This is the old version. The new version is much more accurate and understandable. It is titled "Ayumi."
CHAPTER 3 AFFECTIONS
“Where’s Itachi?” Ayumi asked one morning a few days later. Suri shrugged, but Yuma nodded towards the door.
“Outside. Some men came looking for him,” he stated. Ayumi paused. Had they been discovered? Were Hunter Nin waiting for her after taking Itachi? That fear always tugged at her stomach, even though she knew full well she was by no means a Missing Nin.
She dared to go outside anyway, and to her surprise Itachi was talking to two men wearing identical robes to his. One was quite tall and resembled a shark very closely, and the other was a blonde with a single eye covered by his bangs; Ayumi wondered if the blonde was in secret a woman or not.
Neither of them were from the same village.
The two strangers fell silent when they saw Ayumi. Itachi looked over his shoulder and a look of aristocracy and leadership was quickly replaced by something strange. Was it welcome and compassion? He nodded for her to approach, and she hesitantly obeyed.
The other ninja silently looked her over as Itachi introduced them to each other. The blue skinned man was Kisame, and the other was named Deidara. Ayumi felt short compared to the group, who all stood at least two inches higher than she.
“Word is traveling fast of your skills, kunoichi. I find it honorable to be in your presence,” Kisame spoke up after Itachi finished. "Perhaps we'll get to spar later - "
“It’s a pleasure to meet one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kisame,” Ayumi responded as politely as she could, preferring to not spar with him. (He probably has enough power to down this house if he tried!)
Deidara turned to Itachi. “Well, what do you say? Will you do it?”
Ayumi raised an eyebrow. “Do what?”
“Join us on a mission of high importance,” Kisame snapped. “What’s it mean to you, nosy?”
Ayumi felt her temper shorten when Itachi raised a hand for silence. “I will accompany you if Ayumi comes. That’s my only condition.”
Deidara smirked, staring at Ayumi, while Kisame grumbled under his breath. (He hates me. Either that, or he just thinks of me as a nuisane who's not worth sparring with. We'll see about that!) Just to have an excuse to leave his forsaken land and annoy Kisame, who obviously disliked her…! She grinned.
“I’m going with you,” Ayumi said firmly. She disappeared into the house to retreive her belongings.
After bidding sweet Suri and Yuma farewell, including a promise to visit again, Ayumi and Itachi left shortly after Kisame and Deidara. Sure she was out of earshot, Ayumi began to interrogate Itachi.
“What’s this mission we're on?”
“We’re going to Hidden Waterfall, but you have no part of it. It was our assignment, not yours.”
“Why?”
“To talk to the Sukotto’s about Emi Endoh Sukotto, and, you're not a member of - ” He cut off his sentence quickly, looking away.
She brushed that aside. “What do you want with Emi?”
“That’s the Leader’s business.” Before Ayumi could ask him anything else, he ran to catch up with the others. The Leader? Did he have an employer even after he said he didn’t? What did they want to talk to Emi about? What was going on?
Later that evening, while sitting around the campfire, Deidara wondered about Ayumi’s family. Even when Itachi tried to prevent the conversation from advancing, Ayumi told of the Gosu destruction. She tried to ignore Kisame’s smart remarks, but she could feel the demon within her stirring. She could fell her anger brewing.
When she finished talking about Haku’s death, Kisame scoffed. “I can understand why your brother committed suicide.”
Itachi warned him to hush.
Ayumi braced herself.
“He lived with you for four months.”
Ayumi felt that final thread snap, and she bolted. She shot from where she sat, Hokizu sprouting from her ruby ring instantly. She didn’t hear Itachi beg them to stop. She charged for the man, jumping to the side when a large, wrapped sword swung for her. She only just avoided it, but she didn’t feel the pain of the abrasion on her arm. She attacked again, jumping at him from different directions. No matter what jutsu she tried to use, all of the chakra would evaporate when she neared the sword.
Itachi darted towards them. “Stop this!”
Ayumi yelled ferociously, punching a hole in the limb Kisame had perched on. She cried out when the sword brushed her leg, badly scratching it through her pants. She leapt up after him, fist curling as senbon grew in it. Kisame raised his sword to strike.
Itachi landed between them just before they met. He caught Kisame’s wrist and shot his other arm out behind him. Ayumi, caught off guard by the interference, slammed into Itachi’s arm. She gasped when she felt the wind leave her lungs rapidly as a pain erupted through her abdomen and, especially, side.
