Wonderland Chapter 3

The final curtain closed, and Itachi, still breathing heavily from holding out the final note, could hear the screams of the audience. His ears had far since adjusted to the volume, but it never ceased exhilarating him. Just the thought of that many people wanting to listen to his music was amazing. Not only that, but listen to it and actually enjoy it.

He captivated them. That's what all of the papers were saying. He was amazing. There had never been a musician like himself. His words brought people into a different world, voice controlling them.

To most musicians, that would be a good thing. At first, Itachi thought so, too. Until Kakuzu came in with a paper clutched tightly between his scarred fingertips.

"Have you seen this?" he growled, slamming it on the table before the Uchiha could get out an answer. He rose a brow.

"Hm?"

"They've been starting riots. I've never seen anything like this before," Kakuzu explained, flipping to the middle of the newspaper to show pictures of the damage; flipped over tables, burnt houses and bruised victims.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. What did that have anything to do with his music? There were always a few people that got out of control at the concerts, but that wasn't a new thing. And usually, security was pretty good at keeping everything under control. "What're the details?" he asked slowly, still trying to process the pictures.

"Ten deaths, thirty wounded, and we've got at least a dozen missing," Kakuzu replied grimly. He hit the paper off of the table and let out a wordless, frustrated noise.

The Uchiha took a deep breath, holding onto his composure. "What does this have to do with me?" he whispered, twiddling his thumbs under the table. He couldn't remember any sort of fight from the previous concert...but then again, he couldn't remember much of anything.

The older man sat down at the table, looking straight at the musician. "You know what all of them said when they were questioned by the police?" When Itachi didn't respond, he sighed. "They said it was the music. Something was speaking to them, Itachi. And apparently, it was strong and vivid enough to make over a hundred people start a riot."

The Uchiha, who was half way through taking a sip of tea, very nearly spit out the liquid all over the table. "What?" That was absolutely ridiculous.

~~

Not only could Itachi get his mind off of the riot, he felt awful about it. While he didn't express it, guilt was eating away at him. Had he not chosen those songs, hell, had he not even had the concert, all of the nonsense never would have happened. People wouldn't have gotten hurt or killed, and there wouldn't be all this buzz in the media.

On the Uchiha's desk, Kakuzu had left a gun that had been confiscated during the riot. Something to protect himself, he said. And considering the sudden rise in violence, he was probably going to need it. Not that he wanted to shoot anyone...or even use a gun. Itachi already felt awful enough with the whole disaster that his music had supposedly caused.

But still, Itachi held the gun in his hands, turning it in every direction so he could get a good look at each part of it. The firearm was beautifully crafted, with a dark blue shell around it that almost matched his clothing. A perfect pair.

Why don't you just solve everything right now? You know what to do. The Uchiha smirked, but it quickly faded. After all, there was no reason for him to be showing any emotion .What he was about to do was a solemn act, that shouldn't be mourned or rejoiced. It was just a quick removal. A deletion, if you will. His blood red irises focused on the mirror, looking at the reflection of his face, and then the fire arm. He slowly lifted it to his forehead, and pretended to pull the trigger.

Letting himself go through the motions made it that much harder. He licked his lips and slammed the gun down on his desk. Not today. He was going to have to wait until the right time.

"Itachi, are you ready yet? You're on stage in ten minutes!" Kakuzu shouted through the locked door. Not only was watching himself nearly commit suicide terrifying, he had a concert he needed to perform.  This was his last one, and a promise was a promise. He told the queen that he'd put on as many shows as she desired, and no matter what, he was going to hold himself to that.

He grabbed his headpiece, fastening it on his head before rushing to the stage. Before he even got there, he could hear the low murmur of voices. Supposedly, the queen herself would be in attendance. Good,  because Itachi still hadn't so much as met her, and he'd been performing for her kingdom for almost a year. A year after she said she'd like to have a meeting with him sometime.

And if she really was here, Itachi feared for her life. The last thing he wanted was a royal death on his shoulders.

With a deep breath, then little to no thought following it, Itachi ran on stage, flashing a huge, fake smile at the crowd. A few people cheered, but most were focused on finding the queen, trying to see if their royal highness would really be there.

Did they even know what she looked like? He couldn't help but wonder. While she was extremely well known, Itachi hadn't seen a single picture of the woman since he had arrived. And after three hundred and sixty five days of touring, he thought he'd at least get a hint as to what she looked like. But all those days had flown by, and not a single picture had reached him. If anything, it was odd.

Pushing all other thoughts aside, he began the first song. Everything went accordingly until halfway through, a high pitched shriek interrupted him. He stopped, and stared straight out into the audience, music stopping not a moment later as well. In the center of the crowd was the beginning of a new brawl. Curses and punches were being thrown, and everyone looked confused.

Come on, fix everything right now. It'll really get their attention. Itachi took a deep breath and reached into his outfit. His hand rested on the gun, slipping it out so that everyone could see it. A few screamed, while others watched, mesmerized. He held the firearm to his head, but no one seemed to stop. The screaming continued, the fighting got worse, and the Uchiha was sure he had just seen someone get stabbed.

The gun pressed hard against his temple, and Itachi shut his eyes. His finger rested on the trigger, and he pulled.

~~

From where he was standing, Kakuzu only heard the sound of a gunshot, then saw Itachi fall to the ground. It was then that all of the fighting ceased and all attention was focused on the musician. His body stayed perfectly still, lying in a fresh pool of his own blood. The metallic liquid continued to grow from under him, spreading outwards and making its way off of the stage.

After the first scream came out, everyone else followed. They ran. Only moments ago, they were at each others throats, and now they were trying to either reach Itachi or get the hell out of there. The only one Kakuzu could spot who wasn't in total panic was the blue haired female sitting front and center. A few people pushed her around, trying to get out, but she didn't budge.

She pursed her lips and made her way to the stage. With a single wave of her hand, she motioned for Kakuzu to approach her, and immediately, he complied. "Your Highness?" he managed to choke out. Both of their eyes were locked on Itachi's.

"He was crazy."

Kakuzu rose a brow. "Pardon?"

"You heard me; he was crazy. Insane. Sick in the mind," she murmured, wrestling the gun from the corpse's hands. "He thought that if he killed himself, all of this would stop."

"Well, he was right..." After all, there were hardly any people left. And those who remained were weeping, hugging each other, and shielding their eyes from the dead body.

"Yeah, until everybody starts blaming each other and another riot breaks out..." Konan murmured. With a heavy sigh, she took off her jacket and placed it over Itachi's face. Two of you already...did I pick all the wrong ones?