Author's note: Wow! So I'm getting three chapters out this week. Lucky u guys, hope ya like. And if we count my 2 b-day updates that makes 5, people. x_x I'll probably start on getting three chapters out at a time now, because I've done most all of the corrections (Think so at least) from here to 30. The only time I won't put them in threes is when one chapter ends cliffy. ^_^ Yes, I'm mean. Sorry.
Chapter's song: "Hello" by Evanescence
Chapter 14
Realistic dreams
Once the Uchiha boys were sound asleep, is when Akina started slipping into her nightmares— sweating and grinding her teeth as she struggled in her conscious of memories that now haunted her slumber.
"Akina… you're my baby bud, my beautiful brilliant greens." A beautiful woman said as she leaned over a cradle, looking to a baby Akina. She looked almost identical to Akina, slightly older and with short wavy hair to only reach her shoulders instead of down to her waist like Akina's. But the green eyes were exact; Akina inherited those eyes from this woman, her mother. "I will always love you, no matter what anyone says."
TACK! A toddler Akina threw kunai to a tree in the backyard, but stopped when she heard the garden gate lock click. "Daddy's home from his mission." Akina ran to the gate as it open to greet Yasuo with surprise, jumping into his arms!
"My bud!" He said happily, scooping her up in his arms. The man eyed the bull eyes she had landed on the tree and smiled to his daughter. "That's it… you're getting the hang of it—"
"Yasuo! What are you teaching my baby bud to do?" A woman's voice came from the back door, Akina's mother stepping out. Ruri was her name. And she was teasing sternly as Yasuo blushed sheepishly in his wife's presents.
"…Nothing—"
"Daddy's teaching me to be a ninja just like him." Akina said when she slid down to the ground, out of Yasuo's arms. The husband smiled an innocent grin to Ruri as she chuckled to the truth Akina told.
"Just be sure to go easy on him… I need him for later." Yasuo's blush deepened, but broke when Akina started tugging on his pant leg.
"So what's the next step?"
Yasuo sighed in a pout, acting very tired. "Hey now… you heard your mother. Go easy on you're old man."
He'd sit down on the grass, leaning his back against a tree. Coming to Akina's eye level when she pouted just like he did, mocking him sarcastically. "That's no fun."
Yasuo was taken back by his daughter, but he smirked, she inherited his personality. "Why you little… come here." Yasuo grabbed her lovingly as he started tickling her. Once he stopped, realizing his toddler was tired, drifting off in her father's arms, when he'd mew in his daughter's ear, "Sleep tight, my little bud."
Akina knelt by her mother's bedside, eyes tucked in the draping white covers. "Please mother, wake up… wake up… please."
A doctor and Yasuo stood outside in the hall, sadly glancing into the hospital room. "The poison is spreading fast. We can't determine an antidote, but the foreigner who poisoned her is being sentenced out."
Yasuo sent a glare to the useless doctor. "Will killing him bring back my dear Ruri?"
"No sir." The doctor said, not knowing how else to reply.
Yasuo walked away, to enter the room coldly. "Then just leave. I don't want to listen anymore."
The father leaned down beside Akina, but up further on the bed so he could be next to Ruri's face. She smiled slightly; she had much fatigue, as she'd mew, "Yasuo."
He smiled to his name playing off his young wife's lips, in a lustful way he had heard so many times through their teenage nights together. "Listen to me, my love. I don't have a lot of time left—"
"Don't say that—" Yasuo exclaimed, not even noticing Akina already with her head bowed, excepting the pain that would hit. Preparing her breaking heart for when it shattered.
"Yasuo, it's the truth and I want to say this… I love you and I don't regret one moment with you. I love the things we've done—" Ruri stopped and placed her shaky hand under Akina's chin to raise her daughter's features to meet her green eyes. Emeralds meeting emeralds as Ruri continued, "My only regret, Yasuo… is not being able to see our bud bloom. I love you, Akina, goodbye." Ruri closed her emerald eyes with the last of her strength.
Yasuo stuttered, teeth clenching in anguish. "Damn it all. Not you m-my love." Akina re-bowed her head, hiding the tears she had been taught meant weakness. But as she kept her head down, she saw tears hit the hospital tile floor— her father's tears.
