Wandering butterfly

The first time he saw her, he was almost dead.

Blood dripped from his wounds, painting the ground beneath him crimson, and for the first time in his life, Itachi felt fear as he could do nothing but watch as the liquid spilled from his flesh. Breathing hurt while his lungs fought to keep working and help his heart pump remain beating. All of his fast promotions meant absolutely nothing now; no matter how proud his father was of their bloodline, the eye technique would not stop his blood from escaping his broken body. Being the youngest Uchiha to activate his sharingan wouldn't stop him from dying at seven years old in one of his first high-level missions. Thinking back on it, this was also the first time he could ever remember feeling truly bitter about being placed in this role of his.

He'd never wanted to be here.

If he was being honest...he hated it.

Hated that all sprawled all around him were the corpses of the Ame shinobi he'd killed. Despised that the blood in his hands didn't only belong to him and the fact that this was not the first time it had happened. But Itachi had a talent, and for the sake of the village, he had to put it to use. So the young boy skipped through the Academy grades and kept climbing up the ranks even though all he really wished for was to be able to spend time with his cousin and play with his younger brother. He was the firstborn of a highly respected clan, so it was his responsibility to act as the heir should. It was worth it, though, since even if Itachi himself would never be able to have a peaceful childhood, his actions would help to make a world where little Sasuke wouldn't need to suffer from the same kind of experiences...or that was the plan. Now, however, here he was, leaning on a tree for support and with no chakra left to even try to heal his injuries. Turns out prodigy or not, pinning a child against three jounin squadrons did not end up well for said child. Regret flashed through his mind. His father would not be happy when the news of his death reached him, and his mother would be devastated. Worst of all, the pressure of being the perfect heir would be passed down to Sasuke. Would the boy even remember him some years from now? Or would his name become associated with this failure of a mission, a stain on the clan's reputation?

A shuddering breath left him...one of his last.

There was no point in thinking about this now. Sure, there wasn't much point to anything right now, but if this was to be his end, then the last thing Itachi was to spend his final moments shrouded in misery and bitterness.

And it was then, as he came to terms with his rapidly approaching death, that he saw her for the first time.

Coming from nowhere, a girl appeared in his field of vision. There had been no sound of footsteps. No burst of chakra, nothing at all to betray her sudden presence. By the time the Uchiha blinked, she was just...there, standing a few meters away from him and wearing clothes that looked too impractical for it to be anything but civilian clothing.

Intense pain could, at times, cause hallucinations.

One of his superiors had mentioned it once, and the young boy couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. He hadn't spent much (if any) time thinking about what he'd see in his time of death...but Itachi figured when hallucinations came into play, then at least they'd take the shape of his family so he could see them one last time. Failing that, then maybe the owner of one of the names etched in Konoha's memorial stone would've been his next guess as to who would serve as a guide for his departing soul. Yet, while the coloring was similar enough, the girl in front of him was not a part of his clan. Not a current member nor an ancient one, judging by the bright azure eyes that had widened as she looked at him, her head tilted to the side as if trying to figure out what was it that she was seeing. Could hallucinations be surprised to see the human being they were haunting?

This one definitely looked like it.

Shock attached to a girl that had to be a couple of years younger than him. Idly, he wondered what that said about his psyche, that the last image his brain could conjure was not a god or a shinigami, not his family or friends, but instead, it created a civilian-looking child dressed in odd pink clothes. A child with features just different enough not to confuse her for a member of the Uchiha clan.

His mouth opened, although he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say... But it didn't matter because that was when the hallucination's gaze finally reached the dark crimson liquid spilling from his gaping wounds taking his life away with it. And it, she, whatever he was seeing, gasped.

"You're hurt!"

Whatever he thought a deathbed, pain-induced hallucination would sound like, this was not it. Soft and melodious and definitely childish and concerned.

Could hallucinations be worried about real persons?

It didn't make any difference what he thought, not when she rushed at him in panicked and clumsy motions. And he didn't care what the people in the Academy or his superiors said; Itachi wasn't sure this was just his brain's chemicals trying to distract him from the pain and fear of death anymore. Not when he could feel her small hands hold on to him, worry moving her fingers in a pointless attempt to see his wound to try and help...or maybe...not so pointless after all because when her skin touched his, a massive burst of energy exploded in front of him. Warmth spread throughout his body, taking the pain away.

