Mirror, mirror.
Silence is neither friend nor foe. It is a neutral force that is used by either side, both good and evil; it feeds both heartache and love, encouraging both emotions to flower and bloom. Silence fills the air when words are not needed; sometimes it appears when people cannot find the right words to say, their hearts yearning for the emotive prose that could possibly mend a broken heart or shattered bonds.
The cave had remained dark for what seemed like endless days, both shinobi were tired, their bodies battered and losing strength with each step they took. Yet despite their tattered forms and brief moments of emotional ineptness, they were determined to make it out of their hellish surroundings in one piece, to make it out together…even if neither dared to utter it aloud.
With every sound that graced their ears, Itachi and Reina would tense, their chakra automatically reaching out to each other, ready to battle what lay in the shadows. It was strange to be bound to someone, to feel their emotions swell in their chest and change as frequently as the weather; as the time passed their bond grew stronger to a point where they could sense the other's thoughts and intentions. Sometimes it was comforting to know that you were in someone's thoughts but sometimes those thoughts were not the affectionate and love driven thoughts that humanity strives for. Now and then those thoughts are dark and painted red from a long history of violence and bloodshed, a history that creeps after and haunts a person for life.
But it wasn't only their histories that were stained red.
Occasionally something would catch Itachi's eyes amongst the stagnant darkness; his eyes were not the only pair of orbs that glowed crimson amongst the shadows. Every now and again he would find Reina rubbing her eyes, in the brief moment that they shut and reopened her irises would flitter between their natural golden shade and a blood-red that matched his own perfectly. He thought he was hallucinating again, that his own superior eyes were deceiving him like they had further back in the cave, yet there she was, standing before him with eyes that resembled the brightest rubies.
In some strange way she reminded him of his mother and how she looked when her sharingan was alight; her eyes were not hardened by the harshness of reality, they still retained a softness to them, an inviting warmth that drew people to her like moths to the flame. It was rare that he witnessed his mother's sharingan in his younger years, but when he did her expression did not radiate the maternal love that often inhabited her raven like features. It wasn't exactly cold or stern like his father's, it was…solemn. It was as if she already knew the fate of the clan and the burden of which had been placed on his shoulders from the years of unneeded bloodshed and unrivalled ambition.
Reina had that same look on her porcelain features, despite their differences and his harsh words, she didn't look upon him with disdain as she should and this made him even more curious about the freckly kunoichi. Every now and again he would feel a sensation envelop his chest, he knew it was the doing of the indenture as he had grown accustomed to the fortified bond; it was normally conflicted confusion or doubt that would overwhelm his chest. Normally it would start like a dying ember it being fanned by the swirl of emotions that were flying about the young kunoichi's mind, her indecisiveness and longing laid out before him as if projected for all to see.
Itachi knew that whatever it was that blooming between the pair was unsafe, if one word of their brief 'affair', if one were to call it that, were to reach the ears of ambitious and tyrannical people, then who knew what lay on the treacherous road ahead of them. It would only take one utter and the Akatsuki and other rogues may seek her out to question her motives, and they are not exactly known for their kindness or warm-heartedness. Yet that was not the worst of scenarios; Itachi could only imagine what would happen if he were not there to protect her or intervene. He dared not think any further about the possible and metaphorical consequences; instead he focused himself on the path ahead, the said path beginning to edge out of the stagnant darkness.
Neither of them had eaten or even rested since their time at the inn and the acoustics of the cave amplified that fact; a low rumble would emit from their stomachs every now and again, the dull sound echoing ever so slightly yet neither complained. Reina knew that their hunger would only grow and worsen on their passage through Yomi; one supposed innocent mouthful of the deadly food would leave them trapped here for all eternity, bound by the food that dared to pass their lips. It was like planting the seed of death, the food would corrupt and murder slowly that before long, nothing would be left but a rotting corpse full of anguish and regret prior to being consumed by an inconsolable hatred.
But Reina was an optimistic individual, her determination had not been squashed by their tribulations, if anything the obstacles that they had overcome had made them stronger, perhaps not physically as both longed to rest, but most certainly mentally. Her Grandmother always told her to look for the silver lining around a dark storm-cloud or the radiant light at the end of a winding tunnel, and thankfully for Reina her luck was beginning to change. She thought her eyes were deceiving her, she put it down to the fluctuation of chakra that was being deposited to her eyes, yet there it was, right before their eyes.
The exit of the cave.
