Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto.
Author's Note: Eh, I'm not quite sure what to say. I uploaded this yesterday, but it wasn't there today. The strangest things happen to me…Anyway, as an apology gift, I have two preview gifts – one for the second chapter of Timeless and one for the fifteenth chapter of Koibito– for those who are reading this again.
Last Hope
12/18/07 – 12/19/07
"Foolish little brother…"
Sasuke's lips pulled backwards into an angry snarl as he glared at the man – the murderer – standing before him. Shrugging off Sakura's restraining hand; he took a staggering half-step towards the man he had once called brother.
"…You are weak…"
He could feel Sakura's hands grappling to pull him back. She was desperate. He could feel it in the way she tried to hold onto him. She was speaking – begging him to do something, but everything she said sounded like incoherent cries to his ears.
"…Eight years ago, you failed to save the clan…"
Sakura was on her knees, begging and groveling at the murderer's feet. What did she think she was doing? Begging that murderer! Where was her pride? Her dignity? Even if they were going to die, they were going to die with honor by avenging those that had been lost. He would never lower himself to beg him for mercy again – never again.
"…Now, eight years later, you fail to save those that you call friends."
Sasuke took one glance at Naruto, and his resolve hardened. Those haunting, soulless blue eyes would be imprinted in his mind forever.
Naruto had deserved better than that.
"Please, he's your brother!" Sakura cried, desperate tears running down her cheeks. "Spare him!"
"Quiet, Sakura!" Sasuke hissed as he angrily shoved the kunoichi aside. "Don't beg him! Naruto didn't want his mercy, and neither do I." Raising his hand, he allowed his fist to charge with chakra as he glared at the motionless man before him. "Let's end this, Itachi!" he roared as he jumped and pushed forward with all the power that he had left. "Chidori!"
"Sasuke!" shouted Sakura, watching with horrified awe as Itachi easily side-stepped the attack by grabbing Sasuke's chakra-charged hand in mid-attack. "Please, no!" she screamed as Itachi swiftly twisted Sasuke's arm back and ran him through with his own attack. "No! Please, no! Sasuke! Please!"
"Run!" Sasuke gasped as blood gushed from his wound, staining his own hand.
"No, I won't! I won't leave you!" Sakura cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I've already lost Naruto. I won't lose you too!"
"GO!" Sasuke roared. "Go now or I'll kill you myself!"
Sakura staggered back by the force of his command. Bitter tears choked her words as she swore, "I promise. I promise I'll avenge everyone. This isn't the end, Uchiha Itachi! I will never forgive you! Never! Remember that!"
"Foolish girl," Itachi answered, releasing his grip on Sasuke's arm. "No one will leave Konoha alive."
Sakura's eyes widened with fear as Itachi took a step towards her.
"Leave her alone." Sasuke gritted through clenched teeth as he pulled his bloodstained arm back through his stomach. Latching onto Itachi's unresisting arm, he growled, "Go already, stupid girl!"
Sakura nodded. With fresh tears running down her cheeks, she turned and ran.
"What do you hope to achieve by saving that worthless girl?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke's eyes slowly slid closed as his grip on his Itachi's arm gradually loosened. "Everything," he answered, a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips as he pitched forward into his brother's arms. His final breath escaped his lips just as he felt Itachi wrap his arms around his shoulders.
"Foolish little brother," Itachi softly murmured as he held Sasuke's limp body against him. "I told you to stay away."
Sakura quietly made her way back to the alley where they had confronted Itachi. She knew that she was taking a large risk by going back when the entire area was running rampant with S-rank criminals, but she knew that she had to recover Naruto and Sasuke's bodies. It was the least she could do for them now.
Arriving at the area, she immediately hid when she found a shadowy figure flittering around the area. Her heartbeat instantly quickened as she plastered herself against the alley wall. She hoped, praying to every deity that she knew that the darkness of the night would be enough to veil her from the Akatsuki's eyes.
