Author's Note:

Hi wonderful readers,

I'm sorry it's been taking me longer to update recently, writing has been a bit hard as of late.

THANK YOU THE COMMENTS! They seriously mean the world to me and have kept me writing despite personal challenges that have left me feeling rather demotivated.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. STAY TUNED!

Stay safe out there everyone,

-J.E.

P.S. SMUTTY GOODNESS IS COMING UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER...

I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting on the hard deck of the ship, head leaned up against an equally hard and uncomfortable supply crate. Considering the cramping and stiffness knotting the muscles in my neck, it'd probably been around an hour or so.

The sensation of someone taking a seat beside me forced my eyes to snap open. My hand snatched the kunai strapped to my thigh, holding the weapon against the throat of whomever now sat beside me.

A hand caught my wrist, halting the glistening blade of the kunai mere millimeters away from the pale flesh of Itachi's neck. His unbothered, obsidian eyes pierced into mine. Freezing, my lips parted as I gave him a few dazed blinks. "Sorry… I—um…" I stammered, averting my gaze, internally hating how flustered I'd become. Damn survival instincts...

"A bit on edge are we?" He asked with a subtle lift of a brow while releasing the firm grip on my wrist.

"To say the least…" I breathed through a laugh and gave Itachi a curious glance. His darkly lashed charcoal eyes swirled with strife.

Damn, he looks really upset… What's could be eating at him so badly?

Taking a bold risk, I placed a hand on his back, bracing for him to physically recoil. He didn't flinch. I decided to roll with it, "Will you please tell me what's got you so down?" I implored, gently rubbing small circles over his well-built and very tense back muscles. It was a risk. But one that was worth it, if I could only bring him a shred of same comfort that he'd brought me time and time again.

With a long, weary sigh, his lids fell closed, silently relishing the feeling of my hand on his back. A smile bloomed as some of the anguish dissipated from his grim, weary countenance. His lids fluttered open while he stared of into the distance, lost in somber gaze. Guilt ripped the smile from my face and shoved sorrow back in its place. I really did hate seeing him like this. I owed it to him to try and make him feel better, even if I unsure as to how to go about doing that.

My stomach twisted with a mixture of sorrow and angst. I fought and pushed my brain to come up with someway that I could make him smile. My grin returned; I knew exactly what to do. I brushed aside the inky-black veil of hair and caressed his cheek. A giggle almost spilled from my lips at the spellbound look flashing behind dense black lashes, blushing a hot red I'd never see appear on his pale skin. For the first time, I was the one making him flush a hot red.

H—he's blushing. FINALLY!

I ignored my small win, knowing that now was not the time to be gloating. Instead, I met his gob smacked gaze with pleading eyes, begging him to tell me what was hurting his heart. "I hate seeing you eating yourself alive like this…" The bright moonlight illuminated the darkening shade of dusky pink over his face as he dropped his sight to the floor.

"I—I… would like to apologize. I was rather… stand-offish today," he said while peeling my hand away from his cheek. My heart dropped, expecting him to let go of my hand. Happily, he didn't. Shockingly, his fingers intertwined with mine, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"I had no intention of making you upset." He muttered, a thick remorse stained his words. I smiled, briefly glancing at the sight of my dainty fingers interlaced with his.

He even has Sasuke's adorable sad baby face. Good lord, why does the universe do this to me?

"It's okay," I began, biting back the irony of the whole situation. "Sasuke taught me the ways of the brooding Uchiha." I teased, squeezing his hand back. The snort of laughter he made my heart swell. I shot him a wide grin. He brought a large, calloused hand up to cup my cheek, a small smile tugging at the corner of his thin lips.

Itachi's fingertips traced my jaw line and gently pinched my chin, tilting my head up. My heart skipped a beat at the intense emotion glimmering in the obsidian orbs that consumed me. He lowered his head while leaning into me. I froze. My heart felt like it might leap from my chest from its vigorous pounding. With a hitch of my breath, his supple lips just barely grazed mine, sending a jolt of electricity rippling through my lips to my core. Koki was having none of it and rather obnoxiously cleared his throat while he strode heavy footed in our direction. Itachi must've been as disappointed as I was. Itachi's half-lidded eyes fell closed in defeat, letting out a faint sigh before lifting his lids to glower at Koki, who was now looming over us, fuming.

