The journey to the Land of Iron took three days. Most of the time Shiori and Itachi were quiet, often going for hours without uttering a single word. Kisame entertained himself with one-sided conversations. His topic-of-choice was the Samehada's favorite chakra flavor. Every once in a while he would mention how the whole travelling business had gotten more troublesome because they couldn't utilize ninjutsu to speed things up.
"I'm telling you, we could've covered all those miles in half the time had we traveled with chakra-infused feet," he said for the umpteenth time. Shiori gritted her teeth when the giant of a man gave her a dirty look. He didn't have to tell her why he was blaming her for the delay. Of the three of them, she was the only one incapable of infusing her chakra anywhere. They couldn't leave her behind either so the duo had no choice but to fall back as well.
"You're slow and you tire easily."
"I have short legs and I haven't worked out in ages," Shiori replied, trying to sound as flat as possible. "If I had known I'd be abducted by you guys perhaps I would've done more cardio. My bad I guess."
"Watch it," Itachi warned from behind her. It was the first time he had spoken since breakfast. The sudden emergence of his tenor voice caught her off-guard.
"Kisame," Itachi continued, earning a backward glance from his fellow missing-nin. "If you're in such a hurry why don't you carry her on your back so we could travel faster?"
The suggestion earned him horrified looks from his two companions which made him huff smugly.
"No. I already told you I'm not touching that freak," Kisame spat. "I don't want her near my mind at all. You carry her."
"I'll walk faster. Thanks," Shiori added quickly before Itachi could protest. It was true that she spent her years in Shimo as a pariah and she was used to being at the receiving end of people's repulsion. That didn't mean, however, that the experience had lost its sting. As a result she had developed an uncanny ability to spot rejection before it happened and had become good at avoiding it.
Itachi's face remained stoic but she didn't miss the small sigh that puffed out of his chest underneath his cloud-filled cloak, a sigh that could only be attributed to that of relief. All of the sudden, he stopped in his tracks. His irises bled red as he trained his gaze ahead of them.
"What's wrong, 'tachi?" Kisame asked, instinctively grabbing at the Samehada.
"There are people coming this way."
Shiori gasped. Up ahead she could see a caravan of horsemen making their way towards them. Some of the horses were pulling carts filled with sealed crates. Others pulled buggies which from afar seemed to contain more people inside. It was the first time she had seen others outside the Akatsuki since her capture and the thought of it made her pulse quicken. Once they cross paths she could be a hair's breadth away from freedom. Under simpler circumstances, a single plea to them would be enough to rip her off of her captives' clutches. She was also well aware that this wasn't the case and it was frustrating enough for her to make her eyes water.
"Stop screwing that face of yours and act natural," Kisame warned. "If they start to suspect something we might have no choice but to put them down."
"Kisame-" Itachi started but was abruptly cut off by the gigantic swordsman.
"Look around you. We have a cliff on one side and a crevice on another. With this girl we can't avoid them at all."
"It's too late anyway," the younger shinobi replied. "They've seen us."
The trio stood on one side as the long queue of people, animals and goods passed by them. Itachi and Kisame had pulled their straw hats down to hide their faces while Shiori hid as much of herself as possible into her oversized clothes. She stole a quick glance at Itachi and shivered when she saw the distinctive reddish glow of his Sharingan beneath the straw hat.
All three stiffened when one horse rider stopped in front of them. The cart behind him and two other horsemen stopped as well. Shiori paled.
"Where are you headed to, young lady?" the man who looked middle-aged with graying hair asked her. His eyes narrowed with suspicion at the teenage girls' gaunt look. She looked worse with the ill-fitting clothes she was wearing. Inches away on the girl's left, Itachi's hand twitched.
"Land of Iron," she replied as steadily as she could muster. She clutched her top closer to stop it from falling off her shoulder. 'Go away,' she willed the old man but he seemed to smell something was off.
"Honestly, I don't think it's a safe place for girls like you to travel to, even with escorts." With this, he eyed the two men flanking her. His gaze lingered on the sword strapped behind Kisame.
"Don't worry about it mister," she shook her head. "We'll be alright."
To her utter horror, the man swung one leg over the back of his horse and hopped off of it. He walked over to where the three of them stood. Itachi and Kisame remained still but there was no mistaking the tension in the air. Shiori had trouble breathing as she found herself stuck in the thick of things. In her mind's eye, she could already see the carnage in store for the curious man and his companions. A few yards away, the first half of the caravan had stopped as well. People were peeking down the bend in the road, trying to see what the delay was all about.
In a split second decision, Shiori stopped the man from getting closer to the two shinobi by stepping forward to meet him halfway.
"Shiori," Itachi called out, voice laced with venom.
"Eiji," she shot back, giving him a stern look. Itachi masked his confusion at being called a different name.
"Just a moment," she said, pleading at him not to attack.
"If there's something wrong, if you need help, I want you to know that you can tell us," the old man said. "There's nothing to be scared about."
Shiori disagreed with that part. They didn't know that they were in the presence of two highly efficient killers. One of them killed his entire clan which was mostly composed of expert Sharingan wielders. And while she may not be privy to the things Kisame had done in the past, she could bet that they were just as bloody and heinous.
'Lie,' she urged herself. 'Life or their deaths will be on you.'
"Actually, you could save me from boredom, Ojisan. Eiji and Jin back there, they don't really talk much. Trust me, it can drive you nuts after a few odd days." She surprised herself by letting out a sincere-sounding belly laugh. "But I have to admit, they do come in handy when a bear or two decides that it wants me for dinner. I'll give them that."
The old man's expression changed from suspicious to surprised. "Is that right?"
