Crimson Eyes – Chapter 4: Borderline

Woot school is finally over and I can actually update again! Sorry its taken me... 3 months oO Sorry for the wait! But thank you for all the reviews I actually started an AnkoxItachi community on LiveJournal but no one has joined! TT I'm the only one there but you guys are interested, come join me at amai-akai-ai on livejournal (linkage at my profle) where we shall spread the AnkoxItachi love! Anyway, this is a pretty sappy chapter . So, beware for mushyness.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in the manga and anime. Would it work if I disguised myself as Kishimoto though?

A few weeks had passed since their unsuccessful yet eventful mission with Anko having already recovered to her full strength and was restored to her usual energetic self within days. However, she did notice that Itachi had become somewhat less annoying – but he still got on her nerves nonetheless. The girl had started to see a softer side of the young boy as a crack in his mischievous and bratty exterior became apparent. This sparked Anko's interest and she began prying, trying to get him to reveal his feelings whenever he seemed to be lost in thought. Of course, the young boy didn't want to disclose his intimate feelings, which obviously almost always resulted with the two arguing. Despite that, they seemed to grow on each other.

Also, another face seemed to appear quite more frequently in Anko's life, and that being the one which belonged to Hatake Kakashi. Although she had only been a patient in the hospital for a few days, the young teenage boy came to visit each day with a new bouquet of flowers in his arms every time he appeared by the doorway. He kept her company for most part, and did small favours for her such as buying magazines and her favourite dango which earned Anko's gratitude, in which she became fond of the Hatake boy.

It seemed that the mission which was only half completed had brought in two important figures into her life, unaware that both of them were competing for her attention and affection. But this would be the last worry to occupy her mind, for she had two more friends than she previously had which weren't many at all.

Kakashi would often invite her out for lunch or dinner, insisting that he would pay as it wasn't very gentlemanly like to allow a lady pay. It was the first time someone referred her as such, causing her cheeks to flush red like a petal of a rose.

With the new friends that entered her life, she regularly spent time with them and enjoying her youth for once. Anko trained daily with Itachi in the forest and would meet Kakashi later to go out for a meal to replenish her energy. She had become close enough to both to start calling them on a first name basis, which she felt was a large achievement, for it was proof in itself on how close she had become with both of them.

As she trained with Itachi in the forest one day, he had asked a strange question, but it also showed that he was tearing down his masquerade act and allowing himself to be more open with her.

"Anko, what am I to you?" the young boy asked quietly as they sat down, taking a break from their shuriken throwing practice. He didn't realize that the words had left his lips until moments later, when he had noticed that she was giving him a strange questioning look.

"Do you mean besides an annoyance?" she joked, giving a small laugh at the end. Anko had tried to mask her own uncertainty and nervousness, for she didn't even know the answer was. She spent regular hours with him everyday, and even though they bickered often, it never drove her away. She tried placing him in the role of a younger brother, but it didn't seem right.

"Just forget it!" Itachi spat, annoyed and irritated. Wondering why such an idiotic question ever escaped from him, he stood up and gathered his tools once again and started to throw them at the designated targets again.

"Itachi, you're a very important person to me."

Though the words were spoken in no more than a whisper, the Uchiha had caught them and halted from his training momentarily, then resumed almost immediately. Nothing more was said between the two for the rest of the session.

After their workout, they parted as usual and Anko headed towards her usual meeting spot with Kakashi, but it seemed that she didn't need to travel more than a few footsteps to meet him, for he was leaning against a tree gazing at her from the short distance. Without noticing his intense gaze, Anko rushed towards him surprised, but she was happy nonetheless.

Seeing her so enthusiastic to see him, Kakashi smiled beneath his mask which caused his eyes to grow smaller. Anko had always wondered what he looked like when he smiled without the mask, as well as the reason hiding behind it everyday. With those thoughts in mind, she thought that she might as well as ask him.

"What does your face look like under that mask?"

"What a wonderful way to greet a friend Anko," Kakashi joked as he stood up straight, allowing Anko to lean on the tree instead.

"No seriously, what does your face look like? Why do you have to hide your face from the world everyday?" she questioned him as her eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

"Why I cannot say. However, do you really want to know?" His voice was teasing and slightly mischievous as usual when he talked to her. Anko had little experience with the opposite sex in terms of communication so she never thought much of it.

"Of course I want to know! Though, I'm probably one of the few hundred in this village who are curious..." She trailed off as she noticed Kakashi leaning in closer.

"Well, maybe I'll let you find out." His voice was soft yet seductive. The Hatake boy pulled down his mask and leaned in closer to her lips. But, before their lips could come into contact, they felt an object pass between them which caused them to jump back, resulting in Anko hitting her head against the tree trunk. She fell to her knees clutching her head with Kakashi hurrying to her side in an instant. The tree behind them had a small shuriken which was deeply sunken into the trunk, causing the sap to ooze out slowly. Though they could not see anyone in plain sight, a young Uchiha boy hid up in the trees above with his eyes full of tears and anger.

This was the point where it became clearer then ever that Uchiha Itachi had competition over her affection.

At night, the same vision haunted him. What plagued him though was that Anko didn't fly kick him away as she usually would if any other guy tried that on her. Could it be that she felt something for Hatake Kakashi? If she did, then Itachi was at a total loss.

Itachi was six years younger than her, while Kakashi was two years her senior. Most girls like to go for older guys didn't they? So, going by that theory, Kakashi had one point over him. Also, Itachi was only a mere Chuunin compared to the Hatake who already made Jounin therefore another point that went towards the silver-haired womanizer.

That was the other thing that was killing him – the thought that Kakashi was only playing Anko. If that bastard hurt her, he could have sworn that he would kill Kakashi with his own hands.

Either way, he had to find a way to defeat Hatake Kakashi. Whatever it meant, he would do it, especially if it meant that it would win Anko's affections.

He would make sure that Mitarashi Anko would never forget him. Ever.

Not my best chappie... I think it went a bit quick o Bah! My creative juices are at a low. Sorry