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 for the long space between updates. Things are moving kinda slowly at the moment. I'm having a bit of writers' block with this section. I have some chapters written for further on, but it's getting to them so I can use them that's hard right now. I hate to write anything sort of "filler"-esque, but it's important for building up character/plot for future events, so any possible OOC-ness with Akatsuki members that might happen in the future can be explained and maybe even end up not being true OOC-ness after all. So, anyway, more Itachi in this chapter. Yay! Plus, you get a bit of Kisame-Kimi interaction in the end too. Kisame can be interesting to write sometimes. I haven't really decided what his opinion of Kimi's going to be yet. Everyone else I pretty much have figured out except him . . . hmmm . . . well, anyway. Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!
XXIV
When Itachi awoke the next morning, a blanket was draped over his shoulders. Blinking, he lifted his head from his arm. The bed was empty; Kimi was gone. Itachi frowned slightly. How did she get past him? Had he slept that deeply? He rose to his feet, the blanket sliding from his shoulders to the floor. Normally, Itachi would wake from sleep at the slightest disturbance. Surely he would have awoken to Kimi leaving – to her covering him with a blanket – but he had not.
That fact made him wonder. Had Kimi actually left of her own accord, or did something more sinister happen to her? Itachi shook his head. He was probably over-analyzing the situation – fearing the worst. If someone had taken her, they would not have put a blanket over him – to mislead him into thinking that Kimi left under her own power. But what would be the gain in that? Why would they want Kimi in the first place? No. That was Kimi's doing; he was sure of it. It still did not make any sense, though.
Still frowning, Itachi slipped out of his room. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, delicious aromas met his nose. Cooking. He moved down the hall to the kitchen and peeked in. There she was, safe and sound, her attention entirely consumed by the contents of the stove. He leaned against the doorway and watched her passively as she hummed to herself, completely oblivious of the trouble she had put him through the night before. That was probably best, though. He did not want her to feel guilty about the unintentional ordeal.
His worries put to rest, the older of the remaining Uchiha brothers returned to his bedroom. After casting a brief glance around, he stepped over and straightened up his bed. Itachi then retrieved the blanket from its crumpled state on the floor, folding it into a neat square before placing it at the foot of the bed. His red eyes scanned the room once more to make sure everything was in order before moving on to the wardrobe to retrieve his toiletries and a change of clothes.
Order, in Itachi's opinion, was a part of a shinobi's life. That fact had been hammered into him as a child so that it was almost instinct to make sure every item in his living area was in its own specified place. That way, he would know if anything had been tampered with in his absence. Knowledge of one's surroundings was always important as a ninja. Besides, cleanliness was supposedly close to godliness – to perfection – and Itachi was supposed to be the model of a perfect ninja. He had been trained and primed all of his life to be able to fit that description.
So, it was with no small sense of pride – and relief – that Itachi made his way to the bath room. Days on the road provided little to no chance for cleanliness, especially when the Akatsuki Leader was holding a deadline over the team's collective head. Also, the pair's status as rogue ninja kept them from stopping too often in respectable inns with proper bathing facilities. They could not risk being recognized, since such an occurrence would more than likely ruin the outcomes of their missions. The last thing they needed was ANBU on their tails.
Thus, Itachi took advantage of the bath room in the Akatsuki base whenever he and Kisame returned. If it was available, after all, why not make use of it. It was not as if he liked smelling like the wilderness.
The raven-haired shinobi sank into the steaming water with an inward sigh, feeling the heat soak into his skin and break up the tension in his muscles. He allowed his eyes to slip closed, though his other senses remained alert. Even here, in the main headquarters, he could not risk letting his guard drop for even a brief moment. The men here – plus Konan – were just as dangerous, if not more so, than any enemy he might encounter in the field, and the fact that they worked together did not necessarily mean that they were friends and thus incapable or unwilling to harm – or even kill – each other. Kakuzu was proof enough of that. He killed his partners on a daily basis.
Sooner than Itachi would have liked, Pein's voice seeped into Itachi's mind. [Itachi, Kisame, I want a full mission report. Now.]
Sighing aloud this time, Itachi rose smoothly from the water, toweled himself dry, and donned a clean, crisp set of clothes. After folding his dirty set and placing it on a bench against the wall – he would deal with it later – Itachi moved silently down the hall and out of the cheery living areas of the base. This particular hallway, an offshoot from the main, appeared to be the only section of the level retaining the dreary and ominous appearance that had claimed the base before Kimi's arrival.
