Mitsuru continued walking until just before she reached the edge of the wooden floor. In front of a railing, she halted and awkwardly flailed her upper body then froze like a statue with her fingertips pressed lightly to the skin of her lips, still throbbing just a bit. She had never felt anything such as that before. So warm. So soft. Yet somehow also frantic and rough.

It was not the one-sided desperation that had forced her on top of him so many weeks ago. It was a mutual movement. An agreement between bodies.

Is this what romantic things are supposed to feel like? Like two worlds collapsing into one another demonstrated in just a few touches. Mitsuru let her hand fall and wrapped her arms around herself. It was chilly, much colder out here than with…

She shook her head.

This isn't okay. We can't do this. Just take a deep breath and go back. Tell him to never do that again.

She repeated it a few times to assure herself.

X

Her returning footsteps caused a horrible throbbing in his chest. A cough urged its way out of his throat which reminded him to reach into his sleeve.

He should turn and search for the cups of water, but he knew if he turned he would see her face again. Instead, he opened the prescription bottle, tossed two white pills into his palm, and threw his head back. It was uncomfortable, but he found swallowing pills dry far more comfortable than seeing those brown eyes again.

"Are you sick?"

Once again the tension was destroyed by her bluntness and inability to recognize social cues. Itachi turned only slightly. He couldn't look at her. Not yet.

"What was that? What did you just take?"

He could feel her presence nearing.

"Itachi?"

Hearing his name was too much.

"It's an autoimmune inhibitor."

"...what does that mean?"

He finally looked at her. Her curious expression was mixed with grave concern.

"I have an overactive immune system."

In the simplest terms, I could possibly explain it.

"...and what does that mean?"

"My body produces too many white blood cells, to the point of causing me harm. It's an inflammatory disease."

"In… infura- infuram…"

"In."

"In."

"Fla."

"Fla."

"Ma."

"Ma."

"Tory."

"Tory."

"Inflammatory," they said it together slowly.

The puzzled look on her face and her awe at the length of the word caused a soft chuckle to leave his lips.

"Don't laugh at me." she snapped and her cheeks colored.

Konoha

Gai had received intel on Kakashi's situation quite a while ago and agreed to assist if the need ever arose. After all, if the monsters were powerful enough to not be affected by the Sharingan, then he would definitely need help capturing them.

Kakashi explained that the fuuinjutsu he had learned came from the Land of Demons and was graciously taught to him by the teacher of a young priestess named Shion.

He had only just gotten it to work the previous morning when the demon woman arrived in his room that night, but it seemed it would not be enough.

The creature they followed had become a shadowy mass, darting from roof to roof rapidly, at inhuman speed. Even shinobi recognized how impossibly fast it was. But no matter the speed, Kakashi was able to keep his eye on the trail of chakra it left behind. Thin, almost invisible, and fading fast, but he would not give up.

She was weakened. This was their last opportunity before something genuinely horrific happened, he believed.

As they traveled across the village, he became increasingly alarmed by the direction they were headed, but he ignored it. This was a coincidence. The buildings they passed were familiar, too familiar. He had gone down these paths for over two decades.

It was with a mix of confusion and anger that he came to a halt just a short while away. Gai called out to him, stopping beside him.

The mass disappeared in a downwards motion, leaving no trace.

It did not matter though, he knew they had reached its destination.

Gai glanced at his friend, recognizing the frustration in his expression, then said:

"Talk about a skeleton in the closet."

Kakashi shut his eyes.

"Sorry, I know, not the time." he paused. "How do you want to approach this?"

"They likely have created a cave of some sort. I'll create a pathway for us to climb down."

"Alright."

Kakashi furrowed his brows once more at his family home, perched so candidly atop what would likely be a gruesome labyrinth. He did not want to do harm to his house, but he recognized that there was a chance it would occur.

"Step back."

He did not know precisely what they would find down there in the darkness. He hesitated in imagining what might be there. Whatever it was would surprise him, he was sure. There was no point in predicting.

When the pathway appeared they cautiously proceeded downward. A putrid smell engulfed both of them, causing them to cover their mouths for just a moment. Even with a mask, Kakashi had flinched from the scent.

You never adjust to the scent of death.

Both he and Gai pulled out flares that they lit. Kakashi rolled one across the strangely smooth floor in front of them. Just a few yards in the flashes of the device veered to the right, demonstrating a curve on the ground, then settled against a wall of dirt. Beyond where the flare had stopped was more darkness, only slightly illuminated by the flickering red light.

Gai threw his further. It bounced once and was slapped away by a large pale claw. They both had caught an image of a black-eyed face. It's sharp teeth bared.

"Come out." Kakashi wanted this to end quickly.

Some rapid shifting footsteps were traveling away from them. Unafraid they continued their pursuit of it until they entered a space that felt more spacious. Both men stopped.

