Hierarchical Complexity

by IceHaze

Understanding and predicting the behaviors of humans requires extensive analysis. Understanding and predicting the behaviors of Uchiha Itachi requires a miracle.

5. IV Preoperational

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sailor Moon, or Hershey's or NYC or Squirtle or the color green...
Timeline: Non Massacre, slighlty alternate
Warning: Language and suggestive situations (Common warning I put in every chapter just in case though it's really not bad. Except the situations in this one...heh.)
Author's Notes: Wow! I got one out like in a month or so! Amazing...:3. I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I hope you enjoy it too. And also, as promised, Itachi and Usagi direct interaction. I think I've teased you guys long enough. So to compensate, this entire chapter is dedicated to them...that means this chapter is ONLY Itachi/Usagi. Aren't I nice? Actually I already planned for this. Took awhile and now I'm glad it is where it is. Enjoy!

---

Preoperational

---

Something was most certainly wrong.

She took a brief pause after closing the door behind her, allowing her eyes to get accustomed to the darkness after a few blinks. And after finally focusing her eyes in the dark, did she begin to assess the things around her.

The glass that she had previously set on the bar from earlier was suspiciously missing. The books she accidentally scattered on the couch were stacked up on the stand. An unfamiliar garment was sprawled over a chair. A foreign scent was wafting in the air, light but undeniably belonging to a male. But most importantly, the entrance of her apartment now had a pair of footwear that was clearly not hers. And when her ears picked up the sounds of rattling and her eyes caught the light illuminating from the kitchen, she let her lips curve up into a sneaky smile as she crept slowly towards it.

She was careful not to let the wood creak as she inched forward slowly while whispering quietly to herself. "The hungry predator spots her prey and treads closer with focus and perfect form. The target continues to graze, unsuspecting of the dangers that surround him. Slowly, she stalks closer, and closer." Her body crouched and she walked quickly and low, to avoid having said person detect her. When she was no more than a few feet away from the kitchen did she hold perfectly still, shrouded by shadows. "She has him in her sights, waiting for the perfect moment. And finally, in one swift movement…she pounces…"

Usagi lunged forward in an attempt to catch her target by surprise. But as she moved her hand to strike a vital point, a leg shot up and nearly kicked her had it not been for her quick reflexes to dodge back. Another quick movement had that very same foot knock her balance off by swiping at her ankles in lightning speed. One second she was up and the next, she was flat on her back with a foot pressed firmly on her stomach to pin her down. When she looked up, she noticed the culprit holding a glass of milk in one hand and a cookie in the other.

"Alas, the predator misses her opportunity as the grazing animal carefully slips away into the depths of the forest."

She blushed. "You heard me, huh?"

"Next time you want to sneak up on someone, try keeping your narrations to yourself. Hard of seeing, not hearing." He gulped down more milk before putting the glass down and offering his hand to lift her up.

She accepted his offer and hoisted herself up. "Sneaking more food from my fridge again, I see. And just what do you have to say?"

He threw the last bite of chocolate chip cookie in his mouth before speaking. "You're out of milk."

"Again? You're eating me out of house and home! Don't you have a family that feeds you?"

"You're welcome for all the extra training I give you."

"Good point. Eat up."

Which he did, swallowing the last remnants of his cookie as he watched her enter the hallway and switch on the lights.

"I'm just going to put my bags up. I'll be right back."

He watched her briefly and went back to raiding the fridge. When he first met her, it was a little awkward for him. He had to ask permission for everything, whether it was using the restroom, drinking a glass of water or even simply taking a nap. But as their relationship progressed, the formalities became less evident and he felt comfortable enough to start doing things without asking her. And so, he felt less guilty about taking things from her, namely her food.

"You have no idea how crazy my day has been."

"You'd be surprised."

"I had to finish some tedious assignments earlier. Haruka-sensei thinks that the best way for me to get over my recent tardiness habit is to make me pull weeds. I'm so glad it'll be getting cold soon. Once that weather kicks in, I'll be doing less of that boring yard work. Honestly, I was only fifteen minutes late. It's not like we were going to lose anytime on our trip; we had five days." She headed back into the living room and approached the couch, falling down on it from the exasperation of thinking over her previous yard work.

Itachi picked out a few more cookie bites before bumping the fridge door to close and joining her. "Punctuality is a good practice, something you should pick up. Being late can jeopardize your mission. Besides, if you want to make it to jounin, I suggest you start listening more to your sensei. Jounin are highly elite shinobi who take pride in their work ethics; tardiness is not tolerated among that tier."

She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Then explain how Kakashi-sensei gets away with it."

Itachi merely shrugged. "Bribes the Hokage with porn."

"That's awful! How could you say something like that about our Hokage?"

"Because it's true," he managed to mumble while chewing, taking a final gulp of milk and setting the glass on the small table next to him. "The man is not as innocent as he looks, Usagi."

"But…but…he's old! I mean, really old! He can't possibly be thinking about those things in his age!"

Itachi gave a smirk.

"Hey! Not every guy has big chested bimbos running through his mind all day long. I would like to give our Hokage some dignity, okay?"

His smirk grew at her reaction, covering her ears at an obvious attempt to shut the information out. "Oh yeah, he loves those kinds of things. You should see the amount of porn he hides behind his desk. The ones he thinks we don't know about."

"I can't hear you," she said in a sing-song voice and attempted to drown out his words and the lewd images with some light singing.

"And those photographic biographies of women he stores in his drawer? I always wondered why he favored female clients over males. Tell me, what do you think he does with those pictures?"

Her antics stopped and she glared at him for continuing this charade. "Okay, that's it! You asked for this!" Grabbing a pillow from one of the armchairs, she proceeded to beat him down with it, enunciating her next words with each hit she landed.

"Take….that…and…that…"

He rolled his eyes at her childishness and lifted one hand to stop the assault of her volley of hits. "No, please, stop," he deadpanned and waited patiently for her to stop, which didn't happen until she was satisfied she had laid justice upon him.

"You're pure evil for even thinking that of our Hokage. He's a noble man with honorable intentions."

"Trust me; his intentions are far from it."

"Hey! It's possible for a man to not think about sex for at least one moment. Or are you telling me that even you have those kinds of thoughts running through your head?"

He remained quiet for several reasons. The concept had entered his mind, and he actually gave thought to her question. It brought about a sensation he had not experienced before. Suddenly his heart was racing, he felt a chill run down his neck and he stiffened as he realized the situation at hand. Sometime during her assault, she had secured some proximity to him. Her body was still holding that pillow and she towered over him, overshadowing his larger form. Her hair fell down on him gracefully, tickling his hands and arms. Her head was fairly close as well, bright blue eyes staring right into his. And as he realized in a few seconds that had she moved any closer she would be straddling his waist, his mind was taken into overload at the sensations. It was too much. Quickly, he lifted his leg up and proceeded to kick her off the couch by kneeing her stomach, watching as she landed rather harshly on the hard wooden floor, accompanied by a loud thud.

"What the hell was that for?" She grabbed at several parts of her body as they ached in pain.

"Sorry, reflexes."

"You shouldn't be so rough on my delicate body."

Her hand went out and brushed the area from her neck down to collar bone in an excruciatingly steady pace. In then trailed under the sleeve to work out the shoulder. Slowly, it moved down her arms, tenderly soothing out the soft skin it encompassed. And he watched—completely mesmerized by the movements she was implementing on her delicate body.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head to break from the reverie. "What?"

"You keep staring at me." She shyly looked away, playing with her hair and stealing peripheral glances. "It's making me nervous."

"Sorry."

"Whatever. Anyway, why are you here? Not that you're not welcome but I usually don't expect to see you midway through the week. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really."

She smiled. He was never one for discussions. "Well, if you're planning on staying long, I should probably make us something to eat. Something more filling than snacks. If you're okay with reheated food, I have some pretty good leftovers. I made a special stew the other day. My friend got the recipe while on a trip to Iwagakure. It's full of all my favorite meats. It even has a bit of bacon in it. She calls it meat lover's stew."

"What?" It came out a bit sharp and his gaze locked with hers.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "If you find that revolting then we can just find something else in my fridge."

"No, lovers are fine…"

"Meat lover's…"

"A-Ah."

Usagi didn't say anything but it was obvious something was up. She walked closer to him. "Itachi, you're…."

