It turned out that this fic is a three-chaptered story like "Divine Intervention". It happened to come to me when I did the previous chapter.

I also want to point out, last time I got a guest review telling me Itachi is Mary Sue and paired up with Sakura "the worst character in Naruto". It hurt my feelings because there HAVE been other good stories that had Itachi devastated on way or another. Why would he not be? He lost his brother; in alternate universe, Sasuke is the opposite in canon if he wanted to be better than his brother whose light shone brighter than his brother. In the end, he lost no matter how hard he tried. He let his emotions get the best of him and turned his back on everyone else - including his brother and the girl who thought she loved him.

No intentions to make this trilogy a grand series like a few I have done before, but what matters most is the inside results.

Chapter Three

New Doors Opened

He was in a room that was dark, but lit with only a single candle. Everything was vividly clear: he was in Orochimaru's last hideout. Kabuto was nowhere in sight, but there stood Sasuke in the doorway. His Chidori stretched all the way across the room, and the target who deflected it was none other than the pitiful serpent of a man in his bed.

"There is nothing more you have to teach me, Orochimaru. I'm stronger than you now."

"A bold statement from a nursling Uchiha!"

Sasuke. He continued to watch as his brother listed off the things Orochimaru did with his life that disgusted him as it did to those he betrayed, and those he harmed: the way he coveted the power of the Uchiha, wasting people's lives in his experiments, pumping himself with medicines and leaping from body to body. "Yes, you wanted a nursling because it was what you thought you could handle. You wanted the Sharingan, but Itachi was out of the question, so you came for me, the baby of the clan. You thought you could lay claim to me and bind me to you with the Curse Mark." It was then that the red flames scourged over half his body and darkened to black.

Pride swelled in him when Sasuke charged without another moment to lose - but how could he have expected Orochimaru's true form? "The giant white-scaled snake...after years of experimenting, and THIS is what you've become?"

The fiend with the many smaller snakes to serve as scales went in for the strike. "- give me your body, Sasuke!" The pieces of scales surged out only to be sliced off by the younger Uchiha's katana, before he went into the second stage of the Curse Mark and switched his sword for the Chidori blade, which was far more powerful than the Kusanagi...powerful enough to slice the great serpent in half, killing it instantly.

But the bodily fluids of the serpent evaporated in the air. It was all too good to be true, which Sasuke should have known. The toxin paralyzed him and rendered him helpless as the head of Orochimaru the Serpent came back to life and lunged forward, jaws opened and swallowing his victim whole.

The location changed. Now they were in another world, dominated by rolling intestines and other disgusting bodily organs. There was the grotesque face of Orochimaru himself, tongue slithering out as he was engulfed by his innards, and the rest of him did the same to his newest soul. Then parts of the intestinal vines morphed and became faceless predators with sharp teeth, hungry for the newest addition, and then more domes rose, transforming into clearer visages as the Transference Ritual took place.

Those faces...they were the ones that came before Sasuke.

Itachi decided he saw enough when the demonic faces advanced towards his brother who closed his eyes and let himself be taken. "No, Sasuke," he heard himself in despair, ending the memory that would haunt his dreams for a long time to come.

He would never show Sakura or Naruto this as it would leave the imprint as it had done to him.

~o~

The demon in his brother's skin collapsed from the extent of the influence of the Uchiha bloodline. Itachi could only look down at him with pure loathing unlike himself. "Your brother put up a fight, Itachi," Orochimaru rasped, looking up from his kneeling position. Those eyes...they were now yellow, giving away his true form beneath that face, but keeping the face of the one he loved rather than the one wearing it. Knowing full well how it affected them all.

"He was very promising, but in the end...he would be good for only one thing. His light shone far brighter in my eyes than you ever would have. He was a ferocious fighter, but could never defeat the immortal Orochimaru as he foolishly hoped."

Sakura seethed and stepped on a howling Suigetsu's wounded ankle. This sadistic side of her was something that refreshed Itachi, but did nothing to soothe his damaged soul. "You...monster!"

"Why don't you just kill him already, Itachi?!" Naruto shouted. "He deserves it for what he did to Sasuke! He ruined all our lives!" I intend to, for my brother, Itachi silently agreed, but chose not to say anything. Keeping his attention on the still-paralyzed snake, he summoned his crows and sent them out to alert the ANBU Black Ops. He then allowed a hand to drift back to draw his katana out, and Kabuto then yelled out for his master only to be silenced by Kakashi.

"...this is for my village - and for my brother."

His sword came down in a flash. Blood splattered the earth.

~o~

How could anyone not be happy that Orochimaru, rogue Sannin and former Leaf Shinobi, was dead after all these years? He'd killed the Third Hokage, nearly destroyed the village he once swore to protect, and finally corrupted the youngest Uchiha before claiming his body and soul.

