Inferno

Onyx and Ivory

Hoshiko packed away her things into her travel bag. Kisame had informed her earlier that after hers and Itachi's mission, they wouldn't be returning to this hideout but another one in a different country. Hoshiko felt quite sad at the prospect, she had grown attached to this base. Even though it had only been two weeks, it had been the longest she had stayed somewhere in a long time.

Hoshiko lifted her gaze from her bag to her bed, where the Icha-Icha book sat. A faint smile crossed her lips as she reached for it and tucked it away under her cloak in her bag. Once she deemed everything packed and ready Hoshiko tossed the bag over her shoulder.

Leaving her room that she had called home for the past two weeks she didn't look back as she walked through the compound until she came to the upstairs. She used her senses and located Itachi still in his own room downstairs. Their mission was to start at dawn, but Hoshiko rarely sleeps for more then a few hours at a time most nights, so she was outside even before sunlight had started to appear.

She was sat just to the left of the door, the gravel and dirt smearing her skin already. Her back was against the wall; her head tilted back as her silver eyes stared up at the early sky. With each passing minute the sky was beginning to lighten. It changed from deep blue, to a purple, then slowly to oranges, pinks and yellows. Hoshiko couldn't remember the last time she had just sat outside and watched a sunrise. Such trivial things weren't apart of her life anymore.

X

It wasn't long before the door opened and Itachi stepped out. He carried no bag with him. He only had the black and red cloak of Akatsuki on his back. His crimson eyes found Hoshiko as she rose up onto her feet and crossed her arms over his chest. No words were spoken between them as he turned away from her and began sprinting. Hoshiko waited a few seconds, sighed heavily in defeat and then followed after him.

They travelled for the entirety of the day. They didn't stop once for a break. They needed to make ground before the dignitary got to Cloud before them. It didn't faze Hoshiko; it sent her back to her ANBU and Root days where they would travel for days on end with no breaks.

It was pitch black when Itachi finally made the call for them to stop. Where they had stopped had a cluster of trees every so often. They were no longer in the heart of Stone country where nothing grew. Itachi walked into the small oasis as Hoshiko begrudgingly followed after. She kept her distance from him, angling herself away as she scanned the horizon. They hadn't come across any other travellers during the day, but it didn't mean that there wasn't anyone else out there.

"Rest." Itachi ordered as he sat himself down with his back pressed up against a tree. "I will wake you in a couple of hours for your watch."

Hoshiko shot him a glare and crossed her arms. "And how do I know that you won't slit my throat in my sleep?"

His crimson eyes swirled dangerously. "If you fall behind tomorrow. I will not wait for you. Suit yourself, Ginyoru-san."

Hoshiko scoffed. "Oh, so we're back to last name basis now? I thought we were closer then that, Senpai." Hoshiko said mockingly as she plopped down on the grass across from Itachi.

His crimson eyes remained unblinking. "I know I am correct in saying that you were the one who first addressed me by my family name."

Hoshiko's eyes narrowed at him, "It's not much of a family name now, is it?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed threateningly. "You also seem to forget that we were never close, Ginyoru-san. As I once said to you, you were merely a well placed distraction."

"How could I forget?" Hoshiko said bitterly as she threw herself back onto the tough grass. It was poking at her through her thin clothes. "You are the one that ruined my life." She spoke barely above a whisper, but Itachi heard her. Hoshiko rolled onto her side, facing away from the stoic Uchiha. It took her a while, but eventually she fell into a light sleep. Itachi could tell that she was finally asleep as her shoulders relaxed slightly and her breathing evened out into a calm rhythm.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Hoshiko called out as she ran down the barren streets of Konoha. Her heart drummed loudly in her chest, adrenaline pulsed through her veins as her head twisted left and right. She was searching for someone, for anyone. She didn't know where she was running to, her feet were guiding her.

She came to a skidding stop when she realized where she was. She stared up at the archway, the Uchiha crest staring back at her as blood was splattered across the frame. She didn't waste anymore time. She lowered her gaze and ran into the compound.

