Kai-Linn felt weightless. Part of her believed she could just float for eternity. But the freezing temperature of the water made her jerk in pain and attempt to swim toward the surface. The first try she smashed her head against the ice. She pounded against it. Get out... gotta get out...
The urge to take a breath built up in her chest. She frantically looked around. She started to swim toward a small patch of light in the water. She was almost there when a flurry of bubbles flew out of her mouth. Her vision blurred greatly and she started to sink.
'So close... She sighed inwardly. I was so close... I failed my mission... Danzou is now gonna go after the Akatsuki, not to mention Konoha... Dammit to hell...'
When she looked back to the faint morning light filtering in from above, she saw a shadow block the light. She felt someone grab onto her wrist and she was dragged through the cold water.
When she broke the water's surface, she took a large breath. Someone grabbed her and pulled her out of the water. They threw her to the ground. She sat up and started to cough up water and a little blood.
"Heh... I've gotta save your life again..."
Kai-Linn glared up at Itachi. He had a mocking smirk across his lips, which made her tense. Her eyes, which had recently reverted to green, were now starting to glow again like moonlight.
"You... are... so... stupid..." She coughed. "I am to kill you... or are you so naïve that you haven't comprehended that!"
Her fingers wrapped around something in the ground. With a cry, she drew her katana and shot it toward Itachi. He grabbed the sword and held it tight. Blood seeped from his hand and onto the snow. He pulled it and it slipped from her grasp.
"So... I've still got Jutsus..." She mumbled.
Kai-Linn started to do a string of Jutsus. Itachi read the handsigns with his red eyes. 'She's going to use a fire jutsu...' He mused. His muscles tensed, ready to dodge the technique. In her mind, on the other hand, she imagined the seals for an ice Jutsu.
"Gotcha..." She whispered under her breath. "Ice Style: Wolf Fang Avalanche Jutsu..."
Kai-Linn planted her hands on the snowy ground. Wolves made out of snow shot out of the ground toward Itachi. He blinked in surprise before jumping back a few steps. Another shot up from behind him and clamped down on his shoulder. He flinched visibly before punching the wolf with a chakra filled fist. When he turned back to Kai-Linn, he felt a sudden pain in his torso.
"I apologize... I normally wouldn't do this..." Kai-Linn looked up at him. "But if I don't, Danzou will kill everyone close to me..."
Itachi looked down at her and the bloody kunai in her hand, which had been struck into his chest. Blood seeped onto the ground from his lips and his chest. Kai-Linn drew out the kunai and Itachi fell to the ground. His vision blurred as she stood over him. As he started to close his eyes, he saw tears streaming down her pale face.
"I'm sorry..." Kai-Linn leaned down to pick him up. "The least I can do is bring you back to camp."
After awhile, Kai-Linn landed in the center of camp. She went over to Itachi's tent and placed him down on his sleeping bag. She walked out and over to Deidara and Tobi's tent. She looked into the tent.
Tobi was sitting next to Deidara, arms crossed over the blonde's chest. His mask was on the ground, his face buried in his arms. He seemed to be crying.
"D-Deidara-senpai... Please wake up, Deidara-senpai..." Tobi whimpered.
Kai-Linn looked away as she stood. Inside the tent, Tobi looked up from Deidara to stare at the flap leading outside. He saw Kai-Linn walk away. He turned back to Deidara. The blonde was unconscious, but thankfully not dead. Tobi leaned down to his face, pressing his lips to Deidara's.
Kai-Linn went back to Itachi's tent and walked over to him. She placed her hands on his chest and her hands glowed green. She had stabbed him inches from the heart, meaning he wasn't completely dead. "C'mon... breathe..." She whispered. His chest rose as he took a deep breath. She let out a sigh of relief.
"K-Kai-Linn..." He whispered.
She froze, thinking he was awake. She turned to look at him to see that he was still asleep. What he said caught her way off guard.
"I... lo...ve... you..."
