Read through the old story and cringed. Did not like the outline of the story and Itachi was out of character. Although he reminds me of Ulquiorra, Itachi is so much harder to write. Anyway, wanted to do more of a "long time no see bastard" story instead of "omg i came back i love you" that this used to be. Anyway, I played around with it a little and this is the result. It is now a completely different story! Awesome. D:
And while, yes, I am aware of the fact that Hana was NOT on Itachi's team and whatnot, but in my story, they were. Oh, and I made them kind of the same age... I think.
signing off,
jerkez
In the late autumn, as the leaves were crashing down from their trees like they were in a hurry, they met again. Red, brown and several shades of yellow adorned the sky, flying around in smaller loops before meeting the earth like an old friend.
He didn't say anything. She met his eyes and they spoke for him.
Hana opened her mouth, but incapable to find the right words, she closed it hastily again. What were there to say anyway, she pondered? Her gaze fell towards his feet and she wanted to close her eyes, and hope that this may all be but a dream. She had finally gone mental and had made up a projection of her long lost love, but when she marginally opened her eyes, his feet were still there.
"You've changed."
It was not a question, she realized. It's been several years since they last saw each other by coincidence out on a mission, and then he had just dropped a quick glance before vanishing out of her sight. She gulped as she gradually lifted her head to meet his. He had changed as well, she concluded. His skin was paler, no longer bearing the sun-kissed shade she used to adore as a young girl. By meeting his gaze, she pondered whether he decided to kill her or spare her, as his lifeless eyes bore into her soul. He was clad in the usual long black cloak with red, swirling clouds—the logo of Akatsuki. Beneath he wore black sandals, loose-fitting black trousers and—surprise, surprise—a black long-sleeved shirt. She knew he was no longer the man she used to know, he was a criminal who was meant to be killed on sight, but with just a few kunais in her pouch and no companion, she felt outright alone and absolutely terrified.
"I had to. A weak medic on the field is as helpful as a sword with a dull blade, remember?"
She could see him twitch but no more response of significance was given. "I'm glad you took my words for advice." His stoic voice echoed on the streets.
"Anything for you, love." she sing-sang with a surly tone, raising her eyebrow as her sarcastic trademark. Her eyes silently roamed the empty streets, hoping for a sign of human interaction, but judging by their chakra signature, almost everyone in the village, including her teammates and ninken, was sound asleep. Great. Hana bit her lip, as her fingers lightly tapped against her upper thigh. There was no way she could fight him and come out of this battle as the winner, so that idea was scratched. Maybe she could outrun him, but with the sharingan, she doubted it as well. She had met his gaze though, and he had not used Tsukuyomi which she found very surprising. Or was she caught in the genjutsu already? She had too many questions that she couldn't find any answer to.
The wind soared quietly through the streets of Kumogakure, as the pregnant silence was just on border troublesome.
Apparently, Itachi found their silent conversation awkward as well as he decided to break the silence. "What are you doing here Hana?"
"I'm on a mission here. What are you doing here?"
Itachi let his gaze wander off. "That's classified information."
Well, duh. She could have figured that out by herself.
"It's late. Why are you still awake?"
Hana shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe my mission requires me to stay up late."
She could see him raise his eyebrow, if only slightly. "Guarding someone of importance, I assume?"
"I'm afraid that's classified information." She faked a sweet smile, and started slowly walk forward. "I'm obliged to kill you on sight if spotted, you know."
"I know."
Hana crossed her arms and impatiently tapped her foot against the gravel, trying to contain her nerves. Even if she were supposed to kill him on sight, she was quite sure it was impossible. She was a medic-nin, and while yes, she was strong and her chakra control made her able to cross rocks and smash the soil into bits but against an S-class criminal, it didn't help much. At least, not as much as she wanted to if she would be caught in a genjutsu. Then she was as much as dead.
