Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 35 When there's nothing left to say

'I'm sorry,' Itachi thought while hurrying down the road. He hadn't meant to deceive her, but he had no other choice. She would never had let him go or she would have insisted on going with him. And this was something he had to do alone. Besides, he still had some arrangements to make.

His eyes saddened for a moment when he thought of Taryn. So many things were said last night yet so many left unspoken. And now they would never have the chance again. Perhaps it was better this way. He had tried everything to push her away, but it had proven to be harder than he had imagined. He had tried to set her up with Kakashi, who he knew to like her, but she would hear nothing of it. He had tried to hurt her. He had tried to make her hate him. She had forgiven him everything. She had kept his secrets, even when she didn't know why. And she had kept a promise he knew she did not want to keep.

Trying to detach himself from her had proven to be impossible. He had believed it was because of her stubbornness, but he knew better now. He didn't want to let her go. That's why he had to leave. If he had stayed she might have succeeded in talking him out if it. Running away with her was tempting, but it wouldn't solve a thing. He would still die. Sasuke would still seek revenge, but he would direct it towards her this time.

Itachi shook is head as he continued down the road. It was best to have this over with as soon as possible.

That was another reason he had left her behind. He was a lot more ill than he had let her believe. He didn't have much longer and he needed all his strength for the fight with Sasuke. That didn't mean he had left the moment she fell asleep. He had spent a great deal of time just watching her sleep. The feel of her in his arms... On that day they first exchanged words during the Chuunin Exams... who would have thought they would form a bond this strong? He had never meant to fall in love with her, but he didn't regret it. She was the only thing he regretted losing, but that image of her sleeping form in his arms was something he could take with him.

***

'I'm sorry,'

That was what the note said.

Taryn stared at it for along time. She wasn't sure what to think. Part of her had expected no less, but part of her was hurt. He had broken a promise. Was it really too much to ask for him to stay with her? She had wanted to say goodbye properly of she would ever see him again. She had wanted to go with him. But she figured he had anticipated that and that was why he had slipped away during the night. She couldn't blame him for that. She understood. He was just as bad in saying goodbye as she was.

Still...

And she hadn't even told him what she had wanted to say.

Well... she could be a lot more stubborn. She wasn't just going to let him do this. No matter what she had promised him. There had to be an other way. And she still had some things to say to him. Slowly she crawled off the bed and walked towards the door.

She was going after him...

***

"We're going to hit Akatsuki's hide-outs one by one," Sasuke said while folding up the map, "We're bound to find Itachi sooner or later." He walked outside, knowing that his comrades would follow. "What are we gonna do about Konoha?" Karin asked him, "They're still in the vicinity, looking for you."

"We stay away from them," Sasuke said, "if we run into them then you lot can deal with them. My goal is finding Itachi. I don't want any interference."

***

Itachi sighed. The talk with Naruto had taken up more of his energy than he had intended, but it had been a necessary sacrifice. Taryn alone would not be enough to reach his goal. He needed a back-up plan.