Kioko was in her own little world of pain. And yet, she knew it was going to be okay. Her eyes had fogged over. All the same, a strange set of oddly fermilliar arms had taken her up. Knowing this she managed to tell him of her urgencey.
She felt her body being laid down and the pain scortched through her form. She arched her back in sheer agony and almost immediatly her pain ebbed away. She felt hands slide over her arms and face and, in their trails, they left relief.
She, at long last, felt such relief she was able to slip into sleep
-Kisame and Itachi-
They were both panting with effort as she slipped into her mercy filled slumber. Kisame managed to drop to a panting heap as he tried to catch his breath. Itachi leaned against the wall seeing as he was exhausted to his core.
Kisame gasped out, "She was in deep, eh?!" Itachi managed to nod and reply, "And drain us of all our chakra. Look at her! Overflowing with it!"
Kisame nodded and stood over her. He lifted a hand to her forehead to check for a fever. Instead he felt as warm chakra flowed into him and surged through his body.
He gasped and jerked away. He was fully healed and perfectly strong.
He turned to the Uchiha and stated, "I think she just gave me some of her chakra!" Itachi's eyes went wide and he approached her body. His hand fluttered up and carressed her cheek. His eyes clossed in awe at the rush of chakra.
He pulled away as soon as he recieved all the chakra he needed. It still seemed as though the girl before them was none the diminished. Kisame eyed her and looked to his partner.
"What are we supposed to do with her now?" Itachi looked away and stated, "Leaving her here is out of the option."
Kisame nodded. "But where would she be safe?" Itachi looked down at his feet. "Safe?" Kisame nodded. Itachi smirked slightly as he stated, "Safety is a word like poison. You believe it and you don't end up so well off."
Kisame narrowed his eyes at him. Itachi smirked as he asked, "Getting attached are we?" Kisame muttered, "I hate seeing girls like this." Itachi threw in, "You kill girls like her every day."
Kisame glared at him and stated, "She is different." Itachi nodded, "Agreed."
They watched as her body relaxed farther into sleep. Kisame sighed and Itachi stated, "The safest place I can think of us with us."
Kisame shot him an unbelieving look. He frowned and stated, "We are not weak. And she seems without defences of her own." Kisame asked, "And what of Leader? or the Akatsuki?" Itachi shrugged, "We kill anyone who tries to harm her."
Kisame watched his partners blank face and sighed, "I'll never understand you, Itachi..." Itachi replies to that with a small smirk, "I never asked you to try." Kisame rolled his eyes.
Kisame frowned and walked through the room until he found an old backpack. He began to stuff random cloths inside it and frowned as Itachi helped him. Kisame stated, "I don't believe we are the safest bunch. We will keep her safe enough until we find her a place."
Itachi nodded, "I'll cary the sack. You carry her."
Kisame nodded and fixed his sword so as not to bump against him and picked the girl up in his arms. She immediatly shifted to where her head was directly up against his chest.
Itachi sighed, "She seems content with that." Kisame asked, "Sure you don't want to carry her?" Itachi looked away and Kisame chuckled.
And they soon began to move into the streets and out of town before anyone could see Kioko in Kisame's arms.
The road now was dark and rocky. Kisame was finding it harder and harder to carry both the girl and the sword. He sighed and knelt to the ground where he sat a moment with Kioko in his lap. "Hold up a sec, Itachi..." Itachi stopped and turned and walked back to his partner and comrade.
"She will awaken in thirty minutes." Kisame nodded and set her down on the Earth.
Itachi watched as he walked away for a moment. He sighed and looked down at her.
Her long hair was caked in blood from the morning and her body was in no better condition. He sighed and called out to Kisame, "Do you see a lake up ahead? Any water for that matter?"
A moment later Kisame was back and smiling his sharply toothed smile. "Just up ahead is a natural hotspring." Itachi nodded in answer to this.
Kisame lifted the girl back up. This time she didn't move any. Kisame frowned and looked down at the uncomfortable position she was in. He frowned and shifted her in his arms so his arms were linked around her like a basketball goal and her head was on his shoulder. Her arms curved up in sleep to rest on his chest.
Itachi growled, "I'm still here. Would you like an alone moment with her?!" Kisame heard the curl in his partner's voice and chuckled.
They walked on until the large pool was in sight. Kisame smiled and felt as Kioko shifted to awaken. Her eyes opened slightly and both set of Akatsuki eyes shifted to see her reaction to her being carried.
She looked around blankly before realizing she wasn't anywhere near her home. She gasped and looked around her and saw the forest moving by. She gulped and looke straight up into the eyes of Kisame.
Recognition hit her and she sighed in relief. She smiled and lifted a hand from his chest to a hand shake position and laughed. She seemed to still be able to laugh though her voice was gone.
Itachi was shocked. She seemed completly at ease with his looks and for that matter that she didn't know who he was.
