Author's Note: I've been inspired by Masashi Kishimoto too much.

Citations: This is completely original.

Chapter's Song: "Shattered" by Isabella LeVan


Chapter 16
Regretful Retention

Akina took a breath as the wire loosened and she fell to towards the ground, she was caught from hitting. Akina felt arms holding her bridal style, he barely being able to think, but she managed to murmur, looking up. "Hisoka?"

"Guess again." Itachi's onyx eyes looked down into hers. "Always so reckless."

"Itachi…" Akina breathed, and then passed out.

"She's entered her death state." Itachi's brows sadly furrowed.

"Hisoka-kun! Akina-chan!" Yugao yelled in desperation, swinging her sword to slash her opponent upwards across his chest.

"I've got her!" Itachi informed. Yugao running to where Hisoka laid on the ground, Akina's opponent not far off from him. Yugao rolled him over, checking his pulse. "No…"

Itachi slowly approached, holding Akina's pale and limp body. Yugao got up in a rush, taking Akina's wrist to feel for a pulse. "She's dead, too…" Terror washed over Yugao making her lose all color. "I-I've l-lost both my c-comrades…"

Itachi watched the older girl with sympathy, and then looking to Hisoka's dead body. Every inch of him was bleeding. "Can you carry, Hisoka?"

"Yeah… Why are you here?" Yugao asked.

"The teachers and proctors were watching from a room back in the Mist Village. I was watching with Hamaki-sensei, when I seen Akina being strangled, I came running…"

"You're not her teammate…" Yugao shook her head in confusion.

"No, but I'm her best friend." Itachi looked down at her face.

"For her friend, you don't look that sad that she's dead…" Tears escaped Yugao's eyes.

"She'll be okay…" Itachi turned away. "Let's take shelter and wait for your sensei."

"How can you say that?!" Yugao became furious. "Both my comrades are dead! What does it matter?"

"Do you want to die, too?" Itachi kept walking, shocking Yugao as tears streamed down her face. Yugao looked back to Hisoka.


Yugao sat, hugging her knees, Hisoka's dead body lying behind her, his face covered by the blanket. Itachi placed branches in the fire, poking it to have them catch fire. "Can you cover her, please?" Yugao asked.

"No," Itachi simply explained. "I told you, she'll be okay."

Yugao furrowed her brows. "What's with this kid?"

"You said my sensei would be coming?"

"Well…" Itachi started. "Mist Jonin tried to stop me from interfering so I'm sure there's some bureaucracy in him getting us out of here."

Yugao nodded slowly, and sadly. She then lied down. Itachi looked over his shoulder to Akina, feeling a burning sensation in his eyes; he closed them to resist that wave of energy. He re-opened his eyes to stare into the fire. "She'll be okay."


The sun shined into the cave, hitting Itachi's eyes for him to rollover, his sleeping face across from Akina's face, her green eyes opening to stare at him. "Itachi-kun…"

His onyx eyes then opened, seeing her green eyes. "You're alive…" Yugao announced from above them, holding a small basket of potatoes. Akina leaned up, looking at Yugao.

"S-She's…" Yugao stuttered. "But she wasn't breathing…"

"You shouldn't sit up," Itachi sternly insisted to lean up, placing his hand on Akina's shoulder. Akina looked around the cave, familiarizing herself with the new location. Her eyes landed on a body covered by a white blanket.

"H-Hisoka?" Akina quickly got up and fell, crawling quickly to the body's side, pulling down the blanket to see his cut up face. Fear filled her eyes, she felt like she swallowed her throat and would puke it up. Akina did hand signs. "Rose Style Jutsu: White!"

"He's gone, Akina…" Itachi voiced. She shook her head and then he grabbed her shoulders to make her look at him. His brows furrowed.

"Would you worry about yourself for a second?!" He shouted, gripping her shoulders tighter as he looked down into her green eyes.

"Easy, Itachi…" Yugao murmured.

"You don't understand, Yugao!" Akina cried. "I… I can die and revive myself… It's part of my kekkei genkai…"

"Don't blame yourself…" Itachi ordered in a hushed tone.

Yugao dropped the basket, potatoes bouncing to the floor in a thud. "What… You never disclosed that…"

"It's a clan secr—"

"You're always secretive! If you told us you had that power, if you wouldn't be so damn secretive, then Hisoka wouldn't have tried to save you!" Yugao kicked the lantern that sat on the cave floor and walked out of the cave. It shattered Akina's heart more then the glass of the lantern.