Suddenly there was light. Candles circled the perimeter and chased away the darkness enough that the men could see the gore lining the walls.

To the right was a pile of torn and blood caked clothing.

Skeletons and pieces of rotting flesh were scattered about. But there was an inhuman creature tearing into the stomach of a headless body towards the back of the room. It sunk its teeth into intestines, glaring up at them both. Its limbs were thin, long, and twisted into the shape of spiders legs. It took another bite of what was in its hands, only to spit in disgust. It crawled backward a few feet.

It was then both men noticed a whole body beneath the spider woman. Even from his distance, Kakashi knew who it was. They both tensed, ready to fight the monster, but it backed away further until it was partially up the dirt wall.

"That woman there… that's." Gai mustered.

"It's Mitsuru."

Elsewhere

What could have brought them to this? Humans were strange creatures. So fickle. So quick to fight only to return to one another out of a sheer desire for touch.

"You can't do that ever again."

"Was I the only one who did it?"

Her lips parted to answer, but she was at a loss for words.

"You know as well as I that wasn't just me."

"Still."

Her stubbornness both frustrated and attracted him.

"We will set out in the morning. We've wasted too much time tonight, we must sleep."

"I don't need to sleep."

Were their situation different, the phrase would have excited him. If Misturu didn't need to sleep, they could engage in other activities, but she said: "never again." He wasn't a man who forced himself on others.

The pauses were torture. Gazing into one another's eyes again was unbearable. They looked away.

"What do you plan to do then?" he asked finally.

"I don't know, just not sleep."

Would suggesting it make it a possibility?

His lips parted to continue, but he too was at a loss.

"What?" she questioned.

He looked at her again.

"You were going to say something." she pursued.

"I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

His brows knit.

"Just tell me."

"It would require we do that again."

"Oh."

He saw her fingertips rush to her lips, bashfully looking away again, contemplating it.

Did he only need to suggest it? Was that really all it took? They had less than six hours before they had to meet with Kisame. Sure, that was plenty of time.

"We should get all of our frustrations out now if we are going to be able to cooperate," he stated.

Yes, this was a way of making it a possibility.

"By k-k-" she didn't finish.

That word was too much for her. If that word was too much for her how could she go any further?

"That, as well as…"

This word was too much for him.

"...as what?"

Curse her naivety.

"Will you?"

Her wide eyes drew him in the way his hand pulled her towards him again. He knew it would happen. Once their skin touched again, he knew he would receive his wish.

"Just tell me," she repeated.

Palms against his robe. He stole one. No resistance. He took a second. Her eyes were glazed. He stole a third, this time longer, lingering.

"I'll just show you."

In the Dark

Of course, Kakashi had to advance. She was so close. He had lost her once. He had lost her twice. He would not lose her again.

"Kakashi wait!" Gai bellowed.

The creature on the wall spoke in a distorted voice.

"Don't move her."

The woman with Mitsuru's face dropped to the dirt floor. Her limbs returned to human-like positions. Her distorted face, still covered in blood, now a near-normal shape.

Kakashi nearly tripped over bones getting to the unharmed body.

"I said don't move her! Move her, and she'll die!" the creature screeched.

His hands paused. He couldn't take his eyes away. Indeed what lay before him was the spitting image of the woman he had last seen laying in a hospital bed. His chest tightened. The body's torso was unmoving. The lips blue.

This was a corpse.

He had hoped it wasn't true, pain enveloped his features. He had hoped he could save her.

"Kakashi, wait." Gai was beside him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "If what she says is true we should listen. Even if not, we don't want to risk it."

"She's clearly dead," he said it coldly.

"You shinobi sure as stupid." the woman spit. "She's not dead. She's split. If you move her though, she will die."

"What do you mean split?" Gai asked.

"Her physical body is here, being protected by that seal you're standing on. The rest of her is far away. The connection between them is thin if you move her from the seal, it will break it, and she will die."

"The rest of her?"

"Her chakra, her spirit, her existence whatever it is you stupid humans call it." there was a desperation in the creature's voice. "Just don't fucking move her!"

Kakashi, unconvinced reached out again.

"I'll go with you!"

Both men looked directly at her.

"I'll go with you, I'll let you take me. Just don't move her!"

Gai squeezed Kakashi's shoulder. It was rare that emotions overwhelmed his friends logic, but he recognized it was possible for all humans to give in from the pain of love and loss. The sprouting grey hair bobbed with his short nod. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from the body just inches from his fingertips.

"We'll take her in. We'll inform Tsunade-sama. We'll get them to examine this seal and see if it's true." Kakashi continued, strength returning to him.

It was the demon's way of avoiding his wrath, he told himself. She is lying. Lying to prolong her life, but it was no matter. Once he knew exactly what these women had done to her, he would make sure they suffered a fate far worse.