Once they were all assembled in the dream world, Chiisai asked, "How are you all fairing on your side?"
Itachi and Shisui glanced at each other. Seeing the hopelessness in their eyes, Chiisai grudgingly summoned a dream to absorb the nightmare. Finally, Itachi shook his head and said, "We couldn't find anyone."
Casting the dream back to the tree, Chiisai rubbed her temples. The dream world darkened to grey as she sighed, "This is an impossible task."
Shisui leaned forward and took her hand. Giving it a squeeze, he said, "Well, you've managed to cause some chaos at least. A third of the Uchihas don't seem to be interested in the coup d'etat anymore. Of course, they don't care to stop it either."
"Yeah," Chiisai replied, "but that's not going to solve anything. Damn, I wish my powers worked on everyone else…" She dropped her head, hating how powerful but powerless she was to the situation. She blinked when something appeared in front of her. Shisui handed her a mochi ice cream, which she gratefully took and bit into.
Itachi watched the dream tree for a moment before saying, "I've talked to my father. The only thing he was willing to do was postpone the plan. It's going to be after Sasuke's birthday."
Chiisai swallowed the fake food and pointed at Itachi. "By the way, he wants a personal training day with you for his birthday. Specifically a shuriken training day."
A faint smiled formed from her words. It seemed the only way to get Itachi to smile nowadays was mentioning his brother. "Thank you," he replied.
Shisui raked a hand through his hair, still not satisfied by the news. "If our village goes into a civil war, every other village will be at our borders. Can't your father see that?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid the only thing he cares about is the clan's overall welfare."
The bland scenery transformed to a playground in the village. The two Uchiha's blinked in surprise as children ran through them, one being Sasuke. Their laughter filled the air, and as the dream continued, Chiisai said, "There's still a way I can help. Since my power of influence won't work on his mind, I'll just breathe your father dreams about the village, about how good it is." Then the scene around them darkened. The children's eyes constricted as dead bodies appeared on the playground. The foul stench of blood filled the air and red liquid flowed like a river beside them. Screams rang out, and one by one each child fell to a wave of shurikens. "And then I'll give him nightmares to make him see how much death he'll cause to everyone, including his own family. I'll even implant visions like this in his head so even when he's awake he'll be haunted by it."
Itachi's eyes widened as he watched his brother trip and fall. Kunais flew through the air, ready to plunge straight into-
"Stop."
The scenery instantly disappeared. Itachi closed his eyes, trying to shut out the image of what he had just seen. "Sorry, I got carried away," Chiisai whispered. "That was asshole-ish of me to do that in front of you."
"No, I'm glad you showed that." His eyes opened to look her in the eyes. "It gives us an image of what could very well happen if we fail."
"I think you both are forgetting something."
Itachi and Chiisai glanced at Shisui. His eyes lightened to red before spinning into four-point pinwheels. "We all know what my Mangeyko Sharingan can do," he said.
Chiisai shook her head at such a suggestion. "But using that on your entire clan…"
"It's the safest way to stop this," he replied. He squeezed her hand again and continued, "I just have to use it on Fugaku."
Itachi, though hesitant, finally said, "Are you sure about this?"
He nodded, "I'll discuss it with the Hokage. But we all know this is the easiest route to take. Whether we like it or not, we have to do everything we can to make sure the rebellion fails."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"It'll be fine."
"You always say that."
"Has it ever not been fine?"
"What if you get caught?"
Shisui kissed her forehead. "My clan doesn't even realize I'm against them. I'm not going to get caught."
"You must be a great actor then," Chiisai replied. It was hard seeing him in the Uchiha's circle of trust given his peaceful personality. The clan already questioned Itachi's loyalty...How long before Shisui? "I'm surprised they haven't suspected you yet."
He leaned back and gazed up. He smiled as he pointed to the make-believe sky, where a cloud in the form of Chiisai floated near the dream tree. "Actually, it's probably because of you."
Rolling her eyes, Chiisai made the cloud disappear. She summoned one of the tree's flickering orbs and pressed her hand against it. "You're funny."
He glanced at her and said, "I'm serious." He pointed to the towering and twisting oak tree that housed the dreams of the villagers. "Watching these dreams, their hopes and fears…And watching you take care of all the villagers without them even knowing it, like right now… It makes me want to protect them even more. It's all because of you, and I can't even tell anyone about you. I have to act like you don't even exist unless it's the library." He paused and returned his gaze to the sky. "I guess it's helped my acting skills."
