"You've got to be kidding me," I deadpanned, placing a hand over my eyes to shade them from the weak sun. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Taking a walk," Hana said cheerfully, looping her arm around Shisui's. "Nothing else, nothing more. He just came back from a mission yesterday, so we decided to-,"

"Take a walk near the entrance gates?" I interrupted, scowling at her. Everybody knew exactly what she was up to. Hell, even the gate ninja probably knew what she was doing. Itachi definitely did, I thought a moment later, darting my eyes to his carefully schooled expression. "Really? There was no other place you could find?"

"You're always so paranoid, Yako ~"

"Within reason!" I hissed, "Your shenanigans are the reason I'm here -,"

"In fact, you should be thanking me on your knees."

I pretended to hack at the last comment. Itachi pretended to not smile. Honestly though, I swear I saw his lips twitch.

"That sounds vaguely dirty," Tthe other Uchiha said, lips quirking upwards. "Is there something you both are hiding from me?"

"We-ll," Hana drawled, and I could spy the apocalypse nearing behind that one word. She was going to embarrass me. I just knew it.

"Depends on what you mean by hiding. I'm sure even the Hokage and her mother know exactly what has been going on in Yako's life right now."

"Shut up! It's all your fault!" I erupted, my cheeks reddening when I remembered just who we were standing with. Next thing I knew, Shisui was pointing at his cousin, ever-present smirk on his face.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with this one, then. Go on, Itachi, tell us what you did this time. Did you put her in a genjutsu? Use her as target practice?" He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Did you perhaps…"

"Shisui." Itachi said, and the elder boy's mouth slammed shut, even if his teasing smile never abated. It was slightly surprising to see just how easily he had acquiesced, but to be honest; this wasn't the first display of Itachi's influence I had seen in the village. And he was Clan Heir. After Fugaku, he was the strongest Uchiha in the village.

Although… for Shisui to listen to him so readily was a tad odd. It wasn't as if Shisui-of-the-Body-Flicker couldn't hold his own against anything Itachi could possibly dish out in retribution. In the worst case, he could run away.

"You're both such spoilsports," Hana muttered with a pout, drawing Shisui's arm around her. "I wonder how our fabulous selves even put up with you two."

"Possibly because you needed someone to tell you calling yourself 'fabulous' is the lamest?" I offered, arsenic-sweet smile firmly in place. "Anyway, now shoo. We have a mission."

"I can't believe you're finally being sent on one. How much time has it been? A year? Two?" Hana said, taking a step forward before hugging me tightly. "Take care of yourself, okay? And you!" She added, moving away from me and pointing one threatening finger at Itachi. "Take care of her! If I find a single hair out of place, I swear to God I'll -,"

"She's in safe hands, Hana, calm down," Shisui muttered, before grinning widely. "In Itachi's hands, to be precise. There are worse places to be."

….

Honestly.

Was there any possible way for them to make the situation even more awkward for me?

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Right. Sure, sure. Off with you two! I'm sure you have things to do."

"Shiyako! Wait up!"

Sakura rushed in from the right, hair still messy and clothes strewn haphazardly on her frame. Within moments, she was in front of me, and pressed a scroll into my hands. Even as my fingers curled around it instinctively, I was aware of the confused scrunch on my forehead.

"Bento," she explained, half-panting. "Mum woke me up right after you left. I can't believe you were going without saying goodbye!"

"It's just a small mission - ,"

"Nyeh, Nee-chan," Once again, I was pulled into a tight hug, "You're always there to bid me goodbye. You should let me be there for you sometimes too!"

Sakura was rather good at making me feel guilty, I thought, even as the repentant flush reddened my cheeks. Everyone assumed we weren't too close because we could never be seen spending time together outside of the house, but the truth was, we were closer than possibly half the siblings in the village. And the other half were civilians, so they didn't really count.

"Yes, well," As I carefully pushed her away, she absently began picking imaginary lint of my shoulders. I almost sighed. She was rather good at being the elder one too. "I'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about. Anyway, Uchiha-san's main job is to -,"

"Captain."

I froze.

"For the duration of this mission," Itachi continued, oblivious to the wide-eyed stare I was directing towards him, "I am your Captain, Haruno, and you will address me as such."

Shiyako-chan to straight Haruno.

If I had any doubts as to whether my display last night had managed to peev him, then this definitely confirmed it.

My throat felt ridiculously tight and dry. It was probably the cold, I tried to reassure myself, ignoring the sudden lack of warmth I felt. Even the sun wasn't doing its job properly today.

