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

The Anachronism

Chapter X: The Day She Heard Him Out

On the final Friday before the start of winter break, Nadeshiko, instead of being in another grueling final examination, was at the hospital being observed for competency in her clinical skills with other nursing students from her university. Although this typically would be a welcome change – no final exam to study for! – unfortunately, the hospital was experiencing an unusually high census of patients. As such, Nadeshiko and the seven other students were running around all over the floor helping this one and that one, sweating dripping from their brows and their hearts beating erectly. However, despite the overall craziness of the evening at the hospital, Nadeshiko's heart beat for a completely different reason and her mind most especially off track.

Tonight was the Pageant of Starlight, the festival she would be attending with Itachi. Her face began to warm and a smile grew on her lips.

She had decided she was not going to define their relationship, as she had previously concerned herself with. It was complex; it was neither like the friendship she possessed with Megumi or Haru, but nor was it the same sort of intimacy and romance that she had once had with Akito. It was different, like they were two strangers that would dare say have some ounce of care for the other. Like although they barely knew each other, there was a sense of familiarity that allowed them to, if momentarily, put their guard down. At least, that was how Nadeshiko had begun to feel as the semester closed. Despite a rough start and despite their initial grievances toward each other, something had changed, as if slowly but surely a void neither knew had existed was being filled by the other's constant company.

For once in what felt like a long time, Nadeshiko felt at peace with her life.

However, as she darted in and out of her patients' rooms, a sound so distant yet horribly familiar echoed in her ears and she found her head whipping in the direction of it. Her eyes landed on a glossy, black piano and the woman playing it for some of the patients and their families that had left their rooms. Although the sound was undeniably beautiful, a sense of dread and guilt filled Nadeshiko. But yet, she was frozen in her spot, unable to move far away from it.

And, suddenly, the woman's form seemed to fade and be replaced by another, much younger girl's figure. Nadeshiko's breath hitched as she stared at the all-too familiar girl and her surroundings, too, began to fade and change into something of her past.

"That girl…" one voice mused in amazement. "She is a prodigy, no doubt. Amazing."

"Isn't she?" Another voice replied. "It won't be long before she is the main showcase at concert halls."

"Like absolute magic."

"I feel all my stress and worries just melt away!"

"That's my girl," a familiar voice praised, and Nadeshiko, although frozen in her memories, clenched her fists and her jaw, and lowered her head to stare at her feet. "That's my Arata."

"Nadeshiko!"

Suddenly, she was back in the hospital. The common room, which had once been filled with music, was now just a quiet murmur of families speaking to each other, a dim comparison from the hectic noise behind Nadeshiko of nurses and doctors rushing to and fro. Also behind Nadeshiko, her clinical instructor tapped away at her computer. The blonde, face flushing red, turned to face the slender woman.

"Yes, Sensei?" She responded, approaching her instructor nervously. Had she seen her?

The woman, who was maybe just five or six years Nadeshiko's senior, peered at her student with a kind smile. "I have looked over your charting and all that you have performed tonight insofar as interventions for your patients. If you are feeling comfortable with your abilities, you are welcome to leave early."

Nadeshiko's eyes lit up and all amounts of nervousness melted away. "Wait, really?"

"Yes," the woman responded, turning her eyes back to her computer. "You scored above average on almost all accounts this semester as far as clinical is concerned. Really, marvelous job. You should be proud."

Nadeshiko grin continued to widen and she bowed in respect to her instructor. "Thank you so much, Sensei. Thank you, really. That means so much to hear you say." Her instructor laughed, leaned back in her chair, and looked at the girl again with a crooked smiled.

"Don't thank me," she replied, pointing at Nadeshiko. "You earned it. I see how hard you work when you're hear. I wouldn't have said it unless you earned it. Now, get going so I can finish looking at everyone else's charting." Still grinning, Nadeshiko nodded furiously.

"Yes, Sensei!"

xXxXxXxXx

In striking contrast to the hospital, Nadeshiko's apartment was filled with utter silence and occupied only one: Itachi Uchiha. Although he reveled in the quietness, he found it difficult to focus on any of the books he had borrowed from the library.

