Itachi and Kisame were walking down a road toward their next mission. It had been several days since they'd begun catching up with the missions they'd had to miss while Itachi was comatose. Although Itachi wouldn't let Kisame notice, he was exhausted. They'd had several assassination missions and a few 'steal some important items from some guy they'd never heard of' missions, all of which had required some sort of use of his eyes. They'd also been attacked three times already (although Itachi didn't have to do too much with those since Kisame usually wiped out the assassins immediately).
The two of them walked down the road slowly. Itachi stared up at the blurry sky. His mind began to wander.
Wonder what Martel is doing, he thought. I hope Zetsu hasn't done anything…although by now, Hidan and Kakuzu should be back… He paused, blinking a few times. W…Why does that even matter? He wondered.
"Itachi-san?"
Itachi was snapped out of his thoughts by his partner's voice. "Huh?"
"You stopped walking," Kisame told him, his eyes and voice laced in concern. "Is something wrong?"
Itachi looked at Kisame, startled to realize that he had, in fact, stopped walking. "Oh… I didn't even notice," he answered. He walked forward and caught up to Kisame.
The two of them continued walking. Then Kisame said, "Itachi-san, are you feeling alright?" Itachi didn't answer. Kisame frowned. "Itachi-san," he pressed. Still no answer. "Listen, Itachi-san, you've been sick for a few days. Are you tired?" Itachi still didn't even seem to hear Kisame. "ITACHI!"
Itachi jumped and turned toward Kisame. "Huh? You say something?" He asked. He hadn't even realized Kisame was talking. He'd been too immersed in his thoughts.
Kisame sighed. "Itachi-san, maybe we should rest for a bit." When he was met with a blank stare, he scowled. "You're tired. We should take a break."
Itachi shrugged. "If I'm tired, you should let me sleep in more often," he answered.
Kisame rolled his eyes. "Itachi-san, it's extremely unhealthy for people to get used to sleeping in until noon. It'll make you even more sick than you are now. Remember, early to bed, early to rise—"
"—makes Itachi want to gouge out his eyes," Itachi retorted before he could finish.
Kisame blinked a few times and laughed. "Nice," he giggled. "You just think of that?" Itachi ignored him. "Hey, Itachi-san, have I told you about that dream, where we all spoke in rhymes?"
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Yes, Kisame, you've told me twelve times."
They both froze for a second. Then Kisame decided to change the subject as quickly as possible. "So, Itachi-san, you've become a lot more talkative recently, you know that?"
"Huh…?" Itachi began to drift off again.
"Yeah," he continued with a grin, not realizing Itachi had stopped listening to him. "You know, I'm not completely sure why, but I feel like I need to thank Martel for that."
Itachi's head shot up. "What?"
Kisame nodded. "Since you've started trying to figure out who she is and stuff, you've really been more open."
Itachi just looked at him for a second. "Oh… I…didn't notice…" he answered slowly. To be honest, he'd actually been enjoying himself more than he had in a long time. And even though she was rude and obnoxious, he did enjoy her company. She could also be kind at times.
And she definitely was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen…
Itachi froze mid-step. W-What the hell? He wondered frantically. Where the hell did that thought come from?
"Itachi-sa—"
"I-I'm fine," Itachi stammered quickly, walking forward. "Let's go."
Kisame just looked at him and followed after him. Finally, he said, "Um, Itachi-san…are you alright…?" Itachi ignored him. "Itachi-san…your face is red. Did you get sunburned?"
Itachi stiffened and walked faster. "Let's just finish."
…
Itachi sat on the edge of his hotel bed trying to clean the fresh blood off of his cloak. It wasn't that the blood bothered him; he just wanted some sort of menial task to focus on. Something to keep his mind from wandering…
Kisame walked out of the bathroom, stretching. "Oh man, that was a good shower," he mumbled. He looked over at Itachi. "Itachi-san, you gonna take a shower? They have fancy soaps."
"Interesting," Itachi murmured, not listening in the least bit.
Kisame sighed. "Well, we're gonna head back tomorrow," he said. He watched Itachi for a minute. "You know, it'd probably easier to clean it off when we get back."
"Interesting," Itachi murmured, not listening in the least bit.
Kisame sighed. He hated it when his partner ignored him. He sat down on his own bed and lay back. After a few minutes, he decided to try and start a conversation. "Do you need help cleaning that off, Itachi-san?"
"Interesting," Itachi murmured, not listening in the least bit.
Kisame scowled. "You know, you could at least try to not be such an emotionless ass," he muttered. Itachi didn't even bother with a response. Kisame sighed again and glowered at his partner. Then he stood up. "Kay, I'm gonna go blow off all our money on chocolate and porn and tell Kakuzu that you bought it all and laugh as he kicks your scrawny little ass to kingdom come."
"Interesting," Itachi murmured, not listening in the least bit.
Kisame rolled his eyes and sat down next to Itachi. Itachi glanced up. "What?" He finally asked.
Kisame looked back at him. Then he smiled slightly. He just couldn't stay angry at Itachi for long. "Nothing, Itachi-san," he answered.
Itachi sighed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're weird?"
"Not really," he answered. Then he paused. "Well, there is Hidan. And Kakuzu. And Deidara. And that basketball team. And that health clinic. And those demon cheerleaders that snuck into my bedroom last Monday. Oh, and the Barbary Coast—"
"Ok, Kisame, you can stop."
"Oh, s-sorry," he mumbled, blushing slightly.
Itachi rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if his life would've turned out differently if he'd been assigned a different partner in the Akatsuki. Though to be honest, he didn't mind Kisame all that much. He was nice. Not like Deidara or Kakuzu. Or Orochimaru. He shuddered. He still remembered the first thing Orochimaru had said to him. ("Hello there, little boy. Would you like to pet my snake?")
Itachi flopped backwards onto the bed. "You know what? I'm just going to go to sleep."
"Kay," Kisame answered, getting up and laying down in his own bed. "Good night, Itachi-san," he yawned. "Pleasant dreams."
Itachi closed his eyes and started to drift off. His mind wandered back to Martel. Was she still sleeping in his bed? He'd just have to get back and find out. Not that it mattered at all. Because he didn't care. Not at all…
…
Screaming echoed loudly. People shouting at him as he fell through the dark. Screaming… He felt something wrapped around his throat. Dragging him farther down. And then he heard someone shouting his name.
Itachi!
"Itachi-san, wake up!"
Itachi sat up, gasping feebly. Kisame immediately felt his forehead. "I-Itachi'san, you're burning up! I knew it! You were overexerting yourself!" He grabbed Itachi's shoulder and gently pushed him back on to the bed. "Here, just rest a little longer. I'll go get you some soup." Then he left.
Itachi felt something still wrapped around his neck. Slowly, he reached up. A chain was wrapped around his throat. He'd forgotten to take off the necklace with the key. He undid the chain and held up the key.
Was it glowing slightly?