Rose
Thorn #12
I nearly lost it back there.
Koharu's back was to the door. Her breathing was even but she was feeling at a loss. She didn't answer him. He was gone now, but she was still there, leaning against the door.
I guess my answer to not killing him was good, but…he looked so sad when I closed the door on him.
She sighed gently to herself and went to make some dinner. As she was, she just couldn't get the image of Shisui out of her mind, and the sadness that reflected in his eyes when he was reminded time and time again that she was only doing her mission, that she was lying to his face about their relationship.
Why…does my chest hurt so much?
"You didn't do your mission." Danzo stated, his fingers intertwined and his gaze hard on her.
The flower shop owner, in her usual flower shop apron and casual clothes, just smiled. "I never said when I'll get it done."
Danzo grunted and narrowed his eyes—he was suspicious of her. Very suspicious. A few nights ago, a ROOT that was stationed outside her home was knocked unconscious when she was inside with Shisui, so he doesn't know what happened.
"Plus, you never said when I should have it done." She smiled at him innocently, because all she said was true.
Danzo's nose wrinkled and his frown deepened just slightly behind his hands.
"Then, you will kill him on—"
He chose the date of the coup, Koharu pressed her lips together. She was sure he was up to something. There was no way that he didn't know the day of the coup and there was definitely no way that it was a coincidence.
Danzo isn't someone of coincidences, after all.
If it was like this, doesn't it mean that Danzo is there to dispose of Shisui? Doesn't that mean that regardless of him doing anything to help the clan of Uchiha and the village, Danzo is really just doing whatever he wants in his own calculating cold ways?
Koharu frowned. Even for an old calculating geezer that was a horrible thing.
Well, I'll be damned. It's either kill him or mum dies.
After Koharu had heard the date of when she would have to kill Shisui on, a couple of other ANBU came in with her mother.
She was shocked that they had brought her to that place, and was even more so when she saw her for the first time in many months. She was pale, had lost weight, and she looked like she didn't have any shred of happiness left in her.
That's…mother? Koharu had thought at that time. She was 100% sure it was, but at the same time, the woman also didn't seem to be her mother at all.
"You know what will happen should you disobey." The elder seemed to almost be smiling through his words, but he himself was saying them harshly.
Koharu didn't have any change in expression. Had she had any, Danzo and the other ANBU would pick up on it and expose it as a weakness.
Whoever the better actor was whoever won.
Koharu had left then to go back to her shop after the lunch break, but passing by her mother, she heard these words that nearly made her stop right then and there.
"Who is she? I don't have any daughters."
Back at the store, she hid her troubles by wishing customers a good day and staring at the beautiful flowers that adorned her shop. But, she couldn't stop replaying the words her mother said in her mind.
What happened in all these months? She was able to recognise me before…? Koharu thought long and hard about it, and ultimately it led to her decision on what she would do the next week.
Mother, is ill. How much is she suffering? She couldn't even remember me, nor could she remember Momoka.
Koharu hardened her heart and her resolve.
That's not my mother anymore. She's just an empty shell.
On the day of the coup, Shisui walked into the flower store. He wasn't sure what was going to happen today, so he wanted to see her a while before he had to start his mission.
"Koharu?" Shisui opened the door and walked in, the familiar ringing of the bell telling everyone that he had entered.
She's not here? He wondered, looking around. He heard something from the back, and he went there to check out what was happening. Was she at the back doing something? When he went close enough, he peered in, seeing her tidying something up, seemingly deep in thought.
"Koharu?" said Shisui as he took a step inside the back to announce his presence.
She turned to him with a somewhat surprised expression, but then, she disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"What?" The ninja blinked a few times.
Was that just a clone? He wondered. He stepped out to the store front to wait for her.
Koharu arrived 5 minutes later, holding a couple of paper bags of food and drinks. "I got us some lunch." She smiled at him and handed him the bag.
"You didn't need to." He said, sighing lightly. For some reason, he felt at ease. That was, until she passed him to sit behind the counter. "Blood?" It was a faint scent, but he could smell it.
