Hi guys! So this is a short, but intense chapter! And I can't thank you enough for all of the kind reviews that I've been getting! I feel so blessed to have such loyal readers who have given me such kind and very funny responses to my chapters! I really appreciate it! :D Well, anyway,
ENJOI
Ari
As the days passed, I couldn't help but notice how clingy Kagami could be. At first it wasn't too bad…it was kind of nice to have a girl to hang around for once. But it didn't take long for the constant squeals, the lung-crushing hugs, and the high-pitched "hay best friend!" to get old.
"Oh my gosh, you will not believe what this girl in room 452 wore last night! It was absolutely atrocious!" Kagami rambled on and on and on about this and that as I just nodded my head and pretended to listen. Gossip was like a drug. It was so bad for you, and most people hated it, but once you got latched onto it, you couldn't pull away, only yearned for more and more. If Kagami was the gossip world's equivalent to a drug addict, you could compare me to the intervention specialist. After years of putting up with Izayoi and her clowns, I got really good of dispelling rumors fast. This time however, I didn't intend to shut Kagami up, I figured eventually she'd spill some piece of valuable information.
But after three days of pointless chatter, I decided to speed things up by poking around in her personal life. "Say, Kagami," I began as we got ready for rehearsal one day, "what got you into the music business anyway?"
At that, Kagami stiffened, her cheerful demeanor changed suddenly. She turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you seem to be really into this kind of stuff," I explained, "and you're a natural on stage. I was just curious…"
At that Kagami giggled, "Are you crazy, Ari? I hate the industry!"
"What?" that surprised me.
Kagami looked down, her eyes seeing something in her mind that otherwise didn't exist, "my mom is a famous movie actress. She does most of her work in the Land of Grass…but she loved the industry more than she loved her family. And Daddy, well, he's an ambitious man and I had loved singing from a very young age, he thought I could make a name for myself just like my mother…his idea worked and I've been a popstar ever since…"
I rocked back and forth in my stool, unsure how to approach this, "but your fans love you, your incredibly popular…and you are absolutely gorgeous, and you seem like you have a lot of fun…so what happened?"
"It all just seems so fake," Kagami explained, "sure, I have fans. And sure there are a lot of people who hang around me…but this world is so cruel, they'll toss you to the street as soon as they find something else to waste their time with. You're just an object for this world's own exploitation…even though I'm surrounded by people every day, I, I just feel so lonely…"
"Yeah, I know the feeling…" I muttered, pursing my lips.
Kagami looked back at me with wild eyes, "you do? How?"
"Well, my parents died when I was really little," I explained, "And things didn't get too much better after that. I was born and raised in the Land of Fire and the ways of a shinobi and war just about consumes your life. I was always a little different from everyone else…I mean, you must notice by now that I'm not your stereotypical girl. I was never into the dresses or the ribbons, or the boys…I just wanted to be myself and live life the way I wanted. No ninja, no clans, no wars. But you can't survive in a dog-eat-dog world with that kind of attitude. You have to pretend to be someone you're not…I absolutely hate it. I think the only two people in this world who know the real Ariala Drake are Naruto and It-I mean, Shisui…but even then, there are some secrets that Naruto is still too young to know."
"But you seem so happy," Kagami said, turning the interrogation on me, "your face just lights up when you're with Shisui. And he seems infatuated with you. You don't look lonely."
I smiled and said, "well, when I'm with Shisui, I don't feel alone anymore. He had a pretty lonely life too…I think we just make each other whole. And you're right, I am happy. My childhood was incredibly lonely, but when I looked around and realized how many people surrounded me that cared about me—especially Shisui—everything just kind of fell into place."
"And how did you get that happiness?" Kagami asked, "No offense, but you aren't the prettiest girl in the world. You have a lot of potential, but you hardly make any effort to beautify yourself."