Reina sighed softly and smiled in relief, her cut lips twisting upwards; without thinking about her actions she turned to Itachi and threw her arms around his own tattered form, burying her face into his chest.
"Thank Kami." She murmured gratefully feeling a sense of reprieve flood her chest; Itachi stiffened at her touch, staring down at her apathetically, a single brow arched slightly yet despite not reacting he too was relieved to see the exit from the murky cave, his own chest starting to fill with respite. Coming to her senses Reina too stiffened, releasing the elder Uchiha and backing away avoiding his gaze before sweeping her matted locks behind her ear she walked on ahead, questioning her actions the entire time.
The exit of the cave edged nearer as the pair trundled along in silence, the light that flooded the gave growing brighter and more welcoming; breaking from her thoughts Reina sped up, breaking into a light jog as she headed towards the light.
But it wasn't what she expected.
Reina's eyes widened at what she saw, she had only read about this place in books and scrolls; Itachi crept up behind her, his breath falling upon her exposed skin, her shirt barely covering her pale form.
"What is it?" Itachi asked, his voice placid despite his concealed curiosity. Reina glanced over her shoulder, up at him, a small smile lighting up her face as she attempted to contain her excitement.
"Tentou no oashisu. Heaven's oasis. It's a sacred place of the Gods. They're said to bathe here to retain their divinity, the waters purifying and washing away any sins." Reina murmured softly, gazing down at the glistening pool; it wasn't the exit she expected but it was a way out of the cave no less. They stood at the verge of a steep hill, the path cascading downwards towards the cerulean waters; Yomi was nothing like she had expected it to be, she expected the land to be scattered with bones and eternal fires, not paradise like views and escapes.
Itachi admired the view silently, the light shining down on them with welcome arms however it wasn't only the pleasant vista that stole his attention; he found himself admiring the kunoichi before him. Despite her tattered and mud and blood splattered form she was still a beautiful young woman. Her beauty was not conventional for she resembled a porcelain doll, her youthful appearance disguising her wisdom; but she had caught his attention, a rare feat in itself, even when he and Kisame had found her on the brink of death in the forest she made him curious.
Hitori Reina intrigued him. She…enticed him.
"We're best camping here tonight; the oasis is protected so only the pure of heart may enter so we should be safe…" Reina murmured softly motioning to the faintest of glimmers that soared high above the oasis; a multitude of colours intertwining with one another as each individual shade blended with the next.
"A chakra field." Itachi replied as he eyed the force field in an almost conspicuous manner, inwardly deliberating whether the Gods themselves would permit the likes of him to enter their paradise. And there it was again, a familiar feeling of doubtful deliberation began to flutter around her chest; silently she gazed up at her dark haired companion, his face stony yet his eyes told her otherwise. She could feel his uneasiness and she yearned to embrace him without the persistent fear of rejection or dismissal that currently consumed them both.
"We should make haste, it's almost dark and there are worse things that reside in the dark than yourself Itachi-san." Reina spoke, breaking his train of thought with her gentle words; some may take it as an insult of their ability, yet he knew she meant it somewhat as a compliment, reinforcing the fact that she had the capability to look right through his façade even if she did not voice it aloud. He nodded, continuing on their journey; the terrain was the complete opposite to that of the cave, luscious sheaves of grass inhabited the sloping landscape, sporadic bundles of colourful wildflowers nestled amongst the blades of grass.
The pair edged nearer to the field and Itachi's pulse quickening ever so slightly; he watched Reina like a hawk as she took a small intake of air before stepping through the field with ease, the chakra warping over her pale skin like rain off an umbrella. She stood silently on the other side waiting for him to make his move, her golden eyes locked to his cocoa orbs as he prepared himself to take a seemingly leap of faith. The chakra field resembled a crowd of fireflies more so than ribbons of chakra, each separate speckle of life force harmoniously interacting with the next as they worked together to guard the beautiful utopia.
Itachi stepped forward, his face shrouded once more with a mask of fearlessness as he edged through the chakra field; the chakra field reacted hastily ushering over his entire body like a team of ANBU that has surrounded their target. Despite his muscles tensing he continued to push forward surprised how easily he passed through the battling phenomenon; Reina watched silently, her eyes not leaving his own battered form for even the briefest of moments. She held her breath unbeknownst to either of them, watching in awe as the particles continued to dance about him despite having passed through the force field. Itachi sighed inwardly, gazing at the waltzing particles in awe as they pirouetted about his hands as if dancing to their own rhythm before the fled from whence they came satisfied that he would not disrupt or endanger the sacred place. They were on uncharted territory, mere humans standing in the holy land of the Gods; they dared tread where no human had trodden before, but they were not disrespectful of the land they were trespassing on for both held the tales of the Kami's in high regard.