Koharu looked up at him briefly, then closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, exhaling with control. "I was sure I washed it all off." She sat down and opened her food to start eating.
Shisui just stared at her. Did she just kill someone?
"I killed my mother." Koharu responded to his questions.
The Uchiha's mouth gaped at her. She was so nonchalant about it, almost uncaring. It was different from what Itachi said about her.
"Don't worry too much about it. She was on the verge of death anyway." Koharu continued on to eat her food.
Shisui sighed lightly, "I'm more worried about you than anything. She was your mother, it's hard to imagine you not giving a damn when she dies. Especially by your own hand."
Koharu stared at him for a long, long time, then finally, her shoulders relaxed, and she let her real expressions show. There was no point in putting up such a farce, not on this day.
"Of course I'm sad." She put the food down and matched his eyes, showing the anguish over the decision to kill her own mother. "She is my mother, for God's sake. But if you saw her, you would believe me. At first, I didn't even believe my own eyes, but, she doesn't even remember me, nor does she remember Momoka. She's just an empty shell with my mother's face." The distress that was in her voice was genuine, and she hoped that the Uchiha didn't take it for another lie.
"I'm happy I'm getting to see what you're really thinking and feeling right now." Shisui reached over to flick her forehead, surprising the woman when he smiled. It was a strange sight for him, but he didn't mind it.
"W-what?!" She was expecting him to be surprised but he wasn't. This was weird. It confused her. "How can you believe me so easily? Aren't I just another liar to you? I've lied to you this whole time, how can you still—"
"I don't believe you were lying the whole time." He interrupted her. "I find it hard to believe that you would fake it the entire time."
"Aren't you just trying to make yourself feel better by thinking I actually had a thing for you?" Koharu's tongue slipped and she pressed her lips together, her hand coming to her mouth.
Shit…! I said something I shouldn't've.
Shisui, on the other hand, just blinked at her. Then, he laughed. And, it was a joyful one.
"W-what are you laughing at?!" She pressed her hands to the desk, cheeks pink. She was a little embarrassed, and, he was the one causing it.
"When you're not acting you're very interesting." Shisui complimented.
"I don't know if you're a masochist or what." She hissed at him. She sighed deeply, continuing to eat. She took one bite, chewing it slowly, and then talked, "What's with you today? I thought you'd be heartbroken that I just stomped all over your feelings."
"You didn't give me an answer." Shisui took a sip of the drink. "And, I thought I'd be around you more to see what you're really like."
Koharu just looked at him with the strangest expression. If anything, finding out that she was a liar and an actress that didn't really love him would be heartbreaking enough and they'd move on easily or hate her, but for some reason, Shisui wasn't like that. He stayed, for reasons unknown.
I thought he was only coming by to find out what kind of motive I had? Her brows creased slightly, but that doesn't seem to be the case? What happened between when I kicked him out and now?
"Well, this is what I'm normally like when I'm not acting. I'm not some sweet innocent cute girl like I portray myself to be." Koharu waved it off and continued to eat, not sure whether or not she liked this kind of atmosphere.
If it were her acting and Shisui being in love with that act, it would just be this cutesy kind of atmosphere. Not her thing.
"I find it fun." Shisui honestly said. He always found it strange that she was so nice, and he wondered if she ever had a bone to joke with in her when she was acting as that. "It's refreshing to see a new you."
"For you, maybe, but for me, this is how I've always been. Having to stick it up and act all nice and happy all the time, it's a little tiring. But for business, I've got to do it." Koharu finished off her food. "So, what exactly are you doing here anyway? Don't you hate me by now?"
"I don't hate you." Shisui shook his head, "If anything…I," He laughed a little, "probably still like you. But, I also pity you."
"So, why do you pity me?" Koharu was interested in what he had to say. It wasn't every day that someone who was previously interested, came back and talked to her comfortably, least of all say they pitied her.
"Itachi told me about you." Shisui said after a light intermission. He had told him everything that he had known about her, what he had researched about her when Shisui asked after he got kicked out of Koharu's home the other night.
He watched her eyes widen, as if she realised exactly what Itachi had told him.
