Chapter Thirteen: Betraying My Paramour

It was a difficult night, a difficult night that began with a photo being placed glass down towards the foyer table. It seemed like Kaeda would not have another word of it. Not one, not a single one. Sasuke stared at her in silence as the eleven year old and the fifteen year old had a head to head battle of wits and words. Before he could even move a muscle Kaeda was shouting, "Do I look done young man for you to dare to try to walk away?" She asked. Sasuke's muscles relaxed. His eyes did not move from her. "Now, go to bed and we are not going to discuss this matter again, is that clear?"

Sasuke scoffed and ran off. Kaeda crossed her arms and watched him go. She held his house key in hand and went into the kitchen shaking her head and started boiling some water. It was two in the morning and Sasuke had just come back from training. She put the key in the pocket of her nightgown. Kaeda contemplated what she was going to do with his obscene behavior. When the pot of water began to whistle, Kaeda removed it from the stove and turn off the fire. She set the water aside and got her tea and prepared her own tea bag in order for her to make her tea.

She recalled I said that Sasuke was such a well-mannered boy who was so eager to please and did nothing out of line. "The perfect little brother" Sasuke had been dubbed by me while working in ANBU and "the perfect little demon" Kaeda had dubbed him by raising him… or at least attempting to. She wondered if this unbearable and unbridgeable gap between them was because of their relationships with me. She knew she had to ask but she also thought that giving him some space was the best.

Confused and disoriented about the matter Kaeda poured herself the cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table. She wondered what I was doing and what advice I would have given her before reality sank in. "I'd advise me to kill him…" She whispered under her breath. Her whole body shivered from head to toe. The sensation was unbelievably cruel and brought with it the everlasting essence of my hand wrapped around her throat and brought forth thousands of better-suppressed memories.

Let go, so many had told her. As if she could. Even then, she barked at threats and wagged her tail for treats. She was the perfect little dog which now makes it seem totally appropriate that Kisame calls her pet but before these characteristics but no one in Konaha caught the resemblance. She fell asleep at the table and woke up right at sunrise when the light peek into the window and struck her eyes. She raised her head and looked out the window. She looked towards the door of the room and saw Sasuke standing there.

He was fully dressed in a navy blue shirt and black pants. His hair was slightly messy meaning that he was tossing and turning last night. His black eyes were downcast, looked to get for a moment and then back down. "I want to go get some flowers and lay them on the stone today. And I wanted to say sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to worry you." He whispered his eyes flickering between her and the floor as he apologized.

Kaeda sighed and stood up and headed towards him. She took his hand and gave him his key back. "Let me get dressed into something appropriate and we'll go ok?" Sasuke nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. Kaeda went to her room and changed into a black skirt and could not for the life of her find a black shirt. She sighed and settled with a deep navy shirt. She was about to pin up her hair as usual but stopped. She looked at the daisy pins and thought that wearing them to where they were going was not appropriate. She sighed and left her hair down for the day. She came out to the kitchen and looked at Sasuke eating some precut tomatoes.

He looked like he was caught with his hands up a girl's skirt. His eyes had widened and his jaw nearly dropped at with shock when he saw her and let alone with her hair down and not with those sentimental pins in her hair. She was just laughing at him before his silly antics, and for once they both looked their age, they looked like teenagers. "Ready when you are." She said and Sasuke nodded finished chewing the bite that was in his mouth and put the rest back into the refrigerator. She smiled at him as he approached her.

Sasuke made the turn out of the kitchen and towards the door of the apartment. Kaeda was close behind him and nearly walked out along with him but stopped and went to the foyer table and put the picture back up. It was the picture of Sasuke and our family and she smiled at it as it stood beside a picture of Sasuke and herself. As the smile continued to linger onto her face she continued to walk out of the apartment and closed the door behind them.

That night the rain had stopped, a rare occurrence for the village and the young man had taken advantage of it. He was out and had not returned for a few hours without fear or worry that the masked man would attempt his invasion again. When he came back Kaeda was awake and reading one of his books again on his bed. Her brown eyes looked up at him.

