C6 - Heart Aches, Past and Present
"Sasuke!"
Shiv's eyes left Itachi's as she stood up as fast as lightning. She couldn't believe what she'd had said to her.
"Yes, I'm going to kill him tomorrow"
"How could you? he's your brother"
"He's tried to kill me before and after the last attempt he went into hiding. Now I've found him and now I'll finish the job. Sasuke will die by my hands"
"Who's told you to do this… Pein?"
"No, no one has told me to do this, when I said mission I didn't mean an Akatsuki mission. I meant my own personal mission. That is revenge, revenge for him taking you away from me the first time. I hate him with every bit of my soul"
"If you kill your own brother that will just prove you don't have a soul"
"Why do you care so much for Sasuke? The one who has always been cruel to you, never once showing a single act of kindness"
"Maybe not in front of you, but to me he was always caring, and quite frankly more loving then you ever where"
"It doesn't matter, by sundown tomorrow Sasuke will be no more"
"If you do this I'll never forgive you!"
"Why? After all he has forgotten about you. Ultimately leaving you in Pein's mercy to rot and be raped, wow that's love and care"
"He thought I was dead. Does he even know I'm alive now?"
"That doesn't matter"
"Tell me! Does he know?"
"No he doesn't, but I'll tell him when he's about to die. I'll say that he finally lost and you're all mine"
"I'm no ones but his. I've always loved Sasuke from the moment I met him, he saved me, he found me and looked after me. He showed me more kindness then anyone since… eh someone I used to know"
"Hmm? Who is this mystery man?"
"None of your business. He doesn't matter anyway, he's been dead for years"
"Well I'm sure him and Sasuke can discuss and compare their lives with you when I kill him tomorrow"
"How dare you!"
"How dare I! How dare I! Might I remind you that I've just forgiven you for cheating on me with Pein, the least you could do is be a little more accommodating instead if giving me all this crap about how much you love Sasuke" Itachi said standing up facing Shiv
"What? Are you joking? I wouldn't sleep with you now after what you've just said you intend to do to him"
"I wasn't talking about sleeping with me but if your hinting then I'm happy with that" Itachi said smirking
"No I'm not hinting and I'm not here to entertain you. I'm leaving. Now!"
"That won't stop me from killing Sasuke tomorrow"
"Oh I think it will"
"Are you really going to leave after coming back, you've been here less then three hours. Plus it is late out"
"That didn't stop me from going last time, hell why don't you call your other lover over, I'm sure you two can celebrate Sasuke's death together once I'm gone"
"I don't have another lover and if I may. I thought you loved me"
"Yeah well after finding out that you waned to kill Sasuke, you can call us over"
"Are you saying that you don't love me because I'm going to kill someone else that you did love"
"Do love, get it right!"
"Ah so not only do you physically cheat but you've mentally cheated throughout our entire relationship"
"Meaning what?"
"If you love Sasuke still then that means you never stopped since you and him where separated thanks to Pein. You used Pein and me as nothing more then a Sasuke filler"
"That's not true, I do love you… did love you. As for Pein I never loved him. Like I said he was nothing more then a phase"
"Then when did you start loving Sasuke again?"
"I don't know, I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't even know if it is love, baring in mind I have known him a long time and we where together for most of that time I've known him. Why do you have to kill him?"
"I hate him, he hates me. Its natural for two people when they hate each other to kill each other"
"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid. But why, there must be another reason other then because I left you for him"
"Nope, maybe that's petty of me but I don't care. He stole you away from me, and now I've found him. I'm going to make sure that he never becomes a distraction for you again. We're going to be together, and I'll make sure of it"
"I still care about him. Please don't kill him, bring him home. Tell him I'm alive. Please" Shiv pleaded
"And in exchange for this act of kindness you will… what leave me for him when I bring him back, no thanks"
"I promise if you don't kill him I will stay with you, I will love you. I'll do anything, please just don't kill him"
"Will you also promise to answer honestly to any questions I ask. No matter how strange they seem?"
"Huh? I don't understand… like what?"
"Do you promise?"
"I don't understand the question" Shiv said nervously
"Yes or no. Answer now!" Itachi said raising his voice
"Yes, okay I'll answer questions you ask" Shiv said
"ANY QUESTIONS!" Itachi yelled
"Yes any questions. Please just don't kill Sasuke" Shiv pleaded
"I'll live up to my end of the deal if you do. If you break the terms once, I'll break him" Itachi threatened
Shiv stepped towards the sofa to sit down, the strain of the conversation had tired her out. As Shiv walked past Itachi he slowly turned his head following her movements, grinning slightly he turned his body to face Shiv. Once at the sofa Shiv sat down feeling the strain flowing away. She looked up to see Itachi looming over her, looking down at her like she was worth nothing.
