Summary

A discussion of colors ensues that enlightens Itachi to their different ways of thinking...

A/N: I apologize for the long wait. The upstairs neighbor in my apartment complex had their water heater busted. All the water drained into the pipes, which are connected to the other water heaters, and my floors were flooded since I live on the bottom. Luckily, it looks like there's no lasting damage, but my carpets are still soaked. Even after using a steam vac to suck up as much as I could. It was not a good day for me yesterday. So, that's what's up in my life.

Anyways, I thought something a little more light-hearted was called for after that huge whammy I just threw you guys last chapter! In the spirit of not turning this into an angst-fest, I give you...

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"Itachi?"

"Hmm."

She glanced at him, tilting her head to the side in a manner that he found undeniably cute, and watched him absently. Despite the fact that he now knew everything about her, it didn't really change his stand point on her in general. It had taken a few days, but he was all right with Kagome. In fact, he wanted to make sure that she didn't feel like he would treat her any differently. It had been surprisingly easy to manage.

"What's your favorite color?"

Now, that was an odd question. Usually she asked him various random questions that never seemed to throw him a little off guard, but this one had him blinking in surprise. How was she able to do that?

"I don't have one," he replied, hoping this would satisfy her and allow her to move on to another query.

"You don't? That's ridiculous! Everyone has a favorite color!" the priestess gasped, looking completely scandelized at the mere thought. He shook his head, smirking in amusement.

"I don't have one. I never took the time to really think of something so... trivial," he responded, shrugging when she goggled at him again.

"You... You just didn't have time because of all your super ninja stuff!" Kagome snapped, glaring huffily at the Uchiha and crossing her arms.

"Exactly."

"Well.. what about your least favorite color?"

"It's the same concept!"

"No it's not! Come on! If you had to pick a color you didn't like, what would it be?" He sat back, thinking for a moment, and finally indulging her.

"...White."

"White?" She blinked at him in confusion, then tilted her head, "This will be an odd question, but why white?"

"It stains too easily." That line of thought tended to walk him down the direction of remembering the white rice paper screens in his old home; the time when he'd stained them with mud as a child, then later, blood when he'd killed-

"Ohhh. That makes sense. But... if we got really technical, white isn't actually a true color."

"... Is that so?" he questioned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table and pin the priestess with a 'Look'. She nodded rapidly.

"Well yeah! White is the lack of colors," she explained, smiling happily and nodding her head in a self-important way. Itachi leaned over and messed up her hair for being a smart ass.

"Then, with that respect in mind, black would be a combination of all the colors gathered together," he surmised, grinning when she nodded again, this time shyly. Her cheeks flushed suddenly at the odd glint in his eyes and she cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So... what about your favorite color?"

"Kagome..."

"What? I just want to know!" He snorted inelegantly and waved his hand at her, picking up his glass of water to take a sip.

"What about yourself? What is your," he couldn't believe he was about to say it, but, "favorite color?"

"That's easy! It's red!" He choked on his drink, coughing spastically and turning away from her. Seconds later, and he felt her behind him, rubbing his back soothingly. When he calmed down, he glanced at her, noting the sheepish grin on her face.

"Why red? It's..." That particular color reminded him of blood, pain, agony, hatred. Red was the color of death.

"Because, red is the color of love! It's the color of passion, of the feeling of being complete when you find that special someone. Red... is the color of protection..." she trailed off, blushing suddenly when her words reminded her of Inuyasha. "Red... is warmth."

He stared at her, highly aware of the fact the he was being just a little rude. To hear her talk so positively about a color that signified so many negative things in his life made him realize that they saw things so much differently. Now, though, he was a little curious.

"What about your least favorite color?"

"It's red too!" He narrowed his eyes sharply at her, not understanding at all what her logic was.

"Why?" He needed to know. And he hoped like hell that he'd be able to figure out why her favorite color was also her least favorite color.

"Because, as much as the color red means passion, it's cold too. Filled with loss, anger, hatred for losing what you thought you could only share with one person. Red is a copy color. Red is the color of betrayal too. Red... means loneliness."

"How... What makes you believe that?" Kagome looked up at him, blue eyes filled with a little wariness.

"I... You remember me telling you about Kikyo and I, right?" At his nod, she fidgeted a little then stood, "She and I... we look a lot alike." Turning, she started up the stairs and motioned for him to follow. When they made it to the top, she led him down the hall and stopped at the second door that he'd never bothered to notice before. "It's probably part of the reason why I hate the color red."