She slipped from the limb and fell, landing on the ground in a heap. (This pain...) She groaned, gasping for breath as her vision blackening. All three gathered around her.
"Ayumi?" Itachi's voice echoed in her ears as she fainted.
When Ayumi woke, she could barely breathe. Any movement caused her pain, but her wounds had healed. Then…why did she hurt so much? She sighed when she remembered her fight with Kisame. Itachi had jumped in the way, close lining her across the upper abdomen after catching Kisame’s wrist. She recalled the sudden pain she had felt across her side when the breath escaped from her.
She glanced around the clearing for a sign of the men, but there was no need. She could hear Itachi and Kisame arguing past the brush.
“You can’t put me in that kind of position!" Just by his tone, Ayumi knew Itachi was furious.
“There’s no need for you to keep ranting about the brawl. I got the message the first time you preached it.”
"But you're not understanding me!"
"We understand you perfectly, Itachi! You love her!" Deidara countered.
Ayumi shook her head, scoffing. Sure she was alone, she took to the shelter of the shadows to remove her shirt and examine her side. She hissed when she pulled her side too far, and the bruised swelling proved that her ribs were broken. She pulled out the ace that she kept tucked into her boot and carefully wrapped it around her upper abdomen., making sure her ribs were kept still. She then pulled out a red silk shirt that fit her loosely.
Appearing out of the shadows, Ayumi was surprised to see Itachi coming through the bushes. He exclaimed when he saw Ayumi, but his joy of seeing her faded after he studied her pained expression.
“What’s wrong?” he approached her.
She shook her head. She couldn’t let him know he’d hurt her.
“Ayumi, I know you too well. Now, what ails you?” He ran his hand down her arm.
She couldn’t keep quiet when he brushed her side, and she turned away from him, biting her tongue. Itachi briefly glimpsed the brace as she spun away from him.
“Did your Fires of Life fail?” he inquired anxiously.
“No…” she breathed painfully. “Itachi, please don’t be so worried. It’s not your fault!”
“There’s something you’re not telling me…”
“Just don’t worry about it.”
“Ayumi, you’re hurt and I know it! Now, please, tell me!” He grasped her shoulders, jarring her side again. He took a step back when she cried aloud, her knees half buckling from pain.
“Don’t yell at me…please…” Ayumi began to cry. “Just stop yelling at me!”
“I’m sorry, I’m just…Ayumi, what is wrong?”
Ayumi sniffled. (I can't lie to him. I just can't.) “My ribs are broken.”
Itachi had never been so pale in all of Ayumi’s memories. He stared at her wide eyed with shock, knowing that her Fires of Life didn’t heal skeletal injuries as it did flesh, organ, and muscle wounds. Ayumi tried to console her friend, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Itachi, please listen to me,” Ayumi begged.
“And I hurt you…I hit you…”
“Itachi – ”
He was on his feet and bolting through the forest, away. Ayumi wiped a tear from her eye as the sound of his steps faded into the night.
He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree, one foot hanging off of the limb he had perched on. He sighed, ignoring the creatures of the night as they passed beneath him.
Thoughts raced through his mind, the memory of the battle playing over and over again. He stared at his hands; he still couldn’t believe he had hurt her like he did. He had had no intention of it, yet…
“I’m too strong,” he whispered, closing his eyes.
A twig snapped nearby.
“I knew I’d find you. You always climb a magnolia when you’re upset, angry, sad…” Ayumi spoke from nearby. Itachi looked around, finally sighting her standing beneath a tulip. She was staring squarely at his face, her Byakuugan reflecting the moonlight beautifully.
“You cheat. You use Byakuugan,” was the half mumbled reply.
“And I know you.” She stepped out of the tree’s shadow. “Come on; let’s go back.”
Itachi shook his head. “I’m ashamed. I could have killed you!”
“But you didn’t.”
“Ayumi, your ribs are broken! How is that a minor injury?!”
Ayumi scoffed. “It’s okay! I forgive you for what you had to do!” She shrugged slightly. “Thanks to you, you still have all three of your friends.”
Itachi accepted that, but he didn’t feel any better. “I just can’t believe I hurt you.”
“Itachi! What did I just say?!”
“I heard you!” He kicked his leg over the branch and jumped to the ground. He avoided her eyes as best as he could. “I just feel…guilty…about it.”
