Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village.

Author's Note: Yay. It didn't take me as long to get this one done! And guess what! This chapter connects to a section of 3 chapters that I've already written, so you definitely won't have to wait as long for the next. I won't put them all up at once, though, because I haven't written much of anything after them, and that'll delay later stuff. I'll spread them out so they last, okay? I know I left you all hanging with the last chapter. Sorry. I hope you enjoy this one!

XXIX

"I don't even know why I talk to you," Itachi stated with a frown, peering at his reflection as it mocked him silently. "You're just a figment of whatever little imagination that I have left – meaningless and unimportant."

At that statement, his reflection ceased his bout of unheard laughter, dropping his arms from his stomach and scowling at Itachi as if he had taken offense to those words. Though Itachi was not sure why, this unnerved him a bit. "Well, it's true," he muttered. "Dreams are a mind's way of processing and dealing with information, nothing more, and that's all you are – a dream."

His reflection nodded eagerly, waving his hands as if he wanted Itachi to continue. "What?" Itachi demanded.

The mirror-Itachi pointed at his "real" counterpart and then tapped his own eyes, grinning. Itachi blinked at him. "I see?" The reflection nodded rapidly and then continued on to a different motion – as if he was trying to catch something but failing. Itachi scowled and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. Oh, no. I'm not playing charades with you."

His reflection looked disappointed, giving an over-exaggerated sigh and mouthing, Why not?

"Because it is unnecessary," Itachi replied flatly. "I can read your lips, even if I can't hear you, so just say what you're trying to say without all the waving of hands. You look like an idiot when you do that." His reflection stuck out his tongue and Itachi sighed. "I refuse to believe that you are me. I never act like that. I didn't as a kid, and I most certainly don't now. Just say it, already."

The mirror version of the Uchiha leveled a weary look at him before nodding and saying silently, You're missing something.

"Oh? And what am I missing, then? Enlighten me."

His reflection shook his head, grinning and jabbing a finger at the real version of the two.

Itachi gave an annoyed growl. "I have to figure it out for myself? That's not very helpful of you." The reflection shrugged. "Fine. Anything else, or am I allowed to wake up now?"

The mirror-Itachi thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. Finally, he shook his head. Itachi nodded. "Alright, then how exactly do I wake up?" The reflection made a motion as if to tap the glass. "Break the mirror? How do I know that you won't take me to that forest place again?"

Not tonight.

Itachi sighed. "Very well. I've had enough of your antics, anyway. Even if you are tricking me, wandering through that forest is better than dealing with you." He did not admit, though, that he would actually rather be in this void than witness Kimi's death again, which was always how the forest ordeal seemed to end.

Steeling himself for the worst, Itachi curled his hand into a fist and swung it at the mirror. Predictably, it shattered, throwing him into a harsh field of light. Itachi closed his eyes against the glare, allowing it to overtake him. When it faded, he kept his eyelids shut, scanning his surroundings with his other senses. Apparently, his reflection had not lied. He was back in bed, though something was missing. The warmth at his side – in his arms – was gone.

Itachi's eyes snapped open and he sat up, muscles tensing as he scanned the room with his Sharingan. Empty. Kimi was gone. A worried frown creased his face as he slipped out of bed and cast a glance at the clock on the wall. Noon? Already? That was strange. Itachi never slept in that late.

It was stranger, though, that Kimi had managed to slip from his grasp and leave his room without waking him up – for the second time no less. This troubled the shinobi slightly. He had always been a light sleeper. Any movement on her part would have usually roused him from his sleep, and yet it did not. He would definitely be having a word with her as to how she managed to leave unnoted next time he had her alone to himself.

Filing that decision away for later, Itachi got dressed and began his hunt for Kimi. It did not take long to locate her, though, especially when he heard her familiar voice reaming Tobi out for something. A ghost of a smile touched Itachi's lips as he made his way toward the kitchen and peeked inside.

Kimi stood in front of the stove with her Akatsuki apron tied around her waist. One fist was on her hip while the other clutched a sharp knife, which she was currently shaking in Tobi's masked face. "Do you see this, Tobi?" she demanded sharply. "I have a knife in my hand. Do not mess with me when I have a knife in my hand – especially not to cover my eyes. One slip and I could have seriously injured myself. Do you understand?"

Tobi nodded quickly. "Yes, Miss Kimi. Tobi understands. Tobi is sorry. He didn't mean to upset you." The masked shinobi had his shoulders hunched, looking very much like a beaten puppy.

"I know, Tobi," the young woman replied, allowing herself to smile gently. "Just don't do it again, okay? Think before you act. I know you have a brain up there." She tapped the dull side of the blade against the "forehead" of his mask. "Use it sometimes, okay?"

"Tobi will. Tobi is a good boy!"

Kimi bobbed her head, accepting his answer. "Good, now shoo. I'll call you when the stew's ready." She waved him away and returned her attention to the cutting board beside the stove.

Itachi quickly ducked out of sight as Tobi left with too much cheer for one who had just been fussed at by an irate young woman with a rather sharp knife. Once the masked young man was well away from the kitchen, Itachi stepped out of hiding and moved silently into the room. If Kimi knew he was there, she did not react to his presence, continuing to chop up vegetables and dump them into the bubbling pot on the stove.

