TW: DV/SA

"Come on, Hidan, move it!" Nari joked as she shoved Hidan's back, trying to push him down the aisle faster, earning a smug grin from him over his shoulder as he leaned back. Nari laughed at his childishness as she and Tobi pushed together.

"Why the fuck are you two rushing?" Hidan asked as he leaned back, putting most of his weight against their hands, letting them hold him up. "You think your seats are gonna up and fucking leave?"

"You're holding up the line, jack ass." Kakuzu growled as he pushed past Sasori and Deidara, coming up behind Nari and Tobi before smacking Hidan on the back of the head. Nari leaned to the side, hiding her glee and letting Kakuzu shove a disgruntled and startled Hidan down the aisle.

"He's terrible." Nari said quietly to Tobi.

"He's not a good boy!" Tobi agreed, nodding sagely before continuing down the aisle. "Tobi is a good boy so Tobi gets a window seat!" He cheered, practically skipping down the aisle until he found his row. Nari walked down after him, shaking her head in humor while she checked her ticket, comparing it to the labels on the ceiling. She heard someone stumble behind her looked, seeing Sasori holding up Deidara who had tripped over his untied laces. Sasori rolled his eyes and gently shoved him into their row, making Deidara laugh almost nervously as he fell into the seat. Nari smiled at their antics and watched as other members began to find their places. She quickly found hers and settled in, setting her bag on her feet and buckling up. She tightened the buckle and slid up the window, practically pressing her nose against the glass, trying to watch the workers rushing around under the plane.

Her stomach twisted in anticipation, her heart starting to race and she rubbed her palms together, starting to fidget. She couldn't wait to be in the sky again, she couldn't wait to be flying, the world shrinking under her, becoming so small and insignificant, taking her worries with it.

"Nervous?" A voice asked her and she turned her head and watched Itachi sit next to her. He raised his eyebrows a bit at her silence. "Are you nervous to fly?" He asked her, elaborating. Nari felt warmth rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment and shook her head.

"No, no." Nari assured him. "I'm just excited is all."

"To fly or to get back to Suna?" He asked her as they waited for the plane to be filled of its passengers.

"Both, really." She admitted and looked back out the window for a moment before turning back to him. "It's always so cool watching them get ready for a flight." Itachi nodded, showing he was listening and the two fell into silence, just looking at each other for a moment, neither quite sure of what to say. Nari felt her cheeks grow warm once more and she looked away, rubbing her hands together again, feeling a different kind of nervous now.

Nari's head swam with worries. It was a long flight. Would they sit in silence the entire time? Would he prefer that or an actual conversation? Would asking him questions bother him? Would talking to him bother him? She blinked when an idea popped into her head but she soon deflated. She was going to ask to go over the music, maybe practice, but she couldn't play her guitar on the plane. She wanted to talk to him more, get to know him better, but how? Nari turned and looked him over before looking away again, back out the window. Itachi still seemed so distant. Clearly he didn't mind her presence and she wanted to keep it that way and not annoy him. He was so quiet and it made her want to pry.

"Do you have family?" The question fell out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She kicked herself internally, of course he has a family, but she turned to face him, seeing his eyebrows raised once more in gentle surprise. Might as well follow through. "Like, do you get to see them often?" She could see his mouth pressed into a firm line, a muscle in his jaw flexing and somehow the lines on his face seemed deeper with stress. Nari wanted to throw up. Did she just ask the worst question possible?

"Technically," He began gently and turned, nodding his head in Tobi's direction, "Tobi and I are related. Distant cousins. We grew up together." Nari's jaw dropped in surprise. Bright, bubbly Tobi was related to the stoic and quiet Itachi. He turned back to look at her and smiled gently at her blatant surprise. Nari collected herself but noticed his smile turned sad as he continued. "I have a brother, a younger brother, but we don't speak."

"Oh," Nari offered, her tone quiet, "I'm sorry. That must be hard. Do you mind me asking what happened?" Itachi looked her in the eyes for a minute and she held his stare. "You don't have to. I get family issues can be a sensitive subject."

