So I don't remember when I said I'd have this chapter up before, but I meant the end of July if that's not what I said. Sorry!!!! (Hides) Anyway, this is just a little bit more than 9 pages and it's all I could manage in the time frame I set for myself. I just started taking online classes which have been taking up at least 5 days a week on me, and then the girls are getting bigger and are in more demand of my attention. I know it's August 1st now, at least here in NY, but it's still better than the end of August ne? I'm sorry if you think this chapter sucks, the next one will be better I promise. I can't give a time frame on that though, I have no idea when I'll get to write again. Reviews help though! I'll start trying to write more if I get a lot ^_^ Thank you to everyone who's continued to read this. It's been a long time since I started it and I hope you all stick with me til the end.
Sasuke looked up from the couch to see Itachi enter the living room. Sakura had asked him to come and wait at their apartment for him while she went for a walk with Kakashi, as she had been forbidden to travel alone. She told him to find her the moment Itachi got home, but from the look on his brother's face they had something to discuss.
"Where have you been? Sakura's upset that you left without saying anything," Sasuke said interlocking his fingers in front of his face as he rested his elbows on his knees.
"I've been speaking with Madara…" Itachi replied with a sigh. He looked troubled, full of stress and void of hope. Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little in concern at his brother's demeanor.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"You've said you forgive me Sasuke… but how can you really forgive me for all I've done? Even if you understand why, and even if you're willing to bear Sakura and I being together for the sake of keeping our family together, why would you forgive me? All I've done is hurt you…" Itachi said softly, holding Sasuke's eye contact until he sighed again and sat on a couch adjacent to him.
"Did Madara say something about it?" Sasuke asked.
"Just because he said doesn't make it any less believable…"
"Well what were you going to do otherwise? I struggled with my hatred and my revenge for a long time. Do you understand why?" Sasuke asked. Itachi looked up at his brother again. "I didn't even hate you for what you did, as sick as it made me feel. I denied it of course, I told myself it was the only reason I needed to see you die, but it wasn't at all. I wanted to see you die because you made me feel like I was the best part of you, and then you told me I meant nothing at all. I hated you because all I ever wanted was for you to acknowledge me and love me, and when you said you were just playing a role, my life no longer held meaning. Of course knowing the truth now can't erase the pain I felt for all these years, but knowing it now can stop the pain completely. I know now that you sacrificed everything for me. How could I not forgive you?" Sasuke explained, forcing back the tears he felt sneaking up on him.
"And Sakura?" Itachi asked.
"Sakura waited for me for a long time and I only ever turned her away. It's not for me to judge her. She is free to love who she pleases. If that person is you, than I can only be happy for you both… I can't deny it doesn't hurt seeing you two together, but it's not because you're my brother. It's because I didn't have the courage to tell her before she fell in love with someone else. Plus I have my nieces because of you. Those girls have made me feel something I have never felt before. I have never felt as though I had to protect someone as strongly as I need to protect them. It isn't until you have something that precious that you can grow to understand the willingness to do anything to save it. It's why I can forgive you. I know you're not putting on an act. I can see it in your eyes and on your face and I overheard you even, expressing how upset you were about what you've done. No matter what Madara says, you're my brother and I love you. I will fight for you and our family, and I will die if I have to, to protect this city and all the innocent people in it from facing the horrors of war," Sasuke added.
"I would've taken you Sasuke, if you had been a little older. You were still too young not to fall under Madara's manipulation. I wanted to make sure you had the strength you needed to survive and please believe me when I tell you I never wanted to leave you alone. I-" Itachi began, but stopped when Sasuke wrapped his arms around him.
"You don't need to ask me for my forgiveness anymore Itachi. I've given it to you, and nothing Madara says is going to change that," Itachi nodded, hugging his brother back as tightly as he could.
"I love you too Sasuke," Itachi whispered. He let his eyes close for a moment before letting go.
"Do you remember when I was graduating? When mom found out dad was going on that mission with you and was going to miss it?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded. "And mom told him she would ban him from coming home because of how upset it would make me?"
"Of course, and he didn't care. Probably because we weren't really his kids…" Itachi said trailing off.
"And then you found out about it and you refused to go on the mission because one of you needed to be there to show your support," Sasuke said.
"What made you think of that?" Itachi asked.
"I was just thinking that I was more happy that you wanted to come, than the fact that dad was forced to come. I mean of course I was glad he came, I think I made him proud that day, but I was happier that you were willing to forego a mission and get in trouble so I didn't feel alone," Sasuke said. Itachi smiled and Sasuke smiled as well. "Anyway, I'm going to find Sakura, you should as well. You know how upset she got when you were leaving. She just wanted to know where you were going," Sasuke added.
