"I'll be back in a few days, I'm heading out to Konoha, i'm a bit curious..." Chise opened the door to head out, pausing momentarily, "I heard what happened with the Snake man and what he did, I want to see if they need help" she sighed as she looked at the two girls sadly, "Well i'll be leaving, take care of the place while i'm gone, okay?" even though she would miss the girls she was quite excited, she would be able to journey!

The oldest of the two girls bowed to Chise, smiling lovingly, "yes master Chise, be safe" her lovely blue eyes shined with a little sadness, she knew her master would be gone for weeks, or even months. Her sensei tended to be rather eratic and spontaneous, though it was rare for her to be gone for more than a day.

The smallest girl peeked from behind the oldest, "Bye obachan, i hope you return soon!" the girl waved at her oba chan with a wide cheerful smile, it warmed Chise.

'What adorable girls i have' she internally squealed as she finally left, bag at her side.

G.G. closed the door and went to the kitchen, she was feeling hungry and knew that they had to feed themselves or Chise would become a worried mess. Opening the refrigerator she saw that it was mostly empty, only a cartoon of milk and some fruits were inside. This was not enough for both of them, the little girl would need more than this simple food. She noticed a piece of paper pinned to the cabinet doors, she yanked the paper and read it, it was a groceries list. It seemed Chise had planned to go shopping but forgot before she left.

"I neeed to shop for all of this, but it's so much stuff" she turned the paper to find more things written ,"its waay too much for Arisu to carry" and i'm not to keen on leaving her alone in the house

'Well... it is a thirty minute walk" She pressed her fist on her chin thinking, 'it's a short walk, i think she'll be okay'

"Arisu, I'll be gone for a couple of minutes, will you be okay by yourself" G.G. asked bending eye level to the child. She stared up at her with a bright smile, yup! i'll be okay G.G. neesan!"

G.G. sighed in relief, petting the little girl who continued to draw she stood up and headed. Locking the door behind her just in case, she didn't trust anyone around here and she was certain the girl would be gullible to let anyone in. The windows were locked from the inside so the little girl could climb in and out anytime she wanted, though she was smart enough to know to only leave in an emergency.

'will she really be okay by herself? she's a smart kid' G.G. thought to herself, 'she's a trustworthy kid... she'll be fine' she continued through the forest towards the main village, it was a plain looking village, but it had a vast majority of markets considering they were close to the ocean.

Not far from her house in the opposite direction were two gentlemen, cloaks covered them from nose to toes, red clouds pattern on the cloaks contrasting well with the black of the material. The tallest of the two turned to face his partner, as always he was unable to decipher what the younger male thought.

"I'll be gone for a few days, i have some business to take care of" he saw no flicker of change in his expression, "when i return we can retrieve the jinchuuriki brat" Kisame informed Itachi who was still very impassive.

"Very well" Itachi spoke, voice soft and smooth, "I'llbe in an inn" Itachi turned heading opposite of Kisame who just watched the raven haired male go. Despite the years he had been partners with the young Uchiha he still had no idea what was going on in his head. He walked the path of the direction he needed to proceed in.

Arisu sat up in pride as she looked at her finished art, it wasn't bad at all. Stretching she saw a familiar item limp on the floor, looking again she realized it wad her onee Chan's wallet.

"Oh no she forgot her wallet" Arisu tried to keep her frown but just the image of her anxious sister figure freaking out made her giggle a bit. Sliding the wallet into her pocket Arisu headed out, she remembered the route to the village and the frequent shops G.G. usually attended when shopping. She closed the door carefully as she left the house following the dirt road lost in yer thoughts.

"Waah-"a strangled yelp left the girl as she was fell hard on the floor, she rubbed her reddened nose with a small pout. "Ouch that hurt" she felt tears slip down her face, "are you Okay?" Arisu looked up at the person she bumped into.

Tall, dark and handsome. A good combination the girl admired, especially the obsidian eyes that hid many secrets,'cool~' was the only thought running in the girl's mind.

"Take me to G.G." she demanded pulling out the wallet and thrusting it to Itachi's face, he was confused and amused by the girl. Her demanding nature and boldness reminded him of his own little brother.

