After a quick shower and a fresh set of clothes, I headed for the kitchen to see what this "very important" thing was. When I entered, I was surprised to see every member of Akatsuki—sans Pain and Konan—gathered around the bulky kitchen table.
I stifled a giggle when I noticed what they were doing. "You guys are really something else," I said, shaking my head in amusement.
"Aw come on Izumi, you know you wanna join. Get over here and choose your poison," Kisame offered with a devilish grin. I rolled my eyes but ultimately did as he suggested.
"Dammit, my bottle is running out," Kakuzu whined in a gruff tone as he grabbed a small bottle of dark green from the middle of the table where various colors of nail polish sat grouped together. I watched with a mild laughter resting behind my lips as the men chose their colors, tapping them roughly against their palm before unscrewing the brushes.
"I can't believe you guys all get together to paint your nails." A few smirks sprouted around the table while others grunted at my comment.
"She's got a point, why don't we play poker or something instead of this shit?" Hidan asked as he dragged dark green across his thumb nail, cursing it as it bled onto his skin. I mentally noted that he and Kakuzu used the same color which was cute since they never seemed to agree on anything else.
"That would require money," Kakuzu pointed out, clearly against the idea. Hidan glared at Kakuzu with a twitching eye.
"Yes, but that also means you can win money," Kisame commented. Kakuzu seemed to think about this.
"Oh shit, are we actually going to play poker?" Hidan asked in disbelief as he watched his partner give it some consideration. A few of the guys began discussing the logistics of playing after their nails were dry.
Why is this so adorable?
"Izumi, don't you want to paint yours?" Zetsu asked, looking at me with expectancy.
"There's none left," I noted.
"I'll share if you want red," he offered, his hand stretched out towards me with the dripping rouge brush between his fingers. I shook my head politely, "No thanks Zetsu, I don't think red really suits me." In reality I had recently spent too much time covered in red and I wasn't looking to be reminded of it in any way.
"I have black, un" Deidara offered with eyebrows raised in questioning. I pursed my lips pensively as I considered it.
I sighed before answering with a hopeless shrug, "So… don't make fun of me, but… I've never painted my nails before, and given the short list of things I excel at, I just don't imagine this to be one of them."
Sasori laughed lightly under his breath and I gave him a quizzical look before he elaborated, "The one person here who has never painted their nails also happens to be the only female present. I find that humorous."
"That's what I'm here for, good for a laugh at least." I said with a half smile and a full shrug.
"Okay, so you'll probably suck at it, no big deal. I can just do it for you," Deidara proposed, waving me over.
Kisame nodded towards Itachi, "Itachi has the steadiest hand with those eyes of his." Deidara grumbled lowly under his breath at the mention of Itachi.
"I mean, Deidara can do it if he wants, just as long as it's not Hidan," I joked as I glanced at Hidan who was hunched over closely to his hand, his tongue partially hanging out of his mouth in deep concentration, and his hand shakily dragging the polish across his nail.
"Sorry I'm not as good as these fucking losers," he retorted sarcastically before slamming his palm against the table and cursing again, claiming I messed him up.
"Hidan, stop shaking the table…" Itachi warned with a glare. I suppressed a laugh at Itachi's sudden annoyance. Apparently the man was deadly serious about his manicure.
"Whatever. I'm just trying to get this done so we can get to playing poker." Hidan grumbled as he continued painting haphazardly. "And Izumi, just so you know, I'm plenty good at other, much more important things." He tossed me a wink and a grin, his tongue sliding across the edge of his teeth.
Well that was forward, here in front of everyone, no big deal.
Before I could focus too much on it, I flinched as Deidara's hand against mine startled me. He smirked at my reaction before pulling the brush from the bottle and placing my palm flat against the table. The polish was cool against my nail, shining like black ice as it dragged across. It was only minutes before he finished, my nails painted for the first time.
"You like?" Deidara asked, taking my fingers and gently pulling them toward his mouth to blow against them. I prayed my face didn't betray me as I was having a somewhat hard time not showing how absolutely endearing he looked at that moment.
"I love, thanks Dei," I said, trying to control my smile from getting too big as he released my hands from his. I smiled down at them as I fanned out my fingers before me.
"It's like you're an official member now, un," he joked.
I gave a hefty snort at this. "Ah yes, the most powerful member of Akatsuki. Izumi."
