Readers, I am writing one-shots for whoever would like one! Just message me if you are interested and I will get back to you! Also, don't be afraid to ask if I'm familiar with any other animes/manga/tv shows/movies/books etc. because I might be able to write oneshots for things other than Naruto, if you want!
"Orochimaru sensei, who is that boy?" I whispered from beside the man I wanted so dearly to call father, but knowing all the while it was in vain. The pale man smirked and licked his lips with his pointed tongue.
"That is my vessel, Kimiko." He rasped with a wide grin. I nodded, knowing all about the work my master did. I looked at the boy who walked confidently through the halls of the Akatsuki Lair, his red eyes staring only ahead and not at the people he passed. He passed by me and my body shuddered involuntarily as his eyes grazed over me. Orochimaru placed a hand on my shoulder and chuckled.
For so long, I was alone. I wandered aimlessly through towns and woods and desert after my family was destroyed in the wars. I almost starved if it had not been for the man next to me. I owed him everything, and I would give him everything if I could—even my body as a vessel if he had wanted it. I liked to think that he considered me too precious for that when he declined my offer. But sometimes, I get a sinking feeling that he just didn't think I was good enough to be a vessel, or even help with his experiments. I was actually jealous of the people he did experiment on…
"Come, Kimiko." I stumbled ahead to catch up with my master as he walked back to his laboratory located underneath the floors of the Akatsuki home. The only thing I could do was try to prove myself to the man I adored so much. So I watched eagerly for my chance.
I didn't have to wait long for my chance. I hid behind the bushes as I watched in horror as Orochimaru confronted the man with red eyes a few days after his arrival.
"Itachi Uchiha, I will have your body as my vessel!" The words were shouted out but my master did not move. In his slitted eyes, he watched ahead in shock. I looked back and forth at the two and a few seconds later, Orochimaru's hand fell to the ground. I screamed and ran from my hiding spot towards Itachi, kunai in hand.
"No!" I shrieked out with tears in my eyes as I tried to stab the new Akatsuki member in the gut. He easily dodges. I skidded to a stop in front of my master.
"Sensei!" I turned my head slightly to check the damage. But he was gone. Before I could even turn back around to face my now enemy, I felt a painful thump on the back of my head and I could no longer see anything but red and black spots.
It had been so easy for Orochimaru-sensei to drop me like a weight off his back. He left me with his enemy to do as the boy pleased. I could have died, and that would not have mattered to my father figure. I wanted to believe it was a mistake. I knew he did love deep down, and that all he did was for the good of humanity… That's what I thought.
I didn't know what to believe anymore.
The leader of the Akatsuki was a generous man. Pein allowed me to stay with the rest of the members and keep training as I had before. But I was strictly not allowed to go out on my own. Like I had a reason to anymore. I was fourteen, yet I had no friends, no family, no father…
I was alone.
Itachi spared me, and I was grateful, albeit grudgingly. I could not stand to look at him in the weeks after the short but deadly fight I witnessed and recklessly barged into. Every time I saw him in the Lair, I ducked into another hall or room. I could not face him.
I folded the blindfold over my eyes and breathed in deep. My black hair was tied back in a tight knot. I threw off my Akatsuki cloak, letting it fall into the dirt of the arena.
Breathe. In. Out.
The chakra flowed from my fingers and into the double-edged chakra holding halberd. I stretched my stance and breathed out one final time. I swung my foot around and twisted. My body twirled faster and faster until I knew all that could be seen was a blur.
With the blindfold on, I could see nothing, only feel the air around me conforming to my power. I raised my arms up, spinning the halberd along with the motion of my body. I felt, not saw, the flames burst from the edges of my weapon and streak around with the air.
I focused on the layout of the arena and ran at my nearest, most deadly object—The venomous dart machine to my left. I slid underneath the first range of shots and swung my weapon out, breaking the machine in one fell swoop. I went on to the next few, taking them all out with ease, where once I would have struggled. One the last, I had to pause mid-swing when I felt the presence of someone else's chakra. My pause caused the arrow to shoot through my side and I sucked in a breath through my teeth.
After dispelling my chakra, I snatched off the blindfold and glared around at whoever disturbed my training.
"Oh, sorry, Kimi!" Deidara grinned at me from behind my last target. I scowled at him and threw my halberd at his head. He ducked, laughter in his eyes. I looked down at my side to see blood soaking into my white tanktop and a hole in the shirt through and through. The arrow only skimmed my ribs.
"What do you want, you jerk?" I pouted as my fellow Akatsuki member came over to assist me in bandaging my wound. I swatted him away when he tried to lift up my shirt to "help".
