Your Lies | Itachi Uchiha x Reader

Chapter 33

The ground was damp, cool to the touch, the lingering moisture from last night's drizzle clinging to the earth. Mist hung low across the forest floor like a veil of breath held too long. The sun was nowhere to be found, smothered by a thick blanket of brooding clouds, their edges smeared like charcoal. Morning had arrived, but light had not. Despite the gloom that settled deep in my chest, I pressed on with the hope that today—no matter the weather—could still be beautiful.

I sat just outside the mouth of the cave, where Itachi and Kisame still slept inside. My legs were pulled up to my chest, arms wrapped loosely around them. I hummed quietly to myself and imagined our day ahead. Would we be moving to another Akatsuki hideout? Maybe today, I'd meet more of the others. A flicker of childish giddiness sparked in my chest.

The muddy earth called to me. I picked up a stick and began to draw—stick figures, four of them, crudely scratched into the wet soil. Three were labeled: Kisame, Itachi, and me. The fourth was blank. I smiled. One day, our trio would become a quartet. Not in a musical sense... or maybe so. A band might be fun.

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The rustle of movement behind me pulled me from my reverie. Itachi stepped out of the cave, shoulders stiff, eyes tired. I jumped up and hugged him tightly from the side. He stiffened at first, surprised, but then gave a small, weary smile.

"Ah... Y/n," he murmured.

I looked up, trying to meet his eyes. But he looked away, his gaze drifting toward the trees.

"Itachi... you've been so down lately." I spoke gently, testing the waters, hoping he'd let me in. There was something underneath the surface—grief, fear, regret—something he was holding back. I knew that feeling all too well.

He didn't answer. Just brushed past me with a faint graze of his shoulder. Kisame followed closely, eyes flicking from me to Itachi. The silence wrapped around us tightly.

"Itachi!" I called, my voice sharper now as I marched behind him. My fists balled up at my sides.

He stopped. Slowly, he turned to face me, still silent.

"I've been asking if you're okay, and all you do is pretend. You're not fine, Itachi! You're falling apart and pushing me away like I won't notice!"

His eyes dropped to the damp ground. "Y/n, don't... It's gonna hurt even more."

"What's going to hurt?! Whatever it is you're hiding from me?!" My voice cracked with desperation.

He looked over at Kisame. Without a word, Kisame turned his back, walking several paces away to give us privacy.

"I just... I can't. I don't know how to tell you," Itachi whispered.

When he finally looked at me, his gaze was hollow. The usual warmth was gone.

"Tell me what?" I asked, breath catching in my throat.

Then it hit me.

"Have you fallen out of love with me? Is that why you've been distant? Am I not enough for you anymore?"

His eyes widened. "Y/n... no. It's not that. You're perfect. You're everything I wish I could have."

I stepped closer, cupping his face in my hands. His skin was cold, like stone. I kissed his lips softly.

"You don't have to wish, Itachi. I'm right here. I'm yours. I always will be."

He wrapped his arms around me, tight like he'd never let go.

But then he did.

"I'll never have you," he said, voice trembling. "Because while you're alive... I'll be paying for my sins."

A chill spread through me. The clouds overhead grew darker, and the first tremble of thunder rolled distantly across the sky.

"Your sins? You had reasons, Itachi. Even if you... did what you did, it wasn't out of spite. I know you. You're not a monster."

"And what if it was out of spite?" he said with a hollow laugh. His eyes dropped again. The first drop of rain hit the earth between us.

"Itachi, it wasn't! You're not like that!" I pleaded, stepping forward. "You're not! I would know!"

But he stared through me, like I wasn't even there. His silence screamed louder than any words.

"I'm fighting Sasuke today," he said, flat and calm. "I don't want you to interfere. I intend for him to win."

The air in my lungs vanished. My knees weakened.

"Not by killing you... right?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

He didn't respond.

"Right?! Itachi! Say something!"

He finally looked at me. "Yes. By killing me. I'm going to a deathmatch I intend to lose. I intend to die."

My world collapsed. Everything inside me shattered like glass.

"You can't!" I choked. I grabbed his arm, fingers digging in. "Please..."

He tore away. I stumbled and fell into the wet grass. The cold seeped through my clothes, but I didn't feel it. All I felt was him slipping away.

Tears fell from his eyes now too. Quiet, steady streams.

"Y/n... don't make this any harder," Kisame said from behind me. His voice was gentle. Broken.

"It doesn't—hic—it doesn't matter," I sobbed. I threw myself at Itachi's leg, clinging like my life depended on it. "Don't leave me... Please... I can't lose you too..."

I rose suddenly, wiping my tears. If words wouldn't stop him, then I would. I formed hand signs through my trembling fingers.

"Doton: Go Doryūheki!" A stone cube formed around us. Again. "Doton: Go Doryūheki!" And again. Three thick layers of earthen walls encased us.

He wasn't going anywhere.

I sighed, my breath shaky, and began to relax for just a second.

Then—

Itachi appeared in front of me in a flash, his face inches from mine. I gasped. His speed... it had never been like this before.

He'd held back from the start. Even before we fell in love, he had protected me.

He kissed me. Passionate. Desperate. My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. It felt like time froze, like everything that hurt faded in his embrace.

"Y/n," he whispered against my lips, "I've loved you since the moment I saw you. You humbled me. You gave me peace. Thank you."

"I love you too, Itachi," I whispered back, shaking.

But then—

His eyes bled red. The three tomoe spun and joined into the shuriken-like shape of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Itachi—"

"Tsukuyomi."

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POV - Itachi

Her voice broke through the moment before she collapsed in my arms.

"I...ta...chi..."

I caught her as her legs gave out. Her head rested against my chest, heartbeat fluttering like a dying bird.

I lowered her gently to the ground. Her eyes closed, lashes trembling slightly.

"Forgive me..."

I whispered into her hair, cradling her like she was made of porcelain. I had to do this. There was no other way.

She would never forgive me fully. But at least... maybe one day, she would understand.

The rain finally began to fall in earnest, soaking us both in silence.