Even though this is a late response, thank you for your reviews last chapter! It's always a good feeling to see familiar faces around here, and even new ones who are still with the fandom.

Disclaimer: I suppose since these are required, I must say, "I do not own anything of this fic but the idea!"

lxxv — hypnos

Itachi had never slept well, even when they were both small children.

She remembered those many frustrating nights being woken up by a six-year-old boy, his black-stone eyes nearly blending in with the darkness. Itachi would gently nudge her awake, to which she would grumble incoherent words before turning away from the intrusive annoyance that was her night owl cousin. The boy would not stop there, of course. With the persistence of a driven weasel, Itachi would continue poking and prodding her until she exasperatedly snarled defeat.

You do this every night! she would growl, rubbing her groggy eyes.

With the help of the moonlight through her window she always spotted a little triumphant smile on Itachi's face.

Because sleep will not come to me, every night, the boy never failed to answer candidly.

Uninterestingly enough, there were no midnight shenanigans or exciting adventures the two undertook on such nights. Itachi had sneaked from his room to hers, in the dead of the night — every night — for no particular reason at all. Sometimes they talked; whatever six-year-olds enjoyed conversing about, though Itachi's concerns usually differed from her own. He was more interested in 'boring' matters like whatever was going on in their clan as of late, or studying ahead for the academy they had yet to be enrolled in.

Most of the times he was content just to be in her presence, in the dimly lit room, for hours, and hours, and hours…

Often times she dozed off for a bit, and when she regained awareness Itachi would still be there.

This kept going on for years, and amazingly enough Itachi seemed to never get caught. Or maybe he did, but still managed to make it to her? She didn't know, she didn't think too much of it.

When they were around twelve-years-old, he stopped visiting her. Again she didn't think too much of it. Itachi was a jounin now, the youngest to ever achieve jounin, in fact. If anything she knew he must be swamped with duties; and here she was, still struggling to reach passing grade with her taijutsu!

Then, one day, Itachi was ANBU captain. At the age of thirteen.

It was hard to see even a passing glimpse of him in the Uchiha district, no less Konoha. He was always out. So she was always praying for her cousin; for his safe return each time.

Tonight, however, is different.

For once, sleep does not come to her.

This is weird, she thinks to herself, shifting underneath the covers. Something is kinda off.

Her shoji door slides open, interrupting her thoughts. Itachi? She never heard him outside her room.

Of course.

"Kagome."

She turns to him with a fake glare set on her face, ready to reprimand him for disturbing her 'sleep' as she had frequently done years prior. Just out of habit. In truth, she feels happy he is here.

This evening, the moon chooses to light up a metal blade with its beam shining through the window. The bloodied weapon is all Kagome can focus on.

Whose blood is that? Whose blood is that, Itachi?

"… sleep still does not come to me," Itachi whispers his goodbye. There is a note of pleading in his voice.

He then helps deliver her into slumber with a precise, merciful swing of his sword.

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.

—Charlotte Brontë

Author's Note: It's been so long since I've actually sat down and written-written. Leave a response and let me know if I'm doing okay, guys!