Disclaimer: All the original characters of Naruto are owned by Kishi.
"Think of this as your happy place, Itachi. In times when the world gets so bad. Or when you fall so deep into yourself that I can't get to you anymore. You have this place and this moment and these are things that can never be taken away from you."
Oh how he wished he could stay in that memory forever. Those precious few minutes had been so perfect that he had unknowingly turned it into his safety blanket, that one corner at the back of his mind that he would run to when his reality became too difficult to bear.
The longer his fight against Sasuke dragged on, the more often Itachi found himself drifting back to that memory. It took every ounce of his willpower to force himself back to the present and endure all that came with it.
'It won't be long until this will all be over,' he would told himself. 'Just a little more.'
He could tell that the end was near. He had never known this kind of exhaustion. It numbed him to the core and turned his entire body into lead. Placing one foot in front of the other was a feat in itself, especially since all of what remained of his chakra was used to maintain his Susanoo. Time was running out. Itachi knew he only had a few moments left. He had to be quick. He had one more task to do.
He moved forward. Left foot followed by the right. Beaten, bloody and with most of the skin of his right arm burned off, he dragged his body straight towards his otouto.
Fear seeped out of Sasuke. Anyone could sense it from the petrified look on his face to his shaking knees. Itachi reached out to him with his right hand, aiming for his precious eyes.
"Mine," he rasped. "Those eyes...are mine."
Sasuke stood paralyzed with fear.
As Itachi reached death's door, he took one last look at his brother. Despite himself, despite swearing to keep his facade until his very last breath, he found himself doing something he rarely did. Itachi changed his mind. He wanted Sasuke to know, or at least to have a glimpse of the secret he had carried with him for the greater part of the decade: His aniki never stopped loving him.
Itachi poked the younger Uchiha's forehead, completing the Tensha Fuin. It was the quiet ending of his life's work, a legacy that he had entrusted to his otouto. He didn't stop the huge smile from spreading across his lips.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. There will be no next time."
Almost immediately, his Susanoo vanished. His legs gave way and he fell forward, slamming his head against the concrete wall. Everything faded to a weightless white.
Uchiha Itachi was dead before his body even hit the ground.
News travelled fast within the Akatsuki. Within minutes, Sora received the news of Itachi's demise from a forlorn Fudo. She had to sit down to take it all in.
She saw it coming, knew that it was going to happen. Still, she realized then that there was no way to prepare herself for the moment when the young shinobi would actually leave them.
Sora would never admit it but Itachi was her favorite. He reminded her of a grandson whom she lost during the Third Shinobi War. News of his death brought back the sickening sensation of irreplaceable loss from years ago. Her hands shook. Her mouth quivered.
Fudo peeked outside the apothecary door one last time before closing it.
"The messenger has left."
Almost immediately, his wife wailed in agony. Sora couldn't hide her pain. Her face contorted into a grimace as angry tears streamed down her weathered cheeks. Fudo crossed the room in long strides and took her in his arms.
After the losses that they suffered during the war, Sora had sworn to never get attached to anyone outside of their dwindling clan. Itachi had been her exception. He had a kind soul. Despite being surrounded by hardened criminals, that kindness - though veiled with nonchalance - never faded. It was a breath of fresh air in an organization filled with hatred and so Sora held on to him like a precious gift.
"Damn you Itachi," she whispered. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"Everything that young man did, he did for a reason," Fudo reminded her. "We have always trusted his judgment then. I don't see a reason why we should stop trusting him now." He sat at the edge of the table, locking eyes with his wife. Gently, he brushed her hair away from her face.
"Whatever it was that he planned for Sasuke, I'm sure he had achieved it. As for his other plan...he knew he couldn't do it alone. I intend to honor his memory by seeing through the plan that he had entrusted us to finish for him."
Sora nodded, wiping her face dry with her handkerchief. As usual, Fudo was right. Their grief would have to wait. There was one more thing that had to be done. And it had to be done fast.
Her husband offered her a glass of water and she took it, downing the contents as her mind wandered back to the last conversation she had with the former Uchiha heir. It happened in that very room amidst the herbs and concoctions that she had gathered to stock. The raven-haired boy sat across her, quietly sipping his tea. He didn't know it but Sora was fuming. It took much of her self-control to stop herself from pummeling the stupid thing.
'How do I start this?' she wondered. She decided to breach the subject using the chakra paper incident, how one of the papers burst into flames after coming in contact with his ward whom everyone knew had a lightning-based chakra.
