Chapter Fourteen

"You swear that Shisui won't say anything to anyone?"

Itachi laughed softly, turning his eyes to Nakiro. As much as she wanted to have faith in Shisui, she knew he could have a big mouth at times. She didn't want it to get back to her family just yet that she and Itachi were a couple, she knew it was the final straw that would put her and her elder sister at odds. She didn't want that conflict in her family, plus her mother would start wedding planning and she was far too young to be dealing with that.

"I don't think that Shisui is going to tell anyone my love." Itachi assured.

"I just don't want to deal with everything my family is going to say." she admitted.

"I know. I'm surprised my family hasn't caught on." he commented, moving his arm around her shoulders. "We spend so much time together."

"We did that before we were together though." Nakiro murmured, shrugging her shoulders. "They know we're close."

"Just not how close." He whispered, placing a loving kiss to her temple. "Everything will work out the way it's meant to my love, I'll always look out for you."

Nakiro turned her eyes to Itachi, smiling softly at his words. He was always wanting to watch out for her, keep her safe from harm, and protect her from any dangers that came her way. Itachi knew she could take care of herself, that was obvious, but he always put himself out there, always reminded her that he would die for her if need be. She could never ask for a more amazing man because in her eyes, he was perfection.

"Let's run away together." She suggested, meeting his gaze. "Start a life somewhere new together, where no one knows us. Let's leave this life behind us."

"And what about our families?" he questioned, playing with the ends of her hair.

"What about them?" she asked, unphased by the question. "All they do is pressure us to do things that don't align with our nature, beg us to do things for the benefit of the clan, it's like they don't even care about the village itself. They just want to further their cause Itachi, I want to get away from it all."

She bowed her head at the confession, wishing with all her might it wasn't true. That is what she had gathered from their conversations though, it almost sounded like something more sinister was going on behind the scenes and she wanted no part of it. From what Itachi had told her, it sounded like the Uchiha's were planning to overthrow power in the village and take control. Nakiro didn't know why they wanted to do such a thing but she knew the allure of power, that's where her own clan was at the moment, wanting and seeking more power. She wished she could make it all stop, so the both of them could live happy lives. She'd never wanted to be a shinobi to begin with, she'd been forced into this life and it was tiresome to her. She was more than ready to leave it all behind, if he would.

"Nakiro." She raised her head at the sound of her name, meeting his onyx eyes, almost swooning at the sight. "I wish we could run away." He admitted, cupping her cheek. "However, that isn't plausible."

"Itachi-" He hushed her words with a finger to her lips, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I can't leave Sasuke." He murmured.

She blinked, nodding her head once. She understood, Sasuke meant everything to him, he was an amazing older brother. As much as she wished to hit the reset button with Itachi, she knew she couldn't ask him to leave Sasuke behind. Everything that Itachi did was for her and Sasuke, she knew that Itachi couldn't leave one of them behind and start a new life with the other. It wasn't part of his nature and she knew that they couldn't take Sasuke with them, he was still too young and wouldn't understand what was happening. There was truly nothing they could do, it was a stalemate with destiny.

"I would never ask you to." She whispered, placing a kiss to his nose.

"Everything will work out how it's meant to."

Itachi's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she nodded against him, moving her arms around him in a loving embrace. Itachi sighed softly and pulled her into his lap, hugging her tightly. She could feel in his breathing that he was just as overwhelmed as she, he was trying to hold it together for her; maybe what they needed was intimacy. Their noses touched once again, their eyes locked in a deep gaze, love overflowing from their being. She could feel a blush rising to her cheeks as he leaned in slightly closer, his lips brushing against hers in the softest of kisses.

'Itachi, I love you.'