"That's not true…" Itachi kept his hand on Akina's shoulder; it was a loving hand now instead of an angry one. "I'd still try to save you if you were in danger. It's instinct."

"So you'll die, too?" She cried, looking up at him. "You're a fool."

"Maybe so. It doesn't change instinct in the moment. I will risk my life for you every time. Hisoka… Hisoka would tell you the same if he could."

She went to look over her shoulder, but his hand lifted off her shoulder to prevent her head from turning. "Don't look."

"Itachi…" Akina was forced to look into Itachi's eyes, finally seeing how much she had worried him, even though he was already aware of her ability to revive herself. Tears welled up on her lower lid, her trying to force herself not to cry, but she leaned into his chest and bawled.

Itachi allowed her to for some time, before he ordered in a hushed tone, "Arms around my neck."

"What about Hisoka?" Akina asked, not daring to attempt to look over her shoulder.

"Jonin will come get him." Itachi reassured.

"You should leave me… And take him…" She was overcome with self-hate.

"I can't do that." He held her back and under her knees to pick her up, she then fearfully placed her hands to his shoulders.

"Why not?" She blankly stared into his eyes.

"Because… You're a woman and I'm to protect you. It's instinct." He explained, blankly.

"I'm not a damsel…" She pouted.

He began walking out of the cave. "Just because you are a strong kunoichi, doesn't change the fact that I have the obligation to protect you."

"You endangered yourself coming into this swamp to save me…" She furrowed her brows, and gritted her teeth. "I have twelve lives."

"It doesn't make sense to you?" Itachi asked coolly.

"No, but somehow it…" She hesitated, pouting as she tucked her chin to her chest.

"What?" He pondered out loud, glancing at her as he flew through the branches.

"…Makes me happy being cared for." Akina confessed, embarrassed. Itachi just softly smiled.

The Leaf Village

Akina came out of the Mochizuki main house to look up at the gray sky, the cold air matching how her heart felt. She wore a black skirt, a black kimono, and a black obi tied around her waist. She took a deep breath to give herself the strength to be brave.


The young Mochizuki princess entered into the Hyuga Compound, passed one gate to see the Hyuga main house before her. She took a deep breath to hold that breath in her lungs this time, holding onto her dignified composure. "Hello," A young maid answered. "Where can I escort you?"

"I'm here to see the parents of Hyuga Hisoka."

"Remain here, I will fetch them for you." The maid shut the door. Akina remained very still with her eyes down as she waited. It took about ten minutes of waiting for the maid to re-open the door. "This way, please."

Akina followed the maid into the house, where a courtyard was at the center; they went down the hall and into a door that led into the home of Hisoka Hyuga. Akina had been here once or twice before.

The maid opened another for her, allowing Akina to continue into the room where she seen Hisoka's parents kneeling. His father looked just like Hisoka only older, his hair darker. Hisoka's mother was pale, with ashy brown hair like Hisoka's.

Akina kept her eyes down and dropped to her knees before them, her forehead then to the floor. "I offer my deepest apologies!"

"You sure are brave to come here to face us…" The father voiced. Akina stayed with her forehead to their floorboards.

"Get out of here. You didn't treat our boy like a comrade." Those words cut Akina's heart like a knife. The father and mother then stood, and passed Akina to go through the door that she entered. "See her out." Hisoka's father instructed to the maid.

"This way, please." The maid breathed, and it took a moment, but Akina rolled her body up slowly, her forehead slightly red, her expression even more numb.

"I can see myself out, thank you." She told the maid, and left into the hall to head back the way she came in. As she left the home, and headed for the front gate—

"Hey!" A young boy's voice cried out.

Akina turned to the side to see Hyuga Ko, he used to be Akina's classmate before she was accelerated, and he was the little brother to Hisoka.

"K-Ko-kun…" Akina breathed, swallowing to prep her heart for what he would say.

He stood in front of her with straight posture, his white eyes staring down into hers; he then bowed, surprising Akina. "Apology accepted."

Her green eyes shook with relief hearing those words, but she shook her head and Ko raised his head to stare at her, waiting for what she was going to say. "Your father was right about me… You shouldn't be talking with me."

"My brother was quite fond of you... He wouldn't want you treated this way…" Ko blushed with a gentle smile.

"I skipped ahead of our class into your brother's class…" Akina's tone and expression was numb. "What good is skipping ahead if you can't protect the people you care about?"

