Kairos |An Itachi Uchiha Story|

xvi.you deserve it.

She remembered getting to know Rochi.

She remembered him appearing out of thin air.

She remembered when he was introduced to her with his fake smiles.

Though it was her first time seeing him, it was most definitely not the first time he's seen her.

She had mixed feelings about him, as a child, and saw him as a wild card. She had a bad feeling about him and could see something in his presence that made her shiver.

But, within the darkness, at the core was something that she thought was pretty, for lack of words.

And though she was used to her grandmother being the one who called her Koko, she accepts that the tall man called her the same.

But it wasn't the same.

He always made the effort to say the little part, even in casual conversation. As if it was a necessary part of the nickname.

But the thing she truly noticed was how her grandmother refused to leave her alone with this Rochi.

She wondered why there was such a distrust around this person when it came to him. She was also curious about who he really was and it was because of this curiosity that she asked her questions in a situation in which she had to be left alone with the dark-haired man.

"If you harm a hair on her head, I will personally end you." Her grandmother seethed angrily, trying to quickly walk away and tend to her daughter who was sick in her room. Aiko looked up at the man who simply smirked and waved off her grandmother's angry threat and found herself in awe. She's never seen anyone brave enough to do such a thing.

So she closed her eyes, fearing what would happen, only to watch her grandmother walking angrily away.

She turned around to see the man wearing a grin that made her uncomfortable as she bit her lip.

'Wow, that means he's really strong'

"R-Rochi?" She called, her tone curious as the gold eyes sat on her. "Who are you really?" She asked with her head cocked and the man chuckled at the girl's blunt words.

"Whatever do you mean, little Koko?" He grinned once more and she glared.

"Th-There's something evil and something good." A thoughtful expression crossed the girl's face. "Almost like yin and yang.." She muttered and the man's grin only widened.

"I'll tell you this, my child, I'm closer than you think to you as a person." He stared at her with intense gold eyes that made her blood run cold. "And one day, your granny won't be able to stop me from taking you." He laughed, a sound that made her heart skip a beat and tears rise. She shook her head wildly, her head full of curled dark strands flew wildly before she glared once more.

"You're an evil man." She spat in a squeaked tone and the man chuckled deeply before getting on a knee to match the height of the small girl.

"But I am honest, so am I truly evil if I am the only one who speaks the truth?" Aiko held her tongue and stared at the man curiously.