As I sat in Pein's office, tapping my foot and staring at the wall above our leader's head, I knew I should be listening to the assignment he was giving us. I knew this because Itachi wasn't likely to bring it up until right before we got to our destination, and leader doesn't like to repeat himself.

I wanted to listen, really I did. My mind just didn't want to focus long enough for me to hear what he was saying. I caught a few snippets here and there; assassination, heavily fortified, a week away, and stuff like that. Just enough for me to get a general picture. More or less.

Itachi, of course, was staring right at Pein, a short hn escaping now and then. He was taking in every detail Pein was giving him, that oh-so-sadistic mind of his already laying out a plan that would no doubt go off perfectly, as they always did. It was almost creepy, in a way. Not that I'd ever complain about having a partner that actually listened to one of Sir Leader's lectures, mind you.

Pein stopped speaking, and my leg stopped moving. "Is that clear?" he asked.

We both nodded, rose, and left without another word. Time to go.

Whenever possible, Itachi and I traveled light. A change of clothes, a few dehydrated meals, and other bare necessities. I used to pack more, before I had Itachi for a partner. Then he came along and saw what I packed for one mission, resulting in a short, snippy chewing out about every ounce we have to pack being deadweight that could cost us our lives should we ever have to flee suddenly.

Sometimes I think Itachi is beyond cynical and just plain morbid.

Long story short, I learned to pack light after that. It's kinda gross having to go without clean clothes until you can find a stream or something to wash them in, but it's worth not having the extra luggage if you've been wounded in a fight. I'll give my partner this much; he may be a pessimistic sadist, but he's a smart pessimistic sadist.

It didn't take long for the two of us to get ready, and pretty soon we were able to leave the base, heading off to complete yet another assignment.

It was cool outside, and slightly overcast. Fall was coming early this year, and the leaves were already beginning to fall from the trees. I don't know why the weather of that day stands out to me, but it does.

Itachi and I didn't have much to talk about, so we settled for running in silence through the treetops, the quiet of the afternoon occasionally broken by the thud of our feet against wood. With nothing better to do, I took a few moments to study my partner.

It's weird how perfectly calm he always is. Like he's off in some other world, and he's only looking at reality through a mirror, knowing nothing here can touch him, hurt him, or even get close to him. Sometimes I consider rigging up some sort of booby trap in our room just to try and get a reaction out of him.

Then I remember how much I like having my mind and limbs in tact.

Aside from that, he reminds me of a dead person. The glassy look in his eyes, the fact he never talks if he can help it, and how he just sits still for hours on end, staring off at nothing…it's exactly like having a corpse for a partner. Only he moves, so would that make him a zombie? Urgh, forget it.

Our trek continued for hours, then days, until we finally stopped. If Itachi's decided to let us rest, then that means that our target can't be far away now. I smiled to myself as I sank down onto the compacted earth beneath my feet, legs all but singing in relief that I'm sitting down.

Itachi, of course, was sitting a few meters away from me, staring at the ground. Occasionally he'd blink, or shake his head, and I knew he was finishing up his plan. The weasel only ever thinks of strategies on the way to our target, then the whole way back outlines the report in his head. It can't be normal to think that much.

He finally got up, and I followed suit. "We're infiltrating a mansion," he informed me. "We go in, kill the owner, and leave."

Short, sweet, and to the point. If leader could talk like this, I might actually pay attention to his explanations.

I hefted Samehada onto my back and grinned down at my partner, nodding. I always enjoyed a good fight, no matter what the circumstances were.

We waited until dark before coming any closer to our target. Once the sun had set, we swiftly dashed through the woods, emerging in a clearing in front of twenty foot tall wall. We cleared it easily, stopping on the top to briefly look around the vacant grounds before hopping down onto terra firma.

I followed close behind Itachi, keeping my eyes out for any signs of attackers. There were none, which was making me worry. If you're able to get to the front door of a mansion without so much as running into a fly, it can only mean two things: one, the place has lousy security, or two, there's a trap. I've never had the pleasure of it being the first option.

I knew Itachi must have picked up on this as well; he's the kind of person that notices anything and everything, and probably noticed even before I did.

We came to a long, narrow hallway. Our target was on the other end, separated from us by forty feet and a wooden door. Every fiber of my being was screaming trap by now; the hall, besides being constricted and lengthy, offered absolutely no forms of cover in the event of an attack, not even a table or statue to hide behind.