She sighed and lay down beside him. He wrapped an arm around her as she curled into his warmth. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "Everything's going to change, isn't it?"
His fingers traced over her arm, sending tingles through her body. "It'll be okay after tomorrow," he reassured her. "I'll stop the coup d'etat, you'll get sealed, and then we can finally have our real first date. And then I'll introduce you to my family."
She cringed at the last part. "Will they like me? I mean, I'm not from your clan…"
On hearing the worry in her voice, Shisui sat up and took both her hands in his. "Being a Uchiha doesn't matter to me and it won't matter to my family." He grinned, "Maybe that's how we'll finally bridge the gap between the village and my clan!"
She smiled back at his cheerfulness, knowing he wouldn't hesitate to do just that once everything was over. He had even discussed getting married a week ago. But the more she thought about what would be happening, the harder it was to keep the smile up. Glancing up at the dreams, she murmured, "This is the last night in the dream world, isn't it?"
Resting his head against hers, he replied, "Is there anything you want to do?"
She kissed him and said, "I've absorbed all the nightmares. Everyone should be sleeping well besides Itachi's dad. But this place…" She closed her eyes. After tomorrow, she'd no longer have access to what had been her whole life. What would everything be like? No dreams, no seizures…It was finally a chance to be normal, something she had craved for so long. Finally, she'd be able to move on from the nightmares of her past. "The dream world was my home."
"Was?"
"It was…" She smiled, "Until I met Itachi and you." Her mouth found his as she whispered, "As long as I'm with you I am home." She kissed him again, loving the feel of his lips. "Reality will finally be better than the dream world."
He couldn't help but grin as he replied, "You haven't been reading those cheesy romance novels again, have you?"
Chiisai rolled her eyes and playfully pushed him. "I'm just copying your cheesy personality, Pinwheels. There is one thing I'm concerned about though…since we won't be meeting here anymore."
"What's that?"
"Once I get sealed, you're going to have to start buying condoms."
"Truth be told," he replied sheepishly, "I already bought some. Unfortunately, Itachi saw them."
She couldn't help but laugh. "I bet he pretended he didn't see them. He's too polite."
"Yeah," he sighed, "but it was pretty obvious." Pause. "You know, you're the reason he has crows in his genjutsu."
"Huh?"
He nodded. "He told me about it the other night. He was further developing his genjutsu when he first met you. Apparently you inspired him."
"I am an inspiring person," she replied with a half-smile. Chiisai flicked the side of his arm and said, "You should appreciate me more."
"I always appreciate you." A pink rose appeared in his hand as he offered it to her. "Now what do you want to do on our last night in the dream world?"
She took the rose and replied, "Not use a condom."
He grinned and shook his head. "How am I the romantic one in the relationship?"
"What?" She shrugged, "I didn't have anyone teaching me what romance was, or sex for that matter. Do you know how awkward it was for me as a child to see some of these people's dreams? Hell, I didn't even know what it was, or what love was. And my mother-"
She stopped when the grass turned into a valley of red roses. The velvety softness graced the bottom of her legs as Shisui said, "Don't think about your mother or what she said. Remember, I love you and always will, you silly girl. And don't let your past tell you otherwise."
It was times like this where she wondered how someone like him ever fell in love with someone like her. Dropping her gaze to the ground, Chiisai replied, "Now you've been reading too many cheesy romance novels."
Shisui smiled as he brought her hand to his lips. "I guess I should have asked do you want me to not use a condom instead. My apologies, milady."
That got a laugh out of her. He gave a faint smile before she pressed her lips to his. Running her hands through his messy hair, she finally whispered, "Tonight I want to forget about the past and not worry about the future. I want to focus on right now."
"And not use a condom?"
"Now you speak my language."
IIIIIIIIIIIIII The next day IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong because Shisui was in her room instead of the Uchiha district. Not only that, but he had one eye closed…and blood ran down his cheek.
Chiisai sat Tori down and ran towards him. Her eyes widened when she saw his grim expression. "Why are you-" Her hand went to his face. "Your eye-"
"I'm fine."
An obvious lie. She held his face in the palm of her hands, making sure the person in front of her was real, that this heart-torn person was indeed Uchiha Shisui. "What happened?"