"So, that means you know, huh." Koharu tapped her fingers once against the table. "Well, no matter. It's not like it was supposed to be a huge secret anyway."
She paused, then narrowed her eyes slightly at the Uchiha, a single brow raising, "Don't tell me that because Itachi told you about me, you have a more open mind and am now tackling this without any problems like you did before?"
Shisui laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I guess you could say that."
Koharu shook her head, "You're seriously something else. I'm seriously starting to wonder if you're really just a huge M."
Shisui blushed lightly, but it didn't seem to be from her words. "Well, it's because I like you so much that I'm making an effort, you know?"
Koharu's lips parted in surprise. She tried to form some words, but nothing came out. She covered her eyes with a hand as she looked away, shaking her head.
"You're seriously something else if you're confessing to me right now! You're so persistent!" Koharu slapped the hand covering her face to the table gently.
"That's because I like you." He grinned at her.
Koharu sighed with defeat, laying down onto her arms on the table, to try and hide her light blush.
She didn't hate Shisui but she was sure that he would back off after finding that she wasn't what he expected. But, he came back and she has no idea how to deal with him, nor the bottled up feelings that she had. Plus, it wasn't everyday someone just up and confessed to her so easily.
"So, I want to hear your answer." Shisui placed a hand to the back of her head. "If you're being truthful with me right now, I want to hear it."
Koharu hummed with light content when he rubbed her head; it made her feel sleepy. He stifled a laugh.
"If you really want to hear my answer," Koharu thought of she was going to do. Her mission was to assassinate Shisui, but she had other plans. The first step had already been achieved just before. The woman lifted herself up to face Shisui, "Come to the training grounds and I'll tell you my answer there."
"The training grounds?"
"Yeah. We'll meet when I finish work." Koharu saw the look on Shisui's face change just slightly. He was deliberating over something.
"Alright." He nodded. "I have something to do after, so it can't be too long."
"Relax, it won't take too long." She rolled her eyes.
Shisui relaxed his shoulders and finished off his meal. "Thanks for not putting on an act today." He gave her one of his wonderful smiles that made her skip a breath.
"Why are you suddenly…?"
"I think I like you even more now." If his smile could become wider, it did. "It's fun to talk like this."
"You're not embarrassed at all, are you?" Koharu deadpanned. Shisui was definitely a strange one, one that she'd never encountered before. But, that made him all the more interesting to her, maybe more so than before. "I wonder how long you can keep this up."
"I'll do it for however long it takes for you to like me back." Shisui declared.
"I don't know if you're idiotic or if you're just really annoyingly persistent." Koharu laughed lightly at how he sounded so childish. She stood up and put the rubbish into the bin.
"I should get back to work. I'll see you after work, then." The Uchiha waved at her with a huge grin on his face, already by the door.
"I guess I'll see you later, then." Koharu couldn't help but match his grin. He had made her gloomy day a lot better, and she was thankful for that. She waved at him as he left.
He sure is persistent, the guy, the thought made her laugh. He was certainly trying really hard, and she didn't dislike it.
Of course, even though she wasn't acting now, she was still as fond of Shisui as before.
Oh, who am I kidding…she wanted to laugh bitterly at herself for denying it the whole time.
She shook her head to herself and cleaned up the table, preoccupying herself with the plan of action on that day.
Sorry, Shisui. But business comes first.
Koharu wondered if she was a bit too happy. It was a relief that she didn't need to put up an act for Shisui, and they were meeting soon, but the plan she had in mind was something a little dangerous.
She pulled her hair up into a tight bun as she closed shop.
She took a good look around the store, smiling contently. Then, she went over to the roses and clipped one off, making sure to take off the thorns. She dipped half the stem of it in a clear liquid that she had by the counter.
She made sure to close up and head to the training grounds, hoping he wasn't waiting for her. If she got there first, the better.
While she headed to the grounds, she wondered if it would be easy to fight in her current attire of a dress and flats. She did have weapons on her, but they were small and buckled to her thighs.
I guess this is for the better, she thought, staring at the red rose. She twirled it back and forth between her fingers.
