Chapter 2: Things are starting to change

Kakashi woke up the next morning to an empty bed and house. Isamu had already left, he didn't even wake up when she left. She was better last night, she didn't wake up screaming or shouting in her sleep but he knew she was having a nightmare. He had woken up to grab a glass of water when he saw her fidgeting in her sleep, that was rare- Isamu slept like the dead, still and unmoving. Sometimes he was scared she was actually dead. He knew the dream was getting worse when he noticed the beads of sweat that was forming on her forehead, he woke up her arm gently but instinctively she grabbed his wrist and took the kunai she kept beside her bed in her hands and had it at his throat in milliseconds.

After that they laid together on her small bed in silence again before Kakashi fell asleep. Kakashi turned around so he was laying on his back and he shield his eyes from the sunlight that shone through the gaps of her blinds. He sighed, covering his body with the blanket and took a deep breath.

Even though Isamu was gone, her scent still lingered: pinecones and lavender was what she smelt like.

A scent that always managed to calm the white haired man.

"Isamu-san," Uchiha Itachi said as the two ANBUs stopped for a small break as they were making their way to Kirigakure. "You look better."

He couldn't see her under her face under her snake mask but before their departure he had seem the dark circles under her eyes starting to fade. Recently with the tensions between his family and the higher ups in Konoha, Isamu felt his stress.

Isamu had always been harsh on him yet kind and ever since he joined he felt a connection with her. She too had joined the ANBU forces when she was young, around the same age he did. The two had now put on their coats with Itachi wearing a black coat and Isamu a white one. She usually wore a black coat and Kakashi, as the squad leader usually wore a white coat- since he wasn't here today she was his temporary replacement.

"Do I?"

"The white coat looks good on you, I heard you rejected another promotion."

"I did, but I hear they want to give you the promotion." She said, moving her mask to the side so she could sip her water.

She had known Itachi since he joined the ANBU, she even trained with him sometimes and because of their similar experience they understood each other. The pain and horrors that came with the shinobi life was something that the two of them bonded over. Itachi looked away, he didn't want to talk about the promotion- he wasn't sure if he would even take it.

"You look uncertain, what's the problem?" Isamu asked. She always knew when he was troubled.

"I… I don't know if I want to take the promotion." He answered as Isamu was putting her water in her bag.

"Why not?"

"I… Being a squad leader… I don't know if I will do a good job and I will be away from Konoha, I won't get to see Sasuke often."

The two started moving and for a while Isamu didn't reply to Itachi but eventually she turned to him as they kept running, "Then don't take it."

"W-what?"

"Ever since I've known you Itachi, you seen dissatisfied with the shinobi life. I can see it in your eyes, you don't like fighting, you don't like war and you clearly are uncomfortable with the tensions between your family and the village. Don't take the promotion if you don't want to Itachi. This is your life, you have to make the right decisions."

"I don't think my father will agree. I think he might go and accept the promotion for me." Itachi said sarcastically and Isamu chuckled. Itachi smiled, it felt good to let go and talk about his worries to Isamu. She was always like an adviser to him, a friend that he could talk to and she could understand his worries. They shared a strong bond and he was glad he could truly be himself around her without her judgement.

"Well, if he does we can always do something terrible to get you demoted." She joked.

"Like what?" Itachi asked, curious to what she had in mind.

"I don't know… trash the Hokage Mountain or replace the sugar with salt so Hokage-sama will have salty coffee in the morning."

He let out a hearty laugh, he had to stop on a tree branch as he held his stomach, "That is just practical jokes not 'something terrible'"

"I don't want to start a rebellion! You know Hokage-sama takes his coffee seriously."

"Yes he does doesn't he? Maybe that will work…"

Isamu chuckled, reaching over to Itachi and patting his back, "Come on, let's go. We should stick to the schedule so you can be home on time, you made a promise to Sasuke right?"

Itachi nodded, smiling at the older teen, "Yeah, let's go."

The two ANBUs ran the entire way only stopping for quick water breaks and they had were ahead of schedule. Isamu and Itachi were known amongst the ANBU to be ruthless during missions, strict with timing and regulations. So when they had been teamed up together along with Kakashi in Team Ro - the 3 most militant ANBUs in a team, it was no wonder no one wanted to team up with them.

