Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Mirror, Mirror**

"Genno performed certain spiritual rituals, and begged the spirit to consider her spiritual salvation, until finally Hoji relented and swore to _never_ haunt the stone again."

The room was silent, eyes wide in awe and curiosity as a young woman stood at the bottom of the lecture hall, her tiny frame lost amongst the sea of people in the crowd. They had listened to each of her words with the utmost attention and dedication as every individual syllable passed her lips fluidly; each sentence full of unbridled excitement and passion, as she paced regimentally up and down the stairs. Reina smiled, her ochre eyes flittering from one entranced face to another.

"Arigato gozaimasu! That will be all for tonight I'm afraid, so for next time I would like you all to research Kitsune's. I would like you to include your own accounts of the Kyuubi attack as much as a taboo as it is…" She spoke softly, aware of the savage malice some hold against the Kyuubi…against Naruto.

"So if you would like to make your way out through the exits behind you and I shall see you all next week, again Arigato gozaimasu."

A roar of applause erupted from the crowd, hands pounding together as they commended the young woman; she smiled politely bowing from the waist as the claps echoed and bounced around the room unreservedly. She stood from her full height, which admittedly was not a lot, raising her hands quietening the crowd miming her 'thank you's' as they slowly filtered out of the room, until only herself and her clone stood amid the array of cramped, folding theatre chairs. Positioning her hand in an all too familiar position, her clone dissipated into a cloud of smoke, the whispers dispersing till nothing occupied the space. Reina sighed quietly, running her fingers through her dark locks, letting them fall wherever they decided to, too tired to care.

"Home time at _last_!" she murmured, neatly placing all of her papers and books into the patterned bag, size order of course, on the table; its seams also bursting and ready to cry out _'No more! No more!"_ as she continued to pack paper after paper into the confined space. Heaving the brick-like bag onto her shoulders, her frame became lopsided as she held the strap, goading it to stay put where it was. Reina made her way up the steps of the lecture hall finding herself in an all too familiar hallway, the gleam from the newly polished parquet flooring disappeared as quickly as an extinguished flame as she flicked the light switch, the floor now giving off a soft subtle glow from the exhibit lights, each individual tile striving to outshine the next.

This was the time of day she favoured the most, the time when there was no one inhabiting the many corridors that were normally filled with children and adults alike. No, she liked it quiet, it was peaceful, calming. It was a welcomed change to the clash of kunai and kiai's of snarling ninja for definite. If only she could avoid the bloodshed that was constantly around the corner, waiting, stalking. But that was inevitable, there would always be bloodshed no matter how much one tried to avoid it; it was a part of life, even if you did not want it to be.

Pulling herself away from her crimson tainted thoughts she averted her eyes ahead of her, noting just how far she had walked without realising before her senses went on hyper-alert.

She was not the only one here.

Lowering the lead-like bag to the floor silently, she unsheathed a kunai from her pouch, making sure that the sharpened metal did not glint in the exhibition lights. Freezing in her place she almost resembled one of the mannequins littered along the hallway, however they were dead behind the eyes and she was very much alive. She narrowed her eyes attempting to determine what the sound was, it was neither footsteps nor the murmur of voices, listening harder, the sound became apparent to her- it was screeching glass.

Reina's eyes widened both in curiosity and anger- who would wish to steal from a museum, yes the obvious occurred to her such as thieves, but the department she had wandered into was not that of priceless artefacts, but that of ancient relics that belonged in folklore, the stuff of supposed fantasy. What could someone possibly want with ancient pottery fragments or faded texts whose stories ignite the inquisitiveness of man? It simply didn't make sense.

She kept her breathes silent, the only sound that echoed down the halls was that of the glass case crying out in agony and distress. By the sound of the shrieking glass the intruder was directly behind the exhibit she was stood in front of, the array of exhibit cases standing back to back against one another proudly. Reina turned peering into the decoratively adorned case, the armour of a once distant samurai standing proudly, the embellished lustre of the breast-plate enhanced by the small display lights. However the breast-plate was not the only thing to gleam in the light, Reina's eyes glimmered with concentration, the gold flecks of her irises dancing as she whispered a single word, it barely making a sound upon her rose-tinted lips.

"Soujuu."

Upon whispering the solitary word she inhaled deeply clutching the kunai tighter in her grip, readying herself for what may lay on the other side of the glass cabinet. She placed her hand on the glass pushing ever so gently upon the window pane; the next thing that happened was but an all too familiar thing to Reina. As she pressed her hand firmly on the panel her hand sunk into it, the glass almost hungrily devouring her pale flesh as she moved further and into the cabinet without disturbing a single artefact. Now she stood inside of the cabinet not one layer of dust disrupted by the unfamiliar presence; once again she placed her hand on the solid structure of the case this time inhaling once more before exerting a swift push, her calves pushing off from the ground swiftly as not to waste any more time.

The perpetrator had not sensed the young kunoichi's presence, instead he carried on filing away at the glass, to him this was a window of opportunity, what lay behind this thin layer of glass would clear him name, it would wipe the slate clean. He would be free. He did not care what lay behind the case, to him the artefact, if you wished to call it that, was just an object, nothing special. To him it was just a silly book which socially inept people had conjured up back in the day, a time before social civility and a hierarchy of legitimate power; in his mind this mouldy old book was just his meal ticket.

After moments of hacking away at the glass, it finally gave way, cracking neatly where he had filed it, he paused, sheathing the serrated metal file before he popped the circular shaped cut out from the main sheet; it fell crashing into many pieces as it collided with the base of the cabinet, the book now covered in an assortment of shattered glass, almost resembling glittering ice in the soft light. He reached into the case, his hand outstretched ready to grab the ancient text, as his fingers grazed the slightly withered and crinkled pages another thing brushed against his hand, but this was not artefact. It was a stern looking kunoichi- and she was not happy with him.

••●••

The room was dark, and the stagnant odour of damp radiated throughout the dingy, cramped room. The lone light that was present could hardly call itself a light, flickering woefully as if fighting the ever potent darkness that was sure to win eventually. The light dangled almost melodically from the ceiling, the said light resembling that of a metronome, rhythmically swaying to and fro, to and fro. A rickety table just about stood in the middle of the room, its legs rotted, adding to the already foul smell of the room. With his hands bounds behind his back, the thief from the museum sat motionless on the small, uncomfortable chair, his head hung, his chin resting upon his chest, too scared to look up into the eyes of his captor.

Morino Ibiki.

The jounin stood at his full height, his form daunting and foreboding; he paced around the table with slow and long strides as if stalking the bound thief. He finally spoke, cutting the silence like a katana through a bamboo shoot.

"Kurozawa no Touzuku. Why do we have the honour of you presence in Konoha? Most of all in the antiquities department of the museum? I didn't realise ancient texts were now your forte."

Ibiki stepped closer to the now quivering male, the scar tissue on his skin glistening slightly in the dull light. Touzuku dared not look at the giant man beside him; he knew of his reputation as a ruthless shinobi and did not want to be on the receiving end of his sadism. Ibiki could sense Touzuku's pulse quicken, each thump ringing in his ears.

"I just thought it would catch a few yen on the market, some merchant was bound to want it…" Touzuku muttered, still averting his eyes from his interrogator.

"Ahh so you're working for someone huh? Who are they, and why would they want the book?" Ibiki replied, quirking a brow at the dark-haired male.

"I didn't say tha~"

"Oh you didn't? Well, in that case since you refuse to admit who you're working for then I guess I'll have to get my little friends to persuade you to change your mind." A dark, sinister smirk spread across the jounin's face, his sadistic intentions crystal clear.

Reina stood quietly, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed through the mirrored pane of glass of the interrogation room. Midnight had crept up in no time and she still couldn't piece together just why a petty thief from the black swamps would want the Kojiki. In some people's eyes the Kojiki is simply a withered leather book filled with incomprehensible gibberish, and obviously Touzuku was one of them people, so why would he go to all that trouble to steal it.

It didn't make any sense.

She turned her back when Ibiki brought out his favourite torture toys, unable to bear watching the current situation any further. Picking up the granite like bag once more she smiled politely to the guard, waving a small goodbye before making her way out of the cramped room.

It was peaceful at this time of night, the stars casting a soft glow over the now less hectic village. In the distance she could hear the one of few night clubs still blasting the heinous sound they call music, she couldn't fathom why people would want to stand about in an oven like room and dry hump one another like rabid dogs in heat. The idea disgusted, in fact repulsed her. She could think of _far_ better things to do with her time than that.

She carried on the walking, the racked having silenced long ago. The gravel that formed the roads of the village were now overgrown with soft, feathered grass and wild azalea; the array of pastel coloured petals scattered across overrun pathway. It wasn't long before her family compound came into view, the sturdy wooden frame standing proudly in the moonlight. Silently she entered, the wrought iron gate closing without a sound behind her, with her shoes in hand she snooped inside, feeling almost like a teenager who if caught would be grounded for a month. She smiled fondly remembering when she had been caught sneaking in late one night covered in mud and scuff marks all over her from sparring, her hair tangled in knots like a freshly made birds nest.

She let a quiet chuckle pass her lips as she slid back the screen door, the light from her grandmother's room ebbing gently through the paper screen from down the hallway. Reina knew that if she went to see her grandmother now she would not sleep for at least another few hours giving that her grandmother had the gift of the gab. Using whatever ninja ability she possessed Reina snuck past her grandmother's room silently like a spectre until she reached her own room further down the hall.

_Success._

Closing the her door behind her Reina let out a quiet sigh, placing the lead like bag down, her body rejoicing in sweet, sweet victory. After such a long day and night her bed had never looked so appealing and delectable. Simply peeling away her jounin jacket and letting it fall where it pleased she crawled into bed not even bothering to slide under the covers, solely curling up into the abundance of multi-coloured pillows that inhabited her bed.

She welcomed slumber with open arms.

••●••

The air was filled with the scent of freshly brewing matcha, the fragrance flittering throughout the entire Hitori household as Tomo carefully whisked and simmered the aromatic tea, rousing her sleeping kin. She smiled, the many wrinkles inhabiting her face accentuated by the soft morning light, having heard an all too familiar sound grace her ears.

"Ohayō Baa-chan."

Tomo turned, teacup in hand smiling at her granddaughter with the utmost fondness.

"Ohayō my Reina-chan, sleep well?" She handed the steaming cup to Reina, kissing her on the forehead before beckoning her to sit whilst she continued cooking.

"Like a baby, thank you." Reina smiled at the small kiss, a family tradition between the pair, settling down at the table, folding her legs under the already warmed kotatsu. Tomo continued to cook breakfast, the simmering rice steaming up her glasses; glancing over slyly at her granddaughter as she innocently stirred the miso soup.

"You were in awfully late last night Reina-chan…Where you~"

"No, no I was not with a boy Baa-chan" Reina interjected, shaking her head in slight amusement at her grandmother's inquisitiveness…and imagination. Reina would give her that, the woman was imaginative. Tomo held up the chopsticks defensively, chucking away to herself before dishing out breakfast and joining Reina under the kotatsu.

In between mouthfuls of rice and dainty sips of green tea Tomo observed her granddaughter inaudibly, noting the small shadows beneath her ochre eyes. It was obvious she was working herself too hard; a constant assortment of late nights and early starts with hardly any time to catch her breath, and it was safe to say that Atsushi was not helping either, with his ambitious and crafty ways. Tomo was torn from her thoughts when Reina spoke, her voice laced with slight confusion and uncertainty.

"Baa-chan…Why do you think someone would want the Kojiki?" Tomo raised a brow, unsure as to where this question had come from.

"I don't know Reina-chan, the Kojiki as you know is full of myths and purification rituals, most which are well-known. Why, has something happened?" Tomo set down her chopsticks, giving Reina her full attention. Reina paused for a while before speaking again, this time looking up at her grandmother, the same uncertainty that had tinged her voice, now stirring in her eyes.

"Someone tried to steal it last night, that's why I was so late home. I managed to catch them and hand them over to Ibiki but…I don't know I just, I just have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye." She pursed her lips slightly in thought unsure whether she was overanalysing the situation or whether she was on to something. Tomo blinked in disbelief, unsure if she heard correctly.

"And what have they found out? Do they know who the thief and what they tried to steal it?" Tomo replied, now just as interested as Reina, her own golden orbs dancing a little with curiosity. Reina nodded, sipping the last bit of her tea before setting the ornate porcelain cup down.

"Yeah, apparently the thief is Touzuku of the Black Swamp. Ibiki seemed to know him, or at least have information on him, but I left before they started the more…rigorous interrogation. I'll have to go back later to find out…"

"Find what out?"

Reina recoiled further under the kotatsu wanting the ground to swallow her whole at hearing that all but familiar voice ring through the air - it was like nails clawing down a chalkboard. Atsushi entered the kitchen, his dominant and arrogant aura suffocating the formerly warm and homely atmosphere.

"Whether or not the asylum will permanently put you in solitary confinement and throw away the key, that's what." Reina spat, curtly standing and bowing out of spite to the elder male, swiftly kissing her grandmother goodbye, wanting to avoid any conflict that would most certainly occur if she remained there.

"How _dare_ you speak to me with such insufferable rudeness?! You get back here you ungrateful and intolerable child!" He snapped with equal malice, the venom practically dripping from his lips.

Atshushi glared at the young woman as she fled down the hallway, her eyes meeting his in a clash of mutual distaste, before disappearing from sight. He turned his gaze to Tomo, who was oblivious to the heated squabble that had occurred before her. She simply shrugged her shoulders and patted the space beside her, gesturing him to sit. He did so, continuing with his routine, his mind however, pensive and still swirling with thoughts about the quarrel.

The day that he would teach that child a lesson was nigh, and he could not wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Mirror, Mirror.

Reina was angry. Furious in fact as angry did not begin to cover how she felt at that moment in time. She could literally feel her blood boiling away beneath her skin. Her Uncle had gone too far this time; she could handle the small, petty remarks about her lack of ambition in the political forefront and all the jibes about her rank in the shinobi hierarchy. But this time? _This_ time he had gone beyond the limits of unbelievable.

"I hereby call the commencement of this meeting between us, the Hitori clan and our esteemed guests and representatives of the Fujimoto clan. Welcome and thank you for attending this meeting on such short notice." Atsushi smiled politely, bowing lowly before kneeling at the head of the square table, the other members mimicking his actions, Reina included. Atsushi folded his arm into the sleeves of his yukata, the collar starched and pressed to perfection as he looked over the clans members, his eyes meeting Reina's for the briefest of moments.

He smirked, she glared.

"Now, I have called this meeting as I have a proposal. One that if approved would link and bind our two clans, strengthening an already strong and faithful bond." He paused acknowledging the nodding heads about the room, all but one that is. Reina scowled fiercely at him, her golden orbs burning with a determined defiance that was inextinguishable.

"I propose a betrothal between our clans, between a suitor of your choice and my niece, Hitori Reina. With a union such as this, our clans will have a formidable alliance." Atsushi smiled charmingly, a beautifully precise and perfected act. The elders of the Fujimoto clans whispered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing and observing the young female, whose fists were quivering in pure rage. Reina closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself before her temper got the better of her. She could feel the agitation coursing through her veins alongside her chakra, her kekkai genkai unknowingly flittering on an off.

All eyes were now on the chestnut haired girl, the air around her occasionally popping and crackling unexpectedly. Atsushi had seen this all before, the elemental particles in the air such as oxygen and hydrogen heating up and changing their form violently as Reina's temper continued to escalate.

"_Reina…" _Atsushi warned, standing from his place at the head of the table, making his way towards her, pushing any fear from sight as not to appear weak in front of his peers. Numerous pairs of eyes stared at the pair, the air becoming thinner and sparser yet filling with unimaginable tension. Reina was oblivious to her uncle closing the distance between them, her breathes were deep and long as she continued to try and reign in her anger.

"How _dare_ you make a mockery of our clan in front of our guests…" Atsushi hissed lowly reaching out to grab the collar of Reina's jounin jacket. But, before he could grab at the khaki fabric Reina's eyes snapped open, sweeping his outreached hand and grabbing a hold of his wrist and twisting it behind his back forcing him to kneel. With his face pressed against the cool mahogany table Atsushi groaned in discomfort, attempting to move from the hold only to find her grip tighten, twisting his arm further up his back, close to breaking it.

Reina looked up from her writhing uncle, met by fearful and shocked faces.

"I apologise for this outburst, however you see. Atsushi-san, although my Uncle is not the head of my clan, he in fact is of the Himura clan, the maiden clan of my Grandmother. She is the Matriarch of the Hitori clan, and as you may have noticed, I am the only female in this room thus the leader of this clan is not here." Reina spoke calmly, twisting her uncle's arm a little as she spoke, being sure to annunciate the fact that he was not the leader of this clan, nor would he ever be. Atsushi continued to writhe beneath Reina's grip, the vein on his temple pulsating crimson with indignation.

"Now…if you all will excuse me I have matters to attend to, again I apologise for this eruption I hope that I have not tarnished our reputation and will happily meet again under difference circumstances to discuss the relationship between our clans." Reina paused, gazing across the room, the clan members standing and bowing before departing, leaving the room brimming with unbridled tension. Reina turned her gaze back down to her uncle, leaning down and muttering in his ear lowly.

"Try and barter me off like cattle again? I swear to Kami I'll not only ruin your political career? But I'll drag your name that far through the mud that not even that dog Danzō will want to be associated with you. I promise you that."

"HA! You think that _you_ a puny classroom assistant can do all that?! Can you even call yourself a ninja with that occupation? You wouldn't be able to rally the connections to even put a scratch on me, let alone ruin me. You're pathetic." He retorted, practically cackling in triumph at seeing the slight sliver of hurt pass by her eyes. It felt like someone had taken a tight grip of her heart and squeezed without hesitation or remorse. She wouldn't let this insignificant rendition of a man put her down, she had worked hard to get where she is today, and he had no right to say otherwise.

"You…just wait…" She whispered; her voice cold and devoid of emotion. Without warning Reina thrust Atsushi's arm further up his back forcefully, not even flinching upon hearing the humerus dislocating from his shoulder and sound of the radius fleeing from the pit of the elbow. Atsushi screamed out in agony, using his free arm to claw at the polished table, his nails digging into the grain. Reina released the now immobile and inoperable limb after giving it a concluding curl, almost as if giving a dagger a final twist before walking away and glancing back at the squirming man.

"You're the one who is pathetic…at least I picked on someone my own size unlike you." Their eyes met for a final time before she disappeared from the room, leaving him to wallow in his misery and loathing towards her. He had crossed the line, she merely overstepped the line he had drawn in the sand and outdid him.

And he had, had this coming for a _long_ time.

••●••

She hadn't been this riled in a _long_ time. Her thoughts were blurred, incoherent sequences of colour and sound; nothing calmed them, and all she wanted was a bit of peace, a mere moment in time where nothing mattered. It was like somewhere someone had turned a radio on and not tuned it into a station, the static crackling constantly and no matter which way you turned the dial; the buzzing would simply carry on regardless. Reina inhaled deeply, finally removing her arm from over her eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight that bombarded her sight.

"Urgh…too bright…" she mumbled, closing her eyes once more.

"Well I didn't take you for the type to be skiving from school Reina. You normally give people detention for doing that." A deep, but smooth voice spoke from above her. She knew that voice all too well. Despite the sun beating down and temporarily blinding her, Reina jumped up from her place in the grass, an instantaneous smile spreading upon her pale features, the previous encounter with her uncle dispersing as if it had never happened.

"Neji!" She exclaimed, throwing herself at the young Hyuuga male, all four limbs wrapped around him like a koala. Neji smiled a rare smile, supporting her with ease as she held his face in her hands, inspecting him as if it was the first time she had laid eyes upon him.

"I take it you missed me then. It was destined in the stars that you would." He chuckled lowly, the sound vibrating around in his throat. She smiled and rolled her eyes, accustomed to the astrological spiel.

"So Mr-Newly-Appointed-ANBU Captain how was it? Was it all that you imagined it to be?" Her eyes were alight with keen interest. He nodded, settling himself and her down back into the grass carefully; she perched in his lap, listening attentively, he having her full attention.

"For the first time Reina, I felt like I belonged, like I was achieving something with my wretched, cursed life. It felt like I had finally earned the respect that I have been fighting for, for years. It was destiny." He tore his lavender hued gaze from the lake, violet meeting gold once again. Reina smiled brightly up at him, carefully outlining the faded scuffs on his snowy skin questioningly.

"The target was a fire jutsu expert, and they got too close for comfort." She nodded, continuing to trace his singed skin.

"Good thing they didn't singe your luscious locks. Heaven forbid that, that would happen, I mean your admirers would be heartbroken if you had to cut them." She teased, carefully winding his raven locks around her fingers. It was his turn to roll his eyes now as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly to his chest and leaning his chin upon her head gently. Reina inhaled his scent, burying her face into the fabric of his shirt; the peacefulness that she had been previously yearning for enveloping her fully. Neji's lips twitched, the corners tugging into a small, sentimental smile; it was a rarity that this happened, normally he kept his face as blank as the ANBU mask that he wore. However it was around this young woman that he was able to relax, a mutual thing between the pair.

She was his valium, and he her escape.

Moments of satisfied silence passed between the pair, both enveloped in the company of the other. It was Reina who broke the peaceful silence, speaking hesitantly up at Neji. She didn't look him directly in the eyes; to her those eyes of his could see everything about her and it unnerved her at times.

"Neji…Can I ask you a favour?" Neji nodded, not even asking what the favour was. Reina smiled a little, breathing out in quiet relief.

"Do you think I could spend the night with you tonight? I kind of did something which I'm really not in the mood to face right now…" This caught the young male's attention, a glimmer of curiosity passing over his expression. He needed not to ask what, Reina huffed a little as he quirked a brow.

"I…" she paused, taking a small breath.

"Ikindadislocatedmyuncle'sarmbecausehetriedtoarrangea betrothalwithanotherclan…" She finally exhaled, a now nervous laugh passing her lips at seeing the expression plastered on his face. Neji arched his brow again, leaning back on his elbows as he watched the blubbering girl with slight amusement.

"Well, well, well…Hitori Reina, look at you going all vigilante against Atsushi. I cannot say I predicted that in your horoscope. Are you sure you wouldn't consider taking the ANBU exam? I mean if you're going to be dislocating arm's on a regular ba~" Neji didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he found himself with a mouthful of grass, the occasional dandelion poking out.

A gleeful laugh passed Reina's lips, her eyes sparkling with unbridled delight, having not been this at ease and free in a _long_ time. She stood quickly and dashed off away from the now standing Hyuuga, the blades of grass and dandelions falling to the floor as he spat them out, wiping his tongue with his yukata sleeve.

"Reina…" Neji growled, an underlying tone of playfulness lacing his words as he sprinted off after her, locking her in his sights. Reina dodged and ducked the branches as she endeavoured to avoid capture, occasionally activating her kekkai genkai and to pass through the larger obstacles in the woods. With his byakugan activated, Neji followed Reina with ease even when she passed through boulders and tree trunks; her chakra pattern was still visible, it glowing a pale gold, matching her eyes perfectly.

But then something happened. Neji couldn't see Reina.

He halted, the chakra flowing to his feet as he clung to the tree trunk, frantically looking about in search of the young kunoichi. Even when using his 360 degree vision he couldn't find her chakra pattern, it was the strangest thing. Then, from nowhere Neji felt himself sinking, being absorbed by the tree, the bark slowly enveloping him. Despite his efforts, Neji was now waist deep inside the tree, his arms rendered immobile. It was then that his byakugan picked something up; he squinted not quite sure if his eyes were deceiving him. There, amongst the tree's qi was a faint outline, the longer he stared, the more distinguishable it became.

"Reina?" He called out uncertainly, the shape now oh so familiar to him. It was then that Reina appeared from below him, walking up the trunk and straddling a branch in front of him, her legs dangling freely in the air.

"Hai Neji, you rang?" She taunted, leaning forward on her hands on the branch. He scowled a little, unable to figure out how she managed to disappear from sight, especially how she vanished from his byakugan.

"Ne, Reina…can you please get me out now?" Reina nodded, her eyes glimmering once more as her chakra flowed more freely and without restraint around her body. She reached out, firmly gripping the shoulders of his yukata before carefully pulling, his body slowly resurfacing from the tree trunk. Once free Neji joined Reina upon the tree branch, eyeing her sceptically before speaking.

"Reina…how did your chakra trail vanish?" He asked curiously, having not experienced such a thing before now. At first she didn't answer, simply tracing the grain of the wood.

"Well…I've been practicing with my bloodline; after reading about the Sage's I realise that with using my kekkai genkai I could sort of adapt their technique?" She paused watching his expression before continuing. "I am able to acclimatise my chakra to match the periodic compounds of my surroundings, if that makes sense, sort of like a chakra camouflage?" He nodded, impressed that she is able to maintain such a high control over her bloodline, she truly had mastered her abilities, yet didn't even know it.

"But…" She hesitated once again, this time, insecurity tinging her voice.

"But what…?" He interjected. She glanced up at him, her body language oozing a lack of confidence and self-worth.

"But I've been working on something for years now…and I'm so close to perfecting it but…" She looked him in the eyes, they brimming with unshed tears. She didn't need to say anything else, he knew what she was going to say and he wasn't about to let her say it. Pulling her close he held her against him, he could feel her quiver a little in attempt to hold back the tears. Reina tensed a little before relaxing completely against him, wrapping her arms around his sculpted torso.

"Reina…" he murmured into her hair. "You are the only one holding yourself back, once you realise your potential you can master any jutsu or technique…You just need to realise what you're capable of" Neji pondered to himself for a brief moment before whispering softly. "I once said that these eyes of mine show many things. One thing that they've shown me is that people's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable." He paused, admittedly ashamed of his past words, knowing that destiny, fate and a person's abilities are changeable, that with each day a person unconsciously changes, becoming stronger and more resilient.

"But now I know that I was wrong. Reina, you are capable of so much and yet you don't even know it." Neji continued, his inner sentimental side allowing him to stroke her hair affectionately away from prying eyes. Reina let out a sigh of relief, a wave of respite washing over her as she curled further into his arms, not wanting the brief affection to end. She smiled to herself, lifting her head from the comforts of his embrace, leaning in slowly and pressing her rosy lips to his pale cheek, leaving them there for a few, brief moments before tearing them away, the soft smile still present on her lips. Neji parted his lips to speak but no words passed his mouth; instead he could feel the skin of cheek heat up after her lips had departed.

She bit her lower lip a little, looking away shyly, her own cheeks inking with rosiness. A small nervous giggle passed her lips as she pushed the stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Reina I~" Neji began.

"Hitori Reina?!"

The pair looked down from the canopy top only to see a chunin waving from the woodland floor, motioning her down. Reina smiled apologetically to Neji who nodded understandingly, giving a small bow from the waist before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, his stoic mask back in place before he left. He would tell her one day, but fate obviously had other plans. Reina sighed, swinging her leg over the branch before pushing off from the tree; the wind whipped through her hair as she free fell from the tree, feeling a sensation of complete weightlessness overcoming her as she neared the ground.

The greenery of the grass neared in the blink of an eye, bracing herself for impact she landed on the ground, the material of her boots squeaking as the leather flexed and stretched as she landed. She stood tilting her head in curiosity at the young chunin, who couldn't be older than fourteen.

"Hai, I'm Hitori Reina, what's the problem?"

The chunin fiddled around in their pouch before handing her a sealed scroll, the insignia on the seal matching that of the interrogation department. Thanking the chunin for their services she opened the scroll, scanning the parchment with curious eyes, only to be taken back by what she read.

She hadn't been expecting that today.

••●••

Reina couldn't believe her eyes. In her entire twenty one years on this earth, she had never witnessed such a thing as this. Her stomach churned in disgust yet her face remained as blank as an artist's canvas. With her hair tied up loosely in a bun and her hands gloved in latex gloves she entered the cramped, barred cell, the pungent stench burning her nose and making her eyes water. Ibiki stood beside her, his usual apathetic expression plastered on his face as he too scanned the scene before them.

"What's your initial thought then?" Ibiki muttered, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his coat.

Reina paced carefully around the blood painted cell, eyeing the symbol that had been painted onto the stone wall. The symbol had been painted in blood, the lines precise and intricate. Reina turned back to Ibiki though her eyes were focused on Touzuku behind him being attended to by a medic team.

"It is definitely the insignia of Jashinism but I didn't take Touzuku as a follower of such a cult, especially to self-mutilate at that." Reina drifted off, intently watching the medics hands glow green over Touzuku's disfigured arm, the floor continuously filling with the scarlet liquid as he groaned in agony.

"Well there is no point interrogating him with the condition he is in, so my time here is pointless…But, he may speak to you so it's worth a try." Ibiki glanced over at the bleeding man pitifully before leaving the cell, Reina left to try and figure out the bloody mess around her. She accompanied the medics and the semi-conscious Touzuku down to the medical wing, the air having changed from an iron tinged scent to an overpowering smell of cleaning agents, the chemical odour bitterer then that of the blood painted cell.

Reina perched beside Touzuku who was heavily sedated, his heart monitor flittering away as he lay there motionless, the only slight movement was that of his chest, his breathing faint and hardly noticeable.

"Touzuku?" Reina asked quietly, noting how his eyes fluttered towards her. He lifted his free arm fiddling with the pesky oxygen mask, standing; Reina eased the mask from his face, listening attentively as he fought to get his words out.

"Th…the…" He paused gasping for air. Reina held the mask to his face, patiently waiting for him to gather his bearings. He nodded in gratitude as she removed the mask once more before he continued.

"They swapped the book. The Kojiki- they swapped it." Reina frowned, her face crumpled up in confusion.

"Swapped it? Who swapped it?" She asked, pressing for answers.

"The ones who did this…" He replied, motioning to what was left of his mutilated arm. The fear was evident in his eyes, but, out of the blue the heart monitor flat lined. Touzuku's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he his heart stopped beating. Reina's eyes widened, moving the bed so it was flat calling the medical team over. The cardiac arrest team rushed over to try and save the dying man; Reina watched on the side lines, the medics attempting numerous times to restart his heart, but it was in vain, she knew he was gone.

"Time of death, 15.05pm." The medics deserted the now pointless patient, covering his lifeless body with a linen sheet, sheathing what little dignity he had left. Reina sat down in the nearby visitor's hanging her head in her hand's unable to believe the turn of events. She sighed heavily, slouching back into the chair, the now constant static back buzzing away in her head once more. She didn't know whether to take the deceased seriously, after all he did attempt to steal a valuable relic.

But then again, what was stopping him from telling the truth? Could he simply be a pawn piece in a bigger web of deceit? She was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.


	3. Chapter 3

The air was littered with dust, the individual particles bobbing and weaving through the air, landing wherever they pleased. However it wasn't only dust that filled the air, tension also laced the already heavily occupied air. The Privy Council members knelt on their separate tatami mats, their arms folded sternly in the sleeves of their yukata's as they waited for a decision. Reina knelt on her own tatami mat in the middle of the council, her hands laced together in her lap, silently observing the faces of the council members. She could tell that some were unfazed by the absence of the relic; others however were concerned that a part of their heritage would be lost to the criminal world.

The Elder leading the council cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as he prepared to speak.

"It is the concluding decision of this council to retrieve the Kojiki taken by the perpetrators. It has been decided that Hitori Reina, the head of the Antiquities and Contemporary History Department shall retrieve the relic." The Elders nodded in agreement, putting their conviction in the young woman before them. Reina nodded, placing her hands on the woven floor and bowing her head to the ground. She raised her head once more awaiting her orders from the council, not knowing what the road ahead of her would entail. Who were the people Touzuku had spoken of, and why would they go to all the trouble of swapping the Kojiki with a fake and not simply steal it?

"Hitori Reina, as a jounin we think that this mission is acceptable for you to complete alone, without the need for a team, as in such times we are in need of shinobi here within the village. Do you accept this mission, and consent to retrieve the Kojiki and defend it on your journey home?" The elder spoke, his voice filled with years of wisdom and decades of decision making, his tone instilling his faith and expectations of her silently.

"Hai." Reina replied, her response brief yet brimming with determination.

With nothing more to say the council concluded, the senior members bowing to the young kunoichi, slightly envious of her youth knowing that theirs had passed before their eyes in a flash. Reina stood, the other having left the room leaving her to gather her bearings. It had been a while since her last mission, the Privy Council advising that she remained on a more _educational_ career route, leading lectures and helping out at the academy, due to the situation with her clan's bloodline.

The Hitori clan's kekkai genkai was a fickle one, appearing in some generations and then disappearing from the next. Reina was one of the fortunate generations, she alone from her generation obtaining the bloodline and fully mastering its abilities, the last being her most beloved Grandfather. Her Mother had not inherited the bloodline, having chosen a different path to that of a shinobi- a path that Atsushi was proud of and made very clear. Reina had learned what she could from her Grandfather before he passed; since then she had adapted and put her own twist on the kekkai genkai, adjusting it to suit her.

She broke off her train of thought, glancing out of the open window, the gentle breeze drifting through and playing amongst her chestnut locks playfully; she smiled her stomach jumping slightly with anticipation. It was a travesty that the Kojiki was missing and the thought of escaping the day to day hassle of marking chunin exam papers and be able to put her honed skills into actual action and be of use to the village…well it was nerve wracking. To know that the village was depending on her to find such a prestigious antique, one vital to the history and origin of the country, shook her to her very core knowing that she could mess up at any point along the way.

