Jeido Ikeda sat down in 'her' chair in the Akatsuki living room area- or rather, the area that would be most like a living room. There were two medium-sized sofas, big enough to hold four people at a time, eight cushioned chairs, rugs, tables, closets full of extra weapons, and books piled up on various surfaces. Each and every Akatsuki member had 'their' own place- the place they always sat in. If someone were to take 'their' spot, blood would be spilled. That's just how things were in the Akatsuki.

Jeido slowly brushed her long, blond hair with careful precision. Thirty brush strokes on that part, thirty on the next part, all the way until she had finished her entire head of hair. And then, she would restart. She happened to like the hair she had inherited from her mother.

The only other blond in the organization entered the room, then, sporting a good bruise on his cheek. His face twisted into a sour expression, he huffed as he shuffled over to 'his' place in the living room: one of the sofas. Deidara groaned as he literally collapsed on the comfortable surface and laid down horizontally on it.

Jeido set her brush down and looked over at the thoroughly exhausted blond who had just left Leader-sama's office. She furrowed her eyebrows in concern, and uncrossed her previously-crossed legs. "Is there something wrong?"

Deidara lazily turned on his side and looked at her. Suddenly, his face went slightly pink. Her long, lean legs were tempting him to touch them, let his hands glide across their smooth-

"Do you have a fever, Dei? Your face is turning red..."

He shook his head again and coughed, clearing up the awkward pictures that were flashing in his head. "No, I'm fine, hn. I just totally messed up on my..." he seemed to lose his train of thought. "'Mission.' That's the word."

Jeido innocently blinked and smiled at him in her shy way. "I'm sure you didn't do that bad..."

Deidara groaned again, laying on his back, this time. "No, I totally screwed it up. The damn 'assignment' managed to hit me in the face, even."

She winced to sympathize with him. "Ouch... What did Leader-sama say?"

Deidara pursed his lips together, making quite a cute stubborn face. "He wasn't pleased. Not at all. So he sent Tobi to kill him. Tobi. That damn kid was sent to do my mission."

Smiling still, Jeido resumed brushing her hair. "Think about it this way, Dei: if you couldn't manage to do it, what makes you think Tobi will be able to do it? Something tells me he's going to come back crying like a baby because 'he did even worse than you did.'"

Something tells me… That was what got her to be accepted into the organization, full of the worst, strongest criminals in all of the hidden villages. She wasn't one of them, but she had the gift of foresight, and it was a much-desired ability in the organization.

The stoic Uchiha walked in late on the afternoon it wouldn't stop raining.

Jeido had been baking cookies when he entered the back door, drenched in cold rain. She hadn't heard him, per say, but she knew he had entered. Ninja senses worked like that.

"Welcome back, Itachi-san," she greeted softly, turning around to look at the man as he questioningly looked at her from the coat rack he had put his soaked cloak on. When he didn't reply, she continued, "would you like some cookies? I just finished making the first batch."

Again, he just stared incredulously as she continued to smile at him. She seemed uncharacteristically bold, compared to how shy she normally was.

Not taking his rather harsh stare to heart, she nommed on a cookie in hand and tossed another toward him, which he caught with ease. Ah, so she likes making cookies. That explains her excitement.

"It's a butter cookie," she explained, turning around again due to some sudden nervousness, hoping he wouldn't dislike the carefully-baked dessert.

Slowly, the Uchiha took a bite of the cookie. He chewed deliberately, assessing the flavor of the sweet treat, but also making sure that there were no identifiable poisons hidden in the cookie dough. He swallowed, satisfied by the taste and texture, and took another bite.

"How are your bones?" he abruptly asked between bites, leaning casually against a closet door.

Not expecting his random question, Jeido nearly dropped the cookie she had in her hand. Slowly, she turned around again to face him. "I-I'm sorry, but what do you mean, Itachi-san?"

He finished his cookie and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know plenty well what I mean. You have Sickle Cell Anemia, right?"

She froze, this time actually dropping the delicious pastry. "O-oh… You knew about that…?" Before he could reply to her, she had bent over to sweep up the cookie and the crumbs on the clean floor.

He nodded once and calmly walked over. He stopped in front of her, leaned forward so his face nearly touched hers, brought his arm around her back- and grabbed another cookie before leaning back again. After taking a bite, he said, "I've known for a while, now. It was in your medical record in Konoha."

Jeido's face was still cherry red, and she had her head turned away to hide it. Out of unbridled curiosity, she asked him, "why were you looking through my medical records, Itachi-san? Did the ANBU have some special interest in me?"