"Aa… You're right I should find her and apologize. You stay here, I'll go," Itachi insisted. Sasuke agreed and sat with his arms crossed over his chest. Half an hour later Itachi and Sakura walked in, with an expectant look on their faces.
"Do you remember when I graduated?" he asked. Itachi nodded. "When mom found out dad was going on that mission with you and was going to miss it? And mom told him she would ban him from coming home because of how upset it would make me?"
"What?" Itachi asked. "Mom never said anything to dad, she was always too afraid to stand up to him. Probably because he wasn't really our father. I told him I wouldn't go on the mission if he was going, because someone needed to be there to support you and he got really angry about it but finally relented. You told me later on you were really happy that I was willing to forego the mission so you didn't have to be alone, but you thought you finally made dad proud," Itachi said.
"And what about making Sakura upset because you wouldn't tell her where you were going when she asked?" Sasuke said.
"What's going on?" Itachi asked suspiciously. "Sakura was asleep when I left," Itachi said. Sasuke nodded. He had almost fallen for it. Madara was looking for his weaknesses. He now knew that Sasuke had forgiven Itachi completely, and it would be hard to break that up. The only way he could save them all was not to say anything. He was formulating his own plan to deal with Madara once and for all…
"I told you that," Sakura said, also suspicious now. Sasuke realized what they must be thinking, getting the same weird feeling he got when he saw 'Itachi' not so long ago.
"I was just testing you, you can't be too careful now," Sasuke said.
"Then prove you're you," Sakura said.
"When I came to see you after you returned from seeing Itachi I grabbed you by the throat because I knew you had lied to me. Mitsuki started crying and you screamed no. I told you I would never hurt my niece," Sasuke said. They were the only two people who knew the exact events of that night. She wouldn't have told anyone else, save for maybe Itachi, so she knew he was telling the truth. Sakura nodded, biting her lip. Itachi glared at him, holding Sakura protectively, knowing he probably hit a nerve with her. "I'm sorry, but I needed to tell you something you never would've told anyone else about."
"It's ok. I understand why you did it. Let's not talk about it anymore…" Sakura said softly. Sasuke hugged her, feeling very bad suddenly.
"I'm going to go back to my apartment, I'll see you in the morning for training Itachi," Sasuke said, treading softly toward the door. Sakura wandered into her room while Itachi followed his brother. Once down the stairs he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry about-"
"Forget about that… You're hiding something from me," he stated, not questioned.
"Why do you think that?" he asked. Itachi looked him over with scrutiny, sensing something was out of place.
"Instinct," Itachi replied. "Let me walk you home. We can talk."
"I think Sakura needs you more than I do right now Itachi. You should really be spending as much time with her as you can," Sasuke replied, politely declining the request. He might lose the only chance he had to save them otherwise…
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what you're thinking?" Itachi asked, searching his brother's expression for any hint of what he was really thinking.
"It will be better if I go," Sasuke replied. Itachi nodded slowly, accepting the younger Uchiha's decision.
"Sasuke," Itachi said softly. Sasuke stared at his older brother and suddenly Itachi could see how much he had really grown. He felt horrible for what he had put this boy through. As well as he had been trained, he couldn't hold back anymore. He couldn't hide behind a stoic expression and brush away his feelings for the sake of the village. He had done so much to hurt his brother… A tear rolled down his cheek.
"Itachi?" Sasuke said, expression changing to worry. He was also worried that his plan was going to go down in flames if Itachi started crying.
"I love you Sasuke… I…" Itachi whispered, looking dejectedly at the ground. Sasuke rushed over and hugged his brother tightly, trying to hold back tears of his own.
"I love you too Itachi," he whispered back. "Let's talk about it tomorrow," Sasuke insisted, pulling away from Itachi. "Sakura is going to wonder where you are."
"Are you sure you're ok Sasuke?" Itachi asked once more.
"I will be," Sasuke responded, nodding with a slight smile. Itachi relented and motioned for Sasuke to come closer. Instinctively Sasuke drew closer to the older boy. Itachi smiled and poked him in the forehead. Sasuke laughed and shook his head. "I always fall for that… I think I always will."
"Good night," Itachi said. Both boys went their separate ways.
"I'm sorry about-" Sakura began, but was cut short by a passionate kiss from her lover.
