Chapter 9
After running all night; Yani finally reached Kakashi's condo just as the first rays of the sun were spilling across the lawn.
"Kakashi?" she called out, opening the front door. The room was dark, the blinds drawn. Yani stepped in and closed the door, eliminating the last light source in the room. She sniffed and followed the scent of red autumn leaves into the bedroom, which was also pitch-black. In the corner, Kakashi sat with his knees drawn up, his head down. "Kakashi?" There was no response.
She gently kneeled where he was sitting, putting one hand on his silver hair. He stirred, turning slightly towards Yani's direction. Her hand ran through his hair, the other on taking off his mask and forehead protector.
The door opened and she heard Asuma and Guy walk in.
"Ahhh…" said Guy, walking closer, "that's what I thought." Asuma set down a bag on the table.
"It's his dinner." Asuma lit a cigarette. "Tell him we came by." Yani nodded and turned to them.
"Sorry for…" Asuma waved a hand.
"It's fine. We should have listened to Kakashi."
"And that Itachi guy stopped you anyway. He might not be as bad as he looks." Yani smiled, happy that she had been forgiven. "Kakashu tried to explain what happened but the council still voted you as an outlaw for helping two Akatsuki members escape. I'm sure helping Sasuke had something to do with that, too."
"Will you still help us, when the time comes?" Asume asked, blowing a cloud of smoke.
"I will be loyal to the village."
"Good." Guy stretched and beckoned to Asuma. "We'll stop by later after we're done with our missions. They walked out the door, leaving the silence undisturbed."
"Hey, Kakashi, remember that time I completed the ritual on you? How much you telled at me? Are you going to yell at me if I do it again?" Yani moved in front of Kakashi, putting both hands on his head. "I don't have to do the entire thing again, since my soul is familiar with yours already. So I can just directly take the sadness away. Should I do it?" Yani didn't wait for a response. Instead, she kissed him on the lips, mildly.
"Sing," she whispered against his lips, drawing her hands away from his head. Following her hands was a trail of black mist. It settled onto her clothes, making them shimmer brightly.
As if a veil had been lifted from his eyes, Kakashi loked up, his face alive again.
"Yani?" she smiled weakly.
"Hey." He put one hand on her cheek.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ahh…" she said half-heartedly. Finally, he noticed her dull, lifeless eyes and the black pearls littered by his feet.
"Please don't tell me you performed the Moon Song."
"Okay, I won't tell you." But before Kakashi could protest or even say anything, Yani slammed her lips into his. Kakashi could taste the lust in her cool mouth and moaned. "Don't say anything," Yani murmured, licking his ear. "Just… don't."
She kissed him again, sliding her hands underneath his shirt.
The coolness of night finally brought Kakashi out of his exhausted slumber. Beside him, Yani's naked body shifted slightly to the rhythm of her deep breathing. Leaning over, he placed a trail of light kisses down her back; she didn't stir. Slowly, so that he wouldn't disturb her, he climbed off the bed and covered her with the Akatsuki jacket, his face slightly tinged with sadness when Yani snugged into it, smiling faintly. The doorbell rang and Kakashi pulled on sweatpants over his boxers.
"You're feeling better, huh?" Kakashi opened the door so that Guy and Asuma could come in, the latter bearing a packet of papers, which was handed to Kakashi.
"Just standard missed-day stuff." The silver-haired man nodded his thanks to Asuma.
"It looks like you had some violent make-up sex," Asuma chuckled, pointing at the bite marks and bruises along Kakashi's neck and down his shoulders.
"It wasn't make-up sex. This was for her. She's getting worse."
Guy joined back into the conversation once he knew there was to be no more inappropriate talks.
"How so?"
"She's getting sick more often. Her eyes are blacker now than any other color. I'm not sure how much more she can take."
"Before what?"
"That's the thing, I have no idea. But I would assume that she would collapse under all this sadness."
"Perhaps the Uchiha can help her?" Guy suggested, frowning when Kakashi didn't respond. "Raw nerve?"
"So I'm guessing you're just going to let him take her from you?" Asuma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not that simple. Apparently, the gods set up certain criteria that her soul mate must have. Or he fails the test."
"Hoops for you to jump through." Kakashi smiled wryly at Asuma's statement.
"I've already stumbled." Guy whistled.
"So even the great Kakashi falls short."
"Heh." Suddenly, Kakashi turned around and listened. "You guys should go. Yani's crying."
"We'll let ourselves out," Asuma said to Kakashi's back.
Inside the room, the sounds of teardrops hitting fabric and pearls clacking on the floor drew him to Yani.
"Love?" He sat on the bed next to her, using one hand to wipe away the shining streaks on her face. "It's getting worse, isn't it?" Yani shook her head. "Don't you dare lie to me. I don't understand why you can't give me some of your sad—" She shook her head again, this time, violently.
