Numb
Onyx and Ivory
Numbness. The feeling consumed her. She couldn't feel anything right now. There was a specific ache in her chest, but the rest of her body was numb to the world. Her eyes, vacant and distant, remained fixated on the ever-flowing stream of water that poured down in front of her. She hadn't moved from her position in what felt like years, was really only hours. She was long drenched to the bone from the splattering water, and the chill from the stone under her had made her legs and butt numb. But it still paled in comparison to what she felt on the inside.
Her side was pressed up against the cave wall, her head resting against it. The stone was freezing against her, but she didn't have the will to move herself from her position. She didn't want to fight the pain anymore, so she let it in. She had been fighting to block out the grief and sorrow for years, never actually dealing with it properly. Now with everything that Itachi had told her, it felt like it was all for nothing.
The ache in her chest was amplified suddenly as she thought of Shisui. She was angry. More furious then she had ever been, but it was all overshadowed by the desolation that she felt. She was angry with Danzo, with Itachi, with Shisui himself. But most of all, Hoshiko was angry with herself. She was angry because, maybe if she had paid just that little bit more attention back then, maybe she could have stopped Danzo from driving Shisui to plunge off that cliff. Maybe she could have helped them convince the Uchiha that a coup was wrong.
She shouldn't have let Danzo so easily manipulated her, and she should have seen through his lies. Instead she played right into them.
And Itachi…he had burdened this all on himself. He had forsaken his family, his friends, and his reputation—all for the village. He took it upon himself to bare the burden of his brother's hatred, the rage of Hoshiko herself…all for what, to keep peace within the village? To keep the honor of the Uchiha untainted? She was furious with him. How could he just let her believe all of these things? How did he keep up the act this whole time?
"Dammit." Hoshiko whispered as she curled up against the wall. A part of her wished that he had never told her the truth, because now she didn't know how to feel about him, or how to feel about the whole situation. Yes, he had done something hideous for the sake of the village. And he had ended hundreds of lives that night, but she had finally gotten a glimpse of the Itachi from the past again. He was still in there. She couldn't understand how he could hold the village in such high regard over his own family. Did they really mean that little to him?
No, she thought suddenly. She remembered the memory where he had confronted his parents. He had been a sobbing mess, and they had readily accepted their fate. He had loved his parents dearly; it was just unfortunate how everything had turned out…
"You need to come inside."
Hoshiko didn't bother to acknowledge him. She wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to hear him or see him just yet. She heard footsteps approach her as she curled in further to the wall, turning her face into the stone.
"You'll get sick out here." He added, coming to a stop right next to her.
"Leave me alone." Hoshiko mumbled to him. She still refused to look at him. Itachi hunched over and grasped her upper arm, and attempted to lift her up. Apparently he wasn't taking no for an answer from her. Hoshiko glared over at him, her eyes hardened into liquid steel. "Get off me!" She screamed and shoved him away. The force of pulling her arm away from him sent her into the cave wall behind her as she gasped in pain. Sharp points had dug into various parts of her body. Itachi stumbled back a step as he gazed down at her, completely emotionless.
"I don't need anything from you!" Hoshiko yelled harshly. She turned and launched herself through the waterfall. She landed on the water on shaky legs. She stumbled a few steps before she heard Itachi land on the calm surface behind her. Hoshiko didn't face him, instead she tried to walk but found that she couldn't control her chakra properly and her feet went sinking into the water.
"You need to rest…" He told her. "You're fighting your emotions too much."
"And whose fault is that?" Hoshiko spun around. One of her feet suddenly fell through the surface of the water as she yelped and pumped chakra into her hands to catch herself. "How did you expect me to take all of this?" She whispered as she slowly got to her feet again. "I don't know what to do…or how to feel!" Her other foot sunk into the water as Hoshiko had to catch herself again. She could feel the tears brimming at the corner of her eyes as she gasped for breath.
