Kairos |An Itachi Uchiha Story|

xxix. as you witness

She held a straw hat in her hand and it was gripped tightly under each finger. She could feel herself shaking as the fibers scratched her skin and the long strips whispered in the wind against her legs off and on.

Blood eyes stared at her intensely and icily. There was nothing warm about the gaze. Nothing relenting about this gaze. The comas were sharp and she knew they would bring harm as they previously had before.

When the black strands came into focus she suddenly understood but refused to accept that these were the eyes of her dear friend. But she has never seen her weasel butt so cold. Never seen him so beyond his own body.

"Itachi?..."

She screamed as she was brought to her knees immediately and the hat was gone from her grasps. She felt the bones in her arm crack and nearly snap altogether. She cried out as it happened again but this time she had to fight off the urge to vomit. She sobbed loudly and could not even mind the pain in her knees.

"You don't.... enough hatred...."

His stone voice washed in and out in her ears as she stared up into his eyes. They glared down at her as his tone stabbed her heart with every word she heard. He sounded so harsh, a tone she had never heard from him before.

"This is not you!" She cried and cradled her arm to her chest as best as she could. She sobbed as she tried to back away. But it felt like every time she moved back, she got nowhere.

"Little brother... Hate me.... Grow your hate.... Become stronger."

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she was seeing. The sobering shock of realizing who Itachi was going to become stopped her heart. The idea that Itachi would do this to Sasuke began to penetrate and stop her breathing altogether.

"You are too weak."

She scrambled from her bleeding knees and struggled as the feeling of her bones grinding almost paralyzed her.  Aiko wretched and shakily stood before throwing herself to grab a hold of the dark haired man before him.

"Itachi please!"

Her arm reached up and held his face with her one hand but when her fingers wrapped around his tanned face, he disintegrated in ravens before her eyes. She fell straight through the flock of cawing birds and when she braced for impact, it never came. She continued to fall and felt all the feathers brushing her skin constantly. Unrelentingly scratching at her skin and panicking her even further.

"Itachi please!"

"Are you thinking about Aiko again?"

Shisui teased as he leapt away from Itachi. He glanced at the small tear in Itachi's clothing and felt his smugness grow when his friend grunted in annoyance. He knew where Itachi's head was after catching him glance at the flowers on the ground.

"Do you miss her?"

Shisui asked bluntly and dodged a swift kick from Itachi with a grin.

"You are annoying me." The monotone gave evenly before he continued to deal blows toward his sparring partner. Shisui only grinned and took him head on, knowing Itachi definitely missed Aiko. "You're so snappy! Is it because you waited too late to declare your feelings?"

Itachi's impassive face did not move but Shisui watched his chakra flow spike for a second and it seemed to amuse him more. Itachi was usually so good at keeping his chakra flow even and never gave away his emotion. Shisui could definitely differentiate that the lack of Aiko cost Itachi far more than her distracting presence.