His mind was racing. Occasionally, he thought of his little brother, wondering what it was he was doing back in their world. He wondered if he had returned to Konoha, having enacting his revenge for what Itachi had done to their clan. He wondered, and dearly hoped, if his brother would be viewed as a hero, for finally killing him. And sometimes, he even wondered if his brother had found a girl he could stand to be around, although this thought brought more of a chuckle to Itachi than anything else, as there was probably no girl in their world Sasuke could settle down with.

More often, Itachi thought about Reishi, and what he had said to him a couple weeks earlier. Despite having many opportunities alone, the ghostly figure had yet to reappear to the Uchiha. Of course, this further complicated the situation, and caused Itachi to wonder whether or not he had imagined the entire thing. However, he was neither bothered by the supposed man's proclamation that he was dead nor that he was stuck in a limbo; instead, it was what he had insinuated about Nadeshiko.

Nadeshiko. Itachi rubbed his temples, his head beginning to ache. What could Reishi have meant when he had said she, too was stuck in a sort of limbo and was unable to move forward? No matter how much Itachi considered the possible options, nothing seemed to add up. He was sure the girl was not actually dead and stuck in a literal limbo. But then, what could he be referring to?

Although he would never admit it, the young woman had grown on him. He no longer dealt with her presence, as he often did with the members of Akatsuki; instead, he dare say enjoyed having her around. He even had some ounce of enthusiasm for the festival they were going to meet at back in Serrai, at that street they'd visited now over a month ago. While he did not feel as though he had changed all that much in the last three or so months, he found a companion in her that was unlike one he had had for a long time.

His mind flashed to an image of a younger Sasuke and, in the privacy of the apartment, Itachi's lips slowly spread into a small, but kind smile. He rested his head in the palm of his left hand, staring off at his right hand. She reminded him of a brighter time in his life, when, although he was often seen by others for his abilities as a ninja, he was primary an older brother. And though he still felt there was much to learn about the girl, he felt something else…something, like an obligation to watch over the girl, as she had promised long ago to do for him.

For a moment, Itachi considered if that was what Reishi had hinted to: that maybe, this was his chance at redemption, to be a better older brother figure to this woman than he had been when he was younger to his own little brother. It was a stretch, but yet, so was this whole situation. However, as he began considering a new realm of possibilities, something more unbelievable happened that at first, Itachi wasn't sure that he'd actually seen it.

"Did my…?" Itachi spoke aloud, lifting his right hand closer to his face. He flipped it around, looking at every deep-set scar, callous, and wrinkle. His eyes narrowed.

Passing it off for his imagination, Itachi peered up at the clock. It was nearly eight o'clock. The man cursed quietly; he had been so deep in thought, he had not realized time had passed so quickly. He was supposed to meet Nadeshiko for eight-thirty. Cursing again, Itachi began to stand up.

Suddenly, a wave of lightheadedness crashed against him and he fell backwards against the couch again, gripping his head. What the hell? Groaning, the Uchiha began to open his eyes and, as he did, tightened his jaw.

So he hadn't imagined it.

Pulling both his hands back, he inspected their fading forms, flipping them over and over. Looking over the rest of his body, he noticed the same was happening to his legs, arms, and torso. Then, around him, he felt his environment began to fade as well and he turned his attention away from his body just in time to see the room around him change between Nadeshiko's living room and something completely different, yet strikingly familiar.

Looking down at himself, he noted that he was now wearing a brown cloak similar to his old Akatsuki cloak. Next to him, a body was pressed up against him and on inspection, he noted that it was Nagato.

…Nagato?

The image faded again, and suddenly he was back in Nadeshiko's apartment. However, now everything appeared alike a television with bad connection; everywhere he looked, the image was fuzzy and fading between the two different environments, and the two different lives he had and had been living. He wondered for a moment if he was dreaming; however, everything from the couch beneath him in the mundane world to the weight of Nagato from his world was undeniably real. So then, what was happening?

Finally, all at once, everything became clear. No longer was he or his environment flickering between two. No, it had finally settled on one. But Itachi could not believe what he felt or what he saw.

Next to him, Nagato shifted his weight weakly and looked up with him. "Shall we continue forward?"

