This chapter was in some ways the easiest, and in other ways the hardest to write. It's the only one that has no real facts from the actual plot. So, I had to use my imagination. Though, it is fun because I'm using words I don't usually use (because I think Itachi is very formal in his speech). This is what happened to Itachi after the massacre. Enjoy.
The Destruction of Things
The Abyss Known as Loneliness
How many days has it been…? Two… three…? I wasn't even sure anymore. The days blurred together, as if being stitched by an amateur seamstress. I told the days by how many times the golden orb in the sky came up, then back down. I watched the colors mingle in the celestial cerulean. Though, my favorite was the lonesome rock above – the moon.
She seemed to understand my loneliness. I had never felt such an immense tragedy. No one could possibly understand half of what I went through. No, that's wrong. Sasuke did. He knew exactly how I felt. He knew how to lose everyone that mattered to you.
Why… why had I agreed? How did I not see this coming? How had I not known I'd spend every hour of darkness weeping? Only two nights had passed, but it felt like an eternity. If I felt this way now, I didn't wish to imagine what I would feel weeks from now. What would become of my hollowing soul when the holidays hit? Would I become nothing more than a mere shade of what I once was?
"Itachi," my name rang out in the soft air. I recognized the deep voice immediately as Madara.
"Madara," I replied flatly. I didn't really care what he wanted. ! A thought struck my mind. Did Madara know how I felt? Did he understand the torture of losing everything? From what he told me, he did.
I could tell Madara was behind me; I was proven correct when he made the sudden movement of coming closer to me. "Itachi, I have a gang. We call ourselves Akatsuki. Your skills could be a valuable asset."
Akatsuki? The name was not unfamiliar to me. The Akatsuki were the same people that tried to collect Jinjuriki. They were an organization of S-ranked criminals. He wanted me to join…?
I processed the information. Konohagkure was home to the Jinjuriki, Uzimaki Naruto. No doubt, the group would come after him. If that were the case, they'd travel to the Leaf… What if they tried to wipe out the whole village for this Naruto person? What if they harmed Sasuke…?
I couldn't let them destroy everything I worked for! It would be best to go with Madara to keep tabs on the Akatsuki operations?
I nodded.
"Great," Madara smiled slyly. "Come with me."
I followed him – deeper… deeper into the thicket of trees and moss.
~ OOO XXX OOO ~
Hands on clocks ticked; the sun sailed through the sky numerous times. So much time passed, perhaps a month. By now I knew everyone in the Akatsuki.
To start with, there was Madara. He was the true leader, though he was never around.
There was the "Zombie Combo", Hidan and Kakuzu. Hidan was a 'religious' man and worships some god whose name slips my mind. Kakuzu is greedy and has many hearts (literally). I'm not entirely sure about him. They are both, apparently, immortal.
Pein poses as the leader, with Konan by his side. It's sometimes awkward around Konan, for she is the only woman.
From Sunagakure, hails Sasori. He is a puppeteer and usually hid in one of his works. His partner recently died, and soon we would find him a new one. Pein has his eyes set on a blonde boy from Iwagakure.
The oddest of all is Zetsu. He's essentially a walking Venus' fly trap with two halves. I've never met anyone with multiple personality disorder, but I'm sure no one else has it like he does. Half of his face is black, the other white. They even speak completely differently!
Orochimaru is pretty weird too. He is originally from Konaha too. Evidently, he was one of the Sannin. As his name implies, he's very snake-like. I'm not fond of him in the slightest. His motives are questionable.
Lastly, my partner is Kisame. Before his time here, he had been of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. His blade (if that's what you can call it) is supposed to be the most frightening of all the swords. Shark-like in appearance, Kisame would easily scare Sasuke. I miss that kid.
Not surprisingly, I am the youngest member to join. I am, only thirteen, after all.
~ OOO XXX OOO ~
I awoke with the sun. I had grown accustomed to waking in a quiet room. We shared rooms with our partners, and Kisame usually awoke before dawn.
So, one could imagine why I'd be surprised to see Kisame sprawled on his mat, fast asleep. I slowly drew near the shark-man. Gently, I placed my finger on his neck. A strong pulse was felt, so I withdrew. It hadn't been long after I started moving, had Kisame's hand snatched my wrist.
I was surprised. I was expertly trained – he shouldn't have felt that.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kisame growled.
I explained my reasoning. "You weren't awake. I was shocked, so I made sure you were alive."
"Why do you care?" His voice was course, and he was obviously mad.
"You're my partner." I didn't see the need to explain why I care about the only sane one around here. Maybe I only felt that way because in a sick way, Kisame understood to have a power so great, and you could do nothing but watch that same power destroy you.
Kisame's eyes snapped open. I hadn't realized until now they were closed. "Don't touch me."
"Fine, lesson learned. Now let go." I learned in order to make it around here, you had to be commanding.
The light from a window bounced in, refracting off Kisame's skin. It was hard to believe that light could touch someone so dark in such a way…
Kisame's grip loosened. I retracted my hand. "How did you know? No one ever notices."
Kisame shut his eyes tightly. He had a strong look of annoyance painted on his features. "Sharks have a stronger sense of touch than humans."
I said nothing for a while. After a moment, I left. Based off our little exchange in there, we would never be friends. The loneliness will have to be endured a little longer, it seems.
Next chapter might take a while. I have to research (or watch the episodes, lol) what happens and when.
Review :3