Hello! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 23 / 22

Naruto, Sasuke: 17

Shisui: 26

Kakashi: 31

"Oh?" It was reacting.

"Tsuna really became a great kunoichi," Hashirama repeated for the hundredth time.

Tsunade-san healed my mind enough for it to start healing on its own at its own pace, making sure I would not wake up until it was fine. She could have woken me up but she chose not to and I was thankful for that.

Obito and the war put my mind through a lot already, so being able to actually rest was a privilege.

"Kakashi, what are you doing?"

"Nothing I swear." So Mom and Kakashi were both in my room.

"...are you trying to draw on nee-chan's face?" And Naruto.

"Nothing she didn't do to me before." Minato chuckled behind me.

"I'm gonna try to wake up."

"Are you sure it's time?" Tobirama asked me.

"Yep."

So I tried, taking deep breaths to focus on their voice. It was like I was hearing them underwater but, little by little, their voices were getting clearer.

Eventually, I was back in my body. Kakashi's voice disappeared and now, Mom and Naru were whispering to each other, a warm hand around mine. I moved a finger and they stopped.

"Akane?" Mom called me and with a grunt, I opened my eyes.

My first reflex was to raise my free hand to my left eye. There was no eye patch and my, well at least an, eye was in my eye socket.

I looked at Mom, who was staring at me without a word.

"Is it…" I started with a hoarse voice. "Is it...real?" Mom clenched her hands around mine.

"Yes, it is. It's over now, you're home honey." Tears appeared in my eyes.

I didn't think hearing my mom saying those words would…

It was over then. The war. Obito, at least for now. I was in Konoha.

"Mommy…" I mumbled, tears spilling from my eyes already. She gently pulled me in a sitting position and embraced me tightly, my cheek on her shoulder.

"It's over now honey, it's okay, I'm here. Shhh…" she whispered softly in my ear. Ugly uncontrolled sobs started to leave my lips.

I caught Naruto's eyes. He was blurry because of my tears, but the harsh glint in his eyes didn't escape me. I stretched out my hand to him and he didn't waste a second to get on my other side, hugging both Mom and I tightly.

I had no idea how long I cried for, only that once I was done, I was exhausted.

"Nee-chan?" Naru called me worryingly.

"Hum...tired…"

"Call Sakura," Mom told him. He left the room. "Everything is going to be okay honey."

"...missed you...love you…"

"I love you too, I love you so so much." It felt nice to hear this after so long.

Sakura and Naru came quickly. Sakura asked him and Mom to leave so that she could examine me. I was fighting to stay awake until she told me it was safe for me to sleep again, which she noticed once her hands stopped glowing.

"Akane, are you okay enough to listen?" I nodded weakly. "Alright, you're going to be in and out of sleep for a few days so that your body and chakra and everything is used to be awake again. I'll wake you up for meals and come at least twice a day."

"...you?" She nodded firmly.

"Tsunade-sama's orders." I smiled a little.

"Good…" She smiled faintly at me falling back asleep.

"Alright, you can sleep now." I did.

True to her words, Sakura would wake me up, help me eat when I couldn't do it myself and leave. I slept a lot too, but I was dreaming, so it was really was just sleeping. Naru and Mom visited a lot, Kakashi a little too. He felt guilty for what happened to me and I called him an idiot before falling asleep again.

Naru was laughing at my uni-brow when I woke up.

But there was no sign of any Uchiha. Sasuke came by very quickly, to make sure I was really awake and left. I didn't miss Naru's thoughtful look.

Still, I was surprised Itachi did not come, or maybe he came when I was sleeping? He was the one who saved me so it was weird.

"Come in," I said as someone knocked on the door. I was sitting, reading. A smile appeared on my face when Itachi opened the door, but it fell quickly at his face.

He was tired, and stressed, and didn't seem to want to even be...here?

"Itachi?" I called him quietly, unsure of what was going on. He noticed because his eyes met mine for a second and he closed the door. "Did something happen?"

"What?"