Going by the renewed widening of her azure eyes, the girl wasn't expecting this reaction either.

But it wasn't just the pain that was fading...he could feel his injuries begin to heal, his skin knitting back together.

It wasn't medical ninjutsu. The glow coming from the younger child was not the green Itachi had come to expect, nor was it the blue of regular chakra. Not once had the Uchiha heir ever seen the pink color bathing them both. And it lasted for both just a heartbeat and an eternity. Worries and regret melted away with the warm sensation as it took over his body and soothed the hurt.

He looked up, dark eyes trying to understand what was happening, only to land in nothing but air. The girl was gone with the glow.

Unbelieving, his shaky fingers traced the healed skin where just moments ago a gaping wound had been the mark of his death sentence. It wasn't just that injury either; the various cuts he'd gained throughout the fight were gone too, and the young Uchiha almost fell on his knees when his legs were far steadier than what he'd expected them to be.

Somehow, he'd managed to make it back to Konoha before nightfall from the small, mostly unknown woods that had been moments away from becoming his grave. By the time the psych evaluation was over and done with, and Itachi was safe in his bed, the young heir had almost convinced himself that the tale about seeing the silhouette of a person getting close to him before passing out and waking up healed was the real version of the events he lived. Maybe it lacked the reassuring feeling that laced the memory, but it certainly sounded far more realistic when compared. If the people hearing his report had failed to keep their masks and cover the shock in their faces while he spouted his made-up story, he didn't want to imagine what their reactions would be to his real memories.

Except that wasn't it.

His grips on Sasuke's legs as he carried his brother on his back faltered, almost dropping him to the ground when the sight of the same girl appeared in his field of vision the following day. The white dress she had on was far more similar to what he'd seen in the village, decidedly civilian too, and she was running around with a bright smile on her face. She was moving around in what he could only assume was some sort of playground that didn't match the terrain of his training field. This time the girl didn't vanish in a second, and not once did those blue eyes look back at him. Subtle questions to Sasuke confirmed only Itachi could see her, and see her he did for about fifteen full minutes before she vanished in a blink, just as before. So his memory wasn't faulty, but the fully healed skin on his chest made it clear this wasn't just a hallucination. She couldn't be a remnant visual manifestation of his mental breakdown. Which didn't help him decide what to do at all. Not other than giving some silent thanks to whatever deity was out there that it was only his younger brother with him instead of one of the older members of his clan. Any one of them would've definitely noticed his initial reaction to his...apparition?

Worry gnawed at him when she showed up again the next day and the day after and had him playing with the idea of confiding in Shisui before he pushed it out of his mind. His cousin was open-minded and cared for him, but even he would worry about the younger Uchiha's mental health before believing such a hard-to-believe story.

In the end, however, that worry was unfounded.

Not that he stopped seeing her, but it soon became evident that there just wasn't anything he could do about it other than monitor it. After some time, the young heir had managed to figure out a loose pattern for the apparitions. Every day she would just show up within his field of vision at least once, and the lapse of time he could see her for would vary from just a couple of minutes to over an hour and a half at the absolute highest. She would pass through physical objects like they weren't there, and for all that he could see her talk, Itachi had been unable to hear her voice after that first encounter. After that first meeting, her gaze would pass over him, unable to see him. It was only with a little bit of embarrassment that he asked Shisui to help him master lip reading without needing to use his sharingan because it "would be useful for undercover missions not to depend on the eye technique". And if the justification he told himself about this all being a way to train his deductions skills by deciphering a conversation that he could only hear one side of sounding too much like an excuse. Well, it wasn't like anyone else would ever know.

Eventually, his worries vanished; the girl really was nothing other than a regular civilian child.

Her daily appearances became one more part of his routine. Being unable to hear her voice meant tuning her out during important moments wasn't that difficult. Not that it didn't take a while to get used to it, Itachi almost screwed up when she appeared in the middle of a training field during target practice, and it was all he could do to not rush to get her out of the way. Sometimes it was hard not to laugh when she was pouting or snapping back at others, or as much as an innocent five-year-old could snap back at someone. But really, the changes this caused were minimal; he was happy to continue with his new daily life.

