Akira awoke the next morning to a familiar feeling of nausea. Getting up and subsequently throwing up was becoming obnoxiously routine for her.
She wasn't surprised to find Itachi gone again. Honestly, at this point, she was thankful. She had chickened out yesterday about telling him. Technically, she could justify her actions with the excuse that he had needed sleep, but Akira knew, being too scared, she hadn't made time. Now for the next few days, she didn't have any choice but to remain silent.
Scarcely had she finished her daily ritual of throwing up in toilet did she sense an oddly familiar presence, and it wasn't Itachi. Wiping her mouth, Akira forced herself to her feet in time to see Konan burst into the room.
The paper kunoichi panted, clutching her side. Her face was dirtied and blood ran from the side of her mouth, the most disheveled Akira had ever seen her. All feelings of nausea vanished as she focused her attention to the paper kunoichi.
After ensuring the door was indeed closed, Akira set to work. She caught the kunoichi, careful to avoid aggravating her more obvious injuries, and guided her over to the bed. By now, she was barely conscious.
Akira quickly removed Konan's tattered uniform to reveal her skintight outfit and symmetrically pierced belly button. A great deal of the blood flowed from a stab wound just below her left breast, inches from her heart.
She was lucky her opponent missed his target, but if Akira didn't act soon Konan would still bleed to death. It amazed her the paper kunoichi had made it this far with such an injury. But where had Pein been in all this?
Just as Akira's hands lit up to begin healing, a familiar shock reached her fingertips. Konan hadn't just been stabbed—she'd been poisoned.
Amegakure, of course! Akira realized. She had to act quickly.
A stash of her personal medical supplies lay in the nightstand on her side of the bed, a feature she recently added to Itachi's room. Akira flung open the drawer, desperately fumbling around for a familiar pouch. She found it beneath several rolls of bandages: the vial containing Itachi's cure from the poison without a name. They didn't have time to wait for Konan to ingest it. She needed to inject the antidote into her bloodstream immediately.
While Akira brought out a syringe from her first aid kit, Konan groaned on the bed. Quickly, but carefully, Akira pinned down one of her arms in which the veins were thankfully bulging and shoved in the needle.
Konan didn't relax, but Akira knew the hard part was over. While the antidote acted, Akira straddled the thrashing woman to hold her down as she pressed her glowing palms against the injury. Many other areas were bleeding and damaged, but the one nearest to her heart required the most immediate attention.
As the wound closed, Konan's wide eyes finally began to relax. Still wary, Akira only let off some of the pressure as she removed herself from the full mount position over Konan's hips, and now merely hung by her side.
Somehow, she was still conscious as Akira moved onto her less severe injuries.
"Pein will be disappointed," Konan murmured.
Akira scoffed as she moved her hand to the kunoichi's bruised ribs. "You're alive. What's so disappointing about that?" Oddly enough, she had a hard time being angry at Konan right now for all the cold shoulders and previous beat down during her first week at Akatsuki.
"I allowed this much to happen," she said simply. Her dead amber eyes stared blankly ahead.
Akira moved both hands to the woman's forehead where a welt formed beneath her eye, curving all the way to her brow. "What exactly happened?"
"I was out scouting a few miles from here. They had an ambush waiting. I should have sensed them, but I didn't."
"How many were there?"
"Over a hundred."
Akira stuttered, "H-hundred?"
"Yes."
Akira had to force herself to continue the flow of healing chaka before speaking again. "I'd say you did just fine coming out with only poisoned wounds, fractured ribs and a concussion."
"To an average ninja, I suppose." Akira frowned at Konan's response. They waited the next few minutes in silence before Akira finished healing her. Just in case of anything else, though, Akira injected an extra pain killer.
"There," Akira said, stopped the flow of chakra to her hands. "I wouldn't move around too much, but you'll certainly live."
Despite her warning, Konan sat up.
"Oi!" Akira bristled and attempted to make her lay back down. "Don't push yourself! Whatever it is can wait."
"Pein needs me."
Why is she so devoted to him, anyway? Akira wondered. This woman was cold, but extremely driven when it came to following Pein.
"Just wait a few minutes while your body catches up with everything. You could pass out and then I'd have to heal whatever you injure from that," Akira reasoned, and, with great reluctance, Konan lay back down on the pillows.
Took long enough, Akira mentally sighed. But still, something was odd.
