Chapter 25: Into Darkness

...

I woke to a calloused hand cupping my face.

I didn't immediately react to the touch. Instead I remained limp and assessed my surroundings as I'd been trained to do in the Academy. The air was cold, musty, and still. It felt like a room. I was lying on something soft, probably a bedroll. My throat was sore, which meant that my healing chakra wasn't cycling.

Not good.

There was also foreign chakra everywhere, like a blanket of white noise to my senses. The foreign chakra was so pervasive that it took a moment to register the presence right next to me. But when I did, I opened my eyes.

Itachi knelt beside me in the prison cell.

"Onii-ch—," I began, but his eyes snapped red with the Sharingan, and suddenly we were sitting on the veranda of our old home.

It wasn't Tsukuyomi, just a normal genjutsu.

"Let's talk like this for now," said Itachi.

"Ah, there was someone watching us?" I asked, though that was obvious enough. I hadn't felt any other presences, but there were many ways to spy on someone.

"Perhaps," he said. "But we can speak freely here. Are you well?"

"I'm alright, Onii-chan," I said. "But what about Nii-chan? You didn't…hurt him, did you?"

"He will recover," said Itachi, which wasn't the most promising thing to hear. "But we have little time, and there are things you must know. Listen carefully, Kiyo-chan. Since the night of the massacre, I have been on a mission given to me by the Third Hokage. I was to infiltrate and monitor the organization known as the Akatsuki. They are a group of S-rank criminals whose goal is to create world peace through conquest and the capture of the tailed beasts. I have made arrangements to bring you to the organization as a healer."

I stared at him.

"What?" I asked when the silence dragged on. It made no sense. It made less than no sense. The Akatsuki was an organization of murderous S-ranked missing ninja. I was not murderous. I was not S-rank. I was not a missing ninja.

"This is the only way I can protect you," said Itachi.

By bringing me to the Akatsuki?!

…Well, it wasn't actually that bad when I thought about it. I wanted to heal Itachi, didn't I? If Itachi had brought me to the Akatsuki as a healer, obviously they wanted that too. And to heal him, I'd need access to my chakra. As long as I had chakra and the Hiraishin, I could leave whenever I wanted to.

Perfect.

"So I'll return once I've finished healing you?" I asked. "Or should I wait until a new Hokage is appointed? It should be safe for me then, right?"

Of course it would be.

But Itachi did not speak.

"Onii-chan?" I asked.

"Three years," he said. And when I stared at him nonplussed, he continued. "It will not be safe for you to return until Sasuke has become strong enough to reclaim you. I have given him three years."

Reclaim me?!

But I swallowed that objection because there were bigger problems here than semantics.

"But why?" I asked.

"There is one who knows my truth," said Itachi. "It is obvious to him now that you know my truth as well. And because of that, he will stop at nothing to kill you unless I keep you here where I can protect you."

But surely with Tsunade as the Hokage…

I bit my lip.

No, that was too naïve. Tsunade might have the ultimate authority in Konoha, but when had Danzo ever balked at doing things behind the scenes? Realistically, how much protection could Tsunade offer? Not much if Danzo was determined to have me killed. And Tsunade would never have Danzo imprisoned or executed at the behest of a genin. Certainly not one that had recently returned from enemy hands. Even if I tried to tell everyone the truth, who would believe me? At best, at the absolute best, she'd send me to Konoha's Torture and Interrogation division to have my mind read by Inoichi.

I couldn't let that happen.

I had too many secrets to keep.

Of course, staying away had its own risks too.

"Three years?" I asked instead. "I can't stay that long. I have the Hiraishin. Maybe I can claim that you had me under genjutsu for a few weeks and that you forced me to heal you, but for three years? No one at home will believe that. Your organization won't believe it either."

Itachi reached out to take my hands, lifting them up and displaying the manacles clasped around my wrists. The one on the left was a standard gray chakra suppression manacle commonly used on prisoners. The one on the right was pale blue and white with the kanji for 'bird' embossed in a strange black metal. The metal burned with the same chakra that filled the rest of the room.

"The left manacle will suppress your chakra when the leader does not wish you to use it," said Itachi. Oh, so that was why my healing chakra wasn't cycling. "The right manacle suppresses all space-time ninjutsu within you. It will prevent you from using the Hiraishin to escape."