Nakiro shook her head of the memory, her cobalt blue hair moving out of her eyes, trying to push the thought to the back of her mind. She was unsure why she continued thinking of Itachi, even though years had passed since she'd seen him. Was it simply wanting closure, hoping to know the truth behind what happened between them, the truth of that night, or was it something more? The former Konoha shinobi knew in her heart, that she would never stop searching for him and if she had to travel the whole world to find him, she would do just that. Even if it meant spending every waking second of the rest of her life, she was dedicated to finding her beloved, no matter what the cost. However, even though she was still dedicated to doing just that, things had changed in a matter of seconds. After the previous battle with Iwa shinobi, she'd had plenty of time to think about not only Itachi and her unwavering feelings for him, but she'd used the other half of that time to think about Deidara and the feelings she had developed for him, feelings she'd not only admitted to herself but to him as well. They had yet to discuss their feelings, they'd been too focused on relocating to a safer area and regaining their bearings; she knew the conversation would happen though, sooner rather than later. Nakiro wanted to curse herself for being so rash and falling prey to her feelings merely from a moment of pressure, she'd been questioning if she should've kept those feelings a secret a little while longer. It was too late now, too late to take it all back. She could only hope, this wouldn't affect their partnership.

She blinked, was that mist? The teenage girl moved her head up from her sketchbook, surveying the area. At first, she'd thought she'd mistook a wispy cloud as mist but she was wrong, this was definitely mist. Was this really the best move for them to make? She looked towards Deidara questioningly, were they going to Kirigakure? She swallowed nervously, the blonde was focused on the terrain below them, looking deep in thought as they flew over the water. They'd barely conversed since that last battle, she hoped he knew what he was doing. She closed her sketchbook and slid it back inside her bag, pulling out her conversations book. She sighed inaudibly and flipped to a clean page, writing.

Are you sure Kiri is the best move? It's quite violent there from what I remember.

She looked up from her book, back towards her partner. They were getting closer to Kiri, she needed to know what his plan was. The bluenette sighed and scooted across the clay creation to Deidara's side, taking hold of his jacket.

"Hm?" he grunted, his visible blue eye met her purple ones. She held the book up to eye level so he could read without straining. "Yeah Kiri's violent, but the mist is the perfect cover hm. We can lay low for a while. Gather supplies and intel hm." She nodded once, moving her book from his face and went to scoot back to her original seat. "Kiro." She stopped, meeting his visible eye once again. "Stay close to me when we land hm."

She nodded in agreement, stowing her book away in her bag. They'd already passed over the mountains, they were quite close to the village. From what she could remember there were a few little shops and a couple inns close to the ocean on all sides of the island. She hoped they wouldn't have to venture too far into the blood mist village just to stay hidden from Iwa. Then again, from what she could remember, there had always been bad blood between Iwagakure and Kirigakure. Even if shinobi from Iwa wanted to pursue, she doubted they'd manage to gain access to the village. This must've been one of the main factors that led Deidara to his decision, he knew they would be safe there, at least from Iwa. She hoped they wouldn't have any trouble getting inside Kirigakure, if need be, she'd cast a genjutsu over whoever crossed their path. They were growing closer to the ground, she could hear the soft waves crashing against the shore, it was quiet peaceful to her, she hoped they'd take an inn close to the oceanside. She focused her chakra into her feet as she stood in a crouched position on Deidara's creation, rocking with it as it made a swift landing. She side-glanced at her partner, watching as the blonde instantly jumped from the clay bird onto the sandy shore, surveying the area. The bluenette stayed crouched on the bird, waiting for instruction from her partner. She watched silently as Deidara looked from side to side, surveying the area before looking back at her over his shoulder.

"It's safe hm." He stated, stretching his arms above his head. "Let's find somewhere to stay for the night."

The teenage girl nodded in response and hopped down from the large bird, it disappeared in a puff of smoke behind her as she moved to the blonde's side, adjusting her pack on her shoulder. They walked side by side up the shore of Kirigakure, making their way to some of the buildings further ahead. A beach sunrise would be beautiful to witness, Nakiro was sure it would be a good incentive to wake up in a good mood every morning; she just prayed that Deidara would feel the same way. Perhaps they'd manage to find some good work here in Kirirgakure, the blood mist seemed to always be popping with some type of work going on behind the scenes.

Nakiro stayed close to Deidara as they entered a small building, heading towards the front desk positioned in the middle of the room. A short, middle aged man sat behind it, a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose with a book held close to his face. Deidara's arm moved around her waist as they stopped before the desk, tapping the bell quickly. The short man flinched, stumbling to his feet and dropping his book.

