The Red Wind|CHAPTER THREE|Tag!

Haruka pushed open the door, it hitting the wall with a loud crack, barreling into the room. She paused only for a moment, looking around at the plain walls and neatly made bed before she found her target, and without hesitation she leapt straight onto Itachi's back, sending them both tumbling down, hitting the hardwood with a thud.

"How could you do this to me!?" Haruka yelled, hitting his shoulders. Itachi let out a shout of surprise, flailing awkwardly as she pounded on his shoulders with her tiny fists. "I thought we were friends!"

"Hey!" He yelped, rolling over and throwing her off of his back, quickly jumping to his feet and stepping back as she tumbled, before following him less gracefully. "Do what? We are?" The way he said it sounded more like a question. He dodged beneath a punch towards his face, though it was clear that it was a weak punch, at that.

"You're a dirty no-good lying jerk-"

"What are you-"

"-meanie big-fat ugly-"

"-talking-"

"-jerky-jerk-jerk prideful little-"

"-about?"

"-Uchiha stupid-face!"

Haruka yelled in indignition as he dodged every one of her poorly-aimed attacks, though it led in her knocking over several of the things on his desk.

"You're so stupid!" Haruka shrieked, throwing another punch, only to have Itachi catch it and hold on, grasping her other arm before she could hit him with that one, too. She began to flail, trying to pull her arms out of his grasp.

"Haruka, I have no idea what I did!" Itachi gasped, running out of breath as he tried to hold her still. It was quite a sight to see, her thrashing in the young prodigy's arms, frail and completely harmless, though somewhat of a nuisance.

"Yes you do, stop playing dumb!" Haruka yelped, trying to kick him, but Itachi had been attacked by Haruka on more than one occasion. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to continue to hang around, though it seemed that she tended to just show up whether he wanted her to, or not.

"No I don't-" Haruka leaned forward violently, trying to throw him off his feet, but Itachi braced himself and wrapped his arms all the way around her in a bear hug, determined to not let her go. That is, until she bit him solidly on the wrist, making him cry out; "ouch!" It was more out of surprise than pain.

It seemed to do the trick, however, and he let her go. She stumbled out of his arms, almost sending herself sprawling across the floor, but managed to catch herself just in time and straightened up, turning around to glare at him. Her short black hair was a mess on her head, sticking up in odd directions, and her cheeks were rosy from their fight. Itachi checked his hand worriedly, finding there were teeth marks but no broken skin.

"You bit me."

"Yeah, well, you're a butt-head!"

"I'm a what?"

"You heard me!" Haruka yelled, clenching her fists at her sides. Itachi blinked, unsure if he did actually hear her right, then deciding that he didn't really want to know.

"What did I do to deserve being bitten?" He asked, sighing, finally giving up as he ran a hand through his long hair. Haruka glared at him, her icy blue eyes narrowing heatedly.

"I can't believe you graduated the academy before me!"

Itachi blinked again as Haruka steamed, her cheeks growing redder as she got more and more angry. He stared at her for a moment, processing the statement.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous?"

"I'm not jealous!" Haruka shrieked. She began to pace and Itachi shook his head, wondering why on Earth he had to be stuck with such a hot-head. "I'm angry that I have to be surrounded by idiots for two more years who have no idea what they're doing, considering they let an idiot like you pass before a genius like me! Clearly they don't know intelligence when they see it! I mean, come on, I'm probably the smartest, most talantedest ninja Konoha has ever seen, and they're just letting me waste away in the academy, re-learning stuff I already know! I learned how to throw a kunai ages ago, and seriously, the kage-no-bushin jutsu is the easiest jutsu in the world! This is ridiculous! It's a travesty! It's-it's-it's completely unfair and immoral!"

Haruka turned on him, glaring directly at him as if to make a point, breathing heavily as she finished her rant. He stared at her for a moment, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Are you done?"

"I'll be done when you're done being a butt-wad!" Haruka bellowed. Itachi winced. He was so happy his parents weren't home. How did she even manage to get into the compound, anyway? Weren't there guards or something?

"I don't- what does that even...?" Itachi huffed. "Haruka. I'm sorry for graduating before you did." The black haired girl paused, before relaxing, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, well. Just don't do it again." Itachi opened his mouth, then thought better of it as Haruka meandered across his room, literally throwing herself down on his neatly made bed. "So, whatcha' up to, 'Tachi?"

"I was meditating," he emphasized, but Haruka just looked over at him with a lazy grin, rolling over on his bed and mussing up the sheets.

"Why don't we go do something more exciting?" She suggested almost teasingly. Itachi stared at her.

"I need to watch after Sasuke."

"Then we bring him with," Haruka shrugged. Itachi sighed. He found that he was doing that a lot more now that Haruka was here. He wasn't going to carry an infant all around Konoha.

"We're not going to leave the compound," Itachi said sternly. Haruka scrunched her nose.

"Then what is there to do here?"

Itachi quickly realized that Haruka wasn't going to leave him alone.

