Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Story and Kairi are mine.
Chapter Seven
"Stay still!"
"I'm trying, but you keep poking the damned brush in my eye!"
"I wouldn't if you stopped moving! And stop being such a baby."
Itachi snorted in reply, closing his eyes again to allow her finish applying the make-up she had insisted he wore. Kairi grinned and finished off swiftly.
"There. Finished. Open your eyes."
Itachi opened his eyes and eyed her warily. He picked up a mirror and blinked. It didn't look half bad. He noticed Kairi grinning and raised an eyebrow.
"Like?" She asked, her grin never faltering. He shrugged in reply and stood up, ignoring her chuckle. He stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror. He had to admit, her taste in clothes was unmatchable. A black shirt and black leather pants hugged him and defined his muscular build. As he looked at himself, she moved to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He examined her in the mirror too. She sported a black and red dress with a black corset. Knee-high boots raised her more to his level.
"Migoto." He purred.
"Rippa." She replied. He grinned and she returned it.
"We should go." His voice was indifferent and he made no attempt to move.
"We should." Came the cool reply. They stood there for a few more minutes, waiting for the other to move.
"We're not getting anywhere."
"I know." Kairi sighed, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Don't want to go?"
"It means they'll find out about us." Kairi groaned. Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"And they didn't know already?"
Kairi slapped his arm.
"It will confirm it."
"Hmm. Worried?"
"Yes."
Itachi turned around and pulled her against him. She purred in delight and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
"Stop worrying. It's not like anyone's going to murder you."
"Well…"
"They're not." Itachi cut in. His eyes gleamed slightly. "They wouldn't be alive for more than a second if I thought they would hurt you."
"Aww, you're so sweet." Kairi cooed, laughing at the blank look on his face. She slid out of his arms and headed for the door. She glanced back over her shoulder.
"Coming?" she asked calmly.
"Not quite yet." Itachi purred, following her. Kairi grinned, but said nothing.
People parted as they entered the great hall. Kairi slid a tiny bit closer to Itachi as he led them through the crowd towards the other Akatsuki members. They stood in a far corner, away from the main 'party'. They watched with bored interest as Itachi and Kairi approached.
"So the rumours flying around are true." Deidara purred in amusement.
"What of it." Itachi growled in reply. His very manner dared Deidara to make a wrong move. Luckily, Deidara decided to ignore the silent challenge and returned to his conversation/argument with Tobi. Kairi breathed a silent sigh of relief. Two down, just the rest of them to go. By the time she returned to the present, Hidan and Kakuzu had buggered off, along with the others. Only Kisame remained, looking rather amused.
"Well that was easier than I thought." Kairi murmured. Itachi offered a small smile, before returning serious as they heard voices yelling. Tobi appeared from somewhere behind them.
"Konoha ninjas." Was all he said before vanishing again. Itachi growled, grabbing Kairi's arm and dragging her out of the hall.
They moved silently through the trees, watching out for any enemies. Kairi saw Itachi a little way ahead of her and sped up to catch up with him. He glanced at her, his eyes telling her to go careful. She nodded in silent recognition, then they heard the noise of the battle. They reached the end of the trees and stepped out onto the top of a bare, rocky cliff. Below them ninja clashed with ninja, jutsus were being used left, right and centre, screams of agony and shouted orders filled the air.
"Let's go." Kisame growled, unsheathing his sword. The others nodded their consent and headed for the battle.
"Kairi."
She turned to face Itachi.
"Hai?"
He stepped towards her and ran a finger down her cheek.
"You are beautiful." He whispered. "Be careful koi."
She smiled at him.
"I always am."
The smell of death was strong in the air as she stepped casually over the body of a Konoha ninja, examining the deep wound in his neck. Pierced jugular. She continued her walk, counting the dead. It was a competition going on between the Akatsuki teams. Who were the best killers. She smirked slightly. Childish, but fun. She stepped over more dead; ninjas from Konoha and from the villages that were allied to Akatsuki. She came eventually to a patch of forest that had been completely destroyed. She frowned. The amount of chakra needed to destroy it was enormous. She knew of only one person who was capable of it. Her eyes widened. She scanned the ground swiftly and then broke into a run. Her black hair flew behind her as she sprinted across the crater-riddled patch of ground. Her breathing was erratic, her heart pounding, panic coiling in her chest. Of all the pain he had inflicted upon her, this was by far the worst. She could taste her fear; sickly sweet. She still couldn't see him. She passed under an arch formed by overhanging tree branches, stumbled and fell. She twisted to see what she fell over and her heart stopped.
"Itachi." She whispered. He lay in a pool of his blood, covered in cuts, his Sharingan fading. He wasn't looking at her, more at what was behind her. She turned and froze. A miniature Itachi stood before her.
"Sasuke…" she breathed. His red eyes lighted upon her, as he raised a hand. The silver blade of a kunai gleamed in the dim light. She couldn't move. She saw him throw the swift blade at her, but she could do nothing about it. A sharp pain flooded through her chest as she found she couldn't breathe. She fought to take air into her lungs, but she couldn't. Glancing down, she could see the handle of the knife protruding from her chest. As she studied it, another thudded into her to rest beside its brother.
I'm dieing. She managed to register in her mind. She crumpled to the ground and managed to notice she was lying beside Itachi. What a site we must be… She thought slowly.
"Daisuki desu."
She heard whispered softly from beside her.
"Dai…suki desu, koi." She managed to reply, a single tear finding its way down her cheek. Thoughts were coming slower now. Mist draped itself over her eyes, and the sounds around her faded like someone had turned the volume down. She let her eyes close as the cold engulfed her. Everything was fading…