"Because vanity isn't happiness," I explained, "sure, walking around with a new haircut, or a few compliments from men here and there is a nice confidence booster, but it's not happiness. I'm happy with Shisui because he can look at me on the good and the bad days and say 'damn, she's beautiful' and I know he means it. I don't want to pretend to be someone I'm not just to attract attention to myself. If people can't see the beauty in the real Ari, then they aren't even worth my time."
"So for you, beauty isn't happiness," Kagami said, "it's love. And it's your love for Shisui that aids that happiness."
I nodded my head, smiling, "that's exactly it. Kagami, you don't have to be the prettiest or the most popular to be happy. You're right, it can be lonely at the top and sometimes that adoration people have for you is fake. All it takes is one person. One person to see you for the beauty that's inside, who can love you for the good and the bad, and then a whole new world opens up to you. The first step to that is to just be yourself."
At that, Kagami looked down at the floor, a large—and surprisingly dark—smile crept across her face. A shiver ran up my spine as I watched her, her aura changing slightly. She then looked up at me and said, "thank you, Ari. I will keep that in mind."
Soon after that, we began rehearsing. A few hours later, Itachi came in bringing lunch for the both of us, "Hey, I thought you guys might be hungry."
Kagami glanced up and let out a squeal, "Heeey Shisui!"
I groaned on the inside. After all I had done, I still couldn't shake her off of Ita. Itachi stepped onto the stage as she jumped on him and gave him a big hug. At first Ita gave Kagami a polite smile, but suddenly I noticed his body stiffen and he glanced down at the floor, his sharingan activated. His smile returned and he politely pushed her off of him as always, then he went over to take my hand and planted a small kiss on the cheek. His hand squeezed mine tightly. He found something.
*What is it?*
*Get out of here. Now.* Ita looked up at Kagami and said, "I hate to disturb you two, but do you mind if I steal Ari for the rest of the day? I feel like I've hardly seen her and I was hoping to surprise her with something."
Kagami nodded, still smiling, "Of course! You two have fun now!"
At that, Ita swiftly lead me out of the restaurant. When we were outside he broke out into a sprint, passing the hotel, running through the town. Finally I brought myself to a halt and pulled my hand out of his, "Ita! What has gotten into you?"
Ita, completely out of breath, pitched forward and put his hands on his knees. That was odd. He shouldn't be this out of breath…
Pushing his fatigue down, Ita turned to me and grasped hold of his shoulders, "have you noticed anything weird about Kagami lately?"
I shook my head at first, but then thought back to our earlier conversation, "Well…we did have a heart-to-heart a couple hours ago…she was talking a lot about happiness and beauty…she was a little bit creepy towards the end of that but…Ita, what did you see?"
"I saw…" still out of breath, Ita held his hand up and turned away to cough. I raised an eyebrow and held my breath. Between coughs, Ita managed to say, "I saw chakra coming…from the trap door…and Kagami…she had two chakra signatures in her…!" Itachi's coughs got progressively more and more violent as he pitched forward.
"Ita! Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I asked, placing my hands on his shoulders.
"AGH!" Ita yelped as he leaned back, clutching his chest. He screamed out before he jerked forward and coughed up a massive amount of blood as he fell to his knees.
"ITACHI!" I screamed. Itachi collapsed on the ground and rolled over on his back, holding his chest as he lost consciousness. I looked up to see some bystanders running towards us in a panic. I cried out for help, "Call and ambulance! SOMEONE! PLEASE!"
My heart raced as I cradled Itachi in my arms as a kind stranger pulled out his cell phone and called for help. In moments, Itachi was rushed to the hospital. I followed him on the stretcher for as long as I could, holding his hand the entire time. But as they took Ita through large double doors of what could quite possibly be converted into an Operating Room, two nurses came to hold me back, telling me I could go no further.
"No…I'm a medical ninja! I can help…!" I begged, but the nurses reassured me that Ita would be alright as they took him away from me. My hand slid out of his and I stepped forward as our fingers were released from each other. "Ita, you'll be alright! I'll be right here when you come back! You'll be okay…!" Tears began to stream down my face as I fell to my knees, crying. I didn't know what had just happened or what they were going to do to Itachi. I rocked myself back and forth as I held myself crying, praying that Ita would be okay.