Akina seen herself free falling in pitch darkness as her fading dreams skipped from one memory to another. Her father smiling to her, before he left to his death— then coming to hear those damnable voices again, standing in nothing but a black blur. "We can help you… forget your pain… and keep more pain from occurring, pain that awaits if you stay… just come to us."
The young kunoichi started squirming in her sleep, which waked Itachi to lean up groggily, seeing Akina sweating bullets. "Hey Shisui, wake up!"
Said boy shot up ugly, glaring at his friend, until he saw Akina— rushing to her side with haste. "She's heating up." Shisui placed a healing hand on her forehead, but to the reaction of his touch— Akina shot up quickly! "DON'T GO!"
Shisui was startled to her waking loudly and abruptly, him falling back over himself, stretching his legs over his head. "Ahhh! What the—"
Akina panted, trying to catch her breath, she looked at Shisui in his awkward position, as he tried to roll back up to sit. "Shisui, it's you… and Itachi?" She breathed, her pupils coming calmer and not dilated.
After Akina said Itachi's name, he'd kneel down by her side. "You all right…?" Itachi breathed to calm Akina.
"You scared us?"
"I'm so sorry." The Mochizuki stood, forcing herself away from her comrades. "We should get going…" Itachi looked with wonder as he watched her. "I held us back long enough." But when Akina turned to leave the cave, Itachi grabbed her wrist, she didn't say anything and neither did Itachi. But they didn't share the same reasoning for not saying anything, as Akina was caught in a trance, fixed on the hauntingly glowing full moon.
Itachi kept his hand wrapped to her wrist, feeling her. She's trembling? What is she scared of? Something big… she never gets scared. Itachi then broke from his thoughts, staying knelt on the cave floor, still keeping hold of Akina's wrist. To hear the girl he held whisper in a gulp, "The moon..." Itachi was confused, but he stood, still holding her wrist as he stepped close to her back.
"Calm down… now are you sure you're all right?"
Akina swallowed again. "Yeah…" She replied; shaking her head no, she was lying to herself. "I don't know at times like this… the moon." Akina dropped back to her knees, Itachi now letting go of her.
Shisui just watched, staying by the fire, he was going to let Itachi handle this. He was the one that had a chance to get through to her, knowing the torment. …I've never seen her like this. The medic would think back.
Itachi knelt back down, slowly going to one knee, slightly behind Akina and off to her side. "What's wrong?" His voice was so soothing and strong all at once.
Akina wasn't even listening though; she shook her head back and forth, trying to get rid of her nightmares, horrors. But yet she replied to her worried comrade that came as shock to both the Uchiha boys. "I lost both my parents when the moon was full… I never sleep. If I do I have dreams about them… the good times I use to have and then it turns into a nightmare and it brings me back to the nights I lost them." Akina couldn't control herself, why couldn't she stop herself from speaking? She looked away shamefully from Itachi when she gave into the words piecing out from her clamped lips. "It's so hard reliving those nights over and over and—" Akina stopped, when Itachi placed a warm hand to her back.
Shisui decided he needed to step in, approaching the two from behind. "Why haven't you ever told us this?"
Damn it! She had to answer as Itachi's hand on her back remained, comforting her. Comfort she hadn't felt in a long while, hadn't got. "Just the way I am… I didn't ever want to care for anyone again, I'll lose them and I can't take anymore loss." Akina then turned her emerald eyes to meet Itachi's onyx ones— she was threatening in that beautiful stare. Threatening for Itachi to remove his touch from her.
He knitted his brows in a stern look at her, starting to rub her back, no longer just a steady hand anymore. "We're not going anywhere… I promise you that."
Akina shook her head once again, calmer then before. Itachi's touch was brining her back to her cold demeanor. "You can't promise that."
Shisui knelt down, assuring with a brave smirk. "Watch us… we're with you. We promise." Akina smiled at Shisui. If Shisui said it— he was a loyal and true and a devoted soul. Akina then turned her gaze back on Itachi, he gave a nod with a slight smile growing on his façade, as his stern eyes softened. Akina wrapped her arms around Itachi's neck, then, only parting for a second to pull Shisui in as well, with a yank of his Uchiha collar. "Hey—"
"Thank you." Akina breathed when she tucked her head between each of the boy's shoulders, wrapping one arm around Itachi's neck and the other around Shisui's, in a hug. "I'll hold you to it now."
Shisui faintly smirk, pulling out of the hug to stand, leaving Akina and Itachi on the floor. "Good." Shisui stated firmly before ordering in his question, "Now… what do you say we get going, squad five?"
