I didn't understand back then what real pain was. The pain of losing a life, I felt it for the first time after losing it - no, I was made to realize it, the feeling of not wanting to lose something to so precious.
"Nii-san! Your eyes!"
Through the haunted boy's eyes she saw Sasuke, who was a lot bigger than in the last memory she saw him in. Itachi's thumb went over the apple of his cheek. The toddler's innocent grin was both blurred and sharp at the same time. The young boy's Sharingan continued to glow as he mourned for the death of his comrade.
Will the day come when you'll possess these eyes too? The day when you'll know what sadness is...
Before Shiori had a chance to mourn with him she found out the answer to young Itachi's question. Neither her nor the then thirteen-year-old shinobi could ever prepare for the sanity-crushing guilt that came with that fateful night. Every swing of his blade bit on his, and in turn, her conscience but none of those deaths did as much damage as Sasuke's screams every time Itachi subjected him to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
'Why is this happening to you?' she thought as she felt hot tears roll down the thirteen-year-old boy's cheeks. After one final glance at his otouto, he disappeared into the night leaving the death of an entire clan in his wake.
'Why Itachi?'
It almost felt insulting that she always came around with no physical restraints whatsoever. No ropes binding her wrists or shackles weighing down her ankles. It was as if they were teasing her. Yes, she wasn't being held down but no, she wasn't free either. This time she jolted awake on a chair in the middle of an underground dungeon. The oil lamps cast an eerie glow to the moist earthen walls around her. She let out a shaky breath, allowing the nightmarish flashbacks to drain out of her system only to gasp once again as her gaze landed at the person sitting right in front of her.
It was a man with shaggy dark hair and long limbs. His entire skin was riddled with cuts, bruises and burns. He reeked of excrement and urine. Even with a few yards between them, the foul smell was strong enough to make her gag. These, however, weren't the most disturbing part. It was the empty look in his eyes. The man tilted his head to fix his wall-eyed gaze on her directions. If he did see her, he didn't give any indications that he did. A string of saliva dribbled out of the corner of his disfigured lip, streaming parallel to the discharge coming out of his charred left ear.
Konan, Zetsu, Itachi and Kisame emerged from the dark corner of the suffocating place. Shiori didn't even notice they were there earlier.
"What did you do to him?" The question left her mouth sounding like a sob.
"Oh no," Zetsu replied quickly, shaking his hands in front of him. "I took him away from a place much similar to this one. Two guys did that to him. And like you, we don't know why either. Find out for us, will you?"
Shiori shrieked as a large hand pulled her by the arm, forcing her to stand up. Kisame half carried and half dragged her across the room until they both stood right in front of the catatonic man.
"Listen kid, you're wasting a good deal of our time. The sooner you do what you have to do the sooner we can get rid of this stinking mess." He lifted her bare left hand and slapped it against the man's cheek. She gasped as she felt herself being sucked into the stranger's memories.
"Itachi. Do you have means of confirming anything?" the only kunoichi in the room asked, glancing sideways at the young shinobi beside her.
"Yes. I've spoken to my contacts about him." Itachi didn't look away from the scene in front of her. The girl had her eyes squeezed shut, grinding her teeth as she battled with something invisible even to him. The man seemed unfazed by what was happening and merely blinked when her hand landed heavily against his face. It could only mean one thing. The witch of Shimogakure was capable of probing someone's mind undetected. He wondered briefly how someone so weak could possess an ability so formidable.
Just a couple of seconds later, Shiori begged to be freed.
"Let go! Stop! Stop! STOP!"
Kisame did as she asked and watched as the girl staggered away from her target. She bit her lip and eyed the man with both fear and contempt.
"He's a lowlife criminal," she started in a soft voice, barely a murmur. "He earns a living by peddling drugs and he gets what he wants by stealing from other people. If he can't steal from them, he kills them."
Zetsu let out a terrified gasp. Shiori turned to Konan and continued, "Two weeks ago, he murdered a woman in cold blood in front of her daughter after she refused to hand him her purse. She was pregnant too. Who does that?"
The memory of the crying child was still etched at he back of her eyelids like a haunting after image. She was there. She saw everything through his eyes and she felt what he felt the moment the rusty kunai ripped through the skin on the woman's neck. The rush, the laughter bubbling at the pit of his stomach. He was enjoying it.
"Itachi?"
"She's a Rinha, alright."
Konan and Itachi nodded at each other. Kisame barked at Shiori to follow him. All four of them left the room, with Itachi closing the door behind him just as Zetsu walked over to face the disfigured criminal. As they walked away, a muffled scream echoed in the walls followed by the sickening crunch of breaking bones.
"Keep walking," Kisame ordered the wild-eyed girl when she took a peek behind them.
They walked until they reached the ground floor, passing by dim hallways similar to the ones Shiori ran through earlier. After several twists and turns they reached the main foyer. Unlike the hallways, it was well-lit from the sunlight pouring through open windows. She could see a porch which covered the width of the side of the building where the main entrance was. Beyond that, she could see a moss garden overlooking a small village below. Konan pulled her out of her thoughts.
