HHL here. I apologize that It took so long. My grandpa has cancer and it has been a bit hard to deal with. Hope you enjoy

So much had happened since they left the village. The land of waves was usually only a three to four day journey for trained ninja, though with Tazuna five or six could be expected. It took a week. The reason being, they ran into an A ranked missing ninja that went by the name Zabuza. Though, that part was not very important.

After the puddle attack, Tazuna confessed the real dangers behind the mission. Kakashi almost went back to the village then. Naruto wouldn't let him, going so far as to stab his hand and make a vow. It was well known that the vow of a ninja was something that was very hard to break.

None of that was really important though. Sure, two chunin level ninja attacking a group of Genin wasn't good, but it was nothing of what was to come. The most important thing came the next day. Team Kakashi had stopped briefly after a rabbit had given Naruto a scare, only to find themselves in the vicinity of The 'Demon of the Mist.' Zabuza Momochi had blocked their path.

Flashback

A giant Sword spun above them. It would have killed them if not for the three older ninja, who pushed all of the Genin, and Tazuna to the ground. The sword rammed into a tree, destroying half of it in the process. Someone screamed, but no one was sure exactly who did. A tall man stood at the end of the handle, his headband scarred and his demeanor oozing a murderous intent. Kakashi pushed his headband up, revealing his sharingan.

"I am honored, great 'Copy Nin' Kakashi, ninja of over a thousand jutsu." The Nin pulled his sword back to his side. "What a pleasure it will be to destroy you. Hidden In the Mist Jutsu!"`

Nami and Itachi fell into a protective stance in front of Tazuna, beckoning the four genin to fall into position. It was Kakashi's fight, not theirs'.

Suddenly, the area became shrouded in mist, and Zabuza disappeared into its depths. Before anyone was really that aware, Kakahsi was trapped into a prison of water, and it was obvious that he was slowly drowning. The, three clones began to stalk near the protective group. Nami and Itachi took up offensive stances, but didn''t make a move towards the man.

"Run!" They could hear Kakashi's voice travel through the water. "Protect Tazuna and run!"

Itachi smirked. He activated his sharingan, causing the clones to pause briefly. Then, he took a step forward to face them. All the while, Nami had slipped back to whisper into Hinata's ear.

With Zabuza distracted by another Sharingan user, Nami and Hinata both activated their Byakugan.

"Eight-Trigrams!" Both girls started to destroy the clones by blocking off chakra coils.

"Thirty Two Palms!"

"Sixty Four Palms!"

Poof. And the clones were gone, leaving the three bloodline users in its wake without a single scratch.

Nami let out a terrible bellow of a laugh. "And you call yourself a Shinobi! Did they laugh you out of the mist?"

Her byakugan flared as she took on a more stern expression, and sprinted towards Zabuza. Itachi was right behind her, spotting her. Nami's hands flared red as she called upon her demon chakra.
"What the hell is that?" Zabuza barely dodged a strike.

"You're death." She got a strike in, right on the inner muscle of his upper arm, rendering the chakra coils useless until he was able to heal. With the use of her demon chakra it'd take days. If only he had that long.

Zabuza staggered, releasing his hold on the water prison and allowing Kakashi his first breath of air in almost three minutes. He was doubled over coughing.

Nami readied a killing strike, aimed at his chest, but just before she moved to strike, three needles went into the major artery on Zabuza's neck.

A masked female appeared, and Nami took note of her chakra signature. "I will take his body for burning. The mist's secrets are mine to destroy. Thank you for weakening him."

The two disappeared into the mist.

Lilac. Nami noted the smell of Lilac.

Itachi glanced at Kakashi. "Don't hit ninja usually burn the body as soon as they find it?"

The rest of the trip had nothing worth noting. The group was rather subdued and down trodden. Kakashi had to be helped, but luckily they were only an hour or so away from Tazuna's home. There they met his daughter, Tsunami, and his grandson, Inari. As stated earlier, Nami and Itachi had already met the two, though Inari was too young to remember.

"Thank you for the meal, Tsunami." Nami practically purred at the woman's food. Her mouth was watering. She broke her chopsticks and began to pile food into her bowl.

Inari stood up then, tears prickling his eyes. "You won't live. You should go back to where you came from!" He turned on his heel and ran up the stairs. Tsunami's cheeks burned bright.

Nami and Itachi shared a look. They both stood and made to follow the boy.

Tsunami interrupted him. "You mustn't listen to him. He hasn't been the same since his father passed."

"I... I understand Tsunami. I lost both of my parents when I was young. Let Itachi and me talk to him."

Nami gave her no time to say anything, because she was halfway up the stairs with Itachi right on her heels.

Both teenagers quickly found the boy. They heard a distinct sob coming from one of the bedroom doors.

Nami didn't even knock before coming into the room. Itachi lingered in the door as she found a soft cushiony place on the bed. "Hey, Inari. I bet you're too young to remember when I visited your grandpa years ago."

Itachi came in and the door shut with a soft click.

"My mother and dad died when I was only five. I think I was five, at least," Nami bit her lip. "My sister was only two. Look, I know it hurts and it feels painful because I've been through the same thing."

Itachi coughed, making the two glance at him. "My entire clan was killed."

