CHAPTER 117 — IN ANOTHER LIFE
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"I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices and they led me somewhere else, led me to someone else. And my heart breaks for every single version of me that didn't end up with you."
— Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Where am I?
The glare of the sun was frightful, a large orange globe pulsating against my closed eyelids. When I opened my eyes, the world was white, and soon an assemblage of colours formed what I knew to be a paradise that laid beneath my feet. Of soft, vibrant grass that spun like a spindle of pure silk brushing through my finger tips and endless fields of flowers I could name at the top of my head.
Hyacinths, chrysanthemums, lilies, dahlias, marigolds, wisteria- an assortment scattered around and glistened in the sunlight, as if the stars had fallen from the sky and decorated the earth with its vivid luminescence. I wondered, for a moment, what I was doing before I had fallen asleep on the fields underneath the sun's beaming rays. What dream I had dreamt that left my heart pounding and my hands clammed with sweat, as if I was moments away from seeing something that I shouldn't have witnessed- that through a distorted version of reality, I'd lived a long life that left me yearning for a type of sleep that was sempiternal.
I spent a couple of minutes staring out into the field, the sun was soon to set, but something didn't feel right. I felt it deep in my bones, a feeling that couldn't be described- an absence of an important memory. Perhaps, my fatigue had distracted me from the true purpose of my visit; to collect a bundle of flowers.
You're losing time.
And so, I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and presumed my work. For some reason, my hands seemed drawn to the wisteria. There was nothing particularly special about the flower, though, it was known for its protective properties- surely there were other flowers in the field that were more desirable, prettier even? However, my decision had been finalised, by whom? I wasn't sure, something just told me that I had no choice, that my hands weren't my own but another's and that my eyes had seen many things it chose not to remember. There was more to unravel, a story that had yet to be told.
When I glanced at my hands, I could've sworn my skin had been marred with callouses, cuts, bathed in blood and wielding a weapon made to kill. It was an intrusive thought that raised the hairs on my skin and made me shudder, I humoured the thought as if logic wasn't logic- but a facade, a lie I had constantly told myself in order to believe otherwise.
You have to find your way back.
The journey home was fleeting, as if I was a lonely traveller who relied on instinct to find her way back home. Although, the more I tried to envision what my home looked like, where I lived, the explicit details- my mind was as blank as a canvas, and what engulfed me wasn't an image, but an emotion- an overwhelming feeling that almost made me drop the woven basket I had in my hand. It made me wonder what the origin of my sadness was, why, when I thought of home- I also thought of grief, of an acceptance that my home may very well be a figment of my imagination. Or that it had once existed in some realm of space and time, but not anymore.
A quaint, hut appeared within my vision on the other side of the light stream congested with pebbles and rocks. By now, the sun had halved and my heart was pounding with worry, if I hadn't gotten home in time- I would've been travelling in the dark with nothing but a basket of flowers to protect myself with. I vaguely remembered my mother's voice telling me that all sort of monsters lurked in the dark, if I wasn't careful enough- I'd be their next prey. At least, to whomever lurked in the forest at these hours.
Your mother? The sudden thought took me by surprise. And I tried hard to think about the woman who raised me, but all that appeared in my mind was a glimpse of purple hair, warm honey eyes and a smile that made the feeling in my chest loosen. Who was she?
Home.
I smiled and slid my shoes off. The light in the kitchen startled me, I didn't expect him to arrive home so early, the sun had only settled and I didn't have enough time to prepare the food. Yet, the scent of freshly chopped vegetables and tomatoes wafting in the air made my grin broaden.
"You know, you could've waited till I returned." My eyes creased as I let out a laugh.
Sasuke's lips twitched, before he shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you." He glanced at my basket. "Wisteria?"
This time, I shrugged in response and sat on the chair opposite him on the table, he was quick to pour the tomato soup into my bowl along with a loaf of bread. When we first moved in together, I had to get used to the fact that Sasuke always managed to incorporate tomatoes into every dish we made. A strange quirk of his.
The plains beyond the horizons were uncharted territory, no sign of humans within the radius we had foraged and claimed as our own. A little over south, there was a beach with sand as white as snow, a vast expanse of light, blue water and a coral reef consisting of a melange of vibrant colours and fishes swimming around. In other words, it wasn't perfect- as perfection never lasted long. What we had stumbled across was our own version of peace, estranged from a world we had both decided to leave behind us- in fear of the dark memories it'd evoke.
