Fate. Destiny. Fortune. All supposedly determine the course of events, solidifying their dwelling in history, the bolts of finality holding them in place; some say a person's destiny can be predetermined by gazing at the stars and deciphering the cosmic code. They scroll over their fortuned horoscope or birth year and compare the celestial characteristics to that of their own debating whether it matches their own personality, to see if they are bound to the hand that they have been dealt.
But fortune is never set in stone nor chiselled into the marbled way of the world; fate is forever changing, adapting like the person who it follows. Reina firmly believed in fate perhaps not to the extent of Neji but definitely that her woven red twine of fortune would lead her to her destined end. Yet she never expected that her own, delicate and untarnished thread, would be woven with the blemished and ill-fated thread of Itachi Uchiha, they plaited and chained to one another indefinitely.
Reina did not know what would become of them and she knew not to get carried away for they shared one night together; but to her that one night was enough. In that one night she learned what it was to completely bare your soul to another and be accepted in your entirety; she felt no guilt like she thought she would or more so like she should. It occurred to her that if anyone were to find out about their bittersweet tryst then her family name would be tarnished, her rank stripped from its former place in the hierarchy leaving her as spoiled goods from fraternising with the enemy.
She didn't know whether to forget the affair or cherish it and she dared not ask Itachi for a part of her knew what to expect; the harshness of reality would wash upon the pair of them like the most unforgiving of tsunami's. She wanted to cling to the practically perfect experience for her own personal comfort even if it meant deluding herself into thinking he could ever wish to be publically hers. But she would cherish it and forever remember it; she would keep that small part of her heart reservedly for him, even if his heart was occupied with ulterior sentiments.
She would silently allow herself to love him…and he would never know.
Itachi stared at the silent kunoichi, his eyes filled with a tenderness that had once solely been reserved for Sasuke, but that was no longer the case. Reina would never know that despite his wicked and apathetic exterior she would always hold such a special place in his heart even after the overworked muscle had long stopped beating. He would never tell her his true motives in life; he did not wish to make their departure from one another more difficult than it already had to be. He knew that they were to part ways, it was imminent it even laced the chilly breeze that danced about them; he would keep the memory of their rendezvous locked away in his own personal vault and relish it always.
A part of him did not wish to let her go, to say goodbye and return to a corrupted life in the shadows; that minute selfish part of him wished to live a life free of the obscurities that haunted his every move that bound him to such a wretched existence. He would keep her in his dreams as they would be his escape from the horrors of the world, his light amongst shadows. Every touch of her pale skin would be imprinted in his brain as if her skin was still gliding over his own whilst her scent would forever remind him of lavender in the spring, soothing whatever weary thoughts tormented him.
He would silently allow himself to love her…and she would never know.
The oasis had been their haven, their little piece of perfection untainted by the world but now reality was upon them once more; once again the pair were travelling through uncharted land each twist and turn of the hellish domain bringing shadier and fouler creatures than any they had ever encountered previously. But there appeared to be a light at the end of the perilous tunnel that they had found themselves in and it seemed that for once, just once Lady Luck was on their side.
But for how long was still undetermined.
With their weapons at the ready and poised Itachi and Reina cautiously made their way along the dim corridor, they dubious about the lack of security that inhabited the Oujou Palace. Itachi studied the hallway carefully, scrutinizing every central column and patterned mural; they needed a way out and fast, neither of them had eaten or drank in what like seemed an eternity. Their throats were parched and their stomachs hollow, they were running on empty and close to dropping with exhaustion and they both knew it.
Reina halted in her tracks, lowering the gilded bow as she stared at the humongous pillar that stood before them, the pillar standing proudly despite its withered form. Itachi, having noticed her halt looked back and forth between her and the pillar, a note of inquisitiveness lacing his voice.
"What is it?" He asked, edging closer to the golden eyed kunoichi, noting the look of concentration that was etched all over her freckled features. Reina reached out her scuffed and marred hand towards the decorative pillar but dared not touch the surprisingly vibrant engravings that were etched into the fine wood.
"It's the sacred pillar that Izanagi and Izanami walked around to bind their courtship. Initially Izanami spoke first which resulted in their first child being deformed; so they returned here to repeat the ritual, but this time around Izanagi spoke first, this sealed their marriage properly ensuing in the birth of many islands." Itachi marvelled silently whilst Reina wordlessly smiled at the ornamental column her hands remaining mere breathes away from the depictions, they so life like it was as if the Kami's themselves would spring forth from the wood and dance about like they once had in the tale.
But amongst the inked details of the divine kimonos and raw emotion of the godly pair, a chilly breeze managed to creep through a well hidden crack in the wooden frame; the said breeze sweeping between Reina's dark locks, causing both an eruption of goosebumps and curiosity. "There is something behind here." Reina murmured, glancing up at an equally interested Itachi, he nodding silently before they both placed their hands on the wooden panel and pushed. The wood primarily did not budge, centuries if not millennia of closure resisting opening; pushing harder the wood began to creek and crack beneath their hands as the once closed panel began to give way.
