Sacrifices for Peace

Part Three: Revelations III

Itachi held Sakura in his arms as she sobbed. Her cries echoed in the small temple they stood within and sank into his own heart, which felt heavy with the new knowledge they had both learned. His suspicions had been confirmed: their life, their home, everything they knew was gone. Without conscious thought, his hands tightened into fists and he pulled Sakura closer to him in his anger.

Itachi had always been praised for his clear thinking and ability to understand the bigger picture. He was highly respected, even as a young as seven, for that rare personality trait. In his rational mind, he completely understood the reasons and logic behind the thinking of Asura and Indra. He knew that if he and Sakura were successful, the future could become something remarkable. His clan, in particular, might live a brighter future. An entire war could be avoided. Thousands of peoples lives could be saved and changed for the better.

But he had never felt anger like he was feeling. Sakura's outburst at the brothers had reminded him of exactly what he was going to be missing. His family had been fractured since Sasuke left, and it had become even worse after what happened to his mother. But Sasuke would have come home after the war and Itachi's fractured life could have started to become whole again.

Now it was something that could never be.

He felt pressure on his arms and realised Sakura was trying to step out of his embrace. He quickly released her. Her face was turned away from him, and she wiped her eyes and sniffed. It had been over a year since Itachi had seen her cry so much. That time it had been after she went after Sasuke alone, and had returned to the village carrying so much guilt and shame in her that she had knelt before him and his father, begging their forgiveness for everything she had and hadn't done.

She didn't look at him or speak. Her sniffing stopped and her sobbing faded. Her silence was deafening in the small temple. Itachi stood still. Even if he wanted to move, he felt stuck. He was a mess of emotion and it was like a raging tornado inside him. He didn't know what to say to her, so he stayed quiet, part of him hoping that she would say something to him.

His eyes followed her as she walked out of the temple, her head down and face covering her hair. He stood alone in the dim light of the temple, staring at nothing. His rational mind tried to tell him that he needed to think, to plan, to focus on the mission.

For the first time in many years, his rational mind was silenced by emotion, and Itachi took some steps forward, lifted the small table by the wall and threw it across the temple. He watched numbly as it hit the wall. A large crashing sounded as it collided, and another thump as it fell to the floor. His ears rang with red noise.

*

Sakura closed her eyes as she heard something crash inside the temple. Another time, another place, she would have run inside. But she was barely holding herself together, and seeing Itachi loose control would only make her completely fall apart. She just needed a little time, just a little time to face him and face what they had to do.

A sob caught in her throat, and she put her hand to it, feeling pain and constriction. Her breath started coming quicker, shallower, and she felt panic make her heart beat rapidly. She gasped, her eyes snapping open. She couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred and she stumbled forwards. Her foot caught on the temple steps, and she fell.

*

The ringing in Itachi's ears cleared when he faintly heard her gasping for air. He was at the door when he saw her stumble and watched as she fell, her body falling slack. In a quick movement, he caught her before she hit the ground.