Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village
Author's Note: Alright. I hate to give an ultimatum, but if anyone is reading this, please review so that I know you are. So far, I've only had one person review this, and I know her personally, so though she does count as a review, I don't consider it grounds to keep posting chapters up here every other week. I could just as easily email her the next chapter as I write it. If you like this and want me to continue posting, review! Again, I know that the whole "Itachi's lover" tale is a little overdone, but I still have a soft spot for this one and have it planned out pretty far. Since it's a bit more detailed than Fangrlz (which I update every week), it takes a bit longer to write, so I can understand your impatience between chapters, but please please please don't let that discourage you! As a writer, I like to know how my works are being accepted, whether liked or disliked. I don't like to beg for reviews, but I don't want to be wasting my time with this if no one is reading it or wants it to continue. So, please, review! Thank you.
V
Later, Itachi lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His stomach twisted, not from hunger or sickness, but from worry. It was a strange sensation, and though Itachi refused to admit it – even to himself – it scared him. He scowled in the dark. What right did this girl have to make him feel this way? Itachi rolled over violently; he hated it! He hated it – but not Kimi. With a sudden, strange epiphany, he realized that he could not hate her – could never hate her.
Itachi sighed, relaxing and closing his eyes. He could easily call up Kimi's face from his memory – her smile – her laugh – her words when she assured him that she would be alright on her own. She had turned him down when he offered her a place to stay.
"I wouldn't want to impose," she had replied lightly, "and besides, I have plenty of money. I planned ahead. Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Still, as Itachi lay in bed that night, he did worry. He knew that Kimi had made it safely to the inn. He had followed her through the twilight; he had seen her in her rented room. He knew she was safe there, but still . . . that anxious feeling of worry would not leave.
The boy heaved another sigh. With his mind racing as quickly as it was, he was certain that he would never get to sleep. Luckily, Itachi was wrong for once. His thoughts slowly faded and he slipped eventually into the dark realms of sleep.
Itachi stood in deep shadows. He peered around himself, Sharingan activated, but his eyes failed to penetrate the immense darkness threatening to smother him. Though he remained calm, carefully controlling his heart rate so that it would not rise to a panicked frenzy, his hands moving to the pouch that hung from his waist for a kunai; his hand found nothing.
Catching his breath in his chest, Itachi looked down. Strangely, though he could not see any of his surroundings, he could clearly see himself. He was barefoot, wearing only his cotton pajamas – weaponless.
No, Itachi told himself. A shinobi is never weaponless. I still have my jutsu.
As he thought this, a sound echoed from behind him. He focused on it, instantly learning two things. One: he was in a large chamber, large enough for sound to bounce around freely. Two: he was not alone. The sound was that of footsteps, light – as if the person was attempting to sneak through the shadows – yet clearly audible to Itachi's trained ear.
Itachi stood still, relaxed but ready to spring into action. The footsteps came closer and closer, becoming louder as the person neared. When they had come close enough – loud enough – Itachi whirled, hands flashing rapidly through the signs that would channel his chakra to form –
The young shinobi froze in mid-sequence as he shared into another pair of Sharingan-marked eyes – his own eyes. As Itachi stopped with the tiger sign half-made, the other him did the same. He lowered his hands slowly; the other Itachi moved in perfect sync.
Itachi gave a small laugh, smirking. "It's just a mirror," he breathed, the sound not loud enough to be caught by the echo effect of the cavernous room.
It was then that he remembered the footsteps. Strange. They had stopped. He scowled slightly, turning his eyes back to his own emotionless face. Why could he see himself and his reflection in the shining glass but nothing else?
"What is this?" he asked the air, not caring when he spoke loud enough for his words to echo back to him. "Where am I?"
His reflection shrugged, smirking mischievously. Itachi jumped back; he had not moved. Laughing silently, his reflection made a flapping motion with one hand, as if he wanted Itachi to follow him, and turned away, walking back into the darkness. Heart thundering in his chest, Itachi crept slowly forward.
"What?" he gasped shakily.