"I thought I should warn you," she started, "There was more to the genjutsu that Itachi used on you earlier."
Shiori's glance shifted to the tall teenage boy beside her only to find a pair of fully matured Sharingan staring back. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut before adjusting her gaze to a spot on the sleeve of his cloak. She knew what those eyes were capable of, which was why Konan's words filled her with a sense of foreboding.
"On Pain-sama's orders, he implanted a suggestion in you. Any attempt to escape or divulge any information you've gathered about the Akatsuki to either civilians or shinobi will trigger you to commit suicide."
Bile crept up at the back of Shiori's tongue, filling her mouth with a bitter taste. Her thoughts went back to Itachi's ANBU subordinates in one of his memories, how they ended up skewering each other the moment they turned against him.
"How?" She couldn't fathom how it happened. She barely looked at him. She doubt she locked eyes with him for more than a split second.
His response indicated that he understood her question differently. "It depends. Whichever does the job the quickest on the time of your betrayal."
"Betrayal?" she scoffed. "I wasn't aware I was affiliated with you."
"Whatever. I guess that's it," Kisame piped in, locking his hands at the back of his neck. "We can finally leave this whiny brat alone. She'd be too scared to do anything now. 'tachi, come. Let's grab something to eat. I'm fucking starving." The giant shark-man made his way into the large hallway on the western part of the building. Itachi turned to Konan and bowed before tailing after his partner. Kisame's voice echoed against the walls.
"Technically you captured her so she's your ward, alright? Sorry but I can't be stuck with babysitting jobs, man. I just can't."
When it was just her and Konan left in the foyer, the kunoichi said, "Assets eat in their own rooms. Meals will be handed over to you and you have an hour to finish them. Make sure you're there when the rations come." She nodded once and headed to the hallway opposite to where the two men disappeared into.
Needless to say, she missed the rations that night. She wandered for what felt like hours before she came across one of the caretakers who quietly led her to her own room.
"If you're Itachi's ward I reckon I don't have to lock you in," the old man stated, giving her a questioning look.
"That won't be necessary," she mumbled before bowing at him in gratitude. He bowed back and slowly closed the door in front of her.
Shiori stood in place for the longest time, her mind blank and her heart devoid of any emotion.
She did not see much of anyone for days. Then again, she didn't leave her room to begin with. She barely moved. Ever since her capture, every movement she made felt like a chore. Even the act of eating was exhausting. Still, despite the fatigue she couldn't sleep. She couldn't remember the number of times she stared out of the window until sunset turned to night. Not long after that, sunrise would paint the sky an orange hue and the dull cycle her life had taken would then start anew.
One day, after the aging caretaker took away another cold meal she barely touched, he came back with a pile of neatly folded clothes.
"We never have young girls running around in this place so I doubt any of these are a good fit. But it's the least I can do," he said.
"Huh." It never crossed her mind that she hadn't showered in days. She thought that perhaps it was the old man's subtle way of telling her that she was beginning to reek.
She waited until she was alone before she stood up from her spot on the floor to go through the clothes he had brought.
"Well, he's right about one thing," she mumbled to herself.
Most if not all of the clothes were several sizes too big for her. She could swim in them. Some of them had their sleeves ripped off. While these looked good on tall, well-muscled men, they did nothing to hide the skin on her arms and her sideboobs. She brightened up a bit when she saw a short-sleeved shirt with a high collar. It still looked big on her but not big enough to look ridiculous. She buried her face on to the soft fabric and inhaled deeply, concluding that it had belonged to someone who never wore a drop of perfume in his life and yet managed to smell pleasantly well, the way boys ought to smell in her opinion. She turned it over and came face to face with the image of a paper fan embroidered on its back. The Uchiha clan symbol. She could recognize that anywhere now. With a defeated sigh, she tossed it aside and picked up the biggest shirt on the pile.
Itachi had been away on missions with Kisame for days. Normally he preferred this. The constant influx of S-ranked tasks kept him occupied and prevented his mind from wandering. However, ever since that mission in the Frost Village, these tasks had only become too bothersome. The faster he wanted them over with, the more they kept coming. It didn't help that sleep had been evading him for days as well. Every time he attempted to get some shut eye, the same thought kept echoing in his head.
She knows.
Shiori never confirmed it with him but the signs were there.
I guess that makes two of us.
If those words were anything to go by, it could only mean that his fears had come true.
'I should've done it,' he chastised himself on several occasions. When he had planted that suggestion within her, he had been tempted to include divulging his memories as one of the triggers. However a part of him which sounded so much like his younger self argued against this.
'It wasn't her fault. She doesn't have to pay for your mistakes.'
And he had listened. After the nth sleepless night he regretted that he did.
Itachi waited patiently as Kisame counted their service fee. Once his colleague was satisfied, he tucked it in his cloak and turned to face him.
"Alright. Is that all of it?"