Narrowing her eyes, Sakura's brows knitted in confusion when she realized that the small, petite form flittering around couldn't possibly belong to any of the Akatsuki members. Knowing that she was taking a big risk by revealing herself, Sakura sharply asked, "Who are you?" Seeing the woman's arms wrapped around Sasuke's limp body, she angrily demanded, "What do you think you're doing with Sasuke?"
The woman stiffened, and Sakura could feel the heat of her glare even through the dark. "I'm going to bury him." she answered. "What else do you think I could do to a corpse? Molest him?"
Sakura bit back an angry retort. "Give him to me."
"No," the woman answered, lifting Sasuke's body with surprising strength.
Sakura's hands clenched. "Are you aligned with the Akatsuki?"
The woman paused. Then, shifting Sasuke's body into a more comfortably position, she answered, "No."
"Then how did you get into Konoha?" Sakura demanded. "The Akatsuki has blocked all the entrances. No one can get in or get out." As she spoke, she tried to discreetly gather chakra to her hands. If needed, she would fight the woman to regain Sasuke's body. "Everyone in Konoha has been slaughtered. The Akatsuki would not have spared anyone."
"Konoha isn't my village." the woman confirmed.
"Then how did you get in?" Sakura snapped, keeping her eyes trained on Sasuke's body.
"I have my ways." the woman evasively answered.
"If you're not from the village, and you're not part of the Akatsuki, then what do you want with Sasuke's body?" Sakura asked suspiciously as she began inching towards the woman. "Are you interested in Sasuke's Sharingan?"
"Hardly," she answered. "I just want to put him to rest." She shifted, giving the impression that she was about to leap.
"Why?" Sakura hissed, trying to delay the woman's departure with Sasuke's body. "You don't even know him!"
The woman stopped. "Maybe not directly," she quietly answered, ghosting her fingers over Sasuke's pale cheek, "but I still feel obligated to put him to rest."
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she hurriedly asked, "Did you know someone from the Uchiha Clan?"
"…Yes."
Sakura relaxed her stance as she quickly fired her second question, "Who?"
"Does it matter?" the woman replied, sounding slightly strained. When Sakura didn't answer, the woman asked, "Now, can I go? I'm not going to harm his body. I'm really just going to put him to rest. My…friend would have wanted that."
Sakura opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to ask who her friend was, but she knew that the woman wouldn't answer.
"Was your friend close to…Sasuke?" Sakura quietly asked, choking over the last word.
The woman paused, mulling over the question. After a moment, she answered, "Yes, I think he was. Sasuke may not believe it, and he may not even realize it himself, but I think that he does care. In his own way, I know that he loved him."
Sakura lowered her guard, allowing her chakra-charged fist to dissipate.
The woman turned, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Sakura called, stopping the woman again. "C-Can I go with you? I would like to bury Naruto beside Sasuke. They were rivals, but they were also best friends. I think they would have wanted to be buried next to each other."
"…All right," the woman conceded. "But we must hurry. We may be spotted if we dawdle here any longer."
She had tried to be strong. She had tried her best not to cry. But as soon as they lowered their bodies into the ground, she broke. In a moment, she had lost her family, her friends, her village, and the two most important people in her life.
"Damn you, Akatsuki!"
The woman stiffened.
"I'll never forgive you!"
Sakura dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground. Angry tears streamed down her face as she fisted her blood-stained hands in the dirt. She had insisted on making the graves alone by hand.
"Damn you, Itachi!"
The woman flinched.
"Sasuke! Naruto!" she cried, pounding her fist into the ground, creating minor tremors through the earth. Why did they have to die and leave her behind? If anything, she would rather be the one lying ten feet below!
"Keep it down!" the woman growled, grabbing Sakura by the arm and hauling her up. "Do you want to alert the Akatsuki?"