These streets were empty too. It seemed like the whole of Konoha was deserted. Hoshiko ran. Her breathing was ragged as she screamed for someone to come out. There were no bodies in the street, but the pavement was drenched in dark blood. It was smeared up against the walls, across the windows and doors. It covered the shrubs and trees alike.

She stopped outside the Uchiha manor, a house she feared to ever return to. While the rest of the compound was painted red, this house seemed untouched. The windowpanes glimmered in the moonlight, the leafy green trees swayed in the gentle breeze. And if she listened close enough, she swore she could hear the familiar laughter of herself and her friends from when she was younger.

Hoshiko approached the door, her hand reaching out to slide it open when she felt a hand clamp itself down on her shoulder. Hoshiko gasped, spinning around and stumbled back a step when Shisui's face loomed in front of her.

"Hoshiko!" He gasped out. Hoshiko's eyes went wide. What was Shisui doing here? He was dead, wasn't he? Oh how she missed him…his voice was the same as before, he hadn't changed. "We've got to run, Hoshiko! We need to get out of here!" He hissed in a panic. He tossed a look over both shoulders before he took her hand in his. He pulled her with him.

"Shisui…" Hoshiko whispered in a daze. She could feel his warm hand in hers. He was really alive, wasn't he?

"Hurry!" He said, looking over his shoulder at her. "We can make it before he finds—"

Shisui was cut off when the blade of a sword came swinging across his neck. His tall body dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, his hand being ripped from Hoshiko's in the process. Hoshiko watched his head fly through the air and then roll onto the ground a few meters away, his wide, lifeless black eyes staring up at her. Blood dribbled from out his mouth. Hoshiko fell onto her knees, her silver eyes fixated on the dismembered body of her best friend.

"Shisui!" Hoshiko screamed, tears pooling in her eyes. She suddenly remembered that someone had done this atrocity. She spun around, falling onto her back as she gazed up at a hooded figure bearing down on her. She felt like vomiting. She wanted to run but she was frozen to the spot.

The hooded figure flicked their sword, Shisui's blood coating the concrete in small splatters. Hoshiko watched as the person reached up with their free hand and pulled back the hood of their cloak. Swirling red eyes met silver as Hoshiko's breath got caught in her throat as she faced her attacker.

"Itachi…" She whispered weakly. She dragged herself back a few inches, trying to get away from him. Itachi stared her down, no emotion on his blood stained face. His long hair, tied back in his ponytail curled around his neck in the frigid wind.

"Why?" Hoshiko asked him. A tear rolled down her cheek.

Itachi stepped towards her, towering over her. "Power." He stated. He twirled his sword around in his fingers and then in one fluid motion brought it across Hoshiko's neck as she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Hoshiko grasped her neck as she vaulted up from where she had been sleeping. Her eyes darted around the darkness in front of her, spotting the trees and rocks dotting the oasis that she was currently in. Her memory came back to her quickly, she wasn't fourteen again, and she wasn't in Konoha. She looked to her right, where she sensed him. For a moment she had forgotten he was there, the cause of her nightmares. His red eyes glowed in the darkness as he stared at her. Their gazes met for a brief moment before Itachi blinked.

"A nightmare, I presume." He stated quietly.

"Don't fucking talk to me!" Hoshiko yelled, jumping up and glaring at him. Her voice hadn't come out as strong as she had hoped. She spun on her heel and marched out of the oasis. She stopped at the edge of the oasis where the grass turned back into dirt. She sat herself down, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Hoshiko had been suffering from nightmares ever since that night in Konoha. They were normally of Danzo killing her, Itachi killing her, or witnessing the clan massacre with Aishi, Ren and Sadao thrown in. They were always one of those things, and she had them every single night. She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't had a nightmare, or even slept a full nights sleep. It was also the first time that she had a nightmare with Shisui in it.

Once every so often, Hoshiko might have a pleasant dream, and it would always involve Shisui. They would be walking together through Konoha, or just sitting with one another. Her dream with him would always fade into one of her other nightmares so it was a shock for her as this was the first time she had dreamt of Itachi killing him.

Hoshiko rubbed her tired face with her hands. She knew that she wouldn't be going back to sleep tonight, her dream had been too vivid. It had shaken her.

