Chapter 8: Death is Nobody's Friend
Disclaimer: No matter how hard I wish, I will never own Naruto or the others, they belong to Kishimoto. I only own Kai and my little OC village.
Author's Note: This chapter is very short, and it's also very sad. Or maybe that's just my opinion, I don't know, let me know what you guys think! R&R please!
She had yet to move from her spot. It had been almost three hours and Konan could tell that the woman was in pain and tired, but she knew that she wasn't going to move. At least she'd stopped shaking finally. And her sobs had quieted down too. She'd cried so much that she could've possibly washed all the blood off his body. She wasn't only crying for him though. She was also crying for the loss of her other friend. Of Deidara. Deidara and Itachi.
It had been a sad thing for Konan to have to watch as Kai tried again and again to bring back the elder Uchiha, but there was a sheer significant difference from reanimating a puppet versus reanimating an actual human being. And it had been just as sad to watch her break down over the realization that Deidara was never coming back too. And for nothing. His target did not die with him. Instead his target ran off and killed Itachi.
She'd saved so many of them, so many times, but these two she just didn't get to fast enough and it was eating away at her heart. She hadn't even known that Deidara had gone off with Tobi to fight Sasuke. And Itachi, he slipped away from her in the middle of the night. She didn't get the chance to say goodbye to either of them.
Konan had first found her this way when she'd come back to lair when Pein took over her fight against Jiraiya. She'd tried comforting the girl to the best of her abilities, but Konan hadn't comforted someone in so long that she barely knew how anymore. So eventually she'd given up and resulted to watching pitifully in the background. Maybe she should try talking to her again. Nah, she probably didn't have much of a voice left after all the crying she'd done. Still, Konan wanted to do something for her.
She remembered when Kai was first brought to the Akatsuki, on the outside she merely smirked at the girl but on the inside she was truly happy. Sure she had Pein, but it was nice to finally have another female companion around. Konan stood from her chair and slowly walked up behind the girl. She stopped when she was only mere inches away from her and then stared. What next? She shrugged to herself and then timidly wrapped her arms around the woman. It elicited a whole new round of sobs.
"Konan." She cried. "What the hell is wrong with me? Why couldn't I save them? Deidara, he didn't have to die like that. I was so selfish. And Itachi, for God's sake! He saved my life, and I couldn't even do the same for him when he needed me!" Well at least, she'd opened up a bit. Konan hugged her a little tighter. She didn't know what to say. She didn't speak much and when she did it sure wasn't words like 'Shh, don't cry, everything's gonna be okay.' She'd steeled her heart years ago.
"Kai, I-I don't know what to say about Deidara, but as for Itachi. He's happier this way." He was wasn't he?
"But I-he." More sobbing. Konan nuzzled her head into the other girl's back and let her eyes drift shut. She imagined that if Yahiko was still around, or if Nagato could still move, and if she was upset or if one of them was upset, this is what they would do for each other, so that's what she did for Kai and she continued to squeeze and nuzzle until finally the girl stopped crying for good. Konan wasn't sure how long that took, but it didn't matter. She was perfectly content with her objective of making someone else feel better.
XXX
Sasuke had never hated himself more than right now. After waking up in this dark room, and having to sit there and listen to this story about a man that he killed. A man that he thought was evil. A man who turned out to be his greatest hero. He'd smothered that boy too soon. That boy was trying to warn him. Trying to protect him from making the biggest mistake of his life. He couldn't shake the image of Itachi walking to him, with that hand extended. Poking his forward. His last words. That smile. That scream. The way he'd collapsed into the wall and finally down to the concrete where he lay motionless. Dead.
His insides were churning and he felt an overbearing need to throw up. To cleanse his mind. To just rewind time and pretend like it never happened. Oh how he just wanted to be seven years old again. Madara Uchiha had left him here, in this hell hole to wallow in his pain and misery alone. So why did he feel the presence of another person? Why did he feel the warm embrace of another human being? He opened his eyes and saw red. The familial red hair of Karin, who was kneeling in between his legs with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
Why was she coming to him? Why was she here? Why was she always there when he was alone? Cooing in his ear. Stroking his hair. Telling him that it was okay to cry. That she understood his pain. Normally he would've pushed her away. Told her that she was crazy. Denied his tears. But none of that would happen this time. She wasn't stupid and she could see how much pain he was in. They both knew how badly he was just dying for someone to hold him right now, for Itachi to hug him and give him that same smile. So he accepted her hug in place of the one he couldn't have. He wrapped his own arms around her waist and let his tears bear down on her shoulder and in her hair relentlessly.
