UPDATE! YAY. :D
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs introduced within this fan fiction, save for the following:
Tsukuyomi Clan
Inuke
Niku
Nero
Roku
A/N: THIRD POV~
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter Forty-Six: The Case Gets Worse. Mysterious Memories!
Where the hell are those files? Who could have taken them? Kage couldn't have done this… He died… Osamu killed him. Osamu said he saw him vanish in the flames… Kotaro's dead… Madara? No. I may have only met him once, but just from that meeting, I can tell he's a player of chess, not the king or the knight. Maybe he sent someone to do it? Why would he do that? Ruriko wondered as she scanned the rest of the files in the room before she left, due to the time. Maybe she could ask Itachi. He was definitely more knowledgeable.
Ruriko walked out, frowning as she headed toward the hospital, the sky deep blue as nighttime crawled around. She listened to her boots scuff the dirt as she tried to think. Her only suspects were Kage and Madara, although, one was dead and one was too good to steal… Or so it seemed.
If Madara had done it, he had to have a highly skilled shinobi do it under his orders, but who? That would peak suspicion of many people… This is pointless. I have to stop thinking about this alone. I need Itachi's help. She decided and ran to the hospital as fast as she could. She glanced at the clock to see it read 7:55 p.m. She frowned, sighing.
"What's wrong?" A voice asked. Ruriko jumped and looked up to see Itachi walking up to her.
"You're early." Ruriko commented. Itachi shrugged, glancing at the clock.
"By five minutes." He replied. Ruriko sighed, but they started to walk together toward the sushi shop.
"You looked worried… I take it you heard about the break in." Itachi murmured. Ruriko blinked, then nodded.
"Yea, I went over there and looked around… The place is ruined, but they told me only your's and Sasuke's files were the only ones missing. That's not true. The Kuromura clan and the Uzumaki clan are also missing. The more I dug around, the more I noticed that major clan files were missing. Their Bingo Book is even gone." She explained.
"Tell me all the files that were missing. Specifically."
"Uchiha, Uzumaki, Kuromura, Naara, Saki, Tsukuyomi, and… One that I haven't heard of called Senju." Ruriko replied. Itachi blinked.
"Senju? That clan is old… I don't even know if there are any real survivors, unless you want to count Tsunade as the first Hokage, Hashirama, was her grandfather."
"Senju Hashirama? That was his name?"
"Yes. He was the one that supposedly killed Madara, but that's obviously not true." Itachi sighed, exasperated. Ruriko shook her head, looking down at her feet, frowning at Madara's name being mentioned before she looked up at him.
"I've been thinking about this. The crime scene was completely blank. The only remains were the torn apart rooms and scattered files. There are no fingerprints, as Daisuke had mentioned to me. There's no trace of anyone, except for the mess. I can only think of two people with that capability, but there's flaws in both of my suspects."
"It's worth a shot."
"All right. Ikiteiru Kage, the guy who attacked me in that library of files. He's made purely of shadows, probably an experiment of Orochimaru's. He was very loyal to Kotaro, almost obsessed with serving everything Kotaro did. The flaw in my suspicions for him is that Osamu killed him. I was injured and Osamu took me away, attacking Kage with a fire jutsu. Bright light is Kage's weakness and that jutsu hit him dead on, causing him to disperse and completely vanish."
"I see… And the other?"
"Madara," Ruriko stated, making Itachi visibly wince, "Sorry, but he popped into my mind next. Although, it may not have been Madara personally as he came off as the type of man to send other people to do his bidding. He obviously must have hired a skilled person to infiltrate, but the flaw is that there is no one willing to become a loyal pawn to Madara. Even so, they would have left behind some kind of evidence, even jutsu that was used, but there was nothing. The method can't even be determined."
"That's odd," Itachi murmured, "I've known Madara for an incredibly long time. I'm certain he wouldn't go to such lengths as to hire someone powerful enough. He'd easily trap a shinobi and suck out their information… Not to mention, he'd never get close to Konohagakure. He's got a pet peeve for it."
"Funny how he kept complimenting it when we talked."
"As much as he dislikes it, even he can't deny its strength… And this other guy, Kage. I don't know anything about him."
"All I know is that he's a living shadow. He was serious about serving Kotaro. I said one bad thing about his loyalty and he attacks me. He broke his stoic façade to scream and attack me. He's obviously very loyal, claiming to live only for the purpose of serving Kotaro… But now that his master is dead…" Ruriko's voice drifted. Itachi frowned.
