Hokage," Sakura pressed, the conversation becoming more of a volley.

Tsunade shrugged and changed the subject. "You have to interrogate Itachi; you've already missed two days."

"Remember when you were against me interrogating Itachi?" Sakura asked bitterly. "Can you please revert back to that stage?"

Tsunade frowned. "I'll give you three seconds before I break the bed frame, so I suggest you get up."

Knowing not to doubt her mentor, she stood despite her body's blatant protests. Walking into the bathroom, she let her thoughts slowly come to the surface of her consciousness. She tried to focus on Itachi only and the questions she wanted to ask him, but it was not working so well because one thought stood out amongst the others: Sakura did not want to see him.

She traced her lips with her index finger, trying to capture the sensation his own gave her. She knew that she needed that feeling once again before it overwhelmed her, and it frightened her. She halted her finger's course. Itachi was the one person who she should not want to kiss. She should not feel every part of her being quiver when thinking about him and his dangerous eyes that used to unnerve her (but she had only misunderstood).

Sakura decided to take a shower, hoping that it would ease her mind. The burning water loosened her tense muscles, as if massaging her with liquid fingers. She heard knocking on the door and told Tsunade to come in. The door click open and she peaked out from behind the shower's, looking at her curiously.

"Sakura, promise me something," she said, her eyes looking into a time she was afraid to see. Sakura nodded slightly, and knew she would never forget the look in her mentor's eyes. "Don't die on me."

She wanted to say she couldn't promise her anything, and Tsunade knew that. The woman didn't want reassurance and Sakura had none to give. All she wanted was for her to know she cared, and despite her tough exterior, she needed the girl. Over the years, she had become a sort of stability: one that would confiscate sake and order papers to be signed and the job to be done. She saw so much of Shizune in her, and more than that, she saw so much of herself.

"As long as you don't, either."

-0-

The underground cell seemed cooler than usual, but Sakura didn't mind. The temperature of the room seemed insignificant to her as she sat in her insignificant chair and looked down at the insignificant floor. A trivial man watched her, his trivial eyes analytical as he sat in this trivial cage. It was all so insignificant and trivial, for a moment she wondered why she did it.

It didn't take long for Itachi to realize that something was wrong. He had become so accustomed to her mannerisms the he immediately knew the ones she displayed were not suiting of her; the way she held herself was not the way of his interrogator. Sakura was too fragile and delicate, more of a butterfly than a bull. He had only seen her like this once before, after she tortured and killed the missing-nin. He did not like her frail appearance.

"What happened?" he asked, almost nonchalantly. It was easy to hide his interest. "It unnerves me when you become listless, dear interrogator."

She was annoyed at the fact that he already knew something was amiss, but like him, she hid her annoyance. "I'll ask my question first," she said sternly.

Sakura had promised herself she would not speak of Ino. She refused to give the man a key into her mind and let him unlock the shadows that she kept behind closed doors. If she gave him any information, he would certainly use it against her.

"Why did you kiss me the other day?" she asked. The query was a distraction, for her voice was empty and lacking in interest.

Usually, she'd have an inextinguishable fire in her eyes. She'd be determined, headstrong, and most of all, pissed.

"Have you not even taken into consideration that I may be attracted to you?" Itachi humored her. He knew that it didn't matter. No at the moment, at least.

Usually, Sakura would have been shocked. However, it was insignificant to her. Everything was insignificant compared to Ino. Ironically, after her death she was the main center point of her life.

"You should answer my question," Itachi stated.

"What does it matter? It won't change anything."

"Why do you say that?" Itachi asked.

"Think of it this way, Itachi," Sakura hissed, masking the instability of her heart. "It would be like telling you about a tornado. It's pointless because there's nothing you can do to stop it."

He couldn't argue with her on that point.

"Does it matter? I never said I wanted to stop a tornado. I asked what was upsetting you."

Sakura thought it over. She knew Itachi would not act like others. He would not offer pedantic pity and sympathy. He would sit, listen, and remain quiet. Maybe that was all she needed; someone to listen to her.

"My best friend was killed," she said as calmly as possible. It seemed as though stating that overt fact would cause the unbearable weight to crash down on her again.

He had no comforting words to offer her, as she expected. The phrase 'I'm sorry' never brought the dead back and she was glad he understood that. Itachi noticed the pain in her eyes, and turned away, not wanting to see her so weak and frail. The look in her eyes made it harder for him to do what he needed to do. So instead, he did just the opposite.

Standing from his demonic chair, he walked over to the broken interrogator. She didn't bother to look at him, rapt in her own harrowing thoughts. Itachi took her shaking hand and pulled her from her seat, tangling his hand in her pink strands of hair and pulling gently on them to tilt her head to look at him.