Sakura was only too happy to know that Kabuto Yakushi, Suigetsu Hozuki and Karin - who was revealed to be an Uzumaki, therefore a distant cousin of Naruto's - were locked away. Although that also meant she would have to be the one to come in for medical checkups for these three. Sometimes, she wished she could personally torture them herself, but she would have been in trouble for it.

When the corpse was brought back to Konoha, total devastation washed over the land - but not as great as it was amongst what was left of Team Kakashi and the Hokage himself, who shut himself away from the public eye for days, weeks on end.

Sakura understood why her lover closed himself off, and he shared the same level of grief as Naruto, who had in turn lost his drive and determination. He took the failure as much by slacking in his training, which all their friends saw and tried their best to support him. It was then that, on orders of the Hokage after receiving the report, he would leave for awhile and go to the Sand Village so that Gaara and his siblings would help him on his road, since home did the best it could.

On her part, Sakura couldn't bear to handle anything, and Ino was devastated as she was, but the pinkette stopped loving Sasuke a long time ago. But that did not mean she said he deserved what he got. He was misguided, he was a dear friend even if he did leave them all - but the village and the remaining elders said otherwise. They didn't really care about him as much as she, Itachi and the rest of her boys did.

The Uchiha clan didn't grieve much for Sasuke even though a funeral service was held under a rainy day, which was always an occurrence when many of their own was lost. It was appearance's sake, nothing else. Although Sakura saw Mikoto was unable to hold back her emotions, which her husband did nothing to stop.

Itachi had to be there, as both Hokage and a brother, but he was more broken inside than he let on to the rest of them. He's remembering when Fugaku told him that his brother could never be like him, and everything else...

She even tried to see him when she had the chance, but his ANBU strictly prevented any visitors unless the Godaime said so. Bitterly, Sakura accepted this and would always go home. When she did, surprisingly, her parents were very supportive, and Mebuki didn't get on her nerves because she knew how her daughter felt.

Sakura kept herself in shape, eating and keeping her diet in check, plus distracting herself at the hospital. But in truth, her heart was in turmoil. There was nothing but grieving for Sasuke. Sometimes she was visited by Kakashi, and then she would visit him.

Except it didn't seem anything would ever be the same. "Itachi won't allow me to see him, either," Kakashi told her somberly, picking at his book but not reading it. "It seems hiding himself away is his way to cope."

They spoke this conversation one day over a drink in the bar, when the sky was darkening. Several weeks had gone by since the devastating tragedy that changed them all forever. This was one of the few where she wanted to drink and then sleep off at home. Half of her was considering moving out of her parents' house, and she considered rooming with Ino because girls needed to support each other. I wish she could see that this type of love we had as girls was nothing more than foolish infatuation. It was this competition that got between us.

Or better yet, if Itachi ever did come around, maybe she could ask him if he would allow her. For the time being, Ino might say yes to rooming.

"Keeping himself locked away like that is far from healthy," Sakura told him, pushing away her glass and deciding she had enough. "I wish I could be there..."

If only there was a way I could get past those ANBU of his and break in. It's drastic, but if it's what it takes. This isn't healthy for him, for the village, or for US.

She felt a little cruel to dwell on it like that. As a doctor, you should never help someone unless they want to get help, but while Naruto was away and surrounded by other friends, he was probably trying to keep himself healthy if he'd lost his drive. She'd done the same to herself. Even if Sasuke destroyed them - and Orochimaru behind it - he deserved to be honored by moving forward. If his clan no longer cared about him, then his mother and brother were the only ones who did.

But Itachi wasn't doing anything of the sort with shutting himself away, not keeping in touch except with the loads of paperwork.

Sakura then made the decision to speak to Mikoto tomorrow.

~o~

Naked, sweating and covered in his own dispelled semen, Itachi lay sprawled on all fours in the bathtub rather than the bed. This became his ritual each night before bed in the last few weeks, as means to distract himself from unwanted memories at the end of the day, after he busied himself in the paperwork necessary. His secretary could help him if she wanted to, but he preferred to continue working.

To be in the office made him feel smaller, vulnerable and more exposed now that his brother was gone, and he could not afford to be there any longer before he lost control of himself.

The clan noticed but chose not to care - the majority, anyway. But his mother was unable to stop crying, and her husband didn't even stop her. The disapproval in his eyes was enough...but Itachi also saw beneath that there was a small amount of regret in how he treated Sasuke enough to drive him away. But it was not enough to erase those calloused words when he publicly declared before the clan that his youngest son had betrayed the entire village and dishonored the Uchiha name.

When was it never a surprise the Elders confronted Itachi about this and reminded him of what every Shinobi reminded each other through the ages? Put aside your personal feelings if you wish for the sanctity of this village and the people counting on you.

