AN: I'm so sad! I only had one review and about one hundred hits. But still here's the next chapter.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Go get Konan-chan," imposing stature and deep dark eyes had the blue-haired man staring at the newcomer.
"Itachi, she's not in any trouble!"
"Go get Konan-chan," his tone was not to be argued with. "Go Suigetsu!" he barked just as I collapsed.
"Aniki," it was barely a whisper but I knew he heard me.
"Come on let's get you out of this outfit." he herded me towards the room we shared where he proceeded to take off the full body suit I had been wearing for the infiltration.
"Where's Kyuu?"
"I had him stay with Deidara," he told me as he had me sit down on the bed in my underwear. "I know you wouldn't have wanted him to see you like this." he inspected the wounds on my left side.
"They're gone aniki," I hissed when he poked the shrapnels of bone stuck in my body. "I had to kill them," I told him. "He did horrible things to them." I was crying by then. "He made them look like monsters."
"I know Rumi-chan," he said, cupping my face to look into my watery blue eyes. "We know where he is. We will get him but you have to get your strength back."
"I'll kill him." I repeated over and over again. "I'll kill him."
"I know you will," he kissed my forehead just as our blue-haired medic entered the room. "I know you will." there was a sudden prick on my arm and then I was off into dreamland.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
They stared at her sleeping form, Itachi's gaze roaming over the bruises and scratches on her tan skin. It had taken an hour before Konan could remove the bone stuck in her abdomen but she was successful in her endeavor to take them out.
"She's fine Itachi, she's a strong young woman."
"She had to kill Juugo and Kimimaro," he informed their group's medic. "She had to take her own 'brothers' out because they asked her to."
"Itachi~"
"That snake has done too much to her and yet she strives to kill him." he sighed deeply. "Other people would just give up and hide, pray that he won't find them again."
"Narumi doesn't have that luxury." Konan reminded him. "Kyuu's only five and he doesn't even know what's going on. She wants to protect him the way she couldn't protect the rest of their family. It's nothing different from what you're doing to protect Sasuke."
"At least she's succeeding," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Sasuke has joined the very organization I had been hoping to keep him away from."
"Because you didn't tell him what you were doing."
"I know that. How long before Kyuu decides to do that very same thing? If something happens and Rumi needs to kill Kyuu I know she won't."
"He has a long way to go before he could even think that way," she placed a hand on his shoulder as she rose from the bed. "She'll wake up in a few hours with a migraine and she would be sore all over so I suggest keeping her in bed for two days at least. I'll come check on her later."
"Thank you Konan-chan," he didn't look at her, just continued to stare at the wall across from him.
"Get some rest Itachi," she all but ordered as she stepped out of the room.
"Aniki?" red slitted eyes peeked through the slightly ajar door, their owner hesitant to enter the room.
"Kyuu, where's Dei-chan?"
"Nee-chan fell asleep," he said as he stepped into the room. "Is Narumi-nee alright?"
"She's fine," Itachi told him as he motioned for the boy to close the door and come to him.
"What happened to her?" he was pulled onto his older brother's lap, inquisitive ruby orbs meeting contemplative onyx.
"She got a little hurt on her last mission."
"Aniki, what does she do?"
"She doesn't want you to know yet."
"But I wanna know!" the pout and the whine reminded him that he was only talking to a young boy.
"Why don't you sleep with us tonight? I'm sure she'd like you to be here in the morning."
"Are you sure?" he brightened considerably. He hadn't slept with them in what seemed like a long time because nee-chan always had missions and she didn't want him to see her when she got back.
"Of course," Itachi's soft smile of reassurance was all it took for the boy to believe him. "I'll check on Dei-chan then I'll come back alright?"
"Okay!" Kyuu chirped as he scrambled off Itachi's lap and onto the bed.
"Stay on the right side," Itachi said as the redheaded boy slipped under the blanket to snuggle with his older sister.
"Good night aniki," he mumbled sleepily and with a final yawn he was asleep.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
My head hurt. That was the first thing I registered when my consciousness came back to me. My body was sore. The second thing that came to mind. I was surrounded. That was the third thing I noticed as I struggled to open my eyes. On my left I knew it was Itachi-nii, he always slept with his arm around me and on my right it couldn't be anyone but Kyuu.
"Are you finally awake?" his voice was deep, rasping with sleep and I knew if I didn't see him as my brother I would definitely fall in love with him.
"What happened?" my own voice was husky as I asked.
"Konan-chan had to sedate you before she could take off the bones," he informed me. We still hadn't gotten up neither had we opened our eyes. We just lay there talking.
"So what's the plan now?"
"We wait for you to recover before trying to come up with another plan," he told me.
"How long?"
"Two days in bed, one week out of missions," he said quietly waiting for the upcoming protest. I would have but at the moment I felt tired.
