Standard disclaimers apply
The Sixty-First Hour: Horizon
"I have one last place to show you."
She didn't like how he had said "last", but she kept that to herself.
"Follow me." He offers his hand to which she gladly took. At first, she had no idea where he was taking her. The scenery around her kept changing as they walked. It warped and warped until the destination became clear. Itachi had led her to the meadows that he had created.
"Grass," she noted indifferently. "This is the last place you wanted to show me?"
"Wait for it," he warned, a little frustrated. At her doubtful expression, he squeezed her hand. "Trust me."
After closely examining his face for any signs of mischief, she nodded.
"I know you like to look at me, but could you bring your attention to the horizon now?" he chuckled.
Flushing furiously at being caught in the act, she abruptly snapped her head to the front with an unhealthy crack. Screaming silently in pain, she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed that spot on her neck. When she opened them again, she was greeted with an amazing sight.
"Damn" came her voice in a light whisper.
The Sixty-Second Hour: Sunset
It was a sunset, a bright, beautiful, and blazing sunset, painted with the warmest colours on the palette. The sun was a perfect circle of vibrant orange light. It still had some ways to go before touching the horizon.
It felt like the highlight, the peak of this whole adventure, like every waking moment of her life was climbing up to share this moment with Itachi.
"What are you showing me this for?" Her voice was quiet and in awe.
"A sunset can symbolize many things."
That was enough. He left it up to her to interpret.
It was the end of the Tsukuyomi, the end of their relationship, and the end of his life.
That was the sunset.
The Sixty-Third Hour: Basically
"This is the longest sunset I've ever seen."
She had continuously observed the setting sun for the last hour, and she had concluded that it was not moving at the pace of the real sun outside of the illusion.
"Would you rather have me speed up this magnificent view? If I had created it as a natural sunset, it would have felt like a mere second to you. You've been here for so long that your perception of time has been warped."
She looked at him as if he was an alien.
He sighed and patted her head.
"Basically, because you love me so much," she shoved his hand off and he frowned before continuing, "even three days would feel like a moment in time to you. Of course, in reality it only has been a moment, but the Tsukuyomi's purpose is to alter that perception of time. Then again, the genjutsu was not made for…such civil interactions. It was made as a torture device, which would further deceive the perception. It was a miscalculation on my part that you would…enjoy such activities."
"I did not enjoy them!" she cut in.
"Oh? Not even the kisses?" he smiled cunningly.
She paused. "Okay, you have to admit you enjoyed them too."
He chuckled at her stubborn words. "Of course I did."
The Sixty-Fourth Hour: Closer
Her cheeks were flushed, but she continued courageously. "I knew it." Then she started curiously. "But wait, if it was a miscalculation the first time, couldn't you have fixed it by now?"
"Are you trying to tell me to deceive your mind even more so that it'll be longer than seventy-two hours?" he questioned. "So you wanted me that much." Seeing her rapidly reddening cheeks, he realizes that she was almost at her limit, so he decides to answer truthfully. "To do so, it would require an enormous amount of chakra, even more so than the first time. In my current state, I am unable to execute it."
At her saddened expression, he placed a palm on her cheek reassuringly and smiled.
"Even if I did succeed in doing so, your frequent exposure to the Tsukuyomi would render it useless. As a result, you are going to feel like everything is moving faster than you would like it to. Even a sunset that usually lasts for an hour at the very most will feel like a second."
She slowly nodded her head and brought her attention back to the scenery, covering his hand with her own.
The sun inches closer to the horizon.
The Sixty-Fifth Hour: Concern
The sun was touching the horizon now.
"So I guess I'm supposed to just engrave this moment into my memory and not talk about it to others, huh?" she joked. "It'll ruin your deadly reputation after all."
He gave her credit for being able to kid around in this situation. "That would be preferred."
She gawked right then. "So you are concerned about your reputation! You are such a girl!"
He put both hands on her shoulders, preventing her from squirming about. "What would they think of a girl who talks about a dead criminal like a lover?" His eyes blazed intensely, effectively capturing her gaze.
In his deep eyes, she sees concern –but not over his reputation.
It was concern for her.
Aww, how sweet.
The Sixty-Sixth Hour: Favour
A portion of the sun had disappeared by now. The warm colours of the sky were beginning to fade into a light blue.
"Sakura, there's something I want you to do for me." His voice was calm and collected, something that soothed her greatly.
"What is it?" she murmured.
"I am not telling you that you have to do it."
"Okay…" She was suspicious now. If he lingered so long on something, it usually meant it was important.
"Before I tell you what it is, I just want you to know that..." Seeing in her peripheral vision that he had turned to look at her, she mirrored his actions. "...I trust you."
She searched his eyes for some kind of clue as to what he was talking about, but the only thing she found in those depths was his unadulterated faith in her.
"I understand."
He nodded once. Then, "I want you to give my sharingan to Sasuke."
A/N: I may have died. I may not have. Regardless, I am here now.