Itachi regarded her silently as she approached him. He tried not to flinch as she placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

"…not catching a fever are you? You're acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. It's not like you to zone out so much. I'm the daydreamer here remember?"

"No. I'm just…exhausted is all."

She offered a soft smile, sympathizing with him. "I know the feeling. It seems the workload just gets heavier the older we get. I, for one, find it a violation of my rights as a citizen. Shame on them for taking advantage of our youth!" She laughed inwardly of how her 'youth' came out, sounding nostalgically like Lee or Guy. It must have been the exposure to them earlier in that day that brought it out. But the two were extremely passionate about their rigorous routine and utilizing one's youth properly. However, Usagi was sure Guy would frown up the actions of the elders. And on that earlier note, it was true. The council really did take advantage of the younger generation and exploited their good health. But it couldn't be helped. Such was the vicious cycle of a ninja.

"Let's go into the kitchen." She yearned for a distraction from the thoughts. "We can sit in the dining area while we wait for the stove to get hot."

A chair was pulled up to the table, one he could only assume was his and so he sat down and settled into it.

"I bet it isn't any easier for you. I mean you hardly have any time to just unwind. If I were you, I would demand to have my vacation time as soon as possible."

"If only I could. In my line of work, there's not much room to negotiate a vacation. In fact, I don't think they allocate anytime for us to relax at all. On top of that, it's not just my work. The clan would just have me doing substitute chores to compensate for my time off in Anbu."

"That bites. Oh well. It was worth a shot."

"Ah."

Usagi stood and headed to the kitchen, pouring the leftover stew into the hot pot, stirring it lightly and covering up the pot before adjusting the heat and returning to her seat across from Itachi.

"Well…let's suppose you did have a vacation. Where would you go?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it…"

"Well, think about it."

"I don't—"

"Think about it!" She pouted.

"Okay, okay!" He complied and thought about the possibilities. "Well…it doesn't have to be anything too extraordinary. I guess I would just get more sleep or spend my time at the library catching up on my reading."

Usagi's face was blank and she let out a breath of air. "That's boring…"

"Oh yeah? What would you do?" He asked challengingly.

She stopped swiveling on her bar stool and smiled, excited to share her ideas with him. "Remember my adventure idea? That's what I'd do. And, to start it all off, I would chart my first destination to Iwagakure!"

"What's so special about that place? Going to pick up more recipes for stew?" He smirked.

"No, smart ass. I'm going to visit the hot springs there. They're the best in this continent and even daimyo travel from far just to visit these springs."

"I can't see why. Hot springs are not unusual; you can find them anywhere."

"True but Iwagakure focuses its architectural structure on these springs to make them more aesthetically pleasing. They're a huge tourist attraction. I hear that some hot springs were designed to make them look exotic; a fantasy brought to life."

He just couldn't understand the point of it. If there were hot springs everywhere, including Konohagakure, why travel halfway across the country for them? She mentioned something about aesthetics and recreating fantasies. What was the purpose of such extravagance? "I just don't see the point. You spend your vacation in a place because you find the architecture visually pleasing? It's a waste of time."

"Hey you can't judge me!"

"It's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard."

"And reading textbooks on your vacation when there's not a reason to study isn't?"

The blank look on his face indicated that he didn't find it at all crazy. At least studying had a purpose; it could sharpen your mind and skills. You could learn something new and benefit from it. What could be gained from going to see a tourist attraction? "Your idea is strange…"

"Well yours is boring! I mean, come on! Who studies on their day off?"

"If you would actually follow my example and take the time to study during your leisure time, then you might actually advance at a more rapid pace than you are even now."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing you say this. Come on, Itachi! Don't you ever think about anything else? Isn't there more to life that you want to accomplish? Life isn't all about training, getting stronger or being the best."

"My life is…" he sighed.

At first she thought that maybe he was tired of arguing with her but upon closer inspection, Usagi saw that faraway look in his eyes. He was contemplating something and she had a hunch about what it was. "I understand about your responsibilities and duties as a shinobi. And I know you carry a heavy burden as the future patriarch of your clan, but you should unwind every once in a while; escape from that life, even if just for a little bit. There's no one in this world that should live with that much stress."

Itachi thought about her words and how much she was his escape from that life. A life outside of the Uchiha clan.

"I've always dreamed about leaving this place and going out to see the world. There's so much out there I haven't seen yet. Seas and lakes I haven't swam in yet, fields of flowers I haven't picked yet, mountains I haven't climbed and of course the food I haven't eaten. We can't forget that." She stuck her tongue out playfully and earned a raised eyebrow from him. She then settled down and leaned on her elbows, allowing images of places she had never seen to take control of her imagination. "I can only imagine it from the books I read and the traders or merchants that come by. Adventures, mystery, romance. Luckily for me that someday will be coming up shortly."

"You're…leaving here?" The news was a brief shock to him, one he easily recovered from but lingered on the notion nonetheless.

"That's right! I got it all set up with the council, paperwork and everything. About eight months or so from now, I'll be walking out these gates and living out my dreams of exploring. It's going to be so much fun, Itachi! I can hardly wait." She wiggled in her seat, the excitement being too much for her to control.

"You seem genuinely excited."

"Of course, it's not every day a person gets to live out his or her dreams. It's pretty fortunate for me to be able to do it at such a young age, don't you think?"

"What is it you yearn for…in these adventures, I mean?"

"I guess, beyond the fantasies and adventures, I feel like I will get a connection from my parents by doing so. Live out my dad's past. And also, I can keep a log like my dad did; make my own mark in life. Plus there's something in Iwagakure besides the hot springs that I would very much like to visit."

"And what would that be? Perhaps some type of restaurant or circus?" He meant to tease but when she didn't laugh back, he let his smile disappear, wondering what could make her so silent.

"My mother's grave."

"Oh." He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "I suppose that is significant."

"You know, I haven't gone to see her grave in about three years. The last time I was lucky Haruka-sensei allowed us time to drift off from our mission. Otherwise I probably would have never seen it at all. It was the first and last time considering I wasn't allowed to leave the village before I became genin. Then things got busy when I was a chuunin and now…well you get the idea." Her eyes fell at the thought. "I must seem like a horrible daughter. Not being able to pay respects to my mother properly."

"I'm sure she wouldn't think that of you. She would want you to live your own life out."

"Yeah, I know. Plus, she was a businesswoman. I'm sure I would have gotten a lecture of how I should allocate more time to working hard and earning money rather than chasing my silly dreams. In some ways, from what I do know of them, I can't help but think they were two different types of people. It's funny how people like that can be brought closer together. I guess opposites attract, huh?"

"Or maybe they just complemented each other."

She smiled. "Yes, I think so."

"Well, you'll be paying your respects to her soon enough. How long do you plan on being in Iwagakure?"

"Oh, hmm…" she thought carefully, trying to remember the terms to her contract with Konoha. When the answer came to her she snapped her fingers in resolution. "Oh yeah. About three months!"

He coughed. "Three months?"

"Yeah, yeah! Give or take a couple weeks. It just depends on how long it will take me to get there and back. Some discrepancy in time was allotted to me in the paperwork, I think. Oh well, if I do go over, I can just sweet talk the Hokage. He likes me after all."

"I don't understand. Three months? What do you hope to accomplish moving for only that amount of time?"

"Moving? Who said anything about moving?"

His brows furrowed. "You just did."

"No, I didn't. I said I was leaving here. It's my vacation time, Itachi. I haven't redeemed any of it for the last few years. The council suggested I should do so before I take my jounin trials because in the first couple of years as jounin, I won't have any scheduled time off. My life will become sporadic and my workload increased.

"Oh."

She laughed. "I don't think I could ever leave here permanently. I genuinely do love the village. I would miss everyone too much. When I said I wanted to leave, I just mean that, given the chance on a vacation, I would spend it traveling around. See something outside these gates that doesn't pertain to a mission."

"Ah..."

"But I'm not leaving for good. You would miss me too much."

She winked at him and he did nothing to respond to it. Because in all honesty, he probably would have. Something he would never tell her out loud.

At that moment, the sound of boiling food became more obvious to them both and Usagi went over to turn the heat down, grabbing a few bowls in the process.

"I'm so excited for my trip. It's going to be great. The hotels, the scenery, the food…the guys."

