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: Truthfully, this chapter -- this little interlude -- was not a part of my original plan for the story. It just popped into my head, and it seemed rather important, so I've inserted it here. Call it a bit of foreshadowing if you will -- something for you to chew on while you wait for Part II to begin. Dreams can be so fun to use in this manner. So open and ambiguous to interpretation. I feel evil now for some reason. (dark chuckle) Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

To hard-bitten confinement: Yes, I did think of that before I started writing this, but for some reason, it didn't seem to fit. I couldn't get one of Fugaku's comments about Itachi out of my head -- something about Itachi being so distant from everyone in the village, including Fugaku himself -- how even his father couldn't read his expressions or thoughts or even understand him. Thinking this, I figured that perhaps that "lover" was someone from outside the clan -- someone he had to kill later during the "hell" that his life had become. Due to the nature of his life after the Clan massacre, I figured he wouldn't have fallen in love during that period, so he must have met the girl earlier on. If Fugaku didn't have any knowledge of his relationship with her, that must have meant that she wasn't from the village. Thus, Kimi was born. Does that make any sense? I know the logic's kinda broken . . . thanks for your input! I hope you keep reading!

Interlude

XV

The sun blazed overhead, heating up the autumn day, but that did not lessen the excited buzz that filled the air of Konoha. Itachi Uchiha had won the Chuunin Exam tournament. Surely, the Hokage would name him a chuunin, and he would become the youngest shinobi in Konoha history to receive such a rank! Perhaps in all of history!

The boy in question, however, did not share in the people's excitement, though he accepted their praises and congratulations nonetheless. Little did they know, however, that the child receiving exuberant pats on the back and tight-fisted handshakes was not the true Itachi Uchiha. It was nothing more than a shadow clone. The real boy was quite a distance away, bidding a close friend farewell.

As the Itachi clone was bustled through the crowd of congratulators, a hushed conversation reached his ears from the shadows of one of the arena's pillars. He took no real note of the words spoken, focused instead on pleasing those around him. Still, upon being heard, they were stored away in some small part of his mind, not to be remembered until years later.

"I know what I saw, sensei," the first voice insisted – the voice of Itachi's final opponent in the tournament, Koji. "It was one of those hawks – her hawks."

"You can't be certain, Koji. There are many hawks in this area. Konoha uses them as messengers, after all. It could have been one of theirs."

The genin growled softly, stubbornly. "I could see the vest in the silhouette. I'd recognize it anywhere. She's here."

"Think about this for a moment, Koji," the boy's sensei stated flatly. "This is Konoha – one of the great shinobi villages – not some back-root town of blind and dumb mercenaries. We sent a report here when she first abandoned the village. If she was here, they would have captured her and turned her in."

"But sensei, what if they didn't? What if –?"

The jounin cut him off. "Are you suggesting that Konoha is harboring a known criminal? The report marked her as a murderer and a traitor. They wouldn't just let her waltz around freely in their village. They aren't that careless or naïve."

"But –"

"Drop it, Koji. Thinking about her will do you no good. There was a reason why the Council of Elders decided as they did. You can't –"

At that point, Itachi was tugged deeper into the crowd by his squad mates, Kotetsu shouting something about pictures. The overheard argument between student and teacher was forgotten in the blur of the afternoon.

Three years later, Itachi Uchiha opened his eyes, awoken inexplicably from a sound sleep. He stared up at the dark ceiling for several minutes before sitting up. Why would memories of that day be plaguing his sleep now? His eyes fell on the only plausible reason; a hawk-shaped ANBU mask sat on his desk, seeming to stare at him through the night gloom.

He stared at the pale object for a while, rolling the long-ago spoken words through his mind. What sense was there in that talk of hawks and traitors? Why would it return to him now of all nights, a fuzzy memory picked up by one of his shadow clones?

Itachi yawned and sighed, shaking his head and lying back down. It made no sense. Then again, it was just a dream. There was no telling whether or not the event had actually happened. Perhaps it did happen, but his own thoughts distorted the words. A murderer and a traitor. It was possible, considering the events soon to come.

The Uchiha prodigy relaxed into his pillows, closing his eyes and returning gratefully to sleep. This was not a night to be kept up with pointless thoughts. He would need his rest to prepare for tomorrow.

This time, he dreamed of a solitary mirror standing in darkness – of ancient ruins and a giant tree – of his golden-haired enigma watching him from the shadows of the forest. Kimi smiled at him, but it was not her normal joyful grin or sly smirk. Her eyes did not dance with merriment or mischief. That small smile she gave him was sad in a way; those deep eyes held something akin to pity.

With a jolt, he realized what that odd expression meant. She knew. She knew everything – the orders he had been given – the task he would soon carry out. He could not tear his eyes from those indigo pools.

Kimi turned, melting into the shadows, and of course, Itachi gave chase. He had to know. He had to know what she knew – how she knew! He gave chase, but she remained ever out of his reach – until that moment that he knew deep in his heart would come as it came before.

Itachi awoke suddenly in a sweat, jerking upright and gasping. The sight of her dead eyes lingered in his – her blood on his hands – his father gazing down at them. Those harsh words, spoken with an ice-cold voice, rang in his ears.

"You have a mission, Itachi. We cannot afford for you to be distracted."

Once again, Itachi's eyes fell on the ANBU mask before him. His fingers dug into the sheets as his hands balled into fists. His stomach twisted sickeningly. There would be no more sleep for Itachi Uchiha this night.