Unsure what to think and even more unsure how to answer, Itachi pressed forward, unknowing why he was suddenly back in his own world and what exactly he was to do there.

xXxXxXxXx

Adorning only her scrubs and a winter jacket, Nadeshiko waited patiently under the decorated lights by one of the monuments for Itachi. Although she was a little early, the girl was growing impatient as her excitement began to grow within her. She could not wait to show Itachi the festivities around them, as well as to just stare at the thousands of lights decorating the trees and the street. And, of course, to try and find someone who recognizes him. But mostly, to have some fun, after all the stress from the past few months.

Stuffing her hands in her pockets, Nadeshiko eyed a clock a little ways down the stone path for the umpteenth time. 8:27. Well, he's not technically late, but he's not really on time by most standards… Nadeshiko thought impatiently, leaning against the stone monument and looking up at the white lights splayed across the branches.

Time passed, and Nadeshiko peered at the clock again. 8:42. Pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest, Nadeshiko stared grimacing at nothing in particular.

"I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind if he seriously blows me off for his dumb books," Nadeshiko growled shrinking closer to the monument to try and conserve some ounce of body heat.

More time passed and, with narrowed eyes, Nadeshiko dared the clock to tell her the time. Though even it, an inanimate object, fear the wraith of her glare and considered rewinding time to only 8:20, it nonetheless relented. 9:01.

Despite her blood boiling beneath her veins, her heart only sank in profound disappointment. She had been looking forward to this day for weeks, and yet the man could not have stopped reading for five minutes to come meet Nadeshiko for a little stroll through the middle of the city. With an agitated sigh, Nadeshiko pushed off from her spot and began walking toward the tram station.

But then, someone grabbed the fabric of her sleeve. Unimpressed and not in the mood, Nadeshiko spun around with every intention of screaming at the person. That is, until her blue eyes met his brown ones.

Time seemed to stop as she stared at Akito, her mouth slightly ajar and his hand still gripping the sleeve of her dark jacket. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to the situation, nor what she was supposed to say to the man before her. As her mind raced, Akito's eyes traced her every feature, from the way the snowflakes stuck to her hair and her hair to her skin, the almond shape of her blue eyes, the delicate curve of her lip, the pastiness of her skin like that of a doll's, to how small she appeared under the bulkiness of her jacket and the bagginess of her scrubs. He wondered, then, if she had always looked that small, and his eyes narrowed delicately as he brought his attention back to her surprised and flustered expression. And somewhere in his chest, something desperately ached.

As time seemed to start again, Nadeshiko lips closed, but her eyes did not leave his. Nervously, she asked, "Akito…?" Although, her voice was only barely above a whisper.

"Nadeshiko," he whispered back, eyes flickering back and forth between both of hers. They were searching for something, something they have never been able to find the answer to. And something she would never freely give away.

Tugging her sleeve from his grasp, she turned her body away from him and tore her eyes from his, staring instead at the clock again. 9:06. Immediately, she questioned, "What are you doing here?" Her voice was harsher than she had intended, but she decided to stick with it, hoping it would deter him from wanting to chat.

Akito was silent, and for a moment Nadeshiko thought he had left her then and there. But then, finally, he responded, "I come to the festival every year."

Suddenly, Nadeshiko turned sharply back to face Akito. "I mean why are you here? Next to me? Of all the places, of all the parts of this street, why here?" Her voice fazed between harsh and desperate, despite her efforts to maintain a neutral tone. Likewise, her eyes betrayed her most of all, burning and daring to release tears. Of all the days to run into him, of course it had to be right now.

Akito watched her cautiously. He contemplated whether or not he should tell the truth. Finally, he decided to stick to most of the facts: "I was walking through here and I saw you standing here by yourself. I wasn't really planning on saying anything to you after what had happened at the dining hall a little while ago. But…" He paused and turned away from Nadeshiko and, when she looked up at him, he realized his cheeks had flushed. Whether it was the cold or something else, she wasn't quite sure.

"But," he said again, continuing to stare at something to his right. "When I saw you start to leave, you just didn't look happy. So I wanted to make sure you were alright. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

And with that, he turned around, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and began to leave.