Reina watched rather entranced by the somewhat relieved expression that washed over the elder Uchiha's face; she couldn't deny to herself that he was indeed a handsome young man, yet it was the intensity of his eyes that fascinated her so much. He had seen so much with those eyes of his yet he kept his past experiences sealed under an intricately locked latch, they impenetrable to even the most talented of lock-pickers. She wished to know what he had seen, what he had experienced in his years upon the earth; but most of all…she wished him to be happy. Reina could feel his heartache and shrouded guilt that he kept so well hidden from the world, and she knew he knew this yet he continued to fight against her, to push her away like a stray animal when all she wanted to do was comfort him and help him in any way she could.
If only her Grandmother could see her now, silently fawning over Uchiha Itachi, why she would be swooning over him as well; this made Reina chuckle softly to herself regardless of her situation. Reina remembered that her Grandmother would occasionally mention Itachi when she was younger often praising him on his ability and prowess with his kekkai genkai; but that was not the only thing she would often speak about. Tomo would often lament how he failed to experience life as a child and not a ninja, how he lacked the warmth of a family despite constantly surrounded by his kin. Reina did not quite understand it as a child, to her he was constantly around his family, around Sasuke…
"Do not dwell on things that do not concern you Reina-chan." Itachi interjected his once placid face now stern accentuating the frown lines beneath his sleep deprived eyes; Reina merely stared at him forlornly too physically exhausted to rebel against him and voice her opinion. Instead she simply continued down the flower ridden path occasionally letting her fingers graze over the passing petals cautiously, careful not to disrupt them too much; Itachi followed diligently on her heels curious as to why the young kunoichi was thinking about him in such a manner when she should be repulsed and angered with him- it purely added to his inquisitiveness.
The shore of the oasis came into sight, the ground littered with glittering white sand that surrounded the entire perimeter of the water; the water practically called out to the tattered and blood ridden pair goading them to bathe away their aches and pains. Above the cerulean waters a majestic waterfall bled into the oasis causing the water to slosh and ripple; the oasis was secluded, it more of a cove than an open space, but neither cared, it was a place for them to rest and recuperate from the trials of their journey.
Reina gazed about with awe struck across her china like features she had never seen something so beautiful in all her days, if only somewhere like this existed outside of Yomi for she would never leave if there was- it would be her place to escape. Itachi too admired the scenery it having been a while since he witnessed something so striking within Mother Nature's realm; but the light over the land was beginning to fade and they needed to keep warm, for he doubted they would be close enough to one another to replenish their body heat.
"You find something to eat and I'll start a fire." Itachi murmured, setting down the damned katana in place for a rickety stick. Reina turned and glanced briefly at him before she too began collecting firewood.
"We cannot eat any food of this land. If we do we will be imprisoned for eternity, our bodies rotting beyond recognition." Reina replied, piling the twigs nonchalantly, attempting to ignore the rumble in her own stomach; Itachi glanced at her, acknowledging her words silently before continuing to construct a campfire. They sat opposite one another, the pile of wood separating them; Itachi formed the signs for a fire jutsu, concentrating as his body began to summon the necessary chakra he had to spare. But no fire left his mouth, without his command a small spark ignited from the sticks, the air around them heating up as the oxygen particles encouraged the small flicker; Itachi merely stared at the growing ember with a slight wave of confusion washing over his face.
"It's the indenture…it's growing stronger. You're beginning to have domain over my kekkai genkai and I yours." Reina murmured quietly, glancing up to meet his disordered gaze but he wasn't met with honey like orbs, instead he was met with crimson eyes framed by dark lashes. Reina rubbed her eyes blinking a few times as if she had put in contact lenses that were irritating her; Itachi stood brushing off the speckles of sand before he made his way around the other side of the fire settling himself beside her. Reina dared not move a muscle as Itachi edged in closer, carefully he cradled her jaw tipping her chin upwards as he inspected her eyes more closely; what he found shook him a little, there bobbing almost rhythmically was an exact replica of his sharingan.
