"Who is this guy?" Deidara slammed his palms against the wood as he yelled across the meeting table, at which the rest of Akatsuki were seated as well. I stood outside of the door listening intently with my right ear against the grainy wood and a tray of food in my hands.

Pain spoke first, "Zetsu is out right now gathering information. There is nothing more we can do at the moment but wait."

"Why the fuck do we care who this guy is anyway?" Hidan scoffed while leaning back in his chair, his hands meshed together behind his head.

"He seems to be after Izumi," Sasori stated dully without even looking at Hidan.

"So? Maybe he'll take her off our hands, he'd be doing us a fucking favor."

Hidan's comment prompted an uproar amongst the men as all of them began to speak at once.

"She may be useful in achieving our goals, don't forget we need her to lead us to the spring so we can acquire the Ten'yo nature manipulation abilities," Pain said more quietly than Deidara who was yelling profanities.

"She has been nothing but subordinate and helpful around the base, I see no reason for the animosity." Sasori remained calm even amongst the yelling.

Kisame nodded in agreement before putting in his two cents, "Yeah, and I would miss the little bugger if she left, and I think all of us would miss her cooking."

"Alright alright, calm the fuck down. I didn't realize I was attending the goddamn Izumi Fan Club meeting is all. Fuck me I guess," Hidan said with a shrug and an eyeroll.

For the next several minutes they discussed what was to be done with me, finally deciding that I should be watched at all times when off of base grounds and traded off between groups while on missions so I would be able to see the world in order to potentially jog a memory of the spring location. That, on top of Itachi's training, would hopefully get me to remember something.

"Does that sound reasonable to you, Izumi?" Pain called from inside.

"Shit…" I mumbled under my breath. Of course he could sense me. Eavesdropping in that place without being caught was next to impossible.

"Eh heh heh, I don't know what you're talking about Pain-sama," I smiled fakely while entering the room. Most everyone's eyes lit up a little when they saw the huge tray of chicken katsu and vegetable tempura in my hands.

"Drop the act, I know you were listening," Pain said as he looked at me stoically. He never did appreciate humor.

My smile dropped into nothing. "Yeah, it sounds fine," I agreed while setting the tray down on the middle of the table and sliding each person other than Sasori a small plate.

"This smells great," Kisame exclaimed while wafting the scent into his nostrils.

"Mm," Kakuzu agreed quietly.

"Thank you, Izumi," Itachi was the only one to actually thank me, even though he hadn't even touched his food yet.

I smiled and nodded before leaving the room. The door shut softly behind me and I made my way down the hallway, wondering to myself with whom and where I would be going next. A minor stinging sensation brewed behind my eyes. I blinked hard several times but it only got worse.

My vision began to blur as I staggered down the hallway, leaning against the wall with my shoulder. The pain buzzed loudly in my head, spreading from behind my eyes to my temples and the back of my cranium. It was like a scratching inside my skull, cockroaches running across the surface of my brain and laying eggs in every fold.

"Ah…" I sputtered out a low moan as I dropped to my knees and clutched my head tightly, nearly ripping my hair out by the roots. It was driving me mad. I gripped my head even tighter as I fell onto my side and pleaded quietly and desperately, "stop… please stop… stop…" The agony welled up in my throat as if to spit it out, however my mouth opened only to eject nothing but silent scream.

"What the fuck are you doing on the ground?"

The voice came at me from the end of the hall but I could barely make it out over the piercing buzz within my skull. I writhed on the floor with my teeth gritted as hard as I could, my hands squeezing tight around my head like a vice grip as if it would explode had I not held it together.

"Oi, I'm talking to you," Hidan said loudly as he made his way towards me.

"Please," I cried quietly as I rocked in a fetal position.

"Oi, Izumi," Hidan said while snapping like he was trying to get the attention of a dog as he stood over me. I felt his hand pull at my arm in order to see my face. He looked down at me confused as my eyes glazed over.

"What the fuck's going on?" He demanded in frustration.

It wouldn't stop. I wanted so badly for it to stop, so badly that I would have died for it. My body ran cold and began to quiver with pain. I didn't think it possible for the ringing to become any louder, but it did. I clutched Hidan's cloak as hard as I could in an attempt to ease the pain. My other hand scratched desperately at the back of my scalp.

"Knock it the fuck off!" Hidan yelled as he grabbed my wrist and brought my hand away from me. Blood stained the tips of my fingers and pooled under my nails. Some drops flew from my hands as they shook violently. I stared at them wide-eyed before clenching my eyes shut as the pain erupted within my skull with even greater intensity.

"Make it stop, please!" I cried out as tears sprang from the corners of my eyes. I didn't notice the thick warm liquid that began to pour from my nostril until it hit my mouth, the taste of blood assaulting my tongue. My vision was too blurry for me to see anything, but I felt myself being pulled into Hidan's chest. I took comfort in his warmth and firm grip. His forearms were tight against my back and his chin rested heavy on my bloodied head.

"Jashin, what a fuckin' mess," I heard him murmur under his breath as he tightened his grip on me even more as he lifted me up. I breathed heavily against his chest through my gnashing teeth.

"What the hell?" Deidara's voice sounded distantly down the hall. I felt the warmth retreat and any comfort leave my bones as I was dumped back onto the ground to hug myself.

"The hell did you do to her?!" Deidara yelled, closer this time.

"I didn't do anything, I fucking found her like this!" Hidan roared back while grabbing the handle of his scythe. Deidara's hand dug into his bag of clay as he glared hard at Hidan.

