Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

III.

The first sunbeams of the winter sun crept in Konoha and with them woke up Jakushi. She got ready for the road quickly because she made everything ready from the previous day. Sprung from the house impatiently and run up to reach Konoha's gates and the wood beyond.

She loved Konoha more than everything but in a moment like this it seemed like the love for the outer world exceeded everything else. The combination between exploring, traveling and sometimes fighting compared to nothing after a long break. Life had just started to become a bore lately so it was a change, whatever it brought.

Takumi and Kioshi leaned on a tree and watched her as she neared. Her clothes were mainly of crimson and gold with the exception of her saya - the black sheath of her katana and her black hair, which she had let down. Of course, the band with the symbol of the Leaf Village held it so that it didn't get in her eyes.

"Good morning." Takumi greeted.

"I'm in a wonderful war mood today, stop staring at me as if I'm an exhibit."

"The beautiful things must be admired." Takumi shrugged and received an elbow in his ribs.

"You're so bad at compliments, bro. Move." Kioshi, however, succeeded in making Jakushi smile.

They marched on along the way south and continued so for hours. Jakushi knew that the scenery wouldn't change until they cross the border. The venerable forest was spreading to the far end of the horizon, caught by the eye. In the long hours of walking, the road was in ghastly silence.

The wind's sad moan pierced the air from time to time, turning the wood Jakushi loved so much into a lonely place. True, she loved winter, but autumn was never happy to observe. Watching things slowly die wasn't her favorite activity, especially after the war. Sure she wasn't the only one.

"Team 3 will stop here," Takumi announced frowningly. "We'll stay overnight."

"Here?" Kioshi was surprised.

The place looked way too open despite the protection of the trees. But considering the options were limited they compelled to stop there, at the side of the road so that they don't lose it.

"Where are you going?" Takumi raised a brow.

"I wanna see if it's safe enough... I won't go far." Jakushi shrugged.

"All alone? This is madne-"

"Yes, alone." Goodness, there was no riddance of these two. Jakushi turned her back on them. "There's still daylight."

"I don't approve." Kioshi intervened with an opinion.

"I'll be right back, calm down." Jakushi sighed and walked away until the brothers' voices couldn't be heard clearly anymore. She finally felt the wonderful scent of the trees, fresh and nipping. It was nice to be far from home sometimes. Just for a while. All this noise was becoming unbearable the last days.

She missed the quiet atmosphere, free from the monotonous existing expressing in eating, sleeping, and training. Tired of a whole day walking, she sat by a broad-trunked tree and closed eyes with another sigh. And Takahiro were so troublesome... A minute of peace was an impossible task... in their presence... not that they were... that bad...but sometimes she... needed...

Jakushi snapped her eyes open, almost certain that the low temperature had awoken her. What a terrible time and place to fall asleep, she scolded herself. It was highly not recommended and yet she had done it. She stood up and walked back at a fast pace. Back north. North? Or that was south. She stopped, glancing behind her. The trees seemed absolutely the same to every direction.

Something wasn't right, nothing seemed familiar in every direction she went. And the worst part, there was no trace of Takumi or Kioshi. No sound. Everything was a mosaic with identical pieces. Trees, trees, and trees again. Her sight was veiled. She glanced up through the thinning crowns above her head. The sun was on its way of setting and if she found herself alone in that place, things were going get a bit dangerous. Perhaps there was a way to find her team again...

She knelt and closed eyes, trying to ignore a persistent headache. Her turmoil of thoughts was standing in the way of her concentration. If she moved north, sooner or later the way would lead her out of the wood and then back through the road to the place where Takumi and Kioshi set camp. That would take and eternity since she had no clear idea where north was exactly. And the brothers... were they looking for her?

A strange noise reached her ears, clapping of wings. She opened her eyes and looked around. The light was almost gone, discerning silhouettes was all one could do. Ink-eyed crow stood still and watched her from a branch, not so high from the ground. Jakushi rose up slowly. It really existed. It was real, the bird from her dreams. Her heart raced, beating faster than before. Her palm slipped down the haft of the small dagger she always carried, along with her sword. The dagger was a gift from her mother and that's why touching it usually calmed her.

