Yasha: Sorry about the wait...but, my computer got a virus, school work built up, I went out with my gf, and I got grounded(sorta)...

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto, or we'd be rich...

"You...you're not the Itachi that I...I...was friends with..." Kiko said and a tear fell.

"That Itachi is...dead, so to speak." Itachi stated.

"Why did you leave me four years ago...?! Don't you know how bad it hurt me...?!" Itachi stayed quiet.

More tears fell as she took a step towards him. "Can...can I see the man I...I remember...one last time...?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Itachi sighed but nodded. He wiped her tears away. After a moment, his hands fell to his sides and he backed up.

"Please...come home...!" Kiko said, more tears threatening to fall. 'I...If going with them meant that he would come home sooner... I think that I'd go with them...even though I don't want to...' she thought sadly.

Flash Back

"If...if my dying would make people not hate me anymore...I'd be scared...but...I'd die..." a seven year old Kiko whispered, not knowing that her friend was behind her.

"Kiko! You promised that you wouldn't say things like that!" eight year old Itachi scolded her.

"I-I'm sorry Ita..." she apologized.

He sighed, "It's okay, but don't do it again. And I mean it this time."Kiko nodded, "Promise!" She suddenly tilted her head to the side, indicating that she was thinking. "Hey! Ita, does thinking like that count?""Hai, it does. Don't think or speak like that again." he answered."Okay!" she said, smiling at her friend.

End of Flash Back

'I...I broke the promise I made nine years ago...' Kiko thought suddenly. 'But, wouldn't it be invalid now...?' she wondered.

With Kisame, Sukarae, and Naru

Kisame looked at Naru. "So, this is the brat I'm supposed to get? He ain't much..."

Sukarae glared at him while leaning against a tree, her legs still felt like they were going to give out, "Don't you dare talk about my brother like that!"

Kisame laughed. "What're you gonna do, Su-chan?"

She glared at him still. "DON'T call me that!"

"Why not, Sukarae-chan?"

"Don't add 'chan' to my name!" She stood up and got in between the fish/shark looking guy and Naruto. "You have absolutely no right to call me those nicknames!"

Naru looked at the two, wondering what was going on. He tugged on her shirt sleeve, "Su-chan, what's going on...?"

Sukarae glanced back at him and that was when Kisame struck.

He sped towards them and as he did, he pulled his sword out. He swung it at Sukarae, who shoved Naru out of the way and back flipped to avoid it.

Sukarae almost punched the sword with a chakra enhanced fist, but remembered that the sword absorbs chakra and quickly punched it with her other fist.

Naru scooted back to keep out of the way of their fight, frightened.

"Naru, honey, stay away from him and the other guy, okay?" Sukarae called over her shoulder to him as she jumped out of the way of another sword strike.

With Kiko and Itachi, it wasn't much better.

With Kiko and Itachi

Something happened and suddenly, all Kiko could do was defend herself. 'What the heck happened?! All I did was stop to think and all of a sudden, I find myself being attacked by Ita..' she thought and dodged a kick that would've sent her flying.

Itachi jumped back and flew through some hand signs. "Katon: Karyu Endan!" he called out.

Kiko flew through a lot of hand signs. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" she called out, countering his jutsu.

He cussed under his breath before he went on defense, blocking Kiko's attacks.

"You -" Kiko started to say but stopped suddenly, gripping her shirt where her heart was.

With Sukarae and Co.

Sukarae winced when she wasn't able to fully dodge a sword strike and hit Kisame hard enough to send him flying towards Kiko and Itachi.

"KIKO!! WATCH OUT!!" she shouted.

With Kiko and Itachi

Kiko looked towards where her sister's warning came from and yelped; Kisame was flying towards her.

Itachi shoved Kiko out of the way with a chakra enhanced shove and jumped back so he wasn't hit by his partner either.

Kiko groaned once she came to a stop, she flew through two trees.

Suddenly, Itachi – or was it a clone? - was in front of Kiko.

"Why...why don't you finish me off...?" she asked, still slightly dazed from going through two trees and hitting a third.

Itachi just stood there and suddenly disappeared to reappear beside Kisame. "Let's retreat for now, Kisame."

Kisame got ready to protest but nodded at the glare his partner shot him. "We'll be back to get you two."

Kiko watched her siblings approach her.

"Kiko, you okay?" Naru asked once they were beside her.

Kiko nodded and looked at Sukarae, "Help me up, please?" Sukarae helped her up, "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, "No..." 'Why did he save me...? He could've just let me be hit by Fish-face... And then, why'd he just stand there and not finish me off? He just stood there, staring at me... What emotions did I see flash through his eyes...?' she wondered.

"You two weren't hurt by Fish-face were you?" Kiko asked, snapping out of her thoughts. Naru spoke up, "I wasn't, but Su-chan was!"

Kiko looked at her sister's arm and noticed it was bleeding. "It's nothing much..." Sukarae said, waving it off.

"Let's get back home and visit Tsunade to make sure we have no really bad wounds." Sukarae said after a moment of silence. Naru and Kiko nodded.

They started off towards their village.

Yasha: R&R please!