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: Sorry it's taken so long to update. My computer was attacked and infected by viruses galore near the end of Christmas break and the pc shop people had to wipe the hard-drive to fix it. Luckily, I was able to save all my documents and stuff beforehand, so I didn't lose anything. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Itachi's back, yay! Sorry for his extended absence so far in this part of the story, but I've been working on developing Kimi's relations with the other Akatsuki memebers as well -- which will be important in the future. You'll see. Oh, and I also fixed a few things in the last chapter. I was reading through it and realized I'd slipped into the present tense at one point. Oops. Well, without further delay, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

XXIII

It was dark when Itachi and Kisame returned to Amegakure. The rain only fell in a slight drizzle for once, the thick mass of clouds hiding any sign of the moon or stars. No natural light ever really touched this village – this city – only the artificial globes that speckled the streets. Even those failed at times, though, leaving the inhabitants with only the dim glow of filtered daylight or the occasional flash of lightening.

It was a reminder, in a way, of the power that Pein held – the "God" of Amegakure. He controlled the roiling clouds above them. He controlled the rain. Life was only as good as he wished it, and there was nothing beyond the city walls. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. There was only him – only Pein – only this self-proclaimed "God."

The dreariness of air permeated the entire city, inside and out. Thus, it was something of a happy surprise to the shinobi pair when they entered the Akatsuki lair. The air seemed warmer than usual – drier even, and certainly cleaner. The damp did not follow them in. The rain was a mere memory, though a reminder of it rested beneath their feet.

Someone – Itachi suspected he knew who – had placed out a thick mat in the entryway to catch any dripping water from those who entered. A rack sat to one side, ready to hold the hats and cloaks of returning Akatsuki members. Two cloaks and three hats already occupied some of the pegs, and Itachi wondered what could cause such a discrepancy. None of them ever wore their cloak out in public without the hat to accompany it and mask their exact identities. It was practically mandatory.

Itachi hung his own 'uniform' on one of the empty pegs. As he turned to continue on his way, shoes off and ready to be placed on their own separate drying rack, he spotted something else against the wall and nearly chuckled. Catching himself, he picked up two of the neatly-folded towels and wordlessly tossed one to his partner.

Kisame caught the cloth with ease, draping it around his neck and giving a toothy grin. "Nice."

Watching the blue-skinned man stalk off down the hall, Itachi used his towel to mop up any stray damp that might have maneuvered its way beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore. After all, reeds were not exactly the best protection form torrential downpours. Water was bound to find a way through the weave eventually.

So, towel slung over his shoulders, Itachi moved silently into the Akatsuki lair, eyes flicking back and forth for signs of life. He knew it was late, and anyone there would most likely be asleep, but his heart longed to see her – to see Kimi – to make sure she was alive and well. He was not sure he would be able to sleep until his mind was set at ease – until he knew that all was well.

"Itachi-sempai!"

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. Tobi. He turned and looked at the young man approaching him from a side hall. The masked boy slowed from his jog, giving a small gasp. "Oops. Tobi forgot. Everyone's sleeping. Shhh." He held up a finger in front of where his mouth would be behind the swirling orange mask.

The Uchiha merely nodded and continued walking. To his slight dismay, Tobi followed, speaking in a hushed voice. "Welcome back, Itachi-sempai. How was your mission?"

"Hn." None of your business. Go away.

"Aw, that bad huh? Well, Tobi had a lot of fun while you were gone. Tobi helped Miss Kimi clean. It was great! Except for yesterday. Tobi accidentally spilled some paint on Miss Kimi, and she bumped into Kakuzu, and Kakuzu got really angry."

Itachi froze mid-step. Everyone knew what happened to people who made Kakuzu "really angry." It was the reason the stitched-up man kept losing partners; they would anger him, and he would kill them. His temper was infamous. So, if Kimi had made him "really angry" . . .

". . . cleaned up Orochimaru's old room so she could use it. It's really nice, now, and . . ." Tobi was still talking?

Not bothering to listen to the rest of the young man's rant, Itachi continued quickly down the hallway, chest tight. According to Tobi, Kimi had taken over Orochimaru's room. Surely she would be there now – if Kakuzu had not acted upon his anger. Itachi fiercely hoped that he had not, not only for Kimi's sake, but for Kakuzu's also. If the temperamental shinobi killed her – or harmed her in any way – Itachi would not hesitate to do the same – or worse, even.

Itachi knocked softly on Kimi's door, trying to ignore his rapidly-beating heart. There was no answer. He fought to remain calm and reason things through. She was probably just asleep. Taking a deep breath, he quietly opened the door and peered in. The room was dark, masking much of the details, but one was instantly clear.

Kimi's bed stood empty.

