Chapter 14 – Sacrificial Piece

She…

She'd lost the bet.

How?

And what the hell did it mean?

Tiredly, Sakura raised her hand and ran it through her hair, only to groan with annoyance when she was met with a blunt cut. It was at least half the length it used to be and she was certain that, should she look in a mirror, it wouldn't even be a straight cut. The edges were all blunt and untidy – jeez, didn't Sasori at least keep his katana sharpened?

There was nothing that could be done about it, unfortunately, so Sakura instead sighed and reached behind herself, tying it up quickly and efficiently. She'd been putting off going to the hairdressers for a while, as it had been something she and Ino had done together, but now it looked as though she had no other choice but to go.

Right now there were more important things to worry about, such as healing Uchiha Itachi.

Speaking of which… She needed to check on him now that an hour had drifted by. Where the time went, she would never know, because it seemed like mere seconds had gone by since arriving at the cave.

After shuffling forward and pressing her hand to Itachi's forehead, Sakura frowned softly.

A fever.

She'd already known that but it worried her how it didn't seem to be breaking any time soon. Moving him away from the fire would be important, as would removing all excess clothing. Sakura only risked a brief glance at the opening of the cave before setting to her tasks. It didn't matter if she had hardly any energy left, because it was important that she made sure Itachi returned to Konoha healthy.

After taking away his shinobi pants, effectively leaving Itachi in just his underwear, Sakura covered him up to his chest in a thin blanket. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do.

She neatly folded his clothing and set them beside him. Then, grabbing his pack, she searched through it for his camping scroll and was thankful to find that he had packed more than enough essentials. Included within those essentials was a single pillow, along with his own sleeping bag. The sleeping bag wouldn't be useful at the moment, Sakura decided without having to think about it. It would only cause him to grow even hotter and that was something they wanted to avoid. So, while cradling and gently lifting his head, she slid the pillow beneath him and once more lowered his head.

It would do for now, she told herself.

Outside was still fairly warm due to the spring weather and Sakura hoped it would stay that way throughout the night. Otherwise, she was going to have to redress Itachi to make sure he didn't get too cold, for it would do more bad than good.

Now that that was out of the way…

Sakura returned to her previous position of leaning back against the wall and grimaced at the discomfort. Not that she should have been expecting any different, considering it was a cave she was staying in, after all. But the jagged rocks sticking into her back weren't letting up any time soon and it was difficult trying to forget about it.

Sighing and reaching for Itachi's sleeping bag, Sakura shuffled into it and zipped it up fully, even going as far as to putting the hood over her head. It didn't completely take away the discomfort, but it was certainly more endurable now. She would have grabbed her own, but that involved moving and while so exhausted, she just couldn't be bothered.

Itachi wouldn't mind, right?

Even if he did, he would have a hard time taking it away from her in his current condition. Then again she'd have a hard time fighting to keep it, should he be able to fight for it. What a stupid thought, Sakura scolded herself before sighing. What other choice did she have? It was either think like a child, or have to face the painful reminder of being wrong. What did it mean? Surely Uchiha Itachi's birthmark wasn't that big of a deal.

Then again…

There were reasons why some shinobi chose to wear masks, or why others felt the need to cover themselves from head to toe. Distinguishing marks, such as scars or acne or moles or birthmarks, made it easier to spot someone. Her most distinguishing features happened to be her seal and her hair (wasn't exactly hard to figure out) and since one was permanent and Sakura refused to dye the other, it would forever be that way. Maybe Itachi was worried that, should someone find out about his birthmark, they would be able to identify him that way.

So silly. Why would he have his shirt off to start with?

Still, it wasn't her place to judge. If it was something that worried Itachi, then it worried him. It also explained why the other Itachi had his partially covered, so that–

Wait.

"It used to be much darker than this," he told her quietly and glanced down at the birthmark himself. "Not many know of it, other than my parents, brother, cousin and yourself." He looked back to her. "After we have rescued the Itachi you know, find an excuse to see his chest. His birthmark will be darker, for he is much younger than I am now."

