A/N: FREEDOM! I'M ALIVE! I'M-... Just kidding '_~. Hey everyone, I'm sorry for going for months without updating. I had been heavily distracted, and then had writer's block, and then distracted again. But I owe it to you, my readers, who look for distraction in my story. I'm back and so is my stories. Please review and comment at will. and if there are any Beta Readers who want to help me refine my story when i get stuck, notify me and we can keep the epic "Sleeping Kunoichi" alive and going.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, OR THE CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN MY IMAGINATION THAT CREATED THIS STORY.
Ch 7- Dreaming
It was quiet. Just like he told her it would be. Taking a deep and slow breath, Rose reached for the lowest tree branch and started to climb the tree that he told her to hide in if he wasn't back in a half hour from the village he disappeared into. It had been a month since they met and had been traveling together. They had been to the first village after 2 days of traveling and even though no one knew who she was and she was healed by the towns medical nin, Itachi was still traveling with her. She could have been left behind and started her own journey of finding out who she was and where her home was, but when she was preparing to leave him a note to thank him for his kindness and his cloak, a hand shot out and took her wrist.
"I hope you don't plan on taking off without me."
"B-b-but, you helped me heal up, and you already traveled so far with me. I couldn't ask you to go any more out of your way than you already have."
"That's not a problem for me."
Letting go of her hand he took a seat on the bed and started rubbing his crimson eyes as if trying to make an oncoming headache go away.
"You are absolutely clueless about who you are, where you're from and you don't really know the lands around here so reading maps would be useless if you don't remember any landmarks or routes. And besides, the wounds you had and the fact that you were naked when I found you makes it seem like you were attacked by some sick guys. A young woman like yourself wandering around lost would be easy prey for anyone who would try to take advantage of you."
Rose simply looked down and knew that she couldn't argue with those facts. She was ready to leave Itachi so she wouldn't be a burden to him but she was scared of going out on her own. She was afraid of getting hurt and being alone again.
She snapped out her thoughts when she felt something press against her forehead, looking up she could see it was Itachi's finger poking at her forehead with a slight smirk.
"I'm sorry Rose that this happened to you. And you don't need to worry about being alone. Until we find your home, I'll be right here with you."
Yeah, that was about a month ago. So far they hit up 6 towns and no one had recognized her but everyone seemed a little fearful of Itachi for some reason.
Snapping out of her daydreaming of what new memories had been forming since the beginning of her journey, she turns to look at the direction of where shouts and the clanging of metal could be heard from the side of the village. There she could see Itachi getting caught in a fight with some shinobi's who looked like they wanted to hurt him. One of them created 2 clones of himself and rushed at Itachi side stepped both of them and sent a kunai flying into the main ones shoulder which in turn dispelled the dopplegangers. Another one came falling out of the trees with an electric filled sword aimed straight for his neck, he simply turned and stared at him as the attacker suddenly fell to the floor and started screaming and clutching at his head. Rose was confused because it didn't look like Itachi did anything to him. At that point a hand had popped out from underneath Itachi and grabbed onto his ankle as the rest of the body came out and stabbed a kunai into his waist. Itachi let out a grunt and twisted his attackers' wrist and kicked him away just in time to turn into a flock of crows as more shinobi came to join the attack.
Looking around frantically Rose tried to see where he could have gone.
"I'm right here Rose, I should have been more careful to know that there were bounty hunters looking around the place."
"Are you ok? Did you get too hurt? Why would they attack you?"
With a poke to her forehead Itachi simply smiled a small smile and said "Sorry Rose, I'll tell you about it next time. For right now we need to get out of here and someplace safe."
"But how are we going to get out of here with you hurt like this?" Rose asked pointing to the growing blood stain that he tried to hide under his red and black cloak.
"I'll manage, come on." He said as he tried to put her on his back but lost his balance under the strain of lifting her weight and his own from the narrow branch, luckily he pulled out a kunai and stuck it into the tree so that way they wouldn't go crashing down to the ground below.
"Itachi, you're hurt. We need to either get help or just hide until we can move again." Scolded Rose as they began to climb down the rest of the way.