"Why are you being so cruel?" Shiv asked
"Because I want everything to go right and I don't have the time to be kind"
"So you're being cruel to me. You say you love me but you show no love, no care"
"I'm sparing his life. That shows care, that shows love"
"No, I had to beg you. I had to promise you my service, my unwillingness to say and do things at your command. Its funny, you remind me of another member of the Akatsuki I know"
"Are you comparing me to Pein because I assure you, I'm nothing like him"
"No… your worse"
"Well for that, we'll begin our little Q&A"
"Why should I answer anything you ask, you'll only go and kill Sasuke anyway"
"But you have my word" Itachi said smugly
"Just… just get it over and done with" Shiv said looking away
"Okay, lets talk about Pein"
"Wow, that's a surprise" Shiv said sarcastically
"Just answer the questions. Okay first question. What's Pein's main weakness?"
"What, what do you even mean by main weakness?" Shiv asked confused
"What is his most effective weakness?"
"I don't know. He loves me so I guess I am" Shiv answered
"What Jutsu's does he know?"
"I… I don't know, he gave me the ability to summon. So there's one" Shiv answered
"Okay your doing good. Your being a good girl, now continue with the Jutsu's"
"I don't know any, I honestly don't. I didn't spend my time with him asking about what he could do"
"No, you where seeing his other abilities weren't you" Itachi said snidely
Shiv remained quiet, knowing Sasuke's life was on the line was more important then telling Itachi things he probably already knew, and at this point she needed to make him think he was getting somewhere, anything to stall him until tomorrow, when she could get help. Shiv looked at Itachi seeing an almost possessive demonic look in his eye, almost like he was enjoying this. Not letting the situation scare her Shiv stared at Itachi dead in the eye, showing that she wasn't afraid of him.
"Hmm, well you're his weakness. Does that mean he'd go out and risk his life to save you?"
"Use your head, what do you think!" Shiv spat
"Fine, his Rinnegan. Does it have a weakness?"
"How would I know?"
"You have the same eye… now anyway. What does it do, everything. I want to know everything"
"Well lets just say that we're linked in a way that your primitive Sharingan will never understand. Our connection is beyond human and has moved toward the divine."
Suddenly Shiv found herself smiling. Without realising it she said the exact same line that Pein himself said to her when he described the Rinnegan to her during her stay. How hypocritical she sounded now when she would say his ego was unreal. To her surprise however Itachi looked almost taken aback by Shiv's sudden confidence, then it hit her. Itachi didn't know how much she had learnt while with Pein and if she was trained enough then it would be like trying to interrogate Pein himself.
"You seem pretty sure of yourself for someone who was almost crying a moment ago. What's changed?" Itachi said more seriously
"Oh well while talking to you I had an epiphany of sorts. I remembered that I'm not the frail girl you went out with years ago and now I can not only defend myself but as Pein himself stated when I was first introduced to the rest of the Akatsuki. Treat me as you would him, for in some manner I am Pein"
Itachi started to look nervous, he hadn't expected this sort of resistance from Shiv, now the entire playing field had changed. He might as well be trying to get information from the one he was asking questions about. Not wanting to see any other new developments from Shiv on top of her newly gained confidence he looked towards the door and then back to Shiv.
"I think we should call this a night. You can sleep down here, I'll stay upstairs"
"Oh why what's wrong? didn't expect to fight something that could fight back?"
"Just remember what you'll lose if you don't cooperate"
Shiv's smirk left her face as Itachi spoke, realising that Sasuke was still an issue. Suddenly Shiv felt all her new found strength fade away realising that she'd gotten carried away and forgot why she was answering his questions to begin with.
"I'm going to bed, oh and to make sure you don't escape this time I've put a seal jutsu on the house. Meaning you can't leave unless I let you, or I'm not here to maintain it. But so long as I'm in this building the seal will remain. Oh and yes it also blocks summonings" Itachi said regaining his smirk
"When did you do this?" Shiv said starting to feel fear once more
"Oh well I'd say… just before you came in from Pein's. I guess that means you where powerless from the moment you stepped one foot through the door. So all this divine crap you spouted. Yeah it was nothing more then to see what you'd do. This is my house, my rules, my game " Itachi said sadistically
Shiv gulped as she faced the reality that Itachi was in full control the entire time. Even when she had her moment of confidence he was merely toying with her, seeing what she would do in certain situations and how she would respond to certain things said to her.
"Why, why did you do this. Make me think I was intimidating you?" Shiv said quietly
"Well I thought it only kind to give you some false hope. I get to feel better when I reveal the truth to you" Itachi said smiling
Itachi starting walking towards the living room door, Shiv remained seated thinking about everything that had been said over the last hour. As Itachi approached the door he turned his head slightly and spoke
"Oh and if your really lucky you may hear a few noises tonight from our room… just like last night" Itachi said smirking
Shiv's stomach twisted almost causing her to throw-up, she was right. From the beginning she was right. A cold hatred erupted inside her realising what this meant. Itachi had indeed cheated and now his owns words proved it. Shiv turned instantly towards the door, facing Itachi looking him in the eye with all her rage.
"You son of a bitch! I was right wasn't I!?"
"It doesn't matter if you know now anyway, my mission is complete. I now know what Pein's weakness is but I guess I always knew. I just needed to hear it from you. You where used to complete this mission and my boss will be very happy, especially seeing as we have you. Being his weakness we'll use you to lure him into a trap"
"You used me to get information about Pein? Why?"
"Because my boss wants him dead"
"And who's your boss?"