"_Behave."_ Reina muttered to herself, remembering what Neji had said to her the other day; the warm words of encouragement giving her a new found self-confidence and belief in herself. Her thoughts lingered on the dark haired male as she left the building, the breeze not only stirring her hair more, but rousing her thoughts too. She had known Neji for her entire life, he was her best friend, they knew each other in and out, and lately? Lately he had been acting a little strange with her, like her was hiding something or trying to say goodbye, and it killed her to think that.

_Reina, Reina, Reina…_

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, brushing the straying strands from her face. It occurred to her that maybe her feelings for Neji ran deeper than she realised…or wanted to admit. She thought back to when they were in the woods, the blush that had crept onto his cheeks after she had kissed there; Hyuuga Neji _never_ blushed. The only time his cheeks bled pink was normally because of two things: he had been training hard and had worked up a sweat, or he had physically scuffed his skin. Not because she simply pecked his cheek.

But the thing was she hadn't wanted to initially kiss his cheek.

The thought of actually kissing him had crossed her mind, on more than one occasion, and this made her curious. Did her feelings for him run deeper than that of friendship and companionship? Would she feel that electric connection that linked two people together in a way that was only known through tales of romance or haikus? Or was she simply letting her imagination get a hold on her?

It was probable that it was the latter of the two.

_But trying could never hurt right? One kiss never killed anyone?..._

She pondered to herself as she kicked the pebbles idly on the dusty pavement, unknowingly heading to the Hyuuga compound. Her body had moved accordingly as if edging her on, encouraging her to take the chance, to live for once and not be constricted by her inhibitions. Before she knew it she was stood at the compound gate, the wooden structure standing proudly against the cemented turf of the city. Reina inhaled deeply, feeling more nervous now than facing an enemy ninja, it felt like she had betted everything on the underdog, the horse at the race that the odds didn't favour.

"Reina-san? What brings you here?" Reina blinked, dragged from her thoughts as she turned to the familiar voice, the soft and hesitant voice of Hyuuga Hinata. Reina smiled warmly, despite her innards wanting to escape.

"Hinata-san, I'm just here to say goodbye to Neji-san before I leave for a mission, is he home?"

"Hai, he is in his room meditating, go on through." Hinata smiled shyly, her navy locks occasionally hindering her pale vision. Reina bowed and smiled gratefully at the young heiress, removing her boots before making the familiar journey around the wooden flooring of the compound, her footsteps making no sound upon the ground. Her footsteps ceased as she stood outside his door; the incense's wisps danced in the air, creeping through the gaps of his door, though it was of no comfort to her. The supposedly calming scent entered her nostrils, if anything the aroma agitated the back of her throat, urging her to cough the smell away. But she didn't, she tolerated the odour instead, inhaling deeply as if gasping for the courage she desperately needed.

_You can do this, it's just a kiss. You've kissed before…_

It was now or never.

Pushing her inhibitions to the back of her mind Reina slid inside his room silently and smiled instinctively. Neji sat with his back to the tokonoma, the scroll that was draped in the alcove hanging proudly as the calligraphy that inhabited the fine paper, boldly showed its colours and prowess of the artist. Silently Reina perched in front of him, mirroring his position and closed her eyes whispering quietly.

"Any advice for a girl going out in the big bad world alone?" Neji smiled a little, he found her contagious and couldn't help but allowing his lips to move freely.

"Don't go. Stay here with me." He replied, a low almost silent chuckle resonating in his throat. Reina's smile softened, he unknowingly egging her on. She sighed a little wishing she could.

"Alas, this girl has got work to do" She murmured inaudibly. Neji nodded, opening his eyes and looking at her tenderly. They held each other's gaze for what seemed like forever before Reina broke the silence.

"I just wanted to see you before I left and…wanted to try something. An experiment if you would?" She looked at him for the go ahead and he nodded, trusting her completely. Closing his eyes once more Neji continued meditating, regulating his breathing as he focused on the flow of his chakra, the natural force flowing and ebbing around his chakra pathways evenly and freely. Reina too concentrated her breathing, steadying her nerves as she crouched closer to him, feeling her pulse escalate and bounce around in her chest, as if her heart was hurdling off every rib in her chest cavity.

Without uttering another word Reina hesitantly leaned in, her lips almost grazing his, she was mere breathes away.

"Rei~…" Before Neji could finish Reina finally closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his ever so lightly, the hesitation obvious in her actions. The air hitched in Neji's throat, their breaths mingling in an array of emotions; with his meditating long gone from his mind Neji leaned into the gentile kiss, lifting his hand and tangling his fingers in her dark locks at the nape of her neck pulling her closer to him, she now residing in his lap. The hesitation began slip away between pair, their lips moving innocently in sync. Neji smiled ever so slightly against her rosy lips, noting that her lips were cool compared to his own. Reina felt his lips twitch into a smile against hers, her own lips mimicking his as the sentimental kiss continued, her hands resting against his chest, carefully clutching his yukata.

Suddenly Reina jumped back from the kiss, scampering from his lap, her pale cheeks tinged pink; Neji attempted to question the sudden movement only to compose himself when the room of his door slid open, his usual stern disguise appearing when a questioning looking Hiashi stood in his doorway.

"Ah Reina-chan, I did not expect you to be calling upon Neji?" Hiashi asked, quirking a brow at the suspiciously close pair.

"Hiashi-sama…No I was simply saying goodbye before I left for a mission, just because I was not too sure how long it will last." Reina stammered, trying to calm her erratic pulse, standing and dusting off her clothes before smiling politely despite the multitude of butterflies that were flapping around in her stomach. Hiashi nodded, folding his hands into his sleeves before turning to Neji, who had stood to his feet, the tension between the family members rivalling that of Reina and Atsushi.

"Neji have you told Reina-san about your joyous news? I think it is about time we begin preparing don't you?" With an arched brow Hiashi emphasised his words, staring sternly at the younger male before departing from his place at the doorway leaving the pair alone once more. Neji refused to look Reina in the eye, averting his gaze elsewhere; guilt beginning to eat away at his stony façade. Reina tilted her head curiously, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Neji…what _joyous_ news, because you don't seem too joyous?" She asked tentatively, the former giddy feeling in her stomach fading into one of impending dread. Hurt graced the young male's pale face as he stepped closer the confused looking kunoichi.

"Reina I…I tried to tell you the other day but…" she nodded, continuing to listen patiently, the dread simmering away inside her. "I have been betrothed to another within the clan. It's customary within the clan and…"

"Congratulations Neji. I'm sure you and your betrothed will be very happy together. Send me an invite hm?" She smiled brightly masking any glimmer of hurt or embarrassment from him, unable to believe that she could have been so idiotic and presumptuous.

_Stupid, stupid girl._

His mouth parted, shaking his head and frowning he held her face in his hands, his palms ironically callous against her silky cheeks. She shook her head attempting to move away from him only to be held in her place carefully.

"Gomenasai Neji, gomen…I wouldn't have…if I'd of known…" Reina's voice faded off, guilt and embarrassment tinging her voice, any former feeling of excitement and hopefulness stopped dead in their tracks.

"No, I wanted to, that's why I did…I've wanted that for the longest of times…" Neji murmured softly, his heart strings feeling like someone was using them as a shamisen. Reina shook her head from his hands, stepping back before bowing to the Hyuuga male.

"Gomenasai Neji. You'll always be my best friend, married or not so, it's alright ay? We'll still see each other when you're not performing your husband duties." She laughed softly, but he knew it was fake. He knew that he had hurt his best friend, and it killed him knowing that.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to meditate and I'll see you after I get back." She smiled slowly backing out the room, her own chest tightening, not wanting to cry from her stupidity.

"Wait for me to get back before you tie the knot ay?" She called out quietly, closing the door behind her, her smiley and cheerful expression fading instantaneously as she walked away, her thoughts disorientated and unsure as to why she came here in the first place. She shouldn't have come. She should have just left the village to start the mission. It was selfish of her to come here.

She shouldn't have come.

With Neji's room far behind her, Reina sat on the edge of the porch tying the laces of her boots up, her actions slightly clumsy. So enveloped in her thoughts Reina did not notice the Elder Hyuuga standing behind her.

"Reina…" She jumped a little, her body tensing and her senses on hyper alert.

"Oh H-Hiashi-sama…You startled me." She stuttered keeping her eyes focused on the floor below her as he sat down beside her, clearing his throat quietly.

"You needed to know before both your feelings became too deep. It is tradition within the clan and although you would have been an apt suitor…Your clan's bloodline is too unpredictable and we _need_ the Byakugan to have a strong and fortified lineage. You do understand don't you?" Hiashi paused turning his gaze, it surprisingly lax and empathetic. Reina lifted her head to face the elder man nodding her head in understanding, her gold eyes having lost their oomph and fire.

"Of course I understand, your clan is the most prestigious within Konoha, it is imperative that you have as many heirs to the bloodline as possible." Reina replied, smiling understandingly up at him. Hiashi placed his hand upon her shoulder, squeezing slightly in encouragement.

"You will make someone a brilliant and dutiful wife one Reina-chan, and you will always be welcomed within this clan." Hiashi spoke, his words meaningful and true. Reina nodded and smiled gratefully as she stood and bowed lowly to the respected clan member.

"Arigatou Hiashi-sama. Sayonara."

"Sayonara Reina-chan, be careful on your mission." Hiashi returned the bow after he too had stood, before walking away inside the compound. As she was about to take her leave, in the corner of her eye Reina spotted Neji, standing the shadows of the afternoon sun; his expression was sullen and solemn. Reina smiled warmly, the smile that she was known and loved for, especially by him. Neji loved that fact that she was always smiling, particularly when the smile was aimed at him. He was going to miss having that smile all to himself and having to have another woman, who he barely knew, try and replace something that didn't need replacing.

There may have been only one brief kiss shared between the pair, but it was a kiss that neither would forget, no matter who should come along after.

Reina waved at him, lingering a few more moments before leaving, shutting the sturdy behind her, it almost a metaphor for one door in her life closing behind her and a new one opening up for her, one containing new opportunities and experiences. Neji watched her figure grow smaller and smaller as she walked away from the compound; he sighed quietly walking back inside the compound, his normally composed and strategic thoughts disgruntled that no amount of meditating was going to calm.

It was going to be a long day.

••●••

"So you're _sure_ you have everything?" Tomo questioned, fluttering about like a blue bottle fly, feeling a little useless in her older age as her granddaughter had grown up and was now a capable young woman. Not that she was incapable as a child when she was younger, but now she was an independent and formidable woman, one recognised in the village. Tomo smiled, Reina had done her proud over the years, despite wanting to be a more active member of the shinobi world, she had gracefully accepted the terms of the Privy Council, dedicating herself fully to the needs of her students, shinobi and regular students alike.

"Hai, hai. I have everything Baa-chan. It's not like it's my first mission." Reina chuckled half-heartedly, zipping up her bag and sheathing her katana, making sure that the blade was secure in its scabbard. Tomo smiled, her chocolate brown eyes shining affectionately towards her granddaughter.

"I know, but it's my job as a grandmother to worry…" She paused, tilting her head in curiosity noting that Reina's usual spirit seemingly dimmed.

"Speaking of which…what's happened?" Reina didn't look up to meet her grandmother's eyes, continuing to pack her pouch.

"What do you mean?" Reina asked, slightly confused. Tomo stood from her chair and placed a hand on her shoulder turning Reina to face her, her grandmotherly instincts on alert.

"Something has happened that has upset you…tell me Reina-chan." Tomo guided her granddaughter to a padded tatami mat, sitting behind her and taking out a pale jade comb. Reina sighed softly, sitting down on the padded patterned mat, allowing her grandmother to gently comb her hair, a small intimate tradition between the pair. Tomo carefully ran the ornate comb through Reina's dark hair, brushing her bangs from her face.

"It's just that…Neji has been betrothed…" Reina murmured quietly, playing with the small chain that hung from her neck; the small garnet gem catching the light that fled into the room. Tomo nodded continuing to brush her chestnut locks.

"You have feelings for him?" Tomo replied softly, this being the first conversation about this subject with her granddaughter. Reina nodded a little, unsure of her feelings at that moment in time.

"I think so but, I guess we'll never know how things would have gone now hm?" A light half-hearted chuckle passed Reina's lips, glancing back at her grandmother, a pastel shade of pink glowing in her cheeks. Tomo stopped brushing her hair, leaning forward and wrapping her arms protectively around her granddaughter. Tomo nuzzled Reina affectionately, knowing that sometimes with her, words were not needed. Reina chuckled and sighed softly and leaned into the loving embrace.

"I need to go Baa-chan." Reina said, patting her arms lightly, Tomo releasing the hug nodding.

"Hai…You just be careful, and get to me as quick as you can hm?" Tomo scolded playfully, watching Reina pack her jounin vest away and don a plain black cloak. Reina smiled over at her grandmother and chuckled a little.

"You just make sure Atsushi doesn't try to trade me off again or I'll be forced to dislocate his other arm…" she drifted off before muttering under her breath. "…Or his head." Tomo laughed, standing and adjusting her kimono and obi belt.

"I don't think he will be in any position to move from his bed, let alone plot and plunder." Tomo retorted, slightly amused by Atsushi's groans from down the hall, having been bed ridden since the incident at the Fujimoto clan meeting. When Tomo had returned and found out what Atsushi had attempted to do, she was livid. She had never experienced such a fit of anger like that in a _long_ time.

Atsushi was a power hungry man. No matter what rank he had attained in life, it was never enough. No amount of command or authority seemed to satisfy his urge, it was worrying to her. He assumed that because he was a male within the clan, and related to the matriarch then when she passed he would automatically ascertain the power of the clan. Little did he know that upon her passing, Reina would be the one to inherit the title of clan leader; Tomo knew that her granddaughter would be a fair and caring matriarch and had no qualms about this.

"I'll see you soon Baa-chan, take care of yourself ne?" Reina smiled fondly at the elderly woman, she meaning the world to her. Tomo nodded, exchanging the same expression of fondness. Tomo pulled her granddaughter into her arms hugging her briefly before letting her go, dusting her clothes and adjusting the clip on her cloak. She smiled noting how much she resembled her mother, yet had the will of her grandfather.

Tomo waved Reina off, leaning against the foundation post of the compound porch, praying to Kami that nothing happened to her. Reina was all Tomo had left, if anything were to happen to her. She broke that train of thought immediately. Reina was a gifted ninja, she had so much of her cherished Hidekazu in her and she would be fine Tomo reassured herself. She would be fine.

••●••

The streets were beginning to empty as shops began to close down for the day, the shopkeepers tired from their early starts and late finishes. Whereas some shops were closing, others were opening, the bars and restaurants starting their shifts for the night. The light of the Ichiraku Ramen shimmering on for the night as the aroma of the simmering broth snuck into the street, tantalising people passing by, alluring them to come in and eat.

Reina's braid swung from to and fro as she walked the dimming streets of Konoha, her boots occasionally catching the random stone that littered the ground. She inhaled deeply allowing her lungs and diaphragm to expand fully before letting the air out, noting all the familiar scents about the village. She had planned out in her head how she would go about in her search for the Kojiki. Firstly she would consult with head priest in the Atsuta Shrine in the Land of Fire, a fairly long journey, the shrine bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. A wise man whom she had known for years, if anyone would have an idea as to who would want the Kojiki, it was him.

With the gate of the village now long behind her Reina pondered to herself; just who exactly was Touzuku on about? They must have had exceptional skill to sneak into the interrogation cells and mutilate his arm like that, especially with Ibiki and others on duty. So we were talking of shinobi who could sneak in and out without ringing alarm bells; only select shinobi of a specific calibre could enter a hidden village without setting off the sensing system, a technique highly powerful and effective.

Whoever it was she would have to be on her guard.


	4. Chapter 4

The light was faint, struggling to pierce its way through the dense cavity of the forest foliage. The abundance of leaves and branches forming a woven almost thatched rooftop, shading the local inhabitants from the late afternoon sun. Where the canopy was weak, and threadbare the sunlight managed to sneak in, weaving its way through the branches; the light would highlight the multitude of colour that made up the natural shelter, an assembly of greens all bleeding into the next, accentuating the fortified vegetation. But it wasn't only the faint light that would penetrate the naturally grown roof, the occasional trickle of rainwater would worm its way through, making the daunting descent from the great height.

The sound of the heavy rainstorm despite bashing away at the treetops conveyed an oddly peaceful sound throughout the woods. With the rain falling heavier, minuscule waterfalls had formed upon the tree trunks, the water twisting and winding its way down the grain of the bark expertly as if it had made that same journey for centuries. The residual water dripping onto nearby shrubbery and flowers before being absorbed by the soil greedily as if it would never see a drop of water again.

Reina rested against a tall, firm kurobuna tree, her head leaning against the trunk, allowing the random spray of rain to fall upon her face, the occasional droplet clinging to her dark lashes, the slightly chilly liquid cooling against her tepid skin. This was the first time in days that she had felt at peace; nothing to focus her mind on other than the mission, which was going considerably well. She had made good time across the land of fire, managing to avoid bandits and any enemy ninja. It was late in the afternoon, almost dusk to be precise; the nearest town was not too far, a few miles if that, so it shouldn't take long to find an inn for the night prior to moving onto the Astuta Shrine in the Nagoya province.

She smiled softly, brushing the wet strands of hair that clung to her face; she scanned the forest scenery, noting the fragrant scent of the blooming flowers that hung in the air. She loved the smell of fresh flowers, especially jasmine in the morning; jasmine always smelt the best at dawn, the aroma drifting into the air as the sun rose. Her mother would often smell of jasmine when she returned from her travels, always of jasmine; it would explain her fondness for the dainty flower.

Ringing what water she could from her cloak and hair she set off once more through the forest, the main road not far, her boots crunching slightly as she trod on the twig laden ground. She loved being out in the open, the air was so much fresher than that of the city; there was no feeling of being trapped or confined by the village walls, here it was just open, no boundaries, only the natural law applied. Out here in the open she could feel her chakra react eagerly to all the wildlife around her, her bloodline pulsing intensely noting all the elements and chemical substances surrounding her.

It had often felt quite lonely at times when she was younger, with her grandfather gone she had no one to confide in when it came to her kekkai genkai, no one to ask had she done a technique correctly or to show when she had gotten it right. Tomo was always supportive though even if she had no clue what was happening, she would always praise her and said how proud she way of her. Her grandmother was everything to her; she wouldn't know what she would do without her.

She was broken from her thoughts when she caught sight of someone in the distance, an elderly man fretting over what would seem a broken cart, the axel of the stationary vehicle splintered violently. The man sat at the side of the road, sheltered slightly under a tree, his expression full of discontent and slight agitation. Reina walked over him, bowing before speaking, her smile warm and welcoming as she asked if he needed help.

"Sumimasen' demo otetsudau shimashouka?" The gentleman nodded, standing and bowing gratefully.

"Arigatou, but the axel has broken, so I don't how you could help. But thank you anyway young lady." He replied, removing his hat briefly before replacing it once again upon his head. Reina's smile widened, shaking her head reassuringly.

"Don't worry it's no problem. It won't be long before you're on your way." The man's face was beyond puzzled, she was simply a young girl, how could she possibly mend the cart by herself, she had no tools on her person. He watched the young girl closely, curiosity brimming in his aged features; she walked around to the front of the cart, gently reassuring the nervous horse before placing her hand on the wooden dray. He noted at her eyes glimmered a little, but he simply put that down to the light merely catching them; he watched in amazement as the thin wooden axel began to grown, the fibres of the grain knitting and weaving themselves back together. Within moments, the formerly broken axel looked as good as new.

He was stunned to say the least.

Reina turned around to face the man, a small smile of achievement on her pale features as she patted the now functioning waggon.

"See? No problem, now you don't have to wait about in this rain ne?" She chuckled softly, stroking the horse's neck soothingly, running her fingers through its dark mane. The man stood, wearily inspecting his cart, unable to believe what he had seen; he turned carefully taking her free hand and bowing gratefully, holding her hand to his forehead. Reina smiled, mildly squeezing the man's shoulder.

"It's okay honestly, it was nothing." She spoke, her tone honey like and friendly.

"H-how can I ever repay you?" He stammered. She shook her head, helping him climb onto the inbuilt seat and handing him the reigns.

"Oh don't be silly, you have nothing to repay me for, simply doing my good deed of the day."

"Arigatou, thank you so much." He smiled appreciatively, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Sayonara!" She waved as she continued her journey down the road, the rain beginning to ease off a little.

"Ahhh m-matte!" He called out, pulling on the reigns of the horse, it halting slightly abruptly beside her. "Where are you headed? I can take you as far as Tokkuriji if you like? That's where I'm headed, it's the least I can do for what you have done for me." He smiled a little, patting the space beside him. Reina smiled a little and nodded.

"Hai, if you don't mind, that's where I am headed for the night anyway." She climbed onto the wagon with ease, sitting beside the man before introducing herself politely and bowing from the waist slightly. "Reina at your service."

"Atsuo, your driver for the day Reina-san, and host for the night if you would? My wife would scold me if I didn't offer you lodging for the night after you helping me out so freely." Atsuo chuckled, adjusting his hat to shelter himself a little from the rain, edging the horse onwards once again, its hooves sloshing about in the puddle filled road.

"I-I couldn't possibly, I wouldn't want to be a hindrance to you…" She drifted off.

"Nonsense! Like I said, my wife would yell at me if I let you wander the town when nightfall was approaching." He roared joyfully, patting her on the back fondly as if he had known her for years. Reina chuckled a little to herself, wondering if he realised his own strength.

"Hai. Arigatou Atsuo-san."

"Atsuo-_san_? Never had 'san' before but you know what? I like it!" He laughed, occasionally tapping the horse with a whip, the horse trotting merrily despite the rain. He glanced over at her, observing her quiet persona and smiling slightly, murmuring softly. "You're from Konoha aren't you? I'm guessing a shinobi by the looks of your skills back there." His tone was sincere. She nodded a little, keeping her eyes focused on the road ahead of her. "Don't worry Reina-san, I won't say anything." He smiled hearteningly, a smile which she returned thankfully.

The pair continued to travel down the road, the rain continuing to fall but not as heavily or ruthlessly as before; whilst adjusting the hood of her cloak something caught her eyes slightly, she was unsure whether her eyes were playing tricks or not. Out in the distance of the forest she briefly saw two scarlet orbs in the darkness of the woods before they disappeared as quickly as they came; it was then she felt a familiar shudder of dread run throughout her entire body-her gut was telling her something was going to happen.

Reina was dragged from her thoughts when she heard Atsuo whistling as he encouraged the horse onwards; whistling annoyed her in general, but this time it was different, this time darkness had fallen and whistling after dark was never a lucky omen.

"Atsuo-san, you _need _to stop whistling." She spoke softly, yet her tone had authority dripping from every word; Atsuo looked over, curiosity once again plastered on his features before replying.

"Superstitious aren't you? Believing that a snake or spirit will visit at night if you whistle?" Reina nodded, her eyes scrutinising the horizon and the surrounding woodlands, her golden orbs not missing a detail. Breaking her eyes briefly from the road she smiled a little at him.

"Hai, my Grandmother is the same; I guess she has rubbed off on me." Atsuo chuckled and nodded as he guided the horse and cart through the suddenly crowded street; lanterns hanging upon strings for miles around, lighting the narrow streets warmly. Many stalls littered the streets, the vendors wandering out front to try and lure people into their kiosks and buy the many trinkets that flourished upon the tables. The smell of the street food lingered down the road, the sizzling of the yakatori entrancing people passing by as the cooks expertly seasoned the dishes to perfection. Atsuo continued to direct the horse through the crowds till they began to thin out, the once honeycomb maze of people now simply reduced to stragglers staggering on their journeys.

The cart jolted to a halt, the horse throwing its head backwards and neighing softly as if happy to be in familiar territory. Atsuo smiled gently patting the faithful animal affectionately, before he could hobble out of the dray Reina was there at his side, smiling kindly aiding him in stepping down, Atsuo chuckled patting her back in thanks.

"Well, here we are, the Soukutsu Ryokan. It isn't much but, what we have is home and I gladly share my home with you tonight." Atsuo smiled proudly motioning to the homely wooden building, the bright red noren swaying rhythmically in the gentle breeze; occasionally parting and allowing the welcoming light to drift out into the street. The building was quaint, obviously a family run establishment, it oozed warmth and hospitality, more places needed this quality she thought to herself. Reina returned his smile, helping him with the many parcels and sacks that filled the back with ease whilst he continued to persuade her to let him do it.

The pair continued to bicker as if they had known each other for years, not merely hours; after managing to slip her boots off without dropping any of the parcels Reina followed Atsuo down the wooden hallway, the aroma of cooking food wandering out of the many doors along with the sound of laughter and chatting clients. Reina padded silently behind Atsuo, glancing into the open rooms, silently observing the customers, noting most were tinged pink from ingesting copious amounts of sake and wine. But then she froze in her tracks, her lips parting slightly in disbelief, she stared vacantly through the bamboo sudare, the thin patterned blind distorting her view ever so marginally.

"Ne Reina-san, this way ay? I want you to meet my wife." Atsuo called from down the hall, motioning her on, she nodded, glancing into the occupied room once more before following on once again. She could feel her stomach twist and turn unable to believe her eyes; the one time she had received a solo mission and this had to happen, she jinxed that was the only explanation she could think of. She was broken from her thoughts when a short, grey haired woman stood before her, a look of disappointed on her weathered features.

"I can't believe he let you carry these, the old fart! ATSUO! You take these off the poor girl she is soaked to bone, you baka!" Reina blinked, the utmost confusion washing over her pale features. Atsuo rolled his eyes and took the parcels from her, placing them in various places around the kitchen; the stove burning wildly and steam filling the air from the many pots and pans that occupied the stove top. The elderly woman shooed him to what would seem the pantry, wiping her wrinkled hands on her food spattered apron before bowing, a welcoming smile appearing on her lips.

"Arigatou Reina-san, the old baka told me what you did for him back in the woods, because of you my husband is home safe and not stranded out in the woods. I'm in your debt." Reina smiled, shaking her head lightly before chuckling a little when the woman spoke again.

"Ah gomen! How rude! I didn't even introduce myself did I?" She cleared her throat in a lady like manner prior to bowing once more. "Watashi no namae wa Ayane." Reina smiled returning the bow respectfully.

"May I freshen up before I dine Ayane-san? I do not mean to impose or…" Reina wafted off.

"But of course! You're not imposing in the slightest, giving you lodge for as long as you need is the _least_ we can do, here…" Ayane unhooked a key from a nearby rack, placing it in Reina's hand and smiling. "There are clean towels in the room and a spare yukata for you to rest in, there is an onsen out back so feel free to soak for a while before you come in to dine." She smiled pointing down the hallway.

"Arigatou Ayane-san, I'm grateful to you both." Ayane smiled a smile that reminded Reina of her grandmother, the smile was filled with friendliness and an affection that simply comes with ages. Reina bowed once more before taking her leave, treading silently down the hallway once again, glancing briefly into the chatter filled room and searching for what she had seen before. She did not dwell there, instead headed towards the onsen, longing to feel the warmth rekindle in her body, the rain having taken whatever heat she had managed to accrue on her travels. The babble of the dining room eventually ceased, the only sound that graced her ears was the quiet slosh of water of the hot springs.

Unknowingly her hand had found its way to the hilt of her katana, remaining there in precaution, her stomach churning with uncertainty. Reaching the changing rooms she wearily stepped inside, avoiding eye contact with the other occupying women; luckily for her they were going on their travels, having already soaked their weary bones, feeling rejuvenated and as fresh as spring itself. She sighed quietly unclipping the broach of her cloak that held it together, the saturated fabric clinging to every curve of her body like moss to a stone; she had not realised the water the cloak had gather until it fell rapidly from her body, the water assembling in a pool at her feet.

Making use of the empty changing room Reina quickly changed from her attire, the soaking fabric sloshing to the floor in a quiet 'slop'; she wrapped the towel around her tightly ensuring that the cotton fabric was secure before swooping the mangled mess of wet clothing and ringing them out in the nearby shower cubicle, the excess water rippling from the clothes and slithering away down the drainage pipe. Once satisfied that the majority of the water had been removed, Reina's flicked her wrist the residing water molecules began to rise from the clothing fibres. The particles clung to the fibres for dear life but it was no use, they rose into the air gathering into spherical shape, the molecules rubbing and bouncing off one another as they heated up, the temperature nearing boiling before they dispersed into the air giving merely a quiet hiss of disapproval.

Satisfied with her now dry clothing Reina folded them with regimental precision, placing them in an unoccupied basket amongst the shelves along with her katana prior to settling herself down on the stool in the shower cubicle. She sighed softly, running her fingers through her tangled wet hair, wincing a little when her fingers met stubborn knots, mentally noting to braid her hair more often rather than allowing nature to have its way. She smiled in relief at feeling the gush of warm water run over her body, pouring the water over her icy skin multiple times, the pins and needles that had worked their way into her limbs beginning to ebb away.

"_Much_ better." She mumbled to herself, standing and clicking her neck, the knot that had been building there disbanding with a rather loud pop. She was old before her time, not merely mentally but physically too; time had begun to takes its toll on her, with ever clicking limbs and reoccurring anaemia she felt more like her grandmother than a young woman of twenty one. With the coast clear she snuck into the onsen, her movements nimble and sprite like, barely disrupting the stagnant water as she entered the spring. A soft sigh of relief passed her lips as she waded to the opposite side of the hot spring, leaning against the nearby rock, gladly closing her eyes and allowing the peaceful surroundings to envelope her senses.

It was with the silence that her thoughts began to rouse and stir. She had heard rumours on her travels about the Kojiki, that men in black and red dusted cloaks had acquired it and surely that would mean the infamous Akatsuki? She paused from her thoughts momentarily as she dipped under the water, the world around her becoming a groggy abyss of navy; she held her breath, the occasional bubble of oxygen escaping from her nose to release the pressure upon her lungs. Reina glanced above her, the world above resembling a kaleidoscope; the clouds swirling between one another as if they were dancing, bobbing and weaving peacefully.

With the oxygen near depleted from her lungs she surfaced from the tepid water, inhaling the crisp air, it stinging her throat and lungs slightly. She waded in the water a little longer allowing the therapeutic liquid to relax her aching body before taking her leave, ensuring that the skimpy bath towel maintained her modesty as she made her way back to the changing rooms. Reina changed quickly as not to be interrupted by entering women, they often being the more judgemental of the two sexes.

With a newfound vigour in her step Reina readjusted her clothing, packing the dirty items into her satchel before setting off towards the dining area, her katana occasionally bouncing off of her calf gently, her newly freshened locks already dry and curling softly, the spiralled strands of hair falling freely down her back. The aroma that had once inhabited solely the kitchen had grown, now nomadically gracing the entire building, Reina continued down the hallway chuckling a little to herself upon hearing the quarrelling of Ayane and Atsuo rumble down the hall, only to smile when Ayane paused her bickering and motioned her to take her seat inside before shooing her husband away once more.

Reina nodded and smiled, entering the now slightly emptier dining room, choosing a table away from the other diners, her eyes immediately scanning the room for sight she had seen before. Her exterior calm and composed, nothing short of her usual face, but on the inside her innards were beside themselves with inquisitiveness and minor unease. She sat down on the small cushion, laying her katana beside her folded legs as she finally permitted her eyes to meet what she had been avoiding.

There, amongst the drunken disarray was Uchiha Sasuke, the ever familiar scarlet glare of the Sharingan blazing viciously. She made no indication that she was her to detain him, for she was not; she was plainly aware of his decision to leave the village, his story of insatiable hunger for power well spread across the ninja nations. She dared not meet his gaze directly, Reina was no fool, she knew of the terrors that Sharingan could inflict; instead she settled for gazing below his eye line settling on the ridge of his lips noting that they were fixed in an unrecognisable expression or lack thereof. Sasuke quirked a brow and inclined his head towards her in recognition of her presence, which she returned with equal respect and acknowledgement.

But then she felt a familiar chill in the air, as if the earth had shifted in its place, she knew this sensation all too well.

Genjutsu.

Reina stayed in her place, her body not moving an inch as Sasuke stood from his place across the room; there was tension and no malice filled the air. It would seem that the young Uchiha heir was filled with the same curiosity and the young Hitori heiress. The genjutsu continued to play its part, the other customers blissfully unaware what was happening as they revelled in their drunken stupor. He walked over oozing with such confident that the God's themselves would probably wish to drain him of it for their own bidding, a thing which Reina has disliked him for all these years. She had nothing personal against the raven haired male it was pity if anything; pity that he had allowed darkness to shadow his thoughts and very being when he was once such a pleasant and vibrant child in their younger years.

"Reina." He murmured, taking the seat opposite her, his own chokutō sword present by his side, his voice darker and more cynical than the last time the pair had met.

"Sasuke-san." Reina replied gently, taking a small sip of tea from her cup patiently waiting to see what he wanted, nonchalantly eyeing the straight bladed sword curiously. She had heard rumours that he had come into ownership of the supposed kusanagi blade, one similar to that of Orochimaru, but she knew better, and that was certainly not the kusanagi sword.

"What are you doing here? So close to Sound?" He asked, getting precisely to the point at hand. Reina smiled slightly, setting down the dainty porcelain cup down and looking up at him, her gold orbs meeting his magenta ones for the briefest of moments.

