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. I'd meant to do it over the weekend, but I caught a horrid head/chest cold and was pretty much useless since last wednesday. I still have the sniffles now, though it's getting better. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I had fun writing an emotionally unstable Itachi fighting to regain that stability that he lost before anyone notices. I know it's kinda OOC for the Itachi that we all know, but I personally think it makes sense for this fic and the effect my dear Kimi has on him. Anyway, I only have to write one more chapter before I get to the couple that I've already written. Yay! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
XXVIII
Itachi paced back and forth across the floor of his room hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. A mission. A mission! They had sent Kimi off on a mission?! Why would they do such a thing? What possessed them to even consider putting her in such a position? With the sort of work that Akatsuki did, she could get hurt or even killed! He growled softly, turning on his heel to start another circuit. If anything happened to her, he would strangle whoever was responsible for this. No, first he would break them with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Then, he would strangle them.
The Uchiha's thoughts and motions screeched to a halt as he realized what was happening. He was angry – not just angry – furious. He never got this way. He never lost control of his emotions. And yet there he was – at a boiling point – ready to slaughter the first person that looked at him in a way that displeased him even the slightest bit. This was not a good state of mind for him to be in at the moment. Shinobi were supposed to have total control of their emotions at all time, not let them rampage on like that.
Folding himself smoothly onto the floor in the center of the room, Itachi closed his eyes and fought to regain control of his emotions. He began with a slow breathing exercise, moving from there to steadily relax each muscle in his body. Calm down. I need to calm down. Gradually, his racing heart began to slow to a calmer beat, his breathing becoming deep and relaxed through a slightly open mouth. Calm. Steady. In control. He slowly felt his anxiety slip away, a sense of peace washing over him.
When he finally managed to reign in those rampant emotions, Itachi let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes. He then narrowed them and glanced around in suspicion. The sight that met his gaze was definitely not his room in the Akatsuki headquarters, though the endless black void did seem suspiciously familiar. Thus, he was not entirely surprised when he rose to his feet and turned to find a tall mirror standing alone in the dark, its surface shining slightly with inner light.
Itachi frowned as he stepped closer to the object. This was his dream – but why was it here? He was meditating, not sleeping, and surely his mindscape consisted of more than just this mirror. The Uchiha knew for a fact that there was more to his mind than this near-empty void. He had seen it before – gone there during his meditation. So, why was he seeing this, now, instead?
Itachi peered and then scowled at his reflection. His reflection smirked back. "You again," the raven-haired young man growled softly. "Who are you? You can't be me."
The reflection shrugged, still grinning.
"You know something," Itachi stated. "You know what this place is." He motioned to the surrounding void. "You know why I'm here. Don't you?"
Still, the reflection smirked, eyes gleaming almost mischievously.
Itachi's Sharingan blazed, though he knew it would do him no good against a mere mirror – though he doubted it was just a mere mirror. "If you know, then tell me," he demanded of his reflection. When the other Itachi did not answer, he felt his anger flaring dangerously up again. "Tell me!"
The Uchiha lifted a fist and slammed it against the mirror. The smooth surface instantly shattered into a million pieces, blinding light surrounding him. When he regained his sight, he almost expected to be standing in a forested area – as he always seemed to be in his dreams. Instead, he was back in his room, standing now rather than sitting in his meditative position. He frowned as words spoken by his father – or rather his dream-father – long ago echoed into his mind.
"You have a mission, Itachi. We cannot afford for you to be distracted."
Distracted. That was what was wrong with him, Itachi realized. He was distracted. He did not want to admit it, but that was the case. Kimi was distracting him. Though it was true that Itachi had not slacked off a bit during his missions – even succeeded more soundly now – whenever he did not have one to focus on, she was all that filled his mind. She was all he could think about. Her voice – her touch – her laughter – her smile – her scent – they claimed his consciousness – invaded his dreams. He could not escape her – not that he wanted to.
At times, it was calming – comforting even, but at times like this, Itachi found it to be a nuisance. He realized that Kimi was the ultimate source of his raging emotions. But what did that mean? Did the others know? If Pein found out, he might use that fact against Itachi, or he might just get rid of the distraction as Itachi's father once had. No. Pein would not just forbid Itachi from seeing her ever again; he would get rid of her – kill her.
That thought brought a new wave of emotion, and Itachi lifted a hand to clutch his chest. Afraid. He was afraid. Why? Why did she make him feel this way? Why did she have this effect on him? Ever since he met her, Itachi had changed. He realized this. He felt it. The very fact that he felt so much was proof enough. But why? Why?
"Ow ow ow! That hurts, yeah!"
The cry of pain that drifted through Itachi's door made him stiffen. That was Deidara. He was back. No. They were back. He turned toward the door, unconsciously holding his breath as he waited for the retort to Deidara's exclamation that was sure to come.
"Well, if you would just hold still, then it might not." Kimi's sharp words were punctuated by another pained shout.
"How can it not when you're using that stuff, yeah? Ow!!!"
One of Itachi's eyebrows twitched upward. There was a loud thump followed by several curses and a shout from Kimi to "Sit down!" Frowning, Itachi slipped out of his room and down the hall. The sounds were coming from the kitchen area. As he neared the room, a blank-faced Sasori stepped out and looked at him.
Itachi stopped moving, meeting the wooden man's gaze. Sasori continued down the hall, pausing when he came to Itachi's shoulder. The words that the puppet master spoke were almost too soft for Itachi to make out. "You and I both know what must be done." With that, Sasori vanished down the hall.
The Uchiha watched him go with hard eyes. You and I both know what must be done. A frown touched his lips. He did not like the sound of that at all. His train of thought jumped back to the rails it had been following minutes before. If Pein realized that Kimi was a distraction, he would get rid of her. You and I both know what must be done. Itachi would have to get her away from Akatsuki – out of danger – before Pein discovered her effect on him. That was the only way to save her.
