"Catalyst of a dejected executioner … take me someplace nice."
All the laughter and soft hearted joking for smiles trailed after the buoyant footsteps of Deidara. The clay master had left on swift wind when Uchiha Itachi decided it was his time with Kanna, his moment to converse with her and maybe be that unusual leech once more. Of course the clay master had no idea Itachi and Kanna had tolerated one another long enough to share a moment of heavy memory together. While the kunoichi of Kusagakure provided faint details of her past self, Itachi sat in his brooding nature atop a windowsill. His ear went raw from all the fact twisted so pretty in the wrappings of a girl's existence. His own past did not come so attractive. It did not come wrapped up in a package of multi-colored paper labeled with a vibrant Christmas tag saying: Someone else killed my life. Oh no there was no one to blame but himself. Itachi was his own horrid gift giver. All tied up with weathered Konohagakure news paper titled: Deranged Uchiha Son massacres entire clan … but one.
One could feel the featherlike feeling just get purged from the room as that dark haired man stared down to the petite young woman. To show sharingan to her because he could not deactivate them, or rather he would not deactivate them because every person he stared upon was a potential threat to his emptiness which he deserved to wallow in forever more. Or at least … till that avenger came around the tombstone corner. A threat to his emptiness though … especially this one. One young woman who found out in the worst way, that her renowned name was written in metallic red ink, on a scroll … in the hands of a head terrorist. Now Kanna was in the clutches of his reluctant minion, maybe here to just pester him.
"What did he want?" inquired the Uchiha. His voice had the same tone, that prolonged suffering, a monotone and maybe such a bore to someone more enthusiastic about life.
She had witnessed his specter waltz as he came upon her and the blonde Akatsuki. In some strange way, she almost felt as if she got caught doing something bad. "Nothing much…" she casually answered, not really seeing the significance of his question.
Hot coals where soft optics would have been preferably placed, glared over the high black collar of Itachi's Akatsuki cloak. Right now he didn't want to hear his question cast away as if it meant nothing. "Let me rephrase that question," he lolled sharingan shut with his cold tone, "Explain to me why he was in here with you." It was a demand for the detailed word instead of the hope for an easy answer.
To him Deidara had no business with Kanna. That clay master in no way was going to screw up Itachi's mission with his carefree ways. Even the fact that Deidara and Kisame decided to sit and watch his assignment unfold, was a matter of extreme annoyance. They were not needed unless their leader wished to make the Uchiha's miserable life just a tad more down. 'As if that were possible,' he scoffed to himself.
Standing around 5'4 to the man who reached a fair 5'9, Kanna did not appreciate his tone. So she narrowed her eyes then, warning him that she was not in the mood for him to be cruel. Especially not after last night which had been such a relief, even Deidara's perverse little acts were a relief to Kanna. Her glare commenced.
"…," Itachi glared back.
And unfortunately for Haru Kanna, his own death stare crushed hers like a bad habit. Hands neatly folded in and lips pressed together, she gave up in defeat. "Deidara-san just came in to apologize to me for last night … and, this morning. We just had a normal conversation." Really the female Haru thought the clay master could have apologized for the twelve 'o'clock arse grabbing too. She grimaced at the memory.
In mild interest of what possible thing Deidara could have done to Kanna this morning, Itachi didn't want to seem too interested. Less raise an eyebrow or two and have his innocent curiosity be thought of something more. So as Kanna stood obediently, Itachi's eyes began to wander about her room. It was clean and orderly, the way it was when they first arrived.
That's when he noticed a notebook laid out on her bed. It was open exposing two pages totally covered in writing. From scribbles to squiggles, it was almost difficult to decipher word from drawing. Kanna noticed Itachi staring to her notebook with the eyes which soaked in detail instantly. In a bit of a fluster, she scuttled over to the bed and flipped the notepads cover. Itachi's frown deepened since she broke his comfortable stare. Yet his mouth curves were hidden behind the elevated collar.
"…," he turned about now, and began to look from wall to wall. As if not knowing what to do, what to say … or was something else bothering him? Cause once in a while he'd glance over to a clock mounted on the wall, its arms just ticking away life.
"Where did you go?" Kanna asked, whilst clasping the front of her yukata together, afraid her bust would spill out. Really the girl hadn't cared till Kisame made his really rude remark about her weight, during that man speech of his.