He saw her blush at that last part and rolled his eyes. The sad mood was effectively killed and he grimaced at another thought. Despite how great a friend she was and how it resembled his time with Shisui, he was constantly reminded that she did indeed belong to the opposite gender department. Her antics were at times, a bit childish to him—resembling something he would see in his little club.

"Here's your bowl." She handed his food over as well as his utensils, watching as he paid no mind to her and began eating. In some ways it was rude but it also proved to Usagi how comfortable he was with her. If it had been any other situation, she was sure he would have patiently waited—formalities intact.

"I keep thinking I should camp out a bit, you know? Just to experience nature and how my father may have sustained himself—fishing, hunting, foraging."

His lips curved up. "This coming from the girl whose definition of fishing is going into the market tanks and reeling up a salmon with a shoe string and a piece of cheese for bait." He took another slurp of the stew; the taste was actually superb.

"Hey don't judge me! Besides, you thought it was funny too!" She smiled at the fond memory. "We were lucky that was outside of Konoha. Can you imagine the merchant telling your parents what you were doing?"

"What you were doing."

"But you were an accomplice, my partner in crime! You know what they say: guilty by asphyxiation."

"Association."

She giggled. "Oh right. I should probably stop hanging around Minako; her quirks are starting to blend in with mine. In anyway, I think I'll be fine on my trip. I'm not exactly the best trap expert or anything but I can pull a few fish out of the streams. Or if it all fails, I can always rely on the restaurants I charted."

"I figured as much."

"Shut up. At least I was willing to make the effort."

"You should brush up on some survival skills. Eating out every day will get expensive."

She scoffed at the concept. "Not if I can find a cute guy to pay the meal for me."

She took another bite from her food and moaned in delight; Itachi wasn't sure if it was a result of the meal's taste or her girlish fantasies.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to get a guy to pay for your meal…and a drink."

He shook his head disapprovingly. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

"I didn't mean those kinds of drinks. In anyway, I couldn't help it that one time. It was all part of the mission." She also flushed at the thought of that particular mission. Needless to say, her teammates got to see a new side of her that one night, a more affectionate and flirtatious Usagi. Alcohol never sat well with her, it was hard to get past just a few shots. She couldn't remember the details but she distinctly recalled the smirks everyone gave her the following day she endured her hangover, and the wonderful storytelling skills of her sensei. She had yet to live it down honestly.

"Right. Well I guess it all depends on the guy you're trying to seduce. They must not be too bright to fall for your allure, or maybe they just have low standards." He bit back a smile, waiting for her to throw a tantrum.

"Hey, I resent that remark! I will have you know that I am perfectly capable of attracting a guy. I just…don't really feel like it all the time. That's all."

"Sure."

"I can too!"

"You don't see me falling for your charms do you?"

"Well that's because you're not sexually attracted to me…or anything for that matter."

"Hmm," he pulled a little on his collar, uncomfortable with the conversation. If she only knew the thoughts that were lingering on his mind earlier.

"Well…ah!"

"What?" He assessed her carefully, afraid that maybe she did catch on to his line of thoughts, a huge slip up on his part.

"As a matter of fact," she held her chin up high, "today I was recently courted by a guy, with no provocation on my part whatsoever. So I must be doing something right."

Itachi slowed his chewing and looked her in the eye. He knew very well who she was referring to.

"Actually, that leads me to something I've been meaning to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

"Well, you're familiar with a guy named Uchiha Shisui right?"

He reached over to the glass of water she set by him earlier and took a drink, allowing the food to easily slide down his throat. "Ah."

"Okay, I thought so. That lady mentioned that you two go way back so I figured you two were good friends."

He immediately stilled his hand. "You met with someone from the clan."

"Don't freak out on me. I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened after I met up with that Shisui guy."

"Usagi, I told you—"

"I know you did. But it honestly wasn't my fault. I was actually doing fine and minding my own business before this whole ordeal started."

"What ordeal?"

"Okay, here's how it went. I was at the market minding my own business, window shopping and having a great time when suddenly…I sensed someone."

Itachi gulped down his food quickly.

"I tried to brush it off as simple paranoia, but I noticed that this particular chakra was following me around. Everywhere I went, it followed. Up and down the streets, through the alleyways. Finally, I decided to hide in a shop but I couldn't find any person trailing me. The feeling eventually disappeared after I bought a manga in the newspaper stand and left. But then, that's when that Shisui guy suddenly appeared and brought me my 'lost' wallet. If you ask me, it all seemed staged in an attempt to trap me in some sort of scam…" She gazed at his somewhat nervous appearance. "Or am I just reading too much into this?"

"No…I mean. It's quite possible that your suspicions have merit." It was also quite possible that Usagi was referring to his chakra and not Shisui's. But it was best to just go along with her presumptions. He was also curious as to what truly transpired between his two friends.

"Well, the things is…that I never lose that wallet. It's the kitten wallet, the one you gave me for my birthday? It always stays with me. And then after talking about it with some of my friends, I got the idea of him actually stealing the wallet to try to fake a heroic act in order to speak to me. And when we did start talking, it just…I don't know. He asked me some questions and then he got me a little nervous."

"What kind of questions did he ask you?" a hint of suspicion in his voice alerted her.

"Nothing personal. Just things about hobbies and stuff but when we first talked he kept asking me if I ever met another Uchiha and why I was nervous around him and stuff like that. I didn't answer any questions directly and covered my tracks well so I'm not too worried but I still just find it suspicious."

"You mentioned something about talking to another Uchiha."

"Oh yeah. He took me to some senbei shop run by a couple of elderly looking people."

"Ah."

"You know them too, right?"

"Uruchi baa-san and Teyaki jii-san. They run the shop. I've known them all my life."

"Yeah, they were nice. I liked them." She giggled when she recalled how nervous she was at them constantly bringing up Itachi. "Actually, the entire time we were there, they mostly talked about you." Looking over at him, she knew she saw a tiny hint of sweat trickle down. "Again, nothing too personal. Just mentioning what a cute baby you are." She reached over and pinched his cheeks but was quickly pushed away.

"Stop that."

"Aww, Itachi was a cute little baby in diapers," she teased in a baby dialogue similar to that of which mothers use to play with their children. He was obviously not impressed by the condescending tone. "I was just teasing you."

"Well don't. And did those people mention anything else?"

"Nothing too important. They talked about how cute you were, how you used your boyish charms to con innocent women into doing your bidding…"

"I did no such thing."

"Well Uruchi-san seems to think so. And like you said, she's known you all your life. Obviously, she would know of your days as a child."

"Enough, what else did you discuss?"

"Hmm. Actually that's about it. A story of how you ate senbei in the morning before going to the academy, that it's a tradition. Something about your looks being rebellious…"

"Anything other than me?"

"No. That's all. Then she left us alone."

"And Shisui? What did he talk to you about?"

"Just casual talk and a little flirting. Nothing too serious, honestly. I told him about my adventure idea, how my parents died and then he just asked what kinds of books I liked to read. I shared with him some of my passions and ideas and he really just sat there and listened to me, offering occasional commentary. Say, now that I think about it, in retrospect, he never really indulged in his hobbies or ambitions. In fact, I don't think I learned much about him at all."

"Never changes," Itachi mumbled. "The idiot."

"Say, since you're really good friends. Maybe you wouldn't mind telling me something about him?"

"About him? Like what?" He watched her face flush and her fingers began to fidget with her hair, twirling it around her finger until it became very wound. And when she wouldn't lock her gaze with his, he figured she was being shy about the subject.

"I just want to know what kind of guy he is."

There were many things that could have constituted, such as being a hard worker, a motivated person, if he was good with people, charitable, dependable, charismatic, and a string of other adjectives. But if Usagi was interested in anything beyond friendship, it was important to know what kind of man he was right from the start.

"He's a sex fiend."

"I figured as much."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You don't look that surprised. Or maybe it just doesn't intimidate you? Maybe dangerous men are your thing?"

"Of course it bothers me; it's just that I kind of already assumed he was. I mean, he didn't exactly hide it very well. And what do you mean 'dangerous men'?"

"I don't know." He wasn't quite sure what his mother meant either. Maybe someone with a dangerous allure, or someone who actually engaged in dangerous activity. And then, to what extent of danger was his mother referring to when she said that women go through that phase? "I guess, someone who's trying to hurt you."