"It's so messed up—I can't…I can't…" A pain shot through her chest, right where her heart sat as she clutched at the fabric of her shirt. Her breathing was becoming rapid and shallow.
"Breathe, Hoshiko." Itachi ordered her as he approached her.
She didn't force him away this time; she couldn't even if she wanted to. Her vision was starting to swim. She felt like she couldn't breathe, so she tried to suck in air faster and harder. She needed to breathe! The pain shot through her again as she cried out. Her heart was racing, she could hear it pumping loudly in her head as her thoughts started to blur together as one. Pain. It was all she could focus on.
"Take deep breaths." She heard Itachi say as he knelt on the water in front of her. She wanted to yell at him that she was breathing, but it wasn't any use, because her vision suddenly went dark and she felt her body fall face first into the water.
When she came to, she was in a bed. The blankets were tucked around her body and it was completely silent within the room. As she blinked open her eyes, the only source of light was a small candle on the bedside table. Hoshiko rubbed at her eyes, and then wiped the lingering sweat off her forehead before she laid her hand back onto her stomach.
"How do you feel?" Itachi spoke from somewhere in the room. She hadn't even noticed he was there. Her eyes found him as he pushed off the wall that he had been leaning on. He stepped into the light. The flame from the candle cast dancing shadows over his pensive face. His cloak was half undone, giving her a view of his handsome face that she, right now, wanted nothing more then to punch.
Hoshiko averted her eyes from him, choosing to stare up at the cracked ceiling. "It looks like you were suffering from a panic attack." Itachi continued. He hadn't moved from his position. Hoshiko sighed and then grit her teeth, her jaw locking. She didn't want to speak to him, she didn't even want to look at him, she couldn't. In any other situation, the irony would have made her laugh. How the tables have turned. She was the one ignoring him now while he tried to make small talk.
The world really was cruel to her.
"Get out." Hoshiko spoke quietly, but loud enough for the Uchiha to hear. When he made no move to leave Hoshiko turned her narrowed eyes onto him. "Get out!" She bellowed.
Itachi acknowledged her request with a slight nod of his head as he moved over to the door. Hoshiko flicked the covers over her head and rolled onto her side in a ball. Once she heard the door shut with a quiet click was when she finally let the tears flow. She finally let all of her pain in. It hurt so much, but she needed to deal with it.
Kisame was never one to feel awkward in any situation. He was a cold hearted, backstabbing killer. He had killed his fellow Kiri shinobi in order for information to not fall into enemy hands. He didn't care what people thought of him. He loved killing, and he relished in the thrill that it brought him. He loved swinging Samehada around like it was a toothpick.
But apparently, he could feel awkward. It was a new feeling, one that for sure didn't like. He much preferred the hacking and slashing of battles and guts flying around rather then a tense silence.
But this was his unfortunate reality.
He trudged along in the mud, rain falling around him. They were still in Ame. They were heading to the Hidden Village to see Leader. He had requested that Hoshiko come so that he could implant the Communication Jutsu in her, one that would allow her to perform the holograms necessary for meetings. Itachi had been the one to tell him that they would be going with her. Kisame had thought nothing of it. He had begun to sort through some witty jokes that he could wreak havoc with while he would be travelling with the pair.
Both Itachi and Kisame had been waiting in the cavern for her. Neither spoke and Itachi was staring off at the cave wall, seemingly lost in thought. Hoshiko had appeared, looking exhausted and sour. She was in her cloak, her face angled down so that only the top portion of her face was visible.
Kisame broke out into a grin. "My, my, you're looking worse for wear. Who was it this time that kept you up last night?"
That was his first clue in telling him that something was up with her. She didn't even flinch at his words. She paid no mind to him. Kisame thought that maybe she had finally gotten sick of all the comments and was now brushing them off. She passed him, keeping her head down. Kisame put it down to she just wasn't in the mood to retort.
