Things had finally settled down after the Kazekage incident. Kakashi and his team made it home safe and sound, though they had no idea what was waiting for them. Gaara was well and back in office. Kokoa had managed to slip away without any trouble so far. And Akatsuki took some time to recuperate and discuss their next move. Without any specific mission at the moment, the boys had some time off. Itachi and Kisame parted ways for a bit to explore and treat themselves - well - at least Kisame did. Still frustrated about Kokoa, Itachi spent his time going over their meeting, wondering what she saw and what she was going to do. Of course, Kisame's suggestion bounced around in his head too. Letting her join them? Putting her between all those monsters?

"Tch." He clicked his tongue. There was no way. After all the trouble he had gone to, to push her away, the stories, the lies, he couldn't let it all be for nothing. Itachi came to a halt. It had been drizzling earlier, but the rain fell heavier now. He heard voices and noise from the village not far off, but he wouldn't go make a scene. He found a small hill instead that curved at the top, a sort of hood. He sat beneath it to keep dry. The Uchiha shut his tired eyes, gritting his teeth when he couldn't shake the memory, her face, her eyes, the way her soft skin felt beneath his fingers.

Itachi drew his knees up to his chest and gave into heartache once again. He let his head fall back against the cliff and his mind wander.

"You've been distracted," Shisui said, eyeing his best friend.

"Have I?" Itachi asked, mouth full of dango.

"Don't play dumb, Tachi. I know you." Shisui snatched the dango from his hand.

"Oi, give it back."

"Not until you tell me what's got your head in the clouds."

"Nothing. New missions. Work is hard. My father is...himself. Nothing's changed," he said, taking back his dango.

"Liar."

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Shisui."

"Tachi, we both know you're a mess. I'm the only one you open up to. Don't start pushing me away too. What's bugging you? Do I have to beat someone up? Even though you're just as capable…" Shisui scratched his cheek with a grin.

"I'm…" Itachi kept walking, picking up the pace a bit. He debated if telling his friend was a good idea or not. But if he didn't tell someone soon, he was sure he'd explode.

"You're?"

"I'm curious?" he said. "That came out wrong...I think."

"What about?"

"Uh - not exactly sure."

"What the heck, Itachi? Work with me here. Get to the point."

"I'm trying, Shisui," he snapped, flustered.

"What's got you so sassy? Is it some girl?" Shisui threw his arms back and stretched with a long yawn, but when Itachi didn't answer, he came to a stop with wide eyes and parted lips. "No. Way."

"Don't -"

"Is there?" He caught up to Itachi and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Is there what?" Itachi asked, tossing his bare stick into the trashcan as they walked by.

"A lady you're into?"

"N-not exactly."

"So…?"

"I…" If Shisui was this wild already, there was no way Itachi would mention Kokoa by name. They were still only friends. If Shisui knew Itachi had feelings for her, there's no telling what he'd do. It'd be Itachi's nightmare, especially since he had no idea if Kokoa felt the same way.

"You have three seconds to tell me before I hit you, Itachi-kun."

"Fine. How do you know?"

"How do you know what?"

"If you like someone? There - there isn't anyone specific. Yet. I guess. I'm trying to figure out how you know."

"My God, the famous Uchiha Itachi, the young ANBU captain has no idea how girls work."

"I knew telling you was a mistake." He kept walking.

"Oh no you don't!" Shisui pulled him back by the shirt.

"I'm serious," Itachi said, avoiding his friend's eyes. "How do you know if there's something there? I'm not like you, Shisui. I've never...been with anyone."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me."

"Tch."

"You know when you know."

"Hm?"

"When you like a girl, Itachi-kun, you just know. You get all happy about her. You want to see her always. You can't stop thinking about her."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm." He put his arm around Itachi again. "You're supposed to get this feeling in your gut. It's like nerves but a good kind."
"Good nerves? You're not making sense -"

"Stay with me, Tachi. I'm not done," he said. "You get all flustered and nervous around her, but at the same time, nothing makes you feel safer than being with her."

"At peace?"

