Chapter 14: Love Blossoms (Part 1)

One day at the headquarters everyone did not had any missions to do so they were just lazing around doing their own stuff. While Jonathan and Rebecca were lazing around in their room, Regina was diligently training on the training grounds on her accuracy of aiming.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi suddenly appeared and asked.

"Training, what else?" Regina replied.

"When did you ever become so hardworking? Don't you use to complain with just a little bit of training?"

"Hey, training under you is really a torture. You train people without talking forever and occasionally just disappear without saying a word."

"Well I've never really trained anybody personally before. Not even my brother."

"..."

"Let's stop this. I don't want to quarrel with you."

Just then Pein came looking for them. "Itachi, I've been looking for you everywhere. I need you to do something for me."

"A mission?"

"Yeah."

"Right, but this time round Regina coming with me instead." Regina looked surprise when she heard that.

Pein looked at Regina and then Itachi and said, "Whatever." He walked off after looking at the two of them again.

"Why me?" Regina asked.

"I want to be alone with you for once without the others." Itachi answered and Regina blushed upon hearing it. "I'll follow Pein in first, you go prepare then I'll brief you about the mission."

"Whatever." Regina replied.

An hour later

Regina and Itachi was heading to the Hidden Village of Sound.

"Say, are you going to tell me what we're after for his time?" Regina asked.

"You need not know. You're not going to enter the village anyway."

"Then why am I here?"

"Accompany me."

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Alright that's it. Are you even the Itachi I know? This is getting way mushy."

"..." The silence continued till they reached 10miles away from the village.

"Wait here for me. I'll be back in less than an hour." Itachi instructed.

"Really, I don't understand you. You requested for me to follow instead of Kisame but I'm not allowed to do anything?!"

"I'm going."

"... Fine, ignore me. That's what you do all day anyway."

Half an hour later

"I'm done. Let's go." Itachi took off first and Regina followed behind him.

"So what is it that you were told to steal?"

"Sora, Orochimaru's ring."

"What's so special about it?"

"Only Akatsuki members are allowed to have it."

"Right... Hey, this isn't the way back to the headquarters."

"I know."

"We got another mission to complete?"

"No, we're going to spend the rest of the day together."

Regina's mouth fell open and stared at Itachi.

"Alright that's it, time-out. Who are you and what have you done to Itachi?"

"What, can't I want to spend a time alone with you?"

"Pein is not going to be pleased if he knows that we're not heading straight to the headquarters after retrieving the ring."

"I've asked for the rest of the day to be fee from anything after I successfully retrieve the ring."

"Oh, well that doesn't make me free from the rest of the day. So I'm heading back." Regina was feeling more and more freaked out each second spent with Itachi.

"Pein has already approved for you to be free for the rest of the day."

"Thanks, but that doesn't mean I have to spend it with you."

"Pein doesn't want you to be wandering around alone."

"Then I'm going back to the headquarters to spend quality time with my siblings."

"Pein doesn't approve you to be far away me."

"Well then follow me back."

"No." Itachi went over to Regina and grabbed her hand and headed for some random village.

At a Village

"So what are we going to now?" Regina finally gave in and followed along with Itachi.

"What do you want to do? They seem to be preparing for a festival tonight but for the time being we'll do something else. Hot-spring or shopping?"

"Hell must be freezing over while pigs are finally growing wings and flying off into the sky..." Regina mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, we'll go shopping instead. Though I hate it very much."

"If you hate it so much we could go to the hot-spring."

"NO WAY!" Regina blushed and shouted.

"Why?" Itachi raised his eyebrow.

"I just don't feel like it." Regina turned away from Itachi's questioning gaze.

"Then, let's go."

At the Festival

"Here, for you." Itachi passed a stick of candy floss to Regina.

"Thanks." Regina took the candy floss and started eating it. "Let's play some games. I've never played these games before."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Let's play this fishing game. I've always wanted to try."

"Okay."

Regina ran towards the stall and picked up the scoop while Itachi paid for the game.

"This is not an easy game since the net is made of paper."

"I know, I just wanna try." Regina started scooping the fish without success and was about to give up when Itachi took the scoop from her.

"Let me demonstrate." Itachi look smug when he managed to scoop multiple fishes after several scoops.

"How did you do that?" Regina asked in awe.

"Not telling." Itachi grinned.

"Share it!" Regina insisted but Itachi only smiled and shook his head.

"Let's play this next." Itachi suggestion took Regina's attention away from asking about how Itachi caught the fish.

"Oh I want that!" Regina pointed at a white wolf plushie.

"I'll win that for you." Itachi promised.

"I'll be able to win it myself."

"Let me have the honour then."

"... That's very mushy."

"It's alright once in a while." Itachi chuckled.

"You've been mushy for the entire day." Regina reminded Itachi.

Itachi ignored Regina and concentrated on winning the prize.

"Here, these are for you." Itachi dumped the plushies he had won during the game on Regina.

"Keep these for yourself. I just want this." Regina dumped the rest back to him and walked off. Itachi picked up the toys and followed Regina.

"The fireworks are going to start soon why don't we find a spot to rest and watch the firework?" Itachi suggested.

"I'm fine with that." After finding a spot to rest, they sat in silence while waiting for the fireworks.

"...For you." Itachi held out a bag for Regina.

"What's this?" Regina looked up at Itachi and took the bag from Itachi. Regina opened it to see a piece of clothing in it. She took it out from the bag and held it in front of her.

"What's this?" Regina repeated her question in horror.

"A dress. I bought it earlier on when we were shopping."

"I don't wear dresses. Nor do I have the time or occasion to wear it."

"It's fine. Just keep it." Itachi was looking at the sky all this while after he had handed the bag to Regina.

"...Thanks." Just then the fireworks amazed them all and they were staring in the sky admiring the firework display.

"Are we going back to the headquarters after this?" Regina asked.

"We'll stay for the night here."

"Okay, separate rooms."

"Sure."

The next morning

"Woo...where have you people been last night?" Jonathan asked, waiting for them in the living room.

"Shut up." Regina smacked Jonathan on the head. Itachi just ignored the two of them and went to report to Pein of their completion of the mission.

"Where's Rebecca? Oh well, whatever. Share these toys with Rebecca." Regina dumped all the unwanted toys that Itachi won for her on Jonathan.