"This is harder to solve than I thought…" He murmured in response, looking down at his feet before they went to the sushi shop. They were silent now, thinking hard as they ate, Ruriko ordering makizushi and Itachi simple onigiri.
"How old is Kage?" Itachi asked. Ruriko frowned.
"Nineteen from what I gathered… I think he should be twenty by now, though. He hasn't aged at all, though. He actually looks a bit younger than nineteen appearance wise, but his height is average. His hair is a blackish gray, his eyes smoky."
"Judging by your use of present tense, you must have strong feelings that its him."
"It has to be. He's a living shadow and uses his own element of jutsu, shadows. He can control them as well as mold with them. You can't sense his chakra either. Even Karin couldn't find it and she has this special ability to sense chakra. Roku couldn't even sniff it out. He's dangerous with his hunting ability. He told me that he had attached himself to my shadow ever since I stumbled on him and Kotaro, walking toward Uzushigakure."
"He's good with tracking, hiding himself, his jutsu… He sounds talented. Your confidence in his survival is right… Are you going to tell the Hokage?" Itachi asked, taking a bite of his meal. Ruriko stopped, her chopsticks close to her mouth with her food in between them.
"I don't know… It's not so much the fact that an enemy is still alive from the attack and not in prison, like Kaede and Gatsuki, but that they'll find out about you and Sasuke. I'm suspected of my actions of wiping your files… When Guy's team comes back, I need to catch them and fast so I can change the files they're retrieving from Sunagakure…"
"You're pretty intent on keeping Sasuke and I here. Should I feel like a prison inmate?" Itachi asked, tilting his head. Ruriko blushed, stuffing her food in her mouth and averting her eyes.
"Hmph… Mm mm." She hummed past the food in her mouth, chewing and swallowing before huffing. Itachi smiled and looked down at his unfinished meal.
"I see…" He murmured and picked up his onigiri, finishing it off. Ruriko ate a bit slower, savoring every bite of the meal, but glancing up every so often to look at Itachi. His expression was casually placid before he closed his eyes to sit back comfortably. Ruriko smiled to herself as she went to take another bite when she felt it. The hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She glanced over her shoulder sharply, to find that no one was there. Nothing but the shadows of the night, some cast from the lanterns hanging from shops.
"Ugh," Ruriko muttered, turning back to frown at her meal, "I'm becoming paranoid…"
"You're afraid he's hiding in your shadow again?" Itachi questioned. Ruriko gave a nod, glancing down at her shadow sitting in the chair, mimicking her movements. Itachi glanced at the shadows, then back up at his meal.
"It's too bad all this stress is hovering like a dark cloud around you…" He sighed, making Ruriko look up.
"Hm?"
"I was hoping to have a relaxed meal with you. Actually talk, but if there's stress lingering like this, it's best we focused on it-"
"How old are you?" Ruriko cut in. Itachi blinked and stared at her for a moment before shrugging.
"Twenty-one."
"What do you hate?"
"… Is this twenty questions?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruriko smiled, trying to relax as she folded one leg over the other, leaning back as she rested her arms on the arms of the metal chair.
"You're twenty-one, so it's twenty-one questions."
"That's not fair if you're sixteen. I only get to ask you that many questions?"
"I'll lie for now and say I'm twenty-one." Ruriko replied with a huff. Itachi sweat dropped, for some showing a comical expression as he pointed at her.
"Aren't you a tad bit short to be claiming you're twenty-one?" He asked. Ruriko twitched and flung a finger in his direction.
"Oh, be quiet! Just you wait, I'll get taller! My mother was five foot nine. I bet you a three hundred ryo that I'll be that tall by the time I'm an adult. Now answer my question, what do you hate?" She asked. Itachi paused, studying her face before he relaxed in his seat, leaning his head on his hand, his elbow propped up on one of the arms of the chair.
"Fighting. What was your mother's name?" He asked. Ruriko blinked, shifted a little, then averted her eyes.
"Kishiko. Tsukuyomi Kishiko… Why do you hate fighting?"
"It's barbaric. Pointless. What's one thing you remember about your parents?"
