Night Rain, Red Flowers

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything!

Chapter Two

Kikyo panted heavily as she sprinted down the burning halls of the once grand Higurashi compound. As she neared the doors to her old room, a large support beam began to creak and groan mere seconds before it started to fall upon Kikyo. The young woman did not pay any attention to the danger about her, however before the beam could crush her it was blocked with a sheathed blade. Finally taking note of her surroundings, Kikyo was drawn out of her desperate thoughts to see the blade that was thrust inches away from her nose. Kikyo's eyes followed the path of the sheathed weapon to see that it belonged to none other than Itachi Uchiha. He was the last person that Kikyo expected to see at the moment.

Itachi frowned at Kikyo. She was supposed to have left the compound along with the rest of her relatives and her future in-laws. "What are you doing here?" Itachi asked as he cast the burning piece of wood aside and stepped toward Kikyo, all the while remaining alert to any danger.

Kikyo began to internally panic as she tried to find a reason that justified endangering her own life. Itachi watched her face carefully; she was to be his wife, but she was a mere stranger to him. If she proved to be a threat to him or his family, Itachi would not hesitate to cut her down.

Kikyo tensed a bit more when Itachi stepped closer, this time in a more threatening manner. "I-I only came here to retrieve something…" Kikyo managed to say, though her voice was slightly shaky with nerves.

Itachi scrutinized Kikyo before he began to ask another question. "What is so important to you that you would risk your life to reclaim it?"

Kikyo only hesitated a moment before she answered. "A hairpin." Itachi stepped closer to Kikyo, he knew that she was not a supercilious woman, so she was obviously lying about her intentions. 'What is she hiding…?' Itachi thought as he began to unsheathe his sword with his right hand.

Kikyo nearly flinched at the cold look in Itachi's eyes before she steeled herself and stepped closer to him. "It belonged to my deceased mother." Kikyo stated as she defiantly met Itachi's eyes, which was not hard to do considering the fact that the two drew closer to one another until they were barely touching.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly when he heard Kikyo's explanation, yet he quickly crushed any sympathy he might have felt for her. 'She could be trying to manipulate my emotions…' Itachi thought as he shook off Kikyo's words. "How do know that you are not lying?" Itachi asked as he fully unsheathed his sword, bringing the blade up toward Kikyo.

The young woman who was applauded for her polite manners and docile nature did something that she had not done in a long time. She lost her temper. "How dare you! I would never lie about something as significant as the death of my mother!" Kikyo shouted as she grabbed Itachi's sword and placed it directly over her heart. "If you do not believe me, then you may kill me. I would rather die than dishonor my mother by lying about her death!"

Itachi met Kikyo's eyes and noting that her countenance showed nothing but steely determination; Itachi sheathed his sword and stepped back from Kikyo. Itachi determined that she was telling the truth. Despite his earlier suspicions and expectations, it appeared that most Higurashi clan members were full of surprises. "Hurry, the building is not going to remain standing for very long." Itachi said, drawing Kikyo's attention to their surroundings.

The young woman was surprised that Itachi had suddenly stopped his interrogation and was now allowing her to recover her late mother's heirloom, 'and an old fan…' Kikyo added silently as she ran into what remained of her room and frantically began to search for an incriminating item that she had hidden among the many trinkets that her father brought back for her when he was still an Inuzuka general.

Itachi kept watch outside the doorway when he spotted a dark figure slinking through the fire of the Higurashi compound.

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"Souta!" Kagome shouted as she frantically ran around the empty halls of the male rooms on the outer edge of the Higurashi home. The rebels were attacking the front and the sides of the grand home and so far had not reached the inner homes of the Higurashi clan members. Kagome and Souta had gotten separated in the chaos of the fire. Many of Kagome's relatives and the family servants desperately tried to escape the large, all-consuming fire. Fortunately, Fugaku and his immediate family were the only members of the Uchiha clan present during the rebellion. The rest were a mere hour's travel away from the Higurashi home.

Makoto stayed behind, along with Fugaku, to direct the panicked people who crowded around the burning entrance to the Higurashi home and the capitol city. The dense crowds were slowly being let out, but when Kagome had not been able to find her brother, she refused to leave with the rest of her family and began to look for her brother in the ruined and crumbling manor. Makoto pleaded with Sasuke to follow the girl and protect her. He reluctantly obeyed her wishes and followed the young Higurashi girl.

