Once their meals had been prepared - Kisame acting as he usually did and taking his place away from the lovebirds - and Aoi had finished preserving the remainder for later consumption, she sat by the dying fire of the makeshift oven and watched as the coals faded to dim embers. Noticing that she wasn't touching her food, Itachi could tell that something was wrong, and he had a few guesses as to what was on her mind...

"What is it?" He inquired gently, not bothering to hide his gestures from Kisame.

It took her a moment to look away from the fire, or rather what was left of it, "I have a bad feeling. I'm not sure if its about him," Aoi nodded blindly over her shoulder, indicating Kisame, "or something else, but I have a bad feeling in the pity of my stomach."

But there was something else that was bothering her too, and he knew that because he was thinking the same thing, "He'll be here soon." Sasuke. Grabbing her by the wrist, Itachi handed her something, looking deep into her eyes, "Aoi, I won't pretend that I have a chance, so I'm not going to ask you to chose between us, but I want you to know that if I could have had a normal life, I would have asked you to share it with me."

As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and cry tears of joy, his words had sent a shock wave throughout her entire body, reminding her of something that she shouldn't have forgotten for a second, "Oh, Itachi!" Her heart was aching, feeling as it were literally tearing itself in two, "I wish that-"

"Shhh," he placed his finger to her lips, "You don't have to say anything."

Swimming, welling, bursting, her eyes ran with tears, both joyous and tormented, "I do. I hate that the moment I can finally give my heart and have it returned, I realize that I already... I don't want you to hate me, but I made it that way the moment we met..."

"Aoi?" It was uncleared whether or not he was more alarmed or confused by her actions.

Unable to look at him, into those eyes she loved so much, she shoved him away, "I didn't want it to be like this... The last of our time together, or even us, but I... Itachi-"

He didn't need any of his training to read her or what was bothering her, but to say that it didn't cut him to the core... Although he really shouldn't have been surprised... After all, there was nothing but pressure to continue the clan, and who better to carry it on with than Aoi? Even her forgetting that they been engaged was understandable to a degree, as it must have just happened before Orochimaru had pawned her off, and combined with the upset of being uprooted so suddenly and thrown into this position, seemingly abandoned by Sasuke... It just made sense to forget, to cope, to survive, but it made him wonder if what she felt in her heart for him was what she thought that it was? Unconsciously, there was a marginal chance that she had only been attracted to him because of his brother...

No. There might have been a chance that things had started out like that at the root, but they weren't like that now...

"I know. I was too late." Getting up so he could clear away his dishes and her half-eaten meal, he looked back at her, "But I've come to terms with the fact that this was never meant to be... kojuuto."

Stunned, she looked as if he may have well slapped her, "How...? How did you know?"

Smiling a sad kind of smile, a smile that admired defeat in order to protect a loved one, Itachi put the dishes in one hand so that he could help her up, "Because I love you. And one doesn't exactly need ANBU training to tell what you were trying break to me."

Taking his hand, present still clenched tight, Aoi looked at him, eyes impossibly blue, "Still?"

For the briefest fraction of time, his grasp on her tightened, but it was a fleeting motion, "Always."

Translation: Kojuuto - sister-in-law.

I'd like to add something, but that was pretty self-explanitory I think.

Please, review!