"… My mom and dad took my brothers and I to see some kind of festival in the village, I think it might have been for the Kazekage's birthday, but I can't be sure. It was really cool because there were tons of red lanterns. Hioshi kept saying it was like a bunch of blood, being the pessimistic brat he was. He started a fight with Akira, who claimed they weren't buckets of blood, but roses. My dad had to break them up, telling them they were both wrong. My mom, Kazuya, and I were the ones mostly enjoying the festival. Hioshi and Akira were always arguing. They don't do it anymore- Ack, sorry, I got carried away." Ruriko laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. Itachi smiled.
"It's fine…"
"Well, anyway, what-"
"Ruriko! Itachi!" A voice yelled frantically. They looked up as Osamu came running over, kicking up dirt as he ran, skidding to a stop by their table.
"You have to come to the Hokage's office, quick! Someone ransacked Lady Hokage's residence!" He announced. Itachi and Ruriko shared quick looks before throwing money on the table, bolting after Osamu as they all ran to the Hokage's residence. It was evident someone had broken in right away as windows were busted from their places. Nail marks were cut deep into the building, foul words scrawled into the wood and cement. The front doors were blown off its hinges.
Running inside, the real damage was seen. The sofas in the lobby were shredded open and busted in half, the walls scratched up as if an animal had come in and torn the place apart, glasses scattered everywhere. Itachi and Ruriko shared looks, then followed Osamu up the stairs to find the Hokage standing outside her room, her fists clenched.
"Damn it…! I leave for one FUCKING hour and this has to happen? What the fuck do you think I hired you for?" She yelled at the Anbu angrily, her fists clenched. Shizune winced, watching the Anbu cringe under Tsunade's glare. Tsunade spun around as she heard the others approach.
"It's about time," She muttered, then flung a finger in the direction of her office, "Investigate. The room is completely in dishevel, but the only thing missing is the mission report from Guy as well as a file on the events of the war. The Uchiha clan used to be part of the police force, which is why I called on you, Itachi. You should have some skill in it. Ruriko, you're a criminal information ninja. You know the drill. Daisuke and the interrogation squad will be here shortly to take a look at it as well."
Itachi and Ruriko shared quick looks before walking into the office, Osamu stopping at the doorframe to stare at the mess in awe. The desk was completely cracked in half, flows of papers and scrolls spilling out from the inside like a donut. Things were torn off the walls, the nails marks also present.
Ruriko stepped over a few scrolls, her eyes wandering. The room was torn up the same way the library had been. She frowned, bending down near the desk to pick up a file, standing back up. The folder was torn open and blood had splattered on the front. She blinked. No… Kage couldn't have done this. He doesn't bleed. She thought with a frown.
"Itachi," Ruriko called, glancing up as she watched him scan the busted windows, "Take Kage off our suspect list. It's evident he didn't do this… There's blood and Kage never bled." Itachi frowned and gave a nod before looking back at the window.
"Then what exactly are we dealing with here? The marks on the walls and the edges of the window look a lot like an animal's claws." He commented. Ruriko frowned and looked up at the wall, her eyes scaling the nail marks running down the wood and to the floor. As she looked more closely, that was as it appeared to be. Ruriko set the file down and approached the wall, getting on her hunches.
"It's weird… A animal couldn't have done this on its own… The only one that comes to mind is Kiba, but-"
"But Kiba's way too loyal," Daisuke said, walking into the room, his eyes scanning it up and down, "Kiba's like a dog. He'd do anything for Konohagakure. Akamaru never disobeys his command, so Akamaru's in the same position. Not to mention, Akamaru is way too big to fit inside the doorframes without busting them apart."
Ruriko stood up to look at him, putting a hand on her hip.
"You know him better than I do, so I'll take your word for it. Then how else could this of happened? I'm pretty sure the rest of his clan wouldn't have done it either if they're just a pack of dogs." She stated, folding her arms over her chest. Itachi frowned.
"Have you questioned the Anbu that were on guard?" He asked Daisuke, who shrugged.
"Was just going to, but I heard Ruriko suspecting Kiba, so I had to clear his name." He replied with a grin. Ruriko rolled her eyes. Daisuke called in the Anbu. Three of them had been placed on guard. The first was the captain with a cat mask, the second a bird mask, and the third a clown-like mask.
"All right, three of you were placed on guard-"
"Actually, four." The leader said, folding his arms over his chest. Daisuke frowned.