Kai-Linn's face went dark red. She looked down at the necklace and started to spin the charm in between her fingers. She was so close to Itachi... yet the chakra-like glow was so faint. She reached to the back of her neck, where the clasp was.
"You're such a fool, Itachi..." She whispered. "I'm not worth loving... why would you want to love someone who causes so much pain and suffering?" Tears streamed down her face and onto his. "ROOT wants me, Konoha wants me, the Akatsuki wants me... no matter which side I choose, someone will suffer. If I don't choose ROOT, Danzou will go after the people I love... including you."
Kai-Linn removed the necklace, placed it on his chest, then removed her headband, ring, and put them on top of her Akatsuki cloak. She took out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing a small note. When she finished, she did a string of handsigns. A white rose appeared in her hand, which she tied the note to. Placing the note and rose by Itachi's pillow, she walked out of the tent. A flurry of snow wrapped around her body and she disappeared.
ROOT Headquarters
Danzou looked up from a small scroll to see Kai-Linn appear. He rolled up the scroll and placed it on the ground. He turned back to Kai-Linn, who was bowing on the ground.
"Well? Did you kill him?" Danzou asked skeptically.
"Yes, my lord... as ordered, I killed Itachi."
"Where is Sai? What happened to him?"
"Um... Sai was killed by the one called Hoshigaki Kisame. I was to hunt down the Hachibi with Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, and Itachi... After Sai was killed, I heavily wounded the others..." She answered reluctantly. "Now, I have just one more thing to do..."
Danzou's eyes narrowed. Kai-Linn looked up at him, her eyes glowing like moonlight again. Danzou froze at her gaze; suddenly the shadows around them intensified to a frightening degree. A few shadows started to wrap around Danzou; one around his legs, two on his wrists, one around his neck.
"What is the meaning of this, Kai-Linn!" He protested.
The shadows around them got so dark that he only saw her glowing eyes. As she walked toward him, he heard her footsteps. A small giggle came from her. She continued toward him, speaking in a low voice.
"I confronted Itachi-san about the matter you, Sai and I discussed..." Tack... "He said that it wasn't true..." Tack... "He told me that he loved me..." Tack... "So now that he's dead, I guess I should kill the man that ordered me to..."
Danzou let out a cry as he felt something drove into his arm. Two kunai were dug into his legs. Kai-Linn's glowing eyes met his as she took off his head. The shadows disappeared.
"No one will ever control me... not you, not the Akatsuki, not Konoha..." She glared at his bloody head. "I will live of my own way... No one shall control the Kagemara clan again." A shadow warped around Kai-Linn and she was gone.
Akatsuki Base
Itachi paced the stone walls of the hideout. It wasn't the one in the Snow Country; after he, Deidara, Tobi, and Kisame returned from their retrieval mission, the Akatsuki went back to the Rain Country base.
Itachi saw his ring glowing. He strode into his room and performed a Jutsu. Soon, he was in the cave that the Akatsuki always met in. Pein stood with a slightly amused face. Soon, Zetsu, Kisame, Tobi, Konan, and Deidara's projections appeared.
"Thank you all for coming..." A small chuckle came from Pein. "I've heard news that Danzou was killed about two weeks ago... by a certain shadow using Kunoichi..."
"YEAH! THAT'S OUR KAI-LINN!" Deidara cheered. "I'm glad that bastard's dead, hmmm!"
"After killing Danzou..." Pein continued. "She returned all the ROOT members to their villages. But... I don't think she's going to return to us anytime soon..." He looked up at the other projections. "Dismissed."
Itachi opened his eyes to find himself in his room. He sighed heavily and looked over by his dresser. A certain white rose was placed in a small vase. Next to it was a small piece of paper.
Back in the Snow Country, when Itachi awoke, he saw the rose and note attached. When he read the note, he knew that Kai-Linn was gone for good. On the small piece of paper, three words were written in Kai-Linn's handwriting.
'I love you...'