Third Arc:
Tachioujou
"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible."
Frank Zappa
It had seemed so long ago, that night that everything changed. While the Uchihas had rallied behind Itachi's speech, Kira was sure there would be a number of Tottoris (most notably, her mother) put off by their act of defiance. She was sorely embarrassed at first by the way Itachi hoisted her hand up in his. Her whole body had felt like it was on fire and yet, she had never felt so alive and could only thank him for his infectious confidence. With this, she had scanned the crowd for any sign of disdain though she swore she would careless about their opinions so long as Itachi felt the same. And to her surprise, she saw no contempt in neither bright Tottori eyes nor onyx Uchiha orbs. Instead, there was a sense of steadfast harmony and pride from both parties that Kira had never seen before.
She had beamed up at Itachi, ecstatic because for once, it seemed as though she had earned her family's acceptance and what's more, that of his family's too. While she would never be by any means "okay" with the conditions of their families' treaty, she somehow found a sense of satisfaction that she, as Hikaru had once said, played a crucial role in something much bigger than herself. If Itachi could show pride in that despite his aversion to the arrangement as well, couldn't Kira do the same?
He was admirable, Kira realized, in contrast to the devious Shisui. When had Itachi's cold severity subsided for the calm and placidity she had experienced lately? She had remembered him as the aloof husband (she involuntarily shuddered at this) of her late sister. Even back when they had initially met, Itachi had been quite uninviting. She supposed she shouldn't judge his character based off of who he seemed to be as a child. After all, he didn't seem to blame her for her own peculiar personality. It was easier, she figured, to play the part of allies when they actually were aside from the treaty.
The simplicity of how everything was playing out was something Kira found comfort in. Her usual annoyance and dread of the looming occasion was suppressed, overpowered by Itachi's agreeableness. It was this that made her smile as she returned to the village from a mission. With the remainder of the day free, she strolled down the streets in search of something to occupy her time before collecting Sasuke from school. Her relaxation could only be short-lived, she soon realized, as her jaw clenched tightly at the sight of an oncoming figure.
Kira had thought she had been rid of the pesky Hyuuga boy from years before and to her luck, she hadn't run into him since. She knew it would be only a matter of time before something robbed her contended mood though to have him as the source made the steal that much more foul. She had half a mind to find a way around him but she was sure he would relish in the satisfaction of getting under her skin. With a shallow breath, she huffed up her chest and headed towards him straight on.
He caught sight of her immediately, she noticed, by the way he sneered at her. She had always thought Shisui annoying but not quite as painfully so. She regarded him with a glower and made no intention to stop until he paused right in front of her and gave a tilt of his head.
"Kirameki," he said in a sickly sweet way, "It's been quite some time since I've last seen you."
Kira's fists clenched if only for a moment before she bit back, "Since when are we on first name basis?"
The Hyuuga didn't seem perturbed by her crass but rather enticed by the bite of her tongue. "I suppose you've been wanting to learn my name," he said in almost delight. Kira scoffed rather loudly and made to sidestep him though he intervened right away. "Don't look so disgusted by me, Kirameki. Our clans once considered an alliance too."
Kira made it evident that she didn't really care as her brows only furrowed into a deeper scowl. "Save your breath," she said as she brushed past him, intending to shove pass him though he easily moved out of her way.
She could still feel his leer burning into her departing back and heard his soft steps padding from behind her. "It could've been us, you know," he said casually. "Together, I mean."
His irksome words caught Kira in mid-step as she shot a heated glare over her shoulder, fighting to remain composed. After a moment, she spat, "I'd never be with a creep like you."
She finally seemed to have struck a nerve as his smirk fell at once to a frown. "You're so busy harboring this hatred for me," he sighed, "while you've been left to pick over your own sister's scraps." He shook his own head in disgust. "I truly don't understand, Kirameki."
Kira spun around towards him with a wild visage. "The hell do you think you are?" she snapped, restraining herself as best she could. She knew well enough his intentions were to provoke her and it was becoming clear he was doing a swell job at it.
She expected him to grin, pleased by her reaction. Instead, he only grimaced as he angled his head to the side again. "It's a shame," he said slowly, looking Kira dead in her eyes, "what happened to your sister. It had to happen though. It's the only way—"
Her hand had been poised to strike him though she managed to only point an accusatory finger at the yammering Hyuuga. "Don't you dare say a thing about Hikaru," she seethed, her whole body beginning to tremble in fury.
The boy feigned surprise as he fought the oncoming smirk. "Oh, you don't know, do you? I suppose ignorance truly is bliss."
"You stupid chihuahua, why don't you shut up?" she howled as she moved to attack him. He eased into a fighting stance as though predicting this response. However, before Kira could make another move, a large hand caught her by the wrist, twisting it behind her while in the same movement, another hand shot out to intercept the Hyuuga's defensive palm readied to deflect her. In that moment, Kira wasn't sure if she was more annoyed by Shisui's intervention or by the fact she hadn't sensed his presence.
