Koishi was inconsolable for days after being pushed into showing her bloodline abilities. Itachi was able to convince Beetle to return to Konoha on his own, reassuring his teammate that he and Koishi would be on their way soon. Before they went back to the compound and she was forced to appear before Danzo, Itachi wanted her to calm down enough so that he could explain to Koishi what had happened - and what would be coming, now that she'd shown what her kekkei genkai was capable of.
What he'd had to say had only caused the girl to retreat further into her shell. He had been honest with her, explaining that Danzo was likely going to speed up her training schedule. Itachi suspected that the reason for her test was tied to the recent strife between the Third Hokage and Danzo - and that the leader of Root planned to use Koishi in a move against the aging leader of the Leaf.
It had taken him a day to get her back to Konoha, and by the time they'd arrived, Danzo was impatient for her to resume a far more rigorous training schedule than the one Itachi had her doing at the Shimura estate. Itachi had tried to prepare her for what was coming, but even he was taken aback at the brutal regimen Danzo expected Koishi to adhere to.
Itachi had worked her up to seventy reps of his exercises by the end of their two weeks in the woods, giving her two days off during each week to give her body a chance to rest and adjust to the new muscles and strength that it was developing. With Danzo, there were no breaks. By her fourth day back at the compound, she was expected to perform double that. She was also expected to do more exercises than Itachi had required of her, leaving her body nearly broken by the end of each session.
It was on their ninth day back in the village that Koishi's body finally gave out. They had been sparring for two hours already, and Itachi could see by the shakiness in her legs and the exhausted strikes she would make that she'd met her limit. He glanced over at Danzo from across the yard, slightly narrowing his eyes at the older man.
"She's done for the day." He told Danzo, not making it a request as he sheathed his kunai in its holster. As if on cue, Koishi's knees hit the ground and he walked over to her, kneeling to hand her a bottle of water from his pouch.
He could feel the old man's eyes watching as he cared for Koishi, pulling the water away when she began drinking it too quickly and assessing her body for any injuries that needed attention right away. She seemed to be favoring her knee, but wasn't expressing a concerning level of pain or discomfort.
Deciding that he could assess her knee later, without Danzo present, Itachi couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She had come far since their return to Konoha, he thought to himself. Just a couple of weeks before, she had been unable to dodge his attacks or land strikes of her own. Now, Koishi was capable of holding her own against him in a friendly match and was even able to leave a few angry cuts along his arms. It wouldn't be long, Itachi knew, until Danzo decided to use her somehow.
"Do you think you can walk?" Itachi asked her, doing his best to ignore Danzo's watchful gaze. He didn't like the way it felt like the old man was analyzing his interactions with Koishi. He may have been given a mission to become close to her, but his fondness for the quiet girl from Iwa had become genuine fairly early on. Itachi didn't want to see the friendship they had developed tainted by any ideas Danzo was cooking up in his head.
Koishi nodded, accepting the arm he offered. She pulled herself up as he stood, her feet taking slow, shaky steps as he slowly led her across the yard. As they passed the old man, Itachi heard him clear his throat and stopped, waiting for Danzo to speak.
"Koishi's knee seems to be bothering her." The man pointed out, looking over at Koishi as she rubbed her kneecap. His pleasant tone masked what his true intentions might be, and Itachi's body stiffened as Danzo continued, "Why don't the two of you make use of my private bathhouse this afternoon? The hot water will surely ease her discomfort."
Koishi seemed intrigued by Danzo's offer, but Itachi knew there was an underlying reason for Danzo's offer. The man never allowed any of his subordinates into his private domicile without an ulterior motive. He also knew he couldn't question what those motives might be right now if he wanted to ensure his position as Koishi's handler. "That's kind of you, Lord Danzo." Itachi nodded, glancing over at her with a small twitch of his mouth.
"Of course. We wouldn't want her injury to become worse when she's becoming such a force, now, would we?." The old man looked at Koishi, a shrewd smile on his face. It appeared even she understood that this wasn't a true kindness, and Itachi watched as she shivered at Danzo's words.