Lifting the young girl he tucked her inside his cloak, "very well, where is this G.G." Itachi asked seeing the beaming girl, "she's in the village, she forgot the wallet again so i brought it with me!"

"What a kind girl helping out her... Sister out" the girl grinned leaning into his chest, "I know!" she snuggled back at the warmth of Itachi.

"Dammit all to hell'' G.G. cursed leaning on the wall miserably hoping to hide behind the comfort of the wall. She again had the misfortune of leaving her wallet at home, oh how embarrased she was keeping the line full as she struggled to find her wallet.

Her negative thoughts halted as she heard the childish voice yelling, "SENPAI!"turning her body around she froze at the sight in front of her. A happy Arisu waving her wallet around carried by someone.

A stranger.

A very dangerous stranger. Holding her dear sister in his arms, G.G. Narrowed her eyes.

She stalked over to the two with a vicious glare at the male holding Arisu, who had stopped waving the wallet around seeing her sensei's expression, her usual vibrant eyes dark with anger. "G.G. senpai guess what!" she said once G.G. was close enough hoping to dissipate her rage, "I brought your wallet with the help of Itachi niisan!"

G.G. eyes widened considerably at the name that came out from Arisu's mouth, she took a step closer ready to snatch Arisu from Itachi.'Itachi Uchiha... He's from the Akatsuki" she thought darkly, 'I don't know what he's planning but it can't be good!'

"Oww oww! Arisu let go of my hair!" G.G. tried prying off Arisu's fist from her hair, flinching as the girl gave a hard yank.

"Senpai you're having bad thoughts of Itachi," she pouted at her in disappointment, "Chise obachan said to be nice to those who help us!"

G.G. looked away," You're right" she muttered. She knes she was overacting and rumors about the male weren't true... Probably.

"Hey" she took Arisu from Itachi and set her loose on the floor, she clung to G.G. smiling between the two, "would you like to come to our house for dinner" she asked with faintly pink cheeks.

Itachi gave a faint smile clearly amused by the whole situation, "thank you very much" he said accepting the invitation to home cook meal, something he hadn't had in a very long time.

A deep blush spread on G.G.'s pretty face, she willed it to go away and headed back into the shop not letting go to Arisu. Luckily the owner kept her bag food aside she she didn't have to search again for the food. Taking the wallet from Arisu she paid the owner, smiling as she did so. She struggled to carry the heavy bags but failed as it was too heavy for her, she did give Arisu the smallest bag.

She was surprised when someone took most of the bags from her hands, she turned to see it was Itachi. He had the same kind smile he had before, "thanks" 'damn he's so handsome' she cursed in her mind as she was not accustomed to good looking men.

They walked in silence, as there was too many jumbled thoughts in G.G. and Itachi was quiet by Nature. Arisu was lost in concentration at carrying the bag that seemed a little heavier than she was used to. G. her throat halfway towards her home.

"Sorry..." she whispered quietly, Itachi looked her way, "it's no trouble"

Once they got home they packaged the groceries into the fridge, it had been half empty, hopefully this food would last two months. She ushered the other two into the living room as she began to cook for, "what should i make" she tapped her chin, "something simple and filling, maybe Curry?" she riffled through the fridge for the ingredients, she just wanted to eat but didn't want to put too much effort in the meal.

"I'll making dinner" G.G. peeked out to the living room, "keep yourself busy and please don't make a mess" Arisu gave her a thumbs up, The blue eyes adolescent returned to the duty of cooking.

Arisu scampered happily to Itachi, who sat in the couch comfortably with his cloak open, clutching her drawing to her chest to show off her art. "Look Itachi what i drew!" she thrust the page to Itachi's hand, it was a drawing of mountains and a sun. Cheap crayons were the tools, as most of the shading was very messy and it looked as the girl had to push hard on the paper.

Itachi smiled placing a hand on her head, "this is very good, You're very talented" Arisu beamed proudly at her work.

"Thank you! It's where senpai went!" she pointed at the smallest mountain, "i got really sick one time and so she had to go there for medicine"

"She had cuts all over her face and clothes" Arisu could remember through blurry thoughts the taste of bitter medicine down her throat and comforting words. "I was sick for a long time but senpai stayed with me till i got better, she got sick too after i was better"

"Senpai is the bestest!" arisu grinned her light brown eyes shining with happiness.

