Flock Of Crows

They both stared at each other unable to process words. Their encounter was completely coincidental; in fact, they had masterfully avoided thinking of the other person successfully – until now. It was a matter of fate and ill-luck, both things brewing the most catastrophic result. This encounter, where two beings refused to accept the other’s essence…

It was too much to bear.

They fought, no words were spoken, only those which were necessary. Pleasantries were forgotten, all their lessons of formality resembling nothing in their riddled minds. They both thought of the same thing, why me? And even though they both possessed a high level of intelligence, the answer seemed more troubling than easing.

It was a matter of time before one of them gave in, before one of them was unable to stand. It was her, the first one to fall down – surrendering. Their battle was exhausting, their lethal strikes aiming for the worst, taking a toll on the girl’s already tired system. She nimbly kneeled there, her mind as wrecked as her heart. That uncomfortable knot that developed deep within her heart, it was unraveling itself, making its existence known. Cuts and bruises were momentarily forgotten; instead she embraced the numb feelings that overrun her aching chest.

“Akane,” he said with finality. It relieved her that he was able to remember her name. She was hard to forget, though. A girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match, something most males tended to avoid. Something that he mentioned countless times, something he absolutely loved about her – but that was in the past. Now, she was a fugitive, a woman with no loyalty whatsoever. Her dignity had been ripped out of her, replaced with an endless void of guilt and shame.

The silence that followed after was unbearable, she felt like someone was slowly crushing her inside. “I’m surprised you even remember me, Itachi,” Akane replied dryly. Her throat constricted, as she forced herself to look at him in the eyes. Those red orbs, filled with the same apathy as always, stared right back at her. But, knowing him since a very long time ago, she wistfully detected a twinge of surprise in his dead-like gaze. The world around her started to melt, red and black enveloping her. A sense of panic settled in the pit of her stomach. The last time she spoke to him, it was in this same place. Her mind.

“Ah, you’ve deflected from Konoha, it seems.” He observed from her scratched headband. Though his voice was cold, uncaring - it was always this way. Affection was long forgotten, interest was rejected. He had warped into something that she could not recognize, something she mildly feared. Her actions were based on something she’d developed over the years, a fictional fantasy that was aimed far from the truth.

“Konoha was corrupted,” she snapped at nothing. He was not there; instead, he was everywhere – literally infesting her mind. “I know what happened all those years ago, Itachi.” She desperately wanted him to acknowledge her, after everything she’d had to sacrifice for justice.

“No, you do not,” he countered. That guarded voice was slowly decaying, a hint of anger making itself known. Frustration flooded her numb system, tears became visible. She knew tears would not move his heart, or inspire any kind of pity. He had expertly removed those feelings from his mind. Instead, she aimed for that guilt ridden part of his; try to prod him enough to get some answers.

“Yes, I do!” she barked exasperated. “The elders ordered you to do it, why do you think I’m in this predicament, Itachi?” her eyes hardened, glazed over with wetness of long forgotten tears. She could sense his hesitation – he didn’t know. “It’s because I broke into the classified files. You do not what I’ve had to sacrifice in order to get closer to the truth. All the things I’ve had to do in order to understand why.”

Silence enveloped her, the red clouds moving at the same steady pace. He was thinking. “I did not ask of this from you,” he finally stated. “You know only half of the truth, either way. Stay out of things that do not concern you, Akane.”

“It does concern me, Itachi!” She exploded, her fingers digging into the dark dust that felt like sand.

“How?” he retaliated.

The answer got stuck inside her throat; a sense of dread filling her senses. It only took a small reply to satisfy his need for knowledge, but she could not get herself to answer him. So much had been taken away from her, so much had been destroyed. She could either tell him straight out and risk rejection or worse – death.

“You left… I… no reason,” she let out a mangled sob, control staying out of her limited reach. “It was unfair!” she finally wailed at the sky, unknowing of his location. “All these years, I had to watch Sasuke grow up, being your spitting image. Your existence was almost forgotten, if it were not for him…” she trailed off, feeling self-conscious.

“As it should be,” he said in a monotonous voice. “You wouldn’t be in this situation, if you’ve followed the example of others.”

“Does it matter now?” She bitterly replied. Her motives were obvious, the reason she’d taken such risks just to understand part of him. A genius like him, he probably knew about it before she was willing to accept it.

“You’re better off without those feelings Akane. True, it’s probably too late to turn around now. Hunter nins will be after you, even more than Akatsuki, as you know some dark truths about Konoha. You’re in a dangerous position, by now. I’m sorry I had been the cause of this,” he said it with no emotion. He was not sorry.

“Save it,” she whispered. At this point, she was able to see what a stupid mistake she had committed. All those fantasies of him being grateful, or something between those lines… they had been nothing more than unrealistic dreams. He did not care, that was reality. “I didn’t expect to see you again…” the irony was too much to bear. She had planned to find him after her fugitive escape. This encounter was the worst of them all; it had just messed up whatever fantasy she had possessed. Whatever plan she was able to create.

“Don’t worry; this is the last time we’ll meet. Farewell, Akane.”

“Wait!!” she screamed, but it was too late. The clouds started to evaporate and the earth started to crumble. She could see how her own mind shattered into a million shards of black and red – the color of pain and guilt. Her hand shot forward, a flock of crows blinding her. She could not see correctly, nor think. “Itachi!” she whimpered out, pride shattering. A sense of emptiness overwhelmed her, her body numb.

Silently, she collapsed, her face meeting the cold earth. Her eyes were partially open; she could see a pair of feet. They belonged to him. She knew that it was only a matter of time before a squad of hunter nins found her ravaged body and finished her off. Her hands twitched, as she tried to move. It was the end, nothing had mattered. Itachi then left, leaving behind a flock of crows to symbolize his parting. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever witnessed.

Akane closed her eyes.