Where the Wind Blows

All Things Go

Protecting Sasuke wasn't easy. 

This would be a final mission I'd take from anyone.

Itachi explained everything to me beforehand; where they were meeting, why he was dying, and that above all, I'd protect Sasuke.

Itachi was now with Shisui. I could feel them waiting for me above.

I arrived just in time to see them passed out. 

Itachi died smiling. I saw it on his corpse when I inspected them both. I figured the Akatsuki would come looking for him soon.

I looked closer, and saw that he was wearing the necklace I gave him the day of my father's funeral. He had worn it all these years.

I was still wearing the silver moon necklace he gave me, and the now blackened sun that Shisui gave me.

The only time it had fallen was when Shisui died. It didn't fall now, even though I expected it to. I felt the necklaces protecting me.

I looked at the sky. 

"I'll see you guys soon," I said, and took a last look at Itachi, before taking Sasuke away.

Once I got to a good point in the forest, I checked his wounds, and relaxed. I figured he'd wake up soon, even though his injuries were severe. Itachi was "trying" to kill him, but I knew he wouldn't do anything to seriously hurt his brother.

-

Time passed, and he woke up panting.

"Where am I? What's happened?" he sat up, and immediately went down. He was in no position to move.

"Sorry I can't heal you, I'm not a medic." I said calmly.

I won't lie- Sasuke looked kind of crazy. 

"I'm not the enemy. This is gonna take a while, so just hear me out," I handed him a bottle of Sake, and motioned for him to take a sip, which he did while glaring at me. 

"Get to the point," he said angrily. 

I rolled my eyes. He was still the angry little four year old in my eyes.

So, I told him everything.

I told him about Shisui, the coup, Danzo- all of it.

It must have been hours that I was just talking and talking. I felt like a grandmother on a rocking chair telling her grandchildren myths from her youth.

"Your brother isn't a villain. Our entire lives have been crafted by the village to make people think we're bad people. You can't blame all of this on them though, Sasuke. Being an Uchiha already comes with the curse of hatred. Even Shisui, who was an exception to it, suffered greatly. The person to blame for this is Danzo."

"Why should I believe you?" Sasuke was in shock. If it was anyone else, I was sure he would have attacked them.

"Because you know I'm telling the truth. I'm sorry you have to find out after everything. It was Itachi's last wish to protect you, Sasuke. You are loved, even if you don't realize it," I said. 

He could have screamed, thrown things, chop all the trees in half- but what unsettled me was his silence. He would suffer a lot because of this. I could only wish that he found peace at some point in his life-

"That's enough," said a deep voice.

We both looked. It was some masked man.

My mission was done though. I wasn't asked to deal with this, and I wouldn't.

I would have seen it even if my Mangekyou Sharingan wasn't activated. I would have reacted the same no matter what.

The lightning coming out of Sasuke's hand.

The swiftness of the masked man's sword.

Swords- I know Serin would take good care of them when I was gone. In fact, in my final moments I had to give it to the guy, it was one hell of a sword.

I stepped in front of him. The blade struck me right in the chest. 

Everything stopped.

The masked man certainly wasn't expecting it- and Sasuke definitely was no exception.

He pulled the sword out of me, but the damage had already been done.

I fell back- who was holding me?

Oh...Sasuke. He was holding me.

His eyes could have been moons, they were so wide. 

I smiled. Like my loves, I'd die smiling. Happy.

I raised to fingers to his forehead- one final poke.

"Mira," he said quietly.

"I know you...hate it when I do this but-" It took a lot of effort to speak. I had never felt so sleepy. "But I hope you can forgive me someday Sasuke. Forgive-" 

My heart rate was slowing down.

The blood from the wound was beginning to feel like a bunch of water on my shirt. Blade wounds don't hurt at first. The pain will come later, if it ever would.

My lids felt really heavy. 

It's funny. All my life, I'd never slept well. In my final hour, I felt like I could sleep well for once.

If Sasuke didn't have a Mangekyou Sharingan before- he'd have it now.

The sky was so beautiful. There were birds flying over...

What a beautiful day.

-

"Mira?" I heard someone say.

That voice. 

His voice.

I sat up, and there he was.

Shisui...

"Shisui? Is that you?" my vision was sort of blurry. It was Shisui alright, but he was younger. He couldn't have been more than eight.

He smiled at me- A smile that said everything would be alright.

"Of course It's me- Hey, don't cry," he said soothingly, and wrapped his arms around me.

"I have so much to tell you- So many things to ask," I was sobbing. I couldn't help it.

"We have all the time in the world, Mira. You don't have to say anything, yet." 

I looked into his eyes. 

Love- that's what was in them.

All this time, even from the first moment he saw me, there was love in his eyes.

A silent understanding. Shisui had been watching me all this time. We were dead. This was the afterlife. No one- Nothing could ever get to me again.

"We were just about to play hide and seek," said another voice.

Itachi. He was standing on a tree branch. 

They had been waiting for me. 

I sniffled. 

"You were?" I asked, and he nodded. 

"We've been waiting for you to join, but you sort of took longer than we'd expected," said Shisui.

Love. I saw it in both their eyes. 

"I know, but I'm here now," I said.

We didn't need to explain anything to each other. Everything had been said. 

I thought about all the memories I had, all the people I've seen. That might come later, or maybe not at all- but it didn't make a difference. 

Shisui and Itachi were here. My best friends. My loves. 

All that mattered was that we were together now. 

THE END.