As calm as ever, Itachi stared at her. "No."

She wasn't expecting anything else, considering he wasn't notable for lengthy conversations, so she didn't ask pry further. He'd answered her, and that was fine.

"To answer your previous question," she started quietly, her face back to its calm yet insecure visage. "My bones have been much better since joining."

"You're not being completely honest." He took another bite.

She smiled a bit, looking down to hide it. He's a perceptive one. "My bones are just like they've always been: weak and achy."

"Take these, then." A hand was outstretched to her, holding a bag of some sort of medication in pill-form. "Taken once every three days, they keep your pain away, without side-effects."

She had nearly taken the bag before she began to think logically: how did she know the medication was what he said it was? "How do I know they're safe to take? You could be trying to poison me, and with this disorder, I wouldn't survive if it was poison."

Itachi quickly turned his face to the side and covered his mouth, a strange yet pleasant chuckle coming from him.

"Did… did you just laugh?"

The sound increased in volume, and soon enough, Itachi Uchiha was shaking with unrestrained laughter. He was still trying to cover it up with his hand, but nothing could stop the beautiful sound that erupted from between his lips. He was laughing. Itachi Uchiha was laughing.

Jeido couldn't believe what she was seeing, or rather, hearing. What had she done to amuse him?

Not wanting to disrupt this moment of utter beauty, she merely leaned against the cabinet as she waited for his random fit of laughter to end. And it took quite a while, too, as though for years and years he had been holding in such laughter, and it wasn't let out until then. Knowing his infamous past like she did, she wouldn't doubt it. Maybe it was some kind of insane laughter- the laughter he hadn't let run wild as he was murdering his clan and was torturing his little brother. But then again, she wasn't one to judge on mere stories. She didn't know his side of the story. Maybe he had a reason for killing his family.

"Haha… Ha… Haaaaa..." he finally said near the end before taking a much needed deep breath, tilting his head back with a rather refreshed look on his handsome face.

Jeido smiled a bit, but blushed as he turned his serious face toward her again. She quickly turned her face away.

"In this organization, we're all companions. Know that, Jeido." And with that, he handed her the bag of medication and left. Simple as that.

She was sexy. Beautiful. Stunning. Awe-striking. But painfully shy.

Oh, how he longed to let his hands roam along her long legs and up to her hips, where he'd rub sensual circles into the sensitive parts and lick all over with the extra two mouths… How he longed to knead her perfect breasts with careful precision, then pop a nipple into his mouth as he fucked the sexy out of her.

…

Deidara exited his cold shower with a slight dizzy feeling. Getting sexually aroused around such a sweet, shy girl was hard to get over. She was his friend- in fact, she was the nicest member in the organization. But he couldn't help but want some extra special benefits. Things as simple as the way her womanly hips swayed when she walked, the way she crossed her long, lean legs as she sat down to comb her golden blond hair, or the way her chest rose and fell with every breath she took- any of those things were enough to get him excited. And every time it happened, he had to grumble and take a cold shower to calm his flaming manhood.

He'd often find himself having dirty daydreams of his hot friend when he went to sleep too, which just lead to more uncomfortable cold showers or unsatisfactory handjobs. Yeah, as mentioned, he had mouths on his hands. But they weren't exactly skilled when it came to pleasuring himself. They bit. A lot. And not in the good way.

… In the end, he decided he just wanted her as a friend. He didn't want to risk their friendship, or risk her heart breaking. The one sight he could never handle would be her crying her heart out for something he'd done.

Now, Hidan was a lot like Deidara in the perverted spectrum. But he wasn't Jeido's friend, and he didn't want to be her friend. He just wanted to fuck the living shit out of her. Over and over. Probably until she died. But he didn't think about that.

Hidan was what people called a masochist. He enjoyed pain and found it rather orgasmic. Most people wouldn't associate Hidan with also being a sadist, unless that person had been a victim of his in some kind of crazy ritual for his god, Jashin (of which no one ever survived). But he was a sadist, especially when it came to sex. And there was no one he wanted to hurt more than Jeido Ikeda, the beautiful new member of the Akatsuki with a hot body, flowing blond hair, and piercing green eyes that quickly flickered away out of sheer meekness.

He found himself shivering at the very idea of taking her and chaining her up to a wall while he fucked her mercilessly and tore up her perfect skin out of his own desire. He'd probably use his curse technique to enhance his orgasmic experience. As for hers, he didn't care.