"W-w-welcome to t-t-the Blue Isles I-inn." He stuttered out. "W-w-will it be o-one-"

"One room hm." Deidara interrupted. "Go ahead and book us for a week, we may stay longer."

"O-of course. Honeymoon?"

If the bluenette could've swallowed her tongue in the moment, she would have. Her face was burning and her heart was racing, she could feel Deidara's arm tighten around her waist, his hand had moved to rest on her hip.

"Hmph is it that obvious?" the blonde laughed. "You don't know what we had to go through to get some time off to actually enjoy it hm."

"That's t-t-terrible to hear, y-y-you'd t-think it'd b-b-be automatic a-after marriage." The clerk said, signing off on a few papers "E-especially for s-s-shinobi. They d-definitely d-d-d-deserve it, after all they d-do to k-k-keep us safe."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe the week we've had." Deidara commented, Nakiro nodded in agreement with a smile. "Between both our missions it was almost impossible to get the month off hm."

"Y-y-you're both s-shinobi." he assumed. "W-well, I'll tag t-t-this discount on for y-y-you on top of t-t-t-t-the honeymoon s-s-special we have g-going on."

"Arigato hm."

The former Iwa shinobi took the key offered to him, handing over the payment to the clerk. Nakiro did her best to hide her urgency to get to their room, she couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she was sure was going to happen between Deidara and herself. She didn't know if she was ready for it or wanted to avoid it until another day, getting it over with could be beneficial for the both of them. Talking about what happened back in Taki would clear the air and they could continue their partnership like nothing ever happened. However, she wasn't leaning completely in that direction. Even though she wanted to, she couldn't deny that she had feelings for the blonde and obviously he had feelings for her. Was it possible for her to accept her feelings and move forward, even though it wasn't her beloved Itachi? Was it betrayal to fall in love with another?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tug on her hand, moving her eyes from the floor to meet her partner's. He nodded at her once and Nakiro followed behind him, making their way through the inn to their assigned room. She could've gasped when she saw how beautiful their room was, it was huge compared to the places they usually stayed. There were huge windows that let in tons of natural light, there were even doors facing the ocean that lead out to a balcony. Nakiro smiled slightly, it was the perfect place to watch the sunrise and sunset. The bed was made with pure white sheets, flower petals were scattered across it, leading across the room towards the bathroom. The most amazing part of the room though, was the floor, which was made of crystal clear glass that allowed the duo to see the ocean underneath them. She'd never stayed in a room so spectacular.

"Wow hm." Deidara mumbled, shutting the door behind them. "Didn't realize he gave us such a nice room hm."

The bluenette nodded her agreement, swinging her pack off her shoulder and pulling her book out. She placed her bag in the armchair and moved to the doors, opening them up. She smiled softly, inhaling the smell of seawater and moved out onto the balcony, taking a seat in the comfortable chair. She knew Deidara would explore the entire room before following her out, which gave her plenty of time to think about what she wanted to do about the situation the pair was in. She opened up her book, trying to think of what she wanted and more importantly, what she needed to say. She bowed her head, the wind moving through her hair as she debated on what she should do.

Nakiro knew what Itachi would want for her, he would want her to be happy and take the steps to ensure that happiness. Although she knew that deep down in her heart, she still wasn't sure if she could let him go. He'd been everything to her and swore he would always be there to protect her, he promised to always be by her side and so much more. Yet, he'd broken those promises. He was gone and she didn't know if she would ever be able to find him. Who was to say she could ever track him down with how big the world was, especially with nothing to go on. She hadn't heard a thing about him in years, if he was alive, dead, not a word. If she had any luck at all, it was lost when she defected from Konoha.

"Kiro." She jumped at the sound of her name, snapping out of her daze. The blonde was before her, looking concerned. She could barely make out his face in the darkness. "You were shifting hm."

She blinked dumbly, how long had she been out there? She'd missed the sunset. The stars were already out, shining brightly above them. Without a word, Deidara lit the torch at the end of the balcony, bringing light to them. She turned her attention to her book, writing. She looked up after a moment, Deidara was leaning against the railing, staring out at the ocean. She tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, trying to gain his attention. His blue eye met her red ones at the contact, looking at her curiously. She held her book up, angling it so the light would brighten the ink.

"About an hour hm." the blonde answered. "I was starting to worry."

