Chapter Two

Itachi couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say.

"What?! How?!" he managed to splutter eventually. Kairi watched him calmly.

"My family split from the main clan many years ago, before even our great-grandparents were born. They relocated to Mist. They set up their family home there. Although Konoha classed the adults as missing-nin, the children born in Kiri earned the right to train as ninjas in their new home. We kept the clan name and traditions and the Sharingan continued to be passed on to certain individuals."

Itachi continued to stare at her, looking as if he was going to pass out.

"So… We're related?"

"Extremely distantly." Kairi laughed.

"I just can't get my head round it. I thought Sasuke and I were the only ones…"

"Two of four."

"Four!"

"Hai. I have a brother. He's three years older then me."

Silence reigned in the clearing, as he stared at the fire in disbelief.

"I'm going for a walk." Itachi finally grunted, standing up and striding off.

Typical male reaction. Kairi smiled as she watched him go, before hooking her pack over to her and rummaging around for something to eat.

"I think you took it pretty well." Kairi smirked at the blank look on his face. "Considering the circumstances. You kill your clan, leave your village, several years later you come across another relative and find out part of your family moved to Mist."

Itachi just continued walking, deciding not to play her game. They hadn't been on the move long, but he was already wishing he had another partner.

"Do you have to talk so much?" he demanded, shooting her a glare.

"I don't usually. I just have my moments."

"Hn."

Kairi smirked and decided to shut up before he seriously hurt her. They progressed in silence, Kairi fiddling absently with her cloak. Itachi frowned to himself, tilting his head forwards so his hair masked him.

She's so different to me. Not like a Uchiha at all. She's… hyper and talkative. She doesn't control herself. She's the opposite of me. His scowl deepened, before it lifted suddenly. But it feels so right around her…

"You know what they say," Kairi's voice interfered with his line of thought.

"What who says?" Itachi replied, forcing himself to keep his voice level.

"Everyone. Opposites attract."

Itachi stared at her, but her face was devoid of any emotions or thoughts.

"But then again, I may not be that different to you. Well, not as different as you think." She offered him a lop-sided smile and continued walking.

"How do you know my thoughts?" Itachi asked, keeping up beside her.

"I don't know." She replied calmly. "All I know is that I do. I hear them as clearly as I hear you. It's saved my backside more times then I care to remember."

"So you have an ability, but you have no idea how you use it?"

"Hai." She sighed. She dragged a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face.

"That's… impossible." Itachi mused, "Surely you know how to…"

"I don't." Kairi interrupted. "Get the point. I don't. Know. End of. Subject gone." Her eyes scoured the sky, and Itachi noticed that they were scarlet with the Sharingan.

"Touchy subject?" Itachi smirked. She glared at him.

"Shut up." She growled. His smirk widened until it was almost a grin.

"As you command Kairi-san."

"I don't care. If I say we move we move. Your job is to escort me, and my word goes." His voice was panicky.

"As you wish. Let us go then."

Even with his back to them, he could tell whom that voice belonged to.

"Hatake Kakashi." Itachi growled.

"The copy-cat ninja?" Kairi quizzed, shooting him a smirk.

"Hai. But Kakashi has only one Sharingan eye."

"He had it transplanted didn't he?"

"Hai. Sasuke is there too. He can probably use his Sharingan by now."

"He is young." Kairi replied. "He has not the experience to use it effectively."

"Just be careful." Itachi sighed. "We are observing and then killing the mark. The others are not to be harmed too much."

Kairi grunted.

"Takes the fun out of it." She grouched. Itachi shook his head in barely concealed amusement and she grinned at him. They continued watching the group through the trees.

"Haruna Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi. They do put weird teams together now…" Itachi chuckled. Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Unlike you to show emotion 'Tachi. Are you feeling well?"

"Perfect." The dark glint in his eyes made Kairi smile.

"Ah, there's the Itachi I know." She grinned at him. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Itachi smirked. Keeping to their tree cover, they followed Team 7 as they continued on their way.

Sasuke was uncomfortable. He didn't like the prickling feeling on the back of his neck. Like he was being watched.

"Kakashi-sensei." He called quietly. His sensei was immediately beside him.

"Hai?"

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?"

"Hmm. I've had it for quite a while. Keep your eyes open, if they want to attack they'd have done it already."

Sasuke nodded, peering into the trees. He could have sworn he saw a flash of scarlet before the shadows swallowed everything again. He shook himself and hurried on to catch up to the others.

"Careful." Itachi hissed. "He's get better eyesight then you'd think."

Kairi, pinned beneath him, growled softly.

"Get off me."

"You almost gave us away." Itachi let her up anyway; she'd probably damage him in any way possible to save her hair.

"Bastard." She grunted sitting up, twisting Mizu back round to its rightful position on her little finger. He ignored her, watching them out of sight.