For a moment, a mischievous smile touched Itachi's face. He stepped up behind Kimi and slipped his arms around her waist without any forewarning. The woman stiffened for a moment before relaxing and lifting her knife away from the carrot she was currently working on. "Itachi," she sighed, "didn't you hear what I just told Tobi about messing with me while I'm chopping vegetables?"

Itachi chuckled softly, setting his chin on her shoulder. "But I'm not in the way, and you can still see what you're doing," he stated logically, his voice cool and smooth.

Kimi grunted. "Fine. Be that way."

He smirked triumphantly as she returned to chopping up the carrot into smaller bites. Itachi watched her work for a moment before turning his head and kissing her neck. He felt the shiver that crept down her spine. "Itachi!" she cried softly, fighting down the urge to giggle.

"Hmm?" he hummed against her skin.

The young woman tried to squirm out of his arms. "Stop that. You're distracting me," she weakly chastised him with a small laugh.

"Am I?"

"Yes, now stop it and let me go so I can finish this stew. People do need to eat dinner around here, and they won't be happy with you if you delay it. The faster I get the ingredients in, the sooner it can actually start to stew and the sooner it'll be ready for dinner. Now let go."

Itachi chuckled again and briefly toyed with the idea of refusing. However, when he sensed the chakra signature now approaching their location, he quickly reconsidered. In the blink of an eye, he released her and moved back to lean against the wall half-way across the room from where she was cooking. Kimi glanced curiously at him over her shoulder. Her confusion, however, vanished when Sasori stepped into the room.

She nodded to him, speaking carefully. "Good day, danna."

The puppet man stiffly returned her motion before focusing on Itachi. "Leader has a mission for you," he stated. "Kisame has the details. The two of you are to leave immediately."

"Hn." Itachi straightened and swept out of the kitchen, not casting a single glance back in Kimi's direction.

They young woman gave a soft sigh before returning to her cooking. Sasori watched her silently as she finished the carrot and scraped it into the bubbling pot. As she grabbed another ingredient to apply the same treatment, she briefly glanced over her shoulder at him – as if confirming his presence – before returning to her task. "Is there something I can do for you, danna?" she asked, a slight waver in her voice.

"Not at the moment," he replied flatly.

"Ah, okay." For several long minutes, Sasori watched the girl work with steady eyes. His face held no emotion – gave nothing of his purpose away. He did not move, and after a time, Kimi seemed to forget he was even there, falling into the rhythmic motion of her current 'art' – cooking.

Finally, Sasori shifted, casting a glance out the doorway before moving to occupy the space against the wall that had previously been Itachi's. Roused from her task by his motion, Kimi glanced over at him. As she opened her mouth to question the puppet master, new movement in the doorway caught her attention, and she curiously looked that way.

Kimi froze as her dark eyes met pale grey rings. Though she had never seen the bronze-haired man now studying her from the doorway, she knew those eyes. They had studied her once before from the flicker of an astral projection. Pierced lips curved into a slight frown as the man folded his hands behind his back. Silence stretched on, daring someone to break it, until Kimi shifted, setting down the knife, turning to fully face the man, and bowing deeply.

"Leader-sama," she murmured in reverent greeting.

Pein's eyes narrowed slightly as he eyed the blonde girl. When she straightened her back, keeping her eyes downcast, he stepped the rest of the way into the room. "Kimi," he stated, watching with hidden amusement as she stiffened in response to his voice. "Something . . . disturbing has come to my attention."

He expected her eyes to flicker to Sasori, but they remained dutifully glued to the floor. Receiving no response to his words, he continued. "Our work here is delicate and soon will be bound by a tight schedule, with a very important deadline to meet. There cannot be anything to distract any of our members from their assigned tasks." Kimi closed her eyes, and he watched a slight shiver shake her frame.

"Under normal circumstances," Pein pressed on, "someone like you who knows far too much about the members of Akatsuki and their behaviors would prove to be too dangerous – even as a civilian – for me to merely dismiss and allow to go on their way." Kimi stiffened at the heavy implications in his words. The Akatsuki Leader allowed her to dwell on them for a moment before finishing the thought. "However, since you have proven yourself useful and even aided in the retrieval of an item very important to our goals, your life will be spared."

Finally, Kimi lifted her head to gaze at him with wide eyes. There was fear and alarm in her gaze, but it was quickly replaced by relief. "Th-thank you," she managed before turning her head downward once again.

Pein's ringed eyes studied her for a moment. "You will be out of my country by nightfall. If you ever show your face here again without my express permission, you will be killed upon sight, regardless of your past usefulness." That said, he turned on his heels and vanished out the door.

Kimi remained unmoving, staring blankly at the floor. After several minutes of silence, Sasori stated, "I didn't tell him."

She closed her eyes, fisting her hands in her apron. "Then why?"

"You'll be safer the farther away you are from us," the puppet master stated softly. "It's only a matter of time before someone else finds out on their own. Neither I nor Itachi will be able to help you when that happens. This is for your own good."

The young woman lifted her head to meet his wine-colored eyes. "I don't want to go," she said weakly.

Sasori merely stepped away from the wall, sliding his gaze to focus on the doorway. "The brat and I will escort you out. From there, you're on your own."