Itachi avoided Kokoa as best as he could. Almost laughing with her then succumbing to his grief in the dark of their room soon after, he wasn't stable, and being near the empathetic kunoichi with a knack for reading people wasn't wise. Not in his state.

Kokoa noticed his distance, but she didn't push. She gave him his space. She finally made it to Akatsuki, to Itachi. Now that she had him, she could breathe and allow him the same, too. If they were around, she bickered with Deidara or sat quietly with Konan while the others travelled for their missions. To her surprise, Kisame was easy to talk to, also. She rarely saw Pein, unless he had something to tell the group. Tobi was also a special sight. Like Itachi, he had a lock on his head and heart, preventing Kokoa from reading him for whatever reasons. And she was fine with that for the moment. She knew better than to stick her nose where it didn't belong. Of all the members, there was something about Hidan and Kakuzu that had her on edge. Perhaps it was the look in Hidan's eyes or how willing Kakuzu was to turn her in, dead or alive, for cash. Even Itachi had warned her to be wary of them when she first landed herself there.

Despite all that, one day, Kokoa found herself content. Content with where she was. With Akatsuki.

'Could I be happy here?' Part of a group of dangerous, S-rank shinobi, she was among the outcasts and depraved. The artists and the passionate.

'The broken with nowhere to go.' She leaned forward in her seat, her chin in her hand. She could have never imagined forsaking the life she led in Konoha to join a criminal organization. Kokoa remembered the library and the smell and stacks of books she would carry back and forth. The warm covers of her bed. The training grounds and academy. The shops and dango stands.

"Itachi-san?" she looked up, and for a split second, saw a younger Itachi; his kind eyes, his shy smile.

"Kokoa," he said. She blinked. Itachi stood in front of her unbuttoning the top of his cloak. "We have an assignment. You're coming." He stuck a hand out to point at her.

"Me?"

"You're under my supervision, aren't you?" he said. "My responsibility. Pein made the decision. Investigate a town east of here. There's been no sign of the four tails. He wants to see if we can sniff anything out."

"Hai," she said.

"Meet me outside in an hour. Don't take too long."

Kokoa packed the last of her weapons. She liked the Akatsuki cloak; a high enough collar to conceal her face and a billowing figure perfect for moving discreetly. When she stepped into the hallway ready to find Itachi, she saw another member instead, his face moving in and out of the shadows cast by flickering wall torches. Kokoa kept her gaze straight, moving one foot in front of the other. She passed Hidan without conflict, but her relief was cut short when he grabbed her by the back of her cloak and yanked her towards him.

"What? No hello?" he said. Kokoa kept quiet, not liking how he wouldn't let go. "You've been rude since we found you. Not the smartest thing for the new member to be up her own ass."

"Sorry." Kokoa stepped away, snatching her robe from him.

"It pisses me off. Stuck up like Uchiha." He cracked his neck, annoyed. "But you know what, you can make it up to me."

"What?"

"You've got two choices, Kuroki. I can hand you over to my dick partner Kakuzu, and he'll turn you in for money, since it makes the world go around, or whatever shit he's always saying." He stepped to her. "Or you can do me a favor." He grabbed the front of her cloak that time, bunching it in his fist, and pushed her against the wall.

Kokoa stiffened, and when Hidan leaned close, his body against hers, when Kokoa felt his erection on her thigh, a fear she'd never experienced struck her. She had only ever been intimate with Itachi, secret kisses here and there as teenagers. All of Hidan's ugliness and ill intent flooded Kokoa's chest. He wasn't going to let her go without getting something out of her first.

Hidan set his scythe aside to focus his attention on Kokoa. She turned her face. She curled her lip. And then, she looked up and over towards the end of the hallway. Hidan let out a dramatic sigh.

"What do you want?" he said.

"I came to get Kokoa. Leader's orders," Itachi said, cool and calm as ever.

"Let me go," Kokoa said, trying to get away. Hidan only tightened his grip.

"We were just about to have some fun. You know how boring it gets around here. Could you give us a minute, Itachi?" he said. Itachi approached them. He stopped a few yards away when Hidan took up his scythe.

"Tell him, Kokoa. We won't be long," Hidan said. He nudged her a few times, laughing as he did so. Kokoa eyed the floor. Picking a fight with Hidan, a vile Akatsuki member she knew nothing about, wasn't wise.

"But it's not going to be any fun if you're miserable. What's with the face?" Hidan kept running his mouth. All Kokoa could do was stand there like a fool. She looked at Itachi, humiliated.

"Oh, don't tell me, you'd rather fuck his antisocial ass?" Hidan said. "What are you going to do? Go cry in the rain together. Maybe kill yourselves. Depressing."

