I gasped in alarm as my body was torn from its icy grave. My arms grasped wildly at my savior, so scared that if I didn't hold on, they would let the water have me again. I was disoriented, coughing violently, and freezing. I felt solid ground beneath me though, and that was enough. For now, anyway. I laid there on my side sputtering water out with each choking gasp.
"Geez Izumi, are you okay?" Kisame asked.
I guess Kisame is winning the 'well that's a stupid freaking question' award today.
I ignored him as I finished coughing. When everything was finally silent and still, I looked up to see Kisame carefully examining the water in which I fell. Itachi was nowhere to be seen, but I soon realized he was directly behind me as he draped his cloak over me.
"You'll need to get out of your wet clothes or you'll die," he said calmly as he got up to join Kisame. I swallowed hard at Itachi's words as I slipped into the massively oversized cloak. Once in it, I removed my wet clothes and left them in a soggy pile. Despite the cloak I felt entirely too exposed.
"Odd…" Kisame trailed off as he inspected the edges of the pond or whatever it was. Itachi seemed equally intrigued, and for once I could see an actual emotion on his face—puzzlement.
"What's wrong?" I asked while taking a step toward them.
"Stay where you are," Itachi commanded sternly as his arm shot out to keep me behind him. I froze and hugged myself where I stood, the cold biting me more viciously than it had before.
"What's going on?" I asked through chattering teeth. Kisame looked at me and immediately came over.
"You're freezing," he said as he grabbed my shoulders and rubbed them vigorously. I smiled meekly as my purplish lips clamored together erratically. Itachi suddenly appeared beside Kisame, his eyes looking me over systematically.
"Gather her quickly and let's get moving, we need to find shelter without delay."
Kisame picked me up so that I was draped like a lifeless doll between his arms. He looked down at me once in a while, his face uncharacteristically devoid of humor. I reveled in his warmth.
"We'll stay here," Itachi said as we arrived in front of a bathhouse that sat quaintly between a clothing store and a ramen shop.
"Is this the mist village?" I asked weakly while taking in my surroundings.
"No, we still have another day of walking to get into the mist."
I looked confusedly at Itachi. "But there was so much mist back there, we must be in the land of mist by now."
"No, there's something strange going on. We're going to check in here and let you get settled. You can warm yourself up in the hot springs while we go look into where you fell—something wasn't right with it."
I nodded, too cold to question anymore than I already had, and too tired to think.
"Two rooms," Itachi said to the petite woman behind the counter. She stared at him apprehensively, her eyes flickering between him and my limp body dangling in Kisame's grip. I knew what she thought—I was some sort of prisoner—but she wouldn't say anything, she wouldn't want to stick her nose in Akatsuki business. Her trembling fingers dug in a drawer and re-emerged with two keys.
"Your room," Itachi said to me as he opened the sliding paneled door.
The room was simple, white washed walls with light wood floors. A sleeping mat sat humbly in the center with a crisp white towel on top. One calla lily graced the towel.
"Thank you," I said quietly as I entered the room. I stopped when I felt the weight of a hand on my shoulder. "Will you be alright?"
I paused to think about my answer. Did he mean physically or mentally? Was I still too cold, or would I be okay on my own when they left?
Does it matter? You know you're just going to say everything is fine no matter what.
I turned around and gave him a weak smile and a nod. "I'm alright."
He was so strong, I could feel the power emanate through his palm. It weighed heavy on my shoulder, but when he removed it, it felt cold and vacant. I watched as Itachi disappeared into the room next door before withdrawing into my own.
The cloak fell in a heap around my ankles. I stepped out of it and pulled a white towel around me tightly. Kisame and Itachi were nowhere to be seen as I passed their room and padded down the stairs and through the candle-lit corridors.
The water stung my still-frozen skin, boiling against it until I adjusted. Slipping into the steaming spring water up to my chin, I exhaled deeply and shivered with contentment.
The Akatsuki should definitely look into relocating to a hot spring.
I'd have to recommend it later. I sat back and took in my surroundings—there was a giant wooden wall separating the springs in half. Glancing around, I noted that I was alone. I let my hands float on top with palms facing down. The water spread beneath them, creating misplaced dimples in the water's surface. I played with the depth I could create with the energy emitted from my palms, taking care to not overdo it, lest I bloody my nose again.
