The Flower That Blooms in the Darkness

My eyes opened slowly, the blue light around me blinding.

I squinted to see, and then the blue light was gone.

I felt something moving in my arms.

I looked down, then gasped.

He's breathing.

He's not dead.

More tears drifted down my face, and I smiled at Dei-chan's sleeping form.

That was when I heard the noise.

It was a rattling sound, as if someone was just barely breathing, barely clinging to life.

I carefully laid Dei-chan down, stepping over Mamoru-chan's sleeping form as well, and made my way to the source.

It was Kakashi-chan.

I kneeled next to him, and felt a familiar presence beside me.

"Itachi-chan." I murmured, and he kneeled next to me.

Kakashi-chan's eyes still harbored hatred and anger, even though I had just saved his life.

"Get the hell away from me." He hissed.

I ignored him and examined his wounds. Nothing exterior except a few cuts or bruises.

"Kakashi-chan, you're suffering from internal bleeding. I can heal you, if you will allow me to." I said quietly.

"I'd rather burn in hell." HIs breathing was becoming more and more ragged. "Just kill me already."

I winced, and Itachi-chan took me in his arms.

"If what you wish is death, then I can give it to you." I whispered.

Kakashi-chan actually looked....well, happy at this.

I removed myself from Itachi-chan's arms. "Are you sure that this is what you want?"

"My whole life has been full of lies and deceit, Natsumi. I just want to be free from it all."

Well then, let's give him what he wants.

I took a deep breath and put my hands over Kakashi-chan's heart. Shaking, my hands emitted a dark purple light, and I heard Yumi start laughing with glee.

She's finally getting what she wanted.

A little bit of death.

Kakashi-chan's eyes focused on me, and he smiled for the last time, drawing in his last breath.

"Be happy." I whispered, smiling weakly and still crying.

And then it was over.

Itachi-chan carried me into the hideout, and into his room, placing me on his bed.

I crawled into fetal position and just let it all out.

Itachi-chan wrapped his arms around me, comforting me without words.

"I know he hated me, but I still just wanted to help him. I j-just wanted h-him to be hap-ppy." I sobbed into Itachi-chan's shirt.

Eventually, I stopped crying and my body went to sleep.

But my mind still raced, still grieved for the loss of a dear friend.

A loss that started when I was kidnapped.