Disclaimer: The characters are Masashi Kishimoto's property, I own the OCs.

Characters age:

Akane: 15 1/2 - 18 (48 1/2 - 51)

Itachi: 15 1/2 - 17 1/2 (32 1/2 ( 34 1/2)

Shisui: 18 - 21

Naruto / Sasuke: 10 - 12

Kakashi: 24 - 26

One day, as the Police Station was nearing the end of its rebuilding, he heard a familiar voice calling him. Kou was walking toward him and stopped to look at the builders.

"It's been a while," he told him, his hands in his pockets. Itachi nodded without a word. "How are your mother and brother?"

"Sasuke is fine, my mother…is recovering." The culprits had been sent to the Blood Prison in the Land of Grass. With the miscarriage, his father had kicked them out of the clan, saying they were stuck in the past and ruining the future because of it.

"My cousin told me you had taken matters in your own hands right after the explosion here." He nodded. "It's tough, are you thinking of working here later?" Itachi shrugged.

"What about you?" Kou raised a brow.

"I have to watch over Hinata-sama and I am also a regular shinobi, I have plenty on my plate already." He followed him outside the Compound. People had started to leave it to move in Konoha like any other citizens and so far, they seemed to be well accepted. A retired Uchiha couple had opened an impressive weapon shop with techniques his father had allowed them to share.

Things were changing.

"So, what's up? We haven't seen each other in a while." Itachi just stared at his tea and nodded when they were sitting outside. Kou sighed. "Come on, you know what we're going to talk about, so be honest. You've never been the social kind of guy, so with Akane and Shisui gone…" He sighed.

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"'Kou, despite the idiot being gone I would love to still be your friend'," the Hyuuga replied immediately. Itachi rolled his eyes. "Come on, two camping trips and many lunches together and you don't see me as a friend? You're harsh."

"It's not that exactly…"

"I know, I'm messing with you." They stopped on a bench near the gates. "On a more serious note, when I woke up Akane and Shisui were gone, Sayuri was dead and you guys were no longer a threat, an Elder was fired, it was a lot. I kind of feel like I should keep an eye on you, from afar, you know?" Itachi averted his eyes with a frown.

"I doubt she would care if you did or not."

"Well, it makes me feel better if you prefer." Kou sighed and crossed his arms. "I've always known you as reserved, but you're worst now." He looked up. "Well, it's better than Yasuo I guess."

"How so?"

"I think apart from Akane herself; we all knew he had a massive crush on her." Yes, it was unnerving. The one time he tried to bring it up, Akane said it was silly and that he was a kid anyway. "And then, she left. He got heartbroken and…just gets angry when your clan is mentioned." Izumi had mentioned her family was having some issues the few times she had managed to see him. "He keeps saying he wants to leave it."

"That bad?"

"His sharingans are fully matured now, he feels guilty for me getting stabbed, and then he couldn't go help Akane…he feels responsible for all of it." Itachi sighed slightly.

"He's not."

"I know. I tried to tell him, but he didn't want to hear it. Looking back on it, it was unreasonable for him and me to dive into this."

"How did you even get involved?"

"Hum? Well, your father disbanded the team and I vented to Akane who was at the Compound. Somehow, she had this idea that the Byakugan could help you guys, and then Shimura was brought up and the Hokage, Hizashi-san and Hiashi-sama all started to plan together. Akane was throwing information and making deduction as well, it was kind of weird, I felt like a kid in the middle of an adult conversation." He wasn't wrong. "Then Akane said we could do something together by talking to Yasuo and I agreed, she said I was dramatic, I elbowed her in the ribs and mocked her anbu skills, just our usual routine with bigger stakes." Kou had seen so much because of Akane that she could come back with the Mizukage hat on her head that he wouldn't be surprised. "Then we had this big misunderstanding about the mole, your dad gave us a scroll to give the Hokage but we saw Sayuri on the way and she threw something in Yasuo's eyes, she stabbed me when I tried to stop her and then I woke up the next day to a real mess."

