Mitsuki waited patiently atop of a tree's branch, nearby the agreed point of assembly, her perception activated. A lot had happened these past few days, and a messy mix of emotion whirled within her heart. However, her mind was clearer than ever. After all, she had come to understand what mattered to her the most, and how to make a choice no matter how tough it was. Even if she was still struggling with the other chaotic feelings inside of her, Mitsuki believed that, silly as it was, once she saw Itachi, it would all be cleared.

"Oh?"

Mitsuki exclaimed with excitement the moment she noticed a familiar soul entered her perception field and moving steadily towards their agreed meeting point in high speed. Immediately, her mood brightened and smile filled her lips as she recognized the soul's owner to be the one whom she was waiting for.

"Itachi-kun!" Mitsuki exclaimed lightly as she jumped off the branch and landed directly in front of Itachi. Her face was decorated with gentle, yet cheerful smile as her eyes met Itachi's and locked unto it. Surprised by Mitsuki's sudden appearance and approach, Itachi stopped his steps while responding to her with a simple nod as soon as Mitsuki's step halted in front of him. Then, as soon as their eyes met and Itachi caught unto Mitsuki's expression, her smile immediately turned into a happy grin.

"So, anyway, a lot has happened these past few days, and I..!" The moment Itachi stopped and blinked in confusion, Mitsuki rambled in excitement towards Itachi, catching him off-guard with her enthusiasm. Truthfully, he was worried that Mitsuki would still be affected by the event that had transpired during their last meeting. But now, after seeing her joyful attitude, Itachi was relieved, even if he couldn't help but wondered about what had happened during the past few days they were apart. Unknowingly, he let out a slight smile of relieve, mirroring Mitsuki's own happy smile.

Yet, the moment was quickly interrupted by the other attendee of the meeting who had also just reached.

"Hoo? Something up with you, Oujou-chan? Something seemed different about you," said Kisame with a big, mischievous grin as he approached his two teammates, his observation on point.

Immediately, Itachi hid his smile, and Mitsuki's face soured, sulking over the ruined moment.

"Huh? You're here already.." she said while narrowing her eye

"Well, sorry to interrupt you two, then," said Kisame teasingly while subtly gauging the reaction of the two, as well as causing Mitsuki's face to redden. Surprised by Mitsuki's unusual reaction as he had expected for Mitsuki to come up with a snarky come-back, Kisame's eye widened as he muttered a single "Hooo?" in observation. However, his amusement was short-lived as Mitsuki quickly approached him and proceeded to kick him right on the ankle.

"You.. What are you implying!?" Mitsuki hissed with annoyance, before continuing, "Moreover, I really needed someone to talk to yet you left me to sleep.. you.. cruel shark!" Mitsuki complained as she kicked Kisame's ankle repeatedly, knowing that it was one of human being's pain spot, causing him to retreat with each kick as his muscle wasn't of a help in nullifying her attack on that area.

"Ouch, ouch, have you gotten stronger or what, that hurts stop that!" Kisame exclaimed while trying his best to evade the girl's kicks as Mitsuki continued her barrages of kicks on in his vulnerable spot, powered through by her anger.

"I take it back," Kisame thought to himself, "in no way this brat had suddenly grown up.." he concluded. Previously, during Mitsuki's quick visit, he even wondered if Mitsuki had somehow matured during the past few days post the traumatic event, but seeing her violent reaction, it all seemed to be just a short illusion. Even so, her unusual response still came as a surprise to him. While making a mental note to ask the girl about it when the chances arise, Kisame held back the curiosity and the thirst of amusement inside him.

"Stop it, you two," said Itachi calmly, trying to stopping his two team-mates' conflict from continuing further. "I've confirmed the news and whereabouts of the jinchuuriki."

"Hoo? As expected of Itachi-san," said Kisame, grinning proudly of his partner's success, before adding on his other question. "Then? What's our game plan?"

"It wasn't our target. It was indeed the Five Tail jinchuuriki." Itachi clarified, before proceeding. "Nevertheless, we should at least report this to our leader," said Itachi calmly.

"Then, we go back to the previous hideout?" asked Mitsuki in confirmation.

"Yes, however.. Mitsuki, can you stay behind and keep track on the Jinchuuriki's movement instead?" Itachi suggested. After all, he couldn't afford to lose track of their target now out of all time.