Itachi noticed this demure little feature of her, lightly pinching the fabric of her deep collar together, hiding what cleavage he was allowed to see. Of course he had taken one or two opportunities to look, he would not deny himself that blast of testosterone. "…out," he answered.
All to suddenly, he took another glance at the clock as the large hand began to point teasingly at a hour pending late afternoon. 'We'll need to start as soon as possible…' He hated to be rushed, especially in a situation like this. Having to fix a broken thing, it was troublesome with a time limit.
He was just standing there, glare set on a clock. Kanna didn't know how to start this conversation out, he for sure wasn't going to kick a word in. Kanna fingered the fabric of her maroon obi, just trying to utter up the words. Make sure they weren't too harsh, not too intruding. "Itachi-san…"
A flash of black and red as a cloak snapped in the air. Itachi had went over to the drawers which she had placed her clothing and relocated her old weaponry in. "Wait -- what are you doing?" He would open the top drawer and began to sift through her Jounin uniform and undergarments. Kanna looked shocked and she flailed her arms. "Excuse me, does privacy mean absolutely nothing to any of you?" She squawked.
Purple nail polished finger pinched the soft lacy fabric of underclothes before finding what he desired. "Would you just put that stuff down, its not yours!" She scolded, hurrying over to his side. Kanna's right hand went out to grab Itachi's shoulder. Instantly on touch he shrugged it off. But the stubborn girl went at him again, not really enjoying the fact he shrugged her off.
One last push from the grass Kunoichi to Uchiha Itachi, before his hand went out to grab her wrist, immobilizing her. His eyebrows raised, "if you truly plan on stopping me, you will need to put actual effort in … though, I doubt even that would help ."
Attempting to recoil her wrist back, Itachi's grip was as firm as ever. "Let me go," she said strictly.
"Make me," that unbelievable impassive facade stayed stern. Repeatedly Kanna would try and take her wrist away, swishing that black mane and biting off rough sounds. Only to have her effort towards freedom be in vain. Right now he was obviously demonstrating how much strength he had over her. If she was going to be in Akatsuki, the kind of strength she was displaying now, definitely was not good enough.
With his free hand he held up Kanna's shuriken pouch and kunai holster. "There will be no more fooling around, Kanna-san. I did not bring you to this estate to just gossip and lay about," head cocking to the side slightly, he wondered if what he was saying was sinking into that head of hers. It must have been, because Itachi would inwardly smirk as Kanna shot him a glare, not liking how he referred to her time spent, as just laying about and gossiping.
"You wish for me to listen to you," declared the girl, still hanging from Itachi's hand. "But its obvious you drown out my words. I distinctly remember telling you I was no good for your organization. I have not performed a set of hand seals in years!" finishing her complaint Kanna tried to rip her wrist away from him again.
With one hand on her and the other holding up the weaponry, Itachi's expression softened to a small degree. How could anyone be so devout to forgetting their shinobi skills, as to not play out a Ninjutsu in years? Itachi could not comprehend this. "Well," a loud ruffling of cloak sounded off as he maneuvered his arm to keep the struggling girl still, all the while his form stood strict. "…today you will execute your first hand seals in years then."
"No, there is no possible way I could…" Her voice was shaking with serious doubt. But as those brown optics set on sharingan, the severe stare of Itachi's eyes said she had no choice. Now all Kanna could hope for was a miracle. It seemed during last night and this morning, she had forgotten how serious this was. No where to turn, she was alone. No one was coming to save her. No one would ever think of such.
Itachi now witnessed her sudden change in attitude. That haughty resistance could protest no more, it would only be a waste of air. "Come," Regaining his height the Uchiha released Kanna from his grasp. With that he would make his way out of her bedroom and down the long hall. He left the girl once again by herself, to succumb to submission at the stone feet of Akatsuki.
"What do I do now?" she questioned weakly. Yet there was no one to answer. Forehead and palms pressed against the a wall of her room, Kanna eased her eyes shut feeling that heavy defeat sink in. There was no escaping this now, any sensible woman would have decided by now it was time the female Haru got with the program and stopped whining. Kanna had a responsibility. To keep her younger brother safe. "I need too…" she cringed, "Do this for him."