"I see."

"Didn't you know already?"

"My father never told me the details of that night. I'm sorry you had to be involved." He shrugged.

"Things turned out for the best. However, I mean, I know Akane and you didn't seem to be as thick as thieves as before, but I thought she would have told you that my clan was getting involved."

"…we had a bigger falling out than I had originally thought. I realized it when she was gone."

"I see. If there's one thing, I know it's that Shisui probably had to leave for his own safety. I asked Hizashi-san and he told me that it was the best option for him to leave."

"Nothing more?" Kou shook his head. "Thanks for telling me."

"You really don't know anything?"

"My father didn't tell me anything about that night, and neither did the Hokage or Kakashi-san. I've only made different scenarios in my mind for two years and a half."

"I hope I've helped a little." Itachi smiled sadly.

"You have." He looked at him. "Were you expecting Akane to leave?"

"Hum…no, when they told me I was shocked and struggled to believe it. Now? I can see she didn't care about the consequences of diving straight into this so or she was straight-up suicidal and reckless, or she had planned on leaving and thought your issues being solved could give her a good cover for it." Itachi furrowed his brows, his hands clenched on his thighs. "But, the Hokage clearly had been using Akane as his own spy, so maybe that, wherever she is, she is still doing this."

"…maybe." He just hoped she had not had the crazy idea to replace him in the Akatsuki.

Was the organization the same or would different people join it? He probably should try to learn a thing or two about their whereabouts as well.

"Thank y…" he started to say as he was standing up. He started to feel dizzy, and a coppery taste made its way up his throat.

He leaned over the trashcan and coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. He was vaguely aware of Kou standing up and talking but the pain, so bitterly familiar, was the only thing he could focus on right now. When the crisis ended, he was panting, the smell of blood and trash filling his nose. He straightened up and wiped his mouth before looking at Kou, who was staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.

"So…hospital?" Itachi had no choice but to nod and followed him. Shinko took him immediately.

He had forgotten the very reason he had died before. He wished it had stayed in his previous life.

He had no intention of going through this horrendous disease again.

Itachi felt terrible. It was not just his disease, that Konoha medics apparently had no idea how to treat or even what it was, but his parents, even his father. The fact he was sick to the point of coughing out blood worried them, of course, but the fact Konoha had never encountered what he had was making them crazy. His mother was smothering him, and his father was reluctant in asking things from him, almost as if he was afraid Itachi would break at the smallest thing.

Sasuke and Naruto were the only ones normal. Sasuke had to have more clan things to do now, he did not really enjoy it. The boys would just ask him if he was fine and that they could train on their own if he needed a break. It was still annoying, but he would rather have them ask him if he felt like he could do things instead of his parents thinking he could not.

Akane had told him he was sick with what her brother had had as well. Of course, there was no way any of them could be sure of it, but whatever she was telling him to take was making him feel better, even if it as time went by, it would be for shorter periods of time.

If anyone knew anything about her brother, it was Kushina and Minato. While his disease was kept private for now, and thank God for that, the Namikazes/Uzumakis were aware of it. After the way Kushina had been present for his mother after her miscarriage, he was not surprised.

"Itachi?" Kushina greeted him, surprised.

"May I come in Kushina-san?" She let him in and poured him a warm tea once they were inside.

"I'm sure you know Naruto is away with your brother, Shikamaru-kun and Chouji-kun, right?" He nodded. "So, are you here to see me? Or Minato?"

"You first, I think. I'm sure the Hoka…Minato-san," he corrected himself under her firm gaze. Both her and Minato had told him that in their house, he didn't have to call him 'Hokage-sama'. "Can I be blunt?" She crossed her arms.

"Please be, I hate your clan's way of never going straight to the point." He gulped quietly.

"I know both you and Minato-san know about Akane…being special."

"She's a Yuurei, yes." They both took a sip of their tea. "And I know you somehow tagged along for the ride." He nodded slowly. "Do you feel weird or something? Are you sick bec…" He shook his head.

