As Itachi laid his head down on his futon's pillow, he readied himself to use the eyedrop. Somehow, the sight of both Mitsuki and Reishi hovering their head beside his futon nervously, made him feel unusually nervous as well.

"If you felt anything wrong or any discomfort, don't hesitate to tell us, OK?" said Mitsuki for the last time before Itachi gave both side of his eye a few drop of the concoction, as he usually had. As the medicine was being absorbed into his eye membrane, Itachi's vision started to darken before completely fading to black. Not used to the sensation, Itachi spelled what had happened out loud for both Mitsuki and Reishi.

"Unlike usual white flashes, I'm seeing black as of now," said Itachi briefly without revealing any concern as he felt like his two medic would panic if he was even less than calm.

"Hmm, I think it's within expected parameter. I suspect the white flashes were caused by sudden hypersensitivity induced to counter the loss of sight caused gradually by Mangekyou usage," said Reishi as he carefully noted the effect into what seemed to be his personal note.

"Wait, gradual loss of sight? It's my first time hearing about it!" Mitsuki complained to Reishi's confusion, causing her to enquire quickly in disappointment as it seemed like Itachi had purposely leave that part out of their conversation. "Itachi-kun!?" Mitsuki called with inquisitive note, asking for explanation. Taking advantage of his condition, Itachi closed his eye and pretended to sleep, causing Mitsuki to glare at him speechlessly.

Itachi perched himself under the dusk sky. The October air was cold, and dreadful atmosphere filled the air as Itachi took one last look over the clan's compound, strengthening his resolve once more. The scene felt familiar to him, as if he had been there before. Shaking the feeling of dejavu, Itachi's body moved towards the house of his first target, the last inhibition and the last source of his hesitation in fulfilling this horrible mission of his. Without a hitch, Itachi created a distraction, and took out the single mother of the house, alerting the daughter whom was dear to him, Izumi. As their line of sight intersected, the girl asked him "why" with confusion and sadness in her tone as she noticed her mother lying on the floor.

"Tsukuyomi," Itachi activated his Mangekyou immediately, unable to bear hearing the sadness in her voice even a second longer.

With Tsukuyomi, he gave her a long, peaceful, beautiful dream of a happy future, where they spend their life together until the end of their life. She spent the rest of her spirit in her dream before her leg finally gave way. As Itachi caught the girl's slender figure from falling, the girl thanked him, and he thanked her back in return, before laying her lifeless body gently on the floor of her residence, suppressing the turmoil in his emotion for good.

After the weight had been lifted, Itachi met up with Madara and planned for their next movement together. Madara had offered to take on the woman and the children of the clan to ease the burden in his heart and safe his energy, knowing that Itachi would likely took extra care and effort to give them a painless death. Dreadfully accepting Madara's proposal, Itachi moved on, cold and calm, as if he had closed his heart's eye. It was as if he was no longer living in reality. Everything felt so surreal, so mechanical. With ease, he moved between house to house, silently, skilfully, akin to the grim reaper. As he took the life of the people in his clan, leaving none on his path alive, Itachi kept his expression calm, devoid of emotion. Whether with a quick slice on the neck, a stab to the heart, or swift beheading, not a speckle of blood hit him as he went on with his cruel mission. His meticulousness was a by-product of his training and skill, as well as the proof of his life as a shinobi. Steadily, he took out everyone in the compound one by one, some with quick mercy, while some other that deserved less for propagating the coup in the first place, had received the short end of his suppressed anger. Darkness overwhelmed him as he continued upon his duty, killing his emotion, killing the side of him that despise conflict and violence. He felt as if he was being slowly crushed under the weight of the overwhelming darkness, and with that, came an all too familiar feeling.

As the feeling of dejavu hit him harder and harder, Itachi realised where he was, and where his feet had taken him. In realization, Itachi tried his best to fight his body, however.. It was as if the body wasn't his, it didn't stop to listen to his desperate command. Under the full moon, Itachi perched himself atop of the electrical pole, witnessing the return of his younger brother to the compound with countless regret in his mind. Once more, Itachi's body carried him towards a familiar place. Immediately, as if magic, the scene changed.