It was as they travelled, he realized that there really was something happening between the two. He had been sandwiched between them. Itachi was leading a few steps ahead. He hadn't turned back to look at either of them once since they had started travelling. Hoshiko was around a meter behind him. He glanced back at her every so often, and each time her normally sharp silver eyes were fixated on the muddy ground at her feet.
Kisame had known the young girl for a few months now. And not once had he ever seen her act this way. He wouldn't say she was a friend. She was a comrade, someone who he had to tolerate. He didn't care much about her feelings and he knew that if an order came from above that he had to kill her he'd do it without any remorse. But it was just weird to see her this way.
"Maa," Kisame groaned. "All this water is getting annoying…" He grumbled, sneaking a look over his shoulder at Hoshiko. He was waiting for it. The dry comment about how he was fish or something along those lines. But it never came. Her eyes didn't lift from the ground for a second.
That was all the proof he needed. Something had definitely happened between them. He settled back into the silence. It was uncomfortably deafening. He wished that something would just happen, something that would break the tension. He was used to the normal silences that accompanied Itachi and him on their travels. But this one had him wishing that his female companion would snap out of it and say something stupid like she normally did.
Kisame sighed, preparing himself for an awkward few days travel. It was just his luck to get stuck with these two when they were having their version of a lovers quarrel.
Hoshiko had come to realize that she really fucking hated rain. It was cold. It was sharp. It could shrivel your toes up into little prunes and it made you feel like you would never ever be fully dry ever again in your life. The Ame rain was worse then that. It was probably also the fact that she had to travel with Itachi again. She could've at least gotten a few days separation from him before having to be thrown in close quarters with the damned Uchiha. She could tell that even Kisame wanted to throw himself off the nearest cliff. No one had spoken a word to each other for the whole day of travel. Kisame had tried throwing out a few insults to get a reaction, but nothing worked. After a while even he stopped trying.
The one good thing about travelling with Itachi was that he had access to a vast variety of Jutsu. One of them was a simple Doton that could make up a roof and three walls, shielding them from the onslaught of the rain. One side was left open, allowing them to come and go freely. Itachi had also made up a small fire while Kisame had gone fishing in a nearby pond for dinner.
Hoshiko had curled up in one of the corners and tucked her cloak around herself. Her back was to the fire and the two men. No words were spoken between any of them. Hoshiko could smell the fish cooking behind her. It made her stomach churn. She knew that if she even tried to taste the food she'd throw up.
"It's ready, Shrimp." Kisame muttered from behind her. Hoshiko didn't care if she was being rude, she didn't acknowledge him. She wasn't hungry. "Suit yourself." Kisame didn't speak to her for the rest of the night after that.
Hoshiko had moved herself to the entrance of their little hut, silently telling her companions that she would take first watch. Itachi had tried to rest on the ground. It was still slightly damp and very uncomfortable but his exhaustion had won over and he had fallen asleep for a few hours.
X
He awoke suddenly and tried to pinpoint what had woken him up. Kisame snored loudly on the other side of the hut. That was probably it. Itachi had been a light sleeper for years now, ever since the massacre. He could still hear the rain pouring down outside, it would never let up while they were still in Ame. Itachi pushed himself into a sitting position, his eyes focusing on the spot where he had seen Hoshiko sitting last. Only she wasn't there. Panic shot through him for a split second before he was able to sense her fluctuating chakra outside. Concern washed over him next. She was outside in the rain. He rose and peeked his head out of their hut. Raindrops splattered against his pale cheeks as he spotted her. She was only a few meters out, sitting cross-legged on the floor letting the rain drench her. From here, he could see her shoulders shaking. She was either crying out there, or shivering from the cold. Itachi's jaw locked in annoyance. Not at her, but himself. He shouldn't have told her. She had never been good with emotions, particularly her own. She was starving herself, and now she had been sitting out in the freezing rain for whoever knows how long. She was digging herself an early grave at this rate.
