All right, folks, this is it. This is the last chapter before Shippuden. We finally made it! Thank you so much for reading and all the feedback. I appreciate it. I already started the next chapter, so I'll try to have that out for you within the next two weeks. The semester starts soon, so it might take me a little longer to post, but hopefully not too long. My classes shouldn't be too bad. Again, thank you so much, and well, I hope you like the chapter. I'd definitely love to see what you think.
Jiraiya and Naruto set out for their training, of course bidding Kokoa a farewell beforehand. Sasuke had become her everything, but Naruto was also a bit of light for her in dark times. All she had now was Kakashi, and it took losing Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto to realize just how fortunate she was to call the Copy Ninja her friend.
Tonight would be her last night in Konohagakure; however, despite her excitement, Kokoa found it hard to breathe easy when she still had not found Akihiko's papers. She roamed the dark, empty streets on her own, sulking, wondering where it was, wondering if she'd be killed right then and there when no one was around to see. Little did she know that a certain Uchiha had neared the village.
Just like before, Itachi slipped into Konoha, swift and quick like the shadows. Sasuke was with Orochimaru. He knew that now. It meant he could track down Kokoa without worrying about his foolish little brother and the scene he'd cause.
He hid up in a tree overlooking most of the village, focusing on picking up her chakra, on finding her.
About to give up and head home, Kokoa turned, only to run into someone larger. She stumbled, nearly falling, before looking up with wide eyes.
"Out so late?"
"You – " She choked on her words.
"What are you up to?" he pressed. Her expression hardened.
"That's no concern of yours, Ryuuji."
"If you're still a threat to the village, of course it's my business, Kuroki."
"Get lost."
"And if I don't?" He crossed his arms, defiant.
"Don't push me."
"You can't hurt me. They'll swoop down and lock you up again."
"Leave."
"Answer me, and then I'll go. Why are you out so late?" he asked again. Itachi, who had tracked her chakra, neared the two, and he felt it, the flutter in his heart upon seeing his beloved Kokoa. He watched from a distance with sad eyes and parted lips.
"Why am I out? I'm looking for something is all," she replied, turning her face.
"What could you possibly be looking for at this time of night? What's so important that you can't wait until tomorrow? Can't be that necklace of yours. It's right there." He pointed to her chest. "Didn't I break it?"
"What do you want from –"
"What is it, Kokoa? Don't make me cause a scene. Don't make me suspect you more than I already do."
"A book, a paper, an old item that belonged to my father. I've been trying to learn about my parents, but they died before I was old enough to remember them. I just wanted to find something, a piece of them to hold onto is all."
'An item that belonged to her father?' Itachi placed a hand over the folded document hidden in his cloak, eyes wide. Did Kokoa know? Was she aware such a document existed, that it belonged to her? And if so, how?
"I've searched everywhere, high and low, but no luck. I've just been moping around the village because I have nothing better to do, and I'm leaving tomorrow."
'Leaving?' The Uchiha listened closely.
"Oh yeah, you did request that transfer. I can't believe they actually approved it. You'll only cause more trouble wherever you go. It's all you're good for."
'Transfer?' Itachi took a moment to analyze the situation. Kokoa was leaving Konoha. This would be the last time he could sneak in, the last chance he'd have to return the document. But she had searched high and low. How could he do it? Where could he place it for her to find without it being too obvious that someone staged it? Time had run out. He had no choice. He waited for Ryuuji to leave, and after a few more dirty looks and comments, sure enough he was on his way. It was then, that very second, that Uchiha Itachi made his move, scarlet eyes narrowing in on Kokoa. She was never too good with gen-jutsu to begin with.
He had made Sasuke witness the massacre with that sharingan of his, made the child believe Itachi was a monster who slayed them all on his own. Now he would cast a spell over Kokoa, make her search somewhere she had not searched before, and she would find it there. It took a toll on him, strained his eyes, but tricking her into thinking she had found the document was the only way to get it to her without raising suspicion.
It was for her own good. And afterwards, after she had it in her hands, her grip tight, Itachi followed her to her top story apartment, hovering around the perimeter, thankful for the absence of ANBU and Root. Tsunade managed to call them off considering it was Kokoa's last night in the village. He lingered to make sure she didn't suspect anything, to make sure she believed it, that she knew the importance of what she held. He lingered because it had been so long since they had been so close.