"We understand, Itachi," the voice of Itachi's mom rung clearly in his ear, gently, as if enveloping him with understanding and kindness, breaking the lock that he had put unto his own heart and releasing his emotion once more as he felt the love that she had for him, even as he had betrayed them, his own family.

"Itachi, promise me one thing," said his father without any hint of disappointment, or resentment. "Take care of Sasuke," he added.

Upon hearing his father's words, and realising the sheer amount of understanding and love they gave him even as he stood there about to take their lives, tear fell uncontrollably from his eyes. As he recalled his father's advice for him to stay true to his own thinking, Itachi's hand had begun to shake. And then it hit him.

This was a dream, a dream of his past. The dream of the night he dreaded the most.

"I will," Itachi uttered, his voice came out beyond his control.

"No.." Itachi thought to himself, not wanting to experience the dreadful sensation once more.

As his body continued to converse with her father out of his control, Itachi's mind tried it's best to shut off his consciousness, to no avail,

"No.. No more.." he thought as he struggled. Inside him, he wondered if it was his karma, for having Sasuke dream about the same thing over and over again to fuel his hatred in their recent reunion. Even as he had also needed to reminisce about the sorrowful event as he cast his Tsukuyomi upon Sasuke, somehow, in his dream he felt more vulnerable, as every inch of his body recalled the memory of that event, second by second..

"I'm proud of you," said Itachi's father. Even when his head was in turmoil, upon feeling Sasuke's approaching presence, Itachi ran his blade through her mother's back and straight unto her heart, giving her a quick death. The sensation ran through the hilt of the blade and sent an intense pain once more to the depth of his heart.

"Stop it…" Itachi's thought rang in his mind as he recalled the pain in his heart that night.

"You're actually such a gentle child," his father continued his words, sending more regret of for the time unspent in Itachi's mind. Slowly, Itachi's body hunched forward, tears flowing uncontrollably from his eye, unto the hand that was, ironically, still clutching his sword. It was as if he was wishing to lean into his father's back for once, something that he had never allowed himself to have during the course of his whole life.

"No.. this is a dream, this is my dream.." Itachi thought as he tried to regain control of his own dream. To no avail, Itachi's body moved on its own, continuing his mission by plunging his blade into his father's back. Then as he sheathed his sword back with his own trembling hand, he heard the racing footstep.

"No, at least not this," knowing what would be happening next and the destruction that will occur inside his innocent little brother's heart by his action, by his Mangekyou, Itachi tried his hardest to move his legs. With great effort, powered by his guilt over the recent event, he finally took back the control of his own body. Immediately, he dashed out of his house, and rushed away beneath the full moon's light. It was the same, dreadful, cruelly beautiful full moon of that night. Itachi remembered once more how he found it so hateful, and how he had wished to rip it to pieces as the moon shined upon him beautifully, as if mocking him, pitying him for his action.

Suddenly, the floor under Itachi's feet crumbled, along with his path. Once more, Itachi found himself perching atop the electrical pole, under the full moon which again, cast a lonely light unto his back, as he watched Sasuke running inside the compound's area once more. It dawned unto him, that the time in his dream has rewound itself, keeping him in a loop. It was as if the time had conspired against him.

"This is a dream, I need to wake up," Itachi thought as his breath hastened. He couldn't take reminiscing upon his clan's and parent's murder once more.

With desperation, Itachi tried to open his eyes.

He could feel his eyelid opening, but the darkness didn't end. And so, his mind once again drifted back unto his dream.

As his body started to move on its own again once more, with the last shred of his will, Itachi bit his own lip in another attempt of waking up. The pain immediately stung him, however the darkness hadn't ended, as if unwilling to let him escape from his nightmare. Trembling, Itachi reached unto his kunai pouch and took his kunai out, readying it. Determined, he swung the kunai down unto his leg. However, unexpectedly, something stopped his hand's movement. As he attempted to fight the blocking force, he heard someone calling for him.

"Itachi-kun!? Itachi-kun, can you hear me!?" A familiar voice called unto him from behind, as if coming from within the dreadful moon. Still unable to shake off the vision in his dream, Itachi tried to swing his kunai down once more.

