Naruto: Ending: AFF's weekly prompt

Another sucide! I tend to only do this for the weekly prompts!!

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Kakashi dropped Itachi with a final kick. He pinned the elder Uchiha brother to the ground and put a kunai to his throat. He took a chance and looked into his eyes. They were black.

There was no hate there, no anger, only . . . sorrow. He couldn’t do it. He backed off and sat down next to Itachi’s legs. Itachi pushed himself up to lean back on his arms as he looked at Kakashi, confused.

“I can’t kill you, Itachi.”

“You must. I’m not going quietly back to Konoha and Ibiki’s tender mercies. Give me that much respect Kakashi, kill me.”

“No.” Kakashi’s eyes slid down to look at the ground.

Itachi sagged and his gaze drifted down to look at the same spot as Kakashi. “He’s dead, sempai.” Kakashi’s eye snapped back up to Itachi’s face. “Sasuke’s dead.”

There was a crunching feeling in his chest that seemed to slither around to interfere with his heart and lungs. It couldn’t be, not his favorite student, not that one so many of had worked so hard to bring back. Not Sasuke. Anger bubbled up.

“You killed him?” Itachi would not answer. The anger turned to rage and he grabbed Itachi by the collar. But his rage melted when he saw the expression on Itachi’s face. Grief. Crippling grief. Itachi looked at him when he hesitated. “You didn’t kill him.”

Seeing that he could not deceive Kakashi, he shook his head slightly. “Please kill me, sempai. I tired, but I can’t do it.” Itachi lay back. When Kakashi said nothing, Itachi continued. “I killed them all. I murdered Kisame in his sleep. I went to Ame and killed Pain and Konan. I was one of the few who knew Pain’s secret and I killed him easily. I tracked down Deidera and Madara. I told him Kisame and I were ambushed by Konoha ANBU. While he was distracted, I stabbed him in the back. I slit Deidera’s throat. I killed Zetzu. I gathered every paper bomb I could find and destroyed our secret base. Akatsuki is finished.

“I think I lost my mind. I would never have embarked on anything that reckless. I played my part all these years because I didn’t think it would be that easy. But with Sas—” Itachi chocked up. “With him dead, whatever was left of my life is meaningless. I have nothing left, sempai.”

Kakashi comprehended what Itachi was saying, but his chest felt hollow and his mind was blank. Not Sasuke.

“How did he die?”

“Kabuto used the impure soul resurrection technique that Orochimaru used to kill the Third Hokage. Sasuke never had a chance all alone. He took several of them with him, but no shinobi could have come out alive without help. I killed Kabuto before he could summon anything. I put him into the depths of hell first.” Itachi’s voice filled with fiery rage at the end.

“I guess it goes against all my training to kill myself,” Itachi mused, starting into the gray sky. “That’s why I came to you.”

Still feeling numb, and having no reason to doubt Itachi, Kakashi summoned Pakkun. “Go back to Konoha. Tell the Hokage . . . Sasuke is dead. Orochimaru, Kabuto, Itachi, and all of Akatsuki are also dead. Tell them . . . tell them Sasuke killed them all, but died of his wounds.” Kakashi looked over into Itachi’s eyes. “Let them believe he died a hero.” Itachi nodded. Kakashi looked back at the pug. “Tell them I blamed myself. I lost my parents, my team, my sensei, my lo—” he looked at Itachi, then back at Pakkun, “my students. I can’t face Naruto and Sakura. I’m . . . not coming back. Too tired.”

“Are you serious?” Pakkun asked.

“Yeah. Just like my father.”

“Kakashi,” Itachi breathed.

Kakashi met Itachi’s black eyes. “Sasuke was like a son, Itachi. My own little brother. I feel almost as bad as you. And I can’t kill you and live. I still love you. Go Pakkun. Give the contract to someone else.”

“Kakash—”

“Go!”

Pakkun sped off. Kakashi used the kunai to cut away his mask. He leaned over Itachi and kissed his lips. “You Uchiha had a tendency to abandon me. I’m not letting go and not following.”

Itachi smiled weakly. “I’m sorry for everything, Kakashi.”

“Obito cursed me with this eye I think. Are you certain, Itachi?”

Itachi nodded, too close to tears to respond.

“I’ll follow you soon.”

Kakashi carefully sliced into Itachi’s neck to open his carotid artery and jugular. Itachi bled out until he fell asleep with little pain. Kakashi looked into his eyes until he was gone. Kakashi then did the same to himself. He stared at Itachi’s peaceful face, thinking of Sasuke, the son he never had, as the warmth poured down his uniform front. He collapsed on top of his lover.

It was the end.