Okay, so, this is the chapter where I was really leaping before looking, and there were a few things that I just left as labels to change for what it was really supposed to be. So, if you see anything _like this_ or [this] or anything like that, it's probably just a tag so I wouldn't forget. I'd like to be alerted of these.

And...I'll have to point out a slight warning of certain people :coughitachicough: being...a little less in-character, I suppose. Yeah. Sorry. It was just too entertaining in my mind.

(And I guess the plot's not meshing so much with the anime/manga...eh, oh well.)


Naruto world and characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto (remembered his name!)

Haruka, Masuyo, Misaki (I think that's all this time) (c) me, Zopponde. If you want to use any of them, ask me FIRST and give me a link later. Else I shall devour your soul.


PS, thanks so much to Kiathekali, first to notice this story here! I'd offer a request or something, but...I'm kinda backed up on those, it would really take a while to get in...you'd probably forget you'd made a request by the time it got up ^^;;;;;




Introduction
Chapter 6

Due to the slight detour and the considerable slowing after Haruka’s fall and Kisame’s trip, they didn’t arrive at the house until well after the sun had set. The moment she saw it, Haruka sighed in relief and yawned widely.

Itachi asked, “Can you stand on your own?”

Haruka yawned again. “If I can’t, it’s because I’m tired, not still dizzy from…the incident.” She leaned her weight onto both feet with one hand to her mouth to stiffle a yawn, trying to prove it.

Itachi nodded and reached forward to knock on the door, but before his hand was a foot from the door, Haruka heard rushed footsteps coming forward, and Itachi moved to stand back.

Haruka did not realize why he stood back. The door aparently opened outward instead of inward on the opposite side of the doorknob, and Haruka got knocked in the face with it, pushing her off balance and sending her falling backward as the person who opened the door…well, she couldn’t see what happened, the door was in the way, but she did see arms get thrown around Itachi’s neck and most certainly heard a female voice ranting, “Oh, Itachi-kun, I thought I’d never see you again! I should talk to Leader-sama about giving you the long missions, I missed you so much!”

Itachi stood patiently for her to run out of breath, at which point he cleared his throat and said, “In case you’ve forgotten, there’s a reason we came back, and you just gave that reason a faceful of door before you even knew her. And I was the one who decided that we’d take so long.”

“Oh.” The voice was considerably less enthusiastic at Itachi’s change of subject to another person. However, its user stepped outside slightly to close the door enough to see Haruka, still trying to get up. “That’s her? What is it about her that you—”

Itachi sighed. “I’m not cheating on you. I wouldn’t be even if I was going out with you in the first place. I just saw her potential and nominated her in.”

Haruka looked at the woman who opened the door as she looked back. She had purple hair in her face on her right side, Haruka’s left, and a whisp of hair on the other, completing the frame around her slashed-through Leaf Village forehead protector. She wore the same cloaks as Itachi and Kisame, except a bit more fitted to her…rather curvy body. Haruka recognized her eyes, though—she had the same eyes as Shino’s teammate, Hinata. Byakugan, were they called? Haruka still didn’t care enough. Haruka only saw one of her eyes, so for all she knew, something weird had happened, and this girl only had one of the lavendar-white eyes.

The woman huffed and said, “Really, Itachi-kun, what did you see in her?”

Itachi sighed. “I saw that she would make a good partner for you. This means you can get out more often.”

The woman’s face broke into a smile. “Really? You mean I can get a chance to actually go out on a mission? Thank you Itachi-kun!” She threw her arms around him again.

Itachi sighed again. “Misaki-san, please stop doing that. It rather complicates the whole issue where I still need to breathe.”

“Ohhh, but I just want to hug you and squeeze you until you go—”

“Eep!” Itachi gasped for air as she sqeezed him harder.

Haruka found herself trying hard not to burst into laughter at this spectacle. She truly did admire this Misaki person or whatever her name was, being able to transform Itachi, the silent, plotting, family-murdering, well, murderer, into a cute and friendly…plushie.

Misaki-person giggled, and Haruka saw that Kisame seemed to be straining with effort to hide his laughter, too. She suddenly felt very sorry for Itachi, being laughed at this way…but it was so hard not to laugh at it!