When he'd told her about herself knowing of his birthmark, Sakura had assumed it was because he'd been showing it to her at the time. But… What if that wasn't the case?

Her eyes slid over to the feverish, unconscious Uchiha Itachi.

Time travel was impossible…

Right?

A bubble of hysterical laughter escaped her before Sakura could even stop it. Of course time travel was impossible. Why in the world would she even consider such a stupid thing? Talk about taking something straight out of a kid's book.

But at that moment in time, in her exhausted state, it seemed so plausible. The things the strange traitor guy said and the way he said them… The way he turned up right on time. The way he spoke to her like he knew her, even though he hadn't held a real conversation with her ever.

"Ridiculous," muttered Sakura.

Her hysterical mood left her instantly, leaving her to feel annoyed.

Time travel? Really? That was the best her exhausted, yet still overly imaginative mind could come up with? How pathetic. If she was getting ridiculous, then surely there should be more romance, blood and horror in there? Maybe a massacre or two, a little bit of psychological torture and then some kind of heartbreaking, unconditional love and romance that would leave everyone involved suffering terribly.

Tch.

What was she thinking? That sort of thing just didn't happen unless it was in a novel. It wasn't real life – it was a messed up fantasy.

"…Haruno-san," came a raspy voice.

The second Sakura heard Itachi's voice, she was lunging forward and appearing by his side, almost getting caught up in the sleeping bag as she tried to escape from it.

He was barely even awake, but still fighting stubbornly against the unconsciousness. Dark eyes drifted between open and shut, with his long lashes fluttering against his flushed cheeks. Without hesitation, her hand rested on his forehead, before she released a sigh of relief. Slowly, yet surely, he was coming down from his fever. Sakura shushed him softly, allowing her medic-side to take over despite her internal battle. Itachi's health was top priority and came above everything else. That fake Itachi… He wasn't important. None of the mess that came with him was important.

Uchiha Itachi was important.

"You're okay," she told him gently. "There might be a bit of pain, but you're going to be okay. I promise."

Weakly, he nodded once. It was impossible to think of anything Itachi did as weak, but at that moment in time, he was nothing but. It… It broke her heart seeing somebody so strong in such a vulnerable position, but that was what made Sakura so determined to be the best possible medic she could be. Those people who were sick, injured or dying, were vulnerable and needed somebody to be strong for them.

She would be strong for him.

"You'll need some water," Sakura murmured and reached for her backpack, taking mere seconds to grab her own water canteen.

She gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and sat him up. In a way to make it easier, Sakura slipped one of her thighs behind his back, allowing Itachi to lean against it. Being a medic – no, being a shinobi meant there was no room for privacy or personal space. Had this not been a mission, sure, Sakura would have thought the position was way too intimate for two people who were not romantically involved, but that was just the point: this was a mission and thankfully, Itachi understood that and didn't think anything more of it.

Instead of arguing or resisting, he allowed Sakura to help him drink the water. He knew not to take more than sips to begin with just in case he upset his stomach, so there was no need for her to tell him.

The second water began to dribble down the side of his mouth and chin, she pulled the canteen away and wiped his face clean of the water.

"What happened?" His voice was still raspy. "You were… not alone."

What?

"I saw the cloak," Itachi informed her, "but you weren't fighting."

Which was probably why he'd been so determined on getting over to her, instead of collapsing on the spot. What was she supposed to say? She'd sworn to keeping the other guy's existence a secret.

"Oh…" She frowned. "I'm not sure what that was about. I confronted him, but the explosion spooked him, I guess."

His heavy eyes sharpened minutely when Itachi squinted. "You're in pain."

It was instinctively how her hand came up to her head, brushing against her wound. Obviously, it still hurt and since she'd been more concerned about healing him, Sakura hadn't had the chance to heal herself or see to her own injuries.

"This?" Sakura gave him a smile and lowered her hand. "It's nothing serious. I just–"

"You're bleeding," he argued.

It was clear that Itachi was becoming more alert as his dark eyes grew more focused and he strained to sit up by himself. It took a few minutes but eventually, he managed to sit up without her help, so Sakura pulled her legs back to herself and folded them beneath her.

