Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Thank you Hatone-Kudasaki for reviewing! I'm so relieved to find that some people feel my characterization of Itachi to be accurate; I was really trying hard to do that. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this newest chapter; please review and enjoy! Warning: Mild language yet again courtesy of Hidan.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.

Chapter 11

It was not two hours after Itachi left that Hidan and Kakuzu arrived. The three of them finished off the last of the soup that the Uchiha had prepared after Kikyuu fortified it further with soldier pills and such. Not long after their meal was it either that the trio received word from Pein about the sealing ritual. While Hidan and Kakuzu began supplying their chakra for the removal of the one-tails, Kikyuu placed various seal tags on the entrance of the cave to shield their appearance and chakra from any outside observer and the only thing left to do then was to wait.

After three days of sealing and one day of rest for the Zombie Duo to regain their strength, the Akatsuki members departed their temporary cave hideout and headed back towards Kumo. Kikyuu was undoubtedly worried for if her and Itachi were merely discovered on a spying mission, then there was no way to tell what would happen when they made a move against the two-tails per leader's orders. As they leapt from branch to branch to make better time, the kunoichi's mind ignored the bickering around her and thought of Itachi.

Their love would finally be allowed to grow. The seeds that had been planted so long ago and so sparsely watered had not perished and were now blossoming in the floodwaters of affection. She hoped that Pein would have her move to join Itachi and Kisame. Kikyuu thought that he would have them move after the four-tails, since they knew the location of the three and six-tails from well informed spies in Kiri and that they would save the eight and nine-tails for last. She needed to see Itachi again to find some way to make up for hating him for all those lost years.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. They had entered the Land of Lightning a few hours ago and were nearly to Kumo, but she couldn't ignore the presence she sensed. She turned her head to the right and focused on an unseen person outside of her true line of vision.

Hidan whistled at her before shouting, "Hey! Girlie! What's the damn hold up, huh? We're almost there and frankly, I want to get this shit over with before nightfall!"

Kakuzu glowered down at him as he snarled harshly, "She obviously senses something important if she stopped. If you would shut your trap for two seconds and wait, she'll tell us."

The violet-eyed man snapped his head to meet his taller partner's gaze, "Oh yeah, wise guy? Those are fighting words in my book. Screw the jinchuriki! I'll kick your sorry ass the rest of the way to Kumo myself and you can pick yourself up and get the damn thing by yourself!"

"Quiet!" Kikyuu hissed as she glared at Hidan, unconsciously giving him an Uchiha-like glare.

The Jashinist flinched slightly at the look before quickly going back to glaring at his partner in an attempt to save face. The kunoichi rolled her eyes before looking back at the chakra source, taking a few steps toward it even while muttering a silent prayer, asking that these two be out of her hair quickly. She smirked, lost in the world of chakra sensing and unaware of the near fight going on a few yards from her before she turned and frowned. She marched over to them and exclaimed:

"Hey!"

The immortals looked down at the girl in surprise and slight anger, not getting a chance to answer as she stated:

"There is a cave 300 yards that way," she pointed to her right, "the two-tails jinchuriki is training inside. Apparently, after the scare Itachi and I gave them, they moved at least her. Get her and bring her back so I can be rid of you two!"

Kakuzu blinked before heading in that direction while Hidan shrugged, following him and stating:

"All right, all right. Sheesh. Don't get your panties in a wad."

Kikyuu rolled her eyes before leaping up into a nearby tree and disguising herself to wait out the capture.

She dozed off. She wasn't even aware that she had until she heard an explosion echoing from the direction of the cave. She chalked up her fatigue to her recent injuries and the toll the rapid healing took on her body despite the days of rest granted after the previous sealing was complete.

Standing as she felt the pair approaching, she stretched the aches from her body and leapt down to meet them as they arrived beneath her tree. She winced slightly as the tender skin on her stomach pulled slightly and tried to hide her weakness.

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow slightly at the action that went unnoticed by his partner, but when Kikyuu began to head towards the sealing location near the Land of Fire, he ignored it. He had no reason to despise her like many of the other shinobi he had worked in his long life for she was quiet, something that was beyond his current partner. In his book, if she didn't pester him too badly and kept shutting up Hidan for him, she would live.

The kunoichi gave an inward sigh of relief that Hidan did not notice her pained expression and she felt safe that even if Kakuzu knew, he wouldn't risk Pein's wrath that would befall him if he ended her life.

