Kabuto watched in horror, paralyzed by the Sakura Shintenshin from miles away, as Tsunade struck the final blow. Orochimaru's body arched as it fell; to Kabuto, the world crashed to a halt.
His wounds stopped bleeding.
His head stopped pounding.
His injuries stopped screaming for attention.
There was only Orochimaru, falling down and crumpling into a heap at Tsunade's feet, blood soaking the floor and Tsunade's hands. Kabuto heard a scream from far away, screaming in desperation, denying Orochimaru's death-and only then did Kabuto realize that the voice was his own; he was screaming for Orochimaru, he was denying the death of the person he held dearest, he was right next to the sannin, dying, bleeding his heart out-
"Katsu!!!"
The seal released, and Kabuto suicided in a devastating explosion.
Tsunade was the only one who ran out of the burning building, carrying an unconscious Kakashi.
OOOOOOOOO
Itachi was panting and sweating profusely. The battle had looked fantastic at first, but as soon as the Konoha ninja had shaken off their surprise they fought back with greater numbers than the Otonin had prepared for, and suddenly Itachi and the Otonin were outnumbered three to one. Itachi sighed. Great, just great. He had also lost track of Yasu and Yumiko in the midst of the fighting, and he was quite unhappy about that last bit…
"Itachi-sama!"
Itachi glanced up at the Otonin captain who had just ran up to him. "Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto were just reported dead. We found their bodies in the Hokage's Tower. Orochimaru was killed; Kabuto suicided, and it looks like he took a lot of them with him. Unfortunately, we also lost Uchiha Sasuke, who was unconscious, but alive, at the time. I believe you are now in charge of things, and you had best make a decision fast."
"Get the fuck out of here," Itachi snarled. "We're retreating. We lost Orochimaru, Sasuke and Kabuto-we're out. If I don't have to fight because Oroch wants to-screw it, withdraw."
The captain nodded and sprang up into the trees, carrying the order to retreat. Itachi sighed. Now, what had been gained from this?
Absolutely nothing.
And far more was lost than could ever be recovered.
OOOOOOOOO
Itachi sat in Orochimaru's office the next day, sifting through papers and files. A knock on the door drew his attention to it.
"What?"
Yasu stood there, looking crest fallen.
"What?" Itachi repeated, running up to her and taking her into his arms. "What happened? God, Yasu, what happened?"
"It's Yumiko!" Yasu cried. "She's gone, we can't find her-not even her clothes!"
"Goddammit!" Itachi spat. "I'm going to look for her. If I don't come back in three days, you're in charge. Don't come after me-I don't want to drag you into this. I'm taking a squad."
Yasu clutched at Itachi as he brushed past her. "But-what about-"
"Screw it," Itachi muttered. "I'll be back!" he promised, and kissed his wife one last time before he left.
OOOOOOOOO
Tsunade laid Kakashi back against the pillow and began unwinding the bandages from his wounds. Kakashi didn't seem too affected by anything at this point; he was quiet, withdrawn, and no one laid claim to a word from him being spoken except Tsunade.
"Kakashi," she said as she unwrapped the bandages across a laceration in his wrist. "What happened…between you and Sasuke…?"
Kakashi sighed and looked away. The one and only topic he didn't feel like talking about…
"Sasuke was like a son to me," he said quietly. "Our Sharingan were eventually our downfalls, and we both never really learned to use it. We both had tragic pasts, and we both chose never to look back. We both made unbelievable mistakes, and we both suffered equally for them. Only Sasuke…Sasuke made those choices for the wrong reasons."
Tsunade nodded. "What was Sasuke talking about when he referred to you as Yasu's 'prize'?"
"The Slave Curse."
Tsunade could hear how harsh and bitter Kakashi sounded, and she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his exposed Sharingan. "I need to get you something to cover this," she said, and stood up. "Right back."
Sure enough, Tsunade returned with a Konoha headband. She handed it to Kakashi and waited for him to finish as he tied to around his head and pulled it down over the Sharingan. Then, she carefully picked up his wrist and a damp cloth and began cleaning dried blood from his wounds.
"Are you okay?"
Kakashi gave her a tiny shrug. "Not really…physically, yes, I'll be fine, but my head feels like there's all this hard, compacted sand squished in it…"
Tsunade smiled. "Clever analogy, but I know what you're talking about. It's not as bad as the Mangekyou, is it?"
"No, no!" Kakashi said quickly, somehow remaining perfectly still as Tsunade went over a wound in his forearm. "No, not that bad, but I do feel off balance. Mentally."
Tsunade nodded and unscrewed the cap on a bottle of ointment. "Yeah, I know how that feels," she said, smearing some across an abrasion in Kakashi's same wrist. "Try to get some sleep after I finish up with you, then we'll see how you feel in the morning."
Kakashi nodded. "Thanks," he whispered. He was feeling tired already…and Tsunade' bed was really comfortable…
Tsunade knew Kakashi had fallen asleep on her; she just didn't care.