Suddenly, he felt warmth enveloping his body, as a sweet, sad lullaby drifted close to his ear as he felt his kunai pierce through a semblance of flesh and bones, yet he felt no pain. As the song rang close to his ear, the song was starting to feel familiar to him, mysteriously bringing him a sense of calmness. As his ragged breathing started to calm, senses slowly returned to Itachi's body, one by one. He then noticed that he had been sitting up on his futon. Next, he felt the tears on his face, a small palm clasping his wrist, and another palm, blocking his kunai, leaking a warm, rust scented liquid, and.. the figure behind him, enveloping him with a gentle hug as she rested her head upon his shoulder, while whispering the lullaby softly unto his ear. Only then, Itachi noticed that she had desperately tried to stop his right hand which had been holding a kunai tightly, from moving.

Realising, Itachi let go of the kunai in his grip.

"Good, finally you've calmed down.." the voice whispered gently in Itachi's ear, seemingly in relieve. "Just like this, focus on my voice, my touch, and my temperature," she added in worry that Itachi would once again drift back into his nightmare as she pulled her left hand away, past Itachi's left shoulder. Itachi could feel the warm liquid dripped once more as Mitsuki pulled her hand past him.

"Blood," Itachi muttered, as complicated feeling and confusion filled his heart.

"Don't worry, it's just a scratch," said Mitsuki with a light chuckle, as she dislodged the kunai that stabbed through the middle of her palm with the help of her controlled vines, and dropped it onto the floor.

"More importantly, you were having such a bad nightmare. When I realised, you were ready to stab yourself with your kunai," said Mitsuki with the calmest tone she could afford to muster, leaving the fact that she had heard Itachi's screaming and desperate cry a secret, as well as how it was the thing that woke her up.

"Sorry, Mitsuki.." Itachi whispered, quivering. His body hadn't stopped shaking even as he managed to pull himself away from the inescapable nightmare. It was as if the sensation was etched in his head once more, being such a realistic dream as it was.

Hearing Itachi's weak voice, Mitsuki gently smiled as she reaffirmed her presence to him, "Mmmhmm, this is Mitsuki*. I'm here by your side, behind you, to be exact.." Mitsuki said jokingly with a gentle tone as she tightened her hug around Itachi's back, giving him the warmth of someone else's, something that he hadn't experienced for a long time. Seeing as Itachi didn't respond to her joke, Mitsuki sighed softly.

"Itachi-kun, I'll take off your kunai pouch, OK? As well as other hidden weapons in your robe," said Mitsuki gently as she let her hug go, while keeping her right hand on Itachi's wrist, letting him know that she was still there with him.

"Whenever you feel like you're about to drift back into your nightmare, focus on my hand, and my voice, ok?" said Mitsuki gently as she slowly shifted her hold on him without cutting off their contact, towards a more comfortable hold as her finger clasped around Itachi's. While doing so, she slowly removed Itachi's kunai pouch from his leg, and searched him for another object that could have been of harm to him. Determined to stay away from his nightmare, Itachi gripped Mitsuki's hand tighter, as if trying to register her presence better. Somehow, the gentle, yet affirming interaction sent a slight tingle down their spine. Smiling unseen, Mitsuki continued to sing her lullaby as she shoved the dangerous objects away from Itachi's reach, one by one.

Before realising, Itachi had let himself drifted asleep once more. However this time, the nightmare didn't come back, and he had allowed himself to drift into a restful sleep. With that, a few hours passed. How long exactly, Itachi wasn't sure either. Waking up, Itachi opened his eyelid, but could yet to see any light. Remembering the event of the previous night, Itachi's right hand twitched anxiously. Only then, he realised, that Mitsuki had never let go of his hand during the whole night, and somehow he had found his head resting on her lap once more. Noticing the movement, Mitsuki said gently as she too woke up from her sleep.

"Ah, you're awake, Itachi-kun?"

Overwhelmed with awkwardness, Itachi slowly lifted his body up, away from Mitsuki's lap. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from Mitsuki's grip as well. Then, he remembered..

