Chapter 22: Moonlit Night

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I'm a voyager into the ether

I look for the songs in the dark

Unafraid of the strong magnetism

Of the pain that leaves permanent marks

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The kids have spent their first day at the Academy, both successfully passing the genin exams. Their excitement overshadowed any worries or suspicions they had sparked by the changing energy of the older siblings in recent days.

There was no turning back for Akira and Itachi. They both prepared with heavy hearts for the last mission tonight.

"You should stay true to your thinking. Fight, be confused, be lost, and come through that to find your answer. And once you find it, make your decision, and do not waver from it. Find your answer, and be ready to follow through. That is determination."

Itachi did not know how many hours he spent sitting motionless in the same place where he had lost his close friend a year ago. Midnight was getting closer. The clan members had come home early that day, having been let go from work earlier than usual, under the account of construction works. A man in a black coat and an oval orange mask suddenly appeared in front of Itachi, accompanied by Akira. Her attitude implied determination, the girl, even if she was afraid, she wouldn't show it. She is not going to show any weakness, certainly not now. Dressed in a ninja outfit, with one of Midori's wakizashi on her back, she confidently approached Madara Uchiha.

'I won't spill any Uchiha blood, this is your job', she spat coldly to set clear boundaries 'I will take care of Izumi though. I'll put her to sleep and make sure the bijuu seals are secure.

'Sure thing. A pleasure to meet you as well, Akira Nanusake.' Madara held out his hand to her in greeting but was only met with a hostile look from the girl.

'Don't you dare even think about her' she uttered through her teeth, knowing the true nature and purpose of the organization, whose leader was the very man who participated in the massacre that was about to happen. A Sharingan flashed from his one eyehole in the mysterious mask.

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I dream of a wild raging ocean

And a ship that is tossed on the waves

And the wreckage I find on the shoreline

And what's left of the ones I can't save

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Akira felt the little flares of life go out one by one like candle flames in the wind. The Shinengan shone in her eyes, the light of the full moon reflected from the jet-black balls, as the girl patiently waited in the shadows for the children to return home. Itachi is getting close. There are only parents left... and Sasuke. For a second, the hopelessness of the thought crossed her mind, but she quickly suppressed any growing sense of fear. Not today. Not now.

'Compared with you, our pain will end in an instant.' Even in the face of death, his father considered the life his son would be forced to live after this murder. She stood behind the wall while Itachi dealt deadly blows to his own parents, swallowing tears of despair. Akira couldn't feel anything at the moment, completely blocking her emotions, flooded with adrenaline.

The children were walking back home, already in the Uchiha district. The blonde girl could feel their aura, restless chakra growing in their tiny bodies, moment by moment, as they began to find bloodied corpses of relatives on their way. Izumi didn't make a sound, feeling only a wave of frost enveloping her and a very, very familiar feeling. Only a year ago had she experienced that for the first time, now the trauma was slowly coming back to the surface. Sasuke broke away in horror, not thinking of anything but to find his parents and older brother.

He ran into the house, passing Akira hidden in the darkness, and stopped in front of the dead bodies of his mother and father, immediately understanding what was happening, while his older brother wiped the blood from his sword. The Sharingan gave a sinister glow in the darkness.

Akira was ready. A second later Izumi appeared on the front porch. Before she could run after Sasuke into the room and join the brothers, the older sister quickly pulled the little girl towards herself, stopping her in a firm embrace. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand and brought her forehead close to the girl's face. Her black demonic eyes dragged Izumi into the Abyss where Akira had already prepared a dream for her.

Izumi was falling, seemingly into an endless abyss, desperately trying to grab anything, with only swirling demons around her, squealing and howling. Fear paralyzed her.

COME CHILD, SLEEP FOREVER…

'Nooooooo!' she tried to fight back, but her eyelids were getting heavier, the force of gravity was starting to decrease gradually and the girl felt as if instead of falling, she was starting to float gently. Her body, strangely relaxed, scream turned into a long yawn. She wanted to get out of this dream at all costs, to wake up, but it was so nice... the depths of the black sea carried her away, the demons whispered, hissed, and stared at her with twisted eyes, but they did not howl anymore. Everything was slowly quieting down. She felt someone's arms enveloping her in their embrace. They were warm, just like the mother's loving embrace...

THAT'S RIGHT…

'...zumi…'

'Brat! Now is not the time to sleep…'

Voices spoke to her, and perhaps it was just her imagination, she wasn't sure. The pleasant warmth of the water carried her body into oblivion. Quiet... sleep.

'Brat, get up. Sasuke needs you!'

'Sa... Sasuke...' She moved her lips slightly as if the name was strangely familiar. She felt as if she had left something behind, something she hadn't finished, something she had to come back to. But why? It's so nice and safe here.

'Izumi... please, wake up', the boy's voice reverberated in her head, not letting her rest. Yet, something wasn't right.

She woke up violently torn from the genjutsu. Above her stood a young silver-haired man wearing glasses and some strange outfit she didn't recognize. She looked around confused, it took her a lot of effort to come back to reality. The images she saw quickly made her want to go back to her dream and never wake up.

