Without a hitch, Itachi and Mitsuki found Reishi and Kina who had been searching for them in the woods and calmed them down. As the four of them walked back together towards the shrine, none of them had said anything about what happened during the time they were gone, and Mitsuki had seemingly returned to her usual, cheerful self. As Itachi observed her, he wished that this time, her recovery was true, thanks to the talk they had, and not just another act of hers.

Some moment after, they four reached the shrine. Once they split into groups accordingly, they went back to their intended residence. While Mitsuki and Itachi walked back to the back shrine, none of them uttered a single word. However, the atmosphere between them was obviously lighter compared to how it was the last time they had walked together, as if a weight had been lifted from both of them.

Without delay, Mitsuki walked in, followed by Itachi who then closed the shrine's door behind them. The moment she laid her leg to a rest, Mitsuki let out a relieved sigh before throwing her body to the floor.

"Aaaah, that was nerve-wracking.. I thought you were about to scold me or something.." she said to Itachi, half-jokingly. To her words, Itachi chuckled.

"Maybe I should have," he responded jokingly, to Mitsuki's amusement. As Mitsuki chuckled over Itachi's attempt of joke, Itachi sat with his back leaning against the wall, while keeping his body facing Mitsuki's.

"Oh yea.. Now that I remembered.. I heard from Kina and Reishi that you wanted to keep my transformation a secret?"

Upon hearing Mitsuki's question, Itachi nodded.

"I get your concern about the villagers, but about that Madara guy, he always appears so randomly, so how am I supposed to hide it from him forever? And then, there's Kisame also..." Mitsuki added.

"..True. Revealing this to both seemed to be unavoidable. What do you have in mind?" Itachi asked back, understanding Mitsuki's concern.

"Uh... I'll try to concoct some story on our way back to the meeting place. But technically, you don't want me to disclose my full identity right?" she confirmed, and Itachi nodded.

"Keep it as vague and non-impressive as possible. It would also be best that you never revealed your other form to him as well," said Itachi. Somehow, Mitsuki laughed upon hearing the "non-impressive" part. However, as the conversation came to a halt, Mitsuki's expression darkens once more, confusing Itachi.

As Mitsuki pulled herself up and sit straightly, she looked into Itachi's eye with a serious expression.

"Itachi-kun... There's something that I have to tell you," she said, in serious, slightly sad tone. Upon hearing Mitsuki's remark, Itachi said nothing, and only returned her words with a small frown, as if telling her to continue.

"It's about your mark, and the effect of extending your life..." said Mitsuki as she moved her gaze lower, towards Itachi's soul, seemingly with guilt.

"I see..." said Itachi calmly, as if unaffected.

"… I'm sorry," said Mitsuki, still lowering her gaze, unable to look into Itachi's eyes.

To her apology, Itachi tilted his head as he said, "What for?"

Itachi's response confused Mitsuki. She was sure that she had explained to Itachi what the consequences of her forcefully lengthening his life entails. Unsure of how to answer, Mitsuki just kept her confused gaze on Itachi's face without saying a word. Itachi, noticing her confusion, decided to add more contexts to his words.

"You did the right thing. As you said, I still had something that I wanted to do, and for that I needed to live as long as it will take me, no matter how, no matter the cost."

Hearing Itachi's words, Mitsuki averted her gaze and frowned, unconvinced. Seeing her reaction, Itachi smiled bitterly and said.

"I've told Kisame this as well, but I believe those who had laid their hand upon their comrades would never die a pleasant death. I was prepared for mine, and truthfully... As long as I'd be able to finish what I had started, that will be enough for me," he said to Mitsuki who was still lowering her gaze, seemingly hiding her sadness. Still with a bitter smile, Itachi said gently,

"..and for that, Mitsuki, I'd like to thank you."

Unable to retort, not knowing what to say, Mitsuki let out a small "hmph" as she looked away, prompting Itachi to let out an awkward smile as he attempted to change the topic.

"Then, what will you do from now on? Considering that you've got your memories back?" he asked.

