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: Well, here's chapter 14, the last chapter for Part 1 of this fic. I hope you all have enjoyed Itachi's childhood, 'cause when we return to him in the next chapter, he'll be muchly grown up and any bit of childhood innocence will probably be loooong gone. So here's chapter 14! As promised, I'm adding the soundtrack for Part 1 to my profile. Feel free to look up the songs listed. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
XIV
No emotion touched Itachi Uchiha's face. There was no sign of his concern – his frustration – his slight touch of anger – as he neatly dodged the relentless attacks of his opponent. No. To reveal his emotions in battle would be folly – would go against the Shinobi Code of Conduct. Emotions would do him no good on the battlefield.
As he smoothly evaded the genin's assault, dodging and dancing easily out of the boy's reach, Itachi cast a glance back up at the crowd – the source of his agitation. As before, Kimi was not there. Had she lied to him and left the village already? He fought back the urge to scowl as the shinobi from the Mountain Village lunged toward him again, hands flashing though a series of signs.
Itachi gave a small sigh. His opponent's taijutsu was impressive, and now he was reverting to ninjutsu as well. Though he was not much of a challenge for Itachi, at least the boy was trying. What was his name again? Ah, yes. Koji.
The earth beneath Itachi's feet shifted and buckled, stone spikes shooting up out of the ground – the result of Koji's jutsu. Even with his Sharingan deactivated, though, Itachi easily maneuvered out of the way of this attack, coming to stand on the top of one of the spikes. He stood perfectly balanced on one foot, the other tucked behind his heel.
Growling, Koji attacked again, kunai in hand. Metal met metal with a sharp clang, and Itachi flipped his opponent over his head, throwing him across the arena with surprising strength for a boy his age. As Koji rolled and jumped back to his feet, a winged shadow passed over the two boys. Itachi initially ignored it, but when Koji glanced up with an odd expression on his face – was that recognition? – Itachi followed his gaze.
A hawk-shaped silhouette hovered high above the arena, wings spread wide to catch the heat rising from the stone. Koji followed the bird's path with his eyes, puzzling Itachi slightly. Why would it draw his attention so completely? As the hawk circled out of sight, movement on one of the high balconies behind which the bird had vanished caught Itachi's eye – the flutter of a cloak in the wind.
Itachi's heart rose when he recognized the figure looking down at him. Despite the hat and travelling cloak she wore, he knew instantly who the girl was. Kimi had kept her promise after all.
Koji's eyes, when he returned them to Itachi, seemed somehow troubled, though he shook whatever bothered him off and returned to an offensive stance. Itachi likewise flipped a second kunai into his hands. Now that he knew Kimi was in fact watching him, he would not hold back any longer. He had studied Koji's movements enough to see his weak points as clearly as the nose on his face. This match would end quickly.
And end quickly it did. Within minutes, Koji lay unconscious at Itachi's feet. Itachi twirled the kunai through his fingers before replacing them in his pockets. He was deaf to the roars of the crowd; there was only one voice of approval he wanted to hear. Itachi glanced back up at the balcony only to find it empty.
The young Uchiha barely heard the Hokage's speech about deliberating over the events and performances of the day and announcing the new chuunin later in the week. He only wanted to get out of there, find Kimi, and speak to her one last time before she was gone forever. Itachi did not care if his father found out about it this time; this was something he had to do.
As he exited the arena, he deftly replaced himself with a shadow clone when no one was looking and escaped to find Kimi. No one would notice he was gone, and when he re-merged with his clone, he would know everything the clone had learned during their time apart. All he needed to worry about now was finding the girl.
He raced through the trees surrounding the main streets, searching for any sign of her. Would she really leave without saying goodbye? He doubted that, but a small part of him still wondered. As this thought passed through his head, the shrill cry of a hawk sounded above his head. Itachi glanced up. Was that the same hawk from the arena? It seemed oddly familiar; that much was certain.
On a whim, Itachi altered his direction, following the path of the hawk. He soon came across a bend in the road leading toward the village gates. His feet touched dirt and he glanced down the path, heart leaping in his chest.
"Kimi!" The girl stopped, turned, and smiled softly at Itachi as he jogged to catch up with her. "Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?" Itachi asked when he reached her.
Kimi's smile did not falter. "I thought you would be busy with your family after the match," she stated lightly. "And I wanted to get on the road before the rest of the crowd was rushing out as well. Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Itachi shook his head. "No, it's alright. I understand. I just –" He glanced at the trees, avoiding her eyes. "I thought you didn't come," he admitted softly. "I didn't see you until the very end, and I though you hadn't come."
"I made a promise," Kimi said, grinning. "I always keep my promises."
The boy nodded. "Sorry I didn't believe you."
She giggled. "It's alright. Totally understandable."
"Still," Itachi continued. "We're friends. I never should have doubted you like that." He gave her a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry."
Kimi's grin only widened. "If you insist, I forgive you. That's what friends do, right?" She giggled. "I'm going to miss seeing you, Itachi. You're the first real friend I've ever had."
Itachi wanted to say "Me too," but he thought better of it, glancing behind her instead. "Will I ever see you again? Are you ever going to come back to Konoha?"
She nodded. "We'll see each other again. You can count on it."
"How do you know?" Itachi asked, finally meeting her eyes. "Something might happen."
Kimi fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful look taking over her face. She chewed on her lower lip and then grinned. Before Itachi could react to her movement, she stepped closer to him and gave him a soft peck on the lips. He blinked in surprise when she stepped back, smiling.
Itachi lifted a hand to his lips. "Wha--?"
She winked at him. "I just stole your first kiss. Now we have to see each other again so you can take it back." She giggled lightly. "I'll be looking forward to it." Kimi started to back up slowly, her eyes twinkling even in the shade of the kasa. "Until we meet again, Itachi Uchiha."
With that, Kimi turned and continued on her way. Itachi did not move, standing and watching her until she was out of sight. His lips tingled slightly, but it was not unpleasant. He found that he was smiling in spite of the sorrow of losing her.
"Until we meet again," Itachi whispered, turning and starting the slow walk back to where his shadow clone was handling what was surely a mountain of praise and congratulations. He did not care about all of that anymore, though. His thoughts were turned toward the future – to when he and Kimi were destined to meet again.
Part I -- End