Chapter Fourteen: A Stranger Truth

Sasuke had thrown a fit, an internal fit but a fit none the less that Kaeda saw right through. What a headache… She thought as she walked back home for the night. She had been seeing someone, someone that little Sasuke did not like. Arrogant asshole Sasuke had described him. Kaeda had just broken up with him, because as usual she put the boy before herself. He had pleaded with her not to, that it shouldn't matter what the boy thought and that the boy was not as important as herself. Kaeda had not taken his words to heart and left him there.

The journey home was long and dreadful and coming home was like breathing fresh air. The apartment was dark and Kaeda assumed that Sasuke was asleep. She dropped her keys on the little table beside the door and fixed the pictures that were arranged there before going further into the apartment. She peeked her head through Sasuke's door and noticed that he was dead asleep, however he was laying above the covers. A sigh escaped her lips as she entered the room. She grabbed a light blanket that was in his closet and threw it over him.

She left the room, gently closing the door as to not make any noise. She was thankful that tomorrow was the weekend and she didn't have a mission, this meant that she could sleep in and not make Sasuke breakfast early in the morning. A smile played on her lips as she entered her own room and discarded her shoes onto the floor. They would wake up around noon and make breakfast together; this romanticized thought made her smile as she fell back onto her bed. More pleasant ideas and images ran through her head before she fell asleep, worry free despite what had happened just an hour before.

However, that very morning, she did not sleep as much as she wanted to. Instead, she was awoken by knocks on the door. She groaned and got up and realized she was still in her clothes from last night. She changed her pants into black leggings before answering the door, leaving her shirt from the night before. A gasp left her mouth at who she saw. "Takuya…" She whispered as her ex-boyfriend stood in front of her. She rubbed her eyes groggily as placed a bouquet of red rose in front of her. "Takuya…" This time his name came out as a whine.

"I will not let you go that easily, Kaeda." She took the flowers from him but did not move from the door way. "Your parents were right, you know." Her lungs felt as if they stopped working, no air coming into her body as her eyes widened at that sentence. "Sasuke, is not your responsibility. Especially because you feel obligated to because of your relationship with that traitor," If he had been more attentive he would have noticed the hairs on her arms starting to stand and that Sasuke had just opened his bedroom door. "You aren't his lieutenant or subordinate anymore. You shouldn't relinquish your freedom as a person because of him. Plus, Sasuke's of the Uchiha clan, that clan creates geniuses, he'll be fine on his own."

By the time he finished his spiel Kaeda was radiating her golden yellow chakra. "Get. Out." She snapped.

"What?" He said, "Is it not true?" His body locked up as he saw the boy, staring at him with black yet blazing eyes. If he had reawakened the sharingan and had obtained the mangekyou at that point he would have had him in tsukuyomi and tormenting him for an unnecessary amount of time.

Kaeda however, knocked the man out of that trace by grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and nearly lifted him into the air. "No it's not true! Would you have me leave a child on his own?! He was a boy!" She threw him back. The man stumbled back. "He might be eleven now, but what does that change? Were you ready to face the world when you were a child?"

"Why were you ready to give up your childhood at the age of 13?"

"My brother?" He smiled, "Oh, he is the perfect little brother." That grin on his face was a pure and genuine one.

Kaeda stared down at him, her eyes completely absent of any emotion her right hand slipped to her hips and she leaned her weight to her left leg. "Yes." She said. Sasuke noticed how much like an ANBU she looked like when she had that serious tone. How serious she was about what she had just said. "For a child I would, we are shinobi. Older, more experienced shinobi. We know what the world does to children like him. And I won't let that happen to him."

Red eyes glared into Kaeda's eyes and then back towards Kisame's eyes. The three of them stood perfectly still as Uchiha Itachi stood between them both. Kaeda removed her fist from its trajectory and Kisame removed his sword. However the glare between pet and partner did not stop. There was a sigh between them, Itachi glanced back and forth, and from using his sharingan he inferred what had occurred in the previous moments. Kaeda broke the glaring contest with the swordman as she was twisted around by Itachi.

"Go back to my room and don't leave." He glared at her, sharingan in his eyes.

Kaeda shot one last glare back at Kisame before walking off. Once she was out of earshot Kisame smirked. "She's quiet amusing."

Itachi dared to lay mangekyou sharingan on him. "Kisame, remember that day we first met?" Kisame smirked again.

I was sitting at the edge of the dock, comfortably. It was peaceful, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the seagulls crying out overhead and the wind passing through the trees of the mountain behind me. I heard footsteps descending the steps that lead from the dock to the temple. I didn't move though, I didn't want to. I wanted to enjoy what was given to me for a moment. Enjoy what I could, the solitude, the peace, before everyone from that temple was relocated back to the Rain Village.