"Hurt me? Hurt me how?"

"I don't know. Kill you?"

"Kill me?"

"I guess…"

"Why would I like someone that's trying to kill me? I mean, I've heard of fetishes but that one takes the cake. I'm not into that whole sadist/masochist thing." She whispered that last part as if someone other than Itachi could hear her. "Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

"Calm down. It was just something I overheard from…some woman. She said women go through a dangerous men phase."

"Oh! That's different. It doesn't mean we like guys that could hurt us."

"It doesn't?"

"Well actually it does. But not hurt hurt."

"I don't understand."

"Well, guys that look like they can be dangerous but aren't…well actually most of them are. They don't hurt us physically…but they could if they wanted to. But they usually don't! They usually hurt us emotionally. Wait, that sounds worse to me." She put a hand on her chin and honestly pondered over the whole concept. "Actually, I don't quite understand myself either." She laughed as his face showed he had no clue what her point was to that theory.

"Women are strange."

"I suppose we are. But anyway back to the conversation."

"Yes?"

"About that Shisui guy, I mean, aside from all that sexual deviant stuff, he really seemed like a sweet guy. I'm sure he means well."

He thought about it overall. Yes, Shisui was a fairly well-intentioned man. He was the best friend anyone could ask for, aside from a few small quirks. There wasn't a moment he could recall where one of his favors wasn't granted by his best friend or when he needed help that it was turned down for any reason. And most importantly he was a good shinobi. Definitely someone you could trust in the battlefield and with the village as a whole.

"Ah."

Itachi sat back in his chair to stretch a little. He lifted his arms first then gave his legs a little more movement so as not to fall asleep. He began to rotate his arms in a slow motion. Then he moved his head from side to side. As he did so, a few muscles located in his shoulder began to invoke a twinge of pain and so he subconsciously reached over to rub it.

"Do your shoulders hurt? If you want, I can give you a quick massage."

He said nothing and continued to rub at his shoulders. It wasn't in his nature to ask for help. But she ignored this and stood up. He continued his movements, just glancing over in her direction and watched as she slowly walked over to where he was sitting. And when she was directly behind where he was at, he looked up at her questioningly.

Usagi was already used to his lack of response. Over the course of the few years they knew each other, she had begun to decipher his body language or answer his questions for him, even if they were actions or words in which he didn't quite agree. Most of the time she did as she liked and as with every other time, she decided to take the initiative herself once again.

She placed two hands on his shoulders, signaling for him to stop his ministrations to himself. He did eventually and resigned to letting her do as she pleased. It always worked out to her favor, any small feuds; this one would be no different. So he did not protest when she began to work on him. With skillful hands, she began to soothe the area first and watched as he gradually relaxed to her touch, shoulders lowering in surrender to the feeling. With her left hand, she began to knead in a circular motion, working out the knots in his muscles. His body sagged a little more at this, obviously becoming used to her working it all out. With her right hand, she smoothed out the tough area, planning her patterns carefully and after the first two minutes of tension, he finally, completely let her go to work.

"See. Feels good right?"

"Mmm," he closed his eyes slightly.

She chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

He allowed her to work her way across his neck, shoulders and back, relishing in her craftsmanship. It really did feel good; he could feel the tension slowly easing away. In fact, if she had not done this, he probably would not have noticed how tense he actually was. But as her hands glided down his body, he felt all that disappear more and more with each part of him she touched and inwardly sighed at the relaxation it invoked.

"I learned how to do this from my friend. She works at the hospital and has to deal with a lot of patients going through rehabilitation. It helps get them to relax and soothes their muscles. Plus it just feels good. It's one of the most relaxing things there is…well that and a nice warm bath. Speaking of which, I'll need to take a shower very soon. I really need one considering all that yard work and training at the dojo I did earlier. Are you planning to stick around longer? If you don't mind, can you help me out with a small project while I shower? I need someone to help me fix my clock up; I don't think I know how to get it going. It's an older model, much older than me probably. So I could use the help. And if you get done early, I also have some new books and the newspaper to pass up the time."

"Hmm? Sure." He only half listened, fully content with the motion of her hands as they continued to work. He had already finished his shower but it did little to relax him. On the way to Usagi's, he was still thinking much of his family and the predicaments he was placed in all day. And unfortunately, he didn't have much work tomorrow, meaning he would have to find some other form of distraction to avoid being stuck in the house all day. Otherwise, he would be forced to go to work at headquarters or even worse, put up with more sex talk from his mother.

And at that last thought, quite suddenly, his body went rigid.

"Don't get so tense, you'll ruin all my hard work."

He glanced up at her, eyes carefully assessing her motives. She gave one more good rub on him before giving up on the activity altogether.

"There, see? All better. I bet you feel a lot more relaxed now."

He gulped, hesitating on answering the question, his mother's words echoing in his mind.

It starts out simple, an offer for a massage if she noticed you're tired or aching.

"Well when you get the chance to fix the clock, can you put it up there?" She pointed to an empty spot on the wall above the main hallway.

First, there's the old repair job…

"I'm going to go take a shower now. You can keep eating and reading some of that material I mentioned to you if you want. I won't take too long…promise."

Then she'll ask if you would like to get situated…while she showers…

His heart pumped faster as he realized he was probably already well ensnared by her trap. He was so lost in her distractions he hadn't realized he was playing so well into her little plan already. Had he not been so nervous suddenly, he probably would have stopped to admire and comment on her remarkable brilliance and deviously clever diversions. But this was no time for such a thing.

"No!"

Usagi stopped abruptly and turned around slowly, completely baffled by his sudden outburst.

Itachi cleared his throat at her questioning look. "I mean, no. I have to get going."

"Oh, you're not staying longer?"

"No, I should probably head back home soon. It's getting late anyway."

The sudden vibrant aura changed and he realized she was more than likely upset at his desire to leave.

"It's okay. And don't worry about the clock. I'll just ask one of my friends later when they come."

He stood up and walked away to leave. But after just three steps he looked back at her to see her putting away dishes. She kept her head low and her eyes carried a sad look. Her movements were also fairly slow and he began to wonder if this was also a ploy. Despite his mental warnings to just keep on walking and ignore it all, he couldn't seem to shake her sadness away. And he found himself falling even further for her traps, because he just couldn't say no to her.

"I'll stay…to fix your clock," he quickly amended.

Her brilliant smile adorned her face and he felt a peculiar feeling at seeing it.

"Thanks. You don't have to stay long if you don't want to. If you need to leave after you put it up that's fine. Just lock the door on your way out."

"Okay," he replied quietly. This part wasn't on his mother's caution list, but maybe it was some sort of reverse psychology. Yes, pretend that you're not interested in order to get more attention—the old cat psychology.

"Thanks again. Hope you get to feeling better. Make sure you try and take it easy, okay?" She left without waiting for him to reply since he hardly ever did.

Itachi watched her disappear into her room and then turned his attention to the clock on the table stand. He picked it up and inspected it carefully. He pulled a small senbon from his side pouch and used it to unscrew it open in order to assess the mechanics.

His sharingan activated; it was imperative for him to see through the dark parts of the clock's interior design as well as analyze every piece of it. It didn't take long for him to find the key components and after a few careful adjustments, he heard the clock begin to wind up again. Turning it around, he saw that sure enough, the hands were moving. With delicate procedures, he began to screw the clock shut again and hoisted it up to where Usagi pointed earlier. The clock was centered perfectly up high and he gave a small noise to indicate a job well done. After putting away his supplies, he began to head over to the door but stopped once again as the sounds of water running made it to his ears.

She must have begun showering, so he concluded. His eyes closed momentarily and pondered about it but quickly reprimanded himself from the idea, the mental images of water running down her neck quickly shaken away. No. He had to leave soon, before his train of thought returned. But as he made it to the door once again, he stopped. If he left now, there was nowhere for him to go besides home. Also, Shisui had been following him earlier and if he left now, there was no stopping the man from pursuing him if he ventured somewhere outside the household. In fact, there was no telling if the man was out patrolling right now, waiting for him to make a reappearance. In which case, it would be difficult to explain why he was hiding in a woman's apartment. No, maybe staying put was the best.

But when the sounds of light humming echoed from the bathroom, those damn images returned. He muttered more curses before sliding his hand through his hair in exasperation. His mother... It was her fault he was in this predicament in the first place.