"No. We need to head to the Land of Iron to meet Hidan and Kakuzu. We're bringing the girl with us."
Kisame tilted his head and sighed to the heavens.
"I swear to Kami. Pain-sama has been pounding our asses to the ground these past few days. I'm sick of it."
Itachi remained quiet. He was thinking about what to do when they got back to the headquarters.
"Fine. But can we at least get a few hours of break?" Kisame bargained.
"Hnn."
He was alright with that. Besides, he had matters to deal with.
He found her on the moss garden, perched on one of the larger rocks overlooking the small village below. From afar, his failing vision made her look like a black blob. As he went closer, he realized that the image didn't change much. She had on a large long-sleeved shirt, one so large that it could have easily gone below her knees. He recognized it as one of Kisame's. The strong winds blew it on several directions, making Shiori look like she was drowning in it.
Very cautiously she turned around to look at him, sighing with relief when she saw that his eyes were their normal onyx color. She turned back to the scene below her. Itachi moved forward until he was right beside the rock she had perched on.
"This place used to be a temple owned by the monks," he started. "They headed down when the people of that village decided they didn't want to remain as a hidden village. Years ago it used to be called-"
"Yugakure," she cut him. "I know." Every once in a while the winds would bring with them the smell of sulphur, a smell which was common in the Land of Hot Water.
Itachi was curious as to how she knew but decided not to ask further questions about it.
There was a deafening pause between the two of them. It took some time until Shiori couldn't take it any longer.
"Alright spit it out," she blurted out. "What is it?"
"I'm keeping an eye on my ward," he replied coolly.
Shiori laughed dryly at this. "You already know I can't escape without dropping dead. And you already know that dropping dead hasn't made it in my to-do list just yet.. You're a cunning man Uchiha-san. You don't do things just because."
"I believe I already told you why. You are my ward. It's my job to keep an eye on you."
"We both know that's not it. But whatever."
Itachi had expected her to argue some more. He almost felt disappointed that she gave up so quickly. Almost. He decided to cut the chase.
"How did you know about the Sharingan? You know that for the genjutsu to work, a person has to look into the wielder's eyes. I don't think anyone has told you that."
"Experience is the best teacher I guess," she replied steadily. Her body language however betrayed her nerves.
"Civilians usually cannot figure that part out so easily."
"Usually."
Shiori let out a surprised yelp as she felt a sharp tug over her clothed forearms. The force made her slip off of the rock. Before she fell face down to the ground, a pair of hands grabbed her by the arms to steady her. On instinct, she squeezed her eyes shut.
"You read me, didn't you? Look at me." The forceful tone of Itachi's deep voice made her want to panic. Her eyes flew open as she felt his grip on her tighten painfully. She trained her gaze on his chest, making sure she avoided his eyes even on her peripheral vision.
"How much did you see?"
"Enough." She whimpered when she felt a gloved hand grab her chin, forcefully tilting her head up. Gray eyes locked with the tomoe of the Sharingan.
"Don't make me ask you again." Itachi's tone remained stoic but there was no mistaking the threat behind his words.
Her chin trembled as she fought to find her voice within.
"I know why you're here. And the events that brought you here..."she replied shakily. "I know about Sasuke-it's...It has always been about him. Even now. You only did what you had to do, Uchiha-san."
A flash of anger crossed his usually emotionless features. The way he was looking at her, Shiori could tell he was deliberating with himself. And she wasn't too keen to stand around to find out what it was he was deliberating about.
"It's not my fault I know all this!" She spat out so desperately it sounded like she was screaming. "You and I both know I never wanted to-"
"Those are not your secrets to tell. Try to remember that. You know what I'm capable of, Sotome Shiori."
Shiori nodded vigorously. She couldn't breathe. Some time during their encounter, Itachi had managed to corner her against the rock. A forearm over her chest had successfully snuffed out any chances of her wriggling out of his grasp. The claustrophobia this caused along with the sheer fear of being put into another genjutsu had jumpstarted her heartbeat into an impossible speed. She felt it fluttering all the way up her throat and she thought she was going to die of fear right then and there.
Itachi sensed the panic pouring out of her in droves. He could practically smell it. The Sharingan master concluded that there was no way Shiori was going to say anything now. He allowed himself to gloat on his small victory before pulling away, afraid that if he pushed her too far she might have a breakdown.
'Now is not the time,' he thought. The taunting would have to wait until later.
"We're leaving for the Land of Iron this afternoon. Get yourself ready."
He moved so fast that he vanished right before her eyes. The sudden loss of support from him made her stumble. She leaned against the rock behind her and heaved out a sigh of relief.
"What the heck just happened? Fucking bastard..."
On one hand, she saw enough to know that Itachi was a genuinely kind person. On another hand, she saw enough to know that he was also the type of man who was highly capable of doing unspeakably cruel acts.
Author's Notes: Itachi's memories in this one are anime-canon. Thanks for the likes and faves you guys. I honestly have no idea how this one is doing. Oh well, if you've read this far I guess it's good enough for you eh? Till then.