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: So now we move on to Part II. Yay! I hope you all enjoyed the little Interlude. I can tell it raised some questions . . . evil laugh All will be made clear soon enough . . . anyway, Part II pics up three years after the Interlude. That means it's been about six years since Kimi left Konoha. Now things will really get interesting . . . I hope you all enjoy!

Part II: The Mirror

XVI

Three Years Later . . .

Itachi stood behind his partner, shimmering slightly in the dim light. The blue-skinned man, Kisame, was speaking to the Leader of the Akatsuki, a group of rogue ninja that Itachi had joined several years ago.

Pein, the Leader, shimmered similarly to his two subordinates, his features hidden in the multi-colored light of his astral projection as he listened passively to the shark-man's report. Though the information was common knowledge, and the results of their previous mission had no real weight on the future actions of the organization, Pein insisted on debriefing the pair before sending them off on another assignment.

Due to the trivial nature of the discussion, Itachi allowed his mind to refrain from hanging on every word spoken. Instead he complained mentally and pointlessly to himself. Complaining did not do him any good, and the point did not matter very much in the long run. Itachi's and Kisame's physical bodies rested not very far away. It would have taken them only a few minutes to reach this spot on foot, so why why why did Pein require them to be present only as astral projections? Was that not a waste of chakra?

Still, considering their enormous chakra reserves, the fact did not matter very much in the long run. Complaining was only a waste of time – which was exactly what Itachi wanted at the moment – to waste time.

A sound touched Itachi's ear, drawing his last bit of attention away from Kisame's words. He turned his head slightly toward the doorway of this particular establishment. There were several small complexes scattered throughout the lands that served as meeting places and recovery areas for the Akatsuki members and those who might work under them. They all were well-hidden and their locations were well-kept secrets. Now, somebody approached. Was it someone with Akatsuki affiliations, or was it possible that someone else could have stumbled across the base?

The doors swung open with no knock or warning of any other kind, and another Akatsuki team sauntered in – Deidara and Sasori – dragging along a third figure. Though the person's build was shrouded by a cloak, she was definitely female judging by the voice protesting rather loudly.

"Honestly!" she cried. "I got lost! I swear! I have no idea where I am!"

Kisame stopped talking as the Leader's attention was drawn to the new arrivals. Something in the woman's voice sounded somehow familiar to Itachi, but he could not put his finger on exactly what.

"You don't have to drag me! I can walk perfectly fine on my own. Ow! Something bit me! Was that your – ah! You have mouths in your hands!" The woman jerked away from a smirking Deidara, only to stumble into Sasori. The puppet-man pushed her to the ground in front of Pein.

"We found her wandering through the forest outside," Diedara explained. "What do you want us to do with her, yeah?"

Pein stared down at the woman, who seemed to shrink under his gaze, before turning his attention back to Kisame. Itachi did not hear what orders he gave the ex-Swordsman of the Mist. His eyes were locked on the intruder, and he was saying a small, silent prayer of thanks that the astral projections smothered any of his identifiable features, prohibiting her from recognizing him – though he certainly recognized her.

His mind raced in circles. As a mere projection, he would be powerless to do anything about whatever their Leader decided was her sentence. He would need to be there in person.

As soon as he heard Pein dismiss them, Itachi discontinued the jutsu. His body was moving before his mind could completely reorient himself to his surroundings. He barely noted Kisame calling after him as he broke into a head-on sprint through the trees. Branches raced by beneath his feet as he leapt smoothly and speedily from one to the next. He could waste no time; he needed to be there now!

Later than he wanted, the complex entrance appeared before him. Itachi barely slowed, rushing to the doors and slinging them open with no preamble. He strode into to the room, greeted by the startled looks of his fellow Akatsuki members.

Sasori peered at him. "Weren't you just here?"

Itachi shot him a sharp and silencing look as he moved past, slower now that he was sure the woman was unhurt. He circled to her front, studying her crouched and shuddering form. When she spotted his feet stopping in front of her, she hunched even closer to the ground, making Itachi think of an animal expecting to be struck.