The Uchiha did not panic. No. Now was not the time to panic. Still, his heart rate accelerated as he backed out of the room. If she was not here, then where was she? Did Kakuzu do something to her in his anger? He took a deep breath and turned back to the hallway, allowing the door to softly close behind him. He had to find her – now.

Itachi scoured the base, searching through the kitchen and other common areas with no avail. He even checked the empty bathrooms for any sign of her, but they were just that – empty. Itachi's Sharingan eyes took in everything, attempting to find anything that would tell her where the girl was. Still, he came up empty, which brought him to Kakuzu's door.

The towering man answered moments after Itachi knocked, demanding, "What do you want? Do you know what time it is?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Where is she?"

Kakuzu peered down at him, frowning. "Where is who?"

"Kimi."

The older man snorted. "How should I know? I'm not the bitch's keeper." He turned and closed the door in Itachi's face.

After a brief moment of inner debate, Itachi decided to ignore Kakuzu's insult to Kimi's character, returning instead to the problem at hand. Kakuzu had been telling the truth. He honestly did not know where Kimi was, and his tone of voice revealed that he did know that she still lived. That in itself was a relief, but it still did not help Itachi in his quest to find her.

Itachi glanced up and down the hall, hoping – against better judgement – that Tobi would pop out of the woodworks somewhere to eagerly assist him in his search. But, no. The boy was nowhere to be seen – probably off to bed now that the initial 'excitement' of a returned team was over and done with.

Clenching his hands to stop them from shaking, Itachi moved on. He was still carrying his gear; he would relieve himself of that before continuing his search. There was no point in lugging it around at the moment. If for some reason his quest took him out into the city, he could easily take care of any trouble with his jutsu alone – not that anyone in Amegakure would dare challenge one of the Akatsuki.

Itachi stepped into his room, closed the door behind him, and froze. Something was off. Listening, he pinpointed what; he was not alone in the room. The faint sound of breathing seemed loud in the silence of night. The Uchiha turned and immediately relaxed, giving a soft sigh of relief accompanied by a slight chuckle.

He had located Kimi.

Dressed in an old pair of sweats and a black apron with a red and white cloud on the front – which looked suspiciously like it had been fashioned from one of the Akatsuki robes – the young woman was curled up in Itachi's bed. Her breathing came slow and easy; her face was relaxed and peaceful. Kimi slept soundly, arms wrapped around one of Itachi's pillows.

Itachi crossed to the side of the bed and looked down at her sleeping form, for a moment unsure of what do to. Should he move her to her own room? No, he decided. He would leave her here. Itachi reached out a hand and gently brushed some of the hair out of Kimi's face, tucking it behind her ear. As if in response to his touch, Kimi shifted in her sleep. She burrowed her face into the pillow, breathing in deeply before sighing, "Itachi . . ."

He froze, hand hovering above her head. Was she awake? Kimi continued to breathe the slow tempo of sleep, and Itachi eventually relaxed again, studying the happily blissful expression on the girl's face – the faint smile on her lips. He slowly sat down on the floor next to the bed, leaning against it and watching her dream. It took him a moment to realize that he himself was smiling too.

Kimi's slow, steady breathing was almost hypnotic, drawing Itachi toward sleep as well. For some reason, though, no matter how heavy his eyelids felt, he never seemed to be able to relax enough to sleep. It was not the way he sat; he had managed to sleep in more uncomfortable positions during various missions. No, it was the tight feeling in his chest as he watched the young woman sleep – the feeling that wiped the warm smile from his lips.

Itachi had her back. Kimi was by his side – within his reach – once more, but for how long? How long would she be able to stay this time? How long would she last before Pein decided she was no longer useful and got rid of her? What if she found out what really happened to the Uchiha clan?

Before he had left for his previous mission, he had answered Kimi's question as to what happened to his can. He told her that he did not know who had committed the act – that he had been away on a mission when it happened. He had lied to her. If she discovered the truth, would she hate him? Fear him? Leave him?

He himself was almost afraid to find out. He did not want to lose her now that he had just gotten her back. The thought of it made him sick.

Itachi gazed at the sleeping girl. She had whispered his name. Was she dreaming of him? Hesitantly, he reached out and slipped one of his hands into hers. Kimi curled into a tighter ball, fingers closing around his hand as she pulled it to her face. A smile touched her lips; she sighed happily and fell still once more.

The Uchiha decided at that moment that no matter what happened, he would make sure he never lost Kimi again. Even if he had to lie to her to protect her, he would do so – anything to protect her – his precious person. He would tell her the truth eventually – once he was sure she was perfectly safe. She would forgive him; he was sure. Until then . . .

Itachi leaned his head on his arm, eyes drinking in Kimi's face. He smiled faintly and – his worries finally chased away – drifted off to join her in sleep.