"We could meditate," he suggested. Haruka shot him an incredulous look, rolling off of his bed.

"I could also jump off the Hokage mountain," she inserted sarcastically.

"We could play Shogi." Haruka paused, thinking for a moment, then glared at him.

"What, so you can beat me at it again?"

"It's not my fault you have no fore-thinking ability," Itachi teased lightly, but Haruka seemed to only take it as an insult.

"Why don't we go outside and play hide-and-seek?" Haruka suggested, her eyes lighting up. Itachi was about to object, but he realized that he didn't really have any reason to. "If you want, uh, maybe we could, uhm, invite Shisui to play, too. If you want." When she said his name her cheeks turned pink, and Itachi watched as she averted her eyes, her whole demeanor changing. It seemed as though inviting Shisui would make her uncomfortable.

"We don't have to," he frowned, wondering if she was only doing it for his sake. Shisui was his close friend, after all, not Haruka's. They had met breifly on several occasions, and at very first sight it seemed that Haruka was not very fond of him. She didn't seem to enjoy talking to him, or even really looking at him, though Itachi was never quite sure what for. He was only thankful that Shisui didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"No!" Haruka yelped, then her cheeks grew darker, and Itachi wondered why she was getting so angry. "No, I-I want to." He had never heard her stutter before. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea...

But she insisted, and continued to insist, as Haruka was wont to do, that it was ok and she didn't mind if he tagged along, if Itachi wanted him to, as she had said maybe close to twenty times. Eventually she simply stopped talking (which Itachi hadn't been sure was possible until that point) and left the house. He followed after a moment of trying push down the will to simply lock the door and leave her outside. He thought better of it when he realized she would probably just yell at him until a guard kicked her out of the compound for being noisy, or opened the door for her out of sheer amusement.

He found her standing almost unnaturally straight, looking painfully stiff. She stood in front of Shisui, her eyes wide and face the color of a tomato.

"Itachi, Haruka-san," Shisui greeted, a smile on his face. "I was just coming over to find you."

"What a coincidence," Itachi inserted easily, putting his hands into his pockets. "Haruka was wondering if you wanted to play hide-and-seek with us."

"Hide-and-seek?" Shisui questioned, frowning a little. Haruka took a step back, turning her hot face away.

"Never mind, it was a stupid idea," she said quickly, almost too quickly to be properly understood. Itachi watched, confused, as she tried to look calm, but her red face was really giving her away. "Only little kids play that game." She added, as if she weren't still a little kid, herself, being only about six years old. She was a year younger than Itachi and Shisui, but she didn't have too much trouble keeping up. Most of the time.

Haruka crossed her arms defensively, and Itachi looked at her worriedly. Shisui barely seemed to notice.

"I heard you graduated. Congratulations," Shisui grinned, patting Itachi on the back the way he'd seen his father do plenty of times. "We should go out for sake!" Itachi blinked.

"Shisui. We're only seven."

"Yeah, yeah," Shisui waved him off casually. "But we're ninja now. Full-fledged Genin."

"That doesn't mean they'll let us have alcohol," Itachi sighed, running a hand through his long hair. It seemed everyone was going to be a handful, today. Shisui sighed, disappointed and also defeated.

"You're right..." Then he got a mischievous look on his face. "We could disguise ourselves."

"Shisui, I don't think that's a wise idea."

"You're no fun," Shisui rolled his eyes, then turned to Haruka. "What are you doing over here again?"

"I uh... I came to hang out with Itachi!" Haruka spat out, suddenly looking nervous again. Shisui and Itachi stared at her for a moment, before blinking confusedly. They glanced at each other and Shisui shrugged casually.

"We could always play tag," Shisui suggested, nudging Itachi sneakily. "It'll be like 'ninja' tag. It's like training and playing a game all in one," he laughed. Haruka's eyes brightened, though she still fidgeted nervously. Itachi hesitated, noticing Haruka's apprehension, but before he could say anything she jumped it.

"That sounds like fun."

"Cool! Then you're it!" Shisui laughed, tapping her on the nose, then taking off in the other direction. Haruka watched with widened eyes as he seemingly vanished, her face slowly heating up, her body stiffening. Itachi glanced at her, somewhat concerned.

"Haruka? Are you ok?" He asked quickly, stepping closer, trying to get a better look at her face as though that would help is assess her situation. She suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, a sneaky grin splitting across her face, and then turned and quickly took off on the other direction.

"You're it, Itachi!" She yelled over her shoulder. Itachi rolled his eyes, sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wondered when he had begun to surround himself with such overzealous people.

Haruka skidded around the corner of Itachi's house, racing towards the back, grinning excitedly as she planned out the best hiding place. She looked around, searching for the best hiding place, and she spotted one of Itachi's neighbor hanging laundry in teh next yard over. She leapt over the fence, scrambling over the top and landing with a thud on the other side, before she swept behind the wavering curtains of white fabric, gently waving in the breeze.