His face softened at her touch, and as he looked into her eyes she saw something inside him crack. Slowly, he tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers. It was soft, warm, and lingered as if he were trying to make time stop. "I love you," he whispered on her skin. His tone was low and ragged, unlike his normal carefree voice. Yes, something was terribly, terribly wrong. Tears escaped the corners of his eyes as he murmured, "Remember that, okay?"
He pulled away, but she clung to him. She'd never seen him like this, and it scared her more than any nightmare she had seen. Shisui tried to gently pry her off, but she refused to let go. For some reason, tears gathered in her eyes. "I love you too," Chiisai replied, "but what-why are you-"
The last thing she saw of him was his Sharingan.
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When she woke up, the first thing she saw was a single red camellia on her nightstand. Then next thing she was Itachi.
He was the one to tell her, or more precisely, show her.
And after collapsing to her knees and breaking down, Itachi was the one to hold her. He never reassured her it was going to be okay, that everything was going to be alright.
Because they knew it would be a lie.
She couldn't eat, could barely sleep. All she could see was Shisui stepping back into thin air, his head tilting back, his body falling and falling and her always being unable to reach him.
That was Itachi's dreams now. And no matter how much she tried, she couldn't erase it from his mind. She couldn't absorb the nightmare, or any nightmare for that matter. Everything hurt. Having something so good now gone from her life forever, how did anyone survive being in love? It was dying without being able to die. It was a constant loop of thinking the next day would be better, but it never was. And with the coup d'etat still in progress, it was only getting worse.
Shisui was gone.
He was gone forever.
She couldn't accept that.
Chiisai aimed multiple times to recreate him in the dream world. And each time it left her more broken than before, because no matter how hard she tried, she could never replicate him in the way he really was. This Shisui never ran his hand through his hair the way the real one did. The smile wasn't the same, the hearty laugh was a pitch too high. She was only left with disappointment after each night, and each night she screamed into the dream world alone, because that's what she was now.
Alone.
Uchiha Shisui was never coming back.
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"Chiisai."
She took her eyes off the cat in front of her and glanced up to see Itachi in her room.
"Hey." She couldn't bring herself to say anything more. Inside of her was an emptiness, a hollowness so cold that she was numb to everything except the hurt constantly throbbing in her heart.
"I need to talk to you."
"Hmm."
"The nightmare you had last night…You took three people's chakra before you awoke. They're dead. Because of your emotions…"
She shook he head and blandly said, "It's not going away. I love him."
"The village is as tense as ever. And the nightmares everyone are having…It's the same oily creature in every dream. It's starting to affect them. Even the coup de'etat has been pushed forward."
"This is happening because of it, isn't it?" She swallowed the lump in her throat and hugged her cat tighter. "I can't stop." She couldn't stop hurting from the love she now cursed.
Itachi crouched down in front of her. He scratched under Tori's chin before looking into the broken mess of a girl in front of him. "Chiisai."
Tears filled her eyes. She could feel herself slipping, of her exterior breaking under the heaviness of her despair. "Why does it hurt so much? I can't stop." Her eyes pleaded to him as she said, "Please, make it go away! I don't want to feel." She shook her head faster and squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to feel this way every second of every single god damn day! It's hurting everyone!"
Itachi then had his arms around her as she began to sob into his chest. "Please," she whispered, "do something. Do something."
"I will. But I need your help first." He pulled away and gently took her hand. "You need to come back out of that dark cage in which you locked yourself away. Shisui…He would never have wanted you like this."
"I know…I understand why he did it," she choked out. "I'm angry, Itachi. I'm angry and I wish he were here so I could tell how mad I am at him. But he's not here, and he doesn't even have a grave that I can yell at…" Her shoulders were shaking, and she cursed herself for feeling like this. Dammit, wasn't she strong enough to handle this? Itachi had lost his best friend, but he still managed to stay level-headed.
"Chiisai, I need your help. My Mangeyko Sharingan…one of my eyes has a power similar to yours. I need your help controlling it."
She stopped to consider this. "You have your own dream world?"
He shook his head. "The way these eyes were formed…I'd rather call it a Nightmare Realm."
"Huh," She swallowed the lump in her throat again and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Then let's see it."