"Go to hell," Kokoa said.

"Been there. Done that. You should try it, Kuroki. Might loosen you up. Something else might, too." He spoke the last bit into her ear, his rank breath filling the small space between them. Itachi took another step, sharingan visible. Hidan swung his scythe as a warning. Kokoa became overwhelmed by both terrible chakras.

"Stop," she said. "We have a mission. You're delaying us."

"What's the big man going to do? Spank me?" He laughed again, loud and wicked.

Kokoa cursed herself for the tears that welled. She cursed herself for being so weak. But she couldn't help it. On the battlefield, she'd face whatever opponent, but there under Hidan's hold and gaze, her body reacted. She shut down. Pathetic.

"Let me go," she repeated. She looked at Itachi and cursed herself again—always faltering when he was there to see it. What would he have told her back then?

"You don't give yourself enough credit. I told you, you're strong. I believe in your abilities, Kokoa. I always have, you know that. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I said let me go." Grey chakra burst from her body and took the form of arms. It grabbed Hidan, peeled him off of her. Kokoa then moved quick, using taijutsu to deliver a sequence of hits to his chest and gut hard enough to throw him across the hall back against the wall.

Kokoa lifted the bottom of her cloak and moved away from him, running past Itachi. The Uchiha watched her disappear.

"That bitch really packs a punch." Hidan pressed a hand to the cold, stone wall to steady himself.

"Next time, I won't stand idly by while you harass my partner," Itachi spoke, eyes black again.

"Heh, partner. Sure," Hidan said. He brushed dirt from his shoulder. "Who do you think you're fooling? Everyone knows you're fucking in there. Looks like even a freak like you gets some action." Hidan laughed, holding his belly. "See you around, Itachi. Keep an eye on her for me. In case anything ever happens to you, you know?"

"Tch." Itachi began to leave. He stopped, turning to look over his shoulder. "Touch her again, and you'll have more to worry about than a punch to the gut."

Kokoa stopped to admire the large maple trees, their leaves a deep shade of red. Itachi kept walking. She jogged to catch up to him after noticing. The two had set out on their mission not long ago. They walked mostly in silence, but a peace hung around them; a calmness neither had felt in a long time.

"I'm sorry," Kokoa spoke. Itachi, still walking, looked at her.

"I took too long earlier. I got myself into trouble with Hidan. If you two fought, it would have been messy and unnecessary," she explained. That time, Itachi couldn't hold back. He turned his face and laughed into his collar. Kokoa stopped. Had Itachi finally lost his mind? She hadn't heard that laugh in years, since he left. A genuine laugh. She jogged up to him again.

"What?" she said.

"You're always apologizing," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"You used to always apologize for the smallest and silliest things. And here you are, an Akatsuki member, apologizing for something that wasn't even your fault. You don't have to," he said. He shut his eyes when a cool breeze danced by, inhaling deeply and enjoying the sensation. Kokoa watched her feet while she walked. He was right.

"I can't help it," she said.

"You feel that if you don't, people will be upset with you," he said. She nodded. "Kokoa, look around you. People should be the least of your concern. Things are different now. Apologizing won't get you anything or anywhere."

"Only for you," she said, her head still down. Itachi glanced at her with a hm?

"I only apologize to you, Itachi. No one else," she said. Itachi made a face she couldn't see. How did she manage to twist everything? How was she so willing to leave it all just so she could give him everything? It saddened him. It frustrated him. How was Kokoa ever supposed to live her own life if all she ever did was give, give, give to the Uchiha who couldn't give anything back?

"How foolish of you," he said, the harshness in his tone returning. He was going to speak again, but he grabbed at the front of his cloak instead and held his stomach with his other hand when something caught in his throat and forced him to bend over to cough. He then coughed into his sleeve, hoping there wouldn't be any blood. Kokoa set a hand on his shoulder when he relaxed.

"You've had that cold off and on for a while now," she said. "Are you sure it's not something else? Something you can take medicine for?"

"It's nothing," he said. He started moving again, but he felt a headache setting in. He stopped. Moving too much and too fast would only make things worse.

"You should rest," Kokoa said. "If Pein didn't set a deadline for when he needs us back, there's no harm in taking time to recover."

"I said it was nothing."

"What if we run into the Yonbi or local shinobi who notice us snooping around? We have to be sure we can fight, Itachi-san. Don't be so stubborn," she said. Itachi remembered how Kokoa always used to worry about him overworking himself, even going as far as talking to the hokage behind his back. He hated how those memories came and left without warning, and he hated how tender she was towards him in that moment, her hand warm on his arm, her voice so kind and concerned. Itachi-san.