"Well the one I get my orders off is the one I gladly fuck in our bed"
Itachi's words hurt more then Shiv let on, knowing that she was used as nothing more then a tool to gain information about Pein. It hurt even more knowing that should anything happen to him it was because of her. The feel of such betrayal was unreal and knowing she was right about his betrayal concerning commitment hurt just as much as the rest. Starting to feel the tears forming Shiv spoke.
"Why, I thought you loved me?" Shiv said feeling tears forming under her eyes
"I did once, and I guess I still do. Say after all this is over you can stay with me" Itachi said smiling
"You think I'll want to be anywhere near you if you hurt either Pein or Sasuke"
"Oh so Pein does mean something to you?"
"Seeing as we're on the topic of truth telling I suppose I should say that I do like Pein and just to make it that much more enjoyable to upset you… he's bigger then you" Shiv spat
"I don't care, Pein's fate is already sealed and so is Sasuke's"
"But you promised…"
"I lied. I cant wait to kill him tomorrow. Its been along time coming"
"Is there anything that you've said that is actually true?" Shiv said enraged
"Yep, I am going to kill him because of him taking you away from me. But everything else, hmm lets see. No I can't think of anything else that's true"
"Then you really have changed from the man I once knew, I don't know why I chose you over Pein. I don't know why I thought I could of changed you. All I know is that I cant wait for Pein to kill you"
"Heh, I don't think so. In any case I have an appointment upstairs with someone so your to stay down here and listen to the show, and then straight to bed because tomorrow I'm going to kill my little brother. Oh I cant wait, well good night baby"
"GET OUT NOW!" Shiv yelled
Itachi walked through the door at Shiv's yell, locking the door behind him she lay down on the sofa finally letting out her tears. How could she of been so blind? The answer was right in front of her from the minute she heard him and that woman. But she loved him to much to accept it. Shiv let her tears pour out as she thought about the betrayal of Itachi and how much pain he'd brought in the last hour. Despite all this Shiv still felt something for him, somewhere inside him was the man she knew, the man she loved. Thinking about Pein, then Sasuke and then Itachi Shiv found herself in a strange situation. She felt something for each of them, she loved Itachi despite his betrayal as she saw his old self still buried deep inside him. She loved Sasuke for all the years they'd been together and how caring he was, how loving he was with Shiv, but when it came to Pein she was unclear. She liked him but he reminded her to much of an old friend and until she knew if it was Pein she loved and not her old friend she wouldn't accept him as someone she loved.
Shiv sat up and placed her palms together, thinking of Pein's home she spoke
"Summoning Jutsu"
She opened her eyes to find herself still sitting on the sofa in Itachi's living room. Frustrated with the failure she tried again and like before she remained in the living room. Knowing now that Itachi was bluffing about the seals Shiv didn't know what to do, all she could was rest and try and think of some other way of stopping Itachi from killing Sasuke. Laying back down Shiv leant her head on the sofa's armrest attempting to cool down and regain some Chakra. Thinking endlessly about Itachi's words to her, thinking about Sasuke and how she may never be able to say goodbye. Her tears wouldn't come to an end so long as her mind stayed focused on Sasuke. Thinking about what she could do only made Shiv frustrated, knowing that she couldn't do anything so long as the seals where in place. Her only hope was Pein, if somehow he could just know that she was in danger. Shiv knew that she was wishful thinking however as the chances of Pein wanting to see what she was doing whist at Itachi's house was very slim. All Shiv could do was lay there in the sofa and shed her tears for Sasuke, knowing that tomorrow he would be no more.
9 Hours Later
Itachi crept downstairs from his room and approached the living room, he unlocked the door and entered the room. Looking around the room he saw Shiv asleep on the sofa, looking towards the window he saw first light of the day and sighed heavily. Looking back towards Shiv he knelt at her side and smirked.
"Well, today's the day. Just remember that I'm doing this for you and try and thank me later"
Itachi moved closer and kissed Shiv on the forehead with a force hard enough against her skin causing her to twitch, he then tore his lips from her head with a hard pull again causing a twitch. Not wanting to wake her up, he stood up and turned towards the door and existed the room.
As Itachi approached the front door he looked back to the living room, thinking for a second he thought of his brother and how Shiv would finally be his once Sasuke was dead. Opening the front door he looked outward and stepped through, slamming the door with his departure. In the living room Shiv awoke suddenly to the sound of the door banging closed, unsure of what woke her up she leapt to her feet and looked around the room. Seeing nothing out of place she walked towards the front window. Looking out the window she saw a black figure walking away from the house. Shiv instantly knew who it was and knew she couldn't just stand by and watch Itachi as he walked to Sasuke's death. Spinning around Shiv ran to the door of the living room and saw it was open, running through she sped to the front door and pulled on the handle trying to open the door but found it was stuck, almost like it was bolted from the other side. Giving up on the front door Shiv spun around and sped back into the living room, bashing through the door she took sight of the front window.