She sat for a long time, listening to the sounds of the night bugs around her. Every so often, she would expand her senses. Each time Itachi would still be sitting in the same place as before. She just wanted to make sure he wasn't creeping up on her to kill her. She lost track of time, and it was only when the sky began to lighten that she realized that morning had come around. She was tired, but not exhausted. She was used to running on little sleep each day.

She heard Itachi's footsteps behind her. She didn't turn around to look at him. "We're leaving now." He told her. He didn't wait for her reply as he left the confines of the trees and headed out into the wasteland. Hoshiko gave it a couple of seconds before she stretched and then followed after him.

If travelling with her murderous former best friend wasn't already awkward enough, their trip today was especially tense. They kept their distance from one another. Hoshiko avoided Itachi's eyes at all costs. They took a few shorts breaks during the day, but only for a few minutes and then were right back into sprinting through the barren lands of stone country.

They were nearing the border of stone. They had, maybe, a couple hours of more running before their landscape would finally change from mud and dust to something else, preferably something gentle and soft like grass and trees. The harsh sun was becoming more and more of a nuisance for Hoshiko.

Hoshiko was half way through a yawn when she noticed that Itachi had stopped running. Her interest was piqued as she caught up to him rather quickly. If something had stopped the Uchiha then it must be interesting. She walked up to the thing that he was looking at.

It was a decrepit wall…or part of a wall. A little further back was a stonewall that had numerous chunks punched out of it, and from the size of the piece it looked like it had come from there. Not only did the wall look damaged and old, but also it had dead vines crawling up the side of it.

"What's this?" Hoshiko mumbled, motioning to the image that was painted on the stone. The painting was a black circle, and inside the circle were three crescent moons with their backs to one another, creating a curved triangle in the middle between them.

"You don't recognize it?" Itachi replied to her.

Hoshiko sent him a sneer. "No, sorry. Not all of us were geniuses in the academy."

Itachi turned away from the stone and started walking off. "You don't need to be a genius to recognize your own clan symbol."

Hoshiko spun on her heel to face him. "What?" The Uchiha ignored her and continued on. Hoshiko turned back to the stone and the wall a little further behind. Her eyes darted over the ruins, could this actually be her clan's home? She scolded herself for being so stupid. It had to be; she was born in Stone country. She had once lived here before the war, she had no memory of it seeing as she was so young but this is where her clan had been based.

Hoshiko stared at the clan symbol again. It wasn't familiar to her, but she knew that Itachi was right. And if this really was her clan's home, then…

She leapt on top of the wall and launched herself over the other side. She hit the dusty ground and scanned her surroundings. In front of her were the ruins of the Ginyoru Clan's home. The compound was in shambles. Buildings lined the streets that had once been homes to families. Hoshiko's eyes glanced over all of them. They were built to how nearly all the houses in Stone were. With rocks and mud for walls and then large stone slabs on top for the roofs. They varied in sizes, some looked quite lavish compared to others.

Nearly all the houses had holes in their walls, caved in ceilings and splintered front doors. Hoshiko walked around, her hands would reach out to the buildings as she brushed her fingers over them gently. Like she was somehow connecting herself to her clan, and to her father. As she walked deeper into the compound she saw various shops and stalls. It was like they were all frozen in time. Dust and gravel crunched under the soles of her shoes as she walked down barren streets. Her footsteps echoed off the walls of the desolate buildings. She could feel the horrors that had been committed in this place, but yet, she felt a sense of peace walking through the ghost town.

Nearing the center of the compound Hoshiko gazed upon what she assumed was a meeting hall. It was a large ornate building, made from pure white stone and marble stairs leading up to the oak doors, which had been forced open by the looks of it.

Hoshiko gazed up at the tall building. She could feel an energy radiating from within, drawing her to it. She knew that there was something in there that she needed to see. She ascended the marble stairs. Her silver eyes gazed up at the stonework of the building as she passed through the broken oak doors. One was still hanging on by its hinges; the other was splintered in half on the ground.