But Danzo's words haunted him from the day he set out with Kakashi's team.

"- one of the most powerful of Shinobi in our history - even greater than the First Hokage himself - but your heart is your greatest weakness. It comes in all forms, and I fear it will not end well very soon."

He would not let the old man get the satisfaction, but even he was correct in predicting what Itachi Uchiha allowed himself to foolishly believe. When he never got to save his brother and make peace, his failure had come full circle.

The only ones disappointed are Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura...and myself.

Gathering himself up, Itachi stood and pulled the shower curtain around the tub, then turned the water faucet to hot, but not enough to burn his skin clean off. The dried white streaks cracked and slid down his legs into the drain. It wasn't like him and Sakura, but she couldn't be troubled with something like his demons in their relationship. That monster destroyed everything.

The engagement ring still rested in the top drawer of his bedside table, waiting for its new owner, but it seemed like it was a beautiful treasure gone to waste.

When he was finished with his shower, Itachi dried himself off and his hair, before brushing it and braiding it down his back for the night, and pulled his dragon-embossed robe over himself. He made way for his bed but paused at the window to open it, whistling for his messenger crow. She came at his disposal and cawed. Chuckling, Itachi reached and stroked her crown before picking up the bag of feed from the table, offering the bird a crumb before sitting down at his bedside with the paper and pen in his hand now. He hadn't done this since they got the false news that "Sasuke" was coming back their way.

My dearest cherry blossom...

~o~

"Sakura, if you're not going to sleep well tonight, maybe I can insist you take a sleeping pill -"

"No thanks, Mom. I would know if I needed those," the pinkette told her mother, "but thanks anyway."

She never took sleeping pills unless it was an absolute emergency, and sometimes they would dupe you out past the hour you wanted to wake up. She'd drank enough to know she would survive the night, and Kakashi had been sober enough to bring her right home. If Naruto had been there to share it with them, he might have gone off the shelf more than either of them.

Sakura missed her friend terribly. She hoped Gaara and his siblings were doing the best they could.

Man, what bad timing it was, and how guilty and sick it made her feel. As soon as she was nude and under the shower, scrubbing herself off with her favorite mango wash, she suddenly felt a certain tingle in her body that went to a certain part. She hadn't known going weeks without her man would make her miss him so much. They said sex would help you cope with terrible times, but they both lost someone once near and dear to them who was also the reason they were together now. Of all times to get aroused. Well, maybe do it before bed could help me sleep much better.

When she was done and in her pajamas ready for bed, it was then that she saw the shadow outside her window. A black crow was perched on the sill with a small scroll attached to one of its legs. Itachi had sent one of his messenger birds to her instead of an ANBU. Snorting and shaking her head, Sakura opened her window and let the bird come in with a caw. She took the rolled up paper from where it was hooked and opened it to read.

My dearest cherry blossom, I have been utterly disgraceful of the man of your affections and the Fifth Hokage. Like a coward, I have closed myself away and wallowed in my failure as a brother. A great enemy is dead thanks to our efforts, but a terrible price was paid. I feel you do not deserve me for not protecting him. It is very difficult to continue hoping for a better future when he is gone. We all must go on to honor his memory, but the scar is too great to heal with simply false hope.

I have stated I am a coward, and Naruto would certainly say so. I could have summoned you at this hour to speak now, but you must decide now whether or not you wish to see me yourself after all this time. My guards know you will come, so do not fear them blocking your entrance. I am still where you left me, my beloved blossom.

Her heart fluttered that he still considered her his beloved, but the majority of it made her snap. Her unexpected solo arousal slowly resided with the bubbling frustration.

Oh, he was going to get so much more than just a visit from her. What the hell was he thinking, believing he didn't deserve HER because they couldn't save Sasuke?! Her and Mama Mikoto were going to be the dynamic duo on him. And if those ANBU tried to stop her, they would meet both her fists into the wall.

And that next morning, she followed through on her promise when she found herself in the Uchiha compound which she hadn't been to since she and the gang returned. Though before, as she passed through, she saw the hostility in the eyes of the majority of the Uchiha as they saw the "pink-haired outsider" in their midst, and avoided her at all costs.

They saw her as unwelcome. But she gave no rat's ass except for the woman on her mind.

Surprisingly, when Fugaku saw her, he didn't even say something snide. He'd lost his youngest son and was slowly coming undone in his own way of dealing with the loss. When Mikoto saw her, she threw herself forward and wept, begging her to let her go with her and see her only remaining son. And everyone else in the village hasn't seen or heard of Itachi since he closed himself away from the public's eye.

"Sakura, I'm very worried for him," her lover's mother was saying as they left together. Her attention then fell to the note Sakura presented, and her eyes bulged with shock and dismay. She huffed then and there, stuffing it into the pocket of her apron.