Ayumi went to him, taking his hand in hers. She used her other hand to move his head so he looked directly at her. “I’ll be okay.”
Before turning to go back to camp, Ayumi lightly kissed him on the cheek.
--------------
Three weeks passed, and Ayumi recognized the area. They were outside the Sukotto’s village in Hidden Waterfall. She also noticed the men’s peculiar behavior. They had private conversations more often, they sharpened their weapons when Ayumi wasn’t looking, and whenever they would stop, they would either meditate of doze. Finally, after several confusing days, Ayumi woke at midnight to find Itachi sneaking into the trees.
“Where are you going?” she blurted, making him jump.
“Forgive me. I didn't mean to wake you,” he quickly responded. "Go back to sleep."
Ayumi looked at him commandingly. "Itachi."
“Look, just stay here. We’ll return soon; don’t worry.”
“Why can’t I come?”
“You don’t want any part of this.”
Ayumi watched as Itachi slipped into the forest without a sound. Ayumi tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was too busy. (What’s up with him? He never leaves me behind! And where are they going?)
Not an hour later, Ayumi began to smell smoke. It was extraordinarily thick, and there was a rich tint of blood mixed in with it. In the distance she could make out the sounds of a large battle and dying screams. She couldn’t resist the natural urge to investigate, and, after slipping into her boots, she followed the path Itachi had taken.
A nightmare greeted her at its end. She stood there; was she dreaming? No, the smell and sounds were too real. She was seeing what her mind told her she was seeing…
It was as if someone has slapped her in the face, it was so shocking. Before her very eyes, Kisame, Deidara, and Itachi were battling with every Sukotto in their sight. Ayumi wanted to scream as she saw the Sukotto’s fall one by one, but something had a hold of her throat. She wanted to cry, but all her tears had frozen. She wanted to interfere, stop the fighting, but it was if she was rooted into the ground itself.
All she could do was watch. The blood on the walkways grew thicker, and the fires raged high with Ayumi’s growing anger. She focused especially on Itachi, the man she had seen so much good in, as he clashed with the top Sukotto warriors, finished them before he himself was harmed.
The breath left her lungs when she recognized the clan leader, her uncle Kaito, approaching Itachi. She saw their lips move, but she was deaf to their words. She then saw Itachi raise his hand, and Deidara and Kisame froze. They returned their weapons, and they stood in silence to watch the ultimate battle.
Kaito and Itachi were both respected fighters, alledgedly, leaving Ayumi debating with herself who would win. Ayumi was in a dilemma, for she wanted both to live, but she could tell this would only cease when one of them died.
Blades clashed, and they were engaged in a hard battle. Kaito was strong, but Itachi was quick. Where one lacked, the other was gifted, thus they were both hard to fall. Itachi only barely evaded most of Kaito’s deadlier swings, but Itachi’s techniques could not break through his opponent’s armor.
Ayumi grasped her shirt just above her heart, clenching it fiercely. (He decieved me! He lied to me!) She stared at Itachi, anger coursing through her veins. (What possessed you, Itachi?!)
Their concentration broke when a young woman’s voice echoed from the gate. “Father!” Everyone halted and looked briefly at the voice’s source. A tall, slender girl was running towards Kaito and Itachi, waist length blonde hair trailing behind her. Ayumi gasped; it was Emi!
When Ayumi returned her gaze to the battle, Itachi whipped completely around, a kunai in his hand, and everything seemed to stop…Kaito froze, eyes blank as the knife was driven between the plates of armor on his chest, rich blood pouring out of his heart…He fell to the earth as Emi’s scream echoed again.
Ayumi was enraged. She watched, cold inside, as her dear cousin and friend ran to Kaito’s side, his final words only hers to hear. (That bastard! He betrayed me!)
Emi stood, eyes blazing as she turned on Itachi. Seeing the hatred in her gaze was enough to make him take a step back.
“How could you, Itachi! How could you do this?” Emi screamed at him. When he didn’t answer, she got so close to him Ayumi was sure they could smell each other’s breath. “I asked you a question!”
Ayumi could finally make her legs move, and left the safety of the forest.
“Why, Itachi? What did I do to deserve your betrayal?”
Ayumi stepped on a twig, snapping it. It drew Emi’s attention, but it wasn’t her Ayumi was staring at. She was staring at him…
(I thought I knew you, Itachi…I thought you were better than this. Now, why do I feel as if I’ve been betrayed?) She shook her head, disgusted.
