His steps were slow, but sure. There was no doubt in his mind how to find him, because if he had been in the same situation it was where he would be. Sasuke sighed.

The Uchiha District.

It was so different from the place where he had grown up. An aura of death hung over the area and clung to it. Every step he took made him more and more aware that all those years ago he had made the right decision. His family, no matter what they thought of him, —they were worth saving. Their lives were precious and important. If he could go back in time with the knowledge that he had now there was no way he wouldn't do it again. Perhaps it was selfishness on his part to feel that way, but regret was something he couldn't ever bring himself to feel.

Before his thoughts could go any further, his double appeared before him.

"Why are you here?"

Sasuke looked at his double and darkness and pain seemed to roll off him in waves. He was responsible for this man's pain. His newly acknowledged selfishness had made him and soon them...into what they were.

"You know why I'm here."

The Sasuke he could have been didn't reply, instead he stared at him, searching for something that he currently couldn't phantom.

"What do I call you?" He asked, causing the happier of the two to frown. It was such an easy thing for a girl to come up with a decent nickname and not sound ridiculous, but for a man it was something else entirely. The simplest thing to do until everything was over and done with was to choose a new name.

"Until we are joined...call me Noctis."

Night had fallen and Sakura lay in her bed at Sasuke's residence. He wouldn't allow her to go home since Danzo wanted her dead. Although, somehow she knew that wasn't his only reason. He was hiding something from her, and it worried her. When Sasuke hid stuff bad things happened. It usually ended with someone dead and he had already killed enough people.

Another clue that he was hiding something slipped into the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. "You're worried."

"Something is wrong. Sasuke wouldn't leave me alone with you unless something was going to happen."

Itachi didn't reply, although she somehow knew he had thoughts on the matter. She almost didn't press, but she just couldn't help herself.

"You know, don't you?"

"I do."

"And if I ask you to tell me, would you?"

"Would you want to know?" He countered.

Did she want to bury her head in the sand? It would be nice if she could. However, for so long she did that with Sasuke ignoring who he truly was and hoping one day he'd be who she wanted him to be. That type of behavior she could no longer indulge in.

"I wouldn't want to know, but I'd ask because I needed to know."

"Then ask if you need to know Sakura."

Sakura took a deep breath and snuggled closer to Itachi. "What's going on?"

"It's going to end soon. The earthquakes, everything. Sasuke is going to fix it."

Sakura sat up abruptly. "Fix it? How? How do you know?"

Itachi closed his eyes.

Flashback:

He sensed his presence almost immediately. Itachi knew his brother's chakra signature better than he knew his own. Without a second thought Itachi sped toward it aware that his brother, his real brother, was coming towards him as well.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?"

Sasuke gave him a crooked smile and said, "I'm going by Noctis right now so that we know who is who."

Itachi frowned at this, but refrained from commenting on it. "You shouldn't be here."

Sasuke nodded his head. "Yes, I should. I started all this so I have to be the one to end it."

"What do you mean you by this?"

"It's a jutsu Itachi that must be dispelled."

It wasn't Sasuke's words that convinced Itachi that he was being honest it was the conviction behind his words. Although, it was possible that Sasuke was simply insane but he was well aware that wasn't true.

"Explain."

"I don't really have time to. If I, we, don't do this now then more lives will be lost unnecessarily. Just know that there isn't two worlds. There is only one."

Itachi's brain immediately cut to the crux of the situation. "Only one world. Then that means-"

"That it is possible that some people won't make it."

Unable to say anything the brothers stared at each other. Unspoken emotion reflected in their eyes. Itachi found himself proud that despite what his little brother could lose he was choosing to do the right thing. It was approval that he wanted and even though a pang of sorrow reverberated through Itachi's soul it was approval that Sasuke…Noctis would get. After some time Itachi stepped forward stretched out his finger and poked Sasuke in the forehead.

"Do what you must little brother."

"Even if-"

"Even if." Itachi confirmed, causing Sasuke to turn his head away and nod slightly before disappearing. Itachi didn't see the tears in his brother's eyes. Nor did Noctis see those in his brother's.

"I know because he told me."

"But how? Is it dangerous?"

"...yes."

Sakura paled, and made an attempt to slide out of the bed. She had to stop Sasuke before he did something foolish-again. She had to find Naruto and Kakashi so that they could help her get him to see reason. However, before she could completely slide out the bed Itachi grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms.

"Itachi, I have to-"

"You don't. He knows what he is doing." Sakura opened her mouth to counter his statement with one of her own, but Itachi stilled her with his words. "Trust him. I do. Trust him and stay here with me, in my arms."

Sakura stopped struggling mentally and physically. There was something that he wasn't telling her. Something he didn't want her to know, and it scared her. It scared her so badly that this time she opted to bury her head, not in the sand because there wasn't any around, in his chest.

She hoped against hope that everything would be alright.

A/N: Kudos to those who got the reference.

To those who didn't. Look up Noctis Lucis Caelum and tell me that's not Sasuke. And if you do, I won't believe you.

Years ago when I first started writing this story I joked with a friend that Noctis was going to end up in the story. And since we're nearing the end…I decided to go ahead with it just for s & g.