They spent the majority of the night talking, and by the time it ended, they were…well, they didn't really know, to be honest. They weren't friends; it was a connection that went deeper than that, but whatever it was, they hadn't a clue. Not that it mattered to them; from the moment they had met they had known there was a connection between them both somehow. Now they had managed to get talking, they knew for certain it was there, and they knew it was stronger than most bonds they had had in their lives. What did it matter they didn't know what it was; they were there, and that was the important thing.
True, it surfaced sometimes; when the conversation fell into a lapse and they found themselves looking at each other. An emotion would appear in their eyes, drawing each other into an intense gaze that neither could break until something from the outside world did. Or even when they were facing away from each other, the conversation having slowed to a halt. They would still be all that filled each other's minds, and so many thoughts rushed through their heads that it was hard to keep up. There was so much they didn't understand, but the uplifting feeling that was received in the meantime…it was more than they needed to dismiss that fact entirely.
But eventually they knew they had to head back to the hideout, for the same reason Kiken had had to before. This time Pein would be thinking about the both of them, and she didn't want to get in trouble for leading no doubt one of the most powerful and valuable members of the Akatsuki astray, so finishing her sentence, she pointed that fact out to Itachi. Smirking in return at her words, Itachi hesitated, not wanting to go back. He couldn't remember the last time he had had such an in depth conversation with someone; let alone someone like Kiken was, and he didn't want it to end. But he knew she was right, and smothering a sigh, he nodded, turning in the direction of the building and beginning to walk off; their pace a lot slower than it had started out.
When they finally arrived back at the hideout, it was obvious that they'd been talking. The others noted how they walked in together, speaking here and there, before as they reached the lounge they turned and looked at each other. It was that that showed the extent of how close that had managed to become in such a short space of time, and with one small nod, they separated, Itachi going over to Kisame to find out if anything had happened while they had been gone, Kiken heading to her room for the night. Their friendship didn't seem to be based on a lot of communication; merely a silent understanding that extended throughout them both—but then again, who could expect anymore from Itachi and Kiken?
Kisame was the only one who knew the real truth. After having been Itachi's partner all this time, he knew what he was like. And from what he had seen just then; from the way he had acted when they first met her…it was clear this connection went a lot deeper than anyone else thought it did. A realisation that Kisame couldn't help but grin at. Out of everyone out of the Akatsuki, Itachi was the most detached of all of them, even the likes of Pein, considering he had Konan with him. So for him to be getting this close to someone—and a woman, at that—it was nothing but good; so Kisame did nothing to try and deter him from becoming friends with her.
Of all people to understand him, Kiken would be the one to do so, after all.
The similarities between them both were numerous, and a lot of them they didn't even voice out loud. They knew each other didn't like violence; they knew they each tried to keep the peace as best they could. But in a way, they couldn't speak it to each other. Their histories were complicated to begin with, not to mention the situation they were both in now. Allowing the Akatsuki to find out about all of that would be ridiculous; Itachi was working for them, and, for the moment, anyway, Kiken was. So they had to keep quiet. It wasn't too bad, though; from the moment they had met that connection had been there, and now they had become friends, obviously they knew each other better; they could see the same traits in each other, and had formed a silent understanding of each other's opinions and beliefs.
Just like the day before, they travelled next to each other, half-chatting absentmindedly as the journey went on. If how they had appeared in the hideout last night together after having gone off into the forest for hours had been a shock to the rest of the Akatsuki, seeing how they stuck together and talked so confidently in each other's presence only heightened that factor. They hadn't been expecting it, true, but there was a part of them that wasn't as surprised as they could have been. He had been the one to suggest only one of them approaching her at first.
And he hadn't exactly protested when Pein offered for him to be the one to do so.
Then within a few seconds he had managed to get her to agree, and she seemed so calm in his presence; like he had already gotten on her good side and made friends; even when they hadn't been talking for long. Ultimately, it meant their overall reaction was to roll their eyes; tempted to tease them both—if it wasn't for both of their personalities and the power they held inside of themselves. Instead they just smirked, shaking their heads and letting them be. It's not like they were about to stop them; it distracted him from his usual irritating self—well, at least in Deidara's point of view.
Eventually, however, night-time inevitably fell, and they had to turn in for the night; this time, unfortunately, without a hideout to do so. Instead they were left sleeping on the ground for the night, and after finding a sheltered clearing, they picked the most comfortable places they could, using cloaks or something else as pillows, and began to settle down for the night. They were ninjas, so they weren't overly bothered with the whole idea of sleeping it rough. It happened at some point or other, and it had just happened to be this night that it had occurred, so they merely sighed in annoyance, but went on with their actions, hoping it wasn't about to rain any time soon.
The only thing that halted their journey into dreamland was Pein having a quick conversation with Itachi. Itachi was just curious as to how far away they were, wanting to know how much longer the journey would continue. Pein replied it was merely a couple of days minimum. But if they kept up the pace, they'd be there in no time and would be able to start searching for the scroll. And with all of them looking, that itself wouldn't be particularly long, either. Something which Itachi wasn't entirely sure of. A part of him didn't want the mission to end; not now he was getting to know Kiken. But there was nothing he could do; and as such he lay down in his space, closing his eyes and lulling himself to sleep.
Kiken wasn't having such luck, though. She had heard the conversation, and a sudden dread filled her heart that no one could dispel. Last night things had gotten better and she had felt her willpower growing in strength, it was true. But now they were closer. Now it was coming to a head and she would actually have to face the memories; the recollection of everything she had done and everything she had seen. No matter how much preparation she took, nothing would be able to prepare her for when she arrived at the battlefield. At which point she froze with the thought.
She could feel it. She could feel the battlefield, even from here now they were getting close. That aura of death and blood was hanging in the air, and it swirled around her, suffocating and blinding; choking. She swallowed, hard, to try and get rid of it, but it didn't help. How was she going to deal with it? It had been so many years since she had been there, and she hadn't tried to build herself up to doing so. They'd merely be throwing her into the lion's den. Now fear; panic began to overtake her. If they saw her acting like she would, what would they think? She had spent a long time trying to get over it, but it was clear it had done no good. It was overwhelming her, everywhere; invading her body and slowly destroying her from the inside out...
Itachi sat bolt upright, and biting the inside of his lip, frowning in anxiety at the space in front of him, he clenched his fists, swallowing hard. Taking a deep breath a moment later, he stood from where he had been laying, rushing over to Pein to kneel next to him, shaking him slightly until his eyes opened and he stared up at him, questioning as to what was wrong. He knew Itachi; unless it was important, he wouldn't do something like this. He wouldn't act like he was right now, and his suspicions were confirmed as he stated simply,
"It's Kiken. She's gone, Leader-sama. She's gone."