Jakushi took a step forward but it flew away, alighting upon a tree at least ten feet away.

"Dammit..." Jakushi murmured angrily, realizing what that meant.

Her tremendous curiosity could be the death of her but she was lost anyway. She didn't want to think what could be brought upon her with this behavior. In all honesty, she always felt dragged by something. As if she never made the choices herself but someone else made them and she just... followed. As if everything had already happened and all she did was being a witness.

And now, it was the same. A feeling inside told her to follow. So she followed. And although she didn't believe in signs and stuff of the sort like Sakura, this bird was hypnotizing in a way. Perhaps alluring was the right word.

Jakushi didn't know how long she pursued, but not long afterward she reached a hilly area. She stopped, breathing heavily. Rocks and cliffs were spread in front of her, a way too steep and dangerous to walk in that almost complete dusk. In a combination of the trees, it wasn't so bad of a refuge, though. An evening darkness blanked the view anyway. Where was she to walk from now on? It was a possibility to sleep through the night under a cliff or something. Actually, the raven she chased...

"Where did you go?" Jakushi whispered her thought. The silence without Takumi and Kioshi was a weird occurrence.

"I'm here." Hearing a voice behind her, she sheathed her sword at lightning speed and with a single movement sliced the air from where the sound came from. She was convinced there was someone behind her just now. Right? Maybe. This place was playing with her mind.

"You're alone." This time Jakushi heard him clearly. At least she knew it was a him for now but her eyes couldn't find the source. It didn't sound like a question, she thought. And her position was so bad at the moment. Were these clones or a single person? Was it possible for someone to be that fast? Well... it was going to be a long night.

"Why don't you come forth instead of wasting my whole evening?" Jakushi asked out loud, trying to hide how tensed her nerves were. "I'm not in the mood for a guessing game."

She raised her sword.

"I'm starting to get tired of you."

"Put your weapon down first." Jakushi was downright astounded by the softness in his voice. She prepared herself for a threat, what was that? Sounded like a request. Strange. Definitely a trap, she thought and laughed.

"Never." Her ears betrayed her. It wasn't clear where did the voice come from. It surrounded her, every time from a different place.

"I don't want to fight with you."

Jakushi was confused.

"Do I sense fear or is that an underestimation for your opponent?"

"Neither." She barely heard the steps that neared her.

Turning in their direction, she discerned a dark figure. Jakushi raised her katana and pointed it to the new-comer, making him step back. A step, then another, she clenched his back to a tree.

"If you don't want to fight me-" She gibed at him but her words faded in an instant, along with her smile, noticing the pair of eyes in front of her. Sharingan. Double Sharingan.

" Uchiha..." She gasped in disbelief.

Jakushi swallowed, realizing her stupidity. She wouldn't act like it if she was aware that her foe was that strong. She hated herself so much for that. In the split moment of hesitation, in which her hold on the sword wasn't so steady, the figure was right behind her. Reaching for her dagger was of no avail because it was already leaning against her throat leaving her no choice but to freeze.

"You're quick." She admitted in defeat. He was impossible, actually. "You, Uchiha, aren't you a little too gifted?"

She didn't receive an answer, which only angered her more.

"Come on... aren't you gonna rid me of this damned world already?"

He was so close that she could feel his smile.

"I hadn't heard such last words before."

"Do I know you?" Jakushi asked, her trained hearing detecting his uneven breathing. It was very unusual, but she continued. "I've heard your voice... perhaps long ago but I'm sure that..."

A distant memory emerged in her mind. A rather vague memory, she probably was too little, that's why. She most certainly was little, because her mother was there with her while she played with Sakura. They used to draw with colorful chalk on the pavements. Her father talked with Jakushi's mother.

Sasuke was there too, scribbling drawings on his own. But then he went and erased one of Sakura's so she started crying. Jakushi remembered finding this very amusing until the moment a dark haired boy came and took Sasuke away, apologizing to Sakura before that. He did it so tenderly that she remained silent, and Jakushi was fascinated and a little bit confused.

"He looks a lot like Sasuke." She frowned.

"Because that is his big brother." Sakura smiled widely to her, through the tears.