Shoulders back and head held high, the Uchiha made his way down the long hall. The explanation for his absence this morning, was because he got word from Kisame that Zetsu needed to speak with him urgently. So after secluding himself out to a thicket, he met with the plant beast like man. Of course Zetsu was interested in the kunoichi from his old village, but Itachi killed down the needless questions and ordered for Zetsu to get straight down to business.
It seemed that the two Akatsuki candidates Deidara and Kisame brought back, had already initiated training in Akatsuki protocol. There skills were sharp as ever, they did not even look back to their villages when offered the chance of great power in exchange for their services. Itachi snickered at such. Of course, no one would decline the chance of power. Well, almost no one. 'She's difficult…' The grass kunoichi was. His mission had yet to go further. Zetsu warned Itachi that the leader was not very ecstatic about this. They needed Haru Kanna as soon as possible. Also, her initiation task was already decided. Yet Zetsu was not inclined to explain her initiation task to Itachi. So the time limit assigned to Itachi's mission was not appreciated, and not knowing what actions Kanna had to perform to officially join Akatsuki bothered him too. Strange enough.
Along the stone of the courtyard he would walk. Another cloudy late afternoon. Thankfully autumn was Itachi's preferred season. There was just something about a cusp of life and death he found appealing. Itachi then unbuttoned his Akatsuki cloak, exposing that purple fishnet which laid elegantly to his sculpted body. He knew what he was going to have to do. Kanna would not like it, and in some ways he knew he'd feel guilt for forcing her past back upon her. Yet this was his mission, he was not going to let the leader of Akatsuki have his pleasure in knowing Uchiha Itachi could not perform everything to absolute perfection. Between him and Kanna, he chose himself of course.
Head lolling back those feminine shaped eyes of the Uchiha stared to the gray sky as black strands of silken hair slid across his facial structure. It was going to rain, it was even in the chilling air. Yet even so cold, his fingers could still feel the smooth of Kanna's skin, that soft struggle. Today, did he not request she continue her story with him? Yes. He had not forgotten.
"You are a complete utter mess," he spoke to the sky, eye brows furrowed on a stone glare.
Kanna stepped into the courtyard and looked out to the dull manor side. Her expression bent in misery and loath seemingly directed at the man who so easily had control over her. "A pity I'm such a burden to you," she said in a cruel manner.
A burden to him? She could not truly grasp the truth in that. As he turned his head to the side to stare at Kanna with that uncaring way of his, he saw her stubbornly staring out to nowhere. Obviously directing all her animosity solely at him. Itachi's dark mane was then caught in a light breeze, stirring those bangs and chanting that black cloak spotted with red clouds to dance. "Do you fully understand what rank of skills are required to be in Akatsuki?"
"No," she shot back, still staring out to the gloomy manor side.
When he read through the entire file on the Haru clan and their capabilities he was given, Itachi discovered at fourteen Kanna had achieved Jounin. Now the girl was seventeen and two years without practice. What level had she dropped to?
Frown firmly resting on that fine face of his, Itachi slipped the silky fabric of his Akatsuki cloak downward along his broad shoulders. "To put it into words you could understand," he spoke. "Unable to fend off Deidara is truly pathetic." Once again he had a go at Kanna. It seemed the Uchiha would elegantly lend out insults to the girl, only to stir a arousal of anger within her.
Kanna's head jerked around so quickly that little fly away hairs touched along her soft jaw line. "I'm sick and tired of your criticism," she bit.
"Oh really?" Itachi inquired in a deadly tone.
"Yes," it seemed Kanna had found the fountain of courage. "More than a few times you've declared that I am weak and pathetic, that its all my fault… that even my brother was pathetic because he did not resort to brute like manner and punish those children who were picking on him," her body gave a full turn as her shoulders slumped down and hands lay in fists at her side. She took a defensive stance. "Do you ever stop? What are you aiming for out off all this, my hatred?"
To lack hatred, to be weak … with enough hate a person could not help but become strong. From the day he came upon her, he realized the only way to get what he wanted, what Akatsuki wanted, would be to tap Kanna's hate. To abuse her, put her in a spot, take away what mattered to a broken girl.
"You've got a lot of nerve," he said tonelessly. "But has it not worked?" Itachi's head tilted to the side somewhat, that idle stare of sharingan upon the girl who thought herself on a roll for word.