"Does it even matter anymore?" Sakura shouted back. "They're gone. Everything's gone! Even the village is in ruins! What's left for me here? If they want to kill me, then go ahead! I should have died alongside them anyway!"
The woman slapped her hard across the cheek.
Sakura blinked, looking up in surprise.
"Get a hold of yourself, silly girl." the woman snapped. "They risked their lives to save you, didn't they?"
Sakura mutely nodded her head. How could she ever forget the look in Sasuke's eyes? His last words had been cold, but his eyes had held desperation. He had been desperate to save her. Even mortally wounded – his own hand through his stomach – he had used his last breath to stall Itachi for her sake.
"Are you stupid?" the woman continued, tightening her grip around Sakura's shoulders. "They sacrificed their lives to save your sorry life, and you want to throw it away? Did their lives mean nothing to you? If I was your teammate, I would be ashamed of you. Someone as pitiful as you should never have been a kunoichi!"
Sakura staggered back, shocked.
"If you want to stay here, wallowing in self-pity and waiting for death, suit yourself. As for me, I'm going to fix the problem."
"Fix?" Sakura repeated incredulously.
"Yes," the woman answered. "It may be in vain, but at least then, I'll die knowing that I've at least tried to help!"
"There's nothing to 'fix' or 'help'!" Sakura bitterly retorted. "Look around you! The village is in rubbles. Even if you could somehow rebuild it without the Akatsuki noticing, it would take years to fix! And help? Who's there to help? In case you haven't noticed, I'm the only one that's alive."
"Then I'll help you." the woman answered.
"With revenge?" asked Sakura, surprised.
"No. I'm going to try to help you save the village and all those within it."
"You're insane!" Sakura spat. "If you want to try to wake the dead, go to another village. I appreciate your advice and reminder about my teammates' sacrifice, but I don't need the help of a necromancer." Turning away, Sakura added, "Still, I want to thank you for your help today. I hope that you'll be able to get out of Konoha safely."
"Have you heard of the Forbidden Time Seal?"
Sakura stopped mid-step. "The fairytale?" she asked.
"It's not a myth. I've seen the scroll with my own eyes."
Sakura turned and fixed the strange woman with her full attention. "What are you saying? Do you think we'll be able to travel back in time?"
"It's dangerous," the woman admitted, "but if we manage to use it successfully, we can stop the problem by cutting it at its roots."
"Its roots?" parroted Sakura.
"Uchiha Itachi."
Sakura's face flushed with anger. "That bastard! I'll kill him before he hurts Sasuke and Naruto again!"
"Will you do it?" the woman asked. "Of course, keep in mind that this could cost you your soul if it goes wrong."
"Hell yeah!" shouted Sakura. "Even if there's the slightest chance to save everyone, I'll take it!" There was still hope. She could still save them! She could save her family, her friends, her village! She would be able to see Naruto and Sasuke again. Even if it meant her soul, she would gladly give it up for another chance. "What should I do?" she asked.
The woman smiled. "Meet me here tomorrow night."
"Where have you been?"
She stiffened as she slowly turned her head towards the two nuke-nin heading towards her. "Itachi-san," she greeted, "Kisame."
"Hey!" Kisame returned, revealing a sharp set of pointed teeth as he smiled. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving!"
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I'll call everyone when it's done."
"Sounds good," Kisame grinned. "You two talk. I'll report to Leader." With a backward wave, he exited the kitchen and began making his way up the winding stairs to the Hokage's office, which now belonged to Pein. The Hokage Tower was the only structure that they had left intact because they had decided to use it as their new base of operations.
As soon as Kisame left, she turned her attention back to the stove.
"Where were you last night?" Itachi repeated, seating himself in a spare chair. His blood-red eyes easily pierced her clumsy attempts to maintain a calm façade. "Kagome, answer me." he ordered, narrowing his eyes in warning.
"Were you looking for me last night?" she asked evasively.
"You searched for Sasuke's body."