"Your other hand?" Itachi asked briefly, guilt and worry in his voice. Hearing his question, Mitsuki chuckled.

"It's fine, here," she said, as she handed her left arm over for Itachi to examine with his own hand. Like how she had stated, as Itachi checked Mitsuki's left palm, he could not find any wound or any mark left on it whatsoever. While Itachi continuedly checked with his finger in disbelieve, Mitsuki smiled wryly. After her seal was undone, giving her his memory and power back, the speed and the extent of her regeneration had increased tremendously as well. To be honest, it made her feel even less of a human, but she had come to accept it as well. As Itachi pulled his hands away once more, Mitsuki smiled unknowingly to him

"Itachi-kun, I'll go grab us some lunch a while. I'll be back soon," said Mitsuki.

As Itachi heard her footstep moving further and further away, he drifted back into his thought.

"Lunch, huh?" it seemed to him that a long time had passed during his rest. Recalling the previous night's event, Itachi could feel his face heating up in embarrassment as he recalled what he considered to be a shameful display of his vulnerability, and a terrible moment of weakness. Unsure of what kind of face should he put on in front of Mitsuki from then on, Itachi clutched his face with his palm.

Not long after, Mitsuki returned with a light footstep and gently opened the back shrine's door, letting the fresh afternoon air in. It was as if she took utmost care not to startle Itachi. Gently, she walked closer towards Itachi's now seated figure and sat beside him after putting several items off her hand. Carefully, Mitsuki put a plate unto Itachi's lap.

"It's onigiri, Reishi figured that it'll be more convenient for you to eat," said Mitsuki gently as she guided Itachi's right hand towards the warm rice ball on his plate. Without a word, Itachi picked one of the Onigiri and brought it closer to his mouth slowly.

Lunch time passed in a serene quietness. Mitsuki would occasionally tap around, or hum gently, as if letting Itachi knew that she was there beside him. Somehow, the simple gesture put Itachi at ease, even if he hadn't yet regained the light within his eye.

Silently, Itachi observed Mitsuki's movement through the sounds that she made. The gentle rustle of her hair and clothes as she shifted around, the soft munching noise that she made as she gobbled on her lunch, the gentle, rhythmical tapping of her finger. Itachi took them all in as he wondered about how she had perceived him after witnessing previous night's event. However, contrary to his worry, Mitsuki had never uttered a single question regarding his nightmare, or even patronize him more than needed. There was no pity and judgement, only silent understanding. For that, Itachi was thankful. Before realising, he had turned his head towards the source of the sound.

Noticing how Itachi's head had turned towards her, Mitsuki glanced back in surprise. Feeling awkward, Mitsuki threw Itachi a question.

"How is it? Anything unusual with your body? Besides the eye, I mean.." she asked, as if trying to break the silence between them.

"Ah, no.. I guess I do feel a bit warm somehow?" Itachi replied, unsure, turning his head back to face his front. Upon hearing his response, Mitsuki put her palm unto Itachi's forehead. Itachi jolted slightly upon feeling her cold finger touching his forehead.

"Ah, sorry, it is cold isn't it? I had just washed my hand with cold water before I come back," Mitsuki said apologetically as she pulled back her palm and rubbed both of her hands together, raising its temperature slightly before putting it back unto Itachi's forehead.

"Mmm, I think there's a slight fever, let me talk to Reishi about it, see if we have to do something about it," said Mitsuki as she finished comparing their temperature together.

Before Itachi could stop her, Mitsuki had dashed out of the back shrine. Not long after, she came back along with another set of footstep.

"Itachi-san, I'll check on your condition a bit if you don't mind," said Reishi as he sat in front of Itachi. Besides Reishi, Mitsuki laid down what sounded to be like a basin of water.

"While you two are at it, I'll leave the room for a while now, so feel free to wash up if necessary. I've warmed up some water for you. You were sweating quite a bit in your sleep," said Mitsuki gently, with an awkward smile on her face. Reflexively, Itachi brought his arm closer to his face, smelling it. Upon seeing his action, Mitsuki chuckled.