"You're gonna get it you religious fucking nutjob!" Deidara yelled as he opened his mouth-clad palms.

"You son of a bitch, Jashin will have you for that!" His scythe clanked against the ground, Hidan moving one foot back into a fighting stance. Just as they were about to clash, they froze. Itachi walked between them slowly, glancing at each one only briefly with his mangekyo sharingan eyes.

They stood down as he passed between them and stood before me. He kneeled down to one knee and looked into my eyes, red from tears, and my pain receded.

I sat peacefully in a meadow filled with flowers, my legs crossed and my hands resting gently in my lap. Vibrant blues, purples, and yellows astounded my eyes. The scent of freshly pollinated plants drifted throughout the air and tickled my senses. I sneezed, my head feeling cleared afterwards. Itachi sat across from me cross-legged. He looked at me with a passive expression, examining my movements.

I looked back and cocked my head, a look of curiosity washing over my face. I turned my attention to the right as a sudden movement captivated me. A beautiful red flower began growing before my eyes. Its stem sprouted upwards in a wavy fashion while its leaves uncurled whimsically. It grew to my eye level before its petals began spiraling outwards beautifully. I looked at it in wonder and rubbed one of its petals lightly between my fingertips to see if it was real. A small smile grew on my face, mirroring the sudden flourish of the blood-red blossom. I looked at Itachi and understood this was his illusion.

My mind awoke first, allowing my body to come soon after. I felt myself sinking into the comfort of a bed, silken sheets draped over my body. The sound of someone walking down the hall entered my ears before the doorknob could be heard turning. My eyes remained closed as I waited to hear who it was. There was a heavy silence in the room after the door shut. I was in Itachi's room.

My eyelids pulled back slowly, allowing me to take in my surroundings. Only one lamp was lit in the corner of the room. Itachi's cloak hung over it, giving the area a veil of shadows and just enough light to make out basic shapes and minor details. As far as I could tell, it was just as clean and organized as I had remembered. My eyes scanned the room leisurely before connecting with Itachi's. He was standing next to the door looking down at me. His eyes were somber and black, it was as if I was staring into a mirror.

"Thank you," I said quietly. I knew he had used his sharingan to save me from the pain or whatever that was. He broke his gaze and stepped towards the lamp, removing the hanging cloak. The shadows retreated in an instant and he set the garment atop his dresser before moving towards the bed that I occupied. It sunk beneath his weight as he sat on the edge and peered down at me from behind the few strands of hair that fell into his face.

"I want you to tell me what happened," he requested more softly than expected.

I looked at him and hesitated. I wasn't really sure what happened. The only thing I was sure of was the pain.

"I don't know why it started. But this pain just kind of erupted in my head. It was like bugs crawling inside my skull. And the noise… it was this ear-piercing buzzing sound that wouldn't go away. It was making me go crazy..." I quietly explained as best I could.

"You don't have any health conditions that could cause that?"

I shook my head, "No, I don't think so."

"Do you know anyone that would want to hurt you? I only ask because it sounds very similar to a forbidden jutsu that uses a piece of someone to cast pain onto them from a great distance away."

I sat in silence as a memory hit me like a ton of bricks. That day in the spring, the man who had been watching me.

"What?" Itachi prompted, seeing my sudden remembrance translate through my eyes.

"The man, the one who's been following me!" I exclaimed as I sat up quickly and threw my arms in the air. "He touched me that day in the spring, he um... well he ran his hand through my hair."

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I-I don't know, I didn't think it was important… I'm sorry," I averted my eyes downwards and stared hard at the sheets. My eyes shot up jumpily as I felt a weight on my shoulder. Itachi looked at me intensely. I felt as though I couldn't move, his heavy hand keeping me in place.

"Don't feel sorry, I'm just trying to protect you," he poked my forehead roughly with two fingers before standing abruptly and leaving the room. I sat there in silence, examining what had just happened. I felt inexplicably warm inside, not my usual sweaty palms.

I listened carefully to the voices that murmured outside.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes."

The doorknob jiggled and the door wheezed open. A blond curtain of hair pulled across the room and over to the bed. He quickly took Itachi's previous spot at the edge.

"You okay, Izumi?" Deidara asked as he placed the back of his hand on my forehead. "You're not so feverish anymore, un," he said with some relief before letting me answer.

"I'm alright," I smiled to make my words seem real. He asked what had happened and I explained it just as I had to Itachi. By the time I finished telling him everything, including what Itachi had to say about it, his expression had grown distressed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked away before looking back at me.

"Nothing," he said bluntly. I stared at him for a moment before noticing he wasn't wearing his scope.

"Where's your eye thing?"

"I didn't wear it," He answered shortly.

"Why not?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Because I didn't want to, un," he said almost defensively. I brushed his hair away and stared at him.

"Is there something wrong, Deidara?" I asked hesitantly, unsure as to why he was suddenly being so curt with me.

"There's nothing wrong" He snapped back. I jerked my hand back and held it against my chest as he stood abruptly so that he towered over me. I shrunk at his intimidating demeanor, gripping my own wrist even tighter against me. His angered expression dropped and he sat back down, taking my shoulders in his arms.

"Izumi I'm not trying to be an ass, un…"

"So what are you trying to be?" I asked, completely bewildered by his outburst. He stared into my eyes for a long moment before letting out a pained sigh.

"Just forget it," he spat as he stood suddenly and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I furrowed my eyebrows together in frustration. And people say girls are difficult to understand. What did I do to him?

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