"No. Well, I am here because of my sickness."

"I am not sure how I can help. Minato did contact Tsunade-sama but…"

"I died from it before." It made her stop talking. "I never knew what it was exactly, but Akane was convinced it was the same thing her brother had."

"Oh." He saw the faintest flash of grief in her eyes. "If it is, then it would be a parasite in the chakra system. Then, after it has been stimulated enough then it attaches itself to your heart and grows again and again, disrupts the way your body functions and ultimately…breaks it down from the inside." She pursed her lips. "I remember…Fubuki saying that during his crisis, it felt like something was squeezing his heart like you would do to an orange to get all of its juice out."

"It is not a comparison I ever thought of before, but it is quite accurate."

"Fevers, headaches, short of breath and exhaustion?" He nodded. "Oh dear." She stood up and walked over the kitchen, leaning on the counter. "Did Akane know anything about it?"

"I think Akiko-san must have told her a few things because she knew about some plants and who could get me some medication to control the symptoms."

"It makes sense Akiko would tell her everything about it," he heard Kushina muttering under her breath. She turned back to him while he was finishing his tea. "I am going to talk to Minato. If he doesn't make Tsunade-sama come back, I'll go get her myself."

"Would she know what it is? The hospital…"

"Yes, I'm not surprised they don't know what it is." She put her hands on his shoulder, a firm look on her face. "Let me handle it. There is nothing you can do for now anyway except live with it." He pursed his lips. "Look, it wasn't fair you had to handle this on your own before, so let the adults who failed you before help you." He nodded slowly.

He wasn't exactly alone…he had never wanted Akane to shoulder his crimes with him, but she had taken a part of the weight of the disease on her shoulders. She would be his friend, and girlfriend, and then nurse when she would take care of him each time he'd be home. She would always pack him food and anything useful before he would leave as well.

He stopped walking in the middle of the street, a distant look in his eyes. He would give everything to be in her warm and comforting embrace once more, where he felt like nothing, and no one could reach him. She'd tell him it would be okay, even if none of them believed it. It had to be a lot to see the man you loved like this and stayed by his side.

Had he ever paid her back for this, or told her how thankful he was she had been there until the end? Did she know he valued what she had done from the bottom of his heart?

He doubted it. Akane could even think he only saw her as a nurse in the end, when it was far from the truth.

He had been angry, and confused, lost when he was told she had left. Now he just wanted to understand and apologize for messing everything up and hurting her. He was sure he didn't even know the real number of things he had done that had hurt her. He never meant it. It didn't mean it had not happened though.

"Where are you?" he whispered in the empty street.

It was in June, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, that Tsunade examined him in the hospital, a thick file with her and told him what he would do. He would keep living his life as usual but with medical appointments every two months to see how the disease, infection she called, was evolving. Then, once it was on his heart and big enough, it would be removed via an open-chest surgery. After that would be convalescence and rehabilitation regarding his chakra system.

At least, at first it was this. Then Uzumaki Kushina happened, and he found himself with a seal on his abdomen that would fasten the parasite's growth and a promise that she would gladly help him get back on his feet. It would still be some time until it happened, but he was not looking for it.

"Itachi-kun?" He glanced at Izumi, standing in front of him. She was holding her hands in front of him.

It was strange to see her growing up into an adult. Izumi was a pretty woman, and he knew she had a few admirers already among their peers, but he just couldn't see her that way. He wouldn't until she was a fully-grown adult first, but now he was not even sure he would have grown real, strong feelings for her even before.

"Can I…?"

"Sure," he replied. She sat down next to him. He had been sitting on a bench outside, looking at the clouds in the sky.

"How…how are you? I know we have not really talked since…"

"Hn." She looked down. "I am better now."

