Disclaimer: Not mine! MLA!!! Naruto (who is actually in this chapter -gaspity noise-) is not mine. He is Masashi Kishimoto's. Yukika, Kumiko, Hatsuka ect. are mine. Not yours! -shifty eyes-

Cursed

The next few weeks went by in a blur of both contentment and distress. Almost every morning Itachi would stop by Yukika's home, and beckon her to join him in whatever he had planned for the day.

She gleefully accepted every time.

Of course, there were days, and sometimes even weeks, that would go by without him. It seemed as though his missions were getting longer and longer every time: being an ANBU Captain wasn't the easiest job, nor did you get much leeway in your days off.

And even though she missed his company, there was an even bigger reason his frequent absences bothered her. She'd never tell him, but without him around, Yukika was even more of a punching bag for her family members. And for her father especially: he beat her relentlessly now that she was home more often.

He wants me dead doesn't he? Yukika thought upon wakening one morning. I didn't even do anything this time.

She'd previously received one of the harshest beatings she'd ever experienced, and after taking a moment to stare at the tiny splotch of blood where her head once rested, and another to listen and make sure the house was empty, she rose shakily.

Using the walls for support, she made her way down the hallway to the bathroom. I'm such a fool, she thought bitterly, it's my own fault this keeps happening. I need to learn to stay away from this cursed place.

She sighed in both content and sorrow as she entered the bath; content in feeling the warm water sooth her wounds, and sorrow in knowing that she was hated by all, and sadly, loved by none. But, that's not entirely true… Itachi loves me… at least like a sister… doesn't he?

In the entire time Itachi was gone, not once did she acknowledge the number of bruises that covered her body like the darkest of storm clouds. When she was younger, in an attempt to look on the bright side of things, she'd make a game out of counting them.

But no, she would not do that now; it would only depress her further. So, she ignored those memories.

Oh, how she wished Itachi could be with her at that very moment. She paused and blinked her eyes open, feeling the familiar rush of heat into her cheeks. That makes it sound like I wish he were in the tub with me. I didn't mean it like that… did I? She gulped at the uncontrollable flood of images entering her mind.

Had she really just thought that? Had she really just imagined the way his hair would look; untied, resting loosely on his bare shoulders, or the way it would feel as it tickled her cheek, or her neck, as she lay upon him? Had she really wondered how his skin would feel against hers, or the way his hands would feel running up her sides, or down her thighs, or-

Yukika clasped her hands over her face, and shook her head rapidly back-and-forth, repeating the words, "Oh Kami… Oh Kami… Oh Kami."

ooooooo

Yukika Fujiwara strode smoothly down the porch steps, finally leaving for the day; something that, for her, felt like the closest thing to heaven she would ever know. Well, that is, excluding Itachi: her living, breathing, walking, and talking, personal heaven.

It seemed as though he would haunt her thoughts forever: when he was gone and when he was there, at night and in the day, forever and always.

She smiled at that thought, just moments before she heard a loud crash and, "HAHA!! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!" She turned to see a strikingly familiar boy—his hair as intense and as golden as the sun, and his eyes as wide and as cobalt as the sky—turn the corner, running as fast as the muscles in his legs would allow. In his arms he carried a rather large bundle of dark clothes.

As the boy bolted past her, not giving even a single glance her way, another person, looking around the age of 18, rounded the same corner. His choppy, brown hair was down his tan shoulders, and there was a scar across the bridge of his nose, but neither of these things came even close to the exceedingly noticeable fact that… the man wore nothing but a towel around his waist.

As he ran by, shouting incoherent things at the keeper of his clothing, many people turned and giggled, their hands over their grinning mouths.

Yukika simply scowled for a reason she was not aware of, and walked quickly and quietly away.

ooooooo

Itachi blinked his coal-black eyes open, letting them scan the lush forest at the edge of the Fire Country once more. Nothing. There's absolutely nothing here… but I can't help but get the feeling-

"Itachi, you see anything?" The deep, abrasive voice emerging from his ear piece startled him for a short moment.

"No, nothing," he whispered in reply.