"A mission, a simple retrieval that is all. And no the simple retrieval is not you Sasuke-san before you question if I am here to persuade you to return." She paused looking at him softly, his eyes scrutinising her every word; he nodded in acknowledgement leaning back on his arms dispassionately. "Taking a break from the snake I take it?" she chuckled, noting how he rolled his eyes, a trivial scoff rumbling in his throat emulating distaste. It was then she felt the cool edge of the blade against her throat, her light hearted chuckle having seemed like a far off memory now.

Her expression became blank as she stared at him in disappointment.

"Do not insult me Sasuke-san, nor should you underestimate me like you do with so many others." Her words were still temperate; there were no inclinations of violence that lingered in her voice- only discontent. He said nothing, simply staring at her carefully noting that even with his clone being the only thing between this life and the next she showed no fear of death. He continued to observe the young kunoichi carefully as she lifted her hand to the blade and grasped it firmly.

Yet the blade drew no blood from her pallid skin, instead the blade began to glow an angry red, the metal heating up rapidly, so rapidly in fact that the clone hissed in pain relinquishing its grip on the sword and dispelling. Sasuke glared, his scarlet orbs narrowing in uncertainty. Reina continued to stare at him vacantly, the once present sword now merely a glowing sphere of iron and steel, the particles swirling amongst themselves frivolously as she took another sip of her tea unaffected by the goings-on .

"Now Sasuke-san, if that is all you have to ask then I'd like to eat my supper if you don't mind?" She quirked a brow as she unfolded her napkin and laid it upon her lap indicating she was done with simple parlour tricks. "But keep this as a reminder, a memento if you would of our little meeting?" She smiled not even glancing at the floating particles as they began to re-solidify, their molecular structure altering and adapting to whatever Reina wanted them to.

Sasuke nodded watching the particles evolve into another object, somewhat impressed by her skill and talent over her bloodline. He would not admit it but she had truly mastered her kekkai genkai but to him she was merely another ninja one who he would become stronger and more powerful than. Reina was just a check point on the discovery of his limits that would bring him one step closer to his brother. The particles having finished their transfiguration began the descent into the palm of the young Uchiha's palm, he glancing over the metal object with slight amusement.

There in the palm of his hand was a shiny metal tomato.

"Take care Sasuke-san." Reina murmured tenderly, secretly urging him to heed her words, not wanting harm to befall him more than it already has. Sasuke nodded once more, the genjutsu dispelling, the ruckus of the dining returning to what it had been previously; Sasuke sitting where he once had before the genjutsu had been cast.

The only difference this time that was in his hand rolling between his fingers like a coin was the metal tomato.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Well done my Reina-chan! That's was __much__better than last time, you've really gotten the hang of this now. Okay let's have a small tea break and then we shall carry on ne?" Hidekazu smiled softly, his ochre eyes glowing with pride and great affection for the young girl that was stood before him; a wide grin plastered on her freckly face as she breathed heavily, the pants of breath staggered and uneven. _

"_H-Hai Ojii-san!" She crooned happily with excitement as she brushed her dark chestnut bangs from her gold dusted brown eyes; the occasional flicker of gold catching the light as they flittered amongst the array of brown that inhabited her irises. Reina pushed herself up from her place amid the feathered grass; dusting off the dirt and foliage from her clothes, parts of them slightly charred from the arduous training she had been undergoing. _

_Hidekazu smiled lovingly at his granddaughter, the fact that she never stopped smiling made his own lips twist into a likewise smile; the pair were two peas in a pod, whatever her grandfather did Reina wanted to do too. If he trained outside, Reina would train too. If Hidekazu wanted to play 'Renju' then Reina would be his opponent. If Hidekazu visited the Uchiha's then Reina tagged along, hot on his heels. If he wanted a pot of tea, she watched the kettle boil over the stove pedantically until the steam hissed from the spout. _

_The duo were joined at the hip. _

_Reina skipped over to her grandfather, a melodic giggle passing her lips joyfully. Hidekazu chuckled softly ruffling her dark locks warmly before a sly look overcame his greying features. _

"_Ne Reina-chan…I believe that __I__ made the last pot of tea so…" He warbled, cheekiness and playfulness lingering in his every word, they heightening as the young heiress's face dropped a little, her rosy cheeks puffing out slightly along with her lips in a childish pout._

"_Awww Ojii-saaaaan! I __always__ make the tea! You never do!" Reina whined flopping herself down on the array of multi-coloured pillows that colonised on the outside decking of the compound, this spot their usual haunting ground that overlooked the entire garden, from the neatly trimmed grass to the carefully tended flower bushes that curved around the whole building. Hidekazu grinned lopsidedly, adjusting his glasses, his gold orbs flashing with a charm only a grandfather would possess._

"_Awwww Reina-chan, it's just that after me teaching you that technique I'm so thirsty and a cup of your delicious tea would take that parchedness away with one mouthful…" He cooed attempting to pull a cutesy face. Reina stared at him blankly from her mini fortress of pillows, a glimmer of maturity beyond her years splashing over her pale features momentarily before returning to her childish persona and sighing softly._

"_Fiiiiiiiiine Ojii-san! But you __have__ to finish the story from yesterday…or no tea." She retorted, crossing her arms awaiting his answer, peaking over her should a little. Hidekazu grinned and nodded, his smile accentuating and deepening the wrinkles on his face as he lowered himself beside her, adjusting the many metres of fabric of his hakama as he sat, crossing his legs and getting comfortable. Reina smiled widely, immediately jumping from the pillows as she darted off towards the kitchen, slipping occasionally as her socks refused to grip the floor steadily whilst Hidekazu chuckled to himself as he watched her disappear inside. _

_Reina skidded into the kitchen her eyes wide with joy only to stop dead in her tracks, her stomach dropping and filling with mixed emotions before they all dispersed into that of joy and excitement._

"_Otou-san!" Reina squealed, sprinting into his arms and wrapping her legs and arms around him, clutching onto him as if her life depended on it as she buried her face into the crook of his neck inhaling the rare and treasured scent. Taimu blinked in surprise as he felt this small bundle wrap itself around him, having overcome the shock he smiled tenderly, holding his ever growing child in his arms tightly._

"_Ahh my Reina, my how you have grown!" He smiled gently rocking her in arms as if it was the first time he had ever held her._

"_I've missed you Otou-san, how long are you and Okaa-san here for?" She mumbled, leaning back to look at him, his dark chocolate eyes filled with sympathy and heartache._

"_Not long I'm afraid my dear Reina. But I have something for you, something that will remind you of us…" Taimu set her back down on the ground carefully, kneeling to her height, their eyes level; she smiled and nodded, waiting patiently for whatever he had in store. Taimu reached into his hakama breast pocket and held out his fist momently before opening it, a dainty gold chain falling from his hand and dangling frivolously. The small ornate garnet gem that hung from the chain gleaming proudly in the midday sun, the many shades of red bouncing about bright enough to entrance magpies for miles around._

_Reina was spellbound by the swaying object, her coffee coloured orbs following it engrossed by its beauty; Taimu smiled and clasped the delicate chain around her neck, brushing the stray hair from her face, his own beaming with pride._

"_Arigatou Otou-san, it's beautiful, I love it thank you." Reina murmured as she tinkered with the decorative gem affectionately before hugging him, not wanting the brief embrace to end- but all good things must come to an end._

"_W-what is __she__doing here? Okaa-san I told you not to allow her here when I come home." Taimu stood, pushing Reina behind him out of sight from Natsuko whose eyes were burning with anguish and resentment. Reina looked to the ground, concentrating on the grains of the wood as the voices in the room escalated and continued to crescendo. _

"_I TOLD YOU TO NEVER BRING HER HERE WHEN I CAME HOME!" Natsuko roared pointing towards Reina as if she were a dangerous demon, not her daughter, her own flesh and blood._

"_Natsuko __please__, Reina didn't know we were here." Taimu tried to calm her down, his voice soothing and sentimental. Natsuko glared from her place across the room, her own chocolate orbs burning with discontent and grief._

"_O-Okaa-san?" Reina stammered as she stepped aside from the shadowy protection of her father, her chest tightening as not to allow the tears to fall. Natsuko's eyes widened fleetingly as those words fell upon her ears, she wincing as if they were a potent poison entering her system._

"_YOU! You are the bane of my life! It's because of you that I'm like this!" Natsuko spat storming towards Reina maliciously, her hand outstretched and ready to make impact._

"_You ruined my life!"_

It was then that Reina sprung from her dream, a cool sweat inhabiting her pale skin, the sweat clinging to her like an unwanted pest. She sat up from her tatami mat, leaning her head upon her knees and attempted to steady her erratic breathes, her chest tight and eyes burning with unshed tears. She hadn't had that dream in a long time, if anything she tried to avoid thinking about it, those thoughts only rekindled unwanted memories, memories which felt like someone was plunging a kunai straight into her heart every time it graced her mind.

Reina did not hate her mother, in fact she held not one single shred of resentment for her; if anything she was saddened by the few interactions she had with her; for they were exactly that- mere interactions. They were nothing more than sporadic experiences that always ended in heart-breaking rows and hurtful remarks; Reina knew her mother couldn't help it, she knew that her mother had specific reasons for the way she was and Reina couldn't blame her for that. If anything it was indirectly her fault. Unbeknownst to Reina, her mere existence in this world wounded her mother, the mere sight of her erupting shear panic within her mother's brain moments after Natsuko brought her into the world.

Reina sighed softly as she pushed herself up from the warmth haven of the quilt covers, an icy chill shuddering throughout her entire body as the cool air caressed her skin hungrily. She gingerly made her way to the small yet homely bathroom Atsuo and Ayane had kindly provided her with. She leant against the porcelain sink, it supporting her weary frame like a loyal friend would; she looked up into the inhabiting mirror and gazed pensively at her reflection with tired eyes.

It was often said that mirrors were gateways to another dimension and on the other side of that sheet of glass was an entire different world, parallel to the one that you lived in. Reina often contemplated this, she theorised that if beyond a mirror was a different dimension, then the mirror itself was a portal- the gateway to that world. She had scoured entire libraries tiresomely in reference to this, myths and legends alike talking of the significance of mirrors and their properties.

She stared aimlessly into the shiny glass unconsciously noting how much she actually resembled her mother; they both had rounded doe-like eyes framed by rows of dark lashes and neatly pruned brows. Although her mother was more liberal with her looks, Natsuko allowed her hair to fall where it felt and her brows to grow freely; she was an unkempt soul whereas Reina liked order. She liked the neatness and simplicity of things, she kept herself tidy and well presented; she was a pretty normal young woman that took pride in her appearance and had well-earned scars from over the years.

Tearing herself away from her thoughts she breathed out quietly, hanging her head before running the tap, cupping a handful of the cool water and splashing the back of her neck; the water cool and refreshing, it enlivening her and sharpening her once weary thoughts. It couldn't be dawn yet as no rays of light had pierced the sky, let alone the room; but she knew it was pointless trying to go back to sleep, she might as well head off to the Atsuta Shrine and continue with her mission.

Washing and dressing quickly Reina glanced over to the mirror once more, her hair now weaved and pinned neatly at the nape of her neck, her dark bangs framing her face and accentuating her child like features. It was the norm for Reina to wear her hair in an ornate up-do, over the years and upon her travels, she had acquired quite the collection of kanzashi pins; from the simplest of chic pieces to the more elaborate pins, this was a passion that she had obviously inherited from her grandmother, whose own silvery locks were normally seen pinned and twisted into graceful chignons.

With her katana secured around her waist and her cloak clasped around her, Reina headed off from the inn, her key, money and a small note of gratitude left at the front desk. Dawn began to creep over the sleepy town, the morning mist still rolling about the streets lazily, swooshing about her feet as she walked through the intricate maze of roads. It wasn't raining today the rainclouds that had inhabited the sky the day before had dispersed leaving nothing but blue skies and a multitude of puddles occupying the empty pathways.

Once again the aroma of food crept into the open air, the owners of the stalls up early despite their late finishes to ensure their stalls were never without their mouth-watering dishes. Reina smiled and inhaled the delicious scents eagerly not realising just how hungry she was; she stopped at a nearby bakery, the baker stacking the newly baked melonpan into woven wicker baskets. She made her way over to the stall and smiling warmly at who would seem the stall owner.

"Ohayo, may I?" She spoke motioning to the fresh delicatessen item; the owner jumped a little, their eyes wide in surprise having not heard her approach.

"H-hai, of course." He returned the smile and handed her the melon bread after wrapping it in a crinkly brown paper pouch. Having paid for her food Reina headed off on her journey once more, a slightly more energetic spring in her step this time as she began to pick at the melon, occasionally tearing off a chunk and happily savouring the sweet, delicious taste. Tomo would scold her for tearing her food the way she was; Tomo had always tried to feed Reina a multitude of vegetables but failed in her attempts. Reina was always a picky eater, even as a child; forever dissecting her food as if it were an intense medical operation.

The maze of streets began to thin out, the main roads of the town now splitting off in numerous directions leading people to their destinations; without even glancing at the signpost Reina headed down the familiar road, the forest running along either side of the path once more. She had visited the Atsuta Shrine many times throughout her twenty one years and each time she had visited it the more she enjoyed it and respected its history and religious views. Though not a religious person herself, Reina was fascinated by its stories and contradictions, if anything she was fascinated by how much faith religion could instil in a person.

As a repertoire of past memories swirled around in her mind, Reina smiled as the shrine became visible from the horizon, the early morning sunshine lighting the slated roof almost in a majestic manner. The high priest at the shrine was a wise man, one on par with her grandfather, if anyone were to know the whereabouts of the Kojiki it would be him. The only lead that she had so far was incomprehensible, the Akatsuki were a shinobi organisation who lusted for domination of the ninja nations, why would they possibly be interested in a book such as the Kojiki, it simply did not make sense to her.

Without realising she had made her way up the many steps of the shrine, the royal blue noren occasionally swaying in the light breeze; her cloak swished and grazed along the wooden flooring as she entered the building. The soft light of the many candles that occupied the room flickered ever so slightly, giving off unintelligible shapes on the decorative painted walls; the paintings depicting epic battles and crucial turning points within mythology such as Susanoo slaying the mighty Orochi and Amaterasu creeping from her solitary cave, relighting the earth.

Reina stared in awe at faded colours of the painting remembering how when she was younger the colours were much more vivid yet the tales remained just as potent and forever in their prime. The heel of her boots clicked dully on the wooden floor as she walked further into the inner sanctum of the shrine, the light becoming dimmer as the sunshine struggled to pass past the foundation pillars and swaying noren that hung upon the doors. Reina found it odd that she had not encountered a single soul at the shrine, normally at this time of day they were meditating and chanting in the main chamber yet no one was there.

"Masao-sama?" She called out, her hand unconsciously flexed over the hilt of her katana cautiously- something didn't feel right. Reina stepped up to the ceremony altar her eyes widening at the sight before her unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. There laying upon the pillow was the Kojiki, the valuable book surrounded by numerous candles and ceremonial ikebana flowers; she cautiously scanned the room backing up against the altar carefully putting the precious artefact in her satchel remaining on guard.

"Masao-sama?!" She called out again, her voice firm despite inwardly unsure. She spun to the side rapidly, her katana unsheathed and pressed against the object that had made the sound. There standing patiently and casually was Ichidou no Masao, his weather face surprisingly vacant in place of his cheerful demeanour; Reina retracted the blade immediately and bowed lowly from her waist apologetically, her eyes wide with shame.

"Ah G-gomenasai Masao-sama I didn't realise it was you…" She mumbled softly staring at the floor and not at the elderly priest.

"R-Reina my child…r-run…" Masao stuttered, his voice raspy and barely there as he struggled to move his timeworn frame; Reina lifted her head confusion plastered all over her face, her hand still clasped on the hilt of her katana instinctively; she eyed him closely noting the lack of colour in skin, the texture of his flesh more grain like and polished. It was then she noticed it, a fine spider-like thread streaming everywhere around Masao, she dared not moved now seeing them strategically placed.

"I found what I came for Masao-sama, I'll be taking my leave now…" She spoke softly making sure no hesitation laced her words. Masao began to move towards her but his movements were not fluid, they were disjointed and almost wooden in their ways; Reina mirrored his movements, if he took a step forward she would take a step back, her katana now drawn, clasped in both hands and poised for what could occur.

"Reina…He…has control of me…he is behind me…" Masao muttered, the anguish evident on his face as his arms began to throw punches towards the young kunoichi against his will. Reina invaded his movements with ease noting how the threads lead to the shadows across the room; her mind flashed back to her previous thoughts.

_Akatsuki._

If her memory served correctly, the residing puppeteer of the Akatsuki was Akasuna no Sasori- and wherever Akasuna no Sasori was Deidara was sure to be near. Stealthily she snuck a shuriken from the pouch on her thigh quickly infusing it with her chakra before flicking it towards the strings, the shuriken spun quickly through the air as it nicked the strings, they snapping with a small 'twang' sound as the chakra clashed and counteracted one another. The strings dispersed and Masao fell towards the ground, his body motionless and lifeless; Reina dashed to his aid catching his limp body, cradling his head carefully though still plainly aware of the brooding tension in the shadows.

"Masao-sama I should have come sooner gomenasai…" Reina spoke softly, her words filled with woe and regret. Masao managed to smile ever so slightly, shaking his head and accepting the forthcoming of death. Reina bit her lip, her eyes begging to tear up at watching a lifelong friend drift into the next world, she froze in her place feeling warm breath upon her neck, her bangs swaying as the warm air brushed over her skin.

"Aww Sasori no Danna look, she doesn't seem to appreciate your art un." Deidara muttered, leaning forward and examining the puppet remains of the once prominent priest. Reina grit her teeth feeling anger bubble away in her stomach, but she knew she couldn't be reckless, she was outnumbered two to one by two ruthless rogue ninjas- and she didn't know what they were after.

"Let's hurry this up, get the girl so we can report back, I have things to do Deidara." A gruff voice resonated from the shadows, the child like form of Akasuna no Sasori stepping out into the dim light of the grand hall; Reina remained as still as the remains of Masao despite her heart pounding against her ribs at the red head's words. They were here for her? Why? Why would the Akatsuki want her? She wasn't a jinchuuriki and had no demon, she was a normal kunoichi, it didn't make sense.

_Forgive me Masao-sama._

Reina inwardly cursed as she gave the now at peace priest a fleeting look before inhaling deeply, feeling her kekkai genkai activating and flowing through her entire body. Before Deidara could heed his danna's words Reina phased through him, he freezing shock at feeling such an odd sensation; it felt like all of his internal organs were being simultaneously squeezed. Reina stood behind Deidara the blade of her katana pressed against his oesophagus whilst her left hand was enveloped in his body, her hand grasped firmly around his beating heart.

"I don't know why you're here, but I don't want any further trouble." Reina was not threatening the pair- she was not foolish enough to do so. Deidara coughed, his breathes spluttering at the sensation of someone literally having his life in their hands; it was safe to say he had underestimated the young brunette, a decision he regretted.

Sasori stepped closer to the compromised pair his expression devoid of any emotion, Reina shuddered on the inside at seeing his child like face yet knowing he was beyond adolescent and most certainly beyond human compassion.

"I do not care for Deidara, he is expendable – a chess piece I can afford to lose. But if you do not come with us now, someone else will be sent in our place and it will be a very short game of cat and mouse." Sasori muttered flexing his hands once more, thin threads of chakra reattaching themselves to the lifeless cadaver of Masao, the priest's body levitating ever so slightly off the ground before it lunged towards them, forcing Reina to release her hold on the furious looking blonde.

Reina jumped backwards deflecting small senbon that shoot through the air, barely missing her; she landed, crouching from across the hall, the senbon that Sasori had thrown embedded in the wall beside her. She glanced at the senbon her eyes widening a little at smelling the poison that dripped from the thin needles; one hit from them and she would run into deeper problems.

"You are making my patience run thin Reina." Sasori growled, his lips twisted in a snarl despite his face remaining blank. Deidara had recovered from his small internal affair, his cerulean eye burning with anger as he thrust his hands into his clay pouches the mouths on his hands devouring the clay greedily before spitting out small figurines. Reina's eyes widened, her mind going overdrive at the chemical combinations that were in his hands.

It was enough to blow the entire shrine to smithereens.

"You heard Danna, Reina…and you wouldn't like him when his patience runs thin un." Deidara smirked staring at her momentarily before flinging the clay statues; acting on impulse Reina concentrated on the molecular structure of the C4, focusing on the organic compounds of the nitroamines activating them prematurely before they made impact. She inhaled sharply as the chemical reaction ignited, the explosion erupting impulsively throwing both Akatsuki members backwards through the opposite wall of the shrine and Reina through the wall she was against.

The explosion obliterated the grand hall, leaving nothing but ash and the stench of death lingering in the air.

•●•

The noise was excruciating, like a constant ring of tinnitus that could disorientate anyone immediately for days. Reina could feel her head spin as if she was on a fair ground ride that wouldn't stop; she had been like this for nearly three days now, a constant ruckus of ringing and violent nausea. The rain had started again as if pouring down with vengeance, the raindrops bombarding her already icy body mercilessly; shaking violently Reina tugged her cloak further around her but it was in vain.

_Kuso._

She mentally cursed as the feeling in her legs started to creep away from her; the numbing sensation continued to skulk up her body rendering any movement a mere thing of the past. It was a possibility that she could die here, alone in the middle of nowhere and more than likely branded a failure. Reina threw her head back against the tree trunk unable to keep it upright any longer. Sasori's senbon had caught her in the blast, the deadly venom ushering around her entire body ruthlessly, paralysing her nerves and motor senses. She could feel herself slip from the tree, slowly sliding down the trunk and into muddy, foliage littered floor; she gasped for breath, her lungs jittering with spasms to try and claim the oxygen it was urging for.

Reina closed her eyes allowing the rain to continue pelting at her snowy skin as she listening to the sounds of the forest in between the constant ringing; her eyes barely fluttered open as she heard twigs snap nearby. Her pulse sped up against her will at hearing the faint footsteps get closer; Reina begged her fingers to move to her pouch, the numb digit's failing miserably in their quest.

She was on the brink of blacking out; balancing on the fence gingerly as her vision began to become hazy, resembled blotted watercolours on a blurred canvas; all that she could see before unconsciousness claimed her was red.

Red everywhere.


	6. Chapter 6

Mirror, mirror.

"Is this her?"

"Hai, Leader-sama."

"Take her to the medical wing and heal her before taking her to the cells, but do not let her die we need her."

"Hai Leader-sama."

"I am counting you to keep her alive; your mission depends on her."

"Hai, Leader-sama."

"When she has recovered, bring her to me and I shall give you the details of your mission."

Pein disappeared into the shadows from whence he came leaving Itachi with a dying girl in the arms of his partner; Kisame held Reina in his arms with ease, she as limp as a rag doll in a toyshop. Itachi left the room silently with Kisame hot on his heels, the pair walking through the bare hallways of the base; the atmosphere was non-existent, no emotions filled the air, not even tension managed to lace the environment, everywhere was devoid.

"Ne Itachi-san, why do we need the girl anyway, I'm sure we could handle the mission alone I don't see why we need her." Kisame tilted his head, glancing down at the unconscious kunoichi occupying his arms, her snowy skin charred from the blast of Deidara's explosives along with her clothes, they torn and mud covered. Itachi continued walking without answering his partner, his charcoal and scarlet cloak swishing with his every step before he took a sharp turn into the medical wing of the lair, the small symmetrical room filled with the necessary supplies that inhabited a sturdy looking wooden cabinet.

"Place her down." Itachi ordered his voice low yet soft, not gruff as one would expect it to be; it was not a threatening tone and Kisame knew this, he knew the talented shinobi was a stern young man but was not a violent one. Kisame did as he was told, carefully laying Reina on the medical table, allowing his eyes to take her appearance in for a few moments before taking his leave, his thoughts roused as to whether his dark haired companion had knew the girl in his former life.

The last thing he saw as he saw in the dark room was the Sharingan fade from the Uchiha prodigy's eyes.

Itachi unclipped the buttons of his cloak, the metal of his necklace glimmering in the faint light ever so slightly as he folded his cloak with extreme precision, not one crease occupying the dark durable fabric. He turned his attention to Reina, his eyes softening faintly, a rarity in itself; she didn't deserve to be here, she should be home and safe with her family, not fighting for her life inches away from death.

He reached into the cabinet, the hinges creaking painfully as the door swung open. The cabinet was filled with an array of bottles and conical shaped containers, each containing brightly coloured fluids, each one more foul smelling than the next. He reached for a shelved syringe, the tube containing a dark violet liquid; it was not often Sasori made an antidote for his poisons, but with the amount of times he had accidently poisoned Hidan or attempted to poison Deidara it was the clever thing to have about.

Lucky in Reina's case.

Normally Sasori's victims were dead within hours, a day at a push but not Reina, she was one of the exceptions; Itachi glanced at the barely breathing kunoichi noting how her veins had become darker and tainted as the poison flowed through her veins. Reina's chest hardly moved, her lungs contracted and struggling to gather oxygen; her heart was working overtime, pumping tainted blood around her body, the muscles almost screaming out in agony as the tainted incarnadine liquid came in contact with it.

Itachi stepped closer to Reina, carefully moving the fabric of her shirt away revealing ash and blood tinged skin; he removed the cover from the needle squeezing some of the liquid from its tube a little and flicking it before looking for an appropriate place to administer it.

"Gomenasai Reina-chan." Itachi murmured quietly, making sure no one heard his soft apologies as he administered the serum, the needle piercing her battered skin with ease; he watched carefully making he gave her the correct dosage, the level on the hypodermic scale falling down to zero as the dark liquid entered her body, beginning its job immediately.

Itachi watched silently as the veins that lay beneath Reina's skin began to pale down; her breathes were less ragged and becoming more even, inwardly Itachi sighed with relief knowing that she was going to be okay. Reina's head lolled to the side, intangible sighs and words passing her paler than usual lips; Itachi tilted his head curiously as he leaned in closer to her to hear what she was muttering.

"D-don't…" She whispered almost silently, her words filled with desperation and unbridled fear; Itachi leaned in even closer, her breath playing over his ear and exposed neck. Reina's breath hitched in her throat, her face scrunching up in pain as her back arched, her body all of a sudden writhing and contorting in pain. Itachi leaned back, his face not changing as she tried to catch her breath, a fine sweat enveloping her skin as her body pumped the antidote rapidly around her veins and arteries, her kekkai genkai flaring up and going into panic mode at all the foreign compounds in her body.

He knew that feeling all too well. The sudden spouts of cold sweats, muscles tightening and then going through a fit of painful spasms- he truly felt for her. Itachi quirked a brow as random pops and bangs filled the air, some were high pitched and others were more of a quiet hiss; he remembered this from his childhood. Reina jolted onto her side, clutching her stomach as she lay in a foetal position on the table, the pain plastered on her freckle speckled face.

Before it even happened Itachi had seized a small dish from the side of the cabinet and held it next to her as she leaned over the side of the table and vomited violently, soft cries passing her lips in the process. Instinctively he held her hair back from her face as her body continued to rid itself of the vicious poison; Itachi had lost count of the times he had done this for Sasuke as a child, the many nights that the younger brother had eaten too many tomatoes before training, it taking its toll later in the night.

Reina winced, a quiet cry trapped at the back of her throat as her body tried to accumulate whatever warmth it could. She had no clue where she was, whether what she was feeling now death or if it was a second chance at life, but she knew there was only one way to find out. With her breathing now at a more acceptable rate she urged her eyes to open, her lids fluttering ever so slightly expecting sunlight to immediately bombard them- but it was dark. Reina frowned in confusion, soft lines creasing in her brow; warily she lifted her aching body, the confusion continuing to puzzle her as she realised what she was laying on.

A medic slab.

_Where am I?_

"Konbanwa Reina-chan." Itachi said quietly, his face once again shadowed by the collar of his cloak, his eyes bleeding into their infamous scarlet shade once more. Reina flinched as her heart skipped a beat, her split lips parting in utter shock and slight fear; cautiously she turned her head, her eyes widening in the upmost disbelief as what she saw before her. Itachi leaned against the wall nonchalantly, his arm slung in the opening of his cloak casually.

_They got me. _

Her stomach fell instantly, all that effort of evading Sasori and Deidara to be scooped up effortlessly by Uchiha Itachi himself.

_If only Sasuke was around. _She mused inwardly.

"Why does the Akatsuki want me Itachi-san? I'm no jinchuuriki and have no particular use so why?" Reina cringed at her almost pleading tone as Itachi pushed himself off the wall, taking a few steps toward her, she didn't dare move. This wasn't Sasuke she was dealing with now, this was the man who singlehandedly slaughtered his entire clan like they were game in hunting season. This was the man who had possibly brought her to her death.

"You are to aid us in a mission. If you cooperate and help us complete the mission? You're free to go…" He paused looking directly at her, his ruby gaze burning darkly, she cringed slightly beneath his scrutiny feeling her skin crawl. "Don't cooperate? You won't be seeing Konoha again, you'll rot in the cells along with the others before you." Reina felt herself quiver in pure fear, she had never felt so terrified from a few words, but this Uchiha Itachi she was on about, he wasn't the kind and compassionate boy she had once known.

"You know they'll come looking for me, have you not considered that? You could have ANBU out in swarms, crawling all over the place" She retorted, trying to keep her voice from breaking and making herself look defiant despite the terror curdling in her stomach; her golden orbs rekindling some of their fire.

Itachi moved directly in front of her, his chakra daunting and filling the room with a stifling presence. He grabbed her by the throat, forcing her to look at him, though his actions were surprisingly pacifistic compared to his words. Reina noted a slight cloudiness that inhabited his red dyed irises compared to that of her own clear orbs. She dared not move under his grip, simply remaining as still as a statue as he leaned in, their breaths mingling together briefly before leaning in further, his lips barely grazing her ear in an almost tantalising manner.

"They won't come looking for you Reina-chan, who would come? That Hyuuga boy? He could be easily taken care of." Itachi countered, his words dark and dripping with murky promises. Reina gasped feeling her entire body shaking in a mixture of anger and unease at his threat, she couldn't allow that to happen, not to Neji. Itachi glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, able to see the effect of his words written clearly on her face despite his clouded vision.

She would have to cooperate, and he knew that she knew that.

He felt her spirit break a little beneath his grip, satisfied he released her she not even flinching when grasped her chin gently and lifted it to face him once more. Her amber eyes filled with unshed tears, not those of sadness, but sorrow, sorrow for him- the murderer of the Uchiha clan.

He had fallen so far from grace…and he was dragging her with him.

"You've grown Reina-chan, prove your worth and it'll all be over."

•●•

The cell was dark and dingy, the smell of rot and decay clinging to every paving stone slab that inhabited the almost claustrophobic room. Reina leaned against the wall furthest away from the sturdy metal door, her kekkai genkai flaring up every time someone walked past it, the occasional glance filled with curiosity appearing through the small barred window. By now the poison had left her system completely, her strength returning in leaps and bounds; she had lost track of time within this cell, days could have passed or mere hours- she simply didn't know.

Her ears pricked up a little at hearing a familiar set of footsteps echo down the hallway, she had come to recognise the pattern fairly well, but it was not only the rhythm of their footsteps she recognised. Reina knew that chakra all too well.

Uchiha Itachi.

Reina stood from her position on the cold ground, the moisture ridden cell adding to her already dirty and damp clothes; her shirt torn and ragged and her hair having straggled from its woven neatness. She glared at the door intently, her fire and determination having returned with an unbridled fury, the same fury burning in her golden orbs. In the small space of the past however long she had been here, Reina had amassed a great dislike for the elder Uchiha, it wasn't hate for hate was such a strong emotion, she would save the hating of Itachi for Sasuke.

She paused from her disarray of dislike as realisation struck her.

Uchiha Itachi saved her life. It might have been solely for the need of the Akatsuki, but he saved her none the less and she should show at least some gratitude even if it was a simple smidgen of appreciation.

Reina returned her ochre gaze to the cell door, it creaking open revealing the shadowy figure of Itachi, his Sharingan ablaze as per usual.

"Itachi-san." Reina muttered with reluctant acknowledgement.

"Reina-chan." He replied with a slight informality which rued her. He stood the side of the door, the light streaming into stuffy cell it catching her eyes and making them glisten softly. He hadn't seen her eyes like that before, the many shades of gold and amber blending into one another, in fact, the last time he had seen her eyes shine like that was many years ago- but back then, they were brown with gold flecks. This intrigued him but he would never say it aloud.

Reina left the cell, standing beside the exit patiently as Itachi closed the door and silently beckoned her after him; he led her through a maze of stone corridors, each turn leading deeper into wherever the base was. It was then a familiar scent laced the air, it metallic in its nature; Reina glanced at the elder Uchiha questioningly, assuming that only Akatsuki members, other than prisoners, were permitted within the walls of the base. Over the years her kekkai genkai had become a subconscious part of her day to day life, unknowingly logging compounds of the periodic table mentally.

And this time it was a substance had been logged too many times for her liking: blood.

Itachi returned the questionable glance and murmured quietly.

"Hidan follows Jashinism."

Reina's eyes widened slightly remembering back to Touzuku and the Jashin insignia in his cell, his blood acting as the ink of a writer's brush.

"He is the one that injured Touzuku isn't he? The Akatsuki are behind stealing and swapping the Kojiki…but why?" Reina pressed, determined to find out why a rebel organisation of ninjas would want a book of myths and legends. But it was not Itachi that answered her questions. From within the darkness of a nearby room Pein spoke, his tone oozing authority as he beckoned the pair in with a mere gesture of his hand.