"And what's stopping me from breaking the manacle?" I asked, because that was the obvious question. If I had chakra, it would be easy.

"My leader believes that I used Tsukuyomi to torture you into submission and that you are no longer capable of defying me," said Itachi. "You must never attempt to remove the manacle. If you try, he will know that you are a danger to the organization. You will be killed and the bargain will be undone."

"Bargain?" I asked.

"Naruto is the host for the Kyuubi, and our leader wishes to capture him," he said. "He also has a grudge against Konoha and wishes to destroy it. However, he has agreed to postpone these goals for three years as incentive to…ensure your compliance."

Oh.

Itachi really had thought of everything.

Including how to control me.

Because postponing the hunt for Naruto and the destruction of Konoha wasn't for my sake. They would have done it anyway because the Kyuubi needed to be sealed last and they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves yet. Besides, Itachi had already bargained for Konoha's protection from Obito by joining the Akatsuki in the first place. But Itachi had framed it as if their safety relied on me.

I knew why he'd done it. I would never agree to help the Akatsuki, not for my own sake at least. I would stay long enough to heal Itachi, but after that? No. And since healing him wasn't likely to take three years, he'd said what he'd needed to say to make me believe that my imprisonment was protecting Naruto and Konoha rather than hurting them.

He'd lied to me.

"…S-so how am I supposed to act?" I asked, looking down at my lap and swallowing the sense of hurt rising in my chest.

I had more important things to worry about. Like making sure that no one realized the truth behind my abduction. The Academy had taught basic torture resistance methods, but they'd never covered the…aftermath.

"Act as you always do," said Itachi. "They know that you still harbor hope that I will return to being your loving elder brother one day. You may call me 'Onii-chan' and show as much fear or affection as you wish. But Kiyo-chan, you must never disobey me where others can see. And likewise…I cannot show you any kindness."

Yeah, because if they realized that I could defy him, they'd kill me. And if they realized that Itachi was a spy, they'd kill us both.

I nodded.

"…I understand," I said. "And how will I—"

I stopped, and with a twist of chakra, Itachi shattered the illusion. I was once again sitting in the prison cell with Itachi kneeling in front of me.

But now there was another person in the room, another person whose chakra had winked into existence with a swirl of displaced reality. There was no mistaking that orange mask.

Obito.

I sat perfectly still as if I'd been caught in a paralysis genjutsu. Obito merely stood there watching me. Like he was waiting for something.

I shifted, ever so slightly, until I was nearly hidden behind Itachi.

As though broken out of a spell, Obito snapped to attention, throwing his hands into the air and letting out a cry of childish delight.

"OoooOooohhh, Itachi-san!" he shouted, his voice high-pitched and childish. He rushed forward with surprising speed but not fast enough or subtle enough to be an actual attack. Then he was standing beside me bending sideways at the hip in an almost comical pose. "Eh? Eh, who is this, Itachi-san~~?"

There was no threat in his words or tone, just the guileless innocence of a fool. Obito was pretending to be the hapless Tobi, a guise he only put on for people who didn't know who he really was. Who he was pretending to be. But no matter what disguise he was using, Obito had very clearly, very deliberately initiated our meeting. As I thought about it, there could only be one reason why.

He was gathering information.

Was he aware that I knew about the coup? Considering the risk it would cause me, I didn't see Itachi mentioning it. Of course, Obito could probably guess based on what he already knew of Itachi. But guessing was not the same as knowing something for certain.

I flinched at my stupidity. If I was here due to Itachi's supposed torture, I would not have instinctively gone to him for protection against a potential attacker. So Obito had confirmation that I knew the truth. Or at least part of it.

And just like that, all hope of escape died.

Because if I knew the truth and tried to leave after healing Itachi, Obito would hunt me down and kill me. I might be able to evade someone like Orochimaru or even Danzo, but Obito? No. Not a chance. Between Zetsu acting as his spy and his Kamui teleportation, he'd be able to find me anywhere. It would just be a matter of time. And if Itachi didn't know where to find me, he wouldn't know when I was killed. The only safe place for me now was right in the palm of Obito's hand.