He turned to her and squinted, letting his eyes linger on her body. As of a few weeks ago, Hana was a woman of twenty-two years old and he couldn't help but notice that she seemed more… mature. She was taller than he had expected her to be, but her hairstyle and her trademark frown was still there, despite the years that had gone by. He assumed that she was still as lithe as she used to be in battles, and her body had, well, matured along with her attitude. Her petite and fragile body was now but a memory, as the girl—woman—in front of him had a lean and well build body, yet upheld a curvy figure. Her trousers went just above her calf and had a dark shade of cobalt, and beneath her green vest she wore a tight black shirt which showed off her toned arms and even though the vest was in the way, he knew at least two things that had grown as well. Not totally committed to fashion or trends, she wore what she thought was practical, he remember her saying during a mission many years back.
Some things will never change, won't they, he thought grimly.
Many years have passed and they both had aged. Itachi was deep in thought and torn between options. He could not dispose the true nature of his mission, but he suspected his old teammate would not let him pass without at least trying to acquire information about Akatsuki and why he was here.
Thus led to the question; should he consider her a threat to succeeding and finishing his mission, and exterminate her?
For the first time in many years, Itachi had not the slightest idea what to do.
She leered at him and frowned. He was concentrating and he had glanced away, tearing his eyes of her, and she had felt relief flood her mind and body. She just waited for his onyx and lifeless eyes to turn bloodshot red, yet it was still to happen. Hana could not come up with a reasonable explanation why and it bothered her, why was he not attacking her? She had seen him ruthlessly kill innocent men even at a young age, and she'd seen his merciless gaze. She knew what he was capable of, so why was he standing here in front of her and hesitating, she wondered. Was it because he still thought of her as weak, or maybe because she was an old teammate? She mentally shook her head. Please. He'd probably killed children and women without a second thought, and she was probably no exception.
Hana glanced towards the large main building to her right. She cursed her old teammate for his intelligence; he had been right in what he had questioned earlier. She had been ordered by the Hokage, Tsunade-hime, to escort and guard Shinji Takanawa, a well-known politician who was famous for his generosity and hospitality against fellow countries, including the hidden village of the Leaf, Konoha; her home town. Shinji was surprisingly young for such an experienced politician and had a handsome face. He was passionate about keeping the peace between borders and villages together, had a gentle aura surrounding him and always greeted everyone with a sincere smile. Hana had immediately liked him, but she knew that like every politician, he had enemies. There was always going to be people who doesn't like peace and just wants to stir up a war, and Shinji had survived through three assassination attempts in the past two years, so when he travelled between villages, he was sure to bring a bodyguard with him. He had visited Konoha for a meeting with Tsunade and the discussion about new law suggestions to keep the peace between their villages at bay. Hana had been teamed up with two fellow shinobis from Konoha with the mission to make sure he was brought home safely to his village after their meeting, and that they would be present during the congress with other lords and politicians, just in case some people wanted to intervene.
She gritted her teeth. It wouldn't be a too big surprise if Itachi was here because his mission involved Shinji.
She had to act. Just standing here and dealing with the tension between the two of them was getting to her, and she wanted to get this over with. She did not need the trembling memories of him or the shallow words he used to say to her, she needed him out of her head.
Hana slowly reached for the pouch located on her right hip, and met his gaze. She could feel her fingers starting to flicker, and she dimly wondered if she was frightened or thrilled. She concluded it was a little bit of both. Itachi narrowed his eyes and tightens his grip on his sword that lazily rested on his hip.
"I didn't want to do this, Hana."
His voice was stoic, but his words echoed of truth. She swallowed her fear and doubt, and flung herself forward. "You should have thought of that before betraying the village!"