"Hello." She greeted him. He said nothing, simply hung his cloak onto the coat rack and went over to his desk and looked at the calendar. He heard her stand and walking over to him. Her hand was placed on his arm. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You dying would be messy." Itachi said.

"Thank you anyway." She whispered. Itachi looked over at her and nodded. "And I'm sorry for being an emotional baby when on the medication." She patted his shoulder and went back to the bed. Itachi looked at her shocked that she remembered. He sighed and simply grabbed one of his books and started reading however the silence of his room was short lived as Kisame burst into the room.

Kaeda nearly fell out of the bed and Itachi nearly fell out of his seat. Kisame marched into the room and pointed a finger at Itachi and smirked. "How many lovers have you had?"

"Why must you know?"

"I'm proving to our lovely blonde artist that you are in fact very popular among the ladies. Oh, and she" he thrust his thumb in Kaeda's direction, "does not count." Kaeda was taken aback; she would have been insulted if she was actually one of his lovers. Even though Itachi explained why he called her lover she could not agree to it.

"All of them?" Itachi asked, a hint of distaste in his tone.

"All of them." Kisame said.

Itachi sighed and put his book on the desk before he started a mental count. Kaeda sat up on the bed and put her book aside as well. "Eight." Kaeda looked dumbfounded, her eyes widened and she stared at the Uchiha.

"Eight?" Kisame asked, "I thought it was more."

Itachi lowered his head. "Must we discuss my lovers in front of her?"

Kisame sneakered a bit and looked back at Kaeda. "And you, pet? Other than him of course."

"None." That was more shocking to the both of them. "Well…" she seemed like she was thinking about it, "yeah, none."

Kisame laughed and strolled out of the room as if he had just uncovered the world's greatest joke. Itachi wondered if he knew the truth would laugh even harder or less than he was now. He shook his head and turned back to Kaeda. "None?"

"Too busy with your brother." Kaeda nearly snapped at him. She was annoyed by this whole ordeal. "What's with you men and boasting anyway about how many lovers you have had, how many women you have had sex with and how amazing you are? It's appalling." She stood and went to the window at looked out of it.

She heard him sigh and walked until he was beside her. "You must have had a boyfriend at least."

Kaeda laughed. "Yes, who broke up with me because I took care of your brother and was once your subordinate and another who I broke up with because he didn't respect me at all." She glanced back at him. "I had no time for dating and every relationship I nearly got into, I destroyed. I made friends with Sasuke's teachers and a few other shinobi and that was all I could manage until I stepped down in rank." She said. "And it seems like you have all the time in the world if you can have eight lovers." She said, turning to face him.

Itachi couldn't help but smirk at that. "Jealous?" He asked.

"No, it's gross to think of you having sex." She said and jabbed his chest with her finger. "You were thirteen yesterday." He laughed at that.

"You're still thirteen in here," He said and poked her forehead. Kaeda stared at him, eyes wide and he gawked back, terrified of what he had just done.

"Captain?" She whispered, unable to help herself.

"Captain?" A voice whispered to me. I shot up from my seat and realized I had fallen asleep at my desk. It was six in the morning and I had gone in five hours before. I looked at Kaeda who was looking at me, worried. I had just gotten my assignment, I was very stressed and her eyes that were filled with concern where not helping me.

Itachi's hand reached up and cupped her face. "Don't call me that." He whispered. "Your captain died the night of that massacre." His eyes searched hers hoping they would find some understanding.

"No, you didn't." She whispered back. Itachi and Kaeda stared at each other before the tore apart and putting themselves on opposite ends of the room.

Itachi glanced over at his bed, Kaeda was surely asleep by how little she was moving. He closed his eyes and thought, temptation struck him and then he resisted. It came to him again and he shook his head and desperately tried to preoccupy his mind.

His back slid slightly down the chair as he closed his eyes and began to reminisce about her and the team. I sat in the seat as the other crowded around me. To my right was Keada. Then Youhei and Isako stood behind me. Finally Taiyo positioned himself to my right. This was the picture we all had as a team. All of us where give a copy and took it home, framed it, kept it close, showed it off and in my case… I kept it on my desk. I could still remember how Youhei took Kaeda's files and drove her crazy as she tried to find them. We all laughed and had a good time. I remembered everything that was absolutely gone. I remembered the mask on the girl's face and the shocked face that laid beneath it once it was removed.