Squad five proceeded through the forest. Akina now walking beside Itachi, and Shisui taking the lead to have him exclaim, "Hey guys… I can see the tower—"
"And we can see you." An unseen man's voice hissed. To have all of Squad five get on their guard, looking around to try and spot who spoke. When they seen no one; Akina mumbled sarcastically, "Did you guys hear that or is it just me again?"
Three figures then revealed themselves in the pathway. "Hand over your scrolls if you want to live." The man that stood in the middle hissed again. All the men looked the same, they were all masked as only their eyes could tell them apart; with the identical gold cloaks they wore. "Don't make me repeat myself." The same man hissed, the one with ice-blue eyes, who appeared to be the leader.
Shisui, the supposed leader of squad five decided to question sternly gazing with his Sharingan activated. "Or what?"
The man to the right with purple eyes sniggered, "Or you'll make the boss angry… and you don't want that."
Akina now decided to confront the cackling creep. "You don't know what we want."
The last and final man spoke, pink eyes, and scoffing deep. "No we don't… but I know I want you three dead."
It appeared Itachi was going to stay quiet. Akina was also ordinarily a quiet person, but given the chance to always show her wits was her undoing when she also scoffed, "Good to know. At least our feelings are mutual for each other."
The blue-eyed leaders temper rose, hissing a growl. "Okay, that's enough out of you, baby." Akina just did as he said, staying silent. But she didn't need words— she just sent a smirk that irritated the leader to cause more annoyance than her words. As he then got down on one knee and shoved his hands straight out in front of his body! "STATIC SHOCK!" A sizzling was heard in the air, but nothing seen. Akina wasn't going to underestimate that though— doing a quick hand sign with one hand and pressing it out flat. "Petal shield." Petals formed in a transparent wall that was glowing red. It blocked the jutsu that was invisible until it hit the shield, sizzling on contact and controlling the electricity.
Itachi and Shisui watched Akina keeping the shield up, when they then nodded to each other before they'd disappear in a transportation of white smoke. Akina kept her composer, while the blue-eyed man eyed her up and down. Waiting for her to blink. But no, she just gave another arrogant smirk. Itachi and Shisui re-appeared across each side of the enemies, boxing them in. "Fire style! Phoenix flower jutsu." Flames surrounded the masked Hidden Rain ninja. The blue-eyed man growling to being trapped in the wall of fire, and he became more irritated when Akina put down the shield and disappeared, Itachi and Shisui following a second after.
The blue-eyed man hissed once more. Having the purpled-eyed man chortle, "What now, boss?"
"They're gone… cowards!" He then did a hand sign that released rain over the flames to extinguish them.
"Oh no, we're just getting started." Shisui's voice came from nowhere, the pink-eyed man scoffing to warn, "Guys, below!" But no, Shisui teleported with a knife to the leaders throat— "No… behind actually." Shisui added as Itachi and Akina stood off in front of the other two masked ninja. The pink and purpled-eyed men took a battle stance for Itachi and Akina.
"Think… you attack us and Shisui slices your comrades throat." Itachi gave warning, ceasing the enemies to attack.
The man with purple irises started his annoying cackling, but stopping to mew and attack Itachi, phenomenal speed as quick as light. "Shisui!" Akina screamed, to what Shisui thought was a scream to signal him to cut the blue-eyed man's throat— which he did. All while Itachi knew that's the last thing Akina wanted to see was blood gush from the man's jugular. Shisui hopping back to watch the man sink, and finally hit the floor when—POOF!
Itachi chuckled, which was confounding to Akina? "You're with Uchiha, Mochizuki."
Akina gazed to Itachi, locked looking into his crimson eyes, him locking kunai's with the purple-eyed cackler. Akina settled, perceiving and analyzing. It was a shadow clone… Shisui's Sharingan seen that—
"I'd be keeping your own eyes over here… little girl." The pink-eyed man heckled, standing in a firm stance. Green eyes met his gaze, having him now start cackling, Akina was becoming annoyed how bloodthirsty these men were. "A Mochizuki… our you along for the ride, you damsel?"
That wouldn't go over well with Akina. Itachi knew this, his tomoe placing a genjutsu on the purpled-eyed one, before stabbing a kunai in his gut! The man would retreat, hopping back to a tree branch. Itachi waiting for Akina to finish off her opponent, but even when she was deeply pissed by the insult this man gave her. She'd close her eyes, annoying the man with how arrogant she was. "You going to attack… ladies first!"