Shisui is planning to do the coup thing tonight to get them to overturn their decision. I'm almost 100% certain that Danzo picked this day so that I can get rid of Shisui.
Hm…I'm also certain that Danzo will be watching. He definitely has the ROOTs monitoring me, and I'm sure he won't just sit back. After all, he's planning on stopping Shisui by himself, I believe. Well, there's only a 70% chance of that. But I think he'll come, knowing he can't trust me anymore.
Koharu didn't mind thinking and making plans on what to do, but it tired her out that she had to think about Danzo a lot. He was already a pain in the ass, what could she do about it?
She sighed, picking a petal off the rose and staring at it.
When it's off its stem it can't grow anymore. No thorns, no petals…it just withers.
"Why the sigh?" Shisui popped up in front of her, but she didn't flinch at all. She merely slapped the petal onto his forehead.
"Good evening to you too, Shisui." She smiled at him.
He blinked a couple of times, wondering what she did, and took the petal off his forehead. He wasn't sure whether or not he was handing it back to her, so he just kept it in his hand.
"Good evening." His lips formed into a smile. "So, your answer?"
"So impatient, Shisui." She laughed lightly and played around with the petals of the rose a little, then she went to playing with the end of the stem. "What do you think the rose symbolises?"
Shisui raised a brow.
Is she being cryptic again? He wondered. He didn't really know the actual meaning but he did hear from a few other Uchiha that in the language of flowers, it had something to do with love. That's why he kept getting them for his parents.
"If I could take a picture of your confused face right now that would be great," She chuckled, "It's just as you're thinking right now."
"Oh." Shisui made an 'o' with his lips. "Wait—"
"If I had 12 roses that might be a better thing in this situation. Because, that means 'I love you', or 'be mine'." Koharu cut him off with an almost apologetic smile.
Shisui's expression fell just slightly, but for some odd reason, there was still a spark in them.
"So what does one rose mean?" He pointed to the one that was currently in Koharu's hands.
She looked at the rose in her hands, and then at the end of the stem. She was currently sharpening it into a sharp tip.
"Well, one rose can actually mean several things. Like love and longing, but that's just a generalisation." She covered the bottom part of the stem and put it to Shisui's nose, where he got a whiff of the fragrance. "Incidentally, single roses can also be used to symbolise 'I love you' as well, or something along the lines of that."
She was being a bit vague, but that was only because she was trying to sense if other ANBU were close by. She saw Shisui shift a little.
So, he felt it too, huh, Koharu realised when his eyes moved just slightly to the side, so slightly that if she blinked, she wouldn't have caught it. But, she did. They're making their presence low but that won't fool me.
Shisui's attention was still on her, even though he felt the presence of someone else.
"Does that mean—" There was some sort of shock in his voice, and a hopefulness in it that made Koharu want to just hug him.
He wasn't a bad guy and he took care of her really well; in fact, he was probably the most perfect match for her.
Koharu just smiled at him, but didn't answer. Instead, she infused some chakra into the flower and threw it into the trees, where she heard a cry of pain.
"Sorry, but I think we'll need to continue another time." Koharu turned to where the eavesdropper had dropped. She started walking over to them, seeing the flower lodged straight in their heart.
RIP, some random ANBU, she knelt down and pulled the rose out of him, seeing him twitch uncontrollably, then still.
"What did you do to him?" Shisui's brows creased and he activated his sharingan.
"I killed him, obviously. The rose was poisoned." She answered nonchalantly. "Danzo probably sent him and a few others to come monitor me and you."
"Huh?" Shisui grabbed Koharu by the waist and jumped up into a tree, holding her close so that she wouldn't fall.
"Uh, I can take care of myself thank you very much." She put the rose in his face, "Also, it was just the tip that was poisoned so don't worry about it. And also, didn't you have something to do after this—"
"Change of plans." He responded quickly.
Shisui kept moving, using that ultra-fast speed of his that he became famous for.
"Ah, they're still following us. Should we just face them head on?" The female ROOT questioned the ANBU. She saw two ROOTs that were following their trail.