"Has it worked?" she repeated in a confused tone. "I do not understand…"
Itachi allowed himself some time to breathe. It seemed Kanna had yet to catch on to the method he was using on her. The most effective way the Uchiha knew how to get what he wanted. "Tell me what fueled you to come out here just now. Try and convince me that the real reason you are out here being so obstinate is not because, in conclusion you have been pushed to the edge, making you, Kanna-san, realize you're more than willing to get on with this program."
"Hatred…" she breathed. It truly fueled her coming out, it aided her in the decision to deliberately look for a kunai. His form now drew closer to Kanna's. Itachi peered down to the girl who looked as if she had been lied to all this time. Kanna had not realized that Itachi had been feeding her subliminal messages through body language and criticism. No longer did she lack hatred.
"If you hate me … don't be offended if I don't care." It no longer mattered to Itachi, who hated him. There was just so much animosity directed at him now, the Uchiha highlighted in every bingo book just didn't give a damn anymore. He deserved the hate. "Another grain of rice will not tip the scale."
And as he stood in front of this girl who went mute and only looked to her weaponry holsters in his left hand, he had his preconceptions. Indeed, he believed with no doubt that she hated him. He was the reason she was here, the reason her brother wasn't. A bittersweet smile would soon surface on Itachi's face. This method proved to have worked in the past.
About to turn around and set up the dummies and target boards for her placement test, Itachi paused, hearing Kanna finally speak. "Congratulations, I must say your method worked wonders…" Her voice was low, in a haze as facial expressions were hidden by the curtains of long dark locks.
Itachi's back faced Kanna. He now was baring himself for the declaration of loathing for him, putting into poetry that he was horrible, cruel, etc. "And?" Itachi quietly pushed on.
Haru Kanna drew in a breath, her head rose up from the slouch of defeat. "I hate, but I do not hate you!" He was wrong. Though his method of hate worked, she was channeling that emotion elsewhere.
"…," Uchiha Itachi raised an incredulous eyebrow. What was her problem? Had she not been listening to a single word he expressed? Kanna just declared she in fact, did not hate him. Really it did not register in Itachi's mind. "Do you strive to be stupid?" he spat then.
Instead of Itachi stepping forward now, he was caught off guard when Kanna advanced on him this time around. Expression displaying that the girl had a thing or two ready for declaration. "Uchiha Itachi, I do not hate you and I shouldn't have to hate you. The only hate I have, is for the organization which feeds off your existence -- Akatsuki!"
To her, it wasn't Itachi's fault she was in this manor. It was not the Uchiha's fault he made a bad choice some point in his life and ended up in Akatsuki, doing their bidding for whatever fallacious promise they told him. Itachi's expression had bent to hazardous area as she continued her rant. "The fact you want me to hate you … now that is disturbing." Kanna added in breathlessly.
His expression could sincerely frighten. Eyebrows furrowed, those distinct eye depressions deepening with every word Kanna so bluntly spat. That tall, dark frame of his standing erect in a strict manner. Anyone would have noticed she questioned Itachi's significance. Kanna had said Akatsuki simply fed off of his existence. Though that should have offended him greatly, Itachi already was aware that the red dawn fed off of his extreme skills.
As time began to tick by and it got darker and darker in the courtyard, Kanna slowly began to realize what exactly she had said. But she wouldn't take it back. The Haru wasn't going to apologize for saying the truth. Yet, her heart rate began to rise and she was finding the walls of the manor quite alluring to hide behind now.
Itachi closed his eyes then, not exactly knowing what to say now. To think, when it was needed, Itachi was truly lacking in word or insult. So he dug up a simple answer, one which said it all. "Foolish girl, you don't know me." With that Itachi turned away from Kanna.
How dare that girl. Her impudence, impatience, integrity and astonishing innocence. Itachi on no account had been spoken to like that. Never had somebody told him that he did not deserve their hate. But how could something like that bother him? Kanna held no ill feelings towards the Uchiha, just the Akatsuki. It should not have stirred a ripple in the sea of his mind at all. But it did.
'I should have just kept my big mouth shut!' Kanna would inwardly think, her expression fell into a stressful scowl, right eyebrow giving a twitch of rage towards her own self. 'I should just take a shovel and start digging my own grave,' Yes Kanna had come out here ready to pick up a kunai and put some effort into rekindling that fire of a formidable kunoichi. Now out in the courtyard, dummies along with targets decorating the courtyard stone walls of age, she began to feel that clam up again. 'I can't do this'… After all that talk. What to show?