"You...look like you don't want to be here." He pursed his lips, guilt and shame overtaking his features.

He walked to the window and closed all the curtains before taking a chair and sit next to me. His elbow was on his knee, his chin in his hand.

"How are you feeling?"

"...I'm...getting better. How are…" He grabbed my hand before I could touch his cheek. "What happened?" His whole body was tensed. I wanted to hug him but…

"I didn't come for a reason." I blinked and put my hand on my lap. "I...we can't…" He was struggling to find his words. It wasn't like him. "We have to...split." I widened my eyes in shock.

Did I hear him right?

Did he just say we had to break up?

"You don't love me anymore?" I asked in a small, weak voice. My throat was burning.

It seemed to hit a nerve because he raised fierce eyes to my lost and confused ones.

"It's not...it's not the question here it's…"

"It's my question." He pursed his lips.

"The Elders know about us." I frowned. "I think, no I'm sure, that Manami ratted us out. They demanded that I terminate our relationship when you'd wake up and your wedding with Sasuke will happen the moment he turned eighteen." I swallowed with difficulty, my eyes now locked on my shaking fists on my lap. "We can't see each other anymore, at least just the two of us and they put me under surveillance." I shot the closed curtains a look.

"That explains why you closed them when you got here," I said to myself. "I'll...get my stuff out of your place when I'm out of the hospital then." He looked down, his turmoil clear in his eyes. "You waited because I couldn't take that information when I woke up or because you were delaying it as much as possible?" He smirked a little.

"Both."

"Anything else?"

"If I don't fill their conditions, I can say goodbye to my title of heir...and my father to his title of clan leader." I frowned.

"They're using Sasuke too I guess?" He nodded and I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "That's low."

I looked at Itachi.

He was far from okay, and the worst was I couldn't do anything about it. He didn't even want to break up in the end, it was just…

I took a deep breath, burying the hurt I was feeling.

"Thank you for your honesty. I won't waste your time anymore."

"You never wasted my time…" he muttered quietly.

"I mean right now. Thank you for explaining the situation to me, now you can...go deal with all that." He raised his head back to me and I forced a smile on my face. "I mean, I need to deal with...the aftermath of everything that happened in the past eight months and you clearly have to deal with your dysfunctional clan, it's not really compatible. The timing's not on our side right now, it's okay, it happens."

"I'm sorry."

"You're not responsible for the way your clan is. Just...don't do everything on your own, and be careful with whatever you're planning on doing." He nodded numbly. "Just...can I still love you and not Sasuke?" He clenched his fists on his thighs and nodded. I put my hand over my heart. "That's good then. We can...we can break up." He almost winced when I said that.

A few minutes went by where none of us looked at the other. I mean...what more was there to say? I barely woke up that my boyfriend broke up with me because his clan was using his doings as a way to threaten his father. I knew he loved me, but I couldn't keep him from taking care of his clan, especially if his immediate family was affected.

It was not as if I was in any state to do anything either. Whatever Itachi was planning to do, because I knew he wouldn't just do as they said without fighting back, I was in no shape to help or even hear about it. I couldn't handle stress or anxiety right now.

It was better to let him go for now.

I just hoped it would only be temporary.

"I should go." He stood up and walked to the door. He put his hand on the handle but left it there, not opening the door.

"Itachi." He looked at me above his shoulder. "Thanks for coming by the way."

"It's normal." Even his voice...it was quiet, and sad.

"I get it, you can go, we're good." He pursed his lips, nodded and left, the door closing silently behind him.

I leaned back in my pillow, looking at the ceiling. I wiped the treacherous tears that escaped my eyes.

Knowing and understanding didn't make it hurt any less.

"Is there more stuff?" Naru asked me as I zipped the bag full of clothes.

"We cleared the bathroom and bedroom...we need to check the kitchen and living room."

I had no idea what was worst: clearing out my stuff from a place I thought was home now and noticing how Itachi already removed what he had left in my room before I got there.