Swallowing, Itachi reached out and cautiously pressed his hand against the glass. As soon as his skin touched the cool surface, the mirror shattered. The young shinobi jerked away, shielding his head as shards flew around him. These shards began to glow and elongate, surrounding the boy with blinding light. Itachi pressed his eyes closed, but the light pierced his lids, searing his eyes and leaving him momentarily blinded when it faded.
As the spots finished dancing in Itachi's eyes, his surroundings came into focus. Dim light filtered down through high trees. Everything around him seemed to be all green. Moss-coated rocks and trees; vines trailed from branches like some sort of thick hair; ferns clothed the ground in a leafy blanket.
Upon closer inspection, the scattered rocks revealed themselves to be in fact rubble – remnants of crumbling walls. Itachi peered around himself with black eyes, now recognizing the ruins for what they were. He could barely make out the shapes of houses around him. He studied them more closely, curious. No. They were not separate houses. The shapes formed by the walls and the slivers of broken tile littering the ground suggested something else – rooms. Itachi stood in the remains of some mansion or fortress.
The boy looked back up to inspect the tree cover. Doing so, he found that most of the above-head foliage originated from a single source. A giant tree towered over all the rest, its wide branches filling the sky.
Itachi made his way through the thick foliage, coming finally to the base of the immense tree. Along the way, he passed by rows and rows of broken stone and jagged glass. At one point along the way, he started and quickened his pace, having spotted a cracked – but still whole – skull staring up from the rubble.
Standing now in the direct shadow of the giant tree, Itachi craned his neck to stare up at the heart of the impossibly large oak. Finally, he wondered how one could grow to be so grand. He lifted a hand to touch the rough bark, but hesitated inches from the surface, staying his hand. Would it shatter too at his touch?
Before he could find an answer to the question, a twig snapped nearby. Whirling, Itachi caught sight of a pair of wide eyes peeking from around a nearby tree. He knew those deep eyes – that shy grin.
He smiled himself and waved a greeting. "Hey, Kimi."
The girl giggled lightly and ducked out of sight, strangely golden hair flying out behind her. Shaking his head in amusement, Itachi followed. She led him through the thick labyrinth of trees, remaining always just out of reach. Itachi would catch an occasional flash of gold – a bubbly laugh that seemed to echo as if he still stood in the cavernous darkness – and would press on in return. But no matter how fast he moved, she seemed to move slightly faster, just enough to remain ever ahead of him.
Itachi slowed to a halt, calling out to the girl. "Kimi! Where are you?"
The forest seemed to swallow his call, returning only silence. With a jolt, Itachi realized that there were no birds. The only sound lay in the rustle of leaves in the soft breeze. His eyes flickered rapidly around him, though they did not fail to soak in every detail. Where was she? Where could she have gone? The forest seemed to extend forever around him, and Kimi was nowhere in sight.
As Itachi turned to strike off in another direction, a sudden scream split the air. His heart skipped a beat, and he spun to face the direction of the pain-filled shriek.
"Kimi!" he cried out again, sprinting forward with newfound fervor.
Moments later, the young girl crashed into sight ahead of him. Her eyes were wide in fear. "Itachi!" she cried, stretching an arm out to him.
Itachi reached out to grab her, trying to close the inconceivable distance between them. She seemed so far away, though; she was right there, but somehow, the two appeared to only be getting farther away.
Kimi pushed forward, yelling Itachi's name frantically. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stumbled in mid-step with a gasp of pain. The space between them instantly shrank to nothing, and Kimi fell into Itachi's arms. The young shinobi's breath caught in his throat as he spotted the kunai knife protruding from her back. Unable to speak, Itachi sank to his knees, holding Kimi in his arms. The forest faded away, the immense blackness returning.
A uniformed figure appeared before Itachi, staring down at the pair with the blood-red eyes of the Sharingan. Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi's father, spoke flatly. "It was just training, after all, a test to learn more about yourself. Why would you care about her? She's nothing."
Itachi could not breathe, string dumbfounded at his father. In his arms, Kimi breathed out his name, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and voice barely above a whisper. He looked down as her eyes slid out of focus and a white flower with an indigo heart slipped from her hand.
Itachi sat up suddenly in bed, drenched in sweat, with a single word on his lips – not a word, really – a name.
"Kimi."