Red Butterfly

Chapter 96, A Favor From The Distant Past

"Itachi...", I choke out, my mind still in the process of registering what had just happened.

"Hanabi...", he whispered back in response making my heart sink into my stomach.

My heart grew heavy with guilt and fear. I can't possibly lose Itachi too...

Deliberately, his entire weight had been shifted onto my body as I desperately tried to provide support to keep him steady.

How could I have been so foolish?

My arms and legs were shaking involuntarily as I hopelessly tried to keep his weight up. I'd silenty began to cry right on the spot. He coughed up blood on me as I struggled to keep him steady.

But he was built and strong, and while I wouldn't be described as petite, I still couldn't hold that much weight in my arms.

Simultaneously, we crumbled under the severe pressure and our knees crushed into the solid ground. His face buried into the crook of my neck as I heard the sound of his heavy and uneasy breaths.

The sight that greeted me right now, was of the kunais and shurikens buried into his back muscles. I clenched my jaw as I let no cry elude me anymore.

With the hot tears that clouded my vision, I unwillingly reached out for the weapons embedded into his back.

"This will hurt me more than it'll hurt you...", I say through gritted teeth. The loathing sensation of tears streaming down my face filled me as I barely steadied my trembling hand.

With all the might I could muster up, I closed my eyes shut and rapidly grasped one of the kunai handles, before mercilessly tearing it out of him. I quickly pelted it away as a reflex.

I held my breath captive when his scream of agony pierced right through my ear like the sharp tip of an arrow due to our close physical contact.

I scrunched up my eyes shut and bit down my lip as I struggled to endure this nightmare. I placed my other arm further up his armpit to create support.

"I'm so sorry for making you endure all this...", I sniveled, the hot tears kept producing and producing in my eyes. I whimpered as I forced my hand to move further onto the other kunais.

With a pacing heart I forcefully gripped one of the other kunais, but I couldn't bring myself to put him through more pain than I already had.

"For the past four years", I struggle to keep my voice steady, "I'd always wonder about you...about what you've done. I hoped that you'd moved on from what happened at the Final Valley"

"I'm sorry...", I whimper as my shoulders tremble when I rip out a kunai that has been grazed deeply into his skin.

Itachi screamed out in agony again, his brittle tone of voice clawed at my now vulnerable heart. I could literally feel how heavy his breaths were getting and how his body grew heated.

I gripped him with my occupied arm and used my other one to repeat the same process again.

"I appreciate you...more than you'll ever now...and I'm thankful that I got to meet you...", I attempt to console him as I rip out a shuriken that was three blades deep into his skin, "It's funny how we thought that everything would end at that clearing...that fateful night"

"How foolish of us to think that we'd be alright after preventing a literal coup", I scoffed humorlessly through my downpour of tears.

"And so believe me when I say...", I choke on my voice again as I clutch two shurikens before waxing them out of his back. The pain has doubled this time, making him scream out at the top of his lungs, "...our story isn't ending here..."