"Don't worry, you don't smell.. I just thought that it might be uncomfortable for you staying that way," Mitsuki added with a playful tone in her voice. "I'll also take this chance to wash up myself, so I'll be gone for a bit!" she said as she left the back shrine and closed the door behind her.

"I've brought you a change of more comfortable clothes as well, Itachi-san," Reishi added. He figured that Itachi's akatsuki robe and ninja outfit would be uncomfortable to rest in after a while, even as Itachi had always wore it without any issue. At least, he would like Itachi to have a more restful sleep during his recovery time. Some people would even say that the way you dress affect how you feel, so Reishi wondered if by keeping his battle clothes on, Itachi's mind was put in constant vigilance, ready for any incoming threat.

Hearing Reishi's sincerity, Itachi nodded and accepted his goodwill.

As Mitsuki entered the cold river, she shivered.

"Urgh, why did I think bathing in the river during fall would be a good idea?" she cursed silently inside her mind. However, as her body slowly adapted to the temperature, and assisted with her control over temperature, Mitsuki slowly slipped into a state of comfort. As she did, her mind drifted. The picture of Itachi struggling in his nightmare resurfaced in her mind.

"Father, Mother, I'm sorry," Itachi whispered during his deliriousness as tear fell from his open, yet unseeing eyes.

Then, the sight of Itachi, breathing raggedly as he pulled his kunai out of his pouch, and swung it down, resurfaced within Mitsuki's mind as well.

Mitsuki didn't dare to ask about it. Now that she had recovered her painful memory, she understood Itachi's aversion of bringing those moments out in a conversation. And so, she decided not to ask him further about it. Not until he felt like telling her himself. However, Mitsuki couldn't help but connected some dots in her mind. By doing so, she realised the overwhelming weight of Itachi's guilt, and the possible reason behind his own self-hatred. However, her thoughts were soon interrupted by her own sneeze.

"HUACHOOO!" Mitsuki sneezed loudly as the cold fall wind blew over her body. "Darn it, the wind is cold.. Guess I shouldn't stay here for long," thought Mitsuki as she wiped her nose with annoyance.

The moment Mitsuki reached the back shrine, she quickly entered the back shrine and closed the door behind her, afraid that letting the cold, dusk air in will further aggravate Itachi's condition. Her light step alerted Itachi who were half asleep, covered with a set of blanket that Reishi and Kina had brought in while Mitsuki was away. As Itachi shifted his body up, Mitsuki quickly dashed over and stopped him.

"Why are you waking up? Go rest more!" said Mitsuki as she quickly held Itachi's body back to no avail as he insisted on straightening his body. Giving up, Mitsuki then took a seat beside him, watching him with concern in her eyes.

"It's ok, I've rested a lot," he said, reassuring Mitsuki, and prompting her to sigh in defeat.

As the two sat in silence, Itachi heard an odd, rhythmical sound of movement from where Mitsuki was sitting. Wondering, Itachi tilted his head slightly with a confused look in his face. Witnessing the change on his expression, Mitsuki chuckled.

"Sorry, I'm combing my hair. Is it that loud?" she asked apologetically.

"Ah, no. I was just wondering.." Itachi responded briefly, before shifting the topic away, "Isn't your long hair difficult for you to care for?" said Itachi as he remembered how Mitsuki had always spent a lot of time in the bath houses.

"Hmm, I won't say it's not," Mitsuki answered with a giggle. To her, it seemed like Itachi was utterly bored, to the point that he asked her about her hair care. "How about yours? You have grown yours quite a bit as well," she asked back, continuing the unusual conversation between the two of them. Thinking of it, they hadn't talked much after everything that had happened. Silently chuckling, Mitsuki wondered if even Itachi could get lonely sometimes.

"Ah, I just let it grow and trim the front once in a while," said Itachi nonchalantly. Hearing that, Mitsuki let out a soft laugh, confusing Itachi.

"Why?" he asked.