"Hmmm? OK, understood," Mitsuki answered calmly, despite her slight disappointment that she needed to split up from the group so fast.

"Do you know how to identify the person of interest?" asked Itachi, making sure.

"Tall height, big body, abnormally massive amount of chakra, right?" Mitsuki answered confidently, remembering the information that she had gathered herself.

"Correct," Itachi nodded in affirmation. "Then, I'll leave it to you," he added, before turning his back against Mitsuki, ready for departure.

"Then, we go to the hideout now?" Kisame remarked lightly as he too readied himself to leave. In response, Itachi gave Kisame a short nod before dropping his next points.

"We'll regroup again in the surveillance town after this and discuss what's next,"

"Noted, I'll go ahead and monitor the Jinchuuriki now," said Mitsuki calmly as she prepared herself, taking of her outer kimono and revealing the training clothes underneath, knowing how Itachi's trustworthiness within Akatsuki was riding on her task.

"Wait, Mitsuki," said Itachi quickly before the girl rushed to depart, all the while throwing something towards her, which she then caught without an issue. "You can wait there later. It's the key to my inn room."

"Got it, see you again later," Mitsuki replied with a sweet, cheerful smile as she locked her eyes with Itachi's for one last time before dashing away from their meeting place to the direction where Itachi had come from.

"… I wonder what's up with her.." said Kisame in confusion over Mitsuki's unusual gentle expression.

".. Indeed," said Itachi in response, before refocusing his attention to the task ahead.

"Oops, sorry!" said Mitsuki apologetically as she bumped into a tall, fully armoured shinobi, who happened to be her target, while discreetly spilling some spore from her seed pouch all over the guy's attire. As the guy glared at her fiercely in response, Mitsuki responded with a sweet smile without fear, before giving a bow of apology before continuing on her track without care.

"Mission complete," she thought to herself in satisfaction. Her task was easy for her, considering how easy it was for her to identify the jinchuuriki's massive soul among the other civilians. Now that she had set up an extra tracking measure, she won't have to worry about losing his track even if he ever went out of her surveillance range.

"Then, I guess it's back to the inn, then," said Mitsuki as she searched for the inn room that Itachi had rented for himself.

Itachi and Kisame had arrived at the headquarters, and consequently, successfully summoned their leader for a conversation.

"Good timing," said Pain. "I have some information to pass on as well. I'll summon for the rest of the crew."

Hearing Pain's remark, Itachi couldn't help but wonder what the news would be. After all, if it was only about the whereabouts of a particular jinchuuriki, it wouldn't justify summoning the whole Akatsuki. Keeping his facial expression calm, Itachi positioned himself comfortably as he and Kisame waited for the summon to be completed.

The inn was easy for Mitsuki to find. It seemed that Itachi had picked himself the place out of convenience, since the inn was easily reachable from all direction of the town. Finding the number written on the room key, Mitsuki opened the door with the matching number and entered the room immediately.

Immediately after entering, Mitsuki couldn't help but chuckle. Itachi's room was very properly tidied, and even the bed were properly made. As far as she knew, Itachi wouldn't allow for room service as he wouldn't risk his privacy, so it was definitely Itachi who did the cleaning by himself. The room was mostly empty, aside from a few books placed on the table beside the bed, and the medicine container that Itachi had left hidden under his pillow.

As Mitsuki sat down on the bed, a familiar scent greeted her. Immediately, she was reminded of the time the both of them spent together in closer proximity. Back when the three of them still shared a room, back when he took care of Itachi's fever, the time spent after sparring, the time they spent together in the Kodon's shrine, the princess cradle, the piggybacking. Mitsuki couldn't stop herself from smiling as she took Itachi's pillow and brought it into a hug, while lightly inhaling the scent that she had been associating with comfort and safety, and the one that she had come to love.

Realising the absurdity of her action, Mitsuki chuckled lightly.

"Gosh, what am I even doing, it's so embarrassing.. Is this what people say as perverted act?" she laughed at herself, yet she didn't let go of the soft pillow in her embrace as she laid down her body on the inn room's single bed.

The member of Akatsuki responded to Pain's summoning, 1 by 1. Including Kakuzu's temporary partner, there were 9 of them in total. Temporary indeed, especially because of Kakuzu's reputation within Akatsuki for keep losing his partner in his fits of rage, hence Pain's plan in recruiting the other so called "immortal" that he had found out about to put a stop to Kakuzu's killing spree. As the member gathered and mumbled to each other, Pain started his announcement by signalling the plant-like member to convey the information that he had gained.