Itachi glanced at Isamu who was setting up camp, her body covered with the white coat that stood out in the forest. She was sitting beside the fire for warmth, poking it slightly with a stick as a rabbit cooked over the fire. Her black hair had been let down from a tight bun and had framed her face in loose waves.

"You alright?" she asked when she had noticed him staring at her.

Itachi gave her a smile and a nod before sitting in front of the fire. She usually didn't show her face to anyone, instead she hid behind the mask of the ANBU for most of her life. Most of the ANBUs don't even know what she looked like, all they knew was she had black hair and a pair of fiery red eyes that shone through the holes of her mask. They knew her as 'Sa' and nothing else so it was strange that he knew her real name and her face. For some reason he felt proud that he was one of the few people who knew what she looked like.

"I heard Sasuke's doing well in school."

Itachi nodded as he picked at his food, "Yeah, he's too serious on training… I just want him to be a kid."

"He's probably feeling pressured, your father probably isn't helping either." Isamu said bluntly. She was always like that with him, blunt and honest.

"That is true… There is no more war so father shouldn't treat Sasuke as if he is living through one…"

"Maybe your father is just stressed about the tensions? I heard things aren't very good at the moment."

Isamu glanced at Itachi who tensed up. He tried to show it but Isamu knew him well, she could read him like an open book. He couldn't hide anything from her. The black haired boy looked away, eating the food that Isamu cooked for him thinking she would ask him more questions but she didn't. Instead she got up and patted his shoulder, "I'll take first watch, and you should rest."

"No… I can do it Isamu-san."

"It's alright, don't think I can sleep anyways."

Itachi paused, watching her throw some sand into the fire to calm it down. "Are the nightmares back again?"

"They're here and there, on and off… just sleep, we'll leave in a few hours."

"Okay Isamu-san. I'll see you in the morning."

Itachi pulled his coat closer to his body and tried to get comfortable on the cold ground. The Uchiha felt his eyes close and the coldness of the night lulled him to sleep. Just as his heavy lids were about to close he saw her pull the mask over her face. As he was laying on his side he was watching Isamu who sat with her back facing him as she stared in the dark forest as the darkness of the night lulled him to sleep.

Isamu woke him up when the sun was just pepping through the trees. She had let him sleep through his assigned watch but when he was awake she was dressed and ready to go. The two moved swiftly through the trees at top speed in silence, nothing was said but their mission dawned on both of their minds.

Aoyama Hideaki was a former employee of the Hokage. He was a smart man who knew of many secrets. They had only recently learnt of his betrayal when they found his apartment abandoned. He had once been so prideful of his country, no one knew why he would defect Konoha but now he was a labelled traitor and he had to be eliminated.

Itachi didn't want to kill him. He was a pacifist, he didn't like war and violence but he knew if Hideaki were to spill his secrets Konoha would not be safe. Itachi had his family, especially Sasuke, to think about.

"We'll board the next ship. Come on, get dressed."

Itachi nodded and took off his ANBU gear as Isamu put on her brown contacts to hide her red eyes. When she had her dark brown contacts on, they almost looked like siblings, especially with their identical pitch black hair. Itachi had turned around fully dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and trousers he went to get his cloak but quickly turned around as Isamu started to undress. It was as if she didn't mind undressing in front of Itachi, she had always been frank around the younger boy but he couldn't help it. She was undeniably attractive and soon he felt heat creep up his neck.

"Are you done dressing?" He asked.

"Yeah, you don't have to turn around you know, I'm sure you have seen a woman's body before." She said bluntly.

True, it wasn't Itachi's first time seeing a woman's almost bare body but Isamu was different. He shook the thought from his head and went to get his cloak, swinging it over his body. She was dressed in a similar fashion, wearing a simple navy blue long sleeved shirt and black trousers. The two of them put their clothes in their scroll (a handy trick he learnt from Isamu for light packing) and walked up to the harbour.

This was a common ruse for the two ANBUs. They could pass on as siblings and they often acted like family in order to get people to trust them with information. A pair of brother and sister travelling the world after their parents died often gained sympathy from the people they spoke to leading to trust and 'no questions asked'. They didn't want people to pry.