"Why is Pein so important to you?" Akira inquired. She probably wouldn't reply, but what was the worst she could do? Pein had forbid anyone from killing her.
Much to Akira's surprise, she spoke.
"We've been together since childhood. He has a dream. I wish to help him achieve it." Maybe it was the drugs talking, but whatever it was, Akira stared at the kunoichi in a whole different light.
"Does everyone in this organization hold to the same dream?"
"No." Even more surprisingly, Konan smiled. It was small, but her lips definitely curved upward. "But we have enough in common to commiserate."
Akira looked back sympathetically. "Don't know how you made is so long being the only woman here. How do you put up with all these guys? Most of them are moodier than the girls back in my village! And considerably more violent."
At this, Konan's smile grew, although she did not answer. Her eyes flickered with drowsiness.
"I never had to room with Uchiha Itachi."
Akira laughed. "Yeah, he can be especially moody. I think it's an Uchiha thing, but hey, still beats sharing with Hidan."
Konan laughed this time, something Akira had never heard before. Against her better judgment, Akira placed a friendly hand on Konan's shoulder.
"Seriously, sleep. You'll be far more useful to Pein once you've had some rest."
Konan looked as if she were about to say yes, but before she could, she stopped. As if she heard a noise, Konan made a hand sign and touched her Akastuki ring. Akira scowled as the paper kunoichi shook off the exhaustion and forced herself to her feet, her legs more wobbly than when Akira had smashed her against a wall all those months ago.
"Pein wants us both in the meeting room."
And just when we were getting somewhere, Akira mentally lamented before she grabbed her Akatsuki uniform from the closet and followed Konan down the hall.
"Looks like everyone is here," Pein's voice stated as she and Konan entered the room. Although most of the members were not here, as Akira had seen before, blurs of chakra represented their presences.
"We captured the junchuriki," Kisame spoke first. "We had to take a few precautions to ensure he wouldn't escape." He surveyed the room. "Where's Hidan and Kakuzu?"
"They're dead." Akira blood ran cold at the words.
Weren't they immortal?
"Really?" Kisame chuckled. "So the zombie twins are dead, eh? I wish I could've seen how they were killed."
Pein was unamused. "Don't talk about your fallen comrades like that."
"Who got them?"
"Leaf ninja," Zetsu's black side spoke. "It was Kakashi and the nine tails jinchuriki again."
What? Akira didn't recognized some of the terms. She knew about the jinchuriki, but she didn't know any Kakashi. But the leaf village… that was where Itachi was from.
Her gaze flickered to the Uchiha, but she was not surprised when his chakra form did not return her gaze.
"They're strong, aren't they?" Tobi remarked. "No wonder Deidara-senpai got beaten up!"
"Tobi!" the clay nin was clearly annoyed.
Who would be strong enough to beat up Deidara like that? Akira wondered. Deidara was strong, but she clearly remembered how battered he had returned last time. It had taken easily twice as long to heal him as it recently did with Konan and the poison.
"If I had my patience with you in a bag, I'd be bursting at the seams, un!"
"Ha, your patience in a bag? Like your bag of exploding clay?" Tobi had his hands raised pacifistically. "No wonder you have such a short temper."
"Tobi, I'm gonna kill y—"
"Shut up, Deidara, unless you want to prove Tobi right," Pein interrupted. Begrudgingly, Deidara cooled his temper. Kisame chuckled at their antics, but Pein was not finished. "And Tobi, you're always taking things one step too far. You're making your senior very angry."
"Right, right! I'm very sorry!"
"How do you expect us to catch all the jinchuriki if you keep goofing around?" Kisame added. Pein shot the shark a glare at the interruptions, but said nothing as Kisame continued, "Anyways, I'd like to seal the four tails as soon as possible."
"Hang on. I've got other things to talk about," Pein said.
"What?" Kisame was clearly annoyed.
"Someone else has been killed."
"Who?"
"Orochimaru." Itachi's eyes showed a glint of emotion at the name. Akira recognized it. That was that snake sannin, a former member of Akatsuki before he'd attempted and failed to get Itachi's body (for which she was especially thankful) before moving on to the Leaf village to try his hand at acquiring Itachi's younger brother.
He's dead, too? This was certainly a bad day for that. What about Sasuke?
"It's been years since he's left Akatsuki," Kisame remarked. "I suppose his time finally came, eh? Whoever killed him must have been something else. Who was it?"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Now that makes sense. Itachi seemed un-phased by it all, but Akira knew he felt something.