"Do you have any idea where they are?" He had, a small one but he was not about to tell her that. "Can I…ask you something? You're free not to answer of course." He looked at her. She took a deep breath. "Okay, here you go Izumi." She looked at him. "Were you…were you and Akane a…a thing?" He blinked, taken back. He did not say anything but just clasped his hands together between his legs before he looked down. "I…see…hum…"

"I don't want to sound rude Izumi, but I know you have never liked Akane very much," Itachi droned at her. "Why the question?"

"Because I have something to confess." He looked up at her. Her face was nothing but guilt. "It has been weighing on me since I heard she left the village and…I am so sorry Itachi-kun, I have…done something very bad to you two." He frowned.

"How so?"

"Back then, the clan didn't like you two being close. The Elders, they asked me to…try to get between you two." He straightened up immediately. "And I…I accepted because I thought, I believed them when they told me she would take you away from us and I wanted to keep you with m…us. They said having an emotional anchor within the clan that could replace her would…"

"I have heard enough," he interrupted her coldly.

All the times Izumi just appeared and told him the clan needed him when he finally could spend some time with Akane…they were planned? To break them up? The Elders had gone as far as using Izumi to replace Akane when they were thirteen? How messed up were they? How much more did they want from him?

He was the heir, he wanted what was best for his clan, but they wanted to use him as a puppet to keep their stupid rules once they were gone. He could still see the sadness in his love's eyes when he would excuse himself because his clan needed him. He could still hear her telling him it was okay and that she understood, and how relieved he was to hear her say that.

How stupid could he have been?

He had played right into their hands for one thing, the one thing he had wanted to keep away from them and protect from his clan. He had lost.

"Why are you telling me this now?" he heard himself ask her with no emotion.

"Because I love you, Itachi-kun. I always have and I know that you are not going to accept going on a date with me or anything right now, but I wanted to come clean about it. I'd understand if you didn't want to forgive, but…but if you do then…maybe we could go out sometimes, or train, or something, as friends if you wish." She stood up. "I really am sorry for what I have done Itachi-kun." He nodded and she left.

He was angry at Izumi, but more at the Elders. They had used her feelings for him to use her after all.

Shisui was nowhere in sight now he needed to talk about his dislike of his clan to someone who would understand.

"I need you to go on a mission, alone." It was unusual. "It is in the Land of Tea. Some genin have heard rumors about a new island nation that is highly secretive. Apparently, people reach it via the harbor in Ruibosu village."

"I'm guessing it would not be a good place." Minato nodded.

"Highly secretive does not really agree with respectable. I want you to go there and investigate. Do not go to the island however, get as much data as possible on the continent. There is no need to attack if you are not attacked."

"Just investigate then."

"Exactly. Don't stay there for more than a week, I don't want people to suspect anything." Itachi nodded.

He was off the next day.

The village was buzzing with activities. It was August, the harbor was busy, people talked animatedly there, and others were enjoying the beach next to it. At first sight, there was nothing out of the ordinary here. He had a week to find information.

He had a clone always spying on the harbor while he'd wander the village during the day and gather what he had learned in a notebook at night at the inn. His room was modest but enough. Once all of this was done, he would stare at the moon and the stars from his open window. The soft wind bringing the smell of the sea was not unwelcomed, and neither was the sea he saw a little from his room.

A paper was slipped beneath his door. He shut his window and went to pick it up. The note was not long. It said that if he was lost and had nowhere to go, he could see…a clairvoyant? Sure, a fortune teller was always useful on missions.

It was his biggest lead so far. He had nothing to lose to check it out, he would just keep his guard up.

The next morning, he found the place. It was in a dark alley, the door not telling anything about what was happening behind it. Itachi opened it and his eyes scanned the room. The color were dark shades of red, orange and purple. He hated the heavy incense in it, smoke prickling his eyes. There was a round table in the middle of the room, a crystal ball on it.

Itachi almost rolled his eyes. It was ridiculous.

"Hello," he said in the empty room. He heard some noise in the next room and a door shutting in the distance. Before he could go there, someone entered the room, pushing the red-pearled curtain replacing a real door.