"Weird… I guess we should just leave it be, but… I keep getting the feeling that-"

"Someone is watching us," Itachi finished for him.

"Yeah…"

Itachi took a second to adjust the ear piece, and right then, an unfamiliar kunoichi appeared from the brush. She launched herself at the young captain, and after a flash of confusion, he countered her attack. Then, with the threat of the fire jutsu Itachi conjured, she began to retreat, only to be stopped by the prodigy's comrades.

"I guess we found our target!" Tohma, the boisterous blond, said proudly.

"You mean Itachi found our target. Baka," Saiya, the girl next to him corrected.

"Well… I… helped… sorta!" Tohma put his fists on his hips and leaned down toward his kunoichi partner. "You know you love me anyway!" he sang.

Saiya smiled sweetly and removed his mask, puckering her lips as if she were about to kiss the child-like man.

He was leaning in for the kiss when she punched him in the jaw.

Itachi smirked as, Kuroko, the kunoichi that was suddenly next to him, held her sides in booming laughter. "Aww hun'," she called to Saiya, "you're so mean to that boy!"

Saiya replied with her own laugh, while Tohma rubbed the darkening red mark on his face.

"You three are giving me a headache," said Kuroko's partner, Shiiku, as he slung the now passed out enemy over his shoulder. Shiiku was the last one to speak to Itachi through their radios before the short-lived battle.

"Jeez, Shii-kun, don't be so rough with that thing!" Kuroko exclaimed, "You're gonna kill it!"

"It…" Itachi repeated under his breath, laughing on the inside while his squad members argued in the background. I really am in charge of a bunch of idiots… Oh well, it won't be long now… He stared up at the dawning, tangerine-colored sky, dreaming of the end that he knew was fast approaching. Soon, his plans would be voiced, and then… He smiled sadistically at the thought, but abruptly, it turned to a smile of sorrow. His heart pounded as he thought of his love and the pain she felt daily. I promise Yukika…I'll take you away from this cursed place.

ooooooo

The whole rest of the morning, Yukika pondered over thoughts of the young shinobi-in-training she'd encountered. He'd seemed so… familiar. The unkempt, blond hair, the playful, blue eyes; she just couldn't place her finger on it, where had she seen him before? Maybe she'd caught sight of him around the streets once or twice, or perhaps…

"Wait!" she said aloud, rising from her current position upon the swing in her favorite park. I know where I've seen him! That boy, he's-

As if summoned by her thoughts of him, there the boy was, walking towards the park. His feet shuffled along the gravel-covered road, his head bowed in defeat. That man must've caught him and gotten his clothes back, Yukika thought, unable to hold in a small giggle. The boy's head snapped up to look at her, his mouth open, ready to yell. But strangely, at that moment, it seemed the boy's fire was put out, and his mouth simply closed as he walked by.

He's the nine-tailed fox… A demon. She turned and, with his back facing her, she said, "Hey, kid!"

The boy stopped, and his shoulders rose in a mixture of childish, blind rage and grief. He spun around, his fire renewed, and exclaimed, "What the heck do you want!?"

Yukika merely stood there. A soft wind blew, playing with her hair as it did so. When it left she said, "That was pretty cool, what you did earlier. You get in trouble for it?"

The boy's shoulders fell, relaxed, and he nodded, still a bit reluctant. It reminded Yukika of her childhood-self, in a way. She'd always been afraid to trust people too. She could see it in his cobalt eyes that he was afraid this was some kind of trick. "Too bad. It was still cool either way."

He blinked stupidly at her.

"I'm Yukika Fujiwara." She bent down and put her hand out. She was only half surprised when he didn't take it; instead, he grinned and punched his fist into the air. Then, with almost tangible determination flowing out of him, shouted, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage!!!"

She smiled after taking a much-needed moment of recovery from his outburst, and said, "That's a pretty tough goal to stick to, you sure you wanna make that kind of commitment? I mean, are you sure you have it in you?"

He nodded with absolute certainty, folding his arms in finality like a king.

"Alright, I'll remember that, and I'll root for you."

