10 - Hot Spring

Your family was happy to see you where ok. But disappointed that you killed their hawk. They told you that your brother tried going out and searching for you a couple of times. You all chatted for a while. You knew that when your mother saw Itachi she recognized him from all the times you hung out with him from the past. She didn't say anything about it only asked what the 3 of you were doing together. You explained that you all met on the road and decided it was best to travel together.

You let all of this sink in as you emerged yourself into the hot water. Just as you put your head starting to relax the door from the changing room opened revealing the two men you were almost captive too. They got into the water almost quietly, except with Kisame breathed a sigh of relief from the warm water. You all sat in silence until you looked over at Itachi who was looking around with his Sharingan activated.

"I don't sense any threats. You can relax." He deactivated the Sharingan and his captivating dark orbs held your eyes for a second before he sank deeper into the water, closing his eyes and releasing you from the trance. You looked at Kisame who was watching you with a smile placed at his lips. "What?" you asked sharply.

He laughed saying it was nothing but you knew better. You thought about using your special eyes but thought against it. It wasn't worth the feelings you would inherit over something so trivial. Just as you thought that you felt your eyes starting to tear up again. You submerged yourself in the water all the way. As much you wanted to stay under the warm water you had to resurface for air. The cool air nipped at your exposed and now wet skin. Your hair clung to your face and you let it sit there since it was helping hiding the tears. You didn't need to look at them to know that Itachi and Kisame were staring at you with confused looks. Instead of answering them you got out of the water saying you needed to get something.

You walked to your room and put on a baggy T-shirt and some shorts before heading to your herb lab room. You started to gather the things you needed to make the medicine you needed to get control of your emotions. As you were grinding the herbs down Itachi walked in drying his hair off.

"Have I taken that long?" You laughed sheepishly.

"Not really." He said eyeing what you were doing. You noticed he had his clothes on but without the Akatsuki cloak on. You momentarily stared at his arms before going back to grinding. You knew he noticed, making heat rise to your cheeks.

"Is Kisame still in the water?" You asked curious.

"Yes."

You laughed, "He is practically a fish." You glanced at Itachi who had the faintest smile watching you. "I'm making medicine so that I can get rid of the emotions that are not technically mine." He nodded then started coughing. At first you didn't think anything of it until his coughing went on for a while and he was coughing up blood. You rushed over to him with a rag, he took it and coughed into it instead of his hands. You rubbed his back and told him to just let it out. Kisame came in hearing Itachi coughing. Your herb room was not far from the hot springs.

"Another fit?" Kisame asked knowing the answer as he watched Itachi cough and you trying to comfort him. You stood behind Itachi and placed your hands on his back trying to heal him. If he was coughing blood something was wrong with his lungs, at least that's what you guessed so that's where you focused your healing. Soon Itachi's coughing stopped but the cloth you handed him was soaked. You took the cloth from him and rang it out in the sink, trying to clean it out. You handed the cloth back to him.

"Hopefully that doesn't happen again. I'll make something for you to take." You took his arm and placed it over your shoulders and lead him and Kisame to your room. You made Itachi lay down. He put little effort into fighting back. You asked if they were hungry knowing they both were. You started to make steak, potatoes and green beans. You went back and forth between cooking and finishing your medicine. You decided you would work on Itachi's before you went to sleep. You ran into your family running back and forth from room to room explaining things further, only what they needed to know. You didn't tell the details of Itachi's past or thoughts. You did tell them about Itachi's coughing fit and your mother told you she would help you with his medicine.

You finished your medicine before dinner was done due to your mothers help. You drank the liquid and then went to the kitchen to make plates for everyone. Your family would sit at the table as you and the two men would eat in your room. Itachi just simply stated that the food was good while with every bite, Kisame would compliment you. You and Kisame voted you would cook from now on instead of Itachi. His cooking was good but yours were better.

You told them to go to sleep and that you would stay up tonight to watch out for any threats since you would be up making Itachi's medicine for him anyway. You went to your herb room to see your mother working already. She then cornered you what you were doing with Itachi. You told them that you were sort of forced into traveling with them and you think it is because of Itachi's illness not that they needed you to track someone. She then asked you if you still had feelings for him. You paused. You thought you didn't but knowing the truth behind everything you did feel something for him.

"I… I guess I do." You said finally after a while of thinking. Your mother just put her eyes back at the task at hand saying it probably wasn't a good idea to get mixed up with missing ninja. You assured her and yourself that you would be fine and asked her to keep what you talked about a secret. She agreed.

You went to your room to see a sleeping Kisame on the floor and a now awake Itachi on the bed. You walked around Kisame and sat on the bed next to Itachi handing him a vial.

"This one will help you sleep. I made a few other doses that will vape when warm so you can inhale it." He nodded, took the medicine, handed the empty vial to you and laid down. You took his bloodied cloth and cleaned it out, helped your mother clean up the mess you two made and then went to your room. You knew you were going to be lucky to get 2 hours of sleep but you wanted it.

You went to grab your pillow off the bed when Itachi's hand caught it pulling you onto the bed. Your pulse quickened and felt the heat in your face. "Itachi I can sleep on the floor."

"This is your room. I insist." He said as he started to get up once he let go of you.

"Your ill. You need the bed. I'll be fine." He didn't stop getting up. You grabbed his arm and pulled him back down onto the bed. "Fine we share it." When he gave you a certain look you said "I insist." You two laid in the bed, arms slightly touching every now and again. You fell asleep before Itachi did.