Itachi moved out into the rain. He approached her silently and as he got closer he could hear the quiet sniffles coming from her. "Go in and sleep." He told her. She jumped almost ten feet but she didn't look up at him. She probably didn't want him to see her cry. She had always been like that.
"Don't tell me what to do." She growled. He could hear the thickness in her throat, the stuffiness of her nose as she spoke.
"If you become sick on this trip we will leave you behind."
Hoshiko pondered his words for a moment before she heaved herself onto her feet. She ducked her head away from him and shuffled into the hut, dropping to the floor in the corner and curling herself into a tight ball. Itachi took his seat at the opening of the hut and leant back against the wall. His gaze lingered on her form. She was breathing deeply but he knew she wouldn't be asleep yet. Her body gave a hard shake. Itachi turned his gaze onto the embers of the fire and quickly used a Katon on it to heat up their small space once more. If it were any other time, she probably would've hissed at him for trying to help her. Itachi knew she wouldn't have thanked him. He didn't do it so that she would thank him. He did it because he didn't want her to hurt as much as he was right now.
Amegakure was a secretive village. There was only one entrance into the whole village and it was heavily guarded. Ame was predominately a steel city, with large towers stacked up near one another. It was also nestled out on an island in the middle of a large lake. A long steel pathway went from the land to the village and would take them an hour at most to cross it.
Hoshiko walked at the back of their group. Rain was still falling down around them as they neared the gates to the village. They approached the shinobi who eyed them all wearily.
"Pein-sama informed us that you would be arriving." One of the guards said. He let them through with no others words as the gate shut loudly behind them. Hoshiko tore her eyes away from the ground to stare up at the encroaching towers that surrounded her. Above her were platforms, and she could sense people up there. So Ame was designed to have different levels in the village.
"Who's Pein?" Hoshiko asked, speaking for the first time in days.
Kisame jerked around to face her, surprised at her voice. He smirked. "Pein is Leader-san. He rules over this village but he never shows his face to his shinobi. Only a few know of his ties to the Akatsuki. Best keep it that way too."
They took a lift up to the upper levels. Hoshiko didn't have a chance to look around at the various shops that were around as Kisame and Itachi led her towards one of the tallest towers in the village. It was also heavily guarded with Ame shinobi but once they saw their faces and cloaks they allowed them to pass.
It was dark inside the tower; the sound of dripping pipes greeted them as they ascended countless flights of stairs. They reached a landing where Kisame extended his hand to the next batch of stairs. "Pein will be up there, waiting for you."
Hoshiko's eyes flicked from the stairs to Kisame's nervously. "You're not coming with me?"
The blue man chuckled. "Pein only want's to see you, Shrimp. I'm gonna go have a rest in a decent bed for once. Let's go, Itachi-san." Hoshiko watched Kisame strut off down the hall for a moment before she glanced over at the quiet Uchiha.
Itachi held her gaze for a brief second, before turning away and following his partner. Hoshiko told herself that she didn't have anything to worry about. She hadn't done anything wrong…yet. All that Pein wanted was to give her access to the communication jutsu. Hoshiko climbed the stairs slowly, counting her breaths and calming her racing heart.
Hoshiko had seen Pein in the holograms before, but she had never imagined that he would be so young looking. Surely the leader of Akatsuki and Amegakure wasn't some fresh-faced man that couldn't be a few years older then Hoshiko herself, right? Apparently he was. Pein was sitting on a bench, behind him was an open window and further out Hoshiko could see the tall spires of Ame's towers. Pein had orange spiky hair, and multiple piercings all over his face and ears. Again, he only looked to be a handful of years older then Hoshiko but she could see on the bland expression on his face that he had seen more horrors then she could imagine. He wore the Akatsuki cloak, and when he rose to greet her, he was taller then her by far.
