Chapter 3

I fumble with the straps of my equipment, finding it hard to move my arms around too much. I don't feel quite as drained as I did yesterday, though I doubt I'm in any shape to escape today. It would be foolhardy to even try. I need to bide my time, gather my strength and, while I'm at it, get used to the company I'll be keeping.

Akatsuki work pairs, that much I know. I don't know who Itachi's partner is, though. I might have read about him in the Bingo Book, but I can't look through it now, as Itachi confiscated all my belongings.

There he is now, his timing impeccable. I have just finished putting on my sandals. I still feel naked without the weapon pouch strapped to my thigh. He has something in his hand, something long and dark.

"No," I say, staring at it.

"I'm afraid I can't give you a choice."

Every muscle in my body tenses as I grudgingly allow him to tie the blindfold over my eyes. His knuckles brush against my cheek for a moment and I recoil, thinking of all the blood on those hands. For a moment, I imagine I can almost smell it and my stomach cringes painfully.

The world goes dark. How am I supposed to walk? I want to ask, but I feel his hand grabbing mine and I'm surprised by how warm it feels. What did I expect? After all, 'cold-blooded murderer' is a figure of speech. Bemused, I stand up and follow as he tugs gently. The air is slightly colder outside the room and although I try to keep some sense of direction, by the time we stop I have no idea which way we went.

I hear a deep rumble to my right and I realize someone is chuckling. Itachi's voice is deep too, but softer. This must be his partner.

"Look what the cat dragged in," the stranger says. "Nee, Itachi-san, do you think she's up for this? Your pretty kunoichi looks like she could collapse at any moment."

I bite my tongue, my lips. It's wiser to just keep quiet. But I am NOT his 'pretty kunoichi', shannarou!

"Let me worry about that," Itachi replies dryly.

"Let's go, then," his partner says.

My hand slips into Itachi's once more and I'm being pulled forward. I follow quietly, wondering how much distance we're going to cover like this. It probably won't be long before they realize exactly how big of an inconvenience this blindfold is. The air grows colder as we move through the hideout towards the exit. It only takes a couple of minutes or so until I can smell the wind and a moment later, I feel it blow through my hair.

Itachi lets go of my hand. I feel momentarily lost, I hadn't expected that. I hear him move around. My hand reaches out for him on a whim, but he's gone from my side. Instead, I hear his voice from the front.

"Here. Grab on."

I hold out my hands and touch the soft, worn material of his cloak. I realize I'm touching his back and I know what he wants. My hands travel upwards, to his shoulders. He crouches, his hands reach under my thighs and he picks me up like I weigh no more than a sack of feathers – which, incidentally, I know is far from the truth. My arms coil around his neck and a small breath of surprise escapes from between my lips as he jumps.

We're moving fast. Strands of his hair are tickling my cheek as I press myself against him. I haven't been carried like this in quite some time. I'd forgotten how embarrassing this can be, and how uncomfortable. Sasuke never carried me like this,my mind blurts out, discontented. A wave of sadness washes over me. I forget where I am and rest my chin on his shoulder.

This is not how it was supposed to be.

I feel Itachi's grip on me tightening infinitesimally, his breath caught in his chest for a moment too long. Whatever this is, he soldiers through it and picks up the pace. I am, once more, intrigued. My senses are on alert for any other sign, and I wait for what seems like hours, but nothing happens. I am forced to let my guard down, eventually.

I feel as tired as if I'm the one doing the running with a sack of potatoes on my back. My arms are tingling, my legs are numb from the knee down. I think I'm going to fall asleep. My head feels heavy and I can't keep it up anymore, so I lay it down on his shoulder. Darkness beckons me. Itachi smells like summer wind, rain and smoke.

He felt her body become limp against him and slowed down until he found a sturdy branch to lay her down on. Kisame realized they had stopped and hopped back, looking at the sleeping girl.

"Want me to carry her for a while, Itachi-san?"

Itachi shook his head, struggling to control his breathing. The pain in his chest had been building up and he had been looking forward to her passing out or falling asleep. She had taken her sweet time.

Kisame gave him a long look, measuring him head to toe. Itachi pretended not to notice. He sat on the branch and took a sip of water at a time, not wating to start coughing. Samehada swung down from Kisame's shoulder and the Kiri-nin leaned on it.

"This one's a bit time-senzitive," he said. "How about I go ahead and finish it and then we can rendezvous at that onsen in the nearby village."

Itachi thought about it for a moment, then consented. It would have been reckless to go on like this, pretending nothing was wrong with him. Hopefully, Kisame had not caught on, although Itachi was certain he suspected something more than just the strain from carrying Sakura.

"Ja ne," Kisame said before taking off.

Knowing Kisame's usual pace, he would be back the following day. A simple assassination had no reason to take him any longer than that. Itachi sighed and leaned back against the trunk, looking up at the sky. He could allow himself a few minutes to recover before setting out again.