Chapter 14

When Rouge entered the kitchen, she was greeted by a bowl of freshly picked fruit waiting for her on the table.

Itachi greeted her with a nod. He hadn't bothered changing back to his persona and was now wearing a simple grey V-neck shirt that was secured with a white belt over his mesh undershirt, along with dark grey utility pants and his equally grey trusty open-toed ninja sandals. These were the clothes he usually relaxed in.

He had brewed some coffee which he had just finished pouring when she came in. The smell alone was enough to banish most of the grogginess she still felt from sleep. He set the cup down at her usual place.

"You're an angel", she said seriously as she came over and plopped down before her very own ambrosia.

Itachi didn't comment, merely a slight quirk of his lips betrayed his amusement. Seriously, she was like that every morning and her reaction never got old.

He set the pot down on the table, within easy reach for her to refill her cup, and joined her with his own cup of hot chocolate. He had discovered the drink recently and could honestly claim it was the best drink he'd ever had.

He couldn't resist making some at least once a day. It wasn't like he didn't burn the extra energy with training anyhow, so why not indulge himself.

They sat in silence, each enjoying their individual beverages, lost in their own thoughts as they watched the sea from the kitchen window.

When she finished pouring her third cup, Rouge finally decided to break the silence. She couldn't hold back her questions anymore now. She'd start with a simple one first.

"So, is Coma your real name?", she asked.

"Hn... Uchiha Itachi", he simply said.

The name was strange. Foreign sounding. She had only heard similar names from Roger when he talked about that one island, Wa no Kuni she thought it was.

"Sounds like a name someone from Wa no Kuni would have", she decided to say. Itachi did say he was looking for his home so she thought even something that insignificant could help him.

"Wa no Kuni…", Itachi tested the name out on his tongue. The country of Harmony? That was indeed a name a country in the elemental nations could be called. Yet, he hadn't heard of the place, Mihawk hadn't mentioned it either.

"Yes. Most people wouldn't know about it. It's on the Grand Line. Roger told me a bit about it since he met some interesting people there."

"Oh?"

Taking that as the prompt to continue it was meant to be, Rouge proceeded to tell him what she knew of the place.

Itachi listened carefully, making note of some things to ask about in detail later.

"… that's all I can remember right now."

"Daimyo, is it…", Itachi muttered in thought. Samurai, Ronin, and Daimyo were all titles used in the Nations. He couldn't recognize any names of the individuals she mentioned though. Yet, she had made no mention of Ninjas. Everyone in the Nations knew about them so for her not to mention them at all meant that this Wa no Kuni wasn't part of the Nations.

That didn't mean it had no connection to the place, however. The similarities were way too great for it to be a coincidence. They'd definitely have to visit the island once their knowledge of the Grand Line seemed sufficient enough to take their investigations there.

He'd have to look into getting an Eternal Pose for the place, to make sure they didn't miss it somehow. Heading straight there may also be an option, depending on its location, though judging from the fact Mihawk, who had spent a bit of time on the Grand Line already hadn't known about the place, chances were, it was hidden somehow. The more likely option was that it was located further along, in a location he had yet to be strong enough to dare explore.

Mihawk himself had admitted that he had only been confident enough to explore the very beginnings of the ocean, no more. It got more and more dangerous the further one went, so Mihawk had only continued on if he could realistically defeat the strongest resident or Marine stationed on the island he was currently on.

A weird way of going about it, that's for sure but it had worked to keep the samurai alive and out of trouble. It was telling that a fighter with as much potential as him had yet to be forcefully recruited by the Marines or been issued a bounty. It was surprisingly sneaky of the samurai, to stay under the radar as he had.

Itachi approved.

The execution may need some work but the fact that he had tried to remain unnoticed at all meant there was hope for the swordsman yet if trained properly.

Speaking of training… he'd need to help Rouge find out what kind of combat style suited her best soon. She knew basic self-defense on some level but wasn't truly trained. While her expertise lay in medicine and she'd primarily act as the team's healer, there would inevitably be times when she'd need to participate in battle herself. There was no way to protect her around the clock, that'd mean more trouble than it was worth.

Itachi had reached the conclusion that he would need to get her to at least the level of combat effectiveness of a Chuunin before they joined up with the rest of the team. That way she'd not hold them back all that much at least. For her to realistically contribute to the team in regard to combat…

He'd need to test her affinity for combat to make a proper estimate of the time it should take to train her up to that level. If she specialized in just 1 field and didn't try to round off her skills, he thought she may get there before they truly attracted the attention of the world government.

Not that he wanted to attract their attention, far from it. He doubted they would stay completely below the radar forever though, no matter how careful or skilled they were. The government most likely took note of anyone skilled enough to reach certain parts of the Grand Line, if it was as dangerous there as his limited information suggested.

He could, however, delay that moment for quite a while, or so he hoped. Once they had to rely on luck to stay hidden though… It was better to control the reveal themselves so they could show them what they wanted them to know.

Another bout of silence had overtaken the table as Rouge left Itachi to his thoughts and quietly played with the cup in her hands.