"I just came to see how my favorite girl was doing, yeah!" We both stood and started walking back to the lair.
"I'm the only girl, you numbskull."
"Exactly! So I don't have much choice, but you're still my favorite." The boy laughed out as I rolled my eyes.
I'd been here independently for four years, and I was thriving. I was the life of the organization with all but one. Well, two if you counted Kisame. We didn't really see eye to eye since his partner was also the man I had to hate.
But now, I was second guessing my ideas from years before. Itachi… the boy who drove my whole life into chaos again. There was something about him that drew me to him, despite my efforts to ignore it. I shook off the thoughts, yet again.
"Kimi is here, senpai! Let's go have fun now!" Tobi bounced in front of us. I watched—up and down and up and down—with my eyebrow raised.
"Tobi, you are so damn annoying, yeah!" Deidara glared at the man in the orange mask until I stepped between the two and wrapped my arm over their shoulders.
"What are we playing?" I smiled at them, loving that these men looked to me as a friend. It had taken me a long time, but I finally came to understand that this was more my home than any other place in this world. It had to be. It was all I had. I made the best of it, though.
"We're off to collect more tailed beasts, un. That's what I came to tell you in the arena. Didn't want you getting lonely and all that," the blonde smirked at me and pushed me to the side a little with my arm still around him. Tobi pushed from the other side, and then I was suddenly in a shoving match between the two. I gritted my teeth and punched them both in the head.
"Idiots!" I skipped through to the front of our building, almost running straight into the dark and mysterious boy at the entrance to our home. Deidara and Tobi snickered at me, seeing me skid to a halt and fall back on my ass. I shot them both a glare but stayed silent.
Itachi turned around and glanced down at me. His red eyes watched me carefully. I was fully planning on getting up, but those eyes captivated me and held me in my place. Fear shot through me as I thought he must have me trapped in his Mangyeko Sharingan, but then I realized it was only my heart and emotions that held me still.
"Kimiko," the man my age reached out a hand for me. I reluctantly took it. He lifted me to my feet easily. The other men's laughter abruptly stopped as they watched us. I stood, still staring into the eyes of my "enemy" with my heart pounding in my ears.
"Thank you," I whispered belatedly, averting my gaze down to my feet. I don't understand! In my mind, I still wanted to hate him. Yet, my body would not allow it! It made no sense.
I took a few steps back, then jogged away to send my fellow members off on their journey. When I turned around, Itachi was still standing at the entrance, looking at what seemed to be nothing. I followed his gaze to see the trees stretching out, blooming in the spring. Petals blew in the wind, catching its torrents and drifting away from us into the river further into the woods.
"I will not stop you if you want to avenge your, uh… sensei." The man did not take his eyes off the drifting petals as he spoke, so it took me off-guard.
"I…" I didn't know what to say. "I can see reason now. I know what you did was in self-defense." I did know that but I was not happy about acknowledging it. It meant that I had to acknowledge I was wrong. And that what I prayed for for so long with Orochimaru was just a waste.
"Do you still care for him?" The question was yet again out of place, and really none of his business. I frown, about to say so, but when I bring my eyes back to him I stop.
"It's not easy to let go of the only figure who stood by your side for so long. He saved my life, and I will always be grateful, just as I am grateful that you did not fight me. But to answer your question… no. I care for his memory. And I understand why he did everything. I just wish there had been another way about it. No, I do not still care for him." After my long winded speech, I felt in my chest a weightlessness. All that I said was true, though I had never admitted it before. It made me feel truly free for the first time. It made me smile. And I bestowed it upon Itachi. Emotion flickered on his face and I grasped at it desperately.
"Itachi, why do you hide your feelings? I cannot believe that you emotionlessly killed all your people, your family…" that emotion sparked at the word family, and I knew I had him. The softest spot in someone's spirit was the story of their family.
"Believe what you want. I will not stop you." He turned to leave, but not before catching my brown eyes and holding them with his penetrating gaze. It was like he could see straight through me. But, I could see into him as well. The hurt, the guilt, the resignation. It was so profound that I gasped and took an involuntary step forward so that I could console him and his pain. I reached out and my fingers brushed his cheek. His eyes widened and quickly he moved away, disappearing into a corridor and erasing himself from the scene.
I did not pursue Itachi, though my heart went out to him. When we bumped into each other in the hall or when we went to eat, I greeted him with a friendly smile. He always nodded back.
"What's the deal with you and Itachi?" Deidara grumbled one day through a mouthful of food. I'd been trying to make everyone sit and eat as one, but it was not an easy task. Only Deidara and Tobi usually stayed long enough to have a decent conversation. Today, Tobi was gone on a solitary mission. I could not even imagination what Tobi could manage to achieve on his own.