And that incident was only the prologue of the turmoil that would test our love, slowly stretching our limits as Itachi's life came to a painful close.
Itachi
He woke up to the sound of soft beeping noises. His chest still burned, and his whole body felt like lead. He tried to sit up but immediately fell back to his back, realizing that he was strapped to several machines. Where was he?"
"You're really lucky, Mr. Drake," a man's voice said. Itachi looked up to see a doctor with a clipboard, "you gave your poor wife quite a scare."
"My…wife…?" Itachi muttered. Did the doctor mean Ari? Ita shook his head, gradually becoming more and more aware of what was going on, "what happened?"
"You collapsed," the doctor explained, "For whatever reason, you went into Cardiac Arrest. Now, Mrs. Drake didn't seem to think you had any history of heart problems, but the tests that we did indicated that you have a deformed heart valve."
"I was born with a defective heart," Itachi explained, "apparently this is some genetic disease that worsens as I get older. I have an uncle who died from this a few years back."
The doctor raised an eyebrow, alarmed, "Mr. Drake, may I call you Shisui?"
"Sure."
"Shisui, this is a serious issue. If left untreated, you will—"
"I know, sir," Itachi said, "I was put on medications at a young age to keep the disease from spreading, but in recent years, my family ran into severe economic trouble. We were no longer able to afford my medicine, so I've just lived with this condition. I've accepted all the possibilities."
The doctor eyed Itachi suspiciously, "That makes sense. The Land of Grass has been very unstable since the Third Great Ninja War, though it is still much better off than the Rain Village. But tell me, why doesn't Mrs. Drake know about this?"
Itachi sighed heavily, "well, my medications ran out before I met her. I was relatively healthy for several years, but I guess now this killer is finally catching up with me."
"The doctor frowned, "well, I hate to tell you, Shisui, but your options aren't too good. Your valve has stretched out completely, and though it doesn't show signs of stretching further and bursting, it's deforming the overall shape of your heart, and causing severe strain on it. Right now, you could get away with having a corrective surgery to replace the valve. However, I'm afraid that that type of procedure is extremely complicated and is beyond our resources here to perform. The only person in the world who is able to do this procedure successfully is the fifth Hokage Tsunade. We could fly you there if you wish to have this surgery."
Itachi shook his head, "There is no way that I will be able to afford that."
The doctor's face looked grim, "that's what I feared. It doesn't look like your insurance company will cover that operation either. The only surgery it will cover right now is a heart transplant. We can do that here, but I'm afraid that even though you never noticed a change, years of living with your condition has wreaked havoc on your body. You will not survive a transplant the way you are now."
At that, Itachi's spirits fell. He always had a feeling that after he fled the village, this disease would be the one to kill him. He had resolved to dying at Sasuke's hands and giving his little brother the Mongekyo Sharingan with his death, and with his eyes, give Sasuke the Eternal Mongekyo. Itachi's sight was already starting to go anyway.
"How much longer do I have?" he asked in a low voice.
The doctor sighed heavily, "Left alone, I'd say about six months. However, we can prescribe you some medications that will slow the progression of your condition and ease the symptoms for a time. Your insurance will cover that and it could give you another two to three years. It's your choice."
"I'll take the meds," Itachi said quickly, his mind already made up, "Now tell me…does Ari know about all of this yet?"
The doctor shook his head, "I was just on my way to speak with her when you woke up."
"Don't say anything to her then," Itachi ordered, clenching his fists, "please, just allow us some time alone so I can talk to her. She needs to hear this from me."
The doctor nodded and said, "of course."
He left the room and a few moments later, Ari stepped inside. She wore a hardened expression, her eyes fixed forward and her lips pursed in a straight line. Ita's heart sank, based on her bloodshot eyes, he knew that Ari had been crying, but she held it together as she walked in. She sat on the bed beside Itachi, her hands clenched tightly into fists, her shoulders shaking.