He wasn't lost in contemplation for long though and decisively changed the topic instead.

"Let' go over our plan of action. We need to lay the foundation as soon as possible."

Rouge nodded and put a serious expression on her face. She devoted her whole attention to Itachi as he once more laid out the rough plan he had come up with. Now they just needed to figure out the details and what needed to be done on each of their parts to make it believable.

"Then, how do we face the Marines? I don't know if you noticed but… my acting skills are horrendous.", Rouge admitted bluntly.

"Hn. For you, not acting is best."

"How!? I'll be a nervous wreck the whole time!"

"It's not strange to be. Pregnant women have vanished with no information as to why, where to, and if they'll ever come back. Now I somehow convinced you to come forward, despite that fact. You trust me and my decision, but you can't help but be insecure and nervous. Plus, it's your first pregnancy. Being agitated, troubled, even jumpy is normal."

He had a point. It wasn't like they could look into her head and ascertain just why she was nervous after all.

"I'll make sure I get to come along, so you can just stick to me as much as possible. If they separate us for some reason, I have ways to stay in contact anyways. I'll make sure you know basic codes to use and introduce you to my crows. They can relay anything they see and hear to me and convey simple messages through their actions. You'll never be completely alone with them, alright?"

Rouge stared at Itachi for a long while, searching his face for something. Her gaze stopped on his eyes for a long time. She seemed to have found what she was looking for there since she nodded with a determined smile on her face.

"Alright", she finally agreed to the plan they had worked out.

"Then, let's get started in the morning."

"Yes!"

"One more thing, what about Ross?"

"Uncle?", Rouge asked, confused as to what Itachi meant.

"Hn… Does he know?"

"Oh… No, no he doesn't."

Itachi raised his eyebrow in question.

"He… Ross hates pirates a lot since some of them killed his wife and one of his kids. He'd become an avid supporter of the Marines and the world government as a result. I… I don't doubt he loves me, I just… don't know that love would be stronger than his hatred. I want to believe he'd support me, given how good he's been to me. I am all he currently has left of his family since everyone else left and hasn't returned but… I can't risk my child's life if there's even a small chance his hatred is great enough to disregard what relationship we currently have."

Rouge gulped down the guilt she felt at the admission. She felt like a horrible person, not even trusting the one family that still cared for her in this place.

She hadn't even realized tears had gathered in her eyes yet again until Itachi's warm hand landed on her head once more.

"It's OK.", he reassured, "That just shows how much you love your child. You'd do anything to protect them. Even lie to those you love. To have a mother like that… I'm kind of envious".

Rouge let her tears fall at those words.

Gosh, Itachi was really turning her into a right mess today, wasn't he?

Yet, the brightest smile couldn't help but spread on her face. She was so glad that he understood.

"Then, tomorrow, let's tell him about us first."

"Huh?"

"I'll pretend to ask for his blessings for our 'relationship'."

"Oh…"

She had completely forgotten her uncle may pose a problem to their plans. Itachi's persona and, she suspected, the man himself really would ask for something like that if Rouge and he decided to pursue a serious relationship.

It was traditional, even if the relationship didn't end in marriage. Though she doubted her uncle would object. He seemed to like 'Coma' a lot after all.

"Okay!"

"Do you know around when you conceived?", Itachi asked bluntly.

Rouge only blushed a little at the directness but answered anyway. "Around 3 weeks before you came."

So, she was around the 8th week of pregnancy currently. Good. That meant the difference of that month would still be very apparent in a check-up.

It also meant physical exertion wouldn't be detrimental yet if they didn't overdo it. Perfect.

Rouge didn't like the glint in Itachi's eyes at all as the other stood up abruptly.

"Hn, get dressed for combat."

"Huh?"

"We have to find a combat style for you."

"But…"

"It's still safe until the 13th month. The earlier we start the faster you can defend yourself."

That… he had a point. Rouge hadn't actually thought about the fact she'd need to learn to fight better. She did know self-defense after all so it hadn't occurred to her but… thinking of how strong Roger and his crew were, it really should have.

Rouge nodded. She got up and went upstairs, changing into some exercise pants and a normal shirt. She also braided her long hair into a simple plait, so it couldn't get into her face.

When she returned, Itachi nodded in approval. He hadn't expected her to have any weapons or combat gear, this was already good enough for the beginning.

He led her outside. The sun had already set so the temperature was starting to drop. Exercising in the heat in her condition wasn't a good idea anyway. That did, however, mean he couldn't test her on throwing accuracy or her affinity to guns.

Yes, Itachi had acquired a few different types of guns to study them. They were fascinating and deadly weapons, not really suitable for stealth though. He estimated that the faster Genin or a Chuunin had a chance of evading the small and quick projectiles of the weapons.

Against stronger opponents at Jonin level or above they would be useless though. Overall, as a primary weapon, Itachi didn't think they were suitable beyond Genin level, at least not in the forms he'd gotten his hands on. Perhaps if they were improved somehow… In any case, If she had an affinity for the weapons, using one as a backup weapon wasn't out of the question.

"For now, warm up.", he said.