"Hell yeah, she can make ramen that'll scald your skin off," Kisame added with a chortle, running dark purple across his thumb nail.
"Has a snorting-laugh so irritating, you'll want to tear your own ears off," Kakuzu Added.
"Hey," I scowled, but found myself quickly drowned out by other members adding to The Legend of Izumi.
"Footing so clumsy, she might trip into you," Deidara said.
"Head so oblivious, she'll miss every sexual innuendo." Sasori jabbed.
"Hey, I'm getting better at that one!" I cried as they continued on for a while.
Most of the guys had finished and were in the process of setting up for game night. It was kind of cute any time I would get a glimpse of them doing something relatively normal together. While some of them would pretend otherwise, there was still a human element to all of them despite the things they were capable of.
I went to work in the kitchen which was connected to the room they were in. Game night snacks seemed to be in order. I went about preparing a pork mixture for some fresh gyoza.
"Oi, Izumi. You ever had sake?" Hidan shouted at me from the table, a pink flush on his own face that let me know he had certainly been enjoying some sake himself. Looking about the table, they all seemed to be enjoying varying amounts of spirits.
"Take a wild guess," I called back over my shoulder with a shake of my head.
"What?! You need to at least try it, kid" Kisame insisted, somehow astounded by this. "You're 18, right? That's almost criminal!"
"Coming from a criminal, now that's cute," I admonished with a smile as I brought a plate of steaming gyoza over to the table.
"Aw c'mon Izumi, just try it, yeah?" Deidara prodded as he poured sake into a tiny saucer and pushed it towards me.
"I- I don't know. Is it going to make me act as stupid as you guys?" I asked hesitantly.
This got a good belly laugh from Kisame and a few other chuckles, even Itachi wore a small smile with his rosy cheeks. It was a good night after a good day, seeing everyone laughing and together. That's how I wanted to remember them, my whole experience. I had been dealing with a horrible pit in my stomach wondering how and when the curtain would come crashing down on the entire surreal experience. I made a mental note that I still had to at least tell Itachi about Aki and how he'd gotten ahold of my blood. I'd need to make sure I was around him if and when Orochimaru used that jutsu.
After some more jeers and general peer pressure, I gave in, taking the saucer in my hand and bringing it up to my nose. I had always been curious so honestly it didn't take much to convince me to give it a try.
"Don't smell it, you'll never try it if you smell it," Sasori advised. I was nervous to try it. I couldn't seem to just get it over with. It hovered in front of my lips for a long time as I worked up the nerve.
"Come on, don't be a pussy!" Hidan yelled. Apparently that was all the motivation I needed. Throwing it back as quickly as possible, my face twisted at the unfamiliar flavor filling my cheeks before gulping down the entirety of it.
"Blech…" I stuck my tongue out and shook my head with a shiver. Well, this just drew more jeering and laughter.
"Damn Izumi, you're supposed to sip it, not shoot it!" Deidara cried between laughs.
"Legend!" Kisame shouted with a bellowing laugh.
"I didn't know!" I said defensively. "Why wouldn't you tell me that first?!"
"Fuck, I'm glad we didn't," Hidan was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.
"Admittedly, it wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining," Itachi calmly noted, his eyes trained on me.
"I'm glad you guys enjoyed it…" I whined light-heartedly.
"I thought we were playing poker?" Kakuzu asserted with a clearing of his throat, clearly no longer amused. I looked around realizing I was all done cooking and serving and stood awkwardly for a moment before turning to leave.
"Izumi, you wanna learn the game?" Kisame asked with a pointy smile, waving me over. I stopped and looked back at him.
"Oh, that's okay, there aren't any more chairs anyway," I said with some disappointment.
"Come on," he pushed his chair away from the table and patted his lap. "Plenty of room."
I wasn't sure if I was just starved for social interaction after my years of isolation or if it was the sake, but I silently agreed with a subtle smile and a trot over to him. I felt absolutely miniscule on Kisame's lap, his cloak nearly devouring me whenever he reached for anything on the table. I sat to the side with my legs dangling over his thighs, kicking them in a rhythm as he explained the rules to me.
"Alright kid, you're in charge of my chips. Take good care of these," he said as he dropped a stack of small, colored disks in my hands. I quickly cupped them and held them against me to avoid dropping them in a clattering torrent which was, of course, always an option.
