"You may find this difficult to accept but we always have Shimogakure's best interest in mind with every decision we make, including the one which involved sending you off."

Shiori lied as still as she could on the lukewarm tatami mat as she tried to re-assess her current situation. She was still in Shimogakure, which was bad enough as it was. She was also inside the Matsushiro compound, a place she had never ventured into when she was younger and one which she didn't plan on stepping foot after her relationship with Eiji fell apart. This made everything feel twice as worse.

For her sanity's sake she tried to look at the bright side, even if it was just a slither of light in the darkness.

'At least they were chivalrous enough to give me my own room, she thought to herself. Then as an afterthought she added, 'Probably so you can save face while you wallow in self pity.'

Matsushiro Genta's words echoed in her head once again. He had sounded so cold and matter-of-fact. His tone was a far cry from the look of surprise on his face upon seeing her a minute before he made that statement. And just thinking about it made Shiori squirm with hurt and pent up anger. The look on Eiji's face upon hearing his father confirmed her suspicion. Genta had more than Shimogakure's best interest when they decided to sell her to the Akatsuki.

Her door slid open, startling her into a sitting position. Shiori came face to face with her handler.

"Hey. Is everything alright?" she asked.

"That's what I want to ask you," he replied, closing the door behind him before leaning against it. His arms crossed over his chest, a move which emphasized the frown on his face.

Shiori braced herself instinctively. "I thought there had been an emergency considering you didn't knock." Itachi may be an S-rank criminal but his manners were impeccable.

'Until now.'

An awkward silence fell between them with Itachi rooted on his spot, refusing to meet her gaze while Shiori looked up at him expectantly. The air in the room grew thick with tension and she couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and made her way towards him.

"Don't." His deep voice boomed in the silence. She halted in her tracks. She gasped when Itachi's eyes found hers. The three tomoe of each Sharingan spun lazily around his pupils.

"Itachi-"

"Matsushiro Eiji," he cut her off. "He was your lover, your koibito."

Shiori took a step back, caught off guard with what he had just said. "Yes. Was. Ages ago."

"He was the boy you told me about. The one who broke your heart so bad you were still reeling from it when we took you."

"Okay so? Why are we even talking about him?" she chuckled, crossing the gap between them and squeezing his arms through thick fabric.

"I'm with you now. You're my koibito now and that's what matters."

A small smile spread across his lips, one that failed to light up his entire face. "And you want me to believe that you being with me has nothing to do with him."

He might as well have slapped her. Shiori recoiled away from him.

"What?"

"I've almost forgotten about it, that day when we were on the road. Back then, I wondered for some time why you called me Eiji. Now it makes perfect sense."

Itachi absolutely hated to admit it. But him and the Matsushiro heir bore such a striking resemblance that they could pass for brothers. The dark spiky hair, the dark eyes and delicate facial features made Eiji look like an Uchiha. Even Kisame commented on it.

"You think Sasuke-kun will be thrilled to find out that his aniki has a doppelganger?"

"You wanted so badly to be with him. You yearned for him. When we took you away that became impossible so instead you settled for a knock off."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Shiori retorted, voice rising in the witching hour. "How fucking dare you!"

Itachi, despite the storm in his chest, remained stoic on the outside.

"Hn. Don't think you can get away with lying to me just because I choose not to get inside your head Shiori." He leaned forward so his gaze leveled with hers. "I saw the way you looked at each other. Everyone did. Say what you want but from what I saw, what you both had isn't as far back in the past as you claim it to be."

"That is not true!" Shiori shouted. Tears began brimming from her eyes. "Itachi stop this."

She reached out to caress his face. He stopped her by holding on to her wrists. His Sharingan faded away, leaving only his dark-eyed gaze searching her face. For what, she wasn't sure.

"I choose you," she whispered. She struggled to curb the panicked sob from escaping within her. All this time Itachi had been the sole force that kept her from falling apart. At that moment, in that cramped room, she felt a gap growing between them, one that hadn't been there for months and it terrified her. She didn't want to lose him too.

"I choose you," she repeated loudly. "I want you. Please believe me."

Itachi swallowed the lump in his throat and gently placed her hand to her sides.

"Guess I'm not the only one who is good at lying to myself."

GLOSSARY:

"aniki" - older brother

"koibito" - lover

"S-rank" (when used in relation to a missing-nin) - extremely powerful missing nin (highly experienced jonin or Kage-level shinobi), earning them a place in their village of origin's Bingo Book [SOURCE: NARUTOPEDIA]

Author's Notes: Hey guys. Sorry about that long wait. I have to admit I wasn't sure that I was going to be back. So much has happened these past few months. I've been all over the place and tbh I ran out of steam for this story. Call it good ol' Writer's Block. I just couldn't churn out a material which I deemed good enough to post. And (not to pressure you guys) but review-wise it was also kinda quiet. I know it shouldn't always be the case but I took it as a sign that I needed to step back because my writing is getting dull. Haha! (Though I absolutely hated the thought of not finishing a story. So here I am. Trying to push this through.)

This one right here is me stretching my muscles after a rather lengthy break. It's short but I decided to post this bit first so I don't get overwhelmed with stuff later on. Hope you enjoyed it. PrincessOctavia big thanks for the lengthy review (and it's a CONCRIT! gosh! you have no idea how happy I am to get that!). As suggested I've put a glossary to make things easier for you guys. Thank you for that. As for the fluff...I'll try to squeeze it where I can. Hope to hear from you guys.