"Forget it," Itachi's monotone then broke the silence.
"What do you mean … forget it?" Kanna would repeat. Brown eyes blinking, she expected his tone to be acidic. Angered that she was once again being difficult.
Right now Itachi could not bare witness to the Haru's display of weaponry skill. He could not stand a disappointment of such magnitude. Besides, it seemed too soon for her. Right now Itachi decided true basics needed to be seen.
With a smooth turn on his heel, the Uchiha would toss the kunai holster and shuriken pouch to the cobblestone floor with numerous toned clanging. Sharingan narrowed, Itachi exhaled. "I'm not in the mood to bare witness to your embarrassing clumsiness with simple weapons." Yet another insult. "So, I'm giving you an order even a genin could follow through with."
She hoped whatever it was Itachi was planning, she could at least pull off with some grace. In fact she was very thankful he did not want to see her skill with kunai and shuriken. Cause the kunoichi highly doubted aim could come back to her easily. "And what order is that?" she questioned uncertainly.
That cold autumn breeze once again whisked by, the air of a rain storm pending high in the heavens. Itachi tossed that implausible blank expression over his shoulder to Kanna. "Just concentrate your chakra…" And once Kanna pulled that off, he could analyze her chakra with sharingan. He could determine what level in power she stood at. Her ranking.
Almost instantly and to Itachi's dismay, Kanna objected. "W-what? There is no possible way I could do such so soon ," she spoke urgently. "Really, maybe we should start out with shuriken and kunai, surely I'll have better chance with them than chakra?"
"No," he told strictly.
"Listen to me," the Haru shook her head, eyes wide as if trying to stare reason into him. "Shuriken and kunai, just those. Maybe in a week or two my skills will come back," still standing away from him, Kanna begged for something easier than summoning chakra which had long ago rotted.
Seeing those doe eyes wide with flustered fear, he began to question if this was going to work out or not. Was she nothing but a waste of his time? He could send out the report saying Haru Kanna was a loss cause, defected. Surely they could locate another S rank criminal.
"Reconsider," Kanna begged softly. Of course she had taken notice how often the Uchiha would go off in his own mind, stare out into the distance of thick forests or glare into the soft blue of the sky. It was obvious he enjoyed silence, responded better when addressed with more respect. So she summoned that from herself battering that haughty attitude into its cage. "I just need time, nothing else," Kanna's hands extended out, taking soft pinch onto Itachi's fishnet shirt.
An invasion of his personal space. Those small digits clawing at all his chest's firmness. Itachi lowered the sight of his elegant eyes. "We, do not have time." He bit suddenly. The leader of Akatsuki was calling. Haru Kanna did not have the authority in Akatsuki, the importance to ask for a few days to work on one skill alone. He coldly pulled away from her then.
That silence which always seemed to manifest between the two, rose once again. Itachi had just expressed she had no time to struggle. She needed to remember fast. Surely he did not need to take any time to explain what would happen if she did not progress in any way.
"You said to me Kanna-san, that you would change…" the elder Uchiha sat himself down on a bench outside a garden storage house. Its long roof shielding him, casting a shadow over his serious frame as that refined form of impassive speech issued from those lips. "In order for you to change, I then expressed you would need to do as I commanded."
Standing in the middle of a courtyard, wearing a yukata during the wrong season, surrounded by shinobi training gear and weaponry, Kanna felt frustration ensue. "I remember…" she told in a voice teetering between anger and defeat.
"Good, then we understand each other," He told curtly. With one hand, Itachi gestured for Kanna to commence with his command. He would only sit and analyze with sharingan. Chakra concentration was not difficult, but it could be if you slacked off for years.
Astounded that he just sat himself down, Kanna scowled. She did not enjoy being someone else's form of entertainment. She would glance to her sandaled feet, hands, then Itachi once again. His stare was stone set on her.
"Are you just going to sit there and watch me?" she snapped.
"Yes," Itachi answered. "Do you have a problem with that, Kanna-san?" His voice almost seemed challenging, so Kanna faltered and shook her head with a simple no. When really it was more pressure on her if he just sat and watched.
A half hour would pass by, before Kanna even gave a weak attempt to finger out a hand seal. Each individual digit would twitch with uncertainty, unsure of how to bend and where to press. To Itachi, the kunoichi appeared to be a little girl expressing inexperience. A little snarl here and there she would give, doe eyes brightening with sudden knowing, before faltering along with a expression of downfall as she drifted farther away from this small goal.