You've got to be kidding me. Fucking Koki…

His shapely, hazel eyes narrowed as he met Itachi's disdainful glare with an equal amount of contempt, "Who the hell is forcing you to fight? Because I remember last time you said you'd 'never step foot in that gods-forsaken, miserable fucking place ever again'," Koki stormed, bringing his finger up to make air-quotes, taunting me with my own words. Letting out a long sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. I absolutely did not want to deal with this now, being trapped on a boat with nowhere to run and all.

This is the last thing I need. Why is Koki being like this?

"I don't have a choice, Koki..." I admitted through clenched teeth.

"Who said that? Him?" He groused, motioning at Itachi with a derisive jut of his chin. I gulped, watching Itachi's jaw clench, his eyes morphing rapidly into increasingly threatening slits. "You know that I think?" Koki hissed, squatting down to glower at Itachi eye-to-eye coming so close they were nearly bumping noses. Itachi bore his incensed glare back at Koki, forcing my anxiety to spike as my heart pounded against my ribs.

"I'll bet he's just lying to you so he can get some," Koki petulantly sneered. "He looks like the type to fuck you, then leave."

Itachi simply returned his gaze to the watery horizon, face placid and set in stone, further perturbing Koki. "See, look he's not even denying it," Koki said to me with a humorous laugh before directing his attention fully to Itachi. "What's the matter bud, did I hit the nail a little too on the head?"

"Hm?" Itachi barely cast a glance his way, looking bored. "Oh. No. I simply don't enjoy wasting my time. And yet…" he trailed off with a lazy gesture between them, looking back at the view.

"Oh?" Koki practically growled, pushing into his space. "You wanna say that to my face?"

Koki what the fuck are you doing!?

Itachi closed his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them, the midnight sky had vanished. They reflected a blood red sunset, tomoes spinning dangerously quick. He leveled Koki's gaze and straightened up. "You do not want me to do that."

Fuck. No, he absolutely does not, and neither do I.

"Koki, that's enough!" Finally managing to climb to my feet, a rush of anger and anxiety lit the fire of my rage as I extended a hand outwards at Koki. I hated that he'd forced me into this situation. I didn't want to potentially hurt him in the process, but he was being rude and interrupting. And damnit, he knew better. I narrowed my gaze and reluctantly curled my fingers inwards, concentrating my chakra into his blood to push him away from Itachi.

Upon seeing tiny pinpricks of blue dotted his body, I gawked, almost allowing all my concentration to fly out the window. My lips parted in shock, realizing that I was looking at Koki's tenketsu. I could see all of them, lining the pathways of his body. I'd never been able to see them before. Itachi's bright crimson irises flashed out of the corner of my eye and snapped me back reality. I shook my head to brush off the strange anomaly and attempted to refocus. With a flick of my wrist, Koki flew into the railing on the opposite side of the ship, smacking into it with a loud thud. His back slid against the wood as he sat down hard.

Kisame bellowed a few astounded chuckles, "Damn! She's fucking mad." I ignored Kisame's comment and strode up to Koki's massive body sitting on the moonlit wood with a pained, bewildered expression that threatened to grip my heart in a vice.

"Ugh, what the fuck, Sora-chan?" He groaned while dragging himself up to stand, hunched over and rubbing his back.

I wasn't just mad, I was livid. Utterly enraged. I threw a hand on my hip and wagged a finger at him, "Don't you dare'what the fuck' me right now. You're the one always instigating shit!" I began full on yelling at him. The same way I'd done many times before, playing the big sister as usual. I was practically shaking with rage, crossing the point of no return. Koki knew better than to pull stupid stunts like this. "Then, you make me clean-up the fucking mess! Was me almost dying while saving your dumb-ass last time not enough of a fucking lesson for you? He could have destroyed you, even killed you, without lifting a single fucking finger. What goes through your head when you idiotically try to hit above your fucking weight class!?" I exploded, feeling the dam holding back my pent-up rage burst, flowing into my harsh words.

I huffed an exasperated breath, trying to fill my spent lungs with air from shouting. I took another deep inhale to calm my wrathfully shaking hands and pounding heartbeat. Koki's head to drooped in remorse, stinging the soft spot in my heart.