"Itachi," Jakushi added out loud and felt how he slightly trembled, hearing his name.

He stood still for a few seconds, the cold blade still on her skin before finally withdrawing.

"You are from Konoha." There was ambiguity in his voice.

"We thought you are dead." She turned around, without being able to hide her surprise.

"I thought so too."

What do you mean?" Jakushi asked.

She tried to force a hostile tone but the confusion and curiosity got the best of her. Sasuke wouldn't lie about something like the death of his brother. She was convinced that back then, during the time of war, Sasuke lived to take a revenge on him. For everything he did to his closest, for the way he betrayed his clan and ran away from Konoha.

Although Jakushi's little and distant memories gave her the image of him as a good person, now she felt strong detestation for him, remembering his deeds in the village. Hatred filled her, she didn't even want to stay near him. What kind of a sick mind would slaughter its own kin, its own family?

It was so disgusting that he had left only his brother alive. Placing herself in Sasuke's place for a moment fused her with the will to have the power to destroy Itachi and everyone like him. That was the meaning of her life and she had never assumed that she would not be strong enough to fulfill it. As it was at the very moment.

Itachi turned his back on her. The fact that she wasn't even a threat to him was getting under her skin.

"I don't know. I wasn't supposed to be alive. I wasn't supposed to be alive at all." He sounded absent but low-key angry and it distracted her.

Something wasn't right.

"So after all, the rumors were... true. Because Sasuke-" Itachi faced her sharply and she paused a bit, before finishing."... didn't mention anything about you. Almost anything."

"Almost?"

"He said you're dead. Since the war ended, that's the only thing he said about you. Actually, no one cared since you slew most insensibly your clan and disappeared." Jakushi realized very well she was playing with the fire. Somehow his presence made her sinisterly honest. Because of such heartless monsters like him, the people's suffering had no end.

A lightning lit up the forest, twisting grotesquely every shadow that surrounded them. The thunderbolt struck right after, tearing the dark sky apart. The sound was shrill and imposing as if it struck the ground somewhere quite near.

They both peered into one another nevertheless, not even a tremble through their bodies. Jakushi waited for something to happen, not really sure what. Perhaps she had signed her death sentence. Her hand squeezed the hilt of her sword in a steady expectance.

A strong blow came from the wind and she couldn't help but prick. It was terribly cold, now, with no sunlight. The strangest thing was that Itachi had no emotion in his eyes. He just pierced her painful wait with insistent, masterful silence.

"What... aren't you gonna kill me too?" She shouted out.

Heavy rain drops began to fall, increasing with every second. After what seemed to be forever, Itachi turned back and walked away.

"How insolently..." Jakushi hissed, wondering what kind of a behaviour was that. She caught up with him and crossed his way, her time to press the end of her blade to his neck.

"What are you doing, traitor? Do you not intend to fight me? Or I'm beneath your dignity?" Jakushi was heated up, pressing the weapon against him with the strong desire to strike.

"I'll show you where is safe to sleep through the night."

All of her zeal and hatred slowly transformed into astonishment. Her thoughts started jumping from a scenario to another concerning what he might actually be planning to do with her.

"And I'm supposed to trust you... for goodness sake, you are from Akatsuki. The kindest among the killers and the traitors helps me, how noble of you."

"Don't trust me." He pushed aside her sword with the back of his hand and passed her.

Jakushi wasn't sure what was the point of the game he played. She followed, eyeing him suspiciously.

"And you won't kill me?"

"What's with the haste to die?"

"You have no motive to leave me alive."

"You want to go back to Konoha, right?" He looked at the tree tops, apparently orientating in the forest very well.

"After I fulfill my duty, of course." She scanned him from head to toe, hoping that her words were meaning enough to make him understand. With 'duty' she meant namely him and more specifically, his capture. The irony was that right now she felt like captured by him.

"You will."

Jakushi decided to remain silent, too confused to talk. What was that supposed to mean? Was he about to surrender voluntarily? She barely held a laughter, starting to question if she wasn't dreaming after all. A person who was, assumable, а murderer and also dead was very much alive at the moment, walking in front of her under the pretext of finding her a shelter. The situation was lacking logic, whatever the angle it could be looked upon.