"Hi sir? We'd like to get on the next ship to Kirigakure please." Isamu asked sweetly, she gave the rugged man a light smile and tilt her head. Itachi had seen her act many times before but each time he was bewildered and amazed at how she was able to drop her normal stoic, slightly sarcastic and blunt personality for one that was approachable and friendly. Hell, he had even seen her flirt her way to information and the 'normal' Isamu never flirt with anyone.

"Ah, we're leaving in a few minutes. That would be 800 ryo each."

Isamu dug into her backpack and handed the man the coins, "Thank you sir! May we have a safe journey."

The older man grinned as he scratched the back of his head. Itachi could see his cheeks getting pink as he look at Isamu, "Why are you two going to Kirigakure? Such a dangerous time for two young people to travel alone."

"We're just travelling, looking for a new home. The war took everything from us but we have to get up on our two feet and walk on!" She said giving the man a smile.

Itachi could feel the man's pity and his curiosity die down. Isamu had told him before when people asked just tell them a fake story, a sad one at that. They wouldn't ask for details and they would be vulnerable. Just like before, the captain didn't ask questions but instead he gave them his condolences and support for Isamu's cheerful and uplifting attitude as they boarded the ship.

"That was good, he believed it."

"Yeah, I knew he would." Isamu said, her cheerful attitude was gone and the 'normal' Isamu was back again and her face was back to being emotionless.

"How?"

"He had a pendant carved with names and dates, I made a guess that it was his wife's and kids names. The dates were around the time the war started so I knew he would believe our story. You should be more observant Itachi."

"I know, but I'm always paired with you so I can rely on you to do the talking."

Isamu took a seat at in the corner of the ship and just like the captain said the ship took off in a few minutes. Isamu tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned back against the hard wood, "Itachi…"

"Hm?"

"I'm not sure if we'll be working together for much longer."

Itachi looked at her curiously, "W-What?"

"The Hokage has told me he wants me transferred to another division."

"Why? What team?"

"I'm not sure but I believe it is the snake division."

"Snake? But that's long term infiltration mission… Why so sudden?"

"There's been a lot of turmoil within many of the clans in Konoha. The Uchiha clan," She said, giving him her first example, "And the Hyuuga clan."

"Is the situation that bad with the Hyuuga clan?"

"Yeah. Hyogo Daisuke, he was formerly known as Hyuuga Daisuke has defected from Konoha during the war. He was missing and disappeared for a few years but he had resurfaced with his own highly secured village. They can't get a team in there and the last time the Hokage tried… he lost Fu."

"Fu? From Team Ka?"

"Yeah. They're trying to come up with a plan but he believes that sending me in will be the only option with the least causalities."

"But you could… get caught."

"I know. But we all have to do things for the village we love, don't we?"

Itachi looked at Isamu who stared at the bright blue sky above her and at that moment Itachi knew what she meant. The situation with his family was getting worse, he was already a double agent for the Hokage and his father.

Isamu's words rang in his mind. They sat in silence for a while as Itachi processed the information that Isamu just told him. She was like a mentor to him, a friend, someone he could confine in. He knew he would eventually had to stop working with her but the thought of that made his stomach churn just a little. He didn't think it would be so soon.

"Don't be afraid to work without me Itachi."

"W-What?"

"Kakashi will take care of you. Don't worry."

"Does Kakashi-san know?"

"No. I haven't told him. I don't know how well he would take it."

"That is true. Didn't he did specifically asked for you to be assigned in his team when he first became an ANBU?"

"Mm. Don't utter a word Itachi. Nothing has been set in stone, the Hokage is still deciding."

"Alright… Isamu-san, you should go to sleep. You didn't sleep last night did you?"

Isamu sighed, "Alright, I'll try. You can have the first watch Itachi."

Itachi nodded as Isamu laid down on her side, using her backpack as a pillow.

Itachi watched as the other passengers mingled with each other, smiling and laughing, some, even dancing to the soft music being played by a small band of travelling musicians. He wondered how his life would be if he was born 'normal', if he wasn't plagued by the responsibility of being an ANBU and an Uchiha.

He wondered how his life would be different if he had a choice to live life as he wanted.

He wondered if he would be the same man he was today.

A/N: Hello~ Thank you for reaching the end of chapter 2! And thank you to those who have followed this story or put it in favourite, it's greatly appreciated! please leave a review!~ I want to see how people are finding the story:) I hope you enjoy reading this and yup, review please~