"You have sadness living in places sadness shouldn't exist."

Rupi Kaur

There was a sense of warmth that settled peacefully in her humble abode. Be it from the afternoon sun that painted the corners of her room an orange glow, or the heat of the man that laid on her bed; she allowed herself to be swept away by the moment. As time continued to pass, her mind, body, and soul succumbed to the silence in the room until it felt numb. She was jolted back into reality when Itachi's hand suddenly appeared next to her. It hung loosely off the bed, his long pale fingers catching glimpses of the waning sun.

A sigh passed through her lips.

Shifting slightly so that she could face the sleeping man behind her, she picked up his fallen hand and tucked it back safely under the blanket. Watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was enough to throw her back into a lull if she had not heard a hiss. Alarmed, she observed his face, looking for signs of discomfort or pain.

I can take this pain away with just a touch.

Guilt gripped her heart, but she reminded herself of where she was, who she was with, and why she was doing this all in the first place. She could not exactly run around healing everyone back to their tip-top shape. Pulling the nearby stool closer, Kagome dipped her hands into the large bowl of cold water and brought up a white cloth. She wringed off the excess water before placing it gently onto Itachi's forehead. As she smoothed down the cloth, her fingers wandered off to brush off a few strands that had invaded his face.

After Tsunade's promised visit, they were told Itachi was strictly to be hidden away in her little home until further notice. The Hokage reluctantly informed Kagome about the shinobi scouts that surrounded the townhouse. She responded as expected. Baffled. Fortunately for her, she wasn't special enough to have all the scouts focused on her solely. Apparently, this district was made for visitors to reside in before integrating into society as a trusted individual. Unfortunately, however, the scouts were not aware of Itachi's presence. Though Tsunade consoled no one would come looking for Itachi here and ordered the recovering man to place a genjutsu, Kagome was not convinced. After their departure, she had placed a barrier of her own around the townhouse and dragged Itachi into her bedroom where the high trees and fences came to their aid.

It didn't escape her curiosity on just how powerful Itachi was. Even in his sorry state he had managed to place an illusion. His chakra was strong, and it was all she could feel around her.

Nevertheless, due to their circumstances, they had soon come to an agreement of sort. Itachi was tight-lipped and Kagome didn't feel the need to push for answers. She had already decided to carefully follow their lead and quietly leave if push came to shove. As their agreement stood, Itachi didn't feel it was fair to keep Kagome in the shadows, especially when she was risking her life. Kagome, on the other hand, battled a different sort of conflict. While she didn't particularly feel obligated to come clean and was comfortable with her farce, but she began to feel again. His presence wasn't unpleasant, and he was quite well mannered, but the guilt was growing its tendrils and she worried it would soon strike. And so, they decided to selectively share information at their own discretion.

She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to relax around him. Poking for intel and always wondering what he was thinking about, it had become a pastime of hers to figure out the mystery that was Uchiha Itachi. And it scared her to the core because she didn't want to get used to this feeling of someone needing her or being beside her.

"An Uchiha prodigy on the run from his own clan," Kagome spoke softly, a sarcastic scoff following softly. "How dramatic."

Kagome groaned, shifting back to her spot comfortably. Propping up her knees, she folded her arms over it and rested her head into the nest she made. Peaking an eye open to catch the last rays of the setting sun, Kagome solemnly wondered if she would ever be happy again.

If only I was deserving of such a thing.

~oOo~

"You're being awfully kind these days, Konohamaru, something tells me you're suspecting me."

Gracing her with a charming smile, Konohamaru overturned an empty bucket and made himself a neat makeshift chair right next to Kagome.

"If you believe there is something to suspect, then so be it. I shall gratefully suspect."

"Is that what they taught you in your shinobi academy? How to woo an outsider for information?"

Leaning in close, Konohamaru levelled Kagome with a sparking gaze. "Is there information to woo?"

Not planning on giving in, Kagome leaned further in until they were breaths away, "You tell me, what have you learned so far?"