Damn her to hell.

With determination, he glanced around the apartment. Surely, there was something he could do to take his mind off of everything. And that was when he spotted some books on the counter. He walked over and fumbled through the pile. It was mostly manga, a few textbooks on anatomy, chakra control and some on the effects of climate changes on the body. After a few seconds of debating, he chose the latter of the books and sat down on the dining table chair from earlier.

The first few pages were introductory, explaining the geographical layout of the country and its climatic changes. It eventually transitioned into several different climate areas and how people cope with survival. But after a few more pages he closed the book shut, wondering why she would pick up such a book, it was uncharacteristically of her. And it was definitely out of her usual realm of interest. He opened up the next book to a random point and immediately dropped it; a figure of the female anatomy was not exactly going to help the situation at all.

He sighed and stood up, beginning to pace sharply around the living room, figuring out what else he could do. After another quick survey he spotted the dirty dishes from earlier in the sink. And with a new task in mind, he went over and began washing them. He grabbed a sponge and poured the liquid right on it. The bowls went first, receiving a slow and thorough scrubbing before he moved on to the silverware.

Suddenly, he heard the water go off. She was done, and he could hear some rattling of sorts; mostly likely, she was getting dressed. He began scrubbing harder, moving from dish to dish at a more rapid pace and then the faucet water went on immediately, a form of distraction. He rinsed the dishes off just as quickly as he scrubbed them before placing them on a rack to dry.

After wiping himself dry with a towel, he let out a breath and began to make his move out the kitchen. "This time for sure," he mumbled, with new resolution to leave. He would just pull the old clone trick on Shisui. Yes, that was an easy and effective enough solution to execute. It could distract Shisui and he could avoid suspicion. Then he wouldn't have to stay here and suffer. His feet quickly followed up a stern pace to stalk out, but as soon as he hit the hallway, he nearly collided with another figure.

"Watch it."

"Sorry, I thought you already left so I came to check on the lock."

He froze, taking only a momentary glance at her as she hugged a white cotton towel around her small lithe body, leaving her legs, neck and arms completely exposed for his scrutiny. Her hair had a different hue to it because of the water. It was a deeper gold at the moment, and it clung to her form tightly. There were also small amounts of water from it trickling down her entire body, from her hair down to her legs and feet, until they fell into a small pool on the wooden floor. She looked at him, confusion evident. His body immediately swished to the side to cover his blush and pay her some amount of respect at her highly indecent state.

"I decided to stay a little while after all."

"Oh, okay. That's great!"

She smiled and continued to stare at him. He was not budging from where he was, completely avoiding her direction and keeping close to the wall in the hallway. She could have ignored all that, but when he didn't respond to her question, she frowned.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Do you want to do it or not?"

"What?" Her current lack of clothing was completely ignored as he shot her an accusing yet vulnerable look.

"Come on."

"No." His back softly collided with the wall.

"Itachi, I need you to move!"

"What?"

"I have to go change!"

"Oh." He immediately obeyed her wishes, backed away and proceeded to let her go through, embarrassed for being so awkward and for the loss of his usual elegance and composure.

"I won't be too long."

He noticed a flush on her face as well as she rushed back into her room; perhaps he should have simply left. A few strings of mental curses ensued at his stupidity and he was back to the dining room's chair, holding his head with his hands in an attempt to calm his nerves.

"I just need to calm down. I'm overthinking this." There was nothing going on; he recited the words over and over in his head as a mantra. Eventually his thinking would come to a calm halt and he could put the incidents behind him in order to continue functioning properly. His hand reached for the glass of water she handed to him earlier from their dinner. One gulp had his heart back to a normal pace; the second had his nerves working in his favor again. By the time he swallowed the third one down, he felt a little better. A few more minutes later, and he was back to his normal state, as normal as he could be anyway. He reached over for one more sip of water.

"Oh Itachi, can you come in here for a minute?"

He coughed into the water, recovering from a light dose of choking. "Why?"

"I want to show you something!"

Maybe he wasn't overthinking it. This had to be another trap. She was going back and forth playing this game. Keeping him on and off guard in sporadic patterns. Of that he was sure of now. It was all to throw him into confusion and make him more susceptible to her advances. If he went in there now, it was all over for him. His mother had warned him of this as well. That if she called him in the room, it was mostly likely the path to his downfall. There would be no turning back. "Of all the shinobi in Konoha, why me?" he whispered into nothingness.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!"

He walked and stopped several times, nearly faltering once. His mind was disputing over the fact of whether or not to adhere to her calls. It all seemed like a well-orchestrated plan if he fell into it this far. And despite his mind urging him to leave, his traitorous legs continued down the path. He had to prepare himself for whatever he might encounter. Was she dressed for the occasion, perhaps already prepared to play the part of the temptress in some exotic type of lacy lingerie? Or maybe she was going for a different angle? Cute and innocent with that pink nightgown she owned and some light make-up. Yes, that seemed to be more of her style. Well she was in for a huge disappointment. He had a strong will; he would not be seduced by her.

His hands reached out and pushed the door open. After a deep breath, he walked right in bravely. And upon taking in his surroundings, he blinked once then twice, unsure of what to make of everything before him.

"What's taking you so long? Get in here!" She continued to towel dry her hair while waiting for him to enter the room and shut the door, her patience wavering at his glacial pace.

Usagi was wearing an old t-shirt and some denim shorts, nothing at all of what he expected of her. Yet, it somehow seemed to do the trick as his eyes were immediately drawn to her. And so he, unknowingly, looked over to Usagi's form and for the first time ever, gave her body a thorough inspection.

She finished the last part of her hair and tossed the towel away into the corner of the room. When she turned around, she caught his staring. His look confused her so glanced down at her t-shirt. A blush grew and she crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to shield her shirt from his gaze. "I'll have you know this manga character was very popular when I bought this shirt!" She huffed and refused to look at him.

Itachi was relieved she misunderstood the situation. "I didn't say anything."

"Whatever. Why don't you just sit down while I finish getting ready?"

He looked around the room and settled for the bed, falling on it easily and leaning back on his hands while watching as she began the process of brushing her fairly dry hair. It took approximately thirty two strokes until she was satisfied. She then moved around to different areas of her room. She headed to the cupboard and applied some lotion onto her body, elegantly and slowly. She then walked over to another dresser, grabbing some oil and powder to rub on her legs, primarily her knees and ankles. Finally she went to retrieve some potpourri, something he wasn't very comfortable with seeing and instantly wanted to know what she planned to do with it. When she began to throw some around certain areas in the room, he concluded—or rather hoped—it was purely for aesthetic reasons.

"There, now it should smell a little better." She turned around, that feeling of being watched becoming evident with every task she performed from her nightly ritual.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, well sorry for the wait. Let me just get a few more things done."

She ignored him after that, finishing up some more tasks that, luckily for him, had nothing to do with parts of her body. After she was gone for a couple more minutes, he began to relax a little more. All that, however, changed when she returned and smiled at him. He held her gaze firmly, as if he was engaging in another bout of intimidation. But as she walked over closer to him, he conceded the staring contest and allowed her to claim victory. His pulse picked up gradually and his breathing became slightly irregular, had she been more attentive in nature she would have been able to pick it up easily. But of course, she was as clueless as ever, or so she feigned. She sauntered closer, it felt excruciatingly slow to him, an agonizing feeling that only helped to heighten his anxiety. But none of that compared to what happened soon after. She finally reached him and gave another shy smile while looking down, probably trying to avoid his gaze. After pulling her hair back and out of the way by tossing it over her shoulder, she fell slowly and carefully to her knees, pulling herself uncomfortably closer to him.

Itachi's body shot up from his position on the bed in lightning speed, backing up sharply and making the bed skid backwards along with him, scraping the wooden floor. "What are you doing?"

"Getting my kotatsu from under the bed," she responded as if the answer should have been obvious to him.

Sure enough, he saw the object when he looked down. Right beside his feet was a small piece of wooden furniture. Usagi pulled it out completely from under the bed and worked out the kinks to completely unfold it. The covers slid out from what they were tucked away in and soon enough, a small table was put out right in front of him.

"Oh."

"There is something seriously wrong with you today. Are you sure you're not catching a fever?"