Kagome startled, causing the plate to slip from her hands and shatter across the floor. "W-What gave you that idea?" she asked shakily as she bent over to pick up the shattered pieces. She immediately gasped in pain when a large hand suddenly encased hers and squeezed, causing the shattered shards to pierce into her skin.
"The bloodstain on your shirt gave you away." Itachi answered her unspoken question as he squeezed again, causing the shards to dig deeper into her flesh. "Don't lie to me…and if you ever disobey me again, I will kill you."
Kagome shuddered as she mutely nodded her head. "I…" she trailed, stopping Itachi from leaving the kitchen. "I just thought that you would have wanted your brother to be properly buried. I thought that you might…"
"Still care?" Itachi finished. "You presume too much. Your problem, Kagome, is that you think you know me when you have barely even grazed the surface." He turned, but stopped at the doorway, "If you ever try to presume to understand me again, I will end your pitiful existence. Understand this: You mean nothing to me and you are easily replaced."
He left and she immediately collapsed.
Unshed tears welled in her eyes as she quickly gathered up the remaining shards of the broken plate. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to cry…
She wasn't going to cry, damn it!
TBC
Author's Note: Out of curiosity, did anyone even see this chapter up yesterday? I could have sworn I uploaded it. Of course, I might have been dreaming… :( Argh, this is giving me a headache!
Preview: Timeless - Last Resort
"Tobi, I need you to help me retrieve something for me from the Leader's room."
Tobi gasped. "Kagome-chan, Leader-sama is going to be angry! He might eat me!"
Kagome sweat dropped. "Leader-sama is a little scary, but I don't think he's cannibalistic." At least, for their sake, she hoped he wasn't.
"Nu-uh, Tobi is a good boy. Tobi doesn't steal!" Tobi flatly refused, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know! Tobi will bake cookies for Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan can have Tobi's cookies. It's better than Leader-sama's stuff anyway!"
"Thanks, Tobi, but no thanks." Tossing a look over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening, she begged, "Please Tobi, this is important. I really need you to get that seal for me!" Grasping Tobi's hand, she urgently continued, "I would get it myself, but Itachi wants me to spend the night with him."
Tobi gagged.
Kagome whacked him over the head. "Hey, watch it." she playfully chided.
Preview: Koibito –The Betrayal
"Itachi-sama!" hollered Momiji. "Please answer me! This is urgent!" she cried as she pounded her fists on the door.
The door opened.
"What's going on?" Miroku asked, worry creasing his brow as he quickly followed Itachi out of the office. "Did something happen to Kagome-sama?" he asked, immediately perceiving the problem.
Momiji nodded. "S-She…She…"
"Calm down," Miroku advised as he quickly grabbed her forearm to steady her trembling body. "Now, start from the beginning. What happened?"
Momiji took a large breath and answered, "Kagome-sama has left the village. She heard that Haku-sama and Kimimaro-sama have been taken as hostages by the Mizukage of KirigakureShe and Kikyou-san are going to try to infiltrateKirigakure to save them."
"What?" Itachi hissed, his dark eyes immediately flashing to blood-red.
"We're in the middle of war right now." Miroku whispered, shocked. "If Kirigakure sees through their disguise, they'll be killed."
"Please, you have to save them!" Momiji cried.
"Itachi-sama, what should we do?" Miroku echoed, looking towards Itachi for orders.
"I'm placing you in charge of Shin Kirigakure." Itachi answered as he quickly entered his office and retrieved his katana.
Miroku's jaw dropped. "B-But…"
"My departure is to be kept as a secret. If my disappearance becomes widespread knowledge, Shin Kirigakure will fall into chaos, and Kirigakure will attack." Itachi impatiently explained as he gathered a pouch of kunais and exploding tags.
"But…"
"Stay in the office until I return. If possible, keep your mouth shut. I'll return as quickly as possible."
"But…" cried Miroku. It fell on deaf ears.
Itachi was already gone.