"Just concentrate your chakra, it should not be difficult," muttered Kanna, to herself. But her own words of encouragement didn't do much. There was some terror that was pulling her hands apart. Giving reason to why her fingers refused to bend properly.
Itachi was slowly becoming impatient now. Evening had dropped upon the Uchiha and Haru. Autumn's cold night weather was beginning to bite at his skin. "We do not have all night," he warned her coldly. Itachi's eyebrows furrowed beneath his long bangs and the covering of that struck through forehead protector.
Kanna gave a half scowl over her shoulder to him, but ignored Itachi's words by simply turning away. Going back to her hands, Kanna was aiming for a hitsuji, the ram seal. It was most common when concentrating chakra. 'I can do this … its not hard,' her mental voice coaxed her on. But it just wasn't working. Kanna couldn't bring herself to do this. "God dammit!"
He sat in his usual strict position, calm as ever, a far cry from the state of mind Haru Kanna was in. Back against the bench rest, both of his feet were firm to the ground as sharingan was aglow in that indigo of oncoming night. Kanna threw her hands at her side in frustration, giving up. Itachi's sharingan narrowed. To make matters worse for the girl, it now started to rain. "I don't remember telling you to stop," said the Uchiha in cruel pitch.
"I can't do this…" Kanna uttered breathlessly, feeling the icy bits of liquid dropping.
"As if no one noticed such," he stated curtly. "So keep trying."
She veered around to glare over in the dry shadows he sulked within. "Did you not comprehend what I just said? I am trying! And it is just not working, I cannot do this!" Kanna felt her heart beat rising up again, beating just as quick as the rain which decided to storm upon her. When it rained, it poured.
What a sad disgrace. Such a pretty face yet she was not regrettable. Once again the girl got smart with him, then did the exact opposite of what he wanted. "Kanna-san," he called to her strictly. "Do as I say, get back to what I assigned you to do."
"But I can't!" she screamed as the rain pounded harder. Drums of war; autumn began to mock this kunoichi. Dousing her in wet, yukata material stuck to her frame, and all that hair of hers becoming heavy with water weight. "Please," she begged. Expression rounded with unhappiness and desperation, the rain water slicked her face as drops dripped from the tip of her nose. "Help me..."
"…," He stared to her with his impassive facade, those elegant eyes curved with cruelty. She wanted him to help her? Quite a scene it was. A woman standing in the midst of a dark courtyard, soaking wet, hair spider webbed across a flawless face… bent in desperation. A need for his aid.
Kanna heard the stupidity in her request. Itachi would not help her. What did he care if she failed or not? Less for the Uchiha to worry about, he could go out and find a more willing participant. Placing nail between enamel, she closed her eyes and bit down with emotional tension.
That's when something astonishing took place. Uchiha Itachi brought his body up. At a standstill beneath the little roof which kept him dry during this sudden downpour, he considered what he was about to do. Kanna was turned away from him, obviously too ashamed to allow him the sight of her frustrated eye drippings. Without any dictation, Itachi crossed the wet stone of the courtyard.
Wallowing in her own pathetic regret, Kanna felt that presence. In reflex her body straightened up, only to feel her upper back press into the tepid flesh of Itachi's chest. "What…what are you doing?" Her inquiry came when she felt that sensual warmth of his body press up against her own.
"You asked me for help…" came that emotionless tone. Among the rainfall, felt up by all the bitter atmosphere, Itachi brought Kanna's reluctant form to his own.
Hips pressed against her lower back, Itachi's chin would barely hover over Kanna's right shoulder as his arms maneuvered around her body slowly. Kanna went quiet, put into a trance by this bodily contact that pulsed hot blood from all about her body. Something about Uchiha Itachi mesmerized her, hypnotized with just a look from sharingan.
"Pay attention…" his voice then came, hot breath fanning out across her ear.
Itachi's arms rested around Kanna as his hands went out for her own. He would put the Haru's hands into a simple praying position, before allowing his own fingers to bend and manipulate her own. Itachi could feel the rain pounding on his back, icy cold droplets slipping down between his shoulders, causing chilled bumps to pucker across his flesh. The only area where his body was warm, would be the front. Where he had drawn Kanna to him.