Movement on Hoshiko's right had her glancing over at a woman who had been lurking in the shadows. She realized that she had seen her before as a hologram when she had been initiated into the organization. The woman had short blue hair, and bright amber eyes. She looked older then Pein, but Hoshiko could tell from the way that she looked over at the leader, she respected him greatly.
"I'm Konan." She spoke evenly.
"Nice to meet you." Hoshiko smiled at her, forcing it out. She turned to face Pein as he approached her.
"You have Orochimaru's old ring?" He asked her. Hoshiko nodded and reached into her pockets and pulled out the tattered thing. Kisame had mentioned off-handedly while they had been travelling that the communication lay in the rings that they wore. Hoshiko had almost forgotten that she had stolen the damn thing from the snake man months ago. She handed the ring over to Pein, her eyes glossing over the slate blue gem and the kanji for void. It was fitting, considering how empty she felt on the inside right now.
Pein clasped it in both hands and then muttered something under his breath too quiet for Hoshiko to hear. "I need a drop of your blood." He ordered.
Hoshiko hesitated for a moment, before she pulled out a kunai and pricked her index finger. Pein held out the ring and Hoshiko hovered her finger over the gem. A drop of blood splashed on the ring as it suddenly glowed a bright white. It died down after a couple of seconds as Pein extended it to her.
"Wear this at all times. When I am in need to contact you, you will feel it pulsing. It also allows you to use the hologram jutsu when we convene for meetings."
Hoshiko took the ring and slipped it onto her left pinky finger. She met Pein's intimidating purple ringed eyes as he turned and walked back to his seat by the window.
"Your assignment while apart of this organization is as such." Pein said as he sat. "You are to infiltrate the five great villages and extract information on the Bijuu, their Jinchuuriki and anything else that might be relevant into capturing them." Hoshiko didn't want to alert Pein to the fact that her heart had just sped up. She had been worried that someone else would confront Jiraiya; she had never taken into account that it might've been her.
"We have some solid information on a few of them, but none of our members are as competent as you with infiltration tactics." Hoshiko nodded in agreement. She tried to imagine Kisame on a stealth mission with that hulking Samehada of his. "You are to do these solo, anymore and you may get compromised. You are welcome to tag along with any of the others pairs as you see fit. Use them as distractions to get into the villages if you need. But you are not to be detected collecting information about the Bijuu, clear?"
"I understand." She replied. "Can I ask you something?" Pein inclined his head slightly but nodded for her to continue. "How do you intend to bring peace to this world?"
Pein's purple eyes flicked over to Konan for a moment before they settled back onto the dark haired girl. "Have you known pain before?"
Hoshiko's brows twitched together in confusion, wondering if she had heard him right. When he didn't correct himself Hoshiko sighed heavily. "I've felt pain my whole life. I've been the survivor of a clan condemned to death. Because I was that survivor the village I called home shunned me. I have been manipulated, conspired against; tortured by people I thought would help me. I've had…friends die, seen a family torn apart. I've been betrayed—I've even betrayed. Pain has many different meanings…but for me it's what I feel inside. It reminds me of everything that I have endured up until this point. It tells me that I'm still alive. But now, I don't know what I fight for…"
Pein blinked at her slowly. "Only those who have felt true pain can understand what it means to desire peace. Do you desire it?"
"I do." Hoshiko said without hesitation.
"The Bijuu we collect will be used to level the nations. We will break the cycle of hatred that has plagued this world for far too long. From the ashes a new world will be built, one where peace will be attained. I shall rule over that world, maintaining order and prosperity."
"Thousands will die if you do this." Hoshiko stated calmly.
Pein frowned. "As opposed to the thousands that have died for the pointless shinobi wars already? They are a means to an end. Sacrifice some for the benefit of all."
Konan stepped out of the shadows. "You are the first to take great interest in Pein's plan, why?"
Hoshiko directed her glare at the wall to the side of Pein's head. "Because I want revenge. Revenge on the village that failed me, and failed my friends. They slaughtered my clan even though they preach unity and companionship. They are unable to see past their own indifferences and for that they need to pay."
