Itachi and I were standing in a large stone room, inside of an Uchiha hideout. My stomach was churning and my legs were about to give out. Because this was the last time I would see Itachi. This was the last time I would see him alive. All I wanted at this moment, was more time with him. More time to look at him, to talk with him, to touch his hands, his face, his hair. More time to hug him and more time to kiss him. At that moment I would have given anything for more time. I knew the Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't an option, he was just about to enter a fight with Sasuke. A fight that wasn't going to end well for him, and we both knew it. Itachi's arms were locked around me tightly, while I clutched at him. Savouring the last moments I would get to spend with him, while warm tears cascaded down my cheeks as I tried not to cry out loud.

I could feel Itachi's lips moving to my forehead, and he pressed them against it. 'He's here,' Itachi whispered, 'it's time to go.' His voice sounded hoarse and broken, so unlike it's usual tone. A sucked in a shaking breath. 'I can't,' I croaked out, 'I can't do this.' Slowly Itachi pulled me out of the hug, to look me straight in the eyes. My vision was slightly blurry because of the tears stuck in my eyelashes, making them stick together. I quickly brought up my hand to wipe them away, I couldn't let my last look at Itachi be a blurry one. The thought alone almost made burst out in tears again. He rested his forehead against mine.

'Yes you can,' He told me softly, his voice no more than a whisper, 'you are the strongest person I know. You can definitely do this.' I breathed another shuddering breath. 'I'm going to miss you so much.' I told him, my voice cracking again. I simply couldn't bear the thought. What would I do? Where would I go? I was alone, and I was a hunted nin. I could never go back to Konoha, that was out of the question. I doubted I could survive the Akatsuki on my own. Not without Itachi by my side, not without him to keep me strong. But they wouldn't let me leave either. No way. At least, Madara wouldn't. There was no way I was going to get out of the Akatsuki alive. So I would just have to carry on doing missions. On my own, or with some new sadistic bastard as my partner, it didn't matter really. The only bright thought I had was that I could at least continue to protect Konoha to the best of my abilities. It was the only thought left giving me the strength to carry on.

'Yeah,' he said, 'me too.' I could see a tear rolling over his face now. I gulped, trying to keep my eyes from doing the same, 'I love you.' I told him, and this time I could no longer contain the tears, I could no longer stop them from flowing down my face. 'I love you more.' Itachi said, before pressing his lips against mine so briefly that I almost missed the moment. He turned around and walked a few steps away from me. 'Go now,' he said, 'please.' I nodded. 'Goodbye Itachi Uchiha,' I said, 'Goodbye.' And with that, without waiting for an answer, I turned and ran. Ran as fast as my legs would take me, away from the man I loved. The man I knew would die. The man I would never see again.

I skidded to a halt for a few seconds, using a quick and easy transformation jutsu to transform into a better version of myself. A healthier version. A version without tear stains on her face, a version that hadn't just seen the person she wanted to spend eternity with for the last time. I shook myself out of my wallowing self pity and continued running. I could hear a voice before I saw them, 'Wait!' a female voice shouted, 'Someone is approaching, fast!' Once they came into view, the small group had halted. Sasuke was leading the group. Oh, what I would have given to tell him the truth right then and there. But I knew I couldn't, I could never betray Itachi. Never.

One of them tried to say something, but I cut him off immediately, 'Sasuke-kun, if you would, please continue by yourself. Itachi would prefer it if the rest of us would wait here.' I said, an easy going, albeit fake, smile resting on my face. 'No problem,' Sasuke replied, not at all fazed by this message, 'I only formed this team to make sure that no one would interfere when I finally found him. This works out perfectly.' To be honest, I was glad it was like this. I really didn't fancy a fight right now. I wasn't in the right set of mind. 'That's crazy Sasuke!' The only girl in the group, so logically also the one from before, shouted. 'We should kick this guy's butt and fight Itachi together!' I heaved a deep melodramatic sigh and rolled my eyes, 'Listen up kids, I'm really not in the mood for another fight. I mean, what has a person got to do to get some rest in this fucked up world... If you really insist on passing together, though, I definitely won't go easy on you.'

'Don't even think about it, Karin.' Sasuke told her - ah, so that was her name - without so much as looking at her, 'You three are waiting here. This is my revenge.' Karin growled, staring at me suspiciously, but Sasuke ignored her completely and jumped past me, on his way to Itachi. I had to close my eyes briefly and it took every ounce of self-control I possessed to not grab and stop him right then and there. Except I didn't. I let him go. I let him go and kill Itachi, and even thought I know I never would have stopped him, I could never forgive myself for doing this.