Naruto's mouth dropped open, then his features lit up with excitement, "Really?"

She laughed, "Well sure! As long as you've got it in you," she lectured playfully.

"I do! I do!"

"Well, good, then I'm sure you'll make a fine Hokage one day."

He beamed, and despite the over-all horridness of the past week, Yukika grinned along with him.

ooooooo

"So, Naruto-kun," Yukika started, as the two demon-like creatures sat on a park bench under the mid-afternoon sun, "if you don't mind me asking, why do you want to lead the village so badly?"

"Well duh!" the blond replied arrogantly, "'cause then, everybody will respect me! I'll show them that I can be the best!!!"

"Oh… I see."

"What about you Yukika-chan? Do you have any goals?"

She laughed. "No, not really."

"You're kidding me! None?"

Again she laughed.

"You gotta have at least one goal! There's gotta be somthin' you wanna do! Hey are you even a shinobi?"

Yukika blinked at the abrupt change in the topic of their conversation. "Umm… No, I'm not. I dropped out of the academy three years ago, when I was 10."

"Woa!!! Why!?"

"I just couldn't take it anymore—all the bullieing, and I realized that being a shinobi just, wasn't right for me, y'know what I mean?" It was some-what truthful at least.

Naruto seemed to think about that for a moment. Finally he said, "No… No I don't know what you mean! Why the heck would you do that!?" He stood up, furious now.

"It's just not for me Naruto," she said calmly, "I don't want to be a shinobi. Not that there's anything wrong with being one, I just don't want to."

He 'hmph'ed and plopped back down onto the bench.

"Yukika-chan!" At the sound of her name, she turned. For a moment, the spiky black bangs and obsidian eyes filled her heart with hope and delight, but when she noticed that the person she saw standing in the road near the park was Sasuke, rather than the one she longed for, she realized those feelings were false.

"Sasuke-kun? What's up?" His eyes glided past her to Naruto, and she was a bit taken back when those coal orbs narrowed slightly at the funny blond. She was even more stunned when Naruto glared as well.

Suddenly, something clicked in Yukika's mind. The sight of Naruto and Sasuke together triggered something. She saw a flash of pink hair, and another of silvery-grey hair sticking straight up to the heavens above. She saw three genin, and the jonin that lead them.

She heard the silver-haired man's voice in her head, "Always fighting, those two. When will it end?" Then, the entire dream came flooding back to her. Naruto, Sasuke, and the girl with pink hair, also the man with the silver hair… and Yukika herself.

She remembered the man saying something about Sasuke… "Though, I don't think Sasuke will ever be the same. At least not for a very long time, considering what happened to him." That's what he'd said.

What happened to Sasuke? No, what will happen to Sasuke? He was older in the dream, so it must not have happened yet. She'd been young when she had that dream, she hadn't even known Naruto, and she'd never seen his face. Could that really just be a coincidence? Not to mention the other two shinobi in her dream… Hadn't the man been about to explain something when-

Yukika's thoughts were interrupted when Naruto got up and began walking away. "Naruto? What's wrong?" she called, but at the sound of her voice, he began running. She stood, wanting to follow, but it was too late, he was gone.

She turned back to Sasuke, who seemed to pretend the other boy was never there in the first place. She opened her mouth to say something, but the young Uchiha spoke first, "Oni is back."

That very second, those words were the three sweetest things in the entire world. "He is?" she questioned, with obvious joy.

Sasuke nodded and she hugged him, placing an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Then—ignoring the dark blush that swept across his face—she ran off in search of her love.

ooooooo

"Itachi!" Yukika sang out as she neared his home, she was so excited. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, and the softest shade of pink decorated her features. I can't wait to see him! It's been so long! I wonder how long he'll stay… "Ita-" She began once more, but a sudden, sharp pain in the back of her head threw her to the ground in a wave of blackness.

"Ita-…chi…-kun…"

End Chapter 9

Thank you for reading (and thank you for waiting!). I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I sincerely thank you for being so patient. Please review and what-not. Arigato Gozaimasu!