"I can see we have the right person for the job." Pein susurrated, his rinnegan eyes entrancing to the more inferior eyes. Reina stood amongst the darkness, Itachi standing behind her whilst his own hypnotic orbs glowed entrancingly in the shadows. Pein sat at an oblong stone table, it rather grand for that of a group of ruthless shinobi, Reina noted the pale blue headed kunoichi to his right, her piercing catching the light that flickered from nearby candles.

"Now that you are awake I will give you the details of the mission that you are to aid Itachi and Kisame with." Pein paused briefly awaiting some sort of dismay from Reina, but no emotion at that time was expressed upon her pastel features; Reina kept her emotions under lock and key as not to get herself into more trouble, more than what she was in at the moment, she was in quick sand and the more she struggled the further and quicker it would consume her.

Pein observed her tattered form briefly before continuing to speak, as he did so, he placed the Kojiki on the table along with the rest of her belongings, the scabbard of her katana glimmering and calling out tantalisingly to her, as if begging her to take it.

"You are to retrieve the legendary Yata no Kagami…"

Reina blinked in utter confusion, having not seen that on the cards. Her lips parted unsure whether he had heard himself correctly, this was the legendary mirror that lured the goddess Amaterasu from her cave- it was the stuff of myth. Even the stone-faced Uchiha was unsure if he had heard correctly, but, it was a mission none the less so Itachi bowed from the waist, his dark locks falling over his shoulder.

"Hai, Leader-sama." Itachi replied, pulling on Reina's arm and forcing her to mimic his action; she glanced back at him with pure distaste and aversion written clearly over her face. Pein smirked ever so slightly at the disgust on Reina's face, unused to seeing someone have the audacity to use such an expression around the Sharingan master.

"Prepare for the mission tonight and leave tomorrow…But first we need to ensure that you will co-operate. Itachi take her arms." Pein uttered curtly, standing from his seat at the opposite end of the room. Reina gasped inaudibly, instantly turning to fend the oncoming Uchiha off, but he was already on her like a hawk on its prey.

Itachi grabbed Reina, restraining her as she fought against his grip; he gazed at her silently as if urging her not to retaliate and make things worse for herself, but he got in return was a look of betrayal and borderline hatred from her, her eyes burning determinedly.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!" Reina spat at Itachi, her words beginning to flood with panic hearing Pein come nearer and nearer, as did the air. Once again the air began to fill with pops and bangs, this time on a louder and more vivid scale, Itachi tightened his grip, holding her against him as Pein stood a mere few paces away, a small metal bar like those inhabiting his face, and more than likely his entire body, occupying his hands.

It was a transmitter.

Reina strained her neck to try and keep the looming leader in her view, knowing what to come, they were going to try and chip her like a common animal.

"Hold her still Itachi, this needs to be implanted as a failsafe if she should try anything." Pein glowered, his temper beginning to simmer. Reina's eyes widened at the imposing metal bar, quickly she concentrated on the small bar, ignoring the feeling of Itachi's breath play against the back of her neck , the molecular structure changing rapidly as the bar split into pea size marbles before continuing to shrink and condense as they evaporated into the air. Itachi watched on from behind, having not realised she possessed such grace over her bloodline, even in the heat of the moment.

"You test my patience Reina, if you do not cooperate then I'm afraid that the Hyuuga boy that crossed the border merely moments ago will annihilated, and all because of you." Pein glared, his rinnegan seeming more intimidating that before; Reina froze, her attempts of retaliation simpering away instantly.

_N-Neji is here? _

"N-No please! I'll cooperate, please…just don't hurt him, he has nothing to do with this." Reina spoke, her voice cracking a little with fear for her best friend. Pein stood before her, briefly glancing at Itachi as he leaned in close tauntingly.

"Then how do you suggest we keep an eye on you little Reina? Because if you do not come up with something then Konoha will be minus one Hyuuga." Pein goaded brutishly.

Reina averted her eyes to the ground, subconsciously leaning into Itachi as if trying hide inside his cloak as so many ideas and thoughts raced through her mind in attempt to solve the situation at hand.

"No proposal? Well then, Itachi, go dispose of the Hyuuga." Itachi nodded, releasing Reina instantly as he turned swiftly on his heels.

"No! Wait!" Reina stammered, grabbing Itachi by the arm, the dark fabric bundled in her fist tightly as she tugged him back. Pein quirked a brow with curiosity, this kunoichi was proving to be rather interesting. Reina bit her lip as a woeful sigh passed her lips.

_Forgive me Ojii-san. _

"I'll pact a chakra indenture." She whispered, her voice barely audible, but the pair heard her loud and clear and were taken back by such a thing, even if they didn't show it. Itachi stayed where he was, an ephemeral flicker of inquisitiveness passing over his expression as Pein eyeballed her closely.

"You know how to perform such jutsu? They are forbidden and supposedly lost over time…my my Reina, what a find you are turning out to be." Pein cooed mockingly as she held on tighter to Itachi's cloak, her eyes squeezed together tightly in shame of her recent words. "Well then Reina, perform away." Pein urged on, slightly curious as to what it would entail. Reina's head shot up looking at the red-haired shinobi, unsure whether if he meant with him.

"I'll only make the pact with Itachi-san, if I am to cooperate with this mission, it makes sense that he is the one I make the indenture with…" she replied, dubious as to whether she was overstepping the mark further than she already had but surprising herself with how confident it sounded. Itachi blinked, inwardly taken back that she would make such a commitment to someone, let alone him.

Hitori Reina was indeed proving to be a fascinating young woman.

She was either wise or foolish, he was still undecided.


	7. Chapter 7

Mirror, mirror.

Sokushinbutsu.

Sokushinbutsu was a Buddhist ritual of self-mummification practiced by monks who wished to become an enlightened one, a Buddha. Reina had studied some of the rare remains of these dedicated souls, their image locked in time even though their lives had ended, their faith and devotion would remain revered in the history books for generations to see. To die for your beliefs must seem like such an honour, to hold that one thing in all of your reveries so that your every move and thought revolved around that one special thing.

Dedication at its utmost.

Reina stood beneath the demonic statue of the outer path, she had merely heard rumours of its existence and now, well now she knew it was not the stuff of rumours but the stuff of reality. It was with this ironic symbol of enlightenment that the Akatsuki were murdering jinchuuriki's and sealing the tailed beasts in, and if Naruto was not careful then the Kyuubi would join its tailed counterparts within the grotesque effigy. She could only guess how many of the demonic hosts had met their end here; the air was simply drenched with death, all without remorse or regret.

"Time is ticking Reina, perform the jutsu or Hyuuga Neji will be meeting a premature death and his blood will be on your hands." Pein said with crossed arms overlooking her with stern eyes, there was no time for jesting. She nodded, gulping a little with nerves; this was a forbidden jutsu used centuries ago she wasn't even sure if it would work, or if it did what the consequences would be, she had only read ancient texts about this ritual.

Itachi stood near to her, his face forever calm despite his own weariness about the jutsu, he too had heard rumours of its practice but most simply ended in death. Reina turned to him, her eyes betraying her calm façade, they were brimming with anxiety and he knew it was for more than one thing. She was worried about the young Hyuuga and the outcome of the contract.

"You know of the chakra network and the inner gateways don't you Itachi-san." Reina murmured softly, twirling her hair neatly, or as neatly as she could, at the nape of her neck though random strands protruded onto her face. She was not insulting his intelligence for she knew he could of made the rank of Hokage had he chosen a different route, if anything she was merely reassuring herself that it wouldn't be him to make the mistake, only she could make a mistake at this point and she dared not think of the penalties that would impose.

Itachi nodded and removed his cloak, once again folding it with military preciseness. Pein watched curiously as the dark haired kunoichi gave the Sharingan master instructions, each set accurate and detailed. Both dark haired ninja sat opposite one another, they mirroring each other perfectly, though admittedly Reina was the more fiddly of the pair. Reina inhaled deeply calming herself as her pulse beat rapidly, feeling it pulsate in her neck; she could feel it slow down, becoming calmer and more regulated.

Reina opened her eyes and stared at Itachi in the eyes, it surprising her to see charcoal orbs in place of his Sharingan. She cleared her throat quietly before speaking, recalling the information about the ritual as if she were reading it before him.

"We are to exchange chakra, admitting a small orb of qi into each of the inner gateways; you will be able to borrow my chakra and I yours if the time should call upon it. We…" She paused and took a breath, the realisation of what was to occur momentarily stunning her. "We'll be joined in an indenture of chakra for forever…" she finished, averting her eyes anyway but his. Itachi nodded and inhaled silently waiting for the jutsu to start wondering how different things could have been for the young kunoichi.

Reina finally met his eyes, even without the Sharingan his presence was still powerful yet somewhat peacefully daunting. She held out her hands, her palms open and flat; Itachi mimicked her actions studying her closely as she began to concentrate. Slowly he managed to see flickers of light appear from the palms of her hands, her chakra making itself visible and somatic; it swirled around rapidly almost resembling the rasengan but a miniature version.

Itachi too began to summon his own chakra to the palms of his hands, his own lifeline particles emerging from his flesh; when both had sufficient amounts of their chakra Reina spoke once more, her voice soft and calm.

"Carefully press each orb of chakra into each of the first two gateways: the gate of opening and the gate of rest. The gateways should recognise the chakra and absorb it, our bodies adapting it." Itachi nodded and copied her actions once again as she hesitantly lifted her hands to either side of his temples, searching in his dark eyes for the go ahead; he nodded she returning the gesture with the slight inclination of her head.

Reina took a small breath before carefully pressing her hands to each of his temples noting how he stiffened ever so slightly and took a sharp intake of air silently as her chakra made impact; she watched as the chakra disappeared beneath his skin it finding his inner gateways straight away. She too stiffened when Itachi's chakra made contact with her skin, hearing the slight buzz of his life-force before it dispersed beneath her skin, instantaneously being absorbed by her gateways.

Once again Reina and Itachi summoned orbs of chakra to their palms before continuing with the next two gateways: the gate of life and the gate of pain, both residing on the central nervous system within the spinal cord. Reina winced slightly as his palm made contact for the fourth time, the gate of pain being exactly that, painful; a look of slight hesitation washed over Itachi's features briefly as he debated halting in the absorption of the fourth gate only to be egged on.

"Don't stop, it could collapse the indenture…" Reina muttered through gritted teeth as she caught her breath. Itachi nodded allowing his palm to come into contact with her torso, the sphere of chakra now out of sight; Reina inhaled deeply before laying her palm against his torso watching the chakra tirelessly as not to hinder the jutsu. It was Itachi's turn to flinch now though as Reina's chakra fled to his gateway of pain, Reina glanced up at him, mumbling a soft apology not wanting to give him a motive to dispose of her after the mission.

"Gomenasai Itachi-san." Itachi simply nodded, coughing as the last of her chakra entered the gateway; but it was not one cough, it was a fit of them. Reina blinked in shock having not expected that to happen, her eyes widened when a small splutter of blood cascaded onto his palm as he shielded the coughs. She dared not say anything she simply looked in him in the eye for silent reassurance, which she received.

She moved quickly with the next three gateways: the gateways of closing, joy and shock. By now a thin layer of sweat had built up on the pair's forehead, their breaths laboured and their posture hunched with fatigue. Pein noted that they were due to seal the indenture with the final gateway, the most dangerous- the gateway of death.

Pein watched as Reina looked up at a heavily breathing Uchiha, perceiving that she had a soft expression, almost that of concern upon her pale features, this intrigued him. It was obvious to him that she had known Itachi before the massacre with her use of an honorific, but to what extent she had known Itachi, it titillated him.

"I-Itachi-san, are you alright to continue?" Reina whispered, her breathes uneven as she steadied herself as not to keel over with overexertion. Itachi merely nodded in between panting slightly, dark circles under his eyes becoming more accentuated. Reina stared at him blankly for a few moments before clearing her throat once more and inhaling deeply.

_Here goes nothing. _

She muttered mentally as the last orb of chakra began to form in her hand, the swirling energy growing slightly larger than that of the other orbs. By now she could feel her body working overtime to contain the extra chakra, attempting to acclimatise and neutralise it; it wouldn't surprise her if she passed out afterwards as she could already feel her vision beginning to haze and blur in patches.

Itachi attempted to steady his breathes, it felt like he had fought off an entire army by himself and was down to the last brigade of ninja. He watched Reina carefully, her face more pallid than usual as she summoned the last needed bit of her chakra into her hands. She had certainly proved herself, not only to him, but by the look on Pein's face, to him too. He nodded urging her on as she leaned in to seal the deal with the last gateway; Reina gulped slightly as she pressed her hand over his heart where the gateway lay, her own heart thumping away with exertion and nerves.

Reina carefully pressed the ball of chakra into his chest, feeling his flesh beneath her hand burning up; she looked up and held his gaze, a little unnerved by how hot he was, unsure whether it was due to the indenture or if he was sick. Reina waited patiently as the last of her chakra entered his body, she feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

Itachi grit his teeth together silently feeling her chakra enter his final gateway, not knowing the exact results that they would incur afterwards; taking a few moments to compose himself Itachi gathered his own chakra into the palm of his hand before cautiously placing it over her chest. Reina gulped a little feeling a little demoralised at having Uchiha Itachi's hand hovering over her breast as it was, but she knew it was the final amendment to the deal, after this Neji would be off the hook and that was what mattered most.

Sensing that Reina was ready Itachi started to push the last of his chakra into her flesh, hearing her gasp and wince quietly; Reina unconsciously held her breath, feeling his chakra pulse along her meridians and mingle with her own chakra as if it were the same life force.

She had done it, she had unknowingly sold her soul to the devil and she was his advocate.

Itachi sighed silently as the indenture was sealed, they now linked forever; he certainly had not seen that coming when he and Kisame found her half dead in the woods. Both Itachi and Reina looked up at Pein who was applauding them, a slight smirk inhabiting his pierced features.

"Well done Reina. Thanks to you, your beloved Neji will not die today. You have done the right thing." Pein crooned at Reina's now weary frame as she struggled to her feet, only to fall back down into the damp, hard ground, her body slumped and tired.

"I done as you wanted, leave Neji be…p-please?" Reina pleaded, her voice trailing off. Pein merely stared down at her the smirk having disappeared from his face; she had tied herself to a rogue ninja all in aid to ensure her fellow ninja would be safe. He admired her dedication even if it was foolish.

"Very well. Now seeing that you are to aid us, think of us as your honorary hosts until the mission is completed." Pein murmured looking to Itachi who was now stood, his cloak back on and buttoned up. "Itachi, she is to stay with you, Kisame is more likely to kill her than make use of her skills, take her to your quarters and clean her up before your mission." Itachi nodded and bowed despite his entire body feeling like someone had rang him out like a dirty dish rag; satisfied that the young Hitori heiress was going to cooperate and not be a hindrance, Pein disappeared from the shadow filled cave.

Itachi exhaled deeply, feeling his lungs stretch before shrinking to their regular size as he ran his fingers through his hair clearing it from his face. He glanced down at Reina, who was shakily pushing herself up once more, her tattered clothes even filthier and more frayed.

"Reina-chan." He murmured, holding out his hand to her. Reina glimpsed up at him, her eyes no longer their gold ore shade, now they were more of a burnt orange and slightly clouded; she said nothing but took his hand begrudging his strength when she was unable to stand without aid. Itachi grasped her hand gently, noting how small it was compared to his own weathered hand as he helped her up.

"Arigatou." She mumbled, steadying herself as her knees quivered slightly.

"Can you walk?" Itachi asked, eyeing her closely as she merely stared at the floor avoiding his gaze. She nodded and cradled her arm, it crossed across her torso in an almost defensive position. Itachi nodded and began leading her around the base once more, occasionally glancing back to keep tabs on her; Reina followed obediently, feeling her spirit broken and her determination dwindling.

Reina squinted her eyes as everything around her continued to become fuzzy, occasionally blacking out in patches; she blinked and rubbed her eyes simply putting it down to exhaustion. Itachi guided her to his quarters, the unadorned room exactly that: a plain room with bare walls and the necessities to get by. Itachi motioned for Reina to enter before him, shutting and locking the sturdy looking door shut behind them; Reina stood awkwardly in the middle of the room resembling a lost child.

"There is a washroom just through there; clean yourself up and I'll get you your things." Itachi spoke softly as he shrugged his cloak off and hung it on a nail on the back of the door, his frame surprisingly slack and at ease compared to his usually stern posture.

"Where gomen?" Reina whispered, her tone laced with slight confusion. Itachi quirked a brow unsure whether she heard him correctly, or whether she heard him at all.

"Through the door there Reina-chan." He repeated as he untied his headband from his head, relishing the freedom from the blasted thing. Reina nodded, a vacant look on her face as her eyes darted about the room frantically before panic set across her features.

"I-Itachi-san…I can't see where you mean…In fact…I can't see at all." Reina stuttered, her lips parted in alarm as her arms spread out in front of her attempting to feel an image for herself. Itachi frowned, the lines under his eyes accentuated as he stepped towards her before he realised: his own vision was crystal clear.

"Let me see Reina-chan." Itachi murmured softly in attempt to calm the panicky kunoichi, he outstretched his hand, carefully grasping hers once more and guided her to the bed the occupied the corner of the room, gently sitting her on the edge as he perched beside her. Reina shuddered anxiously at being so close to the elder Uchiha after all she was still merely a prisoner and pawn in the Akatsuki's plan.

Itachi gently held her face in his hands as he inspected her eyes, his own widening in shock at what he saw.

There in the young kunoichi's orbs was his Sharingan, a perfect copy.

"What is it? It's from the indenture isn't it? I can feel the chakra behind my eyes pulsating…" She whispered, before tearing her face from his hands and coughing violently, just like he had done back in the cave; Reina hunched over as the fit of coughs continued aggressively. Itachi looked down at her sympathetically, having not being able to see this clearly in many years, it was something he missed if he were to admit it.

Reina continued to cough, her throat raw from wrenching the air from her lungs; she hadn't realised the indenture would have had such an effect on the pair, but she had a feeling what had happened.

His ailments had been transferred.

Itachi knew there was nothing he could do for her, it was a matter of waiting out the fits; he too had realised the extent of the indenture, the transference of their hereditary skills and physical ailments. But what he didn't know was how long the transference would last, if it was a permanent state or a passing occurrence.

"W-What is it…Sarcoidosis?" Reina muttered, wiping the specks of blood from her lips with her sleeve, her voice hoarse and tired as her throat burned as if she had walked across Suna with no water. Itachi's now golden eyes widened, no one ever knowing about his condition before now; he grit his teeth and took hold of her by the throat, pushing her back into the bed and hissing lowly.

"You tell no one, do you hear me, tell anyone and I'll kill you." Reina winced under his grip, as she looked up from where his voice came from, her blood-red eyes filled with disappointment.

"That sounds like something Sasuke would say…" She mused, carefully placing her hand over his on her throat and peeling it away gently. "I thought you knew me better than that Itachi-san." Itachi watched her closely with his newly acquired vision, now being able to see her pale features as clear as day. He nodded and resumed his place beside her, hearing her sit up, the bed squeaking under their weight.

"Now can you guide me to the washroom please Itachi-san, I'd like to try and clean the filth and disgust off of me." Reina muttered, her tone filled with the same repugnance she wished to wash from her tired and weary frame. Itachi glanced at her and went to take her hand, their skin brushing for mere milliseconds before she recoiled sharply.

"_Don't_ touch me. Just tell me which direction and how many steps." Reina spat curtly holding her hands up in front of her defensively, emphasising her repulsion and frustration. Itachi stared blankly from her and then elsewhere idly before speaking nonchalantly.

"Stand up, turn right and then take ten paces, you'll find the washroom. Your things will be waiting." Reina nodded and stood from the bed, doing exactly as he said and walking towards the washroom, her arms outstretched in case of oncoming obstacles. Itachi studied her closely with his new unblemished vision noting how she had certainly grown up since their last meeting all those years ago, it came as no surprise to him that she held feelings for the Hyuuga male- for they were inseparable over the years.

He continued to watch her stumble towards the washroom, it obvious that her strength was near diminished; Reina turned around to shut the washroom door, her temporary Sharingan burning brightly, he knew she couldn't see him yet she simply stared at him for a few moments before shutting the door silently.

Reina leaned against the door, slumping her head against the wood silently. She closed her eyes and permitted herself a few moments of silence, the constant static buzzing away in her head once more. She could not quite get her head around the past few days, from merely searching for the Kojiki to meeting the young Uchiha rogue to end up sealing a forbidden contract with his elder brother.

If Sasuke was ever to find out…he'd probably kill her too as part of his revenge.

"Reina you stupid, _foolish_ girl." She muttered to herself, angry that she could not evade them.

_Maybe Atsushi was right, I'm a pitiful ninja…_

Reina grit her teeth together, refusing to let herself cry and appear weak. She was going to get out of this thing alive and _with_ the mirror, if the legendary item even existed. Surely the leader knew it was simply a thing of myth and could not possibly exist? There was only one way to find out.

Pulling herself from her thoughts Reina outspread her arms once more and felt about the almost claustrophobic room, managing to find the bathtub. By now her vision was not completely blank, now it was more of a multitude of blobs and multi-coloured hazes; this was what it was like to see the world through the eyes of the infamous Uchiha Itachi: a blurred world with nothing but patches of dark and the occasional beam of light.

So the great Uchiha Itachi was ill and probably had been at the time of the massacre, Reina pondered as she managed to turn the tap of the rickety sounding bath. As the water sputtered from the faucet Reina searched about the bathroom for towels and anything that would rid her of the dirt and blood that inhabited her body.

Itachi was never a violent child, he was quite the opposite despite being an elite ninja, if anything he was in the profession for the wrong reasons. Reina remembered how he was before the massacre, he idolised Sasuke and often had a small smile plastered on his lips, so surely killers do not appear overnight? She had heard rumours about changes in his behaviour, speaking out in clan meetings and becoming more secretive; but surely he knew he was above the rest and no one within the clan could possibly challenge him, so why say he was testing his skills?

It didn't make sense in her eyes, but at that moment in time she was too tired to pick apart her thoughts any further.

Reina dipped her hand into the bathtub, swishing her hand about the hot water causing the liquid to ripple and splash against her skin- the warm water was pure bliss. Switching the water off Reina scrutinised the room before feeling comfortable with peeling her dirt covered clothes from her aching frame, her pale skin covered in bruises and dried blood. Her clothes fell to the floor in a quiet slump as she stepped into the tub and slid into the water gratefully; she sighed softly and cupped water, allowing the tepid liquid to glide over her happily.

Reina slid beneath the warm water, completely submerging herself; she held her breath and opened her eyes beneath the murky water, it matching her impaired vision. Small bubbles escaped her lips as her lungs attempted to ease the pressure they were under; Reina remained under the water for a few moments before resurfacing, and washing quickly to remove the blood and dirt from her battered body.

But no matter how hard she scrubbed at her bruised skin the guilt and shame that was layered there simply refused to leave. What would her grandmother say if she found out? She would be the disgrace of the entire clan, giving Atsushi another reason to tarnish her name. By now her skin was red raw and stinging harshly yet the disgust she felt was still as strong as ever.

Reina allowed her eyes to close and permitted herself some peace from her thoughts; she leaned over the side of the tub, her body slumped against the side as she folded her arms and used them as makeshift pillows. It was almost instantaneously that she fell asleep, her haunted thoughts once filled with self-loathing and abhorrence now blank and finally tranquil.

•●•

Uchiha Itachi was a patient man, the epitome of patience in fact. He had endured years of pointless violence all without uttering a word of disapproval or hesitation. But now he was tired, he had been waiting for the Hitori heiress to come out of the washroom for nearly half an hour now. He sighed and sat up from his space on the bed, the Kojiki remaining in his place; for the past half an hour he had marvelled at the writing with the book, its scriptures detailed and brimming with traditions of the past. Inwardly he admitted that his new found sight was certainly a treat, some people take for granted their view of the world, not realising how saddening it is to not behold nature's full beauty after Mother Nature had strived for its perfection.

"Reina-chan?" Itachi murmured softly, rapping his knuckles on the door.

No reply.

Thinking the worse he reached for the door handle only to be met with the nuts and bolts of the mechanism rattling away as it continued to block his way. It was then he felt the strangest sensation, slowly the wood of the door began to absorb his hand, his individual fingers sinking into the grain hungrily.

This was the doing of the indenture.

Curious of his impermanent abilities Itachi pressed on further, his arm passing through the door before he too stepped through the door, a sense of permeable weightless overcoming his body. This is what it felt like to have the soujuu kekkai genkai, to be completely at one with the elements and molecular compounds that surrounded you. Once through the door his expression softened at what he saw, there fast asleep was Reina; her exposed back contrasting to the dark metal of the tub.

It was then he noticed two things. One made his lips twitch into the faintest of smiles, the other; the other wiped the brief smile off his face immediately. He would consider asking her about it one day, but now, now he needed to wake the sleeping beauty without seeming like a pervert.

He sighed quietly and unfolded a nearby towel from the basin, holding it out in front of him and calling her name with closed eyes.

"Reina-chan, you need to get out otherwise you'll catch pneumonia."

Reina's eyes shot open, her now stoma-less orbs wide in shock. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself in embarrassment, a slight tremor of fear inhabiting her expression.

"What on earth are you doing in here?!" She muttered, her cheeks flushing a deep scarlet almost matching her eyes; Itachi's eyes remained closed, the towel still extended in his arms.

"Like I said, you'll catch pneumonia…Now come, we have to rest before the mission tomorrow."

Reina eyed him conspicuously before deciding upon moving; wearily she stood from the comforts of the warm water and stealthily wrapped the towel around her, clutching it to her chest as if her life depended on it. But Itachi did not open his eyes once, instead he merely turned around and disappeared from the room as silently as he came; Reina sighed out in relief, having not known just what to expect, the worst thoughts running through her head.

Stepping out of the tub and quickly drying before she noticed something which brought the feeblest of smiles to her lips.

There, extended through the closed door was the arm of Itachi, a bundle of clean clothes in his hand. Perhaps he wasn't the ruthless villain everyone made him out to be, or perhaps he was.

But one thing she was sure about was that Uchiha Itachi still had manners.

Of sorts.


	8. Chapter 8

Mirror, mirror.

"Report."

"Traces of blood and poison were found at the site of the Atsuta Shrine explosion. The poison is definitely that of Akasuna no Sasori and I suspect that the blood traces are that of Hitori Reina. The amount is small so the wound isn't likely to be fatal but…"

"But what?"

"But if she was poisoned then the likelihood is that she is dead or in the possession of the Akatsuki, neither of which are the best circumstances."

Tsunade sighed wearily and leaned back into her chair, her body heavy with burdens and pressure. This was all they needed at a time like this, another shinobi taken from them and one so young and talented. Tsunade shook herself from her thoughts, she was thinking as if the girl was already dead and buried, this was merely a speculation; they would have to go looking for her who knows what the Akatsuki wanted with her or what they would _do_ to her.

"Does her Grandmother know yet?" Tsunade mumbled as she glanced out the window, overlooking the sun as it caressed Konoha affectionately. Kakashi shook his head and murmured from beneath the fabric of his mask.

"No, it would be foolish to announce such things when we don't know the full story. It's probably best to send an Inuzuka member, see if they can pick up her scent." Tsunade nodded and turned in her chair to face him once again, lacing her fingers together and leaning her chin upon them. It was obvious that the Akatsuki were not after her as they were Naruto, but perhaps it was to do with what Reina knew, everyone in the village knew she was an old soul and practically lived in the museum and lecture halls- perhaps it had something to do with that.

"Hitori Reina was sent after the missing Kojiki wasn't she; would the Akatsuki have needs for that maybe?" Tsunade questioned, still puzzled by the young heiress's disappearance, Kakashi quirked a silver brow pondering to himself. The Kojiki was the book of beginnings, depicting the myths and legends of the founding Gods, what would the Akatsuki want with a book of bedtime stories?

But it was exactly these bedtime stories that they were interested in and Hitori Reina was the person to find the substance to those myths and make them a reality.

•●•

"Stay here, I'll be back soon. Do not leave this room, I'll know where you are remember, so _stay._" Itachi murmured as he buttoned up his cloak, the obsidian fabric concealing his war stricken frame. Reina simply stared at him blankly from her spot on the rickety cot bed, her hands bound by a thin rope of glowing chakra; Itachi certainly wasn't taking anything to chance even with the indenture binding them.

"You say that like I have a choice in the matter Itachi-san." Reina retorted sarcastically rolling her now ochre eyes, her previously scarlet irises having fused back to their honey like shade; Itachi merely quirked a brow returning the blank stare with one of his own, his Sharingan burning brightly once more. But things were different this time around, this time his eyes were not burdened with patches of hazy colours and blurred shapes. This time around he could make out the dust that flittered in streams of light from nearby candles and finely scribed books that inhabited the shelves.

All because of the young woman that sat before him.

Itachi supposed they were even now, he had brought her back from the brink of death and she had given him his eyes back. How Sasuke would lament if he knew she had aided him. Itachi glanced over the silent kunoichi once more before leaving the room, leaving her to realise the magnitude of her situation. Reina watched him go mutely before glancing down at her secured hands, the chakra glowing pale blue as it twisted around her slender wrists.

"Right, first thing's first…get these off." Reina muttered to herself as she sighed quietly, but then the strangest of things happened. Without even concentrating on fortifying her chakra to override the bindings, the thin lace like thread of Itachi's chakra simply dissipated with a quiet hiss; Reina blinked in awe feeling a gentle tingle envelope her wrists where the chakra had previously circled.

To be bound to someone was a huge step in anyone's life, like marriage or signing the lease to a house, both are significant turning points in a person's life. But to be physically and eternally bound to a person who you knew in what would seem a past life, and to top it off that person being a dangerous and infamous rogue ninja? Well that made marriage seem like a synch.

Itachi was not even present in the room and she could sense the beating of his heart, the calm rhythmic pulse thumping away inside his chest; it was the strangest sensation she had ever encountered in her life, it was as if she could open a map and directly pin point his location and record his physical condition on a chart with medical precision.

With her thoughts lingering on the effects of the indenture Reina pondered about Itachi's ailments. For just how long had he been battling the illness, conquering fits of violent, bloody coughs and the fading light that ebbed away from his eyes? Would she now suffer the same fate? Would her throat constrict and become agitated, so badly that it felt like something had clawed at her throat viciously? Or would her now crystal clear sight become hazy and clouded to a point of nothingness?

Only time would tell.

Instinctively and unknowingly Reina rubbed her wrists as if they had been bound for days on end; she knew Itachi could have been cruel to her, acting without mercy or any sort of empathy, but the thing she found was that he retained some shred of human compassion towards her.

It was probably out of pity but she was grateful none the less.

Reina knew it was pointless attempting to escape, the moment she left the room Itachi would know and would be on her like a tonne of bricks, she dared not think of the consequences the wrath of the eldest Uchiha would ensue. Did anyone in Konoha know she was missing? Would they send someone to try and find her? Did Neji make it home safely as the Leader promised he would?

_Oh Kami…_

Reina hung her head in her hands, her eyes wide in distress as her thoughts continued to race around her head like a perpetual spinning top that refused to end. Then another thing hit her.

Did her Grandmother know she was missing?

"Baa-chan…" Reina whispered, her eyes tearing up slightly at the scenarios that flooded her thoughts. Her Grandmother meant everything to her, to think what the stress of her only granddaughter being taken hostage by the Akatsuki would do to her. Tomo's heart was frail enough as it was without that sort of burden laying heavy on it.

_I have to get out of here._

Reina wiped her eyes with her sleeves, sniffling ever so slightly as she found the will to carry on and return home in one piece. If the Akatsuki wanted the Yata no Kagami then they would get it, perhaps not in one piece but they would get it none the less. Reina reached for the Kojiki and placed it on her lap briefly admiring the aged cover before flicking through each individual ripened page as her eyes scanned the all too familiar information that occupied the pages.

The mirror and the Yasakanino magatama were hung from a tree to lure out Amaterasu from a cave. They were given, with the sword Kusanagi, to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, when he went to pacify the lands and from then on they resided with the Imperial House. But the lands were torn apart with war and the mirror and jewel were lost over time; the one place that would possibly shine light upon the whereabouts of the mirror was the Grand Ise Shrine- the shrine of Amaterasu-ōmikami.

Reina's head shot up from the comforts of the book as the door knob rattled; her heart skipped a beat as the door swung open only it wasn't Itachi that stood at the other side.

Deidara.

"So from prisoner to the personal whore of Uchiha un. You didn't strike me as the whore type Reina un." Deidara smirked, entering the already cramped room and closing the only means of escape behind him; Reina narrowed her amber eyes and glared dangerously at the blue eyed blonde. "Aww did I hit a sore spot un? It's okay un, some kunoichi pose as whores I believe un." His lips twisted into a wider smirk; it almost resembled that of a Cheshire cat except his smirk was wicked and twisted.

"Is that what you're doing then? Posing as a shinobi in the Akatsuki? It's alright someone told me that ninja often pose as whores…" Reina retorted nonchalantly, placing the Kojiki back on the bed and eyeing the blonde suspiciously; Deidara grit his teeth together having expected the brunette's will to have been broken in by now, not flaring up and biting back.

"You'll pay for that and for almost killing me with my own art un." Deidara paced towards her, the animosity loud and clear in his expression. Reina stood and backed away from the storming blonde feeling her back meet the hard, cold wall, this made Deidara's smirk widen even further.