"Four? Then where's the fourth one?" He asked. Ruriko flinched when the leader coughed and cleared his throat, turning his face the other way.
"He was killed." The bird masked Anbu stated firmly. Itachi glanced around, then back.
"Where was he guarding?" He asked. The bird Anbu pointed a finger out the window.
"He was outside, guarding the window. When the thing came and attacked, it slammed the door shut. We kept trying to get in, but we just heard screaming and the room being torn apart. The door finally blew off the hinges and this huge black mass of fog burst out and tore down the hallway. It was like a huge storm inside the building or something." He explained. Daisuke frowned and glanced at the interrogation officer beside him, who was taking notes, before looking away.
"Who uses that kind of jutsu?" He asked, thinking back. Ruriko stiffened. Itachi blinked and glanced at her sideways, then back at the Anbu.
"Fog, clouds, or a shadowy mix of them both?" He asked. The Anbu captain tilted his head.
"What's the difference?" He demanded. The clown masked Anbu said nothing, but shook his head. The bird masked one sighed.
"It's probably the middle and last ones most of all, now that I think about it. We're not accusing your girlfriend." He said to Itachi, who averted his eyes. Ruriko went red.
"I'm not-"
"That's right," Daisuke snapped his fingers, looking at Ruriko, "You only use one type of water jutsu and that's your dark abyss technique, it also doesn't help that you're still considered a foreigner from Sunagakure. However, our alliance with them is rather strong now… You're also helping with the investigation… Is there anyone else we know that would use that sort of jutsu?"
"What about your family?" The Anbu captain asked. Ruriko twitched and frowned.
"No. Kazuya can only use wind and water, not to mention he's pretty much a pacifist. He's a defense fighter, not an offensive fighter. Akira is at the hospital, assisting Sakura and Sasuke with their medical procedure. He couldn't have done it as he wasn't there at the time. Hioshi is back in Sunagakure, so there's no way he could have done it. He's agoraphobic. And if you're suspecting Nero, take him off your list. Nero doesn't use water style ninjutsu or wind ninjutsu. He uses lightening and fire, which he hardly ever uses as taijutsu is more to his liking. Not to mention, he's been with Botan ever since the war ended- NOT LIKE THAT." She added angrily when she saw the Anbu leader stiffen.
"Anyway," Daisuke said, coughing and clearing his throat awkwardly, "From what I can tell, it seems the nail marks are the only evidence of who it was. If it's not too much to ask, take a sample of any nails that may have been ripped off."
"Got it." Ruriko nodded and went to investigate the nail marks. Itachi joined the search as well. As they scanned the nail marks, there were not bits of nail left. Ruriko came back down from her tip toes as she studied the nail marks by the window before she turned around and bumped into the clown Anbu, making her yelp out loud.
"Ah, sorry about that…" She muttered and brushed by him. The Anbu turned half way around, tilting its head.
"Couldn't find anything?" The bird masked Anbu asked as he walked back into the room.
"No," Ruriko muttered, "There are no signs of any nails being left behind. And now that I look at the marks more closely, it's making me wonder if its just really long, sharp nails or kunai knives." The bird Anbu twitched and ran up to the marks, studying them by pushing his mask up, to reveal curious blue eyes and a beauty mark under his left eye, his skin lightly tanned.
"That's unbelievable! Ugh, it's like this case is purposely escalating… A waste of my time." He dropped his mask, letting his short pale blonde hair loose. Ruriko frowned.
"You're not the least bit concerned that someone's trying to disturb the peace?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow. The guy, who looked just about eighteen, smiled, cocking his head.
"Of course, I care, but I'm not much of a thinker, so I'm getting pissed that my real job is being held off… Kicking the culprit's ass." He sighed. Ruriko smirked.
"What's your name?" She asked. The Anbu beamed, poking his thumb against his chest.
"I'm Inuke. I'm sorta new to all this Anbu business." He replied, holding out a hand. Ruriko smiled and shook his hand before glancing at the marks on the walls.
"Sorry that your job is being held off. My friend and I will try our best to find the culprit and you'll be the first one we tell." She assured. Inuke beamed and he might as well have had a wagging dog tail and perked up doggy ears.
"That's great! Wait, friend? You mean that guy's not your boyfriend?" He asked, confused. Ruriko blushed hotly, biting into her lip.
