The light rushed in as Kisame pushed the curtains aside and blinked a few times before turning to the mess of sheets on the hardwood floor. Itachi was sitting up, hugging his knees to his chin, staring into space. His sharingan was glimmering a ruby red.
"Today's the day," Kisame sighed to himself, then said aloud to his partner, "we'll finally get to go on that mission to capture that jinchuuriki, Naruto. After we have taken the Nine-Tailed Fox from inside of him, we will get all kinds of power! Just imagine," Kisame sighed again in the sheer pleasure of the thought.
"Don't forget the true treasure." Startled, and not knowing for sure what he was talking about, Kisame stared at Itachi a few seconds for some hint. When none was shown, he gave up and suddenly remembered something.
He strode over to the door entering the hallway and stuck his head out. "Deidara! Get in here! And bring it with you."
A distant sliding door slammed almost frantically. Kisame turned to Itachi. "We've got a present for you. It was lurking around your courtyard doors last night after you had already gone to bed. It made quite a bit of racket that I'm surprised it didn't disturb you," Kisame said triumphantly.
A soft pit-pat noise eerily echoing in the halls seconds later revealed a flustered Deidara. He quickly began to stutter, "Kisame, it's throwing fits. It's totally out of control, yeah," then he turned to Itachi and pulled out a horrible smirk, "Itachi, you better come. I know you could tame it in an instant."
Itachi's eyes flickered with slight pleasure at the antagonizing sarcasm dripping from Deidara's words and returned to the horrible blankness at his foolishness as he slowly stood up. He got a little laugh whenever Deidara tried to stand up to him or smart off but also became a little agitated with the stupidity that would someday get him killed. "Where is this it?" he drew out irritably. He didn't like it when people called living things it. It's either a he or a she…or it's a plant, as Zetsu reminded him quite frequently.
Deidara didn't seem to notice Itachi's irritation and for that matter didn't care. "It's tied to the outside handle of my courtyard door. Careful, though. It has a tendency to hide and pounce you as you enter the courtyard," Deidara said, rubbing his neck and wincing. "I should know. It did that every time I brought something different from the kitchen. It won't eat anything, yeah."
"Fine, then," Itachi sighed, the irritation in his voice becoming more evident yet still escaping the attention of the other two, "let's go take a look at this it."
While walking in the hallway to Deidara's room, Itachi was curious. "What is it, anyway?" he said flatly.
Kisame side-glanced at Deidara, then to Itachi he said kind of excited with a toothy smile starting to spread, "Let's just say it's an awesome creature. It can howl and fly at the same time!"
Itachi's throat, for the first time in a very long time, tightened with dread. There was only one creature existing that could howl and fly at the same time. And to be quite honest, Itachi wasn't very thrilled about seeing her. "Did she tell you her name?" Itachi asked.
"Uh…no, it's a creature, and—wait! How do you know whether it's a girl or not?!" Deidara screamed in surprise and puzzlement.
Anger rose. Itachi whirled around and got right up in Deidara's face. "You incompetent! Do you not know how to tell a boy from a girl?!" Itachi snapped, then wheeled back around to continue walking.
Deidara seemed taken aback, but replied, snapping as well, "I don't know! Why don't you try to get close enough to find out without getting your head bitten off!!"
Itachi huffed distantly, ignoring Deidara. "I see. So she hasn't revealed her true form yet," he muttered to himself calmly, but the whispers to himself grew venomous, "that sneaky wretch! What does she want?!"
Kisame had never, ever seen Itachi shout at anyone, like he had just done to Deidara, and he'd never seen him mutter to himself or even make angry expressions. He'd always just known the calm, quiet Itachi that never really got angry because he always had everything under control. But something about this time was different. Itachi was not a calm, quiet outcast with serious social issues, he was human. Something was bothering him that was making him freak out, that was making him human.
"Ita—," he was beginning to say when Itachi suddenly dodged the hallway into Deidara's room. Deidara had been sulking the whole way and looked at Kisame, obviously wondering about his sudden serious expression and concerned tone.
They followed him into the messy, cluttered room and Deidara chuckled innocently as Kisame shot him a chastising look. Itachi stopped at the sliding translucent door and the other two peeked around his still figure to see what was making him hesitate. He gripped the handle firmly and slid it open. The brightness of the courtyard made him wince slightly.
He took three cautious steps onto the wooden walkway that connected all of the other doors that led into the courtyard. Glancing around the small, square yard surrounded by the HQ walls, he stood in silence. He observed nothing unusual except for the obvious damage the creature had done to Zetsu's flowers. He turned his gaze from the trampled flowers to the leather strap that had been carefully tied to the outside door handle and pulled tight in the direction of the ground. The strap led over the edge of the walkway and underneath the planks.
A low growl rumbled through the still, silent air. He looked down between two clay-stained boards. Through the crack, a large yellow eye stared back, that familiar anger showing most boldly.
"Hmm. What a pitiful look. Only suited for a pitiful being. I see you are angry for your most…un-warm welcome." He shot a convicting look at Deidara and returned his attention to the yellow eye. "I understand you're not happy and I will change that as soon as possible for the rare sake of chivalry and manners. But I'm going to make it clear from the start: I don't like you. You can think what you like, but you are dirt to me, you filthy little mutt!"
Kisame and Deidara stared at Itachi, not sure what to think. They were completely speechless. Kisame, and Deidara finally understanding, realized that this was not Itachi's nature. This thing, creature, whatever it was, was freaking Itachi out, no matter how much he denied it. They could see the pure terror, astonishment, and…hatred.
Trouble was stirring and the air around Itachi seemed to become more tense and nervous when a scratchy, icy voice replied in malevolence, "Hmm, yourself! I have valuable news that I know you would love to hear, and I offer my service as well. So, I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you, big brother."