"So this is my hand, the game is part luck, part skill," Kisame began quietly explaining to me, bringing the cards in close to us. "Essentially, my cards need to be better than everyone else's. Even if they're not, sometimes you can bluff and get other people to fold, but it's a gamble. We don't know anyone else's cards until the end, so that's what makes it tricky. That's where you come in, you're gonna be my good luck charm, got it?" He smiled down at me with a chuckle.
I nodded with a smile. "Pretty sure I know how to help." He raised a brow at me curiously and I held my finger up, gesturing to give me a moment.
"Hey Itachi," I whispered, despite him sitting right next to Kisame and I. He looked over.
"What cards do you have?" I asked curiously.
The corners of his lips upturned slightly. "And what would someone such as yourself do with that information?"
"Nothing really, I mean… I'm not even playing," I shrugged, feigning innocence.
"Ah, very well, in that case I'll tell you. I have five aces," he admitted.
I turned back to Kisame, motioning for him to bring his ear close. "Itachi says he has five aces." Kisame threw his head back in a great laugh at this.
"Damn, Uchiha's got jokes tonight!" Kisame managed to get out through his laughs as Itachi's shoulders shook with quiet laughter to my left. They eventually explained to me that there were only 4 aces in a deck of cards and all I could do was muster a semi-dirty look in Itachi's direction.
"My apologies, I couldn't resist," he offered quietly but still with amusement. I noticed Deidara glowering across the table and I recalled his rivalry with Itachi. If I didn't have 0% confidence I would say he almost seemed… jealous?
The game went on with Kisame consulting me on whether he should "fold" or "call" each round. I quickly found out that "call" made the game more interesting for me so that became my answer every time.
"Hey, you're supposed to be my good luck charm," Kisame whined as he lost another hand. "Are you just saying 'call' every time?" he squinted at me accusingly. I shrugged with a guilty grin, my shoulders shaking with the giggles.
"You're the worst," he laughed before picking me up faster than I could protest. "I gotta take a leak, watch the kid for me," he announced, plopping me onto Itachi's lap before disappearing down the hall.
I froze for a moment as if he had just set me in the lap of a grizzly bear. I slowly, very slowly, turned to look up at Itachi with an expression that read "Is this okay?" but he wasn't even looking at me, he was staring intently at the cards he was just dealt. Of the little I knew about Itachi, I was aware that he was a very private person. This type of display, even if he didn't initiate it, even if it didn't really mean anything, as I had just been on Kisame's lap as well, I feared it would make him uncomfortable.
"So, fold or call?" he asked me quietly without taking his eyes from the cards. His other hand found a resting place on my thigh just above the knee, securing me in place on his lap.
Pshh, and you were worried.
Even though it was below the table, I was completely taken aback by the gesture. Was this the power of sake? I was glad I only drank the small amount I did, I didn't need anything helping me make a fool of myself. He asked me a question, right?
"C-call," I answered quietly, still looking at him. His eyes finally shifted to regard me, that shadow of smile creeping onto his face once more.
"You haven't even looked at my hand," he noted coolly, pausing for a moment before adding, "perhaps you are a good luck charm though." I looked at the cards and saw he had something Kisame had referred to as a 'Royal Flush', which apparently was an automatic win. I don't know.
"Just not for Kisame I guess," I said with a hushed laugh.
"Lucky for me," Itachi agreed.
His hand on my legs seemed to take the opportunity to pull me in closer but it was barely noticeable, I couldn't be certain if it was wishful thinking or not. I kept my face down in the hopes that he wouldn't notice how flushed I had become, though that didn't protect me from the rest of the table. I glanced around to see Deidara staring intensely at his cards with a gloomy expression and Sasori giving me a knowing look and a small smile.
Let's gloss right over that, shall we?
It was then that something hit me, a scent, and a very particular one at that. I suddenly felt short of breath, my body stiffening as I frantically searched for the stench. I quickly honed in on Kakuzu. His mask was pulled down around his neck and a large, smoking cigar was clenched neatly between his lips. The smell made my stomach turn and my mind churn with images of Gorzo's twisted face and for a split second I swore I felt his hands on me.
My body became unbearably hot as I attempted to breathe in deeply but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to catch my breath. Itachi suddenly removed his hand from my leg which had been the only thing making me feel grounded.
