Epilogue
One day after...
From a distance, Hanako woke up to a sound of a body smashing towards a crumbling wall before it turned simply into a lifeless piece of flesh that fell to the ground. She woke up wanting nothing more than to go back being asleep - desperate plea to escape the sadness and void. And then the pain hit her all at once - ravaging her, attacking her, drowning her in it - and left her feeling nothing but numb.
Itachi Uchiha was dead.
Her body jerked as she choked back her tears before losing all control. Never before had she experience a pain like this, something so big and crushing that it suffocate her. She had to force herself to breathe, force herself to continue living but with each second of knowing he was gone forever, her grip on reality loosened and began dreaming for the day when everything would just end.
l-l-l-l-l-l-l
Five days after...
Kakashi Hatake was exhausted inside and out because of his failed mission. He neither captured Sasuke or Itachi, and the disappointment was clear in his dulled eyes. He wandered around the village, lost in though and didn't notice that someone had joined him. Or maybe he didn't notice because her presence was as familiar to him like a shadow. He looked at her and knew something was wrong immediately.
But she was lovely in an incredibly sad and broken sort of way. Her hair was light as it was during childhood, but something changed in her eyes. They were no longer bright as they were dark. Instead the trauma of death marked those black eyes. He watched her carefully, and following and trailing behind her as she mindlessly head towards the Third Training Ground as they so often did years ago.
She crouched down to the stone and pulled out a kunai and began to scratch letters to it. Everything was silent and neither of them spoke, only the sound of blade to rock between them. At last, she stopped. "Itachi's gone," she told Kakashi in a quiet voice that was just barely a whisper, "and Konoha will never know the truth."
"The truth?"
She closed her eyes and put the knife down. "Sometimes," she said and her voice begun to shake with anger, "I hate this village and I just know that I will never forgive it and I just despise this place -" suddenly her voice broke and she turned away from the other ninja, hiding the single tear that rolled down her cheek. "So much. But I'll die for this horrible village...for him."
Kakashi glanced back at the engraved name. "Itachi Uchiha?"
Her breathing stopped. The sound of his name brought all the pain back, overwhelming her with grief. She held the kunai so tight in her hands that it broke her flesh and she began to bleed. This pain is the only thing I can control...but its nothing compared to this feeling.. And so she pushed it in deeper, just a bit more...a little deeper until blood ran down her wrist like water. "I loved that stupid fool."
"Hanako, will you be okay?"
Just those words alone threatened tears. She wiped her eyes, only for blood to streak on her face. Trembling, she stared down at her hands before closing her grip. "No," she murmured, "No, I won't."
And from that day on, Hanako had changed. It was the last time Hanako Hyuga cried, the last time she gave a reason for anything, and the last time she had mentioned Itachi Uchiha ever again.
/- END OF THE OTHER SURVIVOUR-/-/-/-/
A/N: Upon request, here is the alternate epilogue! Warning, do not read if you like sad endings! But...if you don't...here's one that's a bit more tied up.
/- ALTERNATE -/ -/-/
Epilogue V2
He felt the life draining out of him with each step he took closer to get to his brother. Just...a little more. It was selfish to give Sasuke a glimpse of his true side but he had given everything he had to Hanako, and wanted to do the same for his little brother.
Hanako.
The thought of her made him smile. Her blonde hair, her black eyes, her temper...just every bit about her. I really did love her. He raised his arms and quietly he said, "Forgive me, Sasuke...It ends with this.". He thought back into his childhood - the days with Shisui, at first, then Hanako, then Sasuke. He was grateful that he had those three to love, and he regretted nothing. This was the way he would want it to end - the only thing he would've asked for was more time with Hanako. He didn't want to leave her alone but Sasuke...
It has to end like this. And then Itachi Uchiha poked his younger brother's forehead for the final time, and smiled as everything went black.
l-l-l-l-l-l-l
"He may not die, you know."
Hanako looked up at Kisame, a bit more than surprised at his words. Was he trying to comfort her? She wondered what the world was coming too, but she grinned anyway.
"Itachi's one of the strongest ninja that ever existed, he can survive this."
If the Demon of the Mist was praising him, Itachi had to be doing something right. Kisame wouldn't say something he wouldn't believe. And for the first time in a while, she allowed herself to hope. She smiled a smile that made even Kisame question whether or not he was truly good or evil.
l-l-l-l-l-l-l
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she thought was that the rogue ninja was wrong.
Itachi Uchiha was gone.
She felt an unbearable sadness overshadow her, darkening her thoughts and making her wish for death an escape. She felt an unending sense of emptiness - but she wasn't empty, not quite. With a shaky hand, she touched her stomach gently.
Breathe, Hanako.
Breath for it.
For Itachi's only child.
l-l-l-l-l-l-l
Six years after...
"Mom, mom! Look at what I can do!"
"Calm down, Amaya, or else I may suffocate you with this pillow."
The little girl giggled and tugged excitedly at the blonde woman until she groaned and got up. The pleasant morning fog of unawareness was lifted, followed by a familiar wave of depression and then she looked at the child, smiling at her with front teeth missing and an uncontrollable happiness, and her heart felt a bit more whole.
"Please please come? I finally perfected the Fire Ball jutsu!"
"I just taught you that yester -" she broke off and sighed, and then mused up her daughter's hair affectionately.
Six years had passed and the depression faded a bit with each day - just the slightest. But this morning the sun peaked through the curtain and created a halo around the young girl's head, as her eyes stared excitedly at her only parent. She really was her father's child, already a prodigy at age 5. "I'm proud of you, my beloved freak." And Hanako really did love her - the child that Itachi wanted. She inherited everything from Itachi - his eyes, his hair, his skills, his hopes and dream. The only thing that made her significantly Hanako's child was the brightness in those large black eyes as opposed to a measured or gentle gaze.
Amaya made a face, not understanding her mother's joke so she crossed her arms and turned away stubbornly. "I bet dad wouldn't call me that."
She was caught off guard by the comment. Amaya knew the entire truth about her father of course, but she was a child with a simple curiosity - not an emotional attachment. Hanako smiled.
"He would, Amaya. He was a freak of nature too."
Amaya blinked, big eyes wide with a childish bewilderment. "But you loved him?" Love, still.
"More than anything."
She stared wide-eyed at the 27 year old kunoichi. "Except for me, right?"
Hanako laughed and poked her daughter in the forehead, the way Itachi had so often done to his younger brother. A smile pulled up the slightest on the kunoichi's face. "Except you."
/-END OF THE OTHER SURVIVOUR (Once again)-/
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR STICKING TO THIS STORY THAT I STARTED A MONTH AGO!
I am so unbelievably proud that I actually finished this story in such a short period of time - but I think its a great one, and its so underrated in the anime how they didn't go into much detail about Itachi and this lover! I had to admit, when this story was playing around in my head, I didn't expect it to get so complex but...it did, and I'm happy with it - and I am so happy that there are people that actually read this. Like...living, breathing people who probably had better things to do but decided to read these words posted! You have no idea how thankful I am!
SO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
Even though this story is over, I still would appreciate your final review more than ever! Did I do good, disappoint? To unrealistic? I'd love to know!
But yes, this is the end!
THANK YOU AGAIN :)
I am not done yet with the Naruto fanfic world, don't you worry :)
P.S.: In case you haven't noticed, each or at least every several chapters begin with a "- years ago / - months ago / - days after / - week after" with the 'ago/after' referring from the date of Itachi's death. So all the dates in this chapter revolve around his ultimate death, in case you haven't noticed! It's a just a little detail I decided to added and acknowledge here in the epilogue. :)