But it wasn't just Koki.

My internal dialogue reminded me about Itachi's role in the pissing match. But I refused to scold him in front of Koki. That would make everything worse by stoking Koki's already flaring ego. That was a conversation for later, but that didn't mean I couldn't allude to it. I cleared the hoarseness from my voice, "Look," I began much calmer, but still seething. I leaned my weight on a hip and took another breath while pinching the bridge of my nose. "I've taken care of myself. I've done just fine on my own. I don't need anyone to be my fucking keeper. I'm not a child. So, don't treat me like one…" My seething voice trailed off.

I directed my attention over to Itachi, face placid and deep scarlet eyes distant in thought. There was an almost untraceable ambiguous glimmer in his vermillion gaze that I couldn't put my finger on. "Sora-chan, I'm sorry. I didn't m—" Koki's grief-stricken voice caused me to stick a hand up, gesturing to him that I'd heard enough while meeting his shameful gaze. We'd arrived at our destination. "Looks like were here… Sora-chan, I'm sorry. I didn't—" I gestured for him to stop speaking with an outward facing palm.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to." I stepped forward and folded my arms, my tone matching my icy expression. "But, what's more important is that you promise me that you won't make trouble while were here…" I softened my frigid countenance, knowing if I wouldn't get very far with him if I didn't cool off. "Please?" I cooed with a gentle smile.

Koki rolled his eyes so far back I thought they might get stuck, "… Fine. I promise." He grumbled.

Ah, so the puppy-dog eyes still work.

A thick cloud of fog encroached upon our ship. We were nearly there. I squeezed an arm around my stomach to ease the sharp wave of anxiety that nearly knocked me to the ground with its fury.

My soul roiled with apprehension, knowing that En wouldn't be far. He would be waiting for me. After I'd cost him one of his best fighters through a brutal loss, En had said that if I ever set foot in that arena again to face one of his combatants, he would ensure that I lost. That my Kekkai Genkai was worth it. It didn't help that Orochimaru and him were… friends. If such a thing was even possible for a despicable person like the Snake Sannin.

You should probably tell Kisame and Itachi about that, sooner rather than later.

"You okay there, kiddo?" Kisame asked while coming to rest rough, blue hand on my shoulder. "You look like you saw a ghost or somethin'."

"I—I'm fine. E—everything is fine." I stammered to choke out my words, saying it more for my own reassurance than to respond to Kisame. failing to swallow my fear, my face still distant as I stared ahead at the steep, jagged cliffsides rising out of the dense fog, dropping steeply down to the torrent of crashing waves and swirling frothy water at its base.

And why could you see Koki's tenketsu?

We quickly disembarked to avoid attracting any unwanted attention and followed the narrow dirt road up that lead to the bustling streets of Koroshiamu. I remained utterly silent and fixated my sight on the khaki dirt beneath my feet. I was at the full mercy of my anxiety, knowing what and who awaited me had me a walking fluster cluck of nerves and nausea.

And you still haven't told Itachi or Kisame. Like a total dumbass.

"Let's find somewhere to stay for the evening and avoid attracting any attention," Itachi said, while he scanned each and every one of the passersby's. The crowd consisted of sketchy criminals and obnoxiously rich patrons who'd decided to blow off steam and hit the town under the cover of the bright moonlight and neon signs. Kisame approached the outside of what was undoubtedly an upscale oiran, given the swaths of lewdly dressed beautiful women standing outside.

My dainty fingers tugged at Kisame's sleeve before he began climbing the stairs, "Kisame, why are we staying here of all places?" I said disdainfully.

"In case you haven't noticed, that's kinda all there is in terms of hotels 'round here, kiddo." I let my head lull back, jammed my eyes shut with a groan. I did my best not to let the stares and winks from the men coming in and out of the establishment bother me and ignored them.

Ugh, I fucking hate it here.

I followed Kisame and Itachi inside. The lobby was incredibly extra and gaudy, the walls were a shade of dark red and white marble swirled together with matching paint and décor. A mahogany bar with tables filled with more attractive and made-up women amongst a sprinkling of older men. I rolled my eyes at the styled heads of the women turned to ogle at Itachi.