"Fine. You make good points," he said. They found a small cave away from town, not too deep. Perfect for camp. Itachi sat with his back against the stone. He watched Kokoa stand up and take off her cloak.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Into town. I'll stand out too much in that."

"For what?"

"Supplies. I won't be long, Itachi-san. I'll be careful," she assured him. "You rest. I'll be back before the sun sets."

Itachi wasn't sure what was worse, having Kokoa around to poke and prod him for answers or sitting alone with his thoughts, guilt, and memories. When she was gone, he crawled over to grab her cloak. It was still warm. He pulled it around him like a blanket, nuzzled his face in the fabric that smelled like the girl he yearned to hold. He imagined Kisame, how he'd tease him and call him ridiculous for refusing to confess to her. He fell asleep like that, cold and alone in the cave.

Itachi jolted awake. He used the wall behind him to sit up.

"Sorry," Kokoa said. "I tried not to make too much noise, but I guess you're trained to sense people, being a ninja and all, huh, Itachi-san?" She smiled at him. Itachi blinked up at the sky. It was still light out.

Kokoa sat on her knees, hunched over with her back to him, making quite a bit of noise. Itachi moved closer to better see what she was up to. He had been feeling the effects of his fading eyesight a lot lately, catching himself hovering too close sometimes or squinting too hard or glancing at Kokoa too often when he was sure she wasn't looking because the thought of one day being unable to see her face hurt him in a way he couldn't fathom.

"I thought you went for supplies. What's this?" Itachi asked. He picked up the small, glass jar once Kokoa finished.

"Black seed and honey," she said, taking the jar from him. "I spotted an apothecary with their own little shop. I asked what might help you feel better. She recommended these black seeds mixed with honey. A spoonful a day, Itachi-san. It should help with inflammation, pain, upset stomach. Whatever you're feeling, it should help."

"I wouldn't call this supplies," he said, picking up the jar again.

"Supplies help us survive and get to where we need to get. If this helps you feel better, it's worth the risk I took walking into town." Kokoa huffed to herself while she wiped her hands of the honey with a rag. Just like Itachi. Always by the book.

When she turned to grab the jar to close and put it away, she found Itachi sucking on the spoon she used to mix the medicine, already on his second dose.

"It's good," he said. Kokoa licked a spot of honey stuck to her thumb and laughed.

"You still love your sweets," she said. "It's no dango, but I guess it's enough for now."

Itachi set the spoon and jar aside before he finished it all in one sitting. He, too, licked at the honey stuck to his fingers. His pleased expression was enough of a thank you for Kokoa. Itachi didn't say much else for a while. He let Kokoa clean up and gather her belongings. What else was there to say? Thank you for trying, Kokoa, but no amount of black seed, honey, or any other medicine can fix what's wrong with me.

"I tried listening around for some info about the yonbi while I was in town. No luck. I didn't want to blow my cover," Kokoa said. She put everything away and slipped back into her Akatsuki cloak. Itachi, too. They sat at the cave's entrance watching leaves fall from the trees around them. Crows cawed and a severe wind blew. Kokoa bunched her shoulders.

"Maybe this is why you've been so sick," she told Itachi. He looked up to the trees.

"I don't think so," he said. Kokoa also looked up, past the trees and to the sky beginning to swirl orange and red and pink. The sun would set soon.

"Kokoa," Itachi said, "before I left Konoha, we'd always talk about something." He lowered his gaze as he spoke, following the lines of the crimson clouds on his cloak. He wiggled his hand free from his sleeve.

"It was foolish. Maybe we were just naive," he said. Kokoa held her breath. Surely he wasn't talking about that, was he? Why all of a sudden? Why now after pushing her away for so long?

"One day, Kokoa, one day we'll get to watch the sun set."

"There is no happy ending. There is no going back to those days, is there?" she said. "I'll never have peace. I'll never be whole again. I'll never get to watch the sunset."

"We can longer see each other, Kokoa. It was never meant to be. It was only a dream, nothing more. I have my path, and you have yours. This is it. This is where it ends, where we have to walk away and turn our backs. Don't ever look back. We're never going to see the sun set."

Itachi took Kokoa's hand in his. She felt something twist in her stomach. She stared at him dumbfounded, waiting for more, unable to read him.

"We always wanted to…" he said, pausing. He adjusted his hold on her, moving his hand up to grip her wrist. He looked at her, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly. And then Kokoa knew.

"Run." Itachi lunged forward, yanking Kokoa along with him to avoid the kunai hurled at them. The attached paper bomb fzzed for a second before detonating and leveling the area. The perpetrator balanced high above in the trees, navy blue sandals against the rough wood of a branch.

"So, the rumors are true, after all. This is where you ended up."