"As much as you deserve to have your ass handed to you, I won't let Kira waste a single moment on the likes of you," Shisui growled at the unimpressed Hyuuga before releasing the two from his hold. "Let's go, Kira," he said as he turned with the expectation that she would follow.
He hadn't taken one step by the time Kira's fist was driven into the side of the Hyuuga boy's face, effectively catching the boy by surprise and knocking him hard to the ground. "Kira!" Shisui shouted but the girl had already pounced. She pinned the Hyuuga in place with one hand pressed down on his throat with the other drawn back for the next blow. With a loud growl rumbling from deep within her chest, she moved to send another fierce punch only to be held back once more by Shisui. The sound that came from her quickly turned into a cry of pain and surprise as she felt an electric shock convulse down the length of her restrained arm. From beneath her, she faintly heard the Hyuuga boy's own sound of anguish followed by deep, heavy breaths.
When Shisui tore the two apart, it was then Kira realized her arm had become a bloodied mess. She cradled the limp thing to her chest, her own breathing quickly becoming shallow. In a flash, a familiar figure appeared in the shape of Kakashi. He skipped on the pleasantries, quickly checking on the Hyuuga boy as he helped him sit upright so he could breathe. "Just a little bit breathless but not too drained," Kakashi said as he nodded his head towards Kira. "Get her to the infirmary, now."
Before she could process all that was happening, Shisui had swept her up in his arms and proceeded to flit in the direction of the hospital. The world passed by in a speeding blur before soon enough, she was overwhelmed by the stench of sterility. Her head began to spin as she was overcome with nausea. Though she was sure Shisui had stopped moving, Kira felt as though the world was only twirling about her faster and faster. She could hear his voice from right beside her though it seemed so far off. He was talking to a nurse, she presumed, and was dropped onto one of those stiff beds. She had the vague sense of his hand smoothing down her hair, speaking to her too quickly and his words were lost to her. She felt herself nod to him, unsure of what she was agreeing to, before she was taken over by the tight grip of unconsciousness.
When she awoke some time later, her head pounding in synch with the deafening beep of a heart monitor. A stinging pain ran its course up her ruined arm and she dreaded the sight she would behold upon opening her eyes. Her whole body felt wasted, more so than even the most grueling mission her team had taken up thus far. She wanted to sleep but her body denied her this peace as her pulse sung "I'm alive, I'm alive" over the buzzing monitor.
She forced her lids open though they were immediately squeezed shut, temporarily blinded by the bright white light. She heard a sound of discomfort, like someone clearing their throat, and a bit of shuffling to her side. She cautiously opened her eyes to find a medical nin sewing up her torn arm and from behind the woman, Shisui with a worried Sasuke at his side.
"What happened?" she rasped as she avoided looking at the damage to her arm. She felt a cool cloth run over the rupture before the nurse wrapped a layer of gauze around it and excused herself from the room.
Sasuke looked up to Shisui as though he too wanted answers. While he wore that damn grin, Shisui's eyes flashed with uneasiness as he shifted from his leisurely position against the wall. "You activated your kekkei genkai," he explained as he took up the seat the medical nin abandoned. "And nearly drained that guy of all his chakra." At his words, Kira's expression paralleled Sasuke's own shocked one. "He's shaken but otherwise fine. Serves him right for provoking you."
Kira shook her head at once as she shot a look to Sasuke. "That doesn't excuse my behavior," she said more to him than herself. She sighed as she cringed lightly, displeased with her own unruly conduct. She looked pleadingly at Shisui as she whispered under her breath, "Please don't tell Itachi," but the action seemed to summon the Uchiha.
Shisui rose to his feet as he turned to take Sasuke by the hand, all the while avoiding the imploring look on Kira's face. He brushed by Itachi without so much as acknowledging him as he led Sasuke into the hallway with the door closed behind them. Kira felt her body stiffen with the suffocating tension left between the two. Itachi seemed to be looking right at her yet at the same time, straight through her. He too seemed rather rigid though his pose gave off composure with the exception of his straight shoulders. He slowly closed the distance between them, the muscles of the arm of his hand tucked into his pocket visibly clenching as though his hand was furled into a tight fist.
He didn't look at her face at first, his fathomless black orbs scanning over the stitches running down the length of her arm. In that moment, Kira felt so vulnerable and wished she could somehow hide from his ever calculating eyes. She felt the need to explain herself, to justify her own actions though the only thing she could manage to do was open and close her mouth like a fish desperate for water. It was Itachi who was the first to speak as his free hand reached into the confines of ANBU vest and wordlessly presented a letter to Kira.