"Captain," I muttered instead, resolutely looking anywhere but right at him. I felt very, very small, and very, very ridiculous at the same time. But then again, I could feel the familiar stirrings of indignation in my stomach, and gratefully, I latched onto that feeling, lifting my lips to scowl. If he wanted to let personal differences get in the way, then so could I.

"I packed some bento for you too, Itachi-san!" Sakura said hastily, diffusing the situation before it could escalate into something uglier. I closed my eyes in relief, even as I felt Itachi turn to face us. It was the first time he'd looked at me all morning.

"Thank you, Sakura. But it will not be necessary."

"Nonsense," Shisui chirped. "You hate the taste of ration-bars, Itachi."

He wasn't cornered - I doubt anything in the world could manage to corner Uchiha Itachi - but he nodded stiffly nevertheless.

"Excellent," Sakura said, "So I suppose you're leaving now?"

"We're just waiting for the paperwork to clear up," I explained, opening my pack to throw the scroll inside. Behind me, Hana rolled her eyes at just how stuffed it was. "What?" I demanded, when I caught sight of her. "I'm a medic! Precaution first."

"I hadn't forgotten," She said, walking over to poke the shuriken that had spilled over. "Why didn't you put it in a scroll?"

"I have so many already…"

"Haruno," Itachi's voice was commanding enough to burn a hole through my ears. "We're leaving. Say your goodbyes."

I did. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shisui clap his back boisterously, before leaning in to whisper something softly in his ear. Whatever he said made Itachi's eyes tighten briefly, and I felt a familiar flare of curiosity rising.

Firmly, I squashed it down.

We left the village in silence. I pointedly didn't look at him as we signed our release forms at the gate, opting to keep my eyes on the surroundings. When we left, Hana threw yet another storage scroll at me, earning an eye-roll. I knew they were all worried, but honestly, it was reaching the point of ridiculousness. I was a full-grown woman. I could take care of myself.

Or trust Itachi enough to take care of me.

I could do that.

Right?

Right.

{X}

We ran outside the village, with Itachi in the lead and me following him. I'd like to say I matched him for every step, and that my stamina was more than equal to his, but the truth was, we stopped more times that we should've just so I could pour water on my face in order to relieve myself from the heat. After some point, I even started pumping chakra into my legs to alleviate the lactic acid that was forming. My chakra levels were at an all-time low when he finally stopped.

I narrowly avoided crashing into him.

"We'll stop here for the night."

The sun had barely touched the horizon, and I knew I should've made some token protest, but I simply couldn't even think anymore. I grunted in response before throwing myself against a tree. The next few seconds were spent massaging my feet and drinking water.

When I had told Tsunade about how out-of-practise I was, I had foolishly expected I would be better than this.

Perspective changed everything, I thought wryly. If it wasn't Itachi I was with, I could've been passable in the field. With someone like him around, I barely even touched the passing line.

We hadn't made any conversation while running, but as I unsealed the bento-scroll, I was well aware of the fact that I would have to talk to him. I wanted to do anything but that, but perhaps we could manage to keep things professional. I hoped so anyway, even if one part of me was just dying to chew him out.

"Your bento," I said, pushing the box towards him.

He didn't look up. "I am carrying sufficient ration bars."

Looking back, it was suspicious how he had acquiesced so quickly. Clearly, this had been his evil plan all along. Lure the poor girl into the woods and then refuse her food.

This wouldn't do at all, I decided firmly.

"You should have some," I pushed, throat dry. "Captain."

This time, he did glance at me, and what I saw on his face had me squirming where I sat. It was the perfect combination of 'why do you care' and 'mind your own business'. All done in the trademark narrowing of his eyes, of course - courtesy to his Uchiha blood.

"Ration bars are unhealthy in the long run," I tried again, the natural stubbornness shining through. For some reason, every part of me refused to let the matter go. "Plus, Mum cooks really well. You'd be missing out."

"Haruno," He began, pinching the bridge of his nose as if I was giving him an headache.

I barreled on quickly. "And as your medic, I'm ordering you to eat it."

…

Oh god.

Ohgodohgodohgod -

I shouldn't have said that, I realized a beat later, when his features darkened imperceptibly. There was a sudden influx of chakra, and my eyes fluttered shut at the sensation, even as my grip on the box tightened. My knuckles were white.

And then, just as quickly as it came, it receded.

I opened my eyes slowly.

Only to realize he was no longer there in the clearing.

