**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the quote below. I just own Sintary ^^ Also I do not own the other OC Kokuro. He's my friend's.

Great! I'm going to make it just in time! I know it's been about a month since you've last heard anything about Sintary, Kokuro, and Itachi, but fear not! I have provided you all with nourishment! Please enjoy the latest installment in the story! Ko's already previewed this story, and he defines it as a perfect chapter. I so hope you guys do too!

I would also suggest having tissue's handy.

"In this world, perfection is an illusion. Regardless of all those who utter the contrary, this is the reality. Obviously mediocre fools will forever lust for perfection and seek it out. However, what meaning is there in perfection? None. Not a bit. ...After perfection there exists nothing higher. Not even room for creation which means there is no room for wisdom or talent either. Understand? To scientists like ourselves, perfection is despair."

- Kurotsuchi Mayuri

The fighting had ceased.

Konoha had defeated all the paths of Pein, and the Akatsuki had disbanded without their leader. The five great nations kept their alliances though; the peace had remained. With the shinobi missions scaling back in intensity, the people had time to enjoy life without the fear of dying the next day. The skies remained blue, the sun was always shining, the village prospered, and everyone was happy.

It was perfect.

After all the death and destruction that had plagued their lives for over two seconds, they were finally free. Kokuro had been the first to move on; he and Kiba had gotten married the minute the Akatsuki had disappeared, and the threats had been neutralized.

Now it was her turn.

"Sakura, Ino, are you almost done?" Sintary asked as the girls finished up her makeup.

"Yeah, yeah," Ino said as she pulled away.

"Okay, we're all done." Sakura told her. "But keep your eyes close. I want you to see the whole thing."

The girls gently helped her up before guiding her to the full-length mirror. Sintary felt the anxiety build up in her again. She hadn't seen her dress yet; the girls had blind folded her while they put it on. Sintary had designed the dress with them, but the seamstress never allowed her to look at it. She just hoped it looked amazing and perfect.

And she was absolutely right when she opened her eyes.

Sintary was first drawn to her own eyes. Accented with a navy-blue eyeshadow whose intensity grew and faded into black as the night did. The coloring really made her icy blue eyes pop. She drew her eyes from themselves to see her complexion was smoothed and any imperfections were covered to make her face look softer. Her lips were the color of rich blood touching the air. Her neck, shoulders, and arms had not received the softening her face did. They bore scars; scars she earned from her years in service to her village.

Then she saw her dress.

The gown itself was a glowing white. The top half was styled after a sleeveless kimono; trimmed with a scarlet red. The trim matched the embroidery that detailed her swirling Sacuna crest on her bodice. Beneath that was an equally red sash around her waist that led to the fabric of her train. The silk material was layered started red, then navy blue, then red all the way down to the floor. A navy-blue color ended the train, and one there, was her fiancé's insignia; the Uchiha fan.

"Oh my god," Sintary gasped bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god, it's beautiful."

"Hey, hey!" Ino scolded. "Don't start tearing up! You'll ruin your makeup."

The bride quickly blinked backed her tears of joy and nodded understandingly.

"It's just… so beautiful. I couldn't have ever imagined it to turn out this great." She told her two bridesmaids.

"We told you'd it be gorgeous." Sakura said.

"You're going to turn a lot of heads in there." Ino said. "And so we'll we."

Sintary smiled at them softly. Their bridesmaids' dresses were navy blue with red sashes around their waists.

"We'll have to keep all this for Sakura's wedding." She teased looking at the pinkette.

They laughed at that. "No offense Sintary, but I'd prefer to have my own wedding dress and decorations," Sakura admitted.

"I know, I understand." Sintary assured her.

"You are not getting married before I do, forehead!" Ino proclaimed.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that, Ino-pig!" Sakura challenged.

"Hey, you two! No fighting!" Came a male voice stepping in.

Sintary turned around to see the best man; their best friend and brother.

"Kokuro, you look lovely." She told him looking him over.