"Exactly! Maybe you're not so thick when it comes to love after all, Tachi." Shisui laughed at his friend. He pulled away his arm and gave Itachi a playful shove.

"So what do I do when I find a girl I like?"

"Well you ask her out, duh."

"Like a date?"

"I'm losing you again. Good grief." Shisui sighed deeply.
"I'm following you just fine. I'm just making sure I get all the details. I don't need to look like an idiot in front of a girl too."

"Impossible. All the girls in Konoha think you're this mysterious bad boy. Of course they have no idea how big of a nerd you really are."

"Again, thank you, Shisui."
"Hai, hai. You like a girl. You ask her out. She falls in love with you. You guys get married and have beautiful Uchiha babies. Boom." He laughed loudly. Itachi brought a hand to his face with a sigh.

"You're exhausting," he said.

"Of course, you could shake it up."

"How so?"

"Well everyone does dates the first time. When you find a girl you like, kiss her," Shisui said. Itachi felt the dango working its way back up. He held his stomach. "What? Too advanced for you, Itachi-kun?"

"Maybe?"

"Trust me, she'll melt in your hands.'

"What if she doesn't want me to kiss her? I'm not going to walk around kissing people."

"Am I to assume you don't know if she likes you back?"

"Uh - sure." Itachi crossed his arms.

"I'd still kiss her. Asking her out is nice, but boring. Surprise her. Let her know you're serious. If it's meant to happen, it will. So don't worry, even if you're a terrible kisser."

"I regret telling you anything." Itachi was off again.

"Whenever you find this girl, Tachi, I'd love to meet her! She must be something else to put up with you!"

Finally away from Shisui and his teasing, Itachi roamed Konoha's streets hoping he'd calm down, but of course things didn't go as he wanted. He moved quick, dodging the person about to run into him.

"Itachi-san?" Kokoa adjusted the stack of books in her arms. "Sorry. It's hard to see with all these," she said. Perfect. She was just the person Itachi needed to see. He was sure he'd be puking up his dango in a few seconds.

"Hi," he said.

"You don't look too well. Are you sick?" Kokoa asked.

"Not really. Tired, is all."

"Well you're off, aren't you? I thought you'd be sleeping."

"Well if I sleep, my father starts asking why I'm being so lazy. And if I stay at home, Sasuke keeps asking me to train him, and to be honest, I'm not in the mood today."

"You always train Sasuke. He'll live." She laughed and shifted the books again.

"So I thought I'd try for some time for myself," he said, staring at his toes. "I love my family, but it's hard being around them so much sometimes."

"Everyone needs some time alone. You're fine, Itachi-san," Kokoa said. "I'll let you enjoy your alone time then." She took a step.

"I don't mind you," he said. "That came out wrong...again…"

"I hope you don't mind me. We are friends, aren't we?" Kokoa raised an eyebrow.

"That's - that's not what I meant…" He rubbed his face, hoping it hadn't reddened.

"You sure you're not sick, Itachi-kun? You might have a fever or something."

"I'm fine, I'm fine. What I meant to say was that spending time with you is different. Like...I like spending my days off with you."

"That sounds a lot better. If you'd like, I'm going to the forest in a bit to draw."

"You draw?" He gave her a look. "Since when?"

"Two days ago. I thought I'd see if I was any good."

"Are you?"

"Meh. The important thing is that I try, Itachi-san. I need to return these books first. If you'd like, you can go on ahead. I'll meet you there in a few. I'm sure no one will bother you out there."

"Ah. See you then," he said and headed off. Itachi had always cared about Kokoa, since they became friends at the academy. He was always protective of her, much like he was of Sasuke, but as they grew, so did his feelings for her. Being quite awkward in some ways, Itachi never really understood those feelings until he reached a point where she was all he could think about, and she was the only person he wanted to see, and he noticed himself looking at her differently, wanting to be with her differently.

Now it was interfering with things. He was distracted, embarrassed, and afraid she might not feel the same way. Sure Kokoa went out of her way for him way too much and she did anything he asked and she understood him like no one else bothered to and she'd probably spend all her time with him if she could, but that didn't mean she had feelings for him...did it?