Emi kept glancing between the two lovers until Ayumi could see the girl's eyes starting to glow. Ayumi let her head droop as Emi’s hair began to flare over her head. The symbol on her left ankle began to glow through her boot; she screamed, collapsing when the symbol flashed, sealing her anger and hate in the other.
Ayumi didn’t wait for the others; she marched forward, passing Itachi without looking at him. Through her excellent peripheral vision, she could see he was ashamed of his deed, but she didn’t care. He had betrayed her, as well, by killing her family, and she wanted only to leave that fact far behind.
Ayumi had only gone a mile when Itachi caught up to her. She knew he was by her side, watching her, but she kept staring dead ahead, following the road to wherever it led her.
“That’s why I wanted you to stay behind…I knew it would upset you!” he began.
Ayumi halted. “Upset?” She glared at him, eyes glowing a bright amber. “I am shocked beyond my wildest dreams! I have never been so…surprised in my life!”
“Ayumi, that wasn’t – ”
“You sure know how to fool someone and get away with it! I thought you cared!”
“I do.”
“Then what the hell was that?” She waited for a response, but when he faltered, she threw her hands up. “Just…just get away from me.”
Itachi gasped. “Ayumi, let me explain! I was just – ”
“Go away.” She kept walking.
“Ayumi – ”
“Go away!”
Itachi followed her, slipping his hand around her elbow. “Please, stop!”
“Go away, damn it!” She whipped around, planting a fierce blow against his nose and mouth. Taken off guard by her punch, he stumbled backwards and away from her, landing against a tree.
They stood there, staring at each other as a mist settled around them.
Ayumi panted, her fury obvious in the hard glare and hot aura around her. Itachi just peered back, jaw bruising beneath the blood that streamed from his nose. He had deserved that.
“Ayumi, all I ask…” he began softly, wiping blood from his face, “is that you listen to me…please.”
Ayumi waited.
“I did not want to kill those people; it was my job…for the Akatsuki.” He paused, taken aback by her angrier, startled look. “I’ve been a member of the group as long as I’ve known you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…”
“Those people…were my family! My father was a Sukotto…” Ayumi snapped.
Itachi closed his eyes, pale face whitening. “I wasn't aware of that!”
“And you lied to me! You told me you had no organization or village, and it turns out you do! I can’t believe you!” She shook her head, scoffing. “You disappoint me.”
She turned to leave and Itachi struggled with words. When she was only a few feet away, he finally got them to come forth. “Don’t leave! Please.”
Ayumi stopped, back still to him. “Why? So you can kill me next?”
“No! I…” he sighed. “I love you.”
Ayumi wanted to believe it, but her rage wouldn’t let her. “Stop lying.”
“I’m not lying! You could summon Argor, but he wouldn’t be able to find a trace of deceit in me!” He began to move towards her. “I love you.”
“Then prove it, you impertinent bastard – ” she whirled to face him, only to be cut off at the last minute by his lips over hers. It was a soft, careful kiss that tickled her. It was brief but enough to calm her down.
“Believe me now?” he whispered, hands going behind her back and waist.
“No…” she answered him shyly, still stunned by her first kiss. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
They leaned into each other, lips meeting a second time. Ayumi couldn't think. She couldn't act, speak, breathe. Her breath had been taken from her when their lips met...He kissed her with such warm, gentle, caressing passion, she felt chills run down her spine. All she could do was kiss him back and enjoy the taste of his lips.
When they finally broke the kiss, the rain had begun to fall. They stood there, in each other’s arms, just holding onto the other. Ayumi laid her head against his shoulder as he pulled her into a warm embrace.
“I’m so sorry…I shouldn’t have lied to you,” Itachi whispered in her ear.
“And I’m sorry I hit you so hard…” Ayumi looked into his eyes. His nose had stopped bleeding, but the blood was smearing across his face due to the rain.
“I deserved it. I should have given you your space; you would have returned after a while.”
“You sound so sure. Why?”
He stroked her hair caringly. “Why’d you kiss me back?”
Ayumi blushed. She couldn’t stop her tongue from moving, “Because I love you, too.”
In the distance, Ayumi thought she heard Deidara snicker. (No,) she told herself. (He wouldn’t dare…or would he?)
Nice job. I love the conversations and wording. Can't wait to read more!
i agree with everyone else. this book your stories are the definition of the words character developement. cant wait to read more.... great job!
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