Itachi gave Ari a warm smile and he said, "Hi."
"Hi," Ari replied in a low voice. She glared at Itachi slightly, but Itachi had a feeling that she wasn't glaring at him. She was only trying to keep from crying.
He took Ari's hands in his and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry to worry you."
At that, Ari lost all composure. She closed her eyes tightly and threw her arms around Itachi's neck, whimpering, "What the hell was that?"
They held each other for a long moment as Ari cried. Itachi shook in her arms, trying to think of a way to tell Ari a secret he had been keeping from her for a long time. A secret that, in Ari's mind, was probably way bigger than the Uchiha's coup d'état.
"I'm sorry," Itachi whispered in Ari's ear, "but I'll be okay for now."
Ari then pulled out of their embrace and wiped her eyes. She sniffled and shook her head, trying to shake off her emotions. "So what did the doctor say? What happened?"
Itachi was silent for a long moment. How was he supposed to tell her that he had three years left? How was he supposed to tell her that his heart was failing?
Feeling incredibly guilty, like the filthy liar he had become, Itachi found that he couldn't tell her.
"I have this condition," he began, "a valve in my heart is shaped kind of funny…because of its shape, my heart sometimes struggles to keep up sometimes, especially when I'm active. He said that with all of the stress and everything that's been going on, my heart was probably working overtime and I had a blood clot that caused me to go into cardiac arrest."
"That sounds kind of serious…" Ari said, her suspicions rising.
Itachi held his breath, fighting back an uncontrollable urge to just brush off her comment with what Ari called his "humming". He knew she would catch on if he did though so instead, he mustered, "yeah, but it's not as serious as it sounds. I'd imagine I'm going to have some limitations now, but the doctor is going to prescribe me medications that will keep a clot from forming again. I'm going to be okay."
At that, Ari sighed in relief, all suspicions washing way. Itachi had a feeling that she had sensed the lie in there, but at that point, Ari's strength had been stretched in all directions and all she wanted to hear at that point was good news. "Oh thank goodness."
Fighting more tears, Ari pulled Itachi into a long embrace, and they held each other for a long time.
Itachi couldn't help but feel as if he were drowning in his lies.
Ari
I couldn't help but feel as if Itachi wasn't telling me the whole story, but I figured it was for my sake and he would elaborate when we were both feeling better. All that mattered at that point was that he was going to be okay. We would get through this.
The doctor came in with the medications as he began explaining what Itachi would have to do to keep his disease from getting worse. "Now, this prescription can be refilled at any pharmacy, you just have to give the pharmacy about a week's notice so they can get you a refill. You must take three a day. One with every meal," the doctor explained, "also, avoid any strenuous exercise such as jogging, sports, sparring of any kind, and intercourse."
My heart fell on that last one.
"Now, Shisui is a ninja," I explained, "our income comes from his physical activity."
"When you get back home, you'll have to probably put in for disability," the doctor said, "you can still go on missions, but they can't be too lengthy or your heart could give out on you. Any other recreational activities are strictly off limits."
Ita let out a long sigh, "including…sex…"
"Especially that," the doctor said, "you and your wife can still be intimate, but as soon as fatigue starts to set in, you're done."
I grimaced, thinking back to the past few nights. How close we had gotten…I pushed the thought out of my mind. No, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Ita was healthy and that we were happy together. We could find other ways to show our love for one another…it would just take getting use to is all.
Later that day, Ita was discharged from the hospital and we were back in the honeymoon suite. Ita was supposed to be confined to his bed for the next day or so, allowed to only leave the room if to walk around the hotel or sit on the beach or to eat. We were completely silent the rest of the way home. Jaraiya, Kisame, and Naruto all met us at the front door, crowding us and asking about what had happened. We sat and visited for a while, but then made our way back to the hotel room. Once there, Itachi plopped down on the bed. I changed into a camisole and put on some short pajama shorts. There was no need for me to arouse Ita at all. I crawled into bed next to him, we were both silent.