"Take care of yourself, Haruno-san," murmured Itachi.

Haruno-san.

That was something Sakura still couldn't get her head around. If they were both Uchiha Itachi, then why did they call her by different names? It sounded so strange being called 'Haruno-san' now that all the possibilities were stuck in her head.

"Sakura." A pause. She smiled at him. "Call me Sakura."

There were no questions or demands. Itachi either didn't want to find out what made her say such a thing, or didn't care. She was guessing it was the latter. Instead, he accepted her words with a single nod, before repeating his order of her taking care of her own health rather than his.

"My chakra is too low," Sakura admitted reluctantly. "That's why you're not fully healed." Noticing how his eyes drifted to her forehead, she added, "That jutsu is for emergencies only. I can only use it if I'm fatally wounded, or if there are way too many for me to heal alone."

He watched her for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. "You used your reserves in Dāto."

It wasn't a question. "Not a lot, but yeah, I did use some of my reserves."

Her reserves and her available chakra were two separate things. Tsunade had told her to think of it as two pools – the smallest was and would always be her available chakra. It couldn't be changed because it was what she was born with. Her reserves… They could be any size they wanted to be. Kind of like Naruto's, in a way (minus the Kyuubi, of course). Naruto had his own chakra and then he had the Kyuubi's. They were two different sources of power and he was only to use the Kyuubi's if it was absolutely necessary and he had no other option.

"How long will it take to fully replenish it?"

Her reserves? "When I first began storing chakra away, it took years to reach full capacity. Now, however, it's so much easier. It all depends on how much chakra I use and how much I store away, really." Oh shit, she was rambling, wasn't she? "A couple of weeks, minimum."

Once again, Itachi nodded once. "Our targets have been defeated," he told her a couple of minutes later. "Unless we are targeted while travelling back to Konoha, then there will no more fighting."

Was it just her or did he seem almost… relieved?

If he did, it was probably only because of how injured they both were.

"I'm glad," she whispered honestly and looked up to the ceiling of the cave.

There was no reply.

They'd been stuck in the cave for several days.

During their stay, Itachi had summoned one of his crows and sent it to Konoha, showing Minato without actually carrying a message that they were alive. It wasn't safe to send out any scrolls, just in case somebody intercepted the crow. By doing it Itachi's way, it was a simple crow landing outside of the Hokage Tower for a short while. Nothing suspicious.

They took those days to rest up and heal naturally while her chakra replenished itself. By then, they were ready to travel home and took short rests every few hours. That way they weren't pushing themselves too hard – it was at her insistence and much to her gratefulness, Itachi didn't argue with her.

Part of her wondered on their journey back to Konoha whether or not he knew about her predicament. She wondered if he knew about the other Itachi and her suspicions of him. Why? Because or how submissive he was suddenly being in regards to her ordering him around. He accepted her requests and orders easily. Well, only if it was about his health and her own. Anything else and he had full say and only considered her suggestions.

It was a tiring ordeal reporting to Minato when they finally returned. While standing there silently, as Itachi filled him in on everything that happened, Sakura had to hold back her need to just crawl straight into her bed and stay there for the next few days.

After he'd been taken to their hideout, Itachi had bided his time. Apparently it took a single hour to take both Sasori and Deidara down. For the latter, he used his genjutsu. For the former, he pieced together all the information they'd gained during their short fight and used it against him. Sasori was the first to be defeated, which was why Deidara blew the place up before being killed.

The first time she heard his story, Sakura could only stare in a mixture of awe and shock.

He really was a prodigy.

With a sigh of relief, Sakura fell back into her bed and shut her eyes, revelling in the relaxation and peace that washed over her. She was back in Konoha, in her own home and laying in her own bed. Safe, warm and content.

Until a flare of chakra coming from the roof had her eyes snapping open.

Sure, this was a conversation that needed to happen, but still…

Why now?

Reluctantly, she climbed out of her bed and groaned tiredly. So much for sleeping for days.