Huh, maybe the person Itachi mentioned who knew his 'truth' wasn't Danzo after all.

"Do you have business here…Tobi?" Itachi asked quietly, his voice empty and layered with vague Intent.

I didn't miss the slight pause before the name 'Tobi'.

Right.

The truth behind the massacre was not the only secret. Obito was also pretending to be 'Madara'. Just not to me. Not yet.

"Aw, Itachi-saaaaan!" Obito whined, flopping over in the other direction and doing an admirable impression of an inflatable waving tube man. There was no threat, no intent behind his words, merely childish glee and an odd sing-song playfulness in his voice. "Leader-sama has returned and is waiting for you~~."

"Very well," said Itachi blandly. "Kiyo-chan—"

I leaped to my feet immediately.

"Oh no, sorry Kiyo-chan~~, but you'll have to stay," giggled Obito, tacking on the familiar honorific. That wasn't exactly polite, but I wasn't about to object. "Leader-sama will meet with you later. This meeting is just for Itachi-san right now. But don't worry! Tobi~ will keep you company until he comes back!"

Oh no.

Itachi stood and turned to the door.

Oh no.

"O-Onii…" I mumbled, stopping when the word sounded more like a whimper. I couldn't defy Itachi by objecting, but this was Obito.

"Rest," said Itachi, not looking at me. "No harm will befall you while I am gone."

That might have been a promise to me or a warning to Obito. Probably both.

"Yeah, yeah!" laughed Obito. "You're safe with Tobi on the job!"

Obito.

Obito: the man who had slaughtered Minato and Kushina after unleashing the Kyuubi on Konoha. Obito: the man who had killed half my clan in one night after provoking them to stage a coup against the village. Obito: the man who right now was secretly leading an organization of bloodthirsty S-rank mercenaries working to take over the world.

Safe?

With him?

I swallowed hard and looked toward Itachi.

Please, please don't leave me alone with him.

Itachi lingered for half a second longer before vanishing down the hall. As the door clanged shut, I clenched my hands together to stop their trembling and turned back to Obito, unsure of what he was planning now. It was a test. But a test for what?

What else did Obito want to learn?

"Ya know, I think I have heard of a Kiyo-chan before," said Obito, waving his arms in exaggerated gestures. "Uchiha Kiyo-chan. I never expected to see another Uchiha here. But I suppose being a traitor must run in your family!"

It was a taunt, a challenge. I carefully did not rise to his bait. Instead I looked down and didn't speak. He hadn't actually asked a question, and I certainly wasn't going to be provoked into defending Itachi from someone who knew the truth already.

"But still, betraying your village…" Obito continued into my silence. His voice was still light, still playful. "I thought only cold, evil criminals would do something like that."

I still did not speak.

"Aw, c'mon, I'm only kidding," he laughed. "You sure are quiet! There's no need to be like that. We're comrades now, right? You can talk to Tobi~~! So tell me, why did you decide to join up? Tell me, tell me, tell me~~!"

Itachi hadn't commanded me to obey Obito, but ignoring a direct question felt too close to defiance. Still, that didn't mean that I had to give away everything.

"…In the ninja world, it's true that people who break the rules are scum," I said, opting to modify Obito's motto slightly. "But people who don't protect their loved ones are even worse than scum."

'Loved ones'.

It was just vague enough that it could refer to Itachi or Naruto and Konoha.

Underneath the underneath.

I could lie too.

The silence stretched for a beat too long, but then Obito laughed.

"Oh 'love', that's so cute," he said. "A cute little reason for a cute little girl."

Another taunt, this one directed at me.

"Don't you have anyone you love and want to protect, Tobi-san?" I asked quietly.

Why did I ask that? It would have been better to remain silent. There was no reason to goad him. But after a moment, I finally noticed something that I should have realized right from the start.

I was tired.

Not just tired. Exhausted. Chakra exhausted. Chakra was a blend of mental and physical energy. With my chakra suppressed, the little energy I had was rapidly draining away. I could feel fatigue creeping into my muscles. And my mind. It was making me careless.

Reckless.

Tobi giggled.

"Oh, you flirt," he said waving a hand at me. "Asking if I'm single. You're a bit young for me, though. Sorry!"