"And they shall, in time." Pein finished.
The one good thing that came out of joining the Akatsuki was that the people in Amegakure treated Hoshiko like she was royalty. After her talk with Pein, Konan had told her that she was free to walk around the village, but not to cause any trouble. Hoshiko had taken her up on that offer and left the tower. She didn't inform Kisame or Itachi, she didn't need to now that she was permitted to work alone. She had to gather information on the Bijuu, easy enough. She would just leave Konoha until last to give Jiraiya a head start on his travels with his student.
And so she found herself thinking about Jiraiya, which made her sad. She had then passed by a bar that reeked of sake, which again made her sad. She had ventured into the venue on a whim, and once the owner had seen her in her cloak he had given her a booth and all the free sake she could have never wanted.
Hoshiko had never gotten drunk before, sure on her travels she had stopped off in a few villages after she had turned eighteen and had purchased a few cups of sake, but never enough to get her inebriated. But after everything that had happened with Itachi and then Pein today she just really wanted to blank out everything.
X
Hoshiko had her head resting on her arm, which was against the table. In her free hands, she twirled around the empty cup, her silver eyes following its movements. She had a pleasant buzz around her head, her eyes felt heavy but it wasn't from tiredness. Her mouth had a horrible aftertaste from the sake but it didn't stop her from sitting up and pouring another glass. She slammed the bottle down a little more forcefully then intended and then began sipping at the bitter liquid. It burned her throat as it went down and Hoshiko pulled a face it as. Once it was down she rested her head back down on the table.
"So this is where you were."
Hoshiko lifted her head slowly, seeing the world spin. She managed to focus on a large blue mass approaching her table. Kisame slid into the seat across from her. "Isn't this what you're supposed to do as an adult, drown your sorrows?" She mumbled, slurring her words. Kisame chuckled and motioned to the bartender to bring him his own bottle and cup.
"I'm not gonna stop you, Shrimp. I'm not some uptight stick in the mud like a certain Uchiha we know." His bottle and cup arrived as Kisame poured a drink. "You ain't gonna tell me what's up with you and Itachi-san are you?"
Hoshiko smirked at him and pinched his full bottle to pour out another drink. "Not even if you asked me nicely."
Kisame chuckled and necked back the alcohol swiftly. "Didn't think so. Hurry up and get your fill, he'll probably come and find you soon enough."
Hoshiko raised her cup, some sake spilling over the edge. "He can try to drag me away. We'll see what happens when I poke his eyes out."
Kisame watched as Hoshiko titled her head back and drank the sake until her cup was empty. She slammed it down on the table and wiped at her mouth, flicking off the droplets. "I guess I'll be dragging your ass back later then, huh?" Kisame smirked behind his cup. Or maybe, it would certainly answer a few questions if he let Itachi come and find them. That would be a thing to see…
He found them two hours later. Itachi ducked under the cloth and his red eyes settled on the pair bent over the table conversing loudly with one another. Numerous bottles were scattered on the table, spills evident. Kisame was leaning up against the wall, nursing a half full bottle and cup. Hoshiko was hunched over the table, her head held in her hands as she was struggling to hold herself up. Itachi drew closer to the table and managed to understand what they were talking about.
"Ok, but why are you blue?" Hoshiko had slurred.
"We've been over this." Kisame sighed back as he took another swig of the bottle. Itachi watched as Hoshiko scratched her head and then dropped her forehead onto the table briefly before shooting back up.
"But you're blue! It's not normal for you to be blue!"
"It's not normal for someone as small as you to drink so much and still be speaking." Kisame retorted. "But here we are…"
Itachi stopped at the head of the table, red eye glancing between his two drunken comrades. Kisame was the first to notice him; he scoffed as his dark beady eyes settled on him for a moment. Hoshiko realized that Kisame was looking at something as she turned her head. She was startled by the sudden appearance of the Uchiha as she screamed and flung herself back slightly. She knocked the table with her knee and then groaned.