Deciding it would take way too much energy to get dressed, Sakura grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself, making sure she was completely covered. Even though she refused to get dressed, it didn't mean she wouldn't be covered appropriately.

She made her way over to the window and slid it open. It was easy climbing out and up onto the roof, seeing as it was more of a terrace than an actual roof. All the residents of her building chipped in to help boost its appearance, aiding it to look more bright and beautiful. Had Ino still been alive, Sakura liked to think that she would've lived in a different apartment complex, and that they would have made a competition of their terraces.

They always secretly enjoyed their competitions.

The roof was breath-taking at night. Small lanterns lit the area up dimly, allowing her to witness the beauty of the plants, while still allowing her to watch the stars light up the night sky. It was the best of both worlds, really.

He was waiting for her, of course. Seated on the wooden bench that looked out at the village, giving a wide view of all the buildings, including the clan districts.

"You won," Sakura offered weakly. Awkwardly, she stood behind him and bit her lip for a moment. "So… Are you going to tell me…?"

"How any of this is possible?"

"Yeah."

Not once did Itachi look over his shoulder at her. He remained sitting there and when Sakura walked around the bench so that she was in front of him, she saw that he was gazing out at the village. There was a wistful expression on his features and like every other time she'd seen him, his Sharingan was activated. Was it ever deactivated? Surely that had negative effects on his health and chakra?

There was a sigh.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he ordered quietly.

When there was no reply, his eyes slid over to hers and Sakura found herself repeating his sigh. Her exhaustion won over her stubbornness and she sat beside him on the bench. The weather was chilly but bearable.

It was ridiculous, she knew it was, but… "Time travel."

There, it was out there. The worst he could do was laugh at her.

But there was no laughter.

The other Itachi went back to gazing out at the village. "You have always been an intelligent woman."

Annoyance flashed within her, though she did her best to hide it.

"However," he murmured softly, "there is more to it than simple time travelling. You see, even if it is the smallest of changes, a single change will create an alternative universe."

Which meant… "Your existence in our world created a different universe."

Itachi nodded once. "Precisely."

How she could sit there and calmly discuss such things, Sakura would never know. On the inside, she was numb. It didn't feel very real at that moment in time. They were discussing time travelling and alternative universes, for goodness sake. How would that ever be normal? In theory, sure it would be okay to discuss it, but they were being serious. They were talking about Itachi travelling to a different universe.

"Why?" she questioned. "Why would you do it?"

"My own universe…" His eyes met hers. "They're all dead."

Her heart dropped. "Everyone… They're…"

"Yes."

But… "Even Sasuke-kun? Your clan?"

His silence screamed his answer.

It was so much to take in. What the hell could have happened to kill everybody he knew? A meteor? Did something happen to the village to cause such a massacre? Was it an epidemic? Why did it happen? Suddenly, despite being outside, Sakura felt like she was suffocating. It felt like the sky was crashing down on her – no, that was too quick. She felt more like she was trapped in a small room and slowly, so very painfully slowly, it was getting smaller and smaller. It was crushing her to death, never letting up for a single second and she couldn't breathe!

"And our…" Sakura changed her sentence, unable to find the words to finish it. "The thing between us…"

"There is no 'us', Sakura." There was a shift in his voice, a hardness entering his features. Her choice of words displeased him. "You are not my Sakura."

But there was something between him and the other version of herself.

Impossible!

She was torn about what to believe.

So far, a lot of what he had to say had evidence to back it all up. Well, there wasn't a lot that he'd said or done in particular, but that was beside the point. Recently, everything the other Itachi had said to her, had had some kind of meaning in one way or another.

Still…

She wanted more evidence.

If he was involved with her other self (and from the strange things he'd been saying a few days ago, it was looking highly likely) then obviously, Itachi would know her well. Apparently he had known her at the age she was at now – fifteen – and even younger than that. How long had they been together for? He'd said something about memories being forgotten over time. How old was she when…?

A quick, simple and harmless test would prove to her whether or not they'd been involved.

Sakura moved swiftly, ignoring her exhaustion as she slipped a thigh over his lap and grabbed a hold of his shoulders, holding herself to him in case of a negative reaction.