The large room was dark, the only light coming in from the entryway behind her. Dusty floorboards lined the ground beneath her feet as she stepped further into the room. Two rows of red pillars held up the ceiling, some lanterns hung from the pillars, the others were smashed on the floor. Furniture that had once been tables, chairs, bookshelves and other simple things lay broken in pieces around the edges of the room. Scrolls were scattered all around the room. At the back of the room was an alter on a raised platform. She approached it, lighting the hanging lanterns with a fire jutsu as she went. The room slowly came to life as she stopped before the alter. Hanging behind it was a large portrait of the clan symbol; candles that had been knocked over in the genocide were on the floor or on the low table below the portrait.

She stepped up onto the platform, her hand placed atop the wooden alter that held a waterlogged book. Hoshiko opened the book but couldn't read any of the words as the ink had run from the water damage. Behind her on another table was a large stone slab, it was on an angled edge, held up by two columns of smooth stones. Names were etched into the slab, dozens of names. Hoshiko suddenly realized that they were the names of her clansmen, her family. She read over all their names, and paused at one specific place where someone had scratched the name out. Her heart gave a painful lurch, she knew whose name had been there. It would have been her father, Ginyoru Kisho. Her father had been ostracized from the clan for marrying her mother, someone who wasn't from the Ginyoru family. From the amount of names it seemed that her clan had been quite large, a shame that they had all been killed.

Hoshiko looked to the end of the list, and unsurprisingly her name wasn't on there. It seemed that since her father had turned his back on the clan, she wasn't counted as one either.

Hoshiko heard someone else enter the room. She turned her head to look over her shoulder as Itachi stepped over a fallen piece of wood. His red eyes scoped out the room before they settled on Hoshiko kneeling by the stone slab. She turned away from him and then rolled back onto her feet and stood up.

"I didn't think you'd wait for me." Hoshiko said, brushing herself down. Itachi came to a stop a meter away from the platform.

"I was curious." He replied flatly.

Hoshiko scoffed. "Why?" she met his crimson stare with one that matched his intensity. "Did you base your own clan massacre on mine?" She turned away before she could try to gauge his reaction to what she had said. She hopped off the platform and walked over to where there was a hanging tapestry on the wall. The picture on it was the clan symbol once again but with the Stone landscape was painted behind it. Hoshiko reached up and pulled the tapestry off, letting it float to the floor. Then with a mighty heave she pushed against the wall. Slowly, the wall began to move as it opened, revealing a staircase that led down into the earth. The air was stale as it began to waft out into the main area. Hoshiko coughed quietly as she sent a glare to Itachi.

"Don't follow me this time." She said warningly as she delved into the secret room.

Hoshiko created a small fire in the palm of her hand as she descended the stairs. As her foot touched the final step she sent out her fire to the various lanterns hanging around the compact room. Bookshelves lined each wall, filled to the brims with books and scrolls. A table with six chairs sat in the middle of the room with a few scrolls scattered on the table. She was amazed that this room even existed. Her father had once told her of a secret room that resided in her clans meeting hall. It had been behind the very tapestry that she had torn down. This room was filled with the Ginyoru clans history, their Mizukiri techniques and knowledge, everything. This was her families' legacy, a family that had cast her parents out.

Hoshiko approached the table, her eyes skimming over the scrolls on the table. She picked up a few, reading them over. Some were documenting the Third Shinobi War, the war that had ultimately been their demise. Hoshiko tossed the scrolls aside, but then it revealed to her a withered scroll residing in a brown box. The lid had been flung open already. Her curiosity piqued, Hoshiko reached for the scroll and unfurled it. It must have important information if it was residing in such a decorated box. Her eyes scanned the parchment, and slowly, they began to widen as she read what was before her.

"Impossible…" She whispered to herself in disbelief.

X

Itachi was perched at the bottom of the marble stairs to the Ginyoru meeting hall. His eyes were shut but he kept his other senses heightened, just in case there were any unwanted visitors around. Hoshiko had been down in the underground room for almost an hour now. The sun had just set so the darkness was slowly encroaching on them. Itachi told himself that he would give her another couple of minutes before either fetching her himself or just leaving her. With her skills, she'd be able to track and catch up with him anyway.

When his internal timer was up, he rose from the stairs, and that was when he picked up a certain smell. It was fire. His eyes opened slowly as he turned to face the building. From outside he could see the glowing embers of an inferno starting inside. A shadow moved inside, and Hoshiko walked out, the fire burning behind her.