For the longest time ever, I just sat, stunned into silence. Had I just… provoked a reaction from the famously unflappable Itachi?

You know, the serial forehead poking, cold-as-fish Uchiha Itachi?

But then, as the minutes ticked by, and night finally fell upon us, I forced myself upright, scanning the forests for the familiar signature. I found him sharpening his kunai near a small lake. He was propped up on a wooden stump, one hand tying his sleek hair back while the other rested on a rock. He was close enough to be of help, and yet far away enough to have some distance between us.

Ever the perfect ninja, he looked up sharply at my entrance.

Our eyes met, and I felt something shift in the air, the varying interactions finally coming to a head. It was strange how we had gone from being people who knew the other existed - well, I knew who he was, obviously - to whatever we were now. I wasn't quite sure if I had ever existed on his radar, but it was safe to assume I now did. To be fair, I was still unsure as to whether or not that was a good thing.

It was the perfect time to apologize. But the truth was, I'd never been that person. Sakura was the people-pleaser, the one who disliked confrontation and actively tried to avoid it. I… needed a reason. Nothing I had said struck me as something that should incite such a reaction from him. I didn't know why I had offended him, and until I figured that out, I absolutely refused to say sorry.

It wasn't my fault that I didn't know.

He was still looking at me, the wheels of his Sharingan spinning. I shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as the silence seeped between us, angry undertones simmering beneath. I was furious, and if I had to hazard a guess, so was he.

With that in mind, and knowing that if I spoke now, unwanted words would come tumbling out, I silently padded over to him, claiming a spot under a tree not far from his. The bark rubbed roughly against the cotton of my vest, even as I reopened my pack and took out the unfinished bento.

He stared at me as I ate, washed my hands and settled my sleeping bag on the floor. Part of me wanted to snap at him, but the other was just tired. This was not the time for fights. We were on a mission.

I positioned some traps around us, set to trigger if anything more dangerous than a rabbit came tumbling through. Most of them were rudimentary in design, but some were my own creation. I was really proud of those.

Then I finally lay down, exhausted.

My voice was soft in the silence.

"Wake me up for the next watch," I said.

And then: "Goodnight, Captain."

{X}

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, and a blue sky that stretched across the vast overhead. For a moment, I simply lay there, savoring the silence. It had been so long since I'd left the village. My last excursion had been to collect some medicinal plants in a town too close to Konoha.

Faint wisps of a long-forgotten dream ran through my mind. For some reason, my subconscious had deemed fit to dream of me punching Itachi's arm in my sleep. Residual anger, I supposed, drawing myself upright.

Then I realized I was alone in the clearing.

Again.

Pure panic rustled through me. Scrambling upright, I desperately threw my senses out, trying to locate the familiar chakra. For a few insane seconds, I felt nothing.

My fingers twitched. If he had really left me, then I swear...

"Haruno."

Even if I tried, I doubt I'd be able to explain the relief that flushed through my skin. It was evident in the way my shoulders relaxed, the way the tension reduced from the stiff line of my spinal cord. Spinning around, I pursed my lips as I regarded his still figure. His face was wet, I realized a second later, and my eyes followed the water droplets slipping down his jaw and straight down his neck.

"We should leave," Itachi continued, slipping past me to pick up his own pack. "We're running low on time."

It was so easy for him to say that.

I silently turned away, kneeling down near the lake to throw some water on my own face. The cool water finally set my brain running as I realized something very, very important.

"You didn't wake me for my watch!" I exclaimed, rising to my feet. My tone was accusatory.

"It was unnecessary," He said smoothly, voice effectively conjuring images of silk and velvet.

I shook them off hurriedly.

"It was not!" I snapped back, suddenly furious at his nonchalant attitude. How dare he not take his health seriously? How dare he not take anything seriously?

I strode forward, ending up right in front of him. There were mere inches between us. "Honestly, Uch - Captain, this behavior is absolutely ridiculous! You persist in eating ration bars even when you have a healthy substitute, you stay awake the whole night just to prove a stupid point - and what point was this, even? Your male ego, was it?" Ending on that note, I took a sharp breath. "You should've woken me up!"

My voice echoed in the clearing, and even as I watched, the rigid lines of Itachi's body melted into something very, very familiar…

Amusement.

Unconsciously, my fingers loosened after seeing the familiar spark behind his eyes.

"Haruno," He began, the corner of his lips twitching, "Do you know you attack people when they try to wake you up?"

…

Well. Shit.

It wasn't just a dream, was it?

