The forest was still in the morning air, dew blanketed the underbrush from the night before, raindrops slipping from leaves from a light sprinkle.
Ragged breathing cut through the stillness, a girl was limping through a thick over grown trail. She was wearing a dark blue causal kimono, her hair messy and entwined with twigs and bits of leaves. Her shoes were gone, long gone in fact.
Blood dripped from her side, she pressed on it heavily, her eyes drooping wearily. She collapsed then and started to crawl on her knees, ignoring any stray pebble she happened to cross. She broke through the small forest to a path leading away from her home. She fell down, exhaustion finally consuming her, hidden by a large rose bush growing wildly out of place.
She closed her gray eyes, thankful that she was to tired and worn out to dream, for she would have nightmares.
An hour passed and the sun finally peeked over head, staring down at the teen. A cart rattled by, lead by a fat donkey.
"Daddy look!" A little girl pointed at the girl asleep by the rose bush. "What and odd rose!" The little girl added.
The man leading the cart wrenched on the reins, his donkey heehawing impatiently.
"She's bleeding!" He gasped and ran to the girl. He drug her out away from the rose bush, and turned her over. Her skin was deftly pale, almost paper white, her lips a faint purple. But she was alive, barely. The man lay her gently on the back of the cart, his daughter observing the girl curiously.
"We need to take her back into town!" The man said and the cart wrenched forward now at top speed. "Hold a blanket or towel to her side tightly!" The man ordered. The girl obeyed and wrapped the other girl up tightly. The cart arrived in the small town a few minuets later, the man picked up the dying girl and rushed her to the town medic.
Hours later she was wrapped up in bandages, her breathing becoming more stable, and the color returning to her lips. She was wearing a fresh kimono borrowed from a girl in the town her age.
"Akio-san, look at this." The medic said. In his hands was the girl's old kimono, on the back was a simple design. A fan, with a red top and white bottom.
"But they were all killed." The man, Akio, whispered. They glanced down at the girl, who was now snoozing peacefully.
"Apparently not, should we inform Konoha?" The medic asked.
"We'll wait until she wakes up, and see from there." Akio said.
The man stared at me with blood red eyes, so fueled with hate.
His katana was coated with blood, so much so, she doubted it was even white anymore. She drifted off, glad for once she had been ANBU and now it was paying off. It worked, he thought she was dead.
Some one cried out far away, and the monster looked up and moved toward the person.
'Don't hurt...him.' She thought as she went under.
She woke up hours later, it was still dark out, and her side hurt. She got up and looked around, deserted. The other bodies were gone, she had been moved, hidden oddly under a few thick red fern bushes. She made her way to the forest, she had to get out, away from the monster.
Away. She blinked as silent tears ran down her face, why would he do such a thing? To his own family, to her-?
Four Years Later
The dead are supposed to stay dead, not walk around like nothing was wrong.
That's what Moriko thought. Riko for short.
She lived in a small village outside of Konoha her whole life, she had been adopted by her father Akio and had a younger sister Fumiko. Her adoptive mother died long ago.
She had long night black hair she usually kept up in a pony tail, her bangs framing her heart shaped face with light gray eyes. She was 18 or so. She wasn't married yet, in fact her whole life she was terrified of having any romantic relationships. She wasn't afraid of boys, but the closeness.
"Riko-chan, are we going yet?" Fumiko, now almost ten, pestered her. They were going to Konoha to buy her a new formal kimono, the energetic Fumiko ripped her original beyond repair in a fit of rage.
"Yes, alright." Moriko said. They said goodbye to their father, Moriko's purse hung loosely on a string like belt on her waist, Fumiko chatting happily, chasing the occasional butterfly. It would take them a good hour or so to reach Konoha on foot, Moriko looked up at the sun, it shone brightly that day, and she had a sudden vision.
A boy her age with long hair sat next to her, he was smiling oddly and the two kissed. She blinked, back to reality. She always had those strange visions. Like flashes from another life.
"Are you OK Riko-chan?" Fumiko asked. Moriko shook her head.
"Yes, just a thought." Moriko smiled at her sister.
Line Break
Itachi Uchiha brought the cup of tea to his lips slowly and took a sip.
Kisame was next to him as they sat in the mildly busy tea shop. A group of jonin walked in, Kakashi among them. The copy-nin noticed the robes of black with scarlet clouds and narrowed his eyes. People generally feared these robes, being the infamous uniforms for traitors.
The jonin sat behind the two Akatsuki, their identities hidden from their straw hats.
"Let's go, we have a mission." Itachi murmured to his partner, the two paid for their meal and left like silent phantoms.