Her best friend was dressed in a tradition white kimono with red trim which complimented his snow-white hair, pale skin, and silvery purple eyes beautifully.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Kokuro said smiling as he looked her up and down. "Alright, final touches."

"Final touches?" Sintary questioned. "What else could I possibly need?"

"It's a new tradition I found in my travels. You need something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue – not really sure what the value is, but I found the perfect thing for it." Kokuro tried explaining to her.

"Okay, what do you have?" The bride inquired, curious at this 'new tradition.'

"You already have something blue – in your gown, so I'm hoping this kinda covers the rest." He told her slowly pulling a necklace with a pendant out. "I made it from borrowed silver; so, it's new and borrowed, but the design's idea is a very old legend."

"It's a tree," Sintary pointed out looking at it.

Kokuro nodded. "It's the God tree."

She slowly nodded as he placed it around her neck. "I think I've heard of the God tree once before… I can't remember much about it…"

"It has said to have fallen from the heavens and nourished the lands, and produce chakra fruits. They're very important to the world of the shinobi and has really brought us about." Kokuro told her.

Sintary nodded again and looked at herself in the mirror. The necklace… it seemed out of place around her neck – like it didn't belong.

"There, beautiful," he breathed looking at her in the mirror. "You ready?"

"Yes," Sintary told him as he headed out.

She looked herself over once more in the mirror. She was stunning – no she was more than that. She was –

—perfect.

Sintary headed down the open hallways of the Shinto temple. She looked outside and smiled seeing the beautiful scenery. The terrain was uneven, but it was full of greenery with colorful floral arrangements. It looked so healthy. A river trickled down the mossy rocks having departed from the waterfall on the other side of the temple. They couldn't have picked a better location.

It was perfect.

Kokuro stopped right before the large doors. Ino and Sakura were already there with her five-year-old daughter – who was also in a cute white and red dress – and her now ten-year-old son. They would be the flower girl and ring bearer for their parents wedding.

"Mommy, you look so pretty!" Meisa exclaimed jumping into her mother.

Sintary caught her and held her close. "As do you, my little girl," she said before setting her down. "And you look very handsome, Kazuki."

Kazuki stepped forward, his hands in his pockets of the kimono – his looks like his father, but his mannerisms like his uncle. "You look awesome, mom." He said simply.

"Awe, come on, I know you know a lot more words than that." Sintary teased her son.

"I do; however, there is power in brevity," Kazuki stated wisely.

"That there is," Sintary agreed.

"You two good?" Kokuro asked. "Because we're going to be late if we don't start now."

The mother and son nodded, not wanting to waste any more time.

Ino and Sakura took their places behind the little flower girl as Kazuki took his spot behind them. Kokuro and Sintary remained in the very back. The white-haired shinobi made a single hand sign and the wind suddenly picked up and blew open the doors.

The music suddenly changed to announce the bride as Meisa started forward, happily skipping towards her father down the aisle as she tossed a mixture of sakura flowers and rose petals all around. She stopped right before the stairs as Ino and Sakura came up behind her and gently ushered her off to the side where they would stand. Kazuki came behind them and offered the rings to the priest who accepted them and placed them off to the side.

Kokuro looked at Sintary outside of the doorway. He would be the one escorting her down the aisle and "giving her away" to his best friend.

"Nervous?" He asked.

Sintary went to say yes as she always got anxiety, but then she realized, there was none. "Um, no actually…" Sintary said surprised.

"Well, that's good, right?" Kokuro asked smiling. "You shouldn't be nervous anyway. Afterall, he loves you."

Sintary slowly nodded. "And I him… alright, let's do this."

Kokuro offered his arm to her, and she gladly accepted as they began to walk. They were greeted with a couple gasps which made Sintary a bit more. She had never felt so beautiful in her life, and she was glad people were noticing too.

The walk wasn't very far – Itachi and Sintary had wanted a small wedding since neither had big families, and it was mainly a friend's wedding. They invited people they had both known for a while, but the list had still been very short. Therefore, they got a cozy, little chapel that opened to the waterfall.