Just as he promised, the ANBU let them in, and when both women were inside, there he was in his silk dressing gown instead of his Godaime garments, sitting at his personal desk filling out important documents, a steaming cup of tea further up a corner to avoid spilling on the papers. Hearing the door open, he turned around, putting the pen down and standing gracefully.

However, seeing both his mother and lover was something he should have prepared for. "Mother -"

"Don't 'Mother' me," she snapped, and this was a rare time Mikoto Uchiha was scarier than sweet. That was always terrifying for someone seeing that side of her for the first time - but Sakura was not the target.

Itachi regarded her with the slightest flinch that did NOT go unnoticed. It reverted back to calm in seconds. "I am not going to make an excuse why you shouldn't be here with Sakura," he said, hands dropped on both sides.

"You are right. Sasuke was my son, your younger brother, and I loved you both as much. Itachi, do you want to keep burdening yourself forever? You used to struggle with opening up to people, letting them in, and I couldn't help but wonder if you were going to revert back to that!" Mikoto said. "Not when you still have people here. I don't blame you at all for this; no one does. Your brother's friends are now yours, and they are suffering as much as we all are." Except the rest of the Uchiha clan, but why should we care about them? Those old windbags? The villagers who don't really care about Sasuke except that he was the "other pride of the Uchiha"? No one except us. "So, will you go back out there like the man you are and do what you must for yourself, all of us - and Sasuke?"

The words were all Sakura would have said, and now what escaped her lips: "I couldn't forgive him for what he did, but I won't forgive Orochimaru even more. If anything, I think Sasuke would not have wanted what's happening now," she said heatedly, looking him square on. After all, the man in front of her wasn't the one who helped her get over the childish obsession regarding the one who didn't care about her the same way - nor was he the one she fell in love with, but...

Itachi said nothing, but the light in his eyes was the answer they needed.

~o~

He stepped out into fresh air, on the balcony of Hokage Tower, and exhaled the early afternoon with his mother and lover right behind him. He looked down and surveyed the bustling of civilians enjoying the day and attending to business. Weeks had made him see what he'd closed himself from.

He could not remember the last time he forgot what an aspect of life was. Seeing the people, feeling the sunlight on his face and the burning eyes of his lover and mother behind him - he felt like he had stepped out of a shell he made for himself and back into the world where he belonged. There was one person missing, but there were still so many around him. Itachi then turned around and looked at the two important women, smiling slightly at them.

"...I won't just say a simple sorry, nor do I know how we can carry on."

The back of his head was turned to the sun, the symbol of the heavens, which he knew was Sasuke watching down on them. Rest in peace, little brother.

Mikoto reached up to wipe the tears that streaked her cheeks. Sakura walked up to him, and he saw it coming even if he didn't have to know it: her palm raised in a flash and struck him a harsh blow to the cheek. The impact would have sent him over the railing if he'd not pulled himself together. Once, he envisioned what it was like to be subjected to her famous blows, and now that he had, it was child's play compared to the war and death he saw as a child. His flesh stung and rippled across his cheekbone.

"And if you do something like this again, Itachi Uchiha," she told him sweetly against his ear, then took it into her teeth and bit enough to draw a little blood, making him wince, "I'll really pummel you over the railing enough to kill you."

Itachi chuckled and looked down at her before leaning down to kiss her full on the lips. Mikoto watched them both with a giggle before clearing her throat. "I am going to leave you both alone then. I'll see if I can seek out Kakashi to bring him the good news..."

She meant to say that this was nothing to do with being unfaithful to his father, but her intention was to seek out the Copy Ninja and bring him about for his aid.

On Itachi's part: he planned to send both him and Sakura out to Suna for Naruto. He might very well spend more months out there, but he had to come home sooner or later. If he couldn't rescue his best friend, the world was not at an end for him. There were plenty other people still standing for him, and none of them abandoned him like Sasuke.

"So, what do we do now, Lord Hokage?" Sakura asked, looking up at him with batting eyelashes. He chuckled and knew there was one thing he could do that he'd waited long enough for. It was a chance he was willing to take. The ring was back in his rooms, but he settled on dropping to his knees before her, uncaring his robe would get dusted, and she gasped.

"Sakura Haruno...will you marry me?"

I'm glad to be finally done with this trilogy for ItaSaku, and sad what happened to Sasuke. :( Plus I had help regarding how the couple and the others coped with his loss, so I hoped what was left to the imagination was enough. There were others before dealing with the loss of Sasuke in enough detail that I was worried of repeating certain words for word, if that makes any sense.

But anyway, thanks for the support, and please: if you want to review, please say more than just "love it" or anything related. It doesn't have to be a BIG review with fancy phrases, but just enough to make the author's day. :)