Chapter 5

The memory was a tricky thing, especially when refuted by the unnerving gut instinct that told a person they were missing a vital piece of information.

That was his current predicament.

His memory, his mind, swore to Kisame that he didn't know the panting woman collapsed against the wall, attempting to compose herself as she struggled to stand. Of course, there was every chance they'd crossed paths during his days as a loyal Kiri-nin – her being ANBU made it twice as likely. However, if it was due to ANBU, then he wouldn't necessarily know her features. Moreover, she wouldn't be so familiar with him seeing as he made it a point to not be personal with comrades.

As much as it intrigued him, it was all beginning to piss him off.

The dots tried to connect. His mind tried to piece together what exactly was going on and why he suddenly couldn't remember the woman (if he happened to know her at all), but just when Kisame knew he was closing in on the answer, on the culprit, he blanked. Any and all thought process came to a screeching halt.

He was coming dangerously close to snapping as a result.

"Don't try anything, Taichou," Kisame warned the trembling woman, watching blandly as she steadied herself with a hand to the wall behind her, soon leaning heavily against it. "Samehada drained you completely of chakra – you'll die if you try to use any jutsu."

"C-Careful," she spat in his general direction. She didn't raise her head to look at him, her thick, long hair falling into her features and refusing him any chance of reading the woman. "You nearly sound… like you care again."

Again?

Kisame hid his surprise and suspicion, head dipping slightly.

Not for the first time, he noted that the plucky ANBU captain was tall – for a woman, that was. If he were to pit her against Itachi, Kisame believed she would be the taller of the two, easily putting at least four inches between them both. Still nothing compared to his own height, but it certainly closed that gap he was so acutely aware of when it came to other women.

And much to his shock, Kisame suddenly recalled another with a physical attribute he'd been forced to take notice of, but–

God fucking damn it, why couldn't he keep his mind focused?

Every time. It was every damn time.

"Again?" repeated Itachi.

He looked to his partner, noting that he remained by the door, though certainly not to try and prevent their captive from making a run for the only visible exit in the room. His cloak was left to drape over the sofa that was covered by a dustsheet, leaving him in a plain outfit that told Kisame he was intending to stick around for whatever reason. Morbid curiosity? To appease his potentially psychotic nature?

It was rare for Itachi to get involved. So damn rare Kisame that was tempted to take a step back and allow the boy to have his fill, to show him the psycho that had to be lurking under the surface. Hell, with the sharingan supposedly on his side, he wondered if that potentially bettered his chances of figuring out the truth, purely going off the speculation of the Uchiha Clan being mind readers because of it.

Personally, all he'd experienced in terms of the sharingan were predicted movements or, with that sneaky bastard Copy-Nin, his jutsu being replicated almost flawlessly. That was why he'd always stuck to that strict rule of putting down an Uchiha before anyone else on their squad, even the medic (although they followed quickly), on the off chance that they were powerful enough to match his speed and defended said medic. Not just that, but everyone already anticipated the medic being wiped out first for it was a common strategy that most squads abided by. They were always thrown through a loop by his actions, which was a wonderful addition, in his eyes.

They'd never appeared to read his mind or, if they did, then they were dead before they got to the juicy stuff.

"You really are a heartless bastard," came the captain's snort, a mixture of anger and pain laced in with those sharp words. "Acting like you don't know me. How the hell do you keep up with your lies, huh? Don't you feel anything when looking at me?"

No, in all honesty. Other than frustration of not being able to recall her face, Kisame felt absolutely nothing towards her.

"Tell me," he shot back with a humourless chuckle. "What makes you so sure I feel anything for you?"

The conviction in her words was something else that threw Kisame off. The captain was always so sure of herself, always appearing to know everything about him, always able to read his movements like she'd seen them a thousand times before. That was perhaps the only damn thing keeping him from giving into the urge to simply take her out there and then as the frustration mounted to an absurd level.

"Oh, I don't know," she snapped sharply, taking an unsteady step forward and clenching her fists. "Maybe the fact that we were lovers for two years? Or that we were sparring partners for twice as long?"

Lovers…

Partners…

"How cold of you, Kisame-san," Itachi stunned him by speaking up, leaning back against the doorframe. "To pretend as though you don't remember a long-term partner."

Irritation had him snapping in response, "Like you can talk, Clan Killer."

"Name calling. How mature."