The woman…he had a weird feeling about her. She had long, thick orange curls down to her waist, green eyes, a long aquiline nose, and bright red full lips. She had a mole beneath her left eye, a long gypsy orange and yellow dress. Beneath her red shawl and the many bracelets, she had, he spotted a weird tattoo on her left arm that seemed to go on its entirety.

It was strange, because he had no idea who this woman was, yet she seemed intimately familiar. His instinct was telling him he knew her. She seemed older than him though with the growing wrinkles on her forehead, the creasing at the corner of her eyes and sagging cheeks.

He was not very nice in his description of her, he knew that.

"What can I do for you young man?" she asked him in a hoarse voice. It sounded like she had been smoking for years, and the cigarette holder on the table only confirmed that. Itachi showed her the note and she pressed her lips together. "I see, another lost soul I must guide." She showed him the chair. Once they were both sitting, she looked at him up and down. "I am Hana, people come see me to get a grip of their lives."

"Wonderful." She put the crystal ball aside and gestured him to put his hands in hers. Once it was done, his palms toward the ceiling, she looked at them closely, humming as she was doing so.

"You are an old soul, with a lot of pain and grief inside of you." He was not wearing his forehead protector, but he knew he looked like a shinobi even without it. "But I see you getting what you should have gotten in the past."

"In what way?" It was possible a small part of him wanted some reassurance regarding his future.

"Family, I see you as a family man." He did love his family. "I see you as an uncle too, a doting one at that." Well, it was good for Sasuke. "There is a woman." He perked up at that.

"How is she?" She shot him a mischievous glance and again, it felt so familiar.

"Someone who has been here since childhood, someone who left too soon, and feelings could not blossom entirely." Was it Akane? It sounded like her, they had met at four and she had left too soon. His feelings were there though.

"Do you know her name?" She smiled a little. "Does it start with an 'A'?" The smile fell and she shook her head.

"Not at all." There was no one else then. Itachi removed his hands immediately. She was a fraud, like he had suspected. "The main thing I have gotten from this is that you are not as lost as these people thought they were. There is no reason for you to go to the Isle of the Lost."

"The Isle of the Lost?"

"Isn't that the reason you came here?" They stood up. "You may leave." He left.

He felt weird as he went back to the inn. The receptionist glanced at him above his round glasses.

"So, how did it go?" He raised a brow. "You left to see Hana, didn't you?"

"Are you the one who gave me the note?" He nodded and looked on the right, then the left and leaned to get closer to him. "What is this place?"

"It is the future young man. People who don't belong, who had their lives ripped apart because of war, people who cannot follow their dreams, they go there and explore their potential. It's a paradise." There had to be a downside though. "My bad, I saw shinobi from the Mist going there so I thought…"

"The Mist?" Itachi repeated.

"She seemed friendly with them even." Oh.

Oh damn it.

"Do you have anyone registered under the name of 'Uzumaki'?" The receptionist blinked.

"No."

"…And Sasaki?" He frowned and went through his paper.

"I do. I have had a 'Sasaki Akane' here for a week, she left yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Itachi repeated once more. He had been here for three days.

There was no way that…he wouldn't possibly miss that, would he?

"Thank you." He left the inn and ran straight to the fortune teller.

He refused that. He refused to believe that after four years of nothing he had been just rooms away from her and did not even realize it. If she had left the day before, she had to have known he was here and just…

He opened the door wide and headed straight to the backroom. On the ground was an orange wig and face prosthesis. In the trashcan next to the sink were several makeup wipes covered in makeup, clothes and cheap jewelry.

Itachi looked to his right when he heard a noise. He caught a glimpse of something moving and ran after her. He quickly reached an underground tunnel under the house. He frowned and ran inside. He could hear the footsteps not far from him and sped up, only for her to speed up. Then, they turned right.

He did as well.

He was stunned when he was face to face with a wall. He looked around but there was no hidden door or anything to escape through. Akane, because he knew it was her, had vanished into thin air.

