Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Trust you, Always	By : tragic.violinist Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 1525 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: NARUTO and its respective characters were created and are owned by Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement intended. I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6. Autumn Leaves
After the last attack Itachi insisted on being extra cautious, never keeping her in the same spot for more than a couple of weeks. She did her best to remain optimistic for his sake, she could tell he was nearing his breaking point, though no one would be able to tell by looking at him. Still it was getting to her, for nine years she had been living like this. She may have settled for years at a time but she was always an outsider, never had a place she could truly call home. How much longer could she last before she cracked herself.
"Are you tired? Do you want to take a break?" He asked her.
"Sure we could rest for a bit," she agreed, "how far to the next town?"
"A few more miles." He was mentally exhausted, he knew she could tell, she always seemed to know, but neither were willing to address it.
They avoided the forest as much as possible, it was late fall and the trees had already shed most of their leaves making it difficult to move silently. He had high hopes he would hear from his contact soon that Kira would soon have a safe place to go. With winter on its way travelling would only get harder, the snow would only slow them down and leave a trail, even if they stuck to the trees they would still be exposed in the bare branches. Still her safety would carry a hefty price, one he was willing to pay.
By the time they reached the small town and acquired lodgings Kira was more than ready for sleep. In addition to traveling, Itachi had been pushing her harder than ever before when it came to training. She knew why he was so adamant too, their last altercation had proved how ill prepared she was in case of a fight against multiple opponents. So she worked hard to improve, for his peace of mind as well as her own. He had been impressed with her progress but she wasn't satisfied with herself, she wanted to do more. Some nights she would stay up late studying scrolls, mostly on medical jutsus, she found them fascinating, and it would prove a valuable asset in the future. Studying would be out of the question tonight though, "can you stay the night?" She asked him as she changed her clothes.
"If you want me to," he wouldn't deny her that comfort when he knew their time together was growing shorter each day.
She sat on his lap, resting her head on his chest, "I will always want you to stay." She wasn't sure when she had realized the depth of her feelings for him, but she knew that she loved him, she would never speak those words aloud though, it would only make it harder in the end, cause more pain.
He held her close that night, as she slept, reveling in the warmth that radiated from her every pore. He reflected on his past, wondering if he could have, should have done things differently. Had he spared his clan Konoha would not be the place it was today. Should he have told Sasuke the truth at the start, brought him along, he might have saved him from the darkness that had enveloped him. Then he would not have been able to join the Akatsuki, and he never would have found her. It was a cruel world that had brought him to this point.
The new year came and went, they continued to trek around the countryside. After exchanging many scrolls with Orochimaru the gears were in motion, the Hokage had been informed of the devious Danzo's actions and with any luck would have him dealt with, at that point he hoped to take her to Konoha before seeking out Sasuke, it would all be over soon, and he could finally rest.
Something big was coming Kira could feel it in her bones. Itachi was spending more time with her, while she enjoyed his company, it was out of character for him. She feared it meant the end was near. It was mid February, most of the snow had melted and the area was once again prone to heavy rain. They had circled back around to near the Rain village, the Akatsuki had been laying low as of late and Itachi wanted to be close to her when they revealed their plans so he could move her if need be.
"I need to leave for a few days," he said breaking her out of her silent reverie.
Kira looked up at him from the sketch she had been working on. "Where to?" She didn't normally ask but lately she had been, she was worried he would return to Konoha without telling her.
He held a hand out in a silent invitation for her to come join him, she slipped into his lap. "Just an Akatsuki meeting. Kira look at me," when she made eye contact with him he continued. "I promise I won't just leave you, when the time comes I will tell you before I go."
She closed her eyes, fighting back tears, she wouldn't cry, wouldn't make things harder, she nodded.
He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, "I'll be back in a couple of days, I promise." He placed her back on her feet, reaching out to stroke her hair for a moment before turning to leave.
She wanted so badly in that moment to tell him how she felt but she held it in, instead choosing to offer him a small smile as he walked out the door. "I love you Itachi," she whispered to the empty room, tears falling from her eyes.
She cried herself to sleep that night, only to be awoken hours later by yelling, "get up we need to go!"
~jump to when Itachi has just left Orochimaru's (if you haven't read When I'm Gone and don't want to just read Chapter 14. The Call)~
By the time she returned to her room the tears were flowing freely down her face, she collapsed on the bed burying her face in his pillow and inhaling his scent. She wouldn't see him again, this was the moment he had waited for.
The falling leaves