In any case, it stung. I mean, before he did break up with me in a way, but I knew our story would end, and he died shortly after. Here...I'd have to see him at official…

What were 'official gatherings' anyway? I had a headache just thinking about it.

"Are they yours?" Naru asked me, eyeing the cups of ramen. I furrowed my brows as I nodded, Naru taking them immediately.

There used to be a door to that cupboard. The hinges were damaged too. What happened there?

Anyway, I went to the bookshelf and took what was mine. Once that was done, I looked around with a sigh, biting my bottom lip.

"And that would be all." Naru looked at the two backpacks and three bags in the entry.

"Do you think it will fit in your room?"

"I'll squeeze them." I put my hands in my pockets. I felt the key, I'd leave it in the mailbox, but also a velvety box.

Right. I pulled it out of my pocket and went to Itachi's room. It was tidied, as always, even if he never slept in it once we came back from Kiri. It was always my room. He'd say it was warmer than his.

I opened the box and smiled a little at the necklace. Even if we were just friends when he gave it to me, we both knew there was more than friendship in here and...it was better if I didn't have it. I closed the box and put it on his desk.

I was used to grief regarding dead people, not break ups.

"Okay let's go." Naru grabbed a backpack and two bag, and I took the rest. I locked the door behind us, put the key in the mailbox and we were off for home.

Moving back with Mom and Naru didn't even feel like a throwback. I felt like shit regarding Itachi, that I couldn't support but I also knew that there were things you had to do alone and it was one of those times where I'd just...need to have faith in him and faith that we'd...reconnect, somewhere down the line.

Once we were home, I smiled at the smell of food cooking.

"Welcome home you two."

"We're home," Naruto replied as I was removing my shoes. "We're going to unpack nee-chan's stuff Aunty."

"Go ahead." We climbed up the stairs, Naruto in front of me.

It had been so long since he had been taller than me, but here I was, the crown of my head reaching his eyes.

As we unpacked my stuff, I raised my brow when I was dealing with my shirts.

"Naru, do you remember packing a black long-sleeved shirt?" He shrugged. "A little bit of cleavage but the sides of the shirt are attached with lace?"

"I really don't want to talk about your cleavage nee-chan," he told me with a deadpan. I waved him off.

"Doesn't really matter anyway."

Yes, I was newly single. Yes, I was fresh off the war. Yes, I had been abducted by a deranged Obito. I was back with my family though, eating dinner and talking and laughing like we had not in a while. Naru would do everything to make me laugh on purpose. I laughed until my ribs hurt.

I missed Itachi a lot, and was sad, but I was happy at the same time because instead of going back to our bubble I was with my family, dealing and facing what happened with solid support around. I didn't have to worry about this bubble popping. I didn't have to worry and stress over his clan, or my engagement each time I'd look in his eyes.

Later that night, as I was in bed, Naru on the floor snoring on a mattress, I pursed my lips as I looked at the starry sky outside.

Maybe, no matter how painful it was, I needed this break with Itachi, or maybe everything that came with him. Not that he chose it, or that I cared much about it, but I couldn't overlook it anymore.

I could focus on myself and the mess my own life was and the mess...I'd be in a few days probably. I was still kind of high on adrenaline from these past months...once it would go down and everything…

"Oh shit!" Naru almost screamed, sitting up in a flash.

"You okay there?" He turned to me with a toothy grin I could see in spite of the darkness in the room.

"We finally can celebrate your birthday properly for the first time in years!"

It was April 15th, I'd be twenty-three again in twelve days. Last years I was just sent on Dad's mission, the year before it was Sasuke and I...yeah, I had not celebrated my birthday with my own mother and cousin in a long time.

"Let's have a small party with your team, Shisui, Hinata and Ko. Let's have the audacity to invite the Hokage too, why not." He grinned even more.

"Wait, Shisui-nii?" I nodded. "Okay."

We would be...fine.

"Obito said that." I nodded as Kakashi sat down in front of me in his kitchen, the tea pot now between us. I poured our cups. "That's...odd."