He stepped back, breathing heavily behind his closed fist. Was someone playing with him? What was going on?

"COME ON HURRY!" Itachi turned his head to the exit. He stealthily walked there and left the tunnel to find himself among many rocks.

He crouched and stayed behind them, watching what was happening. He was in a cove with two pontoons, two boats waiting for the people to get on board. Fifteen minutes later the boats left.

It had to be the quay for this 'Isle of the Lost'.

Had Akane led him here on purpose? In any case, he had to go back to the village now.

Questions kept swirling in his mind until he was in front of the Hokage. He did his report quickly, which Minato noticed.

"Is there something else Itachi?" He stood up, a conflicted look on his face.

"I…have…I have reasons to think I saw Akane." Minato raised a brow. "I mean, she was undercover for something, she was posing as a fortune teller, but I ran after her and that's how I found the quay."

"I see. Do you have any reason to believe this was Akane?"

"I was told she was friendly with shinobi of the Mist."

"I see." He turned toward the window. "She was not hostile?"

"No, I think she planned on running as soon as she saw me."

"Have you told anyone?" He shook his head. "Good, let's keep it that way." He looked like he knew something.

Itachi didn't push.

"I am sorry and will not listen to someone I do not know again."

"And?" Naruto sighed and glanced at Iruka, who had a medic taking care of him.

"I am sorry you got injured because of me Iruka-sensei."

"It's over now, and nobody died, and the scroll is safe so…" Naruto blinked.

"Oh, it's not the real one." Itachi and Iruka just stared at Naruto, who scratched his cheek. "I thought it was weird, Dad had many of those around so I…copied the outside."

"What about the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

"Mom taught me, she said the Clone Jutsu sucked and Dad would be surprised." Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So, Mizuki had nothing?"

"Hehe…" Naruto stopped laughing under Itachi's gaze. "Sorry, I should have gone to my dad dattebayo."

"You should have." Naruto tensed at his father's voice. He slowly turned around to see a not-so-happy Minato coming his way. "I swear I am not protecting you from your mother this time."

"Dad I'm…" Minato slapped him, glaring daggers at him.

"Do you know how Hiruzen-sama feels betrayed right now? He trusted you Naruto and you just pretended to steal something he was entrusted with!" Naruto looked down.

"I'm sorry…"

"Hokage-sama, if I may…" Irukage tried, but Minato raised his hand.

"No need, from the forehead protector I guess he somehow graduated through…all of this." Naruto had failed his graduation test, even with Sasuke and himself helping him.

"Mizuki was discovered to be a traitor." Minato glanced at the tied-up, unconscious chuunin.

"And I will deal with him appropriately. For now…go to the hospital, go home and we are going home as well." Naruto shot him a hopeful glance, but Itachi shook his head silently. He couldn't help him on this one, and he had to learn actions had consequences.

Sasuke and Naruto were proud to show off their forehead protectors though. Itachi barely heard that they had succeeded Kakashi's test, now Kakashi-sensei, that he was called for a mission. As he was walking to the Hokage's office, he thought to himself he was glad he would have the opportunity to witness Kakashi teaching.

"Here." He accepted the scroll. "You're going to that island." Itachi blinked. "Everything is explained in the scroll."

"I am sorry, but should I really be going alone?" Minato has a knowing smirk on his face.

"You're going alone but you will not be alone." Itachi raised a brow. "Everything will be explained, I promise."

It was strange, but he did. He removed his forehead protector and infiltrated one of the boats. It was moving all night long. Once his feet were back on solid ground, he went to a dark alley between two warehouses, many crates between them. He watched people going on about their lives as if this place was totally normal and some people being taken away by men all dressed in white uniforms, the abdomen, back, forearms, neck and thighs having additional padding.

He tensed when he felt a presence behind him. He grabbed a kunai and put it on the throat of the person, who stopped moving immediately. They had a brown cloak on them, a hood hiding their face. Slowly, they raised their hands, keeping them where Itachi could see them and pulled their hood down.