"Is it strange to gaze upon an almost extinct bloodline, more so your own?" Reina whispered, unable to take her eyes off of him, once again entranced by his naturally dark orbs; Itachi remained silent as he continued to stare as if he were staring into his own eyes. But Reina spoke up once more as she too maintained the eye contact. "According to Tobirama Senju, the Sharingan is the eye that reflects feelings. Yet I don't need your Sharingan to see your feelings, so I know you don't need your Sharingan to read me. So why do you insist on pushing me away?" Her words were sentimental, she yearned for the reason why he continued to chop and change around her; one moment she would catch a glimpse of endearment. The next? Next his face would be full of resentment and it was tearing her apart.
"I am not pushing you away. I am simply doing my duty to which I am loyal to, perhaps you should do the same Reina-chan." Itachi replied, before wordlessly reaching into his pouch pulling out a small vile of transparent liquid; he unscrewed the lid, a little baster attached to the cap. He squeezed the rubberised bobble like nodule at the top of the lid, the liquid slipping up into the vile waiting to be deployed. Reina felt a lump form in her throat with every word he spoke, yet she battled on refusing to lose another person close to her.
"But I am doing my duty. I'm being loyal to you because you refuse to be loyal to yourself and continue to portray an ill reputed persona." Inside Itachi stiffened at hearing her words, this girl simply refused to give up on him and he was beginning to believe that he should allow himself to reciprocate her sentimentalities even if it was merely till they parted ways after the mission. Whilst debating wordlessly Itachi carefully squeezed a few drops of the liquid into both of her eyes, Reina blinking quickly to ensure that the drops did not spill over; once satisfied that the irritation was tended to Itachi released her face and resumed his place on the opposite side of the fire.
"If this world is full of deadly creatures like you say it is? It is best you wash the blood off and re-bandage your wound. I'll stay on that side of the water, you need not worry about that." He muttered lowly, poking the fire and staring into blankly as he continued to agitate the now raging flames. Reina waited for a moment wishing he would react, yet he didn't he merely continued to stare into the flames as if they would give him the answers he was so desperately looking for. She grit her teeth together in attempt to reign back her temper, feeling it beginning to flare up at his lack of response; Itachi looked up from the dancing flames sensing a rift in her usual placid persona.
"You know if you keep agitating it, it might bite back. Just because your name means to fan the flames, doesn't mean it won't retaliate." Reina replied curtly, staring directly at him with her blood shaded eyes before turning sharply on her heels and heading along the shoreline; suddenly the fire flared up violently moments after the words passed her lips, the surrounding oxygen disturbing the fire. Itachi jumped backwards as a familiar smell of burnt hair intruded his nose, his eyes narrowing as they too flared a deadly shade of crimson; both were acting on suppressed impulses and shunned emotions that were beginning to spill over.
"You are walking a thin and dangerous line Reina…" Itachi growled lowly brushing his singed hair from his face. Reina turned to face him, walking backwards as she confronted the deadly Uchiha.
"Why, because I refuse to play along with your act? If you were half the man you're pretending to be then you would drop the act and stop fighting against me! As at the moment? I'm the only one putting my neck on the line for something which I'm not even sure what it is! So do not tell me about walking the line Itachi!" Reina retorted sharply, her usually calm voice dripping with unspoken emotion, she knew he was right she was walking a perilous line because one false move and she could potentially break her own heart after willingly giving it to him despite a lack of reciprocation.
Itachi was speechless. Never had he had someone openly speak to him so forcefully, let alone a woman. It was not a matter of battle of the sexes and who was superior for he was not cursed with that sort of idiotic ideology; this was about being emotionally exposed and allowing himself to give in to his secret desires. Once again met with silence Reina growled to herself in frustration walking off to the far side of the oasis, muttering the occasional colourful profanity as she went. She could feel her frustration escalate it starting to interfere with her kekkai genkai as nearby atoms and molecules began to pop and hiss as they did back in the inn.
With Itachi inhabiting the west side of the shore and confident that she had walked out of sight Reina dropped her satchel to the floor, the bag causing a brief eruption of sand to rise from the seaboard. Checking her surroundings once final time Reina undressed swiftly, piling her wrecked and almost threadbare clothing into a neat pile before entering the sparkling water; it wasn't icy like she expected it to be, the water was perfect and she was only knee deep. Without further ado Reina dived into the water, relishing the feeling of it washing over her tired and aching body; she didn't stay beneath the soothing water for long, Reina broke the surface of the oasis running her fingers through her matted locks.