"Will you be joining us?" Itachi asked evenly, feeling Koishi looking directly at him as though she thought he were asking the man to. In fact, he only wanted to determine whether or not he had to get her out of spending the afternoon in a private onsen with a man like Danzo - Itachi had heard the stories, he'd seen what some of his female comrades looked like after leaving the old man's quarters after spending time alone with him there. He wasn't going to let that happen to Koishi.
Danzo studied him for a moment before replying. "Oh, no. I'm afraid I'm needed for a council meeting today." He waved off the question with his hand, shaking his head. As he turned to leave, he added, "I do hope you feel better soon. It won't do to have such an asset injured so close..." He waved his hand in the air, shaking his head. "Ah. Never mind the ramblings of an old man like me." Danzo turned around again, making way for the side of the building.
Koishi arched her eyebrow as they listened to the old man hobble off. Once he was out of earshot, she looked up at Itachi and asked quietly, "What was up with that?"
The Uchiha kept his eyes trained on Danzo's back as he considered Danzo's words and what they might mean. "I don't know quite yet." He answered her honestly when the old man had disappeared around the corner. Koishi nodded, wincing as her leg shifted, her knee buckling and nearly sending her to the ground. Itachi steadied her, frowning as she reached down to brace her knee with both hands, a shaky breath passing her lips.
"You should let me look at that." He told Koishi gently. She shook her head, lifting her head to glance up at him.
"It's fine." She insisted, straightening her body as she flashed him a reassuring smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Itachi let out a small huff, pointing at the ground.
"It wasn't a suggestion." He said, his tone more firm as he knelt next to where he had pointed. Koishi groaned as she awkwardly moved to sit next to him in the grass, hissing as he pulled her leg into his lap, shifting something inside that made her leg feel as though it were on fire.
Itachi carefully slid up the wide leg of her shorts to her thigh, looking over her knee and determining right away that it was sprained at the very least. Her knee was swollen, the skin blotchy red and white. "You're going to have to stay off your feet for the next couple of days." He told Koishi, giving her an apologetic smile when she scowled.
"That means being cooped up in that bedroom." She grumbled, leaning back on her hands.
"I'm afraid so." He confirmed, gently sliding her leg down to the grass. "I'll see if my mother can find another book for me to bring with your lunch tomorrow. You seemed to enjoy the last one she sent."
Koishi nodded, smiling. "She's so kind, and she's never even met me." She remarked to Itachi, meeting his gaze. "Is she as nice to your other friends, or just the ones being kept locked away from the world?" She asked in a teasing manner.
He shrugged, a blank expression on his face as he replied, "I don't really have friends, besides you and Shisui." He was picking at the skin on one of his fingers, Koishi's playful smile falling away and pulling into a frown as he continued, "Shisui is my cousin. We've always been close, but I never had much time to form friendships as a child."
She didn't reply at first as she thought of how lonely Itachi must have been when he was younger - how lonely he probably was even now, though Koishi knew he would never say as much. She'd only known him for a few months, but it hadn't taken her long to realize that the quiet boy kept any grievances he harbored to himself.
"That's awful." She finally whispered, reaching and placing her hand over his on top of her injured knee. The words I'm sorry were on the tip of her tongue, though Koishi wasn't sure what she felt the need to apologize for. She didn't say them, instead opting simply to squeeze his hand. The world he'd grown up in wasn't fair, she thought to herself.
She had thought she'd had it bad - and she had, she knew; her childhood had been far from ideal and carefree. But even she'd been allowed to have friends. In the back of her mind, Koishi began to think that maybe Konoha and Iwa weren't as different as she'd hoped they'd be. She wondered if there was anywhere in the world that children didn't suffer the violence of wars started by men three times their age, men who used them like pieces on a shogi board instead of the human beings that they were.
-x-
Koishi was nervous as she gripped a towel tightly around her body with one hand, the other leaning on Itachi's shoulder as he carefully led her towards the private hot springs in Danzo's yard. Where the rest of the compound looked almost militant in its drab style, the man had afforded himself a well-landscaped back yard, with a plush bed of grass and a canopy of tree branches that made the place feel like its own little world.