OOOOOOOOO
Itachi raced through the woods on his way back to Otoga. Yumiko was nowhere to be found, and he had yet to find even a trace of her anywhere; not even a scent. Sighing, he stepped through the double gates at the Otoga border, heading for Orochimaru's, now his, complex. Maybe if Yasu was there…
Yasu wasn't there. A guard told Itachi she had left with a strange bottle of…well, something shortly after Itachi left, and she had yet to return. Stricken with grief and fearing the worst, Itachi slowly went back to his room.
It was all over. Everything. Yumiko was gone, Yasu was gone, they had failed every single attempt to retake Konoha, they had lost most of their ninja, and for Itachi, there was no future. Sasuke had died, and therefore Itachi would simply die of old age. Humiliating. Well, he could make it look like a murder…Oh, forget it, nothing was really worth the trouble. Itachi scribbled a note on a scrap of paper, placed his ring in it, and set it on the bathroom counter. He held the tanto against his chest, searching for the best place to plunge it in. Suiciding would give him back his honor, and he could be with his wife and daughter again…
Itachi found his heart and held the blade firmly, trembling with anticipation. "I'm coming, Yasu," he murmured, and shoved on the blade. "Be a little patient…"
And the blood started to flow.
OOOOOOOOO
"Itachi!" Yasu called "I found her! I found Yumiko! Itachi!"
Yasu pushed open the door to their apartment, looking around for Itachi and still calling for him. She noticed that the bathroom light was on, but the door was open. Confused, she stepped into the bathroom-
And almost tripped over Itachi.
Yasu was horrified at first-What had happened? Was Itachi attacked? Her observatory skills immediately picked up the finer points of the murder/suicide…or whatever had happened. Itachi's ring was missing. So, the Akatsuki was all or nothing…or maybe the ring had power, and someone wanted that power…wait, there it was! The ring…lying on a piece of paper on the counter. So it was a suicide…Yasu felt her heart breaking into thousands of pieces at this new piece if information, but maybe there was still hope; maybe Itachi hadn't left her…Yasu picked up the paper and began to read, setting the ring aside.
To whoever finds this:
I apologize for leaving you all, but I must return to my wife and daughter. I owe them something, and if I stay in this world, I will be betraying them; leaving them for nothing. And since my brother can no longer kill me, my last reason for remaining here has been vanquished. But, if you miss me, bear in mind-people do not truly die. Dying is a total lack of life, and I believe that there is life elsewhere-just not here. Not to the fullest. Out there, all the definitions of heaven come together to one common end-perfection. Life. Life to the fullest being lived by everyone, and only when you die for a reason, for a purpose, can you go there. Until then, you are caught in a vicious circle of life, never to step out until you have achieved your purpose in life. Yumiko, I am so sorry if you are still alive. Yasu, I am so sorry if you are still with her. But there is nothing to indicate so, and so I must leave you all.
I'm so sorry for anyone who wanted me to stay.
Take care of this ring and unlock its secrets. Never let it fall into the wrong hands and take care of it. Only in the right hands will its true power emerge.
I apologize again if you loved me. Take this ring as a token of my gratitude for wanting me, and I wish you all good fortune in using this ring's power.
With love, Yumiko-
Itachi
Yasu glanced down; the blade was still in Itachi's chest, dripping poison to ensure the death. Yasu pulled the tanto from Itachi's body and looked for more traces of the poison.
"Oh, Itachi, could you spare me not one drop to ensure that I would be with you?" She sighed and quickly found her heart's position. "Oh, powerful blade, do the work of a thousand shinobi!!" Yasu plunged the blade into her chest and felt her life slip away…just as footsteps sounded outside the apartment door.
OOOOOOOOO
Yumiko gently pushed open the door, looking around for Yasu. Yumiko herself had long lost all her energy, but she still had enough to get back to the apartment. That was weird; the bathroom light was on, but the door was wide open, and from the shadows, it seemed someone was in there…no, two people-both on the ground? That couldn't be good…Yasu gulped down a glass of water; she was severely dehydrated, but the water she had found and boiled in the forest had served her well enough. She put down another, and then went the bathroom as slowly as she could.
"Mom? Dad?"
No one answered her.
Yumiko's heart pounded in her chest as she took the final step to the bathroom and looked in the door-
Her heart stopped.
Both her parents lay dead on the floor.
Yumiko's breathing accelerated, and she quickly spotted the piece of paper lying on the counter. A suicide note? But from whom? And her father's ring was on the counter as well, pushed to the side. Yumiko skimmed the note quickly; yes, it was a suicide note, and it was her father's writing. So Itachi had killed himself, mistakenly thinking both Yumiko and Yasu were dead, then Yasu came back ahead of Yumiko, read the note, and killed herself with Itachi's own tanto, which she had pulled from his chest, and then Yumiko had arrived. Yumiko picked up the ring; true powers…?
"Into the great unknown," she murmured, and slipped the ring onto her finger. She had become so numb at that point; she didn't feel the tears streaming down her cheeks; she didn't hear the sobs wracking her body; she didn't feel herself falling on top of Itachi's cold and lifeless body and crying even harder, knowing they were both gone…
Yumiko ended up passing out over her parent's bodies.
A/N: Oh, beware the angst!! Yikes, this was a chapter to remember…I bet I scared some people. Anyway, please review, and tell me if you had nightmares after reading this.