Well…that was certainly one way of interpreting that question. And it was a very neat deflection too.

"Hmm, you know I thought Itachi-san had a little brother too," said Tobi, tapping the chin of his mask in faux contemplation. "Sosu-Sasa-something."

"Sasuke," I supplied, unthinking.

Stop. Talking.

"That's it!" Tobi cheered. "Sasuke. I heard he wanted to kill Itachi, right?"

Ah, since I clearly knew what was going on, he wanted to know if I'd told Sasuke as well. This was dangerous territory. Sasuke's ignorance was the keystone keeping Itachi in line. If Sasuke knew the truth, Obito would lose that leverage.

"…Yes," I said.

On the other hand, if Sasuke didn't know, that gave Obito a gold plated piece of blackmail to use against me. Because I'd known about Itachi, and I'd never told Sasuke. I'd let him spend his entire life hating the one person who had sacrificed everything to protect us. How would Sasuke react if he knew what I had kept hidden all these years?

I could almost feel the satisfaction settling over Tobi. Wait, when had I started thinking of him as 'Tobi'? I was getting too tired. Confused.

I swallowed hard and was suddenly overcome with a coughing fit.

"Oh, what's this~~?" Obito asked. "I thought you were a medic. You must not be very good if you're sick."

With some effort, I got my coughing under control.

I knelt, bracing one hand against the ground as the room swam.

I was so tired.

"Well, you know what's good for your health?" Obito chirped when I didn't deign to respond. He flopped onto the floor like a starfish, making me jump at the sudden movement. "Sleep! And this is a good place to sleep. Besides, Itachi did tell you to rest, right? Tobi is very tired!"

He spoke as though he wasn't on a bed of solid stone. Well, ninja were trained to sleep anywhere. Tobi, no Obito, began making obvious snoring sounds despite the fact that his chakra was still sharp and very much awake.

I blinked sluggishly.

Itachi had told me to rest, but I couldn't. Not with Obito here. So I had to come up with an excuse to remain awake. I cast around the room for inspiration, my eyes landing on the bedroll with the blanket and pillow.

I gathered up the pillow and blanket before approaching Obito carefully. He was still feigning sleep, so I tossed the blanket over him before gently, gently lifting up his head and sliding the pillow beneath him.

Keeping watch while in enemy territory was a fundamental task when travelling with a team. Obviously with Obito 'asleep', I would have to take watch. It was a perfect excuse for why I couldn't rest in his presence.

"Don't worry…I'll…watch over you…Obi..," I mumbled before the room pitched sideways and I fainted right on top of him.

I woke slowly, first aware of Itachi's sharpened chakra beside me. I could feel a pillow beneath my cheek and a blanket draped over my shoulders.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Itachi," said an unfamiliar voice, deep and with a sardonic hint of amusement. It sent a shot of panic through my heart. "We have a deal, remember?"

Obito.

I was sitting up before I could think better of it, lifting my head and looking toward Itachi. He was standing beside the door while Obito lounged next to me with his arms folded across his chest. Between one sleep-filled blink and the next, 'Tobi' was back, leaning over me with a giggle, the dark voice gone like a bad dream.

"Wakey, wakey sleepy-head," he said. I clutched the blanket reflexively, like a child who thought that simple cloth could repel monsters. But Obito was undeterred, throwing his arm around me like we were best pals. I flinched at the sudden contact and the incredible desire to runrunrun! "Oh, it's always the best to have sleepovers with friends. I was sooo tired. It was such a rough day! But now I feel all better~."

Itachi's chakra spiked alarmingly, and my breath caught in my throat. The act wasn't over yet. I couldn't do anything suspicious, but I had to get Obito off of me.

Now.

"You were hurt?" I squeaked, a half-baked plan forming even as I spoke. That wasn't the only way to interpret what he'd said, but telling me that he was better could theoretically imply that he'd been injured. "Please allow me to examine you. I might not have chakra, but I'm trained in visual diagnosis as well."

I reached up to touch him. An examination would reveal that he was an Uchiha with implanted Hashirama cells. He wouldn't want me to know that so I was completely unsurprised when he practically teleported across the room to escape from my 'well-meaning' hands.