"He is not here." Sasuke stated bluntly when five minutes had passed with Kagome finding no sign of her lost sibling. Kagome merely ignored him and began to call Souta's name more frantically.

"It is useless to look for him here." Sasuke said more firmly as he grabbed Kagome by her shoulders and turned her toward him. Kagome did not pay any attention to his words; she was too worried and panicked to listen to any reason.

Sasuke frowned in frustration when the stubborn girl shrugged off his hands and began to search for Souta. "Hey," Sasuke began as he drew closer to Kagome, vaguely catching her attention. "I said that it is useless to look for him here!" He said irritably. He then roughly flicked Kagome in the forehead.

The shock Kagome felt at the action was enough to snap her out of her stupor. "What was that for?" Kagome asked as she rubbed her forehead, Sasuke was none too gentle in his anger.

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. 'Did she even hear anything that I've been saying!?' He thought in aggravation.

Kagome blinked in surprise when Sasuke decided to abandon diplomacy and just grabbed her hand, dragging her off in a new direction to look for Souta. "Hey! Wait, you don't even know where you're going!" Kagome shouted as she tried to escape Sasuke's grasp, though it was futile because Sasuke had been trained almost as extensively as his elder brother in combat. Kagome eventually gave up struggling, though she still loudly complained. The young Uchiha did not bother to listen to her protests as he continued to walk in the direction that he hoped the girl's brother would be in.

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"Get everyone out of here now!" Hachiro ordered. He was currently at outer building of the Higurashi manor, helping his in-laws escape the large building where everyone was gathered to attend the engagement feast of Kikyo and Itachi. Though the jovial mood was ruined with the Higurashi clan under attack and the large front gates, which had previously protected the clan, completely demolished. Untamed fire that originated at the grand wooden gates made its way toward the nearest buildings, growing larger and more dangerous. It also did not help that the dissidents were throwing oil soaked cloth everywhere they encountered a wooden structure, even the tamed forest land within the clan compound was not spared the destruction of fire.

As a former general himself, Hachiro had to grudgingly admit that the dissidents were well organized in their attack. They had used the elements of stealth and surprise to their advantage with the bombing of the Higurashi home and the use of guerilla tactics in the light forest area inside and outside the walls of the manor. The large clan home seemed to be the target of this rebellion, yet the dissidents had no qualms attacking the neighborhood surrounding the Higurashi manor.

"Lord Hachiro," Hachiro turned at the sound of his name to see a young Inuzuka guard. "Half of the stationary gate guards have escorted your clansmen outside the manor. The other half is now retaliating against the rebels."

Hachiro ordered the young man back to his station before he began to join in on the battle that was just begging to reach its climax.

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"Reveal yourself. Now." Itachi ordered the shadowed figure as it stopped at the end of the corridor leading to Kikyo's room. The blazing heat and smoke in the hall made it very difficult to determine the identity of the suspicious figure. Itachi silently unsheathed his weapon when the shadow stood at the end of the hall and refused to move. 'I need to end this quickly…' Itachi thought in determination. The fire was growing ever hotter and wreaking as much havoc as the dissidents who had started the flames.

Itachi tensed when the figure began to mutter at him darkly and began to move closer to him. He braced himself for the figure's inevitable attack; he was very good at reading his enemies. The poor visibility of Itachi's current environment did nothing to deter his near perfect instincts.

"I found it!" Kikyo nearly shouted with glee as she left her old room and headed in Itachi's direction. "We should-"

"Leave without me." Itachi interrupted. He was resolved to deal with the enemy before he followed his intended to safety.

Kikyo stopped mid stride at his words. 'Why is he protecting me?' Kikyo thought in a brief moment of bewilderment, after all he did try to kill her before the figure approached. Though what she did not know was that Itachi was merely using intimidation to gain information from her. It would start a clan war between the Uchiha and Higurashi is he did act on his own and kill Kikyo.

"K-Kik-yo." The shadowed figure rasped as it caught sight of the young Higurashi. Itachi's eyes narrowed as the figure began to walk toward his future wife as if he were in a trance. The young woman turned her attention toward the figure as it approached. She gasped lightly when the shadowed figure's countenance became visible. When the figure was around four feet away from reaching the young woman, Itachi swiftly held his sword up to the throat of the now distinguishable figure. "That is close enough." Itachi said.

"Kikyo." The figure said once again, this time its voice was much clearer. Kikyo shivered at the emotion behind the pronunciation of her name. She knew that voice, and as she observed the figure she realized that she also recognized the wounds that made those scars.