G.G. smiled as she heard the cheerful compliment, "I bet she is" her smile fell a little as she heard the other speak.

"Guys dinner is ready" she said coming out of thr kitchen, a ladel losely held in her hand. Both Itachi and Arisu followed the dark haired female to the kitchen, smelling the spicy sweet meal.

Arisu climbed up the chair with a bit of struggle, her mouth watering as she stared at the food befors her. "Senpai this looks delicious!" grabbing a spoon she began to consume the food.

"Thank you" she smiled as she too began to eat, taking small bites. "So how long will you be here, are you leaving after dinner or..."

"Yes, I'll be heading out after i clean my dish" Itachi leaned back on his chair as he ate.

"What no way!" arisu whined slamming the spoon on the table, "why can't Itachi stay here!"

"Well because-" G.G. glanced at Itachi who was focused on his meal, "It's not proper for a guy to stay alone with two girls"

"Who says!" the young girl crossed her arms

"Chise obachan said so and whatever she says we follow"

"You didn't listen to her when you sneaked out at night to go vegetable picking and almost broke your leg"

"That's different! I was a kid when that happened, I'm a woman now and a woman and man can't be in the same place until they're married" G.G. explained to the child who had her eyebrowd furrowed.

"Oh"

G.G. cheered in triumphant, she hoped that dinner would soon end so the handsome male would go. Despite him being courteous and kind she still didn't trust him, what if the rumors were true? Would she endanger herself and Arisu? Was it worth the risk?

"Then why don't you marry him?" arisu asked innocently, G.G. choked and began to cough. "T-that is not possible!"

"Why not!"

"Because i barely know him, I won't marry a guy i just met, let alone don't trust" the blue eyed girl stood picking up the plate, "if he wants he could stay the night but that is it"

Arisu stuck out her tongue at her and slurped down the food making a mess not only on herself but on the table as well. G.G. sighed seeing what the girl did, she grabbed a rag to clean up the mess but felt it tugged off her fingers.

"I'll clean the table, you can clean up Arisu" Itachi looked into her eyes, they were smoldering, it held so much depth and hidden emotions.

"Fine" she turned away from him and picked up the pouting child, kissing the top of her head, "come on" the child stopped struggling and let the older female take her to the bathroom where they both stripped. It was tough and exhausting but she managed to properly wash and clean the now sleepy girl, her usually tied up dark brown hair was loose on her shoulders.

"Senpai I'm not sleepy" the girl muttered, slurring her words. G.G. presses the girl closer to her chest. In a few seconds Arisu was limp, asleep in her made the process of putting her to sleep easier, after tucking her into bed she changed into her pajamas.

"Sweet dreams Arisu" she whispered closing the door gently behind her, "now to finish washing the dishes and i can go to sleep! Wait i have to fix the couch for Itachi"

Entering the kitchen she was surprised to find Itachi washing the dishes, his back was facing her but she could see that he was washing diligently. His sleeves rolled up to his forearm showing his slender but muscular arms, his hair was loose on his back, it was so silky G.G. wanted to pet it.

"You're helping" G.G. stated dumbly as she approached the male.

"Yes, I don't want to be useless while you graciously offered your home for the night," Itachi grabbed the wet dishes and began to dry them, "you don't really have to, i mean it's not too much work. You can go sleep in the couch"

G.G. grabbed the wet plates taking the spot next to him and began to wash the left over utensils, "besides it seems you dislike me"

"I don't dislike you," she handed him the knife, "You're a stranger eating in my home, and you know what they say about you, I'm skeptical"

"If i was you i would feel the same way, a man comes into your home. He eats with you and helps you clean, you don't know if he's a monster"

G.G. stared at him with a confused and slightly concerned expression, he sounded so sorrowful, so lonely. It made her heartache. His face didn't help much, it looked so worn and torn.

"Look i don't think of you as a bad guy, I don't even know anything about you" she pushed her bangs back from her face, "it's just the things i hear about the group you are in"

"Well what you hear isn't exactly a lie" Itachi paused, "I'm the monster everyone hates"

"I abandoned my village and done a lot of horrible things to the people i care about" he closed his eyes looking rather pained.