A blush suddenly rose to Konohamaru's cheeks before he jerked back in a sputtering mess. Kagome chuckled as she straightened up. "Nice try, kid, but keep this up and I'm going to have to assume you think I'm a spy."

Defeat dragged Konohamaru's shoulders down. He gave Kagome a passing glance before renewing his motive with vigour.

"It's been a month and I barely even know you." Holding his hand out, Konohamaru emphasised his argument by lifting a finger with very point he made. "Monday you spend the day at the library studying herbs. Tuesday you actually go out looking for those herbs. You spend, what? Maybe two hours? Three? The rest of the day, you disappear into your home. Wednesday, you're home. Thursday, you're home. Friday, you shop and then return home. Saturday, you're here for the market and then Sunday," He paused for dramatic effect. "Home."

Mortified, Kagome reeled away from the chunin. "Are you stalking me?" She gasped out.

"No! Of course not. I need friends."

"You have friends, Udon and Moegi."

"I mean," He reiterated, "Friends that I can grab lunch, or dinner, with while they're away on missions."

"Well, you only eat ramen, and I don't like ramen."

"Friends to take a walk with."

"You follow me on my Tuesday herb hunt – I think you've walked with me plenty."

"Friends that I can laugh with."

"I laugh at you, does that count?"

"Friends I can banter with."

"We're doing that now."

Growling, Konohamaru suddenly stood up. The bucket he was sitting on fell onto the ground with a loud rattling sound. Market goers looked at them questioningly as the rising ire from Konohamaru became too interesting to ignore. He looked down at Kagome with narrowed eyes, frustration clearly visible in his darkened eyes.

"Why do you want to be alone?"

Feeling a little guilty for teasing him too much, Kagome reached out and tapped him on the arm.

"I have you to keep me from boredom, don't I?"

Another growl and a sigh, Konohamaru was back into his seated position as if he didn't create a scene mere seconds ago.

"Oden." Looking up in surprise, he raised a brow at Kagome. "I like oden. I also like to be at the library because I am genuinely interested in learning. It's what I do." She said as she pointed at her stall. "I'm home most of the time because I do have to create these herbal goodies to make a living. It's a process." Kagome ended with a shrug.

Thoughtful for a moment, Konohamaru felt a sense of elation.

"Can I then watch you make them?"

Giggling behind her hands, she simply answered, "No."

~oOo~

As soon as she closed her front door shut, her shoulder slumped with exhaustion. Dropping her bag, Kagome routinely walked into each room to pull the thick curtains shut. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, she turned on the lights and moved towards her bedroom. Itachi was wide awake and already aware of her presence before she even stepped into the room. He pressed her with a hard stare.

"You can come out now."

With a nod, he slipped out off bed and followed Kagome into the lounge.

"I hope you're in the mood for oden. I suddenly had an urge for it today." She said, grabbing her bags by the door and tugged it along behind her to the kitchen.

Thanks to Kagome's one-sided idle chatter, Itachi found out she had befriended the third Hokage's grandson. As far as he knew, Konohamaru was awfully rude at their first meeting, then a shy apologetic kid, and now a persistent friend. Observing her body language, he was beginning to think Konohamaru was tasked to keep a close eye on Kagome. If Kagome suspected this, she didn't show it. But she always came back looking lost.

"You were with Konohamaru."

Stopping, Kagome turned to look back with a raised brow.

"I was, how did you know?"

Itachi didn't answer. She waited for a second longer for an answer before swivelling back towards the kitchen.

While she pranced around the kitchen preparing their dinner, Itachi watched from the lounge, determined to follow her every move. He was still annoyed that he could not activate his sharingan. When he asked Kagome if she had ever healed someone with a kekkei genkai, heavily insinuating that her peculiar art of healing was becoming more troublesome than helpful, he had not expected the backlash. He was forced to acknowledge that Kagome took great pride in her abilities and was very offended. She made sure Itachi was left in excruciating pain when changing his bandages that night.