In the midst of the overwhelming fragrance and the absence of Itachi holding me in place, I felt light-headed, like I might float away or fall over, I wasn't sure which one. My hands instinctively grabbed at the fabric of Itachi's pants to keep myself upright, head spinning from the fumes as I tried desperately to gain control of my shallow breathing and whatever manic look was taking over my face.
What the hell is wrong with you?
"Izumi…" Itachi spoke quietly as he had been before. To anyone else it would have appeared like we were still discussing his hand.
"Hm?" I managed to respond without looking, worried any more would alert him to the tremor in my voice.
"Have I made you uncomfortable?" He asked hesitantly, his voice even quieter.
"No," I denied quickly with a shake of my head. I could feel his eyes on me.
"You're trembling," he whispered, though the obvious underlying question of "why" was there. I felt so stupid that I couldn't bring myself to answer without bursting into tears, and I did not want to make a scene. What was happening to me? Why was my body having such a visceral reaction to such a thing? I knew logically it was only Kakuzu and not Gorzo.
"I'm fine," I lied with an attempted smile and eyes welling up against my will. They darted across the room and I was relieved to see most people were focused on the game, all except Hidan who I was alarmed to find trained on me sharply. I couldn't read his expression, it was devoid of its usual humor which was oddly disconcerting. There was a certain seriousness about him and his eyes traveled from me to Kakuzu and back to me, his head cocking just slightly. He looked back at Kakuzu.
"Oi, Kakuzu. Put that thing out, it smells like ass." Hidan whined with a sudden boisterousness, waving the air in front of him.
Kakuzu inhaled deeply and blew a long, deliberate plume of smoke in Hidan's face. I silently gasped for breath as I watched the billowing cloud swirl around, my fingers inadvertently squeezing harder at the fabric between them.
"No." Kakuzu followed up flatly.
"I swear to fucking God," Hidan started in but Kakuzu cut him off.
"I'm not in the mood for your empty death threats. It's never bothered you before so just deal with it." Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at his partner as he continued to puff on the cigar.
"Well it's bothering me now." Hidan complained with a growl as he jolted forward, snatching the cigar straight out of Kakuzu's mouth and tossing it over his shoulder all in one fluid motion. It landed in the sink with a fizzle before floating to the top of the water next to the soaking dishes.
Hidan smiled arrogantly at Kakuzu whose eyes had become dagger points.
"Hidan… do you know how expensive that was?" Kakuzu's low, gravelly voice was coated with a thick layer of irritation.
"Yeah, yeah, take it out of my next earnings, like I give a fuck." Hidan waved him off and went back to staring at his cards, tipping back dangerously in his chair as he surveyed them with a smartass look on his face.
The disturbing scent still lingered in the air, though as the smoke dissipated I felt the tightness in my chest ease just slightly. I couldn't take my eyes off Hidan who glanced up, but not at me. Did he really piece that together? He and Itachi seemed to exchange a look, Hidan's head nodding to the side in what seemed like a gesture to the common room. I couldn't see Itachi's reaction if there was any, but only a short moment later his hand returned to its position above my knee.
"I fold," Itachi said, placing his cards face down on the table. "I think that will be it for me this evening," he expressed to the group before speaking to me directly. "Izumi, you should turn in as well. We have another seal-breaking session tomorrow morning." The hand resting on my leg gave a small, reassuring pat. I felt less panicked than before but was still trying to regain my breath and break myself of the tremor that ran through my hands when they weren't squeezing the hell out of Itachi's pants. I quickly realized what I had been doing and released my grip at once.
"Aw come on, you're done already Itachi?" Kisame teased as he sauntered back in while we were getting up. Itachi gave him a small nod as Kisame returned to his spot at the table where the rest of the guys picked up the game again. Looking back over my shoulder I noticed Deidara watching Itachi and I leave with a scowl tugging at the corners of his mouth. Maybe he was jealous. I didn't have the mental energy to think about that too.
"Follow me," Itachi said to me from over his shoulder as he continued through the common room and down the hallway. Through my light-headedness I followed Itachi with a swaying, wobbly gait down several halls before he stopped at a door, opening it and ushering me inside.
A/N: OOOooOooOoooOoh Izumi and Itachi alone in his bedroom together? Well, they're both quite responsible... I'm sure nothing will happen... :3