Shiori didn't answer. Instead, she scanned the surroundings for a diversion. She zeroed in on a boy about her age perched on top of one of the carts. The redhead was looking at the scene below him with so much intensity that he was thrown off-guard when the dark-haired girl looked up and winked at him.
Taking the blush creeping up the boy's cheeks as a good sign, Shiori sauntered over to the cart he was on, letting Kisame's massive shirt slip down one shoulder for good measure.
"What in the world is she up to?" Kisame whispered through gritted teeth.
Itachi kept silent and watched the scene in amusement. He had not seen this side of Shiori since that day in Shimo. Even then, it had only been for a brief moment. It was a completely different version from the scared and gloomy girl she had turned into.
"Hello there handsome," Shiori chirped, flirting as though her life depended on it. "What's your name?"
The redhead opened and closed his mouth several times before he could talk.
"Uhmm...Kentaro," he sputtered out.
"Kentaro-kun, what are those?" she pointed at the massive mound behind him which was covered by a large sheet of loincloth.
"Oh um...these are produce, spices mostly, from the Land of Earth. We're planning to sell them in the Yugakure market this weekend."
Shiori jutted a hip out and planted her hand there. She clacked her tongue in disapproval. "If you don't mind me asking, how far does your route go?"
Kentaro threw a questioning look at the middle-aged man ahead of them who only nodded in approval.
"East, west and back," he replied.
"Crossing the Nami Gulf to the Land of Water?"
"How did you...? Actually, yeah."
"Hmm. Good to know." She gave him a once-over while biting her lip before walking over to the older man standing in front of the two Akatsuki members. She needed to get him as far from them as possible. "Ojisan. You're taking part in the Yugakure market festival, aren't you?"
The man looked impressed. "I see you know about that."
"Any merchant worth his weight in gold does," Shiori replied with an air of arrogance that she hasn't used since she was younger. He gasped in surprise. "So you lot are..."
"We don't look the part but we are in the trade as well," she smiled. "Technically you guys are competition but since I'm feeling a bit generous today, lemme give you a tip: If you have produce to sell then we all know that it's going to be a hit for you. However, I suggest that you keep the spices, particularly the chillies."
The older merchant looked scandalized. "But they're our bestseller!"
"They are. But if you travel further into Shimogakure you can sell them there for thrice their original price and people will still come clamoring after them. The Land of Frost is small so Shimo is difficult to miss. I've lived there a few years and spices are in-demand all year round since we can't grow them locally and the temperature is always freezing."
The older man stroked his chin, actually considering her suggestion. Behind him, Kisame and Itachi seemed to have relaxed considerably. The former was lazily scratching a spot on his arm. The latter was looking at the exchange with curious, onyx eyes. Shiori let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay. Anything else?" the old man asked. This time, his earlier suspicions seemed to have evaporated completely.
"The northern border of the Land of Stone are known for their perfumes. Northern merchants always do a pilgrimage there. I'm assuming you're no different. Stop by Nadeshiko Village in the Land of Water. The surplus scents from the expo could be sold there for a higher price. Their matriarchs can never get enough of them."
While the gray-haired merchant laughed in amusement at Shiori's street-smarts, she fought to keep down the bile that was burning the back of her throat. She found it inappropriate that he was laughing, considering how he had gone so close to meeting an untimely death.
"Looks like you're more useful than I originally thought."
It was the first thing that Kisame said to her which resembled a compliment and for that she couldn't help but feel accomplished. Shiori shrugged as she lifted the bag of goods in her hands. In exchange for a few trading tips, the merchants had returned the favor with food that could last well after their trip.
"How did you know about those things?" Kisame asked. The brief encounter with the caravan got their adrenaline running and as a result, had made them a tad bit more talkative. Kisame was enjoying the chance to get a reply which didn't sound like Itachi's "Hn".
"If I tell you I'd have to kill you," Shiori deadpanned, rummaging through the bag's contents.
"Right. I'd like to see you try," the swordsman scoffed.
"Who are Jin and Eiji?" Itachi asked, joining in the conversation. His stint in ANBU had taught him that if a person was caught off-guard without an alias, the name he or she would come up with on the spot was usually that of a person he or she knew. Even he had been guilty of using that escape route a few times.
Shiori chuckled bashfully and rolled her eyes. "Nothing escapes you, Uchiha-san. Right, so Jin is Miyako's lover. That blonde girl back in Shimo, remember? Anyway, they've been together for ages so I know him well."
"So who's Eiji? Your lover?" Kisame teashed. Shiori winced and tripped at the same time, barely recovering in time before their food came crashing down the dirt.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Shiori chuckled mirthlessly. "No he's not." She avoided looking at Itachi because she can tell he was scrutinizing her. He knew she was hiding something and she was afraid he would figure it out.
And then there was this other thing, though she would never admit it to herself. Sometimes she would make the mistake of staring at the Uchiha for too long. And when she did, her heart would squeeze painfully in her chest. In a scene she was all too familiar with, she would feel it break into a million pieces even as it remembered how happy it had been when it fell in love.
There was more than one reason why she ended up calling him by that name. Itachi wasn't Eiji. She knew that. But then again, he certainly made it easy to mix them up.
Author's Notes: Sorry if it's a bit boring and stuff. I've decided to take this story real slow to take time for the characters to grow into each other, if that makes sense. We all know Itachi isn't like Naruto whose entire personality is like an open book. Itachi is a difficult nut to crack and I doubt it's possible to get to this good side after only a short time. Nah. This may not sound much but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that these kinds of nonchalant encounters could be Itachi's key to figuring Shiori out or something...Whatever. To the few people who take time to review I thank you all very much. You guys are one of the reasons why I post "just one more chapter" every time. I take what I can from your input to figure out what to do with this story. Thanks again!