After Keahi kissed Itachi, she began avoiding him for fear of what he might say to her about it. Whenever she was walking down a hallway and he came she would either turn into a room or turn around. She didn't want him to tell her that he didn't feel the same way.

He finally caught her when she was sitting at the table in the living room, trying to stop Deidara and Sasori from arguing about art.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She stayed silent for a second before agreeing. She couldn't avoid him any longer. She followed him to his room.

She sat down on his bed. "Yes?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I was scared of what you might say. About me kissing you. I thought you would say that you didn't feel the same way. It would break my heart."

He sat down next to her. "You broke my heart when you avoided me."

Keahi looked at her feet. She was silent.

"I love you, Keahi. I didn't realize it until you kissed me, but I love you. Why won't you look at me?"

"What future do we have?" Keahi said, tears forming in her eyes. "The village will come looking for me and if they don't then my friends will. Where do we go from here? The only way to have a good life is to leave here and we can't do that. What do we do now?"

Itachi lifted her chin with his hand so they looked into each other's eyes. "Let me worry about that."

Transition Time!

"What?" Neji said when Saya told him the situation.

"Exactly. And I need your help to get her back." Saya said.

"Do you know how dangerous that is? We could be killed!"

"Keahi is my best friend and a ninja of this village. We have a right to try."

"This is the Akatsuki we're talking about. We can't get within 500 feet without them knowing. How do you plan on getting her?"

"Exactly. And if the Akatsuki knows, Keahi knows and she wouldn't let anything happen to me." Saya explained.

"What if they keep her away from us and lock her up somewhere?"

"Then that's a risk we're going to have to take. Now are you in or out?"

Neji hesitated. "In. For the village."

"That's the spirit! Let's go!"