Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Wake Me Up Inside ❯ A Place to Call Home ( Chapter 19 )

Wake Me Up Inside - Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Kit.

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There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you. -- Maya Angelou

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Kit stopped outside the Akatsuki Headquarters, and a small smile crossed her face. It was familiar, almost welcoming. Almost. She walked inside the paper door, but was immediately stopped by a large man. He was rather tall, taller than her, and significantly larger than her, too.

"Where do you think you're going then, woman?"

Kit frowned. "I need to see Itachi."

"No can do." the man said, drawing his long sword.

Kit blanched. She knew she was going to be stopped, but killed? `Not yet..' She covered her head with her hands as the sharp blade sang down on her, nearly reaching her when - an accurately thrown kunai bounced off the sword, and embedded itself in the wall next to Kit. The sword flew through the air and landed right beside the man.

If the sword had moved less than an inch over, the man's right arm would have been useless. Kit looked curiously into the darkness, and when she saw who it was, she nearly screamed with joy. Itachi stepped out, his cloak gone, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead. It looked like he had been training.

Itachi glanced at the man, and nodded. The man grumbled and retrieved his sword, sheathing it correctly. Itachi stood there, staring at Kit. Finally he raised his hand, and the kunai beside Kit glowed for a split second before returning to its owner's hand. Kit stared at him, and he met her eyes, for an instant, and then he disappeared into the shadows.

"Wait! Itachi!" she called, running blindly into the shadows covering the narrow hallways.

She must have slammed into a thousand walls, it seemed, before she saw a light up ahead. A light above the door. Kit shrugged and opened the door, to see Itachi slipping on his cloak. She frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Why are you here?" was her instant response.

"I want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because - " `Because I love you.' "Because you're the only person whose actually helped me." She got no response, and tried her original question again. "Where are you going?"

"Not that it's any of your concern, on a mission."

"Can I stay?"

Again, silence was her only answer. Then, Itachi sighed quietly. "No."

"Why not?"

"There's nowhere for you to stay."

"My original room?"

"Has been occupied."

Kit sighed. "Can I sleep - in here?"

"Where?"

"On the floor." she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Itachi said nothing, but started to walk towards her. Her heart stopped for a second, before he continued straight past her. He turned, and threw her a package, and then walked out the door, quietly shutting it behind him by the broken handle. Kit smiled, and then turned to the package, lying it on the table.

She unwrapped it, and gasped when she saw what was in it. A beautiful sword lay there in its sheath. On the sheath were carved some words she couldn't make out. It was old, she figured, as her fingers skimmed over the scratched sheath, and worn out handle. Kit unsheathed the sword, and noticed it was short.

She smiled. `I knew I took those fencing lessons for a reason.' A few whips of the metal object through the air, and she sheathed it again. Tying it around her waist; she glanced around the room. It was like a small apartment, except one big room. Though a small paper door covered a room, it was just one big space.

It was simple, the only things being there was a table with three chairs, a small kitchenette, and an old couch. It was dusty and old, she gathered he didn't have much time to clean, if he did, knowing Itachi like she did, he wouldn't subject him to such labor. She smiled when she spotted a towel. `That will do.' She grabbed it, and started to clean the apartment.

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It was nearly nightfall by the time Itachi returned back to the place that he had learned to call home. He smiled faintly under his straw hat. Kit had received that sword for a reason; to protect her from the drunks around this place. As his thoughts turned to a softer subject, a sigh escaped his lips.

`I can't believe myself. I let Kit stay here.' He thought for a brief second she had left, but then he mentally shook his head. `Kit isn't one to give up so easily.' As he stopped at his room, he noted that the door handle was fixed. He smiled softly and turned it, opening the wooden door.

When he stepped in, he at first thought he had the wrong room. It was so clean. The dust had been wiped away, the air smelled fresh instead of musty, and the miniature kitchen was clean, the dishes done, and the counters wiped. But then he saw Kit, fast asleep on the small couch, and he smiled.

`She did all this.. for me?' He noticed she was shivering, and he went to the small cabinet on the side of the room and got a blanket. Kneeling beside her, he spread the blanket on top of her, and then he just kneeled there, reluctant to let her go. She stirred, and he immediately stood up, afraid that she would she him there, nearly hugging her. Itachi took one last glance at the sleeping angel, and retreated through the small paper door into his own room.

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AN: Well, Itachi was a bit OOC, and I apologize for that. He probably will be throughout the story, but I can't make him any other way. I tried my best. T_T

I haven't left for Kenora, but for the past week or so, I've been busy with packing, and shopping for clothes ^-^ and cleaning, so I haven't written anything for a while. I'm leaving on the 29th, I believe, so I won't be back until about August 12th or so. I'll try to write more between now and the 29th, and possibly some in Kenora, but other than that, there won't be anything until the 12th.

Thanks for reading!

Ja!

-darkestrose