Shisui didn't respond. He was busy thinking of the current situation at hand, and thinking of how he was going to do it. He didn't want Koharu to come to any danger, even if she could protect herself. But at the moment, it would be hard to, considering ROOT ANBU were after them, and not just one. If there were two already, then there would be more. Which means to say that Danzo was out to kill them both.
"Well, they certainly showed themselves early." Koharu mused with a light hearted laugh. She patted Shisui on the back, "Hey, let me down, I want to talk to them."
"What? No! They'll just kill you if you do!"
"Yeah, but, it'll give you time to run, right?"
"What—"
Is she planning on dying?!
Shisui jumped to another tree branch and soon he was out in the open. He jumped to the middle and Koharu jumped out of his arms, landing on the ground. She knelt down on it, pressing her fingers to figure out how many were coming after them.
"The two that were following us stopped." Koharu's brows creased and she looked to the side, "And there's someone coming this way. It's that old man that I want to punch in the face." She scowled.
Shisui turned to match her, a scowl also falling onto his lips.
"I take it that you're not going to go through with the mission, Koharu?" Danzo stabbed his cane into the ground each time he walked.
"What do you mean? I'm going to get that mission over and done with today." She responded to him. She winced slightly, narrowing her eyes when she felt her stomach churn and her vision go slightly hazy. "I still have time."
Danzo stopped about 5 metres away from them. He just watched Koharu, then Shisui.
And, his lips curled into a smile. "You certainly do."
"So why are you here?" Koharu questioned. Her leg and finger twitched, almost like a minor spasm.
"I'm here to collect what I need to, and dispose what I need to."
"Hah, I thought so." Koharu chuckled, hiding the sudden pain that was cursing through her body. "And just how are you going to do that?" She hid her twitching hand behind her body.
"Countermeasures have already been made." The minute Danzo spoke those words, Koharu knew.
"You…" She growled lowly at him, "When did you…?"
"Just today, when you went to meet Shisui."
Shisui looked to her twitching hand, brows creasing. It wasn't happening before, so what was the problem now?
"Sugaru...where is he?" Koharu hissed. She reached under her dress, touching and instilling each of the weapons she had concealed under there, with chakra. She shakily put her hands together, her breathing becoming laboured the longer it dragged on.
Shit…how careless of me to get poisoned like this. When? Koharu thought hard, then realised that Sugaru, a ninja part of the Aburame bug clan, had come to pay her a visit and remind her of her mission today.
I didn't even realise!
It was at this point that Danzo charged forward. Shisui grabbed Koharu by the arm and pulled her aside, throwing her away from him as he grabbed Danzo's arm and forced him away, starting a fight that only the elite could follow.
Koharu pulled herself up, wincing greatly at the sinking feeling of poison in her veins.
Shit…is this poison a quick acting one? Then, I've got to quickly—
She ripped the weapons away from her thigh buckle, wincing when she accidently scraped herself with them. They weren't poisoned, but they were sharp.
She put her hands together shakily and took a few deep breaths to try and calm her elevating heartrate, and to control whatever chakra she could. She put together hand signs, but they were slower than normal—an effect of the poison, and let the weapons fly towards their target.
"Shisui, get out of the way." Koharu shouted loud enough for him to hear. Even her voice had greatly weakened, but she fought through, her nails digging into her skin to keep her hands together, to keep the weapons in the air.
It was a jutsu that she had learnt to use from her father. It wasn't something she used often because of the strain of chakra, but right now, it was her plan.
Shisui jumped back when he saw the weapons, and Danzo pulled back to defend himself, dodging them when it rained down on him.
"Not quite…!" The girl stomped her foot on the ground to stand up, forcing the weapons to follow after Danzo, wherever he may be.
Doing anything but running away, the elder ran to her.
It was then that Shisui came to her, about to bring her away, but she knew better. She pushed him away with as much force as she could, and let Danzo come to her, letting him grab her by the throat tightly, choking her. Her hands came undone as she put them around his hands, trying to release his grip of her.
"KOHARU!" Shisui skidded to a halt.