Kisame was the third member who had the hots for Jeido Ikeda. But his crush was innocent and sweet. The most he ever wanted to do was kiss her cheek and snuggle on a chair, or something like that. He'd heard Hidan swearing about doing awful things to Jeido, and his heart warmed with protective pride to forever defend his fair-haired maiden.

… There were some interesting people in the Akatsuki. Besides the rampant murderers who didn't give a damn about who they killed as long as they could kill someone, the Akatsuki also had a sexually-frustrated, 'forever-in-the-friend-zone' blond man, a sexual sadist, and a secretly fluffy shark man.

"Be creative, Itachi-san," Jeido quietly said one snowy day after she finished making a snow angel. "Don't you see the angel?"

The two had been friends since the random laughing incident with Itachi, and although he hadn't laughed since, he didn't seem to mind her company, either. She'd been taking the medicine he prescribed, and now her bones didn't hurt all the time like they used to. They talked more and more, and with every new day, she was opening up to him a bit more. She was becoming less shy. And he, in turn, was opening up just a bit more, for her sake.

"It just looks like a blob," he answered indifferently, tilting his head as though it might alter the image to her definition.

She brought a gloved hand to cover her mouth as she quietly giggled, then regained her calm visage. "What's your definition of an angel, Itachi-san?"

"... My mother."

There was no possibility. He couldn't have done it. He simply couldn't.

"I told you what I did! You know it's true!" He'd never lost his temper with her. He'd never lost his temper with anyone, for that matter.

"But you couldn't have… Since I've gotten to know you, I've discovered that you must have done it for a different purpose… Like you were forced to…" Jeido insisted nervously, starting to become afraid of Itachi's loud arguing.

He couldn't have killed his clan for personal gain.

Catching on to her fear, he calmed down again. "Sometimes you're so stupid," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve some stress. "I killed them to test my power. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You've said that too many times for it to sound natural. It's versed, Itachi-san… Tell me the truth. You know I won't tell anyone."

"I am telling the truth. I'm not as kind as you think I am. I'm a monster."

"But you're not," she disagreed, eyes shining with determination beyond her sheepish nature. "You don't have a mean bone in you. I've seen how kind you are. Since I've gotten to really know you, you've been so kind. You're a loving man. Bit by bit, you've released puzzle pieces that allow me to see what kind of person you really are. You loved your family. You loved your clan. You love your brother. So why did you do it? Were you forced to? Were they starting an uprising against the village that would lead to major turmoil and eventual war-"

The table to their right collided into the wall with a loud bang as Itachi lost his cool again. He began yelling nonsense- absolute nonsense. He began cursing and screaming and flipping random objects over in his bout of anger, then turned to her and gave her the most serious and frightening glare she'd ever witnessed. He growled, and the next thing she knew, she was on the floor, and he was hovering over the top of her, hands on either side of her head.

Then he started to cry.

Tears poured down his cheeks as he sobbed, and some fell on Jeido's face as she stared at him with a sympathetic expression. She raised her bruised arms slowly and carefully, wrapping them around the back of his neck and gently pulling him closer. He let his own arms relax as he allowed himself to be pulled fully on top of her, and found himself burying his face in her neck as she held him in a soft hug, one hand reassuringly petting his hair while the other simply held him there.

He simply couldn't have killed his clan out of personal gain.

Suddenly, Jeido's bones were bothering her more than usual, and medication wasn't helping. Itachi had left and had gotten her some blood transplant machinery, but even as when was hooked up to the machine, it did nothing to lessen her pain. But nonetheless, Itachi ran to and fro searching for anything that would help her. He went from village to village, from market to market, and found nothing. Eventually, after Jeido's asked him to, he just stayed with her in the room and kept her company, holding her bruised hand and doing whatever little thing he could.

During the entirety of the time since Itachi cried in Jeido's arms, he hadn't spoken much to her. He didn't look as tired when he stared at her, and his eyes weren't sharp and calculating like they used to be. They were warm and calm. He also seemed to be much more protective. Once, when Hidan attempted to steal Jeido away to his room to do God knows what with her, Itachi flashed before him and gave him such a firm punch to the face that Hidan's skull shattered upon impact with the stone wall behind him. That spectacle had been amusing for everyone, even the delicate and sweet would-be-victim.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked for the hundredth time, leaning closer with a serious expression.

"Same as the last time you asked me," Jeido replied with a tired, amused smile. "Everything still hurts. But I don't notice it as much when you distract me."

He found himself smile briefly, before putting his other hand on top of the one he was holding. "Your hands are so cold..."

She smiled grimly and slowly moved her other cold hand to both of his. "And you're warm." She rested her hand on his and rubbed gentle circles with her thumb.