"You help by just being there, Kakashi." Her voice was muffled by the pillow. He sighed and slid a hand over her stomach, her creamy skin warm to the touch.
"Kakashi?" He straightened the jacket that was covering her, but did not answer. "If anything happened to me, what would you do?"
"Don't say stupid things." Yani chuckled.
"Dogs are such loyal animals." She reached up and ran her fingers through his silver hair. "But that's where you and I differ. Wolves mourn and move on. Civilization has softened you."
"Once again, don't say stupid things." Her eyes focused on his face, still as black as the middle of the night.
"But really, Kakashi, what would you do?"
"…Honestly, I don't know." There was a silence. Finally, Yani smiled.
"If I die, or I disappear, that means I'm happy where I am. I want you to move on, okay? Get married. Name your first-born after the moon. Understand?" He leaned closer to her and kissed her forehead, growling low in his throat.
[I hope this doesn't mean you're leaving me soon.]
"I don't know. I feel something stirring in the air. Maybe this will be the last time I'll see you."
"Don't."
"I can't stop fate."
"At least let me know that you're safe!" Yani brushed away an angry tear from Kakashi's face.
"How?"
"Every month, send me something, anything. Just so I know it was you." Yani thought of the request.
"Fine. That works." There was another moment of silence.
"Now I'm worried." She laughed, her eyes lightening momentarily.
"Like I said, move on if I am no longer here. I would be upset if you didn't continue with life." When she stood up and stretched, Kakashi put on hand on her hip, white in the bars of moonlight that fell across her sinuous body.
"Where are you going?" She moved away from his touch, pulling on her clothes.
"Away. Like I said, something is stirring. I don't want you to get hurt." She turned around. "I don't want to be the one to hurt you," she said softly.
"I thought you said it wasn't getting worse." Yani swung the coat up on her shoulders and rewrapped her scarf. Kakashi sighed and stood up when it was obvious she wasn't going to answer. "Do me a favor?"
"Depends on what the favor is."
"Stay close to the Uchiha. He'll protect you." He could have sworn he saw Yani's cheeks redden. "Are you… blushing?"
"No!"
"…you are definitely blushing."
"Am not!" And for the first time, Kakashi was not sad that he was handing her over.
"He'll take care of you. I know it."
"I do NOT need to be taken care of." Laughing, he pulled her into a hug, inhaling her scent of mint and rain.
"Please be safe," he whispered and let her go. Before he could draw in a breath, she was gone.
Konan and Diedara were washing dishes when Yani walked in.
"Hey, Yani! Haven't seen you in like, a week, hm?"
"Would you like breakfast?" Konan asked, always the gracious host.
"It's fine, and I was busy Deidara," she responded, sticking out her tongue. Abruptly, the door burst open and Hidan strode in, swearing, while Kakuzu ambled calmly behind him.
"STUPID LEAF NINJA! I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM! LORD JASHIN WILL USE HIM AS A TOLIET SCRUB!"
"Sit," Yani ordered, blood already flowing from her wrist. Hidan say and began licking up the golden stream, stopping every now and then to curse. Once the blood had stopped, Yani put a hand on the base of Hidan's head, which had been severed and then reattached with Kakuzu's stiches.
"He was being stupid," Kakuzu said, as Yani started to sing about autumn leaves floating through a summer sky. When she took her hands away, there was no evidence of a wound.
"I'll kill that bastard," Hidan mumbled, rubbing his neck as Yani wrapped her wrist with a bandage. Kakuzu sighed.
"For the last time, you already killed him."
"I'll kill him in the after-life. Again."
"You're immortal."
"…Oh, just shut up."
"Which Leaf ninja did you kill?" Yani interjected, pulling on Hidan's sleeve.
"The one that kept smoking in my face." Yani's smile slipped off her face and her eyes widened. "What." Hidan asked.
"He used chakra knives?"
"That's what he used to decapitate me, that fucking bastard." When he saw her still form, Hidan scowled. "You didn't have that face with I killed other people. I think you laughed once, Why aren't you impartial this time?" She shook her head, as if to clear it.
"I'm… sorry. He… had… a child...—"
"Why are you acting like this?" Hidan questioned, beginning to get frustrated.
"Perhaps she has emotional attachments," a low voice murmured behind her. She whirled around and felt Itachi and Kisame standing behind her, the latter covered with blood. He flashed his shark smile.
"Sorry for the bloody mess. My baby got hungry." He gestured to the sword he had strapped on his back. It wriggled and made tiny mewling sounds.
"As I was saying," Itachi continued, "emotional attachments have no side." He hooked his fingers into the back of Yani's – his – jacket. "There's my jacket." When he smiled, Yani blushed almost imperceptibly. "You want some apples?" She nodded and followed Itachi's much taller figure down the hall.