Shaking away the unpleasant memory, Itachi tuned back into reality when he heard the gas stove turn off. The fire flickered out and Kagome disappeared into the pantry for their bowls. Clearing the small coffee-table they usually ate at, he stood up with intentions to help Kagome set up, but he was shot down before he could even straighten up.

"Sit back down." Kagome ordered as she rounded the counter with bowls and utensils. "You've just recovered from a fever. Frankly speaking I rather not have another sleepless night."

His blank expression irked her.

Dropping the contents in her hands onto his lap with a huff, she muttered, "If you want to help then set the table., I'll go get the food."

Startled, Itachi felt a pull on the corner of his lips before it quickly disappeared. His stoic expression was back in place by the time Kagome returned.

Dinner proceeded as usual. Itachi thanked Kagome for the food and offered his compliments. But it didn't feel complete, not until Kagome filled in the silence with more chatter that Itachi never participated in.

"He's nice, you know." Kagome spoke. Itachi caught her eyes for a mere second before she looked down to her bowl. "Konohamaru, I mean." She continued in between bites. "He's a little weird to be honest, and I know it's stupid to think he's some innocent little brat because he is a full-fledged shinobi, but he reminds me of my little brother."

That caught Itachi's attention. He paused; his chopsticks frozen halfway to his lips before he placed it back down.

"You have a brother?"

Shocked, Kagome looked up once again. Itachi seldomly ever interacted back. She tried to hide her elation, telling herself that this is temporary, and he would soon leave to fight his own battles and that when the time came, she would leave too.

But her lips had a mind of its own.

"Souta, that's his name."

"Where is he?"

Breath shuddering, Kagome refused to make eye contact. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it was no issue for Itachi. He heard every word. "Somewhere far away, out of my reach."

As a trained shinobi, he was automatically filing away every observation, every information he gained from Kagome. It was instinct to uncover any hidden truths, even if it put the other party in an uncomfortable position. It was what he was taught to do. What he always succeeded in. But for some reason, he disliked the sombre look Kagome tried to hide.

"I have little brother too." He spoke soon after.

Kagome chuckled darkly. She rolled her eyes at him and plastered on a smile. "Yes, well, I already knew that. Sasuke, right? You're quite the famous pair in this village."

Itachi berated himself. Of course, she knew that.

Kagome sighed. "Tell me about him."

Itachi hesitated. He looked into her eyes and wondered if the desperation in them were genuine. Much unlike him, he gave in.

"He likes tomatoes."

Not expecting an answer like that, Kagome stifled a laugh. "A whole tomato? Or the little cherry ones."

Itachi cocked his head to the side, lost in a distant thought. "Any kind."

Nodding, Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully. Their food forgotten in the moment. "Souta had a sweet tooth. He had an amazing metabolism, and I was plenty jealous he got to eat whatever he wanted and never got fat."

"If Sasuke could, he would unapologetically eat tomatoes all day despite being told not to."

"Souta liked to pretend he was this great warrior. He used to run around swinging his stick like a sword slashing through all his enemies."

"Sasuke is-" Itachi froze. He realised in that moment that since Sasuke held his first kunai, he didn't have any light-hearted memories to share. Sasuke hated being in Itachi's shadows. Itachi tried his best to change Sasuke's path from conquest for power but had soon resigned to be a silent protector. "Sasuke was once a carefree child."

The mood suddenly shifted.

Reaching out, Kagome hesitantly placed her hand on top of Itachi's. She gulped when his sharp eyes bore into her. But she didn't back down.

"Thank you for telling me about your brother. I hope that one day he will return home to you."

With an affirmative nod, she quickly retracted her hand and busied herself with clearing the table, avoiding the eyes that continued to follow her every movement.

Staring down and his hand in awe, the spot Kagome touched still felt warm. He quickly covered it with his other hand to brush off the feeling. The feeling was unsettling, but definitely not unwelcomed.

We must be all mad.

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