For a little less than a year...

The black, traditional kimono looked off on her small frame, her eyes reddened and puffy from what could only be a night full of crying. For the first time since he saw her, Itachi felt frustrated. Because he didn't need to see or hear anything else to know the girl was attending a funeral, the funeral of a person she dearly loved. Her father, considering the Uchiha could see her mouth the word "mother" several times throughout the half-hour he'd been forced to watch in silence. And this was one of the few times he'd ever felt so powerless, unable to offer a single comforting gesture as the child lost her exuberancy. Her smiles were scarce, and the few times she managed to conjure them, they were wan and fake, lasting only enough for whoever she was talking to to turn away.

He'd gotten attached. There was no way to deny it when even his performance took a hit, slight as it had been.

But he had no clue how civilians dealt with death; all Itachi knew for sure was that there was a difference. After all, shinobis were exposed to death in one way or another fairly often, and even then, he'd seen older ninjas break apart from grief. How bad would it affect a civilian child? The thought alone bothered him, yet he remained powerless. All he could do was wait for her to appear once more and try to monitor her health. He thanked fate itself when the dam finally broke, and the girl allowed herself to cry her heart out, her arms holding on to something in the same position he'd used to carry Sasuke some time ago. The vision lasted long enough for him to see her wipe her tears with a jerky motion and stand from the place she'd fallen to. It took some time, but little by little, the sunny disposition he'd come to associate with her came back with full force.

A butterfly.

That's what she reminded him of.

So weak and fragile that someone like him could so easily tear her apart, yet so resilient and brave, willing to face the risks of the world and go against winds so much stronger than her. She would flutter her wings until their paths crossed only for brief moments, giving him a short distraction from the bloodshed around him before going back to her own path away from his sight.

They grew up together but separated by a barrier he couldn't understand or break.

By the time his own life started to become twisted as the ugly truth behind his clan came out, Itachi already looked forward to those times his little butterfly would show up. It was her image he'd desperately clung to after completing the mission that would forever brand him a madman. Those short glances into her normal and peaceful life turned into the highlights of his days. Literally even, because for some reason, despite his eyes starting to fail him and his world became blurry and dark, her colors alone remained vibrant, her form nitid. While his hands became more and more tainted with crimson by following Akatsuki's orders, the stolen snippets of her ca;m life became the light that helped him hold on to what remained of his frayed sanity.

Or so it had been, until a little over half a year ago.

Sickness and accidents were still things that could happen in a regular civilian life...he knew that. That was how her father had passed away. But watching her live her days, care for her younger brother, and being so carefree had somehow managed to blind him to the fact that there were still dangers she was exposed to. Although, what he was forced to watch, was in no way something that came from those common risks. Not with how she'd been thrown into the air, and her flesh was all but bitten off, blood dripping from her open wound as she tried to run from a threat he couldn't see. For almost a full day, anxiety gnawed at his entrails until he could see her again. Pain still affected her movements, but the injury had been treated...more importantly, his little butterfly was still alive and breathing.

Questions swirled within his mind, trying his best to recall as much information as he'd gotten about the world she resided in. If war and violence were prevalent in her world, then it was something that had been kept far from her family because not once had the Uchiha seen her do anything that resembled any sort of training. But after that fated day, the sight of her running from invisible enemies, using what could only be a bow and arrows of all weapons, became common. The routine he'd learned from her had also drastically changed. Suddenly, spending days at a time walking and talking to people whose names she'd never spoken before, constantly arguing with one of those new companions of her was a common occurrence. It was now weird for her to spend a full week sitting in her school classes and spending time with her family and friends. No matter how much he thought about it, things just didn't add up.

And attachment no longer was enough of a description for what he felt for the girl.

The panic he'd felt when he saw her unmoving for far too long had caused him to freeze in his tracks, and he'd been lucky to have been alone at the time, because until his little butterfly's azure eyes opened up once more, Itachi just couldn't make himself move from his spot. Afterward, while her sunny disposition remained there during the day, he'd caught her crying during some of her late-night apparitions.

Still, he held on to her as his time ran out.