The footsteps became to scoff on the ground towards the end as they approached me and I closed my eyes. So much for momentary peace. I thought. "I'll be teaming up with you from now on." I looked behind me and spotted the blue skinned man approaching me. I knew him well from the ANBU Bingo Book, "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, formerly of the Hidden Mist," I didn't move from my position. I continued to allow my posture to be aloof even in this current situation, however I did move my head further back to get a good look at him, "and an ex-member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen." Yes, I know you well. My head whispered and recited his crimes. "Pleased to meet you."

He was now standing beside me, his eyes out towards the water and mine up towards him. "And you are Uchiha Itachi, formerly of the Hidden Leaf. I've heard the rumors… You slaughtered all of your fellow Uchiha clansmen." The image of my parents and Shisui ran into my head. I looked from him to out into the horizon. I was not in the mood to remember, not right now. However, it seemed like everywhere I went, I would always be reminded. "I understand you well. That's the reason why I decided to team up with you in Akatsuki. The sensation that comes from killing your comrade is indescribable, isn't it, Itachi?"

Vile. My head shouted."You talk a lot." I responded instead. "You may know a lot about me, but what about yourself? You got lost in the mist and ended up here. You're just a thug who can't figure out where to go. Isn't that so?" I asked. I could feel the atmosphere around us changing. I had angered him.

A sword was settled down above my shoulder. I heard movement in the water and without looking at it I could tell that it was sharks. "Do you want to know something interesting?" Kisame asked me. "Some sharks are ovoviviparous which means the eggs hatch inside the female's body, then are born. However, with some kinds of sharks the number of eggs that hatch don't match up with the number of pups born. Do you know why?" A moment of silence, I knew the answer but I wasn't going to say anything. "Cannibalism." He stated grimly and I closed my eyes again. "When the eggs hatch, the pups resort to cannibalizing their siblings in the mother's belly." I opened my eyes again long enough to see one of the sharks in the water dive down. "From the moment they are born, the fratricide begins. Other than itself, every other pup is fodder. From today, you and I belong to Akatsuki. Please be wary… of me." He said, gravely.

I closed and then opened my eyes again, the tomoe in my eyes swirled and connected to become my mangekyou. The chakra I was seeing was amplified. Every movement and every chakra around me seemed to be amplified by my sight. I didn't even have to turn my head to push back Kisame's menacing chakra. "That goes for you too." I emphasized.

He chuckled and I could sense the smirk coming across his lips.

Itachi and Kisame stared at each other. "Kisame…"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Itachi." He said. "She's just… the complete opposite of you." Itachi said nothing simply cocked an eyebrow at him. "Though you are both the same age and have gone through similar training you are both so drastically different. No matter what situation you are in you are always stone cold, she's so easy to pick on."

"Well don't, I won't be responsible for what injuries befall you. She might be emotional but she still ex-ANBU and she is one of the strongest people when she wants to be." Itachi said and turned on his heels. He walked away up the stairs and towards his room. When he got there the door was wide open and sitting on his bed was Kaeda sitting there with her arms and legs crossed stubbornly. She might actually be a dog; she had the opportunity to run but did as told instead…

Itachi placed his hand on the door before glaring softly at her. "Sorry." She whispered to him and her stance began to visibly relax. "Sorry, I caused a mess." She whispered. Itachi didn't say another word, simply closed the door behind him and took off his cloak. "K-Kisame said I should tell you what happened?" He seemed to ignore her so she continued. "I-I want to tell Konaha that the leader of Akatsuki is the Sage of the Six Paths!" She said standing and caused Itachi to freeze in his place.

"What did you say?" Itachi asked turning to face her and she sat down from the pressure of his eyes.

"I saw him, Itachi." She said her body felt heavy and she couldn't even shake from anxiety. He started walking towards her and she backed up onto the bed. "Itachi… get away from me." She whispered, scared. He grabbed her closest ankle and ripped her towards him, forcing her back to slide against the bed. At nearly the same speed as him, she reached up and grabbed his neck, trying to choke him. His eyes began to turn red. She released his neck, closed and covered her eyes.

"Kaeda open your eyes… now." He hissed his order down at her. His hands rested on either side of her head as she desperately tried to hide her face into the surface of the bed. Kaeda shook her head. "Now!" He shouted down at her which he had never done before. His deep, demanding, authoritative voice startled her and she curled up into a ball underneath him. I wasn't angry at her, if I was in her place I would have done the same. However, I knew very well what Leader would say. Fix it or I will fix it. His version of fixing things entailed blowing up half a village and imploding other things. Neither sounded like a good and reasonable option. I would fix it. I had to fix it.