"They've picked up on the fact they're being followed."

"Well done baka. You've just noticed?" She now ignored his glares and stood, brushing dust off her cloak and adjusting the high collar.

"We should take the mark out soon. Before they get too close to the next village."

"Getting worried?"

"I'm just sensible." Itachi growled. "I pity whoever got to work with you last and who gets to work with you next."

"Aww, you don't want to keep me then." She grinned at him and stepped out onto the path. "Don't look at me like that."

Itachi showed no sign that he'd heard her and walked past her. Rolling her eyes, Kairi followed him.

"No! No you can't!"

"One, we can and we are. Two it will be all the more painful if you yell and attract attention."

That remark brought the flowing pleas to a halt.

"But we're still going to kill you."

The blade flashed briefly before it was seated deep in the man's chest. Kairi grunted in satisfaction, pulling it from his chest and returning it to the pouch with the others. She glanced up at Itachi who was watching out for any of Team 7.

"Happy?"

"Hn." Came the expected reply. Kairi sighed softly and joined him at his post in a tree. She could quite easily see into the camp and see the three younger members of the team.

"Where's Kakashi?" she murmured. She felt rather than saw Itachi shrug.

"I'm going to look around. Make yourself look inconspicuous Kai. If they bump into you accidentally you might not give us away."

She snorted in reply.

"I've never given us away before."

"Almost." Itachi growled and vanished. Kairi sighed.

"Inconspicuous. Great."

"He's been a long time." Sasuke paced the clearing impatiently.

"Who? Kakashi?" Naruto asked, looking up from his ramen briefly.

"No baka. Our client who hasn't given us his name." Sasuke replied coldly.

"He probably has his reasons." Sakura pointed out.

"I don't care. He's still been too long."

A loud snap and a female voice cursing in a very unfeminine way drew their attention away from their problems. They all drew their knives as a figure stumbled into sight looking extremely disgruntled. Leaves and twigs filled her hair and a rip stretched from her elbow to her shoulder.

"Who the heck are you?"

She looked up in surprise and blinked at them.

"I feel like asking the same."

"Well don't. Just tell us who you and what you're doing here."

"Tut tut. No manners at all." She said, smirking at them. Sasuke growled, and launched himself at her before the others could grab him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out, then stood dumb, staring at the scene before her. No matter what Sasuke attacked the girl with, she fended him off as if he was a mere nuisance to her. And, in all fairness, he was. When he was knocked aside and winded, Sakura almost fell over herself to reach him, knocking Naruto over in the process. Confusion raged in the clearing, as Naruto lay stunned on the ground having been trampled, Sakura was suffocating Sasuke with a huge hug and Kakashi, having just turned up, was just staring at them in disbelief.

"Sakura please let Sasuke breathe, Naruto get up and someone please explain to me what's going on."

"She…" Sakura pointed at where the girl had been and stopped and blinked as the space she had, until recently, occupied.

"There was a girl and she completely kicked Sasuke's butt." Naruto said helpfully, receiving a withering glare from Sasuke. Kakashi looked at him sharply.

"Did she have a black and red cloak? Purple fingernails? Was she wearing a ring?"

"No, no and no." Naruto said cheerfully. "Why?"

"Just wondering." Kakashi replied, walking off.

"Quit sulking. Just 'coz I got to kick his arse and you didn't."

"I'm not sulking, and I wouldn't sulk over that anyway."

Kairi snorted.

"Yeah right." She grunted, focusing on painting only her nails and not the skin around them. "And that's the last time I'm picking off this damned stuff."

"I didn't tell you to."

"You said 'inconspicuous'. How many people out of Akatsuki do you know who wear purple nail varnish? Hmmm?"

"Fair point." Itachi sighed, rubbing his brow.

"Tired eyes?"

"Hn."

"Go to sleep then."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"Shut up."

"Fine."

Kairi finished her last nail and carefully put the pot back in her pack, trying not to smudge the nails she had just painstakingly painted. She glanced across at Itachi who was sitting propped against a tree and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to bed."

"Hn."

Kairi sighed at the lack of response and crawled into the tent, rolling herself up into a blanket and settling down to sleep. Itachi watched her go out of the corner of his eye.

"Good night." He murmured to himself. He let his head fall backwards against the tree, and let himself drift into his thoughts.

Sasuke sat hunched against a tree, scowling heavily. Their client had been murdered, and they hadn't even noticed or gone to look for him. Kakashi had near murdered them. His thoughts wandered to the strange girl. Kakashi had mentioned purple nail varnish and a ring. Didn't his brother have both of those? He frowned. Was it possible Itachi had something to do with it all? He had seen something he thought could be the Sharingan a couple of days back in the trees. It could be him and an accomplice. Though he doubted it. Itachi was more of a solitary person. He sighed and hooked a blanket towards him and curled up beneath it. Things weren't going to plan.