Ino and Sakura had helped Sintary decorate the small room. They had filled it with bouquets from Ino's shop; reds, blues, pinks, whites. They had Uchiha fans on the fabrics that decorated the pews that had integrate red bows to represent the Sacuna clan. The alter itself was filled with the same flowers, fabric, and bow just to tie it all together.

It had been everything Sintary had ever dreamed of.

It was perfect.

Soon Kokuro handed her off to her beloved fiancé – soon to be husband – Itachi.

Sintary smiled looking him over in his father's martial kimono. It was very traditional; a dark – almost black – blue with the Uchiha crest proudly on the back as well as on the obi that secured it together. While father and son didn't see eye to eye on everything, it had been very important for Itachi to be able to wear his father's robe with pride.

"You look beautiful." Itachi told her softly with a small smile.

"You look so handsome." Sintary replied smiling just as softly.

It was a joyous time for them. This day was one they had dreamed about since they became a couple over twelve years ago. So much had happened in that time that had almost ruined any hope of this dream becoming a reality.

Sintary's heart clenched with overwhelming happiness as the priest started the ceremony. She thought she would have felt her anxiety rise; a nervous, giddy feeling at the very least, but she didn't feel any of it. She had no worries about the future; no negative emotions what-so-ever.

And that's when it came crashing down on her.

"This isn't real…" Sintary whispered.

Itachi blinked looking at her. "What?"

"This isn't real," Sintary repeatedly slowly looking at him. "None of this is real."

"Of course, it is. I know it seems unreal, but this is really happening." Itachi assured her squeezing her hands.

"I don't have any anxieties over this, Itachi. This whole time, I've been without it." Sintary tried explaining.

"Well, isn't that a good thing? To be free of any negativity?" Itachi asked her.

"It is… but… it's unrealistic." Sintary told him.

"Love conquers all," Itachi pointed out.

"Don't get me wrong, because this is all amazing and perfect – but that's the problem. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect – and that's just not possible." Sintary insisted.

"You wanted things exactly like this; I made sure it was perfect for you," Itachi told her.

"I know, I know… but you also taught me that perfectionism is an illusion – that there is no such thing as perfect." Sintary closed her eyes.

"But you're perfect," Itachi told her.

Sintary slowly shook her head. "No, I'm not. And my Itachi accepts that I'm not perfect." She said quietly. "Whatever Genjutsu this is, please stop."

The room was quiet for a moment before everything faded into black and red. Sintary immediately tensed up as her kunoichi reflexes kicked on. She knew this from training with the Uchiha clan; Tsukuyomi.

"No need to be on guard," came a female voice. "I only want to make your dreams come true."

Sintary looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?!"

An ageless woman appeared before Sintary. Her hair was white like Kokuro's, and very long. Two protruding brown horns stood proudly on her head. Her eyes were pure white like a Hyuga clan member. Her skin was as pale and white as Orochimaru's. She then wore a large, white robe with purple and yellow trim along the neck line, wrists, and bottom. There were also black tomoe that bisected her middle until half way and lined her sleeves.

"My name, is Kaguya." She told her.

"What do you want?" Sintary asked.

"To make this," the mysterious being gestured around, "a reality."

The ground underneath them shook violently as Pein's attacked leveled his village. They were all caught off guard by it. Sintary had been standing on the building after one of the paths killed Shizune and disappeared. It had started to crumble right under her feet.

She could have handled the fall.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw what happened.

He wished with all his heart that he hadn't seen it.

He wished the suffering would stop.

When would there be peace again?

When would the world leave them alone?

His heart, so full of pain and agony, couldn't bear it anymore. Something inside him snapped deep down awakening something. It had just pushed him further over the line he had long since crossed.

"SINTARY!" He screamed before he was engulfed.

When Kokuro finally emerged, he immediately noticed he was detaching from Katsuyu, their Hokage's summoning of choice.

"Sintary," he said looking at her. "Where is Sintary?"

"What happened to Sintary?" Itachi asked coming over.

Some rocks jiggled loose as another Katsuyu crawled out of the rubble. Itachi and Kokuro hastily hurried over in hope of what had happened to their beloved teammate.