She stood in her bedroom, the document pressed to her chest.
"Finally," she whispered, hold up the piece, eyeing it. "Not here. Not now." She wouldn't mess with it until she was safe in Suna. The girl bit her lip, fighting back tears as she stroked the document with her thumb; the last bit of Akihiko.
"At the very end…it's come to me. Like a gift. Almost too good to be true," she said, gently setting it amongst her packed things. Itachi, who sat up on the roof not far from the open window, leaned closer. "But a gift is a gift. So be it." She shut off the lights, still able to see from the white moon that night. She climbed up to the end of her bed, back against the wall, hair fluttering a bit from the cool air blowing in.
"When I was younger, I often waited for you like this," she said. Itachi froze. He had gone to great measures to erase his chakra. She shouldn't have been able to pick up anything, to know he was there. He placed a hand over his chest in an attempt to silence his pounding heart.
"I'd always be so happy when you visited me at night. It was always a nice surprise. You'd pop in after a mission to let me know you were ok, to let me know you cared."
He sat like a statue, unmoving, stiff, waiting for her next move. As badly as he wanted to join her, he could not. As easy as it would be to step through that window, he would not. It would only bring them both more pain. That was what he had convinced himself time and time again.
"I've been waiting for you to come visit all these years. I've been sitting here, thinking you'd pop in my window like old times, but no matter how hard I prayed, or how many wishes I've made, you never showed. You never came back." She didn't bother to catch her tears.
"And now I'm leaving. I'm leaving this place, my home. I'm leaving the academy where we met, the forest where we trained, the small path where you first kissed me. I'm leaving all that behind, and I wouldn't care if I was with you, but I'm not. You're far away and I have to start over all on my own with nothing but our memories and a promise to my father." Kokoa leaned over to grab her pillow, hugging it tight against her chest. "I think it about it every night, our encounter in the forest." She laid down, head beside the widow, the moon lighting her delicate features; a stunning sight that Itachi was so tempted to see, but knew wouldn't be wise to do so. He remained still.
"It was the first time I had seen you in years. The first time I heard your voice. Your voice, I always loved so much. And your eyes. I was looking for the little boy I knew. I was looking for that smile, but it was gone. To be honest, it didn't matter because you were right there. You were right there, looking at me, talking to me, touching me, but I still couldn't have you. And I was so desperate, so tired and sad that I truly would have been happy to die by your hand. But I didn't. You didn't kill me. You hesitated."
She shut her eyes. Itachi swallowed hard, fingers curled, nails digging into the roof. "They say all you need is one person. One person by your side. One person to help you move forward. How will I ever really live when you're my one person, Itachi-san? No family, no friends, and soon no home. All I really need is you, but…"
Kokoa made a sound; a pained moan, a whine, a desperate cry as tears once again flooded her blue eyes. Itachi bit back a similar cry, jaw clenched. And then he felt it, a tickle in his throat, an itch he could not fight. He threw an open palm against his lips to stifle the violent coughing that threatened to rack his body. And for a minute he was able to keep quiet, but the fit continued and Kokoa shot up in bed at the strange something she swore she heard outside.
Itachi shuffled back in panic, still fighting his cough. Kokoa threw aside the tearstained pillow and crawled up on all fours, sticking her head out of the window. The icy night wind bit at her nose, but failed to stop her. She pushed forward, torso hanging outside, eyes scanning up, down, left, right. Her lip curled at the thought of Danzo's dogs back to harass her when she was so close to finally escaping.
She climbed out completely, hanging from the side of her building, watching, waiting, listening for the source, for Itachi. The Uchiha watched closely from above, moving with her every step, avoiding her eyes; the eyes from which sunshine and naivety had faded. The coughing fit finally passed, and he lowered his hand, but Kokoa did not retreat. She kept moving, and for a moment Itachi was still on the roof, crouched low like a gargoyle, hopeful that she'd crawl back inside and fall asleep soon after. But the Kuroki had other plans. She extended an arm, gripping the edge to hoist herself up onto the roof.