"Do you know why the ones we love die?" He asked, drawing a finger down to her the place where her heart lay underneath layers of flesh and bone.

Sakura shook her head lackadaisically.

"Neither do I," he replied. "And we will never know in this life. So why dwell on it? Instead of wondering why the ones we love die, focus on life. The unknown is of no concern."

Sakura knew she had to practice what she preached and he was only reminding her. Her eulogy was inconsistent with what she thought, but it was only human nature. She said they could not control death, and implied that they should honor the ones they love, which is what she wanted to do. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to adhere to her own words.

"I know," she whispered feebly.

Itachi understood that, but felt that she needed reassurance. The doubts that ran through her mind emerged in her broken eyes, as if they were glass cases blocking the misgivings from freedom. His fingers strayed from her chest, to her collarbone, and up to her neck. Doing what he first planned, he kissed her. It didn't matter how she'd react -anger, passion, fear- as long as she did.

She decided to take his advice, and not dwell on the unknown. His kisses were that of understanding mixed with humanity; his kisses were the truth, and they spoke words that the human mind couldn't comprehend. Only in his kisses could she trust. The rest of him, the body pushed against hers, pressing her against the nearest wall he could find, were full of fallacies she had yet to identify. His dark mind contained even more mendacities that she didn't want to learn.

There was only one other thing she could trust in: that they were broken. With this came an understanding, a perpetual agreement, that they were only humans, nothing more and nothing less. They will fall, and they might not come back up, but only they can save themselves. They both understood that they were only human. And that was okay, because their kisses brought solace to their broken world as nothing else would.

-0-

Sakura had a target, one that would be easy to find. Not just because of his size, but because of his usual haunts: anything that involved barbeque. Itachi had been successful in stoking the spluttering flames burning eternally in her soul, and it had given her new zeal. Surprisingly, Choji wasn't in any of the barbeque grills. She decided that the last place to look would be his house, and she rapped on the door, a box of his favorite barbeque recipes inside. A lethargic ninja opened the door, his eyes half-closed and his face a splotchy red.

"I've got food," Sakura said simply.

Choji moved aside, signaling for her to come in. She placed the box on the table in his quaint kitchen. His house seemed to belong to a homemaker, not a legendary ninja. Pictures of family and friends were placed around the living room, including that of the original rookie nine and one of his beloved.

"What's with the food? You've never come to visit me before." Choji placed the container in his oversized refrigerator.

Sakura pulled a chair out from under the table and sat, folding her fingers into her lap, twirling her thumbs round and round as if playing a game, much like another member of the rookie nine.

"I figured you might want to talk," she said, a bit awkwardly.

Death is one of the most difficult subjects to speak about, especially trying to start up a conversation about it.

"I figure I do," he answered, sighing as he sat down.

They didn't speak for a while, despite acknowledging that they had to. Instead, they listened to the bustle of citizens going about their daily routine. Birds squawked too merrily and made her yearn for the freedom that they possessed. She wished she could fly like them, and not have to be sitting there, trying to think of words that won't harm his spirit.

"I understand what you're going through," Sakura eventually lied. He lost a lover, and she never has.

"You didn't seem sad after Sasuke's execution," Choji commented, calling her bluff.

"I wasn't sad, not really," she replied, sighing as she wondered how she would explain how she felt about that broken bond. "I was hurt so many times by him; I just decided to let him go. It wasn't worth the pain. I knew there was no changing him; he was one determined man. So, I accepted the inevitable. It wasn't that easy for Naruto, though."

Choji turned this over in his head. He could understand what she was saying. All she and Sasuke had was a camaraderie that he severed as if it was nothing. He broke her heart many times over, and she decided that she didn't want to pick up the pieces anymore.

"But Ino…" The name was like a fleeting butterfly. "Ino helped me realize that."

A shadow fell over Choji's eyes, and he looked away. She didn't want to see him this way. The usual boisterous and jovial shinobi was a wounded and despondent doll. It unnerves me when you become listless, dear interrogator. She wondered if this was the same as Itachi felt when she decided to close up into her makeshift shell.

"Choji, talk to me," she pleaded. "I want to help."

Those words seemed so cliché and pathetic, but he wanted to believe her.

"How can you help?" he asked bitterly. "You can't bring the dead back."

"No, but I can bury them," she said. At his questioning look she continued," Don't remember her death, or even the fact that she's dead." The words 'dead' and 'death' seemed sharp on her tongue, as if she shouldn't be speaking them. "Remember her life," Sakura continued. "Remember who she was."

"It's too hard to remember, because I know that's all I can do," he said. "I can only think about her."

He was right. All that was left were memories that may some day fade. Unless…

"I have an idea," Sakura stated.

Choji looked up, puzzled.

"We are going to make a memory book," she said.

"And what's that?"