"Somethings wrong." Kakashi said, his eyes following the two.
"Aw, calm down Kakashi, their not harming anyone!" Asuma waved it off.
'Yet.' Kakashi added in his head.
Out in the streets, Itachi and Kisame made their way to the hospital, Itachi asking in the village he secretly still loved. It hadn't changed at all in the years he had left.
A little girl ran by them laughing, her brown hair pulled back into pigtails.
"Fumiko!" Her older sister ran by her, barely brushing against Itachi. He stiffened, his body suddenly electrified. The girl weaved in and out of the crowd easily, barely hitting anyone, and caught her little sister, who was now giggling. A few people passing by smiled at her innocence.
"Did I scare you Riko-chan?" The little girl, Fumiko laughed. Riko. That name stirred up a ghost inside him, it was a familiar name to one he would always know. There was a faint chakra signature to the girl Riko, as if it had not been used in a long time. A failed ninja perhaps? Riko turned around and glanced at the two men, her eyes light gray, hair dark black.
He knew that girl. It was her.
But he had killed her.
"Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, perplexed as to why Itachi was as still as a statue.
"Let's go." Itachi said, and the two continued to walk toward the hospital to their target.
Moriko couldn't shake the image of the man away. He was wearing a long black cloak with red clouds, his head covered by a straw hat. He had a friend similarly dressed with him, but she could almost guess what he looked like if he took off his hat.
She tried not to dwell on it, fear rose inside her quickly when she thought of his would be coal eyes. She left the city with a small paper bag, Fumiko's new kimono folded neatly inside.
"Did you see those scary men, one was staring at you!" Fumiko said, skipping along.
"Yes, but his face was covered, how could you tell?" Moriko smiled kindly, a little irked.
"I could just tell!" Fumiko said, puffing out her chest.
Across the city, as the two stepped outside the gates, Itachi and Kisame where fleeing the hospital.
'He's well guarded, more than I thought.' Itachi thought as he glided over buildings, Kisame at his heels. He had to see one more thing. He picked up on the girl, Moriko's, chakra. She was leaving the city, exactly where Itachi was heading. Convenient? Divine Intervention? Possible.
They easily escaped Konoha, and landed in front of a stunned Moriko. Kisame followed silently, he preferred not to ask. The girl looked like Itachi strangely, but there were subtle and obvious changes. She had light gray eyes, her hair the slightest hint of brown to it, her nose smaller and pointed up, eyes wide with borrowed innocence.
"Hey! It's them!" Fumiko said, not even afraid. Moriko's hand shot out in front of Fumiko protectively.
"Stay back." Moriko said, trying to muster any courage at all.
"What is your name?" The shorter of the two asked, Itachi.
Just then, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai arrived in the blink of an eye.
"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Kakashi hissed. Moriko stumbled back a bit, still in a protective stance. The silver haired jonin turned his face to look at the two pedestrians, and his exposed eye widened.
"You, but your-" He breathed, recognizing the girl. But she was supposed to be dead. They never found her body and many pondered what had happened, but her blood had been found, she had lost allot of it, to much to survive as the medics put it. The two men removed their hats and the shorter one pulled his right hand out of his robe to rest on the zipper. The other one was monster like, almost a shark, Fumiko whimpered to herself.
Itachi locked eyes with Moriko, and she felt a recognition. He had been in her dreams for the past eight months, staring down at her with blood red eyes, her reason for fearing men oddly.
"You, what is your name?" Kakashi asked Moriko.
"She's Riko-chan!" Fumiko piped up.
"Moriko." She added in a whisper. Kakashi shook his head.
The shark-man, Kisame, took out the sword on his back and slammed it down, bearing his teeth. The ninja started to fight and Moriko held Fumiko back, who was staring at them wide-eyes. She felt protective for the red-eyed man for some reason, she itched to jump in and round house kick the other ninja's away. She shook her head and something flashed in her head.
"Could you ever forgive me?" A boy asked her age, he was the one fighting now, but his eyes softer, leaning toward her, the two perched on top of a large mountain with faces carved into it.
"Of coarse Itachi-kun." She whispered stroking his hair like a lover to lover. He kissed her softly, then roughly, panicked. He pulled away, sorrow painted heavily on his features. "What's wrong!" She asked.
"Thank you, Rei." He breathed.
Moriko opened her eyes and the fighting was over, Itachi was it, looked at her once more, and disappeared along with his comrade in a swarm of ravens.
"Miss Moriko, you need to come with us." Kakashi turned to Moriko.
"No, I need to go home, and get away from this crazy place." Moriko stood up, Fumiko bouncing up and down next to her. Kurenai looked at her curiously, Asuma was stone faced.