I stared at the three people standing in front of me, whom Sasuke had left behind. The girl named Karin had hair that was a fierce red colour, and glasses. It actually made her look a bit nerdy. She was staring at the point where Sasuke had vanished, jumped out of view. Taking a better look, I realised that we were standing on the rooftop of a large rectangular building. Sighing, I sat down on the protruding pillar I had been standing on.

'So,' I said slowly, successfully capturing the attention of the entire group, 'what hopeless and deprived force drove you all to travel with that godforsaken kid.' All I got in return of my statement were some angry glares. They seemed to tense or worried about Sasuke, especially the girl. Don't tell me that kid had actually made friends with some of Orochimaru's minions. That was certainly surprising, to say the least.

With a roll of my eyes - not that I think anyone actually notices when I roll my eyes - I turned around on the pillar, facing the side Sasuke had jumped off to, and activated my Byakugan. I was watching Sasuke run into the old Uchiha building now. Finally he skidded to a halt, and stared at Itachi. They were talking, but I was too far away to make out any of it. So I just sat there, and watched, hoping I would be strong enough to not burst out in tears.

I stared at the flames that erupted at the top of the building in awe and in horror. This was the most epic fight I had ever seen in my entire life, including the fight between Minato and the Nine Tails. Behind me, I could vaguely sense the three people moving around, probably staring at the flames as well. The were so big, and reached such height, that Byakugan wasn't necessary to watch anymore. At least, not this part of the fight. It didn't matter if they weren't staring at the flames anyway, if they were doing something else. I didn't really care about them. Actually, I really didn't care about them, or about what they were doing. It didn't matter anymore. None of it mattered anymore, I was watching Itachi die.

The worst thing about watching was probably the wrenching hope that was still spreading through my body. Because I had never seen him lose a fight ever, and somewhere, in the back of my mind, I was still hoping that he wouldn't lose this one either. I knew it was stupid, I knew he would never win, because he wasn't intending to, but I couldn't stop that feeling of hope engulfing me. I couldn't stop it and I knew, that if Itachi- no, when Itachi died, it would only make everything worse. Still, I couldn't help it. Because I just wanted it to be true so badly.

Quite suddenly, half of the flames turned black, until they were completely consumed by the Amaterasu and the flames died out. I closed my eyes briefly, willing the tears to stay back. The shrouds of chakra and distance were now too much for even my Byakugan to break through. I wondered how Itachi was, how badly he was injured, how close he was to his end. I wondered how Sasuke was, if he would be in any way suspicious of Itachi, or if Itachi would be able to keep his act up perfectly - as he always did. He could do it now, no matter how difficult this must be for him, I was sure he could do it now.

Out of nowhere, it started raining, and no more than 5 minutes later, it was thundering right above where Itachi and Sasuke were. 'What's going on?!' Karin asked frantically, worry obvious in her voice. 'How the hell are we supposed to know?!' One of the guys retaliated, somehow effectively shutting her up. They all wanted to watch this. Out of the air came an enormous dragon, made purely out of thunder. I stared at it in horror as it descended on the building, which exploded as soon as the thunder creature hit. All I could see was smoke, dust and rubble. The chakra in the air was so dense, and so thick, that using my Byakugan almost hurt by now. Deactivating it, I stood up, trying to get a better look at what exactly was going on. Was one of them dead already?

And then, all too sudden, the chakra vanished. Every last bit of it. I could feel it in the air, and it looked like the three people behind me could also feel it. I immediately activated my Byakugan again, staring at what had once been a majestic building. Everything that remained was rubble. Dust and rubble surrounded by a wall of black flames. I frowned, the black flames were hard to see through, but in the middle of them, I could just make out a slab of rock. In front of slab of rock lay Itachi and Sasuke, both on their backs, both unmoving. I wasn't able to make out which one of them was dead, which one was alive. Or if they were both dead or alive. I grounded my teeth together, until I realised that Itachi must still have that flying thunder god seal I gave him. I quickly made the hand signs, and tried to flicker towards him. It didn't work. It wasn't there.

I took a deep breath and flickered towards the black flames. They made up a tall, solid wall around the destroyed building. I stared at it, taking another deep breath. I had to do this, I had to get to Itachi, but if I messed up I would be burned alive. With another deep breath I made the required hand signs and flickered away. Gasping for breath, I quickly jumped away from the flames. I had succeeded, even if it was a very near miss. I stared at the flames for another moment, before shaking myself. Itachi. I had to find Itachi.

