There was a knock at Deidara's hotel door and he opened it, his face a menacing scowl. The shocked hotel clerk was intimidated by his unexpected anger and stuttered, "Arashi-san, there's someone downstairs calling for you."

"Tell him to go away," Deidara snapped irritably.

"Haruno-san says that it's important," the clerk tried again.

That single name changed everything. Deidara couldn't quite believe it and he asked, "Did you just say Haruno?"

The clerk nodded, straightening his necktie nervously. Deidara brushed past him roughly, shutting the door behind him with a bang and he all but ran down the staircase.

- when that day comes, you have to find me and Deidara had been absolutely serious, he would wait for her forever-

Sakura had come to see him? Did that mean that she had changed her mind and wanted to stay with him for good? He reached the lobby in record time and his head whipped around as he tried to look for a head of pink hair somewhere, anywhere.

His hopeful expression fell once he laid eyes on the last person he wanted to see. Angrily, he demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"To fight you," Itachi replied quietly.

That wasn't the answer Deidara had been expecting at all. In disbelief, he asked, "What?"

Itachi was already gone though, he had slipped through the glass double doors to the hotel and was walking quickly down the street. Deidara ran after him and caught up, matching his pace foot for foot perfectly.

He asked immediately, "Where's Sakura?"

"She went to Konoha to see Naruto," Itachi replied, his voice deadpan.

"Where the hell are we going?" Deidara questioned, but Itachi just kept on walking.

"We can't fight in the city. There's an area a few minutes away that should be well suited," Itachi explained, clearly intent on getting to their destination.

"What? Does Sakura know?"

"She doesn't," Itachi stated.

Deidara grabbed Itachi by the arm roughly, forcing him to a halt. Deidara told him, "You have to tell Sakura what's going to happen."

"She would never allow it," Itachi pointed out.

"What if something happens to you? She has a right to know," Deidara argued hotly.

"I will come out of this fight alive."

Deidara's expression contorted into one of rage and Itachi began to walk again, out of the city. Deidara had been preparing for this fight, constantly training, constantly fighting, and he wasn't going to let Itachi win. Sakura was no longer foremost in his mind, he was so intent on defeating and killing Itachi.

The area Itachi had chosen was a wide plain, ringed by tall trees. They would be undisturbed here and Deidara would still be able to fly without any annoying branches in the way. Itachi silently took his place at the other end of the plain and waited expectantly for Deidara.

"I'm not going to fly. I'm going to defeat you with my bare hands," Deidara declared, his sapphire eyes flashing.

Itachi fell into a fighting stance, as did Deidara. The soil shifted beneath Deidara's feet and almost instantly, they lunged at each other- kunai clashing silver in the light. Deidara slashed at Itachi's chest, but Itachi ducked and Deidara wisely lifted his right leg as a kunai stabbed the air where it would have been. Deidara grabbed the back of Itachi's white shirt and pulled him up.

"Bunshin Bakuha!" Itachi's voice called out.

Deidara immediately dropped the clone of Itachi and he exploded, the heat warming his face instantaneously. Kunai whizzed towards Deidara from all around him, his eyes couldn't even follow Itachi's movements. All he could do was defend himself from the onslaught of kunai and there was a rustle of cloth as Itachi charged. He turned too late and the blade caught Deidara across the arm.

And Deidara smirked.

"Katsu!" he hissed under his breath.

A series of explosions went off, forming a protective circle around him. Itachi paused in front of them, just far enough not to be harmed, and Deidara took this chance to slash at him. He succeeded in cutting off the ends of Itachi's hair and it fell to the ground lifelessly. Itachi's fist came at him suddenly and he blocked it with his free arm.

But then Itachi's hand gripped his arm tightly, refusing to let him move. His other hand flashed through jutsu signs and Deidara yanked his arm forcefully, trying to free himself. He brought his leg in for a roundhouse kick and Itachi blocked it by raising his own leg, kicking it away without even looking.

Deidara watched in horror as he completed the signs. Itachi took a deep breath in and Deidara gritted his teeth.

A powerful punch to his stomach made Deidara double over. Then Itachi brought his knee up and it smashed into Deidara's chin. Itachi hadn't intended to use a jutsu at all, he had just wanted to trick Deidara into letting down his guard. Deidara grew angry and he back flipped away, spreading his arms. White clay creatures spilled forth and scuttled towards Itachi, vibrating with chakra.

"Katsu!"

They exploded, forming a carpet of crimson that led towards Itachi. Itachi leaped into the air, avoiding the explosions, but Deidara met him in mid-air, their kunai clashing again. Itachi landed on the ground, his arms moving to steady himself but leaving his chest completely unguarded. The sounds of the explosion made it impossible for Itachi to place where Deidara was or what was going to happen next. Deidara saw his opening and took it.

