Quick Question: Should I change the name of this story? I'll either keep it as The Anachronism or, on a diametrically different end, I'll change it to Somewhere You Belong. I like both of them, so please let me know in a review or a PM which you prefer! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters nor the cover image of Itachi! I do own my characters however!

The Anachronism

Chapter II: The Day She First Smiled At Him

"D-Don't you move, mister!"

Nadeshiko stood trembling with her back pressed against the wall by the telephone receiver. At her feet, the phone beeped incessantly due to the incomplete call. In her shaky hands, she held a steak knife she'd immediately grabbed from the kitchen counter just on the other side of the wall she leaned on.

Across the room, dazed and confused, Itachi eyed the fearful girl and her amateur grip on the cooking utensil. The slight woman couldn't have been more than five feet tall and seemingly lacked any sort of muscle tone from what he could tell. She didn't look much like a shinobi, nor was he able to sense any sort of chakra signature within her. Determining she was not a threat, Itachi stepped away from his spot to inspect his unusual, unknown location.

Despite her shakiness and the nervous fluttering of her heart, Nadeshiko stepped forward as well. This caught Itachi's attention. So she was not merely bluffing… he thought interestedly, facing the woman again with an apathetic stare.

"I-I said," the blonde stuttered, taking another step forward. "D-Don't move! O-Or I'll–"

"Or you'll what?" The deep, velvety male voice froze the blonde woman and sent shivers up her spine.

For a moment, Nadeshiko struggled for words, desperately flickering her attention back and forth between his jet black eyes. The knife shook in her trembling hands as she gulped and licked her drying lips.

"O-Or…!" she announced, more loudly than she had intended. "I-I'll stab you!"

Silence followed her gutsy proclamation as the words and their meaning and intention behind them sunk in. Though she held a firm glare at the unwelcome intruder, inside she was all but screaming at herself. Who am I kidding?! She cried, mentally breaking down out of fear for her life. Even an idiot could see through me: I can't hold my own against this man! He's like, at least twice my size! The blonde couldn't help but curse herself for not calling the police sooner.

Itachi held the woman's glare with a calm expression, seeing every ounce of fear dripping off of her like sweat. He had no intention of harming the woman; if anything, he was still fatigued and desired nothing more than to shut his eyes again. But, even more so, the Uchiha was gravely confused. Where was he? How had he arrived here?

And, most importantly, why was he still alive?

Lost in his thoughts, Itachi hadn't realized that the little blonde woman had suddenly inched her way in front of him, the thick steak knife mere inches from his chest. Surprised, the dark-haired man wondered how he had not sensed her movements. Something's not right… he thought, eyes trained on the woman's pale fingers wrapped tightly along the knife's hilt.

"Answer my questions!" Nadeshiko demanded, inching the knife closer toward Itachi. "O-Or… I'm not afraid to use this…!"

Suddenly, the knife was swiped out of Nadeshiko's hands, leaving her confusedly staring at her empty palms. What…? Peering innocently up at the man, she realized with a horrified expression that he had managed to steal it from her grasp and was now holding it out of her reach above his head. Her heart pounded beneath her chest and she felt as though she would vomit. Sweat poured off her brow as she stared at her timid, fearful expression in the reflection of the knife's blade. The blonde took a shaky step back, all the while thinking that this was not what she'd asked for when she'd woken up this morning.

She was so dead.

However, despite her assumption, Itachi slowly lowered the knife to the nearby coffee table. As his hand released the blade, her eyes flickered between the strange man and her previous weapon.

"I do not wish to harm you," Itachi spoke, earning a more relaxed but still mildly fearing for her life expression from the blonde.

"Well…" Nadeshiko whispered, racking her fingers through her hair nervously. "That's…good."

She'd never been so at a loss for words in her life. However, given the situation, there was not much she could think to say. It was as if her brain had gone to mush.

There was a short pause as the two confused individuals stood a few feet from each other. Itachi couldn't help but study his unusual surroundings and a quick glance out the window showed that he had to be many stories up from the ground level. However, given the appearance of the surrounding visible buildings, they were not what he was accustomed with. They did not appear alike the towering buildings in Konoha, nor like any of the smaller villages he had been to in his travels with Akatsuki. What happened…?

Finally, Nadeshiko blurted out, "Why were you bleeding on my rug?"

