Itachi and Kisame walked into the morning at their slow and deliberate pace. Neither saw a point in hurrying the mission any.
The girl they now knew was named Kioko was long since out of it. Her mind gone to wander among her dreams.
It seemed as though the girl's tracks were leading into the city of their desires anyway. They walked in silence for as long as it took. Or well... they normaly would have...
But, to their suprise, neither wanted to keep silent.
Itachi was the first to speak as the sun rose to the slightest.
"What will we do with the girl?" he asked. Kisame shrugged and replied, "Leave her to find her way home from there?"
Both seemed to think a moment before sighing. Itachi shot his partner a confused look. Kisame did the same.
Both looked from there to the girl in Kisame's arms as she slept.
Itachi stopped a moment. "Her trail ends here. I suppose she might not have been wounded until here."
Kisame nodded and saw the blotches of bright red from where Kioko had obviously stepped grow dimmer and dimmer until they faded to nothing.
Itachi watched around him like a hawk.
Kisame was the next to speak, "Do you know her, Itachi?" The man looked at the girl without any emotion. "No." Kisame eyed him in thought. After a moment Kisame stated, "You have never acted this way towards anyone. You never have really wanted to kill someone who didn't have to die... but this is new even for you." Itachi ignored him. Neither knew why the girl interested them so much.
Kisame sighed and shifted the girl so as for her to lean into him more comfortably. Itachi rasied an eyebrow.
Kisame ignored it and asked, "Mabe it would be a good idea to check in on her before he head back out."
Itachi nodded and replied, "Agreed."
The two walked on in silence for a while as Itachi watched around to keep an eye out for spies.
Kisame shrugged it off and walked on.
After another long hour or so of walking the village was in sight over the hill. As their feet met the crest of the hill they looked down over the tiny little village. Both were reminded of their villages a moment before pushing the thought away.
Kisame asked Itachi, "She was here?" Itachi nodded and looked down at the imprint of a single bare foot in the dust. "Yes."
The two nodded to one another and placed their hats back upon their heads as they walked into the sleeping town.
Kisame was ready for the mission to be over. So many missions in a row was wearing him out.
He felt Kioko shift in his arms as she awoke the slightest bit. She moved so as to plant her hand into Kisame's chest before slipping into half sleep again.
Itachi smirked, "She seems to like you, Kisame."
Kisame sighed and set the girl down on a park bench. She seemed to awaken again and look around her.
Itachi noted that as the sun rose even higher just how remarkably blue her eyes were.
He shook it off and turned his back to her.
She seemed to spot them and gasped. Kisame 'tsk'ed and turned away angrily.
Her eyes flickered in fear from each of them to the closest house. Kisame muttered, "I do believe this is your village, yes?"
Kioko looked around and opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out.
Instead, she nodded.
Itachi frowned and stated carelessly, "We had better move, Kisame. It is getting light out and I'd rather be on our way by then."
Kisame nodded, "Yeah." The two began to walk away. Kisame turned as he felt a tug on his cloak.
"What?" he asked the girl. She smiled slightly and moved her hand to the front where she could shake his hand.
Itachi smirked and watched the preseding and asked him, "Are you going to accept?" Kisame frowned and placed his hand in hers. She shook it and took off through the woods as fast as she could run.
Itachi chuckled and asked, "Breakfast, Kisame?" Kisame nodded as he watched after her. "I suppose."
Itachi smirked, "We can check in on her before we leave."
Kisame nodded and followed his partner into a restaraunt that was just opening.
-Kioko-
She ran to her house in complete silence. It seemed so odd that her throat was so closed. At the very sight of the two men, she had lost it. Now she couldn't even manage to whisper a single word.
Her house was dark as she walked in. She was immediatly quiet as she walked around to find her father. His freind was gone nad he sat alone in the dining room drinking tea.
Kioko grmanced and walked in. His eyes shot up to her. "Good morning."
Kioko managed to nod. He smirked. "Did you have a nice night, Bitch?!"
Kioko gulped and shook her head no. He stood and walked over to her. "Is that so?! Well allow me to make your life living hell now!"
His hand came down against the side of her felt the impact send her flying into the wall.
She gasped as her head hit it sharply on a table and blood spread over her scalp.
She gasped and sucked in a breath as black covered her vision. Even with the black over her eyes she was forced to stay with her pain in the consious.
-Itachi and Kisame-
Kisame and Itachi were silent through the short meal and made their way down the streets to the place where they were sent on their mission.
Kisame frowned at the house and asked Itachi, "This it? Looks a bit clean for a wifeless drunk don't you think?"
Itachi looked around and then back down at the scroll in his hands. "This is the place."
Kisame noded and took a step toward the door. They both a sharp crack and managed to squeeze through the door and into the hallway. Now they were just about to step through the door into the dining hall when another sharp smash was heard.
Itachi nodded to Kisame and activated his sharingan. He edged through the door at Kisame's side.
Both set of eyes widened at the sight before them. There, on the floor, lay Kioko. She seemed bathed in a puddle of her own blood as a man stood above her and kicked her.
Kisame gasped, "What the hell!?" The girl's blue eyes flickered open in his direction though she seemed to not see him.
Instead she breathed in and lifted a hand to her head where a cut lay across her face.
She gasped and looked to them with pain in her eyes. Itachi looked up from her and into the eyes of the man they were sent to murder. His Sharingan acted faster than anything else and the man fell to the floor. Itachi was more than sure he felt more pain before he died then Kioko had felt her whole life of being hurt like this.
Kisame rushed to Kioko's aide.
He asked her, "What happened?" Itachi replied, "Damn." Kisame lifted the girl up in his arms and turned to his partner. "What is it, Itachi?"
Itachi looked to him and replied, "He is her father."
Kisame gasped and felt the girl shift in his arms. Her hand clentched his cloak front. Her lips formed a single word that sent them both into shock, "Pain."
They both shot into action and immediatly had her laid out on a bed halfway down the hall.
She had several long gashed down her arms and two on her head.
Kisame cussed and demanded, "You know how to stitch right?!"
Itachi nodded and dashed through the drawers in the room and returned with a small sowing kit. "Get those arms wrapped up."
Kisame nodded and agreed. "We have to move fast, Itachi. She's loosing too much blood."
Itachi nodded, "I realize that, Kisame."
The two shot each other looks of annoyance until the girl's back arched in pain and thay shot into action. New mission: Save the unknown girl from dying.