"You don't say. He slapped me." He looked disturbed.

"What do you mean he slapped you?"

"Like you'd slap a kid who's misbehaving." I blew on my tea. "And he'd...have fits of...not anger, but frustration I'd say? Nothing like the cool-headed guy we've seen before. It was…"

"Like he was around you before," he finished for me. "Sensei heard him?"

"Yeah, he told me to talk to you about this but he has an idea of…"

"I have a theory, but if it's right then...then he's...deranged." I looked at him expectantly. "You'd follow him around and idolize him as a kid." I nodded. "Rin believed in him and you did too in your three-year-old intelligence level." I deadpanned at him. "Rin died, and with her his belief he could do something the way he was originally. Before, you retired and didn't get involved in this fight, so he saw it as him being right in his way. But now, you're fighting him and telling him his new ways are wrong."

"Yeah…"

"Basically, I think he's using you as a reflection of what his old beliefs were." I frowned. "Think about it. You believed in him when he'd say he'd be the Hokage and stop wars. Now he changed tactics, he wants your approval to prove himself he's right and that the Obito who wanted to be the Hokage was wrong. But you don't approve, so his anger might be the result of an internal conflict more than anything." I was gaping at Kakashi.

"Let me join." I stood up and shut the curtains of Kakashi's kitchen window before summoning oji-chan. I sat back down as he cracked his neck.

Kakashi just raised his hand in greeting.

"You got used to it way too quickly," I told him, shaking my head.

"Akane, I've known about the whole Yuurei thing for more than a year now," he reminded me as Minato sat down on the third chair.

"I figured out the same thing as Kakashi," Minato told us. "Do you remember when you asked what would happen to your bodies once in the Infinite Tsukuyomi? He didn't know. You didn't approve so he looked for an answer in your memories and I don't think he found what he was looking for."

"So...if I understand you correctly...because Obito sees Fubuki's death as you two failing me like you failed him and Rin, he started to see as some kind of...some kind of person who can tell him whether he's right or not in...doing what he does?"

"It's an oversimplification but yes," Kakashi agreed with a sigh. "I mean, once Rin died he turned into his own opposite. As I said before, before all you represented was dealt with quickly. Here, with you fighting for the past decade now…"

"The Obito we know is most likely more present than the first time around. How did he…"

"Your son," I said simply. "He saw himself in Naruto, what Naruto told him reached him or something and then...Obito was back."

And then died protecting them and Kakashi.

"Now he knows I don't agree with him at all, what's going to happen?" Minato and Kakashi shared a look.

"Who knows. Obito may still be in there, but he's unstable with way too much power at his disposal. It can go the easy, good way or...way worst than the first time."

"It already has," Kakashi added. "There was a two-day bloody war the first time around. We had a seven-month one and there's no big alliance." I whined, tilting my head back.

"Why can't it just be easy!?"

"Where's the fun in that?" I grabbed a plum and threw it at Kakashi, who merely caught it and ate it.

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about. Well, all of us actually." I raised a brown.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when Shodai-sama was in your body and tried to use senjutsu?" I nodded.

"He couldn't."

"Yes, we think we know why. Well, he thinks he figured out why." I stared at him expectantly. "Senjutsu."

"Yeah?"

"No, I mean, the Claw, it's probably senjutsu." I frowned. "Think about it, senjutsu is used with chakra and natural energy. You've made a pact through your chakra with the Shinigami, a deity present before chakra was on Earth. What's more natural than life and death?" I looked down at my tea.

"Huh, it does sound obvious when you say it like that."

"The Shodai couldn't use Sage Mode because the Claw, which is the link between you guys and the outside, is made of senjutsu," Kakashi summed up. "Senjutsu is known to be risky, being a Yuurei and then getting the Claw is no different, it's also risky and not everyone can get it." I leaned my chin in my hand. "Akane?"

"Keep going, just wrapping my head around the fact I most probably have had senjutsu for a decade and never figured it out."

