Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto's characters, I just borrow them and try to bring them back in once piece. Asami is all mine, though but I am willing to share her.
Perfectly painted navy blue nails tore desperately at the hand wrapped around her throat, lifting Asami off the ground as if she weighed nothing at all, though in spite of her current situation, something in her kept her from truly fighting for freedom. After all, the deep crimson eyes that looked straight through to her soul were those of her best friend. If she had to choose between defending herself and letting herself be killed, she would die.
Pale fingers tightened themselves around her neck, eliciting a sort of strangled groan from the younger as strands of long black hair slipped forward into her face, obstructing the image of the man she loved, the one currently attempting to end her life. A cruel smirk that she'd never really seen wind itself around her best friend's lips appeared, sending a cold chill like icy tendrils down her spine and she could feel herself quickly losing faith in her previously firm belief that Uchiha Itachi would never really hurt her.
"And here I thought fighting you would actually be a challenge, but then again, you always have been rather… worthless, isn't that right, Asami?"
"Asami?"
A gentle hand shook the teen's smaller shoulder once, then again, another murmur of her name escaping Shisui's lips before he flinched as the little raven lurched forward with an unintelligible shout, shaking hands reaching for her throat as if expecting to find something there trying to hurt her. Instant worry leapt into onyx orbs as he took in those actions, knowing the woman must have been having some kind of nightmare.
It was worrisome, really - this wasn't the first time. Reaching forwards and cupping her small face within his hands to try and draw those wide ruby eyes of hers to his own, he tried to ground his friend within reality once more. "Hey now, deep breaths. You're safe, I've got you." He said with deliberate urgency between his efforts to calm her down, "As long as Itachi and I are around, nothing is ever going to happen to you."
Silence. Helpless little droplets of water leaked from her eyes for a few precious seconds before still quivering hands latched themselves onto his arms. "Sh- Shisui… It was just a dream. Oh thank god, it was just a dream."
Shisui knew Asami well, considering they'd been working side by side since the young teen was too young to ever have been considered suitable for their line of duty. He knew that she was an affectionate ball of mush, and when this upset, she preferred comfort in the form of physical contact. That wasn't a tactic he particularly excelled at, easily explained if one were to take a look at his lineage, but in their years together, both he and Itachi had picked up on little things they could do to help pick Asami up when she fell like this. He tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, thumb of his unoccupied hand rubbing away the offending tears from her soft cheeks as she recovered her breath. Likewise, Asami had picked up on a few, less cuddly ways to try and cheer her teammates up, oftentimes discovering that simply remaining a silent support in times of trouble was more than enough.
Slowly, the delicate, trembling hands began to steady themselves once more, complete recovery evident when at last a warm smile crossed the younger's pale lips. She got away with hiding so much behind that smile. Even at the fresh, young age of thirteen, Asami was more than content with the rest of the world believing that she never frowned. When she would crack, though, she would never break. The young warrior was similar to a weathered porcelain doll, spider-like cracks crawling along her skin. Shisui, for one, admired her resilience, and he knew his cousin did as well. He had to admit at times he wondered if her uncanny ability to smile in spite of nearly any circumstance should trouble him more than it tended to.
Ruby orbs flickered over Shiusi's shoulder, noticing the entrance of the two Uchiha brothers. "He couldn't say no to Sasuke, could he?" She guessed easily, noticing how absolutely thrilled the smaller raven seemed to be that he was tagging along to train with the three ANBU operatives.
An amused smirk tugged at the oldest member of their team's lips, the sight so natural gracing the pale features, giving her all the answer she really needed. "He really is a big old softie."
"Especially with Sasuke." She agreed easily, taking the hand held out to help her up like the gentleman Shisui always tried to convince his cousin he was.
"He's got quite the soft spot for you, too, ya know." Shisui countered, the amusement in his gaze only growing at the instant rush of red brought to the thirteen year old's cheeks with the remark, even when it earned him a swift punch in the arm. "Ouch, hey, why hit me for telling the truth?" No one was more amusing to tease than Asami, really.
"J- just shut it already!" Her voice was almost a whine as she aimed a glare at him, all intensity lost with the red flush to her cheeks. With a lighthearted chuckle, he placed a hand to her shoulder to lead her along over toward the other two. His smile to falter ever so slightly as he felt her freeze. Charcoal eyes turned to take her in, but it was obvious that her eyes were fixed on Itachi.