"We believe you may be Rei Uchiha, she was reported dead after the Uchiha Massacre, but her body was never found, only her blood. She was the lover of Itachi Uchiha, and frankly, you look identical to her." Kakashi said.
"I remember we found you bleeding to death in the forest a few miles away from here!" Fumiko blurted out.
"I believe the Hokage should deal with this." Asuma said.
The girl they found woke up days later, asking for water and food. She seemed to have amnesia, not really remembering her name or origins.
"We found you in the forest bleeding to death, could you remember why you where there?" Akio asked.
"Forest. Moriko. That's my name." Moriko said, smiling dumbly. Akio exchanged looks with the medic and other town officials.
"Alright Moriko, we need to talk in private." One said and the men shuffled out as Moriko started to drink.
"What do you think?" The medic asked, all turning to Akio.
"She obviously doesn't remember her family, maybe the shock from the murders has cause her to loose her memory." Akio said. "She can stay with me and my family until she is okay to go back to Konoha." He added.
"What if she isn't an Uchiha?" One added dumbly. Everyone looked at him with narrowed eyes and he shrunk away.
"Moriko, how would you like to stay with me and my family? I have a young daughter Fumiko who would love to meet you." Akio returned and rest his hand on her shoulder. She shrunk away involuntarily.
"OK." She added lifelessly.
"If she is Rei, she obviously does not remember." Tsunade rubbed her temples, seriously, this was obvious stuff. Moriko stood in the office awkwardly, Fumiko was outside being watched by a strange pink-haired girl.
Sasuke Uchiha was called in and staring hardly at Moriko, which was freaking her out. She definitely was Rei, but did not have the right attitude. Rei was sarcastic and witty, but also nice and kind. She was polite to her elders, and even once told him that one day he could surpass Itachi.
"You could speak to my adoptive father, Akio, he lives in the village not to far from here where I live with my sister." Moriko added, her voice faint and soft, obviously intimidated by the ninja's.
"Do you remember anything from the time you were not with this Akio?" Tsunade asked, wishing she could take a shot right now.
"Not really, just flashes of images and colors." Moriko shrugged, she never put much attention to her past, cause frankly it didn't bother her.
"Alright." Tsunade nodded to two silent ANBU in the back who disappeared in quick flashes, this irked Moriko, did they ever use doors? "Step out side please? We need to speak in private." Tsunade said. Moriko nodded and ghosted out of the room to join her sister, the pink-haired girl smiled at her politely.
"She has a chakra system." Kakashi said.
"It's exactly like Rei's. It is Rei's." Sasuke added.
"I know, I felt it to." Tsunade growled. Asume and Kurenai exchanged a quick glance.
"YOU CALLED ME OH YOUTHFUL HOKAGE-SAMA!" Gai appeared grandly, striking his infamous pose.
"Yes, how is Naruto doing?" Tsunade asked, not one to forget the attack on him in light of this new discovery.
"Fine! He is blessed with YOUTH!" Gai boomed proudly.
Outside, Moriko stared at the wall, as still as death. Akio would not have lied to her, would he? She looked around the hall way and had a memory flash, her, walking down it in full Anbu uniform, a scroll clenched in her hand, humming to herself.
Moriko shook the memory away, not keen to take another journey down memory lane again today. Look at the mess she was in now.
"Riko-chan! You forgot my dress!" Fumiko blurted out, nearly falling off her seat.
Miles and miles away, Itachi was flying over tree branches at top speed.
Was that Rei? It couldn't be, he heard her heart stop that fateful night, saw the life leave her eyes. She had been a hunter-nin, she probably used a jutsu to feign death at the last minute, but he would have seen it!
His foot missed a branch and he almost went tumbling down, but instead stumbled his way back into pace.
"Are you okay today Itachi?" Kisame called, perplexed as to why Itachi was acting so strangely.
"Fine." Itachi said in his signature monotone voice.
He was still haunted by his own past, by Rei, who he killed in cold blood.
OH MI GAWD MAI HANDS HURT
so many...so long... :O
lol once i started i could not stop...anywho
this idea has been going around in my head for a while, but I usually scrap it, cause, OC story fics are in my opinion, horrible.
sadly, we have yet to learn the identity of Itachi's lover, so i had to make it up...yes, i was inspired to write this after learning
itachi had a lover, murders need love too D:
so let me know what ya'll think, ill probably continue, prob not, this is just supposed to be a one chappie, oh mi gawd my imagination is reeling, thing,
i still have two other stories i need to finish :3
so, review, point out any mistakes, constructed criticism is always welcome, but be nice :D no meanies pls...and flames will be laughed at