"Orochimaru gained the sharingan," said the member, who was commonly addressed as Zetsu.

Hearing the information, Itachi stayed silent as he tried his best to maintain his calm, hiding the anxiety that was triggered deep within his heart the moment he heard the mention of "Sharingan".

"Itachi, is that your younger brother?" asked a member of Akatsuki in amusement. Apparently, the information about Sasuke had been conveyed to the other members as well since the last time Itachi and Kisame reported the detail of the situation to their leader.

Itachi stayed quiet, not showing any emotion, not saying any word. He couldn't, and shouldn't show his own curiosity, as well as his worries, not unless he was willing to jeopardize his cover. However, deep within him, he was very worried. Recalling Mitsuki's warning and recalling his last meeting with Sasuke, he couldn't help but thought if it was really Sasuke that Zetsu was talking about. He wanted to know more, he needed to know more.. but not now, he couldn't..

"Well, there's no point rushing," said another. "We'll kill Orochimaru eventually, un.." said the shinobi who were standing upside down, on the ceiling, his voice full of confidence. "More importantly, I heard that the deadline is three years.. Will everyone be able to complete their task, un?"

In response to the shinobi's word, the leader nodded. "That's true. Don't forget, our goal is to obtain kyuubi, along with everything else," said Pain, referring to the bijuu and Jinchuuriki hunt that they had recently started.

Calming down his nerve, Itachi took the chance to speak up. Being very careful not to show his unease and inner turmoil, he spoke briefly.

"Regarding that, we have recently located the whereabouts of the Five Tail Jinchuuriki. I've confirmed the identity with my own eyes, and currently, Mitsuki is maintaining surveillance over him as we gather," said Itachi, his voice not betraying his emotion as he calmly stated the conclusion of his surveillance. Kisame on the other hand, looked at Itachi in concern, wondering if he would be somehow bothered by the information that they had just received. After all, despite his cruelty towards his little brother on their last reunion, Itachi had went to such extent to avoid the boy during their time at the teahouse, and his first word of greeting to his little brother was an unusual remark upon his brother's growth.

"Mitsuki?" said another member in confusion as he caught the unfamiliar name within Itachi's report.

Unwilling to go out of their way to explain, Itachi and Kisame kept their quiet. In return, Pain nodded slightly in approval, while remarking.

"Good work. If I'm not wrong, the Five Tail is.."

"My target," said the upside-down member whose hair was tied into a high ponytail. "We both are of Iwagakure after all, un."

"Then, other than Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, and Kisame, feel free to leave," said Pain, immediately followed by the disappearance of the silhouettes, one by one, leaving only the aforementioned party within the space.

"Out of all people, it had to be you who found him. How annoying, un," the guy with the ponytail who were referred to as Deidara, grumbled.

"Well, technically, it was thanks to me," Kisame joked to diffuse the explosive situation. He still remembered about the time he and Itachi went to recruit Deidara, embarrassing him deeply in the process. As it turned out, Deidara had ended up holding an odd mix of grudge and admiration towards Kisame's partner, Itachi, as he was the one who had managed to deal with Deidara at that time and won against him by major differences. Hearing Kisame's word, the eyes of the silhouette "lit up" in respect.

"Oooh, as expected of Kisame-no-Danna, un!" Deidara's tone changed immediately upon hearing Kisame's remark. Somehow, it seemed like he had a semblance of respect towards Kisame who was one of the Seven Mist's Swordman, a contrast to how he acted towards Itachi. Meanwhile, Itachi and Sasori couldn't care less about such minor details, and focused in starting the exchanging of information about the Five Tail's whereabouts instead.

"We will be keeping surveillance until the both of you arrived," said Itachi briefly, casually offering his assistance for the other duo to further prove his loyalty to Akatsuki.

"That would be ideal, update us on his movement in the meantime. After that.."

"We'll leave the area once you two arrived. Too many of us will attract too much attention," Itachi added briefly, to Sasori's agreement.

"Noted," said Sasori in response, ignoring Deidara and Kisame's banter behind the scene.

"Then, we'll take our leave," said Itachi as he turned his back against the rest of the remaining member. Noticing his partner's movement, Kisame nodded goodbye and followed behind him, leaving the rest of the member's silhouette to disappear one by one as they too exited the meeting.