"Uh, no… We're just friends." She answered. Inuke smiled, tilted his head so his hair went over his face.
"That mean you're available."
"Hey!" Ruriko protested and Inuke snickered, scooping up his mask, placing it back over his face before he made his way out, his shoulder slamming into the clown-masked Anbu, who just reached up to touch it lightly. Ruriko sighed, looking away toward Itachi, who stepped away from the window to look at the Anbu captain, who was watching the scene from his leaned position on the doorframe.
"Not a thing?" The captain asked. Itachi shook his head.
"It's as Ruriko said. The nail marks seem to be kunai marks the closer you look at it, unless something very skilled and very wild with long claws came in, but you said it was a mass of black, correct?" He asked. The captain nodded, then reached up, taking his mask off to run a hand through his navy blue hair that fell loose to his shoulders, his brown eyes looking up.
"This is stressful… Lady Tsunade's furious with us and we couldn't even attack a mass of… Well… Whatever it was. It was like trying to attack smoke." He explained. Ruriko blinked and stared at him.
"Smoke?" She asked. The captain nodded, hooking his mask onto a hook on his right shoulder, connected to his armor.
"Yea. I sent Inuke to chase the thing down, but he went right through the thing. He said it was like trying to grab smoke. It went right through his fingers, but it had the force of a storm." He explained.
"That's unnerving…" Itachi murmured.
"And oddly familiar." Ruriko muttered.
"How so?" The Anbu captain asked. Ruriko frowned, folding her arms over her chest, shifting to her right.
"Every time I fought Kage, a very close subordinate of Kotaro's, I had trouble with it because he was a living shadow. It was like trying to grab smoke, as Inuke told you… The only way I could get him off my back was by showering him with light, but the reason why suspecting him for this case is that he's dead. Osamu used a really powerful fire jutsu to burn him up. Light causes him to practically sparkle before bursting into nothing, but glitter." She informed with a serious expression.
"That sounds odd," The Anbu captain muttered, "Because the lights were on in the hallways and the black mass went for them as soon as it escaped Lady Tsunade's office. It shot straight up and exploded the bulbs." Ruriko blinked.
"Seriously? Are you sure you didn't see the black clouds form into anything?" She asked excitedly, hoping that the case was coming to a close. The Anbu captain shook his head, making Ruriko sigh in exasperation.
"It merely stayed in a large form. It was about the size of Kiba's dog, I'll admit, but as young Daisuke mentioned, Kiba is much too loyal. That is one thing about dogs. They're loyal to their masters." He replied. Ruriko's eyes glowed.
"Say what again?" She asked for confirmation. The captain blinked.
"Dogs are loyal to their masters?" He asked. Ruriko nodded, frowning down at the floor before glancing up.
"What's your name?" She questioned the captain, who stared at her.
"Hm? Uh, Niku, but-"
"All right, thanks, Niku. I owe you one." Ruriko replied, frowning as she went on thinking. Niku sighed, but nodded and pushed off the frame, heading out of the room.
"What was that about?" Itachi asked, glancing at Ruriko, who looked up.
"Dogs are loyal to their masters. Kage is too, remember what I said? I'm beginning to wonder something… Well, several things which probably doesn't help the case come to a close, but at least puts some options out there."
"Anything will work now."
"First off, if Kage's loyal to his master, like a dog, he's got to be working for someone else now. It's obvious that when he was created, he was only loyal to Orochimaru, until he escaped and worked for Kotaro. Now that Kotaro is dead, Kage must have moved onto a different master. That's the first option."
"Okay."
"Second, maybe it's not Kage. Maybe he really is dead. Maybe it's a completely different subordinate of Kotaro's. Quite frankly, a lot of things in this case connect to Kotaro and his army, his plots. Seeing as his clan's files were stolen…"
"And the other files?"
"That leaves me with the third option, but no one specific as a culprit. It's obviously someone who wants you and Sasuke arrested."
"You like a lot of possibilities, even the impossible ones, don't you?" Itachi asked. Ruriko shrugged.
"I'm throwing out my thoughts. You asked… Look, it's getting late. We should probably just head home, er, well, you can head home. I'll just find somewhere to stay."
"Without any money?" Itachi asked. Ruriko sweat dropped before waving a hand idly in her face.
"Oh, please. I'm sure I can find someone who'll let me stay over."
"You can stay at the house I bought." Itachi offered. Ruriko blinked.