His kunai sank deep into the skin of Itachi's chest, all the way to the hilt.

Silence fell.

It broke with the sound of a rattling cough and dripping blood. Deidara couldn't believe what had just happened and anger, unsuppressed rage flooded through him. Itachi's knees gave out on him and he fell to the ground, his hands gripping the grass for support.

"You could have blocked that! Why didn't you?!" Deidara shouted furiously.

Itachi glanced up at Deidara, his eyes unfocussed. He said, "I couldn't have."

Deidara snarled, "You must have seen me coming, I was right in front of-"

Then he fell quiet as understanding filled him. The smallest smirk spread across Itachi's face and Deidara demanded, "When? When did you lose your sight?'

"A few months ago," Itachi murmured.

Deidara snapped, "You shouldn't have fought me then! Sakura's going to be so-"

"She's dead, Deidara."

A sharp punch threw Itachi to the floor and he coughed painfully, his ruined heart pumping blood weakly though his body. Deidara glared down at him and spat, "You lied?"

"You wouldn't have fought me if you knew," Itachi said, forcing himself to his feet.

And Deidara punched Itachi, again and again. Itachi did nothing, not even raising an arm to defend himself, because he deserved it- because he should have died first. Deidara's fists crashed against the skin of Itachi's face until his knuckles were wet with blood and all he could think was Sakura, Sakura, Sakura-

- when that day comes, you have to find me and she had nodded, she had agreed, but now that day would never never come-

Tears blurred Deidara's vision and all strength fled from his body as a memory of rose coloured hair and vivid emerald eyes flooded through him. He sank to the ground, beside Itachi's broken body and buried his head in his hands. He felt like he was the one that had been stabbed and wished he was in Itachi's place.

"When?" he asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.

Itachi's jaw tightened as he tried to force down the wave of pain that overwhelmed him. The wound was still so fresh and he managed, "She died three days ago."

- and it had destroyed Itachi to sit by her bedside and hold her hand every day as it grew thinner and thinner, as her hair fell out, to strain to listen to her as she tried to speak, but through it all her laugh had remained the same-

"She would have lived longer if she was with you," Itachi confessed quietly.

"She wouldn't have died at all if she was with me. I would have looked everywhere for a cure," Deidara said, his voice rising, "I would have kept on looking, even if it killed me."

"She wouldn't have wanted that."

The tears slipped from Deidara's eyes and he pressed his hands against his face, trying to hide them even though Itachi was already blind. His breaths came shorter and he forced himself to keep quiet, but Itachi already knew.

"She missed you," Itachi told him.

"Then why didn't she ever come and find me?"

"She was…scared. She thought you'd be angry at her for not choosing you," he explained.

"That idiot, I'd never get angry at her for that. She should have just come to find me if she missed me, I wouldn't have-" Deidara's voice broke and he couldn't finish his sentence. I wanted to see her so much.

"You...go back to Konoha. We left something for you with Naruto," Itachi told him.

Then they were quiet, united in their sorrow. Itachi shut his eyes and Deidara couldn't keep the liquid from spilling from his eyes, no matter how many times he rubbed his tears away. He remembered Sakura breaking down the hotel wall, parading down the streets as his wife, crying after seeing Itachi again, disappearing underneath the water and he remembered her.

"You really loved her," Deidara told him, not quite a question, not quite a statement.

Itachi said nothing in response. Nothing needed to be said.

Deidara's voice broke. "You bastard. You never had any intention of winning, did you?"

Itachi managed a tired, tired smile. His body was so tired and he could feel life draining out of him like water from a sink. Breathing was more difficult and his chest felt so heavy, it took more and more effort to breathe in and out. Agony ripped through him suddenly, finally, and he knew he was close.

Never apart, never again, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura-

The silence between the two of them lasted too long.

Deidara bowed his head and gritted his teeth. Then slowly, very slowly, he lifted Itachi's lifeless body and turned towards Konoha.

Naruto stretched out his ears and made himself cross-eyed, sticking out his tongue. The small eight month old boy sitting on his desk shrieked in delight and slapped Naruto on the face. The hit surprisingly hurt more than it should have and Naruto rubbed his throbbing cheek.

"You're your mother's kid alright," he muttered darkly.

The boy fell silent, his big onyx eyes fixated on the window. Sapphire eyes met onyx and Deidara felt his entire world stop. Naruto followed the Shisui's inquisitive gaze and he jerked in shock when he realised Deidara was hovering right outside his window.