"Maybe I should kill Konan-chan," I muttered in frustration. I had failed my last mission and I wanted to try again, I had only gotten back the night before and yet I was itching for a fight.
"Why don't you spend time with Kyuu?" aniki suggested. "You've been way too busy these past months and he keeps asking me questions I don't know how to answer."
"You sound like a husband berating his wife to spend time with their son."
"More like a father ordering his stubborn daughter to spend time with her younger brother."
"Oh please," I snorted. "You don't look like my father."
"I certainly feel like it," he said.
"Shut up," I attempted to hit him but he caught my hand. "When are you going to settle down aniki?"
"Maybe when I find the woman~"
"You talk as if you think I don't know about you and your 'secret'."
"Narumi~" he was mad, I knew he was.
"The whole Akatsuki knows about you and Dei-chan," I told him. "Even Sasori, Kyuu and Gaara know about it."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I could hear the exasperation in his voice.
"What's the point? We knew you didn't want us to know anyway."
"How did the triplets find out?" he asked. Even the others didn't know how the three children found out about their secret relationship, suffice it to say, the three redheaded kids told the other adults they trusted only me.
"It's a secret that nee-chan promised she would never tell anyone!" twin voices shouted from the doorway as the door itself swung on its hinges to slam into the wall.
"Gaara, Sasori, you're way too hyper this morning," I greeted the twin Sabaku redheads. When I escaped from our villa, hours after Orochimaru and his men raided it, I stumbled upon the house where the Akatsuki stayed. They took me in and at the age of fourteen, I learned how to kill. My determination and will led me to become one of their strongest members in only two years, their name protecting me and my baby brother from outside influence as I joined their cause: to kill Orochimaru. "Why is Kyuu still sleeping?" the stared at the youngest to complete the their trio. The two had quickly taken a liking to Kyuu and they adopted each other.
"He went to bed late last night."
"But Dei-chan had him in bed by eight!" Gaara protested, teal eyes twinkling in wonder.
"Well she fell asleep before he did." Itachi-nii said as he rose from beside me. I whined at the loss of his body heat.
"Maybe you should check on her," I said. "These past few days I've seen her talk to Konan-chan a lot more than they usually do."
"You don't think something's wrong with her do you?"
"Of course not, it's just she's been sleeping a lot and when she wakes up she's still tired not to mention she's too quiet these days."
"Naru," onyx met cerulean and I could see the moment he realized what I was trying to say.
"You two keep an eye on Narumi-nee," he slipped a shirt on as he ordered at the two seven year olds. "Make sure she doesn't get out of bed," I rolled my eyes as the twins gave a loud "Hai!"
"I'm not going anywhere," I told him and as I tried to prove my point, I snuggled further into my baby brother's warmth and closed my eyes.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
"I'm sorry Sasuke," he was a big man with short brown hair and kind eyes. "There's just nothing popping up about this woman."
"There has to be something," Sasuke insisted. It had been two months since their encounter and he had yet to find anything about the mysterious woman that had triggered his interest.
"I'm sure there is," Chouji said, his tone placating. "But with the little information we know about her we can't find anything else. Maybe if we had more than just her name."
"Damn it!" he slammed his fist into the wall, his frustration overtaking rationality. "I'll do it myself," he stormed out of the room leaving a gaping audience behind him.
"What's gotten into him?"
"Troublesome," their captain muttered. "He's fallen for someone he doesn't even know."
"That can't be true!" the loud screechy voice of the redhead made their ears ring. "Sasuke-kun only loves me!"
"Give it a rest Karin, the guy doesn't like you." with his shaggy brown hair, slitted brown eyes and elongated canines, he looked almost like an animal.
"No one asked you mutt!"
"Karin-san please stop it." gentle voice, bluish-black hair and lavender eyes had them all turning to Hinata. "Sasuke-kun just wants to know about this woman."
"No he doesn't!" Karin snapped. "Why would he want to know anything about some bimbo?"
"He's definitely interested," Kiba muttered.
"Shut up dog breath!" she screeched one more time.
"I thought I told you to stop." the chilling voice and the cold steel on her neck had her frozen on the spot. "I am sick and tired of your whining. You do nothing but try to get Sasuke-kun's attention even when you know he doesn't want you." the usually calm and collected heiress's tone had shivers going up through everyone's spines. "He has told you time and time again that he doesn't like you in any way so either stop stalking him or I will kill you right where you stand."
"You can't kill me, I'm the best medic there is!" she was indignant even as the sword was pressed tighter to her neck, drawing blood as it did.
"Have you forgotten who taught you?"
"I have surpassed you!" the men around the room smirked at the women in the center.
"If you think so then you wouldn't have a problem with fighting me."
"Of course not!"
"But of course we need rules and a referee."