"Heh, you think seals will keep me from smashing a window"
Shiv looked down at the side table by the sofa and picked it up, carrying it to the window she swung it as hard as she could and hit it head on. As the table hit the window the force pushed Shiv back, looking at the window Shiv couldn't believe her eyes. On the floor lay the table but the window was still intact, standing up she approached the window placing her palm on it. As she slid her hand across it she felt that the texture wasn't normal for glass, then it hit her. This was blast resistant glass, able to withstand any amount of pressure, be that an explosion or direct collision with an object. Shiv found this fact frustrating and slammed her fist against the window.
"Damn you, you bastard. You had to make this difficult didn't you!" Shiv shouted
Turning from the window she looked at the table on the floor and sighed. Sudden realisation of being useless hit her and she walked slowly away from the window towards the sofa. Sitting down she couldn't help but think of how Sasuke was, what he was doing, thinking and feeling. Then Shiv thought of how Itachi would just walk up to him and kill him where he stood, the very thought almost made Shiv sick. She needed to get out of this house, she needed help. Like before Shiv sighed realising that thinking of getting help was a bit premature, first she had to escape from this building. Thinking that Pein could easily help her situation she wondered how to let him know she needed help. Shiv grinned at the idea of them sharing the same sight when, now at her time of need he wouldn't bother.
"You look when I don't want you to, but when I want you to you don't bother" Shiv muttered
Shiv was staring to get frustrated with herself, unable to do anything because of those damn seals throughout the house. So long as there was one it would stop her from summoning.
"Wait a sec!" Shiv shouted
Then it came to her, something that Itachi said to her the previous night about her being a prisoner. That so long as Itachi was in the house he was able to maintain the seal, once he was out of the house the seals where useless. Shiv gave a small grin and put her palms together
"Summoning Jutsu"
Suddenly Shiv found herself outside Itachi's house. To her surprise the summoning had worked, wondering how Itachi could have been that idiotic was beyond her. He should of known that she would have been able to leave the minute he left the house but ultimately his stupidity was her freedom. Shiv instantly knew where she was going, she needed help and the only one who could possibly stand against both Itachi and Sasuke was Pein. Shiv placed her palms together once again, this time her destination was directly outside Pein's home.
"Summoning Jutsu"
Like before Shiv's summoning worked and her surroundings changed in the blink of an eye, as she looked around she found herself being hit with rain water, and before her was Pein's home. Running to the door she slammed on it as hard as she could hoping he was in. To her relief the door opened and stood before her was Pein.
"Shiv, what are you doing here?"
"I need your help. Please its urgent"
"Okay, come in and tell me what's going on"
Shiv followed Pein through the front door and into his living room, it had only been a day since she was last here and already it had felt like weeks. Shiv sat down on the couch with Pein standing opposite her, looking at her he knew whatever was troubling her was urgent. Without wasting her time by asking how she was he jumped straight to the point.
"So what's happened?"
"Itachi, its Itachi"
"What's he done?"
"Its what he's about to do, he's going to kill Sasuke"
"What! Why?"
"Because Itachi believes that he's the one who keeping me and him from being together. He blames Sasuke for me leaving him, saying something like he lured me away from Itachi. Saying that he's a distraction from the one I really love"
"So he's going to remove this distraction?"
"Yes, he thinks by killing Sasuke I'll instantly fall in love with him"
"Okay"
"He thinks that with Sasuke dead, I wont be distracted and will love him"
"Eh yeah I understand. You need to calm down, you kind of repeated yourself there"
"Huh?"
"Yeah anyway that's not the point, do you know where he is?"
"No, I have no idea. He just said that he found Sasuke and that he'll leave this morning to go and kill him"
"When did he say all this?"
"Last night, he had me locked inside his house"
"So why didn't you just summon yourself here?"
"He had special seals throughout the house, So long as he was in the house the seals where active"
"Hmm, did you try and summon?"
"Yes, twice"
"Hmm I was just wondering. Encase he was bluffing"
"Oh and I found out he did cheat on me, he was lying"
"Any idea who with?"
"I've got a pretty good idea but until I know for sure I wont say"
"Fair enough. Did he say anything else?"
"Eh, oh and he wants to know your weakness. He said he works for people who want to kill you"
"Ha, is that so? Well who are these people?"
"I have no idea. I'm guessing its people in the Akatsuki, it's the only explanation. Who else does he work with during his days?"
"Good point, but the idea that my own organisation would be planning a mutiny is ridiculous. All of them together wouldn't be able to stop me. Any idea who?"
"Well if you ask me it could be any of them. I think all of them are traitorous bastards, not one of them can be trusted"
"Considering I have no weakness it must have been funny to see his face when you told him that"
"I eh… I kind of said that you have a weakness"
"What did you say it was, please say rain. Then I'll laugh"
"I said… me"
Pein suddenly went silent, realising she was indeed probably the only real weakness he had. His love for her made him vulnerable when it came to threats from others, he knew he would try and save her at any cost.
"Hmm, well it doesn't matter what you said. The fact you're here and with me now makes that "weakness" useless. I can protect you better then anyone"
"I hope so, but we need to find Itachi and Sasuke"
"Indeed. But where to start"
"I have no idea. You know I bet that why Itachi set the seals the way he did, thinking about it now. I know for a fact he's not a stupid idiot, its not like him to make a childlike mistake as to make seals useless when you're not in the house. If he wanted to keep me prisoner he could of"
"What are you getting at?"