"Really?"
"Yea, it's fine. It's probably safer too…"
"Well, if you don't mind…"
"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mind."
"Right." They headed for the door, walking down the hallway after biding a farewell to the Anbu team and Lady Tsunade.
"We should probably question Kaede and Gatsuki," Ruriko said suddenly as they walked down the street, "They know Kage better than us and would be able to tell if he did this."
"Would they really? After all, they seemed pretty loyal and they may hold a grudge against you…"
"Oh, please… The interrogation squad probably broke them down. You haven't seen Daisuke at work. We'll drop by there in the morning, remind me because I have terrible memory."
"All right." They walked into the Uchiha Complex area, some of the houses already rebuilt to their original states. Itachi led the way inside a two story, pretty much an empty home.
"There's a guest room upstairs near the end of the hall on the right." He told Ruriko, who was curiously poking around.
"This is a nice place… Was it expensive?"
"Not really, since technically my clan owned it in the first place."
"I see." Ruriko murmured, walking up the stairs. She glanced up and down the halls, listening to Itachi running water downstairs in the kitchen. She walked down the hall, stopping in front of one of the only rooms with something inside. Judging by the state of it, it was probably Itachi's room. She glanced toward the stairs, hearing the water still rushing. She walked into the room.
Yea, it's nosy to walk into his room after he just offered me to stay here, but I'm too curious. I may be friends with him, but I hardly know a thing about him. And it doesn't seem like he's intent on telling me anything if I ask straight forward. She thought, more to assure herself as she looked around. A neat bookcase was in the corner near a large wardrobe, which was partially opened to reveal clothing and a familiar black, red clouded cloak. The bed was a neat single mattress on a frame at the center of the room with a nightstand just behind the headboard. A lamp, a scroll, and some spilt pills lay on the nightstand. A door across the room and to the left led to a bathroom.
She walked up to the nightstand, picking up the scroll and scanning it over. She flipped it open to find information on fire style jutsu before she set it down, walking to the bookcase. The books were mostly informational, save for two books on Buddhism and another religion as well as a few novels. She blinked, recognizing an orange book sticking out of the end of the bookcase.
"What the…?" She stared at the odd cover of two figures running before she opened it, her eyes scanning the introduction before moving onto the rest of the book. She glanced around after a bit before taking a seat on the bed.
This is so weird. I mean, it's great writing, I'll admit. Amazing. Someone's obviously very talented, but why use up all the talent on writing only about thiskind of stuff? I'm surprised Itachi would even have a book like this! She thought, crinkling her nose in disgust, but she still didn't bother to set the book down. She fell on her back on the bed, reading slowly.
"Should I lock my door next time?" A voice asked. Ruriko yelped and shot upright, whipping around to see Itachi standing in the doorway.
"S-Sorry! I mean, well, yea, I'm sorry, but…! I can't help it!" She protested. Itachi shrugged lightly and walked in, frowning at the book in her hands.
"You're too young to be reading that." He went to grab it, but Ruriko pulled the book away, cocking a brow at him.
"This is a porn book. What're you of all people doing with it?"
"It's not porn."
"It sure as hell seems like it! Then again, you're a man, what should I expect?"
"That's so stereotypical. Give it here."
"No! I'm not finished reading it."
"You're kidding me. You scold me for having it and you're the one reading it."
"I admire great writing! The only reason I'm reading it is because I want to get tips on my writing style!" Ruriko protested angrily, blushing hotly. Itachi frowned.
"You write that kind of stuff?" He asked, raising an eyebrow almost unbelievably. Ruriko went red now.
"N-No! Never! I meant his style! He's descriptive and-"
"Ruriko, give me the book."
"I said I'm not finished! Calm down, it's not like anyone's going to find out I read it. Besides, I'm sixteen, I can handle it."
"That book is for ages eighteen and up." Itachi stated flatly and went to grab it, but Ruriko fell back on the bed to get away, holding her book up to smirk at the pages, opening her mouth to read it aloud.
"He parted his lips slowly, his breath coming out in hot puffs-"
"Ruriko, don't read that out loud."
"-as he whispered sweet nothings-"
"Ruriko." Itachi commanded and caught the binding of the book, pulling it away. Ruriko yelped and reached up to grab it, but Itachi held the book out of her reach.