"Not all of them," Mitsuki corrected, her eyes still kept away from Itachi. "Amaterasu-sama said that she was afraid that giving them all back at once will be..," she paused, finding another word to replace Amaterasu's concern with, in a way that Itachi would fret less over. "..detrimental to me..." she continued, leaving it vague. Hearing Mitsuki's reply, Itachi pondered, wondering what it entails. Suddenly, with all seriousness, Mitsuki turned her gaze towards Itachi once more.

"Itachi-kun, I have a request," said Mitsuki. Hearing her plea, Itachi turned his gaze back to meet her determined eye.

"My goal and wish still hadn't change. I still wish to see the world, even more now, as I'd like to see how it had changed since the past. Therefore, I still wish to continue my journey with both you and Kisame," she explained, which Itachi responded with a nod. Somehow he had never thought that it would be otherwise, without knowing why.

"However, there's something else I'd like to do along the way," Mitsuki added, hesitantly. Itachi nodded upon her words, as if telling her to continue.

"I'd like to continue the search for my other memories, as well as resuming my Miko duties along the way," Mitsuki glanced upon Itachi with hesitation as she stated her wish. Itachi, not sure about what those would entail, gave Mitsuki an enquiring gaze, which she quickly understood.

"Amaterasu-sama said that she'd place the fragments on 'our' shrines," and that Mitsuki had suspicion that she had done that as a way to tell her that she could stop her search whenever she thought that it was too much for her. However, hiding the fact from Itachi, Mitsuki continued, "..and as for Miko duties.. I think it's easier to show than tell, but it would mean for us to prioritize stopping in decrepit, war or disaster ladened area."

Upon hearing the detail, Itachi nodded. "That's fine," he said. Due to their status as a wanted criminal, even with Akatsuki's protection, so long as they were not in a mercenary mission that would guarantee their pass, Itachi and Kisame had always used unconventional route to avoid detection anyway. That would mean to travel the path less travelled, or to a more dangerous place than any normal traveller would prefer.

Hearing Itachi's response and his calm reaction, Mitsuki let out a sigh of relieve. She was afraid that her request would give extra burden to both Itachi and Kisame, and she wouldn't want that, nor separating from them. Seeing the relieve on Mitsuki's face, Itachi suggested.

"Then, we depart tomorrow?" asked Itachi, confirming. Truthfully, they still have quite some time before their planned reconvening with Kisame, but he felt like staying longer past their dues now that Itachi's eyesight had recovered, wouldn't benefit her and the kids in the long run., especially with how isolated from the community they were. Sad as she was for having to leave Kina and Reishi so soon, Mitsuki nodded with determination, and answered.

"Yes, and before that, I'll show you what I meant by Miko duties as well tomorrow. As for our next destination.."

"You meant to revisit the shrine that we previously encountered?" Itachi confirmed his guess, followed by Mitsuki's nervous nod.

"To be honest, my memory of this area hadn't actually recovered yet, but I have a feeling that I've stayed here before. And why there were such a wide variety of herbs growing in this area, it was likely related to it as well," Mitsuki smiled wryly as she explained. She also had this suspicion that the place that Amaterasu placed her memories in will be directly related to her past, specifically the ones with connection as in why her memories was sealed in the first place.

Itachi nodded as he took in Mitsuki's statement. He felt like she hadn't told him everything about it yet, but he could only trust in the promise between them that eventually she'd tell him on her own volition.

Morning came. As soon as the four finished their last breakfast together for the year, Mitsuki and Itachi prepared for their departure. While they prepared themselves to leave, Reishi and Kina watched over them with a sense of melancholy. Reishi with a smile, and Kina with a pout on his face. Noticing Kina's sad face, Mitsuki smiled sadly before she went to give Kina a long hug.

"I'll be back again Kina, don't worry. When that time comes, if anyone had bullied you over the course of the time, tell me OK? I'll punish them for you!" said Mitsuki jokingly with a smile on her face. However, unexpectedly, Kina remained pouting, prompting Mitsuki to pat his head with endearment. Gently, Mitsuki picked her words carefully in an attempt to console the younger boy.