Finally in the forest, he pressed back against a tree with a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe you should go home and take a nap."

"Kokoa?" Itachi stuck his head out to see her walking over. "That was too fast. Even for you."

"I ran into Kakashi-san on the way. He offered to return the books since he was headed the same direction."

"I see."

"Here." She handed him an empty sketchpad.

"What's this?"

"Paper to draw."

"I don't draw."

"Well you're about to. Come on." She lowered herself to sit in the grass, tugging at his sleeve so he'd do the same.

"I can't draw, Kokoa. I don't even know how to start."

"Art is...something you feel."

"I never knew you were an artist…"

"You're super grumpy today. Work with me, Uchiha." She punched him in the shoulder. "We're all artists. The way we move and fight, I think that's all art, unique to each person."

"Perhaps…"

"So just feel it and see what you end up with on paper."

"Ah." The last thing Itachi wanted to do in that moment was explore his feelings, knowing exactly where they'd end up. They watched the leaves for a while. Some fell. Some twirled in the soft breeze. Others didn't move at all. At some point, Kokoa started sketching. She bit at her tongue in concentration, and Itachi might have laughed at her expression if he wasn't so lost in his head. Kokoa caught him staring at a pile of scarlet leaves. Then she caught herself staring at him. She shifted her gaze back to the paper in her hands.

Suddenly, more than anything, she wanted to move closer to him, wondered how it would feel to lean against him, shoulder to shoulder, two innocent kids with a shared dream beneath the falling leaves. She wondered if she had it in her, or if she'd act on impulse. Of course, it never happened. She swallowed the knot in her throat, swallowed the frustrated whine bubbling in her chest. Love was never an easy thing, especially not when an Uchiha was involved. And there she was, skipping right over like and jumping to love.

"No way," she said, pulling Itachi out of this thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You're terrible."

"I am?" He glanced down at his drawings. "I think you're right."

"Finally! Something I beat you at." Kokoa jumped to her feet.

"Hey." He narrowed his eyes.

"Don't be upset, Itachi-san. This just proves you're human," she said. "You're not the best artist, but you're good at so many other things. That makes up for it. Let me have my moment." She held out a hand. He took it and let her pull him to his feet.

"You're right...for once," he teased and tapped her forehead. "Uh - Kokoa…"

"Mhm?" She furrowed her brow when he suddenly turned serious.

"I…thank you, for today. It was fun, peaceful. But I should head home before my father comes looking for me. Everyone's home today. They'll want me back soon."

"No worries. I'm glad you came. I'll keep your leaves." She held onto them.

"Protect them for me."

"Of course, Uchiha-sama!"

"Sayonara, Kokoa." He waved gently before turning on his heels. The smile on Kokoa's face faded, and the papers in her hands fell to her feet. She took a few steps, holding onto a tree trunk, fingers digging into old bark, and watched Itachi disappear. An all too familiar ache overwhelmed her.

"You leave. You always have to leave."

Itachi grew more awkward around Kokoa each day. Alone, he couldn't stop thinking about her. With her, he wondered just how ridiculous he looked. Did she notice his anxiousness, his strange conversations? Yes, Kokoa did. Though both were unaware of her abilities at the time, it was her kekkei genkai. She couldn't quite understand what Itachi was feeling, only that there was something on his mind and in his heart. She wanted to ask him and perhaps even listen while he vented, but she knew better. Itachi was strange about things like that. He wouldn't open up so easily, even to her.

Eventually, Kokoa started to think something was wrong with her, that maybe he was acting so uncomfortable because he didn't like her anymore. The self-conscious girl kept herself up at night for hours trying to figure out just what was going on in Uchiha Itachi's head. What did the boy she loved so much really think of her?

It went on for a little while longer, until Shisui brought it up one day.

"Tachi, you ever kiss that girl?"

"What girl?" They sat somewhere in the Uchiha compound polishing and counting weapons.

"The one you asked me about. The whole love thing."

"There wasn't a specific girl. I simply wanted to know how you know if you have feelings for someone," he said, never facing his friend.