Kisame himself was shocked by this. "Oh!" He gasped. He smiled shyly and replied, "I-I'm Kisame. And this is my partner, Itachi Uchiha."
Her eyes opened wider and she looked over to him. She smiled and moved so Kisame would set her down. She dropped to the ground and walked happily over to Itachi. She waved and extended a hand to him. He refused it and walked away.
She looked frustrated and pointed to him and looked to Kisame for an answer. Kisame asked, "Can you not speak?"
Kioko lifted a sad hand to her throat. And shook her head no. Itachi smirked, "Well that's a real nice question to ask the first girl who doesn't scream and run away from you."
Kisame glared to him and the girl sped up and stopped rght in front of him. His glare instantly sent her into a cringe. She backed away and ran straight into Kisame again.
He looked down at her frightened face as it tucked itself into his chest.
Both of them watched her with gawking eyes.
She pulled away and noticed Itachi's look. She cringed again and ducked behind Kisame. He frowned and asked, "What is wrong?"
Kioko frowned and pointed to her own eyes and then to Itachi. Kisame frowned. "Itachi is always like that. Don't be botherd by it."
Itachi said, "And you. Are a shark." Kioko smiled and pointed back and forth between Itachi and Kisame before linking her fingers together. A sign for friendship.
Kisame sighed and replied, "We are partners." She looked confused.
Itachi stated, "She doesn't need to know everything." Kisame nodded.
Seeing as she was going to get nothing else out of them she turned and tripped straight into the water. She looked up at both of them. They seemed not to care and stated, "We will be behind those rocks when you finish bathing."
She nodded and they walked away.
Kioko sighed and managed to stip her already soaked cloths away and step into the deeper water where her body was concealed. She then coughed and someone called, "You already done?" Kioko sighed at her mutism and walked back to the bank returned with her old cloths and sunk down to where only her head was showing int he water and chunked the wet cloth over the boulder and she hears a realized, "Oh! I get it now!" He called back, "Throw something else if your decent enough!"
She threw a rock and Kisame stepped up with his eyes closed. He placed a backpack on the ground and tossed a block of soap to her. She caught it and he walked back.
She washed all the caked blood away before clinbing out and dressing in a loose T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
She walked past the boulder where a fire was going a three fish were cooking. Itachi sat alone and Kioko looked around for Kisame.
Itachi sighed, "He went over to the next fresh water lake. Fishing." She nodded as she sat down.
Itachi took a fish from the blaze and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks and bit into it. It as actually pretty good in her opinion.
Itachi watched her eat it and sighed, "You seem rather cozy with Kisame." She went red and shook her head frantically. He sighed. "You know him from somewhere?" Kioko shook her head again and moved her hands in a no.
Itachi asked, "Why so cozy then?" She seemed really out of place. Her lips moved rapidly and seemed to stumble. Itachi's shaingan caught it all.
To him what she was saying might as well have had a voice behind it. "I-I! He was! All I saw! My father!All I saw was him save me!"
Itachi smirked. "He was standing over you the entire time." Kioko frowned and turned to walk away and only ended up running straight into Kisame's chest. This time she gasped and tilted back to fall. And Kisame didn't help ay by catching her before she fell.
Itachi chuckled and Kioko glared at him. Kisame sighed and tossed Itachi a string of fish. "What did you say to her?"
Kioko just looked split down the middle before seeming to decide on something and sitting down cross-legged on the ground and closing her eyes. Itachi sighed and said, "I just pointed out how much you like her." Kisame looked furious and glared at Itachi. He then smiled and knelt down beside Kioko and whispered in her ear, "He's just jealous that I carried you and he didn't."
Her eyes shot open and she looked straight to Itachi.
She frowned and leaned back on the ground.
The two men watched as she closed her eyes and seemed to mouth something. Or well... A lot of somethings. Itachi watched and memorized the words. He looked confused. She sighed and finally slipped into sleep.
Kisame asked, "What did she say?" Itachi frowned, "She was singing to herself."
He sat back and looked up to the sky and nodded. "Appropriate I must say." Kisame asked, "What song?"
Itachi shrugged, "One of her own I suppose."
Kisame waited and Itachi murmured it slightly. It was more of a poem the way he said it.
"Dark nights. Strange friends
New journeys. Emotional ongoings
Stary sky. Unclouded mind
Days in confusion
Nights in strain
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Unclouded mind
Noon in disruption
Dusk in a strangle
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Uncloded mind
Twilight in lost thought
Sleep in dreams
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Uncloded mind
Life in perspective
Pathways revealed
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Uncloded mind
Body in pain
Heart always beating faster
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Uncloded mind
Life a tangle
Hatred in trying patients
Dark nights. Strange friends
New Journeys. Emotion ongoings
Stary sky. Uncloded mind
My heart beats all the same."
Itachi finished and Kisame asked him, "You think she made that up?" Itachi shrugged. The two both looked away and up to the sky and wondered to themselves, "Who exactly is this girl?"