Hello, its me(Name that song!)

Anyways I am so proud of myself right now, I did the complete opposite of what I sorta promised last time!(Sarcasm)

In all honesty, I apologize from the bottom of my heart, I had WAY too much to do for my break. Project here, family there, posting no where.

Those of you that waited for this post I am super grateful and lucky-lucky this chapter is lovey-dovey(Why am I such a weirdo)

I dash through the thick forest, following the miniscule trail of chakra that I connected to Kisame's sword on contact. Dusk is approaching fast, and the rogue nin have not stopped. How can they still be going? Could they be wearing me out? I shouldn't be hasty - they are some of the most powerful rogue ninja in the land.

As I come to a small grove of trees, I lose the chakra trail, ending up at a small scale in the middle of the cool grass. Examining the fishy item, the scale had the residue of bandages completely infused with my chakra. Shoot, they found the tag. That means- "AH!" I yelp as someone grabs my shoulder. Damn it, be prepared Mizuki! I reach to my side, slipping a kunai in my hand, swiveling around to launch it at the person. Faster than I can react, the same person knocks it out of my hand. My hands are trapped above me, bound by a painfully tight grip. I send the hardest kick I can muster at his side. The effort is futile - my kick is blocked. Coming here was a mistake. I consider using my jutsus, but then discard the thought. My chakra would be wasted - besides, the most logical thing to do in his position is to let me go - if he didn't, then he'd have the whole Leaf Village after him.

"You have become very persistent, you know..."

'What would you know about me?" Darkness has come over us, and my vision becomes strained. I need to get home soon - I really hope they haven't told my parents about my little side trip.

"I know that you are my fiancée"

I muffle a dry laugh at his comment. "Oh, come on, that was canceled the night you left! My dad absolutely despises you!" But I don't, I almost added...

"...I also know that you don't want it to be canceled."

I hold his heavy stare, struggling to my surprise that he knew the truth. "You've been gone for 4 whole years, and I'm not some shy, impressionable ten-year-old anymore….Why...why are you doing this?"

"You already know why. Four long years - and I still haven't been able to see my only living relative. I've killed even more people than you can imagine."

I snort at the comment. "Oh, I can imagine. You've gotten quite a reputation. You should see how much you're worth in the Bingo Books. The price would be enough to buy the whole Leaf Village!"

"Do you hate me for that?"

My gaze darts to the ground in front of me, not meeting those...eyes. I avoid the question, instead responding, "And did you capture me to have a heart-to-heart chat out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, if I didn't capture you, then you would've just kept fighting me, wouldn't you?"

I shrug indifferently. "It's sort of my job, to kill Akatsuki members."

"You aren't in the position to say that." He tightens his grip on my wrists, and my chest tightens.

"I realize that, Captain Obvious."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Have you always been like this?"

A lump forms in my throat, making it difficult to swallow. "You know nothing. Besides shouldn't you be with your partner?"

"You have no idea what it took just to get that scale off..." Itachi muttered, rubbing at his temples. I raised a brow inquiringly. "Let's just say, his sword is a lot more dangerous than you think."

"Oh, right, or else he wouldn't be your partner," I mumble, sarcasm dripping from the words.

Itachi growled softly. "I am not continuing this conversation until you answer me. Do. You. Hate. Me?" His alluring stare shifts to meet mine, my heart beating hard. Oh, gods...

I let out a breath that I'd been holding, setting my face into a mask. "Then this conversation is over."

The grip on my hands tighten to the point that I'm sure he's cut off my blood circulation. "You aren't going anywhere, until you answer the question. Do. You. Hate. Me?" His alluring stare shifts to meet mine, my heart beating hard. Oh, gods...

I let out a breath that I'd been holding, setting my face into a mask. "Then this conversation is over."

The grip on my hands tighten to the point that I'm sure he's cut off my blood circulation. "You aren't going anywhere, until you answer the question."

I smirk coldly. "Hah! First you're all touching and sweet, and now you're threatening me just to answer one question? Why do you care so much?" But I already knew why he cared… And I cared, too.

"Why won't you answer the simple question?" he shoots back, eyes like a freshly sharpened kunai.

I force my tone to be cold and indifferent, meeting his stare bravely. "I see no reason to give you that information."

"And why is that?"

