Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Thank you new reader and reviewer MiraAi for leaving a review! I love reading reviews, everyone, so please, leave a review! MiraAi mentioned that Itachi might be out of character in a minor way and I wanted to take a small moment to explain my thought process on writing Itachi's lines for this story. In Naruto, there are really two Itachi's; the one who loves his brother, Sasuke, and is very kind, gentle, and a little humorous and then there is the Itachi that is ruthless. It is revealed that the first Itachi is the true Itachi and the second is the false Itachi. So, when writing this story, I imagined that Itachi would be more of his true self around Kikyuu since he did not have to put on an act around her. He would, however, use his "false" personality around normal people and the Akatsuki so as not to reveal his true intentions unintentionally. Additionally, since this is a love story, there will be many scenes involving just Kikyuu and Itachi, meaning that Itachi's true self, which is unnatural to us because we are led to believe for the longest time that he is a heartless killer, is visible. So, I hope that anything that might seem "out of character" can be grouped into the category of his true personality. I just wanted to explain that and hope that clears things up in case anyone else felt the same way. Now, just as a warning, if you are not entirely caught up with the anime or if you don't read the manga, this chapter may contain spoilers. Now, please enjoy!
Chapter 10
Itachi Uchiha rubbed his eyes as he sat next to Kikyuu's sleeping form. He stared into the flickering flames of the small fire before him. He needed to rest desperately, but he couldn't. It had been three days since the last surviving member of the Kumo ANBU trapped them inside a cave. With a rockslide over the opening the cave that he was forced into after another lightning attack, it imprisoned him and the sleeping kunoichi inside; and what a long three days it had been. The Uchiha couldn't rest for Kikyuu's precarious situation required constant supervision; fortunately, Pein had been understanding in the matter when he had reported to him. Only slightly, however, for Deidara and Sasori were closing in on Suna and the one-tails sealing was predicted to occur within the next two days. He would need those two days to travel to Kisame's location in the Land of Rivers and any rest he wasn't getting now would only lead to him being weaker then. The man rubbed his eyes again, a small cough erupting from his chest causing him to cover his mouth to stifle the sound. When he lowered his hand, he blinked as he saw a small drop of blood; however, he ignored this as he heard some rustling next to him.
"Nnnh… Itachi…wha…" Kikyuu quietly stated as she looked around slowly before looking at him.
The young man shifted so he was facing her as he sat beside her before he asked, "How do you feel?"
"F-Fine…. Where…" She was so weak that she could barely speak.
"We," Itachi began, "are in a cave in the Land of Hot Water, near the Land of Fire border."
The kunoichi blinked in disbelief, "Those ANBU…"
The Uchiha nodded, "The leader pursued us beyond their borders…and was able to corner us in this cave with a cave-in at the entrance."
The girl turned her head and surveyed the rocks before looking back at him, "I can clear…easy…"
Kikyuu moved to sit up but gasped and fell back on the makeshift cot as pain erupted from her arm and stomach. In a quick flash, she was reminded of the damage done to her by the lightning and looked at Itachi, asking:
"My… My grandfather's katana?"
He stared at her solemnly for a long time before sliding a bag forward and opening it, revealing the severely cracked remnants of the blade.
"The lightning…" He stated.
Kikyuu chuckled, "It figures… I should've never carried it in the first place."
She sighed despondently before wincing as Itachi helped her into an upright position. He looked deeply into her eyes and began:
"Listen to me closely, Kikyuu. I must leave to rendezvous with Kisame for the one-tails sealing that will be occurring soon. Hidan and Kakuzu should be arriving to this location soon to be in position to capture the two-tails. However…" he hesitated, her small pale face and glowing gold eyes pulling at his heart strings despite his best efforts to harden the muscle, "I will not leave you defenseless. So, unless there is something you can do… I will be staying here until the others arrive."
Kikyuu smiled at Itachi and whispered, "You do care…"
The Uchiha blinked and gently hugged her to him, pressing his cheek against the softness of her hair that still smelled of tulips despite the dirt and rain, "Yes…Yes I do. I always did…for so long, you plagued my dreams…and it hurt me deeply. I regretted hurting Sasuke…and, most of all, I regretted hurting you. Kikyuu, my heart did not stop loving you no matter how hard I commanded it to."
The young woman listened to his words and heartbeat as he spoke before she weakly hugged him back, "Oh, Itachi… Deep inside, I have always longed to hear you say that…. But, I…I still…"
He looked down at her, tilting her head up, as he spoke, "You still cannot forgive me for what I did…"
Kikyuu's eyes watered slightly, "I just can't understand why and if you cannot tell me, I cannot love you fully… like I want to."
The man sighed, "I do not have the time now to explain… we have to get you strong enough to protect yourself while you wait for the others."
She shook her head, "Don't worry about that. There is something I can do that will solve that problem in a matter of minutes. Explain, please, for us."
Itachi sighed and rested her back against the wall, moving over to a small fire he had constructed to heat a small pot of soup. He gathered his thoughts as he prepared a bowl for the kunoichi eyeing him closely before moving back to her side and handing it to her, which she took with a small thanks and a wince before beginning to eat.