I remembered the tears that where there, the pain and the agony and how cruel our childhood years were. Even though I remembered everything oh so clearly, the thing that I remembered the most was her face each and every time we lost someone. In ANBU we were not supposed to feel, the safety of the village could not allow for such a thing, however… she… she was the most emotional.

What would it have been like if my family had not put themselves in that sort of position that measures wouldn't be taken against them? Would I have continued in ANBU? Would they have lived? What would Kaeda have done? What would Sasuke have been like? I wonder… I wonder… if maybe instead of this blood soaked mess it would have been a picnic on the river side with the team on a lazy Sunday. I wonder… oh, and how I wish.

Kaeda groaned as she shifted in his head. "Itachi…" She whispered. He sighed and went over to her.

"Kaeda, wake up." She opened her eyes slowly. "Take your medication before you go to sleep."

"No, I don't like it. I get really emotional on it." She whispered, groggy from sleep. He sighed and helped her sit up.

He opened the bottle and took out two pills. He handed them to her and poured her a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand. "Here," He said and handed it to her. She took it and downed the pills and took a few gulps of the water. She set the glass down and looked up at him.

"Itachi…" She whispered. He cocked an eyebrow asking his question without words. "Why don't you let me go outside of this room?"

"You know why." He answered simply. She cocked her to the side. "Because everyone out there is dangerous. They could kill you if they saw you out. You're an enemy ninja, have you forgotten?" She sighed and sank down from her upright position.

"Am I an enemy ninja in your eyes?"

Itachi was silent for a moment, "No." The truth slipping from his lips, Kaeda stared at him not sure what to think of that, she slowly felt herself losing control, the drugs taking over and her emotions slowly being amplified. She reached out and held his hand. He looked back at her and felt her forehead. "Kaeda sleep, or try to. The drugs are taking effect aren't they?" She nodded.

He nodded back and slid his hand from her forehead to her eyes and covered them, letting her drift in and out of sleep slowly from the shadow that was cast. Itachi sat beside her and looked down and kissed her forehead. "Good night Itachi…" She muttered softly, her hand reaching up and cupped his cheek. He nodded, his hands preoccupied, one on her face the other holding her other hand. Once she was finally sound asleep, he stood, however his will betrayed him and he sat back down. He looked at her, exhausted.

He sighed and went out into the hallway and waited the door, wide open. As soon as Kisame entered the hallway, Itachi called out to him and the shark man came over to him. "Babysit for a moment?" Itachi asked.

Kisame laughed, "Of course, I'll babysit your favorite pet." He said. "Should I close the door or…?" Before he could finish the questioned Itachi was walking out of the hallway. "I'll take that as the or…" Kisame said with a smirk.

"Brother! Brother! Big brother!" I was sore, everywhere. I had never trained so hard in my life, and I was about to go to round two today. I looked to the kitchen and Sasuke ran out and wrapped his small arms around my neck. "Brother how was your first days as captain?!" He asked cheerfully.

"Good, little brother." I said. "The team and I are going to train again today." His eyes widened slightly.

"Can I come with you, brother?" I laughed slightly.

Without even thinking about it, I poked his forehead. "Sorry Sasuke, maybe some other time." I said and an inevitable smile lit my face.

Itachi was sitting in the corner of a small traditional Japanese café. His eyes were closed, a cup of green tea and a plate of dangos and listened to the people coming and going. "Young man." He opened his and was shocked to see the old woman who had sold him his necklace. "I remember… I remember you."

"Please, sit ma'am." He said, courteously. The old lady shook her head.

"Tell me young man… tell me, are those two important people closer to you?" She asked, weakly, age had changed her.

Itachi shook his head no, "I don't know how... the three of us have change so much…"

The old woman smiled. "Young man, the truth usually clears all of these changes, it gets to the core of people." She whispered. Itachi chuckled slightly. "Is something the matter?" She asked gently.

"No… I'm just so used to being wise… Thank you for your wisdom."

"You are young… the world will still shock you." She said with a warm smile.

