He didn't know how long he had been stuck in that darkness. It certainly wasn't what he pictured Heaven or Hell to look like. Was this considered limbo? If that was the case, then why was he there? After killing his entire clan except his brother, forced said brother to become revenge-induced by feeding him lie after lie throughout his life, committed numerous assassination missions during his time in ANBU, and making numerous innocent souls suffer beyond compare, he was almost positive he'd end up in Hell.
"Oi."
Who was there? Was there some other poor wretch lingering on in this endless expanse of blackness?
"Oi!"
The voice was getting louder. In fact, it sounded like it was coming from right next to him…
"OI! WAKEY-WAKEY!"
He felt a splitting pain and the darkness cleared up into the world he had supposedly left. He shot upwards, grabbing hold of the assaulted area on his scalp. He clenched his eyes shut, half from the blinding sun overhead and half from the throbbing on his head.
"Hooray!" the voice said cheerily from behind him. "You're okay!"
Itachi took his hands down from his head, turning it to see who spoke. Instead of a face, he got a face full of something soft and…fleshy.
"Ooooooooh! You're cute AND handsome!" the, now known, well-endowed woman squealed as she hugged him ferociously. "I'm so happy the Soul Society Captains picked me this year to help souls pass on in this place! Some of the men here are absolutely dreamy!"
There were many thoughts running through his head at that moment. How was he able to see clearly when the Mangekyou Sharingan nearly caused him complete blindness in his battle against his brother? What happened to Sasuke? Who was this woman? Help souls pass on? Soul Society? Captains? And how in the world was he still alive?
Strong arms were wrapped around his head, forcing him farther into the "crevice of death". Itachi attempted to pry the woman's arms off him so he could breathe, but she was a lot stronger than he first thought. She did eventually let go, allowing Itachi access to the wonderful element known as oxygen. He backed away a considerable amount from the woman, his face flushed due to the suggestive position he had been in. Never in his life had he seen a woman have the audacity to shove a shinobi, much less Itachi Uchiha, S-Ranked missing-nin and the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan before the massacre, in between the "mounds of Venus" before and he never wanted to experience it again. Ever.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties with shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair and ice blue eyes. A pink cloth was wrapped around her neck. She was dressed in a black kimono; though the opening to the kimono was scantily placed, causing her assets to be highlighted. She was currently pouting, her arms folded across her voluminous chest.
"Oh, come on now. I'm not gonna bite," she said.
Itachi remained silent, still willing the flush on his face to go away. Never in his years as a shinobi had he been thrust into such a vulgar position. The woman seemed to be oblivious to his obvious discomfort, so she got closer to him. He instinctively backed away from the woman's face as it got closer, not wanting to end up in the same position as before. She smiled at him in a friendly manner.
"I get it. You're one of the new ones, aren't you?" she guessed, her face mere centimeters from Itachi's. "Don't be scared. Things will be alright. It's only natural that you'd be confused since you just died."
"What? I'm…? But how? I thought…" he stuttered, his eyes widening slightly.
Her face became solemn as she pointed a finger at his chest. Itachi blinked in confusion. He looked down and noticed it; a broken chain was connected to his chest. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw the object. Why was it there? What exactly was it? Now that he took notice of it, it seemed as if gravity had decided to increase on him, making it harder for him to breathe. He made a move to grab the chain, but his hand seemed to move sluggishly as he did so.
Taking hold of the object only strengthened the reality that he was finally dead. Sasuke had "avenged" the Uchiha Clan. He would return to the village now. He could bring honor back to a revived Uchiha Clan. The truth behind all Itachi's actions would follow him into the afterlife, never to be revealed and seen by the light of day.
"So…I'm really dead?" he said.
"Yes," she explained. "Your Chain of Fate is broken."
"Chain…of Fate?" he barely breathed out. The woman gave him an empathetic smile.
"When the Chain of Fate is severed from the body, the soul is released. It's often hard for the soul to move and breathe soon after death, which is what you're experiencing now. But you won't have time to get used to it."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm going to send you to the Soul Society."
He blinked owlishly at her. "Soul Society?"
"Yeah," she said. "In your terms, you would call it 'Heaven'. You'll never go hungry there and you'll be happy."
"So, you're an angel?" Itachi asked.
"I'm beautiful like one but, unfortunately, I'm not. Do you see any wings here?" she laughed as she flapped her arms up and down like wings. "I'm a Soul Reaper. Also known as a Shinigami, or death god. Our job is to help souls with lingering regrets in the World of the Living pass on to the Soul Society."
"Lingering regrets?" Itachi repeated.
He placed a finger to his chin. He didn't have any regrets, so why was he here? Unless…Madara. Madara Uchiha. If he told Sasuke about what happened to cause the Uchiha massacre and why it happened, surely Sasuke would go on a rampage. He wanted to protect his village and his brother, not end up creating another potential enemy. He couldn't let that happen.
"Listen," the woman said, a serious tone in her voice. Did she read his thoughts? She was smarter than she looked. "You can't stay here. You risk harming loved ones and family members if you linger on in this world for too long."
Itachi's posture stiffened and this did not go unnoticed by the Soul Reaper. She reached toward her sword and pulled it out. Itachi's breath hitched as he attempted to assume a fighting position. The attempt was botched, since Itachi still hadn't gotten used to his new soul form, and he painfully fell to ground.
"Sorry, but I need to do this," she explained. "We Soul Reapers need to protect all the souls in the World of the Living. I must perform a Konso on you immediately."
Itachi was silent for a long while, as if weighing his options.
"…If you must," Itachi said, his stiff posture relaxing. "However, there's something I need to ask you."
The woman blinked as Itachi looked her in the eyes. She could see that this particular soul had suffered far too much for someone at his age. He didn't look much younger than she did and a certain somber air seemed to hover around him. The facial crevasses on his face made him appear older than he really was and it looked like he was in a constant state of sorrow. She felt pity for this soul and whatever he had suffered through in his life. She knelt down beside him, sword in hand.
"What is your name, Soul Reaper? If you are dead like I am, I am certain there's a chance that we may meet again in the future."
"Aren't you the gentleman?" she joked. "I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. Nice to meet you…?"
"Itachi Uchiha."
"Ooooo! A weasel!" she mused, giggling while Itachi deadpanned at her.
She raised her sword so that the hilt was a few centimeters from Itachi's forehead. The hilt glowed a bright blue color before she stamped it on him. An overwhelming sense of peace filled Itachi's body, his mind going black as his vision faded.
"Bye bye, 'Tachi! I hope to see ya again, you lil' weasel," were the last words Itachi heard before unconsciousness claimed him once again.