"Hitsuji…" muttered the Haru. Uchiha Itachi had put Kanna's fingers into a perfect ram seal. A step in beginning the process of concentrating chakra.
She then peered from the corner of her eye, seeing Itachi's face so close to her own, his strong chin just hovering above a tender cup in her shoulder. "Uh?" Itachi's sharingan caught her little glance and they were caught in a each other's gaze. Yet he stared to her with that emotionless mask. Kanna could not see any tenderness harbored in those red pools, just nothing. It was almost sad to look at him.
Breath materializing with the cold, Itachi turned away from Kanna in that uncaring way. His attention had switched to the seal he formed with her fingers. "Concentrate. Chakra is the balance between physical strength and spiritual energy."
"Hai," responded Kanna, with a new found determination.
He shifted his stance behind her somewhat. Lowering his arms, he would let Kanna hold the seal by herself. But still Itachi held Kanna, allowing her to feel his own chakra flow. Like second nature that energy hauled up in that majestic frame pulsed strong. "Just…concentrate."
"It is…difficult," said the girl in a winded tone. Of course it was difficult to concentrate, he was so close to her. That was mainly what Kanna was concentrating on. Uchiha Itachi, this murderer, a true criminal was pressed up against her, aiding Kanna with chakra control. In a matter of seconds Kanna felt the blood all rush to her face. Those cheeks of hers radiated a serious heat, she was now so thankful for the cover of night.
Eyebrows losing that bend of aggravation, Itachi nodded his head. "Close you eyes, it only makes sense that your chakra control has suffered over the years…" Strange how he seemed more understanding.
Haru Kanna did as he said. Lips pressed together, a tension began to build in her neck, constricting a swallow of spit. 'Concentrate. Chakra is the balance between physical strength and spiritual energy.' As she would think this, Itachi allowed a stronger pour of his chakra to escape him. With any luck it would beckon Kanna's chakra from dormancy, stimulate a steady flow from her.
Itachi's own eyes closed, a few moments more would pass just before the break. He would be the first person in years to bare witness to Haru Kanna's chakra. Small, very faint her energy was. But it was progress. "Do you feel it, Kanna-san?" Inquired the even keeled man, mouth still dangerously close to her rain slicked ear.
"I…" Kanna really wished he would just back away now. Or at least give her a moment to cool down. "I do, but it truly is nothing compared to your own." From the core in her chest cavity that warmth of spiritual and physical power composed mutual reached to her fingertips. It was warm, it felt very good. As did other things. Once again she would peer over her shoulder to Itachi.
But all good things do have to come to an end. Itachi would feel a bit of disappointment when Kanna's chakra broke up and dispersed into a calm life flow once again. Kanna also felt a displeasure when Itachi's hold on her receded. She was cold again.
A small accomplishment, yet the rain did not care as it continued to bawl down upon them. Two figures amidst this downpour. One unsure of how to hold herself, dabbling in her mind on how to take the man's strange act of kindness. While the other figure stood as still as a statue.
To muster up enough courage to express her gratitude to Itachi, was difficult. "Itachi-san?" She crossed her arms over her chest, palms pressing into her biceps as if trying to squeeze out her own body heat. "Please, forgive me for all I am putting you through."
"…," Itachi began to wonder where he had tossed his cloak, he could really use it right about now.
"Your help and company…just you listening to me, is truly appreciated," about to shiver a thank you, Kanna was cut off as Itachi drew away from her.
"That's enough for today, get in the manor before you catch cold," Though his voice did not harbor the severity of a command, it was obvious he did not want to hear anymore from Kanna. He knew she was going to thank him, but he would not allow such a waste of breath. There was nothing to thank really, Itachi merely aided Kanna to become like him. Food for Akatsuki and its fierce ambition.
She would go past Itachi then, only to pause on the manor deck before the back doors. Chocolate colored eyes would come to a half-lidded state as those butterfly lashes were stuck with raindrops. Itachi still stood out in the rain, almost bare-chested without his Akatsuki cloak. "I do not catch colds…" she corrected softly. "But you on the other hand Itachi-san, can."
She peered to him coquettishly through her long lashes, a small smile soon manifested on that flawless facade. Was she attempting to joke with him? The Uchiha would stare through the heavy rainfall, looking beyond that white mist which seemed to exude and hum from everything the downpour touched upon. He looked to Kanna. "Mind your own business." He told.