Nadeshiko watched his back, her emotions in turmoil. Although she was still heartbroken over the fact that Itachi had stood her up, something new began to stir deep in her chest. Something that she hadn't felt for a long time: longing.

And suddenly, her feet moved beneath her before she could even think, and her burning eyes finally betrayed her as she ran passed person after person toward Akito. In front of her, Akito stopped, hearing the footsteps crunching against the snow, and turned around in time to see his ex-girlfriend running to him, eyes wide, hair wild, tears streaming down her cheeks, nose dribbling.

Maybe it was the heat of the moment. Maybe there were unresolved feelings on both sides. Maybe, when Akito had said that day that they should break up, it wasn't necessarily what either of them wanted. Maybe Nadeshiko, heartbroken from being stood up, desperately just wanted some sort of attention, even if that attention was from Akito.

No matter the reason, neither of them care. Instead, they remained still, frozen in time, gripping desperately to each other as if the other was their lifeline, both stuck in the past but not quite for the same reason.

xXxXxXxXx

When Nadeshiko finally returned home hours later, she found the apartment empty. Confused, she shut the door behind her warily and stalked through the living room and into the kitchen. She peeked into the bathroom and then into her room. However, everywhere she could think to look, she was not able to locate the Uchiha. Standing in her room, Nadeshiko ran a hand through her snow-wet hair and felt a sense of panic surging through her veins. In her previous state of mind, she wondered if, on top of standing her up, he had also flat-out left her, maybe making a breakthrough discovery on who he was. However, as she really began considering the possibilities, and the little she knew of her roommate, a feeling of dread overwhelmed her. Or, what if he had gone to Serrai and got lost trying to find me?

As Nadeshiko was about to fly out of her room and back out to the downtown Serrai, a crash stopped her in her tracks. "Did a glass just…?"

Nervously, Nadeshiko tiptoed out of her room. With no one in the kitchen, the blonde decided to peek into the living room. When she was finally brave enough to look, the woman gasped.

The culprit of the sound was in fact a glass, seemingly knocked over by a rogue pillow that was now on top of the couch. But what really surprised Nadeshiko and drained all the color from her face wasn't the shattered glass or the pillow, but the writhing Itachi laying on her couch. Had he been there this whole time, and I didn't notice him…? Either way, Nadeshiko tossed this aside and ran to him, collapsing by his side. The Uchiha's face would occasionally contort and his body twitched and writhed every few seconds. On inspection, his skin was covered in sweat and seemed to emit extreme amounts heat.

Nervously, Nadeshiko reached out to the man and placed a hand on his forehead. For a moment, his entire body tightened and the little blonde held her breath. However, finally, Itachi relaxed, his grimacing and writhing subsiding, although not completely.

Going up on her knees, Nadeshiko stared into Itachi's pained face, her eyes burning as they had earlier. Sliding her hand from his forehead down to his cheek, she cried just above a whisper, "Itachi, what happened to you? Oh, my god, Itachi, please wake up." Although he didn't respond or awaken, she noted again how he seemed to relax, and she even thought his temperature seemed to decrease a little bit, though this could have been her imagination.

She again moved her hand to hold his own tightly, as she often did with her sister. Laying her head against the couch, she studied the man's face again. How could she have thought he'd purposely stood her up?

Squeezing his hand with hers, she vowed, tears still trickling down her cheeks, "I promise I will not doubt you again. And I promise I will stay right here with you, so please feel better. Oh, Itachi, please wake up soon."

And true to her word, she did, her hand gripping his in a desperate attempt to keep him with her, unknowingly the lifeline bringing him back to her world.

Happy holidays everyone!

Without giving much away for the story, this was actually the first scene I had thought of when considering ideas for this story. I really hope it wasn't confusing to read or anything! Also, if it was unclear, he was being pulled back into his world because of Edo Tensei, although I'll probably clarify that in the next chapter too.

Anyway! This marks nearly a year since I started this story and, truly, thank you all for sticking with me even through my breaks and hiatuses. It is a real pleasure writing this, and I hope this chapter was an enjoyable read! Thank you to all of my lovely followers, favoriters, and commenters: you make my day, and it is such a gift every time. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!