But was that what Sasori meant? Did he want to spare the young woman's life as well? Or was he siding with Pein – wanting to get rid of her once and for all? You and I both know what must be done.
Itachi forced his hands to uncurl and relax at his sides. Calm. He needed to stay calm. Breathing carefully, he strode down the last length of hallway to stand in the doorway to the kitchen. The sight that met him was not quite what he expected.
Deidara was sitting, bare-backed and turned around, in one of the chairs, legs on either side of the back. His arms were folded on the arched back of the chair, his chin resting on them with a pained scowl on his face. Kimi stood behind him, the long sleeves of her kimono tied behind her and out of the way of her working hands. Itachi could tell that the cloth had once been of fine quality, but now it was stained with black, tattered, and utterly ruined. The same dark soot marked Kimi's face as well and dulled her once-golden hair.
Kimi tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, leaving a smear of blood (Deidara's, much to Itachi's relief). That hand then returned to Deidara's back gently pressing the wound there closed as she removed the needle and thread that had been held between her lips. "Hold still," she reminded the boy as she reached down and began to carefully stitch up the wound.
The blonde artist winced and hissed in pain, but otherwise obeyed her command. Itachi watched passively from the doorway for a moment before commenting, "I was unaware you knew how to stitch wounds, Kimi."
Blinking in surprise, Kimi glanced briefly toward him before focusing back on the task at hand. "I know how to sew," she amended. "This isn't so different – just using a different medium is all." She gave the thread a sharp tug, pulling her most recent stitch tight.
Deidara gasped, knuckles turning white as he gripped the chair. "What was that for? Are you enjoying causing me pain, yeah?" he hissed back at her.
"It needs to be tight," Kimi replied patiently, "or it won't heal properly."
The boy gritted his teeth as she pulled another stitch through. "Right. If you ask me, I think you're secretly a masochist, yeah."
Itachi frowned at that comment, but Kimi merely laughed. After giving a soft sigh, the Uchiha cleared his throat. "Kimi, I'd like to have a word with you when you're done."
She glanced over at him curiously. "Um, alright. Am I allowed to get cleaned up first? I want to get out of this thing as soon as possible." She made a small motion with the needle-holding hand to indicate her ruined kimono.
Itachi nodded. "Come to my room when you're done." He turned on his heel and left her to finish tending to Deidara.
The young man tried to refrain from returning to pacing his floor as he waited for Kimi. She was back safe, a great relief to him, but now what? What had possessed him to ask to speak with her? What was he even going to say? He would have to play this by ear – make it up as he went along. That was not too hard. He had done it before.
A light knock came at his door sooner than he expected. Taking a deep breath, he called softly, "Come in."
Kimi opened the door and stepped inside. She was back to wearing her normal clothes – a dark blue wrap with sleeves covering her hands and baggy black pants. Her hair and skin were clean from soot, though the former was still wet from the quick shower she had apparently taken. Kimi's dark eyes met his. "You wanted to speak with me. Is there something wrong, Itachi?"
Whatever calm Itachi had collected shattered with the sound of her voice. He had previously thought she was safe, but he rapidly remembered that she in fact was not. She could never be safe so long as she was around the Akatsuki. The emotions he had fought down earlier roared back with a vengeance, and Itachi moved swiftly over to the source.
He gripped her upper arms, pushing her up against the wall and demanding, "What were you thinking?!"
Kimi blinked in surprise and slight fear. "W-what?"
Itachi's voice was low and urgent, his eyes ablaze with emotion. "Kimi, you could have been killed. Why? Why did you do something so stupid?!"
"I-I didn't have much of a choice!" the young woman countered, regaining her bearings. "I was practically ordered to go with them."
"You're not a member of Akatsuki," Itachi pointed out sharply. "You don't have to follow orders like that. Pein can't force you to do anything."
Kimi shook her head. "You're wrong. He can, Itachi. Besides, they needed my help. What was I supposed to do, turn them down? Refuse? I helped them, Itachi, and I'm glad I did." Her eyes fell slightly. "I'm glad I could've been of some use."
The Uchiha's grip on her arms slackened slightly as he studied her expression. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired softly.
She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I've always just been a burden to you, even when we first met in Konoha. What your father said – he was right, Itachi. And now . . . if I don't prove myself useful to Pein, he might make me leave, and I don't want to leave you, especially now that I've found you again." Her words trailed off, cracking slightly.
"Kimi," Itachi breathed.
The young woman sniffed slightly, lifting her head, and Itachi kissed her. He poured every emotion he felt toward her in that kiss, hoping that she would somehow understand what he was trying to tell her – what he could not say. When he pulled back, he met her wide eyes, drinking in her astonished expression.
Kimi held very still, lips slightly parted in surprise. "I-Itachi," she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I – I don't know what to say."
He released her arms, moving his hands to gently cradle her face. She blinked and focused on him, eyes searching his for something. "Then don't say anything," he whispered back, before leaning in and pressing his lips once more to hers.
--
Sasori stood before his Leader, watching passively as the man ran his hands over the jeweled box that contained the all-important scroll. "Excellent," Pein murmured. "Finally, our plans can truly begin." The man's ringed eyes lifted to peer at Sasori. "Is there anything else you wish to report?"
The red-headed puppet master blinked slowly before speaking. "Yes. It's about Kimi."
Pein lifted his eyebrows. "Oh? Go on."
Kimi's voice echoed in Sasori's mind. I think you're a decent enough person not to spread the information far and wide or attempt to use me as Kishimoto did. Kimi trusted him; he scowled. "She is a distraction," Sasori stated flatly. "She needs to go."