I ran. I ran towards the stone slab, knowing exactly where it was. But when I got there, both the Uchihas were gone. I stared around wide-eyed. Did this mean they were alive? They had gotten away? I quickly activated my Byakugan again. They couldn't have gotten far. There was no one. At least, that was what I thought. The feeling of a hand on my shoulder made me swirl around in surprise and crouch down into a fighting stance, ready to attack whoever had sneaked up on me.

It was Uchiha Madara. I glared at him. 'What do you want?' I hissed, every word laced with venomous hatred. 'It surprises me you are still so bold, even when Itachi isn't alive anymore to protect you.' he said, and I thought I could detect just a hint of enjoyment in his voice. I snarled at him. In response, Madara chuckled. I glared at him, 'Aren't you going to kill me now?' I asked him, my voice betraying how much I truly despised this man standing in front of me, 'I know the truth. Don't you have to make sure it doesn't come out?'

The bastard chuckled again, 'Konoha is going to be destroyed soon. There will be nothing you can do about it.' And with that, he vanished. I stared at the spot he had stood just a moment ago, then I let myself slide down the slab of stone that had still remained standing. Gasping for breath, I tried to control the tears that were streaming down my cheeks, I tried to control the sobs forcing their way out of my lips, I tried to get some control over the hopelessness, the emptiness I was feeling. I didn't succeed. That was, until I heard rapidly approaching footsteps.

Somehow, in front of other people, keeping up an emotionless mask was easier. Like it was easier to lie to them than to lie to myself. I cleared my throat softly, and realised I still had a transformation jutsu going. I quickly released it in a puff of smoke, before refreshing it. It was all I could do to hope I wasn't looking the same way I was feeling. Then, before I had the chance to do anything else, the squad I had had a run-in with earlier on, appeared in front of me. The quickly came to a halt upon seeing I was the only person there. Naruto looked positively livid. 'Well, hello again.' I said tiredly, staring at them all.

No one looked sure about what to do, and the tension filling the air was so thick, someone could have cut it with a kunai, if they would have tried. They didn't, and Naruto was the one to break the tension. 'Where is he?!' He screamed at me, looking like he was using every ounce of self-control he possessed to not just attack me right then and there. I shrugged a bit of a non-comital manner. 'Not sure,' I drawled, 'could be anywhere really. M- Tobi took him off somewhere. That's the guy with the orange mask that looks like a carrot, by the way.' They all continued to stare at me, still not sure what to do with me.

Finally, after what seemed like way too long, Kakashi stepped forwards. 'So, he sent you here to deal with us, did he?' he asked suspiciously, grabbing a kunai behind his back. I heaved a heavy sigh, 'Gosh, Kakashi-kun, you always assume the worst of me, don't you?' I asked, placing an extra emphasis on the 'kun', not exactly sure why. Maybe I was just out to hurt him. Don't get me wrong, I just really didn't know what to do with myself anymore. It just felt like, if I was hurting someone else, my own pain seemed to lighten just a bit. So, I'm a sadist after all, aren't I? The only thing I was certain of at that moment was that I had to get to Konohagakure. I had to prevent Madara or The Akatsuki or whoever from destroying Konoha. I would never let anyone destroy the village Itachi had died protecting. Never, even if it cost me my life. Kakashi just narrowed his eyes at me again.

I raised my hands above my head in a sort of defensive manner, and slowly got on my feet again. The entire group immediately tensed, ready to attack at a seconds notice, if necessary. I sighed again, 'Alright, first of all. Kakashi, I've got no idea why you think it would work, but hiding stuff behind your back really doesn't, when you're facing someone who has, quite frankly, mastered the Byakugan. So honestly, don't even try. Second of all, no worries!' I exclaimed with a smile, which I knew must look rather disturbing. 'I have - I think - just officially quit the Akatsuki, so, I am neither here to delay you, nor am I here to finish you off. Actually, I was just sitting here. No real reason.'

It took another really long period of time before anyone answered this. Finally, it was Yamato who spoke up. 'Kakashi,' He said slowly, glancing at me, 'I think she has finally lost it. Just look at her. We should take her bak to Konoha.' Alright, so maybe my transformation jutsu hadn't worked that good the second time round after all. 'Oh, geez, thank Yamato. Really, just pretend I'm not here.' I muttered sourly, and that was exactly what they did, they ignored me completely. 'I don't know,' Kakashi answered him, in the same slow voice, 'It could be a trap. It wouldn't be beneath her to act like this, just to lure us into a false sense of security.' I glared at him and grumbled some more, but no one listened.