I'd done it again. Honestly, the heavens should've just opened and swallowed me whole. How was it that I always ended up with my foot in my mouth when Uchiha Itachi was involved?

Thoroughly embarrassed, I opened my mouth to say something - anything - only to find that I had nothing to say anymore. Then, even as I stood there, imitating a dry fish, Itachi leaned forward, smelling of smoke and cinnamon and freshness. Cursing the Gods above for the gross unfairness of it all, I jerked back instinctively, but one hand curled, grabbing my wrist and stopping my retreat. I barely had the time to inhale sharply when I felt soft, dark hair brush the side of my jaw.

My eyes widened, and before I could do anything more than squeak unbecomingly, Itachi's eyes glimmered as one finger gently tapped the bottom my jaw, snapping it shut. My teeth clacked loudly and I could feel the red flush rushing to my face.

And then, to add insult to injury, the corner of his mouth lifted, pointed white teeth shining as he smirked at the sight of my pink cheeks.

Next thing I knew, he was standing at the edge of the lake, eyes flickering to meet mine. "Coming?" His voice was cool, detached, even.

How could he stand there, so coolly, even as my blood roared beneath my skin?!

I hastily grabbed my pack and supplies, keeping my gaze lowered. Very careful to not make eye contact, I jumped behind him as we made our way to the town.

Sure, I'd been thoroughly embarrassed - again - and found out that perhaps I should think before I speak, and warn certain people about my sleeping habits, but for some reason, my heart felt a lot lighter. It was so much easier to deal with an Itachi that was amused by my antics as opposed to one that was furious at me for some inane reason. Even if I still maintained that he should've woken me up. There was no reason to take the whole shift by himself.

My foot snagged on a branch, and without stopping, Itachi grabbed my arm to haul me upright. For some reason, it felt like his fingers had lingered briefly against my skin, their warmth sending color rushing to my face again, especially when he turned around to give me an inscrutable look before resuming the run.

The sudden flutter of my heart, I decided, was adrenaline.

{X}

There was minimal activity in the village we had entered.

Frowning, I tapped my fingers on my thigh, hoping Itachi was noticing. Although, seeing the kind of person he was, I suppose there was no doubt he wasn't. He was just too good a soldier to ignore such a happening.

No suspicious chakra signatures in village, I signaled, all civilian. But outside. West. 200 paces.

Something in the air had shifted as soon as we had entered, and the uncomfortable feeling of being watched prickled at the back of my neck. I shivered suddenly, drawing my arms around myself.

Itachi's eyes moved to meet mine, and silently, he drew closer to me. I was grateful for the proximity - it felt so much safer to have him so close. Suspicious eyes peered at us from behind closed windows, and I rubbed my arm to quell the goosebumps that were rising.

It was like a ghost town.

There were no children milling around, just like there was no one I could see in sight. We passed an empty marketplace, and I shivered at the sight of abandoned wares. Wary of making too much noise and grabbing attention, I made to grab my forehead protector when Itachi's hand curled around my wrist, effectively halting my movement.

I glanced at him in surprise, only to see that his red eyes were spinning furiously.

"Find the woman," he said sharply, "I'm going to look around for a bit."

Before I could protest that we should stick together, his hands flashed through a series of seals faster than my eye could follow, and a large black crow materialized.

"He'll take care of you," He said, eyes darting right and left. His Sharingan fixed on me for a brief, intense moment, before he looked away again. "Now go!"

I forced myself forward, keeping a close eye on the supplies. Ahead of us, in a rickety house, an empty swing fluttered in the light breeze, and I shut my eyes for a second. I could feel the individual civilian signatures milling around, but no one came forward. Clearly, there was something haunting this town.

"Halt!"

The crow cawed loudly, and I winced. Ahead of us, the man blinked in surprise, drawing up a hand to shelter his face from the sun.

"Are you the medics we called for Obaa-san?"

He looked to be in his forties - with graying hair and a slight limp when he shuffled towards me. His chakra signature was as non-threatening as it could be, but I stiffened slightly anyway. He pointed to my forehead. "From Konoha, yes?"

I nodded stiffly.

"Well, come on then! She's this way!"

Mission protocol dictated I shouldn't follow him so easily, but I was a sensor. If he was taking me anywhere with rogue shinobi, I'd probably be able to notice a lot earlier. Besides, there was nothing suspicious in the village that I could detect.

"What's your name?" I asked instead, falling into step beside him. "And where's everyone else?"

"Hiro Shibuya," The man said, glancing at me with a tight, strained smile. "Nobody ventures out anymore, kunoichi-san. Not since the past two days."