Maybe that was why Itachi had chosen this forest of all the possible places he could bait his brother into.

It felt fitting, somewhat, that the place he'd almost died on when he was a kid and the first place he had ever seen his little butterfly would become the final place he'd ever be in. With the unpredictable nature of their brief encounters, there was no way for him to try and time his demise to allow him to glance upon her one last time. It betrayed the regret he felt when it came to her. Coming to terms with his death hadn't been as difficult as he'd thought it would be; Konoha's new leader was more than capable. After Sasuke killed him, his brother would unknowingly complete his mission, and with Naruto-kun's intervention, every loose end would be tied up. The blond jinchuuriki's determination was on a different level from anything he'd ever seen; the couple of years he'd spent keeping tabs on the young teen made Itachi believe in him too. During his life as a shinobi, the Uchiha had done everything in his power to ensure the safety of the people and the village he loved. There was no unfinished business...except for her.

Perhaps that was why, as he flicked his younger brother's forehead for the last time, he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips as his little butterfly fluttered into his field of vision. And it felt like fate itself made it so that, for the first time in over a decade, her azure gaze connected with his.

Blind eyes soaked in the vibrant colors he'd come to adore. Something fell out of the girl's hands as she looked at him, head tilted in a way that was so reminiscent of that first time they'd ever crossed paths. Her gaze flickered to the sides, probably glancing at the people around her before landing back on him. Recognition glinted in her eyes, and pointless as it was considering the fact that he was moments away from death, satisfaction welled up inside him for it. It was only logical she would remember him. Sure, from her perspective, this was the first time in more than ten years that she'd been able to see him, but a bleeding boy appearing out of nowhere right in front of her was not the kind of experience that one could easily forget, let alone a civilian child.

Her lips parted, about to try and say something, but his time was running out, and he didn't want to waste what little was left.

"So...you can see me now too..." The words came out with a cough, blood staining his lips.

"You're hurt!" Her voice rang out, worry lacing it as she gave one hesitant step forward.

He smiled once more at the echoes of the past. The exact same three words with the same worried tone.

"I'm dying."

No need to hide it; he was weak enough that when Sasuke moved away in an effort to find the intruder to what was supposed to be their final battle, Itachi could only allow gravity to take him down, sliding down the tree trunk and into the ground.

Whatever caution she'd gained during the last few years was entirely ignored as Deja Vu hit him, watching her rush at him, though to be fair, her movements were far less clumsy this time around. The girl hurried to his side, hands moving to try and get his bloodied clothes out of the way to take a look at his wounds. Right, for the last few months, he'd seen the girl slowly making her way to mastering non-chakra-based medical skills, but no kind of first aid would be able to help him.

"Let me see." She'd gained the voice of a medic.

"It's alright," Itachi shook his head; if he could, he'd hold her hands to stop her fruitless endeavor. "The wound is fatal."

"But...!"

Her reply was cut off short when one of her arms was pulled back...someone from her side was trying to get her away. Her companions were probably concerned, watching the girl sprint and talk to an empty space of air; for all he knew, the tree he was leaning on didn't even exist. A fair reaction. Itachi would probably try to do the same if their roles were switched. Taking a glance around with his sharingan revealed that Sasuke had stepped back and activated his own eye jutsu, his movements almost erratic. Perhaps it was selfish of him; he was allowing his brother to think Itachi had truly lost his mind during his last moments, just after making his final affectionate gesture. It also wasn't fair to his little butterfly. She would no doubt feel powerless when his life slipped through her fingers, but he was still glad that she was also able to see him this time around.

"...you, it's not a trick!" The frustration lacing her voice got his attention back to her. It felt oddly right, to finally be able to hear the tones that accompanied her facial expressions. "I've seen him before!"

"There's nothing to be done, but I'm glad to have this chance anyway," he said, recapturing her focus.

"...I can heal you."

He couldn't really say he was that surprised at the surge of determination in her eyes. Throughout the years, Itachi had seen enough of her to figure out that her character would drive her to help even a complete stranger like him. What he failed to expect was the pink glow that began to shine from her hands. And with it, his pain began to fade as a warmth he never thought he'd feel again slowly burrowed within his failing body. The scene from his childhood was being replaced right before his eyes. Looking at her face now, however, showed no shock or surprise. She knew what she was doing this time around and had complete control over the power that had already saved him from the brink of death once before.

