A/N: This may contain some spoilers for people who don't stay up to date with the manga, so you have been warned.
IRONIC
He almost smiled...really, he did. He could feel the sides of his lips quiver with the need to upturn his lips. It was a weird sensation, one he had not felt in so long, one he refused to give in to all these years later.
He stood there, staring into the bright green eyes of this young woman with wild, pink hair. He had only seen her once before, but he had heard of her. Her name had spread, just like the other two members of Team 7. They were known throughout the villages, so it wasn't long before he had heard about the talented medic-nin who trained under the Hokage herself.
He never would have guessed she would be the reason he was to leave this world. Never in a million years. Truthfully, he didn't know if anyone could truly defeat him...could truly put him out of his misery. He had hoped his younger brother would do it, and although he had put up a great fight, he didn't have the heart to kill his older brother, and that was why Itachi stood here now, with this girl's hand through his chest.
He looked down at the blood dripping to the ground. Time slowed to almost a halt as he watched the red substance fall. It had happened so fast, he did not see it coming.
Sasuke had found him, confronted him. They fought. It was a long and arduous battle. Sasuke had done very well. He fought with everything he had, fought till he could not move. Sasuke had somehow trapped him off guard, but he could not push the sword through his brother's stomach. He could not deal that final blow. All that Sasuke had lived for for so long, and he could not rid himself of his flesh and blood. Itachi found himself relieved. Not at the fact that he was still alive, but at the fact that Sasuke's heart was not completely encased in black. He had been able to keep part of his heart from evil, whether he meant to or not.
As Itachi looked into Sakura's eyes, he knew immediately what part of Sasuke's heart was safe. It was the part Sakura held in hers. Looking into her eyes, he looked into her soul. He could feel the love she felt for Sasuke and the rage she felt for him.
When Sasuke could not finish him, Itachi couldn't stop the movement of his hands as he grabbed Sasuke's sword and plunged it through his little brother's chest. It happened so fast, and Itachi wanted to take it back so bad. It was reflexive. He had done it out of instinct. He had lived in darkness for so long, he had become a monster himself. He couldn't stop it from happening. Although, he never wanted to become what he hated, it originally started out as a way to keep his village and his little brother safe, but he was so far from that point now. He couldn't stop his heart from falling into darkness...and he knew it was because he didn't have a Sakura of his own. Someone to love him endlessly. He had seen it all, inside of Sasuke's mind during the battle as he tried to break him. He had seen all that had occurred between Sakura and Sasuke. He also knew that Sasuke had tried to convince himself he hated Sakura, but Itachi saw the truth buried deep in the back of his mind. He did love Sakura and for that, Itachi was grateful.
As he watched Sasuke fall to the ground, he did not notice Sakura come in. He did not hear her outraged cry or the thunderous roar of her feet as she charged at him with so much chakra in her hand he wondered how he didn't blow apart from the blast. He didn't notice her at all until he saw her eyes in front of him and the arm in his chest. He didn't even feel the pain, only relieve.
He looked back at Sasuke, lying on the ground, sword sticking out from his chest. Blood pooled beneath him, and he only hoped that he still had some live left in him.
But Itachi would never know. He had only a few short moments before he fell into hell, forever. He could only hope that he never saw Sasuke again, for eternity, because if he did, it would mean that Sasuke too, had lived a life of wrong, ending up in the damnation of Hell.
Itachi looked up at Sakura once again and with his last ounce of strength he said, "Thank you." Before he let life leave him, he placed in Sakura something that would hopefully help Sasuke understand, about this world, himself, and the bond between brothers that can never be broken.
************
Sakura felt the weight on her hand leave as Itachi fell to the ground, lifeless. She looked at her bloody hand and she began to shake. Had she really just done that? Did she just kill Uchiha Itachi? She couldn't have. Tears flowed from her eyes as she tried to control herself. She had reacted so fast. Watching Sasuke fall, then her hand through Itachi's chest.
Turning around, she rushed to Sasuke. Now was not the time to worry about that, she had to check Sasuke. She fell beside him, checking his vitals. His pulse was weak, but there was one. Slowly, she grabbed the sword and pulled it from his chest. Sasuke grunted in pain, but he remained unconscious. She worked diligently and effectively, stopping the blood flow, repairing severed nerves, muscles, tendons, and the flesh of skin that covered it. When she was done, the only thing that remained was a thin scar.
Sakura slumped over, exhausted from the massive surgery she just performed. Sakura looked at her hands and saw them caked with blood, blood of both Uchiha brothers: one she saved and the other she killed.