"N-nothing! Why?" I felt the blush come into my cheeks even as I said it. Deidara saw and his uncovered blue eye looked up to the ceiling in exasperation.
"It's obvious there's something going on between you, un. Just spit it out!" I ignored him and chomped down on my food until my cheeks were bursting to their limit.
"Ish nuffing, I shwear." I tried to say through the food, a few bits coming out with the words. The blonde made a disgusted face but waited for me to chew and swallow.
"If it's nothing, then why are you acting so weird about it, huh?" And I stuffed my face again. Eventually, he just took the plate away from me.
"I don't know what to tell you, Deidara. I thought I hated Itachi, but there's just… something about him."
"Yeah, he murdered his clan and parents. And he's always so silent. He's a creep." Deidara huffed, his eyes looking off to the side like he was pouting. I gave him a hard glare for that.
"Dei, I know he had to have a reason. And he's probably only quiet because he's not stupid like you with your big mouth getting you into trouble all the time!" For good measure, I smacked the man upside the head. His pout grew more profound. "I-I just feel connected to Itachi. I can't explain why." I said after a minute of silence.
"I don't like it." That's all my friend grumbled before getting up and walking out, leaving me to sit at the table by myself, pondering on my own words.
"You are very perceptive." His voice startled me so much that I tripped out of my chair, knocking it to the floor. He caught me before I could fall once again in his presence.
"Um, how long were you there?" My heart hammered in my chest as I righted myself on my feet.
"Long enough." Itachi leaned down, his face inching closer to mine, his hand reaching out. I scrunched my eyes closed. I felt him brush my cheek and opened my eyes to look at what he was doing. He had brushed off some of the food I'd managed to spew out. I could see the tiniest glimmer of a smile come out from the corner of his mouth.
"I-um- ahhh…." I stuttered back into silence, thoroughly embarrassed by my reaction but not able to take it back now.
"I feel the urge to protect you, Kimiko. Against Orochimaru, against Deidara, against myself…" his words even seemed to shock him as he said them because he let go of me, where he'd still been holding onto my back, and moved his hand away from my cheek. Before I could swallow my courage, I grabbed his retreating hand and pressed it fully onto my cheek, my hand over his own.
Without saying another word, he leaned down and, still cupping my cheek, captured my lips in a kiss. My heart picked up its tempo and my knees went weak. He pulled me closer, an arm wrapping around my lower back, keeping me from swooning. His soft lips opened over mine and his tongue slipped into my mouth. I relished the feeling stirring in my stomach and joined along the dance of Itachi's tongue. His arms tightened, his hand sliding from my cheek down to my neck to pull my face closer, deepening the kiss.
"Oooh, Kimi is playing with Itachi, hehehehe!" Tobi shouted out and laughed gleefully, bouncing up and down as always. Itachi broke away from my lips and stepped back quickly, reforming his emotionless façade. I saw Tobi and Deidara and Kisame all staring at us from the doorway. But I didn't pay attention to them; my mind was more on the façade Itachi played. It angered me.
"This game you play is tiring, Itachi." I ground out through clenched teeth and walked briskly from the room, leaving everyone speechless—except Tobi. He was in the process of spreading "the news."
I stalked into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. A shadow stood in the corner.
"Ugh, what, Itachi? Is this your way of protecting me from yourself, hiding away how you really feel?" I shouted, grabbing the closest thing to me. It was a book. I threw it at him. He merely swiped it out of the air and walked towards me.
His lips were on mine before I saw it coming. All my anger disappeared as he pinned me against the wall and let his tongue take dominance again. I moaned out when his hand glided down to my side, and he leaned closer.
"Kimiko, you're so cute." He spoke but even though we weren't kissing, my brain wasn't back to the present.
"Huh…?" I blinked away the sensual glaze from my eyes to see the man smiling broadly. I'd never imagined how astounding it would look. It took my breath away.
"You are everything I feel I don't deserve. But I want you by my side so I can look after you always." His smile was radiating and my knees were swooning again.
"Uh-huh.." I nodded dumbly, grinning like an idiot. He was being romantic and sweet and that was all I could say? "I knew you had it in you." I swallowed and gave him a wink and nudge. He just gave a husky laugh and ruffled my hair. He leaned down and took my lips in his again.
"Only for you." And so I soon found out that I was right, of course, about Itachi's motives against his clan. I knew it all along. And though, I did have to endure the façade of the black haired man in front of others, but at the end of the day, I could still be at the side of my Itachi. And I loved every minute of it.