Hoshiko met his stare for a brief moment before looking away. Something cracked from inside and then dropped to the floor with a loud bang. The fire was spreading fast; it was now burning through the ceiling and almost at the front doors.

"Deliberate?" Itachi questioned her. Hoshiko walked right passed him but then turned to face the burning building.

"The clan wished to remain secret. Now they will, forever."

"We need to find somewhere to take shelter." Itachi spoke after a while. He was a few paces behind her as Hoshiko continued to stare at the burning building. She wanted to see it burn to the ground. After he spoke, a rumble was heard overhead. Light flashed across the sky as Hoshiko glanced upwards. It wasn't uncommon for the Land of Earth to have thunderstorms; they were just always accompanied with flash flooding and horrendous downpour.

Hoshiko stared at the flames for the last time. "I know a place." She said smoothly as she took off around the back of the building. Itachi followed her compliantly.

The rain had started a few minutes after they had started to run, and it was merciless. Hoshiko could barely see a few feet in front of her as she ran through the desolate compound. She could sense Itachi close behind but didn't really care if he followed her or not.

Considering Stone Country was a relatively hot place to live, the rain was freezing. She was already shivering, her teeth chattering as she ran through the south gates of the Ginyoru village. A winding road led into the barren wasteland once more, it headed up a small hill. At the top of the hill was a run down house. It wasn't destroyed like the ones in the compound had been, and the front door was still closed, unlike the others. A small courtyard was out the front, with a small stoned wall and a thatched roof covering it.

Hoshiko reached the door first; it was unlocked as she pushed it open and fell into the room. It was colder in the house then it was outside as she sought out the fireplace that was at the back of the room and quickly lit it. She heard the door shut from behind her and guessed that Itachi had made it inside too. Hoshiko rubbed her hands together as the firelight illuminated the room that they were in.

It was a combined kitchen, dining and living area. It was modestly sized and then three separate doors led off into other rooms. Hoshiko guessed it was two bedrooms and a bathroom. She dropped her bag on the floor as she glanced over her shoulder at Itachi. The Uchiha was gazing around the room; his eyes landed on a small picture frame on the counter as he picked it up and studied it for a moment. Hoshiko watched his eyebrows twitch upwards slightly in surprise as he turned to her, and held the picture out so that she could see it too.

In the frame was a photo of three people, a man, woman and young girl. The man and girl looked strikingly similar with dark hair and silver eyes. The older woman, the mother, had long brown hair and was holding the daughter in her arms as the three smiled at the camera.

Hoshiko turned away from the picture. "It's funny." Hoshiko choked out a fake laugh. "My clan threw my father out but he was always devoted to them. They didn't want anything to do with him and yet he still built his house near his clan. They never accepted him after he married my mother and they never acknowledged that I was even born. But yet, it was the very fact that they cast him out that we were all able to survive."

Itachi placed the picture back where he had gotten it. Hoshiko sighed as she started to pull her shirt over her head. The cold and wet material clung to her skin and hair as she ripped it off and threw it onto the floor; it left her in her white bindings. As she reached for her pants she heard Itachi clear his throat from behind her. She twirled around, a mocking glare on her face.

"What? It's fucking freezing and I'm not going in another room to change." She motioned to the fire. Hoshiko held his red gaze for a few seconds before the Uchiha mumbled something too quietly for her to hear under his breath, and turned away from her. Hoshiko smirked triumphantly as she pulled her pants down and then changed into the long shirt that she normally wore for bed.

She gathered her wet clothes and dragged a dining chair over to the fire and hung them over it to dry. Gathering her bag and belongings she dropped onto the couch that was diagonally facing the fire and picked her feet up and lay them out before her.

Itachi seemed to have realized that she was finished stripping as he finally moved from his position from the window. He turned and began to undo his Akatsuki cloak that was dripping onto the floor. He moved slowly towards the fire, all the while Hoshiko's silver eyes never left him. He draped his cloak over a chair as well. Hoshiko was finally able to see what he was wearing under his cloak, and lucky for him it seemed like the thing was waterproof so the grey clothes he wore were bone dry. Hoshiko really needed one of those cloaks.