"Has the whore ran out of places to run un?" He dove for the collar of her shirt only to be pushed away forcefully, the clear determination and fire burning in her eyes. "You're feisty un. Good un. It'll make this all the more satisfying un." Deidara spat and he lunged towards her once more, this time more ferociously.

Reina inhaled sharply as she miscalculated his speed, his hand making contact with her pale skin; she winced for a nanosecond ignoring her now throbbing split lip. She could feel the scarlet liquid begin to ooze and trickle from the tender abrasion, the lack of iron in her blood standing out to attention. Deidara let out a small chuckle of accomplishment, flexing his hand in victory. Reina glared darkly and quickly ducked beneath his arm and reached into his back, her hand disappearing beneath layers of flesh and bone before it found the pumping muscle in his chest.

"Run yes. Fight, no." Reina hissed into his ear giving his heart an ever so light squeeze, the results proving quite effective; Deidara coughed violently, his eyes wide as he clawed at his chest to stop the excruciating pain.

"Now _get out_." Reina grabbed a fistful of his cloak continuing to keep a hold of his heart, a mere precaution as she dragged him towards the door quickly opening it and throwing him into the not so vacant hallway. Deidara staggered and balanced himself opposite the doorway, his chest heaving heavily to regulate his breathing and erratic pulse. But it wasn't merely Reina and Deidara that inhabited the hallway, there standing in the darkened hallway was Kisame, his cerulean face plastered with a toothy smile.

"Did I just miss out on some girl on girl action? Well _damn_."Kisame mused, leaning against the wall eyeing a fuming Deidara amusedly; Deidara grit his teeth once more, the calcium grinding dully and almost yelping out in pain.

"That stupid bitch almost killed me, you Baka un!" Deidara spat, the saliva sprouting into the air. Reina scoffed and leaned against the door, wiping her bleeding lip silently noting how the ostentatious blonde had a flair for drama. Her scoff earned her both a vicious glare and an amused grin; but her scoff also earned her another look, but this look was from neither male that stood in the hall.

Itachi entered the dim passage his ruby eyes adding to the rising tension; Kisame quirked a brow curious as to how the young Sharingan master would take to the situation. Reina glanced up at the dark haired shinobi briefly before slinking away back into the room.

"Leave us Kisame." Itachi murmured, his voice muffled from behind his high collar, Kisame sighed softly and nodded, pushing himself off of the wall and disappeared from sight knowing all too well to act out against his partner. Deidara scowled at Itachi as he stepped forward invading any personal space that had previously existed; Itachi leaned closer whispering darkly into the blonde's ear.

"Touch her again and I'll slit open your abdomen and wear your entrails as jewellery." Deidara's single blue orb widened slightly, feeling a tremor of pure fear run down his spine; he knew of Itachi's past and knew that despite his cool façade that he would prove true to his words.

He was blonde, but he wasn't a complete fool.

Itachi, satisfied that the blonde had heeded his words turned swiftly and walked into his quarters, only after sending a sharp look at Deidara once more emphasising his promise. Reina glanced up at the stern looking Uchiha expecting a lecture or a cold glare of indignation but she didn't receive that.

"Did he…" Itachi asked, taking the small spot beside her, Reina shook her head and stared at her folded hands briefly before looking up at the poker faced Uchiha.

"What did you say to him?" Reina asked, curiosity lingering in her words; Itachi glanced over at her, crimson meeting gold.

"Nothing, simply reminded him of something." She nodded and averted her eyes from his feeling uneasy simply staring into the seemingly ebbing Sharingan. Itachi however did not avert his eyes, he studied the silent the kunoichi closely, noting how she had changed from their younger years. Now she had become a hardened shinobi yet compared to him she was still sheltered by the comforts of her family; they were both different and similar in their ways, she was a warm and cheerful person in comparison to his reserved and cool persona.

If things had ever been different Itachi could have imagined that they would have kept good company together or at least have been close acquaintances as the situation at hand was not the best of circumstances, even _he_ could admit that. If only the Uchiha clan had not been so pretentious and power hungry, then neither of them would be here and Sasuke would have his elder brother there to show him the ways of the world…and not that serpentine sannin.

"What are you so regretful about Itachi-san?" Reina whispered hesitantly as she gazed up at him, he hadn't realised she had returned his look for had been too lost in thought. He frowned ever so slightly, quirking a brow at her question.

"Why do you ask that Reina-chan?" He asked studying her paler than usual features as they flooded with hesitant inquisitiveness: she was afraid of him in other words. Reina paused before giving her response feeling rather foolish for asking such a thing, but she couldn't help it, it felt like she had been washed with a tsunami of regret, the feeling having appeared from absolute nothingness to pure repentance.

"I…I can feel your remorse. It feels like dull emptiness blooming in my chest and the feeling has something to do with Sasuke-san…Do…do you miss him Itachi-san?" It was then that Itachi's expression hardened, his jaw tightening with her words; this indenture could prove hazardous if their bond was not simply a physical one. If she could feel his inhibitions, then he would have to be even more careful around this young woman.

Things were most definitely working out differently than they were intended to be.

"Of course not, he is weak, pathetic and lacks hatred." Itachi replied curtly as he stood and dusted off the imaginary flecks of dirt from his cloak; Reina flinched a little with his sudden change in tone, closing her eyes half expecting to be struck for her insolence, but again, no such thing occurred, instead Itachi merely spoke again, his usual stern and solemn voice present once more. "Now gather your things we leave for the mission now. Do you have any leads on where the mirror could be?"

Reina stood and nodded weakly as she fastened her own dark cloak making sure that the Kojiki was safe at her side, hidden beneath the black fabric.

"Hai, I believe we have a chance of finding it or at least clues to its whereabouts in the Grand Ise Shrine." Reina replied, looking up at him as she attempted to shake off the feeling of regret and the lack of energy that overwhelmed her; she hadn't eaten in goodness knows how long and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Itachi sighed softly as he too began to feel his own energy slipping away from him as if it was being sapped away greedily.

"You're anaemic aren't you?" He murmured eyeing her weary frame, his eyes settling on her bloodied lip, her pallid skin emphasising the inflamed cut and the shadowy bags that had accumulated under her eyes. Itachi felt a pang of anger bubbling away in his stomach dreading to think what Deidara would have done if Reina had not been able to hold her own.

"Hai, I have blood infusions to correct it so…" Reina replied nonchalantly, twisting her hair into a low chignon at the nape of her neck, awaiting orders obediently, ignoring the rumble in her stomach unsure whether it was hunger calling out to her or another side effect of the indenture. Reina was determined to get out of this alive, she would lead them to the mirror and escape, preferably she would escape _before_ they found the mirror, if it even existed that was.

"We'll stop at the kitchen before we leave, Kisame is there anyway." He murmured motioning her to follow with a mere inclination of his head as he stood at the doorway, his presence forever looming.

"What about my katana?" Reina asked spontaneously having completely forgotten about then confiscated blade. Silently Itachi peeled away the opening of his cloak, revealing the adorned scabbard slung neatly around his hips; wordlessly he quirked a brow in answer to her question, neatly redoing the clasps prior to turning on his heels and leaving the room. Reina nodded following him into the eerie hallways once more, the maze of corridors able of confusing even the most astute of people. Reina eyed the back of Itachi idly as they walked noting how his lowly slung ponytail would swish and sway almost rhythmically like a pendulum.

She supposed that she had been lucky so far; she had avoided torture and evaded death…for the time being that was. One false move and she could end up in the gutter and her Grandmother wouldn't be any the wiser. With her head so far in the clouds and lost in thought Reina failed to realise that Itachi had halted in his tracks, she walked straight into him receiving a chest full of fabric in her face.

"Ah g-gomenasai Itachi-san." Reina stuttered, bowing slightly in apology, her own bangs swaying as she inclined her head lowly; Itachi merely quirked a brow at the quieter than usual kunoichi shrugging it off until a later time as now they had a mission to carry out as preposterous as it may be.

"Kisame we're leaving." Itachi murmured, his tone firm and regaining its authority as he entered the kitchen and walked straight past the grinning shark-man. Kisame grinned over at Reina who had peeped her head into the room; she glanced about at the other member who sat at a large wooden table, the grain heavily worn and tattered.

The table was ladened with piled coins, each pile assembled with regimental accuracy. This person was either the treasurer or simply meticulous with his pocket money. Her eyes met with the mysterious money-counting member's who stared at her indifferently, Reina shifted on the spot feeling uneasy being scrutinised, after what seemed like an eternity the green eyed male turned back to Kisame and muttered casually.

"Good thing Deidara didn't have his way, this one looks expensive and I'm not paying for the idiot's pastime of whores." Kisame glimpsed over at Reina briefly before glancing at Itachi who seemed oblivious to their conversation.

"He didn't get the chance Kakuzu! She had him quivering like a little girl, tougher than she looks this one." Kisame's beady eyes met Reina's gold ones, the pair exchanging a small smile, Kisame's sharpened teeth gleaming in the dim light whilst Reina's lips twitched into a faint smile. Kisame held his gaze for a few moments more pondering to himself silently. This girl had managed to hold off two infamous Akatsuki members by herself, not crumble into a thousand pieces after meeting the leader and disrupted the advances of a dramatic adolescent- the mission could definitely prove interesting.

"I'm still not paying for her, easy on the eyes or not." Kakuzu muttered continuing to pile his coins and jot down his findings in a scatty looking notebook, the pages torn and stained from years of heavy handed use and abuse.

"She is not a prostitute; she is to aid us on a mission." Itachi cut in abruptly, turning and facing the intimidating pair; despite his smaller and calmer stature Itachi was up there with the best of them and could silence a room with a single glare. Reina shuddered inwardly, his eyes meeting hers; it felt like he was staring straight through her, burning a hole in her flesh as if he were using his Amaterasu technique.

Kakuzu shrugged unfazed and obviously disinterested in the young Uchiha's words and continued to log his winnings; by this time Kisame was standing to attention, the legendary sword strapped to his back making him seemingly taller and more menacing. Itachi left the room once more silently handing Reina a small wrapped bundle; she looked from the linen bundle back to him with a wash of gratitude on her freckled features.

"Arigatou Itachi-san." She whispered almost silently, stepping aside as Kisame stepped into the hallway, giving Reina a once over look before walking ahead alongside his partner, his arms folded behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"Ne Itachi-san what's the mission then?" Kisame asked, his broad frame towering over both Itachi and Reina. She had heard rumours of when the pair had first come into contact with Naruto and how Jiraiya had managed to fend them off, Naruto was lucky to say the least, Sasuke however was not, having had a rather nasty clash with his elder brother.

As Itachi began to explain the details of the mission to his blue skinned partner, Reina pondered silently to herself as she unwrapped the bundle and eyed its contents. It was sad to see such a relationship between the two brothers go so sour; they were almost inseparable in their younger years, the talk of the town. Now? Now the youngest had a vendetta against his last of kin; how would Sasuke feel if he were to claim his revenge? To have absolutely no family left to console him, to be completely and utterly alone.

It was him she truly pitied.

They left the dreary shadows of the lair, the sun grazing over the lands once more; Reina had almost forgotten what the smell of fresh air was like or to have the sun caress her tired and washout skin. Occasionally the villainous duo would glance back at Reina, sometimes motioning her to hurry up or ask minor details about the mission. Reina knew Itachi was acquainted with the tale of the mythical mirror and could probably find it himself as he was no illiterate fool so why the Akatsuki sort her out specifically was beyond her reasoning.

If indeed they were to come across a trail of breadcrumbs that led to mirror, it would be no minor task; in fact she was unsure whether they would believe her if she told them half of the things she expected to encounter on this journey. If her readings were correct then what lay ahead was completely unheard of and out of this world, quite literally in fact. Reina paused from her thoughts and unravelled the bundle, her eyes lighting up a little as she spotted a dark red apple amongst the few items; packing the rest away she admired the blood coloured flesh momentarily.

Itachi deterred his eyes from the dust of the pebble laden road temporarily to glance back at the silent kunoichi only to smile ever so slightly from behind the comforts of his collar. Reina despite her split lip and reddened skin had the softest of smiles dancing on her peach tinged lips. It had been years since he had seen her smile; she was known in the village for being such a smiley and cheerful person even despite her youth she portrayed a sense of wisdom beyond her years, something he could relate to.

His gaze lingered on silently content heiress, watching as she studied the fleshy fruit as if calculating where to take her first bite; she brought the apple to her mouth and took a dainty bite, her lips brushing over the skin as she did. A soft, barely present chuckle rumbled in her throat as fruit juice sprayed from the bite, it clinging to her lips as she chewed delicately.

Women were curious creatures, they could perform the simplest of tasks and ooze seduction; it was innate in men no matter their occupation or upbringing to find sexuality in the meekest of actions when it came to women. Most women were blessed with poise and grace, the air would be sporadically filled with them and only certain people would appreciate the humble traits.

Reina feeling the nectar beginning the drip from her lips quickly licked it away, savouring its momentary sweetness before feeling a conversant set of eyes upon her. She looked up to where the gaze was coming from only to meet a familiar pair of rubicund orbs gazing back at her; she felt her cheeks flush faintly wondering if he had been staring all this time? Did she eat in an odd way or something?

Unsure as to just what the dark haired male wanted from her, she held out the apple wordlessly receiving an arched brow in return, but he did not refuse her offer. Silently the broody Uchiha took the dark fruit from her hand and took a bite, his lips smacking together to catch the rebellious sap, his eyes still locked with hers before handing the apple back.

She had fallen from grace, stained with sin and was now sharing forbidden fruit with the devil himself.

He and she were damned.


	9. Chapter 9

Mirror, mirror.

As one generation is brought into the world and another leaves it, legends are born and some are forgotten; but it is those founding myths and legends that irrevocably leave their mark on each generation. It is those establishing tales that teach the younger individuals to respect their elders and if they disobey the heeding of their parents and go out into the dark alone they are likely to be eaten and mutilated by peripatetic oni's.

However sometimes the bedtime stories that eccentric parents depict in flamboyant nightly performances have truth behind their ostentatious words and only some children take into account the moral of their parent's bedtime tale. It is these children who will throw salt over their left shoulder to cleanse themselves or avoid looking into the eyes of a raven as doing so will bring misfortune into their lives.

Reina was one of them children.

Every passing shrine or temple she would pray for the spirits of the deceased, regardless of their relationship to her. After years of reading the founding myths and accounts of demonic sightings she felt confident with her knowledge of the spirits and their associates, and this time was no different.

The nights are dark and full of terrors, oni's and spirits hiding themselves in whatever way they are able, some however are more open with their existence, the poor unfortunate souls who encounter them meeting prematurely with death. These are the souls that wander about after dark luring innocent, or not so innocent humans, towards their imminent fate; unless they had heard upon the wind about these beings people would be oblivious to their existence, carry on with their day to day tasks.

But it was one of them nights where the creatures of the night came out to play- and they were out in force.

The trio had been walking for days and by now their feet ached and their backs weary; the light that once covered the land had now crept away and the creatures of the night skulked from their hideouts. They would reach the Grand Ise Shrine by morning, the shrine bordering a nearby town, but first? First they would rest their aching bodies and replenish their empty stomachs; Reina remained behind the cloaked duo her eyes taking in the occasional roadside flower or foraging animal. She had been surprised how _civil_ Kisame had been towards her, rumours of his ferocity and violent thrill of forcefulness had graced her ears many a time but she had not received a threat…as of yet that was.

The same could be said for the solemn Sharingan master, ever since the indenture and the secret of his ailment had surfaced Itachi had not threatened her; deep down Reina could sense that he trusted her to some degree to not let his secret slip. Why would she, it was not her secret to tell, she had nothing to gain from the world knowing the infamous Uchiha Itachi was ill. Illness was a way of the world, some suffering more than others, and it just so happened that Itachi was one to suffer in silence.

But admittedly his silence intrigued Reina; he was an anomaly to say the least; had things been different Reina could imagine herself to have enjoyed the company of the eldest Uchiha. She could imagine him to enjoy the simpler things in life, quaint cafés that lay in back streets but served the most delicious of food or rare first edition books that other people would normally overlook for the more popular of smut people called literature.

Yes, Reina could imagine to have gotten along rather swell with him.

Once again Reina's thoughts were broken by a familiar feeling in her stomach; looking up from the weed ridden road her eyes met with the focus of her thoughts: Itachi. Over the past few days she had grown accustomed to feeling his gaze upon her but it was never a hateful sentiment which she found bizarre, if bizarre was the right word to describe it; if anything she noted a glint of curiosity in his dark eyes.

Their eyes remained locked for what seemed an eternity before Kisame broke the surprisingly comfortable silence, his gruff and wry voice cutting the quiet hush.

"Ne do you here that? Sounds like crying." His beady eyes scanned the sides of the wood lined road, the sheaves of grass swaying gently in the breeze. Reina narrowed her eyes as the crying became louder and even more piercing to the ears; she watched the blue skinned giant as he began to wade through the grass, it parting to reveal the cause of screeching.

A baby.

"Would you believe that…a kid." Kisame noted surprise lacing his words, he looked over at Itachi as if waiting for orders; he bent down to pick the wailing child up only to be stopped by Reina, her arm acting as a barrier between the shark-like man and posing child. Kisame frowned having not heard her approach, his lips parted to reveal an array of sharpened teeth as he looked back to his partner, the confusion and uncertainty written clearly on his scaly features. Itachi nodded urging him to leave her be, his eyes continuing to be filled with inquisitiveness as they followed her.

"Don't pick it up…it's not a child." Reina murmured quietly, removing her arm and looking up at Kisame, her voice soft and littered with curiosity having not come across something like that in person before now.

Kisame wrinkled his nose whilst Itachi quirked a brow; the rest of his face remaining impassive as they waited for her reason. Reina lifted her gaze to meet Kisame's before gracing the pair with the explanation they longed for.

"It's a yōkai, a Konaki-jiji to be more precise." She murmured, kneeling down to exam the now suddenly silent yōkai, its eyes glowing from a hazel brown to a clouded grey as it stared intently back at her. Kisame frowned leaning in closer to inspect the scowling being before looking to Reina unsure as to why she told him not to pick it up. "If you were to pick it up it would turn into a boulder and crush you beneath it." Reina replied sensing his ambiguity. She had only read of such things prior to this and she knew that if they continued on this journey that they would encounter yōkai's _far_ more vengeful and dangerous.

They would have to be on their guard.

"You're kidding right?" Kisame asked in disbelief. Itachi stared from his place on the path, briefly glancing at the phantom child with slight disbelief; he could feel Reina's anxiety bubble in both of their stomachs. He would do his best to keep her safe, without her this mission was doomed before it even began. Itachi continued to watch Reina closely as she stood watching with a slight look of awe on her expression as Kisame drew the infamous samehada from his back, the heavy sword hitting the ground with a dull thud, the earth indenting where it made impact.

"What are you doing? You can't kill it, it's already dead…" Reina stated bluntly, quirking a brow wondering if Kisame had ever even read a scroll about folklore before, needless to say she received her answer when he lunged towards the Konaki-jiji, a wide wicked grin spread upon his face. She sighed softly and dismissed the overwhelming presence of testosterone that now inhabited the lush grassy area; returning to the path she stood beside Itachi attempting to fix her straggled hair, cringing inwardly at its untidiness.

"He won't be able to harm it, he _might_ be able to drain its essence with samehada _but_…other than that? It's futile." Reina murmured softly as she re-twisted the chignon at the nape of her neck, the occasional stray hair blowing across her face. Itachi nodded heeding her words knowing she was right, Kisame was fuelled by violence and jumped at the chance to cause bloodshed and this time was no different.

"We will move on, let him get it out his system. He will know where to find us." Itachi muttered obviously oblivious to his partner's aggressive antics; Reina nodded and allowed yet another sigh to pass her still split lip. By now the Konaki-jiji had transformed into a weepy looking man, his wrinkled face whitewashed as he shimmered from one place to another, avoiding the manic swipes of Kisame with ease.

Reina continued to watch the giant scaled sword swing and glide through the air, she had to admit Kisame was truly a master in his own right and prayed to the gods that she never had to experience him in battle. But what he lacked in brains in specific areas, he certainly made up for in sheer brawn. Reina continued to watch the pointless battle unfold before her eyes, the Konaki-jiji shrieking woefully as it floated through the air, its translucent body mimicking her own permeable state, passing through tree trunks fleetingly.

"Reina-chan, come." Itachi ordered quietly as stood ahead of her, the metal of his headband glinting in the light of moon; she had not realised how late it was as she glanced back at the duelling pair for the last time before continuing down the winding road, her captor beside her as they went.

The forest that once inhabited either side of the road had now dissipated from sight, being replaced with paddy fields and hanging lanterns that illuminated age worn road signs. Reina inhaled deeply savouring the fresh air that filled her lungs, the cold air slightly stinging the back of her throat, yet it was a pleasant sensation not that of harsh winter ice.

But winter _was_ coming.

Autumn was nearing the end of it reign, the leaves beginning to wither and free fall from the trees and shrubs; only the vivacious evergreens remained, standing proudly against the rotting landscape. She liked the winter though, it was her favourite time of year; her ideology was that it was easier to warm up rather than to cool down so she didn't mind throwing on an extra layer to keep toasty. Reina was a winter baby through and through, arriving into the world in January she was no stranger to darkening skies and frosty morning starts.

But her thoughts took a turn, if they did indeed find the mirror or manage to get away unscathed then there would be no more winter. If Pein used the mirror he could wipe out entire cities and provinces with one single use of the mirror; Reina felt her stomach turn with dread, she was unsure whether the Akatsuki fully understood the sheer power the mirror held. It was the mirror of Amaterasu, similar to Itachi's technique it possessed the power of the sun, blindly destroying anything in its path if it fell into the wrong hands.

She couldn't allow that to happen.

"Reina-chan?...Reina-chan." She was stopped abruptly, the fabric on her cloak tugging her backwards, her thoughts instantly dispersing away as she looked back at Itachi, his usual impassive expression present on his dark features as he released the back of her cloak. "We're here, don't say anything, just stay close." He murmured as he motioned to the surprisingly hectic Ryokan, the sound of the customers chatter and laughter mingling with upbeat shamisen melodies as they flooded through the decorative paper screens.

Reina nodded doing as she was told and stayed hot on his heels, inwardly cringing as the stench of sake filled her nostrils along with cheap perfume, a concoction she most disfavoured. A look of distaste washed over her features, her rosy lips twisting into a grimace of disgust; Itachi glanced back at her silently musing at her expression despite a lack of his own. The pair entered the chocker establishment, removing their shoes as they did; Itachi approached the reception and did not even have to utter a word, the host bowed lowly handed him a room key and glanced over at Reina, a questioning look appearing on his aged features.

"She will be accompanying me tonight. I assume everything is in order?" Itachi interjected brusquely, staring down at the host sternly instilling a sense of fear into his very core, Reina could practically feel the colour drain away from his face. The host nodded his head rapidly, gulping slightly as he motioned for the pair to head to their lodging; Itachi gave the host a slight inclination of his head, murmuring a quiet 'arigatou' as he too motioned to Reina to follow.

Reina huddled close to the solemn Uchiha instinctively as drunken samurai escorted by painted geishas stumbled through the halls, slurring their words and laughing manically as they swigged overcompensating mouthfuls of rice wine. Social drinking never appealed to Reina, the nasty aftertaste that alcohol left in her mouth made her feel queasy, never mind staying out all day and night drinking the stuff, she preferred a pot of tea and a good book _any_ day over that.

She half expected the hallways to become less crowded as they continued towards their quarters but they didn't, if anything the lantern laced corridors became overwhelmed with couples staggering in their drunken stupors. The air was thick with lustful hormones, almost suffocating in fact as people openly displayed their shameless affections like animals in heat.

"You're a pretty little thing aren't cha!" Reina cringed feeling warm breath crawl down the back of her neck, her hair standing to attention; but before she had a chance to react Itachi manoeuvred her behind him, his arm swathed around her almost in a possessive manner. The burly looking man towered over the pair, his face covered in unkempt facial hair, even his topknot was tatty and disorderly. Reina held on to the back of Itachi's cloak, the dark fabric bundled in her hands as she glimpsed out from behind him, slightly taken back by his speed and abrupt movements.

"You have no desire to pursue her further, you were in fact admiring the flower arrangement down the hall _not her_." Itachi stated sharply, his Sharingan in full swing as he stared intensely at the drunken ronin; the ronin attempted to come back with a smart remark only to become instantly spellbound by the lethal technique. His face becoming expressionless as he entered the hypnotised state almost leaning in to get a closer look at the ebbing stomas; Reina watched in awe as he nodded and turned around, plodding off in an ogre like manner to admire the said flower arrangement.

"You are proving difficult, just not in the way I expected it." Itachi cogitated aloud, glancing down at Reina, the Sharingan bleeding away from his eyes to a dark blend of cocoa; she frowned a little unsure of his words as he opened the door and motioned her to enter. She complied and whispered a quiet thank you as she stood beside the door glancing about the surprisingly decorative room, her eyes blinking having not expected the room to be adorned in such a way.

Autumn.

That was what the room reminded her of; shades of red, oranges and gold splashed across the intricately embellished room. It was obvious to her that the Akatsuki or at least Itachi and Kisame were in good faith with the owner, protection perhaps? The tatami matted floor matching the colour scheme with ease; even the shoji screen door depicted autumn scenes, moulting tree bidding farewell to their leaves as the wind carried them off. She had never seen a futon that looked so comfortable and well…fluffy. The said futon had been dressed to perfection, the covers folded neatly yet retaining its appeal; the pillow was just asking to be rested upon almost tantalising her.

"The water closet is through the door beside you if you wish to freshen up, food has been sent for and will arrive shortly." Itachi said as he undone his cloak, folding it and placing it beside one of the futons. Reina nodded glancing at the ornate shoji screens once more before taking her leave. The bathroom was as decorative as the main room, the wooden panelled bathtub even more tantalising than the futon; Reina turned the tap on, relishing the instantly hot water filling the rather deep tub. She hadn't realised how deep the tub actually was until she measured it against herself; now considering her height was a gracious and petite five foot two inches, anything above her waist was considered fairly deep.

For a bathtub especially.

With the water filling up and the complimentary bath salts dissolving in the hot water Reina set to organising her own toiletries which were still intact in her bag surprisingly. She knew that she had a slight obsessiveness when it came to certain things, and arranging her toiletries in height order and order of use was one of them. When she was satisfied that her belongings were all aligned correctly she shed her clothes quickly having making sure that the door was securely locked, she dreaded having a repeat of unwanted visitors.

The water was as heavenly and welcoming as she expected it to be; the water reached her shoulders washing away the grime that somehow managed to accumulate on her pale skin and in her hair. Reina sighed happily rinsing the fresh water through her tangled locks, running her fingers through her dark tresses contently; she pondered silently to herself, another reason she put off taking the ANBU exams was in fact pitiful but she placed cleanliness next to godliness despite her lack of continual religious allegiance. She couldn't imagine having to wash away the blood of another from her body; the thought of the water running crimson repelled her.

Before long her hair was as clean as a whistle and her skin invigorated with the help of scented washes, her lip stinging as the scented liquid made contact causing her to wince ever so slightly. But she was clean and her aches had disappeared and that was all that mattered to her; Reina glanced about the room, a folded burgundy yukata catching her eyes. Drying quickly she donned the yukata gliding over her skin in an almost affectionate manner; she tied it with the upmost precision, the obi belt tucked neatly within itself, accentuating her womanly figure.

Reina smiled faintly to herself in the mirror as she fingered the small garnet gem that had remained around her neck throughout the entire ordeal; her parents were looking out for her and would always be with her despite past occasions. Reina stared at herself in the mirror for mere moments which felt like an eternity, it was not in a vain manner, it was more in the sense of searching for an answer to a question which had been eating away at her for days.

Why had she grown so comfortable in the company of the infamous Uchiha Itachi?

He was her captor, the man forcing her to cooperate with a rogue ninja organisation's evil dastardly plan; yet she found herself not minding herself being in close proximity of him. He hadn't exactly been cruel to her, in fact he had been civil and _courteous_ towards her. Reina pouted her lips in thought as she began to draw the water from her hair; the water molecules started to leave the individual strands of hair without over drying them. Eventually her hair was soft and dry once more, the dark locks falling about her child-like face sporadically as they danced down the front and back of her shoulders in gentle cascaded curls.

Knowing that her reflection was not going to give her the answers Reina exhaled quietly glancing at the door hearing a quiet rap at the wood's grain. Opening the door she noted that Itachi was no longer in his own clothes, that he too had donned the complimentary yukata and washed the dirt from himself, the scarlet fabric very befitting for the young Sharingan master.

"The food has arrived." He murmured motioning to the lowly slung table beside the futons, it residing in between the pair. Reina smiled gratefully as she took her place at the table, Itachi sitting beside her; she noted how bizarre it was for a captor and their captive to civilly sit down to dinner together. Itachi watched Reina closely finding the quiet girl oddly intriguing; most prisoners acted the hero and cut their lives short because of pride and lack of intelligence. But Reina, he knew Reina knew how to play the game without making the situation more difficult than it had to be.

If anything it was a peculiarly welcomed change to the usual mission.

Too distracted by his thoughts Itachi failed to realise that Reina had spoken to him, her voice gentle with a hint of hesitation to it as she repeated herself.

"Itachi-san, your necklace…" She murmured as she scooted closer to him with a sense of refinement to her movements, she knelt beside him, their knees brushing against one another as she leaned in close. Reina looked to the elder Uchiha for permission which she received, a mere nod of his head as he continued to gaze down at her; Reina smiled shyly as she knelt up, her fingers brushing the cool metal of his necklace.

Itachi inspected Reina more closely as the distance between them had waned; he noted just how many freckles she had splashed across her pale skin which he strangely had not noticed before now. He remained perfectly still as she fiddled with his necklace moving it around his neck so the three stoma were aligned correctly, the clasp having moved into sight throughout the day. He smiled inwardly, the secretive smile solely for him as he watched the expression of pure determinedness on her face; her lips twisted into a satisfied smile almost resembling an artist admiring their finished masterpiece.

"Gomenasai…it vexes me when the clasp moves." Reina admitted timidly, a faint splash of pink brewing in her cheeks as she went to retreat back to her place only to be stopped in her tracks. Itachi held onto her arm gently keeping her where she was as he quirked a brow in slight amusement.

"Considering it vexes you, you seem to have committed your own pet hate." He crooned lowly, his voice as velvety as hers; Reina blinked in slight embarrassment noting how her own clasp had mimicked his yet gone unnoticed. Itachi let a rare remnant of a chuckle rumble at the back of his throat as he carefully brushed her hair over shoulders, his fingers barely brushing her skin yet causing her to hold back a shiver that rolled down her spine.

If an unprejudiced person were to view the on-going scenario between the pair they would assume they were lovers, the animosity that should be present replaced with a welcomed wave of calmness and certain degree of trust. Itachi gracefully grasped the dainty gold chain, his gentile actions juxtaposing his lethal reputation as he carefully rotated the chain to its desired position. Reina stared at him in minor incredulity, catching a short-lived smile that danced on his lips for the most fleeting of moments, ignoring the chill when his fingers grazed over her exposed collarbones.

Reina breathed silently as if anxious to disrupt the rare moment; this was the Itachi she had known briefly all those years ago, it was_ touching_ to see that a remnant of his former self still existed. She hadn't realised before just how appealing the elder Uchiha smelt, it reminded her slightly of Neji in fact; a wood like tone with an undertone of mulled spice, it reminded her of the winter months were the aroma of mulled wine would linger in the streets.

It was such a bittersweet moment between the pair, one that was unlike to occur ever again; a part of her was saddened by the brief almost sentimental encounter for Reina knew that it was fleeting and that from now on the role of captor and captive would take command once again. Reina parted her lips to murmur a quiet and slightly timid thank you only to find Itachi's hand clasped over her mouth, muffling her words before they even had the chance to leave her lips.

"Shhh…" He mouthed, his eyes bleeding into the Sharingan once more; the more he used it the more frequently Reina could tell he was, their chakras instantly telling one another of their intended actions. She nodded, her eyes wide in surprise as her breathes were muffled by his hand; Itachi narrowed his eyes and stared at the door, a familiar feeling overcoming the entire room as the door handle began to twist.

Genjutsu.

Reina had experienced the genjutsu of an Uchiha before but this…this time it was entirely different, she could feel her own chakra contribute to the simulation of the genjutsu, each individual fragment of chi aiding the fabricated world. Itachi removed his hand from her mouth, satisfied that she was not going to speak; the door swung open revealing two men at the door, their faces inquisitive and weary.

"You sure this is the room?" One asked the other as they entered the room, their eyes scanning the seemingly empty room.

"Yeah, the drunken ronin swore he seen them come in here. I'm surprised the Uchiha hasn't painted the walls red with her." The other replied, his voice gruff and vacant of any sympathy or morals; Reina averted her eyes from Itachi who had stared at her as the gruff man spoke feeling her stomach turn at the very thought. Reina stared at the men intently attempting to place where she had perhaps come across them, but then she saw it, the red heron insignia stitched into the arm of their yukata sleeve.

The insignia of the Himura clan. Her Grandmother's maiden clan…her Uncle's clan.

Reina frowned, lines appearing on her forehead as she scrutinised just why messengers of the Himura clan would be here. Itachi quirked a brow in curiosity feeling a bubble of uncertainty simmer away in his stomach as he stared at Reina, the same sensation happening in her stomach. She did not recognise their faces in fact they had no traits of the clan whatsoever, they even had outlandish katanas, then she realised something.