His body was racked with so much emotion. So much hurt. So much want. And a new emotion that was slowly swelling up to the top. Hatred. Towards the people who'd turned his brother into his enemy. "It's okay Sasuke." Karin whispered. But it wasn't okay. Konohagakure was thriving. Happily living out their lives, while he was left alone again. The elders. They'd gone on their merry ways and just-just let Itachi live his life as a traitor. They let people shame him as if he was a monster. They'd let him think his brother was a monster.
"Karin." He hissed shakily. Karin pulled away from him gently. His hair was covering his face as he stared with crazed eyes down at the ground. "I'm changing my plans. You don't have to come with me, if you don't want to, but I'm going to Konoha. I will destroy Konoha."
She could hear it. She could the emotions mixing around in his voice. It almost scared her a little, but she wasn't going to let that push her away. He needed her right now. He needed a friend. He needed someone to pick him back up. She would be that person for as long as he wanted her to. She hugged him again, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck.
"I won't leave you Sasuke. Your mission is my mission." She told him. He glanced at her from his peripheral. She truly was devoted to him. Itachi would have liked her.
XXX
After they'd failed to find Kai, or Sasuke, they'd all returned to the Leaf. With the news of Itachi's death hanging over their heads it brought about many emotions. Sakura, along with many others, were hoping that it would finally be over now. Itachi was dead. What left was there? Naruto however, Naruto was being overcome by a whole other emotion. He'd remembered Tsunade's words. The little old frog. Jiraiya was dead. He'd gone off to find out more information about the Akatsuki leader and he died in the process.
And where was Naruto? Chasing after one of those Akatsuki. It was the second time they'd killed someone important to him, but this time. This death, was so much more important. For crying out loud, it was Jiraiya. His mentor. His teacher. The man who'd taken him under his wing. The man who'd taught him so much and still had so much more to teach him. Why? Why did this keep happening to him? Why did he keep losing everyone he loved? He couldn't take this. He couldn't take this much pain. It was tiring. It was killing him, literally killing him.
Here he sat, on this bench, with this twin Popsicle in hand. It was just melting. He didn't have anyone to share it with anymore. He'd never had a father or mother to share it with. And now that Jiraiya was gone, there was no one else. Even now he could feel it slipping from his grasp. Slipping and then appearing in front of him. He brought his gaze up and came face to face with Iruka. His first sensei. The first man who'd taught him something worthwhile.
And he was handing him, the other half of the sicle. "Iruka sensei?" he muttered. He could feel his eyes well up with more tears. That annoying ache in his heart started all over again and then the water just started pouring. He took the ice cream with a shaky hand but he couldn't stop the tears. They were streaming, absolutely free falling. Iruka sat on the bench next to him and placed a meaningful hand on his back. How had he forgotten about this?
How had he forgotten about this man who had always been there for him? "Naruto." He said with comfort in his voice. "It hurts now, and it's gonna hurt for a while, but things will get better. I can't tell you that it'll happen tomorrow, or even the day after, but soon. I promise you that. And until it does, I'm always gonna be here for you. And even after it does, I'll still be here."
It was so easy for Naruto to find some form of hope and comfort in Iruka sensei. Maybe that was because they were the same person. They had always been the same person. So he let himself lean his head on the shoulder of his sensei. He let his eyes drift shut and he let himself think of all the good times he'd had with Jiraiya. The memories. The laughter. It was all there. He would never forget any of it. And that was what was really important right? Now that he was gone, it was important for him to remember his legacy. The legacy of the sennin. The legacy of the man who found Naruto so worth it that it spent two years of his life training this hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja. It felt good, to be worth it.