There was no reaction at all other than those red and black eyes once more locking onto hers languidly.

"Itachi," Sakura whispered in a soft tone.

Her hand slipped from his shoulder to the back of his neck, about to cradle his head, when his own reached up with unseeable speed and stopped it.

"Don't."

"Why?"

His eyes were fogged with some kind of emotion that Sakura had no hopes in figuring out. "I have never been able to resist you."

Just as she raised her other hand to run it through his hair, Itachi caught that one, too and stopped the movement. "Itachi–"

"You are not my Sakura," he repeated his earlier words more forcefully.

Her stomach dropped.

That look…

It was the look…

It was the look she'd always dreamed of receiving from someone. It was a look of pure devotion, of fierce loyalty and unconditional love.

Just as easily as she slid onto his lap, she removed herself. It didn't take much to pull her hands free of his. Itachi seemed almost grateful for the space.

"So… Things were sexual." Sakura looked away uncomfortably. "Between you and the other Sakura, I mean."

There was silence for just a second before Itachi went back to looking out at the village. "No. It was never like that between us."

"Then what was it like?" she couldn't help but ask curiously.

"I have never been one for discussing such emotional subjects, Sakura," he informed her softly. "The words have never come to me as efficiently as they do others."

A nervous flutter took over in her stomach and heart at just the thought that flashed through her mind.

Could she really trust him?

Slowly, her eyes slipped back to his features, regarding him silently. There was nothing to be seen. At the same time, though, this Itachi didn't seem to be half as cryptic and cold as the other. There was a softness to him. A peacefulness. Or… Was it acceptance? Acceptance of what, though?

"You have the Sharingan." All he did was look at her like she was stating the obvious – which she was, since his Sharingan was currently activated. "You also have the next stage of the Sharingan," she then added quietly. "The one that is rare to possess. The Mangekyō."

There was no surprise at her words. There was no questioning how she knew about it. All he did was nod once before his Sharingan swirled into a different design, causing Sakura to breathe in shakily. It probably seemed ridiculous, but it was like she could sense the power in those eyes. Something (more than likely her gut instinct) was telling her to run. It was telling her to run and hide and to never look into those eyes!

She took another deep breath and ignored her gut instinct.

"Show me everything."

He didn't even hesitate.

They were like flashing images of his past.

The second their eyes met, Sakura was sucked away from reality and thrown head first into his memories.

In the beginning all she could make out was that he was confused. Uchiha Itachi was a lost little boy who'd seen way too much. He had seen horrors that weren't meant for the darkest of men, let alone a four-year-old boy. At four years old, he'd taken a life, not completely understanding what it meant to do such a thing. He was torn between life and death, unable to figure out what either of them truly meant.

His suicide attempt broke her heart.

No child should ever feel as though they couldn't escape the painful reality of the world. They were supposed to be carefree and innocent. They were supposed to have the whole world to look forward to, with brand new lives and so much for their new eyes to see.

Unknowingly, on the outside world, she clutched his hand.

Sakura's aching heart melted at the sight of a baby version of Sasuke and how much the new life meant to Itachi. It gave him hope. It wasn't something a child should need, but in Itachi's case, it was. He doted on his baby brother. Not a day went by where Itachi wasn't holding him close and telling him everything was going to be all right. Whenever Sasuke cried, whenever he needed attention, his big brother was there and taking care of him.

Baby Sasuke was adorable!

It didn't stay happy for long.

Itachi graduated early and became a part of a team – making friends with them and forming bonds he considered as dear to him. His Sharingan was awakened the day he lost a close comrade, the day he lost his friend. Sasuke was, surprisingly, the one who comforted Itachi. Well, it was more like Itachi sought comfort from him, holding him close to his chest as he shed silent tears. It brought him great comfort having his brother there.

The memories blurred after that, briefly showing Sakura his life as a genin, as a chunin and then, as he was placed into ANBU. Then, he was an ANBU captain.

The deaths kept coming, piling up in his mind until all Itachi could see was the dead.