It would explain why it cuts through chakra so easily. It's Death, and senjutsu, then it would be normal the remains of first God Tree Taiga was using was broken by the Claw.

"But it's not like you can go into Sage Mode though, it was just worth telling you. We still don't know that much abo…" I slowly stood up, interrupting oji-chan. "Akane?"

"Maybe I can." They exchanged a look. "The Claw, I'm the sixth holder of it. There's been way more Yuureis than that, Tensui didn't invent it. One of the Yuurei improved the Shiki Fuujin and somehow got the Shinigami to accept to lend him more power. What if I did the same?"

"You're clinically insane or something?" Kakashi retorted, standing up as well, his hands flat on his table. "Just having that seal is…"

"I know Kakashi, I know but...I mean, Sage Mode...Naru's the only user of it now, and it's too much of an advantage to…"

"You don't even know how to...sensei tell her!"

"Hey, don't try to get him on your side Kakashi, I've been graciously hosting his soul and listened to his unwanted comments for years now!" Minato just looked between the two of us, his hands in front of him.

"Look, I think you're both right." We glared at him for not picking a side and he sweat-dropped. "I mean, it is insane to think about it, but insane does not mean impossible. If a Yuurei reached the deity before and got them to agree, why wouldn't you be able to?" I nodded.

"Yes, but she'd have to die to meet them." I pursed my lips. "If you say something like 'I've died before' I will slap you too."

"Well...yeah, it's not…or not." I took a deep breath. "To get the Claw, I was in a special room in Uzushio, below the clan's temple. The room was dedicated to the Shinigami. Maybe there's a special connection to them at this place. I mean, I didn't 'die' to get the Claw per say, I just drew the seal I saw with my blood on my hand and applied to the seal on my stomach."

"You have no seal." I pursed my lips and looked at the ceiling.

In limbo, there was this...power attracting me.

"Or maybe I need to be really close to death and be in limbo once more," I whispered to myself. I shook my head. "I need to do some research before anyway about the Shinigami. If I do reach them, I need to give them a good deal."

Kakashi didn't seem convinced and said he wanted to hear my full plan before I executed it so he could give his seal of approval.

"Hinata?" She blushed, flour on her apron.

"Hello Akane-sen…" I shook my head. "San?" I shook my head and widened her eyes in shock. "No honorific?"

"You can call her idiot-san," Naruto said from the kitchen. I frowned and walked there.

"What...happened here? Did you kill a baker?" Naru just glared heavily at me.

"Naruto-kun wanted to bake your birthday cake and asked me to help him." I shot the disgusting kitchen a look.

"And you help successfully because…" Naru pointed the whisk angrily at me.

"It's gonna be delicious!" I stared at the whisk and took some of the batter from it, licking my finger.

"Huh, not bad." I shot Hinata a look. "I'm surprised to see you here." She started to play with her fingers, looking down. "Nicely surprised of course. Naru tends to go to Sakura or Mom when he needs female advice."

"Aunty doesn't want me around the kitchen," Naru explained with a pout. "And last time Sakura-chan tried to make something, it was health balls and it was gross."

"Medicinal plants don't taste that great."

"When Hinata joined us for training as genin she always had food and it always tastes great!" I blinked at her.

"You trained with Team Seven?" She nodded.

"Neji-nii-san as well but...when Sakura-chan started training in taijutsu before being trained by Tsunade-sama, she asked for my help." I smiled softly at her.

"It's good to see you two are still good friend." She nodded firmly. "Well, I won't bother you anymore, Naruto, make sure the kitchen is spotless when Mom comes home from work. She has to get a few things to make dinner, so 6 p.m top." He saluted and I went to the study.

Alright...Shinigami. I pulled the documents I got from Okuni-san a few years ago. It was nothing I had not read before, the Shinigami was there before Kaguya landed on Earth and planted the God Tree, so before chakra was there. The senjutsu theory was more than probable now. I mean, the Claw was basically the curse seals on the Shinigami when they'd start their job, and curse seals, like Orochimaru showed us, could be based on senjutsu.