Unlocking the door, she stepped inside and flipped on the lights. Itachi followed her and glanced around. He was surrounded by covered canvases. His interest peaked, he stepped to the nearest one and reached out a hand to pull down the sheet. Then, he stopped and glanced back at her. The priestess nodded slowly, and he grabbed the sheet and pulled.

It was a woman, and at first glance, he thought it was Kagome. But then, several differences made it glaringly obvious that it wasn't his friend. Kagome had a warm bubbly personality that shone through even the most morose moments. This woman in the traditional priestess robes... he had to assume it was Kikyo, almost seemed to give off a cool air of elegance typically found in his former clan. She had a serenity and emotionlessness that was almost chilling. Her smile, though there was a hint of warmth, was nothing like Kagome's bright cheerful grins. If he could personify the two girls, he'd say Kagome was like summer; where as this Kikyo was winter.

The most important detail to him, though, was the difference in their eyes. Even the color was at odds. While Kikyo's were brown and had a wise but wary air to them, Kagome's were blue with little hints of gray and easily changed with her open emotions. And he had to wonder what Inuyasha had seen in this woman and not in Kagome. To him, the living priestess standing next to him was so much better than...

"See? This is Kikyo. I made this shortly after I ended up in this world," Kagome whispered, raising her hand to reverently touch the other girl's painted face, then stopping herself and letting the arm drop, "I was so homesick for everyone that I holed myself up in here and drew and painted until I'd made a little peace with not being able to go back." She gave him a small sad smile that made him want to shove her out the door and take her... somewhere. Anywhere that would make her happy again. "We could almost be twins, huh?"

"... Not twins. I'd say first or second cousins. Even an older-younger sibling," he explained at her confused wide-eyed look, "I see the similarities, but I don't see why everyone would confuse you with her. You are... brighter. More full of life." He turned away and started out the door, his curiosity screaming at him to look at the other canvases, but his pride insisting he respect her privacy, "You are Kagome. And she is Kikyo. No one can ever change that."

Kagome watched him leave, tears shining in her eyes as she swallowed the urge to bawl her eyes out. Those things... he'd said them with a sincerity that she'd felt from the bottom of her heart. And somewhere inside her, a fist of tension and fear relaxed and cried in joy. He didn't see her as a copy.

Itachi saw her as simply Kagome.

"Itachi!" He stopped, and turned to catch her when she flew into him. Gazing up at him with wide eyes, she smiled shyly and thanked him.

'What is she thanking me for?' he thought, nodding absently and letting her pull him down the stairs, 'I merely stated the truth.'

"Do you really not have a favorite color?" Kagome asked, glancing back at him with enormous puppy dog eyes. He gave her a deadpan stare and watched her flop back down into her chair in the kitchen, a perpetual glow on her cheeks.

"No."

"But, if you absolutely had to pick," she stopped his interruption with a swipe of her hand, "On pain of death, what would you choose?"

He sighed, standing and setting his glass in the sink. When it seemed like he wouldn't answer, the priestess opened her mouth to complain at him-

-Only to find him inches from her, staring her down intently. Because she was sitting and he was standing, he practically loomed over her. Her head only came up to just above his waist, for cryin' out loud! She swallowed. What... how had he moved so fast? Oh, yeah. Ninja.

'And why is he looking at me like that?' His hands moved gently, pushing her bangs aside in a careless manner before he smirked just the faintest bit. She felt her cheeks heat at the almost intimate movement.

"Under pain of death, I would pick... blue." Then he was moving away, insisting that he needed to head back to the base to keep the others from annoying him (AKA worrying) too much. Were his associates really a bunch of S-Class criminals?

Kagome vaguely bid him farewell, still trying to churn and turn his answer over in her mind.

'Okay... What did he mean by that?' Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she huffed and glared at the spot Itachi had previously occupied. Damn ninja were so secretive!

And somewhere down the road, Itachi was staring at his hand and wondering what the hell had compelled him to say the color blue when he'd intended to never let her know.

A picture of her smiling blue eyes flickered in his mind and was gone before he had the chance to analyze it.

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A/N: Aaaaahhhh. Itachi's gravitating in the right direction. I'm sure the rest of you are thrilled. Thanks for your patience. Hopefully, it won't take nearly as long to get the next chapter up. Hopefully.

Anyways, I'm not sure what inspired this, but I did it. And I like it. Don't forget to review!