Relations between his clan and the village were rapidly declining and much to her horror, there were talks of a coup.

There was one thing in particular that stood out to her, though.

Like there had been with their timeline, the Kyuubi was released. However, unlike in their timeline, Namikaze Minato and his wife had not been so fortunate as to have someone appear by their side, ready and waiting to perform the seal that saved everybody's lives.

Uzumaki Naruto grew up as an orphan who was despised by the entire village, with no one to love him or care for him.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

It was understandable that Itachi hadn't paid much attention to the blond – why would he? Naruto was nothing to him other than a name and, after his parents' deaths, the host of the Kyuubi. He had more important things to worry about, such as the hatred that was reaching boiling point between his clan and the village higher ups. The only ones who were bordering on desperate to stop things from escalating further, were Uchiha Itachi and Shisui.

But…

"Oh… Gods," she breathed in sheer disbelief.

She'd heard rumours of such a man, but actually seeing him and the devastation he was capable of…

Right before his very eyes, Itachi watched his best friend take his own life in order to stop a trusted higher up of the village stealing the secrets from his body. Already, he'd taken one of Shisui's eyes, planning on (and actually succeeding) using their terrifying power for all the wrong reasons.

But from there, things only got worse.

She watched through Itachi's eyes as he slaughtered his entire clan, as he psychologically tortured his baby brother, the brother he'd sworn to always be there for and protect. The baby brother he'd held in his arms every single time he cried, telling him everything was going to be okay. He tortured him for the sake of pushing Sasuke to grow stronger. The entire time, though… It would never excuse what he'd done, but Itachi continued to protect and watch over his brother. He watched him growing up, keeping the promise he made to his parents right before he killed them.

He wasn't alone during the massacre. There was help from a masked man, but in return, Itachi was to join an organisation. It was the same one as before, Sakura realised as she immediately recognised Sasori.

Akatsuki.

They… They murdered so many innocent people and even though she still feared him, Sakura felt her heart breaking all over again as she watched the suffering of Sabaku no Gaara. He suffered in pure agony until his body dropped lifelessly to the ground. That was around the time he met her, she realised. They were enemies. It was so strange seeing the hatred in her own eyes as they faced each other. At that time, Itachi didn't think much of her. She was just a part of the team Sasuke had once been a part of.

Wait…

What? Sasuke had left the village? For power? He went searching for power from a man like Orochimaru?

Was this the darkness she'd only seen glimpses of? The darkness within Sasuke?

He kept track of Sasuke. He kept track of Konoha. From within the shadows, he protected them all.

It didn't ease the pain any.

It didn't stop the unbearable agony that rippled through her as she watched jinchūriki after jinchūriki being murdered. It didn't stop her breathing from turning shaky as the Akatsuki turned their attention on Naruto.

That was where it stopped, though.

There was a battle. A fierce, inevitable battle between Itachi and Sasuke. A battle that ended in Itachi's death. It wasn't the battle that killed him, however. No, it went deeper than that. Deep within his chest, to be more exact. An illness that could never be fully identified. It left him vulnerable, to the point where even a common cold could have killed him. But Itachi fought on, prolonging his life with the use of a combination of medications. They weren't the right ones to save his life, but then again, Itachi didn't want to be saved. He wanted to die.

However, it had to be Sasuke who ended things.

He was the one who needed to rebuild their clan, to restore their clan back to their former glory.

But what happened after that?

Sakura's green eyes fluttered for a few moments, adjusting to the abrupt end of flashbacks and memories.

"That's it?" She frowned in confusion and looked back to him. "You just suddenly ended up here?"

Itachi sighed and shut his eyes. There was a faint twitching of his brow, along with his hand, like he ached to reach to his temples and rub them.

Her own hand twitched, wanting to ease his pain.

"I didn't show you the memories between me and your other self," he told her after a moment or two. "Already, many things have changed in this timeline. I have done everything in my power to keep history from repeating itself."

That was unfair. So, what? Itachi could change major events in history but he couldn't even show her a past that meant nothing to her?