"Do you feel… a vibe, hm?" Konan looked at Deidara.
"That's what I felt."
"Itachi claims that he doesn't love her." Kisame shrugged when they looked at him, incredulous. "Hey, just telling you what he told me."
"He sure doesn't act that way." Hidan snarled.
"Stop being so protective," Kakuzu stated, idly jingling the coins in his pocket. Once again, Kisame showed his teeth.
"I, for one, hope they get together," Kisae whispered, looking in the direction of the hallway. "Yani's power alone can destroy several villages. And Itachi already destroyed his own. So what if she had Itachi by her side?"
"World domination," all five of them said at the same time.
"This is gonna be fun, yeah!"
In the room, Itachi sat on the floor and started to peel the apples as he did the other day. He looked up when he noticed Yani's eyes on him.
"Is something wrong?" She shook her head. Suddenly, she moved closer to him.
"Can you smile again?" His mouth curved up slightly, the smile almost non-existent. "That doesn't count as a smile." Shrugging he went back to peeling the apples.
"I can't just smile on command." Yani pouted and threw an apple slice at him, which he caught in his mouth. Immediately, her sullen face transformed into bright eyes.
"Do it again!" she exclaimed, lobbing another slice at him. Obediently, Itachi caught it with his mouth. When she laughed, his beautiful, whole-hearted smile appeared. Abruptly, the laughter subsided. "Why did you smile then?"
"You're so easily amused. It's funny." He dodged the apple slice that was aimed at his head, still smiling. "I don't mean it in an insulting way," he said soothingly, pulling her wrist when she tried to stand up. "I like it how you're easily amused. It's cute." Yani flushed, scowling.
"Actually," he mused, his face thoughtful, "it reminds me of the way wolves laugh at everything."
"…And how is it that you know this about wolves?" she asked, her eyes curious.
"No particular reason." The emotion shut out of his eyes and his face morphed back into its regular, aloof look.
"Tell me!"
"I just told you. For no particular reason."
"Liar."
"So what?" She nodded, understanding.
"Thou shalt not lie. Unless it will protect someone. In that case, thou shalt tell tales, yes?"
"So you like, too?" Yani shook her head.
"I'm terrible at it. People just get hurt when they figure out that I am lying to them." A sad smile placed itself on her face. "Kakashi does that. He lies to me. He says he's fine." There was silence as Itachi continued to peel apples. "You can take your stuff back now."
"You can have it. I have extra."
"I'll borrow it next time."
"All the more reason for you to keep it."
"Please, take it back." Itachi noted a certain quality of desperation in her voice and looked up. Understanding clicked in his eyes when he could not trace his own scent on the coat of scarf.
"Keep the scarf. We'll trade every three days, okay?"
"Okay," she said, reassured. She flinched when Itachi place his cool fingers under her chin.
"Your eyes have been more black than any other color, you know," he commented quietly. She slapped his hand away from her face.
"Why is everybody saying that?" I'm fucking fine!" she snarled, her eyes till a tarry black. And with that, she bolted out of the room.
"Kakashi-sensei!" He started at the sound of Sakura's voice.
"Hm?"
"It's not like you to zone out, especially in the middle of a meal, Sensei!" Naruto nodded his agreement at this.
"Yeah, Sensei! Usually, you look for distractions so you can eat without showing us your face!" Naruto added. "You weren't like this when Yani was here!"
"By the way, where is Yani? I haven't seen her in a month." Sakura's question was met with silence. "Sensei?"
Kakashi thought about the eagle feather he ahd found yesterday by his frond door, hanging on a golden chain.
"To tell you the truth… I… I don't know." Naruto stopped eating.
"You mean she disappeared?" he asked softly. Kakashi nodded.
"I haven't seen her for a month. I just know she's safe, that's it." Sakura smiled.
"As long as she's safe, it's fine, right?" Neither Kakashi nor Naruto answered.
"Don't worry, Sensei. Onee-san can take care of herself." Naruto's half-smile evaporated when his teacher shook his head.
"No, she can't, because she cares about others more than she cares about herself. And that's what worries me."
On the way to his condo, Kakashi was still immersed in thought.
"If she disappeared, then… then…" Kakashi didn't want to say the rest of the sentence, but he forced himself to spit the words out of his mouth. "She's… happy… with the Uchiha," he murmured. The sky rumbled above him, lightning streaking momentarily. "But as long as she's safe…" He opened his front door and stepped inside just as the thunder roared and sheets of rain began to fall. "As long as she's safe, it's fine." A knocking resounded through the house.
When Kakashi opened the door, he found a pair of red eyes looking back at him.
"I can't find Yani," Itachi said.