"Running and stretches, right?"

"Hn", he nodded, "I'll tell you when to switch."

She'd need to stretch thoroughly, since running on the sand was more taxing than elsewhere. Thus, after stretching for several minutes under Itachi's watchful gaze, Rouge started running.

Her posture was good, and she controlled her breathing well. It seemed she used to exercising regularly. Good. She didn't have a lot of body fat but wasn't thin as a stick either, meaning she had some muscle mass. He would have to compile a training menu that strengthened those muscles but let her keep her flexibility. He had never trained a woman before so he could only guide her roughly and apply what he did know from his academy days and from what he had heard from his female colleagues and family members, which were mainly basics.

Meaning that later on, Rouge would have to figure things out herself, get pointers from another woman or rely on her medical knowledge to figure out what goals to set next.

"Stop", he said after a few minutes. A faint sheen of sweat glistened in the light of the lamps as Rouge came to a halt, shaking out her legs and walking a few meters to cool down.

She was fitter than he had expected. That meant he could test things more thoroughly.

"Now, let's see how good your self-defense is."

Those words were all the warning she got before he attacked her.

Rouge dodged on instinct and fell into a defensive stance.

She didn't even get a chance to protest before he was on her, attacking her in various ways to get an idea of her reactions, reflexes, and speed.

*huff* *huff* "You… *huff* are *huff* the worst *huff*", was all Rouge managed to gather the energy to say.

She was lying spread-eagled on the now cool sand on the beach, panting, sweaty and sore.

Itachi hadn't shown any mercy whatsoever as he sparred with her, pushing her close to the limit of what she could take in her condition, or so she thought.

"Hn", he merely grunted in reply and handed her a bottle of water, which she gratefully accepted and sipped on slowly.

She really wanted to gulp it down but knew better than that. The curse of being a doctor.

After 10 minutes her body had recovered somewhat, and she managed to sit up.

Itachi took that as a sign to heave her to her feet and have them walk back to the house while telling her his analysis.

"Your stamina and speed are good for a civilian, you lack strength though and your reflexes are slow. You seem to exercise regularly, which gives me a solid foundation to work with but the person who taught you self-defense clearly didn't take your body type or gender into consideration. We'll need to correct that. You're quite flexible, which we can build on and make use of. You also didn't even try to attack me once.", he said admonishingly.

"With your build, I recommend a style that relies on speed and deflections for close combat. You can make up for the lack of strength by using a weapon, perhaps a tanto or stiletto, definitely a dagger. We'll have you try out different weapons tomorrow. As for ranged combat… how accurate are you in throwing things? Have you ever used a gun?"

Rouge glared at him for a moment before sighing. She both loved and hated his blunt nature. At least he didn't feel the need to sugar-coat things for her though.

"I can throw knives fairly accurately for around 10m and have used a revolver before, but the kickback was too much for me to be accurate with it."

"Knives?"

"Yea, one of Roger's crew taught me how to throw them".

"Show me", he said. They had arrived in front of her home once more, meaning there was an area of around 20m illuminated by the lamps flanking her entrance door. Enough space to demonstrate her accuracy.

"I… alright. Can you prepare a target? I'll get my knives."

After realizing the usefulness of keeping up her skill with them, she had invested in a set of throwing knives of her own.

Itachi nodded and swiftly disappeared to bring back some logs, branches, twigs, and leaves.

It didn't take long for him to return with his pickings. He set up several logs on the ground. On top of one he placed a twig as a target, on the second, he used a splinter to pin down a leaf, and on top of the last one, he placed a branch with several leaves still attached.

Rouge returned a few moments later, a small case with 20 throwing knives in hand.

Wordlessly, she turned to Itachi, waiting for instructions.

He pointed to each log in turn.

"knock off the twig, hit the leaf, cut the leaves"

This would test the power of her throws, the accuracy, and their cutting power.

She nodded. Honestly, the makeshift targets were kind of weird and leaves were quite small to aim for, but she was prepared to try.

She took out three throwing knives, holding two in her left and one in her right which she was going to throw with.

She weighed the knife experimentally, then turned to observe her target before letting it fly in one swift motion.

*thud*

It hit the branch accurately but didn't quite manage to knock it down, merely causing it to roll over once.

She didn't pause and took the second knife from her left hand, throwing it at the log with a leaf stuck on it.

*thud*

She managed to hit the upper part of the leaf, effectively cutting it apart and causing the pieces to flutter to the ground.

Her third throw, however, missed and the throwing knife merely dug into the sand a few meters behind the target.

It wasn't very fast and she couldn't throw more than one at a time accurately but it was a start. Since she was a doctor, she may even be able to use old scalpels that weren't up to standard for surgery anymore as throwing weapons. Using a wire to control them remotely and retrieve them wasn't out of the question either. They'd have to experiment some more. The weapon fit Rouge though, so he'd definitely have her improve on her skills with it.

"Not bad", he said, "Tomorrow, we start to train properly."

Chills ran down her back at those words.

'Must've been the evening breeze', or so she thought, already yearning for the comfort of a warm bath.