She nodded slowly, not understanding how she couldn't have noticed time slipping away. It had only felt like she'd been sitting there for a few minutes, maybe she just needed to get this conversation over with. It was consuming her thoughts and distracting her from what was most important, finding Orochimaru. She took a deep breath, trying to find the words to put to paper. She was drawing a blank though, why was it so hard to just address everything that had happened between them?

"Nakiro." She looked back up, meeting the gaze of her partner. "I...arigato hm. For what you did for me back in Taki."

She nodded, trying to read his facial expressions. He seemed slightly nervous, his gaze kept jumping between her eyes and his feet. Now that they weren't on the run and had settled into their hiding spot she could tell that he was thinking over everything that had happened back in Takigakure. She was positive that's what was on his mind, he was always so confident and sure of himself so seeing him nervous like this, made her all the more anxious. She turned her attention to her book, quickly writing.

Are you alright? You seem flustered.

He looked up from her words, meeting her eyes.

"I'm fine hm." he responded. "Just happy that you're safe hm."

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks at his words, wishing she could just say what she was feeling, rather than writing it. She couldn't wait though, she had to let him know. For all she knew it could take them months, if not years to find Orochimaru. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't wait for her voice just to tell him how she felt for him. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, almost pounding against her ribcage as she stared at him. He was staring up towards the stars, the moonlight illuminating his face. He looked as though he was just as deep in thought as she had been. This was it, it had to be, the perfect moment to write the words she'd been longing to write for months. She took in a slow breath, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do and put her pen to the paper.

"Don't stay up too late hm."

She looked up, feeling confused as she watched Deidara move his hands from the railing and turn to go back inside. She was shocked, weren't they going to talk about what happened between them? It had been the most alive that she'd felt in years and he hadn't even mentioned it. She watched dumbfounded as he strode back inside, a pain rising in her chest. He never went to bed without her, let alone without giving her a hug. What was going on? She could feel her eyes burning and bowed her head, crying silently to herself. What had she done? She'd let her feelings and emotions take the wheel, and it had completely ruined everything between them, she couldn't begin to regret her actions in Taki. She had prayed that she would never have to deal with this type of pain again, losing Itachi was hard enough but now there seemed to be a wall between herself and the former Iwa shinobi.

She cried harder, tears staining her face. She hated herself, she hated herself for what she'd caused between Deidara and herself. He was all she had in the world and she'd ruined it by giving into her feelings. He had seemed to feel the same way back in Taki, so what happened between then and now? She took in a slow breath, almost choking on her tears and tried to think rationally. There had to be some reason he was being so distant, was it because he felt as though he'd put her in danger? She blinked dumbly, that had to be it. He was pushing her away because he felt guilty, he must've believed that he was a threat to her safety. That wasn't true in the slightest, Nakiro knew she could take care of herself but Deidara must've still had doubts. Could it be that Deidara thought it was up to him to take care of her and defend her? She shook her hair out of her face, wiping at her eyes. If he didn't want to talk about what had happened tonight then that was fine but she had to get the thoughts out of her head. She put her pen back to the paper and began to write.

Deidara, I wish I knew what was happening in your head right now because mine is screaming. I hope to discuss these thoughts with you some time in the future, whether it be a week from now or a year. I just had to get everything down, I know you'll never read this so it's easier for me to be honest with myself. I'm a mess, a jumble of emotions, I don't understand what's happening. Since Taki you've been so distant with me, almost cold and I wish I understood the reasoning. I admit the situation with the Anbu terrified me, I don't want to ever lose you Deidara. You're the only thing I have in the world and I don't want to be without you. I know I've never said anything but I was so afraid to open myself up this way, I didn't want to get this close for fear of losing you. I can say this here though, without fear of judgment because I'm almost afraid of your response. I can't hold it in anymore, as much as I've tried, I just can't. Deidara, you're an amazing man and I can't begin to thank you enough for everything you've done for me. Without you, I'd be lost and alone, like I was before we met. You completely changed my world and I can't imagine a life without you by my side. I...I'm in love with you.

Author's Note: Phew...all done. Sorry it's late guys. Work this past week has been wild but I'm happy I managed to get it out to you without too much of a wait!