So he showed her, and she helped him create the hell within his eye.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Whenever Chiisai thought that she was making progress or that her heart finally was patching itself up, she found herself back to where she started- on the ground and sobbing until she couldn't breathe.
This time it happened in the dream world. And something heard her cries.
It came for her- the same dark, oily monster that first appeared in Shisui's mind. It was as if the creature relished in her despair and fed off the negative emotions she released. It would have gotten her if she hadn't been forced awake by Tori's claws in her arm.
But the next time she went to sleep she knew that same monster would be there somewhere.
The dream world was no longer safe.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"The Hokage believes its best to seal you as soon as possible."
She wanted to pound his chest for his calmness. Itachi was avoiding her question. "I want to help you stop the coup de'etat. I know you've been planning something." She had finally regained enough mentality to think clearly, and the first thought had been Shisui…And his last words.
"I don't want you involved," Itachi replied sternly.
"Dammit," she yelled, "stop trying to burden yourself with everything! For once, let someone help you!"
"I do not need your help."
"I don't care if you need it or not," she spit back. "I want to help fulfill Shisui's last wish." Chiisai ran a hand through her hair, trying not to break down again. How did Itachi have the mentality to hold himself together like this? Faintly, she asked, "…Do I not deserve that much?"
It wasn't a smile, but something changed in his voice. "It's glad to finally see you somewhat of your normal self."
Tori rubbed up against her leg, distracting her form her anger. She bent down and picked the cat up. "Look," she sighed, "you asked me to help you with the Nightmare Realm and that's exactly what I did. Hell, I even sparred with you there and I'll admit it helped distract me." She took her gaze off the cat to glare at Itachi. "Now I'm asking you for something, and if you deny this I swear I will never forgive you."
Itachi rubbed behind the cat's ears. With eyes downcast, he replied solemnly, "I'm afraid there will be other things you won't be able to forgive me for too."
"What are you talking about?"
There was no hope in stopping Chiisai from interfering. With voice composed as always, Itachi explained, "There is a new plan to stop the coup de'etat, however, relations between my clan and the village are too damaged beyond repair. We waited too long."
She didn't like where this was heading. "Then what are you saying?"
"The new plan…" He straightened and closed his eyes. "…Is for me to massacre my clan."
That didn't make any sense. Itachi was peaceful by nature, and that…Was this the consequence of them waiting? "Kill…every Uchiha?"
He nodded robotically. "In order to maintain overall peace…my clan must be exterminated."
She could see the anguish in his eyes. The emotions he harbored so deep below the surface… "Itachi…"
He dropped his gaze to Tori. "I'm not sure if I can do it," he finally whispered. "And that day you showed Sasuke getting killed…" Now he was the one about to break. "I can't kill him. I know I can't kill my little brother."
She placed the cat on the bed to wrap her arms around Itachi. "Then you don't," she replied. Pulling away enough to look at him, Chiisai said, "Itachi, when you discovered me in your dream and told the Hokage, well…I hated you for a bit. But you brought me out of the darkness and helped me see my powers in a whole new light. You helped me regain control of my powers, you're even the reason I met Shisui." She held his hand and pleaded, "Please, you've done so much for me…Let me help you now."
The level-headed façade finally crumbled. A tear trailed down his face as he rested his head against hers. "…Can I ask you a question?"
She traced her hand up and down his back. How long had she wallowed in her sorrow and not once thought of Itachi? What he was going through all this time was too much for one person to take. "Hmm?"
He closed his eyes, causing more tears to spill. "Killing your parents…What was it like?"
"It…It's hell," she whispered, "absolute hell." Another layer of despair took over her as she remembered. "You're overwhelmed with guilt probably until the day you die. It won't go away either, but time helps you get used to it…Each day you get a bit of your sanity back. It might be different for you though. Your relationship with your parents isn't the same with mine."
He smiled at her brazen honesty. "You are a true friend, Chiisai. I don't think you realize how much I've come to cherish your company."
She laughed, though it was bitter and barely heard. "I wouldn't know what a friend was without you," she replied. After wiping his tears away, Chiisai said, "Itachi, you know I'm not letting you do this alone. Before you seal me, let me use my powers to protect the village one last time…Please."