Itachi returned his gaze to the slight woman who was looking his bloodied body up and down with a new expression: worry. The display of empathetic emotion caught him off guard; however, he did not show it.

His mind flashed to an image of Sasuke and he was suddenly determined and filled with energy. This was not what he asked for: he was supposed to die by the hands of his little brother, not live by some miracle just to have a little blonde civilian holding a knife to his chest. Without answering her question, Itachi immediately turned on his heel and prepared to leave out the door behind him. I must find Sasuke. I must–

"H-Hey!" Nadeshiko squeaked behind him and despite his resolve, the Uchiha paused. "U-Um… where are you going?"

Itachi thought for a moment, deciding the best way to answer her question. After a short pause, he responded, "I must look for someone."

Nadeshiko eyed the man and his bloodied hair, arms, and clothing. "You aren't going to get very far looking like that. Someone's bound to call you in, what with you bleeding all over the place."

Itachi found himself wanting to chuckle. The woman was so innocent sounding and, combined with her appearance, made her look like a little girl. Images of Sasuke, six years old and bright-eyed, flashed through his mind and he found himself smiling a bit to himself.

Behind him, Nadeshiko watched the man's back in curiosity and wonder, all of her fear all but leaving her. Though she was still confused as to his appearance on her floor, she would be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued by the dark-haired man. He was unlike anyone she'd ever met at the university: tall, calm, and unbelievably mysterious. Not to mention, her innate desire to help those in need was brimming; whether she'd known it then or not, he was a case in need of extreme help.

Without looking back, Itachi responded, "Thank you for the warning. And I apologize for damaging your rug. However, I must go now. Goodbye." And with that, Itachi made a hand sign and awaited for his body to disperse into crows as to be whisked away from the poor woman's living room.

And he waited.

And he waited.

And he waited, until the blonde woman behind him, confused as to why the man was frozen in his place before her door, peeked around him and noticed the hand sign he was making.

"Um…" she murmured, stepping around him so she was in his line of vision. Point at his hand, she asked, "Why are you doing that?"

Itachi's brows knit together and his eyes dropped to his hand. He concentrated harder, but still nothing happened. Looking up at the door, the man focused on releasing any sort of chakra, anything. But no matter what he did, no matter how much he concentrated, nothing happened. He could not sense one ounce of chakra: not in the woman, not in any of the neighboring rooms, and not in himself. For one of the few times in his life, his confusion was blatant in his expression, if only for a moment.

"Where am I?" Itachi muttered, eyes flickering to the blonde's blue ones. Nadeshiko jumped, noting a difference in his tone.

"Kotohu University," she breathed, furrowing her brow. "It's in Serrai…?"

"What nation is that in?" Though he tried to hide it, Itachi was growing more and more lost. Kotohu University? Serrai? He had never heard of either of those places in any of his studies. And, admitting, he didn't know everything, but he knew enough from all the books he'd read through his childhood and teen years prior to the Uchiha Massacre. Studying Nadeshiko's confused expression did not help him feel any better about his situation.

"Nation?" The blonde pondered, wondering what the man was referring to. "Do you mean like, country? Because we're in Japan… which I would assume you know, as you're speaking Japanese."

"Japanese?" Itachi repeated almost to himself and looked away from the girl's doe-eyed gaze.

He'd felt out of place before. However, now he felt like he lacked a sense of belonging more than ever.

As if sensing his well-hidden confusion, Nadeshiko bit her lip and approached the man hesitantly and studied him. Itachi stood apathetically, though grew a bit uncomfortable under her prying eyes.

"Did you hit your head or something?" Nadeshiko asked, inspecting the accumulations of blood near his skull. "Maybe you have a concussion. Amnesia is a fairly common symptom, though it often affects short term memory…" Itachi remained silent, unsure in his present state how to handle the muttering female as she began spewing random medical jargon. Finally, she met his eyes and asked tenderly, "Would it be okay with you if I checked out your head?"

Suddenly, it hit her how little she knew about the man in her room and, yet, here she was, asking to perform an assessment on him. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she staggered backward, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. He just seems so genuine… she thought, internally scolding herself simultaneously. I really shouldn't be so trusting… But I feel like he is really in need of help… Oh, bother!