"Don't think about anything else tonight," Itachi whispered in her ear, as his mouth trailed down her neck. She let out a small whimper and nodded. He picked her up and brought her to the bedroom. He made love to her as though this was going to be the last time he saw her, which filled her with an unsettling feeling. She fell asleep right afterward, however, and Itachi did as well. Sasuke woke at dawn, ate, and went up on the roof of the apartment building. Naruto woke up not soon after, showered and joined the Uchiha on the roof. He stretched out and sat down next to his best friend.
"Looks like it's gonna be a nice day," Naruto said.
"Does it?" Sasuke asked, looking toward the training grounds.
"Yep. I may just hang out here on the roof and relax today," Naruto joked.
"Don't get too comfortable," Sasuke warned, standing up suddenly. Naruto also stood up, sensing the tension in his friend.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.
"Make clones and send them to warn everyone," Sasuke demanded.
"Sasuke…" Naruto said, unsure of what was going on.
"They're here," Sasuke said. Naruto's eyes widened but he immediately listened to the Uchiha. He made mass clones, some to help hide the villagers, and others to warn the Hokage and the ninja of the village. "I'm going to get Itachi," Sasuke said, disappearing. Sakura woke violently at the feeling of her home shaking and a loud explosion. Itachi was already dressed and she rushed to do the same.
"They're here," Itachi said.
"I've got to find Tsunade! I have to help evacuate the villagers," Sakura said. They rushed out of the house, almost running straight into Sasuke.
"Sasuke, take Sakura to Tsunade and then meet me in the training fields," Itachi instructed. They both took off in different directions. Kakashi, Naruto, and all the students he had graduated with defended against the several Pains that surrounded the city. Jiraya was the one to corner "Konan", and in their battle, he was gravely injured. Kakashi reached him before Nagato could kill him and Naruto flew into a rage upon seeing what had happened. He was able to deliver a blow to Jiraya's former student that didn't kill him immediately but disabled him. Sakura rushed to the scene as soon as she was done with the villagers. Tsunade was dispersing medic nins around the town to help those who had been hurt. Sakura looked over Jiraya's wounds first and then Pain's wounds but shook her head.
"I… I don't think even Tsunade could fix this… either of them," she said softly.
"Why? Why would you do this? How could you? Jiraya was your teacher!" Naruto screamed, grabbing Nagato by the shoulders, shaking him violently as tears came to his eyes.
"You left us and then your village killed Yahiko. Then they took Konan away from me, because you didn't make me strong enough to protect them!" Pain yelled, tears of his own swelling in his eyes. He coughed up some blood and shook his head. "You don't even know the things they did to her… There's supposed to be some kind of honor in this… ROOT was supposed to be disbanded, but how stupid could your Hokages be? To think you can't see what Danzo is doing…"
"If you know these people to be from ROOT than you cannot blame the leadership in this village. Danzo has been investigated numerous times, and Tsunade has been trying to expose him but she couldn't act on just Itachi's word. All the members in the group have seals to prevent them from speaking about it, not that they would," Kakashi interjected.
"Then heal me enough to get to Danzo so I can end this. I never intended for things to happen this way Jiraya… You were in my way," Pain said. Naruto looked over to Sasuke who ran over to join the group.
"You'd never make it through his people. There's no doubt they're under the city in the caves," Jiraya said.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.
"Danzo…" Naruto said. Something suddenly clicked in Sasuke's mind. He was deep in thought when Naruto grabbed his shoulder.
"I've got to warn Itachi," Sasuke said, taking off. The group was left to wonder what he was thinking, and Sakura fearing what was going to become of him if he acted on his desires to kill the man. She looked to Kakashi to see what he thought they should do about the situation.
"I'm afraid that as horrible a man as Danzo is, we cannot justify an attack on one of our own that isn't a missing nin. We cannot help you Pain. You'll be taken to the hospital to stand care under Shizune and interrogated by Ibiki," Kakashi informed him. He motioned for Shino and Choji to transport Pain. Jiraya grabbed his arm before they could go.
"You don't have to hide behind him any longer. Just tell them what they need to know. You can't blame yourself for what happened Nagato… You were so young when you lost your parents, and even when you lost your friends. I can never take that pain away, but know I forgive you," he told his pupil. Nagato looked away from the man, nodded slightly, and closed his eyes. The two left with him in tow, and everyone save for Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata and Ino ran off to help anyone else that had been injured.
"Please Sakura… There has to be something you can do…" Naruto whispered.
"Naruto… It's my time…" Jiraya said softly. Naruto fell to his knees beside his sensei. "You should follow in your father's footsteps, I know he's proud of you," Jiraya said. While his voice gave no hint of the pain he was in, his expression did. He was in a lot of pain, but he knew he had to tell Naruto important things before he departed this world.