How ironic? How fucking ironic? She had saved the one who refused saving and killed the one who would not die. And Itachi's last words, "Thank you," resounded in her head. Another round of Irony appeared before Sakura. She now had both Uchiha's say those two words to her, and both were still as mysterious as ever.
A groan got Sakura's attention, as she turned to see Sasuke moving a bit. She watched his eyes flutter open, before he sat up. He rubbed his chest a little, as if looking for the gaping wound that should be present. When he didn't find one, he looked down, shocked. She watched as his head tilted up and his eyes caught hers. He looked dumbfounded, but only for a moment. Sasuke would never let an emotion like that show for long. Suddenly, his face turned into a glare.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke said, and Sakura couldn't find any words. He didn't wait long for an answer before he looked around the room. His eyes fell on Itachi's form and he bolted up, running over to his brother. He stood above him, his face hidden by his long bangs.
Sakura couldn't move from her position on the floor. She didn't know what to say or how to even handle this situation. She just watched, hoping Sasuke would not want to kill her for taking away his revenge.
Sasuke bent down, feeling the body of his brother. It was clear to Sakura that he didn't actually believe what he saw. "Did you do this?" Sasuke asked and Sakura felt words leave her.
His voice sounded quiet and Sakura waited. "Did you do this?" he said, louder this time, demanding an answer. He still didn't look at her and Sakura suddenly felt very small.
"Yes," she muttered, surprised she could even find her voice.
Sasuke turned to her, anger clearly etched on his face. "Why?" he said, angrily. Sakura didn't say anything, or rather she couldn't. Sasuke stepped closer to her. "WHY! Tell me why you took away the only thing I had to live for? And you, of all people. How could you do this? You're nothing but a pathetic weakling!"
Sakura didn't know what gave her the courage to do it, but the way Sasuke was treating her when she had just saved his life, caused her anger to boil over. She jumped up from her spot, ran to him, and slapped him hard across the face. Sasuke flinched a little. "How dare you say that to me? How dare you say I'm the weakling. I just saved your goddamn life, and that's how you repay me. What do you want me to say, Sasuke? I came here, saw you falling to the floor with a sword in your chest, and the next thing I know my hand is through his," Sakura said, pointing to Itachi.
Sasuke was breathing hard and Sakura waited to hear what he had to say. He looked up at her with angry eyes. "You had no right! You had no right to do that!" Sasuke shouted at her and Sakura stood her ground.
"Bullshit," Sakura said. "I had every right, because if someone you love is being hurt, you have every right to defend them. Every right to take action against them! Every right to stop them from killing someone you care about!" Sakura screamed at Sasuke, fists clenched at her sides. She could feel the tears start and this time, she just didn't care. "Every right to seek revenge for making me think you were dead," Sakura whispered the last sentence. She looked down at the ground, tears falling to the floor. She didn't have the heart to look Sasuke in the face. Reaching out, she grabbed Sasuke's hand. It was the only thing she could think of, anything to try and convey what she was feeling. Suddenly, like a shot of electricity hit them, they were both pulled into another world. Flashes appeared before them. Images of Sasuke and Itachi as children, growing up. Suddenly it showed what Itachi had gone through, what he had tried to do, why he had killed the clan. They were shown everything. At the end was the final battle. Sakura was shown what had actually occurred between Sasuke and Itachi and Sasuke saw what happened with Sakura and Itachi. It was like a movie was playing in front of them very fast.
As it ended, Sakura and Sasuke were thrown back into reality. Sakura looked up, shocked at what she had just learned. She looked at Sasuke and could tell he felt the same way. She didn't know what to do or say, so she just remained silent.
Feeling awkward, she looked down at the ground. Suddenly, she could see tears falling to the ground. Instinctively, she wiped her face but no tears were found. Shocked, she looked up to see Sasuke's head bowed, and he was crying.
Sakura stood for a moment before she reached out and put her arms around Sasuke. He didn't make any motion to return her embrace, but he didn't push her off either. She just held him while he cried, letting him get out so many years of pent up emotions, aggression, sadness, grief, and loneliness.
Sakura didn't know how long they stayed like that, but once she could tell Sasuke was done crying, she released her grip, but she didn't let go of him. "Come on, let's go home," Sakura said and Sasuke didn't object. Sakura didn't really understand or know what was going to happen. She could only focus on the present, which was her holding onto Sasuke and leading him back home. She knew things would probably not go her way for long. Sasuke would probably get back his anger and seek revenge on anyone else. It was his life for so long, how could he go on living a normal life. She could see no good from what had just occurred, but Sakura put that out of her mind. The time was now, and she was going to at least try and help Sasuke. It was all she had known for her whole life, and she wasn't about to stop now.
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Plot bunny fulfilled.
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