G.G. passed him the final dish, "okay follow me" G.G. wiped her hands on her shirt as she walked out of the kitchen, "i want to show you something"

Entering her bedroom the young female kneeled by the end of the mattress and pulled out a silver locked box, unlocking easily with the key necklace. She pulled out the contents with a nostalgic smile, "this is my special box, my obachan gave it to me when i was young... She told me to keep my dearest things inside"

She fisted the items and held it close to herself, " though so far i only have two things so far"

She opened her hand showing the two rings, both were very plain. One was slightly bigger than the other with a cut diamond and a silver band, the other was a match.

"They're the only things i have that connect to my childhood," she inhaled sharply, " these are my parents rings, it was the only thing they could afford... They didn't care though, they loved each other dearly"

"M-my mom accepted my dad's past and who he was or more like who his family was. She knew what her future would become if she stayed by his side but she took the risk"

G.G. cleared her throat as she held in the tears, "like you my dad was always alone, he tried to keep others away because of the 'curse', he suffered so much," she wiped her face furiously.

"My parents sacrificed themselves for my sake and were tormented daily because of it, and even though these rings hold so many happy memories" she placed the rings back into the box closing. "It hurts so much to look at it, it makes me feel like im just a pathetic girl, always wondering what would it be if they didn't keep it all bottled up. Would i be able to save them from their darkness?"

Sasuke's face flashed before his eyes, he knew her feeling. Knowing her lost and constantly questioning himself, if he had done the right thing not only for himself but for Sasuke as well.

"I'm sorry" G.G. stood up quickly, tears running down her cheeks eyes swollen and pink. "This must have brought back sad memories"

"B-but you can't forget them, they're important even if they hurt, even if it's unbearable"

"Obachan helped me mourn and make peace of most of my past, she helped me move on" she sniffed, "she became my anchor and my family, she's the only thing i have close to a mother"

"I'm sorry i cried so much" she looked down stsring at the wood floors that she and her obachan nailed down. "It's just... When i look at you i could see the grief in your eyes, they were so similar mine"

"I don't know anything about your past and i really suck at comforting others but you can rely on me, you don't have to face whatever skeleton in your closet alone. I could be a kind of friend and you could be mine"

' I'm always on yours and Sasuke's side no matter what' his mother's sweet words blossomed in his mind, gentle and kind. It was the only time he allowed to feel like he was a child, all the burden he ever felt as a kid would dissipate at his mother's words.

"G.G" Itachi didn't know why he did this, but he hadn't heard any kindness in a long time. He embraced the shocked girl and held her tightly, "thank you"

G.G's heart quickened at the sudden action yet it didn't feel so bad, she relaxed against his chest closing her eyes. " No problem, we're friends"

After a while they pulled apart sitting on her bed, they stared at each other wordlessly for a while just seeing each other's emotions. Though eventually they did begin to talk, speaking about their past. Both shocking each other with their childhood and the things they had to bear. G.G. sympathies with the hard decision he had to make about his clan, she didn't have an answer when he asked if what he did was wrong but she said she understood why he did it. Saying that the thing he did was neither wrong or right but it was a choice he thought was best at the time.

Itachi was curious about the demon grandmother G.G. had spoken about and asked questions on how she came to be. He informed about how she was born like that, a monster who craved love and consumed everything to fill the empty void. Both could relate to her in a sense, they both lost so many they loved and care for, they too would wish to rebuild the broken parts.

Hours passed unnoticed the two as they continued their talk, soft laughter and varies noises were heard throughout the house. Dawn was quickly approaching when Itachi noticed that during his rambling G.G. had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulders. Smiling he pushed her hair from her face, she looked so sweet, flushed cheeks on her lightly tanned skin.

Gently laying her down properly on her bed Itachi draped the blanket over her petite form, it was nice to do this again. He looked at her for a second, he hesistated but he reached forward and pressed a soft kiss to her head like he had done so to his precious brother.

"Good Night"

Days came and went without a word from Itachi but for the life of him he didn't seem to mind at all. He was starting to have a normal life for once, though limited as it was he truly loved it. It had been so long since anyone cared for him.

