They spent the rest of the night talking in Itachi's room.
There was more than enough for them to talk about and catch up on, but nothing felt awkward between them. There was no block they had to get past in order to be as close as they had been in Konoha. After all, neither of them had forgotten each other and how things had used to be. Though Itachi hadn’t understood why Imi was in the Akatsuki or what exactly was going on, now she had explained—now, although it wasn’t his ideal situation in life—he could accept her presence there. He couldn’t deny it would be easier having Imi around, and he trusted in her abilities. It would be easier knowing there was someone who actually knew his story and who he could really be himself around. All of what Imi had said was right, and it was better having her there.
Imi could agree with him completely in that sense. Before she had met Itachi that night in Konoha, most people had thought she was weird and creepy—she had been unsure how to deal with others...but Itachi had changed that. Then he had left the village and become a missing nin, and once again Imi had been confronted with other’s opinions of her; only that time Itachi hadn’t been around to change things. That time she didn’t have anyone to be her friend anymore; she was alone. The feeling had remained even as she went about her ‘special’ missions, always moving on without anyone with her, missing the way the village had been but knowing she couldn’t go back to the way things had been. A huge part of what kept Imi going had been knowing she would see Itachi again some day. Even she hadn’t expected it to be quite like this, but Imi didn’t care. Now, at least, she knew what she could do. She felt like she had a true purpose—and Imi couldn’t hide the fact she felt like she fit in more than she had in Konoha.
No one had bothered them the first night, taking into account it must have been a while since they had last seen each other and how mysterious the both of them were. Even as Kisame went to bed, glancing at the door opposite his, he simply smirked, shaking his head, and continued on with his night, surprised at how long they’d been talking. It was a surprise that everyone had shared as the days went by, seeing just how close they were. But there was only so much that anybody saw; neither Imi or Itachi were particularly talkative—at least not in the open, anyway—and they kept themselves to themselves. Yet still everybody got the feeling that they were just in tune with each other; Kisame more than the rest, knowing Itachi at least a little better than the other Akatsuki.
He was the only one to properly notice their actions.
Several times he had to hide a smirk at how Itachi acted. He was strangely protective over Imi, hovering around the area when she was with the others and talking to Pein about the information she knew. Though the rest might not notice it, Kisame saw how he kept an eye on her; making sure nothing happened when he was around. Itachi didn’t get in the way of any conversations she had or anything she wanted to do…but he was always there in case something went wrong in the meantime. Kisame also noted it was also a way of simply spending time with her. Even with Itachi being the way he was, Kisame could tell he couldn’t stop himself from doing what he could to make sure she was safe—and he couldn’t stop the natural instinct to want to hang out with her.
But it was just automatic to him. Imi’s influence was instantaneous, even with the others, but most of all to Itachi. Though he would never be letting his guard down, just knowing that he would be able to talk to her truthfully about anything he wanted was enough to make him relax a little—or at least inwardly. Right away he felt he had more peace of mind, falling into a comfortable state where he knew Imi understood him completely. There were things he had worried about, and in a way, still did—but with Imi she could help to lessen those feelings and allow Itachi to have moments where nothing mattered. For once, he wouldn’t be constantly thinking about what he had to do and who he had to protect, instead just living in the moment.
Only the longer Imi stayed, the stronger that feeling got. Whereas to begin with he kept a constant eye on her, making sure she was alright and that nothing would go wrong in the current situation…Itachi became more lax with it as time went by. He liked having her there, and even though at the start he had told himself that fact didn’t matter—that he just had to focus on her wellbeing—it only took a couple of days before his own wishes began to override that. Sometimes he caught himself thinking that he wanted Imi around, so why should he try and get her to leave? Even considering the possibility of trying to extend the time she got to stay in the Akatsuki just so he could be with her longer. When it occurred to him what he was thinking, Itachi immediately tried to brush it off; to tell himself that he’d never go that far.
But it happened without him even noticing—and the doubts remained.
Especially considering it was never unpleasant. He believed in Imi’s abilities and her strength in general, and the immediate reaction it brought up was a feeling of pride when Pein noticed something she could do, rather than worry that he would want her to stay. The relief Imi’s presence in the Akatsuki gave him, finally feeling as if he was able to relax, even if it was only a tiny bit, meant that Itachi could only see Imi becoming a permanent member as a good thing, regardless of how much he tried to convince himself otherwise. When he noticed it, it worried him, not wanting Imi to stay anymore than she had to. But she had said that approaching the Akatsuki was something she had to do. That she had sensed doing it was the way her life was meant to go.
If that was the case…was there any point Itachi trying to stop it from happening?
Not that it would have been easy for him to do so. Imi fitted right in with them all, easily able to adapt to the rest of the Akatsuki. Even without her sensing abilities, she was easy-going and open minded, and people got along with her easily—if they actually bothered to look past what she could do. With the way things were going, Itachi was spending a lot of time with her—maybe even more than when they had been in Konoha. Even being in the Akatsuki didn’t seem like such a bad thing anymore now he had Imi with him. Leaving her and having to say goodbye had been really hard when he had left the village, but doing the same this time around would only be worse.
Itachi knew more; he understood what her life would be like when she left. Back then, he had disappeared off without truly knowing what would happen—only what he had hoped to happen. Not to mention this time it was Imi who would have to leave, and Itachi had come to understand just how much he valued having her around. By coming to the Akatsuki, she had eased some of the pain he had to deal with; helped with the things that were troubling him. Having to let that go wouldn’t be easy—not now. But in the end, she answered it for him. Imi had seen Itachi had been uncertain over the past couple of days, with something troubling him that he wouldn’t even talk to her about. Using her sensing abilities, she had figured it out, and just as he began to go to bed, she stated simply as she left,
“Itachi—we both want this. You don’t have to fight that fact. I’m not about to go anywhere.”
But this brought about an unusual reaction within Itachi. Although he was happy that night as he went to sleep, glad he wouldn’t have to lose her…
Abruptly the only thing he could think about was the night he had left.
And it was a thought that continued to stay.