"My brother blames me for the death of our parents." Itachi admitted, startling himself. His family trouble were not something he often entertained, much less divulge, but something in him made him want to share. Nari still held his gaze, her face still as she held her composure. "I can understand his reasoning. I myself will struggle with the guilt from time to time."

"Well," Nari offered gently with an understanding smile. "If you ever need anything…" She trailed off, mimicking his previous offer and to her surprise, Itachi gave a quiet laugh under his breath, and Nari decided she loved the sound of his laugh and the sight of his smile.

The conversation was interrupted by the pilot talking over the speaker system. As the plane pulled away from the gate, the stewardesses began their demonstrations but Nari wasn't paying attention. She was too busy trying not to press her face against the glass while she watched the plane drive to their runway. The plane paused, waiting for the all clear, and the stewardesses eventually took their seats after making sure all trays and seats were upright and making sure everyone was buckled. As the plane jerked forward, Itachi felt her tense next to him. She bit her lip, trying to fight back a smile, and gripped the armrests as she watched the world rush by as they sped down to the run way. Her heart raced as the plane lifted and climbed higher and higher. They flew over trees and houses, the cars shrinking to the size of ants.

Itachi watched her as she looked out the window, the sun shining against her face, almost making her glow as she smiled. Her smile was infectious and he couldn't help but share her amusement. Nari absentmindedly tugged the sleeve of his grey t-shirt.

"Look, look." She said quietly as she pointed, "Look how the city's laid out." Nari said and Itachi leaned closer, almost touching her and looking out the window. He tried to ignore their proximity, but he could smell her shampoo and it made him want to lean in closer. "It's almost like a nervous system or like the veins and stuff."

"The circulatory system?" Itachi asked as he looked, recognizing she was struggling to remember the name of it. Nari turned her head and smiled.

"Yeah, that's it!" She beamed before freezing. A blush crept to her face when she realized how close they were and her heart raced faster, her heartbeat pounding in her ears louder than Deidara's drums, louder than the plan engines. Itachi noticed her blush and recognized the heat rising to his own cheeks, but he could not bring himself to pull away quite yet. The urge to lean in closer startled him and after a tense moment he cleared his throat, looking back out the window.

"Have you seen the cities at night?" He asked her and she looked back out the window, nodding.

"Y-yeah, that's uh, that's what made me think of it in the first place." Nari stammered as she tried to collect herself. The two sat like that for a while, staring at the window, trying to ignore how close they were and how much closer they wanted to be. They were still as statues, neither daring to speak lest they ruin the moment. However, they didn't need to.

"Excuse me," A stewardess spoke and Itachi leaned back into his seat as the two looked to the woman. "Would either of you care for a beverage?"

"Yes," Both answered at the same time, startling the woman and Nari giggled nervously. The stewardess looked between the two for a moment before going through the list of options to drink. Nari asked for a Vodka and Itachi got a rum and coke, both hoping to kill the nervousness. Neither spoke until their drinks were gone, and then they only spoke to get second rounds. Nari spent her time looking out the window, her mind miles away, and Itachi snuck glances in her direction, watching as the setting sun cast a warm glow against her face.

Yes, she was beautiful. She was smart and funny. She was talented and easy going. She was a wonderful addition to their odd group and seemed to have made herself at home, much to the pleasure of the rest of the band. She had a thick enough skin to work with Hidan, unafraid of him and his brash personality. Many had come and gone, trying to replace the guitarist, and none of the other replacements lasted as long as she had, nor had they fit in as well.

It had been a while since he seriously dated, but he wondered if pursuing a new bandmate was a good idea. In addition to that concern, she wasn't even available. Nari had a partner and it sounded long term. It also sounded abusive. His stomach sank at the thought. When they returned from Suna, he would have to let her go back to that piece of shit boyfriend and there was nothing he could do. A chill ran down his spine and he wasn't sure if it was dread or just the cold from the air conditioner. The thought of her returning to something like that without saying anything didn't sit right with him, but he understood why he couldn't say anything. Quite frankly, it wasn't his business.