"I wanted to kill him, un," Deidara frowned.
"How impressive," Kisame turned to his partner. "You must be proud of your little brother, Itachi-san." Realistically, he probably was.
"He's gathered a few underlings," Zetsu continued. "All of whom could be problematic for us."
"Oh?" Kisame seemed surprised.
"You should know one of them, Kisame," Pein said, "One of the Hidden Mist's Hoizuki brothers."
"Suigetsu? Now that takes me back."
"Juugo of Tenpin is also with them," Pein continued. "Itachi, Kisame, you two need to stay alert. They're probably going after you."
Itachi said nothing, but Akira knew what he was thinking. His plans with Sasuke were drawing to a close. Obscured by the darkness, Akira placed a protective hand over her stomach.
"Everyone else, remember what I've told you about Uchiha Sasuke," Pein stated. "If he learns too much about Itachi and Kisame, he may try to disrupt Akatsuki's plans."
"Hey, Kisame, what's the deal with the Suigetsu guy you mentioned?" Deidara inquired. Honestly, Akira had been wondering the same thing.
"I last saw him ten years ago," Kisame replied. "Cute kid. Always smiling. He'd always chop the limbs off his enemies before beheading them. People called him the second coming of 'Zabuza the Devil.' A child prodigy in the art of murder."
"They sound like an interesting bunch, un." Deidara concluded, smiling sinisterly. Likely, he envisioned making art out of his next victim.
Now where did she come into all of this?
"Akira," Pein turned to her, "I asked you to come here and hear of our plans for one reason alone."
Which is…?
"When Kisame and Itachi bring back the four tails jinchuriki, it will be your job as Akatsuki's medic to ensure he remains alive and unconscious. The last jinchurki came far too close to dying before we removed the tailed beast. The will same apply for all the other jinchuriki to follow. You do know what a jinchuriki is, correct?"
"Yes." Itachi had at least explained that much to her.
So I get to keep them alive before Akatsuki kills them? Akira mentally cringed. It violated everything she believed as a medic, but they would kill her if she didn't, and now she had more than just herself to protect. Kami, forgive me.
"Good then. Meeting adjourned."
Akira was numb, even as the presences disappeared.
"I will need to obtain another Akatsuki uniform," Konan stated, and Akira knew she meant visiting the storage room. "I have much to do."
"Where would you like for me to wait for Kisame and Itachi to return?" Akira asked quietly.
"The main room should do," the paper kunoichi replied. "And Akira?"
Akira looked up to meet her gaze.
"Thank you for healing me."
Akira did not have to wait long for Kisame and Itachi to return. An older man with flaming red hair and a scraggly beard dangled from Samehada's tip. The symbol on his forehead protector matched Deidara's.
"We're back, Akira-san!" Kisame called. Akira gripped the bag containing her medical supplies, knowing Pein would want the junchuriki in the meeting room where they could properly extract the biju.
"Let's get this over with." Even Itachi's presence wasn't working to soothe her.
Hours passed before Pein reconvened the meeting. The task of maintaining the four tails had been simple enough with a few bandages and a powerful sedative.
"Deidara died." Akira's heart dropped at their leader's first words. Hidan and Kakuzu were one thing, but Deidara? Although he'd begun as her captor, now he was, or rather had been, her friend.
"He finally went out with a bang."
"We lost another member. And to think he was quite strong," Kisame remarked wryly. "So which one did he lose to? Sasuke or the Kyuubi's jinchuriki?"
Zetsu spoke up, "Sasuke, but…" All eyes turned to the Aloe Vera, "Sasuke died, too."
Nothing could have ever prepared Akira for Zetsu's words. She gasped quietly, and not even caring if anyone saw, Akira gripped her stomach. Thankfully, the only one close enough to notice was the four tail's unconscious host.
Itachi… Her eyes turned to him. She couldn't imagine what he must be going through right now.
"Deidara killed himself along with Sasuke." Kisame was unsurprised.
"Be grateful of him, Itachi," Pein stated, "Deidara gave his life to eliminate trouble."
"Hm, we're forgetting something," Kisame mused.
"Tobi probably died, too. Deidara exploded with Tobi nearby," White Zetsu added.
Akira didn't know how much more of this she could take today. Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasuke and Tobi?