"We have to move now. I told you I can manage." Sighed Itachi as he let himself come down from his spot as soon as Rose was safely on the ground.
"Then let's get as far away as we can so that way we can at least bandage that cut."
The pair took off as quick as Itachi could hobble and as fast as Rose could keep up. Once Itachi could no longer sense any menacing chakra, he led them to a cave just before nightfall. As Itachi rested against the cave wall, Rose rushed out to fetch some water and kindling for heat, light, and to clean Itachi's wound. Once she came back and Itachi lit the fire with his fire jutsu, Rose tended to his cut. It was very deep and Itachi was already looking pale.
"It's not looking good Itachi. And we're not near any towns that are safe to get you to a doctor."
"I'll be fine. I just need some rest…" Itachi murmured as he started to nod off from blood loss.
'Damn it. I must be getting weaker. Injuries like this never would have affected me this badly before. Then again, my body wasn't deteriorating because of the Sharingan before.'
As Itachi passed out from exhaustion of their constant traveling and his recent scrimmage, and slipped into a dream of his final battle with Sasuke, acting as though to take his brothers eyes for his own, being defeated, telling him the truth of his 'betrayal' to their clan that was elaborated from Maadara Uchiha and the Elders of the Village Council. And then slipping into the cold abyss only to shoot up with his heart on fire as the stars above him twinkled a hello, and feeling the cold damp earth beneath him, he blinked a few times until, Hidan came into focus?
"Well damn, I must be in hell."
"Nah dipshit. Even if I could die, that place wouldn't be ready for my take over."
"Then correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't the both of us be 6ft under?"
"Please. Like a forest full of deer could slow me down. I just had to be patient that piece by piece of me could wriggle out of that hole and made it back to the HQ."
Itachi nodded and proceeded to sit up as Hidan sat off to the side on a rock with his scythe propped against his shoulder and his forearms resting on his knees.
"And I'm alive why?"
With a shrug Hidan simply stood up and turned his back to Itachi "Leader's orders."
The eldest Uchiha gave a slight eyebrow raise.
"Didn't know he cared for and needed me that badly, so which jinchuriki are we after now?"
Sparks flew as kunai grinded against the blade of the scythe that was aiming for the Sharingan users' neck.
"So much for an easy sacrifice," smirked Hidan. With one shove he backed away, turned, and continued " you are no longer a part of the Akatsuki, but feel free to keep the cloak as a memorabilia if you'd like. I certainly don't give a shit."
"What do you mean I'm not in the Akatsuki anymore?" a now confused Itachi asked.
"Leader said to bring you back but as far as your position in the Akatsuki is concerned, well basically you're fired."
"On what grounds?" questioned Itachi. Not that he minded that he wouldn't have to chase after jinchuriki's anymore, and it's not like he needed to keep up the charade of being a nuke-nin anymore now that word would probably get around that he was dead.
"Hell if I know," said Hidan irritably as he used his pinky to scratch the inside of his ear to dig out a stow away that must have come from the hole he was left in. "Something along the lines that 'the Akatsuki doesn't need shinobi that die so easy,' or something like that. Look if you're trying to play '20-fucking-questions-to-see-how-long-'till-Hidan-castrates-your-balls-to-offer-to-Jashiin' then by all means let's get started. Other than that I suggest you start hobbling along."
Smirking, Itachi knew this was Hidan's way of saying 'Bye'.
"Last question Hidan, HOW am I alive when obviously I was dead not more than half an hour ago?"
"You can thank Kakazu for that. One; because he gave it to me for safe keeping, and two; for officially dying and not needing it anymore."
The rest of the 'Gift of Life' puzzle all clicked into place as Itachi remembered the special jutsu Kakazu had in his body that would automatically keep any part of him patched up like a rag doll and sure enough, as he looked down his shirt he could see that sickly grey stitching where his heart should be.
"Don't go dying again Itachi." Replied Hidan as he walked off into the night.
"Itachi."
There was pressure on his shoulder.
"Itachi."
The outdoors started fading from him.
"Itachi, please don't be dead. Itachi, answer me."