"I have some earbuds." Nari broke the silence after a while, almost startling him. "Do you want to watch something?" She offered as she pulled out her phone and earbuds.

"Sure." Itachi nodded, taking the earbud as it was offered. Nari brought up a streaming platform and the two took a moment to pick something to watch. Surprisingly enough, he opted for a comedy.

"Really?" Nari asked, a little surprised smile on her face at the choice. "I totally pegged you for a horror or indie type with you being so aloof."

"Aloof?" Itachi asked, a small smirk gracing his features and she blushed a bit again.

"Yeah, you're so quiet sometimes." Nari pointed out, feeling rude for even saying anything. "It's not a bad thing. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't." He assured her, still smiling at her. "And you're not too far off."

"Really? What kind of movies do you prefer?" She asked, curious and a little smug.

"Thriller and comedy, mostly." He admitted. "During some long trips I enjoy something to hold my attention. Otherwise, I typically enjoy something I don't have to pay much attention to."

"I get that." Nari smiled, "I like some shows that I can have on as background noise." Itachi nodded in understanding before pressing play.

"Shall we?" He asked her as the ad played before the movie and Nari hummed with a small smile on her face. The movie began and the two leaned in a bit to watch it. Itachi pulled his tray down, letting Nari rest her hand on it as she held her phone for them. Their arms brushed against each other at first, but slowly it grew to the two leaning against each other, ever so slightly as they stared at the phone. They watched the movie, neither daring to move or pull away first. The two sat still as statues until a stewardess came by with dinner. They paused the movie long enough to eat and share lame jokes about airplane food, even though the dinner they were given wasn't that bad. After eating their food and ordering another round of drinks, they resumed the movie, the two leaning fully against each other, growing more and more comfortable as time passed.

Itachi hadn't noticed how late it had gotten until he felt something against his shoulder. He glanced down and saw she had leaned her head against him. He furrowed his head in confusion and tilted his head forward, trying to get a look at her face.

She's asleep. He thought to himself, smiling in amusement before returning his attention to the screen, gently taking the phone out of her hand so she didn't drop it. Itachi turned his head and looked out the window, almost surprised to see the sun had finally set over the horizon. They would be landing in the early morning and he knew the jetlag would be rough, but he didn't care. Itachi gently rested his head against hers, enjoying the smell of her shampoo and the warmth of her leaning against him. Though he dreaded their return, he was relieved that, for now, she was safe.

Nari grimaced in discomfort. She couldn't see them, but she could feel the hands sliding over her body, touching and groping. Hands slid up her stomach and more felt like they wrapped around her neck. They squeezed and it got harder to breathe. She winced as another set grabbed her arms roughly, hard enough to bruise. Something warm and wet slid into her mouth and she wanted to vomit. The smell of weed and decay filled her nostrils, adding to the discomfort. She wanted to get away, to pull away from the invading hands that seemed to cover her. She could feel the pain, same as always, and everything tensed, trying to endure. She just had to grit her teeth and get it over with and she waited for it to end, for the violation to end. Then there was a new feeling.

Something hard was pressing against her cheek and the hands began to fade away. She felt the thing lift her head a bit and the hands faded more.

"Nari." A distant voice called to her, pulling her further out of the dark as the shoulder pressing against her cheek shrugged gently. Nari slowly lifted her head, blinking the darkness away as sounds surrounded her. Her head was foggy and she looked around, almost dazed as she got her bearings back. Where was she? Where was Eric? It was his hands she had felt. She turned and looked to the person she had been leaning against and blinked. "Nari, you alright?" Itachi asked her gently as he began to unbuckle.

"Hm?" Nari hummed still dazed.

"We've landed." Itachi told her gently. "You fell asleep." He filled her in. Itachi watched her as she looked around, like she was confused. "Are you alright?" He asked her quietly and she snapped her head in his direction, startling him. Nari began to rub the sleep from her eyes and nodded.

"Just a bad." She admitted quietly before slowly unbuckling and grabbing her bag. Itachi said nothing and stood as she grabbed her things. He passed her the phone and earbuds and Nari offered a weak smile as she took the phone and shoved it in her pocket. The glee and excitement were gone from her now and it almost seemed like a dark cloud hung over her. He waited in the aisle as she stumbled after him.