Spending time training the young Arisu with basic skills, she was a little clumsy but kick to stand and try again. She wasn't new to fighting as she had apparently started training at the age of two, her senseis were G.G. and this Chise he had yet to meet. After training Arisu in taijustu he would mock fight with G.G., she was a very skilled fighter with a very different style. Languod and smooth, when they moved against each other it was like they were dancing, a very rugged dance.

She had no fear in her eyes, her black hair shined as she moved, skin coated in sweat. She looked like a fierce warrior, adrenaline coarsed through his vein making him more aggressive and wild in his fighting. It was exhilarating, he was free, the dark crow he was meant to be.

Eating together different meals, helping her clean the kitchen and put the energetic child to sleep. She was always eager to play and be with them, she craved attention but it was obvious to him she craved parental attention. Something they couldn't give her, they were too young to give her the undying attention a parent would give.

Afterwards they would be in her room curled next to each other either talking or enjoying the silence together. Arisu would sometimes crawl with them in bed, wedged between the two as she giggled and read them stories. Itachi braidings G.G.'s hair while she listened carefully to the girl, his own hair loose and falling over his shoulder as he leaned forward to listen to her.

He cherished the days he had with them, it wasn't what he expected when he had first met Arisu. He thought it would be a short lived thing but it was a wonderful experience, which made it harder when it was time to go. He had seen the hawk with the message from Kisame and he knew he had to go.

He knew his happiness had to end.

G.G. headed out to the river close to the village with Arisu, dressed in a crop top shirt and shorts, her dark haired tied up in a nest ponytail. As she packed the bentos boxes she caught his eyes, she hurriedlt grabbed Arisu running out. He knew she knew it was time to go, he wanted to comfort her but knew it would be too painful for both of them.

He watched them from afar as they played in the water, wet from head to toy laughing as they chased and splashed each other. How he wished to join them.

"Goodbye G.G." jumping down the tree branch he headed to the inn he was suppose to be in. These two months he spend with them was dear to him, it was too bad he would never see them again.

Arisu picked up a small pebble that drifted in thw water, it was as small as her first and shaped like a crooked heart, she went to show her senpai only to see the person she considered a sister curled up at the bank of the river. Her body shook but she made no noise yet Arisu knew that she was crying.

The young five year old sat next to her senior staring into the blue sky she loved to draw, "are you Okay?" she asked never looking away from the endless blue before her.

"Yes"

~five years later~

"Arisu its time to train" G.G. proclaimed crossing her arms against her chest, no longer an adolescent but a beautiful 20 year old woman. She barely had grown an inch over the five years but her body had filled out graciously, soft curves and strong skin, her sky blue eyes had shown how much she had hardened after loosing the man she only loved.

"It's almost nighttime" she said opening the window, the sun was halfway down making the brightness slowly disappear.

"Relax she's just massaging my back" an elder woman smiled at the female, her silver eyes sparkling in mirth seeing the annoyance in the now woman's eyes. "You can train tomorrow anyways" she groaned as the little hands worked wonders on her back.

"Sorry senpai!" G.G rubbed her forehead seeing the sweet face of her sister frustrated her, she couldn't be upset at her for long.

"You seem upset dear, is something the matter" G.G. shook her head hooking her finger around strands of loose hair.

"Oh... Is it because of him?" she asked carefully, "do you still miss him?"

"Yes-look let's just train, okay?" she pleaded softly, there was a knock before her obachan could respond.

What she saw when she opened the door froze her, tears springing from her. Two figured stood beford her, one was a beautiful girl with scarred cheeks and the other was a tall male. With terrifyingly similar face, it was clearly not Itachi but the semblance was too much for her to bare.

"Hey, can you give us directions to konoha?" the girl rubbed her neck, "teme here didn't want us to go through the long route but we ended up getting lost"

She glared at the stoic male, he said nothing returning the other's glare.

"We're sorry to bothe-"

"Hey are you Okay?" the blond asked, her expressive eyes shown concern

G.G. nodded helpless, "y-yeah"

"Your boyfriend reminded me of somebody i used to know"