So, a deity from before Kaguya...I'd rather know who I was talking to before attempting the crazy thing of meeting with them...again. The only times we saw each other were in the bijuu mindset and when I broke Dad's seal on me. I still remembered their yellow, demonic eyes…

Demonic?

I blinked. Deities, did they immediately look like demons? I mean, maybe for some but wouldn't a deity dealing with death have a more...reassuring appearance?

I went to the bookshelf and rummaged through them, dropping the useless books. It was an Uzumaki clan kinjutsu, so in Uzumakis' documents…

My hand stopped on a book. Mythology of the creation. I took it and read the summary, my fingers stopping on the deity of death. I went to the page and read it. It was not much, but there was a name.

Well two.

Izanami and Izanagi.

Like the Uchiha clan kinjutsu?

I shut the book when I heard the front door opening and Shisui's voice in the living-room. I cleaned up the study and, with my book in hand, left it.

"Hey there birthday girl!" Shisui greeted me with a grin. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Naru was staring at the cake in the oven. "It won't make it bake quicker you know."

"Shhh nee-chan, I'm a proud father." Shisui put the present on the table and joined him, crouched in front of the oven.

"You made it?" Naru nodded proudly.

"Hinata helped." I shot her a look. She was putting her shoes on. "You can get ready here if you want." She shook her head politely.

"I didn't bring anything and Sakura-chan wanted to get ready together, we need to pick up your gift."

"Way to go Hinata, now I want to know what it is." She giggled. "Have fun getting ready. See you tonight." She nodded and left.

From the corner of my eyes I spotted Shisui elbowing Naru in the ribs with a knowing smile. Naru just pushed him, making him fall completely on the floor.

I snickered, Shisui shooting me a betrayed look.

"I'm the birthday girl, you can't get me today."

"Today ends at midnight, I'll get you back later."

"If you can catch me, I mean...I'm faster than you now." He jumped on his feet.

"Oh you want to go there Akane?"

"I think I already went there." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Alright, let's race when we're available then."

"Sure. I need to get ready. Naru, the kitchen." He rolled his eyes. "And don't ask Shisui for help, you made a mess you're cleaning up that mess." I went to my room and shot the dress on my bed a quick look.

It was a simple spring dress. It reached my knees, tight at the waist and bust, long ample sleeves. It was a beautiful rusty orange. The dress was cute. I quickly put it on and looked at my left hand with a frown. Should I cover it? I mean, the rest of my arm was covered, but you could see a little bit of the Claw above my left breast.

"No, not bothering with that tonight, it's my birthday," I told myself in the mirror.

I put some light makeup and straightened my hair before going downstairs. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat when I saw Shisui helping Naruto cleaning up.

"He was just showing me something!" Naru yelled, the both of them turning around. They looked at me up and down. "Wow, you're so pretty nee-chan!" I smiled at him.

"Well thank you." I raised a brow at Shisui. "You okay there? You're making a funny face." It seemed to get him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, it's...you're really pretty Akane." I pursed my lips.

"...thanks." It was slightly awkward.

Mom arriving saved us from the weird feeling in the air. Shisui went to help her and I waved Naruto's curious gaze off.

The guest arrived around seven. I blinked at Neji with Hinata and Sakura instead of Ko.

"Kou is busy, but he didn't want Sakura and I to walk home alone so Neji-nii-san is here."

"Oh okay. Too bad I haven't seen him in a while." I smiled at Neji. "Don't take it the wrong way." He shook his head.

"Kou said he'd find you next week and put your face in the ground." I took a deep breath and nodded at the oldest Hyuuga.

"Seems about right. Come in. Girls, you're stunning." Sakura grinned and Hinata smiled shyly. They both had cute dresses on.

Then Yamato and Sai arrived. Mom had told me Tsunade-san would come by if she had the time, but she was busy as ever.

Eventually, late by half an hour, Kakashi arrived, his last student's collar in his hand.