Said the thirteen year old boy who'd murdered his own parents–

Focus, Kisame inwardly snarled to himself, realising with a sharp jolt that he'd steered away from the woman once more, just as he always did.

"Lovers, you say?" he questioned while making his way over to Samehada, pausing in handling his favoured weapon as Kisame recalled the way he'd refused to suck the captain dry, or kill her off. "What's your game?"

"Game?" she demanded angrily.

"You're either lying or you're delusional. Take your pick."

Hoisting Samehada onto his shoulder threateningly, Kisame turned slightly, keeping both Itachi and the captain in his sights so that he could read the Uchiha's reactions to her lies. For the most part, he was unreadable, but Kisame could see intrigue and surprise lingering in his boyish features and part of him despaired, for he'd strongly believed his partner to be an intelligent person. How could he believe her? Hadn't he taken his appearance into account?

There were only two types of women who dared to approach Kisame – the crazy ones who had a kink for freaks, who thought they would be in for a wild ride if he happened to take an interest in them, and those who were attempting to assassinate or betray him somehow, believing Kisame to be desperate enough for a lay that he would let his guard down around the first woman to show even a hint of being interested in him.

"Are you serious?" Gone was the anger in her tone. Instead, it was replaced by almost genuine hurt, one that was complemented nicely by her falling back into the wall behind her once more, those clenched fists trembling ever so slightly. It was a nice touch and had Kisame not been who he was, he may have been persuaded by her open display of emotion. "How the hell can't you remember the last four years?"

Okay, he couldn't really blame the Uchiha boy for being swayed by the lies – she really was making quite the scene, one that was laced with her emotional pain until that pain hardened and refuelled her anger.

"Is that why you were able to leave so easily?" she snarled.

Kisame had always believed that the woman had spirit, and on many occasions, he'd been impressed by her ability to bounce back and strike him harder than before. Right then, however, she looked more like she was clawing at whatever she could to win him over, her desperation disgusting him.

"Is that why you could leave me behind so easily?"

Funnily enough, as a teenager, Kisame had always wondered if he would ever become a man who allowed a woman to screech at him, for the former looked so pitiful as they submitted to their women. He could recall being disgusted by the spinelessness of them, vowing to himself that he would never become like them. Granted, that was more than likely due to him looking the way he did, but that was beside the point.

"Answer me!"

His patience snapped like it was nothing more than a single, frayed thread attempting to hold him back, but at the sudden swinging of Samehada, Kisame was left stunned by the swift interference of the Uchiha boy. Features devoid of emotion as he daringly met Kisame's eye with his sharingan and body seemingly relaxed, he couldn't deny he was in awe of the boy's strength – it wasn't the first time witnessing it, but it was his first time going against him. And to manage to stop Samehada with a single, insignificant kunai was…

"You've been holding back," he accused with a grin.

Itachi refused to humour him. "Before you once more give into your bloodlust, I would like to test a theory regarding your former lover."

Former–

How the hell did he keep forgetting about her?

It was insanity. Literal moments from taking her head clean off and he still managed to forget about her. That couldn't – wasn't – natural.

Eyes searching his body language briefly, Itachi found what he needed and nodded once, stepping back in the same moment as Kisame did, their blades returning to their sides. For the longest pause, he considered the boy, taking in the wiry body that expertly hid the raw strength that was surely only just being tapped into given his age, and couldn't deny that he wanted to know where they matched up against one another.

"Once I'm done with her, I would like to spar with you, Itachi-san."

And much to his surprise, a ghost of a smirk played along his lips as he said ominously, "Don't be so quick to believe this is an easily solved problem."

"What does that mean?" asked the woman behind him, and with a weighted sigh, Kisame looked over Itachi's shoulder to acknowledge her.

And somehow, that was seemingly all the boy needed to find his answers, the intensity of his sharingan stare effortlessly diverting his attention from the captain.

"Your eyes glaze over whenever you look at her," he explained simply. "Had I not activated my sharingan upon sensing your offensive movement, I would never have noticed the brief change. Can you see her features?"

His eyebrows twitched, tempted to mash together as Kisame realised that he couldn't actually recall what the woman looked liked, despite having glancing at her only moments prior. Even when looking directly at her, he found none of it registered, the blanking of his mind damn near infuriating him.

"You see, Kisame-san?" questioned Itachi rhetorically. He turned away with that exasperating air of superiority that never failed to irritate him, saying offhandedly, "You do not have to resort to such brutish methods to acquire information."

