The Crow & The Butterfly

The Suffering

The sun went down, changing Konoha from a golden painting to a mysterious pool of midnight shimmer. Karasu looked out past the village. He frowned a little. Shisui stopped and stared, too.

"I feel bad for leaving." Karasu said. His eyes were fixed on the small twinkles of light scattered in the village. The soft breeze blew his black strands of hair into the air. His blue eyes searched for the secret hideout, but he failed to find it.

Shisui smiled. "You have a goal. And, your sister wants you to become stronger. We can't risk your safety and life in case those shinobi come back. You and [Name] are the only ones left, so we have to preserve your lives for as long as we can."

Karasu nodded. "Yeah. I know that, and I'll need to start being a strong person." Shisui waved to the young trainee to follow him.

"We'll stay away from any villages for awhile. Ronome and Buki are in an isolated location, so we'll meet them there."
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Ronome poked at the fire that glowed brightly. Buki was busy cleaning wild roots and cutting them up into a pot. "How far away are we from Konoha?"

Buki looked up. "Far enough. We're in a thickened forest that no one ever comes to. We'll be safe, but we'll have to move eventually."

The young boy threw in more sticks into the fire. He watched the flames devour the pieces of wood. Looking up, he noted the stars twinkling down at them.

"Is it okay to be afraid?" Buki looked back at her apprentice. He was unusually stiff for such an outgoing person.

"Did that attack startle you?" Ronome nodded.

"Yeah. I sorta wanted to bawl like a baby. I mean, we fled! I left Karasu alone, and so many people were hurt... I feel useless. I act strong, but I'm not. I almost died, and I almost left people dying. That scares me a lot."

Buki put the pot on the fire and sat next to the sniffling boy. She was reminded of her earlier days where she would do this to her own siblings. She wrapped an arm around him and caressed his hair. "I know. I was scared, too. I didn't want anyone to come back severely injured."

"Buki-san, I don't know if I want to be a shinobi anymore... I'm a coward! Karasu is much more stronger than me... I don't want to learn anymore jutsus if I can almost die... If others can die..."

The older lady squeezed Ronome tight. "I know how you feel. I've seen so many people die and hurt, but you'll be strong. I believe in you,okay? Be strong for me. Be strong for the world."

Ronome nodded and wiped away his tears. He sniffled. "Buki, I can't promise you that. But, I'll try."
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Mitsubachi treated and cleaned his wounds that the treacherous Uchiha had given him and his twin. He glanced over at his younger brother every few seconds. There was the smallest possibility that he could die, but he knew it wouldn't happen. Kamakiri had ordered his medical servants to provide the best medical treatment to Suzumebachi. They were his loyal swords, and he didn't intend to let them rust anytime soon.

The older twin sat next to his brother on the futon a maid had laid out for him. It was barely sundown, but he felt as if it was already in the darkest hours of the night.

He heard a slight and quiet groan next to him. "Suzume, please wake up."

The rustling and shifting in blankets could be heard, and Suzume sat up slowly. A silver cowlick bobbed up and down as he tried to get his eyes in focus.

Mitsu grabbed for his hand and steadied Suzume up into a more relaxed sitting position. "Are you well?"

"My head throbs, but other than that I am okay." Suzume looked at his brother and grabbed for his arm. "I have failed Kamakiri-san and you. I am very sorry, onii-san."

Mitsubachi smiled. It was rare for one of the Bachi brothers to show regular and natural emotions, like joy or fear. "You have not failed anyone. Not I or Kamakiri-san." The older twin knew that was a lie. Kamakiri was obviously very upset. He had left him to bleed and tend to his own wounds. But, he knew he had deserved it.

He and his brother only existed because of Kamakiri Satsujin. Without him, they'd be long gone. Even if it meant severe abuse, the Bachi brothers would happily please him.

"Mitsu, you look so lost. What happened while I was unconscious?" asked Suzume.

Mitsubachi leaned forward and kissed Suzumebachi. "Kamakiri-san has ordered us to become better. Our contract has been renewed for just this. To obey him without flaw is all he wants."

Suzume nodded. "We have let him suffer far too long. We'll suffer for his sake."
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[Name] snuggled close to Itachi. Itachi had his arms around her and was playing with her hair. They both were lying down together on the stone floor in silence, thinking about what to do tomorrow. Karasu had found out that they were watching him. That was their objective in [Name]'s first mission as an Akatsuki member.

"Itachi, what do we do now?" asked [Name]. She felt Itachi let go of her hair.

"I don't know. Tomorrow, though, we can go investigate or train. We should learn about those forbidden jutsus that those two assassin-shinobi used."

[Name] sighed. "I guess so..."

Itachi noticed the depressing tone in her voice. "Are you upset about being with me?" he joked.

He felt [Name] punch his chest. "No! I mean... You make me feel safe. That's all."

Itachi pushed her head closer into his chest. "You're really adorable, you know. But, you really sound depressed. It's not about Karasu, is it? You know he'll be safe in Shisui's arms."

Frowning, [Name] rolled away from Itachi's grasp. "It's not that. I feel bad for letting him suffer. I dragged him and Ronome into this mess."

Itachi chuckled and pulled her back, so that she was only centimeters away from his face. "You feel bad? I leave my brother alone constantly, hoping that he'd better himself. It sounds awful, but you do a much better job of being a good older sibling."

"But they suffered! They're scared, Itachi! I don't want them to. They're too innocent."

Itachi paused. "Are you suffering?"

[Name] looked away. "A little..."

The Uchiha smiled and kissed her. "You won't suffer when you're with me..." He continued to kiss her.

[Name] wrapped her arms around his back and held on tightly. "How long will we be together then?"

Itachi kissed down to her neck before responding. "Forever if you'd like."

.:End - The Suffering:.

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