He smiled again and bowed his head to rest it softly on her hand. Jeido thought she felt something softly brush against her fingers as he did so, but thought nothing of it, as she was beginning to doze off. "Itachi… Can I ask you to stay here until I wake up again…?"

He lifted his head again to look at her and nodded. "I'll wait right here."

She smiled in relief and closed her eyes slowly, trusting the man sitting beside her.

As soon as she was asleep, said man leaned toward her face and kissed her cheek.

"I love you."

Itachi kept his promise, over and over, as she repeatedly asked him to stay with her, and within a few weeks, miraculously, Jeido recovered and was walking on her own two feet again. But she was more quiet than usual, which both alarmed and confused her now ever-present buddy and body-guard, Itachi Uchiha. She'd often just stare out into space, not intentionally ignoring him, surely, but nonetheless, she was just... not really there.

"Jeido." The beautiful baritone note broke her from her drifting daydream, and she lethargically turned to face him.

"Yes, Itachi?" she softly spoke, eyes glassy and smile faded.

"Is there something bothering you?" he asked in return, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

Her smile faded completely, and her head dropped again, her gaze now landing on the short sundress she had donned that morning.

"Itachi, can you keep a secret?"

He blinked and nodded, scooting closer to emphasize that he respected her wishes.

"When I was a little girl in Konohagakure and I grew too sick to leave the house, I would find flowers outside of my door. After receiving them several times, they became my favorite flower, and they also became my only reason for living. But I'm still bothered by the fact that someone gave me, someone who didn't matter to the village, flowers. I want to know who it was, and if they're still alive." She turned her gaze to the man next to her. "Itachi… I want to know if that person and I could have been friends."

Suddenly, the stoic Uchiha smiled. It was a bright, truthful, youthful smile. He wasn't trying to act older than his age anymore. That smile told her that he was still young and full of life.

"You want to know who gave you lilies every day?"

Suddenly, she gasped, a hand covering her mouth to further. "How did you know they were lilies?"

He smiled again and wrapped an arm around her head, pulling it closer so that they were forehead-to-forehead. "Because I left them on your mosaic-style porch. I must say, your chalk drawings were quite cute."

"You can't leave me," the ebony-haired man frantically cried as he held the crushed, nearly-lifeless form of the woman he'd grown so fond of.

Her bloody lips curled into a sad smile. He'd seen that smile, that time when she was ill in bed and he'd said that her hands were cold. She knew something that he didn't, and that something was not in his favor.

"I want you to know something," she whispered weakly, lifting her bruised arm to wrap around his head, pulling it closer. Forehead-to-forehead. "I love you, Itachi Uchiha. You're worthy of being loved. Remember that."

He sobbed then, holding her tighter still and burying his face in her collarbone. Her arm immediately went to rest on the back of his neck, like she was used to it. The other hand, sluggish in its movements, gently petted at his hair.

"Doton: Iwayado Kuzushi."

She'd heard the whispered jutsu. She'd heard the cave above them crack. She'd known before he'd known. She'd woken up and pushed Itachi out of the way before it all came tumbling down, she being caught underneath all the rubble.

If she hadn't pushed him out of the way, she wouldn't have…

"Come, now… You don't have to cry." She smiled gently as she rubbed his back. "It's okay, Itachi… I'll be free. Besides, within a few months, you'll be joining me, right?"

He nodded against her, his sobs quieting down, but his tears still flowing unrestricted into her dress. What would he do until then? For the past five years, he'd spent nearly all of his time with her. He'd become dependant- clingy, almost. He didn't want her to die and leave him alone. He didn't think he could handle another heartbreak like that.

"P-Please, Jeido… D-Don't leave me," he begged, his voice shaky. "You can't..."

"Shhh..." she softly hushed as she involuntarily massaged his shoulder blade. "I won't be leaving you. I'll always be here with you… in your heart."

Then, she grew limp, and his grip loosened so he could look at her bloodied and bruised face. "No, no! You can't! Jeido Ikeda, I love you… Please..."

In a voice smaller than a whisper, she spoke her final words to him.

"I'll always be in your heart."

Then the life left her eyes.

If only he'd have known about his unborn child in her womb, he might not have decided to live out those last few months.

This was a request for The Cutest Otaku, whom I would like to apologize profusely to for not uploading within a set amount of time.

By the way, I fixed a few errors. Ugh. Finally.

In this case, I don't own anything in this one-shot. Jeido Ikeda does not belong to me, nor does Naruto/its characters.

Thanks for reading!

~ Draw Me An Eclipse