"You need sleep," Itachi advised calmly, "There's a bathroom just down the hall by the guest room. Shower and go to bed."
"You're no fun," Ruriko huffed, not moving, "Ah, that's right. It was my turn last time."
"Last time?" Itachi asked, walking to the bookcase and putting the book away with a bit of an exasperated sweat drop. Ruriko folded her legs, leaning back on her elbows as she watched him walk to the wardrobe.
"Yes. Twenty-one questions for you, sixteen questions for me. It was my turn before Osamu showed up."
"You still want to play that game?" Itachi asked with a sigh, taking off his flak jacket. Ruriko watched him before immediately looking away, trying not to blush as her eye twitched.
"Ah, yea~ We're friends and I still don't even know what your favorite color is."
"White," Itachi answered, "My turn." Ruriko twitched.
"Wait a second! That wasn't my question!" She protested, but Itachi gave her a crooked smirk.
"Too late. It was in the form of a question."
"Damn it."
"What exactly do you write in your spare time?" Itachi asked as he hung the flak jacket on a hanger. Ruriko blinked, then threw her head back to get an upside view of outside the window.
"Hmm… Fiction." She answered. Itachi paused, then nodded.
"All right."
"Do you really like living in this big house all by yourself?" Ruriko asked thoughtlessly, sitting up to bring her knees to her chest. Itachi walked to the nightstand, picking up a couple pills and tossing them into his mouth, glancing at her.
"It's all right… Sometimes it's a bit too quiet and unsettling, so I leave to take a walk."
"I see."
"Why do you care?" Itachi asked, looking straight at her with a serious expression. Ruriko's face lit up like a pink light bulb.
"Er… That doesn't count…"
"Yes, it does."
"Oh, fine! Because you're my friend, that's why." Ruriko replied with a huff, closing her eyes and looking away stubbornly. Itachi nodded and went to the bathroom, but left the door opened as he turned on the sink. Ruriko peeked her eyes open, then relaxed.
"What's the best thing you remember about working with Akatsuki?" She asked, tilting her head to get a view of Itachi untying his hair. Itachi paused.
"Hard to tell… Probably the first time I met Kisame."
"Really? Why?"
"It's not your turn."
"Hmph!" Ruriko looked away. Itachi smiled lightly as he set his hair tie down.
"What's your favorite thing about Konohagakure?" He asked, reaching for a shirt that was hanging on a towel rack. Ruriko hummed, looking up at the ceiling.
"Hard to pick just one thing… Probably the amount of people? Or maybe the amount of food shops? The nice sights? Or maybe it's just the atmosphere…" She mused.
"Pick one."
"Oh, fine… Probably the fact that I have more friends here than I do back in Sunagakure." Ruriko replied. Itachi nodded, taking off his shirt and replacing it with the black one on the tack before he came back.
"All right. That's enough for today."
"What? No fair! I had a good question!"
"Ask me in the morning, you need sleep."
"Hypocrite."
"I feel like I'm talking to a wall." Itachi sighed, shaking his head as he sat on the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes. Ruriko smirked and came up beside him, tilting her head to look at him, a smile on her face in almost a mischievous manner. Itachi glanced at her out the corner of his eye calmly, but suspiciously.
"What?" He asked. Ruriko shrugged.
"Nothing. You just always have this serious expression on your face. I like it when you smile."
"Uh, thanks… You didn't bother to take your shoes off, did you?"
"Oops… Sorry."
"Come on. Get up and go to bed. It's almost midnight."
"You have a lot of informational books."
"Yea. Ruriko-"
"Mind if I borrow a few? Just read tonight? It takes a while for me to actually fall asleep."
"… If it'll let me sleep, go ahead and take as many as you like." Itachi sighed. Ruriko beamed and hopped off the bed, walking over the bookcase.
"Thaaank you. Sorry if I'm being a pain in the ass. Nighttime is when I usually get hyper…" She said, taking several books into her arms. Itachi watched her with a raised eyebrow.
"Ruriko, put it back."
"What?"
"The book. The one you had earlier. Put it back."
"Aw, come on… Why do you think I took it?" Ruriko asked. Itachi pointed at the pile in her arms.
"It's bright orange. You can't miss it." He stated. Ruriko huffed and took the book out, tossing it onto the bed.