"Oh. I was sure you were hitting on someone. Too bad. A girlfriend might be good for you. You're alone too much. I can't always be there. It'd get weird."

"I don't mind you, Shisui," he said with a laugh.

"I'm sure you'll find someone, Tachi. One day you'll find a girl you'll never want to walk away from; the love of your heart.

'Kokoa…'

"Ni-san, why won't you train with me today?" Sasuke tugged at his brother's sleeve. Itachi was in his room on his back sprawled across the floor. He gazed up at the ceiling.

"I'm busy."

"Liar. You're sleeping," Sasuke said.

"Not sleeping. See?" He blinked at Sasuke. "Some other time, ok?"

"You always say that." Sasuke sat down next to him with a sigh, legs crossed. "Ni-san, what's wrong?" he asked after checking to see the door was closed.

"What makes you ask that, Sasuke?"

"You've been weird. More than usual. Are you sick?" He felt Itachi's forehead to see if he was warm.

"No, no. I'm fine."

"Then what is it? And no lying!"

"There's...something I want."

"Like a toy? A weapon?"

"Not exactly, but let's pretend it is."

"Ok. Why don't you go get it?"

"Because."

"Ni-san, that's not a good answer," Sasuke said. He rolled his eyes. "Do you have the money? Are you able to get it?"

"Able to? I suppose."

"So if it's there, and you can get it, why don't you? Ni-san, sometimes you're not so smart." Sasuke crossed his arms. Itachi took a moment. As strange as the conversation was, Sasuke was right. What excuse did Itachi have for not making a move? Sure he was busy, and he wondered how the clan would react to him having a relationship with an outsider, especially since the name Kuroki seemed to mean something to some people. But Shisui was right too. Itachi did find someone he never wanted to leave. It all came together. He loved Kokoa too much to let her go.

"Jeez." He threw both hands over his face. "What am I getting into?"

"Ni-san?"

"You think you're so smart, Sasuke," he said. "You're going to pay." He was up on his knees tackling Sasuke.

"Ni-san! Hey!" They wrestled. "Itachi!" The boys kept at it until Sasuke was so out of breath he was nearly choking.

"There you go, Sasuke."

"What?" he asked, panting on the floor.

"That was your training for today."

"What! Ni-san! Hey, where are you going?"

"There's something I need to do."

Just as he thought, Kokoa was under the trees again drawing leaves and twigs. Sensing someone, she set her supplies down and sat up on her knees, crawling a bit to see who was behind the tree.

"Itachi-san," she said, surprised to see him. She noticed the mess on her hands from sketching all day and tried wiping it off on her pants. "You aren't busy today?"

"I did what I had to. I'm free now. I had a feeling you'd be here," he said, eyeing his own shoes. Kokoa kept quiet. Why wouldn't he look at her? What was the tension she felt building in his chest.

"I won't make you draw this time," she said, thinking she annoyed him last time.

"Why not? I need the practice, right?"

"Eh - I mean if you want you can. I didn't want to force you."

"What did you draw today?" He walked over to her, smiling when she struggled to collect her things. She always was a bit of a mess.

"These." She held them up. He looked at the pictures, followed each stroke, each curve. There really wasn't much to say in that moment. He went to her for one reason and one reason only.

"Kokoa?"

"Hm?"

"Would you go…" Itachi couldn't find the right words. He was an Uchiha, an ANBU captain, and he couldn't even ask a girl out to dinner. He sighed, frustrated. Kokoa waited, looked at him with those passionate blue eyes, and he would have lost himself in them if he hadn't noticed the smudge mark on her cheek.

"You - you have something on your face."

"Ack!" She tugged at her sleeve and tried wiping it off.

"Don't rub too hard. You'll turn red."

"I don't want to walk around and have people think I look silly or unprofessional."

"I thought I told you a hundred times, who cares what people think? Just be you."

"Easier said than done," she said and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not so bad when I'm with you though, Itachi-san." She rubbed at her face again. "Is it gone now?"

"Not quite."