In front of her, Itachi watched the blonde rake through her hair, as if she were having an internal battle. In truth, he wasn't sure what to make of her. Had she brought him there? No, he thought, shaking his head. She asked why I was in her home. But if not her, then…?

"I'm so sorry!" Nadeshiko squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut and bowing her head, again catching Itachi by surprise. "We don't even know each other; that must have been such a weird thing to ask! Please excuse me, sometimes I speak without really thinking. I just wanted to help. I-If that's okay, of course!"

Itachi stared at the embarrassed woman, unsure what to do. If the woman was as honest as she appeared to be, he clearly wasn't where he thought he'd be, and it was by neither fault of her nor himself. For once in his life, he had no direction and no clear destined path. Despite prior feelings of having lost everything, it was now that he truly felt he had nothing. No Akatsuki, no Sasuke. Nothing. And deep in his chest, the shadow of the man he used to be, or maybe always was, yearned for help.

Against his better judgment and usual nature, Itachi spoke, "I will accept your assistance."

The girl's head perked up disbelievingly. However, after studying his face and seeing no sign of joking, her face lit up and she clapped her hands happily, and Itachi saw for the first time in many, many years something he'd thought he'd never see again, much less directed at him.

A genuine, innocent smile.

xXxXxXx

Not an hour after Itachi's decision to accept the tender girl's assistance, Nadeshiko was already beginning to regret offering. It was not that he was an especially difficult individual; actually, it was quite the opposite. He was entirely too stoic and quiet.

Damp handkerchief in hand, Nadeshiko lightly dabbed at the blood smeared across Itachi's face, her heart thumping against her chest. She'd been trying to start a conversation with the dark haired man for a while now, but no matter what she said or asked, he would either reply with one word answers or nothing at all. Though she was probably being too nosy, especially if the man did have a concussion and lacked any sort of memory, Nadeshiko felt she had the right to know about him. I can't very well help him if he won't answer me! She fumed internally, though remained thoughtful on her exterior.

Of course, Itachi's thought process had been entirely the opposite of hers. Given her reaction to the hand sign he'd made, he was skeptical that he should ever try to explain the situation to the woman. It was much easier to feign confusion and lack of knowledge than try to explain to the innocent, slight girl that he'd sustained his injuries from fighting his little brother to the death. So instead, he calmly watched the woman, dodging any explanations she asked of him while she inspected his head for possible severe injuries.

Well, except one.

The blonde paused from cleaning and inspecting the dark-haired man's head and leaned back in her chair, staring shocked at him. She breathed, "I never asked your name."

Itachi, visibly unfazed, suddenly realized he didn't know her name either. How impolite… He inwardly scolded himself.

"Nadeshiko," the blonde stated, smiling apologetically. "That's my name. Nadeshiko Yamato. May I ask yours?"

"Itachi Uchiha," he replied, seeing no harm in giving his name.

"Itachi," she whispered, more to herself than to him while dipping her handkerchief in the water basin to continue removing the stuck-on blood. "Despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you." He certainly made my night much more interesting, she added internally, a sweat drop forming on her forehead.

"Likewise," Itachi replied, dipping his head forward politely, then raising it and looking her in the eye. Nadeshiko's face warmed and she found herself covering her cheeks with the back of her hand. Such piercing eyes, she thought, averting her eyes from him to finish inspecting his head. I feel like he can look straight through me…

And he felt like that too, as he realized his vision was sharper than it ever had been. Without a second thought, the dark-haired man squeezed his eyes shut and focused all his power on his eyes. After a few seconds, Itachi opened his eyes to see that Nadeshiko had paused from inspecting his head again and was watching him worriedly.

"Are you alright?" she wondered, cocking her head to the side.

"Fine," he replied, staring blankly over her shoulder, realizing now that along with his chakra and jutsu, his Sharingan too was gone.

What happened to me?

Thank you to those who reviewed/followed/favorited this! Hope you enjoy this new update! :)

Also: I apologize if Itachi doesn't seem completely in-character. It's a bit difficult for me to gauge how I should write him, seeing as his goal (Sasuke enacting his revenge on him so he'd be seen as a hero) was finally realized. And where he's obviously not an innately evil character… I'm trying to meld together apathy with some ounce of kindness, I think. I'm hoping it'll get easier for me as I keep writing haha!

Again, thank you all for your support and please let me know about the title of this story! :)