"I don't think it was a coincidence." He mentioned out of the blue, flicking through a book in search of something. "That you decided to pick wisteria."
"You don't?" I raised an eyebrow, the soup burning comfortingly on my tongue.
"No, I read it about it somewhere and I'm just trying to find it- ah, here it is." Sasuke placed the book flat on the table, turning it around so that I'd be able to read it.
I placed my spoon down at turned to look at the page, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. It was blank, there was nothing there. I glanced up, Sasuke looking at me expectantly.
"There's-"
"You know what makes wisteria so different from other flowers?" He then asked, I shifted uncomfortably on my chair and shook my head. "It's the only flower capable of growing on any terrain, it doesn't need a specific season to blossom- where there is hope, where there is life in need of protection, it will bloom."
I nodded my head slowly, taking in his words. Flowers that were capable of growing anywhere? It almost seemed... magical.
"Ah, I see." I held the spoon again, this time seemingly in my own world. Something seemed off, there was nothing written on the paper and yet, he was nose-deep into the pages in fascination.
"So..." I mindlessly swirled the spoon around, my appetite gone. "How was your day today?"
Sasuke chuckled. "It's like any other day. The usual scuffle in the Village, Yokohama needed help sharpening weapons so I offered my assistance. I also helped around at Aoi's bakery."
A frown made its way to my lips. He seemed to have notice my mood and lifted his head in concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"You sure? You seem a little..."
"A little what?"
"Out of it."
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke wasn't startled by my scepticism, he held my gaze, the book in his hand long forgotten. "There's no words on the page, is there?" The beginnings of a smile appeared on his face.
I stilled, my nails digging into the sides of the chair. "You purposefully showed me a blank book?"
He continued to stare at me, before he bursted out laughing and leaned forward. I stared at him, taken aback by his sudden outburst and eventually joined in- the tension washing away in an instant. I knew I was over-exaggerating, maybe that nap had tired me out earlier and all I needed was some sleep.
"You idiot." I shook my head, another chuckle escaping my mouth.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry. I felt like messing with you." Sasuke glanced at my soup and frowned. "Quickly eat it, the tomatoes are precious."
I rolled my eyes, but obliged and we continued to eat in a comfortable silence.
"So, have you made a choice?"
Choice?
My movements halted and those words seemed to have a deeper effect on me than intended. I envisioned a box in the centre of my mind with three locks and suddenly, one of those locks shattered into pieces and disappeared. The uneasy feeling of forgetfulness had long settled in, it wasn't that I had forgotten, it was that I chose to forget. In forgetting, I'd also abandoned a part of myself and a sense of duty and obligation I had to not only the people I loved, but the world itself.
I had taken everything for granted, viewed the world from an omniscient perspective because at the time- fate was laid right before my eyes, waiting for me to choose, all I had was a choice and I abandoned that as well.
Abandoned who?
Prior thoughts disappeared in an instant, worsening my frown. What was I just thinking about?
"What choice?"
There was no trace of amusement on his face anymore. His face was blank, similar to a stone wall with incomprehensible etchings. My grip tightened on the spoon, I could almost hear the blood rushing through my veins.
"What choice?" I repeated, almost slamming the spoon down on the table and looked him dead in the eye. "Everything's fine as it is."
"You chose to forget?" Sasuke placed his arm on the table, his left palm resting underneath his chin. "About what happened that day?"
Flames blurred my vision. The sounds of screams resembling a war cry. The deep tremble in the earth.
I shook my head in denial. "No, I don't know what you're talking about."
"You were in a meeting with Shikamaru, Obito and Tsunade in the Hokage's tower. The Raven had just attacked our Village, subjugating it under complete and total darkness. You taught me how to wield Tenebris, how to break through the dome with my own power. But it wasn't enough. He returned on the day of the departure and..."
I could feel it. My heart pounding harshly against my rib cage. Ice crystallising my body. "And what?"
"He finished the job." Sasuke shrugged. "The entirety of the Leaf was demolished, including everyone you have ever loved. Kakashi... Kazumi... Naruto... Sakura... me. Of course, you weren't there to see it to the end. The blast of the Raven's first attack killed you both in an instant, I tried to search for you beneath the rubble but all that was left of your remains were ashes, you'd been completely disembodied. There was nothing left for me to mourn and I knew that without you, everything was pointless. So before the Raven had killed me, I killed myself."
I killed myself. My hand smothered my mouth, bile threatening to arise as my eyes watered. Everyone was dead? Sasuke had killed himself? It was all for nothing. Everything I'd done meant nothing if there was no one left behind other than scorched plains.