They made quick time as they arrived in the secluded, over grown cave that would be the place of the sealing, despite Hidan's constant complaining about various, insignificant things. While Kakuzu went about contacting Pein, Kikyuu made the necessary preparations for security to the area while the ritual occurred.

When she was ready, the kunoichi turned to see the images of the other Akatsuki members flickering into place. Her eyes caught the blaze of the Sharingan for the briefest of moments before she looked away and quickly noticed the lack of an individual.

"Where is Sasori-san?" she questioned to no one in particular; just looking for someone to respond.

Finally, the most unlikely individual to speak of the matter spoke up considering it was the loss of his partner:

"He was killed when the Konoha and Suna forces infiltrated the sealing cave."

Kikyuu was taken aback by Deidara's response before simply nodding in reply while hoping to convey some sense of condolence. The puppet master and the sensor had rarely conversed, the most being when she was brought in, but she knew of his strength and respected his demeanor. It was a great loss to the Akatsuki; however, she noticed someone was already standing in the man's place as the sealing process began.

'If I were to die, would I be so easily and swiftly replaced?' She thought to herself before scoffing quietly and setting about the task of reinforcing the security measures, 'Of course I would be, I am not on par with these people.'

Whoever the replacement was, his efforts did not hinder the sealing process; instead it maintained it at the three-day minimum for sealing. With the ritual over and the body unceremoniously tossed aside, Akatsuki members began to slowly flicker out just as easily as they appeared.

"Kikyuu."

She stood, ignoring the screaming aches in her bones, as she turned and faced Pein.

"Yes, Pein-sama?" She asked.

"While Hidan and Kakuzu move in on a bounty in order to replenish our monetary stores, you shall move to Kisame and Itachi's position in the Land of Earth twenty miles due south of Iwakagure. They are in a small village; I have no doubts that you will be able to find them," he replied.

She bowed slightly to show her gratitude, "Thank you, Pein-sama. I shall leave at once."

"I expected nothing less. We need to quicken the retrieval process now that the villages are being put on guard. Get the four-tails as quickly as possible," Pein's image flickered out, leaving Kikyuu alone in the cave.

She looked around for a moment and spotted Yugito Nii's body still lying on the cold floor. Moving towards the body, her sandals clicking too loudly in the cavern, Kikyuu's heart began to sink. As she stood over the young woman, she finally realized what she was helping these people do. Yes, peace was the goal at the forefront, but at what cost? This. The death of jinchuriki. A shudder rippled through her body and she turned to leave before coming face to face with the plant-like member of the organization.

"Hello, Zetsu," she stated, gazing into the mismatched eyes.

"Hello, Kikyuu," the white-half of his body crooned before he moved around her and gathered up the corpse.

"Zetsu?" She began, halting him, "What do you do with their bodies?"

The man turned and stared at the kunoichi, "I bury them."

She chuckled, "A comforting thought, but I know you are lying."

The black half smirked, "I am forced to store them in a secret location for a purpose that shall soon be known," the white half then spoke, "But if I could, I would bury them."

Kikyuu smiled a bit at the truth, "Gentler than I imagined, but I don't underestimate your ferocity for a moment. Get plenty of sunlight and water, all right?"

She left before he could respond, but she heard him faintly chuckle as she quickly leapt from branch to branch towards the Land of Earth.

She arrived in the aforementioned village after two days of near-constant travel. Her wounds were tender and aching; her joints were stiff; her eyes were heavy and her body was in dire need of rest. The sole reason why she kept pushing herself was because, in some state of delirium, the ghosts of her past and the ghosts of the jinchuriki she had a hand in killing were chasing her. Their pursuit was endless, thus her rapid pace and desire to get here. She felt that she could be safe if she was inside a room and in, although it would embarrass her to admit it, Itachi's presence.

But why hide that's what she wanted most of all? Were things not becoming better between them since she learned the truth of his leaving? While she could lie to herself that yes, they were; she knew that her long, forced hatred was still blocking her feelings from fully accepting him. She knew, however, that if she wanted to have any happiness with him until his death at Sasuke's hands that she would have to move on from any lingering animosity and enjoy what she had left to enjoy.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind as she forced herself to quickly stride to the small hotel where she felt Kisame's and Itachi's chakra radiating outward. To her surprise, Itachi was seated on a small bench outside on the porch, awaiting her arrival. He saw her and quickly stood and she thought she saw him tucking a slightly bloodied cloth away inside his cloak. She readily accepted that he was tending a minor wound as she progressed and that he didn't want to let her see him vulnerable again, especially after the incident in the cave.

