“You’re a Konoha ninja! What are you doing giving information to the Akatsuki?” Itachi continued, frowning in desperation, frustration and confusion as he faced Imi.
She had to look down—suddenly guilty at all she’d done. She’d wanted to see him, true, but abruptly Imi felt as if it was putting too big a strain on Itachi. He had to deal with a lot already, so simply turning up and acting as if everything was fine wasn’t perhaps the best idea. But as Imi released her abilities, she could sense everything again, and she remembered what she had been feeling beforehand. She remembered everything that had been going on in her life in general, and she knew she had done the right thing. Although Itachi wouldn’t find it easy to accept—at least to begin with—Imi wasn’t about to back down and go back to how things were. This was supposed to happen, prompting her to respond,
“Listen to me, Itachi. I know you’re confused but I will explain. The way I was working for Konoha—I was doing mostly information gathering. I basically just travelled anywhere I could, because—as you know—all I need to do is walk past people to sense things. I can get information without having to do a thing.”
Itachi began to nod along with her words, when he paused, realizing just what that meant. With missions, they lasted as long as it took to complete them and then you headed back. But for Imi, it sounded as if she was simply wandering about the world constantly, never truly acting as a ninja anymore. Itachi looked up, hoping Imi would tell him otherwise and that actually she was told where to go and what to do by the Hokage, but the expression on her face told him otherwise. Glancing down as she recalled how things had been for her in Konoha, Imi sighed inwardly and went on,
“Come on, Itachi—you remember how people saw me when we first met, don’t you? They always thought I was strange. Only it didn’t exactly get any easier. My powers grew, and people were naturally wary of me; saying I was ‘creepy’ and ‘dark’—it was hard to get other ninjas to work well with me.”
Itachi hid a sigh; torn between sadness and frustration at what he was hearing. He remembered how the other ANBU had acted when he’d been protecting Imi on that mission where they met, and known there were those who thought her unsettling. But she was misunderstood, that was all. Imi’s powers weren’t evil or dark—just unusual. Itachi had always imagined that the village’s view on Imi would change as she grew up; after all, she had become a full fledged ninja and worked in the ANBU, doing nothing but good for Konoha. They would have no reason to mistrust her. And yet…But still Itachi wasn’t satisfied. That wasn’t enough to give Imi reason to leave the village, and he prompted her for more; narrowing his eyes as she glanced away, before looking back as she continued softly,
“When you left the village and people had heard what you’d done…things got worse. I had been friends with you—I was generally associated with you, and we had been close. Plus, some people had seen you going to my house on the night of the massacre, and it became common knowledge that I had been the last person you visited. They immediately assumed the worst—that somehow I might have had a hand in it. The Hokage calmed them and proved I hadn’t helped you in anyway, but the damage had been dealt. Everyone was suspicious of me and no one would work with me. So I was given the suggestion of what I should do as my ‘missions’—of sorts—and I found I was barely spending any time in Konoha at all.”
Imi paused to see if Itachi would try to protest to this, but found he was speechless. He didn’t know what to say; he had thought Imi would be safe in Konoha, free to live her life and do so happily. But instead he had only made things worse, even for her, and he couldn’t bring himself to respond, guilt building in the pit of his stomach, his fists clenching as he realised what he had done. But Imi could see his reaction; knew what he was thinking, and taking a step towards him she caught his gaze and held it, and for a moment Itachi was automatically calmed by the look in her eyes. It was gentle, but still firm, and, almost unbelievably, after all this time, there was concern. Catching him out, Itachi listened intently as she added, nearly in a whisper,
“Itachi, don’t blame yourself. Please. It was not your fault that the villagers reacted like they did; if I had been someone else—without my abilities—they wouldn’t have been so suspicious. It was what I could do that added the fuel to the fire, not your actions. And as for coming here…for the last few days I’d been sensing that something was about to change—something big. That I was going to find a new path and it would alter my life completely. Then I came across some of the Akatsuki in a café…and the feeling increased tenfold. I knew they were to do with the changes in my life—I had to speak up and say something…especially knowing you were here.”
“NO!” Itachi burst out, turning away, causing even Imi to jolt back in surprise—that was not like him. Itachi was not the kind of person to shout, and he never had been. But she saw his head bowed; his fists still tightly clenched, and Imi knew it was because he was frustrated at the situation—proven as he breathed, trying to explain,
“But…you shouldn’t—I can’t…”
Only to fall silent straight afterwards, not knowing how to elucidate his thoughts. Imi couldn’t be here—it wasn’t right. She didn’t want this in the same way he didn’t; they both shared a dislike of violence. It was because of him that Imi had barely been spending any time in Konoha; because of him that she had approached the Akatsuki. Because she wanted to see him again. But she didn’t understand! She was getting herself tangled up in things that would only cause her trouble, and he couldn’t let that happen. He wanted to protect her. At least in Konoha he knew Imi was safe. But here…nothing was certain. And if she was hanging around the Akatsuki, Konoha would find out sooner or later. She’d be seen as a missing nin; and then what?
Though his train of thought was cut short as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and glancing round, he saw Imi smiling softly towards him. Feeling at least a little calmer with that gesture, Itachi blurted,
“If you stay here there will be no going back, Imi. You want to protect Konoha like I do—this isn’t your place. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“You think I never felt the same way about you when you left, Itachi? This is not your place either. But I could do nothing in Konoha—the way I was. But here, although it’s not what I like, I know I can help. I can help you. We can protect each other—you won’t have to shoulder your burden alone. For once, maybe, we can find a middle ground. Together we can be ourselves; knowing the truth, without anyone to treat us in a certain way because of our reputations.”
Turning him round, Imi gently wrapped her arms around Itachi's torso and laid her head on his shoulder, pulling him into a gentle embrace. For a moment, Itachi tensed, uncertain, but realised that in much the same way he had had to deal with all that had happened on his own…so had she. In the same way it had always been between them, they had a lot in common. He would be more able to protect her here than if she was wandering around on her own, anyway. Just like always, Imi was right, and Itachi relaxed, returning the hug and resting his head on top of hers as Imi then whispered,
“There may be no going back now…but it’s worth it to be with you again.”
A smile automatically flickered over Itachi's face at those words, however…
Because he got the feeling that she was right about that, too.