But then Ita spoke up, "if you want to move on, find someone else who can give you what you deserve, go right ahead. I'll understand."
I looked down at Ita, surprised and a little hurt by his remark, "why would I do that?"
Ita avoided my gaze and sighed, "well, it's not like we can do anything. I'm useless. And besides, I'm a criminal who betrayed his village. We hardly get to see each other anyway. You deserve so much better and I'm selfish for trying to keep you by my side."
I rolled onto my side and stroked Ita's hair as I spoke softly, "Itachi, I'm never leaving your side. The sex thing, that doesn't matter. I love you and you love me. As long as we have each other, I'm as happy as can be."
Ita looked at me with sad eyes, "but what if…but Ari, what if I get worse? What if I become only a nuisance to you? You shouldn't waste your time trying to take care of me then. Why don't you just spare yourself the heartbreak and move on?"
I shook my head. Where was all this coming from? "Ita," I said, "we don't know that will happen. And even if it did, I wouldn't be wasting my time. I'm going to stand by your side. No matter what happens. We'll get through this together. I promise."
"But why?" Ita asked, "why go to such great lengths for me?"
I shrugged, "I don't know…I guess…well…you know wedding vows? Well…I've always loved the meaning behind them. 'to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.' I think those vows are beautiful and are the ultimate testament for one's love for a person. I want to stand by you, Itachi, in sickness and in health. I want to be by your side for better or for worse until death do us part. You can't change my mind once I've committed to something. And I'm committing to you."
"Ari…" Ita stared at me with wide eyes. He grasped my hand tightly and took a deep breath as he said, "go reach into the pocket on the inside of my Akatsuki cloak."
I raised an eyebrow, confused but did as he asked. I fumbled through his coat pockets and found a small box hiding inside. I pulled it out, eyeing it, confused. Itachi got out of bed, and walked towards me. "What is inside this thing?" I asked.
"Open it and see," Itachi breathed. I pulled the box open and gasped. Tucked neatly inside was a golden ring with a sparkling diamond resting at the top. I looked at Itachi and opened my mouth to speak, but I was at a loss for words. He took my hands in his and knelt down on the ground before me. "I know we're young…and I know we haven't been together for that long…and honestly, I was hoping to do this in a much more romantic situation than this but…life is short. I don't know when or where we'd be able to get married so I'm going to ask you now."
My eyes watered as I held down a lump in my throat. I eyed him, shaking as I said, "then go ahead and ask."
Ita took in a deep breath and said, "Ariala Uzumaki, will you take me to be your lawfully wedded husband, until death do us part?"
I broke out into a huge smile, tears pouring out of my eyes as I squealed, "Yes!" I threw my arms around him as he stood back up, both of us crying. He pulled the ring out of its box and slid it onto my left hand. I eyed the sparkling ring carefully. It was absolutely beautiful. I held him close as we crawled into bed that night. We were just about to drift into sleep when I remembered something and asked, "so, what were you telling me about Kagami this morning?"
As I asked, Itachi's smile fell as he remembered, "oh. That. Look, I think it might be best if you keep your distance from Kagami. I saw chakra signatures below the stage at Rich and Charlie's. And when Kagami hugged me, I couldn't help but feel a second chakra inside her, only it wasn't like Naruto's where you can feel the Kyuubi, I mean, your Dad, separate from his. It was as if this chakra had melded itself onto Kagami's."
I sat up, my suspicions rising, "do you think Kagami has to do with the kidnappings?"
"I don't know," Ita answered, "she might even have to do with the stolen scroll too. But if that is the case, Ari, you said it's only been young women attacked. If Kagami is the culprit, she might be targeting you next."
"Well, then how about I give her what she wants," I snarled, "look, Rich and Charlie's is closed at this time on week nights. I can easily sneak down there and look around."
At that, Ita's eyes widened and he sat up, "Ari. No. You don't know what's down there."
I shrugged, "Ita, this situation is urgent, if there are innocent people down there, they need our help now. We don't know how many people have been killed, if any, already."
"I'm not letting you go without me!" Ita argued.