'oh, it's just Rose.' Thought Itachi as he could feel his mind ebb into the world of the living again only to be greeted with a sharp pain from his side from the cut he got from earlier. Out of reflex he immediately raised his hand to press on the side to apply some pressure in hopes that it would go away a little but it only flared more. Rose could do nothing except watch with sad eyes, feeling useless. 'Useless. Weak. Useless.' She watched as Itachi looked at his hand in the light from the fire covered with blood and merely grimaced and laid back down.
"Itachi, what are we going to do? Your injured so badly."
"I've been through worse Rose. The only thing we can do is wait until morning and just try to make it to the next village. Maybe this time we'll find someone that knows who you are so you can find your home."
"But Itachi-"
"Rose, I've always been patient with you. Please don't fight with me about this. We knew we wouldn't stay together for long. It was only a matter of time until we'd have to go our separate ways."
Rose just sat there. Staring at her hands resting on her lap as she sat there in front of Itachi on her knees. Again feeling useless and now unwanted. They have been through so much together and even though they've only been together for a short amount of time, she felt like she wouldn't be able to continue living without Itachi's company, the occasional forehead tap, the way he watched over her whenever there were shinobi nearby and how much pain he must be in right now.
"I just wish there was something I can do to help. To help you with this wound." Rose whispered just barely loud enough for Itachi to hear her as she reached with her small hand towards the blood-stained bandage. Not wanting to see her sad, Itachi closed his eyes and waited for the small twinge of pain in case she would touch him, but instead he felt the cool familiar sensation of healing chakra seep into him. Eyes shooting wide open he could see Rose with her eyes shut and face downcast and a few tears falling and shining as they fell drop by drop from the fire light and the green glow coming from her hand that was resting on his wound.
"Rose? How are you doing that?"
"What?" Rose answered with a broken voice from trying to keep herself from crying full out. She looked at Itachi and then noticed her hand and jerked it away as if she were touching the fire instead of Itachi's wound. With a kunai at hand, the Uchiha sliced away the bandage and his skin was healed, not even any traces of any scars. To make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he applied pressure to where the cut was and didn't feel any type of pain. To make sure he wasn't dreaming he sliced deeply the inside of his palm and sure enough there was pain and blood dripping down to pool in the middle of his palm.
"Itachi are you insane? Why are you cutting yourself even more?"
Coming up with an excuse to see if what he saw was what he thought he saw he said, "I'm sorry Rose, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Now my hand is hurting, Rose, it hurts a lot." And he gave it to her to hold and see how his palm was coated in his own blood. Another tear fell down her cheek and with her hand, tenderly reached the cut and again her hand glowed green with the healing chakra and the cut was healed just like the one on his side.
"Rose, is there any chance that you were a medic nin in your village?" it was the only logical reason of how this girl, who knew nothing and looked weak and helpless, might have been more dependable than they both expected.
"I-I-I- um…. I suppose. I just couldn't look at you anymore and think of the possible pain you were in. I just wanted the wound to go away."
"Rose, if your body has some sort of muscle memory that was triggered from wanting to help me, than this could be a big step in helping us find a way to get you back to your village. Is there anything that you're remembering right now? Anything that might be bringing back memories from healing me?"
"No. Nothing."
With a small frown Itachi knew he shouldn't pester anymore. Staring at her with her eyes glued to the floor, looking like a child that was just busted for trying to take off with the cookie jar, he couldn't stand to see her sad. He didn't know why but he wanted to make her feel better. He wanted her happy.
"Rose, look at me." Itachi said as he began to sit up and cross his Indian style, "you did nothing wrong. And it's ok that you don't remember everything just yet. It'll take time and I'll be here for you until we figure this out. And now that we know you have healing abilities, I'd say that this will cut our need to stop into town every time I get into battle with rouge shinobi's."
Rose's face lit up with hope and it comforted her to gain Itachi's small comment of praise.
"But still, if your body can manage chakra control to heal, we should try and see if we can train it to defend itself as well. The next village we come across, we will get you a small weapons kit and I will train you as best I can. Rose, you will become a shinobi."