I apologize for this being as short as it is, but trust me that this was a good place to stop. I will work on the next part for a few days and hopefully have it up soon. Thanks

I was aware that time had passed, although I couldn't tell you how much. With wave after wave of grief hitting my body, it could've been weeks and I wouldn't have known. Neither would I have cared. I was aware of Kouji's presence in the room the entire time. I could feel it, pulsing around me; but not with life. No, instead I felt the aura of death. And it closed in on me from all sides. It suffocated me, and yet I stayed. The longer I stayed, the more I felt despair take hold of me. My head snapped up as I felt another's chakra enter the room. Cold sharingan greeted me and when they took in my current state, they narrowed. His cold stare froze whatever was left inside of me and I rose slowly to my feet. Mechanically I stood and walked out past him, almost brushing his shoulder.

The light breeze carried the stench of rot towards my nostrils once more but this time, I didn't react. I scanned the courtyard one more time, whether to convince myself all of this was real or for some sort of sick confirmation that everyone really was dead. My ears suddenly caught the faint cry of a babe. My eyes widened. I ran towards the sound, hoping to God that it had just been my imagination. I threw open the front door to the house which was the source of the noise. I could taste the metallic tang of blood on my tongue as I stepped over the threshold. My hand came up to cover my nose and mouth, there was blood everywhere. It had dried to a dull brown in some spots on the walls and floor. But where it had pooled beneath victims, it still shone a deep crimson. Nimbly weaving my way through the bodies, I reached the back of the house and entered a nursery.

Immediately, memories began to flood my mind. They came at me with such a force that I was sent to my hands and knees again. In a doctor's office, less than a year ago, they began.

I sat on the exam table. A grin was playing at the corners of my mouth and when I looked up I could see Kouji trying, and failing, to hide his as well. The doctor walked back in with papers and gave us an encouraging smile. "Well," she said, "it's official. You two are-"

Another memory interrupted the first. I clutched my head, wanting them to stop.

I was a month and a half away. My belly seemed to be growing bigger every morning that I woke up. Kouji was everything I could've hoped for and more. We were hopelessly in love. With our first child on the way, we were ecstatic. This was the greatest time of our lives.

A week later and something was going horribly wrong. Kouji was out on a mission and my stomach started hurting. I was confused; the baby shouldn't be here for another five weeks. As excruciating pain radiated through my abdomen I managed to stumble out my front door and down the street. Clutching my stomach, I pounded on our neighbor's door. She opened quickly, peering out to see what the commotion was. I gasped out a "Please" as I collapsed. She hooked her arms underneath my shoulders and pulled me inside. I screamed in agony as another wave hit me. My baby was dying. I could feel it. I started to weep as the knowledge sunk in. I was going to have a miscarriage.

Kouji had his arm around me and both of us wept openly. The small box was lowered into the ground. The gravediggers started shoveling the dirt back in and as each mound of earth hit the tiny coffin; I died a little bit more inside.

As the memories finally stopped, I was able to stand again. I walked to the crib and peered in. The baby inside was near dead. I stared, amazed that the child had managed to survive this long. Blood slowly seeped out of wounds and the infant lay in its own feces and urine. When it looked at me, I did the only thing I could. I put it out of its misery. I couldn't have saved the child, there were far too many wounds and they were beyond infection. It looked like blood poisoning. I walked slowly back to where Itachi and Kisame were. They stood at the gates, waiting for me. I glanced back at the dead behind me. Some wept as they searched for their loved ones; other simply stared at their bodies, forever stripped of their ability to breathe. Pushing down the remainder of my emotions I faced forwards and walked out as Itachi set the compound ablaze with his fire jutsu.

I felt the flames licking at my back but made no move to avoid them. If I caught on fire, who would really care. At this point, it almost seemed fitting that I would die. With a sharp glance back at me from Itachi, I sighed and stepped away from the inferno. I drudged on behind the partners and behind me I could feel Kouji, still following. Part of me wished he would stay but most of me wished he would leave. How had things changed so much? We used to be happy. I mulled over everything silently as we travelled and when we finally stopped after nightfall to make camp, I knew that I wouldn't be sleeping tonight. My dead husband would most assuredly want to talk. Something I was not looking forward to in the least.