She giggled, certain that she had picked the best hiding spot, when she saw a flash of black hair out of the corner of her eye. Her heart jumped, and she didn't even turn to look, taking off in the opposite direction. She barreled around the house, into the road, almost running straight into a Uchiha who was walking past. They called out after her, annoyed, as she made her way through an open doorway.

She quickly realized she must have entered some sort of armory, and she paused for a moment to admire the swords hanging on the wall. There was a katana and a tachi, and off to the side there were two wakizashi as well as a few tanto placed on a table. She could see a sickle and chain, as well, but she knew that the Uchiha tended to use swords more often than anything else.

She heard a footstep behind her, and in her panic she kept moving, racing out the back door. She sped past a rack of wooden practice swords, panting as she skidded, turning down the hallway and racing past a couple of young women who giggled as they watched Haruka go. She had earned herself somewhat of a reputation in the Uchiha compound during her time being friends with Itachi. Many people knew of the young prodigy, and by extension, many knew of the young prodigy's 'little girlfriend.'

Haruka took a sharp turn, leaping up the steps two at a time before finding herself in another hallway. She turned into a bedroom, and tumbled over the bed, getting caught in the sheets and tearing them off the bed. She shouted an apology not really aimed at anyone, and slipped out the window onto the roof, giggling breathlessly as her small body slid down the tiles. She hooked her heels in the gutter to stop herself and bent her knees, scooting her butt closer to the edge to look down at the garden below. She couldn't see Itachi or Shisui anywhere, and she was certain that she had lost them.

She glanced behind her at the open window, but there was still no one to be found. She swelled with pride, puffing up her chest and mentally declaring that she had to be the best ninja since she had gotten away without even a scratch.

"You're a lot slower than I thought."

"Ack!"

Haruka screamed as she jumped in surprise, tumbling off the roof. Itachi watched half-bored as she landed in his neighbors bushes, disappearing into the shrubbery. He tucked his hands into his pockets and smiled, amused as she rolled out, dazed, spitting out leaves, and collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. She panted over dramatically, placing the back of her hand on her forehead, then let out a choking sound and tossed her arms out to the side, closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, her legs sprawling to the side.

He hopped down beside her, leaning over her and blocking the sun over her eyes. He watched her for a moment, holding in his laughter.

"What are you doing?"

She opened one eye and peered at him condescendingly.

"I'b bed," she spoke around her tongue. Itachi blinked, and she rolled her eyes, half sitting up. "I'm dead, you idiot."

"From what I understand of this game, you're just it," he said casually, nudging her with his foot. She batted it away, standing up and dusting off her pants.

"I can't be it. No tag-backs!" She declared. Itachi's eyebrow twitched.

"You can't make rules in the middle of the game."

"I'm not! It was just implied."

"I wasn't aware of this rule. It wasn't very well implied."

"It's not my fault you're stupid."

Itachi flicked her forehead and she shouted, hitting his shoulder. He dodged her second hit, teasing her by flicking her again.

"Stop that!"

"Someday someone's going to cut out your tongue for talking to them like that."

"Not if I bite their fingers off!" She threatened, snapping at his fingers as he went to flick her again. They giggled as they exchanged blows.

"Are you guys going to stand around all day?"

Itachi and Haruka looked up at Shisui who was perched on the roof above them. Haruka's face instantly heated up and she opened her mouth to stutter something out, but seemed to choke on her words as Shisui landed softly beside her, bending his knee's to catch the blow and then straightening up.

"You're slow, Haruka," Shisui laughed, and Itachi winced, expecting her to begin shouting hers something. He looked at her when she remained quiet, shuffling her feet nervously, and Shisui laughed, completely oblivious. "Itachi, you shouldn't go so easy on her."

Itachi wondered how it would be fun for her if he had caught her right away like he could have, but didn't say anything about it.

"You're sure quiet," Shisui pointed out, poking Haruka on the cheek. She flinched, looking up at him with wide eyes filled with... was that admiration? Shisui grinned. "And you blush a lot. You're a weird one, Haruka."

"Maybe we should play something else," Itachi suggested, hoping to ease Haruka's tension. He wondered how Shisui could be so oblivious to her. Then again, she always seemed to act this way when Shisui was around, so he must think that it's normal.

"Nah, I've got to get home," Shisui sighed, waving off Itachi's offer. "Maybe we can do something else next time."

"Alright. Bye, Shisui," Itachi said, placing his hands in his pockets, and Shisui turned and jumped back on to the roof, disappearing from view. Haruka let out a breath she was holding, but her cheeks remained red.

"I should go, too."

Itachi blinked at her, surprised that she was leaving him alone for once. She began to walk quickly around the house, her body stiff. Itachi followed at a more casual pace, and when they reached the road she waved robotically.

"Ok. B-bye, 'Tachi."

"Did you just stutter?"

A twitch.

"Shut up!"


A/U: I really like the dynamic of Itachi and Haruka's relationship. The whole Shisui thing is a little hazy to me, but what do you think of it?