"Fine, fine. There ya go." She retorted and walked out, shutting the door. Itachi sighed, glancing at the book out the corner of his eye before reaching out and picking it up, flipping it open. Kakashi had bought him the book for unknown reasons, but Itachi didn't get past the introduction when he realized what the book was about.
The reason why he picked it back up was Ruriko mentioned the writing style, so he risked taking a peek at the other chapters.
Meanwhile, Ruriko had showered, taken her hair down, and put on a simple t-shirt and sweat pants. She sat on the guest bed, keeping the lamp on the nightstand on as she read through the books. Most of the books had geographical and culture information, one of them being pretty detailed and in-depth of popular cafes. Ruriko yawned quietly, lying back on the bed and holding the book over her head.
One of the cafes had been circled with red pen, a little note beside it saying 'must visit'. It made Ruriko smile. So he likes cafes… That café does look nice. It's even got a balcony on the second floor outside for dining and- OH MY GODS. They serve makizushi! This place is nice… I should try and get some missions so I can go there, take Itachi with me. She thought with a smile, then blushed lightly to herself for the thought. She closed her eyes in another yawn when she heard an odd sound.
It sounded like the wind, however, she felt nothing coming from the open window beside her nor did she see the curtains billow. She frowned and set her book down and threw her legs over the side of the bed, standing up and moving toward the door. She opened it slowly, peering out. Nothing was in the hallway, only to the dull gloom of the waning moon outside.
She frowned and went to close the door, stopping when she saw her shadow cast on the floor. She stared at it, leaning her back on the door.
Am I really paranoid or is Kage really alive and stuck to my shadow? This is driving me nuts! Itachi's right. I just need some sleep… She thought, nodding to herself and shutting the door, heading back to her bed. She threw herself down, yawning and pulled the blankets up as she slept with her back to the door.
The sound came again, but Ruriko pulled the pillow over her head to cover her ears. She shut her eyes tightly. It's nothing. Nothing, nothing… Go to sleep… Go to sleep… She willed herself, trying to relax. She felt herself drifting to sleep at last, until she felt something brush against her hand over the pillow. Her eyes shot open and she threw the pillow off her head, across the room as she shot upright in a sitting position. The room was empty, except for the dresser, nightstand, and bed.
Ruriko frowned, clenching the blankets in her fists. She wasn't going to be able to sleep like this. She flung the blankets back and walked to the door, stepping out silently and shutting the door behind her. She moved as quietly as she could past Itachi's room, glancing in to find him fast asleep. She went down the stairs to the kitchen, opening the fridge, sighing with relief when she saw food. Most of it wasn't meat, much to her disappointment, but she settled for a sandwich of tomatoes and lettuce.
She leaned on the counter, looking out the window toward the street, her eyelids heavy with sleep. She settled at the table after she almost nodded off, resting her head on the table. It didn't take long before she fell asleep. It was only a short nap when she awoke to the creaking of the front door opening. She jerked her head up in the darkness, getting to her feet. She rubbed her eye sleepily, walking into the pitch black hallway, going still when she heard something creaking behind her.
She went to whip around, but a hand clamped over her mouth tightly, making her flinch and jerk back against whoever had her. They were obviously very tall and had an odd scent of dirt and rain.
"Ssh," The voice whispered, "I'm not here to hurt you, so don't scream or yell." Ruriko winced as the hand slowly moved away.
"Then why the hell did you just jump me in the dark?" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
"Because I like scaring you…" The voice drawled and snickered. Ruriko blinked and glared through the dark.
"Who the hell are you?" She demanded.
"You seriously don't recognize my voice, doll face?" The voice asked, perplexed. Ruriko's brows knitted in a concentrated frown before her eyes widened, her arms falling to her side.
"Oh no… You've got to be kidding me." She managed and made a hand sign quickly, swiping up her glowing orb. Standing before her was a rather tall boy with black hair to the nape of his neck, slicked back save for a few strands that hung over his forehead and pale reddish pink eyes. He wore a black jumpsuit, but the torso part was off his tattooed chest, hanging off his waist.
"Hajin?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: ^^ I had to bring Hajin back. :D And yes, he's very tall now compared to how short he was three years ago at the beginning of the series. He WAS about 4 foot 5 then, but he shot up a lot… Like, a lot. xD; Anyway, this is just a couple chapters, so don't be like WHERE'S PART THREE? lol. Well, thanks so very much for reading, hope the characters are in character, and your reviews are loved very much!