The Darkness Before Dawn

One And Two Down

A soft breeze rustled Itachi's hair and carried Yukiko's quiet sobs on the winds. "It's simply work. Don't take it personally" he said to her emotionlessly. She couldn't help it; she thought she had found her soulmate. He was perfect for her: kind, considerate, thoughtful and attractive. Who was this Itachi and how could she escape this situation or at least raise the alarm for the others?

"Speak! We know you killed Obito and Kakashi and are responsible for the massacre in Ame!" Shisui shouted as he kicked Tenno's ribs, breaking the other side. Tenno hunched over, spitting blood and trying to catch his breath. "If I- If I do, will you let her go?" He gasped out. Shisui kneeled down and grabbed a fistful of his hair, lifting his head up to look at him. "It's possible" he conceded.

Itachi listened to the exchange, waiting for his orders. His gun was pressed firmly against her scalp, neatly parting her curly ombré hair. It was easy for him to slip into the role of a caring boyfriend; after all, he wasn't nicknamed the Prince of Lies for nothing. He operated undercover and was Shisui's best agent for infiltrating groups and organizations.

"Alright! Yes, I killed them and I have no regrets! Same with Ame! Now let her go!" Tenno yelled, the act sapping his strength. "Not good enough" Shisui said, tapping Tenno's cheek with each word. "Who are you working for?" Tenno paused before speaking, "Mother."

Shisui stood and motioned for more agents to surround Tenno. "And who is 'Mother'?" Tenno chuckled, spitting more blood from his mouth, "she is everyone and no one. That's why you'll never catch her." "I WANT NAMES! Itachi!"

Itachi moved the gun from the back of her head and pressed it against her right shoulder and fired a single round. Yukiko screamed and clutched shoulder trying to stem the bleeding. Her tears flowed freely and her sobs hitched in her throat which was sore from crying and the tension of the situation.

Tenno's heart wrenched in his chest when he heard her scream. "STOP!" He begged, trying to unhook his hands so he could pummel his torturers. "No. Tell me what I want to know" Shisui growled. Tenno hung his head, "I can't. Even I don't know who she fully is" he said lamely. "So you refuse?" Shisui questioned. "I can't tell you anything. I don't know where she's from or where she is now. I only get missions from her."

Shisui paced the room, thinking. He could break this man completely but he ran the risk of the man's mind snapping and forgetting everything while the trauma overwhelmed him. He nodded; it was a risk he would take. If Tenno ended up dying so be it; the world would be better off without his kind.

"Tell me her name and where to find her and we'll let your little friend go. Withhold information and the both of you will never be found." An agent punched Tenno again, this time in his thigh so his leg buckled and his shoulder took the full weight.

Tenno groaned, his eyes nearly swelled shut, bruises colouring his body, his scars split open and weeping blood. He was reaching the end of his limit and his mind had slowed; he was no longer in the city. He was back in the war zone, his torturers had come back to finish the job and he had never met Mother.

He was staring at his old friend, Death, and greeted him like a long lost brother. You've finally come for me. Death simply nodded and slammed his sickle on the floor, his boney hand curling into a 'come here' gesture. Tenno unhooked his hands and walked towards Death, feeling the embrace of coldness.

"Wake up!" Shisui yelled, slapping the abused man across his swollen and split lips. Tenno groaned and slowly came to. He was still in hell and Shisui was not done. "Her name" he demanded cruelly. "I can't" Tenno replied, defeated.

"So be it. Itachi...do it" the order came over the speaker. Itachi set the phone down and chambered a round. "Please" Yukiko sobbed. "It's not you, it's me" Itachi said coldly before firing. The firing pin struck the bullet and it discharged. Yukiko was dead before the bullet finished tearing a path through her brain and exiting her forehead, obliterating the top half of her face. She fell forward, the blood pumping out of her head with each heartbeat before it finally slowed and then stopped.

Itachi bent down and picked up the two shell casings. He quickly stripped the gun down to its many parts, got into his car and drove away. As he crossed the bridge heading back into the city, he tossed the gun parts over the bridge. They sunk into the raging river to be dispersed wherever the currents flowed.

Tenno heard the shot that ended Yukiko's life. He couldn't save her. He couldn't do anything. It's time. His tongue wiggled a loose tooth, working to free it from his gum. In frustration an agent punched him again and helped Tenno dislodge the tooth. He spat it out, the bone piece clattering to the floor to join the others.

He sucked against the hole in his gums and a small capsule slid out. "Hey, agent," he said, catching Shisui's attention. "Go fuck yourself" Tenno snarled, grinning, as he bit down on the capsule. The faint scent of almonds briefly hung in the air before Tenno began choking and turning purple and then blue as his red blood cells broke apart and drowned in his system.

"SHIT!" Shisui screamed, racing to the now dead man handing limply from his shackles on the hook. He lifted Tenno's head, grimacing at the maniacal grin on his face before letting his head drop back down. "Get rid of this filth" he ordered and dialled a number.

"Itachi. Good work. No, the fucker had a cyanide capsule hidden. I didn't fucking know! Yes we searched him! Whatever, get over here. We need to find the rest!" Turning to his agents he motioned for them to hurry it up.

In his small cramped office, Kisame couldn't believe what he was seeing. The fingerprint from the bombs and the DNA from the poison syringe had a match. He flipped open a file and checked against the other crime scenes. Here it was in Iwa, and again in Konoha. The evidence was irrefutable: Kay was a wanted criminal. He sat back in his chair. How to handle this? Should he tell Pein? Or Kakuzu? Or handle it by himself?