Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I will admit I am a little disappointed I haven't heard from you guys yet! I love reading reviews, both that praise and the ones that provide constructive criticism. After all, an aspiring writing can only get better if they receive feedback on their work, so please, review! Without further delay, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters; just those of my own design.
Chapter 2
Kikyuu sighed as she positioned the six kunai between her hands. When she was ready she leapt up into the air, kicking off of a tree and remaining in an upside-down position as she closed her eyes. She threw the three kunai in her right hand followed by the three in her left before spinning around while pulling two kunai from her pouch and throwing one from her left hand to her right hand and throwing them both at two of the kunai she threw earlier. She flipped forward and landed in a near silent crouch. She panted lightly as she opened her eyes and looked at the eight targets she had positioned on the trees. Each kunai was one inch to the left of all the targets' centers and she punched the ground slightly. She frowned then stood to retrieve the kunai as she adjusted the headband on her forehead, then her more fitted red shirt, and paused slightly as a small chuckled reached her ears:
"You're getting better."
She smirked, knowing it was Itachi, before replying, "Yes, but even after a year, I still can't get it right."
"Hmm, has it really been a year since you graduated the Academy?" The boy asked, still looking at her turned back.
Kikyuu chuckled and turned, "Yes, it has. And I'm catching up to-," she paused as she noticed he was wearing a chunin vest. She looked into his eyes and grinned:
"Why didn't you tell me that's what your meeting with the Hokage was about? Congratulations!"
As Kikyuu hugged him tightly, a few leaves rustled and they heard a voice state:
"Hey Itachi! I just hear-whoa! Didn't mean to interrupt!"
They separated, Kikyuu blushing heavily as she looked up to see another Uchiha in the trees above them. His hair was very messy above his forehead protector and he was dressed in the typical garb of an Uchiha. The boy, who appeared to be about Itachi's age leapt down to join them and grinned cheekily at the other Uchiha.
"So, Itachi, who's this?"
The longhaired boy rolled his eyes slightly before looking at Kikyuu, "Shisui, this is my friend, Kikyuu. Kikyuu, this is my friend and cousin, Shisui."
The white-haired girl bowed slightly to the boy, who returned the bow while stating:
"What he meant to say was 'best friend' and 'distant cousin'! Isn't that right, Itachi?" The boy chuckled before looking at the targets, "Practicing again, weasel?"
This time, Kikyuu replied, "No. These are mine. Itachi showed me this a year ago."
The boy quirked an eye brow at Itachi before looking back at Kikyuu, "Ahh, so you're the one he's been helping."
The girl looked at Itachi, "Why does everyone seem to know about me?"
Shisui chuckled, "Don't worry, just those close to Itachi know. Now, lemme get those at the top for you."
Suddenly, Shisui disappeared and reappeared at the top of one of the trees to grab a kunai. As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared and appeared on another tree, then he quickly returned to the ground and handed Kikyuu her kunai.
The girl, while putting the weapons away stated in wonder, "I've never seen someone so adept at using the Body Flicker technique before."
The boy grinned, "That's why it's in my nickname!"
Kikyuu laughed softly before Itachi looked at her and stated, "Weren't we supposed to work on some taijutsu today?"
She nodded and bid Shisui farewell as her and Itachi moved to a larger training area.
When they arrived, Itachi stood three feet from Kikyuu and stared into her eyes with his onyx ones.
"Now, I'd like you to review a little self defense before we move on to sparring, all right?" The older one asked.
Kikyuu nodded before moving into a slight defensive stance; her left leg forward a touch. Itachi quickly moved forward, throwing a punch that Kikyuu quickly blocked as she stepped to the side, leaving his chest exposed for attacks. She moved through the motions of her attack of jabbing at his eyes with her right hand followed by an extended knuckle punch to the throat with her left hand before ending with her right hand hovering over his left ear, an attack which would have ruptured his eardrum normally.
