Contrition [Itachi Uchiha x Reader]

#23: Coherence

[Name] [Surname] and Itachi Uchiha stood outside a duplex house on the side of an empty street. Yugakure, completely basked in moonlight, was otherwise bustling with tourists who didn't seem to give two shakes about anything other than the town's famous hot springs. 

"It's a little creepy," [Name] remarked, examining the towering structure. She rang the doorbell, cringing at the ominous sound it made.

"I agree," Itachi said, pointing to the doorknob in the shape of a snake's head. Moments later, they found themselves standing face to face with a man with steely grey hair and round glasses.

"Yes?"

"May we speak to... uh..." [Name] peered at the card in Itachi's hand. "Orochimaru?"

The bespectacled man crossed his arms over his chest. "He's not here right now. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"We had called earlier about the room..." The man squinted his eyes before asking, "Kamishiro?" Itachi nodded. 

"Wonderful! The name's Kabuto Yakushi," the man cheered, his demeanor changing instantly. "Please forgive my rudeness. Let me take you to your room."

Up the wooden staircase they went, as Kabuto explained to them the 'rules' of the household. "I thought you were coming in the morning. I'm so sorry my boyfriend couldn't be here to welcome you. We've been living here for almost a decade now. Been wanting to rent this floor for a while, but you know these pesky tourists. All they do is wreak havoc. So we decided to rent it out only to families. The town is pretty decent; crime rate is zero. There's a blackout from time to time, so you're going to have to live with that. You may use the kitchen downstairs. Washing machine is in the basement. Mosquitoes live here rent free so I suggest you keep your windows and doors closed after six unless you want to die out of malaria. You're newlyweds, right?"

"Yes?"

The man cast them a sideways glance. "Keep the sounds to a minimum. Some of us like to sleep a full night."

He left the 'newlyweds' blushing with those words. [Name] looked around the room, coming to the realization that she would have to share a bed with a stranger. Itachi seemed to have reached the same conclusion. He noticed her trepidation and muttered a quick, "I'll sleep on the floor," before grabbing a pillow from the bed.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's fine." It seemed more like she was trying to convince herself than anyone else. "I trust you," she added for good measure. 

"So much for orthodox." In his mind, he found himself replaying the moment when Tenten had told them that they would have to pretend to be married. In that moment, he was glad that it was [Name] he was stuck with and not someone else. She had handled things pretty well, he had to give her credit.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she said before disappearing into the bathroom. Itachi flopped onto the bed, sighing deeply as he did. It baffled him to think of how things had developed. He wondered what Sasuke was doing and if he even cared knew that his brother was a fugitive. He thought about Shisui and how he would probably face police interrogation because of him. It was only a matter of time until they suspected the best friend.

I should have just stayed in prison.

He felt himself slowly losing consciousness as he drifted off, envisioning a series of images he had seen a thousand times before, but never really knew why. There was a puff of smoke, then a gun went off and his hands were stained with blood. Not his own, that he knew. There were cries of pain and anguish, most of them came from him. Two pairs of vacant eyes stared back at him, their owners lay cold and unmoving. That is, until one of them spoke in a chilly whisper.

"You are truly a kind child..." 

Itachi found himself being jerked awake by his shoulders. He jolted upright panting, body drenched in cold sweat. [Name] kneeled over him wearing a look of pure concern.

"You were talking in your sleep," she explained, after he had seemingly calmed down. "Screaming, actually."

Itachi wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. "Oh? I... don't...I'm going for a walk."

She was quick to grab his hand. "No, you're not. Have you forgotten where we are? You can't just strut outside as you wish. What if someone recognizes you?"

Deep down inside, he knew that she was right. But he didn't care. "I'll be back soon."

"Itachi!"

The man stormed out of the room before she could do anything else. She followed him outside before giving up the pursuit, deciding to give him the space he needed. Upon returning indoors, she walked to the kitchen to fetch herself a glass of water.

"Trouble in paradissse?" A voice hissed from behind. 

[Name] [Surname] screamed.