Messengers of the Himura clan don't carry katanas, they carry a bow and arrow to shoot down enemies from a distance to ensure their escape and delivery of the message.

_They're not Himura messengers, they're mercenaries in disguise._

Reina pondered to herself, unable to believe her own words; why would mercenaries pose as messengers from the Himura clan? But then her question was answered.

"The girl isn't here, if the Uchiha hasn't killed her yet then the samurai must have been blind drunk and meant someone else." The taller of the pair muttered and held onto the scabbard of his sword idly, his grip tightening almost in annoyance.

"What do we tell the old man then? He won't be happy if his niece returns alive…" The other murmured, casually picking his teeth with a small senbon, seemingly unfazed. The taller one grunted in distaste as he shifted his weight from one foot to another, glancing about room in thought, his eyes passing over the silent pair without so much as hint of recognition. Reina clenched her fists at their words, her stomach bubbling with anger as she realised just who they were talking about.

Himura Atsushi. Her uncle.

Her uncle was in league with mercenaries? And they were out for her? That was the last straw. Itachi watched Reina closely noting her eyes darkening with an unspoken promise, he knew her uncle well and he knew he was an ambitious man, rumoured to be affiliated with the Uchiha coup d'état. The gruff pair agreeing that their time was wasted there left, the door closing heavily behind them, leaving a tense and sudden dark aura lingering in the room.

Reina stood silently from her spot beside Itachi, the fabric of the yukata dragging along the floor occasionally as she attempted to hold it up, the baggy robe sagging around her shoulders ever so slightly. She could feel her anger burn in her stomach, a familiar sensation occurring once more; all she could hear was static, the constant buzz echoing perpetually. Itachi watched wordlessly as the air around her began to pop and hiss violently; the chemicals smashing into each causing vicious and rapid reactions. He had heard rumours of this happening when they were younger, when she was frustrated or unable to concentrate her kekkai genkai would subconsciously react with everything around her.

"Reina-chan." Itachi murmured, he too standing attempting to console the obviously torn kunoichi.

"Don't Itachi-san…_please._" Reina pleaded, her eyes closed as she attempted to calm herself, a futile action as all she could think about was her Grandmother and the danger she could be in right now.

_That bastard. That __absolute_ _bastard._

She cursed mentally as she began to pace the matted floor, the yukata ends trailing as she went. What was happening back home? How on earth did he know where they were? Why were mercenaries after her? "Urghh…" Reina growled under her breath, her teeth clenched together whilst her hand flickered with tiny sparks; her chakra began to flow quicker around her body, the synapses lighting up now visible to the human eye as it crackled almost resembling electricity.

Itachi stared blankly before grabbing Reina by her shoulders and shaking her a little.

"Calm. Down." He muttered, staring down at her sternly; but this time she did not back down or back away, he could see the fire and pure rage burning in her eyes. Reina glared up at Itachi and attempted to push him away only for him to hold on to her tighter, his eyes narrowing at her decision.

"Do you have _any_idea what sort of man my Uncle is Itachi-san? Let me tell you, he is a pretentious and overly ambitious shadow of a man, using and disposing of people like chess pieces. So _do not_ tell me to calm down when you have _no idea_ what he has done to me to cause such an opinion." She hissed under breath, the air continuing to pop and sizzle wildly; he had never seen this side to Reina before, he doubt anyone had; her usual cheery disposition replaced with that of abhorrence and resentment fuelled by obvious past sufferings.

"Your Grandmother will be fine Reina-chan so it's~" Itachi started only to be interrupted.

"Do not belittle me with false integrity. Do you think a man who beat and scarred his own kin will have any sort of sympathy or feeling for his sister? No. So do not give me that." Reina spat curtly shrugging of his grip and trying to pull the sagging fabric back up to its correct position; but what happened next shook her to her very core. Itachi grabbed hold of her and pulled her to his chest, one arm sneaking around her waist as the other yanked the yukata down her back revealing her ashen skin.

"How _dare_ you. Get off!" She shrieked trying to use her arms which were cramped in a useless mess against his chest; yet he ignored her shrills of protest and moved the yukata so it sat at her waist, her bare back exposed in the soft light of the room. Itachi stared once more at the area of skin that grabbed his attention all those days ago back at the lair, the familiar sense of anger churning in his stomach now knowing just how she earn the mark. There etched into the pale skin of her back was a thin scar, it aligning along her ribs on her flank; Reina grew motionless feeling her fight drain away from her, feeling physically and emotionally vulnerable.

"Like I said Itachi-san, my Uncle is a shadow of man…enough to scar his grieving niece for refusing to follow in her Mother's footsteps." Reina whispered weakly, shuddering despite the lack of pain as he traced the small scar with his finger gently; the pieces falling into place why her anger escalated so quickly. Reina held onto the collar of his yukata feeling practically naked before the silent Uchiha; Itachi retraced the healed skin once more prior to pulling the fabric of her yukata back over her shoulders covering the secret she had kept for all those years.

Itachi brushed her dark locks behind her ear in one swift motion, not uttering a single word knowing that no word that passed his mouth would even begin to take away the hurt and trauma of the ordeal. Reina gazed up him mutely, her now glossy gold orbs portraying her raw emotions as she remained holding onto his yukata as if he were the only thing that was supporting her and keeping her from falling as he too kept her in his grasp, like a doll in his hands.

So now the Devil had become her confidant and the tea cold.

Would she be eternally damned if she shared the Devil's food once more and shared his bed to rest her weary head?

Only the Gods could decide.


	10. Chapter 10

Mirror, mirror.

In the view of evolutionary psychology, "the mind is a set of information-processing machines that were designed by natural selection to solve adaptive problems faced by our hunter–gatherer ancestors." It was a matter of fight or flight, die or survive; Reina had seen the impact death had on people, the subdued nature of a once fiery persona, their light extinguished by one single event. The same could be said about her current turn of events; Reina had to survive this ordeal, she had to get back to her Grandmother and her family. She was determined to shine a light on her Uncle's misconducts, to prove to the world what a villain he actually was.

Villain.

Reina had been spending a lot of time with those in that category; in fact _all_ of her time had been spent with those people. But to her surprise they went about their day to day routines like everyone else, Reina half expected them to be like the antagonists she had read about in fiction. Yes, the Akatsuki had the dark cloaks and villainous characters that was a given and well known in shinobi world. Yet having spent time with a so-called villain, Reina began to realise that he wasn't actually that heinous.

Reina knew of the crimes Uchiha Itachi had committed all those years ago, but she would not label him as evil incarnate. No, that was reserved for those who lacked any form of empathy and were devoid of any human compassion. Reina had found that the eldest Uchiha did not fit into that category; he had been rather compassionate in his own, individual way. It was a bizarrely comforting thing she had found; it was ironic that her captor had become her confidant and knew things only her Grandfather had known.

Things were turning out stranger than she could have ever imagined.

The night had be long and arduous, sharing a futon with your jailer was nerve-racking to say the least; every small touch or brush of skin made her senses jump on hyper alert. Many a time Reina had heard Itachi rouse and enter the water closet, a wave of coughs echoing behind closed doors. She too experienced it, the indenture most definitely binding more than their chakra; the lesser fits of coughs were nowhere _near_ as severe as his, yet it was enough to make her throat raw and her eyes water.

Kisame had returned for the night during the early hours, the aroma of sake floating into the room as he flopped ungracefully onto the nearby futon, a low grunt passing his lips as he fell into an alcohol induced inertia.

The sun had barely risen over the horizon and Reina was up, her side of the futon made neatly leaving a peacefully slumbering Itachi in his place. Reina dressed quickly and slipped through the patterned shoji screens silently, the Kojiki and satchel cradled in her arms as she made herself comfortable on the wooden porch outside. The air was chilly, nipping at her skin and causing it to tinge pink as she huddled her clothes closer around her.

Reina sighed softly, her breathe appearing then disappearing almost instantly in the air; she admired the withered binding of the Kojiki not being able to believe that this artefact is the reason she is here. If she hadn't been lecturing that night, how things may have panned out differently. She could be back home, snug in her bed for another few hours before having to head to the academy to teach, not await orders from the Uchiha clan killer and the monster hidden of the mist.

It was as if the latter of the two had heard her thoughts as he slid through the screen doors, groggily stretching and yawning casually. Reina stared up at him, silently musing as he winced and cursed at the sunlight that invaded his vision.

"Urgh…too early." Kisame muttered as he took a spot opposite Reina, leaning against the foundation post of the porch, one arm swathed over his knee leisurely. Reina watched him silently, not entirely sure what to make of the situation at hand; Kisame groaned quietly, it obvious to Reina just why he was so susceptible to harsh light.

Hoshigaki Kisame was hung over.

Reina smiled and allowed a quiet laugh to pass her lips, it earning her a confused and slightly curious look from the shark like man.

"Aspirin Kisame-san? From the amount of alcohol in your system…you probably need it." She smiled sympathetically, routing out a small jar and offering it to him; Kisame blinked before smirking and taking the jar from her, a low bellow of a chuckle rumbling in his throat. Kisame popped the lid from the jar and swallowed two of the tiny pills before watching the now silently reading kunoichi; he was no fool, perhaps he was not on par intelligence wise with his partner, but he was no idiot.

"You're lucky, do you know that girl?" Kisame mumbled nonchalantly, this catching Reina's attention; she glanced up, setting the Kojiki down in her lap carefully.

"Hai, I know." She murmured softly, her eyes meeting his beady ones and nodding a little. Kisame quirked a brow in wonder having expected her to ask why, not merely agree with his statement.

"Oh? But you don't know in what manner I meant it." He retorted, a wry smirk winding onto his scaly features; Reina tilted her head slightly, leaning her head against the post before replying.

"I'm still alive am I not? By some stroke of fate I'm still alive…I'd call that lucky Kisame-san, considering my circumstances." Reina smiled faintly, folding her hands in her lap, the past two weeks replaying like a film in her head. Kisame stared at her incredulously, this girl was most definitely anomalous, but it would seem that it was her peculiar persona and ability to adapt that was keeping her alive.

And the fact that Uchiha Itachi had a strange enthrallment with her.

•●•

The room was considerably dark despite the time, it was the early morning as the sun was barely above the horizon. The darkness in the room conveyed the general and typical ambience of the people that habited it; the occasional ray of light would pierce the room, sporadic in fact.

Uchiha Sasuke was a woeful young man, his eyes dark and dulled; whatever sparkle they once had, had been diminished in definitely and replaced with a futile want for revenge, fuelled by hatred and pure animosity.

He was unrecognisable.

Sasuke lay on his side staring vacantly at the unpatented shoji door, the screen reflecting his blank expression which was ironic as the previous day's events had been eventful to say the least. Team Hebi had encountered the blonde artist Deidara, his own life coming to an ironic bang at the end of the fight against the younger Uchiha, who truthfully, although victorious did not come out unscathed.

Right now it wasn't merely his physical state that was scathed, it was his pride too. He barely came out of that battle, the blonde's suicide technique catching him in the blast; if he could barely escape that battle how was he to survive the showdown between him and Itachi? Sasuke snarled silently to himself, his face scrunching up in utter disgust; he would kill that murderous bastard, there was no losing when it came to that. He _would_ avenge his clan.

Sasuke's rolled onto his back, one arm swathed over his bandaged torso, his free hand gripping the small metal tomato from his last encounter with the Hitori heiress. He _had_ underestimated her as she had certainly grown since their younger days; admittedly they were not the best of friends, mere acquaintances through mutual ties of their clans. But it was not only her abilities that had changed but her appearance too; the last time he saw her, her eyes glowed a soft gold yet when she was young her eyes matched her hair, the dark shades of brown and hazel merging into one another.

Perhaps it was her kekkai genkai? He grunted lowly in discomfort, his body shouting out in pain as his mind wandered to his own bloodline; he would obtain the mangekyō sharingan by any means possible, he would dispose of anyone who stood in his way, no matter who they were and no matter of their past relation to them. He would obliterate any traces of them if they opposed him.

That went for Hitori Reina too.

Sasuke held up the metal tomato and studied it idly remarking the craftsmanship of the object, its calibre matching that of the finest blacksmith's; he noted how her chakra residue remained on the object, it giving off the faintest of dossiers as if her chakra had moulded with the steel itself.

She was one to watch.

His idle thoughts drifted to Karin, the slightly neurotic kunoichi, wondering if she could tell him more about the young kunoichi's chakra abilities as they could prove useful in the near future. Sasuke allowed a quiet sigh to pass his pallid lips once more, his breathes slightly ragged and the lids of his eyes feeling like lead curtains as he struggled to keep them open any longer. He finally gave into the slumber that his body craved, the sandman's job easier than he thought as the young avenger fell into what would seem a well-earned sleep.

It's said that woman's job is never done: fact.

The same could be said for Karin. It was hard being a love-struck (neurotically obsessive) young woman as well as a self-empowered kunoichi that was travelling with the cause of her love-stricken state. Uchiha Sasuke. Karin _adored_ the raven haired male, everything about him oozed power and sex appeal; she had heard rumours of his elder brother's looks but surely they couldn't compare to _her_ Sasuke.

No one could, it was impossible.

Clutching her beloved's sweat drenched shirt Karin trudged through the crowded streets, expertly weaving in and out people as she headed towards the apothecary.

_Damn Suigetsu and Jūgo standing in the way of __my__ Sasuke-kun._

She goaded exasperatedly. If it were not for that pair of imbeciles she could be skin to skin with the Uchiha heir, his snowy skin chafing in frivolous friction against her own; but no, no instead she was sent into town for supplies and was left with a souvenir of something that had only happened in her mind. '_Numerous_ times' she added with a slightly perverse chuckle rumbling past her lips as she brought the perspiration ridden shirt to her nose inhaling the scent deeply.

It was as if the Gods had created a sweet smelling nectar and bottled it in the form of Uchiha Sasuke; even his chakra had a particular scent which was oh so appealing and delectable, Karin couldn't get enough of him and the day he chose to restart his clan, she would be first in line. Karin continued to cling onto the tattered and torn shirt for dear life as if her life depended on that very item as she continued to wade through the sea of people, her nose turned up as she unconsciously compared each person's individual chakra signature to that of her beloved.

But then there was signature that stood out from the rest of them; it was familiar yet a complete enigma to her. Being the curious young kunoichi that she was Karin pursued the chakra trail, it growing stronger and more familiar the closer she got to it. The chakra trail was different from any other she had encountered before, it was not that of a jinchuuriki, it resembled two intertwining threads of chakra as if they belonged to two individual people and were joined in a harmonious equilibrium. It intrigued her to say the least.

The mass of people that inhabited the street became even more crowded, the local market filtering the crowd into tightly cramped alleys like rats in a maze. Yet Karin continued on her self-assigned mission, sifting through the horde of haggling people; occasionally she would glare viciously at those who got too close for her liking or simply if their qi signature was not to her taste.

Karin craned her neck above the crowd as the chakra signature peaked at its strongest; it was then that she laid her eyes on the cause of the chakra.

Uchiha Itachi.

How could she have been so blind? Of _course_ she knew that signature, hence why it was so familiar and appealing to her; the Uchiha's chakra was by _far_ the most delectable qi she had ever encountered in her life, so it came as no surprise that Sasuke's elder brother would possess the same alluring life force.

Yet something was not right, in her eyes a person's chakra appears as a single strand of thread, like the thread of fate that linked people infinitely; but his thread, no his chakra consisted of two strands that interlinked with each other, one lighter than the other. Karin stopped mere paces from the obvious Akatsuki duo, pretending to idly admire a nearby kanzashi pin stall; the array of decorative hair pins littering the display stand. The spectrum of colours appealed to almost every woman- including a young woman around her age with striking gold eyes; Karin continued to falsely inspect the hair pins, occasionally glancing over at the infamous duo.

Karin then realised something spectacular and mind-boggling, the thin thread that ebbed from the elder Uchiha twisted and winded its way to the young woman that stood beside her, the thread tidied neatly around her pale, slender wrist. Karin blinked in awe, her mouth agape in shock, she had only heard rumours of chakra indentures and they were forbidden and dangerous rituals that few, if any ever lived to tell the tale.

Reina eyed the kanzashi pins avidly, a light of excitement that had once been extinguished by the perils of her mission now dancing in her gold irises; one pin in particular caught her attention, the emerald beading glistening in the soft sunlight, she smiled knowing how her grandmother would adore such an item. But before she could make a purchase Itachi spoke from behind, his voice as impassive as ever.

"Come Reina-chan, we need to press on." He murmured lowly, casting a claret glance at Karin, she shuddered inwardly at its intensity as the now named girl nodded and obediently followed her raven haired counterpart. Karin continued to watch the trio as they head off into the distance before she felt the fear creep away from her body, then a thought struck her. She could win her beloved over by giving him the location of his brother; she felt her stomach flip at the thought.

She would be his partner in crime and he would be grateful for practically delivering his brother to her. So she thought as this was Uchiha Sasuke she was fantasising about, the odds of the coal orbed avenger swooning before her feet were highly slimming, verging on impossible. But like her hair, Karin had the will of fire and would not permit her determination to extinguish. The grip on her beloved's shirt tightened as she sped off back towards the dingy ryokan they called their temporary home, her strides quick and agile.

The journey back seemed so much longer than it did on the way there; Karin put it down to the anticipation, she knew just how much Sasuke wanted to face his brother, every enemy he defeated she knew he was imagining his brother dead. Karin remembered the first time she met Sasuke, he was a young and ambitious prepubescent who craved power and now…now he had achieved a state of power but his hunger for wider horizons of supremacy were insatiable.

The rickety looking ryokan came into view, the corrugated roofing acting as a pit stop for flocks of birds, the wry squawks filling the air as they fought over meagre and measly scraps. Karin could feel her heart beat rapidly against her chest from her impulsive sprint, she skidded to a halt outside their communal room, her breathes staggered and ragged as she attempted to rekindle the oxygen that had been flushed brutishly from her body. Karin inhaled deeply as if oxygen was not the only substance that she craved for, a spot of courage wouldn't go a miss as she was about to announce that Uchiha Itachi had signed a chakra indenture, thus making him stronger.

Sasuke was not going to be happy.

Karin steadied herself, her fingers digging into her palms as she squeezed them tightly; she could feel her nails almost break the skin as she urged herself to enter the deathly silent room. Gathering her thoughts and courage she opened the door, her eyes immediately landing on Sasuke who was sat up right, still fingering the metal tomato idly. Then it hit her.

"That chakra." Karin gasped, her coral eyes wide in shock as the realisation hit her almost instantaneously. Sasuke stared at her with a devoid expression on his face; Karin pointed at the metal trinket in his hand, her arm shaking slightly.

"What is it?" Sasuke muttered, his face scrunching into small snarl, wondering what on earth she was on about. Karin gulped ever so slightly before answering him, her pulse thumping away once more.

"I…I saw your brother in the market and…and that chakra, the chakra that is imprinted on that trinket was woven with his…they had pact a chakra indenture. I saw it with my own eyes…that girl and your brother…they're amalgamated…" Karin's voice faded off, her tone surprisingly weak as she eyed Sasuke suspiciously, awaiting his response.

A sudden chill filled the room, the tension building rapidly and escalating in a shadowy crescendo; Sasuke grit his teeth together as the tomato that inhabited his hand began to melt away, the chidori that enveloped his hand decomposing the innocent item mercilessly. Sasuke stood, re-donning his yukata top silently as he attached his sword, the once glistening tomato resembling a puddle of mercury as it soaked into the grain of the dark floor.

"Take me to them." Sasuke muttered, his eyes flaring viciously into the infamous Sharingan.

_Hitori Reina. You'll suffer the same fate as __him__._

•●•

It was already midday, the sun cast her glow over the land generously, illuminating the land that the God's had strived to create; Amaterasu strew her gaze over one area in particular- the Uji Bridge. Nearby wisteria trees once again bid farewell to their petals as the harsh winter wind blew ravishing the branches causing the once flourishing tree to become less and less vivacious. The waters below flowed beneath the bridge, the waves lapping and crashing against the foundation posts that were sunk deeply into the river floor; even just from looking the waters seemed icy, ready to claim innocent lives that entered the water, accidently or not as Mother Nature was unpitying at times.

Despite its rickety looking frame, the Uji Bridge was a strong and fortified structure and just like the people of the land of fire; their will was impermeable, like the bridge it may waver in places, but the other parts support the weaker, frailer portions yet stands strong as a whole.

Reina admired the craftsmanship of the bridge having only been here once before in all her years; the heels of her boots made a dull 'click' as they hit each individual plank of wood of the paving the sound tripling as Kisame and Itachi walked beside her. Her gut was telling her the information they sort after resided in the Ise Grand Shrine for it was the shrine dedicated the goddess herself, any information about the mirror should be there…she hoped anyway she dared not think about the consequences if she was unable to locate the mirror.

Itachi glanced over at Reina, his stomach bubbling away with worry and anxiety, yet it was not his anxieties that brewed in the pits of his abdomen, it was hers; the indenture was proving more interesting than he could have ever imagined. The more the hours turned into days he could feel their bond strengthen on more than one level; she was his captive, _his_ responsibility on this mission yet he found himself becoming used to her company and seemingly Kisame was on amicable terms with the porcelain skinned kunoichi having found them conversing amiably earlier in the morning.

"Ne girl, what happens when we get to this shrine?" Kisame mused allowed as he strolled along the bridge, his arms folded behind his head in a relaxed manner, his samehada bobbing slightly with his every step. Itachi continued to watch Reina as she conversed with Kisame but something about her tone added to the bubbling concoction of apprehension in his stomach- she was unsure of what lay ahead.

"The murals and scriptures should shed light on the whereabouts of the mirror but…" Reina faded off, her eyes cast downwards in thought.

"But what?" Kisame interjected, glancing over curiously, his beady eyes watching her like a hawk. Reina sighed softly, brushing her bangs from her face before speaking, her next few words shocking the pair.

"But the mirror is supposedly heavily guarded in the realm of the underworld…" She murmured glancing at Itachi whose eyes were filled with a glimmer of disbelief; but he knew she was telling the truth, Itachi knew that Reina was not lying she truly believed that, that was where the mythical mirror resided. But Kisame however was oblivious to her words, cackling manically, his dagger like teeth on show for all to see; Kisame patted Reina on her back, not realising his own strength she stumbled forward and smiled weakly knowing she must sound like a complete lunatic.

"You've got to be kidding me?! Leader sent us after something that's in the underworld? Can you believe that Itachi-san?!" Kisame chortled gruffly as they continued over the bridge, the Ise Grand Shrine coming into view. Itachi and Reina continued on ahead whilst Kisame recovered from his laughing fit; Reina kept her eyes to the ground once more avoiding looking at the young Sharingan master, the thoughts of what would happen if she failed circulating around in her head like the familiar sense of static.

"Reina-chan~" Itachi murmured softly, attempting to offer rare words of comfort only to be interrupted by a loud, blood-thirsty cry, it cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter.

"ITACHI! You _bastard!"_

It was Sasuke.

Reina gasped softly, turning sharply and gazing into the distance from whence the almost battle cry had come from. Sasuke was livid. His eyes lit up, the Sharingan blazing fiercely as he sprinted towards them, the rest of his team following closely behind him. It was then Reina realised that Sasuke's red haired female companion was the very same young woman from the market stall.

_She is the one who told him._

Reina pondered silently, unconsciously leaning closer to the elder of the brothers almost in shame of her alliance; Itachi stood in front of Reina, sheltering her from the rancorous glare of Sasuke as he continued across the bridge, edging closer and closer to them his sword drawn and crackling as his chidori flowed through the razor like steel. Sasuke skidded to a halt mere metres away, the demon of mist coming between him and his goal; Kisame smirked darkly as he unsheathed his own sword, handling the large legendary sword with one hand with apparent ease.

"Itachi-san, you head on with the girl. I'll see to these brats." Kisame chortled menacingly as he glanced back at his partner in reassurance. Sasuke growled impatiently as he alternated his glare back and forth between Reina and Itachi, it as venomous as the snakes he summoned; his gazed lingered on Reina it now as clear as day that she had indeed joined her chakra with his bastard brother's. But why? Why would she lower herself to such a thing? And to _him_ of all people?

He couldn't fathom why, but it angered him to his very core.

Reina stared sympathetically from her position, her golden eyes full of unspoken apologies aimed at the young avenger; for some reason she felt like she had betrayed him, until now his hatred had been solely aimed at his brother, but now…but now she could feel it aimed at her too…and she couldn't take it.

"Itachi-san let's leave _please_, there is no need for bloodshed here." Reina pleaded softly as she gently grabbed the sleeve of his cloak urging him to heed her words; even seeing this small act of interaction between the pair angered Sasuke even further. Itachi's eyes had not left his brother since he had heard him approach, with his new found sight he took in his brother's appearance. He had grown since their last encounter, his eyes and heart both consumed with darkness and hatred; it saddened Itachi to see such a drastic change in Sasuke, but he knew it was for the best, it would all be worthwhile in the end.

Reina exhaled in discomfort, tugging on Itachi's sleeve imploringly and breaking his self-inflicted trance; Itachi nodded and turned his back on his brother once more knowing that it would not be long before they met again.

"Don't you walk away from me you bastard!" Sasuke snarled ferociously, edging forward and preparing to dart after the pair only to find his path blocked by a grinning Kisame.

"I don't think so kid." Kisame crooned. Sasuke simply growled once more, his eyes meeting one last time with Reina's as she whispered almost silently.

"Gomenasai Sasuke-san." Reina gazed at him seemingly begging for his pardon before turning and following Itachi up the moss ridden steps of the shrine, their cloaks flowing in the wind. Reina bit her still split lip slightly as she continued to climb the steps, refusing to look back knowing her conscience would once again torture her for her actions; Itachi glanced down at the silent kunoichi, her grief painted as clear as day on her freckled face. She obviously felt guilty for some reason; it was evidenced in her body language, her subdued posture betraying her attempted façade.

Itachi made no attempt to console her, instead he pushed onwards they entering the inner sanctum of the shrine, the sunlight filtering in, in an array of streams. Reina glanced around the Kotaijingu, the main shrine, recalling how legend says the mirror was housed here but unless the indenture had impacted her sight to near blindness…the mirror was nowhere to be seen. Itachi watched silently as she walked about the surprisingly empty shrine, the walls adorned with decorative murals of the sun goddess herself as well as the tale of her ascension.

"How do we locate the mirror Reina-chan if what you say is true?" Itachi murmured lowly mimicking her footsteps as they explored every nook and cranny of the hall; Reina glanced back at him wordless motioning for him to follow her into the courtyard of the shrine. There in the middle of the sand ridden courtyard was a small wooden bridge, the end of the bridge meeting a large circular archway, decorated with numerous, intricate carvings.

"Legend has it that the entrance to the underworld was sealed off by Izanagi upon his flight from Yomi, at which time he permanently blocked the entrance by placing a massive boulder at the entrance upon his return to Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni." Reina paused eyeing the bridge and archway closely, a certain area standing out in particular; Itachi listened attentively, having heard that tale when he was younger unable to believe that he may actually encounter the mythical realm.

"Yet…the myth also states that the boulder blocked the path to Yomi and we are obviously not at the foot of a mountain…" Reina added, a wry smile dancing on her lip faintly; Itachi nodded and patiently waited for her to get to her point, observing closely as she approached the archway.

"But Death has many doors Itachi-san, for it is a greedy and unrelenting force…" She whispered knowing all too well the impact death can have, they both did. Reina gazed at Itachi, her usually cheery disposition hardening as the reality of the situation kicked in. "Itachi-san if we are to carry on? I need my katana, the things we could encounter there are…evil incarnate and purifying the sword may prove lifesaving…" She murmured, her eyes portraying the seriousness of her words. Itachi considered her words, she had cooperated without defiance allowing her to arm herself and fend for herself would be the intelligent thing to do.

The pair knelt beside a small running waterfall, the stream flowing from the Isuzu river, the mosogi purification ritual was normally performed under a waterfall, the person being purified standing beneath the current of the water, but they were pressed for time. Reina could hear the commotion from the bridge escalating, before long Sasuke could be upon them and she couldn't bear to see the brother's fight before her very eyes. The silent pair cupped the water and both dribbled the somewhat sacred water along the blade watching as the droplets slid effortlessly from the blade's edge.

Reina closed her eyes and inhaled deeply preparing herself for what could be on the bumpy road ahead; whatever lay on the other side of the gateway would be perilous and she wasn't sure if they would even make it out alive. She was only human after all, unlike her silent counterpart she was not numb to the ways of the world; fear was still an imminent factor in her life and unlike him her emotions were still intact. Itachi watched Reina from his spot beside her, feeling her pulse quicken as she attempted to calm herself; surprisingly softly he reached out and grasped her shoulder, his thumb grazing almost tenderly over her collarbone.

"Reina-chan, it will be alright." He murmured with a slight hint of warmth to his voice, the usual impassive murmur no longer there. Reina jumped slightly, her eyes wide at his tone and words of comfort, an involuntary shiver rolling through her entire body from the meagre touch. She parted her lips to reply to his ostensible words of kindness only to jump up quickly, her katana at hand; the commotion had moved from the bridge and Sasuke's snarls and tweets of his chidori.

"Do you trust me Itachi-san?" Reina asked, her words rushed as the crashes and bangs grew louder and more violent; Itachi gazed at her, scarlet meeting gold before he nodded. Deep down he did, she had given him a piece of his life back that he thought he would never have again and was willing to risk her life, even if it was for the wrong reasons. Reina nodded and tied her katana to her side tightly, her head snapping back as Sasuke skidded through the doorway, his sharingan ablaze in blind fury.

Reina gasped silently before lacing her hand with Itachi's, the ring on his finger grazing her skin as she tugged him towards the gateway; she concentrated, their combined chakra flowing and enveloping their bodies in perfect harmony. She took once last glance back at Itachi who squeezed her hand ever so lightly as they ran towards the gateway before the pair of them reached into the seemingly vacant entrance, their bodies melting into nothingness and disappeared beyond the gateway.

They were joined in unholy matrimony, bound for eternity.

They were the damned.

And they had entered the world of the damned and forsaken together.


	11. Chapter 11

Water is a strange and capricious object; it can give life to entire planets sustaining it for millennia upon millennia or end a life in mere seconds without mercy or hesitation. Water is everywhere, appearing in different forms from great oceans to a miniscule raindrop that fell from the heavens. It even appears in our dreams. Sometimes we dream of placid water, it reflecting our calmest and most serene thoughts but water is temperamental and prone to change. In the blink of an eye even the most equable mass of liquid can turn stormy and perilous, so perilous in fact that Susanoo himself would overlook the storm with pride, perhaps even bask in its sadistic beauty.

The thought of drowning in such a seemingly harmless substance seems ironic, the fact that the majority of the human body consists of water so to allow it to end a life seems bitter sweet, a literal juxtaposition. But water can be ruthless and unrelenting in its ways, it chokes the life from someone with ease, the oxygen depleting from their body, their eyes glossing over as their body screams out in pure blind panic. The sensation is bizarre; the body strives to maintain any surviving oxygen that flows through it, the brain sending our search warrants for its whereabouts. On average it takes between twenty to sixty seconds for the drowning process to be complete; the brain shutting down as the level of oxygen depletes and eventually disperses indefinitely as the person enters a world of constant and perpetual darkness.

And everyone knows the blackness is full of indescribable terror.

Everywhere was dark and she couldn't breathe. It was water, she was submerged in water with no end. Even with open eyes she couldn't see anything, just continuous nothingness; Reina tried not to panic, with every passing second she could feel her chest tighten as the pressure on her lungs continued to escalate. Small bubbles of precious, precious air passed her lips, they cascading up towards a possible surface; Reina began to swim in towards the supposed surface, her hair bobbing about wildly as she outstretched her arms in wide, long strokes. Instinctively her body wished to survive, but her warm hearted nature yearned to know that the oldest Uchiha was safe, despite their current relationship.

Reina could sense him, his chakra was near yet she couldn't see him.

_Itachi-san where are you?!_

Her thoughts were as frantic as her strokes; by now she felt like she had been swimming for an eternity, her arms ached and she could feel her strength leave her slowly. But it appeared Lady Luck was gracious today as the surface seemed imminent, a glimmer of light rippled in the distance. With a small newfound hope she swam quicker, her legs screaming out to stop and allow them to rest; but she soldiered on her lungs practically begging for a sweet taste of air. Her head was buzzing with an uncontrollable static as the glimmer grew larger, it almost in reach; with a final push and kick of her legs she broke the surface, gasping wildly to rekindle the lost air.

Reina splashed about attempting to clear her hair from her vision, it hindered by the water that inhabited her eyes; ragged coughs and desperate breathes passed her lips as she tread water trying to stay afloat.

"I-Itachi-san?!" She called out, her voice breaking as she coughed uncontrollably, choking slightly on a backwash of water.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

The world above the water was as equally dark; a daunting forest surrounded the small lake, weepy trees lapping at the rippling water with woeful looking branches. But what she saw next sent a shiver down her entire spine. Floating absentmindedly was Itachi's cloak, the dark obsidian fabric bobbly idly in the shadowy water; Reina swam over to the cloak, clutching it as she searched for the ebony haired male.

"Itachi-san!?" She called out once more, her voice filling with dread when she received no answer.

