A/N: The beginnings of Itachi and Natsuko, whose ship name is Lightning Sharingan.
I have to educate myself more on Naruto, as I used to watch it when I was young, but stopped for some reason. Off to buying all 70 volumes... someday soon!
I brainstormed about Natsuko with my amazing friend, RamenEnthusiast22, so check him out! He doesn't have anything posted, but he's a pretty cool dude.
Constructive criticism is appreciated and encouraged.
Enjoy!
The Beginning
"What is that?"
Itachi looks towards his comrades and they move their heads towards movement in the forest. Readying his battle stance, the Uchiha stares at the rustling bushes until a girl pops out from among them. She sports lemon-green hair, amber eyes, and clothes torn from what the boy guesses is months of travel.
What gets him, however, is the fear and suspicion lurking in her depths. Her tiny hands grip her thin arms and she shivers when her eyes look upon his group. She moves back towards the forest, yet when his fellow ninjas move to attack, he puts his hand out. "Stop," Itachi commands, and they do so with bated breath.
He moves towards her and grips her arm before she can move away. Itachi feels a shred of shock pass through his system when he notices she's bone and not much else, yet there's something else as well. He feels a great power within this girl, lurking in the depths of her chakra, but subdued somehow.
"What's your name?" he asks, giving a little smile when the child looks at him with a fearful expression. "We won't hurt you."
"I..." She pauses. "Natsuko."
"Natsuko, hm? Summer child..." Itachi moves his hand to grip her shoulder; just like her arm, it's bone and barely any substance to it. "I am Itachi. Would you like to come with us, perhaps?"
"What are you saying?!" one of the ninjas on his team exclaims, causing Natsuko to reel back in terror. Itachi grounds her with a steady hand and glares at the one who rose his voice. "This child is a castaway from her own village, it is obvious. We should leave her here; who knows what caused her to be banished in the first place."
"Do you remember?" Itachi turns to Natsuko and moves her face towards him, just realizing the bruises and dried blood on her countenance. She bites her lip, shaking her head wildly back and forth, and the young ninja turns towards the others. "She cannot be much of a threat if she has no memory, wouldn't you say?"
"B-But-"
"But nothing. I'm taking her with me, and you'd do well not to fight on it," Itachi says with venom coating his words. His comrades nod in turn and the boy takes Natsuko's hand, pulling her up. "My clan is the Uchiha's. This mission needs to be finished, but I'll take you there after. Stay by my side during this, all right?"
The young girl nods and grasps Itachi's arm, eyes darting about wildly. He smiles wanly. Such a poor child.
-v-
After the mission is over, Itachi keeps his promise and takes her to his village. He knew his clan wouldn't take well to an outsider, and what happened is what he expected; they held her up in a house a little ways away.
He leaves each day to see the girl, either to bring her food or do a little training with her, as he can see the potential lurking deep within her being. She's clumsy at first, but learns more as the months go by, and eventually, she can fight on her own with hardly any guidance. It makes the Uchiha proud of what Natsuko accomplished, yet the power he senses with her has yet to awake.
"Um," she says one night as they look at the stars. Itachi turns his head towards her and gives a nod to say continue. "Thank you."
"For?" he questions.
"Saving me that day," Natsuko clarifies, flicking her eyes towards him and giving him a grin. "Without you, I'm sure I would have died."
Itachi shrugs. "I couldn't leave someone innocent to perish in the world."
"Is that all it is?"
He raises a brow at her, curiosity brewing in his bones. "What do you mean?"
"I... know I'm still a child. So are you, in a sense." Even in the darkness, Itachi has an idea she's blushing. "But I... I have no memories of my past, so maybe I'm wrong..." Natsuko moves closer, curling her head under his chin and wrapping her arms around him. Itachi's eyes widen a fraction, but he envelops her in his arms and waits for her to continue. "I care about you, Itachi, way more than I think I should."
"Natsuko?"
"It hurts... to think of a world where you die or leave me behind. That's why I want to become stronger, so I can protect you, just as you protected me." The girl presses her lips to the underside of the Uchiha's chin, causing Itachi to blink and flush slightly. "Please let me stay with you."
He wraps his arms tighter around his friend and bestows a kiss upon her hair. "For as long as I live."
-v-
The massacre is over. Sasuke hates him and he'll be condemned when his little brother becomes strong enough to end his life. Until then-...
There's a loud crash and Itachi's eyes flick towards where Natsuko is being held. Lightning crackles the trees and a wolf howls at the moon before dissipating. Could that be...? It's impossible. Itachi knows of only ten jinchuriki, none of which are a lightning wolf.
He runs towards the area, but stops dead in his tracks when he sees the damage. It was total carnage, and in the middle, Natsuko's there, curled in a little ball and crying out in confusion.
It doesn't take much for his feet to move towards Natsuko and wrap her in his arms, so similar to the time when she confessed she felt more towards him than what is normal for friends. She cries out in his shirt and her tears stain the fabric, small hands gripping his arms in what Itachi guesses is an attempt to ground herself to the real world.
"Natsu," he calls, hoping his nickname for her will snap her out of her waking nightmare. "Natsu, Natsu, Natsu."
"I-Itachi..." she whines, the sound not unlike a wounded animal. She presses her face against his neck and wails, causing the man to grit his teeth and hold her tighter. "What... what did I do?"
"Your power," the Uchiha murmurs, causing her look at him with bloodshot eyes. "It's awakened."
Natsuko curls deeper in his body, almost as if she's trying to merge with him, and whimpers.
Itachi kisses her hair and massages her shoulders, vowing from now on to teach the wielder of the lightning wolf to use it properly.
He never wants to see her this way again.
TBC...?