They went on through an uneven ground, filled with rocks. Jakushi didn't notice any signs of a way or some kind of a formed path. Not long afterward they came across a big crag, serving as a peculiar wall, a guard from the wind. Walking along it, they finally stopped at a crack, or rather a hole. Could be called a cave but its measurements weren't according. Still, it had enough space for half a dozen of people. The cold ground wasn't cozy but it was dry and the rain didn't reach it.

It was not until Jakushi found herself in a dry place that she became aware how soaked and numb she was. Itachi was about to leave but hearing her cough changed his mind.

She leaned on the stone, remembering with a smile Kakashi's concerns about November being not an appropriate time for a mission, especially around the border. Her body most certainly refused to listen, giving up after only a couple of hours in the cold. The temperatures have fallen a lot lower too.

A sudden flame illuminated the dark space. Jakushi wasn't sure what to do anymore. Akatsuki didn't just... help their enemies, right? She shuddered, some of the scariest thoughts running through her head. Completely alone, not being able to defend herself properly. She kind of wanted Takumi and Kioshi to be around this one time.

Jakushi neared slowly the fire Itachi has kindled. Perhaps she was supposed to be afraid or exercise some caution but she was freezing. And the warmth was too tempting. She just opened her mouth to express some minor gratitude but her words scattered away with the observation of his hands, visibly shaking. Now, when there was a flickering light, his face looked sallow and too pale. As a medic, recognizing physical weakness wasn't unknown for her. Shifting his eyes from the fire, he stood up from his kneeling position rather hard and met hers.

"I'm leaving you... I'll go." He announced as if he took her confused expression for an accusatory one. Then headed to the way out.

Jakushi still couldn't get it into her head. Why was he helping? There was not a drop of hatred in these eyes. There were a lot of things but not hatred. God help her, he was a killer. What else could he feel except hatred and what intentions could he have except evil? Itachi stepped back, leaning on the stone to his side. In this state, she expected him to faint every second.

Not sure if it was because of her medical knowledge or she just wanted to thank him somehow but... if she found herself alone in that forest, in a freezing and rainy night as that, she would definitely make the easiest target in the Land of Fire. And in these lands was only a matter of time for someone to find and kill her. Yeah, she liked to think she was strong as hell but mostly her mind inclined toward the realistic and it was a fact that she was not strong as hell. Strong but not strong enough.

"Wait a second, where are you going?" She unsheathed her sword and folded hands.

"I believe you won't be overly comfortable with the presence of a killer, especially if you fall asleep." He turned back to her, almost out in the rain.

"Falling asleep was the last thing I planned to do. You could kill me whenever you like by now, but you didn't. Even if you did, I wasn't going to take it personally." She shrugged, making a pause. A heavy sigh escaped her. "You can stay. Of course, if you have a more comfortable place to stay the night, you're free to go. Only you won't arrive anywhere in that condition."

She gave a fake smile and sat by the fire, without taking her sword off and starting to warm up her hands. Itachi stood still and watched her like a witness of an event that he wouldn't see ever again. He slowly and quietly sat down, leaning on the stone.

The flames calmed Jakushi to a certain extent. Peering into them, she wondered if she was ever going to see Konoha again. Were Kioshi and Takumi looking for her? How the hell did she manage to get lost and stumble across Itachi Uchiha in the whole Land of Fire? There was no plan for such circumstances. She sighed again. Things would've been a couple of times better if she was alone. Maybe. Or maybe it was just the opposite.

Her gaze, focused on the fire until now, shifted to Itachi. He observed the rain outside in silence. There was something beautiful in the contrast of his black hair and white skin. He was very much like Sasuke, that was always what she thought about him. But now, she found him absolutely different from his brother. Deadlier, cleverer and faster. Thank the heavens he was barely holding on at the moment.

Jakushi relaxed her hand on her belt, where usually her mother's dagger took place. But it was missing. A quick flashback stung her, it was in Itachi's possession now and that really troubled her. She swallowed, praying that her body won't betray her. Whatever happened, she had to stay awake.

A/N: Thank you very much for reading (favoriting, following & reviewing too)! Hope you like it by far, guys.