Five years had passed since then.
Both their lives had gone on, regardless of how wrong it felt to be apart and acting as if nothing was wrong. Even with what they both knew, they had had no choice but to pick themselves up and keep walking. It hadn’t been easy for either of them, but it was their shared memories that kept them going—knowing it was for their sake that they had to go on. And it was the shared memory of that kiss; that one moment of intimacy between them that Itachi clung to in moments of desperation, and what Imi had to focus on, knowing that hadn’t been their last meeting. She hadn’t known how long it would be, but from what she had felt in that kiss Imi was certain she would see Itachi again.
Her dreams had been about nothing but Itachi recently, and Imi had been getting suspicious that something was up. But nothing much had happened; she hadn’t sensed his presence or heard any rumours about him that would suggest he was in the area…so all she could do was wait. There was something in the air, that was for sure; though it started out faint, it grew stronger and stronger as time went by. It was one of those feelings that came before a big change—one that would alter so much in Imi’s life and give her a new path. There was no telling just how her life would change, but something was coming, and nothing about it seemed bad.
She’d been out of Konoha for a while now on her mission; it was an occurrence that regularly happened nowadays. And during a trip through a small village where Imi was simply passing through, she’d stopped off in a café to take a break, ordering a drink and something to eat. She didn’t need to truly focus on anything, as her abilities did that for her; instead simply allowing the conversations and images to travel through her mind, only concentrating if something managed to catch her attention. Though this place wasn’t the village Imi had in mind as her destination, there was no need to dismiss the chance to collect any useful information that might pop up.
But suddenly she was hit with a shiver up her spine—and knowing what that meant, Imi quickly glanced around to discover what had caused her reaction. A second later and she spotted them—a group of four guys—and she casually kept an eye on them as they walked over and sat at the table next to her. It took until they were closer before she could finally figure out their names, but even beforehand Imi knew they were special. A sensation almost like magnetism had come over her, drawing her in—and she understood they were important. Considering the feeling she’d been getting over the last few days that things were about to change, Imi knew that they had to at least be partly responsible.
Then as they sat down and began to order, Imi sensing more about them…she knew why.
Now the rest of the café didn’t matter; the only thing Imi was concentrating on was the small group sitting near her. She had to speak up; make contact and make herself known. But it was difficult. If she said the wrong thing—didn’t give them reason to listen to her—then it would all be ruined and the opportunity would be gone; possibly forever. So Imi sat in silence, wondering just what she was going to say to catch their attention, when they gave the answer for her. They were softly talking about their mission and what they were planning to do next; or at least, what they could do. From what Imi could make out, they were trying to catch up with these guys and confront them, but they’d avoided them so far. Through her sensing abilities Imi found out just who they were after, and as one spoke up to say,
“Now what are we gonna do? We try and corner them here, and they all just disappear, un!” Imi took her chance, responding quietly,
“Well, that’s not entirely true.”
Instantly tensing at this interruption, four sets of eyes span to face Imi, narrowed and suspicious at her words. She could sense the power they all possessed, and in some cases, aggression. But none of them made a move to try and do anything; caught out by what she had said. They could tell she wasn’t a member of the group; her clothing didn’t match, and there was no sign of the symbol the other members all wore. So who was she? There was something mysterious about her; almost supernatural. As Imi finally lifted her gaze to meet theirs, Hidan shifted uncomfortably—it was like she could see right through him. She passed her eyes over them all, but then concentrated on meeting Kakuzu's stare. Somehow Imi got the feeling that he would be giving the final word—something that was proven right as he began cautiously,
“How exactly do you know this? What reason do we have to believe you—it’s not exactly any of your business to begin with.”
“I can sense things—people, emotions…information. That’s how I know—how I understood your goals from the start. And as for believing me…it’s all stuff that you can see to believe, and doing so won’t exactly get you into any danger. I’m one person, on my own, no group or teammates. You don’t have much to lose when it comes down to taking me on,” Imi responded calmly and carefully, catching Kakuzu out for a moment.
Because he did believe her. The way she was and how she acted…there was no way she was one of that group; they were bottom feeders. But Imi…Kakuzu only had to look at her to know she was different. To be able to sense all she could; that would be incredibly helpful, and not to mention, what she had said was right. They had nothing to lose. If Imi had suggested that none of the group were here anymore, then maybe it would give him reason to hesitate—she could easily be leading them off the trail. But doing a short check to see if she was right wouldn’t lose them much time, and it wasn’t as if they couldn’t handle the guys that were left—all the of the Akatsuki were here, after all. And if she was a spy for the group…she was one girl. They could take her.
However, it was that thought that halted Kakuzu. Though he didn’t doubt that all of them working together could get rid of her, an instinctive feeling that it wouldn’t be as easy as it seemed rose within him at the same time. Imi wasn’t a normal ninja—she had power, in a way that sort of reminded him of Itachi. Silent and unassuming on the surface, but so much power hiding underneath, needing only a glance to remind people that it was there. Never needing to brag or show off about what they could do, because they knew just what their full potential was. If anything, Imi’s aura was a little more mysterious than Itachi's.
He’d seen Hidan's reaction, and Itachi couldn’t get him to act like that.
All in all, Kakuzu couldn’t hold back the feeling that Imi would be a good investment—but still, she needed to meet with Pein first. He was the one who’d give the final verdict in all of this. But willing to allow the meeting to happen, Kakuzu asked for her name, and upon receiving it, he questioned bluntly,
“Would you mind helping us out, then?”
Imi didn’t exactly need to hesitate. She knew they were all key to this ‘change’ that was going to be happening in her life—and better yet, they were all connected to Itachi. Though she understood they weren’t allies of Konoha, Imi had never been one to go against her fate, and this was no exception, prompting her to reply simply,
“I wouldn’t have spoken up otherwise,” getting up with the rest of them as they left some money and began to head out.
But this was only the beginning…