My chair screeched against the floor as I stood up. I couldn't even bare to look him in the eyes. After all, they belonged to the man I killed. "No- that's- that's not true- it can't be-"
He smiled. "You're right, it isn't. I lied."
I stared at him in disbelief, the only sound that could be heard was that of my shaky exhales. There was no sign of guilt on his face for lying about something so despicable, nor was there any inclination that suggested that what he said wasn't a lie.
"Why would you l-lie about something like that?" My voice cracked, as I hastily wiped my tears away.
"You didn't want to hear the truth, so I lied." Sasuke explained as if it was simple. He tilted his head to side, analysing me as if I was an interesting item on display. A wild animal in an exhibition. "Unless... you want me to tell you the truth?"
The truth?
Like that, the second lock rattled furiously, the sound of it fighting against its restraints aligning with the distant ringing in my ears- the kind you'd hear after an explosion or a series of loud, pulsating noises. It was also when I realised no vast oceans or plains of flowers could ever erase a history of blood and death- particularly when my hands had known blood from the moment I was born and my senses were erratic, cautious, as though realising that I existed in a place where I wasn't wanted.
And those unwanted were easily disposable. Like rodents, they'd called people to deal with something they couldn't comprehend and within a cage was where I was made. Keiji had long expected my arrival, of course he did, he had the same power I had; the ability to see long into the past, present and future as well as its contingencies. Through my cursed soul, he saw salvation, a chance for a new world to be born from ashes and suffering. He also knew that by passing down his power, I too, would be cursed with knowledge far beyond my comprehension and in doing so, he also left me so very alone in a world where the only person who could possibly understand me was him.
The burden of knowing when my loved ones would die, how every single action and thought I had could make drastic changes, both good and bad. In the event that everything I cherished were put at stake and every thought and feeling I had would eventually turn against me, I knew crucial abandonment didn't result in loneliness, but rather an evocation of that feeling in others.
Time is running out- you don't have long left to make a choice.
What choice?
Don't tell me you had forgotten? The voice had turned crueler, familiar even. I found myself growing more and more curious. When left with nothing, memories is the only thing you have that makes you human. Remember, Dawn.
"Tell me the truth." I unclenched my fingers, my shoulders easing from the lack of tension. "Tell me what I'd chosen to forget."
"You survived the explosion." Sasuke said, after a moment's hesitation. "It was then you decided to reveal your true intentions all along; self-preservation and selfishness in its purest form. You had sacrificed the entirety of the Leaf and its people, in exchange, you were exempt from Mazoku's wrath and joined their ranks as a loyal follower of the Ankoku. His agendas ventured beyond the universe we knew, destroying all sorts of life forms that existed in other planets and in the process, you had also destroyed yourself."
Joined their ranks? I envisioned a world that no longer existed, a world I had once sworn to protect ever since I'd realised the connection I had with natural energy. I'd felt what it felt and in return- it revealed its secrets, cradling me in its embrace and providing a form of protection that ventured beyond mundane knowledge. The idea seemed absurd, but the more I thought about it, the more real it felt.
It was so easy to betray the trust of the people I once treasured and cared so deeply for. I made decisions that resulted in the deaths of my own mother, my best friend and my kindred spirit. Why wouldn't I be capable of betraying the world? I wasn't human, their blood ran through my veins. Such an outcome was inevitable.
"What... What happened to you?" My voice wavered.
A cold smile made its way to his lips. "You made sure I was the first one you killed."
This time I stood up, rushed to the sink and emptied the contents in my stomach- gagging it all out as I choked on a sob. I turned the water on and splashed cold water on my face, forcing it in my mouth.
I had seen it. His blood on my hands as he welcomed death so easily as long as it was me who had offered him a type of rest he'd longed for. It was me that had manipulated him, controlled his emotions and his feelings and in the end- destroyed him in the process. I told him that I didn't love him and when I said those words, I knew I'd truly meant it.
"You wanted to hear the truth." He continued, but now his voice sounded mocking, resentful.
Make a choice.
I froze, the water dampening my hair and my clothes. He was telling me the truth, both of them were true— but they were also possibilities. They didn't happen yet, but I had the choice to make it happen.
"I have to choose." I whispered.
The coldness on his face swept away and it was replaced by something that I was familiar with, as if he was truly right in front of me.
"Your time is limited, Dawn." Sasuke said, walking towards me as he placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to face him. "If you stay here, everything you fear would happen will happen."