An instant odour of damp death ushered through the doorway, the smell assaulting their senses mercilessly before dying down to a more bearable scent. Both stared into the darkness that lay beyond the doorway but neither could see what lay ahead of them, but they knew that whatever possibly dwelled there had not been disturbed in the longest of times. They had come so far and overcome so much yet they knew their time together was nearing an end; every moment that passed was soon to become a mere distant memory, nothing short of their imagination.
And at this very moment in time it was their imagination that stood in their way.
"What do you think is down there? A way out?" Itachi asked staring at a vacant eyed kunoichi, her normally vibrant orbs dulled with internal affairs she dared not utter aloud. Reina's eyes met his unable to stop herself becoming lost in them, her train of thought not where it should be. Despite his battered and tired form she was unable to deny his handsomeness, such alluringness and mystique it was no wonder the female population found themselves attracted to him. "Reina-chan?" Itachi susurrated, reaching out his hand and gently placing it on her shoulder shaking her from the thoughts.
"A-Ah gomenasai." Reina whispered adjusting the bow around her torso and glancing around the dim sanctum before freezing on the spot; wearily she looked into the darkness from whence they came her eyes now filled with dread. "Itachi…we need to go…" She whispered almost inaudibly, her eyes not leaving the cause of her sudden distress; Itachi turned and stared at the entrance of the palace, his eyes widening at the sheer magnitude of what stood before them reflected in his dark irises. The once vacant grand entrance now occupied a giant centipede, its body twisting and contorting to fit through the double breasted doorway.
"What is it?" Itachi whispered, unsheathing the katana from its scabbard and poising it in front of himself.
"Ōmukade. It must have followed us from the mountain pass. We need to go before it smells us." Reina murmured lowly, backing towards the passage in the pillar; yet once again Lady Luck decided to cut their winning streak short. The feelers of the ōmukade suddenly stiffened, its elongated body winding and turning as the last of its legs ushered through entry.
"Move…now." Itachi muttered, inclining his head towards the opening whilst his eyes never left the now hissing beast. Reina nodded silently taking a small intake of air before stepping into the darkness of the hidden passageway, the minute chill that previously crept through the crack invading every inch of exposed skin ravenously. Damp. It covered everywhere. Every cubic inch of the passage radiated with it, the air, the walls even the floor was shrouded in it. Reina turned swiftly on the damp ridden steps her eyes cemented on Itachi as he too began to walk backwards to the concealed entrance right until the moment the heel of his zori hit the doorframe.
"Let's go." He murmured swiftly turning on his heel and sheathing the katana in one rapid motion before dashing through the door, the image of the rushing ōmukade following not too far behind him. Using what abysmal amount of energy they had left Itachi and Reina sprinted down the dank steps, the staircase winding and declining further into the shadowy depths. Reina dashed ahead, her lungs beginning to work overtime to create the oxygen that her body craved for; her throat began to burn as the cool air stung her oesophagus and nostrils pitilessly.
As their footsteps and pants echoed in the cavernous stairway the squeals and hisses of the ōmukade echoed too, the scurrying creating a vibrating hush that laced the air. But as the obscurity continued to inhabit the stairwell Reina's eyes strained to see the path ahead of her.
And they failed to see the precipice that lay ahead of her.
When Itachi heard Reina scream it instilled a fear so horrifying it felt like his heart had stopped in his chest; the floor simply vanished beneath her feet it took Reina a few moments to realise that the darkness that lay underneath her was not the moss ridden steps but a great abyss that awaited her. It felt like she was freefalling, like the first time they had entered Yomi that feeling of pure weightlessness; but she did not hit the bottom, in fact she did not even near the ground.
"Reina hold on!" Itachi muttered as he clung on to Reina, his dirtied digits wrapped around her slender wrist ardently; Reina stared up at him with wide eyes, her own fingers enclosed around his wrist attempting to hold on whilst she swung like a pendulum.
"I-I'm slipping!" Reina stuttered, feeling the grime and sweat from their skin loosen their hold on one another; Itachi grit his teeth together hearing the ōmukade approaching closer as Reina continued to slip from his hold. Hearing the hisses grow near Reina gulped knowing if it found them they were both dead; she looked up at Itachi, their eyes meeting in a clash of colour and emotions.
"Don't you dare." Itachi hissed, his eyes flaring a dangerous shade of crimson as her intentions became clear.
"If it reaches us, we're dead! You need to let me go." Reina called up at him, her ochre orbs revitalized with such intensity it stunned him to momentarily stillness; Itachi stared for what felt like an eternity knowing she was right, but the thought of letting her go, he dared not think about the emotional repercussions. Reina knew they were fighting a losing battle, there were only so many obstacles that they could overcome and live to tell the tale; this obstacle could very well the last, the fence that they would fall at rather than jump over. This hurdle was going to be the end of them.
The end of her.
"Itachi. Let go. Just let go." Reina released his wrist, the dirt that covered them both making it harder for him to hold on to her. But he knew it wasn't merely the physical side of letting her go that irked him; he had only just come to terms with his sentiments for the young kunoichi and now he was faced with losing her indefinitely. Itachi leaned over the edge of the precipice, the hush of the approaching ōmukade growing louder as he attempted to grasp Reina more securely despite his lack of physical vitality.