The Uchiha smirked before stepping back again, both of them returning to their original positions.
"Good, a basic pattern, but effective," the boy stated as Kikyuu smirked before he lunged at her again.
This time, Kikyuu blocked the punch so that his chest wasn't exposed as she mimicked throwing a left hook to his temple following by a mimicked ridge hand attack to the throat and then a punch to the ribs. Itachi smirked as they stepped away once more.
"Again, a basic attack, but effective. I would use those on aggressive citizens or weak shinobi. Otherwise, you would need to use more advanced techniques," the Uchiha stated.
The young kunoichi smirked, "Like… this!"
She stepped forward half a step before spinning around, trying to lead Itachi into believing that she was going to kick him in the stomach before lifting up her hand and performing a back fist attack. However, she was surprised that she had missed her mark as Itachi leaned back before the Uchiha gripped her wrist. When she came out of her spin, she ended up with her body being flush against Itachi's when he pulled her closer. Both of them stared into each other's eyes for a moment as their hearts raced slightly and their breathing increased.
Finally, the Uchiha smirked and used his advantage to toss Kikyuu back, beginning their sparring training.
The young girl panted as the landed in a crouch from her back flips and stared into the blood red eyes of Itachi twenty yards from her. A barrage of kunai and shuriken lay strew about the field and she tried to devise a plan. However, Itachi suddenly charged towards her. Grabbing two kunai from the ground she charged forward when suddenly Itachi disappeared only to reappear behind her. Sensing his presence she quickly spun around and blocked the attack. Itachi quickly brought his free arm up to punch her in the stomach, but she dropped the kunai in her right hand and quickly blocked that attack as well. They stood staring in each other's eyes, panting heavily before Itachi stepped back and smirked at her:
"Best taijutsu in the village of anyone our age…"
"And outside of the Uchiha clan, right?" She asked, smirking back.
Itachi merely nodded as he created two clones to clean up the training field as Kikyuu rubbed her shoulder.
"Did it hurt when I slammed you through that tree?" He asked.
"No, of course not. I slept on it wrong," she replied sarcastically.
Itachi smirked, "Pain is just weakness leaving the body."
She blinked at this and straightened up before smiling, "You know, I wouldn't be where I am today without your help. Thank you."
The Uchiha walked up to her and stood before her. Suddenly, he reached up and caressed her cheek while stating:
"You have more inner strength than you know. You would've gotten to this point eventually."
Kikyuu blushed heavily as she took her kunai and shuriken from the clone and put them away. When she looked back up, Itachi was still standing before her.
"Itachi? Are you okay?"
The boy nodded and she knew he wasn't lying. He then stated:
"I have to go. I have a mission with my team. Ninjutsu training tomorrow?"
Kikyuu smiled and nodded, "I'd like that."
She watched Itachi leave before sighing and heading over to a tree. She wrapped her hands in bandages before beginning to rapidly punch and kick said tree, building up her strength in the process. As the pain began to build in her knuckles and shins, she heard Itachi's words ringing in her ears:
'Pain is just weakness leaving the body.'
She stepped back and began a roundhouse kick on the spot she had been punching before a hand quickly caught her foot and she found herself staring into the blood red eyes of Fugaku Uchiha. He pushed hard on her foot in an attempt to knock her over but she merely back flipped before landing in a crouch before him.
"Fugaku-san. To what do-"
"Silence," The man stated as he stared down at her and deactivated the sharingan before speaking again, "I have put up with this for far too long."
"With what, sir?" She asked, trying to sound genuinely upset.
"You, prancing around this village with my son," the man responded firmly.
"Sir, he is merely helping me train. I do not see-" She began before Fugaku interrupted:
"No! You wouldn't see with those eyes of yours! You shall stop this training with my son. He has an important future that does not involve you as a friend or anything else!"
Kikyuu held back her words and tears before replying, "We are just friends, sir."