She took the envelope with a questioning look before she tore it open and shuffled out the contents. Itachi seemed to brace himself for the haughty girl's reaction as her eyes slowly roved over each line. He noted the way her hands began to tremble, an action that soon had her whole body shaking in what could be nothing other than absolute rage. Her brows were furrowed tightly above two smoldering emerald eyes, a look of fury Itachi had never seen in her before. Surely, he had seen her eyes narrowed in annoyance but Itachi could not recall an instance of sheer animosity she directed towards him as now.
"You have no right, Itachi," she said in a dangerously low voice.
A certain placidity took over him, removed and cold. This was the Itachi Kira remembered from her youth. "Your resignation is effective until further notice," he said in a detached tone. "Shinobi have been assigned to see to your recuperation and removal from any shinobi-related tasks. Any infringement on your part will only further prolong your resignation." He placed his hand over his heart as he gave a small bow.
When his eyes met Kira's as he rose, she saw nothing in the darkness but a lack of sentiment. And here, she had thought, they had made progress! She laughed humorlessly as she sneered at Itachi. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she hissed lowly.
As Itachi's hand fell back to his side, he didn't so much as grimace as he evenly responded with, "your husband." Without another word, he made his leave with a rather distraught Kira left in his wake.
Not a moment later, Shisui reappeared wearing a frown that said he knew it all. He took his place on the side of her bed as he waited for her to speak but she only quaked in fury. "I hate him," she spat as the letter crumbled in her hold. "He has no right! What does he know?"
Shisui placed his hand atop of her trembling fist. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Kuriketto," he said reassuringly. "Itachi's only doing what's best for you."
"What's best for me?" she snapped, recoiling from Shisui's touch. "Of course you'd agree with what he says or does! It's not like you're being forced to marry him!"
Though Shisui had become accustomed to Kira's bouts of ire, he couldn't help but quickly become annoyed by her accusations. While he didn't necessarily agree with Itachi's course of action, he understand his comrade's decision. However, he wasn't about to take the blame Kira shot at him.
"Idiot," he growled out as he seized her by her shoulders. Kira's quick tongue came to a halt, both surprised and enraged by Shisui's interjection. She quickly opened her mouth to retort but before she could speak another word, his forehead crashed into hers, painfully but effectively shutting her up. "Itachi will look out for you, Kira, better than I ever could dream to," he said before she could complain about his childish action. "At times, it's not easy for me to be supportive but I trust in his intentions and you should too."
Kira seethed as a hand rubbed the spot where she was sure a goosehead would be forming. "I don't need to be taken care of, Shisui," she snapped as Shisui relinquished his hold, "especially when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself! And this isn't about you but do you really think it's easy being forced to wed someone you don't want to be with?"
Though she spoke vehemently, Shisui could see the brokenness inside of Kira coming to light. She only wanted something more than a life dictated by others. She was forced into subjection ever since she was a child and fervently tried to break free. Itachi had become her way out when Kira's parents focused on Hikaru and the treaty. But with those ties severed in her sister's death, Kira's own freedom was lost or perhaps, never was to begin with.
Shisui seemed to soften with sympathy for the girl. He had wanted to be her escape but knew he could be no savior. She was broken from the start, perhaps even beyond repair and Shisui could only ever be a friend despite how desperately he wanted more. He was made for companionship, jest, and loyalty and though he felt ardently for Kira, he knew he could never be meant for her. Itachi could offer her so much more, Shisui believed and was determined to convince Kira the same.
"You may not want to be with him," he said slowly, "but trust me when I say, he wants to be with you." Kira hardly looked relieved by Shisui's supposition but her fiery demeanor seemed to quell. "One of his greatest regrets is having not been able to save Hikaru," he explained. "He refuses to let the same happen to you. You may hate him now," he shrugged as the corner of his lip tugged, "I don't blame you but if you let him, Kira, he'll take care of you. And you'll appreciate all he's done for you, even if you don't want to, even if you don't understand why." Shisui placed a hand on her head, ruffling Kira's wine-colored locks as he grinned lopsidedly. "You were stupid enough to give me a chance! Be smart enough to give him one, kuriketto-chan!" She flushed deeply and open her mouth to retaliate though seemed to reconsider at Shisui's tinkling laughter and his offered pinky. She looked from the finger to him and he grinned reassuringly. "Promise me you'll give him a chance, Kira. Please, for me?" She hesitated for a moment before their fingers coiled around one another's. Shisui tugged gently on hers, tugging in forward and ultimately bumping their foreheads together once more.
"Shisui," Kira hissed through the pain and light laughter.
He chuckled without apology before grinning widely. "I love you, Kirameki," he said with ease.
The Tottori's cheeks burned with absolute horror. "You're an idiot, Shisui!"
But he smiled all the same.
Author's Note:
Months have passed and consequently, the characters have aged. Itachi is 15, Kira is 14, Shisui is 17, Sasuke is 6.