They had the option of letting the prisoner go. However Kakuzu seemed like he was feeling generous that day and allowed Hidan to indulge in his bloodlust. Shiori bolted from her chair and was on her way out of the interrogation room when the green-eyed shinobi barked at her to stay and watch.

"Why? My job is done here."

"For acting out on the Land of Iron mission. Let's see how tough you are without Itachi around."

The statement made her realize why Pain chose Kakuzu to deal with the financial aspects of running the Akatsuki. He was quick to pay debts and was ruthless when it came to collecting payback.

Contrary to what was expected of her, Shiori managed to keep it together during the whole ordeal. She didn't squirm while the captive squealed like a pig as Hidan's curse magically created holes in his body. She didn't scream when the sickening snap of a jaw dislocating off a skull echoed in the bare room. And she barely batted an eye when Hidan dealt the final blow, spraying bits of flesh and blood on her open-toed sandals.

'People can get used to anything, even cruelty,' Kisame had once told her. Back then she had openly disagreed with him, telling the swordsman that only the darkest hearts can remain unfazed at the sight of such brutal deaths.

Now she wasn't so sure which among the two of them had been right. Had she become desensitized to cruelty or had she turned into one of the monsters she had once been so afraid of? Thinking about the latter caused bile to rise up her throat. Hidan noticed her look of disgust and thought it was directed at him.

"Oh don't be like that Shio-chan. Now you're just playing favorites."

Shiori blinked a few times, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Hidan waited until the black bled out of his skin to make way for its normal tan hue. Then he shrugged his cloak over his naked torso.

"You may find it hard to believe but I'm just as much a sadistic motherfucker as Kisame and Itachi are. They wouldn't be wearing this cloak if they weren't."

That night Hidan's words haunted her well enough that it robbed her of sleep. Her mind kept wandering back to the week before, to their almost-kiss and the tender way he had held her. Against her will her mind skipped back to Itachi's memories on the night of the massacre, the ruthless way he had slaughtered his clansmen, the feeling of his katana slicing through the flesh of an uncle, of an aunt...of his parents. Despite what her heart was begging her to overlook her mind couldn't unsee the fact that the two boys on both instances were one and the same. There was only one Itachi. Those hands she had threaded her fingers through were the same ones that spilled the blood of over a hundred Uchihas. Had she really gone so low as to become attracted to someone so heinous?

Even if what he did was a means to an end, repulsion instinctively came over her when she thought of the things everyone knew he was capable of.

"This has to stop," she told herself, more as a plea than as a statement.

Shiori could tell she was falling for him despite knowing that she shouldn't. She didn't know that it was possible to be so drawn to a person she wanted to run away from.

He wasn't even nineteen yet but he could already feel his life ticking away. When he woke up that morning, his surroundings looked blurrier than they were the day before. Breathing took more effort to do. At rest, the strain was barely noticeable but he knew that as soon as he got too worked up he would feel as though his head was being held underwater.

True enough, after three hours of training and practicing formations with Kisame, he barely made it to an empty corner of the vast yard before he allowed himself to reduce into a gasping, squatting mess. He could tell it was bad because he hadn't had a spell of that caliber since before he entered the Academy.

It was Sora who found him that way. She kept mum even as she noted the blue tint on the young man's lips.

"I thought I've outgrown this," he said in between gasps, making a move to stand up.

"Don't," Sora interrupted. "That position helps the blood circulate faster while your heart corrects itself."

She gave him time to catch his breath before they headed into his bedroom. There he proceeded to peel off his soaked mesh shirt.

Despite his condition Itachi had the body of your run-of-the-mill shinobi. He was slender yet sinewy, with well-defined muscles on his back, shoulders and arms that betrayed his above average strength. His ANBU tattoo glistened prominently against the pale skin on his left arm. All in all he looked like the invincible warrior he wanted everyone to believe.

Sora kneeled behind him before activating the Mystic Palm Technique which engulfed her hands with a greenish glow. She let them hover over his back. Itachi shuddered at the blunt pain it caused.

"Such a shame that I couldn't fix you the way I want to," she said. "I only know of one medic-nin who could cure a disease which is present at birth. It's that Senju descendant from your village."

"Tsunade-hime."

"Yes. That girl. Though I reckon she'd be more inclined to kill you rather than heal you."

Itachi hung his head in defeat. He had to agree with the old woman.

"It doesn't matter," he replied flatly. A healthy heart would not sit well with the plans he had in store for himself and for Sasuke.

The chakra coming from Sora's hands undid the new damage on his lungs and chest, leaving a warm throb all over his torso. Its soothing effect reminded him of a particular chakra signature which he hadn't seen in over a week. And if he were to be honest with himself, he kind of missed it.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan damages your body faster than you can heal it. I know things can get cutthroat within the Akatsuki but if you continue using that damned dojutsu, time will come that even I wouldn't be able to help you. You know that right?"

Sora's question pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yes."

The old woman sighed. "I don't get you 'tachi. For someone so smart, you sure are good at being stupid."

Itachi was called many things. Stupid wasn't often one of them. He smiled wryly. "You think so?"

"Or maybe I got it all wrong and I'm the one who isn't smart enough to understand your reasons."

"I doubt that, Sora-san."

The medic-nin wasn't too far from the truth. Despite being called a prodigy and despite being astute, he couldn't find a way to maintain peace in Konoha without playing into Danzo's goal of annihilating the Uchiha clan. And like salt to an open wound, his life-long mission of keeping Sasuke safe was unraveling before his eyes. The foolish kid had joined Orochimaru, of all people, in his quest for power. It was the very same quest he had ingrained to the young boy on the night of the massacre. At the rate things were going downhill for him, it wasn't too far-fetched to think that he had overestimated his capabilities and was now facing the consequences of this stupid mistake.

Then on top of all those disasters, he had the audacity to entertain his growing obsession with a civilian. He could imagine the late Fugaku turning on his grave once he catches the news that his first born was falling hard for a Rinha bastard who couldn't even perform a decent jutsu instead of a clan member with at least a three tomoe Sharingan on her.

He couldn't forget the desire stirring in his guts when she had stood so close to him. He had wanted her in a way that was beyond the lust he had felt for other women, which bothered him. It made the optimistic side of him crave to be accepted by her even if the realist in him believed it to be a longshot, if not downright impossible. She didn't know everything yet. If she could catch a glimpse of the demons that haunted him it would be logical to assume that she would do what any sane person would: run for the hills.

Thinking about this troubled him more than it ought to and he didn't have a single clue on what to do about it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Better late than never. =)