Sakura stood from the table and said," We'll fill a book with pictures and memories of Ino. That way, we can create new ones, even if she isn't with us. I think I have a scrapbook at home…C'mon! Why are you looking at me like I'm insane?"

She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door. However, when she opened it, she found Shikamaru on the other side.

"Hi, we're just going to-" Sakura began, but Shikamaru cut her off.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put off whatever you are going to do," Shikamaru said. "You have an urgent interrogation."

"But-"

"Urgent," he said once more, this time with more emphasis.

Sakura let go of Choji's arm.

"After the interrogation," she said, and he nodded, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

After she jumped up onto the rooftop and began to sprint, Shikamaru turned to Choji.

"What was that about?" he asked, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, and blowing rings of smoke.

"Sakura and I are scrap booking," Choji replied, and nothing had ever sounded so good.

-0-

Sakura walked into the holding cell expectantly. The room was small and dark, only a tiny overhead light illuminating the dank and dust. The smell of fear fouled the already musty air and caused the tiny area to become hot. There was a scarred and bloody table set between to equally scarred and bloody chairs, one of them already occupied.

She had been briefed on the missing-nin she'd be interrogating. Ino was the one who had caught her, but unfortunately was poisoned in the process, leading her to her death. The woman had been in holding for three days, and she had the haggard look to show for it. Her name was Midori Sato and as she looked into her deep-green gaze, she seemed somehow familiar.

"You killed my sister."

Sakura balked at the statement, but did not show it. Midori's eyes were fierce and irate. Suddenly, she noticed the missing-nin's blonde hair and felt something tear inside of her.

"I watched you torture and kill her," Midori continued.

She wanted to tell her that she killed her best friend, but realized it was only a vicious circle. She killed her sister so the missing-nin killed her best friend.

Sakura kept her wits about her and asked calmly," Why didn't you interfere?"

The missing-nin hesitated, her dark eyes moved to the left for just an instant, and that was all she needed.

"Don't even try to lie to me," the interrogator said, her voice laced with malice.

Midori glowered, but didn't say anything.

"Well, your sister told me some valuable information," Sakura went on, not caring for an explanation. "She said that the missing-nin were organized. And the man I'm interrogating informed me that there is a leader. Now, I need to know who that leader is."

"Never," she hissed.

Loyalty is frustrating at times, but Sakura decided not to let it get to her. She finally found the key to interrogation. She didn't focus on the shadows running madly in her mind. Instead, she focused on Midori's dark green eyes (which were so much like her sister's). She could almost see the light fading from them and turning a listless gray.

"I don't think that you want to deny me information," Sakura advised. "Remember what happened to your sister."

She didn't want to say it, but it was the only way to get her to talk. Hopefully, she would understand that it would be easier to give the information without any form of mutilation. Luckily, this woman valued her life more than her sister had.

"His name is Madara," the woman said reproachfully.

Sakura remembered what Pein had told her about said man. His empty sockets appeared in her mind, and she tried not to reflect on the pain that man must have caused him.

"Why did Madara destroy the Akatsuki base?" she asked.

She saw the reluctance in her features, and for a moment thought she wouldn't answer.

"He felt that they were disposable," Midori replied, a sardonic tone in her voice. "The organization had fallen, so he built a new one."

"And what does he hope to achieve with this new organization?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"He wants to destroy Konoha," she said.

Sakura tried not to show her shock and ache, but she knew Midori glimpsed her weakness for she smirked.

"What is the name of this organization?"

Sakura could feel the prickling of skin and hair on her arms and the back of her neck, as if warning her of impending danger. She wanted to get out of the small room and fast so she could tell the Hokage. It's in far more danger than you can comprehend. Itachi had informed her of the danger before, but now it was real, tangible.

"Mikadzuki."

-0-

Even if the sky were to fall, it would still be blue.

-0-

(A/N) Another set of bombshells. Are things starting to click together? We now know reason for the title. And we now know more about Madara. Now we need to figure out Itachi's connection with him and Mikadzuki. Things are getting good.

I also warned you that updates will be coming later, and I can't promise that the next chapter will be up soon. I have many a things to do, and though I love writing this fic, I'm afraid I can only write so much a day.

Oh yeah, notice the quote down there. I think since all the ones at the beginning are going to be part of the song, so might as well put something at the end. I have to thank my friend, Jeremy, for that one. When I spoke to him the other day, that's the wisdom he gave me. Of course, I didn't really understand it at first. But now I get it. Just because something is fallen, doesn't mean it is different or any less beautiful.

Anyway, I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter and I hated writing the Itasaku part (don't worry, it's not because I don't like it). Their relationship is so complicated it's sometimes hard to put into words. So, review for textbooks. Just kidding. You get a day off from school/work!