Love can spark Miracles - Uchiha Itachi Fanfic [Edited]

Chapter 1 - First Steps

Emiko pov:

My gaze was fixated on the floor as I followed Madara through the dark corridor of the hideout we were in. I was numb, but every heart beat felt painful. My breathing sounded like light heaves for I felt breathless. A few deep inhales seemed to ease the tightness in my chest, though only momentarily. My mind was filled with nothing besides endless memories of my time with Itachi, distracting me from where I was and what I was doing at the moment.

I could barely notice where Madara and I were going.

I was brought back to the presnet though when I bumped into Madara's back when he came to a stop suddenly. Taking a step back from him and straightening, I bowed with a word of apology.

"Stop acting weak, Emiko," he said sharply.

I twitched, a spark of anger rising in me a moment at his words and cold-heartedness. Itachi's death to him was nothing more than a loss of a member of the Akatsuki but was the loss of my world to me. He had no right to say that I was showing weakness - if he knew anything at all about the anguish when a loved one was lost, he would not be speaking so. Even if he did know what it was like to lose a loved one, surely he didn't feel emotions a normal person would feel.

"I apologize, Madara sama," I responded flatly, putting in no effort to sound any different from what I was truly feeling at the moment.

With a scoff under his breath, he grabbed me by the upper arm only to throw me harshly against the wall of the corridor. Gasping at the pain and the way the wind was knocked out of me, I looked sharply at Madara. I clenched my jaw, hesitating to say or do anything rash though, upon sighting his narrow, glowing Sharingan.

"Snap out of it, or I'll make you," he spat.

My eyes prickled but I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me show any amount of weakness in front of him. With a deep breath, I straightened up confidently, tilting my head up to almost look down on him. He narrowed his eyes further but didn't comment on my attitude.

As he turned to leave, I clutched the heart pendant I wore in my fist tightly. Though I was slightly distracted, I was determined to see through Itachi's last wish of taking care of Sasuke. It was a great responsibility, all the more since I truly cared for him and remembered taking care of him even when he was a child.

We made it to another room that was lit by a single candle on a crate in the room. Sasuke was lying on a thin mattress on the ground, his wounds bandaged. He seemed to be in pain, his face scrunching up in his sleep, and it sent a pang of guilt through me. He was in pain because of me and Itachi...

Chewing on my bottom lip, I stepped to him and kneeled. I caressed his head, moving some fussy strands of hair out of his face as I spoke, "I'm so sorry, Sasuke, for everything."

He didn't stir in the slightest, seeing exhausted from the recent fight. Wishing to make him feel at least a little better, I brought my hands over him to use healing Ninjutsu on him. While all of his wounds were healed, his chakra was yet to be replenished, so he needed to rest for a while longer. He groaned in his sleep and I could only imagine the turmoil he was going through after this tough ordeal.

Looking away from him to Madara who sat leaning against the crate with his arms crossed, I asked, "What do we do now?"

"We wait until Sasuke is awake," he answered, meeting my gaze. "The members of his team have arrived, but before he meets with them, I have some things I want to talk to him about. You are no longer required here. Stay in the common room with his team and I will call for you later."

Nodding, I excused myself. I was well aware that Madara was going to tell Sasuke the truth about Itachi, and perhaps more to make it so that he became a pawn for him to use to achieve his goal. Sasuke deserved to know the truth but I didn't want Madara to misuse Sasuke, to emotionally manipulate him for anything. Although, I was certain that he had already become a bit unstable and it had me a bit worried about what decision he would take about the near future.