"Ah yes, it was Tobi," Kisame said. "But he was good at running and even he couldn't get away in time. Must've been a big jutsu."
"It's fine. A man of that level is easy to acquire," Pein stated simply. "Deidara was special, though."
"The ability to turn a gloomy organization cheerful," Kisame lamented. "Tobi was a skilled man at that."
"I'm going," Pein finalized, forming a hand sign. "At least mourn for Deidara quietly." With that, he was gone. Konan and Zetsu followed soon afterwards.
Akira desperately wanted to say something to Itachi. She didn't know what, but anything—if Sasuke was dead, what did that make of them?
I need to tell him. We still have a chance at this! Akira thought, sad for his loss, but secretly excited for their future. This could actually work.
"I need to go to my room to get a few things," Kisame stated. "I'll be right back, Itachi-san, then we can get a move on."
"Hn." His face was blank. His eyes were dead.
Only when Akira was positive Kisame was gone did she turn to face him. Itachi's irises were black now. She drew in a breath to speak.
"Don't." He silenced her harshly. Understandably, he was upset. "Sasuke's not dead."
"You heard Pein. There's no way he could survive something like that."
"He has to." Itachi didn't sound as desperate she expected, but still, he was distraught.
Can I tell him now? Akira wondered. Even if the time was bad, when would she have another chance? Could she afford to wait with the hope she would see him again in the next week?
She clutched both his hands in her own, lightly caressing him with her thumbs.
"I'm sorry, Itachi."
He pulled her into a tight embrace. She hugged him back, making small, comforting circles on his back. Then he said, "Forgive me." His eyes flashed red.
"Forgive me." Itachi couldn't think of anything else to say. As her surprised eyes fell heavy and closed, he sealed the distance between them with a kiss as her figure fell limp in his arms.
Sasuke wasn't dead. Itachi didn't care what Pein said. His brother was resourceful, and he would find a way to survive. He always did.
But Akira—Itachi couldn't just leave her here. His final battle with Sasuke was imminent. He needed to be ready, and, even if she hated him for it, Akira needed to get out of here.
With the Hyuuga girl now sleeping as soundly as the jinchuriki beside them, Itachi initiated the next part of his plan.
Scooping up her legs, Itachi carried Akira out of the meeting room. Her head lolled against his shoulder. She would not stay this peaceful for long.
He carried her all the way to the bedroom they shared and unlocked the door with his eyes, a trick most had yet to discover he could do. He laid the girl's unconscious body on the bed.
She would definitely hate him for this. He couldn't change that, but nothing in this world or the next could alter his love for her. She had been an unexpected addition and the light of his world, Sasuke be damned.
The most he could do now was let her go. His Akatsuki ring glinted on the nightstand as he kissed Akira one last time. And with that, he was gone.
Kisame sighed as he exited his room. May as well stock up on those extra scrolls, especially after such an arduous fight with the four tail's host. However, upon walking down the hallway, he was surprised to encounter Itachi emerging from his own room.
"Aren't you supposed to be the meeting room with Akira?" Although most people would have jumped slightly, Itachi collectedly turned to meet his gaze when Kisame addressed him.
"I realized I needed something from my room, as well," he stated simply. Kisame eyed him suspiciously. Something wasn't right. Then again, maybe it was just Itachi's silent way of coping with his brother's death.
"Hmf. Let's go then."
As they left the base, rain poured from the sky, greeting them. They waited for several minutes, but it continued nonetheless.
"It hasn't let up one bit," Kisame remarked. "It's odd for it to be raining so much here, especially this time of year."
Silently, Itachi took a step forward, his eyes facing the sky. Water poured down his forehead, his cheeks, and his Akatsuki collar. The Uchiha seemed deep in thought.
"Not sure what you're thinking, and given how ruthless you are, it's strange, to say this…" Kisame trailed off. "From here it looks like you're crying."
He couldn't possibly be upset over Sasuke's death, could he?
"It's certainly a shame about your little brother," Kisame continued. His partner still didn't react. "You're now the sole member of the Uchiha clan."
"No." Suddenly, Itachi spoke, surprisingly the shark. The Uchiha turned his head to look at his partner. "Sasuke's not dead yet."
"What?"
Without explanation, Itachi turned his gaze to his reflection in one of the surrounding puddles.
"The storm has passed."
Heh. Kisame somehow prevented himself from verbally reacting. Leave it to his partner to make absolutely no sense.