He stood up and immediately opened the window. Deidara walked in and Naruto noticed the long canvas bag he left on the back of his gigantic white bird. All that mattered to Deidara right now was the boy staring up at him innocently. Naruto didn't know what would happen next, but he drew a kunai subtly. Deidara didn't move and then Shisui grinned up at him, throwing his hands into the air for Deidara to take.

Deidara's voice was thick with emotion as he asked Shisui, "Why the hell do you have pink hair?"

Before Naruto could do anything, Deidara swept Shisui into his arms. He couldn't speak, he couldn't think, all he could do was cradle the boy closer to his chest. Naruto turned his head away to give them privacy.

"He's called Shisui," Naruto said quietly.

"Shisui," Deidara repeated.

The little boy reached up, touching Deidara's cheek gently. Something broke healed inside Deidara and he shut his eyes.

The machine beeps beside her bedside, an incessant beep, beep, beep, and it's beginning to drive Itachi insane. Sakura's hand is cold and thin in his hands, her skin papery and old beyond her years. This is what her compassion has reduced her to, a skeleton in a bag of skin too big for her, and it hurts him.

He is always so quiet when he comes. Sakura has always started their conversations, but his voice is weaker now. So she smiles because she has to be strong for him, to be strong for herself- but sometimes it's just so hard.

Her fingers close around his hand. He glances up at her, the bags beneath his eyes prominent and his hair unkempt. He's never looked so dishevelled and haggard and it worries her, worries her what he'll do when she's gone-

"You need to sleep," she tells him quietly.

Anger floods through him. Why was she worried about him when she was the one dying? It flashes in his eyes for a brief moment and his hand tightens around hers, holding her close, holding her forever. She reads the rage in his expression effortlessly – she's the only one who can – and runs her bony fingers through his hair. He instinctively leans towards her, subconsciously seeking out her touch. Anything to make it last.

"Later," he replies.

He's terrified of sleeping. If he sleeps, he might miss it when she leaves him. He doesn't want to see her die but he doesn't want to leave her alone, he doesn't know what he'll do when the time comes but he'll do…something…

Her voice is weak. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to spend a lot of time looking after me in hospital."

It's too difficult to speak. He closes his eyes and presses his forehead against her fingers, as though he can pass his life through her skin and into her body. A hand rests on top of his head and she takes a deep breath in, trying to compose herself. He's so close to breaking and he's never needed much before, but he needs her.

"Can you lie down next to me?" she asks him softly.

Wordlessly, he rises and she feels his warm arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She'll miss this, she'll miss him so much and her hands tremble as she places them on top of his. He places a soft kiss on her neck and she tries to smile as a surge of emotion overwhelms her.

She feels so fragile in his arms, he worries he'll break her. He feels her aged thumbs drawing patterns on his hands nervously and he lets out a deep breath silently. She feels his chest sink behind her and blinks up at the ceiling as a lump forms in her throat.

She keeps trying, "Did you eat anything today?"

"Yes," he lies.

"Good. I don't want you getting sick," she says in some semblance of normality.

"Stop it," he orders her, his voice sharp.

She knows he can see through her mask. Her voice is stronger than she thought it would be as she asks, "What?"

"Stop forcing yourself. It's okay to be weak."

She blinks again and liquid escapes from her eyes suddenly, crystal traitors. Then slowly, her body begins to shake as her breaths come shorter and shorter, as her tears flow incessantly. He holds her through it all, supporting her, and says nothing.

She manages in a gasp, "There's no hiding anything from you, is there?"

"No," he tells her, kissing her cheek gently.

Her laugh is muted and broken through her sobs. His answer shatters her resolve and she grips his hand tighter, tighter. She loves him so much and she doesn't want to leave him, she doesn't want to go-

Then he says quietly, finally, "I love you."

finished 31st of January, 2009 at 2:37PM.

A/N:
If you cried during the epilogue, join the club. I had a breakdown halfway through writing the final scene with Itachi and Sakura.

I really have to thank you guys for helping me through all of this. I know I probably should have gotten a beta (ehehe, sorry guys) but hopefully the bad grammar and punctuation didn't ruin it for you. This is the end of the series, there will be no sequel. I want to thank everyone who read Never Ending Rainfall, Defining Evil and Defining Duty and everyone who reviewed. It's been a long time and I'm very grateful.

Hopefully my writing style improved. :) I started writing the Defining series when I was twelve some four years ago, so I'm a little bit older and wiser now. I tried my best to reply to all the reviews you guys sent to me and for those of you who reviewed, thank you so much. There are too many people I want to thank and I can't put all their names down here. :S

(AHAHAH ITACHI FINALLY SAID IT DAMN IT-)

Selandora (will probably start crying again very soon. Thank you all again.)