Itachi immediately spotted the looming shape of his partner through the gloom of the dimly-lit corridor. The blue-skinned man slouched outside one of the few doors scattered across the wall, beady black eyes fixed on him as he approached. Kisame nodded to Itachi in greeting and acknowledgement, though the later did not return the courtesy. Instead, the Sharingan wielder drew to a silent halt on the other side of the doorway, face devoid of any emotion.
Both men knew that they would not be meeting with their Leader face to face. No. Even when the man was close by – which was most likely the case at this moment – he chose to appear before his subordinates in an astral projection. This did not make their meeting any less serious, though, especially concerning Itachi. He knew that he was on a short leash due to the whole matter that Kimi presented. One step out of line would most likely mean disaster – more so for Kimi than for Itachi. The girl, in a since, was a bargaining chip – an assurance for Pein of Itachi's good behavior – a fact that did not sit well with the Uchiha at all.
After what seemed like an eternity of pregnant silence, the familiar voice of the Leader of Akatsuki hummed through the mental connection provided by the rings on Itachi and Kisame's fingers. [Enter.]
"After you," Kisame rumbled with a grin, razor-sharp teeth flashing even in the low light.
"Hn," Itachi grunted in return as he reached for the door knob.
--
Dinner was composed of a simple salad, rolls of golden bread, and something that Kimi referred to as "spaghetti", though the term meant nothing to Konan. When the woman blandly inquired where she had learned of such a dish, Kimi launched into a cheerful tale of her travels to the far west with a merchant caravan.
"It's not all desert," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "The sand ends eventually, and when it does . . . well, everything's so different there. Their clothes – their mannerisms – their food – it's all so alien." Kimi flashed a smile as she moved a bowl of strange noodles – much thicker than ramen – to the table. "It was an amazing experience, though strange, and I learned so much."
Konan eyed the meat sauce that Kimi transferred over next with slight skepticism. It continued to bubble slightly in the pot, even when away from the heat of the stove. "I see," she muttered blandly.
Shrugging off the woman's lack of enthusiasm, Kimi returned her attention to a now-whistling kettle on the stove. As she did so, Kisame appeared in the doorway, testing the air with flared nostrils. "Don't know what it is," the shark-man admitted as he strode in and dropped into a seat, reaching for one of the rolls, "but it smells great."
Konan's attention was drawn from inspecting the odd utensils Kimi had placed around the table in place of chopsticks – forks and knives as she had called them – when Kisame gave a sharp yelp of pain. The blue-haired kunoichi's eyes slid up to find the man rubbing the back of his hand and directing an angry and offended look at Kimi. Standing over him with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a long metal ladle at Kisame, the young blonde looked suddenly intimidating – if only slightly.
"There's plenty for everyone," she said sharply in a voice that sounded very much like it belonged in the mouth of a scolding mother, "so just wait until the others come. Then you can eat." The corners of Konan's mouth twitched ever so slightly upward at the sight.
Kisame appeared to be on the verge of retaliation, but one sharp look from Itachi – who was now sinking into a chair across from his partner – silenced the shark-man, leaving him to do nothing but glower at the offending girl. Kimi, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to his fury, turning a bright smile to Konan as if nothing had happened.
"Tea's ready," she stated. "Would you like some more?"
"Thank you," Konan replied politely, lifting her cup so that Kimi could refill it.
This done, the blonde girl shifted her attention to the other occupants of the room. "Itachi, would you like some?" Receiving a curt nod, Kimi fetched a mug for the Uchiha. Only after she served him did she turn her eyes to Kisame. "How about you?"
Frowning, Kisame rose to his feet and crossed to one of the cupboards. "I'll get it myself," he grunted.
Kimi nodded and moved to the door, calling out, "Tobi! Dinner!" The masked young man appeared moments later, and Kimi stepped aside to allow him entrance into the kitchen. "Is – uh – Kakuzu still here?" she inquired hesitantly.
Tobi shook his head as he dropped unceremoniously into one of the empty chairs. "Nope. He went to get something for Leader-sama, but he should be back later. Does Miss Kimi need help with something? Tobi can help you. Tobi's a good boy!"
"Oh, nono," Kimi answered quickly. "I don't need anything. I was just wondering." Her eyes turned to Kisame and seemed to glitter in amusement as the man continued his hunt through the cupboard with increasing agitation. Without speaking a word to him, Kimi turned and opened the pantry nearest to the door, reaching up and pulling a bottle from the top shelf. "Looking for this?" she inquired innocently as she turned back and held up the object.
Kisame's attention snapped around and his scowl twitched into something unrecognizable. "Yeah," he grunted sharply, snatching away the bottle of sake when she stepped over and offered it to him. "Thanks."
Konan hid a smile in her tea as the two finally took their seats.