"Sorry for being late, Sasuke got lost on the road of life too!" I raised a brow and looked at Sasuke, who looked away.

"Happy birthday," he muttered.

"Wow, I'm your fiancée, that's cold." He blinked at me and I raised my brows. "Come on in."

The party was good and light-hearted. It was a little bit odd to see Uzumakis, Hyuugas and Uchihas in the same room but it was...something to see at least once, even with Sasuke's and Neji's rivalry.

At some point I managed to get Sasuke away from the party.

"Not a word," I told him, running up the stairs. Once in my room I closed the door.

"What the…"

"Are you avoiding me?" He gulped. "You are, aren't you!?"

"I'm not, it...it's a very bizarre situation and I don't really know how to deal with it!" I pursed my lips.

"You're right, I'm sorry, you're in the middle of all of it." I sat down on my chair. "How is it at home?"

"Weird. Just...weird. It's like walking on eggshells all the time." He sat down on my bed. "But I'm sorry for avoiding you. I thought you'd need some time to...process." He looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm...good, actually." He looked outraged. "I mean...if I think about your brother, I'm really nothing but sad, and worried, and guilty even because I kind of feel guilty for putting him in this situation and do I want to cry sometimes? Yes. But I know that I wouldn't have been able to move on from the war if I was still living with him."

"He wouldn't have involved you in our clan business Akane."

"I know that, but I would have seen what it was doing to him, and he would have worried about me and tried to take care of me and your clan and...he doesn't need the stress. I don't either. It's okay, it happens, the timing's not right, that's all. I'm focusing on other things and spending time with my family, it's...helping me a lot."

"...no nightmares?" I clenched my dress on my thighs.

"No, they started. It's...still mild, nothing I didn't have before but...as life goes on, it will get worst and worst. You?" He shrugged.

"It's weird to go back to your daily life when for months you've been in survival mode."

"And your brother? How is he?" He took a deep breath.

"On the outside? The perfect heir and shinobi, doing whatever they expect from him." I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Does he allow himself to open up to you, even just a little?" He nodded and I sighed in relief, a hand on my heart. "Thank God."

"Did you have to give your necklace back?" he asked me bitterly. I furrowed my brows and he ran a hand over his face. "I mean...I won't pretend I know how it feels like but when Itachi went to the apartment, it was bad enough to see him notice all of your stuff was gone, but then when he saw your necklace on his desk he just froze and didn't move for at least ten minutes."

"...that bad huh…"

"I think he thinks he's lost you for good," he whispered quietly.

"He did not. I'm still…" I looked at my ceiling. "Like you said, it is a bizarre situation. Once it's over I truly hope that Itachi and I can...get back together, but for now...it's better if I'm out of his life as much as possible. He has too much to think about to worry about me." I looked at him. "Can you tell him that?"

"...they're trying to spy on our conversations."

"Come on," I spat under my breath. "Okay, can you...if I wrote a letter, you'd be able to give him?"

"That I can."

"Okay." I wrote it, including my link with Hashirama and the Mizukage stuff before giving it to Sasuke. "He's planning something, isn't he?" He nodded. "Okay, I hope what I wrote in it will be able to help him, even just a little." He put it in his pocket, getting a box out of it. "I thought you put your gift in the living-room like the oth…"

"It's from him." I blinked and looked down.

I pushed it toward him with a small smile.

"I can wait for him to give it to me himself. I'd like that more actually."

"I'll tell him." We stared at each other for a few seconds before I hugged him tightly.

"I'm very sorry Sasuke, I don't want to hurt Itachi, I swear I…" He hugged me back.

"Yeah, I know."

There were things you could not avoid though, no matter how much you wanted to.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thanks to Amaterasu53 for the review!

I have started to post this fic on Ao3 as well. There are three chapters online so far and I've rewritten them a little, adding flashbacks at the beginning to explain Akane's life before instead of putting everything in the first chapter. The flashbacks tell her story in parallel to her present story. The story is also called "The Shinigami Side Effect".

Bye!