Fugaku walked forward and stepped hard on her right hand. Kikyuu flinched slightly but remained still and the man smirked:
"You are to never see him again or the pain you feel now will be worse later on."
Kikyuu slowly looked up at the Uchiha above her, "Pain is just weakness leaving the body. I thank you for helping me get stronger."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed before he quickly punched her in the left jaw, knocking her over. The girl winced as the touched her already bruising mouth as Fugaku walked away.
"Remember," he began as he continued to walk, "never see him again."
Kikyuu watched the elder Uchiha go before punching the ground before her hard as a few silent tears slipped from her eyes.
That night, when Itachi returned from his mission with his team, he felt that something was amiss in the village. When the team leader dismissed him, he quickly headed to Kikyuu's home for his heart told him it had to do with his friend. He landed silently outside her window and saw her inside putting away laundry. He knocked twice on the frame, causing her to jump in surprise before quickly letting him in. The hair she normally worn in the bun while wearing her headband was down as if to hide something and he noticed that her right hand was covered in bandages.
"Kikyuu, are you okay?" He asked.
She forced a smile as she continued putting away laundry, "Just fine. Just fine. How was your mission?"
"You can tell when I'm lying…I can tell when you are too…" Itachi replied, stepping closer to her.
Keeping her back to him, Kikyuu responded, "You need to leave, Itachi."
The boy, confused, gripped her shoulders gently and turned her to face him. He cupped both of her cheeks tenderly and when she hissed loudly as he touched her left cheek, he moved her hair aside and gasped when he saw the large, black bruise that had formed there.
"Kikyuu… who did this?" He asked as he looked into her eyes.
She turned away from him and walked to the small desk in her room to organize her kunai pouch while replying:
"It's nothing. You need to leave."
The Uchiha, growing tired of this, gripped her arm and turned her to face him while stating, "Stop running from me and tell me who did this."
She looked in his eyes and as hers watered, "Y-Your father said we couldn't see each other anymore. H-He said I was a distraction and I tried to be b-brave before him, he did this…and this…" She unwrapped her hand and showed the bruises that it bore as well.
Itachi's mouth formed a thin line as she finished her tale before hugging her close to him. The young girl blinked before hugging her friend back as she cried softly. He sighed and stroked her hair while whispering:
"I told you long ago that we are friends. Nothing will ever change that."
"B-But your father…" Kikyuu stated while looking up at him.
Itachi shook his head and looked back into her eyes, "He can pretend to have control over me for as long as he wants to, but he doesn't. We will still be friends and I will still train you."
The girl smiled before releasing Itachi from her grip. She wiped her eyes then stated:
"You should go, before your father finds out you were here."
Itachi nodded and quickly moved back to the window. He looked back at Kikyuu once more before leaping off towards the compound.
'I can't be feeling things other than friendship for her…I can't…' The oldest Uchiha thought to himself.
Kikyuu sighed as she sat on her bed after shutting the window behind Itachi and thought to herself:
'Is it possible… that I like him as more than a friend?'
When Itachi landed in the garden of his home, his father was sitting on the back porch of their abode.
"Father," the boy said as he began to walk past him before Fugaku stood and stopped him.
"What took you so long? The Police Force saw your team arriving back in the village twenty minutes ago," the man asked.
Itachi looked at his father, "If you know when I returned to the village, then you must already know the answer to that question."
Fugaku smirked, "Then you saw what I did to your friend. That is a warning, Itachi. If I can't get through to you, I'll get to you through her. She is now a distraction."
"How father? How is she now a distraction?" Itachi asked.
The man sighed, "I have heard whispers that say if you continue to do well on your missions, the Hokage will ask you to join ANBU and when you do, there will be something you must do for our clan. She is a distraction if she prevents you from doing well on these missions. And you must do well, for your clan's sake."
Itachi looked at his father, "I can do both, father. She will still be my friend and I will still train her. Goodnight."
The boy pushed past his father and walked to his room for the evening.