"A relationship is something that must develop by itself, Sakura. It cannot be forced and it cannot be tampered with. If a relationship between you and this timeline's Itachi happens, then great. But you cannot expect it to be the same as my own relationship."

Still unfair, Sakura thought sulkily.

"I was brought back," Itachi went on to tell her, answering her previous question. "My body and my power was used in a war against my will. The Fourth Great Shinobi War, but instead of it being the nations killing each other, they were all banded together. An alliance. The enemy attempted to use my power against them, but…" There was a pause, one where he gave a small, wistful smile. "Shisui's parting gift came into good use – he was always one for mischief when the circumstances weren't so dire."

Sakura couldn't help but smile softly at the look in Itachi's eyes. He was lost in his memories, going back to a time that wasn't filled with so much anguish.

Too soon, he left them where they belonged: in the past. "I managed to take control of my body once more and with Sasuke's help, we defeated the one who was controlling the dead with the reanimation jutsu. After that…" He paused, sighing. "The control vanished when I thought I was returning to the land of the dead and I watched everything happening without being able to help anyone. Everyone died in that war," Itachi told her and his eyes hardened. "I watched everyone die before waking up in this world, realising I had a second chance to make things right."

The pain was back, Sakura realised as his brow began twitching again and without thinking, her hand raised up, glowing green after a moment. He allowed her to ease the pain, but the moment the glow faded and her hand cupped his cheek tenderly, Itachi's hand once again caught it.

"You are not my Sakura," he told her calmly, patiently. After a few seconds, Itachi closed his eyes, a deep breath leaving him. "You may look like her, but you're not her. This version of yourself… belongs to this timeline's version of myself."

Anger rippled through her and Sakura yanked her hand back to herself. "I belong to no one."

Itachi couldn't help but give a small smirk. "I know. You told me that often."

Sakura frowned and looked away uncomfortably. "I… I died. In your timeline, I mean."

It took a moment, but Itachi eventually nodded. "I couldn't save you." The look in his usually impassive eyes as he turned to her, would always haunt Sakura. "And I never got the chance to tell you that I returned your feelings. I never had the chance to thank you for all you've ever done for me."

"You never had to," she told him in return, eyebrows knitting together. "You may like to think that you're emotionless, Itachi, but you're not. I'll admit that I can't read you – I'm still getting to know the Itachi in this timeline, but… If what you and the other Sakura had was real, then…"

When Sakura trailed off, Itachi smiled tiredly, recalling the words that had been said by his own Sakura. "I know."

"So… How do I die?"

"I cannot tell you that."

"The reason I die? Like, is it for something I believe in? Protecting my loved ones?"

Silence.

"How old will I be?"

"You are not going to die, Sakura," he stated with that same, detached voice. However, the look in his eyes was anything but detached. "I have already lost one version of you. That will not happen again."

She shook her head with annoyance and confusion. "I don't get it! Why bother coming to save me when you still won't be able to be with me? It's not going to change anything for you."

There was no reply. Itachi simply stared off into the distance, watching the Uchiha District.

And then finally, his quiet voice reached her as the other Itachi left the district, "You are his light and although he may never admit it, he needs you to light up the darkness that his world has once more become."

The conversation was more difficult than he'd thought it would be.

Discussing their deaths… It brought it all back. For the longest time, he kept himself preoccupied. He kept himself busy with changing history. But now…

He'd always known that his Sakura secretly feared dying alone on a mission and it agonised Itachi that her worst fear had come true one day, not too long before the war.

He had been passing through Fire Country for one reason or another when Itachi picked up on her fading chakra. For once, instinct had taken over and he'd moved as fast as he possibly could to get to her in time, even though he knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to save her. She couldn't die alone. She couldn't.

That day still haunted him.

When he arrived, Itachi had found his Sakura face down in the dirt, her body littered with so many wounds that it had had his stomach in knots for days and his heart, even now, clenched at the thought of her being in pain. He hadn't been able to save her. Like she had always feared, Sakura had died alone, out in the middle of a forest where nobody would have found her body unless they were only hours behind her.