Itachi stayed wary of the figure. It seemed to be male with its tall stature, sinewy muscle, and clothes. What was most noticeable about the man was that he had terrible burn scars. Most looked as if they had been recently healed because they were covered with shiny, pink skin. Itachi assumed the scars covered his entire body because the scars covered his face, neck, and arms. "Who are you?"

The scarred man paid no mind to Itachi and his sword; he continued to walk toward Kikyo while speaking. "I-I wanted to see you again." The man said his voice raspy and rough like his skin.

"W-hy are y-you here!?" Kikyo asked in a tone that betrayed her emotions of fear and confusion. The man was supposed to have died.

The scarred man seemed to brighten at the sound of Kikyo's voice. He ignored her fear and eagerly began to walk forward again. "He said that if I followed him, I could find you!" The man stopped walking when Itachi's blade began to cut into his throat, drawing blood. Itachi watched as the red colored droplets ran in rivulets down the sword and on to the floor.

The disfigured man still did not acknowledge the Uchiha male as he continued to talk in an increasingly fevered tone. "I was going to die when you left and didn't return, Kikyo. Then he came and he began to talk to me! He told me that I could live and when I wanted to go get you, he said that you weren't a simple village girl." Kikyo felt trepidation at the man's words. How did the dead-reviving stranger know about her identity!? Kikyo was always careful to dress in servant's clothing and travel on discreet backroads to one of the villages surrounding the gates of the capitol city.

Itachi observed the interaction between the man and his intended. Itachi noticed that Kikyo had lost her composure and allowed her emotions to show up on her face. Judging by Kikyo's reaction to the other man's words, Itachi knew that they were not the random ramblings of a madman. Itachi could infer that Kikyo was doing something forbidden.

Kikyo looked between Itachi and the other and man, noting Itachi's increasingly inquisitive countenance. "Stop!" She shouted, finally putting an end to the disfigured man's incessant dialogue. When she had his full attention, she began to speak. "Onigumo, why are you here?"

Onigumo, after hearing his name fall from Kikyo's lips, eagerly answered her question. "To take you away! I now know why you had to hide your identity from me; it wasn't because you were a liar like the man said. It was because your clan kept you from seeing me." Onigumo's face, littered with fresh scars, became dark and ugly. "So I got rid of your clan."

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Hachiro huffed wearily as the fight between his former clansmen and the dissidents dwindled down a conclusion. "Die!" a rebel shouted as he attacked Hachiro in his momentary lapse of concentration. Hachiro reached a millisecond slower than he should have, allowing the enemy to lightly nick his throat. After his dodge, Hachiro swiftly swung his blade in an upward arch, slashing the rebel from his abdomen up to his chest. "Geh-" The dissident's death throes were interrupted by Hachiro, who quickly shoved the dying man to his right to hinder another soldier's surprise attack. The other assailant expediently cut down his former comrade as he continued with his straightforward attack on Hachiro. However, what the other man did not expect was for Hachiro to attack in the split second that the body was shoved forward. Hachiro quickly stabbed the assailant in the heart before his attack landed on the late Inuzuka general.

Once the last man had died, Hachiro expertly flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed his sword with a small frown. His scar had been aching incessantly throughout the day. The Inuzuka previously engaged in fighting were now breathing heavily as they took a moment to check for wounded or dead allies.

"W-we won. The last of the dissidents have been eradicated!" A young, hot-blooded Inuzuka shouted in triumph when all the dead were confirmed to have belonged only to the rebel forces.

While this was taking place, Hachiro's mood grew ever more pensive and apprehensive. 'Our forces were divided and yet we have suffered no losses…' He thought grimly, the battle had not lasted for very long for the sun was just beginning to set, victory was ensured, yet Hachiro's instincts were running rampant, telling him that something about the entire battle seemed too easy. Considering how well planned the attack was, Hachiro had the sinking suspicion that things were going to get worse…

"Heh. It seems as if the Inuzuka battle prowess and endurance has been greatly exaggerated." A smooth, lightly mocking voice called out. It somehow managed to seem as if it were echoing from everywhere, surrounding the once victorious Inuzuka warriors. Hachiro internally cursed his luck. The rebels they had fought earlier were a momentary distraction meant to tire out the remaining fighter. The only thing that Hachiro was grateful for at the moment was the safety of his family and clan.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" The young Inuzuka who was crowing success earlier served as the collective voice of all the gathered warriors. That is until Hachiro ordered the young warrior to fall back and let him handle the situation.