"But you were trying to protect him…"

"I should have expected that he would protect me, but instead, I lost control of my jutsu and killed him in the process."

"Please don't blame yourself." Ko's brows furrowed.

Akina bowed, and turned to continue towards the gate. "Thank you, Ko-kun, but there's no use lying to myself. It's my fault your elder brother is dead."


"Itachi!" Benjiro called out from behind Itachi who went to enter the Hyuga Clan. Benjiro came to the boy's side. "Do you know where Akina is?"

Itachi's eyes rose, his mouth agape, but it closed and he nodded.


Akina sat by the water in a gazebo back in the Leaf Village, still dressed in all black, she quickly wiped her tears sensing Itachi approaching down the dock, she looked away into the water, seeing his reflection in the water as he leaned his elbows on the rail that she sat on. "I thought you'd be here…" He said, dressed in all black, as well.

"Hmph," She smiled trying to hide her heartbreak. "Why're you here?"

Itachi's eyes saddened seeing her try to hide her pain. "You're still crying."

"Well, I…" She lowered her face in shame. "I know I'm weak."

"No." He leaned up off his elbows, looking out to the water. "People don't cry because they're weak, they cry because they've been strong too long. I'm sorry for yelling at you back in the Mist Village, I was just worried."

"Itachi," Tears welled out of her eyes, she wiped them desperately fast with both hands as she caught each tear before it could roll down her face. "I tried to save him, and in return he tried to save me… I didn't anticipate that and… I… I killed him…"

"Stop," Itachi demanded, glaring at her. "Accidently killed him."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She shook her head.

"Stop lying to yourself. Accidental is accidental. That's that." He shrugged.

"He's being so comforting…" She thought as she looked at their reflections in the water. "In his own awkward little way."

He pulled out a handkerchief, and held it out to her. Akina stared at it blankly for a few moments, until Itachi tilted his head in question. "Um, thanks." She took the handkerchief and wiped her nose. "But I'm awkward, too."

Itachi looked up at the gray clouds, Akina doing the same as they both remained quiet, but Akina couldn't stand the silence. "Why are you being so nice?"

"We're friends." Itachi again looked at her with question. There was a long pause, but Akina waited for him to finish. "We'll always be friends, Akina. No matter what happens… No matter how busy… No matter if our families hate us together… No matter if we're miles apart. We're friends." His onyx eyes then consumed her.

"Hisoka was my friend and I failed him. Yugao was my friend and I failed her." Akina looked away.

"It's not your fau—"

"It is! Itachi, I— I have huge amounts of chakra, when this happens in my clan, the wielder can make black roses that cause death instantly. If I am fatally hurt, even if my heart stops, my chakra will heal me."

"I still didn't like carrying your dead body in my arms…" He spat.

"Yugao hates me. And Hamaki-sensei is blaming himself for allowing us to take the exams."

"Maybe we'll take the exams together next year…" He smiled, turning away sideways. "You coming to the funeral?"

"No." She stared into the water.

"Then why are you dressed in black?"

"I can mourn privately, can't I?" She lackadaisically shrugged

"You could if you did so because of wanting to and not out of shame of showing your face there." He called her out.

Silence.

"I'll carry you there." He emotionlessly threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." She shot a glare at him and pushed her hands off the railing to stand up straight.

"No… But he would." Itachi pointed, and Akina then seen a flash of petals that surrounded her, being picked up by Benjiro forming from those petals, Akina now flung over his left shoulder.

"Benjiro!" Akina squealed. "Put me down!"

Itachi followed behind Benjiro as he headed back up the dock to the shore, Akina lifted her head to glare at Itachi, and then seeing Shisui leaning on the post at the end of the dock, he pushed off it to begin following Benjiro along with Itachi.

"Found her, eh," Shisui jeered. "Not letting you regret this."

"But Yugao, my sensei, and The Hyuga Clan…" Akina stuttered.

"So what? He was your teammate that you cared about. You're the Mochizuki princess with two Uchiha best friends. The prince of The Uchiha no less." Shisui winked, nudging Itachi with his elbow who became embarrassed, looking down to the side.

"We won't let lies and stares deter you." Itachi insisted, his eyes rising back up to meet hers.

Silence.

"Benjiro…" She breathed. "I can walk."

Benjiro then stopped, and leaned forward to put her feet on the ground. Akina brushed her skirt down and took a deep breath. "Let's go to Hisoka's funeral."