"What are you doing?" A man's voice chimed from behind me.
I jumped before sinking low into the water, arms flying up to hug myself and eyes peering over the bubbling surface. I turned around slowly to see a young man crouched on his toes, his forearms resting casually on his knees. I backed up in the water hastily and sank even more so that just my nostrils hovered over the edge of the water.
"Don't be scared, I was just curious," He smiled widely, his eyes wrinkling whimsically at the corners. I glared at him from behind strands of wet hair falling in my face. They clung to me as if trying to console the wary pit in my stomach. I wanted to wipe them away but I was too afraid he'd be able to see me, even through the spattering surface of the steaming spring.
His face had a quirky feel to it, unusual but attractive. He was clearly young, younger than me anyway. Messy black hair fluttered in front of his eyes which were a deep green, unusually bright. He sported baggy, black cargo pants and a dark green sweatshirt with a fur-lined hood. The tassels that hung from his neck were uneven. Even with the bagginess of his attire, I could tell he was rather skinny from his cheekbones that protruded from his delicate looking face.
"Um, you're not supposed to be here," I warned, a certain harshness to my voice.
His grin drooped and he cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked, seemingly sincere.
"This is the girl's side of the spring," I stated with a nod of my head toward the sign behind him that was adorned with a stick figure in a dress. He stared at it for a long time before returning his gaze to my own.
"I see," he said sullenly, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, I didn't notice the sign." His expression was that of ash as he stared into the simmering water. He stayed like that for a long moment, I watched as he remained crouched like a gargoyle.
Well geez, now I kind of feel bad. Maybe he's just not from around here?
"Where did you come from?" I asked, not feeling comfortable with the silence.
The corners of his lips pulled up instantly and his eyes danced with brightness. He rocked back on his heels and let himself fall into a sitting position, his toes grazing the water's edge. "Oh, I come from all over the place."
"Well, how very vague of you," I said, no longer feeling that bad.
He smiled widely, "It was nice meeting you Izumi, but I think it's time for me to go." He reached out and brushed my hair lightly before suddenly leaving in a flash.
Freaking shinobi…
If I had blinked I would have missed him disappearing over the building's roof. The quick skittering of his feet against the shingles ended abruptly. I stood in the water, frozen in place.
Wait… how did he know my name?
"Izumi," I could hear Kisame calling my name from inside, at least someone had enough manners to respect the girls only sign that clattered against the door each time the wind bullied it.
"Coming!" I called back as I gathered the towel around me tightly and shook my feet in an awkward dance. I took a fleeting look around me, furtively glancing into the shadows that watched me from afar. I shook it off and hurried inside.
As I started up the stairs I noticed the tiny drops of blood, as if bread crumbs to lead me back to my room safely. If only. My pace quickened as my feet went from a soft pad to a harsh pounding up the stairs and down the hallway.
"Itachi…" I whispered, my mouth agape as I stood stupidly in the doorway. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his hand clutched against his abdomen and blood squeezing its way through his fingers before dripping down to the floor.
"What happened?!" I exclaimed as I came out of my shocked stupor, rushing into the room. For what, I don't know, considering there wasn't anything I could do to help. But my legs carried me nonetheless.
"We were attacked out of nowhere," Kisame said bitterly while searching through his bag for medical supplies.
"Are you okay?" I asked as I took a step toward Itachi, water droplets falling to the floor from my still-moist skin. My one hand held the towel against me, my other absently hovered over my mouth as I was horrified by the situation. They were acting so casual but I was fighting with my fear response. It wasn't normal to have trails of blood across the floor and seeping from your abdomen. How was this not scary to them? Itachi looked up at me from his position on the bed roll.
"Izumi, please put some clothes on," he said before averting his attention to the window quickly. I shrunk slightly before rushing out of the room, my cheeks matching the roses that littered the trellis outside.
Izumi, you awkward little harlot.
When I entered my room, a set of neatly folded clothes sat next to the sleeping mat. I cautiously inspected them, turning them over slowly in my hands, kneading the fabric, even smelling them—they seemed alright so I didn't bother tasting them. I wondered how they had gotten there until I noticed the miniature puddles of crimson on the floor.
Itachi...