"No, I was just thinking, I thought you had purposely grown it out. After all, it looked beautiful," said Mitsuki briefly, still with a playful tone in her voice. Hearing Mitsuki's answer, Itachi had only become even more confused. "What an incredible genes," Mitsuki thought playfully in her head. As he saw Itachi's brother, Sasuke during her short time in Konoha, he had noticed the degree of similarity between the two brothers, as well as the beauty of their features. Silently, Mitsuki wondered how their parents looked like.

"Parents, huh.." she thought, recalling Itachi's sleep talk on the previous night. With the memory, Mitsuki's face turned dark. As silence enveloped the two once more, Itachi seemed to notice the slight change in the room's mood.

"What's wrong?" he asked, unsure.

"Nuh uh, it's nothing," lied Mitsuki, keeping her response brief. As if the lack of sight had heightened Itachi's senses, Itachi could hear the slight change in Mitsuki's voice. Not sure on how else to continue the conversation, Itachi decided to ask the question that had been lingering inside him.

"Why had you never asked about last night?" said Itachi suddenly, to Mitsuki's surprise. Somehow, Itachi had somehow become a lot more talkative that day. Still wondering about the cause, Mitsuki gave Itachi a brief answer.

"I believe me that it would be best to wait until you're ready to tell me yourself," she said, before adding, "I'm sorry for my excessive probing so far, it must have been uncomfortable."

Itachi could detect slight sadness in Mitsuki's voice. Somewhere in him, he wondered where the pushy girl that forced herself into his journey had gone away to. But, like Mitsuki, he felt like he had no right to enquire her about it. As the two kept their words inside, the back shrine had been filled with silence once more.

Omake:

The sun had started setting, and the Kodon siblings had finished preparing their dinner together. Curious about Itachi and Mitsuki and the silence within the back shrine, Kina and Reishi opened the door to the back shrine gently. Inside they found the pair had fallen asleep as they remained in their sitting position. Seeing them, Reishi signalled Kina to keep quiet as they moved back out of the back shrine, letting the two catch some peaceful rest.

Author's note:

(At time of writing) I should be working on my merch, but here I am, writing some angsty romance :')

(*) Here it's more like, she's saying, "Mitsuki dayo~" like Miku saying "Miku dayo~" to the WxS group (I'm babbling, but uh, any of you guys play project sekai? Do you guys recall that scene?) It's kinda odd when translated to English somehow ahhahahah. It's.. supposed to be cute with reaffirming tone :x like announcing your presence (cutely)..

Additional note about the plot's creation:

Yahoo~ Ance again here, i got a few things I'd like to share about the inspiration behind this chapter since i took reference from IRL stuffs :3 It's a bit OOT so I put it here!

For Itachi's nightmare, it took reference from both my dream and my friend's that she shared with me. She said sometimes in her dreams, it was as if the body is out of her control and said/do things she didn't mean to, like auto pilot. For example she said she recognized me in her dream but her 'avatar' acted as if we never knew each other. For the nightmarish part, I'm plagued with nightmare that loops, usually. It was like i know it's a dream, i tried to get up and wake up, but instead i'm sent into a loop. Tons of my nightmare revolves around failing one situation/solving one, but then everything loops back to the start. Sometimes its also accompanied by sleep paralysis.

For the part that Itachi grabbed real life Kunai to stab himself, that's also based on my experience. Ever since am on anti-depressant, sometimes i would act out my dream IRL. There's a time I dreamt i'm a werewolf then i scratched and bite my enemy in front of me, only to realise i bit my plushie instead IRL hahaha. There's also another time where I dreamt i fought someone who invaded my rental room then I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him, only to pull my pillow from under my head instead, waking me up in a WTF situation xD.

I'm so much more violent in my dream lol. IRL me just a meek introvert.

As for Mitsuki's method of letting know presence, it stems from uh.. I can't sleep well without sound. Some say it's caused by my trauma, manifesting into discomfort over quietness, also same reason why some people enjoy ASMR (for me I play long storytelling video). At least hearing someone talking nearby help me sleep easier. I felt like plunging into darkness, Itachi would feel anxious too over the complete loss of light, so Mitsuki let him know that she's dear by using the subtle sound of her movement, not something too loud or surprising, but simple, natural sounds.

Thats all for my non-important explanation, hope you guys enjoy!