He hesitated for a moment, feeling the others' eyes studying his every move with a mixture of confusion and amazement. Finally, he asked flatly, "Still directionally challenged, are we?"

The woman froze, golden hair shrouding her face in shadows. She slowly lifted her face, indigo eyes wide. Kimi's gaze met and held Itachi's for a long moment as tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed unable to breathe.

"I-Itachi?"

He fought back the urge to smile. This was not the place for emotion, though he was sure Kimi needed to see it. Instead, he repeated the first words he ever said to her, though the words this time were different – darker – a sharp order rather than a kind suggestion. "Don't cry."

Kimi gasped, rising swiftly to her feet. "Itachi!" In the blink of an eye, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest with a sob. "Itachi! I thought you were dead! I'd heard rumors about your clan – that they'd all been killed. I thought – I thought –"

Itachi was all-too aware of the air of pure astonishment that filled the room – and of Kisame's exclamation of surprise as he arrived to find the sobbing woman clinging to his partner. Itachi's arms seemed extremely heavy at his sides. His heart longed to comfort Kimi – to wrap his arms around her – but his mind argued that such an action might not be wise considering his current position.

Deidara opened his mouth to speak, but Itachi caught his eye with a fierce death-glare. The blonde man thought better of his actions and resigned to merely smirking in amusement.

Lifting her head slowly and lowering her arms so that her hands rested flat on Itachi's chest, Kimi studied the Uchiha's face with fear and worry in her eyes. "Itachi, what's wrong? What happened?"

Itachi tore his eyes from peering sideways at Pein to focus on the woman. He lowered his head so that he could speak softly in her ear. "Later. For now, get behind me and stay quiet."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But –"

"Kimi."

His voice held a warning tone and Kimi bit her lower lip, nodding. She ducked obediently behind Itachi's left shoulder as he fully looked back to the Leader of the Akatsuki.

"This is Kimi," he stated flatly. "She's not a shinobi, and she does get lost easily."

Sasori frowned. "She shouldn't be here."

"Hn," Itachi grunted with a slightly downward jerk of his chin. He felt Kimi stiffen behind him.

Pein shifted, though his astral projection made no sound to support the movement. "If she is not a shinobi, then she is of no use to us. Deidara."

Itachi unconsciously moved his arm protectively between Kimi and the other Akatsuki. Deidara arched his eyebrows. A tense silence consumed the room, broken only when Kimi cleared her throat softly.

Itachi sighed inwardly as she spoke up. "Um, I-I'm not totally useless," she said shakily. "I-I'm a pretty good cook. I've travelled a lot, so I know a lot of recipes from all over the place. P-pretty much anything you want, I can cook. A-and I've worked as a maid several times to earn my keep. I'm hardly a free-loader."

Pein peered at her for several minutes. "We cannot let her go free now," he stated. "So we have one of two choices. Employ her, or . . ." His voice trailed off with heavy implications as he turned his back on Itachi and Kimi, fading away. "We have no need for a maid."

Sasori' scorpion-like tail arched over his head and Itachi tensed, preparing to fight. Kimi lightly touched his arm.

"Actually, sir," she countered Pein's statement, "it might be beneficial for you to employ me. A clean house, after all, makes for a swift recovery from sickness. Should any of your people require recuperation time from injury or illness, they would be able to get back to work faster. There would be less down time and more – complete missions." She swallowed. "And I don't need any real income. A safe place to sleep and three meals a day is plenty of payment for me."

Pein ceased to fade and looked back at the young woman. "Very well," he conceded. "Bring her to Amegakure." He shot a sharp warning look at Itachi before vanishing completely.

After heaving a sigh of relief, Kimi smiled up at Itachi. He did not meet her gaze, staring instead at Deidara and Sasori until they left. Kisame then stepped toward the pair.

"Itachi, what's –"

Ignoring him, Itachi turned on Kimi. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, a bit more harshly than he intended.

Kimi's eyes widened. "What? I – I – I was heading to the Grass Country, but – but I –"

Itachi reached out without warning, hooking her waist and pulling her into a tight, one-armed hug. "Idiot," he breathed into her ear. "You scared the hell out of me."

The young woman smiled into his chest. "Sorry."