"Then why aren't you attacking?"
"Why you!" He flipped a kunai up into his grasp, charging towards Akina, when vines slinked, coiling out of the ground to tie around the man's ankle without notice. And just when he was about to slice Akina wide open— he'd be whipped and dragged up into the air as the vine grew high into a thick stock that touched the sky. Holding the man upside down at the top. Akina gave a flirtatious little wave to the man as he hung above, with a simple movement of each snobby little finger of hers.
He'd growl, but became woozy when blood began rushing to his head. "Ugh… you're depleting my chakra." Akina gave a cocky nod that slightly tilted to the side. "We surrender—"
The blue-eyed man once again showed himself, appearing on the branch next to his purple-gazed comrade that had a punctured gut. He had left the kunai in his flesh, for if he pulled it out the wound would pour blood like a busted faucet. "My brother… what are you doing?" The blue-eyed leader ordered for an explanation. "Like the brat said… it's just getting started. They haven't seen nothing yet—"
"No they haven't… let's keep it that way. To reveal our power now isn't the smart way to do things." POOF!
The blue-eyed leader growled, but he knew his brother was right, sighing. "We'll meet again… when we leave you dead on the stage." POOF! The purple-eyed man cackled once more before he also followed in the white spoke. They were all gone.
Shisui mumbled to his comrades when they huddled together. "What was the point of all this?"
"No clue." Itachi blandly stated.
"They're going to fight us in there." Akina added dryly, peering at the tower, that wasn't too far in the distance.
Akina didn't realize she spoke out loud, until Shisui snapped his reply. "Say again?"
"To move onto the next part of the exam… we have to beat a random opponent."
Shisui confronted Akina, as he was still confused, to her soft and vague reply. "But if it's random, why are they so sure they're going to fight us?"
Itachi cut into the conversation, cleverly figuring and explaining, "They must have access to the pairing of who fights whom."
Akina nodded, rolling her sore shoulders. "Yeah… they're going to hack it."
Itachi approached Akina's side, guiding her sight away from the tower. "So how do you know all this?" Akina locked an almost untrusting gaze with the Uchiha, having him then deactivated his Sharingan. Yet he kept a stern look on Akina's green gaze. She watched relentlessly for his eyes turning from the crimson red, to a deep glossy coal-black. Akina had a blush slightly creep across the apple of her cheeks, but she closed her eyes and walked away towards the tower, not wishing to show any emotion, pushing herself away physically and mentally.
Shisui came up on Itachi's side, where Akina once stood. He'd mumble to his brother, almost intended for Akina to hear. "And nothing's changed."
Akina stopped dead in her tracks, turning slowly back to face the Uchiha's. A mean cold stare at her comrades, and yet her brows would change from a deep frown to sadden, getting lost in her thoughts. "I'm sorry, okay. But I don't know." Akina licked her lips and then bit down on her lower one, as she should had just ignored them. To late now though, they were listening. "I'm just able to sense their emotions."
Shisui continued his questioning. "So what? You can read their minds?"
"No…? I read their emotion. Like they were, confident and sly."
Shisui smirked, peeping at his friend to his side. "So could you sense any emotion? Like love?" Itachi sent a scolding stare to Shisui, this is why Itachi always stayed distant. People couldn't be trusted.
Akina luckily didn't notice Itachi, as she began walking away again. Her comrades soon following, to her aura not being as cold as it once was. "Yeah. See if a person has butterflies in their stomach, I have a good sense of it. Even if someone lying they get tense and I sense that. But only if I focus on that person… I only can read the weaker than me. I don't know anymore than that. There are no writings of this jutsu and if there is… it's very vague."
"Must be a family trait." Shisui would mumble again.
"Shisui." Itachi whispered in a scolding manner.
Only having Akina smile, letting out a short cute giggle. "It's alright… I know I am." Itachi lowered his gaze to set on Akina gently. "You two are the only one's who care and I just get paranoid sometimes. I won't put up my walls anymore… try not to."
"None of us will." Itachi forced out, to have Akina turn back. Once again, having the two most beautiful pairs of eyes in the Leaf meet again.
Shisui noticed this and cut in, breaking the moment. "Come on guys… let's go win us some battles."