"You're persistent." Danzo muttered to the girl. He got out a kunai, but his single eye widened when he felt a searing pain through his right arm and leg, and then pain through the arm and hand of the arm he was using. "You—"
He saw her hands together in the same signage as before. She was just making a show out of trying to stop him from choking her, however, she had other plans.
She coughed harshly when she hit the ground, wheezing. However, even if her vision was fading and her body wasn't properly listening to her, she persisted. She wasn't going to go down without a fight.
"I…severely damaged…your ligaments…and tendons…" Koharu panted, "If…you move them anymore…you won't be able…to use it…again…" She gritted her teeth together and used the last of her chakra to move the few senbon that stuck inside Danzo's body deeper, trying to twist them and cause permanent damage.
Danzo collapsed onto his good knee, a scream coming from his lips when he crumbled.
Koharu's vision wavered, slipping in and out of consciousness. She couldn't hold her hands together anymore, and she fell to her side, releasing her hold of weapons.
Shisui caught her before she fell and checked if she was breathing. "Hey, Koharu, stay awake here, you got that?"
Koharu didn't really respond to him and her eyes closed. Her body felt like it was on fire, her insides felt like they were getting blended in a mixer. She breathed heavily in his arms.
He put her down slowly, seeing Danzo get up, pulling the weapons out of him. "That took a while to work." He pushed himself off the ground. He stood on his good leg, making sure that he didn't use the other due to the damage caused to them.
"Shisui…run…" Koharu managed to say between ragged breaths. "He wants…you dead…coup…no trust…"
"She's as good as dead." Danzo raised his affected arm and a group of ROOT ANBU jumped out from the forest, having been there observing the fight.
Shisui narrowed his eyes at them as they came charging at him. But, while he did that, it was only a distraction for Danzo to make his move and come up from behind, taking his right eye when Shisui just realised he did so.
The Uchiha shouted out in pain, covering his eye as pain struck his eye area.
"That's one down." Danzo spoke. He winced when he moved slightly forward; the aftereffects of Koharu puncturing certain points in his body.
I can't let this happen…! Shisui glanced to where Koharu lay. She was still breathing, but her face had gone pale.
He knew that Danzo was currently after him, now that Koharu was incapacitated. He clenched his molars together and threw down a smoke bomb, hurriedly taking Koharu with him as he fled.
Shisui's vision wavered when he looked at Koharu, who he had put on the ground. They had reached the cliff where Itachi and he normally went to. Itachi was there too; having helped them out just before to escape ROOT.
How is she able to hold on so much? Shisui wondered, standing up.
Just after they had left the scene beneath the shield of the smoke bomb, the ROOT had come after them, attacking Shisui left and right. Of course he had trouble protecting both Koharu and himself, but Koharu had forced herself to come awake, and with great resilience, she managed to take down a few of them via the leftover weapons she still had, even though she coughed up and cried blood.
It amazed him that she was still trying to stay conscious, even though he knew that she would be in incredible pain while doing so.
After that, Itachi took care of the rest of them, having come back early from a mission based on a bad feeling. He was the one who brought both Shisui and Koharu there, supporting the both of them.
"Itachi…thanks…" Koharu croaked out, voice hoarse. She wheezed with difficulty, her hand coming to her chest to grip it, but she just couldn't, and turned to her side instead. She could barely see anything anymore, just dark outlines with an orange background. She thought she started hearing things, too.
Itachi leaned down to her, checking her pulse. He wasn't sure how long she would last.
"Shisui…" Koharu spoke his name weakly, the opposite of each time she called him with a happy smile.
Shisui leaned down, still stable, even after he had inhaled some poison gas and gotten bitten by Aburame's bugs. He had yet to lose his vision or control of his body.
"Koharu."
"I'm…sorry, I'm…sorry…" She repeated. She reached out her arm to him, but couldn't find him. Her senses were all a mess.
Shisui noticed what she was doing and took her hand to hold it, just like he always did when they were back in the flower shop.