I slipped into the fitted black tee and pants. They were quite snug and comfy. I took a moment to be impressed that he nailed my size so accurately before quietly making my way to stand outside of Kisame and Itachi's door. A small chuckle sounded from inside the room.
"You can come in, you know," Kisame called out teasingly. Of course he could sense me.
I peeked my head inside the doorframe before my body followed timidly. I didn't dare look at Itachi even though I could feel his eyes on me. I hung his cloak on the coat rack, "Thank you... for the new clothes too. You didn't need to do that." My voice unintentionally became stronger at the end, almost angry.
He nodded at me calmly with the ghost of a smile on his face. "Seems like a good fit."
"Quite! Which one of you do I have to thank for being observant enough to actually get the right size?" I looked between Itachi and Kisame.
Kisame snorted. "Please, if it were up to me I would have gotten you a onesie from the toddler section."
"Well wouldn't that have been an interesting sight," I said with narrowed eyes, though my voice belied the seriousness of my face. Kisame grinned, probably imagining the absurdity.
"What happened?" A voice asked from behind. I jumped and clutched my heart.
"Would you stop doing that?" I whined as I turned around to see Zetsu.
"I'm sorry," he confessed while looking at the floor.
Kisame stepped forward, "Well the klutz over here fell in a 'pond' on our way over," I scoffed at his reference to me, "when we pulled her out I noticed it wasn't a pond at all. It was a cover up."
"Cover up?" I asked.
"There was something at the bottom, a door."
"A door at the bottom of that pond?"
Kisame sighed in frustration, "it wasn't a pond, Izumi. It was a cover for a secret hideout. Only problem, we don't know whose it is."
"So let's go back," I suggested.
Kisame laughed. "Well I'm glad you're not a ninja, you'd be terrible," I glared at him as he continued, "now that we know about that base, they'll abandon it."
"Ohh," I said in understanding, "But wait, how did Itachi get hurt?"
"I was attacked unexpectedly. I should have been on my guard." He sounded resentful.
"What did they look like?" Zetsu questioned.
"Male, small-framed, black hair and green eyes. He wore mostly black clothes." Itachi stared at the ceiling as he spoke.
"And a green sweatshirt…" I mumbled.
Everyone snapped their heads towards me. "What?" Itachi asked almost in disbelief.
"His sweatshirt, it was green, right?" I said, louder and with a wince. I didn't really want to be right.
"What are you talking about Izumi? Did you hit your head on something while we were gone?" Kisame asked while rolling his eyes playfully.
"She's right," Itachi said, his eyes unwavering from my own. "But how?"
They all looked at me and I had the urge to shrink into the size of an ant under their eyes.
"I saw him while I was in the spring. He actually came up to me and um... well, he knew my name? So that seems not great... He left really abruptly. Now that I think about it, he left just as you guys got back." I fidgeted with my thumbs as I replayed the incident in my head. The whole thing was a lot stranger than I had originally thought.
"Your mission is postponed, in the morning you go back to the base." Zetsu disappeared into the floor and the room was quiet again.
"Well kid, better go get your sleeping mat because you are deeefinitely not sleeping in there by yourself tonight." Kisame said with a long exhale to follow. Itachi agreed quietly with a nod.
Oh come ON. Was it too much to ask to get ONE night in my own room?
When I returned, blankets and pillow in hand, I nearly fell over backwards. It's not that I'd never seen a shirtless man before, let's be real, I lived with Hidan. No, maybe it was just that I wasn't expecting it? Or maybe it was the fact that it was Itachi, who notoriously made my palms sweaty even with a shirt on. You know how people tell you to imagine someone in their underwear if you want to make them less intimidating in your head? Yeah, so those people give bad advice.
Get your shit together, Izumi.
Itachi sat on the edge of his sleeping mat just as he had been before, the only difference was that his shirt was on the floor next to him and Kisame was at his side, preparing to bandage him I presumed.
"I'm really sorry, Itachi. I can't help but feel like this is my fault," I said, standing there like an idiot with my arms full of blankets.
"I'm fine," He assured. "You can set up in between Kisame and me." He nodded to an empty spot on the floor beside him.
"I'm sorry, where?" My voice went up an impressive number of octaves. I had heard him, I had comprehended, I was just having a hard time processing. There were plenty of other spots in the room, surely he didn't mean right next to him.
Kisame laughed far too loud at this. "Don't worry, we're not gonna bite. Just makes it easier to keep you safe, kiddo."