"No, no, no, I'm fine!" he said, laughing. It didn't sound quite as lighthearted as before.

I could have gladly left it at that, but now that I was playing the part of concerned medic, it would be suspicious if I dropped the act immediately. I took a determined step forward.

"Tobi-san!" I called out, giving him my best indignant glare. "Don't hide your wounds from me. Where are you hurt?"

"Kiyo-chan," said Itachi, not loudly or forcefully. But his tone still made me turn. He raised his hand and gestured me toward him, clearly telling me to back off. Unsurprising. Obito's body language practically screamed Stay Away.

"Okay," I said. "Next time I won't let you off so easy, though."

"Aw, you're so sweet~," said Obito, with a vaguely mocking lilt. "You're always so worried about other people, but you really should be more worried about yourself, don't you think?"

Oh, I was. I really, really was.

"Enough," said Itachi. "Come, Kiyo-chan. Leader-sama wishes to speak with you."

And with that, we left Obito behind. Before the cell door clattered closed, he was gone in a swirl of displaced air.

Itachi led me up a long flight of stairs. The corridor was all dull metal with pipes of varying sizes running across the ceiling and down the walls. There was no one else around as we continued up and up and up until we reached a room with a large window open to the rain.

There were two people waiting inside.

An orange-haired man with various piercings and a blue-haired woman.

Pein and Konan.

Oh, so Pein was the source of the immense chakra that permeated the entire base as well as the rain falling outside.

His chakra was particularly strong in the metal piercings on Pein's body, which lit up like candles to my chakra sense. The metal piercings were made from the same material as the kanji on my manacle.

I flinched as Itachi closed the door behind us, but I was very, very careful not to make any move toward Itachi for safety. I couldn't make that mistake again. Obito knew Itachi's truth. Pein did not. And I had to keep it that way.

Pein's ringed purple-gray eyes fixated on me. He didn't overtly appear to be a corpse though his face was strangely stiff, utterly absent of the small movements that a living, breathing person would have shown.

"So, you are the medic able to revive the dead," said Pein. "The one rumored to rival the famous Sanin, Tsunade."

Huh, I…hadn't actually mentioned reviving Haku to Itachi. Which meant that the people in Wave Country must have spread rumors about my time there, and those rumors had apparently circulated far beyond their borders. Not too surprising since they relied heavily on trade and shipping. But it meant that I now had a reputation. One that had actually managed to reach Pein of all people.

What a strange thought.

Unfortunately, like most reputations, mine seemed to have gotten a little inflated somewhere along the way. Comparing me to Tsunade was a bit of a stretch. Sure, I'd used my Sharingan to memorize over a thousand medical books, but I still didn't consider that equal to the legendary Tsunade. She was an expert, or sometime the expert in fields I barely knew existed. I couldn't compare to that.

"Haku was only medically dead," I said. "He had not undergone chakra death, and that provided me the time required to revive him."

I had to be careful. Downplaying my abilities too much might reflect badly on Itachi and call my usefulness into question. It was easier to deflect with harmless details about Haku's treatment. Besides, I didn't want him to think that I had any powers that resembled the Rinnegan.

"I see," said Pein. "I am Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki, an organization seeking to bring a new age of peace to this world. Do you know why you are here?"

Oh yes. I knew more than him.

"O-Onii-chan brought me here to be of use to him," I said

Pein's eyes narrowed.

"And will you?" he asked, vague Intent bleeding from him. Backed by his immense chakra, it was suffocating.

Really suffocating.

I couldn't breathe.

I coughed, gasping as my throat closed.

Oh no. Without access to my chakra, I couldn't stop my asthma attack. I hunched forward clutching at my throat and wheezing, trying to get my own body under control.

A hand lifted my head, bringing me upright.

"Take deep breaths, Kiyo-chan," said Itachi's voice in my mind. Genjutsu.

"Without chakra, her body is weak," Itachi explained to Pein as I tried to calm down.

Through watery eyes, I could see Pein's look of disdain.

"Are you sure that she will be sufficient for your needs?" Pein asked.

Itachi did not respond, merely meeting Pein's gaze levelly.