I have so much to say, but I can't say it all. I anticipated this to happen but—
"You don't need to say anything. I know." Shisui was smiling; more like, he was forcing a smile on his face while his only eye glistened with tears.
Itachi stood up and took a few steps away, letting them have their space. He wasn't sure if he was right in giving Shisui the information that he had on Koharu, but it seemed to work out for the better in the end.
Not that the ending's a happy one, he found himself thinking.
Koharu used her other arm, moving it with all her might, to where she placed the rose. She had put it into her bun so that it wouldn't get lost so easily, and took it out with a pained expression. She held it, but it shook violently in her hand.
"Shisui…here…" She gave it to him.
With a puzzled look, he took it.
"I'm going…to give you…that…so…we're even…now…okay?" She forced herself to smile, even when it hurt and her eyes bled.
Shisui's only eye widened when he remembered that he had given her a rose on their date to the festival. Back then, he gave it to her because he felt that he should convey his feelings in the form of something that she was familiar with.
"Koharu…I," Shisui's lips barely whispered her name. The conversation earlier with her before they were interrupted by the ANBU went through his mind, and he felt his chest clench tightly in realisation to the meaning of what she was trying to convey.
Her hand moved from his hand and followed up his arm, until it came to his face. Her touch was like a feather, so gentle, so light, as if she was trying to figure out where something was.
She wanted to laugh, because the moment was too serious, but it was too painful to. Instead, she gently tapped the back of Shisui's neck as a motion for him to come forward, in which he did. "If…the outcome…was different…I'd have been…happy."
She pulled Shisui closer and pushed herself slightly off the ground, arm around him. Her lips brushed against his; a fleeting moment that seemed to have lasted forever.
"See…you…Shisui…" Koharu let her weight fall on the Uchiha. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, and she couldn't keep herself conscious any longer.
"Koharu?" Shisui whispered her name. Her body was still warm, but the heat was slowly fading, and her heartrate was slowing at a rapid pace, too. "Koharu? Koharu!"
He said her name several times, but none of them reached her.
Shisui held her body for a few more moments, letting the tears freely fall. Then, after a moment, he put her down and situated the rose behind her ear, and stood up, wiped his tears, and faced Itachi.
"I…don't have much longer to live, either." Shisui confessed. "I got bitten by the same bug that Koharu got done in by, and I inhaled that poison gas."
Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly as Shisui continued to talk, about the coup, about his plan, how it failed, and what he was going to do now.
"He'll probably come after my left eye, too," Then, Shisui took out his last remaining eye, "Before that happens, I want you to have it."
Itachi was speechless. But, he knead his chakra and a crow came from the sky, stopping at Shisui's hand. Shisui's eye united with the crow's one, and the avian left with an almost humanistic nod.
"There is one more thing that I want to give you." Shisui turned his back to Itachi. "The Mangekyou Sharingan."
At this words, Itachi had a bad feeling. Heck, he had a bad feeling about the whole situation since Danzo interfered.
"Kill me, Itachi."
Itachi didn't say anything, but his mind screamed for Shisui to reconsider.
"I told you, didn't I? I've got poison in me. I doubt I'd last any longer anyway. It's better to die giving you a new power." Shisui turned back around and went to where Koharu's body was, picking her up and going back to where he stood before, his back to him.
Itachi hesitantly took shaky steps forward, hot tears coming down his cheeks. However, he held back his sobs.
"Itachi. I'm glad to have met you." Shisui spoke his words genuinely, a smile on his face, "I leave the rest to you."
Itachi's fingers pressed into Shisui's back, and with whatever strength he could muster, pushed him off the cliff and into the raging waters below.
Shisui felt the cold wind bruise his skin. It almost felt like he was free of his burdens, except he wished that everything could have ended a different way—a happier way.
He could almost feel Itachi's sadness from up where the cliff was. He knew that by leaving before he did, that would mean that Itachi would have to shoulder all the burden by himself. But, he knew Itachi could do it.
As for Koharu, he held her close for his impending death. The rose that he had put behind her ear had started to lose its petals, letting them fall the opposite of them until there were no petals left.
With no thorns, no petals…it is only but a withered rose.