My body never ceased to tremble as I choked out. "I'm so tired."
"I know." He said softly, pulling me to his chest. "I know."
"Everything I did-" I continued, unable to control my breathing. "I did it all for you- for everyone else. I didn't want to leave- I didn't want to become a monster and push everyone away- I was so, I was so alone. I wanted to be there with you- with all of you and it hurts so much!"
"I know, Dawn. I understand you had no choice and it's okay, everything will be okay." Sasuke ran his fingers through my hair in attempt to calm me down.
"I- I love you." I cried out, gripping onto his shirt. "I didn't want to leave you, I didn't want to do such cruel things to you, but all I ever do is hurt you."
"I understand-"
"No, you don't!" I seethed, pulling away from him. "You don't, you're not him. You're just some sick figment of my imagination, I know I have to make a choice but making choices are so hard. Why do I have to be the one to always choose whether someone's going to live or die? Why was I chosen to play God when I am anything but?"
"I can't answer that." He said quietly. "It isn't fair that you have to make these choices. And maybe, if we met in a different world, it wouldn't have to be like this either. We could be together without the weight of the world on our backs, but we live in this world and in order to keep moving forward, you'd have to make a choice."
And just like that, all the locks disappeared.
Reality slipped through the palm of my hands, the hut, the plains, the ocean- everything I'd ever wanted disappeared. The darkness of the abyss was excruciatingly lonely, until I saw something glisten in the corner of my eyes. A stream of light that multiplied and darkened, resembling red ribbons circling around each other, much like Yin and Yang. Hundreds and thousands of destinies, fates, eventualities, and only one caught my eye.
That's right. The departure, it had begun. Mazoku would be resurrected and one single choice I'd make would change the trajectory of the future that awaited the world.
And it was an easy choice to make. Each and every future, Sasuke had died. My choice would change that.
I thought about the friends I'd discarded along the way and strangely enough, I felt nothing at all. In a way, it felt relieving, the part of me that kept fighting could finally rest. I didn't have to fight anymore, I didn't have to kill, or manipulate, or betray. This cursed bloodline ends with me.
I glanced over my shoulders, Sasuke smiled one last time before his fleeting image disappeared in the mist and my decision was finally made.
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For the last time, I fought.
I fought the darkness threatening to succumb my senses, falling asleep felt so easy, especially when my bones were shattered and my lungs were inhaling the fumes of smoke and debris. The deep tremor in the earth was greatly felt. Five, long years spent waiting and now, the time has finally arrived and so has the curse's expiry date. Kaede would be released after a thousand years of pain and suffering, given that I was the last vessel to host her curse. An accumulation of vengeance, betrayal and love would soon cease to exist and all remnants of my past would become history that'd erode over time; forgotten and replaced.
It was something I'd always known right from the beginning. That my time was limited, whether it was the Oogami, the dangers of the world or even myself- I knew that despite the amount of sacrifices made to keep me alive, I would soon reach my end.
The last piece of rubble was directly on top of my left arm and every movement I made indicated that I had no hope in being able to lift the rock up, leaving only two options; to bleed out, or to tear my body away from the barely hanging ligament in order to search for Shikamaru. Tsunade and Obito had likely escaped the explosion unscathed, but we were at the brunt of the impact, Shikamaru having been chakra-exhausted and wounded from the Raven's attack.
I closed my eyes, stuffing my sleeve between my teeth and thought of the man who'd urged me to make my last choice. Thinking of Sasuke was easier than what I needed to do, but this time, I was fearful. I didn't know if I could make it out alive- if I was strong enough to withstand the pain any longer, mentally and physically. The curse itself was running its course.
If you don't move, the choice you made would be for nothing.
A loud, pained cry escaped my lips as I placed my legs on the rocks in front of me and propelled my body backward, I could hear the crunch of my bone and the tear of my flesh, the pain ever-present. I'd craved the presence of another, of anyone, for words of reassurance, to know that there was a chance my last few moments wouldn't be spent in despair and loneliness. Was it wrong to wish for a death so gratuitous?
A few seconds had passed and I forced my body up, ignoring the sharp sparks of pain scattered around like stars in the night sky. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred, but I could discern the fires that erupted as the result of the explosion and the shadows that lingered around- waiting for me to slip.
Uplifting the dome was one thing, but the Raven would never leave until his goal was accomplished. Itachi wasn't his only pursuit, merely collateral damage.
Remember, Dawn.
