Himari started keeping a journal so when she wrote a small letter for Itachi - one about every other week, sometimes every two - she had more details for him that he might enjoy. She figured when he passed through he couldn't stop either due to urgency of his tasks - whatever they might be - or because he was worried he'd stay too long. She began, naturally, wondering more and more what he did. Himari told herself he was likely part of an undercover or covert ninja operations group and wouldn't be able to settle down or reveal much for a long, long time.

It seemed Itachi stopped by with something about once a month, but things would be moved or changed in between those times. She figured he might have friends or colleagues who would stop by too, as sometimes there was simply a new letter or two, or her letters were entirely gone, in between those one month marks.

Five months passed before she saw Itachi again. In that time, she received a book about art in the land of sands, a beautiful multi-colored stone with intricate carvings, a small box of foreign tea leaves, and a small bundle of gorgeous dark purple thread. It was silky and glorious, and she had plans to use it as an accent in a work of embroidery of hers. Itachi must have noticed that craft as well in her collage of a work room.

She also received three letters - they were typically short and sweet, but he always mentioned he was well, he thinks of her regularly, and he loves her. Her letters to him typically included broad happenings in the area, any changes or events in her life, and her plans for the following month or two. She was sure it was mundane but it was the thought that counts, right? She also always let him know how she was, that she misses him, and she loves him.

When the trees were blooming and the Earth was waking up, Himari was busy helping people along the outskirts of the village with getting their homes and yards ready for spring. She spent most of one day on the roof of someone's home cleaning off a lot of debris that had been frozen on during winter and was stubborn to fall with the thaw, and helped clear brush out of someone's yard. She walked home after hours of work and saw someone sitting on her front porch. He smiled at her as she approached and stood up, arms spread out.

"Itachi!" Himari yelled, running and hugging him. "Welcome back!"

He hugged her tight, then gave her a kiss. "Missed you. Why are you so dirty?" he asked.

"Wow. Not, 'Oh you're so beautiful,' or, 'You're amazing!,' but saying I'm dirty? Rude," she giggled. "I was on a roof half of the day, and cleaning up someone's yard the other half of the day. I need a shower. You probably do too," she winked.

After cleaning up, then getting dirty again, then clean again… They were settled back into their usual: cuddling, sipping tea, and chatting. Itachi started into a coughing fit that began normally, but eventually turned into something deep and harsh sounding.

"Itachi," Himari said, taking his tea and setting it down to avoid spilling. "Are you okay?" she asked, after he had stopped coughing.

He nodded. "Yeah, I had bronchitis for a bit. Still have a cough sometimes," he said.

"Okay, let me get some medicine just to help with the inflammation and mucus…" she said. She returned with medicine, which he reluctantly took, making a face. He had fits a few more times during this visit but nothing debilitating, so Himari believed he was on the up-and-up.

A few days later, Himari had roped Itachi into helping her get her garden ready for planting and they took a break. Sitting down with some water, she looked at him sternly. "Itachi, I've thought a lot about what it is that you might do. Why you travel. I'm assuming you're probably some sort of a covert ninja operative. Is that in the right ballpark?" she asked.

He looked a bit concerned at first, as she had never been nosy or questioning about what he presently did. They only ever spoke of generalizations of the past - both of them didn't have families after a certain point, as she grew up orphaned at a group home in Konoha - and their rough plans for the future. Eventually he took a breath and looked at the ground.

"That's a good way to put it," he nodded. "I have to leave tomorrow. I'm not sure… how long for," he said hesitantly. "I guess now is as good a time as any to give you more details."

He began with explaining in vague terms that he was, indeed, a covert ninja of sorts. The details of his mission and plans weren't mentioned at first. But he steeled himself. "If you want to know, I have something very unsavory about my past that you might not care for," he warned.

Himari shrugged. "I'm curious, so I'd like to know. Worst comes to worst, you're leaving tomorrow, right?" she sighed.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he said. He told her the story that most everyone in the village was familiar with - the mass murder of his family. She only knew vague parts of the story, not even the full name of the killer, as she didn't stay in the academy for long. She kept a straight face as he told her everything.

"Why did you kill them?" she asked, deadpanned.

"Because I had to."

"Why did you have to?"

He paused. "It's complicated."

"Try me," she said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

After a long explanation about the corruption of Konoha and the complexities of allies and enemies, he looked back at her.

"So what are you planning now?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Why do you think I'm planning something?" he countered.

"Because, if what you're telling me is true, there are still problems that probably need solved. Some of the people in your story are still alive. Plus, if you're telling me this now, I'm concerned you think you might not be coming back this time," she spat out. "I'm not dumb, so don't speak vaguely. Just tell me. Go all in, or don't at all."

He sighed. "First, I'm sick," he said. "My cough. It's just going to get worse. And my eyesight is deteriorating - my special jutsu, it's tearing my body apart," he said. "Second, I have to fight someone. Someone who will probably kill me. But regardless of if they kill me or not, someone else probably will, and it'll probably be soon."

Himari just looked at him. "You're seriously expecting to die this time?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Unfortunately, I am very serious. I am heading out with the expectation that I will."

She stood up, pacing. "How long have you expected this to be the plan? We first met, what - about a year ago? This isn't something that suddenly happens," she said in a clipped manner.

Itachi continued looking at the floor. "It's… a lot. I didn't know many concrete things until recently. But I've always known someday I'll probably be killed before I could be an old man."

Himari stopped, staring at him. "So you continued investing in me, knowing you'd probably never be able to settle or do anything?" she asked, teary eyed. "It's beyond shitty to do that when we could've cut things off so easily. Did you just want to take advantage of my feelings?"

He put his face in his hands. "No, it… I didn't think I'd be capable of anything… good. I couldn't help myself coming back. Maybe I just wanted to lie to myself that maybe it could happen. It wasn't malicious."

She sat back down, not touching him, tears beginning to fall. "So you're leaving tomorrow to die, and that's it. I won't see you ever again."

Itachi was shaking slightly. "Yeah."

After a few moments, they came back together, a teary bundle cuddled together. They spent some time mourning the inevitable death of 'them,' eventually calming themselves the best as they could as they came to terms with reality. The rest of the night was spent together in love, as they stayed up as late as possible making love and enjoying each other for the last time.