He gritted his teeth as he brought his sword upwards in haste and blocked her kunai, the metal clashing as they meet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hastily reach for her pouch. Another kunai? Itachi squinted as he pushed her away with all of his force, jumping back and landing with a thud, as he could see her changing her stance, kunai in both hands. Advantage for him and disadvantage for her, he knew her fighting style; she always fought with her ninken, the three haimaru brothers. As she was now alone, her fighting style was not in order and he knew that she had trouble analysing his next movements. A sly grin emitted from mouth as he cocked an eyebrow. She probably knew that there was no chance of her coming out of this winning, but still she attacked. This intrigued him. Hana never jumped into situations without analysing them, yet here she stood before him, ready to face her fate. Although he confessed she got the courage to engage in a battle with him, he also knew that she was a medic-nin; she knew pressure points, and if he let her get too close, she could use her bare hands to apply pressure on maybe his neck and send him into comatose, or maybe she would use a single digit on his lower back and sever the connection to his spine and paralyzing the lower half of his body. Several shinobis thought medic-nins only were on the battleground for their healing habits, and this grim mistake often sent them to an early grave; Itachi had seen it happen numerous times and he was determinate to not make such an aberration.
His thoughts were interrupted by her voice. "Attack me already! Come on!"
Itachi sighed. "Why are you so eager to die?"
"I'm fighting for my village! I'm fighting for my comrades who have died by your soiled hands, and I'm not just going to let you walk away from here!" Hana tried to control her temper, but when he just stood there and… stared at her, she could not take it anymore. This… this asshole was underestimating her and her powers, and it went on her nerves. "Just attack me!"
"I'm not going to do it, Hana."
"Don't say my name! Don't you DARE utter my name, you… you BASTARD. I will never forgive you!"
Itachi remained silent and slightly tilted his head, narrowing his eyes.
"For doing that to your clan… To your family! How COULD you? We trusted you, I trusted you… and how could you do that to your little brother?!"
"No matter what answer I give you, you are not going to change your mind, so there's simply no reason for me to explain my reasoning to you."
His stoic voice rumbled on the streets, along with Hana's pants and heaving.
"YOU KILLED EVERYONE! By excluding your brother like that, do you think he could live a normal life?!"
"I never wanted him to live a normal life." Itachi let his gaze wander away from her, lingering on the pavement. "You will never understand."
Hana let her body move forward as she stomped her foot against the gravel, her right arm extended toward him. "I don't even WANT to understand your doing! Kami, you let your brother destroy himself and everyone around him. He could have been happy! If it weren't for you, he would never have left Konoha and he certainly never would have tried to kill Naruto-kun! Both he and Sakura-san was there for him, but in the end, his revenge and blood thirst for you brought him to choose death. He will never be satisfied until his goal is complete! And when everything is over, and you are dead because of his sword piercing your already lifeless heart, he will never be the same." Hana shook her head. "He will never come back."
Itachi continued to stare at the pavement, feeling a sympathetic twinge surge through him. "Are you done?"
She swallowed and let her hands curl into fists. "Yes."
Itachi lifted his head and met her gaze. "Good." He brought up his sword and pointed it towards her, tilting his head, his bangs fluttering before his eyes. He smirked. "Now, fight me."
He saw her give him a fake smile, then auburn flashed before his eyes. She had her kunai aimed at his neck, so Itachi brought up his sword to block it. His eyes met hers and after for what seemed like eternity, Hana used her left hand and took the other kunai and tried to pierce his muscular arm. He dodged this easily, but what he had not expected was Hana grabbing onto his arm, making her follow in his rhythm and swing with him, making them come face to face with each other. She flashed a grin, as she gracefully lifted her right leg and sent it flying toward his hand that held his sword. Itachi cringed as her foot came in contact with his hand and he could feel the bones kneading and crushing and pain crept up his arm in a hurry. She applied and formed her chakra to her feet to make the impact bigger, hn? Itachi let a sly grin escape. This was what made a medic-nin dangerous; having extreme chakra control made it possible to apply a vast part of your chakra to a specific body part, thus increasing the strength and impact. By the look at her face, she had figured out that her move was successful and pushed down her foot on his now broken hand, and leapt backwards and landed gracefully on her two feet, her right knee bent towards the ground and her left hand on the gravel to support her weight.
She raised her head and cocked her eyebrow slightly. "You look like you're in pain, Itachi." She pouted her lips slightly as lifted herself from the ground and stood up straight. "You ok?"