"Shikamaru?" I called out, swallowing down a cry at the strain in my throat. "Shikamaru!"
Was it selfish to still care after my actions had proven otherwise? That all along, after burying my emotions and severing my link with Sasuke and the others, my emotions would be my biggest downfall. It'd always been, my loyalties were all over the place, yet my heart followed only but one.
The sound almost dissolved in the uprising chaos, but I heard it, the sound of a voice, the subtle movement of the rocks. I dragged my body across, staggering and stumbling- unable to retain motion, but he was there. Shikamaru was here, and he was alive, it meant that there was hope. In many of the futures, he'd accomplished great things, became someone he could be proud of. I wasn't going to allow him to let that all go.
"Shikamaru?"
I kneeled to the ground in front of him, the blood seeped through the makeshift tourniquet I'd made, but it didn't matter. He laid limp on the ground, his limbs still and motionless, and the majority of his exposed skin was purple and bloodied.
A ragged laugh escaped my mouth, I leaned against the fallen debris, my body slumping in relief.
His eyes twitched slightly, his lids soon fluttering open as he glanced at me. "D-Dawn?"
I didn't bother responding. Instead, I glanced up at the sky, at the swarm of birds fleeing to the south- an animal symbolic of its freedom only for that to be taken away from them as well.
There were dark clouds of smoke and the sun seemingly disappeared away from sight. It, too, knew what awaited us all. Everything was all surreal, I'd walked these streets many times with the threat of imminent destruction weighing on my shoulders, I'd seen this millions of times and as it finally commenced, I wondered that if there were any other loopholes- any other routes I could've taken that would lead me elsewhere.
The battle was almost over, but the war had yet to begin. Amidst the screams and shouts in the distance, the roaring flames overshadowed the leaves of the Village— a materialised irony incinerating the will of fire as the civilians lose hope in the people they sought for answers. I wasn't surprised. I knew that this would be the outcome, their ignorance, their blind reliance on a hierarchy that was designed to crumble the more people understood how corrupt the system was, war was inevitable and so was anarchy.
An unsettling feeling blossomed in my chest as I stared at his body; disbelieved by the fact that it was going to be the last time I would see him.
I couldn't help but feel the way I did, years and years of endless fighting, grief, sadness and pain had numbed me to the point I had forgotten what it felt like to feel otherwise. I'd forgotten the warmth love provided or the sense of security I felt from being surrounded by people who cared about me. Perhaps, I only did so because I knew that if I surrounded myself with strong, resilient people who were too stubborn to die— that I didn't have to worry about ensuring their survival as I endeavoured a path of death.
And in a way, it was true. Kei died because she was weak-hearted and compassionate; Jiro died due to his eternal loyalty that tied his heart to my soul, unbeknownst that he was selling himself to the devil after escaping his own, personal hell. And Hitomi suffered because she prioritised my life over her own.
When will my time come? I continued to wonder endlessly. Time waited for no one, but seemed painstakingly patient with me.
"I..." the ringing in my ears were unbearable. "I wish it... didn't have to be... like this."
His breathing grew heavy. "You... knew."
"Yeah." I agreed, closing my eyes. "I did. But knowing... isn't enough."
The choice I made will be.
With every bit of strength I had left, I pushed myself off the wall, my legs trembling to hold my weight. Every part of me wanted to walk away without a proper departure, but some part of me believed that I owed it to him to be honest for the first time in my life.
"Don't... leave." He wavered.
"I'm sorry, Shikamaru." A tear slipped down my cheek. "But I'm so tired. Maybe... Maybe in another life, we could've been great friends."
Two decision tore away at my conscience.
To pursue the Raven alone knowing that the odds weren't in my favour, sooner or later, I'd bleed out without tending to my severed limb and other wounds. The prior hosts of Kaede had long accepted death the moment they knew that they were a vessel, but the human part of me selfishly desired to hold on- to fight for survival and for the people I loved. The other decision was to abandon my pursuit and find Sasuke, but deep down, I knew that he'd end up finding me regardless.
The fire was exacerbated by the deadly winds lifting the debris from the ground and creating a tornado of rocks and dust sheathing the Village. Civilians had abandoned protocol, prioritising everything they deemed important to them and the Shinobi had likely followed the same, all that was left behind was discarded, dead bodies and unsaid words.
