Tortured Uchiha [CURRENTLY EDITING]

十九

F O U N D A T I O N S   O F   A   L I E

      Shisui. 

       The pain was excruciating. It felt like every vessel in my body burst, every bone broke, every nerve severed. My chest constricted. I couldn't remember how to breathe, speak, live. I collapsed against the cliff-face, my white knuckled fist dangled over the edge―clenched around the fabric of Shisui's sleeve.  

      ". . .Shi–Kun," my voice was barely a whisper.

       I could feel the spray from the river below rise up against the rock chasm and arc up towards my fingertips in triumph, as if it wanted to say: I have him, I took him from you. His body will never meet the shores again. He is gone.

       I couldn't remotely describe the feeling. It was a shallow numbness that entered my body, it started in my heart before leaking into the soft tissue and muscles of my legs and arms. It continued through my veins and paralysed me.

     In retrospect, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. In all honesty, I thought I would've jumped after him―and I guessed that was his intent, Shisui wanted me protected even in death and therefore change one of his 'seven' circumstances. 

     What problem would my death solve?

      Itachi knelt next to me and rubbed my shoulders to provide some sort of comfort. He cried crimson as he stared at the edge, almost waiting for Shisui to appear and act like it was an elaborate prank.

     I turned my head to the side to look at Itachi. His jaw was set tight and his teeth visibly chattered―the tears were the only the beginning of his undoing. His cries turned into soft whimpers, staring into the abyss. Did he feel guilty? If it weren't for Itachi, perhaps Shisui would've been alive. 

     My eyes widened slightly when Itachi blinked. He gained the Mangekyou. Between his dense lashes, I could see the three-prong pinwheel pattern similar to Kakashi's. 

        "On this day, Konohagakure will be stained red," Itachi murmured as he scrubbed the blood off of his porcelain cheeks. "Forgive me. . .Shisui," Itachi hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet.

      I didn't complain, I didn't know what to say to Itachi as his arms came around me in a tight embrace. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his, I was past the point of crying, but that didn't matter―I had to have Itachi's back, no matter what. Itachi's hands trembled; he fisted them against my back armour and exhaled.

      "You're going to kill Danzo, aren't you?" Itachi predicted. He was silent for a moment and then continued, "If you are, then I want to wrap my arms around that man's greasy throat until he stops breathing."

      "No, it's something that I have to do alone," I pulled back slightly to look into Itachi's new Mangekyou. The thin black shuriken shape rotated into place and illuminated Itachi's face. Were all Mangekyou supposed to be hypnotic, so beautiful? "Besides, you have your own mission to complete."  

      Itachi knew I referred to the coup d'état. His hands spasmed again and pressed me closer. The proximity reminded me of when I was locked up in jail, that Itachi took it upon himself to spoon-feed me back to health. When I closed my eyes, the cool breeze from the night seemed to wash away all of my cares, but I had to snap out of my delirium. I had to complete my own mission, not just for Hiruzen and Naruto, but for Shisui.   

     "You won't have to look for me, I'll find you when it's my time," I murmured in his ear. "Ita–Kun, Shisui's entrusted me with your life, whatever happens. . .I'll be there for you."