I getting at the fact that he knew I'd escape in the morning, and I bet he knew I'd come here. He wants us to try and stop him"
"What would that gain?"
"Maybe one of those sadistic plans of where he'll kill Sasuke in front of me as we arrive because we'll of taken all day to find him"
"Basically he wants you there to witness his death and by letting you go from his house, and the time it will take to find him he'll of already won the fight with Sasuke and be ready to just deliver the killing blow"
"Why not. He knows how much I care, and if he wants me to really believe he's killed him it would take being there as he kills him to believe it"
"Hmm, we need to figure out where he is. Fast"
"I have no idea. The only guess that I could come up with is an old Uchiha hideout"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it makes sense. Sasuke has been laying low, hidden away from Itachi. Being an Uchiha might draw him to some of their old hideouts"
"The only problem with your idea is that all the Uchiha hideouts aren't hidden anymore. There'd be no point in hiding in a place that isn't hidden"
"Ever heard the expression, the closer you are to danger the further you are from harm?"
"Okay, no I haven't. Please explain"
"Sigh, it means the closer he is to Itachi the safer he'll be. Itachi wouldn't of expected Sasuke to stay so close to him, hell it wouldn't surprise me if Itachi thought he'd skipped country. The only downside to that kind of plan is that you need to be extremely careful, one slip up and he'd have you"
"And now he's slipped up"
"Exactly, it wont take long. Itachi said himself that Sasuke would be dead by nightfall, meaning he doesn't have far to travel. Most of the day will be him fighting Sasuke"
"Very good reasoning. Okay so how many Uchiha hideouts are near Hidden Leaf?"
Pein looked at Shiv as she finished her question, she realised the answer before even thinking longer then a second. The sheer amount of hideouts near Hidden Leaf was unreal but she knew they had to be at one of them and Shiv was determined to find out which one.
"Well at least we know what to look for" Pein said confidently
"Yeah one building out of fifty" Shiv sighed
"Hey don't fret. You've figured out quite a lot from nothing, and considering you have given a good case I'm guessing you'll be right" Pein smiled
"Hmm thanks but all I've done is narrowed it from the entire country to a large square of it"
"Look, you know the two of them better then anyone. Is there anything Sasuke may of said to you in the past that might indicate where he is now"
"I don't think so, when we where together he didn't really talk about hiding away from Itachi"
"Well there is that main Uchiha structure to the west of Hidden Leaf, that building has always had a reputation of being a place of meeting. Maybe they've decided to be poetic"
"As far as I remember neither Sasuke or Itachi where fond of poetry. But you may be right, is there anything that you can do to check"
"Sure. I'll go there"
"Huh?"
"Look, I know what he means to you. I'll go and stop Itachi from killing Sasuke, I'll bring him back to you"
"Bring him back, you're going alone?"
"Well I don't want you there if everything goes bad"
"But I need to be there. I love him"
"I know, but I'd never forgive myself if I let you witness his death"
"But…"
"Please, Shiv stay here. I wont be long. If they're there I'll stop them. Should the worst come to the worst, I'll bring him back to you. No matter what state he's in. I promise"
"Pein"
"Hmm, its funny isn't it. I originally brought you here as nothing more then a toy to do with as I choose, but now you're so much more. You really have grown on me"
"You're nothing like you used to be, you remind me of someone I used to know"
"You've said. When I get back you can tell me what this person was like, but I will say its ironic because you remind me of an old friend I had once. You really are like her"
Shiv smiled at Pein as he turned away from her and headed toward the living room door, before he could exit Shiv called out to him. Stopping before he reached the door he turned his head back slightly.
"I know its asking a lot but I just want to say thank you and if you could do something for me when you find them"
"What would you have me do?"
"Please… eh… please try not to…"
"Hurt Itachi, I knew that before you even had to ask. I know you a good deal and despite how he's treated you, you still care. Don't worry, I'll make sure their both safe"
Pein turned his head towards the door and continued out the house, Shiv moved over to the window and watched as Pein walked out. He stood at the gate of his house and knelt down placing his hands on the floor, Shiv saw him mouth something and knew by the way he moved his lips he was using a summoning jutsu. In a flash Pein was gone and all Shiv could do was sit and wait for him to return. She walked back over to the couch and sat down, less then five seconds later she stood back up, unable to relax. Thinking of how bad this situation could get, the thoughts of Sasuke dead, or even Itachi dead.
Shiv didn't want either one to die and the she came to Pein. The more she thought about him the more she thought about her friend, while their appearances where very different something about Pein was very similar to him. She valued his life as much as the other two and couldn't bare the thought of Pein dying. Sitting back on the couch Shiv decided to lay down and attempt to get some rest, she closed her eyes and started to think about her life. From the times when she was with Nagato to the times when she was with Sasuke, suddenly all went dark and sleep overcame Shiv.
"Shivvy, Shivvy are you okay?"
Shiv opened her eyes to see a boy with long red hair kneeling in front of her. With him showing only one eye through his hair he smiled at Shiv's face. Shiv smiled back and sat up.
"Yeah I'm fine, just fell asleep"
"You always fall asleep here, what gives?"