Deciding not to rise to the bait (although he knew the boy never meant for it to be bait), Kisame instead demanded, "What now?"

"What now…"

Itachi sighed and reached inside of his cloak, retrieving a small pocketbook that was well worn after years of use. It was one all shinobi possessed, though admittedly in much better condition than his, and it contradicted everything he'd come to learn about Uchiha Itachi for he'd assumed the boy was one to take much better care of his belongings. For his Bingo Book to be falling apart already, when new ones were issued so frequently, was bordering on ridiculous.

"There is only one man that I can think of that can twist the mind as expertly as yours has been," murmured Itachi. He didn't individually turn the pages of his Bingo Book, seemingly knowing exactly where the person was situated as he opened it on the correct page, taking a few moments to assess the stats. "If that is the case, then it perfectly explains why you cannot recall your past with this woman, as well as not seeing her features even as she stands before us. It explains why you have never questioned any of this before, also."

Intrigued and dismissing the suspicious woman, he met Itachi halfway, his gaze narrowing on the book's markings now that he was close enough to distinguish them. It was old – at least a few years. In that time, Kisame was well aware that three other books had been released, so why did Itachi insist on keeping outdated information?

"Tell me, Kisame-san," Itachi asked coolly, meeting his eye with stony features. "What did you do to provoke Uchiha Shisui in such a way?"

Uchiha Shisui.

That was…!

Immediately, his gaze fell to the battered book, drinking in the familiar features of the man who'd so effortlessly ensnared him with his sharingan.

"It's too easy changing your personality for you."

There wasn't anything that stood out to him in particular about the Uchiha – they all looked the goddamn same to him – but still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow out of his league and while that previously would have excited him, Kisame now only felt unsettled. He had something worth losing, after all – a novelty to him.

A shiver ran up Kisame's spine when the man lunged upwards, time seeming to slow down when their gazes once more connected, the cold fury undeniable.

"You're going to forget she even existed," the Uchiha muttered.

He cursed himself when he was seemingly caught in another genjutsu, his body becoming paralysed. Once again, he released it, but mere seconds later and it was once more weighing down on him, paralysing him more securely than before. He couldn't break it.

Was this the end?

How unfitting for the Kirigakure no Kaijin.

"You won't hear her name. You won't remember her voice. If she approaches you, you won't see her face. In your mind, she's just another Kiri-nin. But you'll know there was someone there. You'll know that there was someone you love."

It'd been a long while since he last experienced dread, but that was definitely what he was feeling in that moment. His stomach twisted uneasily, chest responding with a pang of its own.

"Enjoy this feeling, Hoshigaki-san," he murmured, voice deadly soft. "Enjoy experiencing the same hollowness you have bestowed upon me."

Unlike that night, there was no rage or heartache. There was nothing about him that even hinted at his being a threat. But the stats never lied, Kisame knew that and to read them for himself, to read how powerful his sharingan was…

How…

"That is an awfully old Bingo Book," Kisame noted in an attempt to compose himself, to smother the brief dread that threatened to take hold. "Why aren't you keeping up to date with such vital information, Itachi-san?"

Going off the coldness in his features and the way he so familiar mentioned Uchiha Shisui (not forgetting the obvious same surname, also), it was a safe bet that the man had been dear to Itachi. Why else would he keep an outdated book? How else would he know exactly where to open it up to? Kisame was willing to bet that Shisui's page was the only well used one in that book, the rest always forgotten about as Itachi returned to his relative's photograph.

However, as expected, the boy didn't humour him – didn't even acknowledge that he'd said anything to him.

Closing the book carefully and approaching the captain who was once more trembling, appearing unsteady on her feet, Itachi kept it close and easily out of the reach of either of them, should they try to snatch it for whatever reason. It solidified the undeniable bond between the two Uchiha in Kisame's mind, his gut instinct never directing him wrong before.

"Everything Shisui has ever done was for a reason. No act of his was ever without purpose. However," Itachi murmured with a tinge of something Kisame couldn't quite put his finger on and the young boy glanced over his shoulder, eyes cold. "That was before the death of his lover."

"You're fast," he complimented and turned to face the man whose back was to him. He was visibly shaking as he knelt beside the limbless woman and Kisame heard his teeth gritting, a quiet sound of anguish leaving him. "Oh?" he questioned, attempting to peer over the other's man's shoulders. "Did she die?"

Funny. He hadn't noticed.