His hair is longer, she thought suddenly. She mentally slapped herself and rolled over so that her back was facing the fire. She sighed heavily, trying to forget about stupid Uchiha Itachi all together. She could hear him as he sat himself down in front of the fire and started to remove his socks and sandals. Hoshiko cursed herself to hell and back. Why did all this have to happen to her? She tried to ignore the sounds of Itachi's deep breathing and focused on the fact that right now, she was sleeping on the couch of a home that she had once lived in. That the last time she had been here, it had been with her parents. She thought back on happier times with them as she gradually fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of coughing brought her out of her sleep. Hoshiko rolled over on the couch and rubbed at her eyes. Itachi's stupid cough was a blessing but also a curse. It had woken her up from a much-needed slumber but it had stopped her nightmare of Danzo stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. The room was blissfully warm now, and from the silent sounds coming from outside the storm had stopped raging as well. Hoshiko sat up on the couch as she swung her legs over and braced them on the warm stone. Rubbing a hand over her face and then through her hair she moved her gaze slowly over to Itachi. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire still. He wasn't looking at her, but at the burning logs. "How long was I asleep for?" Hoshiko asked him groggily, her voice thick.

"Six hours." He replied.

She made a surprised face. "That's longer then what I normally get." She muttered as she stood up and stretched out her back and her arms over her head. Hoshiko fished around in her bag for her cloak, once she found it she quickly wrapped herself in it and then pulled on her sandals.

"You can sleep, or meditate or brood or whatever the fuck it is you do now," she waved her hand at him nonchalantly as Itachi turned his head slightly to meet her gaze.

"Where are you going?" He asked her intently.

She rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb in the direction of the door. "Outside. Your stench is killing me."

Hoshiko noticed that he wasn't wearing his cloak still and her eyes quickly scanned his attire. He had redone his long hair while she had been asleep, now there weren't any wispy bits flying around from their sprint in the rain. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to something around his neck. Hoshiko's brows furrowed in confusion but before she could ask a question Itachi was standing up. He moved into the other room she guessed was a bathroom and the door was shut with a resonating thud. She continued to stare at the door for a good minute before she shook her head, mentally slapped herself once again and headed to the door.

She sat outside in the chilly wind. The rain and thunder had gone, but the chill hadn't. By morning when the sun came up it would be hot once more and they would leave. Hoshiko would be putting her infernal clan home behind her for good. From her vantage point Hoshiko could see the compound down below. The fire from the meeting hall had long gone out but thick, dark smoke was still rising from the ashes. She didn't regret burning it down, in fact it had felt freeing.

She thought back on Itachi. His behavior before she had fallen asleep had been nostalgic of their younger years. She didn't want to think on it too much, even though it may be happy memories to her. To him apparently it wasn't, everything to do with her was a distraction, a test. Fucking idiot.

Hoshiko tucked her knees up to her chest on the chair. She hated him, she hated how he could bring up those memories from years ago that she hadn't thought about in so long. He was a murderer, a traitor. He killed Shisui, who she had cared deeply for. He had killed his parents, the people who had loved him. He apparently wanted no ties with anyone in this world as they dragged him down.

But yet…why the fuck was he wearing the necklace that she had bought him?

Well howdy. I'm back with another chapter and I'm pretty sure it hasn't even been a week since I posted the last one. Tadaaaaa! Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know i've lost a good chunk or readers because of my absence but I should be smashing out some chapters either once a week or 2 weeks. Happy reading friends!

Let me know what you thought of all this! Man I freaking love writing Hoshiko and Itachi together, and there's gonna be some more conflict and some screaming blah blah blah coming up, i love angst!

Thanks everyone!

Warga - Thank you! :)

Yunilein - Your guess about the note may or may not be correct. we shall see in the future ;) Man Kisame and Hidan have been a blast to write about, I can't wait for Deidara and Sasori to be thrown into the mix too, and they shall! Soon! Hope you enjoyed this Itachi filled chapter i mean finally god he's been absent for too long now. but alas, reconciliation may not happen for a while i'm afraid xD