"Perhaps…" he swallowed nervously. "…I am."

"Oh boy. Wait here, and sit down. I'll go bring you some medicine."

"Get a grip." He told himself, upset at how badly he misconstrued the previous action.

He sat down by the kotatsu as he normally would at his home but then realized that this wasn't his home. His mother was usually stern about sitting properly at the table, which meant scrunched on the knees. But his mom wasn't here now; and being with Usagi made him, surprisingly, forego his usual formalities. She also wasn't one to overly judge on etiquette seeing as she barely had any herself. So he stretched his feet in different directions. It was a refreshing feeling. And he had to admit, the heat from the kotatsu felt nice. Especially when considering the cool weather.

She returned a few minutes later, two pills and a glass of water in hand. "Two of these should be fine. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Thanks." He did as she instructed and put the pills in his mouth, swallowing and flinching from the horrible taste. Well, how often was medicine enticing? But it was probably the best thing to do, pretend he was sick and play the patient. They could even help in calming his nerves, something he was incapable of doing at the moment.

"I need to show you something."

He watched as she reached over to a nightstand. Her fingers began to rummage through the pile of objects. Most of them, he noted, consisted of small pieces of fabric and he felt more nervous as to what exactly she wanted to show him.

"Ah ha!" He heard her say and the sound of something ruffling which most definitely wasn't fabric calmed him down.

"What's this?" He grabbed the paper when she handed it over and inspected it carefully.

"I grabbed it when I was on a mission with my team. See? It's just like I said!"

It was a brochure and he skimmed it over, realizing that it was an impressive feat. The architecture really was admirable. "Hmm," was all he said as he handed the flyer back, thankful that was all it was she wanted to show him.

"Impressive, huh? These are the hot springs I was talking to you about; they double as a hotel too so it's definitely going to be a stop I make in my vacation. "

The flyer showed a series of themes designed for each room which had a hot spring connected to it, all of them exotic as she put it herself. One was designed to look like an dense jungle, several tropical plants adorned the watery paths that led straight to the main hot springs. The next one was designed to recreate the desert. Vast sand dunes paved the way and old materials constructed the paths to give it an ancient look. The final one in the brochure was more modern, small streams of water cascading down along the path, illuminated by several lights. Frivolity aside, they were designed fairly well. It must have been a huge tourist attraction and a successful business. But they didn't look like the typical type of hotel you would normally visit. It had a different feel to it; something only couples would go see. He smirked at the thought.

"There are a lot of couples in this brochure."

She snatched the paper away with an angry flush to her face. "So? That doesn't mean it's only for couples!"

"It might look awkward for you on your own. How would it feel to be surrounded by so many couples while you remain single?"

She huffed. "Well, maybe I'll find someone there to accompany me!" She crossed her arms in a dignified manner, insulted. And when his smirk grew, she became even more flushed with anger. "Maybe I'll ask that Shisui guy to come see the scenery with me."

"The only scenery you'll be viewing with that guy is the bedroom ceiling."

She choked a laugh. "Itachi!"

"I'm serious."

"You two have such a well-developed friendship." It was laced with sarcasm, something he had grown accustomed to from her.

"I'm just being honest. Watch out for that guy. He's a good friend…but as a guy, well you get the idea."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Usagi smiled only briefly, and suddenly she seemed a completely different person—deadly serious. She had postponed the inevitable question long enough. "Hey, Itachi, I was going to bring this up eventually but…why are you here anyway? Not that I mind your company or that you can't just drop in to say hello, but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with you. So what's up?"

He really didn't want to bring her into the mess from earlier. It would only make her worry as well. And she didn't need that right now. He also didn't want to bring about his suspicions of her, at least not until he was completely sure of her intentions. So far, it was a string of false alarms.

"Is it your family?"

Not wanting to answer, he kept staring at the empty table.

"Look, it's not my place to tell you how to resolve your issues but if it is your family, then you should do something about it. I know that sometimes they can be weird, judgmental, cause you grief and do things to embarrass you but at least you know that when it really comes down to it, they'll be there for you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that at least you have a family to worry about."

He knew what she really meant and a feeling of sorrow for her suddenly consumed him. She really didn't have a family anymore and perhaps it seemed like he was rubbing it in her face, talking about his family. "It really is nothing. Stress from work, perhaps." He didn't want to talk about it.

She smiled, recognizing his actions easily but knowing he didn't want to burden her with his problems. Then a thought crossed her mind. It was something that always helped her when she was feeling overwhelmed.

"Well, if it's stress, I know an easy way to relieve it."

It wasn't just what she had just said but rather the way her body coordinated with the words. Her head tilted to the side in a seemingly innocent manner, tastefully exposing her neck. Her blue eyes blinked patiently back, as if waiting for a response from him and that smile... There was a hint of mischief, he was so sure. It resembled the same look his mother carried before the infamous conversation with him. And up until that moment, he had been looking at her wall scrolls nonchalantly; but as soon as those choice words were spoken, his eyes snapped to the right and he raised his eyebrows in concern. The shy smile didn't help either. And yet, despite all the turmoil, the words that would seal his fate inevitably left his lips.

"Like what?"

She shifted her weight to her knees again, and he eyed her suspiciously.

"I'll show you. And before you protest, I just want to say that even though I know it's not really your thing please give it a chance. I know you'll come to enjoy it soon enough."

Her back was to him now as she fumbled in her closet. But he didn't pay attention to what she was doing. His eyes shot around nervously. Something was telling him that this was his last chance, to find a way to escape the current situation while he still had his dignity and sanity intact. He'd had enough of her sexual advances. It was time to get it over with. But then again, maybe he was overanalyzing everything. She had yet to make a move on him but on the other hand, he couldn't simply ignore his mother's warnings. Usagi may appear innocent but that was possibly part of the plot as well, to deceive him by lowering his guard to dangerous levels before she maneuvered her way into his mind and effectively gain control over his actions. That was the only logical conclusion for he had yet to confront her or retaliate in any way necessary to defend himself, which meant she was already slowly consuming his mind and gaining control of the situation. The only thing left was what little rationality he had left. It might not have been too late to steer her away, maybe by negotiating some type of surrender from her.

"Listen, let's talk this out."

"Talk what out?" She glanced at a toy and scrunched her face, not knowing quite what to make of it before throwing it back into the closet.

"What we're attempting here. I deem it highly inappropriate for us."

She giggled. "Highly inappropriate? Hardly. I think it'll be lots of fun."

"I just don't think I'm ready for this."

"No need to be embarrassed. I admit that many people in the high ranks find it a guilty pleasure but it's really not a big deal, Itachi. My team and I do this all the time."

"Look, it's just that…" he paused, her words suddenly rushing back to him. "You and your team do this?"

"Sure. All the time. Sometimes more than once a day. It's a real stress reliever."

"A..all three of you?"

"Well that depends on what we do. Sometimes it calls for two, sometimes three…" She was still shuffling in her closet, tossing clothes and shoes aside, occasionally mumbling words of recognition to objects she had lost long ago. "Well except Haruka-sensei. It's really not her thing either. Although she can't say no to Michiru-san when she insists."

He didn't even bother preventing the tiny marks of red that appeared on his cheeks and was grateful she was baring her back to him at the moment.

"I'm just not sure about it."

"Don't back out now. I promise we'll have fun. Or what? You'd rather just sit there and watch me do this alone? That'd be awkward."

He regarded that question as rhetorical because there was no way he was answering it. That really made him nervous, and he had every intention to just knock her out right then and there. "No really, just stop. I don't want to change anything."

She frowned. "Change what? Why would this change anything?"

"Well…" he began to conjure up a logical explanation, one she couldn't deny any truth to. He started to think back to his mother's words. Some of that wisdom floating around may help ease the transition. "Do you know the story of the birds and the bees?"

She stopped shuffling and automatically turned around, giving him a perplexed stare. And he glanced back, ready for her to catch onto the meaning on her own, saving him a trouble of embarrassment and awkward silence.

"Is that the one where they're in like some kind of race but one of them sleeps too much and loses?"

He frowned. "No."

"Oh, well then is it the one where one of them gathers up all his food for winter and the other one doesn't so he has to starve?"

He was upset now. "No," was the stern reply.

She rolled her eyes and went back to searching. "Then I don't know. Tell me!"