Kaeda opened her eyes and found the same grey speckled ceiling however when she looked around it wasn't the same room and this caused her panic. When she got up to open the door she managed to open it right up, no seal, no nothing keeping her in. She poked her head out of the room looked to the left, right and then left again. No one.

It was too easy. It was too easy for the little puppy to get out of her cage and start searching around, not knowing the dangers that lay around. Just as the turned the corner out of the hall way, Kisame turned the corner on the other side of the hallway. He went to his room and opened the door and nearly dropped his things when he saw Kaeda missing. "This should be interesting… Damn pet."

The girl walked through the base, cautiously, using her training. She wasn't the type for gentle and stealthy missions, but she did what she could. She bypassed the common room and found herself at a set of stairs. Kaeda began an upward journey. She immediately felt the change in air, the shift could have brought a gennin to his knees. However, this only made the kunoichi more curious and she stepped forward, going up the stairs.

Eyes were on her and she knew it. Kaeda froze in her steps, who was watching? There was no presence around her just… this overwhelming sensation of being watched. She shook it off almost immediately and took a few steps forward. She reached a long hallway with a door at the end. Her feet guided her to the door and she pressed her ear against the door. Her hands pressed against the wood beside her head. Chakra began to emit from her fingers and through the door. What she sensed was incredible; behind that door was a huge and massive room. She couldn't help herself but to investigate further. She slowly turned the door knob and opened the door.

Coffins, six of them. Six coffins lined on the walls perpendicular to the door. The faces of the bodies were covered the bodies cloaked in the Akatsuki uniform. She approached the first to the left of her, "Naraka…" She whispered and looked behind her. "Deva…" It clicked in her head almost immediately. Maybe, history wasn't a useless subject after all. Kaeda swallowed back, her throat had shut up to the point that it made an audible gulp. Just then the Deva coffin began to move. She jumped and pressed herself on the Naraka coffin. The body from the changed coffin sat up, since the head was now liberated.

Dared she believe that rinnegan was staring back her, dare she believe that the Sage of Six Paths was in the Akatsuki? She began to shake, the pressure of the chakra was nothing before, now… now it made her tremble in fear. She could not believe it even when the grey eyed man looked into her eyes. "How… did you get in here?"

She couldn't breathe let alone answer. She heard the swish of someone entering the room of moving in front of her. She didn't snap out of it until she noticed the blue skin. She looked up. "Pardon the pet, Leader. We left the gate open and she ran off like a bad dog." He said with a small smirk.

The leader did not speak for a long time, "Tell Itachi to fix this or I fix it." He said and laid back down.

"Yes, Leader." Kisame moved himself, wrapped his arm around Kaeda's waist and lifted her up off of her feet like before, dragging her away. He rushed her down the stairs and practically shoved her onto the couch of the common room. Kaeda tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. She felt like she was just dunked in frozen water and continued to tremble. Kisame smirked, "Didn't Itachi warn you about the dangers? You knew little pet… he warned you. He's not going to be happy when he comes back."

"B-But…"

"No buts, pet. You are going straight back to his room and you will tell him yourself and you will tell him what Leader said." Kisame said with a small smirk across his face.

"Why?" Kaeda asked, going from shaken to agitated.

"Because it'll just make you look more like a dog." Kisame said a full blown smirk on his face. With a speed that Kaeda had not summoned since she was an ANBU she had her fist blazing with chakra and against the fishman's guts with enough force to send him across the room.

"I am not a dog. I am not Itachi's dog!" Kaeda was now standing on her own two feet. She had never felt this angry in a really long time. "I have never been Itachi's dog, nor will I ever be. And if you call me a pet or dog one more time…" She glared at Kisame who was standing upright just a few feet away, "I'll kill you." Her voice was grim, and unlike her.

Kisame laughed. "Oh, what's this? You've come out of your shell…" Without realizing it, Kaeda began using one of Sasuke's mannerism when he was angry. She tilted her head back at to the side as she continued to glare at Kisame, "pet." He finished.

Kaeda's chakra flared and she went in for another punch and Kisame seamlessly reached back and brought down his sword. However, neither blow was dealt as a hand grasped Kaeda's fist and another Kisame's wrist.