She's So Gone (Sasuke Love Story/ Akatsuki fanfic)

Chapter 30: The Sacrifice

No. It can't happen. I refuse to let it.

"I'm sorry. I have to break my promise." I whisper before throwing myself between them. His blade pierced my stomach as I threw my hands forward, attempting to slow Sasuke's sword. I choked back a scream as I felt the sharp, electrifying shock run through my veins. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of my mouth.

"Echo! What have you done!?" Sasuke said in a panic, immediately pulling his sword out of my stomach. A decent sized wound was left in the sword's wake, causing me to bleed heavily.

"I-I'm sorry but I couldn't let you. I know you're gonna regret killing him later." I whispered holding my hand over the large hole on my torso.

"I'm not going to regret it. Why can't you just accept that I will avenge my clan. Whether you like it or not. It's my destiny. " Sasuke said anger lacing his voice like poison.

"You're wrong. I already told you, revenge never helps. You're only hurting yourself by holding onto that hate. I should know." I said softly, slowly falling onto my knees as my legs gave out.

"I don't care! He killed my only family, Echo!" Sasuke yelled tightening his grip on his sword.

"That's not truth! If you would just stop to look around you! You have family. They may not be blood but they are family. What about Naruto? And then all of your friends in the Leaf. They all love and care for you Sasuke. Just like family."

"How did you even know about them." Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes at me.

"Tell him." I said looking back at the severely wounded Itachi. Itachi was surprised, although the glance he spared me told me that he suspected this outcome to happen. He narrowed his eyes at me but if I could possibly die here, I will die knowing that it wasn't in vain. "The real truth." I added.

"Dammit! I will kill him!" Sasuke yelled before lifting his sword and bringing it down right at Itachi's heart. I was too wounded to save him this time. I dropped my head and squeezed my eyes shut. I don't want to see the man I came to know as my brother get killed by someone he holds so dear to him. I failed in my goal to stop Sasuke before he regretted it. I failed in saving my friend.

A deafening clash rang out across the otherwise silent battleground. My head immediately snapped up to see a darkly cloaked figure blocking Sasuke's sword with their own.

"Now, now. Don't go getting hasty, Sasuke." The figure, who had a woman's voice, said chuckling slightly.

It couldn't be...? Is it....her?

"Been a while hasn't it, Echo." She said to me before kicking Sasuke back. He slid back a good 10 feet and landed with ease in a crouched position.

That's when I caught sight of the tattoo on her wrist.

"Sure has. You have no idea how glad I am to see you." I said chuckling slightly causing me to cough up a bit of blood.

"I couldn't leave you alone, now could I?" She said whilst swinging her sword around a bit.

My eyes left her and focused on Itachi once more. He was still leaned up against the rock, bleeding slightly.

"Tell him. Please. For me?" I begged softly looking at him with tears welling up in my bright purple eyes. I saw the resolve in the man's eyes, knowing his long and heartbreaking game with his baby brother had come to a close. He knew it was time.

"Okay." Itachi said looking over at Sasuke with pain in his bleeding eyes. Sasuke looked frantically between us all, confused yet at the same time, not making a move to attack. He was listening to the story that shaped who he was, the choice and pain that drove him to this point, to this darkness in his life.

"Where to start. I....never meant to hurt you, Sasuke. It's very hard to explain in words but harming you was never my intention.

"After the Nine Tails attacked the Leaf Village many years ago, Konoha's leadership began to suspect that an Uchiha was behind it seeing as the Sharingan possessed the ability to control it. They put all Uchiha's under careful surveillance from that point onwards.

"The Uchiha clan were all forced to live in a corner of the village and felt they'd been segregated. The constant suspicion and discrimination led to the clan rekindling their hatred towards the Senju-based government.

"They actually began plotting against the Leaf's government. They entrusted me to be their spy seeing as I was an ANBU then. However, I knew that a civil war would start another Shinobi World War so instead of spying for the clan, I helped spy for Konoha.

"The Third Hokage tried to come up with a peaceful resolve but Danzo wouldn't let that happen. He convinced me that murdering the clan was the only way to prevent the war from happening. I shouldn't have trusted him but he promised that you would be spared and the village would be safe.

"I used the Tsukuyomi on you to make you believe that I alone murdered the clan in cold blood. I intended for you grow stronger and one day kill me as punishment for what I had done. But I want you to know, I killed our clan to keep you and the village safe. I did this so that the Uchiha clan would be brought back with love and peace in their hearts without the hatred that killed them. We, as Uchihas, had always been cursed with suffering, from our elder losing the title of Hokage to the First, until the final day that the clan was all together. I wanted it to be you Sasuke that could accomplish this because at the end of the day, I knew you would always be the greatest of the Uchiha. " Itachi finished, sadness and sincerity swimming in his blood red eyes.

Sasuke stood there frozen in place. Not the slightest movement or sound at all.

"Sasuke?" Itachi said questioningly.

"But...how...I...." Sasuke started to say but faded off. He shook his head and rubbed his temple as if he had a headache. I wasn't feeling too hot either. My head started spinning and my vision was beginning to blur in and out of focus.

"Well. What a bombshell to drop. As much as I'd love to give you time to think this over Sasuke, I'm afraid we have two dying people to take care of. I take it you don't wanna kill Itachi yet so how about you grab Echo and let's all go bandage ourselves up in that cave over there." The cloaked figure said pointing to a small cave about 100 yards away.

Sasuke rubbed his temples again before nodding and coming over to me. His eyes were swimming in regret and anguish. Sasuke was in pain.

"I'm sorry, Echo." He said softly picking me up gently into his arms, bridal style. He was sweaty and cut up slightly from battle but nevertheless, he was warm while my body was growing cold. I clutched onto him, my breathing rugged with stress. The wound on my torso was stinging severely, causing me to wince and my breath to hitch in my throat.

I laid my head against his solid chest and let my eyes flutter close, allowing me to slip into cold darkness.

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Oh shiiiiiiitttttttttt!

Bet you guys didn't see that one coming.

So who do you guys think the chick is? Do you think she's the one Echo sent a letter to?

Big thanks to you guys for spamming me with votes and comments. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH. I CANT EVEN.

Also, big thanks to my new cowriter Olivia aka vote4kiba You guys should go follow her and read her books too cuz she is so good at writing! She helped me a lot with the chapter before this one. (She pretty much wrote it for me XD) Anyways, thank you!

Don't forget to tell me your thoughts about everything!

Love ya, kawaii potatoes!

~Colette