"I've made a mess. Sorry -"

"Here." He stepped to her, gently bringing a hand to her face. Kokoa, not realizing what he meant to do, froze when he brushed a thumb across her cheek. If she wasn't always so worried about embarrassing herself in front of Itachi, she would have gasped loudly or choked on her own spit, but she actually managed to keep it together and only shyly lowered her gaze.

Itachi stopped but kept his hand on her face, and Kokoa, dying to know what he was thinking, couldn't bring herself to look up. This was so unlike him and she was beyond flustered, unable to read him. And then her mind wandered further. What if she was reading too much into his actions? She was overreacting. He was only helping her out. Why was she so hot and anxious? And though Itachi looked as cool as ever with those dark eyes of his framed by sleek bangs and cheekbones, he faced the same storm inside his own gut. But he had started it. He would have to end it. Hand still against her cheek,

"Oi, Kokoa." And before she could answer, before she could hum in response or even look up, he had his lips against hers in the gentlest kiss, innocent yet so passionate, so overwhelming for both. The drawings fell from her hands and time stood still.

Itachi pulled away, and as tempted as he was to run off and hide, face and ears burning hot, he knew Kokoa would take it the wrong way and think she had done something wrong. Neither said anything for a moment.

"I - I'm sorry - I should have as -"

"Did you mean it?" Kokoa asked, voice not much louder than a whisper. Itachi blinked in

surprise.

"Nani?"

"Did you...mean it?" She still never looked up, wringing her hands and biting at her lip. Itachi moved close to her again. Two fingers. He tapped her forehead endearingly.

"What do you think?" he said. She lifted her head.

"I...I was hoping you'd do that someday," she said. "I didn't know if you felt that way."

"Hn, I didn't know if you did either." They both fell quiet again. He wiped off the rest of the smudge on her cheek. Kokoa opened her mouth to speak, but -

"This is sudden, I know. But I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't be around you unless I was with you, Kokoa. I guess I've felt this way for a while, I just realized it a lot more recently," he said. She tried to speak again, but he continued. "Don't worry about anything or anyone. Don't be scared. Don't be self-conscious. Just be you. I promise, I'll always be there -"

She had her arms around him before he finished. It started out as a normal hug, nice, but then her hold on him tightened, and she pressed her face to his shoulder in hopes of hiding her tears. Of course it didn't work and Itachi noticed. He too, coiled his arms and pulled her close with shut eyes and a smile he smiled only for her.

"A-arigato, Itachi-san. For everything."

"Ah."

Itachi, having drifted off, blinked a few times before realizing where he was. It was still raining, a lot more than earlier. Puddles welled and dirt turned to mud and a cold wind rushed through trees. Itachi, shivering, pulled his cloak tighter against himself. He would have to start moving soon. He decided to give it another hour to see if the rain would stop. While he sat in the storm surrounded by his memories and the ghost of Kokoa's kiss, someone else lost in their own memories chose to keep moving instead.

It took Kokoa some time to make it out of Sunagakure. If she wasn't avoiding guards and shinobi, she was taking shelter from harsh desert storms. She had ditched her previous outfit, choosing a matching set of long pants and a long sleeved top instead, dark grey. She carried a bag on her back, of course her ninja gear as always, the Uchiha crest around her neck, and a traditional Suna scarf around her shoulders to keep warm or protect her head and face from the sun. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and hung off a shoulder.

Leaving without saying a word to Naruto, falling apart in front of Kakashi, having to turn away from Gaara, Kokoa needed some time to get back on her feet. And she eventually did get back up with new determination. Itachi spared her, lied for her, and cracked at the very end. It was now or never. And now she didn't have Kakashi pulling her back or Sakura threatening her or Naruto believing deep down in his heart that Kokoa wouldn't side with Itachi. She was free. And she was done taking orders, done letting others spit at her.

She noticed the only time Itachi stopped talking and really listened was when she yelled his name without honorifics in his genjutsu. She had talked back, raised her voice, dropped the polite and innocent part of herself. She faced him, angry. She stood at his level. Itachi wasn't going to have his way. Not anymore.