"You're worried about him." It wasn't a question. Asami was as transparent as a hole in the wall. A mute nod confirmed his suspicions without much of a fight.
"He's been acting strange."
Yes, strange indeed. But it was best if Asami didn't know of the internal wars going on. With her close ties to both the young heir as well as the village via her position in the ANBU, a good number of people were waiting for her to take sides in a battle she remained completely ignorant of.
A gentle squeeze brought her attention back to him once more, a reassuring smile in place on his lips that he hoped helped ease her worry a little. He knew this wasn't the first time Itachi's behavior had troubled the young Sasaki. "You've got nothing to worry about. This is Itachi we're talking about here, he'll be just fine. He's just trying to balance his duties within the clan with those of an ANBU captain now. Once everything is more settled, he'll be back to his old self again, I guarantee it."
Something about the grin he gave her seemed to lay Asami's fears to rest, a soft smile gracing her lips once more. "You're right, I'm just being paranoid." She relented, scratching the back of her head a little with a sheepish chuckle, finally allowing herself to be lead over to the other two Uchiha.
"Asami!" Sasuke's eyes light up at the sight of the young woman approaching, causing Itachi to look up at her smiling face as well. His little brother had stopped mid-sentence to rush over to the woman's side. Coming from a family known for being emotionally inept- though not always the case, such was the Uchiha stereotype- Sasuke tended to get excited when he saw her since she was always so affectionate with him, something he didn't find many other places at home. He acted like he hated it when she smothered him, but she believed that he could get away from her if he truly wanted to.
"Sasuke, I haven't seen you in so long!" Asami swiftly gathered the boy into her arms as she bent down to his level, no initial acknowledgement for the third member of their former genin team until she'd successfully convinced the child she'd given him cooties. She rose back to her feet, ruffling Sasuke's hair with one hand as ruby eyes turned themselves to his big brother. "You're such a pushover." Was her greeting to him before she released the poor chibi, the younger's hair somehow no messier looking than it had been originally.
Itachi simply gave her a good-natured shrug in reply, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips that he would only ever truly wear around the three present in that training field. "What can I say? He was missing you."
"Was not!" Sasuke's objection was quick, without hesitation, but it was already too late, and he was being smooshed in another hug.
"Aww, Sasuke, I missed you too!" Asami cooed happily, her nightmare seeming all but forgotten, though that didn't keep Shisui from wondering just what it was that had the younger so spooked all the time.
From what he knew of the smiley young shinobi, Asami was perfectly happy with her home life. Though her parents had been killed back when she was a child in the Nine Tails attack, she still had her big brother, who she claimed any chance she found someone willing to listen was one of the most incredible people she knew. She wasn't present when the two brave ninja had met their end, so it couldn't be some kind of trauma from that. For a shinobi, she tended to be rather skittish outside of missions, holding a healthy amount of fear for just about anything rational enough to be afraid of- heights, the dark, blood, and especially being alone. None of that showed out on missions, though, and even he could admit that fact impressed him. There had been no shortage of people skeptical about letting someone so sweet and innocent be part of the ANBU, but she seemed to be coping with all of that rather well, too.
So what was it that had Asami so frightened all the time?
It hadn't escaped his notice the excessive amount of times he'd discovered the youngest member of their makeshift team napping under a tree somewhere. She was exhausted otherwise- was she afraid to sleep at home for some reason? Though Asami seemed a little too old to be afraid of monsters under her bed anymore. She knew as well as they all did that those creatures dwelled within the ranks of the foes they faced. Maybe he was just reading too far into the situation, but come to think of it, neither he nor Itachi had ever met this brother she spoke of like the sun and moon rose with him.
This was hardly the time of place to call the petite teen out on his suspicions, though. They were, after all, just allegations that could very well be way off mark. He didn't want to worry Itachi if he was simply being paranoid. Though he hid it better than an open book like Asami was, it didn't take a genius to recognize that Itachi worried about Asami just as much as the younger did over him- though the same could be said about himself as well.
He didn't have a lot of things in that world to protect, but the three bickering before him were definitely high up on the list of people he would make sure nothing bad ever happened to. None of them deserved any kind of heartache- the world was full of enough of that already.