"Because you already know the answer to that. My turn to say you're persistent, Mister."

After that last remark, he stays silent, simply staring at me intensely. I feel blood rushing to my face - I still haven't gotten my blushes under control. I glare at him in return. Those eyes were just how I remembered them… We continue the dense slab of silence for about five minutes, until I shatter the ice. "Need I spell it out for you?"

Itachi stops, breathing a defeated sigh, and lets go of my hands. My eyes widen as he suddenly steps forward and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a welcoming embrace. Blushing profusely, I mumble into his cloak, "I did not mean it that way."

"Oh? And should I let go?" His tone is playful, daring.

"I never said that…" I return the hug, wrapping my arms around his waist, clutching his cloak. His chest is so strong and sturdy against my face, always supporting me. I feel something other than fabric - long fine hair. Whoa, his hair has grown a lot. In fact, a lot of him as grown. At 14 years, I stand at about 5"1 feet, but Itachi grew to be about 5"7 feet. He backs up. I rub my wrists, to get blood back into my hands, and laugh nervously.

"You grew up…" Itachi admits, grinning. His smile...I'd longed to see it for years and years...

A smile bubbles from my lips. "I should be the one to say that; you're way taller than the last time I saw you. Its ridiculous!" I say as move one of my hands up to his head, to emphasize my point. I have to stand on the tips of my toes to reach his head, but I trip and stumble. Itachi holds me from falling, and my hand lands itself on his cheek, caressing it gently. I feel my face redden madly. "Ah, um sorry!" I retract my hand, and look down, avoiding any eye contact, but nonetheless smiling. I longed to touch him again.

Even Itachi seems momentarily frazzled, clearing his throat loudly. "On the inside, you are still the ten year old Mizuki - no matter how much you deny it," he says gruffly.

In my mind, memories of when we were younger gives a sense of melancholy. I honestly can't help but laugh at his comparison to my child self. "Hey, I'm not kissing your cheek this time.""Yes, but…" His large, calloused hands gently lift up my chin, then shift to caress my cheek. I never knew Itachi had such a soft spot in his heart for me… Just for me… "Only to 'make it fair,' right?" he murmurs. Itachi's lips are a mere two inches from mine. If I could just lean forward…

I smile shyly and place my hand over his. "You have no idea how much I missed you," I sigh."I missed you, too. All of you…" His eyes turn to study my mouth. My heart thunders so loudly that I'm sure he can hear it. "But I'm afraid this..." He trails off, but I already knew what was coming next.

"Please.. come back...alive?" I request, choosing my words carefully.

He grimaces at my request, but hesitantly promises. How hard is it to stay alive? He pokes my forehead affectionately, leaning in closer. "Thank you for not hating me."

I couldn't take it anymore. The temptation reached its peak. I suddenly lurched forward and press my lips to his. My hands find their way around his neck and tangle into his long, dark hair. Itachi stands in shock, hand still on my cheek. Slowly he moves his other hand over to my shoulder blade, pulling me close. I stare into his dark eyes, hoping my light reaches him. I feel as if my insides are melting into the ground, the world around us spinning faster and faster until it all goes away. All that's left is us. He advances, pushing me back to the tree behind us. His hand leaves my shoulder and trails down my sides, resting on my hip. In turn, one of my hands leaves his neck and runs the line of his zipper. Returning to the zipper, I take a step back into reality, not daring to move the silver piece an inch.

I pull away, leaving Itachi breathless, but...happy. He leans his head on the tree, towering over me. Breathing still unsteady, he starts to say something, but I press my finger to his lips, shushing him. I shake my head slightly, and step forward for an short embrace. I can feel him stiffen, then relax, taking a slow breath. At the top of my forehead, he plants a kiss then pulls away.

"I kept my word. Don't forget yours," I murmur softly, my lips still tingling. He nods curtly, and then takes off into the forest.

I apologize if I made you cringe at the last part, or if I made our little weasel(Itachi) very OOC. But this chapter was a headache, I had no idea how to approach this kind of theme...

Luckily I had one amazing friend, that is an expert, to help me with this chapter, so shout out to you!

Unfortunately I have some bad news, the scheduling of the posts might be changing, due to a major project that my stupidly retarded partner refuses to do any work on. :)

Maybe see you next week!~Grai