I threw my bedding to the floor and looked hesitantly back at the two shinobi with a pang of guilt.
"Isn't there anything I can do to help?"
"No," Itachi said.
"Sure, come on over," Kisame said at the exact same time, much louder than Itachi, drowning him out with ease.
I noticed Itachi shoot Kisame a warning look, but Kisame seemed unfettered and merely smiled back at him so I decided not to pay that much mind.
"Alright, so are you any good with stitches?" Kisame asked.
"What?!"
Kisame chuckled a bit. "I'm just fucking with ya, I already did the stitches. Anyway, I'm gonna have Itachi stand. Go in and hit it with a final clean up, some alcohol, some salve. Then I'll come in with the bandage."
"Izumi, I can handle that myself, I assure you." Despite Itachi speaking to me, he was glaring at Kisame.
"Nonsense," Kisame waved him off. "He's lost too much blood, he has no idea what he's talking about." Kisame grinned at Itachi again before pulling him to his feet.
"Alright Izumi, it's go time," Kisame said, plopping a bottle of alcohol and a cotton cloth in my hand. I nodded and knelt down to get a better vantage. The stitches were cleanly in place along the alarmingly long wound, in my very unprofessional opinion.
Wow, you are very close to Itachi right now. How are your hands? Nice and sweaty? I'm sure he'll love that.
I cursed inwardly at my internal dialogue.
"I'm sorry if this hurts," I said with a wince as I dabbed around the angry looking thing.
"It's fine," Itachi said. With a wayward glance up I could see him still trained on a grinning Kisame.
Given my very personal proximity, I examined the plethora of healed scars marking Itachi's pale skin and I resisted the urge to reach out and touch them in favor of imagining the various situations that could have led to them, many of them were fantastical and one even involved a particularly nasty unicorn.
"Oh, you missed a spot," Kisame remarked as I was preparing to move onto the salve. I had been so focused on the wound itself that I hadn't noticed a splotch of dried blood that must have been from when the cut was dribbling earlier. It was caked onto his skin right at the top edge of his pantline, surely why it was missed in the preliminary cleaning. I swallowed unintentionally as I stared at it and felt the sweat producing in my palms.
I can do this. Just cleaning up some regular old blood in a regular old spot on a regular old guy.
I snuck a glance upwards and noted that Itachi's glowering had somehow become more intense and Kisame's grin even more pointed.
"Kisame, what the heck are you smiling about. Poor Itachi is clearly in pain over here." I finally asked.
"Yes Kisame, please enlighten us," Itachi said very pointedly.
"I somehow doubt you're in pain, Uchiha," Kisame said knowingly. They must have had some sort of inside joke about their pain tolerances or something…
I couldn't listen to them squabble forever, I was just avoiding the inevitable. Taking the alcohol soaked cloth around my pointer finger, I slowly dipped it just along the inside of his pants and ran over the spot by his hip bone in a gentle scrubbing motion. When it was sufficiently cleaned, I found myself letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I quickly moved onto the salve, dabbing it as delicately as possible along the stitched area.
"I'm in agony, Kisame." Itachi elaborated coldly, his eyes intensely focused on sending daggers at Kisame who seemed to be enjoying himself. Kisame shifted his attention to me.
"Damn Izumi, your hands are so tiny. You're probably a lot gentler than me when it comes to putting that stuff on. Wouldn't you say, Itachi?" Kisame asked as I finished up, readying the bandages.
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Kisame. Your hands are plenty feminine and gentle."
I could see a vein pop in Kisame's forehead causing me to let out a snort.
"Please," I said, "the only thing delicate about Kisame is his ego apparently."
Now it was Kisame's turn to snort and oh did I relish the smirk on Itachi's face at my comment. I promptly told my brain to think of some more witty Kisame insults for later.
I finished setting up the bedding as Kisame wrapped Itachi in a long swath of bandage. There ended up being a couple feet in between all of us and I felt like that might be sufficient enough for me to fall asleep and not think about my criminally close proximity to the enigma which was Itachi Uchiha for the next 8 hours. Just the guy that seemed super sweet and caring but also tortured me and slaughtered his family. No big deal.
A/N: Ohhh poor Izumi. It's gonna be a loooong night :3 Why must I do these things to her?