"Never mind." He gave up on that explanation. There had to be another angle. "Okay, let's say you see someone different."

"Like someone I've never seen before?"

"No I mean someone you have seen before. Only now that person is different, gone through a radical change in his or her life."

She stopped again and turned around. This time, serious and she reached over for his hands, meeting his eyes in a gaze full of careful scrutiny. "Itachi, are you trying to tell me that you're…"

He harshly shoved the hands away. "If you so much as finish that thought, I will kill you." He had enough questions in regard to his sexual orientation for one day.

"Okay, okay. Well then just tell me what you want to tell me. It's not like you to be indirect."

He sighed. She was right; he wasn't that type of person. But the conversation wasn't exactly an easy one to engage and he suddenly had a newfound admiration for his mother's audacity. "Okay fine. I'm trying to say, I don't think we should be…"

"Ah ha!" She turned around, carrying a pile of former elusive objects in her hands and slamming them on the table. "I knew I had them in there somewhere!"

"…playing a game." He glanced at the pile of board games on the table and then back at her, repeating the pattern several times before finally relaxing his gaze on the games.

"What? You're not bailing on me are you? Like I said, I know it's not your thing and you probably never done this before but—"

He didn't reply, simply let the information sink in. And when it finally hit him that he was indeed overanalyzing everything, that his mother was wrong about the correct signs, that Usagi wasn't a sexual deviant like Shisui and that all this time he had worried for naught, it occurred to him just how amusing this whole evening with her must have appeared. And when it became all too much to process, he dropped his head on the table.

"...and so you should just give it a try and…Itachi?" He didn't reply. His head was on the table, hand on his stomach and he began to shake. "Itachi?" Still nothing but she began to hear soft choking sounds coming from him. "Itachi? What's wrong? Are you breaking into convulsions? It's the medicine isn't it? Oh crap, I didn't bother to check if you were allergic to anything. Just hang on, I'll find a medic and…"

His hand caught her wrist and she looked back down. Her knees eventually returned to the ground and that's when she saw it. A genuine smile on his face.

"Are you…laughing?" It wasn't a loud or haughty laugh and quite honestly not many people would have even identified it as one. But she knew him well enough to know that his small gasps of air were undoubtedly chuckles.

"You…you're just. I can't believe…I thought…"

"What? I don't understand you. What's so funny? I want to know."

A quarter of a minute later and he had officially calmed down. Looking over at her questioning form, curious as to what could have possibly made someone like him fall into fits of laughter. And it was at that genuinely innocent face that he relaxed. The mishaps from earlier far from his mind as well as the conversation he had with his mother. In that brief look, she had reverted back to the childlike image he always maintained of her, the genjutsu of any other effectively broken.

"Nothing."

"Okay…" She trailed off, muttering a 'weirdo' under her breath. "So…do you want to play?"

It was definitely an improvement from his earlier predicament. "Sure." He didn't want to go home and she was genuinely trying to help without pushing him to reveal his true problems. It was just common courtesy to go along with her. And he had to admit, the game was relaxing and amusing—especially when she had no idea about the rules. He first watched as she set up the pieces, incorrectly at that. Then she began to move in an unorthodox way. Itachi wasn't quite sure what to make of it and ignored the setup, moving the pieces along as he normally would. But at that last move, he finally pieced together what her problem was.

"King me!"

"I can't 'king you'."

"What? Why not?"

"Because this is shougi."

Usagi blinked. "What? You mean this isn't checkers?"

"No."

She took the box and inspected it. "Huh. Well, that explains everything. I just thought the mat and little pieces were updated. Hmm, no wonder there aren't any bright colors." She looked over at the mat. "Or any colors at all, actually."

He raised an eyebrow as his head pointed her over to the cover of the game. "It says so on the box."

She blushed. "I…can't… er…read kanji very well."

An awkward silence followed as it did in every moment that she made errors. They each waited for the other to say or do something. It became too quiet that he heard the clock's hands moved. She began to lightly tap on the table and he stared away, unsure what to do. But he needn't worry, for as usual, she was the first to break the silence.

"King me anyway."

"It doesn't work that way in this game."

"Just do it," she pouted.

"Fine." He picked up one of the pieces she 'won' and placed it on top of another only to have it slide and fall off. After one more try they both fell into a few fits of laughs at the silliness. It was always like her to use humor to get them back on track.

"Let's just play another game." He pointed over to another box in the pile that was moved to the floor. "That one right there, the real checkers game."

She looked over and searched through the pile, pulling it out when she found it and dusting it off a bit to read the cover. "Ha, so it is! I can't wait!"

She set up the board once again, and this time had it right. He made the first move and was immediately stopped.

"No, no! We're playing rainbow checkers now!"

"Excuse me?"

"Rainbow checkers! You have to move your pieces like it was rainbow. We already played the other checkers…"

"It was shougi."

"Yeah but we played it like checkers. So now we have to spice the game up a bit."

He blinked. There was just no end to her antics. "Fine. How do you play?"

"Rules are the same only how you move is different. Instead of sliding back and forth on the black, you have to move in an arch on it. If you can't move at any point, you forfeit the game. Got it?"

"Ah." He muttered some words at how silly it was of the rules to something he was sure she concocted on her own.

They began to take turns moving and in just a matter of a handful of moves, Itachi had effectively hopped over a majority of her pieces.

"No fair!" She narrowed her eyes. "Deactivate your sharingan!"

"What?"

"Your sharingan, get rid of it. You're using it to cheat because I'll have you know I have never lost in rainbow checkers. So turn them off."

"I can't 'turn them off.' I need to be able to see."

"But you're cheating with them on!"

"Yes, Usagi. Years of analyzing and copying jutsu have led me to this day, in which I could efficiently use my knowledge and prowess in a game of checkers."

"That's right! So off with them!"

"I told you. I can't see very well without them. I wouldn't be able to move. Or maybe I should. It would even the playing field."

"You're a jerk. Fine! Keep your sharingan. We'll play another game. One that doesn't require any analyzing whatsoever."

She pulled out a new board while putting the old one away. This new game had a very different approach. There was a track that ran circular, obviously indicating a beginning and end to some type of race.

"There's this bubble here in the middle with a dice. You pop it and then it bounces the dice. The number indicates how much you can move. You move your piece accordingly and the first one to the end wins. Got it?"

"Yes."

"You won the last one so it's your move."

He did as told and popped the bubble. "Three." And he moved his red piece three spaces.

"My turn. Watch and learn, Uchiha." She popped the bubble and the dice read 'six' a second later. She began to taunt him by counting the spaces as she moved. "Wow, Itachi. You're so far behind."

"Once again, you're math skills are lacking. I'm only three spaces behind you."

"Whatever, just go."

They continued the game, and true to her name, Usagi received the most luck as she constantly received the same number every turn.

"I win."

"You cheated."

"Excuse me?"

"No one can get that lucky. You rigged the game."

"If I used a genjutsu of some sort, you would have easily identified it."

"Then this bubble is rigged." He popped it again and received yet another low number.

"No, it just doesn't like you. And I'm insulted you're even making such an accusation at me!"

"You accused me of cheating."

"You have a kekkei genkai that works in your favor at every situation. What do I have to tip the game in my favor?"

"Whatever."

"Fine, we'll play something else to even the score."

"Like what?"

"A card game!"

"I hope it's not those children's card games."

"Nope. We'll play Speed!" Then she thought about the huge advantage he had as his hands always moved at lightning speed. She wouldn't be able to keep up with him. "On second thought, let's play Old Maid." She handed the deck for him to shuffle and flinched as he did it so quickly she couldn't even tell he was holding anything anymore. It was definitely a smart move to switch the games.

"I'll go first since I won the last one."

He held up his hand and she assessed her choices. There was no point in trying to decipher Itachi's expressions. His patented poker face was on. Her eyes looked left and then right. It was always a known strategy of hers to avoid the middle at all costs as well as the ends. With a tongue out as she pondered her choices, she opted for a card on his left side, closer to the middle. "This one!" She had correctly drawn a seven of hearts and put the two cards away. "Beat that!"

"My turn." Luckily for him, Usagi didn't possess his stoic expressions and it was easy for him to see where she didn't want him to go. He looked to the left and noticed a tiny bead of sweat. He moved to the middle and she suddenly began a tapping motion with her legs under the table. Finally, he opted for that particular area, she was obviously eager for him to move on. "I think I'll go with this one." He turned it around and frowned.