Itachi sighed. “Really, get off of me. Now.”

Misaki sighed back. “Fine, fine,” she gave in as she let go.

Itachi had to take a moment to catch his breath before Misaki opened the door and led the way in, chattering all the way.

“Itachi-kun, your timing has never been better! I just put on a pot of tea, would you like some? Oh, come on, it’s a special herbal blend to help you relax! You could use it after that long journey, couldn’t you? Did you even sleep in a bed? I bet you didn’t. Come on, stay the night at least, please? You need a night in an actual bed, don’t you? I don’t know, did he sleep in a bed, Kisame-san? Oh, never mind, you probably didn’t sleep any more comfortably than he did. Do you know, um…what’s your name? Oh, we haven’t been introduced!” Haruka realized that Misaki was talking to her as she turned to courtsey gracefully. “My name is Akatsuki Misaki, and I guess I’ll be your partner!”

Itachi sighed. “Misaki, please stop using that name. It doesn’t really fit you.”

Misaki huffed. “Well, what else is my name? It’s not Uchiha, even if it should be, and it’s not Hyuuga, because I distinctly remember Hiashi saying that I am no longer a member of that family, and thus I am no longer a Hyuuga, and I’m not an Uchiha either, so what am I but a member of Akatsuki?”

Itachi sighed. “Just because he said you’re not part of the family doesn’t mean it’s still your name. I think I can prove that well enough.”

“Itachi-kun, in case you’ve forgotten, you only keep your family name because you killed your father before he could disown you!”

“But you’re not a member of Akatsuki,” Kisame chided.

Misaki sighed. “Listen, do you want tea or not? You really should relax a bit, you haven’t been sleeping in a bed, have you? Have they been sleeping in a bed, um…darn, I forgot to let you introduce yourself! What’s your name?”

Haruka found that Misaki’s spirit had given her some energy. “My name is Niroshi Haruka,” she began, “and I guess I’m in Itachi’s situation, only still having my family name because I killed them before they could say otherwise.” She found herself smiling weakly as she said this.

Misaki frowned. “You don’t seem the type to kill someone…”

Haruka shrugged. “That’s just because I’m incredibly tired after a low-sleep night and a day’s journey. You’d be pretty bad off, too, if you were in shoes even remotely similar to mine.”

“Oh, well, I guess Itachi-kun wouldn’t have thought you so capable or whatever if you couldn’t even kill someone,” she added with a touch of bitterness.

Haruka yawned widely. “Uhhh…I don’t suppose you have a bed ready for me, do you?”

“Huh? Oh!” Misaki seemed a little distracted by Itachi. “Um, no, I don’t have a bed ready for you yet, but the couch is always available—sorry,” she added.

Haruka nodded. “It’s more comfortable than anywhere else I’ve been sleeping lately.”

“Really? Where have you been sleeping?”

“Oh, places,” Haruka answered vaguely, aware that Itachi and Kisame knew nothing about her leaving to take care of Masuyo once and for all.

“Well, that’s descriptive.”

“Hey, at least I wasn’t sleeping in a corner!”

“So you two were sleeping in a corner, were you, eh?” Misaki asked Itachi and Kisame.

Itachi sighed. “There was only one bed, and it was only big enough for one. Haruka-san got priority because she was still unconscious.”

Strictly speaking, Haurka hadn’t been unconscious for the last two nights, but she just shrugged, because she most certainly didn’t regret that she wasn’t the one sleeping in the corner. “Anyway, seriously, where is that bed? Er, couch?”

Misaki smiled and led the way to a room branching off of the first one she saw, which had only the couch that she mentioned, in a corner with a small table in front of it. “Whenever those two come to visit, Kisame usually sleeps here, but there are other places that he’d fit in. Besides,” she added, “I think you get priority, being the new member.”

Haruka smiled tiredly as she sat on the couch. “Honorary spy,” she corrected.

Misaki smiled back. “I don’t care what they call us, just as long as it doesn’t change so much.”

Haruka nodded and turned to lay down. “’Night,” she murmured, already half-asleep.


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(I'm in a good mood and all, so I think I'll post the next chapter right now.)