"Well, that's too bad because you're out of commission right now, Ponytail," I snarled back, "someone has to go down there!"
"Why can't we just wait till morning? Talk to the others about this?" Ita offered, "I don't see why you have to rush into everything!"
"Rush into everything?" I glared at Ita, "Excuse me, but we've been here a week! And have we accomplished anything? No! The only person who's managed to do anything here was you with that goddamn heart attack!"
"Ari…" Ita pleaded, holding my shoulders, his eyes were sad, "we've been through enough already…just please…stay safe with me. Don't do anything. At least not until morning."
I eyed Ita stubbornly, but the sorrow in his eyes was so great, I had no choice but to give in. "Okay, fine. I'll stay with you."
And with that, I lied back down and waited for Ita to go to sleep.
The nice thing about that man was that he was a pretty heavy sleeper. At around one in the morning, I slid out of his arms and quietly dressed myself in my shinobi gear. I would only take a peak. That shouldn't last too long. I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail and strapped my swords to my back. But then I felt a presence sneak up from behind and I pulled out a kunai.
"I wouldn't make any sudden movements, if I were you," Kagami said in a low voice. She held a knife at my throat, "if you value your life that is."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing I was awake to see you try and take me," I snarled at her.
"I'm surprised," Kagami said, "my father said he had called for help for Konoha to rid this hotel of that vial demon whose been stealing young girls…but I never suspected that help would come from you…and to think that you even dragged your poor lover and your family into this. What? Did you think fewer people would suspect you if you came in as tourists? Does Shisui even know the real reason for this vacation?"
I eyed Kagami. She didn't seem to know that the others were shinobi. Good. I could keep it that way. "Well, they know about the mission, they simply offered to help me sniff out the rat. I guess that rat is you?"
Kagami let out a small chuckle, "you'll be sorry for calling me that. Now move."
Kagami led me down to Rich and Charlie's and down the stairs of the trap door on stage that Ita had spoken about. Underground, there was an entire tunnel system dug out, with several prison cells. Kagami shoved me into the largest one as I fell to the ground. I looked up to see ten girls sitting in the corner, shaking with fear. Kagami took a step inside and closed the gate.
"How many more of them?" I asked.
"Just these last few," Kagami answered, "I took the rest."
I let out a low growl. I was way too late, "but why? Why would you do this?"
Kagami sighed and walked over to the huddle of girls. She grabbed one by the hair and drug her to the middle of the cell kicking and screaming. "Beauty and popularity is everything. Nothing matters if no one likes you. That's what Mother and Daddy taught me."
"Please…no!" the girl cried, "Please don't take me too…!"
Kagami ignored her, throwing the girl on her knees to face Kagami. Kagami placed her hand on the girls face and continued, "and a year ago…the paparazzi humiliated me with an embarrassing photo I had taken. I was losing popularity, my songs losing originality. New young artists were creeping up on the charts and my fans were leaving me. They said I was losing my charm, my beauty. My power! My father hardly even looked at me when my fell out of the top ten. He worried that I wasn't pretty enough. I did too…so that's why…"
"That's why what?" I asked. I had a horrible feeling about this.
"I sought out ultimate power…" Kagami said, facing away from me, "sucking the souls out of the prettiest girls that came would gain me ultimate beauty. My fans would love me again. And if they didn't, the power that the demons who approached me gave me would more than suffice to force them back into my grasp!"
"Demons? Woah! Kagami, you have no idea what you are messing with here! That's some scary business, they're just manipulating you!" I pleaded, leaping to my feet. Kagami ignored me, and I heard a hissing noise as the girl screamed bloody murder, her soul being sucked into Kagami. The superstar's skin turned paper white as she turned to face me, her facial features all gone except for an all too familiar scarecrow mouth that ginned at me maniacally.