Once on the porch, he made an entirely unnecessary motion to follow him inside, for it wasn't like she wouldn't have done so anyway. It didn't take a genius to see that Kisame had, yet again, taken a room to himself, forcing Kikyuu and Itachi into a room with a single full bed. A makeshift bed was already in place in a chair in the corner and the kunoichi moved towards it.

"No," Itachi stated as he gripped her forearm lightly and also delivering the first words he had spoken since her arrival.

Kikyuu understood without a further exchange of words: he wanted her to have the bed. Who was she to argue if he was offering? If she could have, she might've protested, but her mind was already falling asleep as she slipped out of her jacket, cloak, and sandals before climbing beneath the turned back covers and falling asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

The Uchiha sighed as he shook his head slightly. He tucked the girl into the bed and covered her exposed arms and sighed again. From the strain he detected, he knew she had pushed herself furiously, but to what end? For what purpose? Itachi sighed and simply slipped out of his cloak and sandals as well, making a mental note to see a healer in this village if he got the chance about the blood in his ever increasing coughs, before nesting in his own "bed" and drifting to sleep.

A scream pierced the night, causing Itachi to rise out of his light slumber with a swiftness so great, it nearly made his head spin. His knuckles were a ghostly white as he gripped the kunai in his hand tightly, having pulled it from its concealed position to defend himself and Kikyuu. However, when soft sobs reached his ears, he relaxed and knew the nightmares had returned to Kikyuu.

He sat on the bed next to her, for her back was turned to him, and touched her shoulder gently while whispering:

"Kikyuu."

He heard her sniffle and wipe her eyes before looking at him and stuttering slightly:

"I-I'm sorry I woke you, I-Itachi."

The Uchiha chuckled quietly, "If I can help ease your torment, I will gladly do so."

He was surprised when she flung her arms around his neck and held on to him tightly as she cried openly into his chest. Itachi wrapped his own arms around her in shock for he had never seen her strong façade break down so suddenly and with such devastating results.

"I see them… I saw them all the way here… I could barely outrun them…and in my dreams, my nightmares… they catch me," she whispered as he held her as she cried while rocking her slowly back and forth.

"Who, Kikyuu? Who?" he asked, hoping to find a solution to his problem.

"Everyone… Everyone I've killed… everyone who I've had a hand in their death… I can't take it anymore… I've forced to be able to sleep lightly where I won't dream… but I was always so tired… and now…I must sleep heavily, or I can't perform to Pein's expectations… but the nightmares, Itachi," she replied as a new wave of sobs coursed through her.

"Kikyuu, you must focus on why their deaths are necessary…if you do that-"

"That doesn't help!" She exclaimed as she pulled back from him, "Sure, the ones who were causing the pain and deaths of others deserved it… but some… like the jinchuriki… I keep thinking about that lonely boy from Konoha, Naruto …. I was so entrapped in my own ball of pain; I couldn't notice his… I ignored him like most of the village and watched him be hated by the rest… He only wants to be loved and accepted…were the others like that? Are the others like that? I don't know how much longer I can go on killing innocents…"

Itachi sighed as he reached up and began caressing her cheek, "Oh, Kikyuu, if I know you like I believe I still do, I know that you will persevere, for that is what you've always done. You have a strength and resolve that most shinobi would die for. You will go on."

She shook her head, "No… No. Not this time… I can't…. how do you do it, Itachi? You've always been stronger than me."

The Uchiha dropped his hand from her cheek and adverted his eyes, "I don't… most nights, I don't… that's why I am so envious of your strength… If I were to be more like you, I could face it…"

Kikyuu blushed heavily, "You don't mean that… look at me, I've been reduced to a blubbering weakling by merely looking at the body of the two-tails host."

Itachi deactivated his Sharingan as he looked into the kunoichi's eyes, "But I do mean that. I always admired you, especially after your transformation in front of your grandfather when we were young and you demanded to be a shinobi."

"Oh, please," she chuckled softly, "I only could do that because of how strong I saw you were," she paused, her expression dropping, "You… You remember that?"

The Uchiha smiled softly, "I remember everything involving us."

The kunoichi blinked at the man sitting next to her before suddenly leaning in and kissing him deeply, moving closer to him. Itachi found himself kissing her back as he moved his arms lower on her body, resting them on her waist as he felt her pull back.

"I-I'm sorry. That was inappropriate," she muttered as she turned her head away from him.

Itachi simply moved her head back to face him before kissing her again, this time softly and slowly deepening the kiss as he laid her back on the bed.

Their clothes began to drop around them.