Judging from Itachi's stance, the idea of rushing into such an obvious ambush was just as revolting to him. Still, we couldn't simply run back outside and try to look for another way to get to our target. That would alert whoever set this up that we were on to them, and would provoke an attack, possibly allowing our guy to escape. And that can only lead to returning home to an angry Pein, who will give us a lecture that's even longer than his explanations on our missions.

I shifted my weight forward. Itachi and I have learned to pick up on each other's body language, and use it more frequently than words in battle. This was code for move in. Still wearing that impassive mask of a face, he moved forward.

We spread out, keeping a good ten feet away from each other. It lessens security, but also means we're not as likely to both get captured. We walk five feet, then ten, then twenty-

I almost rolled my eyes when they descended upon us.

These guys had not only laid a pathetic trap, but had also overestimated their own strength. There were only ten of them, and half of them were shaking in fear. I couldn't help but grin then. They had every right to be scared, considering what was about to happen to them.

Sometimes I think Itachi's sadism is rubbing off on me.

Overall, I think my deaths were merciful, compared to the excruciating torture Itachi put them through. After all, I at least aimed for vital spots, whereas Itachi took the time to slice a man's throat to silence his cries, burn off his legs, and then pull him into the Tsukiyomi. Even if he couldn't hear the screams, the sight of the victim's face twisting in horror, mouth wide open in a silent scream as tears ran down his face, and choking gasps were enough to satisfy the Uchiha's bloodthirsty desires. I had to look away after a few moments and move on to my next victim.

I think the others knew they weren't going to last, so they ganged up on me, probably hoping somewhere in the back of their mind that if they fought me, they'd be spared a torturous end. I'd be lying if I said I didn't agree with them.

In the end, I killed eight, and Itachi only got two. I could tell from the weasel's eyes that his bloodlust hadn't been satisfied, meaning I'd be on pins and needles the whole way back home. Curse that weasel.

And then, something that I thought impossible happened.

It was mostly my fault, I'll admit; she'd been one of my victims, and I'd gotten lazy towards the end of our fight, and hadn't hit her vital spots. Actually, I pretty much just slashed at her stomach and left her to bleed out. How was I supposed to know she was a medical ninja?!

Well, the woman had managed to stop the bleeding, and draw a knife. Now I can shift some of the blame to Itachi; if I missed it, he should have caught it. What with those sharp eyes of his and all…

Bottom line; neither one of us noticed this until the female had lunged forward and stabbed my partner in the thigh.

We both initially reacted the same way; shock. Someone had hit Itachi. Moreover, that someone was a low-level, hired bodyguard who couldn't have beaten a decapitated Hidan. I could only imagine the shame this was causing Itachi on the inside.

I was still in shock when the look in the weasel's eyes transformed into fury. This woman was going to die, and painfully at that.

I'll never know exactly what my partner did to her in the Tsukiyomi, and I'm more than a little glad about that. Her screams were ones of sheer, undiluted suffering, and kept me awake at night for many months after that.

Once he was finished ripping her apart on the inside, my normally calm and collected partner stomped down on her skull, crushing it. Her body gave a few weak spasms before the life finally slipped out of it. I had to look away, but masked it as heading for our target's room since Itachi had obviously finished her off.

I don't have much to say about finishing our assignment; the guy was asleep in bed, I pulled out a kunai and stabbed him, end of story.

Itachi seemed disappointed that there weren't more people for him to take out his frustrations on, which did not bode well for me. The female victim had been mine, after all, adding to the likelihood he'd come after me for one thing or another on the way home.

As we were heading out, my eyes fell on the bedside table; or, more specifically, a photo stuck inside a picture frame.

I picked it up, bringing it close to my face. "That's interesting," I said aloud.

"Hn?"

I turned the picture over for Itachi to see. It showed our target, smiling at the camera. One hand flashed a peace sign, and the other was wrapped around the waist of the female Itachi had just slaughtered. "I guess that's why she went after you," I said. "Love makes people do crazy things."

I received my second shock in twenty-four hours when Itachi's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. Had it been anyone but me, this would have gone unnoticed. However, it was me, so it didn't.

I was tempted to ask what had just gone through the weasel's head, but he turned around and walked out of the room before I could ask. Come to think of it, I probably didn't want to know what sick little thoughts just ran through his mind.

Shrugging it off, I followed him out of the mansion. Hopefully whatever had just clicked in the weasel's mind would keep him off my back on our trek home.