"I-I will!" I choked out, drawing their eyes to me, still struggling to breathe. Calm down. I could handle this.

Pein regarded me with an unreadable expression. Then he took a step forward, and I shrank back. My breath caught in my lungs, but Pein merely took my left hand, which was clutching my throat, and ran his chakra through the manacle at my wrist. With a snap, it released, and my chakra flowed once more.

"Heal yourself," he said.

I didn't need to be told twice.

I cycled my chakra quickly, opening my airway. It took a few more moments, but soon my breathing returned to normal.

"Th-thank you," I muttered.

Itachi released me, and I looked down, not quite daring to meet Pein's gaze.

"You say that you will be of use to us," said Pein. "But I have my doubts. Though you were brought here to serve Itachi, you will obey me as your leader. And as your leader, I require proof of your loyalty."

"What kind of proof?" I asked.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than I felt a light shove between my shoulder blades. I fell to my knees.

Itachi?

But why would he-?

Oh, right.

How could I be so foolish?

I bowed my head, kneeling in supplication, my forehead nearly touching the floor.

"I-I will do w-whatever you command…Pein-sama," I said.

Unlike Obito, Pein didn't know the truth. I had to convince him that Itachi had tortured me into submission, that I was too terrified to even consider defiance. There was no room for negotiations or questions. Only obedience.

Pein was silent for several long beats, but I didn't dare to raise my head.

"We shall see," he said at last. "For my first command, you will heal Itachi."

Oh, was that all?

Actually, from his perspective it was the perfect test because he knew what Itachi had done to me and my family. If there was ever a person I would object to healing, it was Itachi. Well, at least as far as Pein knew.

I nodded, the action stiff even as I kept my eyes down. I stood slowly and turned to Itachi before placing my hands over his chest and running a basic diagnostic jutsu. Theoretically, I wasn't supposed to know anything about his sickness yet.

"Stage Three Chakra Radiation Poisoning," I said after a moment of concentration. "Treatment will involve extensive healing, as the radiation poisoning has permeated various internal organs. It will take time to stimulate healing in so many areas."

I wasn't sure how much they knew already or what Itachi had told them, so it was best to be factual and brief.

"And you believe that you are capable of healing him?" Pein asked.

"Yes, Pein-sama," I said. "I estimate that it will require twelve eight-hour sessions to heal existing damage with three eight-hour healing sessions to occur every three months thereafter to prevent additional damage." Wait, was that good enough? People sometimes had unrealistic opinions on medical timelines. And Pein hadn't seemed very impressed with me so far. "Um…I-I can get started right away, but I-I don't have much chakra at the moment…"

"There is no need to begin immediately," said Pein. His Intent suddenly spiked, very nearly knocking the breath out of me. "But I expect timely results. I trust that you will not disappoint me."

"No, Pein-sama, I-I will not disappoint you," I said, fumbling slightly in my sudden panic. This was just Intent, not even Killing Intent. But it still felt like a fist around my heart.

What was Itachi thinking? How was I supposed to keep this up for three years?

"We shall see," said Pein.

From an inner pocket, Pein produced a kunai and held it out with the handle towards me.

"For your forehead protector," he clarified when I did not immediately reach to take it.

Oh…

I untied my forehead protector and set it on the ground before taking the proffered blade. The metal plate did not yield easily, but the slash I carved across the Konoha leaf was deep and even.

I returned the kunai to Pein.

"That is all…for now," he said. "Itachi, you will take responsibility for her."

Itachi said nothing, but he turned on his heel and stepped toward the door.

I looked between Itachi and Pein quickly, not quite sure if I should follow.

Itachi paused.

"Come, Kiyo-chan," he said.

I gave Pein a quick bow and hurried after Itachi, out the door and down the hall.

This was…not going to be easy.

Between Itachi, Pein, and Obito, I had too many puppeteers pulling my strings. And if I wasn't careful, they would pull me apart.

Itachi led me deeper into the base and down a featureless corridor until we reached a plain wooden door. Inside was a simple, unadorned room with a desk, a chair, a dresser, and two twin beds. There were no windows, and the only other door led to a small bathroom.

This was somewhat comfortable as far as prison cells went, though the lack of windows made me uneasy. I also wondered at the presence of two beds. Would I be sharing with someone?