"Joker, huh? Too bad."

It earned her a faint smile. He had to hand it to her. He fell for the taunt. Next time, he wouldn't fall easily to her games.

"My turn again."

They patiently waited for each other to take turns. Sometimes winning, sometimes drawing more undesired cards. Eventually, it came to a second round in which they were tied and the cards needed reshuffling. Usagi took the initiative and began to shuffle, hoping she could rub some of her luck in drawing a good hand. But after two different types of shuffling, she slowed down to a stop. Itachi had begun rubbing his eyes, he leaned heavily on one hand and he began to yawn softly.

"You tired? We can quit for now."

He had not even realized what he was doing until she pointed it out. While playing the game and keeping his focus, his mind begun to blur as well as his vision. Slowly, he felt his eyelids shut and open constantly. And watching her shuffle was the final straw, as it gave his body enough time to stop and realize that it was stimulated enough. It was time to call it a day. "Yes, I suppose that would be wise. I am getting a little exhausted."

"It's probably the pills too. They're making you drowsy."

That was another possibility. It usually took a while for medicine to kick in with its side effects. He should have remembered to ask her about the specifics of the medicine's composition and effects before just popping them in his mouth. But it was an argument not worth the effort given his current tired state. He gave out another yawn.

"Yeah, I should probably head home. It's already late."

"But you had fun, didn't you? Tell me, you didn't once think about your problems did you?"

No, he hadn't. But he didn't say that. She seemed to know the answer nonetheless.

"Told you! Board games are fun."

He held back a smile. "I should get going now."

She sighed. Itachi never did like to admit when she was right. Or that he enjoyed something he probably assumed most men his age shouldn't enjoy. "Okay. Let me use the restroom. I'll meet you at the front door in a minute."

His eyes followed her through the hallway until she disappeared behind a door. And even though he nodded at her statement to assure her he would wait, he contemplated leaving right then and there. He had intruded enough and had probably overstayed his welcome. But even though he told himself that, he ended up stepping back into her room. And instead he walked around in it, surveying everything in his surroundings.

There were a few scrolls on the wall, all containing characters, and not the kanji variety either. The bed, which he now noticed, was adorned by creamy white comforters. The first time he ever went into her bedroom, he was positive it would be drowning in pink; she never ceased to amaze him at all the contradictions she encompassed. One minute she was a down and dirty tomboy while the next, she was dressed in a feminine gown or skirt, acting like the girlish child she was. He looked over by her pillows. She purchased more stuffed animals; the turtle was new. And just as he predicted, she already 'welcomed him into the family' as she always put it. That constituted a name and the yellow markings on its belly suggested it to be Haru-chan. Well, who was he to judge? Sasuke still had that tiny stuffed dinosaur he got him when they were little, Oni-chan or other. Of course, his little brother was oblivious to the fact that he knew that tiny bit of information. It was always hidden deep in his closet. In actuality, Sasuke probably assumed no one knew about Oni-chan and desired that it remain a secret pleasure of a distant childhood. Had it been any normal type of sibling relationship, he knew he would have readily used that as blackmail against him. Especially against any potential lovers in the future. He chuckled at the cruel thought.

Itachi's eyes bore into the bed as a hand reached over to touch the frames. They were made of simple maple wood, a type of tree not native to Konoha. It must have come from a trade dealer. Then his hand reached over to smooth out wrinkles in the bed, silk and polyester. They looked so inviting. After giving the room one final inspection on its layout, Itachi fell back onto the bed none too elegantly and stared up at the ceiling. So much transpired that day. He cursed his father who began ruining his life since day one. That meeting was a general nuisance to him and a complete waste of time. Such an exasperating man. Just the mention of him brought up ill feelings and he quickly turned to his side as if by staring at the ceiling, he was looking at him directly. He sighed as he thought about Sasuke as well. Despite having patched up a little of their relationship from the confrontation, he knew it was going to be a while until they got back into the swing of their normal routine. It usually worked out that way every time they bickered or squalled. And he shifted to his other side, as the very image of his little brother's angry face stared right back at him. Then his mother came crashing into his mind and her insistence on him improving his sex life. He shifted once again to bury his face into the sheets.

Upon doing so, he relaxed a bit more and he sank further into the mattress. It felt enticingly better than the futon he slept on at home, which consisted basically of a few sheets on the floor. He made a mental note that should he ever venture on his own, away from his current residence, he would definitely buy himself a bed. His head rested on her pillows, wonderful and soft cotton wrapped in exquisite silk. His muscles began to relax even more and a sigh escaped him. The feeling of soft pillows was overwhelmingly soothing. And the sheets smelled extremely pleasant. He pressed his nose up to them and inhaled. A hint of apple berry. It was a scent he recognized occasionally on her kunoichi uniform. So very intoxicating.

A small groan escaped him as he realized he really didn't want to leave this sanctuary. Maybe it was the pills taking effect? That could explain his lethargic movements. He cursed the girl for drugging him. Well, he would deal with her later about it. But for now he closed his eyes and assured himself that he would merely rest them for a moment before heading off. Running a quick check of the events that transpired earlier, he began to slowly lose consciousness. He began to whisper curses, curses at people who had dared make his day such an eventful one. His father, his mother, his little brother, his superior officers, that idiot Shisui, everyone at the police force…and of course, that stupid Usagi. And before he realized what was even happening, he drifted off into sleep completely.

"Hey, where are you? I've been waiting for you for…" When Usagi made it back to her room, she was greeted with that very sight. She brought a hand to her mouth and giggled stiflingly as she realized how adorable he looked at that moment. He was sprawled all over her bed, head to the side, breathing even and hair falling down on his face. The covers were thrown about by his feet and he was surrounded by various types of stuffed animals and plushes. He himself was holding her tiny turtle, Haru-chan, tightly as he continued to doze off, oblivious to anything and everything around him. She quietly tiptoed towards him and brought her covers up to tuck him in, letting a hand rake his hair out of his face. She was surprised when he didn't wake up since he was usually a light sleeper. The pills probably did him in as the side effects were particularly strong. Then again, it's what made them extremely efficient healers as well. And judging from his current tired state, they were what the doctor called for. He had obviously gone through a lot of trouble today and needed the break, so she didn't bother to even attempt to wake him up. Giving up on the idea, she instead began to put away her kotatsu and games, watching every now and then for signs of him waking up as a result of all the noise she was generating, but he didn't. She slid the table back under the bed and shoved the games back into the corner from which they were first unearthed. She closed the door to her closet and smoothed out her shirt as well as she wiped out some sweat from her forehead. When everything was once again clean and he remained stationed on her bed, she walked over and turned off all the lights minus one small night light by the bed.

She sighed as she glanced around her room. That was the only bed she possessed. Sleeping on the couch wasn't a bad idea, but then what if he woke up and needed something? Frowning at the wooden floors, she realized that tonight may not be a comfortable one for her.

"Guess, I'm sleeping on the floor," she sighed in resignation.

Walking over to another corner of the room, she gathered up some covers and laid them on the floor beside the bed. After two layers, she was satisfied it would suffice for one night. She stole a body pillow from her bed and tossed it down as well for more padding. Before finally laying her body down to rest, she took one last look at him.

Offering nothing more than a lazy smile.

End.

---

Ah! That took quite a bit to plan out but interestingly enough, not much to write up...a draft anyway. Took longer than I thought since it went through many revisions, my betas insisted on a bit more detail during Itachi's sexual tension. So there you have it. And this comes in early too, just in time for his birthday in early June. I hope to get a new chapter out if not by mid June then hopefully by Usagi's birthday which is the last day. I dedicate the month of June to them both since they both celebrate birthdays then.

On another note, I will be busy for awhile on another project. For those of you who don't know, the month of July is going to be a SasuSaku (sasuke/sakura) fest. Many authors, artists, and video editors have signed up to dedicate their work for this couple. I have signed up for a few things as well and will try to be working on them during June in order to make it to the deadlines. I will continue to work on HC during that time but updates will not be soon; I don't think anyway. Please be patient with me. And if you would like to participate in this event, please visit Paige0_o's profile which can be found in my favorite authors. Thank you all again.

Review if you like

~Icehaze