I scoffed and decided to not sit and scrutinize a pair of women at a bar giggling like 10-year-olds. Itachi paid them no mind, following Kisame up to get a room without sparing a single one of them a glance. I kept my eyes cast downwards at the red carpet under my feet as Kisame got us a room from the dolled up, red-haired woman in a tight green dress standing behind the reception desk.

The crushing weight of anxiety from the many prying eyes studying me as I stood just behind them. What was undoubtedly only few seconds, felt like an eternity. Even though I'd changed a bit since the last time I'd been in Koroshiamu, but my bright blonde hair and curvaceous form made it easy to recognize who I was. I silently thanked Pain and Konan for giving me the long, shapeless Akatsuki cloak that covered my body.

The fire haired woman handed Kisame a key, who turned and smacked my hand away from my mouth as I chewed my nails. "We're painting those—tonight. It might stop you from doing that." I shot Kisame a sidelong glare. With one more nervous glance around the crowded room, I tugged the collar of my cloak up. Itachi's placid eyes studied me, and with a subtle lift of his brows, the hand that was now back up at my mouth halted. I scowled at him, letting my hand droop back down to my side.

Come on, not him now to.

I trudged after Kisame up the carpeted stairs off to the side of the mahogany desk and up to our room. The sinking feeling in my gut throbbed each time I thought about how angry the two of them would be at me for keeping vital information from them. Especially, since En was our target. A few long, winding hallways later, I breathed a sigh of relief seeing the number printed on the key in Kisame's hand was on a placard on a bright white door just up ahead.

The room was enormous. A long, white couch sat along the wall with a simple cherrywood stained table in front of it. Two double beds with fluffy, white sheets were placed along the opposite wall from the couch. I removed my shoes and shrugged off my cloak off, hanging it up and took a calming breath, reminding myself that I was no longer practically on display to the prying eyes of the people lounging in the lobby.

"Alright, first things first," Kisame chimed while reaching for something in his cloak. His large blue hand emerged, holding a brown bottle. He strode up to me, opened the bottle with his teeth and handed it to me. "Take a big drink of this, Kami knows you fucking need it." Kisame snickered, removing his cloak and throwing it at Itachi's open palm. This was apparently routine. The two of them were truly adorable.

I glanced down at the smooth, glass bottle in my hand and took another deep breath before gulping down not one, but two big drinks. The liquor burned its way down my throat as I used the back of my wrist to wipe the liquid from my lips. I lifted my gaze to see Kisame gawking at me from beside Itachi's ever composed self. His ajar mouth pulled into a cheeky grin, "So, you want to drink, eh?" He smirked, bouncing as he took a seat on the couch. "Have you ever played drinking games, Sora-chan?"

"Kisame, that's not a good idea—" Itachi began but didn't get far before Kisame interrupted.

"Let the Sora-chan answer the question first." Kisame grinned.

I tipped my head and tapped a thoughtful finger against my chin, "Not that I can remember, no."

"Oh, this is going to be fun," he rubbed his hands together and smirked down at me with a sharp-toothed grin. I watched Itachi sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose as Kisame scooted the table over so we could all fit around it more easily.

"Never have I ever. That's the game," Kisame informed me, the glass bottle clanked as he placed it on the little white, wooden table. "You hold up five fingers and say something that you've never done before. Whoever has done that thing drinks and puts down a finger. The first person with all their fingers down loses." My eyes glazed over, staring at Kisame in horror. He motioned a sizeable hand for me to take a seat on the couch. I silently obeyed, still thinking about how drunk I would be after this little "game".

I'm going to be plastered. That's not good… Fuck.

My drunk self was my alter-ego and boy, she was… interesting. "… Drunk Sora is not something you two want to witness." I warned. Itachi to snorted a laugh while Kisame howled, clutching his stomach. If I was going to be going to be drunk, I'd make it worth it at least. It was time for a bet. "What do I get if I win?"

"Hm…" Kisame hesitated, deep in thought, "You can braid Itachi's hair and I'll buy you taiyaki," His sly grin grew wider, "But… if you lose, you have to do whatever dare it is that we give you. Deal?" Kisame stuck a big blue hand towards me to shake our deal into existence.

Ha. I won't lose. And taiyaki sounds fantastic.

I returned his sly grin, "Deal."