"I don't know, maybe fishing is one of things that requires most of the day to achieve something and my approach is better then yours" Shiv said laughing
"Yeah well to prove you wrong once again, while you slept I got a basket full"
Shiv looked over his shoulder and saw the basket, he was telling the truth. It was full to the top with fish. Looking back to his face she smiled
"Your better then me at fishing anyway so don't gloat. Besides I really come here because its quiet and relaxing"
"What's wrong with back home?"
"Oh you know, her. She always talks, trying to impress you and interrupting us when we want to be alone"
"She's not that bad is she?"
"No she's worse. All she does is complain"
"Yeah well Konan's always been a little bit moody when it comes to the simple things"
"Nagato I don't know why you have her around with us. Granted she can help us gather food and stuff but other then that all she does is complain"
"I've never noticed"
"That's because when your around she changes her personality to someone kind and caring. Trying to impress you by giving you paper flowers. I swear if she annoys me again I'll chase her with scissors, or maybe fire"
Nagato giggled at Shiv's comment, looking at her he sighed
"What am I going to do with you?"
"Well you could share some fish, put some in my basket so I don't look bad at this"
"Or I could kiss you"
Suddenly their lips touched and Shiv was silenced. She closed her eyes and embraced their moment, she loved Nagato with all her heart and soul, and nothing would tear them apart. Even Konan and her constant annoyance. Pulling away from the kiss Shiv looked at him and smiled
"I love you"
"Good, I hope you do. I love you more"
"We'll see" Shiv played back
Nagato stood up pulling Shiv up with him. Both then looked towards the pond and watched the water shimmer, looking back at each other Nagato reached for the basket and gave more then half the amount of fish to Shiv. Shiv smiled and then the two started walking away from the pond.
"Come on, lets head home"
"I'm right behind you"
"So did you enjoy yourself today, despite the fact you've just been asleep all day?"
"I'd say so, and I haven't been asleep all day thank you very much"
"Maybe so, but I'm glad you've enjoyed your self" Nagato smiled
"I'm just happy to be with you" Shiv smiled back
The two continued on towards home as they joined hands. Little did Nagato know but Shiv had something planned for him, smiling in excitement Nagato couldn't help but wonder what had gotten her in such a good mood. After another ten minutes of walking the two approached the entrance to the cave, once inside Nagato placed the basket of fish down on a small wooden table. As he placed it Konan walked out from another section of the cave.
"Oh Nagato you're back"
"Hello Konan" He replied in a monotone voice
"Oh you got quite a haul didn't you. I knew you'd do well"
"Shiv got a bigger load then me. Look at hers"
"I'm sure she did. Anyway lets eat" Konan said not taking notice of Shiv's basket
Konan walked away from the two and entered the back section of the cave. Going deeper inside. Shiv looked at Nagato not looking amused.
"What's her problem? She didn't even look at me, let alone the basket"
"God knows"
"Well she better change her attitude or I'll change her face"
"That's a bit extreme isn't it?"
"Yeah well I just don't trust her. Considering she hasn't been all that nice to me either why should I be nice to her?"
"Well why don't you be the bigger person and just ignore her. If she wants me so bad you know full well that I'm yours, and I intend to stay that way"
"I know I know, she just gets on my nerves. Badly"
"You looked really happy before, come on we'll eat something and then you can chill"
"Oh I almost forgot!"
"Huh?"
"I made this for you while you where fishing today"
Shiv placed her basket beside Nagato's and pulled something out of her pocket. Nagato watched as the item unravelled from her hand. Hanging from her hand was a necklace, she had carved it from wood in the shape of a heart. Joining it together with a metal chain. Nagato's eyes widened at the sight of it, now he understood why she was so happy on the way home.
"Wow, its beautiful. Like you"
"I've wanted to make something like this for you for ages. I just never had the time"
"I thought you where asleep"
"No, I was turned over but I wasn't asleep. I was busy carving this for you. Like it?"
"I love it, thank you"
Shiv handed Nagato the present and he undone the back, placing around his neck he tied it back together. Nagato looked up and Shiv and smiled, joining hands together they kissed. Suddenly from across the room they heard footsteps coming towards them and they broke from each other. From the shadows came Konan.
"Nagato, you still here silly? Could you take the baskets into the other room for me. I want to make a start on dinner"
"Eh sure"
Nagato picked up the two baskets and walked away from Shiv, leaving her with Konan. Thinking about what Nagato had suggested she gave a faint smile towards Konan but only a cold face was given back.
"I know what your doing you know! I saw you"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't plan coy with me, I saw you kiss him. Rubbing your hands all over him, slobbering your lips all over him. Well your out of luck, he's mine"
"I don't know what your talking about"
"I SAW YOU!"
"So, so what. What me and Nagato do is our business, not yours"
"Well you know what, I think the time to tell you is now. That way he'll be all mine"
"What are you talking about?"
"Its about your fam…"
Suddenly Konan's words where stopped by Nagato's footsteps. As he entered the room Konan went quiet, turning to look at him she changed her expression to a smile
"Oh Nagato your done already?"