"Something must have hit her and crushed her chest before I could get to you all in time, I am so sorry." The slug told them as a body was detached from her.

Itachi was right there to catch her when she fell from Katsuyu. She was already limp and cold in his arms.

"No…" He whispered.

He gently rubbed her paling cheek with his thumb as he felt something roll down his own cheek and onto her dead body.

He was crying.

She was the one dead.

But he felt he had been the one who had been crushed.

Itachi gripped her body tightly. They had been so fucking close. Their love had survived through years of separation and tragedy. They had saved each other from themselves; from the darkness of their lives. He had just proposed on the journey with their kids.

His heart stopped.

Their kids.

Itachi felt like he couldn't breathe.

They had a little one who would grow up without her mother – and Kazuki… Kazuki had only known Sintary for years. They had spent most of his early childhood in a cramped little room. He had depended her on everything. He had only met his father a year ago. Now, how was he supposed to tell his son that his mother had died in battle? A battle she shouldn't have gone into in the first place.

Itachi suddenly got extremely angry.

She should have stayed with the children back in Suna. She would have been safe there. Kisame could have come with him, and they could have taken on Pein. Pein had been coming after him; not her. She hadn't thought it through when she decided to follow him into battle.

And now he lost her.

But as Itachi sat there with her corpse in his arms, he came to realize something: no amount of anger or crying would bring her back to him.

Sintary was dead.

And he just had to accept that cold fact.

While Itachi slowly compartmentalized the loss of the love of his life, their best friend was also having a very difficult time with the reality.

Sintary had been Kokuro's very first friend in Konoha. She had been a ray of sunshine in his lonely childhood. Through her, he had met Itachi. The three of them had been together since they were a tender age of six. Their lives had been plagued with war, never ending battles – physical, emotional, mental – separation, torment, just darkness and evil overall. Throughout it all, Sintary had always kept them realistically optimistic. Her happiness stemmed from her love of Itachi and himself – and it spread to them.

Kokuro had just been so drawn to her; so drawn to be as secure as her.

Even though Sintary had lost her parents at a young age, she continued facing tragedies head on. She initially turned her back on the shinobi world, but Itachi – and eventually Kokuro – helped her overcome that. Afterwards, she never shied from the battles or from the emotional tolls she endured. She had been so strong; for all of them – for him.

Kokuro remembered when Kai died. He had kept it all inside because no one knew their secret. Then, Sintary figured it out. She was the first to know his little secret – and she didn't reject him. She was truly there for him while he mourned for his first love.

Then, the Uchiha clan was annihilated. She couldn't accept her love would do something like that; she had felt so secure in her love for Itachi that she went through sensitive information and risked being killed to find the truth.

Sintary also stayed by Kokuro's side despite him pushing her away due to Danzo's ministrations. She had been the one who attended to him when he was bleeding and broken after those torture sessions.

Sintary had kept her head high when she found out she was pregnant with the village's number one enemy. She had been teased and taunted by everyone she met, and despite his absence, she had remained so strong.

She had been the one to introduce him to Kiba; his soulmate. He had a small crush on the Inuzuka that she helped bloom into undying love. Her abilities and longing to see him finally happy resulted in him having a person who loves him so incredibly much.

Sintary had outsmarted the elders and sealed her son's chakra to protect him from the harsh world they grew up in. She had protected him from Orochimaru's clutches, and had endured her own set of torture.

She had been the one to go into his psyche and free him from the walls of doubt that Danzo had built to control him. She wasn't even supposed to be there, but she had forced her way inside of the monster that had been created out of his own self-loathing. After he was free, she helped him rebuild little by little.

He couldn't have thanked her enough for it; and he'd never been able to repay her fully for it.

Because she was dead.

"DAMMIT!" Kokuro screamed in to the now empty sky.

Why did she have to die? Why did she have to been taken away from them? What the fuck did she do to deserve such a short life?