The spider witch…
"Oh, but I do," Kagami hissed in that witch-like voice. She shook her head, her human face returning as she let out a cackle, "but now thanks to you, I realize that beauty isn't the only piece to the puzzle! This power isn't the strongest out there either! How lucky I am to have the daughter of the NineTailed Fox show up on my doorstep! And to bring her boyfriend and her happiness with her too! When I take your soul, that happiness will be mine! And when Shisui takes me as his, so will his love! And I will finally become the most powerful in all the world!"
My eyes widened as I scrambled to my feet. I slammed my body into the jail cell bars, trying to break the lock, but I was trapped. I turned back to see the face of the spider demon as she placed her hand over my face. I felt the life being drained out of me as I fought back, managing to maintain consciousness. The spider witch frowned as she hissed, "It seems you are too strong for me to hold onto your soul alone…I will require a medium to keep you still…" Kagami reached out a clawed hand and pulled my necklace off me. I held in a shriek as she took it. That necklace meant everything to me! Kagami grinned, "this should do for now…"
There was a sharp hissing in my ears. A sharp pain. And then I sunk into the darkness.
Itachi
When he awoke, Ari was not at his side.
"Ari? Where'd you go?" he asked sitting up. The bathroom door was open and there was no sign of her. Did she go down for breakfast? Itachi got up and started to get dressed, but tripped over Ari's bag. It was spilling open, as if it had been dug through. Itachi held it up, confused, but let out a sharp gasp when he saw her leaf headband lying on the floor.
Oh, no, she didn't…!
Itachi bolted out of his room and banged on Kisame's door. The blue Akatsuki opened the door, his hair in disarray as he had obviously woken up, "You need something?"
"Ari's gone," Itachi said.
Kisame shrugged, "She probably just went down for breakfast or something.
"No!" Itachi pushed against the door as his teammate attempted to close it, "I mean she's been taken."
At that, Kisame's eyes lit up with alarm, "What?"
At around that same time, Naruto came running down the hall screaming, "Itachi! Kisame! We've got trouble!"
Itachi spun around to face Naruto. The boy had tears falling from his eyes. Oh no… "What is it?" he asked anyway.
"It's Ari…she's…!"
Itachi didn't give the kid time to finish. Despite the ache in his chest that began to form, Itachi sprinted down the hall and the stairs as fast as he could. He reached the lobby and came to a screeching halt. Jaraiya stood with Master Hoshiyo, their faces grim. Kagami sat in a chair, crying, with several area police officers examining the scene. In front of the three, laid Ari's body.
"No…" Itachi whispered, as he walked over to Ari, his knees trembling. He eventually fell to his knees and scooped Ari up into his arms. He knew she shouldn't have gone out alone! He knew it!
"Th-there was this spider thing…" Kagami whimpered, "I was out late last night and it attacked me…she…she tried to protect me…"
At that, Kagami broke out into sobs.
"Master Hoshiyo," Jaraiya said, "I'm afraid we haven't been completely honest with all of you. You see, we are all shinobi of the Leaf Village, we were sent here on orders to put a halt to the kidnappings. It seems that Ari snuck out trying to do a patrol of her own when this happened…"
"She…" Itachi whispered, his body shaking, "Kagami, there were signs of life hiding underneath the stage at the restaurant yesterday…we got suspicious of you and your father…Ari wanted to go out and look around last night…I told her not to go alone but she didn't listen…." Itachi couldn't hold the tears back any longer, he screamed as he cried out, "she was so stupid! She always puts others ahead of herself and she just threw her life away! And now we'll never get married!"
Itachi held Ari close, crying. He didn't care who saw.
"Itachi," Jaraiya noted, "that ring…when did you propose…?"
"Last night…" Itachi whimpered. This couldn't be happening…!
At that, Jaraiya didn't say anything. Itachi looked back down at Ari, stroking her beautiful face, but he froze when he noticed that Ari's necklace was missing. Itachi looked around. Did she take it off?
At around that time, a police officer gathered at crying Kagami to take her away for more questions. As she stepped away, Itachi caught a glimpse of a flash of gold around her neck. His Mongekyo Activated as his body trembled, rage welling up inside.
She did this.