"Why not?"

"They've started killing us every time we're outside," He said with a sharp jerk of his head to the left. "Only reason I came out is because I thought they'd be a bit scared of you."

I chewed my lower lip worriedly. "They?"

"We've been under attack for almost two weeks. It's nothing concrete- a few deaths here and there, bodies turning up in the Town Hall every morning, but day before yesterday, a family of four was killed in broad daylight in the market. Nobody knows how they did it, but when people ran out to check on them, they were all killed too. Soon, they started attacking everyone who was foolish enough to enter the streets."

It didn't answer my question, but I doubted Hiro knew the answer anyway. We turned around a bend, and came to a stop in front of a rickety old house. "She's in there. Our old healer was the first to be killed, and everyone knows of her liver problems."

I rushed inside, throwing open the door as I did. The stench was palpable - the stench of death and decay. I absently rubbed my nose as I rounded upon the bed. Next to it, a young woman looked up, her face lightening at the sight of me.

"Oh, thank Kami you're here!" She exclaimed, stepping back to allow me to ease up next to her. "We've been waiting for so long!"

Honestly, these people were far too trusting of a simple forehead protector.

The old, old woman on the bed groaned at the noise before rolling to her side wearily. Her eyes were screwed shut. Instantly, I called chakra to my hands, spreading them over to her stomach as I performed a diagnostic scan.

It was liver problems, but more severe than I had hoped it would be.

"When was the last time a medic was able to look at her?" I demanded, whirling on Hiro and the woman.

"L-last week," The woman muttered, wiping some residual tears from her face. "Before he was killed. It was then that the Daimyo's aide came to visit us, and promised to send to your village for a skilled medic."

The sad truth was, the Daimyo's wife may have married into an affluent family, but I doubted they appreciated her poor relatives. I could even see the expensive, impractical knick-knacks dotting the old house. They might give them charity, but the family was never given an option to demand anything.

Love marriages were more trouble than they were worth.

"Can you pass me my bag?" I muttered, kneeling on the side of the bed. "And give me your name?"

"O-of course! I'm Suzu, and - oh!"

At the sound of her sharp inhale, I turned around to see Itachi leaning against the doorway, arms drawn casually around his chest. Upon noticing my gaze, he nodded once, sharply, before striding forward to me. Seconds later, he was towering above me.

I let the chakra in my hands dissolve as I straightened.

"He's your… friend?" Hiro asked, stance slightly defensive. I realized, belatedly, that Itachi did look like a threat. At my nod, he receded, but not before giving my Captain a dirty look. I bit back a smile.

"I found them," Itachi said softly, "Outside the village. There are seven of them, and from what I could see, they're Oto."

His voice was tainted dark. The war was over, but the reminders never ceased.

"What about the woman?"

I glanced at the still figure on the bed. "Liver problems. I might have to cut her open and apply chakra directly."

At the weight of his stare, I sighed. "She'll be fine. It's major, but I can handle it."

"Good."

With that, he strode out of the house, pausing only at the doorway to lock eyes with me once more. "I'll take care of the rogues."

I almost huffed. As if there was any doubt he wouldn't.

Suzu wordlessly handed me my bag, and as I drew the large scalpel out, she finally said, "You're his… partner?"

There were more variations to that word than I'd have liked, and I purposely worded my answer carefully. "It was a two-person mission. We were handpicked."

"Oh… I see."

I noticed her glance at the door from the corner of my eyes with more than a slight bit of curiosity, and grinned. Even far, far away from the village, and in the getup of a serial killer, Itachi had admirers.

Something that would never change, I supposed.

{X}

A/N: Hello, everyone. It's been… *ahem*. Ages. Yes, I'm aware.

But, in other news, I now have a beta - tigerowl. She's lovely. Also, her suggestions made me change a few things here and there – nothing major – in the previous chapters. Actually, what's changed the most are the author notes. There are a few familiar references explained there.

Again, thank you so much for reviewing, following etc etc. I'd like to say the next chapter will be up soon, but I'm near my exam month, so probably not. However, it will be a lot meatier, with quite a few things explained about our favorite characters.

Shout-out to sunlightxiii who left the first review for the previous chapter, and assuaged most of my doubts regarding it.

Also to all my reviewers: Guest, BeatriceParadisio, Guest 123, R.A. Storyteller, Ink Parallax, CreepyCoincidence, Jessie, , ilovebks, scorpia1029, AshleyL, I'mwatchingyou and bunnyguest.