"Curious," Itachi commented, an amused look lighting up his boyish features.
Sora felt the vein on her temple throb.
"There is a reason medic-nins do not test expecting kunoichi for chakra affinity. A chakra paper cannot distinguish the source of the chakra that it comes in contact with. Sometimes it detects the chakra of an unborn child, which may have a different affinity from its mother's, giving us a false result. Knowing Shiori's background...and having a darn good idea who she's with, I conclude that that was exactly why that paper blew up. So, Itachi?" Her eyes glinted dangerously. "I think that you have a lot of explaining to do."
"...Of course that chakra paper did what it did. Her child is an Uchiha after all." His words were laced with an unapologetic confidence that caught Sora off guard. And then he did something she had never seen him do before. Itachi dropped his face in his palms and chuckled. His shoulders shook. When he lifted his head to face her, he was blushing with what she could only describe as giddiness. He looked every bit like the ecstatic fathers-to-be whom she had to face on a regular basis when she still worked in the government hospital in Kumogakure. Her anger turned lukewarm and the sermon she had prepared that morning sat lodged in her throat.
"How did you find out?" she asked. "Did she tell you?"
Itachi shook his head. "She didn't have to. It is fairly easy to distinguish the chakra signature of my clan. I guess in that aspect, my son took after me."
"It could be a girl, you know."
"It's a boy."
Sora was floored. Of all the reactions she thought this news could bring out from the stoic Itachi, happiness wasn't on the top of the list. In fact she wasn't even sure it was on the list.
"Sora-san, none of us saw this coming, least of all Shiori and I. But...I'd be lying if I say that I don't want this child."
"Itachi, you have to understand - " Sora took his hands and gave them a firm squeeze. "If you proceed to confront Sasuke, and I know you will, it will not matter whether you want it or not. That child will still grow up without a father and that is if it could even get a chance to be born! This is the Akatsuki! Did you really think they wouldn't dispose of Shiori once they find out that she's pregnant?" She whispered the last part, afraid that there might be eavesdroppers nearby.
Itachi frowned. "After my fight with Sasuke, they are going to get rid of her either way. You know as much as I do what they do to the wards of the fallen members."
There was no use sugarcoating it. They both knew that he wouldn't be coming out of that fight alive.
"Also, the Curse of Hatred runs strong inside Sasuke. If I don't face him, then he will come after the people I love. There is no way around it. Not for me."
The pair grew silent as the implications of Itachi's words settled heavily on their shoulders.
"And what of Shiori and the child?" Sora asked, dreading the answer.
Itachi finished his tea and slowly brought the cup down in front of him. "I've been planning her escape for some time now. Outside the confines of the hideout, everything is already in place. If she can escape from here then she gets a shot at freedom, an opportunity to disappear off the grid for as long as she needs to.
Sora narrowed her eyes at him. "You sound so certain. How is she going to do that?"
"You and Fudo-san play a vital role in it." Itachi stood up, walked around the table so that he was standing directly in front of her and bowed down.
"For the last time, Sora-san, I am asking you to help me."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I know. I have a lot of explaining to do.
1) I didn't update for a year because...I simply don't know how to move forward with the story. I had the concepts in my head but I couldn't put it in words no matter how many times I tried. My writer's block was on full blast and there was no other way to beat it other than wait it out and "try" to make other projects on the side. It was very frustrating on my part, considering I didn't want to give up on this story...not after all that trouble of "developing" it.
2) I have agonized on how to write Itachi's final moments. The first plan was to write the Sasuke/Itachi fight from start to finish but it just felt so...redundant. Everyone knew how the fight went and I had no plans to deviate anywhere AWAY from that scene. Add some bits and bobs, yes. Change the outcome of the fight, absolutely not.
3) I have absolutely no idea what to do with my OC. I realized too late that I have turned her into a hot mess and for the longest time it felt like I couldn't save her storyline (pretty much how she feels about herself I guess). I've just figured it out now...ish. Hopefully I can still give her justice, the poor sap.
4) I have abandoned you guys and left you hanging for a long LONG time. Still, if it's not too much to ask it would be great to hear from you (doesn't have to be a public review, it can be a PM if you want) Counting other stories, it has been half a year since I actually wrote stuff and I expect some rust and stiffness here and there. Feedback is a great way to figure out how to improve in this craft so...please. Do message me back!
5) Thank you for keeping this story in your list! Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. PS: That gender reveal is a nod to the 5-year old Itachi.