Drift by my window

The falling leaves

Of red and gold

I see your lips

The summer kisses

The sunburned hands

I used to hold

Since you went away

The days grow long

And soon I'll hear

Old winter's song

But I miss you most of all

My darling

When autumn leaves

Start to fall

Since you went away

The days grow long

And soon I'll hear

Old winter's song

But I miss you most of all

My darling

When autumn leaves

Start to fall
She was shocked the next day when the man, who turned out to be Sasuke, had come bursting into the room carrying her sketch pad. After he had stormed out of the room she wondered if she had done the right thing. Particularly if Sasuke was so sure Itachi would return to them, he would be furious with her.
Several days later, once Sasuke had calmed down and had time to think things over, he sought her out again. He still wanted to go after his brother but with the weather the way it was that wouldn't be wise. "How long did you know him for?" He asked her as he slid into the chair across from her.
She was in the library again, once again working on a sketch, this time of Sasuke. She looked up at him, "Nine years."
He was taken aback, that was almost the entire time he had been gone. "You've been with him all this time?"
"No, he wasn't always there, but he always came back for me," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
She had already told him the worst of it in her opinion, what would a few more details be, "He had to move me around a lot, to keep me safe from the people he worked with. He would drop me off somewhere, come back every once in a while to check up on me, and move me again if he thought it was dangerous."
"How did you meet him?"
Kira took a deep breath, it was the first time she would have to recount it, "the Akatsuki, they sent a team to my village to gather intel, one of them, he killed my parents. I ran and hid, Itachi was the one who found me."
Sasuke thought that over for a minute before speaking, "but that means Kisame was the one to kill your family, why would you trust the partner of the person who killed them, it doesn't make sense."
Kira smiled softly remembering back to the night she first night she had met the older Uchiha. "I don't really know how to explain it, I didn't know for sure that he was Itachi's partner until years later. I was afraid of him at first but he was kind to me, it made me trust him."
Sasuke scoffed at her, "I don't get it, what's so special about you? You were hardly older than I was when he left, why couldn't he have told me the truth and took me with him."
The sadness was audible in her voice when she next spoke, "I'm sure he would have if he had been able to, but if he had, he wouldn't have been able to spy on the Akatsuki like he did." She dropped her gaze.
"He figured out a way when it came to you," he spat, "why you? Why not me?" Sasuke stared hard at her before he had an epiphany. "You're a jinchuriki aren't you? That's the only reason he would take on some random kid and protect them from those bastards."
Kira immediately got defensive. "And if what you say happens to be true, you gotta problem with it?" She growled.
Sasuke held up his hands in surrender, "I don't have a problem with it, it explains a lot though, as to why he would look out for you for so long. Just curious, but after all these years, how close are you to him?"
She suddenly found her sketchpad very interesting as she struggled to keep her blush from showing.
Sasuke had to force himself not to snicker at her, he had a hard time picturing his cold and stoic brother in a relationship with anyone, "you're in love with him aren't you?" Her blush deepened, "does he feel the same way?"
"I don't know, he's never really been one for talking about that kind of thing," she said softly.
"Guess he really hasn't changed all that much," he snorted.
"Do you still care for him?"
Sasuke sighed, he had been asking himself the same question ever since she had told him the truth about the massacre. "I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out by talking to you, I want to know how the years have changed him, how much is left of the brother I knew. Now that I know the truth, I suppose I will always care for him, he will always be my brother. I just don't know if things can go back to the way they used to be, I no longer long to kill him, as he once suggested. I still want to kick his ass for what I've been through but I won't try to kill him."
Kira looked at him in shock, clearly there were facts Itachi had neglected to tell her as well. "I'm sorry you lost me, what do you mean he suggested you kill him?"
"I thought you knew he longed for death."
"I do," she said sadly, "but he never told me about that part, he just gave me the impression that when he returned to Konoha it would be to face his death. I guess when he left I just assumed that was what he had always been referring to, dying in an attempt to take down Danzo."
"No, from what I've learnt from you I think he always planned to die by my hand. The night of the massacre, I saw him, he told me to hate him and to find him when I was strong enough to kill him."
"It's the guilt, that's why, he's always carried it with him, he thinks he deserves to die for what he did."
He let out a barking laugh, "too bad for him I don't intend to give him what he wants, if he still wishes to die he'll have to seek it elsewhere."
Kira went back to her sketch and Sasuke selected a book for himself, they lost themselves in their individual activities until Sasuke took a closer look at her sketch, "you're pretty good. Do you draw a lot?"
"Yeah it helps pass the time when you're all alone, helps to keep my memories fresh too."
"I assume you do a lot of training too then?"
Kira shook her head, "no, I mean I do, Itachi taught me some basics, but I'm only mediocre at best. It can be difficult to regulate your chakra when someone else's keeps getting in the way."
Sasuke thought back to his academy days and when he was first assigned to team seven. He remembered Naruto had a particularly hard time with chakra control in the beginning too, "maybe you just need someone who knows what you're going through, I have a friend back in the leaf village that could probably help. In the mean time I could try to help you if you like?"
Kira brightened at the offer, "really, are you sure?"
"Yeah I kind of owe you for telling me what no one else would. First I need to know if you know how to do the shadow clone jutsu?"
"No that's not one of the ones Itachi taught me."
"Figured as much, we'll work on that one first because it will help you the most in the long run. You see, unlike other clones, when they are destroyed or dispelled you gain whatever knowledge they acquired. Once mastered you should be able to create a large amount of them too."
"Your friend that you mentioned, he's a jinchuriki too then?"
Sasuke nodded, "it's a little late tonight, but I'll check with Orochimaru to see if he has the scroll that details the shadow clone jutsu and we can start in the morning."
"Sasuke?" She stopped him just before he left the room, "your other friend, the girl that was with you, how is she doing?"
His eyes darkened at the question, "not good, she hasn't shown much improvement. See you in the morning." He left the room to seek out Orochimaru, at least helping Kira would offer a distraction from Hikari's current state.
Lyrics from Autumn Leaves by Frank Sinatra
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Trust you, Always