And it was having a visible effect.

Sasuke had given up on finding the person the older Uchiha was talking to, deciding instead to get back to his side, confusion overwhelming him as he looked at his healing wounds. He was talking again, almost screaming, demanding to know what was happening and what his actions were supposed to mean, but Itachi couldn't bring himself to respond or even acknowledge his presence. Because somehow, things continued to spiral in unforeseen directions. It was healing slower than before, and from the looks of her tightly shut eyes, it was taking her far more effort than it did back when they were children. If he survived this day, he'd need to think about that little detail; that and figure out what made this connection different from the rest. Preferably, once his brain began working properly again. For now, it was refusing to acknowledge that the more the pink glow grew, the more colors began seeping their way into the empty black void that had been his world for years now, creating hazy forms all around him. And while his brother's words weren't really registering, he could see him. Not just the flow of his chakra but his physical form and the forest behind him. And more than that, a different sort of forest was starting to overlap into his vision.

Voices he'd never heard before reached his ears, and unknown silhouettes took form in front of his suddenly not so useless eyes. They were becoming clearer while the forest he knew grew translucent; even Sasuke's sudden grip on his arms became lost.

Oh...

He'd never thought this was a possible outcome.

But as his lungs took in air without so much as a hint of pain, it was undeniable that his little butterfly had done more than just heal his wounds and save his life again. Somehow, she'd bridged the gap between their dimensions and pulled him through to her side. Later, he'd be grateful his brain forgot how to make his mouth function. Otherwise, he'd have burst out laughing hysterically, like the madman people thought him as. It would seem something else his little butterfly was capable of was bringing forth the kind of miracles he'd never thought were even within the realms of possibilities.

"Oh...good..." Her voice was soft once more; bright azure stared deep into black, and she smiled. "You're still here this time."

It was a good thing that years of training had ingrained into him quick reaction times because the Uchiha wasn't sure he would've been able to catch her body as it fell forward, eyes closing right after she managed to get those words out. It felt surreal to realize that the weight he was supporting as he leaned on a tree actually belonged to her. After so many years stuck on the other side of a one-way glass, the simple fact that he could touch her was more difficult to accept than his returned vision.

And then all hell broke loose.

Angered screams filled the air, intertwining with concerned yells, and it took one of the members of the group he'd appeared in the middle of to physically stop the man in vibrant red before he tried to attack him. It only took him a quick headcount for Itachi to determine where and with who he was. Old traditional clothing was a trait that was shared between his and his butterfly's worlds. Kimonos, yukatas, and the like were common enough in the Elemental Continents; nobles still wore heavy layered kimonos, and Itachi had gotten to see the girl in those sort of outfits over the years their paths kept crossing, but those were rare occasions. Her day-to-day clothing was closer to what most civilians would wear in decent-sized villages and cities. Not the exact same, but far less old than what he could see the group wearing during what was just another day...these were the same people she called to whenever she was in danger.

It seems like I can't die just yet.

Because not once had he ever caught her receiving any kind of training despite constantly being put in danger, and it was painfully evident none of them could manage to keep her safe. More than once, he'd seen her nursing her injuries. Constantly bandaging cuts and bruises. She was too invested in this to be convinced to leave; he was sure of it. But now that he was here, his hands weren't tied anymore. In return for the life he'd been given, for the light he'd obtained from her, he would become her protector.

And if her companions here tried to complain, well...he'd just have to make it clear this decision wasn't up to a vote.

That thought was the last thing that passed through his mind before the exhaustion of being brought back after being so close to crossing the Sanzu river hit him. And it hit him all at once. His eyes refused to stay open as he passed out, still soaking up the warmth that radiated from the delicate girl in his arms. All the while, he ignored that argument happening around him.

A/N: So...this is a little something that just wouldn't let me be for the past week and I had to write it down, honestly I got the idea for this excerpt all in one go so here it is. The KnY one shot is on the edit process tho, and it should be out next weekend.

Thank you guys so much for reading and any and all reviews/comments/criticism is greatly appreciated.