"You only asked me to put baskets down, its not that hard"
"Come on then, lets eat. After you Nagato, I'll treat you to a good meal. After all the work you've done today you deserve it"
Nagato glanced at Shiv seeing her entire facial expression changed since he left the room, she looked like she was going to kill someone. Not wanting to ask while Konan was present he walked towards the room with the fish in it. Konan looked at Shiv and whispered
"You got lucky. I'll give you tonight, tomorrow I'll burst your bubble. I swear it"
Konan then followed behind Nagato towards the food leaving Shiv standing by the table. She couldn't believe what had happened, while Konan had always been a bit nasty in the past this time she was like an animal. Shiv suddenly lost her appetite knowing that she was in there but the thought of Nagato's smile calmed her down. Shiv couldn't help but wonder what Konan was going to say and what she meant by she only had tonight left. One thing was for certain though, she loved Nagato and he loved her and nothing would tear them apart.
Suddenly Shiv jumped up from the sofa, looking around her surroundings she saw that she was in Pein's home. Swinging herself round she sat up right and looked at the time on the nearby clock. Pein had been gone for four hours now, surely he must of found Itachi and Sasuke by now. Thinking of what to do to pass the time she stood up and left the living room giving in to her curiosity. Shiv had never considered that even while she stayed with Pein she never explored his home and while he was gone she thought it a prime time to explore. Going up the stairs she entered his bedroom and looked around, firstly seeing his bed followed by a few shelving units by the bed. She had never noticed these before and wanted to see what he was into. If anything.
Looking at the shelves she saw books amongst other documents, continuing her look around she saw his Akatsuki ring. Looking at symbol for Zero in its royal blue background she hadn't even noticed him not wearing it, next to his ring were a number of coins obviously some spare change. Turning from the shelves she saw a drawing unit on the other side of the room, coloured black with a metallic finish she walked over to it and opened the top draw, looking inside she noticed a number of pieces of jewellery.
"Wow Pein I didn't expect you to be the type" Shiv muttered sarcastically
Shiv continued to rummage through his draw and found all sorts of things, few things took Shiv's notice however but a number of necklaces caught her eye. Pulling the group out she looked at them, the first she saw was covered in rubies and sapphires. The next was covered in emeralds with a small pearl in the front, Shiv looked at it and smiled at the thought of Pein wearing such girlish necklaces. Looking at the others she saw another with diamonds and gold, one had Silver with a blue chain and the last was a simple necklace with a metal chain.
"Wow, what happened? This one looks tacky compared to the others"
Looking at it closer she saw the metal chain had a small wooden heart attached to it and instantly Shiv's eyes widened.
"What! This, this is the necklace I gave to… to"
Suddenly Shiv heard a bang from downstairs and she immediately pocketed the necklace, turning around she left Pein's bedroom and went to check what the noise was. Going downstairs she saw the living room door had been opened wider then she left it and moved towards the door. Looking in she saw the back of Pein and smiled
"Pein!"
Pein turned around to look at Shiv but his face didn't share her happiness, with his cold look he had blood over his face and his cloak had been torn in several places on his torso, seeing he didn't have his headband as well Shiv's expression dropped and she felt afraid of asking what had happed.
"Shiv… I'm, I'm so sorry"
Instantly Shiv knew what had happened and tears built up beneath her eyes, feeling them trickle down her face she fell to the floor in despair. Pein instantly moved to comfort her by knelling beside her and cuddling her as she wept, Pein started stroking Shiv's hair softly knowing that she was dying inside and that she could never really show how much the news really hurt. Barely able to talk Shiv lifted her head up and dared ask the question, but she couldn't. Pein knew she wanted to know and answered her unasked question
"Itachi, he killed Sasuke. Burnt his body completely. There wasn't anything left, I tried to stop the fighting by getting in the way of both of them, I tried to hold them both off but they where to determined to kill each other. Sasuke knocked me down when I was focused on Itachi and then Itachi took advantage of the distraction, it was a point blank hit. He was incinerated, it was too quick to be painful, but Itachi did…"
Pein stopped talking seeing that it wasn't helping Shiv, but knowing what happened was exactly what she needed to hear. Wiping the tears from her face she looked up once more and attempted to speak
"What… What happened, to eh… to Itachi?"
"He barely survived himself, after Sasuke was killed he collapsed due to using up all his chakra. He was badly beat up himself though, at the moment he's in the Hidden Rain hospital. I took him there and then came back as soon as I could"
"How badly beat up did he get?"
"Eh, a broken arm, bad cuts and gashes across his chest and back. Cuts across his face and a dislocated foot. All that and his drain of chakra he's lucky to be alive"
"How quick was…"
"Extremely, he didn't feel it"
"What about before that though, was he beat up like Itachi?"
"Not as much but he was getting tiered quickly, he had a few cuts and bruises over his body but otherwise he was in perfect health. It was the element of surprise and Itachi's speed that did it"
"How long did it take to find them?"
"Almost instantly, they where right where you said. They hade already been fighting for about two hours and then I joined in. When I entered the building they both stopped and we all exchanged words"
"What did you say?"