"What the hell? Clear your throat, cough or slit some bystanders neck next time why don't you?"
"Both of you—return to the tower now." Itachi ordered.
Kisame sniggered and shot Hoshiko a look. "See, I told you he's got a stick shoved up his ass."
Hoshiko leaned closer to the shark man and held up her hand to cup her mouth. "He's got more then a stick shoved up his ass." She hissed loudly. "I'll bet anything that it's a—eugh!" Hoshiko was cut off as Itachi grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and flung her out of her seat. She stumbled and braced herself on the nearby table. Kisame was slowly getting himself out from the menacing look that Itachi was sending him.
Itachi rounded on Hoshiko. "Leave." He commanded.
Hoshiko rolled her eyes. "Leave." She mocked him in a mimic. She didn't notice his Sharingan swirling at her as she spun on her heel and strutted behind Kisame, as they existed the bar.
Once outside the heavy rain splattered Hoshiko. She shrieked and held her hands up to cover her head. It was dark outside, the only light coming from nearby establishments and a few streetlamps. "It's still raining!"
"Its always raining, moron." Kisame deadpanned.
"Quick!" Hoshiko yelled, ducking behind Kisame and pulling on his sword. "Kisame let me use Samehada as an umbrella."
"Samehada is not some toy for you to use, idiot." Kisame bellowed and shoved her away with one hard thrust. If Hoshiko hadn't been so inebriated, she probably could have caught herself before she fell gracelessly onto her ass. Hoshiko picked herself up off the floor and pointed an accusing finger at the blue man.
"You're mean!"
"I'm glad you noticed." Kisame quipped with a grin. Hoshiko bristled just as Itachi emerged from the building and gave them both unimpressed stares.
Hoshiko feigned fear. "Oh no, the famous Uchiha glare, what will I do?" Hoshiko spun on her heel and started wobbling the way towards the tower. Kisame and Itachi followed quietly behind her. As they walked, Hoshiko turned and walked backwards. "You know, Kisame and I were actually having fun. Do you know what that word is, Itachi? F-U-N."
Kisame noticed something behind her. "Oi, Shrimp, watch out for the—"
Clang! Thud.
Kisame sniggered as he examined Hoshiko's crumbled body on the ground. There had been a low hanging sign attached to the side of a shop. Because she had been walking backwards she had failed to see it and had walked right into it. If she weren't intoxicated with so much sake, it probably wouldn't have knocked her out.
Kisame turned to his dark haired companion. "You could have pointed that out to her as well."
"Hn." Itachi replied smugly.
Kisame yawned and rubbed at the back of his head. "Well, I'm not carrying her dead weight."
Itachi had already assumed as much. He approached Hoshiko and quickly swept her up into his arms. Kisame gave a little chuckle from behind him as Itachi furrowed his brows in annoyance and then tossed her over his shoulder, deciding to carry her that way instead. Hoshiko groaned something incoherent under her breath but remained asleep. It was probably for the better for all of them.
For all intents and purposes, Itachi was glad that Hoshiko had spent this time away from the tower and away from him. It had given her that breathing room that she wanted. And above all, he didn't want to see her upset anymore. She had a chance to be happy again for a while, and that was all he wanted for her.
Okkkkaaaayyy this took me forever to write! Seriously i was having a major issue with this chapter as I just didn't know how to follow on from everything that happened last chapter. I know it's not as exciting as the previous one, but we're building up the Itachi and Hoshiko stuff again. If you didnt see the note at the top, yeah, I fucked up a part of the last chapter (grrrrr) I was so baffled when people were like so does she knew about the coup and i was thinking uh yeah..and then a few more popped up so i went back to look and sure enough one of the most necessary memories wasn't there! It's there now if you want to go back and read it my friends.