_Oh Kami no. _

Yet there it was, that miniscule flicker of chakra she could feel his presence, he was here. Reina swam to the shore, unclipping her cloak and throwing it aside swiftly, it landing with a loud slosh. Quickly she placed her satchel and katana beside her cloak and took a deep breath, her lungs expanding to their maximum capacity before she delved back into the murky water; despite the lack of natural light she could make out their chakra amongst the depths, it calling out for her to be reunited. Reina swam hastily towards the chakra signature, the light becoming brighter and the feeling that enveloped her body growing stronger.

Then her eyes widened, there amongst the murky depths was Itachi.

Rapidly she dove further, the familiar feeling of pressure building once again; but she pressed on regardless. Itachi was barely moving, his arms bobbing impassively with the underwater current; Reina reached him, checking his neck for a pulse which she found after a few seemingly long moments.

_Thank Kami._

The next few moments seemed to happen so fast, Reina acted without thinking, her brain not even registering her actions; the only thing that inhabited her mind was ensuring he stayed alive it didn't matter to her that he was her supposed captor, he didn't deserve such a fate. Reina cupped his pallid face, stray hairs floating sporadically and mixing with her own locks almost in a wild dance; Reina pressed her lips to his, both their lips icy from the inexorable cold blowing as much air into his mouth as she could, whatever oxygen she could spare flowing past his lips.

Itachi began to stir as he crept back from the world of unconsciousness, his brain registering the dose of oxygen that was being administered to him. But darkness still clouded his mind as he tried to swim towards the light, yet his body would not obey his command despite his attempts. Itachi could feel something pressed against his lips, they tingling with the faintest of pins and needles. Satisfied that he would survive Reina pulled away from his lips, concentrating on the remaining oxygen that circulated around her body as her kekkai genkai began to replicate it, oxygen molecules forming and rapidly multiplying to replace the air she had lost.

Reina pushed herself downwards inspecting just what was keeping him suspended in the water yet what she found made her eyes widen in utter shock. There grasping onto Itachi's ankles were a pair of pale, slim hands, their grip tightening as she edged closer; Reina attempted to peel away the grasping hands only to be met with the vengeful yet hideously beautiful face of a ningyo. It snarled ferociously, her sharpened claws digging into Itachi's pale skin possessively piercing it a little as it tried to pull him further into the depths.

_Oh no…_

Reina quickly pulled a concealed blade from her boot slashing the ningo's neck, it missing the jugular by mere millimetres before wrapping her arm around Itachi, using her free arm to pull them to safety. The water began to stain crimson, it resembling ink bleeding on blotted rice paper as it continued to exude from the ningyo's wound; Reina swan tiresomely, her one arm slowly but surely moving the pair of them through the water. She glanced down at Itachi, small bubble passing his lips as his unconscious form bobbed and jerked with her struggled movements.

The ningyo hissed inhumanly as she clasped her hand over the oozing wound, her digits grazing an ornate necklace made up of precious stones before she flicked her tail, catching up to the struggling pair, her once beautiful face became slightly clearer to Reina, her scaly and disfigured face snarling in an animalistic manner as she clawed at the frantic pair. Her talons slashed through the water like a hot knife through butter, Reina gasped and screamed soundlessly, her remaining air rupturing past her lips as the ningyo's talons dugs into her abdomen, it tearing through her skin and muscle effortlessly. The ningyo's lips twisted into a satisfied smirk as more blood infused into water, the now hideous creature licked its lips tasting and savouring the incarnadine syrup that imbued into the water.

Water flooded Reina's mouth, it slipping down her throat and into her lungs; she began to panic as she struggled to clear her airways, the water choking her as she swam towards the surface. She swam with all her might, pulling Itachi as she went; the ningyo sped towards the pair once more, the determination twinkling in its cold, bloodthirsty eyes. The glimmering surface was mere strokes away, Reina kicked frantically as her vision started to become spotted with black, hazy patches; they broke the surface of the water Reina gasped riotously as she paddled clumsily, struggling to drag the doll like Uchiha to the shore. She slipped on the muddy shore, it splattering everywhere as Itachi fell upon her, his unconscious body landing on her ungraciously; Reina cried out in pain when he landed on her wound, he unknowingly agitating the deep laceration.

The Ningyo surfaced as well, her rotted teeth gleaming hungrily as she stalked towards the injured pair but she did not reach them. From the depths of the death stained waters came the souls of sea-drowned dead, the funayūrei, they clumsily grabbing at the now shrieking female, dragging her down into depths from whence they perished taking the cause of their demise with them. Reina watched stunned as demonic like mermaid was dragged away before laying in the mud attempting to clear her airways in between quiet whimpers of pain.

Her breathes were laboured as she coughed up any water she could from her airways, they stinging as the cool air hit the back of her throat; Reina winced and grumbled lowly in pain as her wound continued to seep with blood, her ragged top devouring the scarlet liquid. She turned her attention to Itachi, rolling him onto his back quickly before placing her laced hands on his chest muttering raggedly.

"Don't you _dare_ die on me Itachi, I haven't stayed alive just for you to die on me!" Reina growled pumping her hands on his chest steadily in attempt to massage his heart.

_1…2…3…4…5_

Reina counted as she continued to press down on his chest; she tipped his head back carefully, kneeling over him as she pinched his nose before pressing her lips to his once more, blowing air into his mouth, the air inflating his water ridden lungs. His chest rose as the air rushed to the said organs before halting once more; Reina cursed under her breath before she repeated the compressions on his chest, calculating out the counts aloud this time as her panic and frustration grew.

"_God damn it_ Itachi _breathe!" _Reina pleaded, pinching his nose and pressing her lips to his once more and blowing precious air into his mouth once again. Itachi roused from his near death stupor, water spluttering up his oesophagus and out his mouth; Reina breathed in relief with a look of reprieve washing over her features.

"Thank the Gods…Thank you, thank you…" She sighed exasperatedly as she cradled Itachi almost protectively. Itachi rolled onto his side in a foetal position as his body continued to wretch any form of liquid from his body, his breathes ragged and raspy. Itachi groaned exasperatedly as his breathes became more regulated, the oxygen that had been lost recuperating itself steadily. He rolled onto his back, his head residing in Reina's lap, going through things in his head like a film reel on replay; Reina supported his head somewhat endearingly as wave after wave of relief washed over her water and blood ridden body.

She ignored the cry of her wound, focusing on the now breathing Uchiha in her lap; she didn't know why she reacted so protectively towards him or that even now she was acting so…_tenderly_ towards him. Then reality hit her almost as brutally as the ningyo's claws.

She had practically kissed Uchiha Itachi more than she had ever kissed anyone in her life in the span of a few moments.

Unwillingly her ashen, mud covered skin flooded a faint shade of pink as she too replayed the past events mentally; she couldn't quite wrap her head around that fact, things were playing out bizarrely. Over the past few days, she had been seen in a bathtub, shared forbidden fruit, shared a small, almost tender moment, clothes torn down and slept beside the infamous Uchiha Itachi.

And now? Now she could add kiss to that list as well.

Life was never simple.

Reina found herself becoming comfortable in his presence, he knew her secrets and she knew his; she had found herself doubting his hateful and cold-blooded ways in hope that he would have an epiphany and reform his ways. Reina _wanted_ to get to know the mystery that was Itachi and she didn't know why.

"R-Reina-chan?" Itachi croaked, his normally smooth voice, cracked and somewhat delicate, Reina smiled weakly, nodding as she brushed his mud ridden hair from his face, chuckling meagrely at the lost look that was splashed across his face. Itachi gazed up at the mud covered kunoichi, her skin paler than usual yet her eyes remained as lively as ever; then he realised where he was, he sat up from her lap, staring at her battered and tattered form incredulously.

"What happened?" He asked, glancing around the tree ladened wood, the rounded lake surrounded by weepy looking foliage and contortionist like trees. Reina's lips twitched into a half-hearted smile feeling her head begin to spin and become weightless as she began to explain the ordeal.

"I couldn't find you…I panicked…I…" She murmured weakly, her lips beginning to tinge a light shade of violet before she fell forward, the blood continuing to seep from the viciously deep wound. Itachi's eyes widened as she seemed to fall in slow motion, it would seem the roles were reversed as he now cradled her in his lap; her limp ragdoll like form lolled against his chest. Itachi glanced at her ragged body, his lips parting at the gash on her abdomen; carefully he cradled her closely, holding her to his chest whilst placing a hand on the wound, his hand glowing a pale jade.

"You were kidnapped by a Ningyo…" Reina whispered, her tone almost…amused? Itachi stared down at her to find her staring back through half-lidded eyes.

"And what is that?" He asked nonchalantly, watching as the deep laceration began to slowly reknit itself back together. Reina leaned her head against his chest, ignoring the fact the pair of them were soaked and mud covered.

"A really ugly mermaid…Kisame-san may have found her attractive though. I think it was something to with her scales." She chuckled sluggishly, the blood loss making her slightly delirious. Itachi quirked a brow, unsure if he heard her correctly; mermaids were known for their musical talents and their curiosity of the human world, never had he heard of them kidnapping humans or maiming them. "S-she had you at the bottom of the lake…you weren't breathing so I…" Reina wavered off, a small, somewhat embarrassed look creeping onto her pasty face; Itachi stared down at her incredulously the severity of everything washing down upon him heavily.

_She saved me. _

Itachi thought, it touching him in places solely reserved for Sasuke. Hitori Reina was bleeding out in his lap after acquiring a wound from saving him from the grasps of a mythical siren and reviving him from deaths door; she had put herself in danger almost drowning herself to save him and his damned soul.

"You are a fool." He muttered almost silently, knowing her efforts were wasted upon a person such as him; she had given her generosity and kindness freely to him and asked nothing in return.

"No…I am no fool Itachi-san. It is you who is the fool. N-not I…" Reina whispered with closed eyes, a peaceful expression on her mud splattered features. Itachi frowned, his eyes narrowing at her words as his hand remained on her stomach, blood coating his own pale skin, his other swathed around her cold body.

"Hn." He muttered, continuing to heal her wound silently despite curiosity eating away at his thoughts, it nibbling slowly. Reina scoffed, a faint smile creeping onto her pale lips.

"You resent yourself. I can feel your guilt gnawing away at your insides, it as voracious as the illness that ravishes your body and now mine. Whatever it is that is cause of your guilt is your own, but to allow the world to brand you as something you are not makes you the fool Itachi-san." Itachi's eyes widened in surprise, his brows raising at her words; Reina's eyes fluttered open, gold clashing with obsidian almost as dark as the world they resided in.

"You know nothing of the world Reina-chan." Itachi murmured, his tone soft and mournful as he gazed into her eyes, they full of life and fire despite her present circumstance. Reina held his gaze, remembering how it once shook her with fear down to her very core; but now it was different, he was not the man she thought he was, nor was he the man the world thought he was. Her gut was telling her that, no murderer acts with kindness and empathy; they do not willingly heal their captive or hold their welfare in regard. They act without mercy, yet he was nothing like that; he was feared and a renowned killer perhaps, but he was nothing like the murderous monster people thought he was.

Reina could see it in his eyes. The pain, the grief stricken years of masking pain.

Weakly she reached for his face, his coal orbs watching her silently as she cupped his cool cheek; Reina brushed her thumb over his muddy skin grazing the distinctive lines that were sketched onto his face. A look of pain crept on to her face as she leant up, he instinctively supporting her as she moved; Itachi continued staring at her but it wasn't the calculative stare that usually inhabited his eyes. This time it was a look of calmness and trust. Reina wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, holding him close in a makeshift embrace; Itachi barely breathed, holding his breath involuntarily as she leaned in close.

Reina closed her eyes as she leaned her freckled cheek against his own pale one, her hand cupping the nape of his neck gently as she embraced the killer of the Uchiha clan. Itachi froze, every inch of his body going on hyper-alert impulsively; he started to speak only to be held closer by the young woman who resided in his lap, it her signal to let her speak.

"You allow the world to label you as an evil villain…that's why you are the fool. I am bound to you Itachi-san in more than one way. I am merely the ghost of a friend you may have considered me to be in the past, you may simply think of me as somebody that you used to know. But I am bound to you indefinitely. I feel everything you feel, the grief. The pain. The guilt of past tribulations...and not once have I felt a glimmer of evil. You've fallen so far into a web of intangible misfortune that you yourself are deluded by it. But I'm not…I know that you are not evil Itachi-san." Reina spoke softly, her words truthful and directly from the heart; she meant what she said, she had felt that way for a while ever since the bond between them strengthened and became even more fortified.

Itachi's eyes were wide in surprise, his normally stony and blank façade cracking with her words; her heart was as golden as her eyes, was it possible that the Gods sent her to him for a reason, to have confidant and friend in his final days? He did not know, his mind told him not to care but his heart was grateful for her words of endearment and gentleness. Reina simply stayed were she was, allowing herself a quiet moment of solidarity; Itachi could feel his stunned body regain its momentum as his heart silently permitted it to act on its own. His movements were oddly uncertain as if his life was dependent on the next few movements like the equilibrium of the world could be thrown off.

Itachi wrapped his arms around her waist, letting out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes peacefully, resting his cheek against hers gently; Reina smiled delicately relishing the small, secretive moment knowing it would not last long and that reality would creep up and snatch it away from them as quickly as it came. Itachi couldn't bear to admit it to himself that he had come to savour the company of the young Hitori heiress, it would only be cruel to both of them to accept such an attachment when the end was nigh at any given moment.

They belonged to completely different worlds, she would walk freely in the sunlight and it would kiss her skin lovingly as it ought to be. And he, he would tread in the shadows amongst the damned and forsaken where he belonged praying that life would treat her right; that his sins would be repented and Sasuke would find peace after walking through clouded hell for so many years. But for now the pair would indulge in a guilty, forbidden pleasure relishing the small, comforting contact that would never be spoken about, it would slip into the depths of their minds, solely for their personal entertainment.

To the world they were the damned; the traitorous forbidden fruit that tarnished it. But to each other they were sinful solace, a means of escape from the world around them.

They were falling farther from grace, but were willingly leaning into the fall.


	12. Chapter 12

Mirror, mirror.

Death is stern master.

Like its counterpart Lady Luck her mood influences the entire world, one putrid disposition and the entire population suffers beneath her fury, their souls leaving their earthly bound shells to begin their journey to land of the dead.

The underworld.

Earthbound friends and relatives hope the best for their deceased loved ones, imagining them amongst a land of tranquillity and endless cordiality. But no matter how many times they prayed for their lost souls to the ever watching Gods, it would not change the finality of things that death was final and the underworld was not made of sunshine and bountiful rice fields.

It was made of death itself.

Radiating despair and pure gloom, the wandering souls left to their own accord amongst the wretched lands of Yomi whilst the Gods watched from their divine seats in Takama-ga-hara, otherwise known as the Plain of High Heaven. Yet there was one god who remained in the cursed lands of Yomi and that was Izanami no Mikoto. Abandoned by her husband after eating the execrable fruit of the damned, she would spend eternity dwelling amongst sinners and the forsaken whilst her husband would dwell with their children in the sunlit skies.

The land itself was also dead, nothing grew or flourished and what did exist was rotten, through and through. One bite from the posing food would leave a person perpetually chained, they forbidden to leave and return from whence they came. They were the prisoners of the shinigami's and the other horrifying beings that inhabited in the shadows, their cruelness and tyranny indescribable that no soul dared to utter a single syllable during their everlasting and pain ridden sentence.

There are many types of pain, both inflicting dreadful abrasions upon the heart, be they physical or emotional, the pain chipping away tiny fragments before long the overworked muscle is rendered useless and marred. Reina winced inaudibly, her teeth grinding together as she tugged the fabric of her torn cloak tighter, the bindings around her abdomen jerking around her pale waist beneath her torn and shredded shirt.

Itachi watched silently, his own cloak incapable of being worn after being clawed to smithereens by the hell scorned ningyo; he studied Reina's frame closely, she was a curvaceous young woman, puberty had certainly been kind to her. His eyes lingered on an area of skin that had once made his lips twitch into the faintest of smiles; there along her pale side where her shredded shirt did not cover was a delicate tattoo. The scripture along her ribs was unreadable from a distance, but lately his curiosity about the young woman led him speak aloud about these little oddities.

"What does it say?" Itachi murmured as he perched on a moss covered rock, motioning to her ribs with an inclination of his head. Reina looked up, her hair straggling over her shoulders as she glanced down and gently outlined her ribs, the torn and mud ridden fabric shredded.

"When evening mist rises from the reed leaves, in the chill dusk, I'll think of you." Reina murmured softly, her golden orbs never leaving his as she spoke; Itachi nodded somewhat in approval appreciating her taste in poetry. It was then he noted the three surrounding cherry blossoms that ebbed around the scripture, Reina smiled a little watching as his eyes took in her inked skin. "Two for my parents and one for my Grandfather." She murmured quietly her own eyes lingering on his own inked skin, the ANBU sign standing out against his chalky exterior.

Itachi nodded remembering in their past years the funeral of her Grandfather, he was a kind and gentle soul just like herself; perhaps it was an Hitori trait to have golden hearts just like their eyes. Reina glanced at the katana that inhabited her now hands, her thoughts swirling about before she stood before him, the katana presented in her open hands.

"You should take it Itachi-san. You are best suited having trained with such a weapon at a higher, more advanced level." Reina smiled warmly, knowing she was right, given a time where they would encounter such beings, Itachi wielding the katana could prove the factor that came between life and death. Itachi simply stared at her incredulously, this girl simply continued to surprise him, a feat not easily achieved. Reina urged him to take it, her lips twitching as he reached out his hand, his fingers grazing over the patent ebony scabbard, it having been near a decade since he handled such a blade.

"How will you defend yourself?" He susurrated lowly, glancing up to meet her gaze, his almost hesitant.

"I have my ways, don't you worry Itachi-san. So please?" Reina asked again, her smile lingering as he finally grasped the sword and bowed ever so slightly.

"Arigatou Reina-chan." Itachi replied, returning to his full height and donning the blade. Reina returned the low bow before hearing the placid water break and the tides ripple upon the shore. Both ninja turned, their chakra flaring in an instinctive manner as the funayūrei began to take form from the death stained waters themselves; their forms were ragged and their faces hollowed from years of torment.

Reina stepped towards the forming funayūrei kneeling at the water's edge.

"Reina~" Itachi started only to be stopped with a soft glance which he returned with a single nod.

Reina stayed kneeling as the waters lapped further and further up the shore, the funayūrei edging closer before they stopped mere paces away. Reina bowed lowly, her arms outstretched in front of her, the water caressing her blood and dirt stained skin. The funayūrei returned the bow much to Itachi's surprise; he watched silently, the blade at his side ready to intervene.

"We have waited many millennia to fulfil our revenge and we thank you. You spilt the blood of the old one and freed our souls, and for that we wish to repay you." The funayūrei spoke, the woe stricken appearance channelling in their dreary and sombre voices; Reina gazed at them silently as they reached into the waves, her eyes flittering with inquisitiveness. Itachi's eyes widened a little as they pulled an item from the murky waters and presented it to Reina; her eyes widened in surprise as the funayūrei handed her a crafted bow, its craftsmanship unlike any other she had seen before.

"We give this to you so you may continue on your journey and wish you safe passage." The funayūrei bowed once more before they dispersed back into the water leaving the pair awestruck. Reina stood from the muddy shore as she admired the bow intently, her muddy fingers barely touching the engravings as not wanting to dirty the pristine pattern. Itachi stared blankly the question that was begging to pass his lips written on his face.

"I don't need arrows." Reina glanced up at him, a smile dancing on her lips as if she was holding back an amused secret. Itachi quirked a brow and nodded, taking her word as she donned the bow, the string slung across her chest along with the satchel strap. But the smile soon disappeared from her peachy lips as realisation soon crashed upon once more; they were in the underworld and had to enter into its heartland.

And she knew what lay ahead of them.

"Where to now?" Itachi asked giving her a moment to calm her thoughts feeling that familiar sense of apprehension beginning to build in his stomach. Reina was broken from her thoughts by his words; she shook her head lightly, breaking her daze before answering the silent Uchiha as she re-tied her hair in a ponytail, her straggled locks falling between her shoulder blades.

"To Onogoro Island. It's rumoured the mirror lies in the inner sanctum of the Oujou Palace, the place where Izanagi and Izanami performed their courtship ritual." Reina spoke, the information passing her lips as if she was reading it from a text book; Itachi nodded trusting her words as they began to head along the winding road, the forest becoming less dense and adapting a more mountainous like feature.

The pair continued to trudge along the pebble dashed road, the greenery that once inhabited the landscape thinning out as the gargantuan mouth of a shadowy cave greeted them. Itachi glanced over to Reina questionably, she nodded silently, inhaling deeply before heading first; the large cave face that first greeted them beginning to become more narrow and constricted. Admittedly Reina was the nimblest of the duo, sliding through the claustrophobic passageways as Itachi followed, the handle of his katana and handle of her bow grazing the water soaked cave walls and crying out slightly.

Then the walls began to tremble and makeshift floor began to shake.

Reina's eyes widened feeling the walls quaking beneath her hands as they continued to squeeze along the crevice of the cave, the crevice so constricted that the walls pressed heavily against their chest. Itachi pressed on behind, their bodies occasionally brushing against each other as they struggled through the tight fitting fissure.

"Take my hand." Reina murmured urgently, glancing over her shoulder at Itachi, it was strange to hear her normally placid voice so firm but he complied reaching out into the dark and grasping her hand, inwardly jumping at feeling a spark flicker between their skin before a familiar feeling began to ebb around his body. Reina gasped inaudibly feeling the small volt pass between their skin before grasping his hand firmly and beginning to concentrate, the cells of their body adapting and changing to become permeable as they moved quicker along the crevice-way, the shakes becoming bigger and more violent. Suddenly, rubble and stone fragments began to shower the pair, the gravel passing through their bodies as if they weren't there.

After what seemed like miles of hindered walkway the pair emerged from the cranny and were greeted by wide chasm, the chilly air nipping viciously at their exposed skin. Stalagmites and stalactites draped the entire cave as if reaching out to claw people passing by, the cave radiated doom and gloom as critters and ghouls lurked in the dark abyss. Reina looked about but was greeted by darkness; she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face. Even with his newly sharpened vision Itachi could not see into the thick blackness, he could only feel the heat of Reina's body close to his as the iciness of the cave attempted to come between them and smother any form of warmth.

It was then Itachi witnessed another strand of Reina's kekkai genkai, he could feel her chakra flair ever so indistinctly as if it were not effort at all; a faint spark flickered on a nearby _stalactite, the sulphur that inhabited the wet rock igniting effortlessly, emitting a pale blue glow as it lit the cave faintly, giving off a faded warmth. _But another source of warmth enveloped his body; Itachi narrowed his eyes feeling an odd sensation crawl over the skin of his abdomen.

Then he felt it.

Itachi reached underneath his shirt only to be met with a tepid liquid oozing from his skin.

It was blood. Reina's eyes widened, that familiar particle filling the air; she turned curtly in the direction of Itachi sensing the blood exuding from his abdomen. She reached out into the darkness, her fingers grasping at his shirt using it as a guide to edge closer to him; Itachi stiffened at her touch before relaxing as she edged closer, the pair now merely breathes away. Carefully Reina let her fingers slip beneath the fabric of his shirt, her skin cold to his flaming skin; Itachi made no effort to stop her, fascinated how _protective_ she was towards him. The Gods were most definitely smiling upon him when they entwined their paths together.

Reina peeled away the soaked fabric, her eyes widening at what they saw: there etched into his pale skin was the wound the ningyo inflicted upon her. With doe-like eyes Reina stared up at Itachi, her lips parted in shock and slight fear; Itachi gazed back with an impassive reassurance lingering in his eyes. Reina bit her lower lip anxiously as she reached into her satchel and pulling out torn shreds of her cloak; silently she rolled up his shirt, gently dabbing the wound, it not as deep as the one she had received.

Itachi watched silently as she continued to dab and treat the wound, captivated by her _affection_ towards him when he was more than capable of tending to the laceration himself. Despite the dim light he admired her features clearly, something he found himself doing more often without realising; even with her normally immaculately clean skin smeared with mud and blood she was still a beautiful young woman, one that oozed a doll-like innocence and was almost begging to be ruined and ravished. Reina wrapped her arms around Itachi's waist, a long sheath of fabric in her hands as she neatly began to wrap the wound; Itachi stood motionless his thoughts still swirling with the young woman who stood before him.

His entire body became rigid as she pulled the fabric tightly, a quiet 'gomen' passing her lips; but it was not the only reason he stiffened, unbeknownst to her, every time she passed her arms around his war-stricken body, her breasts would press against him gently, an action that would send a man wild with lust. But he was man who had no need for such emotion, yet at the back of his mind, a demon like presence egged on the impure thoughts.

It was as if the Deity of suppressed lust, Aizen Myō'ō himself was urging him forward, to claim her lips as his own and taste the sweet nectar that laced them. Little did Itachi know that, this was exactly the case, the scarlet Kami was gazing down at the star-crossed pair, incensing the dark haired male's sealed desires in the pit of his stomach as the ore orbed kunoichi neatly tied the ends of the ragged bandage, her nimble fingers occasionally brushing over his stomach in an unconsciously innocent yet sensual manner. Aizen Myō'ō stirred the rising lust in the Uchiha further like he was stirring a spicy broth, the action so simple yet yielded much more multifarious results; for they had entered into an uncharted domain, one where the impossible is possible and the stuff of human dreams was stuff off the Kami's reality.

Reina adjusted the bow of the bandage, satisfied that the indenture induced wound would not aggravate him any further, a faint smile gracing her lips as she looked up to Itachi, a strange expression plastered on his scuffed face. Itachi just stared at her, a storm of emotions brewing in his dark eyes; Reina frowned slightly unsure of what was going on in his head.

Yet something began to brew in both their stomach's the ruby Kami's wishes influencing them both, coveting them to experience that raw emotion before the dreaded world around them sucked every ounce of emotion and sentiment from their bodies all together. They simply stared at one another, the intensity of their gaze hitting a wild crescendo as the incentive grew more appealing. Itachi reached for Reina, the skin of his grazed and weapon marred hand cupping her cheek, his thumb caressing her freckle speckled skin; Reina instinctively leaned into his hand, momentarily closing her eyes and savouring the tender touch.

They both knew what was happening was the doing of something supernatural, but they couldn't help themselves, their bodies were urging them on but a part of them wanted it; a small selfish ember that was begging to be ignited at any given moment. Reina opened her eyes, once more gazing at Itachi, the tension beginning to coat the air like a thick, glutinous syrup. Itachi slid his hand from her cheek, his fingers tugging the bobble from her hair, allowing it to fall freely before grasping the bow and lifting it over her head, the item falling to the floor with a dull thud before he tangled his fingers in her chocolate locks, cupping the nape of her neck. Reina could feel her heart thump rapidly in her chest, as if it was hitting every rib and ricocheting off in random directions.

With his free arm, Itachi shrugged off the katana, it too crashing to the floor before he tugged Reina close, holding her close as humanly possible in a possessive manner, memories of Deidara's tribulations fuelling the growing flame in his stomach. Reina barely allowed a breath to pass her lips as she held onto his shirt, the dim light, illuminating his features lowly; Itachi breathed slowly and deeply as the gap between their lips began to grow smaller until their breathes mingled in an array of emotions. Aizen Myō'ō smiled upon the pair from his place in the divine fields, satisfied with his _divine intervention_. By now the pair were nose to nose, their breathes quivering with desire; Reina gulped silently feeling his grip around her waist and hair tighten a little.

Itachi grazed his nose against hers, their lips brushing accidently both jolting as the familiar spark ignited upon their lips; Reina gasped quietly involuntarily snatching the breath from his mouth. Itachi couldn't stand it any longer; her lips were his for taking, his to claim with his own.

He did exactly that.

Itachi urged forward, his lips claiming the sought prize he had being eyeing; giving in to the scarlet sin he closed his eyes and moved his lips against hers, Reina too yielding to the feeling in her stomach. She leaned against him, raising herself onto her tiptoes to accommodate the difference in height as she swathed her arms around his neck, holding him to her. Their lips moved against one another, yearning for each other to forget the world they were in, to dismiss their missions and lean into the fall like they had been unknowingly doing. Reina tugged the tie from his hair, freeing his raven locks before capturing them in her hand and claiming him once more, his headband falling to the ground.

The pair took a gasp of air, their lips reuniting almost instantly in a wave of indescribable want. Itachi kissed her harder, as if pouring unspoken feelings against them after years of keeping them locked under heavily padded mechanisms. Reina returned the fervour smiling as he nibbled ever so lightly on her lower lip and tugged it gently; his own lips twisted into a smile feeling her tongue slid over his lips, they parting to greet the fluid muscle with his own. Itachi snaked his hands from her hair and waist, they gliding over her hips and exploring the curvature of her backside, his theory of how puberty treated her well proved immediately.

Reina's grip on his hair tightened holding herself to him as his hands slid over the back of her thighs, hoisting her up from the floor with ease as she impulsively wrapped her legs around him securely. Aizen Myō'ō's intervention was now long over, the pair now acting of their own accord and own impulses as their lips continued in a wild dance, exploring the dark caverns of each other's mouths ardently. Itachi supported Reina effortlessly as he felt about the cave, his hand meeting the cold, damp wall before leaning the fervid kunoichi against it, she wedged between him and wall.

But the tone of their exchanges changed, the lust began to dissipate it being replaced with it a longing of acceptance; their kisses became less ragged and began to soften as his hands slid back to her face, holding her jaw lovingly with a tenderness that was reserved for Sasuke. Reina kissed him sweetly, her fingers carefully twisting his locks affectionately; no lust inhabited the air of the cave, instead it was replaced with kind-hearted kisses and small exchanges. The kisses began to slow down, lingering as if begging them not to stop.

But all good things must come to an end.

Their lips parted for the last time as their breathes mingled in an array of mixed emotions; Reina couldn't think straight, it felt like her head was full of helium, it light and airy as she warily glanced up at Itachi, their bodies still tangled in a woven mess. Itachi simply stared back, no words able to describe how he felt at that very moment; he had a mission that he was determined to fulfil and nothing or no one would hinder that, not the Gods.

And not Reina.

Itachi removed his hands from her skin and waist, once again at war with his heart and mind. Reina slid against the wall, returning to her full height as she watched Itachi in awe; she could feel turmoil ravish his body whilst confusion and yearning enveloped her own. Itachi turned away from the awestruck kunoichi, silently re-donning the crafted blade and retying his etched headband, the fabric keeping his dark locks from straying in front of his face.

"I-Ita~" Reina began, her voice soft and hesitant.

"This never happened. I feel nothing for you and you are nothing to me Reina." Itachi muttered, his eyes lit up dangerously with the Sharingan, his scarlet orbs emitting a perilous tension as he stared sternly down at her. Reina's eyes were wide in shock, her lips parted in astonishment his words cutting her as deeply as the ningyo's claws; she could feel her eyes water and gloss over with unshed tears.

"You can't do that to someone Itachi! You can't make someone care for you, protect them, kiss them and then toss them aside like an unwanted toy!" She yelled in frustration, the tears continuing to build in her gold orbs as her voice echoed about the giant chasm, the monsters that lurked there rousing at the commotion.

"I did not _make_ you do anything. You conjured those sentiments of your own devise…and I have kept you safe as you are needed in this mission." He muttered lowly as guilt gnawed away at his insides as the tainted words passed his lips, the now seemingly distant memory of her lips upon his being supressed like so many other things. Reina pushed herself from the wall, her stomach panging with his words as she strode towards him, an inextinguishable fire dwelling her eyes.

"How can you _say_ that?! You threated Deidara when he approached me when I was capable of protecting myself! An~"

"If you were a worthy opponent, able to defend and protect yourself then you would not be here would you? You would be home with your _precious_ _Neji_ instead wouldn't you?" Itachi interrupted, staring down at her with a wash of disgust wavering over his dark features; Reina stepped back in shock, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed cruelly as his words ravaged her ears.

Reina bit her lip and turned away from him refusing to let him see her cry, scooping the bow and satchel from the floor she headed further into the darkness of the cave, the tears now flowing freely down her porcelain cheeks at his harsh dismissal.

"It's not him I hold dear Itachi-san…" She whispered, her chest tightening at his words, they echoing around her head like a vinyl record stuck on repeat.

"Gomenasai Reina-chan…but this is how it has to be…" Itachi whispered his own voice ladened with heartbreak and self-resentment; if only things were different, if the Uchiha clan had not been so selfish and full of their own self-importance then he wouldn't turn her away and allow her to walk amongst living nightmares. He would have cherished her as she ought to be cherished and respected for the bold and strong kunoichi she was; he would relish the feel of his lips upon hers and the feel of her skin beneath his fingers until his final days, no one would know, not even Reina herself.

She would be his dirty little secret.

The one that got away.

The one he _let_ go.


	13. Chapter 13

Mirror, mirror.

Love is a cruel emotion.

It entices the heart of an unknowing person and can destroy the beating muscle without the slightest hesitation. There are said to be four types of love that exist in the world: the love of kinship or familiarity, the love of friendship, the love of sexual and romantic desire. And then there is the love of self-emptying or divine love, this being the most complex and sort after of the four strands. People can spend their entire lives searching for the one other person that completes them; some search the entire world some people are handed their other half on a silver platter.

Then some people don't realise that they have found their significant half, they merely dismiss the thought and put it down to the foolish fables that fill the heads of the gullible. It is those people in specific that need the ever effervescent sentiment in their lives.

For they are the lonely. The downtrodden and forsaken.

