Susurrus [Itachi x OC]

2: A Dream of Red, Black, and White

My eyes slowly flutter open to find that I'm not in my bed. Instead, I'm standing in some sort of liminal space in my green uniform. I raise a hand to my head to find my long, black hair tied in a simple braid.

Wait, what the fuck is this?! Where the fuck am I?! Why the fuck am I in my everyday uniform?!

The space around me is a deep, rich shade of rust-red, while the moon hangs high above me like a slightly too-bright spotlight, dimmed only by fluffy black clouds.

It seems more and more like it's Genjutsu with each passing second, but I can't entirely tell.

Kakashi-sensei taught me how to break one in case I ever needed to. This one, however, feels different to me.

Frustrated with the lack of knowing where I am, I squeeze my eyes shut, silently praying that this is all a dream—or even a nightmare.

"Akatani." A soft, husky name calls my name.

AKATANI! IT'S—

I know, Tabi.

I know better than to open my eyes. "Itachi." My voice is soft and slightly shocked. "Why am I here?"

Itachi simply replies, "I needed to talk to you."

"So you decide to put me under Genjutsu?!" I scoff. "How fucking okay is that?!"

"I tried to get your attention earlier when—"

Rage surges through my chest. "I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" I scream at him. "I didn't wanna believe it, but I fucking knew it was you!"

"Open your eyes," he says gently. Is he pleading with me? "Please."

I irritably bite the inside of my cheek and do as he says. Itachi's standing in front of me donned in a long, black Akatsuki cloak patterned with their signature red and white clouds. My eyes fixate on the silver and red ring on his right ring finger.

YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME, RIGHT?!

"You fucking bastard!" I snarl venomously, rage starting to migrate to the rest of my body. "How could you team up with them, Itachi?! How could you do that to Sasuke?! How could you do that to the jinchūriki of this village, and me of all fucking people?!"

Itachi grimaces briefly at the mention of his brother's name, but his face quickly returns to that cold, dead-inside state I've seen all too often. His now expressionless eyes stare into my soul as he raises a slender hand and brushes a few stray locks of black hair behind my ear, his fingers ever-so-slightly brushing against my cheek.

"I'm sorry." There's a faint tinge of pain in his voice. "I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye."

"You shouldn't have left at all!" I'm screaming now. "I needed you! You left me all alone to deal with the fallout of that mission all by my fucking self, you asshole! They nearly pulled me out of the ANBU for that!"

The higher-ups should've pulled me from ANBU after that terrible first mission as a Genin, but no, they decided to wait until a worse mission came along to fucking traumatize me further.

His eyes move down to his feet. "And again, Akatani, I am sorry."

"You're sorry?!" I echo incredulously. "I'm gonna need more than just an apology for you bailing on me and leaving me to deal with it alone!"

Quicker than a bolt of lightning, I slap him hard across the face.

"Fuck you, Itachi! Fuck you for leaving! Fuck you for abandoning Sasuke! Fuck you for hunting down the jinchūriki! And especially fuck you for coming here to hunt down Naruto and me next!"

"I'm not here to hunt you, Akatani," he says coolly. "I'm here to warn you."

My face burns with anger. "You're here to warn me?" I shake my head. "Why now, Itachi?"

He takes a deep breath. "They've already taken the One-Tail and the Three-Tails. They're coming for you and Naruto next."

"Of course they are," I snarl. "And they're gonna end up dead when they do!" Matatabi's chakra begins to slowly seep into my cells, merging with my own. "I won't let them take Naruto! I won't let them hurt Sasuke, Sakura, or Kakashi-sensei! I would rather die than let them get hurt!"

Itachi's dark eyes widen momentarily. "That's why I'm here."

"So what, you're defecting from those bastards?" I shake my head angrily. "What the fuck is your end-game, Itachi?"

I instinctively grab my right back pocket. To my surprise, there's something in there, so I reach and end up pulling out a kunai.

"Are you wanting a fight, Akatani?" His voice is calm, cool, collected; the complete opposite of the fire burning and welling within me. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

Now, Tabi!

Fiery chakra surges through my body, burning through every cell and tissue. I want to cry out, but my body's too busy fusing Matatabi's chakra with mine to worry about my pain. I squeeze my eyes shut till the pain passes, mentally preparing myself for a fight against my former teammate.

This isn't like before. This isn't light sparring under Kakashi-sensei like it used to be in the ANBU, this is fighting for blood.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, my body stops burning and my eyes open. Replacing the burning is a soft warmth; what I imagine a parent's hug must be like.

"Akatani..." Itachi breathes, his eyes full of hurt. "Do you not trust me?"

I lift my hand to find myself cloaked in swirling cobalt-blue chakra. I wouldn't need a mirror to see the pointy cat ears on my head or the two tails protruding behind me.

"I fucking loathe you for acting like a coward!" I snarl, my voice like Matatabi's: high-pitched and—now—very aggressive. "You left me all alone after watching Tenma die! You left me to watch over your baby brother because you decided to slaughter OUR clan, Clan-Killer!"

Itachi's eyes well with hurt, but his face remains stoic and cold.

"Do it then."

I blink, then suspiciously narrow my eyes. "Beat you? Or kill you? I'll give you the choice you never gave our clan!"

Itachi sighs deeply, his eyes full of pain and rage at my comment. "Whichever you wish, so long as you can live with yourself."

Still grasping the kunai in my hand, I slash him across the face, avoiding his eyes by the thinnest of margins. A thin line appears across his face, starting at the tail of his right eyebrow, going across his nose, and stopping just at the edge of his jaw. Blood begins to trickle down his face, narrowly avoiding his dark, soulless eyes.

"Release me, Itachi!" I hiss. "Let me the fuck outta here!"

He sighs, shaking his head. "I'm going to prove to you that you can trust me, Akatani."

As soon as Itachi forms a quick hand-sign, I can feel the Genjutsu start to fade, my consciousness slowly returning to my body.

Just before I'm back asleep, I hear, in the faintest of whispers,

"I'm sorry for everything I've put you through, Tani."