Kokuro felt tears pouring down his face. He couldn't believe it. She was really gone. What was he supposed to do now? Who else would remind them that they're in it together; that there's an end to this dark tunnel; that there's hope.

Sintary had been everything to him: his family, his sister, his best friend, his rock, his inspiration. What in hell was she supposed to do without her? How was he supposed to continue?

His legs gave out underneath him as he collapsed and hunched over. He pounded the ground as the tears flooded the barren earth.

Pein had accomplished his mission.

Kokuro felt pain.

Immense pain.

So much pain he could hardly breathe.

And he felt something so much worse:

Hopelessness.

Sintary had always been there for him. She had been his light to the end of the dark tunnel that was their life.

He gripped the sand between his fingers as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

'What am I supposed to do now, Sin?' he asked in anguish.

"Kokuro," came Itachi's voice. "We can't let her death be in vain… we have to stop Pein."

The white-haired Otsutsuki member slowly opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked his friend.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly looking at Kokuro.

"The third Doujutsu…" he breathed.

Kokuro blinked looking at Itachi. "What? What do you mean?"

"Sintary's death triggered your third Doujutsu: the Rinnegan." Itachi explained. "It works in the same way the Mangekyo Sharingan activation does; the wielder must experience incredible pain to unlock its power."

Kokuro's purple, rippled eyes widened slightly. "Didn't… didn't you say the seventh path presides over life and death…? That the wielder can bring back the dead?" He asked hopefully.

"At the cost of their life. Kokuro, if you use that jutsu, your life will be incredibly shortened," Itachi warned.

"I don't care about me… we need her back." He said in a low voice.

"Kokuro, you can't. You're not experienced with the Rinnegan nor have you mastered any of the other paths. It would crush her if you ended up dying trying to bring her back." Itachi insisted.

"Maybe," Inochi interjected from behind them, "we can convince the seventh Pein to revive our lost ones."

Both men looked over at him with renewed interest.

"If we can find where the seventh Pein is located, exactly, we can overcome him and make him bring back everyone who's lost their lives in this battle he started." Inochi continued.

Itachi slowly nodded. "That's a better option." He said quietly. "He's probably close to death at this point anyway."

"What are we going to do about Sin—" Kokuro started and cut himself off, "about the body?" He asked quietly.

"We can take both back up to Lady Tsunade and Lady Sakura." Katsuyu suggested.

They nodded remembering they were not the only ones who had lost someone. With a planned outlined, the group headed towards the Hokage Mountain where they found a very aged Tsunade in the arms of a large toad.

"Itachi," Sasuke said greeting them.

He looked banged up, but he was alive – which Itachi was grateful for of course.

"What happened to Sintary?" Sasuke asked noticing her limp form in his brother's arms.

Itachi looked away with a saddened expression. "Her chest was crushed during the assault…" he stated solemnly as he laid her down. He then looked around. "Where's Kakashi?"

Sasuke looked down with a similar expression Itachi had. "He didn't make it…"

They heard the girls – Ino and Sakura – mourning for the loss of their friends and sensei. Itachi noticed Inochi had gone over to talk to the head of the Nara clan – Shikaku. Itachi had remembered the man was a brilliant tactician and strategist. He motioned Kokuro over with a nudge of his head and headed to join the group.

"Well, if it isn't Itachi Uchiha," Shikaku said sizing him up. "I've heard quite a bit about you. Maybe we can all come up with a strategy to take down Pein."

Itachi nodded gently, relieved the Jonin Commander did shun him as others have. "We've figured out Pein's real body has to be in the highest point to be able to control all of the other paths." Inochi relayed.

Shikaku nodded looking around. "It has to be in the tree lines since he leveled Konoha…" he muttered before his sight singled on a large tree that was set higher than the others. "There. He has to be up there." He said pointing.

"Let's go get him. I want to make this bastard pay," Kokuro said darkly as he gripped his fists.

"Don't worry, he will." Inochi said.

Itachi nodded. "Sasuke, stay here with the others. We're going to go find the real Pein."

Sasuke, for once, nodded and stayed behind as his brother took off with the other three shinobi up into the trees.

