Thank you to KakikomiSama, Duesal Bladesinger and ShadowWeaver29 for their reviews.
An idea for another part to this came to me a while ago.
But it took me a while to finish it.
I think it turned out pretty good.
I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Only the idea belongs to me.
His final moments had come. The battle with Sasuke went just as he planned. Giving his brother one last prod to the forehead, leaving a bloody trail, he gave a smile. Then he fell forward, sliding down the wall before collapsing onto his back on the ground.
As he breathed his last, a flash of widened, dark eyes flashed through his mind. A look of betrayal in those eyes... Something that had haunted him ever since that night. Then darkness consumed him.
But the darkness soon faded away. Confusion was etched onto his features as he glanced around. Everything was such a brilliant white that it was almost blinding.
"Itachi-kun."
The voice was soft, feminine, familiar.
Slowly, he turned his head in the direction the voice had come from. His eyes widened.
That long dark hair with eyes that matched, the fair skin, the oval shaped face. Nothing about her had changed. She looked exactly the same as the day she died.
"Are you surprised to see me?" Her voice remained soft as she approached him.
His features twisted into a grimace, pain in his eyes.
"What are you making that face for?" She tilted her head to the side slightly as she gazed up at him, dark eyes pulling him in. She lifted a hand, letting it rest against one of his cheeks. Her thumb brushed against his skin before dropping her hand to her side. "Could it be because you killed me?"
"I'm sorry." He whispered, pain seeping into his voice.
"Mm... You said that then too..." She trailed off, eyes glazing over as she thought back to her final moments.
He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came to him, so he looked away from her and stayed silent. There was nothing that he could say to her. Nothing would change what he did to her. He had no right to apologize to her and hope for her forgiveness. She had every right to hate him, and he expected nothing less from her.
"Itachi-kun."
He couldn't bring himself to look at her again. It hurt too much. He never wanted to kill her. It was the last thing he wanted to do. And a part of him died that night with her. With his clan.
"Itachi-kun."
Finally, his eyes fell on her. Her gaze met his, onyx melding together.
"Such agony filled eyes." Then her eyes trailed over his features, before locking with his again.
As he swallowed, his throat felt dry and heavy. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the wave of emotion he was feeling. But her next words were enough to break him.
"It hasn't been easy, has it? Living with what you've done."
He let out a shuddering breath, inhaling deeply right after. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and a lone one fell from the corner of his eye.
Her eyes seemed to soften. She lifted her hand, fingers brushing along his cheek until she reached where the tear had fallen and wiped it away.
As she wiped away that tear, more came. The flow was slow at first, but gradually grew more frequent. Tears now streamed down his cheeks. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
Her arms wrapped around him, and he held onto her, clutching her to him. He was hunched over a little, face pressed into her shoulder. He kept whispering the same two words over and over again into her shoulder. I'm sorry.
"Itachi-kun..."
His whispering stopped, and his tears had begun to slow. He waited for it... For her to say that she hated him.
"I forgive you."
But her words left him stunned. His eyes widened, and he pulled back to look at her. At first, he wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly.
"Wh... What?" He'd barely gotten it out, almost unable to find his voice.
"I said... I forgive you." Her dark gaze didn't once trail away from him.
"But..."
"At first, I was very angry and hurt. I wanted to hate you. I really did. But... Being here, I had a lot of time to think... About everything." She paused for a moment. "And all I see is someone who is torn apart by guilt and regret because of what he did."
"I... Don't deserve your forgiveness." His voice was soft.
"Maybe. Maybe not." A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "But you have it."
"Thank you." The tears had stopped. A slight smile came to his face as he looked down at her.
She held out her hand to him. "Now... Let's move on."
He looked at her hand for a moment. But then he reached out, taking it. As she pulled him along by the hand, she lifted a large weight from his shoulders. Then everything faded away as they moved on.