Reina sighed softly as she tended to her tangled strands of hair unbeknownst that she was the centre of a certain rogue shinobi's thoughts. Itachi couldn't help but stare at the nude kunoichi, she was enthralling and she wasn't even trying to be; midway undressing he spotted her surface from the sapphire waters, they gathering around her womanly waist. Despite her years of shinobi training she retained a curvaceous figure through the years of academic life; Itachi folded his shirt and found that his eyes wandered back to Reina as she continued to untangle her hair. Her dark almost auburn locks clung to her skin, tantalising him unintentionally as they gave the faintest outline of her breasts; he was never one for lust in any form, let alone a sexual nature, other than the divine intervention instigated back in the cave.
But this time he could feel his stomach begin to sizzle of its own accord, flooding with a pent up emotion; at that moment in time he wasn't a shinobi and she not a kunoichi he was merely a man and she a woman.
Reina satisfied with her hair glanced down at her stomach, the red raw strokes from the ningyo's claws still vibrant from the ordeal; she winced slightly as her fingers outlined the sensitive lacerations- flashbacks of the entire trial playing in her mind like a film on a reel. Her mind wandered back to the cave and how the stagnant stench of blood invaded her nostrils.
Then it hit her.
If either of us receives a wound, it's mirrored upon the other…
With wide eyes Reina looked up from the wound, her fingers still draped across her abdomen as she searched the lagoon for Itachi to tell him her newfound discovery yet she didn't have to look far. There stood halfway across the oasis was Itachi, the iridescent water rippling around his hips, she felt the air hitch in her throat at the very sight of him; his usually immaculate hair wasn't tied back in its customary pony tail, instead it was left to flay about where it wanted. Itachi couldn't even remember walking into the oasis, all's he could think about was Reina, he stood before her his eyes wandering over every curve of her body, from the youthful curvature of her face to the soft cambers of her silhouette.
The air that once hitched in her throat formed into a lump, blocking any form of linguistic etymology that wished to pass her lips; never had she found herself in such a situation, she had obviously thought of such an occasion, after all when surrounded by Kakashi and his book of sexual wonders the subject was bound to come up in conversation, but she had never experienced such a thing for herself. She was brought with traditional morals that one should wait until in a steady, monogamous relationship or married for such things despite the irony of her being born out of wedlock.
And whatever it was this was, Reina was certain that it was neither steady nor by any means a marriage proposal- but she didn't care.
"Reina…" Itachi uttered softly, he didn't need to apologise she could feel his need for atonement by merely murmuring her name and how she loved the way it rolled from his lips. She wanted him to say her name again just to be sure that it was real, that he was real and it was not a cruel genjutsu; he too craved to hear her speak his name for her alone to say his name with such emotion that it made his chest flutter.
Reina supressed a shiver that trundled down the entire length of her spine, goose-bumps springing up all over her skin whilst her blood flushed beneath her freckled cheeks; Itachi did not smile, for his eyes were evidence enough of his reprieve. Wordlessly he held out his hand, a metaphorical white flag of amnesty between the pair, but it did not only symbolise that, it also represented his own acceptance of his feelings for her; he would no longer dismiss his sentiments for her he would stay true to his word and keep her safe.
Reina took a moment to think things through, to weigh pros and cons of their situation and the cons certainly outbalanced the pros but she was tired of denying herself the companionship she sort after and she had been yearning to feel his lips upon hers since the first time they had met back in the cave. She reached out and placed her free hand upon his, it clasping around hers ever so lightly before he urged her forward and circling his arms around her bare waist holding her to him in a protective manner.
"Forgive me." Itachi murmured somewhat tenderly, Reina gazed up at him with ruby orbs though this time they were not filled with hurt as they once were, they were now filled with relief. She smiled softly reaching for his face, affectionately brushing stray ebony hairs behind his ear; she couldn't find the necessary words to describe how she felt at that exact moment and it would appear that neither could he. Instead of verbalising his sentiments Itachi expressed them physically. Carefully as though made of glass he cupped her jaw cautiously feeling his pulse thump widely in his head like a bass drum; this was no divine intervention, this was of his own accord and free will.
It felt like an eternity but Itachi lowered his lips to Reina's, her breath quivering with both nerves and excitement; she gulped silently her lips parting as she gasped when his lips brushed against hers, like a silk drape brushing over her skin. Her breath quickened with anticipation and she closed her eyes on instinct; Itachi's twisted into the faintest of smiles before their lips met in an electric frenzy, this young woman was not his downfall like he first speculated and tormented himself over.
She was the light at the end of his own personal tunnel of self-loathing and chastisement.
His own little means of escape.