"My father?" Naruto asked.
"I'm sure Kakashi has told you the stories about him, or at least some of them," Jiraya said. Naruto looked at the man, who gave no indication of revealing what he meant just yet. "Your father was my student, and he grew up to do many beneficial things for this village. As young as he was, he was respected and feared throughout the countries when he finally became the Fourth Hokage. Don't give up on your dreams. You can reach them, just as your father did," Jiraya explained. Naruto brushed the tears from his eyes as Jiraya closed his.
"My father was the Fourth Hokage?" he asked, turning to Kakashi for confirmation. Kakashi gave a nod. "Then I'm going to find Madara Uchiha and kill him for forcing my father's death and this curse upon me," Naruto said. Jiraya grabbed Naruto's jacket.
"The fight with Madara is not yours. You must let Itachi and Sasuke resolve this threat if they can first," Jiraya told him. Naruto knew Jiraya was right but it still left him feeling hurt. Madara Uchiha needed to be stopped so there could finally be peace in this land. No one else needed to suffer, or die because of that man and his selfish ambitions.
"Sakura, you should probably go find them so you can be there to heal them. We'll stay with Jiraya and help ease the pain," Ino said. Sakura nodded and went off in the same direction she'd seen Sasuke go… toward the Uchiha compound… When she reached the clearing Itachi had been to numerous times, she found a terrible sight awaiting her. Sasuke was helping Itachi walk, and Itachi's hand was clinging to a wound in his gut. Her blood ran cold. She couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like a near fatal blow… She couldn't move…
All she could see were images of their future being washed away. Her hands started to shake and she tried desperately to hold back tears that threatened to surface at any moment. How could she live without him? What would she tell Mitsuki and Misaki? How could he have been so easily overpowered? She started to run toward the brothers when another figure ran into the clearing. As the three looked up they saw Itachi. Sakura looked at Sasuke who looked back at her and then they both looked between the two Itachis.
"He's Madara," the injured Itachi said. "Sakura, you need to heal me. This wound isn't fatal yet but if I lose too much more blood it will be…" Sakura moved closer to him.
"Don't believe him. This is all a trick," the other Itachi said. Sasuke looked at him in distain.
"Do you really think we'd believe you? You're standing there without a scratch on you. There's no way if you were Itachi you wouldn't have a scratch on you, or even a speck of dirt. You expect us to believe this is Madara and he just gave you a free shot at him?" Sasuke asked in a condescending manner.
"Sasuke…" the other Itachi said, wondering how Sasuke couldn't see what was going on.
"Sakura, heal Itachi now," Sasuke instructed.
"Don't! You don't understand what's going on here!" the other Itachi yelled.
"Sakura… please… we don't have time for this…" the injured Itachi pleaded, eyes fluttering from the loss of blood.
"Itachi," she whispered, looking between them. She couldn't help but think Sasuke's theory had some truth to it. She looked over the injured Uchiha and noticed they both appeared exactly the same. Perhaps Itachi had tried to reason with his father and the man took him by surprise. Both of them stared at her with eyes begging her to believe them. She hesitated. "How do we really know?" she asked.
"Sakura, can't you see? He's dying here! Do you really think that Madara would've just let Itachi attack him like that? What would be the point? He risked death doing it. It's total chance that I found him out here," Sasuke explained.
"He wasn't Madara when I met up with him. He was Danzo," the other Itachi revealed. "He didn't think I knew about that, but suddenly I realized it, and tried to kill him before he could hurt anyone else."
"You could just as easily be Danzo, or Madara, lying to us, because you took Itachi by surprise in your disguise," Sasuke retorted. That was when Sakura remembered that look on Sasuke's face when Naruto had said "Danzo." Sasuke had figured it out… and that meant so had Itachi. Itachi couldn't have walked into a situation like this and not figured out every detail of what was going on. Perhaps the injured Itachi was Madara, who'd been underestimating Itachi's intelligence. Sasuke seemed to be putting on an act to lull Madara into a false sense of security to finish the job. They both knew now that the injured Itachi was not who he said he was.
"Sasuke, last night you told me you forgive me. Ask him to tell you what you said to him if he's really Itachi," the injured Itachi demanded. The other Itachi could say nothing. Tears formed in his eyes to realize just how low Madara would sink. He stole Sasuke's forgiveness from him so he could never have it… In his distraction he didn't have time to block. Sakura gasped as Sasuke plunged his sword through the real Itachi. This had to be a nightmare… This couldn't be happening…