Two Loves, One Fate (Itachi & Sasuke Uchiha)

№.29 :: Unbreakable

Chapter Twenty-Nine

And then I was alone; forced into solitude in the foreign forest which was becoming quieter and quieter with every passing second. Darkness began to surround me as the sun slowly drifted below the horizon; the pain in my abdomen was slightly more tolerable now, but didn’t quite fade away completely. I released a sigh from deep within, not believing how this day was unfolding so far. 'I just couldn’t believe the words that the younger Uchiha had said to me… I couldn’t believe that he was actually looking for me, and that he actually still cared for me.' But on the other hand, everything that he just said to me could have been a ploy by Orochimaru for me to gain Sasuke’s trust again and be influenced by the Legendary Sannin. The scene from that nightmare I had the night before continued to haunt me, and there was no way that I was going to allow Orochimaru to cause such destruction in my life. Using the tree as a support beam, I was able to slowly stand on my own two feet; I lingered beside the tree as I tried regaining balance. At the corner of my vision, stars were visible only because I lost a lot of blood throughout the day. 

I lifted my gaze from the ground and took a good look around me for the first time since arriving there; Sasuke had brought me to the banks of a lake. I carefully walked over to the edge of the lake; every step seemed to take a lifetime only because I was being cautious. I didn’t want to fall and injure myself out here where no one would be able to hear my cries for help… well maybe Itachi would eventually find me. Now that I thought about him, where did Itachi go? I sensed him right behind me when I left the arena and once Sasuke showed up, I couldn’t feel his chakra anywhere around me. It didn’t matter at the moment as I pushed all my thoughts aside, and crouched beside the water. I splashed water onto my face and began to wash the dry blood off my hands; my mind was everywhere but here and I should have paid more attention to my surroundings.

“It’s nice to see that your reunion with Sasuke went well. I also found what he had to say very interesting. I knew that he had been watching the battle because I sensed him out in the forest; what I didn’t expect was you running away and actually giving him a chance to speak to you face-to-face. It doesn’t matter anymore; I’m taking you back to headquarters so we can get you healed.” Itachi’s sudden appearance behind me startled me and I would have fallen straight into the lake if it wasn’t for his firm hold on my shoulder.

His touch no longer felt the same; it felt as if a stranger were holding me and that sensation sent chills running throughout my body. I wanted to have my own time to myself so that I could think things over, but Itachi was set on me going back with him. He helped me back onto my feet and once he made sure that I was balanced, Itachi grabbed my wrist and began dragging me north. I dug my heels into the ground and pulled my wrist out from his grasp. I knew that Itachi hadn’t been expecting that to come from me because he looked over his shoulder and had an expression full of anger across his face.

“Why won’t you come with me, Serenity? Don’t you understand that you need medical attention or you’ll die out here? You don’t have enough chakra or energy in your body to heal yourself and I just want you to cooperate with me for once. I need you to want to come back with me. I understand that you’re angry with me for saving Chihiro, but we can discuss that later on. I just want to make sure that you’ll be okay.” His words sounded sincere and the look that came across his gaze now revealed a pleading glint that I’ve never seen before from Itachi. A part of me just wanted to throw my arms around him and hold him until eternity ended, but the other half told me that I needed to learn who to trust before allowing love to consume my being...

“Itachi, you honestly have no idea what happened during that match. She deserved to die today, and you stopped me. If you heard all the horrible things that Chihiro said to me, just maybe you would understand where I was coming from. The only thing that I want is to be alone. I need to figure out where my loyalties rely because at this moment, I don’t know what we are. One moment you’re expressing your true feelings from the heart, but then the next second, you’re a completely different person. And the sad thing is that I could see the same happening within Sasuke. I know you don’t want to hear it, but you and your brother are more alike than you want to agree with.” My voice was a mere whisper as I spoke. My body was weak, and I felt lightheaded as well. My words were the honest truth because I no longer knew what I wanted with my life. I wanted happiness, but at this point in my life, happiness would only find me if I gave up the rest of my life. To be happy with Itachi would mean that I would have to give up my throne. No one would accept me as a monarch if the man who took a seat beside was an international criminal known for slaughtering his clan.