It seemed as though that was all he needed to hear. Inari pretty much tackled Nami, his face pressing against her bosom. Nami pressed her hand flat onto his back, and her expression softened. "It'll be alright. I promise."

His sobs continued until Inari was calm enough to mutter out a quiet, heart-stricken apology. "I'm- I'm sorry."

"Shhh..." Itachi whispered, sometime he had moved to kneel beside the two. "Don't apologize because you didn't do anything wrong."

"Let's get you to bed," Nami suggested. She pulled away from the still crying child and went to helping him get tucked in to the bed. "Good night Inari. I'll send your mom up in a bit to say good night. Remember, crying is nothing to be ashamed of. It makes up human."

With that, Nami took Itachi's hand and pulled him out into the upstairs hallway. Voices were still echoing from downstairs. She took a moment to glance up at Itachi.

Had he always been so handsome? Or had he just begun to lose his baby fat, and childish ways. And when had he grown so much taller than her? He had to be at least six inches over her. Nami swallowed and let her eyes drift over his face. A flutter passed over her stomach as she passed over his lips. They had kissed exactly twice. Both times had been because of curiosity. They had been before either really understood what it meant or how it felt. They had been burned into her memory. Nami felt a strong, gut-wrenching feeling to kiss him again but, she forced her mind away from it.

Besides that, when had his grip become so strong and calloused? She couldn't remember. Maybe it had always been like that. Nami didn't think so, but she couldn't be sure. All she knew were that his hand was warm against her skin. And that it was soft in its own way.

"Nams?" Itachi bent down, his dark embers glinting in the low hallway light. Nami felt her cheeks beginning to flush. When had she developed actual feelings for him? Perhaps they had always been there, lying dormant and waiting.

"I'm fine."

He shrugged and glanced at the wall. "We should probably go downstairs soon."

She shook her head at the moment half of the words left his lips. She wanted nothing more than to curl up against him, and sleep. It happened from time to time, but Nami found herself craving his touch for the first time she could remember. "Can we just go back to your room for a while? I don't feel like socializing."

He agreed, and with their hands still held together, the two silently walked down the hall, eventually coming to a room with a few sleeping mats in it. Nami sat down across from Itachi and let his hand go with a heavy heart. If she were to be honest with herself, she felt lonely.

So lonely that she didn't really care if she competed her mission or not. What was the point when one felt that kind of emotion? It was times like these that Nami wished that she could speak to her mother. Her mother would surely understand her strange feelings, and her need for affection. But her mother wasn't around anymore.

"Itachi, do you ever feel like no one wants to be around you? As if you are only there as a convenience?"

He looked at the tatami mat, and regarded her question. "Of course. We all feel lonely from time to time, but our actions are what really matter,"

He scooted close to her, and put an arm across her shoulder. She felt like she could melt into his warmth. "I think that I just miss my mom."

Itachi didn't reply to her. A softness against her forehead dragged her attention towards Itachi. She couldn't understand why her heart swelled and stomach flipped at small actions like a kiss on the head. She didn't think she really wanted to understand either. Hell, she probably never would so long that she was only thirteen.

She rested her head against his shoulder, once again noting how he had changed. His shoulders were much wider now, and even his arm felt more muscled. Nami wasn't sure why it was such a big deal to her mind. Itachi probably thought the same with her and Anko's changes. They had both began to go through puberty after, and that meant that boys would start noticing the way their chests began to transform, and the way their hips would start to push out, allowing soft curves to form.

Nami shook her head, forcing that sort of thought out of her head. She was on a mission. There would be plenty of time to contemplate the boy later. He was her closest friend after all.

"Can I kiss you again?" Itachi's voice was starting to drop, but Nami had felt herself surprised at the fact he rarely squeaked.

Butterflies ran through her stomach as she realized he had been staring at her too. "Of course. Always."

Her words didn't seem to settle the raring storm in her stomach though. While she and Itachi had been friends forever, which did not mean that she wasn't a young girl with a crush bigger than Kami himself.

The kiss started off the same as usual, his soft lips being a marvel to her. He was so rough, but his kissed were so soft. His hand cupped her left cheek in his hand, and his eyes were shut as if savoring the moment. Nami melted.

She groaned as he pulled away, but moments later she could feel his smile brushing her lips. She felt his tongue flicker across her bottom lip, and she flushed. Nami gasped, but Itachi took it as to deepen the kiss, and slowly let his mouth explore hers.

A cough tore them apart from each other. Nami felt like she could explode from all of the feelings within her. Then she remembered someone was there, and swiveled to face him.

Sasuke stood at the door, face looking bewildered. Beside him stood Kakashi and Naruto. She felt like she would die at that moment if anything was said. They had seen Itachi kissing her that way. Soon Nami knew her face flushed until it mimicked the sun.

"I see that you two had better things to do than to join us." The half-smile made Nami want to stab the tall man with a kunai. "Nami you'd better go back to your room now. Tazuna sent us all to bed."

The light in his eyes, and the confusion on her cousin's face made her know the situation was anything but over. "Night, 'tachi."

She swore she heard him say much of the same before she slipped out and went to find her sister and Hinata.

As always, R&R Stay Golden and remember to check out the poll on my page. You guys make it all worth it.