It wasn't until I stretched out my chakra sense that I noted the faint hint of chakra layered into one of the mattresses. It wasn't a jutsu or a seal or anything like that. It was just the stray chakra that lingered when a person spent any length of time in a space.

It was Itachi's chakra.

He'd slept here. With a jolt I realized that this was his room.

As I looked around the cramped space, I couldn't help but think of those first few nights after the massacre. I'd felt so upset and wronged by the Hokage for taking away the vast clan grounds that had belonged to my family and leaving us with only a simple house.

But Itachi…

I hadn't expected him to be living in the lap of luxury. He was a missing ninja, after all. But this barren, windowless room was the closest thing he'd had to a home for the past five years. It was completely unadorned and showed little sign of use. If it weren't for his chakra in the mattress, I wouldn't have even known it was his.

'Comfortable prison cell' was an apt description.

"Kiyo-chan…" Itachi muttered, sounding tired.

Right.

I had a job to do.

"We'll need a bigger space," I said, looking up. "My life-support seal requires at least a 10'x10' area. Is there an empty room nearby we can use?"

Itachi's expression softened.

"So that's what you were thinking," he said. "One can be prepared. Is there anything else you require?"

"I have enough for now," I said. "The chakra poisoning is by far the most urgent condition, but it could also be masking other health issues. When can we get started?"

"Tomorrow," he said. I opened my mouth to object, but Itachi raised his hand to silence me. "Rest. You are still tired, and…there are other things I must do."

I swallowed my protests and nodded. Fair enough. I'd only recently regained access to my chakra and it would take hours before I could do anything meaningful with it. His condition wasn't imminently dangerous no matter how much I wanted to get started healing him. So instead I went to the spare bed and sat down, bouncing twice to test the firmness of the mattress.

Itachi watched me with a hint of sadness in his eyes before he turned away, closing the door behind him. I leaned back, drawing my legs to my chest until I could rest my chin on my knees. I let out a long, slow breath. I was alive. But I wasn't naïve enough to think that I was safe. My life and wellbeing rested entirely with Itachi.

I focused on steadying my breaths.

I would be fine.

I had to believe that.

I would be fine.

I woke screaming to meet the shadow looming over my bed.

I lashed out in blind panic but the shadow caught my fists easily.

"Kiyo-chan," it said softly. I thrashed in its grasp. "Kiyo-chan."

Why did the shadow sound like Itachi?

I stilled, unseeing in the dark. I could only feel Itachi's chakra, warm and comforting, beside my bed.

Why was I…?

Oh, right.

I'd fallen asleep before he'd returned and he'd clearly gotten ready for bed without waking me.

Ninja, of course.

"S-sorry," I stuttered. "I d-didn't mean to wake you."

Itachi was ill. He needed rest, not a noisy roommate to wake him up in the middle of the night. Itachi released my hands and stroked my hair in silence until my trembling stopped. Then he rested his hand on my cheek to wipe away a tear with his thumb.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" he asked gently.

I was way too old for something like that.

But I nodded anyway.

Itachi gathered me up and deposited me onto his bed. I shivered, and he bundled me in his blanket. I'd borrowed one of his spare shirts from the dresser to use as a night dress. Itachi wasn't exactly tall, but I was tiny, so the hem fell all the way to my ankles. As he lay down beside me, I realized that he was dressed too. Fully dressed, shoes included.

Ninja did that sometimes when they slept in places where they didn't feel safe. But this was the Akatsuki base, the seat of their power. If there was anywhere Itachi should feel safe, it was here.

'If'…

Itachi pulled me close, tucking me under his chin. I was huddled between him and the wall, as sheltered as he could make me given the circumstances. When he'd first come here, he'd been thirteen years old. But he'd had no one to comfort him through his first night.

Or any night after.

Did he have nightmares too?

"Goodnight, Onii-chan," I whispered into the soft fabric of his shirt.

Itachi remained silent, simply holding me until I fell into an uneasy sleep.

AN: And now we've officially reached the Akatsuki arc. There will be a delay for the next chapter because I need to revamp my outline/timeline for this arc, and I want to sort out the pacing issues before I get going.