"Eh well when I entered the room they instantly stopped, albeit quite a distance from each other but we spoke. I started by say I was here to stop them from killing each other and then Itachi just replied with "Because she wants you to?" Sasuke then asked who she was and I answered. His reaction was nice to see and would of made you happy. He smiled. He then said that now he had more of a reason to win this fight, but I said that you wanted both of them alive. The rest was more of an argument between the two of which one you loved more and Itachi just said that he would kill Sasuke and then me to keep you. I said I would stop them both from killing each other causing Sasuke to say he would kill me to get to Itachi. After that the three way fight started"
"I understand. I just need time"
"Of course. Look stay here for the time being, Itachi is currently in hospital and with Sasuke… I don't want you on your own, especially after what's happened"
"Thank you. Can I go upstairs? I want to lay down"
"Yeah sure, I'll go you something to eat"
"No thanks I'm not very hungry. I just want to think things over"
"Okay, listen if you need anything just ask"
"Sure, and thank you again"
"No problem"
Shiv lifted herself off the ground and stood up, Pein did the same and stood up with her. Together they left the living room and went upstairs, entering the bedroom Shiv sat on the left side of the bed and lifted her legs up on to it. Pein walked around and sat on the other side, once down he removed his cloak and threw it to the side. Turning to look at Shiv he noticed her hand in her pocket.
"I know it's not the best thing to ask but, are you okay?" Pein asked
"I'm fine"
Shiv pulled her hand out of her pocket with the necklace in her palm. Her grasped hand caught the eye of Pein.
"What you got a hold of?" Pein asked looking at her hand
"Actually I was going to ask you about this. I found this today and I wanted to ask where you got it"
Shiv opened her hand and revealed the necklace. Pein's face changed as he looked upon it.
"That's, that's an old necklace. I got that from, from someone special. Why?"
"It just I made a necklace like this as a child to someone very dear to me, it just looks like the one I made"
"Well I will admit, the person that made this was called Shiv. But she's dead. Has been for years"
"I gave it to my friend, he was very special to me too and he's dead"
"I'm sorry to hear that, anyway can I have it back. it's the only thing I have left from her"
"Sure"
Shiv handed the necklace to Pein and once in his grasp he clenched it tightly.
"Means a lot to you I take it?" Shiv asked
"Yes, she gave me the necklace the day before she left"
"Oh, why did she leave?"
"She was found out trying to kill me"
"Wow, I left my home and friend the day after I gave him the necklace too, another person that we stayed with tried to kill me, after admitting to killing my parents"
"That's horrible. I'm sorry"
"Its okay, I just wish I were able to of said goodbye, I loved him dearly. I guess I still do"
"How did he die?"
"I don't know, I just know he is. I've seen his grave stone"
"Hmm I never stopped loving her. Even when I was shown proof of her betrayal I never stopped"
"And she was called Shiv?"
"Yes, ironic isn't it?"
"Well yeah considering what I was brought here for originally"
"Hmm"
"How long did you know her for?"
"Oh ten, eleven years I think"
"Wow. I've known my friend as long as I can remember, I'd say the same. About ten years"
"What was his name?"
"His surname I could never pronounce but his name was Nagato"
Pein's face suddenly dropped. Things where to strange to be accidents or coincidence.
"I don't mean to sound insensitive but are you playing games with me?" Pein asked
"What do you mean?" Shiv asked back
"What I mean is that Nagato is my name"
"Huh. What do you mean that's your name?"
"As in Nagato is my name. Nagato Uzumaki"
"That's not possible. That's my friends name"
"Oh really I thought you couldn't remember his surname"
"I said I couldn't pronounce it, not that I didn't remember it"
"What are you trying to say, that your Shiv. The same Shiv from my childhood?"
"I didn't say that. Besides who's to say that your not pretending to be my Nagato. Other then this necklace I found I haven't found a single thing that proves that you're him"
"This necklace was given to me the day before she left, in the entrance to our cave hideaway"
"Who told you that?"
"No one because I am Nagato!"
"I don't believe that your him. The man that brought me here to rape, the one who's changed my body. My Nagato wouldn't do that"
"Well if your really telling the truth then I am!"
"I don't believe you!"
"Your Shiv. Oh my god! I can't believe it!"
"Stop it, your not my Nagato!"
"Why would I lie? What would I have to gain?"
"I don't know, you're the leader of the Akatsuki, I was brought here to be used originally. Maybe your plan was to get information from me so you looked up on my history"
"Don't be ridiculous! I still can't believe it. You're alive!"
"I said stop it, I wont believe you. There's no proof"
"Wait you said before that you go to a grave. Is it the one on the hill by the pond?"
"…"
"Well?"
"You've been stalking me"
"No I haven't. I know because its me, hell I put that grave stone there myself"
"How dare you disrespect my friend. I love him"
"Look I can prove it, just bare with me and I'll tell you… Please"
"Fine, if you really can prove it then I'll listen but I'm warning you that I remember everything exactly as it happened so I'll know if you're lying"
Pein and Shiv sat together on the bed as Pein began to talk, he couldn't believe his eyes. Shiv, the girl from his childhood and his lifelong love had been returned to him. While Shiv herself didn't want to except that Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki and her rapist was the Nagato from her childhood a small part of her wanted it to be true as she knew that she loved him still.
End of Chapter 6
Animal Path Saga