Lurking Within
(Part 1 of the trilogy)
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Chapter 14: Fragments of a Soul

Something was wrong.

One second he was fighting with Kabuto and the next second, he felt a deep emptiness. The feeling came so suddenly that he gave an actual pause, allowing the leech precious time to jump and escape from his grasp. He did a quick scan on himself, fearing that Kabuto had actually nicked him with some deadly medical jutsu but alas found nothing amiss. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he watched as Kabuto jumped further away, picked something off the ground, and disappeared through a small opening in the cave. He had wanted to pursue but the deep pang echoing in his chest stopped him in his track once more. Mind racing and deducing what could possibly make him feel this way, Itachi turned to look for his younger brother.

And while he knew it wasn't possible, Itachi felt his heart stop beating as soon as his eyes found his foolish, foolish, brother.

The dim light in the room did nothing to hide what was clutched in the young girl's hand.

Itachi was familiar with the human anatomy. He had seen it countless time in books, training, even assassinations. But to see his younger brother's heart, his most beloved and precious brother, was not something he had ever expected or wanted to see.

She cradled his lukewarm body close, closer, closer, closer, to her own as if any distance between them would be fatal. Her lithe fingers clutched desperately on to his dark raven lock and his back as her grip kept on slipping from his blood. Choking back a sob, Sakura readjusted her grip on the dead avenger in her arm. There was no hiding, no denying, no running from the truth. The stillness of his chest, the escaping warmth, the paleness of his lips, Uchiha Sasuke was dead.

Reaching that truth, that fact, hit another painful note in her heart and she struggled for air.

"Sasuke"

Sakura knew who it was without even turning around to face the intruder. "You have no right to use his name." Sakura choked out, her voice laced with an underlying anger. Even as she shook with anger and wanted nothing more than to pound the life out of the older man, Sakura couldn't bring herself to possibly let go of the man in her arm. "You did this," Sakura brushed a lock of hair away from Sasuke's face softly. "You made him go to Orochimaru. You made him lose his family and when that wasn't enough, you tore him away from us - his home!"

For a second there was nothing between the two but silence. "He was suppose to live a long and happy life." Itachi softly whispered, "He was suppose to bring back glory to the Uchiha name."

"Oh to hell with your Uchiha name!" Sakura spit, "Do know honestly think that was what he was after? He was after you because you were his precious and most beloved aniki! His morals, his ideals, his entire life was so wrapped around you that we had to fight just for a spot." At this point, Sakura was beginning to have trouble focusing her vision through the blur of her tears. "We fought tooth and nail for that spot and once we did, as Team 7, you came and took him away." She spun around, "The fact is that you made him go down this path. You are the reason he is dead, Itachi. Your thirst for blood, are you satisfied now?"

She wasn't sure if her vision was compromised from her tears or if she had seen right but she could have sworn that for a brief minute, a look of utter hopelessness flashed on Itachi's face before it slid back into the perfect stoic facade. Slowly, Itachi turned to look at her with tomoes slowly spinning. "You speak of the truth but do you know what the 'truth' is? These so called truths, facts, everything that you hear, you believe it is true because your Hokage said it is true. Your generation so aimlessly believes everything fed to you that never learn to question. History is however the winner wishes to write it."

He took a step towards her, "Now are you ready to know the truth kunoichi?"

It had taken longer than he thought to clear a path but once he saw an opening, Naruto didn't bother to look back. His feet flawlessly carried him towards the entrance of the cave. He felt, rather than see, Kakashi following his lead. His heart pounded from the adrenaline and the raw excitement of once more being the unbreakable Team 7. Memories of training, grabbing food at Ichiraku, and once more laying under the starry sky with his bond brother caused a grin to break through.

That moment was something he had dreamed of since he learned of Sasuke's defection.

But this reality was not.

The huddled and dazed form of their only female comrade brought his feet to a screeching halt, causing Kakashi to crash into his back. "Kai!" Naruto tried. This had to be a genjutsu, a dream - a nightmare. Repeating the word over and over, Naruto tried again and again to wake up but the shaky hand on his shoulder brought everything crashing down.

"Come on, Naruto." Kakashi was the first to make his way towards the two prone figure in the middle of the room. He had wanted to move but no matter how much he tried to take a step, his feet refused to budge. 'Come on, come on, come on!' Naruto silently plead. Slowly he felt his feet coming into life, taking the first of many towards the rest of his broken team. From a distance he could faintly make out the sounds of bombs going off, rumbling the ceiling of the cave. But yet all he could hear was the sound of his own still beating heart and ragged breathing. He came to a full stop in front of Sakura. Cerulean eyes focused solely on the dazed look on Sakura's face, unable to trail lower to see the white, pale, dead face of his brother.

Another bomb in the distance.

"Come on, Sakura." Kakashi gently nudged, "We have to get out of here. The place will collapse soon." Gloved fingers came to gently pry her own bloodied ones but yet her grip only tightened in response. Sakura gazed up, her own dried eyes meeting watery blue. "We need to bring him back, Naruto." Sakura smoothed a hand gently over raven locks, "He belongs at home, in Konoha, with us."

And for once, all the boisterous blond can do was nod in return.

In all honesty, Neji hadn't expected this to be their return. A small part of him had imagined the mission to not only be a success but that the Uchiha survivor would be among them.

Alive, not in a body bag.

Upon meeting up with Team 7, or what was left of it, the original search party had made a hasty retreat, leaving the clean-up to the rest of the shinobi who had survived the ordeal. For a while, no one spoke. An air of somber had surrounded the group, from the fierce battle to losing one of their own - even if Sasuke had left in his quest for revenge, he was still one of theirs. And so, their minds lost in thought and memory, they moved forward with all they had left. It was only from the darkening of the sky did Neji insist on finding a place to rest. As if that was the magic word, reality came crashing down once more. Shoulders sagged from exhaustion and the pain of their injuries made itself known.