"You don't need to be so sad. Your big brother is still here with you after all. And, you said that you wanted to be strong, didn't you? I have quite an expectation for you, and I'll look forward to your growth the next time we meet," said Mitsuki gently as she gazed upon Kina's face with a gentle smile. Unable to keep up his sulk after hearing Mitsuki's encouragement, Kina finally turned his face towards Mitsuki and nodded sadly.

"Promise you'll come again?" said Kina reluctantly.

"Mmhmm, promise. I have a long life ahead of me anyway," said Mitsuki, grinning. Even if next year is not possible, then the next, or the next, she would have all the time in the world. For that, she was thankful for her long life, and she could only hope the best for the two boys as well, that they might also live a long, fulfilling life.

As soon as the two had left the shrine, Mitsuki moved swiftly ahead, leading Itachi to where exactlyhe had found her the previous day. Wondering, Itachi asked her,

"Why did you choose this place of all places?"

"Today? Or Yesterday?" Mitsuki returned his question jokingly. Lightly chuckling, she decided to continue and answer both question anyway.

"I always find tall, high places to be relaxing. Something about gazing into vast distance and taking in the view from above just calms me down and put me into another perspective," Mitsuki smiled with slight embarrassment in her face. She didn't know how to explain it better, so that was everything that she could tell Itachi. Hearing the girl's brief explanation, silently, Itachi noted the information in his mind. Next time, if the girl suddenly went missing again, he would at least have an inkling of where to find her.

"As for today, this place just happened to be the centre of this mountain island. I think it will just be the perfect place for what I'm about to do," said Mitsuki as she clenched her palm in front of her chest, calling unto her the divine form once more.

"Question, Itachi-kun. What is a Miko's duty?" asked Mitsuki as she raised her hands upward, summoning Azusa Yumi* on one hand and a bell adorned Gohei* on the other's.

Pondering, Itachi answered based on the knowledge that he had obtained from his studies, "To become the messenger of Gods, and perform purification on their behalf."

"Correct, as of how.. It's easier to demonstrate," said Mitsuki as she latched the bow unto his back and assumed a praying position. Curious, Itachi activated his sharingan in order to observe better.

As Mitsuki kneeled, Gohei in her hand, she started singing in an unfamiliar language. The song sounded mystical, and with its echo, Itachi could feel the nature energy reverberates once more, even with his lack of nature energy sensitivity. As Mitsuki stood, the intricate halo behind her head shined brighter, and she began to dance, accompanied by the ringing sound of the bell on her gohei, and her own singing. With her dance, the wind started to stir, and Itachi could feel a gentle rumble on the ground below him. Gentle enough to remain unnoticed, if one would not pay enough attention to it. He was reminded on that time they first met, where she had sent the wind howling and the ground rumbling upon her capture. Only, instead of anger and threat of that time, this time it was gentle and calming, as if accompanying Mitsuki's performance.

As Itachi observed her movement, Mitsuki twirled around, letting her long, now golden locks flutter away around her in the wind. It was truly a sight to behold, so much as Itachi couldn't help but admit the beauty of the scene in front of him. Catching Itachi's gaze as she turned, Mitsuki smiled gently, and lifted her Gohei up, ringing it in waves. With his sharingan, Itachi noticed shreds of chakra started to move, rising out from the ground all over the land, and gathered themselves atop of Mitsuki's Gohei. As the chakra gathered and melded into one messy ball of energy, Mitsuki lowered her Gohei and placed her hands under the mass, removing it from the Gohei as she dispersed the staff back into thin air. As he saw the mass of chakra, Itachi pondered, to Mitsuki's realization.

"This?" she asked, "This is exactly what we are going to purify. It is the traces of chakra, likely leftovers from battle among shinobis. Such battle often upset the elemental balances of one place, leaving it in disarray. Thankfully, the contamination here isn't that big," Mitsuki explained with a smile.

