Everlasting Part Two

Obligations

"He's going to kill his brother."

I was frozen, all words were caught in my throat and I couldn't break eye contact with Kenna.

"You know how Itachi is known as the shinobi that murdered his entire family?"

My eyes widened. No. I had forgotten that "minor" detail about one of my best friends...
I had forgotten that I was surrounded by monsters.
But who would I be fooling if I tried to pretend I wasn't one myself.

"Well he left one alive, his brother, Sasuke, and ever since Sasuke has been plotting his revenge." Kenna sighed, but I couldn't get my mind off the fact that Itachi killed his whole family.

He was lucky to have that, who in their right mind would throw all that away?! I felt myself getting progressively more and more pissed off until Kenna snapped her fingers in my face, "hello? Are you even listening?"

I shook my head, "y-yeah, sorry. I'm just kind of confused..."

"About?"

"Why would Itachi murder his family?"

She looked away, and something glinted in her eyes that made me think it was more of a touchy question that I thought, "no one really knows, he just did..."

"He never told you, even when you were, you know together and stuff?"

She shook her head, "every time I asked he would get this really sad look in his eyes, so I never pushed for an explanation."

I looked down, my mouth pursing into a straight line.

"Anyways, get some sleep, you have to get up early right?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes and then she left me in that dark hallway.

That night I couldn't sleep, when I was awake I kept thinking about Itachi, wondering about his past. He didn't seem menacing to me, in fact of all the people here I'd argue he's the most sane. So why would he do something so terrible?
Then when I finally was able to sleep I had nightmares about my own family, and experienced the bittersweet pain of a life I never had with them.

That morning I jolted awake to the sound of my monster, it was grumbling. I needed to get my thoughts in order or things would get bad again.

I quickly packed my bag and headed to the main entrance. Itachi and Kisame were already there, had they been waiting long?

"Took you long enough." Kisame was smart mouthed as ever. I groaned in response, after all this time I still wasn't a morning person.

I looked at Itachi and we made eye contact for a moment. It was like we were saying 'I know you know'. Then before we turned to depart a figure emerged from the dimly lit hallways behind me.

"I'm coming along." It was Kenna, her eyes were ringed with purple and her stature suggested she got absolutely no sleep last night.

I put my hands on my hips and gave her a small smirk.

"Are you now?" Kisame asked a tone of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yeah." She said passing the three of us and heading out the front door.

"Wait Kenna--" Itachi attempted to stop her, concern in his voice, but she shut him down quickly.

She glanced over her shoulder, her tone suggesting irritation but the way her eyebrows came together slightly more so than normal, and her eyes... Her eyes suggested that she was devastated. "If you really plan on going through with this then there's no way I'm not coming along."

Itachi sighed, he knew there was no way to argue with Kenna in determined mode. So then just like that the four of us set off into an unknown conquest.

____________________

That night we decided to set up camp somewhere far from the road, deep in the forest.
By the time everything was set up Kisame had passed out by the fire, Samehada by his side. He had a weird obsession with that sword.
I was lying in my sleeping bag on my stomach, my head laying on top of my folded arms, staring at the fire.
Itachi was leaned against a rock, twirling a kunai in his hand. I recognized his expression all to well, he was in pain.
Kenna was nowhere to be seen, when we arrived she said she was gonna go for a walk, that she needed to clear her head. But that was two hours ago.

As I lie here I'm thinking about all the things she told me about Itachi and his past. The way he looked right now and what he did don't match up. There is some missing variable. Itachi didn't kill his whole family for no reason. I closed my eyes and turned over onto my back, the flickering light of the fire only reaching my right eye.

Who is Itachi Uchiha, really?

I heard a branch snap somewhere nearby and shot up out of my sleeping bag. When I looked around Itachi and Kisame were gone and the fire was out. Had I fallen asleep?

I cautiously, and quietly got out of my sleeping bag wrapping my akatsuki robe around me. I grabbed my shuriken and kunai and made my way towards to forest.

"Hello?"

Again, another snap this time louder, like it was moving towards me.

"Who's there?!"

I stood prepared to fight until he emerged from the clearing.
I couldn't believe it, I rubbed my eyes, shook my head, pinched my arm, but there e stood.

"Mia hm."

Deidara.

"Deidara..." It wasn't a question. I felt tears begin to spill down my face. He didn't come any closer he just stood there, hands in his pocket staring at me.

"You need to go back."

"What do you mean? Where?"

"To the base."

I wanted so badly to run into his arms but he posture screamed stay away.

"It isn't safe hn, this mission you're about to go on. You need to leave yeah."

"Wait a minute, where is everybody?! Who are you?!" This wasn't my Deidara, my Deidara wasn't so cold.

He chuckled, "seems like you still have a decent head on your shoulders," his smile faded too quickly, "so listen to me hn."

"You aren't Deidara." Tears everywhere.

He smiled that sly half smile he always did and then suddenly a sword wrapped in lightening stabbed him straight through the chest, "Deidara!" I began to run towards him but it was too late, he disappeared and all that stood in his place was a cloaked figure with Crimson eyes.

And then before I could reach him I woke up.