Never Forget

Trapped

aaaaaaand one more for today! sorry, this one's short - I needed to end the chapter where it ends :)

Chapter 26

'Get Uchiha!' Amaterasu shouted, bringing me back to my senses. I immediately swooped down and grabbed Sasuke, who'd fallen to the ground. He stared at me in shock, fighting to stay conscious.

"We need to go – now," I said urgently. "There are others who are after your power. I can't let that happen."

"Sensei," he said with wide eyes. I picked him up and took off over the trees, letting my team now they should run for it, right now. "What... What are you doing here?"

"We were tracking Itachi, obviously," I said, "and then we ran into your team. Listen to me, Sasuke. Madara Uchiha is after you, and he's not after you to bring peace to the world as we know it. You know he's up to no good. You know the history."

He blinked, trying to stay alert but only half-succeeding. "Madara Uchiha is alive?"

"Yes. He must be after you. We just have to make it to Iwagakure, and we'll be safe for a while."

"Who'll be safe for a while?"

I whipped around in mid-air, Sasuke still in my arms, to find a smirking Tobi level with me. He had built himself a column of earth to stand on. 'Crap. Kakashi, there's trouble. He's already caught up with us.'

'Run!'

'Yeah, that's what I'm gonna try – '

"Sorry, Kira Izanami," said Tobi/Madara, raising two fingers to where his mouth would be. "Sasuke's coming with me."

Rather than giving him a reply, I spun around and took off, as fast as I could. But just when I thought I was getting somewhere, I was being sucked into something – Sasuke and I were being sucked into something – and then the world disappeared.

***

'Hey, Kira-sensei.'

I sat up, confused. I was in a black space with nothing around me. Sasuke was sitting beside me. 'Sasuke?'

'We're in Madara's hideout,' he said to me. I nodded, before frowning. 'No – you're unconscious still, because he drugged you with something. But in reality, we're in Madara's hideout.'

'Then how are you talking to me?'

'You've contacted me via the mind link before, so I thought I could do it the opposite way.' He shrugged nonchalantly, as though this wasn't impressive at all – as though Itachi weren't the only other person who had ever succeeded at this. 'I guess it worked.'

'So what's happened?' I asked, remembering the events from before. 'Madara – wait! Sasuke, you need to get out of there, as soon as possible! And don't believe anything he says – '

'You mean about how Konoha forced Itachi to kill my family?'

I froze.

'And you knew, didn't you?'

I sighed. 'Yes. I knew, because Itachi told me.'

'Look, sensei, I know that Itachi never wanted me to meet Madara, because my eye reacted to him. Itachi "programmed" it. But I can't just forgive Konoha for what they've done. I'm going to get my revenge.'

I hissed under my breath in frustration. 'And what good will that do? You set out to kill Itachi for revenge – wasn't that all you wanted?'

'That was before I knew the truth!'

'And by destroying Konoha, what will you gain? These are the same questions I asked you before you left the village – what will you gain from your revenge? Itachi wanted you to return to Konoha as a hero! He loved his village! He wanted you to be at home – '

'Konoha is no longer my home.' Sasuke's voice was cold and unforgiving. 'I can't forgive them for this.'

'Ducky,' I pleaded, losing my composure, 'I just lost Itachi. Please don't leave me, too.'

He paused. I held my breath. 'I... I don't know.'

'What does Madara want you to do?'

'Destroy Konoha, obviously.' He scoffed at me, as though it were obvious. It would've been obvious if I was thinking clearly.

'Oh, right. That. But what's his ultimate motive? What's his purpose?'

'I don't know. He says he'll bring peace.'

I stared at Sasuke, wide-eyed. 'Peace? Madara Uchiha is bringing peace to the world?'

'Apparently so.'

'There's no way...'

'Well, he also decided to explain the truth to me when nobody else would, so I suppose he has a leg up, there.'

'Ducky, I found out just before you left the village, but I was honoring Itachi's wishes. I was trying to support him in his plan, because he loved you so much – '

'Cut the emotional crap.'

'I'm not trying to be overly-emotional about this!' I insisted, a little frustrated. 'Listen – I wanted to save Itachi. I wanted to save him – you have no idea – but I had to honor his wishes, because I respected him! He never meant for this to happen, and he never wanted Madara to get ahold of you – so won't you see it from his point of view? Or from mine? Or from Naruto's?'

'Naruto? Why would I think from that loser's perspective?'

'Because he's been dead set on chasing after you all these years, you idiot! He still considers you a friend – one of the first friends he's ever had. Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten everything?'

'Maybe I have.'

I recoiled sharply, as though he'd physically slapped me.

'Sorry, sensei, but I'm going to have to go with Madara for a while.'

'Sasuke – '

'I have to go.'

And with that, I was left alone in the darkness.