They are the ones that weep behind painted façades whilst their exteriors remain as blank as unscathed canvasses; their emotions bottled inside, some falter in their façade and the bottled emotions break free from their constraints. Yet when the supressed sentiments finally flee from their prison the individual can experience two things; on one hand their emotions can be reciprocated, they finding peace with their special someone.

But on the other hand? On the other hand their sentiments can be tossed aside like an unwanted book, the person becoming sour and scornful; yet some simply question their existence, their value and significance. They ask 'Why?' and question '"What if?' their minds perpetually turned on and questioning their past actions.

And Reina was one of these poor souls. Her head wouldn't silence, it was buzzing so loudly despite the silence that occupied the cave along with overwhelming tension. No words had passed their mouths since their affections had turned bitter, both ridden with hurt and unspoken apologies. Reina's cheeks were tear-stained the mud that laced her cheeks, streaked from the salty tears that had splashed down them; Itachi resented himself for hurting her, for pushing her away cruelly when it was the complete opposite of what he wanted for her.

The cave felt even darker and more forbidding, the woes of thousands compressed into such a small space. It was stifling yet the exit was nowhere to be seen, the tunnel was long and winding like the road of life itself. Itachi simply stared apathetically at Reina, watching her straggled form manoeuvre through the passageway, her grip on the bow unwavering and tense; every now and again he would hear the air hiss and pop, the familiar feeling of her distress bubbling in his stomach.

Itachi wished he could pull her close, tangle his fingers in her hair and whisper comforting words that would end the peril that continued to crash unforgivingly over her body. But he knew that would never happen, he would never get to tell her he was sorry for everything that had happened to her.

For what _he_ had done to her.

And that was what felt like the final twist of the dagger. He hoped that one day she could find it in her heart to forgive his harsh words and that she would someday pray for his damned soul; he knew he didn't deserve such mercy, for it was wasted on him, like so many things. Then he sensed it, the pain and the anguish radiating in the air, it was suffocating and pressing down heavily on his chest heavily.

Reina turned sharply pulling the string of the bow back swiftly; her thumb grazing the corner of her lips as her arm extended in the air. Itachi's eyes widen slightly in awe, as she pulled back the tensioned string a thin strand of particles forming and taking the shape of an arrow, the arrow head glinting along with her eyes. As quickly as she turned back and drew the bow, she released the string, the particle infused bolt flying through the air it and past his cheek, missing it by mere millimetres. Itachi narrowed his eyes, the Sharingan flaring up wildly as he too turned pulling kunai from his pouch and flung them with perfect precision; the pair assumed a stance, their statures moulding instinctively despite their personal feelings.

The kunai and arrow shot through the air, slicing its target accurately; the target hissed and screeched wildly, long barbed strands of hair flailing wildly about the cave. Itachi glanced at Reina from the corner of his eyes silently questioning her yet she didn't look back at him, she didn't even speak to him; Reina merely drew back the string of the bow once more, the surrounding atoms beginning to join and take form once more.

Inwardly it pained Itachi not receiving even so much as a glance from the gold eyed kunoichi, but he knew she was in her own right to dismiss his presence; he stared into the darkness of the cave waiting for the shrieking being to come into view. Itachi heard Reina mutter under her breath, her chakra hitting crescendo as she drew the bow once more, this time further than the last two times; he could make out the muscles in her arms tense as she steadied the crafted weapon.

But this time it was different, he could feel the air begin to heat up, the temperature rising rapidly around the tattered kunoichi; Itachi stared inquisitively having never experienced her fight in battle before. Reina steadied the bow, aiming into the darkness from whence the evil aura was beginning to crawl from; the atoms started to bounce off one another hastily the friction creating the sudden heat as another arrow formed. Itachi jerked back slightly as the now growing flame nipped at his untied locks, the smell of burnt hair fizzing into the air; Reina released the arrow the flames lighting the passageway as it flew down the narrow tunnel, the shadows dancing fleetingly on the damp walls.

Reina turned swiftly once more, the bow lowered as she strode off into the dark, drowning out the wails of the shrieking maiden, her barbed locks igniting wildly as they devoured her haunted form. Itachi tore his gaze from Reina momentarily, watching in shock as the crying woman flung herself about the cave, howling curses and vile obscenities directed at the nowhere to be seen kunoichi.

Once out of sight Reina leaned against the cave wall, resting her head against the cool stone squeezing her eyes shut tightly trying to block of the shrieks as the stench of burnt flesh and hair began to creep along the narrow passageway. The stench of death was overwhelming, it dominated everything and she couldn't take it; she was tired, ever so tired yet the mission seemed never ending a perpetual world of hurt and torment.

And it didn't help that the main cause of her hurt was also her captor.

_What were you thinking? Of course he wouldn't care for you. You're nothing but a prisoner._

She had let herself care come to for him, shared secrets that not even her Grandmother knew and even shared briefs moments of affections that she would never forget. She knew it was wrong, he was a felon, he had hurt her, but still she wished for him to take her close and feel his lips upon hers even if it was just one last time.

He was her guilty pleasure.

"What was that?" Itachi muttered from the shadows, appearing beside her; Reina simply stared at the adjacent wall, barely acknowledging his existence.

"A Harionago." Reina murmured quietly her tone curt and brief, as she pushed herself off the wall and walked off nonchalantly, yet she didn't get far as Itachi reached out and caught her arm, pulling her back and trapping her against the wall, he blocking any exit. Reina glared up defiantly, her gold eyes starting fiercely at his infamous Sharingan; Itachi's arms caged her ragged form, they residing either side of her head.

"What, no Tsukuyomi? Or am I not a worthy enough opponent?" Reina spat curtly, the hurt obvious in her eyes despite her attempts to conceal it; Itachi stared down at her unsure as to why he pulled her near, once again his body had acted on its own accord. She stared up at him, her freckled nose wrinkled as she awaited his answer; Itachi merely stared back a slight wave of uncertainty washed over his own dirt stained face. This girl would lead to his demise, not his actual demise for that was already meticulously planned.

No, she would lead to his emotional demise.

"Why are you doing this? You are making this harder than it has to be." Reina murmured quietly, feeling the woe in her stomach build, yet the woe was not hers, it was his. The Sharingan faded from his orbs, they ebbing back to their melted chocolate shade as his lips parted despite the lack of words that passed them. He could feel his strength wavering, his self-control begging to be unchained and unleashed; but on the other hand he could feel his throat tighten with restraint as his heart and head continued to fight out their forever long feud.

Reina frowned at his lack of response, her brows accentuating her confusion as they furrowed together; he was torn his inner battle displayed in his dark eyes on show for her to see. She couldn't fathom it, Uchiha Itachi the infamous killer of the Uchiha clan was beginning to crack before her eyes, his perfect façade chipping and fading.

"You need to stop torturing yourself Itachi-san. Whatever it is that is eating away at you won't simply disappear unless you make it disappear." Reina spoke softly, the curtness that once inhabited her words long gone, his pain now becoming hers as it continued to swell in their chests. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, his dark eyes directed at her as her words swirled around his head rapidly and messily his usual categorised ideology absentminded and haphazard. Her words had such a strange effect on him, the rousing a side of him that he fought so hard to keep supressed and hidden from the world; it was the exact feeling that washed over him all them years ago.

The dread, the fear, the anxiety…the calm before the storm.

Itachi gulped silently feeling his body quiver as he fought off the urge; the katana that lay against his back begged for him to take it in his hands and wield it like he once did. Reina too could feel his desire yet she didn't move she waited patiently for him to make his decision; it was like a tense game of chess, the next move influencing their entire future.

"Do you wish to kill me Itachi-san?" Reina asked softly, her voice wasn't ladened with fear as it ought to be instead it was placid and almost inviting. She was past fearing death for it was inevitable, it would one day claim her so why should it matter if it was Itachi himself that ended her measly life. Itachi frowned unable to believe he had heard the words that had passed her rose tainted lips; but the urge in his stomach continued to edge him forward. He didn't need to answer her question, by the lax expression on her face she already knew the answer to which she had asked him.

Reina smiled weakly, her lips twisting in an expression of pure understanding, the epitome of self-sacrifice.

"I understand. It…it has been an honour knowing you Itachi-san. I wish that we could have had more time together under different circumstances. I would have liked to have gotten to know the real you, not the illusion you've portrayed. One day you'll let yourself look past your own genjutsu and when you do? You'll see the world with clearer eyes…and I'll be glad." Reina smiled truthfully, satisfied with her words knowing they would be her last; she knew she should of spoke of her Grandmother or her family but she didn't, they would understand if or when they ever found out.

She reached out, her grazed hand cupping his pallid cheek in reassurance as her thumb caressed his skin with her last moments of affection. Itachi grit his teeth together, that familiar feeling from all them years ago flooding his stomach as his parents came to mind and how they too had acted with understanding in their final moments.

Everything moved so fast he barely registered what had happened.

Reina gasped sharply, the air trapped in her throat as she tried to breathe; Itachi held her close one hand clutching her to him supporting her the best he could.

The other however…

The other hand gripped the hilt of the katana, her katana, the katana that was lodged in her already battered and bruised body. He could feel her jittered breathing as it danced over his exposed skin; Reina struggled to breathe, her gold eyes were wide as she clung to him feeling the life beginning to drain away from her.

"G-Gomenasai Reina, gomenasai." Itachi whispered, the torture evident in his breaking voice; he pulled on the hilt of blade a quiet cry barely passing her lips as the blade retreated from the wound, grazing past muscle and blood vessel after blood vessel. Reina winced, her gold eyes watering up before they spilled over, the salty tears rolling down her cheeks freely; Itachi discarded the blade allowing it to fall to the floor with a small thud, it echoing about the entire cave-way.

He slid to the floor cradling her in his arms as blood oozed from her wound, her already bandaged stomach staining dark crimson once more. But the pain in his chest didn't go like he predicted it to, no the pain in his chest worsened with each passing moment. Reina gasped for her breath still smiling despite her light dwindling to stay lit; Itachi stared down at her, his own orbs glossing over as he clutched her even closer.

"I-It's okay Itachi-san. It's o-okay." Reina stuttered, her once rose tainted lips now stained incarnadine; Itachi brushed the hair from her face, cradling her head as he leant his forehead against hers. She stifled a cough, closing her eyes she cupped the nape of his neck in reassurance; the end was close she could feel it, it was calling to her, to simply stop fighting and give in to the darkness.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Itachi whispered, leaning away gazing down at her with guilt ridden eyes. Reina opened her eyes knowing it would be the last time she would lay eyes on him; a frail smile managed to form on her lips.

"Please, stop torturing yourself." She whispered, her voice trailing off before the cave became silent.

She was gone.

Itachi allowed himself a moment, a single moment to allow his façade to crack. He hugged her close the warmth already slipping away from her body; this was supposed to bring him peace, to end the emotional warfare that engrossed him. But it didn't, it simply acted as a catalyst the hurt and anguish that clung to his chest multiplying rapidly and without mercy. He pondered for the briefest of moments whether Sasuke would mourn for him as he now mourned for Reina; he knew he didn't deserve his younger brother's condolences, as long as Sasuke lived his life to the fullest after his demise he would be content.

Then he would stop torturing himself.

Itachi closed his eyes, dwelling in the shadows where he belonged, the only shred of light that had willingly graced his miserable existence forced to join him prematurely amongst the darkness.

"You need to stop torturing yourself Itachi-san. Whatever it is that is eating away at you won't simply disappear unless you make it disappear."

Itachi's eyes shot open, they wide with shock as bright gold orbs stared back at him; Reina quirked a brow unsure of the expression that was plastered on his face. Itachi blinked, gazing about the dark cave in confusion before his eyes found their way back to her.

Yet there she stood, in all her battered but undefeated glory.

She was right.

Once he looked past his own genjutsu he saw the world with clearer eyes, this girl who stood before him was not the cause of his emotional demise, but the key to its release. It may not be in the conventional way, for neither of them were conventional people; he was not certain why their lives were intertwined the way they were but he was certain about one thing.

He would keep her safe from the monsters that lurked in the dark.

Even if he was one of the monsters.


	14. Chapter 14

Mirror, mirror.

Silence is neither friend nor foe. It is a neutral force that is used by either side, both good and evil; it feeds both heartache and love, encouraging both emotions to flower and bloom. Silence fills the air when words are not needed; sometimes it appears when people cannot find the right words to say, their hearts yearning for the emotive prose that could possibly mend a broken heart or shattered bonds.

The cave had remained dark for what seemed like endless days, both shinobi were tired, their bodies battered and losing strength with each step they took. Yet despite their tattered forms and brief moments of emotional ineptness, they were determined to make it out of their hellish surroundings in one piece, to make it out together…even if neither dared to utter it aloud.

With every sound that graced their ears, Itachi and Reina would tense, their chakra automatically reaching out to each other, ready to battle what lay in the shadows. It was strange to be bound to someone, to feel their emotions swell in their chest and change as frequently as the weather; as the time passed their bond grew stronger to a point where they could sense the other's thoughts and intentions. Sometimes it was comforting to know that you were in someone's thoughts but sometimes those thoughts were not the affectionate and love driven thoughts that humanity strives for. Now and then those thoughts are dark and painted red from a long history of violence and bloodshed, a history that creeps after and haunts a person for life.

But it wasn't only their histories that were stained red.

Occasionally something would catch Itachi's eyes amongst the stagnant darkness; his eyes were not the only pair of orbs that glowed crimson amongst the shadows. Every now and again he would find Reina rubbing her eyes, in the brief moment that they shut and reopened her irises would flitter between their natural golden shade and a blood-red that matched his own perfectly. He thought he was hallucinating again, that his own superior eyes were deceiving him like they had further back in the cave, yet there she was, standing before him with eyes that resembled the brightest rubies.

In some strange way she reminded him of his mother and how she looked when her sharingan was alight; her eyes were not hardened by the harshness of reality, they still retained a softness to them, an inviting warmth that drew people to her like moths to the flame. It was rare that he witnessed his mother's sharingan in his younger years, but when he did her expression did not radiate the maternal love that often inhabited her raven like features. It wasn't exactly cold or stern like his father's, it was…solemn. It was as if she already knew the fate of the clan and the burden of which had been placed on his shoulders from the years of unneeded bloodshed and unrivalled ambition.

Reina had that same look on her porcelain features, despite their differences and his harsh words, she didn't look upon him with disdain as she should and this made him even more curious about the freckly kunoichi. Every now and again he would feel a sensation envelop his chest, he knew it was the doing of the indenture as he had grown accustomed to the fortified bond; it was normally conflicted confusion or doubt that would overwhelm his chest. Normally it would start like a dying ember it being fanned by the swirl of emotions that were flying about the young kunoichi's mind, her indecisiveness and longing laid out before him as if projected for all to see.

Itachi knew that whatever it was that blooming between the pair was unsafe, if one word of their brief '_affair'_, if one were to call it that, were to reach the ears of ambitious and tyrannical people, then who knew what lay on the treacherous road ahead of them. It would only take one utter and the Akatsuki and other rogues may seek her out to question her motives, and they are not exactly known for their kindness or warm-heartedness. Yet that was not the worst of scenarios; Itachi could only imagine what would happen if he were not there to protect her or intervene. He dared not think any further about the possible and metaphorical consequences; instead he focused himself on the path ahead, the said path beginning to edge out of the stagnant darkness.

Neither of them had eaten or even rested since their time at the inn and the acoustics of the cave amplified that fact; a low rumble would emit from their stomachs every now and again, the dull sound echoing ever so slightly yet neither complained. Reina knew that their hunger would only grow and worsen on their passage through Yomi; one supposed innocent mouthful of the deadly food would leave them trapped here for all eternity, bound by the food that dared to pass their lips. It was like planting the seed of death, the food would corrupt and murder slowly that before long, nothing would be left but a rotting corpse full of anguish and regret prior to being consumed by an inconsolable hatred.

But Reina was an optimistic individual, her determination had not been squashed by their tribulations, if anything the obstacles that they had overcome had made them stronger, perhaps not physically as both longed to rest, but most certainly mentally. Her Grandmother always told her to look for the silver lining around a dark storm-cloud or the radiant light at the end of a winding tunnel, and thankfully for Reina her luck was beginning to change. She thought her eyes were deceiving her, she put it down to the fluctuation of chakra that was being deposited to her eyes, yet there it was, right before their eyes.

The exit of the cave.

Reina sighed softly and smiled in relief, her cut lips twisting upwards; without thinking about her actions she turned to Itachi and threw her arms around his own tattered form, burying her face into his chest.

"Thank Kami." She murmured gratefully feeling a sense of reprieve flood her chest; Itachi stiffened at her touch, staring down at her apathetically, a single brow arched slightly yet despite not reacting he too was relieved to see the exit from the murky cave, his own chest starting to fill with respite. Coming to her senses Reina too stiffened, releasing the elder Uchiha and backing away avoiding his gaze before sweeping her matted locks behind her ear she walked on ahead, questioning her actions the entire time.

The exit of the cave edged nearer as the pair trundled along in silence, the light that flooded the gave growing brighter and more welcoming; breaking from her thoughts Reina sped up, breaking into a light jog as she headed towards the light.

But it wasn't what she expected.

Reina's eyes widened at what she saw, she had only read about this place in books and scrolls; Itachi crept up behind her, his breath falling upon her exposed skin, her shirt barely covering her pale form.

"What is it?" Itachi asked, his voice placid despite his concealed curiosity. Reina glanced over her shoulder, up at him, a small smile lighting up her face as she attempted to contain her excitement.

"Tentou no oashisu. Heaven's oasis. It's a sacred place of the Gods. They're said to bathe here to retain their divinity, the waters purifying and washing away any sins." Reina murmured softly, gazing down at the glistening pool; it wasn't the exit she expected but it was a way out of the cave no less. They stood at the verge of a steep hill, the path cascading downwards towards the cerulean waters; Yomi was nothing like she had expected it to be, she expected the land to be scattered with bones and eternal fires, not paradise like views and escapes.

Itachi admired the view silently, the light shining down on them with welcome arms however it wasn't only the pleasant vista that stole his attention; he found himself admiring the kunoichi before him. Despite her tattered and mud and blood splattered form she was still a beautiful young woman. Her beauty was not conventional for she resembled a porcelain doll, her youthful appearance disguising her wisdom; but she had caught his attention, a rare feat in itself, even when he and Kisame had found her on the brink of death in the forest she made him curious.

Hitori Reina intrigued him. She…_enticed_ him.

"We're best camping here tonight; the oasis is protected so only the pure of heart may enter so we should be safe…" Reina murmured softly motioning to the faintest of glimmers that soared high above the oasis; a multitude of colours intertwining with one another as each individual shade blended with the next.

"A chakra field." Itachi replied as he eyed the force field in an almost conspicuous manner, inwardly deliberating whether the Gods themselves would permit the likes of him to enter their paradise. And there it was again, a familiar feeling of doubtful deliberation began to flutter around her chest; silently she gazed up at her dark haired companion, his face stony yet his eyes told her otherwise. She could feel his uneasiness and she yearned to embrace him without the persistent fear of rejection or dismissal that currently consumed them both.

"We should make haste, it's almost dark and there are worse things that reside in the dark than yourself Itachi-san." Reina spoke, breaking his train of thought with her gentle words; some may take it as an insult of their ability, yet he knew she meant it somewhat as a compliment, reinforcing the fact that she had the capability to look right through his façade even if she did not voice it aloud. He nodded, continuing on their journey; the terrain was the complete opposite to that of the cave, luscious sheaves of grass inhabited the sloping landscape, sporadic bundles of colourful wildflowers nestled amongst the blades of grass.

The pair edged nearer to the field and Itachi's pulse quickening ever so slightly; he watched Reina like a hawk as she took a small intake of air before stepping through the field with ease, the chakra warping over her pale skin like rain off an umbrella. She stood silently on the other side waiting for him to make his move, her golden eyes locked to his cocoa orbs as he prepared himself to take a seemingly leap of faith. The chakra field resembled a crowd of fireflies more so than ribbons of chakra, each separate speckle of life force harmoniously interacting with the next as they worked together to guard the beautiful utopia.

Itachi stepped forward, his face shrouded once more with a mask of fearlessness as he edged through the chakra field; the chakra field reacted hastily ushering over his entire body like a team of ANBU that has surrounded their target. Despite his muscles tensing he continued to push forward surprised how easily he passed through the battling phenomenon; Reina watched silently, her eyes not leaving his own battered form for even the briefest of moments. She held her breath unbeknownst to either of them, watching in awe as the particles continued to dance about him despite having passed through the force field. Itachi sighed inwardly, gazing at the waltzing particles in awe as they pirouetted about his hands as if dancing to their own rhythm before the fled from whence they came satisfied that he would not disrupt or endanger the sacred place. They were on uncharted territory, mere humans standing in the holy land of the Gods; they dared tread where no human had trodden before, but they were not disrespectful of the land they were trespassing on for both held the tales of the Kami's in high regard.

Reina watched rather entranced by the somewhat relieved expression that washed over the elder Uchiha's face; she couldn't deny to herself that he was indeed a handsome young man, yet it was the intensity of his eyes that fascinated her so much. He had seen so much with those eyes of his yet he kept his past experiences sealed under an intricately locked latch, they impenetrable to even the most talented of lock-pickers. She wished to know what he had seen, what he had experienced in his years upon the earth; but most of all…she wished him to be happy. Reina could feel his heartache and shrouded guilt that he kept so well hidden from the world, and she knew he knew this yet he continued to fight against her, to push her away like a stray animal when all she wanted to do was comfort him and help him in any way she could.

If only her Grandmother could see her now, silently fawning over Uchiha Itachi, why she would be swooning over him as well; this made Reina chuckle softly to herself regardless of her situation. Reina remembered that her Grandmother would occasionally mention Itachi when she was younger often praising him on his ability and prowess with his kekkai genkai; but that was not the only thing she would often speak about. Tomo would often lament how he failed to experience life as a child and not a ninja, how he lacked the warmth of a family despite constantly surrounded by his kin. Reina did not quite understand it as a child, to her he was constantly around his family, around Sasuke…

"Do not dwell on things that do not concern you Reina-chan." Itachi interjected his once placid face now stern accentuating the frown lines beneath his sleep deprived eyes; Reina merely stared at him forlornly too physically exhausted to rebel against him and voice her opinion. Instead she simply continued down the flower ridden path occasionally letting her fingers graze over the passing petals cautiously, careful not to disrupt them too much; Itachi followed diligently on her heels curious as to why the young kunoichi was thinking about him in such a manner when she should be repulsed and angered with him- it purely added to his inquisitiveness.

The shore of the oasis came into sight, the ground littered with glittering white sand that surrounded the entire perimeter of the water; the water practically called out to the tattered and blood ridden pair goading them to bathe away their aches and pains. Above the cerulean waters a majestic waterfall bled into the oasis causing the water to slosh and ripple; the oasis was secluded, it more of a cove than an open space, but neither cared, it was a place for them to rest and recuperate from the trials of their journey.

Reina gazed about with awe struck across her china like features she had never seen something so beautiful in all her days, if only somewhere like this existed outside of Yomi for she would never leave if there was- it would be her place to escape. Itachi too admired the scenery it having been a while since he witnessed something so striking within Mother Nature's realm; but the light over the land was beginning to fade and they needed to keep warm, for he doubted they would be close enough to one another to replenish their body heat.

"You find something to eat and I'll start a fire." Itachi murmured, setting down the damned katana in place for a rickety stick. Reina turned and glanced briefly at him before she too began collecting firewood.

"We cannot eat any food of this land. If we do we will be imprisoned for eternity, our bodies rotting beyond recognition." Reina replied, piling the twigs nonchalantly, attempting to ignore the rumble in her own stomach; Itachi glanced at her, acknowledging her words silently before continuing to construct a campfire. They sat opposite one another, the pile of wood separating them; Itachi formed the signs for a fire jutsu, concentrating as his body began to summon the necessary chakra he had to spare. But no fire left his mouth, without his command a small spark ignited from the sticks, the air around them heating up as the oxygen particles encouraged the small flicker; Itachi merely stared at the growing ember with a slight wave of confusion washing over his face.

"It's the indenture…it's growing stronger. You're beginning to have domain over my kekkai genkai and I yours." Reina murmured quietly, glancing up to meet his disordered gaze but he wasn't met with honey like orbs, instead he was met with crimson eyes framed by dark lashes. Reina rubbed her eyes blinking a few times as if she had put in contact lenses that were irritating her; Itachi stood brushing off the speckles of sand before he made his way around the other side of the fire settling himself beside her. Reina dared not move a muscle as Itachi edged in closer, carefully he cradled her jaw tipping her chin upwards as he inspected her eyes more closely; what he found shook him a little, there bobbing almost rhythmically was an exact replica of his sharingan.

"Is it strange to gaze upon an almost extinct bloodline, more so your own?" Reina whispered, unable to take her eyes off of him, once again entranced by his naturally dark orbs; Itachi remained silent as he continued to stare as if he were staring into his own eyes. But Reina spoke up once more as she too maintained the eye contact. "According to Tobirama Senju, the Sharingan is the eye that reflects feelings. Yet I don't need your Sharingan to see your feelings, so I know you don't need your Sharingan to read me. So why do you insist on pushing me away?" Her words were sentimental, she yearned for the reason why he continued to chop and change around her; one moment she would catch a glimpse of endearment. The next? Next his face would be full of resentment and it was tearing her apart.

"I am not pushing you away. I am simply doing my duty to which I am loyal to, perhaps you should do the same Reina-chan." Itachi replied, before wordlessly reaching into his pouch pulling out a small vile of transparent liquid; he unscrewed the lid, a little baster attached to the cap. He squeezed the rubberised bobble like nodule at the top of the lid, the liquid slipping up into the vile waiting to be deployed. Reina felt a lump form in her throat with every word he spoke, yet she battled on refusing to lose another person close to her.

"But I am doing my duty. I'm being loyal to you because you refuse to be loyal to yourself and continue to portray an ill reputed persona." Inside Itachi stiffened at hearing her words, this girl simply refused to give up on him and he was beginning to believe that he should allow himself to reciprocate her sentimentalities even if it was merely till they parted ways after the mission. Whilst debating wordlessly Itachi carefully squeezed a few drops of the liquid into both of her eyes, Reina blinking quickly to ensure that the drops did not spill over; once satisfied that the irritation was tended to Itachi released her face and resumed his place on the opposite side of the fire.

"If this world is full of deadly creatures like you say it is? It is best you wash the blood off and re-bandage your wound. I'll stay on that side of the water, you need not worry about that." He muttered lowly, poking the fire and staring into blankly as he continued to agitate the now raging flames. Reina waited for a moment wishing he would react, yet he didn't he merely continued to stare into the flames as if they would give him the answers he was so desperately looking for. She grit her teeth together in attempt to reign back her temper, feeling it beginning to flare up at his lack of response; Itachi looked up from the dancing flames sensing a rift in her usual placid persona.

"You know if you keep agitating it, it might bite back. Just because your name means to fan the flames, doesn't mean it won't retaliate." Reina replied curtly, staring directly at him with her blood shaded eyes before turning sharply on her heels and heading along the shoreline; suddenly the fire flared up violently moments after the words passed her lips, the surrounding oxygen disturbing the fire. Itachi jumped backwards as a familiar smell of burnt hair intruded his nose, his eyes narrowing as they too flared a deadly shade of crimson; both were acting on suppressed impulses and shunned emotions that were beginning to spill over.

"You are walking a thin and dangerous line Reina…" Itachi growled lowly brushing his singed hair from his face. Reina turned to face him, walking backwards as she confronted the deadly Uchiha.

"Why, because I refuse to play along with your act? If you were half the man you're pretending to be then you would drop the act and stop fighting against me! As at the moment? I'm the only one putting my neck on the line for something which I'm not even sure what it is! So do not tell me about walking the line Itachi!" Reina retorted sharply, her usually calm voice dripping with unspoken emotion, she knew he was right she was walking a perilous line because one false move and she could potentially break her own heart after willingly giving it to him despite a lack of reciprocation.

Itachi was speechless. _Never_ had he had someone openly speak to him so forcefully, let alone a woman. It was not a matter of battle of the sexes and who was superior for he was not cursed with that sort of idiotic ideology; this was about being emotionally exposed and allowing himself to give in to his secret desires. Once again met with silence Reina growled to herself in frustration walking off to the far side of the oasis, muttering the occasional colourful profanity as she went. She could feel her frustration escalate it starting to interfere with her kekkai genkai as nearby atoms and molecules began to pop and hiss as they did back in the inn.

With Itachi inhabiting the west side of the shore and confident that she had walked out of sight Reina dropped her satchel to the floor, the bag causing a brief eruption of sand to rise from the seaboard. Checking her surroundings once final time Reina undressed swiftly, piling her wrecked and almost threadbare clothing into a neat pile before entering the sparkling water; it wasn't icy like she expected it to be, the water was perfect and she was only knee deep. Without further ado Reina dived into the water, relishing the feeling of it washing over her tired and aching body; she didn't stay beneath the soothing water for long, Reina broke the surface of the oasis running her fingers through her matted locks.

Reina sighed softly as she tended to her tangled strands of hair unbeknownst that she was the centre of a certain rogue shinobi's thoughts. Itachi couldn't help but stare at the nude kunoichi, she was enthralling and she wasn't even trying to be; midway undressing he spotted her surface from the sapphire waters, they gathering around her womanly waist. Despite her years of shinobi training she retained a curvaceous figure through the years of academic life; Itachi folded his shirt and found that his eyes wandered back to Reina as she continued to untangle her hair. Her dark almost auburn locks clung to her skin, tantalising him unintentionally as they gave the faintest outline of her breasts; he was never one for lust in any form, let alone a sexual nature, other than the divine intervention instigated back in the cave.

But this time he could feel his stomach begin to sizzle of its own accord, flooding with a pent up emotion; at that moment in time he wasn't a shinobi and she not a kunoichi he was merely a man and she a woman.

Reina satisfied with her hair glanced down at her stomach, the red raw strokes from the ningyo's claws still vibrant from the ordeal; she winced slightly as her fingers outlined the sensitive lacerations- flashbacks of the entire trial playing in her mind like a film on a reel. Her mind wandered back to the cave and how the stagnant stench of blood invaded her nostrils.

Then it hit her.

_If either of us receives a wound, it's mirrored upon the other…_

With wide eyes Reina looked up from the wound, her fingers still draped across her abdomen as she searched the lagoon for Itachi to tell him her newfound discovery yet she didn't have to look far. There stood halfway across the oasis was Itachi, the iridescent water rippling around his hips, she felt the air hitch in her throat at the very sight of him; his usually immaculate hair wasn't tied back in its customary pony tail, instead it was left to flay about where it wanted. Itachi couldn't even remember walking into the oasis, all's he could think about was Reina, he stood before her his eyes wandering over every curve of her body, from the youthful curvature of her face to the soft cambers of her silhouette.

The air that once hitched in her throat formed into a lump, blocking any form of linguistic etymology that wished to pass her lips; _never_ had she found herself in such a situation, she had obviously thought of such an occasion, after all when surrounded by Kakashi and his book of sexual wonders the subject was _bound_ to come up in conversation, but she had never experienced such a thing for herself. She was brought with traditional morals that one should wait until in a steady, monogamous relationship or married for such things despite the irony of her being born out of wedlock.

And whatever it was _this_ was, Reina was certain that it was neither steady nor by any means a marriage proposal- but she didn't care.

"Reina…" Itachi uttered softly, he didn't need to apologise she could feel his need for atonement by merely murmuring her name and how she loved the way it rolled from his lips. She wanted him to say her name again just to be sure that it was real, that _he_ was real and it was not a cruel genjutsu; he too craved to hear her speak his name for her alone to say his name with such emotion that it made his chest flutter.

Reina supressed a shiver that trundled down the entire length of her spine, goose-bumps springing up all over her skin whilst her blood flushed beneath her freckled cheeks; Itachi did not smile, for his eyes were evidence enough of his reprieve. Wordlessly he held out his hand, a metaphorical white flag of amnesty between the pair, but it did not only symbolise that, it also represented his own acceptance of his feelings for her; he would no longer dismiss his sentiments for her he would stay true to his word and keep her safe.

Reina took a moment to think things through, to weigh pros and cons of their situation and the cons certainly outbalanced the pros but she was tired of denying herself the companionship she sort after and she had been yearning to feel his lips upon hers since the first time they had met back in the cave. She reached out and placed her free hand upon his, it clasping around hers ever so lightly before he urged her forward and circling his arms around her bare waist holding her to him in a protective manner.

"Forgive me." Itachi murmured somewhat tenderly, Reina gazed up at him with ruby orbs though this time they were not filled with hurt as they once were, they were now filled with relief. She smiled softly reaching for his face, affectionately brushing stray ebony hairs behind his ear; she couldn't find the necessary words to describe how she felt at that exact moment and it would appear that neither could he. Instead of verbalising his sentiments Itachi expressed them physically. Carefully as though made of glass he cupped her jaw cautiously feeling his pulse thump widely in his head like a bass drum; this was no divine intervention, this was of his own accord and free will.

It felt like an eternity but Itachi lowered his lips to Reina's, her breath quivering with both nerves and excitement; she gulped silently her lips parting as she gasped when his lips brushed against hers, like a silk drape brushing over her skin. Her breath quickened with anticipation and she closed her eyes on instinct; Itachi's twisted into the faintest of smiles before their lips met in an electric frenzy, this young woman was not his downfall like he first speculated and tormented himself over.

She was the light at the end of his own personal tunnel of self-loathing and chastisement.

His own little means of escape.


End file.