Itachi was noticeably quieter after the meeting ended, however, Kisame knew better than to probe him about it. After all, it was unlikely that Itachi would divulge what occupied his mind to him if not by his own volition. Thinking that somehow, Itachi would benefit in having his time alone, Kisame pondered on how to convey his unusual suggestion.

"Hmmm.. Or should I sort of send him over to Mitsuki? After all he seemed to be more relaxed when she is around," Kisame thought to himself. Even if he still couldn't put a name on whatever was it between Itachi and Mitsuki, he knew for sure that they were unquestionably, close. Even if the idea of how the two vastly different character could mash together that well, baffles him.

"Itachi-san, I'll take over the surveillance when we arrive. You should go ahead first and take a break," stated Kisame.

Kisame's word turned Itachi's head. Seeing his partner's fake grin, he realised, that he must have somehow, let some of his true emotion slipped out in front of his worrying partner. Again, without probing, without judging, Kisame showed Itachi his subtle observation and care. If not for the circumstances, no.. despite the circumstances, Kisame was still a good and loyal partner, the closest thing he have to a friend since his time in Konoha. Somehow, Itachi recalled Mitsuki's word of her opinion and observation of Kisame, and how she had found him to be a trustworthy person. But still.. Itachi knew, that no matter what, he couldn't share the entirety of his truth to him.. despite the trust that they've build between them. That's why, at the very least, what he could offer was..

"Thanks, Kisame."

"Huh?" Itachi's softly spoken word caught Kisame off-guard. Unsure if he had heard it correctly, Kisame threw Itachi a questioning glance.

"I'll lead you towards the jinchuuriki's location first," said Itachi in response while avoiding meeting his gaze, all the while continuing his word and ignoring Kisame's confusion of his tiny display of appreciation.

As Itachi had speculated, no signal from Mitsuki meant that their target had indeed stayed within her surveillance area. However, when he found the girl happily passed out on his bed while hugging his pillow, Itachi couldn't help but doubt her vigilance a little. Still, seeing how the girl was sleeping calmly without care, Itachi felt like he could finally drop down his guard a bit.

Upon closing the door, Itachi took a seat at the side of his bed and clutched his head as he went on and process the information that he had just obtained.

"How can this be," he thought to himself. The last time he met with his informant, all that she had passed him was the fact that Tsunade, one of the three sannin, had returned to the village and took upon the position of Godaime. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Her return would ensure Kakashi and Sasuke's fast recovery, yet…

"Orochimaru had obtained sharingan," Pain's word echoed inside Itachi's mind, and his memory of Orochimaru resurfaced in his thoughts. Along with it, pain resurfaced in his heart as his breath started to turn erratic.

"Itachi-kun? You're back?" a voice called Itachi from behind, interrupting his thought. Wondering if he had somehow woken the girl up with his panicked reaction, Itachi met the girl's eye with a complicated frown.

"What's wrong? Where's Kisame?" said Mitsuki worriedly as she quickly raised up her body while rubbing her eyes. Immediately, noticing how Itachi's soul was flickering with sadness and worry, Mitsuki realised how he was obviously in a distress.

Itachi didn't respond to Mitsuki's question. He couldn't find the word for his thoughts, and he didn't know where to begin. He had promised the girl that they would share everything honestly, yet he had only realised how hard it could be for him to open up to other in such a vulnerable moment.

Mitsuki noticed Itachi's mental state and struggle. She felt it to be familiar to what she had been through, yet she also didn't know how to make things better for him. She wanted to hug him so badly, or hold his hand, but somehow.. she was afraid of making the move as she was afraid that her intention was no longer purely because of her concern, like how it was for her before. Nevertheless, she wanted to let Itachi know that he was not alone, that she was there with him.

Remembering what Itachi had done for her when she needed it the most before, Mitsuki turned her back and leaned it against Itachi's back, subtly letting him now that she was there for him, and hummed a gentle song for him, softly.

Author's note:

Delicacy, Mitsuki :3 *pat pat

Also, Bonus skit I made for fun several days ago!

Author vs OC Skit (1) onhttps/tsuki-no-yomi-project/770207337152724992/oc-vs-author-skit-1?source=share

Ance: "Aaaaand the pervert calls me pervert, good job Mitsuki! How was that pillow?"

Mitsuki: "SHUT! UP!"