Ashes (A Naruto Fanfic Book 6)

Chapter 36

I watched Itachi as I gave him glimpses of his past selves. He looked pensive as I pulled out of his mind.  "Why don't you show the end?"

I smiled sadly.  "Because we've never had a happy one. They all end the same... in sadness and death."

He frowned.  "So, we were never actually together."

I tilted my head.  "We spent a lot of time together, and I will not say our past selves were all as... restrained as we were before getting married."

He lightly blushed.  "So..."

I giggled.  "Yes... this is the longest we've been together and our first time married, but not our first time having sex."

He averted his gaze.  "Then why wait this time?"

I pulled his face toward mine.  "Because every life is different... I didn't even know until after I returned from the Akatsuki..."

He kissed my hand.  "Why not tell me til now?"

I tilted my head.  "You never asked and... I allow you to choose every life we meet without knowing what our pasts were.  There have been lives where you have chosen another."

He looked surprised.  "Another?"

I smiled softly.  "Izumi..."

He blinked rapidly.  "Why?"

I giggled.  "Because you're loyal... in those lives, you and her were already together. So, I kept my distance because your happiness was most important."  He furrowed his brow.  "You know... if not for me hitting my head that day, it's very possible we wouldn't have met so young.  You could have found a life with her, much different from the one you have now."

He frowned.  "I don't want another life, but you make it sound like we are all the same age every time."

I thought for a moment.  "Around the same range... until this life.  Madara would have been born a year or two ahead of you,  Yua the same..."

He thought a moment.  "What happened?"

I shook my head.  "I don't know...  just because one of us is born does not mean the others are. There are lives where I was alone, save for Shinobi, and sometimes after.  The same goes for all of us... there is no guarantee we see everyone again, be it they aren't born or paths never cross."

He crossed his arms.  "So... he must have stayed... from a previous life."

I nodded.  "Quite possibly, but I imagine transferring a matured soul is quite difficult."

"Shisui's older than me..."

I thought for a moment.  "Yes... his soul is new."

"Could he have been..."

I shrugged.  "I don't know how it works."

He nodded.  "Did you have... others?"

I smirked.  "Jealous, Uchiha?"

He averted his gaze.  "Just a question..."

I sighed.  "Yes, he's here this life as well."

He frowned.  "Why not him then?"

I took his hand.  "I don't know, he was there when you weren't.  This is the first life I recall you both being here at the same time.  Everything happens seemingly random, such as when we meet and who we meet first, our relationship from there. The decisions we make in that life."

"Who?"

I smiled.  "Why?"  He glanced at me.  "Neji..."

He blinked.  "You would've met him first."

I sighed and shrugged.  "I actually did. He was a baby at the time. However, I spent as little time in the Hyuuga compound as possible when I was young and made it a point to avoid them all.  I care for Neji, but not in that way in this life, nor does he see me that way."

He sighed, seemingly relieved.  "Good."

I chuckled.  "That's why I didn't make a big deal over Chihiro dating him... he's a good man."

He met my gaze.  "You've had kids before..."  I nodded.  "What's that like?"

I shrugged.  "I don't know... as it happens, I've never had any with Madara as I originally thought, but whether with you or Neji, I ended up dying soon after their birth."

He frowned.  "Because of him."

I tilted my head back and forth.  "Because of a conflict that threatened the world as we knew it and yes... he was usually at the center of it, but not always."

He lowered his gaze.  "So in this life..."

I thought for a moment.  "Not necessarily... like I said, things are happening differently this time, but also, there are no guarantees."

"Maybe we shouldn't risk it..."

I put a hand under his chin.  "What are you afraid of, Uchiha?  I told when we were young, just enjoy the moments in between... death is a part of life. There is no avoiding it."  He smiled softly.  "Also, we have this uncanny ability not to stay dead... after this life, we will find each other again."

He kissed my hand.  "Like the sun returns the horizon..."

I smiled as well.  "Exactly..."  I looked out of a window.  "They will be looking for us now."

He followed my gaze, confused.  "Where are we?"

"I don't know where exactly... I found this place while I was with Yua... even she didn't know about it.  And she could never come with me."

He looked around.  "It's too large not to be noticed by someone..."

I nodded.  "I thought so too, but I don't think it is anywhere in the five nations."

"How can I come here then?"

"I don't know."

He frowned.  "How do you know it's safe?"

I smiled.  "You're really talkative today, Uchiha."

He met my gaze and relaxed.  "So many secrets..."

"It keeps us safe."

He pulled me to him.  "I know."  I snuggled into his chest.  "We need to go back."

I looked up at him.  "Do we really, though?"

He chuckled.  "Yes."