Hinata and Sakura went to work, slowly healing any wounds that could potentially be fatal. As Hinata tended to her half of the team, Sakura made her way down the line. Naruto had only a few scratches and a hairline fracture on his rib, but nothing that proved too life threatening. Gaara had blood splatters, none of which belong to any open wound. She had actually taken her extra time to scan through each member, hoping that Hinata would finish some of her patients and thus reach the copy-nin but apparently kami had other plans. It was childish but Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care. She was running on empty and the idea of having to deal with Kakashi was like nails on a chalkboard.

But it had to be done.

She had expected Kakashi to have waved her aside, stating that he was fine. In fact, she had prayed for that but she was surprised and disappointed all at the same time. Kakashi not only showed her a nasty wound on his back that was beginning to fester, but he did it without any prodding. And so she worked in silence, partially grateful that he did not fight her. Only when the wound had become nothing but a fresh pink scar did Sakura lean back on her haunches, more than ready to move away. In a form of another surprise, Kakashi grabbed her hand tightly in his.

"Obito was a teammate of mine, a dear comrade." Kakashi offered, "He died during a mission and he was the one who bestowed on me this gift." His free hand briefly touched the crimson eye. "I never wanted to be anyone's mentor, much less three kids'. I did not want another team because the one I had was gone. That is the reality of our lives and I've come to accept it. But somehow, you rascals found a way in. I think it is because there are moments when you all reminded me so much of my former life."

A faraway gaze had entered Kakashi's eyes and Sakura sat back down, wary but curious that their closed-off sensei was opening himself on his own free will. "I think I was also seeking to repent. When I saw Sasuke, I was instantly reminded of Obito - not because of his personality but their potential. I owe it to Obito to train and mentor his descendant. I was willing to give everything I know to him so he can reach his full potential. But in the end, I failed Sasuke as I had failed Obito. " Kakashi sighed, "That will always haunt me. And in the process of wrestling with my personal demons, I have abandoned you and Naruto. I did not bother to see the hidden potential you both had, only Tsunade and Jiraya did. For that, I will always regret."

"I am happy that you and Naruto found someone who was able to see past everything on the surface to see within. And you, sweet Sakura, never blaming me for Sasuke leaving or having neglected you, still never left my side. But maybe I am cursed," Kakashi cruelly laughed, "because as soon as something good happens, something bad has to follow. Right when I made a truce with my own personal problems, you were attacked. When you laid there injured, I didn't know what to do. I was reminded of all my failures and I pulled away. I hurt you in the process, something that was not my intention. I took and I took, but I never gave! You were always there, without fail, but when you needed me, I was gone. Sakura, please understand that this was never about you but my own personal vendetta against myself."

Kakashi reached out and took both of her hands into his. Funny, he never realized how small her hands were and how they fit so easily into one of his. "I understand if you can't forgive me, Sakura, and I don't expect you to. I had viciously abandoned you in your time of need, neglecting your cries for help, and left you to fight in the darkness alone. But know this," Kakashi gave his signature masked smile, "I'm eternally grateful. Thank you Sakura."

Thank you Sakura.

Maybe it was the sincerity behind Kakashi's words, or the sheer exhaustion that had finally caught up to her...

Or maybe it was a reminder of who she had lost.

But in that exact second, nothing mattered except for the reassurance and acceptance radiating from Kakashi's embrace. Her whole body wracked with the weight of the world, the relentless stabbing in her heart. As if he was expecting this, Kakashi held on to her shivering body closer to his. And while Kakashi felt his emotions ready to spill over, he kept it at bay. Today, it would be about Sakura. "I'm here for you, Sakura."

She was only dimly aware that she was out in the open, tears streaming down her face, breaking one of the rules that had been drilled into her head since day 1 as a shinobi, never show emotions. But rules be damned as she felt Naruto join in the embrace.

"We are all here."

A piece of their soul was gone.

Itachi wasn't sure how he was able to escape undetected and while his mind was struggling to keep up pace, his body seemed to be on autopilot as he made his way to the rendezvous point he had decided with Kisame. A twig or a raised bark caught his left foot unexpectedly and within seconds, Itachi found himself face first on the soiled ground. With his body no longer on the run, and his mind having caught up, he felt the reality, the truth, closing in. His chest lurched forward as he dry heaved into the bush next to him.

An onslaught of memories was burying him alive.

"'Tachi!"

"Aniki, up!"

"Aniki, can I join you?"

"Aniki, I want to grow up to be as strong as you one day."

The hole, the emptiness, in his chest threatened to swallow him whole. He struggled to find his footing. If he had not witnessed it himself, Itachi could almost swear that Sasuke was right next to him looking up adoringly with such trusting eyes. Giving in, Itachi reached for the imaginary figure of Sasuke standing in front of him. His hand met with thin air and as the apparition disappeared in front of his eyes, Itachi choked back a sob.

He was the perfect shinobi, easily defeating many without straining himself or showing any emotion.

He was the highly respected heir, a genius at birth and once the pride of his noble clan.

He was the adored aniki, endlessly and hopelessly loved by his lost, gone, dead, otouto.

"I'm sorry Sasuke," Itachi grieved, "but there won't be any more 'one days'."

In the shadows, underneath the soaring trees, Uchiha Itachi found refuge as he mourned the loss of his younger brother, the last hope of the Uchiha clan, a part of his soul.

Author's Note: Slowly but steadily! Reviews and constructive criticisms are MORE than welcome. I know Itachi seems a little OOC but work with me here, everything will work out in the end. BELIEVE!