He kept on repeating her name and telling her to open her eyes. However, after a while since it wasn't working. He grasped her chin and forced her face to face his and she grasped his hand trying to push him away. Itachi got on the bed and straddled her. Having that support to stay up he used his free hand to try to pry one of her eyes open. Kaeda however took immediate measures to fight against him. Her hands shot up from his wrist and towards his eyes. The struggle on the bed continued as Itachi quickly snatched both her hands and forced them down on the bed besides her head.

Itachi leaned down his lips near her ear. "Kaeda, this is a pointless struggle open your eyes." He said. Kaeda started crying underneath him. "You can't remember Kaeda, it would make you a liability and Leader does not like… liabilities."

"Why did you do this to me?" She asked. "Why? Why? Why?" She begged for the answer. The silence filled the room, however Kaeda was quick to combat it. "You should have not talked to me the day of the massacre, you shouldn't have made me worry about you, you should have killed me, you should not have made me worry about Sasuke, you shouldn't have come to Konaha, you shouldn't have made me worry about Sasuke again, you shouldn't have taken me. You should not have kept me alive for this long. Itachi, please just stop this." Kaeda begged.

Itachi watched her break down. "Kaeda, open your eyes." He said again.

"Why? I will not betray Konaha, I will not do what you have done." She said. He began to twist her hands, a yelp coming out of her mouth. "I will not open my eyes."

"We'll see about that." He muttered under his breath, recomposing himself. After hearing her declaration he knew that this was just another mission. Take care of the coup. Now, it was something else, however a mission with stakes just as high, Fix it. He tried to image what would happen if Kaeda got out, got to Konaha, opened her mouth. The thought made him add more pressure onto her wrists. Would she even make it that far before Pein kills her? No was the probable answer. He would annihilate her by any means necessary before she even stepped a foot outside of this building.

Kaeda tried not to scream as he nearly broke her wrist. She desperately tried not to open her eyes. She didn't want to forget, this information could save the village from further invasions of the Akatsuki like Itachi's and Kisame's. She wanted to scream out against this man who was holding her back. She tried to shake her head out of his grasp but it would not happen. He gave one final twist which broke her wrist causing her to yelp out in pain again and open her eyes just enough for Itachi's sharingan to take effect. His hand that held her face cradled the back of her neck to support her head as he erased hours worth of memories from her mind, replaced them with a genjutsu to make it seamless.

Her head was slowly rested back. Itachi looked down at her, once he realized what position they were in he quickly got off of her. I'm getting in too deep with her again. Itachi put a blanket over her and left the room, locking it behind him. He immediately went to Pein's room. He simply knelt in front of the door after knocking. "I have corrected the error. It will not happen again." He said before leaving. He stopped in front of his door and realized what horrible mistake he had done. He had completely discarded his Uchiha mask for her. He trust her again. He was becoming her captain again. He looked onto someone with genuine worry and concern. He yelled at someone, fought with someone over their own well being. Itachi took a step back, reevaluating everything.

As his thoughts ran rampant in a matter of a moment, his mask and walls were brought back up this time mightier than ever. He would not allow those event that to happen again. He would smother out the man he was for the umpteenth time. Can I actually fully kill that Uchiha Itachi this time?

After altering her memories, the dynamic between the two went back to normal. Itachi had put into the genjutsu how a bookshelf fell against her wrist and broke it. However, this silly thing had reduced him to having to bandage up her broken wrist. Kakuzu was out on a mission with his new teammate therefore was not in to heal her. Itachi sat on the bed, Kaeda knelt in front of him, her wrist in his lap as he made a makeshift cast for her. He looked up and noticed her confused expression.

"Did I do something wrong, while I was taking my meds?" She asked, Itachi didn't answer the question.

His inward battle was greater than ever, the struggle between thirteen year old Captain Uchiha Itachi and Akatsuki's Uchiha Itachi. The more he looked at her the more he felt complied to tell her everything. She deserved it, and he needed someone. What a contradiction… Itachi thought to himself as he looked at her face and wrapping the gauze around her hand, everything about this situation tells me to tell her nothing yet the only thing I want to do is tell her everything.

"Itachi? …Tachi?" He heard her voice call. "Ita-Ah!" Cold sweat started forming on his hands.

"What?" He asked his lips barely moving.

Her head tilted wondering why he was acting like he did when she first got there. What had changed? What reopened the gap between them? "Um… I was wondering if I could make you some tea. I-If you still like my tea that is." The Uchiha did not answer. He tied off the gauze and left the room. Kaeda stared at the door as he felt, confused and flustered. "C-captain?" She whispered.