Itachi understood what she meant. With the coming of chakra, came extraordinary power that could twist even the fabric of space, time, and reality. Even below that extent, it can also conjure elements to where it doesn't belong. Chakra affect things, outside logic, as Mitsuki had previously stated during their cross-water travels. Sometimes, the impact can be so big it completely changes the landscape, or left permanent damage to the land.

Upon gazing on Itachi's thinking face, Mitsuki smiled in satisfaction, knowing that Itachi must have understood her words. Calmly, Mitsuki took her Azusa Yumi from behind her with her left hand, and shaped the mass of energy into an arrow. Noticing a familiar color within the mass, Mitsuki paused for a while, pondering, before finally continuing her action.

"Look, Itachi-kun. With this, I'll return it back to nature," said Mitsuki as she aimed the bow towards the sky, and released the string along with the musical ring of the Azusa Yumi. The arrow ascended unto the sky, and unravelled slowly, changing form. To Itachi's eye, it looked as if the arrow dispersed into nothingness, yet his body could feel the energy flow around him, as if there was a shower of energy raining down from the sky. With that, Mitsuki kneeled once more, before dispersing her divine form back into the thin air.

"And, that's done. How was it?" said Mitsuki excitedly as she turned her head back to gaze upon Itachi's reaction.

"Interesting.." he said briefly, his expression calm and betrayed none of his emotion, causing Mitsuki to frown in disappointment of Itachi's boring reaction.

"Well, I guess, compared to shinobi's technique, this is nothing. You must have realised already, that this was in no way applicable in battle. It took too much time, leaving me too vulnerable. It would be very easy to interrupt the ritual, even if that massive jumble of chakra probably hurts when it hits," Mitsuki chuckled, wondering if that was the cause of Itachi's apparent lack of reaction.

"In the end, I'm still useless in terms of combat," she added wryly with a pained smile, to Itachi's confusion.

"Not even all shinobi is proficient for combat," said Itachi with concern on his face as he saw Mitsuki's pained expression. "Some might not be a good fighter, but they would be an excellent tracker, or support. Without them, some missions are nigh impossible to complete," he added.

Hearing Itachi's word of consolation, Mitsuki smiled awkwardly. It seemed like Itachi had finally peeked into her insecurities that had lingered inside her for a while now, about how she was practically more of a burden to the team in terms of direct combat, if not more. Laughing awkwardly to avoid talking further about it, Mitsuki turned her back and stepped away.

"Well then, let's go? Normally I'd also offer my council to the villagers nearby as I went with my duty, but this time, I won't do that. Not after their treatment towards Reishi and Kina," Mitsuki smiled mischievously as she declared her intention of revenge.

"… Is it fine to do it like that?" Itachi asked with a wry smile and doubt in his voice over Mitsuki's whimsical decision, not that he minded it.

"It's fine, after all, I'm Tsukuyomi, who would dare to judge me.. heh," Mitsuki added jokingly as she grinned and jumped away from the cliff, followed by Itachi who was still smiling bitterly upon the girl's sassy response.

Author's note:

:3

Extra notes:

(*) Miko, as priestess, are often bestowed with sacred objects for ritual. The Azusa Yumi is a sacred bow (yumi) that also functions as a musical bow, made from the wood of Japanese Azusa (Japanese Cherry Birch Tree). It is believed that merely twanging the bowstring will frighten ghosts and evil spirits away.

(*) Gohei is another ritualistic tool as well. Shaped like a wooden wand, decorated with two shide. As for Mitsuki's her was combined with Shinto's bell as well as a prop for her Kagura-mai (ceremonial dance). Gohei is used for some ceremonies, to cleanse, bless, or exorcise any object that is thought to have negative energy.

Additional info, for Kagura-mai, even though not mentioned specifically on the story, the dance that Mitsuki did is a form of Kagura-mai (Kagura dance). Kagura means "God-entertainment", referring to the phrase kami no kura (seat of God), indicating the presence of Gods in the practice.

One major function of kagura is chinkon (purifying and shaking the spirit), involving a procession-trance process. Usually a female shaman will perform the dance and obtain the oracle from the god—in the setting, the dancer herself turns into the God during the performance (cited from Wikipedia).