A shadow appeared before me, this time its touch was gentle as it directed me towards a path I was familiar with- almost impatiently, as if it was eager to encounter what was awaiting me. A place I once thought no longer existed, but the further I ventured, the more I noticed that the ground beneath me remained untouched. The blight, the snow or the heat hadn't affected this portion of land, and the freshly blossomed wisteria and the golden luminescent energy warded away any forms of danger. It made me wonder if somehow, the time Sasuke and I had spent here had somehow created a sanctuary out of memories and emotions- as if that was powerful enough to overcome the departure itself.
But I knew that wasn't the case.
The wisteria, the untouched land wasn't Sasuke's doing. And deep down, I knew there was only one other person capable of accomplishing such a thing, but even after everything that occurred, I refused to believe it. It was the one truth I refused to accept, time was capable of healing all wounds- including grief. But once these wounds reopened, it was difficult to patch myself together again, especially after I'd fallen apart.
Everything hurt, but the sudden adrenaline in my veins pushed me. The sounds of the waterfall, the warmth radiating from the energy of the freshly bloomed wisteria petals, the feeling of familiarity and belonging- something I hadn't felt in such a long time. Something I thought had died with my past.
Remember.
The moment I stepped foot on untainted plains, I felt as if I'd touched the sky with my fingertips and the world below was seemingly far away enough to not be able to touch me. An unsettling haze distorted my senses, my only tether to reality was the fact that the healing energy of the atmosphere exempted me from its touch- as if I was an anomaly, an unknown poison intruding into its territory as it tried its best to stay clear of me. It made sense, power I once vowed to use to protect had been melded into a weapon of punishment and violence. I'd forgotten my place and attempted to surpass the only boundaries that ever existed, and now, I paid the price.
"You may not know this, but I've known you long before we truly met."
The Raven appeared within sight and I watched, almost enviously, how our surroundings responded to his touch. How nature didn't withdraw from his skin, almost welcoming it into its territory. The irony was almost humorous, seeing as he was the worst of them all.
"Anomie had tasked me with the role of watching over you. After all, our plans depended on your survival and the cultivation of Kaede's curse. Out of all the prior hosts, you were the only one able to surpass the limitations the curse placed on your body, almost as if you've found a loophole in a power that'd cumulated over centuries. It was truly remarkable to have witnessed."
He lifted his hand and the golden light emitting from the wisteria circled around his fingers, dancing in excitement. The longer I stared, the harder my heart pounded. His voice...
I exhaled sharply, gritting my teeth as I leaned against the tree, watching him, unable to tear my gaze away as if the nightmare I lived had only managed to worsen. "You and I... we're quite similar. And it's because of our similarities I find it humorous that despite all these years that have passed... not once have you changed."
No... No....
His voice. The more I heard him speak the harder it was to push away the thoughts in my head that knew the truth for what it was. That the years spent all alone, I'd never truly been alone. And the reason was all the same- because of the lack of control I had over my life. The Oogami had also taken the one thing that ensured I survived in this world.
The beady eyes of his raven mask only made me fear the identity it concealed. He was right, we were similar. We were the same.
"Quite the injury you got there." His voice was teasing, thickly laced with mockery. It made me wonder how the years had treated him, how he had spent his time. If things had been different. "It's a shame your Shizen rejects you now. Instead of healing you, it kills you, slowly draining you of everything that you are. You've been dying long before the curse could even take its effect."
"Don't.. act so surprised." I forced out. After all, it was my fault we were in this predicament. I'd left him, not the other way around.
"You're right." The Raven laughed, the atmosphere changing suddenly. The golden luminescence assimilated into black embers, the kind that flickered above a fire pit. And soon, the grass and flowers that surrounded us turned rotten and vile. "Hanging around the Wolf made me theatrical. But don't blame me if I'm unable to withhold my anger, you understand it already, don't you? I mean, you've known for a long time. Too long, in fact."
He was there when everyone else had turned their backs on me long before I was even born.
If I had suffered greatly throughout my life, it pained me to think how he had survived in a world where he wasn't even given the choice to find something worth fighting for. But, was I truly licensed to care for an individual who had also taken everything away from me? It was then, I truly felt the feat of betrayal after imposing its pain.
The ringing in my ears grew louder, even the creatures of darkness who had shadowed me throughout my life turned their backs to me at his presence. Who would've thought? That the irony behind my death would be so... befitting.
"It's a shame Itachi Uchiha had anticipated my arrival, but fortunately for him he was not my goal. A diversion, if you must."
The Raven placed his hand on his mask, unravelling his facade within seconds.
Identical blue eyes met my own.
"My true target is you... dear sister."