It felt much more claustrophobic than the clearing in the woods by the river. Both of them had been reasonably clothed then, and Koishi felt small and vulnerable next to Itachi's tall frame. He had a towel draped around his waist, though that did little to ease her nerves - she knew that like herself, Itachi wore nothing but the skin he'd been born with underneath his towel.
At the edge of the bath, Itachi turned away and Koishi stepped in, hesitantly placing the towel to the side as she slipped below the hot water to her neck, arms pulled tightly across her chest anyway. She quickly closed her eyes when she watched him beginning to loosen the towel from his waist. She waited until she'd heard the splash of his feet and the movement of his body through the water to open them again, her cheeks tinted pink as her eyes met Itachi's over the steam that billowed around them.
Neither of them said anything for several minutes as they soaked in the hot water. Koishi had to admit, she was grateful for Danzo's offer to use his onsen even though she'd known by his tone and the way Itachi had reacted that it wasn't truly out of concern for her welfare. A frown tugged at her lips, and she cleared her throat before asking Itachi, "What do you think he meant earlier, when he said so close? So close to what?"
He thought about it for only a few seconds before answering, his tone betraying his stress about the situation. "I think he's planning something." He tilted his head back, looking up at the red cedar planks that lined the ceiling. "Or maybe waiting for an opportunity, perhaps."
Koishi's heart sunk to the pit of her stomach. "And he plans to use me." She surmised, feeling angry tears in the corners of her eyes. When he nodded, her anger boiled over and she let out a frustrated cry before exclaiming, "I hate this, Itachi! I don't want him to use me to hurt people. That's what'll happen, isn't it?" She didn't wait for his response before continuing, "What does he want so badly that he'd hurt people to get it? Doesn't he realized how good it is here compared to other places? Compared to Iwa? People are starving to death there, Itachi. They can't afford the high cost of the food we have to import from the Land of Flowers. He has it so easy here, where there is plenty of everything! Why does he need more?"
"He wants to protect that abundance, and in his own warped mind, that's all he's ever done." He explained after Koishi was done with her outburst, his eyes guarded as he held her gaze. "He'll do whatever he thinks is necessary to keep this village safe - even at the cost of human life. Even at the expense of loyal Konoha shinobi. I don't know what he's planning, or if he's planning anything actively at all. I do know that my team was sent to the North Pass not to obtain Koishi, a daughter of the Nokogiri clan of Iwa, but that we were sent to retrieve a tool. That's how he sees you; how he sees all of us, and he'll use us as he sees fit. We aren't in a position to do anything other than obey right now, Koishi."
She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I don't think I-"
"You once asked me if anyone would ever see you as more than just a weapon." Itachi cut her off, placing his hand on her shoulder. He continued, his tone more serious. "I do, Koishi. I see the girl who loves to get lost in books. I see the girl who loves the forest, who is so fascinated by the world around her. That girl is my friend." He looked away from her, his voice quiet as he added, "You are not a weapon, Aomizu. But I am. I'll be your weapon, if you promise to hold on to that goodness that I admire so much about you."
Koishi was stunned, and fell silent as she thought over what Itachi had just said to her; what he'd just offered to do. No one had ever offered to kill for her before, but here he was, telling her that's exactly what he would do should she need him to. Itachi saw her, she thought to herself as she studied his face quietly. He understood that she yearned to fly away from all the violence and devastation in the world, just like that bird they'd watched through the window. She just wished it didn't have to come at the expense of clipping his own wings.
"No." She murmured after a few moments of consideration, shaking her head and giving him a sad smile. "It's like you told me back in the forest, Itachi. This is something I need to do in order to survive here."
Itachi stood still, his face expressionless as he listened to Koishi's words. When she'd finished speaking, his only reply came in the form of a short nod of his head, his lips pulling into a small frown that deepened the lines on his face. Without thinking much of it, she reached up and touched his cheek lightly. He flinched at first, but made no move to pull away.
"You know, Itachi," she started softly, training her eyes on his. "there's goodness in you, too. You're more than what you're capable of."
He blinked before the ghost of a smile began to curl his mouth. She could tell it wasn't a genuine one, however, and she felt an ache in her heart as he stepped away from her touch. It was clear he didn't agree with her assessment, and she wished more than anything in that moment that she could find a way to convince him of it.