Sasuke was lying half-conscious in the middle of the road, the moonlight clearly illuminated the area, dead Uchiha clan members and blood... so much blood. Izumi raised her hands to her face - was it her blood? She rose up on shaky legs. The creepy stranger was not important at the moment, only Sasuke mattered.

'Sasuke!', terrified, ran towards her friend and shook him to see if he was alive. The boy was weeping uncontrollably. His face was covered with saliva mixed with blood and mud, and tears poured from his swollen, frightened eyes. He was pale as a ghost. Vomit stuck to his sweat-soaked shirt. 'Sasuke, what happened...' Izumi wasn't sure if at that moment she was moved more by the dead bodies lying on the street or the condition of the boy.

'Itachi... it was Itachi,' he drawled, swallowing his tears.

'Where is my sister…?' Izumi asked hesitantly. She didn't remember anything from the moment she walked through the door. Paralyzing fear followed quickly the thought that appeared in her head. 'No… where is she, please…'

'Akira is dead' the cold serious voice of the stranger made the girl jump suddenly. The man was young, perhaps only ten years or so older than them, but there was something diabolical about him, something dark. The girl felt his strange aura. 'Sasuke's brother betrayed the clan and murdered everyone... he was out of his mind. Unfortunately your sister - '

'Who are you?!' Izumi yelled, cutting him off. 'It's impossible, Akira never... she promised she would never leave me...' After these words, tears flowed down her cheeks. The man smiled ominously. He pointed to the house where the sisters had come exactly a year ago to find shelter, love, and the comfort of a new family. Without much thinking, Izumi rushed in that direction. She ran into the living room to find the bodies of Fugaku and Mikoto lying lifeless on the floor. Beside them was a girl with wavy blonde hair. Her pretty freckled face was now covered in blood, her turquoise gaze on the ceiling, not seeing anything anymore.

Izumi howled excruciatingly and tried to come closer, but suddenly she felt someone's strong arms yanking her off the floor from behind. The man took her out of the house in an instant.

'It's too late. No use in crying over the spilt milk, little one. I'll take you where you'll be safe, believe me, you'll love it there.' The silver-haired man had a strange and unpleasant smile on his face.

Itachi and Akira were already outside the village. He sent his clone to give a final report to Danzo and Hiruzen, while she, in a swarm of moths, materialized to take one last look at her beloved sister. The heads of the village promised that they would take care of Sasuke and Izumi... she wouldn't lose a hair... she swallowed, feeling a burning pain in her heart, seeing in the distance how the girl slowly woke up, Sasuke next to her experiencing nightmares of genjutsu that his own brother had thrown at him. A brother who would do anything for peace, for the Village, for the greater good. He would go so far as to murder his own clan, but he did not have the strength to hurt the young Sasuke.

Suddenly, a mysterious spy with grey hair appeared in her sight. Akira's clone froze. This wasn't in the plan. She saw her sister run into the house and the man, shortly after, leaving with little Izumi in his grasp, deaf to the protests and resistance from the 7-year-old girl. She didn't stand a chance.

'Sasuke! No! Let me go! I don't want to go anywhere, I want to stay here! Sasuke, please help me!' Izumi squealed. The young Uchiha realized that his last living loved one was being abducted. He rushed towards the kidnapper who was getting closer to the gates of the district. He waved his arms desperately, trying to grab his friend's tiny hands.

'Izumi!' his hand suddenly slid over the girl's hand, trying to tighten the grip. They held on for a moment. The red ribbon on the little girl's wrist slipped suddenly, and both of them clung to its ends. The ribbon broke, leaving pieces in the hands of both children. Sasuke stopped, squeezing in his hand the only thing left of the Nanusake sisters. Izumi screamed her last scream before the stranger hit and knocked her out unconscious so he could leave the crime scene unnoticed.

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Follow me into the current

And seeking the magic below

Wade where no happy man searches

In the place, only mad women go

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Itachi returned to his body, and so did Akira. Whatever her clone had been through or seen, it eventually flooded the original body and mind of the kunoichi and the sights struck her like a lightning. Her eyes widened and a silent scream escaped her mouth. She fell to the ground and began to howl softly, trying to catch her breath, biting at her hand, fighting the emotions flooding her like a tsunami.

Panic overwhelmed her. Izumi. Her sister has just been kidnapped. Her first impulse was to rush towards the village, to return, to find her, never leave her again. Itachi was faster and firmly stopped the girl in his embrace. He knew he had to calm her down at all costs. And so he held her, while she shivered, wept and howled, scaring the birds sleeping in this dark and hostile forest.

Horrible scenes flashed before her eyes, and millions of questions pressed on her tongue, but all she could manage was repeat her younger sister's name. She didn't know what she felt, it seemed that the nightmare of that night was just beginning to overwhelm her, piece by piece. Itachi squeezed her little body, pressing his face against her white hair that was soaking up his own tears.

It was all over, although Izumi was not safe. Akira slowly embraced the thought that made her feel sick to her stomach. Her sister, all alone…

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I am a witch of the water

I come like a thief in the night

Bewitched by invisible forces

To lead you away from the light*

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*The Secret Sisters, Brandi Carlile - Water Witch

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END OF PART I