He forgot how to breathe for a second, his brain not believing that after almost five years, Akane was finally in front of him, in the flesh, breathing and alive. She glanced at the blade still on her throat and without a word, put her finger on it to move it away. She…looked almost like she had when she tried to kill Sasori in front of him. Her hair was short, above her shoulders and her bangs were parted at the middle, a few thing locks of hair remaining there. She looked…paler though, and maybe more tired.

She glanced behind him and frowned.

"Are you on your own?" Her voice brought him back to reality. How long had he yearned to hear it again? He didn't like the coldness in it, but…it was her; it was Akane.

He had spent five years without seeing her and as she was apparently thinking about something, his fingers twitched.

"I guess it will have to d…" He cupped her face in his rough hands. She blinked at him curiously and without notice, he crushed his lips against hers in a desperate kiss. She opened her mouth as a reflex due to her surprise and he slipped his tongue in her mouth. She put her hands on his arms to push him away and he was ready to let her do it, but she did not. Instead, she clenched her hands around his arms and returned his kiss, her tongue and lips moving shyly against his. His arms went down around her waist and her shoulders, keeping her pressed against him.

Five years. He had not been able to see her, kiss her, hug her or feel her against him in five long years. The pain had dulled with time but remained, waking up every winter and each time he would see snow after all. He had missed her terribly. He had never spent so long without seeing her since he had been seventeen. It was the first time in five years he felt his heart being whole…he felt complete.

They broke the kiss, both of them panting and blushing. He opened his mouth to say something, but he had no word. He embraced her tightly instead, inhaling her scent deeply. Her skin still had the faintest scent of vanilla from her bodywash.

"We…we need to move Itachi." He moved away and she put her hood back on. "Follow me, we'll explain what happened." So Shisui had to be here as well.

He followed her through alleys in the heart of the town and they entered what looked to be a luxurious apartments complex. Akane went to the last floor and Itachi looked around the elevator they used. It was not the most common thing, but the Land of Fire was not known to have high building that required them. Actually, the Land of Water tended to have these high buildings, more than what he had seen on the continent, apart from Ame.

That was what this place reminded him off. The high buildings, all in gray, they reminded him of Ame. It was sunny and not raining, but apart from that…

Akane took keys from her pocket and opened the door, letting him in. She locked it behind her and removed her cloak and shoes, letting him discover the Kiri kunoichi outfit she had on. He was expecting it, but still hated to see that she had indeed left Konoha for Kiri.

"That idiot," she cursed, walking past him. He followed her to reach a modern kitchen, Shisui using a dishtowel to fan the open oven. "How can you suck so much at cooking!?"

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to bake a cake!" Shisui whined back, turned his head to her. He blinked his only eye to him in shock and slowed his movements.

His hair was longer, his bangs almost in his eye. There was a black eyepatch on his left eye, which was missing, and he seemed a little bit taller. Unlike Akane, he was not wearing a shinobi outfit but a plan black tee-shirt and gray sweatpants.

"Huh…hey Itachi, it's been a whi…" Itachi stomped to him and punched him in the face. Shisui stepped back, holding his nose. "Yeah…I figured you would have some resentment." Itachi looked at him, then Akane sighing at the burned mess she had taken out of the oven.

"What happened?" he asked coldly, his frown not leaving his face. Akane and Shisui shared a look.

"Shisui can explain, I'm going to get something for his bloody nose," Akane stated cooly, leaving the room.

"Quitter!" Shisui said as she left. She gave him the finger above her shoulder.

They better explain everything.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have liked it, please do let me know in reviews! Thanks to Amaterasu53, musa22lbl and the Guest(s) the reviews!

Do you want to know something funny? I thought I would write longer chapter for this fic so it would be shorter than the other one. I find myself planning the story on years for the characters and ultimaltely, still with a lot of chapter. Just...they're longer now.

Bye!