Personally, he returned her body to Konoha, even though it meant his capture should he be caught. Itachi despised the thought of leaving her out there, or of cremating her body. That hadn't been what his Sakura wanted. She wanted a natural burial, in the walls of her home village, where her loved ones could mourn properly and not agonise over her disappearance.

When he'd turned up in the Hokage's office with her body in his arms, it was safe to say that Tsunade had immediately jumped to conclusions, believing that he was the one to murder her precious apprentice. And in an effort to keep Sakura from being labelled as a traitor for her connection to him, Itachi had told her that he brought her body back for Sasuke's sake, should he ever return to the village.

She was a magnificent kunoichi, there was no denying that. Sakura had made people fear her with just a single tick of the brow. It still pained him that she was never able to surpass her potential, was never able to complete her training and become the fierce, talented kunoichi she'd always dreamed of being. According to his Sakura, the way she had been before her death, hadn't been enough for her. Before her death, in their own timeline, Sakura had not activated her seal, so hadn't been able to heal herself. Oh, she'd mastered Tsunade's enhanced strength by that time, but not the seal.

That was why he had pushed this timeline's Sakura so hard. It was why he forced her to experience heartbreak even though it burned him on the inside to do it. The death of Yamanaka Ino, her best friend, pushed Sakura into becoming stronger, more capable and more reliable, not just for herself, but also for Yamanaka. She worked hard for the both of them and in the end, it paid off.

His Sakura had been sixteen years of age when she died and had not mastered her seal, hadn't even activated it.

This Sakura was just barely fifteen years old and had done that and more.

Due to her untimely death, many shinobi died during the war. They had needed her skills, her abilities, to save them and keep them going. The second Uzumaki Naruto died the war was over and Madara had won. And that was where everything ended for himself, also. That was where his hazy memory cut off before he awoke in this strange world. Seeing all of his precious people, alive and well, had… It was dangerous hope. It had almost made Itachi believe that somehow, he'd made it. His sins were overlooked and ignored and he'd been granted entry to be with his family once more.

But then he saw his other self. Back then, he was nothing but a child who was lost and stumbling through questions no child should even be considering, let alone asking.

As for the others…

The other version of himself and a lot of others were not nearly as strong as they had been in his own timeline. Perhaps that was a good thing, though? The only person (and he'd made sure of this) who had the Mangekyō Sharingan was Shisui, someone he knew would not use its power for bad.

The dots in his mind began piecing together whatever he was missing. Itachi was still unsure as to what happened, how it happened and why and the questions never let up in his mind. However, he was grateful for the second chance. Even if it was not himself living the life he'd always wanted or experiencing happiness, he was okay with it.

Unfortunately, events such as the Kyuubi attack were inevitable. No, it was not the masked man who released the Kyuubi. It had been himself. Too soon after changing Obito's fate had Itachi realised what it would mean for Uzumaki Naruto's. Due to having the Kyuubi sealed within him immediately after his birth, a major defect was never discovered since the Kyuubi healed him of it. However, only a mere day after this timeline's Naruto was born, he began having seizures. He was unable to move his own body or breathe properly. His parents, Minato and Kushina, had been bordering on desperate in their searches to help their child, but there was no cure. Not even Tsunade had been able to save him and had given him mere hours to live.

In a moment of weakness (for he knew how much of a major part of Sasuke's life he would play), Itachi had used his Mangekyō to release the Kyuubi from the still-recovering Kushina. Minato hadn't needed any help with the rest and to make sure his existence remained a secret, he stayed in the shadows and erased Kushina's memory of him, watching to make sure they both survived.

They did, with half of the Kyuubi sealed into them both.

That was something that was unavoidable, much to his dismay. Whenever a change was made, there would be ripple effects. Oh, there had been so many that he'd had to take care of, since he'd changed so much. There was no way of knowing what would happen should he change history, or how it would affect the balance of the universe. Either way, Uzumaki Naruto had to become the host of the Kyuubi. Yamanaka Ino had to die in order for Sakura to reach her potential and go higher than that.

Also…

There was only one way he could leave this timeline.

And Itachi accepted it. He accepted what he had to do.