"The start of my story has origins long before the massacre…and truly begins ten months after we met. On the night of the Kyuubi's attack on the village, my parents were not at home… nor were they aiding the village in the fight against the demon… While I was left in charge of Sasuke, my clan was alarmingly absent from the village…even now, I do not know where they were. Following the attack, we were blamed for it. Aside from Hashirama Senju, the only other person who could command the beast was Madara Uchiha. Thusly so, any Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan could, theoretically, command the Kyuubi. So, we were blamed. As such, unrest grew in the form of a movement led by my father. He wanted to stage a coup in order to strike back at the council that had struck at them and to resolve a long held anger towards Konoha going back to the days of Madara. However, the only flaw in this plan was the fact that he did not have an inside man to the village; someone to spy on the inner workings of Konoha. This was where I came in. I was pushed into ANBU in order to be that man and when I succeeded, I was informed of the truth," he chuckled, "you know as much as I do, Kikyuu, that I am a pacifist. I truly detest fighting for it only brings suffering. So, I became a double agent in an attempt to maintain peace in the village and prevent war."
Kikyuu set her bowl aside, "So then, what happened? What went wrong?"
Itachi sighed, "Negotiations failed. The Uchiha were planning to move and the council grew worried. Danzo Shimura suggested a mass slaughter of the clan; Sarutobi-sama rejected the idea outright, maintaining that we could find a solution, but it was too late. The council, fearful and weak, agreed to Danzo's plans. I volunteered since, perhaps, Kakashi Hatake would've been the only other capable of such a feat; but, since it was my clan that was the stain on the world, I chose to do it. However, I pleaded separately with Sarutobi for Sasuke's safety; he was the only one I knew I wouldn't be able to harm for he was entirely innocent in the matter. I did it to protect him… the village…" he looked at Kikyuu, "You; to protect you as well. I knew my father, given the chance, would've had you secretly disposed of if he came into power just to keep me in line. I chose to be hated, to maintain peace."
The white-haired kunoichi blinked at Itachi before wiping her eyes, touched beyond words at the emotional toll this story took on him. Although his face did not reflect the inner turmoil, Kikyuu felt it in his words.
"Itachi…" she whispered and she continued when he looked up at her, "Thank you."
Suddenly, she was hugged tightly by the Uchiha and shuddered as she felt a few soft tears fall on her shirt as he whispered:
"I wanted to hear that…. from at least one person…even though I should be judged for what I have done…and I will be, by an Uchiha, by Sasuke… I have wanted at least one outsider to thank me…"
Kikyuu hugged him back with her good arm before they released one another as the kunoichi stated:
"The council was wrong for their choice… and while it was not the best one…there was really nothing else that could be done… was there?"
Itachi shook his head, "My clan wanted blood; they were going to have it at all costs."
She nodded and a silence fell around them like a thick blanket before she spoke again, "I feel as if I should be angry with the village for what the did, but like Sasuke, not everyone is guilty. Besides, I know that the village can create monsters... fearless assassins... emotionally damaged children. Look at me. I am a product of that system; we both are. I should be angry; but your analytical mind and my logic are far too powerful. I can't be angry... not entirely."
"A decision filled with wisdom. It is for the best; life is too short for grudges," the man replied.
For several moments after, neither of them spoke before Itachi stated:
"Now, about getting you well…"
"Right," Kikyuu confirmed before pointing at her pack, "there is a medium sized red scroll inside. Retrieve it and open it, please."
He complied and opened the scroll; blinking at what he saw, "Care to explain?"
She chuckled, "It's an ANBU issue medical scroll that came about two years after you left. They were created by the best sealers our village had left and you can peel a seal off based on the severity of the damages."
Kikyuu removed the bandages around her stomach wound and studied it for a moment before asking, "And my arm?"
"Not much better."
She nodded and looked back at the blackened wound that was dotted with white scar tissue and seeping wounds before gazing up at Itachi and stating, "An orange seal, please."
The man unrolled the scroll more before finding the orange tags near the end of the paper near a few missing spots for red-edged seals. He quickly peeled it off and asked:
"Directly over the wound?"
Kikyuu nodded, "Yes; and quickly, before the seal dissipates."
Itachi nodded and placed the seal. Kikyuu's body convulsed once before her back arched up hard while her face contorted in a snarl of silent pain. Her hand found Itachi's and she squeezed it with incredible strength as the healing effects of the seal coursed through her body. After around twenty minutes, she collapsed back to the ground while panting heavily.
The Uchiha removed the seal from her stomach and marveled at the smoothness of her skin; the damage erased and only a pinkish tint remaining. He removed the arm bandages and sighed as he saw it was completely healed as well. Itachi looked back up at Kikyuu and placed a hand on her cheek when he saw that her eyes were still closed.
"Kikyuu," he stated as he gently caressed her cheek.
She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times before smiling at him, "I'm fine. It just puts a heavy strain on the body. You never get used to it. I'll sleep it off and be right as rain in the morning."
He gave her a small smile before standing and helping her stand as well, "Good. Now that you're in some kind of shape to perform jutsu, could you clear the entrance? I must be going."
She nodded and stood before flashing through hand signs and thrusting her right palm forward. A burst of wind erupted from it and blew the rocks from the entranceway with the force of a small explosion. Kikyuu stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air before looking at Itachi who had stepped beside her, his Akatsuki cloak already resting on his shoulders.
"Thank you," the Uchiha stated.
Kikyuu smiled, "You're welcome. Be careful. Oh! Before I forget…"
She retreated inside and quickly returned with a small container of soldier pills. She gave them to Itachi, who quickly put them in his kunai pouch.
"I can tell you're very weak," she stated.
He smiled softly again at her, "I had to look after you."
She blushed lightly, "Go on, you."
He chuckled softly at her before quickly leaping off, quickly disappearing into the foliage of the forest.