Itachi sighed as he gazed down at her. He brought his hand up and wiped a strand of her hair away. "I think Shisui fell for you the first moment he laid eyes on you," Itachi tried to smile. "He truly loved you…"
The tears didn't fall this time. Instead, she whispered back, "I know."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
She had killed before. Five people, to be exact. But helping murder an entire clan was a newfound horror, one that left her frozen and without any words to utter. But it had to be done. In order to protect the village, to fulfill Shisui's last wish, it had to be done.
That's what she kept telling herself.
As each Uchiha fell to the ground on that moonlit night, their breath gone from their lips, Chiisai repeated that mantra. One, two, three, four, each body replaced with a number of the dead. She snuck into each of their minds, and one by one she took ahold of them. How she managed to fall asleep knowing what had to be done, she must really be sadistic to ease into sleep like that.
Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…
But it had to be done. That thought drove her, it fueled her chakra with purpose. Faster Chiisai sped through the dream world, and each dream she left meant another orb flickering out for the last time.
Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine…
Why hadn't the monster appeared yet? It must be waiting to bask in her emotions once this was over. Why was she doing this again? Wasn't this wrong? Killing so many people…
But to fulfill Shisui's wishes…
Fifty-nine, sixty, sixty-one…
To protect the village…
Seventy-two, seventy-three, seventy-four…
And maintain honor within the Uchiha name...
Eighty-five, Eighty-six, Eighty-seven…
It had to be done.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
When it was over, Itachi took her to the Hokage. Their tears had long dried away before anyone spoke.
"You didn't kill your brother."
Itachi stared down at the weapon that killed so many. "He will hate me for the rest of his life."
"You're going to die by his hand, aren't you?" She watched the weapon as if hoping it would take their lives too.
"A Uchiha who massacred his clan…Can only be punished by another Uchiha," he replied slowly.
She wanted to comfort him in some way, but no words could make up for their horrific actions. It was almost a dream it seemed…Was this real? Had they killed so many people? And the children…Their screams echoing in her head…
He placed a hand on her arm. She felt the tremors of his hand, the sweat from his palms. "The past cannot be undone," Itachi said. "There is no turning back."
"I am sorry, Itachi."
They both looked up to see the Hokage. His footsteps were heavy, his pipe gone. There would be no celebrating for peace tonight. Too much had been lost and too much blood had been spilled. Peace was a hefty price, one that was necessary to pay. "I am afraid I have put you in an impossible circumstance, one which I terribly regret."
"The village is safe and the Uchiha's name still holds honor." Itachi nodded, "I am satisfied with that."
Chiisai glanced up at the Hokage. "I broke into everyone's minds. No one will go by the Uchiha district for at least another hour." After all this time she had finally mastered her powers because of Shisui...Ironic that they were now going to be taken away.
"Then let us proceed," Hiruzen replied. "We've already told you how the seal works, but Itachi and I fear your unstable chakra might lash out once we try to seal you. This means the Sharingan has to be used in order to repress it."
She lay down on the cold table and frowned, "Itachi…you're sealing me?"
"For the majority of it, yes." He held on to her hand and continued, "I am sorry we have to say goodbye in such circumstances. Our lives…are rather tragic I feel."
She cursed the tears she could no longer hold back. "I don't know if I can survive with both of you gone from my life." With a ragged and forced laugh, she added, "My only friends now are an old man and a cat."
"I know," Itachi replied. Hiruzen activated the jutsu and pressed his hand to Chiisai's forehead. Black symbols stretched over her body like tattoos. Itachi then activated his Sharingan, the red swirling into place as he finished, "…That is why I'm going to help you one last time."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Hiruzen stood above her, his wrinkly face showing a kind smile. She looked up at him groggily, but he wasn't who she wanted. Who did Chiisai want? She couldn't remember, and suddenly she was overcome with a sadness that stuck to her like fresh snow. Red eyes flooded her vision, and for a moment she could faintly recall his dark hair, his slight smile when she laughed. Her eyes flooded with tears but then the image was gone just as quick, and all she was left with was Hiruzen holding her like a child, reassuring her it was going to be alright.
But it wasn't alright.
She was forgetting something important. What was it?
She couldn't remember. The only person her mind grabbed on to was Itachi…There was a plan...He had done something…Something bad. And then he had left.
He was gone.
And she was alone.
END
I will never be able to write this chapter to its fullest potential, sadly. I think it's probably one more chapter or two and then The Dream Breather is over. Thoughts, questions, critiques, feedback?