"I'll call Kakashi-taichou," Chouji volunteered.
"You're only doing this because you want Sasuke-kun to yourself." Karin sneered.
"If you say so Karin-chan," Hinata replied. "First rule, when I win you leave Sasuke-kun alone."
"What do I get if I win?"
"I'll give you anything you want," Hinata whispered menacingly in the other woman's ear. "Anything at all. If it is physically available in this world then I will give it to you." Shikamaru's smirk widened at Hinata's tactic. "You want jewels, money, fame and even Sasuke-kun. I'll let you have anything you want."
"What's the second rule?" Karin asked, her eyes twinkling with the thoughts of the woman's promise.
"This will be a no holds barred fight. To the death." she then left the room, Karin with widened eyes, Kiba and Shikamaru smiling fiercely at the redhead.
"You better get ready four-eyes," Kiba taunted the frozen woman. "You wouldn't want to lose your chance to be with Sasuke forever, do you?"
"I will kill the Hyuuga princess!" she announced, her voice shaky and a little frightened.
"We'll see," Kiba left the room, Shikamaru on his tail leaving a scared woman in their wake.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
"Sasu-kun," she called out to the man slouched in front of an open laptop, his head in his hands as frustration radiated from him. "Why are you sulking?"
"I don't understand it."
"What exactly is it that you don't understand?"
"Why does this bother me so much?"
"What?"
"Why do I seem to need to know about this woman? I don't even know her full name or what she looks like!"
"Calm down Sasu-kun," Hinata put a hand on her long time friend's shoulder. "You can figure it out."
"I can't Hina!" he whirled round in his swivel chair making her stumble. He caught her in his arms and let her sit on his lap. "It's been two months and I can't forget. I've been trying to figure out why I want to know more about her." she kissed his head before answering.
"Did you ever think it was because no other woman has ever caught your attention like this?" she asked. "Maybe it's because every other woman you've met besides me has tried to throw themselves at you and that in itself has led you to stop paying attention to them."
"But why is it that I feel as if I need to know more about her?"
"It's not that you need to know about her, more like you want to know about her."
"Why?"
"She's a woman," Hinata continued at his glare. "I think she didn't even know you were there. She didn't pay attention to you because she had been busy trying to save her own life and your ego had gotten bruised because of it." his glare intensified but she merely giggled at him. "But most of all I think you were impressed by her skills and you may be doubting yourself because of what you've seen."
"I'm not!"
"Sasu-kun, I've known you since we were children. After Itachi-niichan left you felt betrayed and you wanted to get stronger so you could get him back. We both still have no idea why he just left but you've spent your whole life training to get stronger so you can help him with whatever it is he needed to do."
"I want him dead!"
"No you don't," she embraced him tighter. "You want him back. You can't hide this from me Sasu-kun."
"What does this have to do with the woman?"
"You saw in her what you think you should see in yourself," she told him. "Power."
"How do you know?" his onyx eyes were swimming with confusion as he stared back into her lavender ones.
"I've known you for a long time," she once again reminded him. "If our parents have gotten their way we would be married to each other now. There are some things in life that you need help with and you know I won't interfere unless you ask." she paused as if she remembered something. "Except when it comes to your stalkers." she blushed and turned away from him.
"Hina-chan, what did you do?"
"Nothing~"
"It's Karin isn't it?"
"I challenged her to a duel," she admitted after a pregnant pause. "If she wins, I'll give her anything she wants."
"And if you win?"
"Then there's nothing to worry about because she'll be dead."
"First blood?"
"No holds barred."
"You're going to decimate her."
"She's annoying and she causes you to frown!" he could just hear the pout in her voice and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Is my Hina-chan jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous of that red haired harpy?"
"You know no one will ever replace you, even if I do find this woman."
"Ha I knew it!" she turned back to him. "You've fallen in love with her skills but what about the actual person?"
"Maybe we'll get to that bridge and then I'll cross it." he told her. "Now why don't you go find your fiance?"
"Why should I? Shino-kun knows I won't cheat and he knows you won't even try. If I were with Kiba on the other hand..." she trailed off letting him understand what she meant.
"I know but I would like to be alone now and I was trying to be polite." he said with a small but cheeky smile.
"Oh fine!" she stomped to her feet. "I'll leave!"
"Hina-chan," she turned to see a gentle smile on his previously teasing visage. "Thank you."
"No problem," she grabbed the doorknob before turning back to him and saying, "Don't miss my fight okay? Tomorrow the world, and you, will have one less fan girl to deal with."
"I'll be there." the door closed leaving him alone in his room once more. "Narumi, who are you?"
AN: Please R&R because I wanna know what you guys think about this story of mine. I don't write long ANs because hardly anyone ever reads it but I really want to have people talking to me about my stories. So please, please, please review?
Love lots,
Aly