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've decided I'm going to throw the whole "posting schedule" out the window and give a chapter to you all whenever I write one or feel like it's been too long since I posted the last one. I just finished writing Chapter 10, so I have to be careful how often I post so I don't run out of materials. Still, I'll try not to make you guys wait too long between posting. I have the major points and events down that I want to happen. It's just filling in the blank parts in between that's the trouble at the moment -- builiding the story itself and developing the characters. Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Cheers!

VIII

Several weeks passed before Itachi saw Kimi again, and every day he wondered how she was faring. Still, he could not understand why he thought of her each time he passed through the market and spotted stalls of fresh produce. He did not know why his chest felt so tight. It made no sense to him.

For most of the time, squad activities kept his mind busy. He traveled with his team and teacher to complete several missions – some trivial and simple while others somewhat dangerous. Nevertheless, his mind wandered every now and then to the golden girl – the enigma.

Itachi fought with himself no few times over the weeks concerning whether or not he should go out to the farm and check on her. If he did so, though, more questions would be raised concerning his involvement with her. He had already been grilled by his teammates concerning the horse incident. News traveled quickly in Konoha.

He was drawn many times to the meadow where they had their picnic during that span of time also. Itachi did not know why – what he expected to see there – but he would spend several hours there meditating each time.

During one of those particular incidents, as Itachi approached the clearing, the hollow sound of a wooden flute reached his ears, wafting through the air in a gentle melody. The notes rose and fell slowly. As they rose again, the player's fingers must have stumbled, for the instrument gave an unattractive squawk.

Several off-key notes followed before the sound of the flute finally cut off. A soft voice complained, "Why can't I hit that note? It ruins the whole thing."

Itachi's heart quickened. He recognized that voice.

"I tried that already. It just won't work."

The young shinobi reached the edge of the clearing, hoping his memory served him well. Apparently, it did, for when he stepped out into the light, he could easily recognize the girl sitting cross-legged in the meadow's heart.

Her mouth crinkled into a scowl as she contemplated the carved instrument in her hands. "Shut up," she mumbled.

Itachi smirked. "But I didn't say anything."

Kimi's head jerked up and a wide smile split her face. "Itachi!"

The Uchiha walked calmly forward. "Talking to ourselves are we? That's not a healthy sign, you know."

The girl laughed and rolled her eyes. "You don't have to tell me that twice." She locked him in her indigo gaze. "So, how've you been?"

Itachi shrugged as he lowered himself smoothly to the ground. "Fine, I suppose." He nodded to the wooden flute in her hands. "I could hear you playing."

Kimi flushed. "Um, yeah. Mrs. Hoshi – she's Mr. Tadao's wife. You know; the farmer? Anyway, Mrs. Hoshi's teaching me how to play. I'm not really good yet. That high note's giving me trouble." She glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "So, do you play?"

"No. I never have time to learn anything like that."

The young girl giggled softly. "Well, I'd offer to teach you, but that wouldn't be fair to you." Her smirk became playful. "You do know that all work and no play isn't good for your health."

"Like talking to yourself?" Itachi countered with the lift of one eyebrow.

Kimi laughed. "Yeah, like talking to yourself."

The two fell into silence – not exactly an awkward one, but silence nonetheless. Itachi glanced habitually around the small meadow, scanning the trees. No birds, a small voice seemed to whisper in the back of his head. Before he could grasp the thought, Kimi spoke.

"I missed you," she said quietly.

Itachi looked back at her, startled. She was turning the flute over in her hands, avoiding his eyes with an embarrassed blush.

"You're not like most shinobi," Kimi continued. "You make me laugh, and I – I feel safe with you. Can't explain it. I just do." She glanced up at him cautiously as if to gauge his reaction.

"There are a lot of things," he admitted softly, "about this that I can't explain." Itachi shook his head slightly. "So, is this your first time back since you left with Tadao?"

Kimi seemed to take the change of subject in stride, smiling. "Yeah. We've gotten the work done faster than usual since I'm there to help them out with stuff, so Mrs. Hoshi said I could have the day off." Her eyes became slightly troubled. "Mrs. Hoshi offered me once to call her 'mother' and Mr. Tadao 'father,' but I just didn't feel comfortable doing that. I think they might want to adopt me, but I don't know how long I'm going to stay here."

Itachi's eyebrows drew together. "You're going to be leaving?"

"I did say I wanted to see the world. I still have a lot more to go."

He thought for a moment, troubled by his reaction to the news. Anxiety? What did he care if she left? He's only really known her for two days – not counting her extended absence – so why would he feel so attached?

"So," he asked slowly, "how often do you think you're going to be in town?"

Kimi shrugged one shoulder in response. "I don't know. It all depends on what work we get done on the farm. It's not incredibly big. Most of the stuff they grow is for themselves."

"And what's that?"

So the pair talked – rather, Kimi talked and Itachi listened. He had never imagined that chickens could be so interesting, yet as Kimi told him of various experiences with the flightless birds, he found them to be quite amusing. Kimi did most of the talking and laughing, but Itachi did not mind. He even laughed with her from time to time.

Time wore on and suddenly Kimi rose to her feet, staring at the sky. "Oh dear!" she cried. "I didn't realize it was getting so late." The amber light of the sunset glittered like fire off of her hair. "I should get back before they start to worry."

Itachi stood. "Are you sure you know the way back?" he asked, a teasing tone to his voice. "I could walk you home."

"That's sweet," Kimi replied with a smile and slight blush, "but I'll have to decline. Your family's probably wondering where you are, and I'm sure I can find my way back. There's a road straight out there, after all, and there aren't any coming storms to drive me off of it."

"When do you think we might be able to get together again?" Itachi asked haltingly.

Kimi shrugged. "I honestly don't know." She thought for a moment. "How about this? When we're free, we can come here. That way, we don't have to go hunting for each other."

There were several holes in that plan that Itachi could see, but he refrained from pointing them out. It could still work.

Reluctantly, Itachi parted ways with the girl. He was not all that confident that she could find her way back to the farm, so he silently shadowed her until she was within sight of the house. Perched in the trees, he watched the glowing homestead for several minutes before starting home himself.

Kimi continued to perplex Itachi. There was no logical reason for him to be so snared by the girl. She was not a shinobi, so it could not be her abilities that intrigued him. There was nothing he could learn from her – or was there?

Itachi halted mid-stride. Learning. Was he learning from this outsider? Since he had met her, Itachi had become somehow more relaxed. Disregarding his slip-up during the training match at which his father appeared, his skills had improved slightly. It was not much, but it was recognizable. Though his mind was not as focused, overall, he was more relaxed – especially around Kimi.

She was teaching him to laugh – to really live life for the sake of living and not merely for the duty of being a shinobi. Her own relaxed nature seemed to be rubbing off on him – but was that a good thing?

Rubbing his eyes, Itachi continued on. It was somehow overwhelming. Perhaps he was thinking too much. Perhaps it was time for a new strategy – none.