Similar to the woman, the Uchiha emblem on the man's arm stood out to him and he responded with a huff of amusement.

He wasn't particularly upset over the loss of the eyes – defeating an Uchiha wasn't all that impressive when they were as weak as she had been.

Kisame watched curiously as the man clutched her closer to his chest, the faint shaking of his shoulders unmissable. It amused him as much as it irked him, for Konoha's shinobi were notorious for being emotionally weaker than the other villages', always screaming about that damned Will of Fire of theirs.

Would that Uchiha be any different, he wondered.

"Killing you would be too easy," he muttered, voice gruff and weighed down by his grief.

The kid was brave or stupid – either one suited him just fine. After all, if he was stupid enough to have a death wish or wanted to join the woman he held so lovingly in his arms, who was he to say no?

He grinned again. "That so?"

Blood red eyes were undeniably furious when he finally looked over his shoulder at him, features twisting with hatred. "How about I take your precious person too? Even it up a little, huh?"

Playful brown eyes filled his mind briefly and Kisame damned himself for allowing it to happen, for it gave the angered Uchiha all he needed. Even his claim had no effect because of his momentary weakness, but still, he said, "She isn't weak enough to allow herself to be killed."

Ah. It seemed he'd been the cause of death, then.

"You remember," came the captain's murmured words.

"Of course he does," Itachi stated blandly and stared up at him with a setting jaw, coming to stand between Kisame and the woman. "Somebody who relishes in inflicting pain and despair on another would never forget a kill, not when it evokes a reaction as powerful as Shisui's."

Was he going to have to kill his partner? Kisame assessed his movements, the steeliness of his features as they regarded him similarly, like he was also sizing him up.

"What does it matter?" the captain demanded shockingly, for he never expected her to come to his defence. "You're the Clan Killer Uchiha Itachi – you probably put the guy out of his misery."

Not a flicker of emotion. Not a shred of remorse or regret or sadness.

Just who the hell was this guy?

"I assure you, had Shisui still been alive that night, I would not be standing here."

Why did everything that came out of that kid's damned mouth have to sound so cryptic, or like it possessed a deeper meaning? It was frustrating as hell and quite frankly, draining too. While Kisame certainly didn't want a dumb partner, he didn't want one that was as up himself as Itachi either.

"I always believed it was perhaps the loss of his lover that played a part in his death. Slowed reaction time, not fighting to his full potential until it was too late, seeing no other way out than to accept defeat…"

Oh, it was definitely personal, then.

"As I said, everything Shisui previously did, was for a reason."

Kisame squared his shoulders when Itachi tipped his head back, once more meeting his eye. There was an underlying fury in his gaze, one that knocked the breath straight from the Kiri-nin's lungs, for he'd never witnessed such an astounding display of emotion from the boy before.

But then he sighed deeply.

"I cannot stand against Shisui's choices or reverse what he has done, knowing the reasoning behind it," he said cryptically, annoying Kisame further when the woman finally collapsed, only to be caught by Itachi stepping forward and allowing her to fall into him uncaringly. Meeting his eye languidly, he then told him, "However, you are my partner, and we have a mission – one that is continuously being side-tracked by this woman."

Where was he going with this? Why couldn't he just spit it out?

Rather than continuing straightaway or leaving her where Kisame had previously dumped her, the Uchiha focused on easing the captain onto the sofa with a surprising carefulness that once more threw him through a loop, because where was the savage who'd slaughtered his entire clan? Why did he always seem like two different people? Why wouldn't he just unleash the psycho within him?

"The question is…" Itachi took a half step back, tilting his head to glance over his shoulder at Kisame gravely. "Do you deserve a reprieve from Shisui's punishment?"

A/N - I'm going to put this note on all my next updates, just so it better explains the massive gap between updates.

I've dropped to just one weekly update due to my mental health being shitty right now and not wanting to burn myself out with having twelve stories on-going. This is schedule:

Week 1: Ghost Inside My Chest (COMMISSION)
Week 2: Could Roses Bloom? (COMMISSION)
Week 3: The Shadows of Your Heart
Week 4: Dying Embers
Week 5: Then Our Hearts Combined
Week 6: So This is Love
Week 7: Unravelling Since I Found You (COMMISSION)
Week 8: But Still, I Rise (COMMISSION)
Week 9: Red String of Fate
Week 10: Mercy, Love & Other Useless Things (COMMISSION)
Week 11: Come Undone (COMMISSION)

Thank you!