The group rushed, wanting to finally bring this all to an end. Once they got closer, they noticed a bright figure up ahead.

"It's Naruto," Shikaku told them as the blonde stopped up a head.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked looking them all over.

"We're going to find the real Pein," Kokuro answered.

Hard, blue eyes looked them all over. "No," he said. "Let me handle this."

"What? What are you going to do?" Inochi asked.

"I'm going to stop Pein, but there's something I have to ask him." Naruto stated vaguely.

"You have to ask him something? So what? Are you going to talk to him and see if you can win him over?" Kokuro asked. "That's ridiculous! We need to take him by surprise!"

"Look, I know it sounds stupid and crazy, but I need answers." Naruto insisted.

Kokuro and Inochi both looked ready to disobey Naruto's wishes when Shikaku stopped them.

"Let Naruto go alone." He stated nodding to Naruto. "Go."

The blond looked at him appreciatively before taking off again.

"Why did you let him go alone, Shikaku?" Inochi asked.

"It's something Shikamaru told me about Naruto… I have faith he'll be able to stop Pein and get what needs to be done…" the commander stated vaguely.

Itachi slowly nodded. "The boy has been rumored to have an amorous affected on people."

"You really think that will bring Sintary back?" Kokuro asked feverously.

The Uchiha slowly nodded. "He will be the one to save us all."

The group of four grudgingly made their way back to the Hokage Mountains. As they grew closer, the trees became fewer and they were left with clear sightings because Konoha had been leveled.

"What's that in the middle?" Kokuro asked. "It has a lot of chakra built into it; and there's something coming out of it."

Itachi activated his Sharingan to get a better look at the object. "It's the King of Hell… those are…. Souls…" he couldn't believe his eyes. "Those are souls being released back to their bodies."

"He's reviving the dead?" Shikaku questioned.

"He's bringing back the dead! We have to get back there right now!" Kokuro exclaimed as he rushed ahead of the others.

Once at their rondeau point, the group came to a wonderful sight. Both Shizune and Sintary were awake. Sakura and Ino were tending to their bodies to ensure their survival, but… they were alive… they were alive.

"Sintary!" Kokuro cried swooping down and hugging her tightly.

"Kokuro! Careful! She's still bruised!" Sakura exclaimed yanking him off her.

The black-haired woman shook her head with a small smile. "It's okay, Sakura. He was just overly worried."

"Overly worried? You have absolutely no idea Sintary." Kokuro informed her.

"We had all feared the worst after the attack. We had all felt the pain of living without you," Itachi spoke softly as he slowly knelt next to her.

"I came back; you can't get rid of me that easily." Sintary said gently placing her forehead against his and kissing him gently.

Itachi kissed her back; their lips chapped and dirty, but he thought they never tasted so sweet. He was so grateful that he had been graced with her presence against.

"KOKURO!" came a howl as a furry creature launched itself against their friend.

"Akamaru! Oh buddy, it's good to see you're okay," the white-haired shinobi laughed as he petted the large dog.

"It's good to see you're okay too," stated his owner gently pulling the animal off him.

"Oh, Kiba!" Kokuro exclaimed pulling the younger man down to him. "I was so worried about you. I didn't know where you were, or what had happened during the attack."

Kiba nodded. "I was with Ma. We encountered one of the Pein's, but he was hardly a match. He vanished before we could do any real damage. Are you okay? You look torn up?"

"I am. I just… I thought I had lost Sintary, and – I couldn't even imagine the possibility of losing you either – it was... oh, my heart aches so much." Kokuro expressed his woes. "I've learned that life is incredibly short."

"Yeah… we could have lost each other back there…" Kiba continued looking his boyfriend over.

Kokuro looked him over as well.

"Hey Kiba –"

"Hey Ko –"

They both started at the same time.

"You go first – no – no you go first," they stated together.

They laughed nervously at their awkwardness.

"Will you –" Kiba started again.

"Marry me?" Kokuro finished.

If I were you, I'd click the little arrow to the next chapter ;)