Nari followed behind the group, as they walked through the long tunnel that took them to their terminal. Most of the group looked tired and she was guessing they would be sleeping in. She tried to shake the feeling of the hands off of her. She tried to put it out of her mind. It was just a nightmare. It was just a dream. It was unsettling is all. She shouldn't be so perturbed. Why did she feel sick to her stomach? Why did she was to just curl into a ball and cry at the memory of his hands?

The group stood at the baggage claim, watching as bags and suitcases drifted past them. Nari was one of the first to get their bag back. She lifted the suitcase and set it on the ground, resting her smaller bag on top of it and waited. Surely the others' bags would be following soon after. As she waited, she noticed the bathrooms just off to the side.

"Hey," Nari said gently to a sleepy Konan as she tugged on her sleeve to get her attention. Konan looked at her with a small smile. Nari nodded her head in the direction of the bathrooms. "I'm gonna use the bathroom. Can you watch my stuff?"

"Sure." Konan nodded with her smile still intact and Nari smiled back in thanks before she headed over to the bathrooms. The sound of her flip flops against the linoleum echoed through her and she felt very hollow and she pulled her hoodie tighter around her, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the empty airport. She splashed cold water over her face when she got to the sink, trying to shock away the funk her dream had stuck her in. Wiping away the water with a paper towel, she sighed. She tried again but found she was still stuck with that sick, gut churning unsettling feeling. She felt wrong, like the hands were still there, like eyes were scouring her. Nari recognized the fatigue she felt, but the idea of going back to sleep almost made her panic. The silence was overwhelming and as much as she wanted to curl up and isolate herself, she didn't want to be left alone.

But alone she was. Nari sat on the bed in her own hotel room, looking out the window at the city she used to call home. Being back should have brought her comfort. She was going to be playing in her home city. She should be excited! So why did she feel sick with shame and guilt? She slid under the covers, pulling the thick blanket over her head, hiding from the world. She checked her phone for messages and scrolled through her contacts. She wanted to talk to someone, to be saved from the aching loneliness, but there was no one she could call. Everyone was sleeping. Besides, what would she say? How could she explain what she wanted? Nari couldn't even explain what was happening. All she knew was she was hurting.

It was the knocking at her door that told her she had fallen asleep again. When she opened her eyes, the light from the sun illuminated the room and she tossed the blanket off her. The knocking came again and she stood, heading to the door and pulling it open to find a smiling Konan.

"Morning!" She greeted brightly before passing a cup of coffee to the dazed red head. "Figured you could use this. You looked really out of it earlier."

"Thank you." Nari said and took it, also accepting the muffin Konan offered.

"How did you sleep?"

"Fine, you?" Nari asked before taking a sip.

"Not bad." Konan said, "The band is going to head over to the stadium soon."

"Ok." Nari nodded, knowing that was Konan's way of telling her to get her ass in gear. "I'll be ready in about ten minutes." She said and tried to step back to close the door, but Konan gently held it open, making Nari look at her with mild surprise. "What's up?"

"Are you ok?" Konan asked gently. There was a brief pause as Nari looked at her. "You seem a little out of it." Konan pointed out. "Something on your mind?"

"Just jetlag." Nari lied with a tired smile. "I'll be fine once I get some coffee in me." Konan gave her a smile that told Nari she wasn't buying it and her stomach churned. She cleared her throat. "We play tomorrow right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," Nari nodded. "I'm gonna get ready. I'll see you later, yeah?" She suggested, trying to sound like her usual self.

"Yeah, I'll probably see you for dinner." Konan told her brightly before leaving. Nari closed her door and sighed quietly. As she pulled out some jeans and a band shirt she ate and drank her coffee, trying to get some life in her. She was going to need all the energy she could get. They were going to notice if she moped all day. She had shit to do and she wasn't about to let a bad dream ruin this trip. By the time she met up with the rest of her band in the hall, she was almost back to her old self. Close enough.