With a final sigh, I sat down on the ground again. 'Go ahead,' I said loudly, and rather sharply, making everyone's head snap around back to me. 'Take me to Konoha. It's not like I've got anywhere to go, anyway. You know, the Akatsuki aren't too keen on people who just quit, so go ahead and take me. Keep me safe for awhile. Protect me.' I told them, hoping this motive would at least make them trust me enough to take me back to Konoha with them. Only Naruto was positively snarling by now, and everyone looked at me with suspicion clearly written on their faces, except for Kakashi, who regarded me cooly. He had always been able to keep his head during every situation. Something I admired endlessly about him as well as Itachi. Itachi. I couldn't think about him right now, I would probably break into a heap of tears and sobs again.

'Alright.' Kakashi said finally, making everyone - including myself - look at him in surprise. 'We will take you to Konoha. Just don't expect any protection from the village elders or Ibiki-san. They will deal with you.' He said, still gauging my reactions carefully. Heh, the village elders. They would definitely want me dead. Especially Danzo. I knew the truth, and if that got out, it would be outright horrible for the village. There was no way they were risking that. I wondered how the Hokage would react, but it wasn't important right now. With a huff I turned to glare at Kakashi, 'Just don't expect me to walk.' I told him, crossing my arms. I swear I almost saw him roll his eyes. 'Like we would trust you to,' he said as he slowly walked forwards, before placing an arm behind my shoulders and an arm beneath my knees, scooping me up in his arms.

To be completely honest, I was feeling a bit awkward. Kakashi was holding me in the exact same way as he would hold me when I was worn out after the two of us had trained together, and he had insisted on getting me home. My heart ached slightly when I thought about those times. When I was young, when everything was okay. When there was just Neji, Kakashi and my missions and that was all. When there wasn't so much as a worry in the world. But those days were over, I had grown up.

Another thing that made the situation awkward was the way everyone was staring at us, mostly surprise and disgust. I glared at them. None of them looked away. Apparently, while Kakashi was carrying me, I was seen as vulnerable. I sighed and glanced at Kakashi, who wasn't looking at me, but at his team mates, fellow shinobi from his village. His friends, people he trusted. And it just hurt so much knowing that I would never be able to be a part of that anymore. He would never ever trust me again. I couldn't blame him, and I had never expected him to, but it just hurt so much.

'Let's go.' Kakashi said, sounding just a tad bit harsh, and after a small moment of uncertainty, everyone started moving. I glanced at Kakashi again, enjoying the strength and protection of his arms around me. It wasn't like our friendship could ever be restored again, and I knew that, but god, did that man make me feel safe. In this moment, it felt like I had my very best friend back again, and with no one paying me any mind, I lent against his chest, and sobbed as quietly as I could, hoping that no one would notice, as we carried on towards Konoha. I would not let Madara destroy my home. Not the home Itachi and I had spent all those years fighting for, all those years of protecting it from the shadows. I would not let him destroy the home Itachi had died to protect.

With a huge amount of effort, I raise my head, and glance at Naruto. He is looking me, his face marred with shock, confusion and anger. I smile slightly, before another coughing fit comes over me, and my dirty clothes become even dirtier, now almost totally crimson with blood. I look around me, but it is so difficult to keep my eyes open, that I quickly shut them. Thinking about it in retrospect, I think I did good. Yes, I definitely think I did good.

Well, there you go.
Almost as long as the last one. ;)

Way, way, way late. I am so sorry. Honestly, I am.
Nanowrimo just got a bit in the way of things and, well, there you go.

But! Next chapter will be the final chapter. A sequel is planned and slightly written, because I couldn't help myself. But if you enjoyed this story I am almost certain that you will also enjoy the sequel.

There is just one thing I'd like to ask you all. It's something I've been mulling over in my head, and really can't find an answer to.
In the end, did Hitomi really help Itachi? Or did she just make it even more difficult for him to leave?
So, did she change him for the better or for the worse?
I have really been wondering about this, because I originally wrote Hitomi as a means to deal with my Itachi-Feels, which I had absolutely no control over after he died. It was awful. Anyway, thanks for reading this, and I would love to hear your opinions on the matter.

x, Faith Bell.