Itachi grunted, as he changed sword hand with a slight movement. Hana sighed mentally, she had forgotten about the fact that he was ambidextrous. With his sword in his left hand, he cocked the hilt slightly to feel the weight of the sword and searching for the right balance. It's been a long time since he fought with his sword in his left hand instead of the usual right one, but since he had trouble bending his fingers without biting his lip in pain, he figured this was the better option. He sighed heavily. "You do me nothing but trouble. But then again, you always did."
Hana snorted. "Please tell me you're not reminiscing about the past."
He gave her a shrug as an answer, and played with the sword in his hand. His gaze lingered on her hand, the kunai shaking desperately. He couldn't drag this out any longer, his mission required him to kill Takanawa before sunrise and according to the sky that just got lighter and brighter, he could not waste his time here battling her. He had to get this over with. He was just about to raise his sword as he sensed a charka signature. It was weak, and it was familiar. He glanced towards Hana, and because she raised her eyebrow in confusion, he knew that she had not detected it yet.
He knew that this was now or never. So he jumped.
Hana gulped as he suddenly appeared in front of her, the tip of his sword at her neck. She locked her eyes with his and tried to hide the fact that her body was now shaking. He narrowed his eyes and let his sword brush her skin so ever slightly, emitting a gasp from his old teammate. Itachi smirked when he realized that she was still looking him in the eye. "You're not afraid of the sharingan?" He saw her biting her lips as she refused to answer. "You should be afraid, you know." He let the sharp blade follow her soft skin upwards, and grazed her cheek until droplets of blood trickled her face and fell silently down her shirt.
"I'll never be afraid of you."
Itachi sighed wearily as he let his blade wander along her jaw, stopping when it reached her chin. He used the sword to lift her head slightly. "You'll regret saying those words."
Hana gritted her teeth, not moving an inch. "I'm not afraid of dying. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Just do it." Her chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. "Kill me."
Itachi narrowed his eyes, and drew back his sword in its sheath in a swift movement. Hana just blinked in surprise, gasping slightly. Itachi turned his body sideways but let his gaze rest on her body. "Not today." Judging by her expression that was the last sentence she thought she would hear. "You have valuable information, I assume. Our leader would be interested in hearing it."
"So, instead of killing me you are kidnapping me?"
"Correct."
Hana hissed. "Are you kidding?"
"Does it sound like I'm laughing?"
"Screw you! I'll just scream and wake everyone up so—"
Hana was interrupted by someone yanking her ponytail down in a swift motion, and suddenly feeling a large, sharp object against her throat—no wait, not sharp… more like, scaly. Hana let her gaze wander down and saw to her big surprise the largest sword she'd ever seen, positioned along her throat down to her two feet, and its actual blade was compromised by a series of blue downward facing scales running along the entirety of its length. Hana gritted her teeth, now knowing the identity of the person behind her.
"You really thought Itachi did solo mission, huh, girlie?" Kisame let out a hoarse and loud laugh, and when he met Itachi's gaze, he gestured his hand towards his forehead as to greet him, grinning from ear to ear. "Yo."
Itachi dragged his hand through his hair. "This may be the first time I actually don't mind you intervening. What took you so long?"
"The old man put up a fight, had to bring out the big guns." Kisame patted his sword lightly, emitting a huge grin, before using his other hand to gesture towards the girl in his arms. "And who is this, may I add?"
"No one of importance." Itachi eyed Hana carefully before meeting Kisames gaze. "But she's coming with us."
Hana writhed against Samehada, feeling her skin bruising but it was nothing against her heart wrenching in her chest. "I'm not leaving my village! I'd rather die than going freely with you."
Itachi gave her a sly grin. "Who said anything about you having a choice in the matter?" He lazily gave Kisame a gesture with his hand, gave him a curt nod.
Hana heard the man behind her snicker, and felt a cold hand brush her neck.
Then everything went pitch black.
Interesting? Please leave a review so I know what to change or if there are any grammatical errors.