Also, HOLY SHIT thank you all so much for your words for last chapter. I can't wrap my head around it with how many of you reviewed that chapter, it honestly made me so happy and humbled! I know this one is a little less excited but we see how Hoshiko is trying to deal with it all in her own way (by getting drunk lol)
but again thank you thank you all so much for your feedback, I loved hearing about your reactions and feelings to these two!
REPLIES
Janeth16 - Aww thank you! I'm honestly so happy that everyone enjoyed the reveal, I was so nervous I tried so hard to make it perfect! Sorry this took me a little longer, I got a little stuck with it...
TheProcrastinatingPerfectionist - You made me laugh and then cry with that. i feel this comment so much it hurts hahah
katydid001 - Thank you! I tried my hardest with it!
Kris XD - I'm glad I made your day! Thank you so much, take care of yourself out there! I'm glad I finally got to write Itachi kicking Hidan hahah it was a long time coming lol
SuperKaiokenGoku - My feels too lol. Also yeah my tired ass brain deleted one of the memories ahhh, it's up now if you haven't already seen it lol
andresskorskiruiz - Thank you! I love writing Kisame too so I'm happy he'll be in this for a few more chapters!
Zebadee18 - Thank you!
Warga - My heart hurts too. this also made me lol really loudly at work xD
Destinyd643 - Yes he did! Shisui isn't totally forgotten now that they're older. A little homage to him will be happening in later chapters for him!
Gio - awwwww dude this is such a happy and nice review, it made my day! Thank you thank you! I'm so happy that everyone is so hapy with how I wrote the reveal. I've been dreading it for ages cause i wanted it to be perfect! Honestly I don't have any words to convey how much i appreciate everyones kind words! But thank you so so much! :D x
Nostalgic29 - D: D: D: god I love everyone so much for all their words! I'm always my own worst critic when I comes to my writing so it always mades me cry when I see reviews like these. I'm glad that my story can connect with all my readers on this level. It means that i must be doing something good! thank you so much!
Lala Maryama - Thank you! Yes she does, I had to go and fix my mistake in the previous chapter because i was super tired when i posted last chapter but thank you so much!
sHiZoooo - wahhhh i cried a lil when i read this. i'm glad that you can feel what they feel, it's always a writers dream to hear these words from readers. it uplifts me so much and im glad it has an impact on everyone! Thank you so much x
MK - Sorry you had to wait a little longer for this one! This chapter gave me trouble as i honestly didnt kow how to follow on from all the epicness that happened last chapter! I hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for your kind words!
asianuruknan - You're welcome! I hope you enjoyed this one! I always have a nasty habit of doubting myself but everyones kind words always make me feel loved! thank you!
Banks - hahah fuck my anxiety too! Im so happy you stumbled across this story and you love it! I am my own worst critic when it comes to my writing but Im always happy to see people enjoying this story and falling in love with Itachi and Hoshiko just as much as I am. thank you !:D
Guest - Thank you! that chapter made me cry too lol
Doodlebugs - Aww i teared up a lil at this. im glad you came back to this story! i have honestly loved writing the akatsuki so much, especially hidan and kisame. There will be some more development with them and then I'll be moving into the canon storyline for a while! That's exciting! Anyway thank you so much! x
Givihe - when i wrote the line 'shisui loved you' i was actually crying. it was such a climactic moment for me to reveal it. I had never intended to have shisui, itachi and hoshiko have this sort of triangle thing going on. but as i wrote them, the way that shisui interacted with her all the time just made me feel like he did love her. but he also knew that she never felt that way so never came in between her and itachi. all the more heartbreaking (sadfaceSCREAM) Itachi jealous is also great to write. But it has to be done in subtle ways as thats his character. but anyway, thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Holy crap so many of you reviewed last chapter! I cried so much reading all your reviews, im honestly the happiest writer in the world right now!
Also Jiraiya will be making an appearance soon! And then I'll be delving into the canon storyline for a its getting real now! Anyway thank you all so much for your words!