Crossroads (A Naruto Fanfiction)

It's all Worry

I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the living room and my chest tightened to see it was already past midnight. No one was home except mother and me. Father being this late was nothing strange but Itachi never returned so late. It was frustratingly worrisome and mother's helpless floundering around to find something to ease off her stress didn't help to calm my growing anxiety. My fingers twisted at the hem of my pajama and I tried my best to ignore the growing heaviness of my eyes. Now was not the time for my body to demand sleep. Itachi wasn't home. Mother was worrying. This wasn't normal.

When I heard the front door open my head whipped so fast it threatened to snap my neck in two. The familiar figure caused a wave of relief to wash over me as I slid off the couch and bounded my way over to Itachi and eyed him for any sign of trouble. In the dimness of the kitchen light that shone through from the side, I saw a blue bruise stretched along his arm. I grabbed the appendage before Itachi could reach down to take off his shoe - thin, small, and hurt - and squeezed his wrist in silent reprimand.

"I'm sorry, Mother. Satsuki..." His soft, much too mature voice, sounded with some exhaustion. "I lost track of time."

Mother came and crouched beside me and took Itachi's injured arm from my grasp. She placed a pack of ice over it that she had grabbed from the freezer. "Where's your Father?" She asked. Father always made sure to clear his schedule around the time of the Academy's dismissal so he could train Itachi. It made him push back his own work, but it wasn't like Father was one to care about spending more time at work.

"An Anbu came and called Father away for an emergency."

Mother's gaze lighted with further uncertainty. "Didn't he tell you to come home?"

Itachi took back his arm and held the ice pack himself as he replied, "He said to finish my training."

Mother let out a soft sigh and I was aware of the hesitation in her posture as she gathered herself. "Itachi, you have to understand your limits." She admonished.

My brother's sharp gaze fell on me. "It won't happen again." He said.

Mother sent us both to our room and Itachi took the time to grab clothes for a quick shower. I stayed awake just that tidbit longer for him to finish and come back. When he did, he came over to my side of the room and took up the space I had left for him to lie next to me. I wrapped my arms around his ribs and couldn't help but notice the developing stiffness of his torso, where his training forced his baby fat to give way to muscle too early. I held him tighter.

"Satsuki." He tried.

I won't deign to give a response. It was enough to make it obvious that I was upset. He doesn't say anything more as well and turned my way to embrace me. The feeling of safety fell over me. I've only felt it once in my life before, but it was becoming all too familiar now.

It wasn't long before we were drifting off to sleep.

.

.

.

It was dark. There was no light to be found, and for a moment I wondered if my sense of sight had left me. But no, I could tell my eyes were able to see. Just - there was nothing to see. I didn't panic. The dark had become a companion after all... After what had happened.

I inhaled sharply; the air got stuck in my throat as a woman appeared in front of me. It was still dark, no light at all, yet she was as clear as day. I would never forget the dark hair tied into a low ponytail, nor the eyes which had promised me pain. However, now... Now her eyes only showed me fear and awe. She was terrified but frozen in place because of... Of what? Of me?

"What are you?" She whispered.

What was I? What-

Her image collapsed like the crumbling pieces of rocks and a sense of panic overcame me as I realized: I killed her. There was no time for me to start breaking down as my breath was taken away by another image of a person taking the previous one's place.

"Itachi..." I whispered. The sound of my voice shocked me. The way it came out so clear and lacked the raspiness of when I last remembered to speak was fascinating. It sounded so natural.

"No." The deep voice of the image growled as if a beast and human were talking at once - the same yet separate - in response to my calling. "Look closer." It said.

I did, and it was right. It wasn't Itachi. The image lacked the deep lines of his face even at this age. I couldn't make out any of the developing muscles from Itachi's training. It was skinnier, cheeks sunken, and sick. It appeared like Itachi, yet had none of the independence, strength, or sense of safety. It was too fragile to be him.

Then I realized with a sense of foreboding - that it was me.

I had never once looked at my own reflection. I hadn't thought to do so and didn't know why. However, as I gazed at myself right now, I figured out why. I was too scared. Being reborn, I wouldn't have the same face anymore. The Uchiha's were all born dark-haired and with dark eyes, but I once had light hair and light eyes - lighter than Athen's blue ones. "This is a dream right?" I spoke. My hand jerked up to my throat. It was too surprising to hear myself again, so clear and high pitched to that of the child I am now.

The Image motioned to the space around us and answered, "This is your mindscape."

I furrowed my brows as the answer clicked. I remember that in the show Naruto had always met the Kyuubi in his own mindscape, his one seeming to be a large sewer. Why was mine like this? Like nothing existed. It felt so very empty.

"And what are you?" I asked instead.

"I am you." It answered.

"You look like me... But you don't feel like me." My voice became shakier the more I spoke, afraid that it would cease to be heard again.

"Of course, because I am also something else."

"Please, just explain what's going on. Why am I here?" Confusion swept over me as I watched the image take a step closer. I took a step back in response. Even with its eyes closed, I felt as if all of me was exposed, both figuratively and literally, to whatever it was.

"You've saved a boy meant to go down a path of evil." It said.

It took me a few seconds to understand Its words. "... You... Do you mean Obito? He's saved?"

"As he should be saved. A boy like him, who wields the power of determination, should not have been destined for evil to begin with."

My heart started to beat a mile a minute as my nerves frayed. "I don't understand."

"The child of prophecy had saved the world once, but it's impossible to do so again. When one destiny is fulfilled, another is written and time starts again in this world. And this destiny you live in now means the success of the evil, as it's destiny to fail is over."

"Wait!" I exclaimed as Its voice started to grow faint. Its image started to fade as a circle of wind slowly surrounded it.

"This is this world's last chance. The law of nature cannot be upheld if no souls are left of this world and The God Tree is too powerful for any soul to survive." As only one eye is left for me to see, it opened it. I stopped in my tracks to go and grab the image, caught up in the blue-white glow the eye emitted. "Change the destiny of this world."

And it was gone.