Kaeda sighed and stood. She went over to the bookshelf that had been knocked down. She stared at it then at her hand. Anger and frustration built up in the brunette. She kicked it, she then went to the window and punched it the seal activating and applying twice the force back on her knocking her back, she looked at her hand that was now in worse pain. She stared at the window and thought of the day that Sasuke left… Itachi's kiss, the mere moment of bliss.

Tears began to flow down her face and she punched the window again with her bad hand this time, not letting the force throw her completely off of her feet. "Damn you… damn you, Itachi." After half an hour of beating herself up she fell back to the center of the room.

She would have probably caused sever microfractures to her wrist had it not been for Itachi's brace and cast made by gauze. Kaeda sat down in the center of the room, sobbing hysterically. Even when she heard the door open, she assumed that it was Itachi but no, it was Kisame. "What's wrong, pet? I can hear you crying from down stairs." She rushed up and threw her arms around his neck, Kisame looked shocked by this. He didn't hug her back just stood as cried. "What's wrong?" He asked with a slightly more serious tone.

"I-I miss him."

"Itachi? He'll be back soon? You really are like a –" before he could say the word dog Kaeda snapped at him getting off of Kisame and covering her ears.

"Not him, not that man, that's not the Itachi I know! My captain! Where is my captain?!" She asked trying to pull away only to have Kisame grab her.

"Deep breaths." He had seen this a million times before. Such a silly, loyal girl.

Kaeda breathed before she started to relax and her body becoming weak. Kisame searched her eyes, he had seen this so many times when the leaders of teams died, that sensation of being lost, lost in direction lost in everything. He wondered how long had she been feeling those feelings. How long had Kaeda been feeling lost and had told no one of it? How long had this sentinel pretend to still be made of steel when she had just been reduced to plain and flexible wire?

"What have you done, Itachi?" the sharkman wondered in a barely audible voice.

Itachi was out on the balcony just to sit and think. The rain was hard today and cold and felt like ice was brushing its edges against his skin. He closed his eyes and looked in towards himself, towards all he had been and all he currently was. After looking through his problem came ever clearer.

Before him stood a boy of merely thirteen years old, however this thirteen year old was dressed up in ANBU gear. "You've become problematic." Itachi whispered to the ANBU.

"I've become problematic? You've become forgetful." The ANBU said. "Do you remember why you didn't kill her? Do you remember the pain it caused you to think that you would completely eradicate whatever was left of the perfect team? You have forgotten how it was your dream to continue in ANBU with the other four, how for your one year anniversary you wanted to take them all on a trip to the river. They all died one by one in your hands and your only last thread of happiness outside of your family, one of the only four people in the world that treated you like a normal person, was standing there before you that night… you can't kill her even if you wanted to.

"That's why you took her wasn't it? She is the last thing you have left of what could have been a normal life. A life without a massacre, a life where you and Sasuke could still be brothers and you and Kaeda could still be teammates." Older Itachi looked down at the ground. How true… He thought. I have forgotten all of those things. I've been very lonely haven't I? I was selfish and took her away, I had no other honest reason. I always think of Sasuke, everything that passes through my mind revolves around Sasuke. I have reacted on an instinctive impulse to have a companion, to have a lifeline to happiness. I have Kisame… but Kisame is Kisame. Kisame is not… Kaeda.

Itachi intertwined his fingers together and rested his elbows on the balcony's banister and rested his chin on top of his hands. He truly resembled Sasuke in this mannerism and inner most Uchiha was showing. Itachi was wondering how he had allowed himself he, who knew it was best to be open and sincere with ones feelings, allowed his feelings to get the best of him. The stranger truth isn't the reason why we got here… the truth behind that massacre. Just thinking of the word massacre made him feel as though an ocean of blood was pouring out of his hands. He shook his head to shake off the feeling. It's that I wasn't honest with myself. It explained his unusual and hard attitude he had towards her in the beginning.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he mentally punished himself. A cough hacked through his system, heavy mucus that refused to escape lingered in his throat. The answer was clear. I needed to tell her the truth. Itachi looked back within himself at the child ANBU. I will protect them both. The old life I wish I had, Kaeda. And the life I want for the future, Sasuke. Itachi sighed heavily feeling in the midst of his usually grim feelings a sense of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. He knew what he had to do. His teammate… he had to tell her the truth, it was yearning in him to do it so he would.

Itachi coughed again, heavier this time and he ignored it.

He left the banister and began walking towards the doors that lead back into the tower, however he didn't have a chance to open the door. Kisame opened it and looked right at the Uchiha.

"You broke her."