"Very well." The voice replied. The Inuzuka watched in slight awe as the man appeared to collect the shadows of the surrounding forest and walk in their direction. "I have never been one to deny someone's last request." The voice belonged to a man who looked surprisingly young. His long, wavy black hair fell in loose waves down his back. He wore a sleeveless purple haori, dyed a rich purple, over a luxurious indigo colored kimono. The man's countenance was handsome, yet his unusual red eyes were what caught the attention of every man present and made them shiver in fear. His eyes were devoid of any humanity, yet they held a malicious amusement at the destruction of the Higurashi home. He did not even appear to care that all his rebel allies lay dead at his feet.

Hachiro watched the man warily as he walked forward in slow, deliberate steps. When he stopped a few feet away from him, Hachiro began to interrogate the suspicious man. "What exactly do you mean by 'granting last wishes'?" Hachiro asked before he continued to elaborate with a false front of confidence. "You seem to be in the most danger here." He knew that a leader usually never revealed their identity unless they were absolutely sure to be victorious in their endeavors.

"You should know better than to judge power solely on appearance." The red eyed man said in a falsely admonishing tone, catching Hachiro's bluff easily. He was speaking to Hachiro the way one would a child and in terms of manipulation tactics and word games, Hachiro was a child compared to the red eyed man.

Hachiro hardened his gaze as he glared at the man who came across as the mastermind of the entire attack on the Higurashi. "Enough. I have no time to play your petty games." Hachiro snapped. Normally he was a patient man, however he could feel his strength gradually slipping away with pain taking its place. Hachiro was weary and without the regenerative folly of youth, he had to end things quickly. "Enact your infernal plans or die!" Hachiro drew his sword and attacked the stranger in one swift motion. Only, the blow never landed for Hachiro collapsed to his knees in agony halfway through his attack.

"It took longer than expected for the poison to take effect. Maybe your reputation is based on some truth." The man said, remaining calm and unfazed by Hachiro's attempt on his life. His eyes glowed in a grotesque parody of emotion as he exuberantly watched Hachiro's agonized array of emotions play across his face.

"How dare you! You cowardly bastard!" The hot-blooded Inuzuka warrior from earlier shouted as he drew his weapon and began to charge the red eyed fiend. His attack never landed as well, because his blade was blocked by the flesh of a reanimated corpse. The red eyed man watched indifferently as another corpse rose behind the shocked Inuzuka and thrust a sword into his heart through the Inuzuka's unguarded back. The red eyed stranger had cheated death and revived the previously slain rebel forces, much to the shock and horror of the remaining Inuzuka forces.

The man, upon seeing that the Inuzuka would not survive the grievous wound, turned his attention back to Hachiro and watched with dark delight as his face twisted into a painful and sorrowful expression.

Hachiro's arms quivered inexertion and his heart twisted painfully at the loss of his former relative. He grit his teeth as another wave of pain nearly made him slump to the ground in a defeated heap. However, Hachiro endured the pain as stoically as possible and slowly began to raise his head, meeting the stranger's eyes in fiery defiance while he began to rise to his feet. Once standing, Hachiro shakily raised the tip of his blade to the stranger's pale throat. "You have not won yet." Hachiro said vehemently with a shining, slightly feverish determination shining in his dark brown eyes.

The Inuzuka grimly watched as the red eyed stranger laughed at Hachiro's declaration. The dead that once littered the ground rose as if in response to add to the mockery of the Higurashi head, fanning out around the battlefield with a vacant, glassy eyed gaze. Hachiro and the Inuzuka tensed in anticipation. Despite the fact that most of them knew they were going to die, they still could not stop the feeling of anticipation at the impending fight.

"That's where you are wrong. I have already won." The red eyed man said in response to Hachiro's statement with the calm conviction of someone who has just stated a fact. In the end, Hachiro could hear the echoing screams and battle cries of his former clansmen as the dead began to fight with deadly precision. "Your dreams of peace for the capitol have ended." The stranger said to Hachiro with a pitying expression. He pulled a blade that materialized out of the shadow surrounding his body. Hachiro only had time to widen his eyes in surprise before the man moved inhumanly fast and struck him.

'K-Kikyo…I'm sorry…'

Author's Note:

Alright! Another chapter! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, every review helped inspire me to write. Updates will not be routine, I will upload a chapter whenever I am able to, so please do not give on this story!