Itachi shifted softly, silently, out of sight. And as Kokoa threw a leg over and pulled the rest of her weight up, he slid down, dangling below. He aimed to make his escape, but had not counted on Kokoa giving up so easily. She started to move back down, and in a cloud of panic and emotion the Uchiha swung back and thrust himself forward, effortlessly gliding in through her bedroom window. With Kokoa fast approaching, he stepped into the closet, pulling the door shut, leaving just the tiniest crack to see her slip back into bed, head thrown down by the window like before in frustration.
"Danzo," she spat, cupping her face. Itachi stood in the dark, holding his breath, eyes fixated on the young woman whose face the moon again lit. His bottom lip trembled, and thud, thud, thud, his heart smashed against his chest, and the voice in his head screamed so loud he swore it was real, telling him to step out, to go to her, to pick her up and hold her because she wouldn't fight it, and Itachi knew. He knew she wouldn't fight, she wouldn't yell. If Kokoa set eyes on her beloved, she may even run over to him. But he couldn't. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He swore he wouldn't open that door. That he wouldn't put both of them through that hell; give them hope that things might actually work out in the end.
He shook his head in the shadows, fighting the voice, fighting the urge, fighting himself, and it nearly brought the man to tears; seeing the woman he loved, having her so close and so willing to have him in her arms again. He stepped back further into the closet, hiding, regaining his composure. He quietly sat on the cold floor and waited.
Time passed. The moon still hung high in the sky, Itachi still hid in the closet, but Kokoa had fallen asleep some time ago, on her side facing the window, arms curled and near her chest. Itachi pushed open the door. One step. Two steps. Three. Not a sound. Not a breath. Four. Five. He neared the window. Six. Seven. But passed it and continued. Eight. Nine. At nine he stood at Kokoa's bedside, gazing down at her with half lidded eyes as dark as night. At her sweeping eyelashes and parted, pink lips, his expression softened, and all emotion rushed to the surface – though this time he didn't fight it.
Hesitant at first, Itachi eventually placed a hand on the bed, shutting his eyes briefly in relief when Kokoa did not stir. He leaned, hovering over her, his own lips now parted, small shaky breaths escaping him as he held a hand just inches from her face. He longed to hold her. Longed to push back her hair and run his fingers through. Longed to kiss her like she deserved; with everything in him.
He held his hand in place, so close, so very close, trembling. He struggled to breathe – took a good long moment to finally catch a breath – and when he did, exhaled with a soft sob, hot tears staining his cheeks. Itachi shut his eyes and turned his face, holding back a pained cry, fighting to keep quiet, but the ache in his heart and buried feelings won. And so he stood, for the first time in a long while, mourning his loss.
He brought the back of his hand to his slender nose, hoping to calm down, and while he managed to steady his breathing, the tears kept falling like stars; silently, gracefully. He had to leave before the night was over, before people noticed him in the village, before Kokoa awakened. He leaned closer, lips near her own, and he shut his eyes, ever so tempted, so desperate. He pulled away slightly, fingers not touching but softly drifting, tracing the contour of her face, one last tear slipping and falling against her cheek.
Itachi stepped back with a sharp breath, and it took everything in him to turn away from her. In the midst of rubbing damp eyes, another coughing fit bubbled in his chest. Throwing a hand to his mouth, he moved, jumped up and sat crouched in the window, stealing one last look, setting eyes on his beloved Kokoa one last time before letting go and fading into Konohagakure's shadows, that single tear still glimmering upon her face.
It seemed, despite what Itachi and Kokoa believed, that fate did in fact want them together, just not in the way they imagined. They would always be together though apart; bound to one another through fate, through love of the heart.
Always thought your promise was for life
I did not think that I
Would hear you say goodbye
And I always heard you led another life
I doubted every time
I guess my love was blind
Cause in my eyes
Love was always something magical
But the feeling is so tragic for
And all I know is in love
The thing that I want most
I can't possess
There's only emptiness
In the late of night
Just before I closed my eyes
You lied
As you kissed me goodnight
In the late of night
Just before I closed my eyes
I cried
As you kissed my lips goodbye
In my eyes
You will always be the lucky one
Cause you know you'll always have my love
For all times until I die
Through the end I gave to you my best
You gave, you gave me loneliness
In the late of night
Just before I closed my eyes
You lied
As you kissed me goodnight
In the late of night
Just before I closed my eyes
I cried
As you kissed my lips goodbye