Once Kanna dried herself off, she found Deidara poking around the kitchen like a curious rodent. Yes there was plenty of food, but one would need cooking skills to get a real meal out of the various things stacked in the cabinets. So after shooing the clay master from the kitchen with a spatula, since he once again tried to grab her backside, Kanna and her sudden growth of self-confidence made a rather large dinner.
Plates set on the dinning room table with the food dishes displayed from one end of the table to the other, it did not take long for Deidara and Kisame to stampede in like cattle. "Ho- what is the occasion Kanna-san?" Deidara looked to the table hefty with steaming food.
"No occasion," she simply answered with a smile, taking chopsticks from a cup with a little more light heartedness.
Sifting some vegetables, Deidara then narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the grass kunoichi. "Then someone is just in a good mood, yeah?" Kanna would see a smirk spread across the clay master's innocent appearing face. As if he suspected something.
Kanna then scowled to him before she would shrug off his words. "If all this food displeases you, Deidara-san, then tomorrow you are more than welcomed to a cup'o'noodle."
Deidara blinked as authentic noodles spilled from his mouth, he then slurped up messily. "No, its delicious. You are too good, yeah." Scope no longer in his left eye, both those sapphire sights eased over Kanna's face. She smiled still.
"Get me some sake," gurgled Kisame. Thankfully he sat beside Deidara, while Kanna was at the head of the table, staring at a empty seat where a equally empty plate sat upon the table mat.
The clay master scowled at the shark-hybrid, obviously not grateful for such a fine meal. "Here," he slid a bottle of liquor towards Kisame, who gurgled out a half-assed thank you. Deidara would then notice the female looking towards that empty seat, then over towards the hall which lead to her bedroom, also Itachi's.
"It's a shame Itachi is missing out," the clay master cooed then. "Unappreciative bastard, yeah." Kisame looked over the brim of his bowl as he shoved mounds of rice into that huge bear trap of his. All the while those greedy fishy eyes studied the chef. The way Deidara spoke of her when she was not around, had aroused Kisame's curiosity and lecherous little mind.
"Yes, a real shame…" Kanna picked at her food. And as the two men finished, she had only eaten a fourth of what she served herself.
"Kanna-san," called Deidara. He stood between the door frame which lead to the living room. "Come and join Kisame and I for a drink, yeah."
"I appreciate the offer, Deidara-san. But no thank you, that dinner really had me tear back the kitchen," she held stacked bowls in each hand, balancing them by swaying herself just a tad bit.
"You are missing out on a true bonding experience with your new family, yeah," Deidara gave her a flirtatious wink, before turning around and heading back into the living room. Of course when he thought Kanna was not looking, his shoulders slouched and it almost appeared that he was sulking. The grass kunoichi shook her head a bit with amusement, before getting back to her cleaning.
By the time midnight had fallen, Deidara and Kisame once again drank themselves to sleep. Kanna had lead herself down the corridor towards her room ready for bed, before noticing a light on in Itachi's sleeping quarters. She could see his shadow, sitting on a chair propped next to a desk.
He had not shown up for dinner, in fact he had not had any contact with his comrades or her after the courtyard incident. For whatever reason Kanna scuttled back into the kitchen and pulled out the many leftovers from the large dinner she made.
Warming up what was necessary, the girl headed back down the hall with a plate in one hand, and a sake bottle in the other. "Its still on…" She was thankful to know when she returned, he was still awake, still seated on that chair. 'What if he doesn't want to see me? It will be so embarrassing to have him send me off…' There was doubt as she placed the sake bottle under her arm and then knocked. "Itachi-san?"
A/N: You know how people say you're your biggest critic? Well I think that is the case right now. For some reason I just couldn't put the feel I was going for in chapter 10. Its weird, and its making me a bit frustrated. Oh! ..; I hope my writing quality isn't dropping six feet under.
But besides myself, thank you for all the AWESOME reviews. They really, really kick me into gear when writers block chokes me with her pantie hoes. LOL All right well on my profile I put links to some illustrations for this story. Just OC pictures. They aren't great. But eh, I try. Lol You can stare at all their ugliness if you want, just clickie clickie my profile... if you DARE! Dun, dun, dun -dramatic music- So everybody who is reading this and reviewing, thank you very much. Luv ya guys. Hope this chapter wasn't a bummer or a waste of that precious summer vacation time.
-connie