The Secrets We Keep *COMPLETE* (Sasori x OC? / Itachi x OC?)

Recovery

Maeme's eyes open and shut tightly against the harsh light shining down from a nearby tabletop. She curses at the pain spiking throughout her body as she remembers what happened leading up to this. As she realizes that she's definitely not in the forest anymore and last she knew she was fighting Orochimaru, she opens her eyes again. Fighting against her screaming muscles and broken ribs, she bolts upright and looks around, her hands searching for her weapon pouches. All of her weapons are gone along with the pouch. She scans the room to find a few pieces of mismatched furniture: a table with two small tattered chairs, a faded green couch, the light she'd seen from a lamp on the bedside table, and beneath her is a bed covered in pale blue sheets.

"Where the hell am I?" She asks herself.

A door opens to her left, but the shape of the room prevents her from seeing who it is. The blonde latches onto the nearest object, the lamp, and prepares herself to attack her abductor. Itachi rounds the corner, using a towel to dry his damp hair. They lock eyes and Maeme freezes then slowly places the lamp back on the table.

"You're awake." He comments before returning to drying his hair.

She nods dumbly breaking her gaze, trying to look at anything else but his onyx eyes. A blush crosses her cheeks as the 'anything else' turns into Itachi's bare chest and the dark pants slung low on his hips.

"Care to tell me what happened?" He asks, walking back into the other room for a moment before coming back to sit beside her.

"I was attacked. My chakra was sealed away and I was unable to subdue them." She mumbles, keeping her answer vague.

"Who was it? I returned to find you passed out in the clearing covered in blood."

Orochimaru's word about her past run through her head. She still couldn't believe what he said was true, but her lack of memories otherwise can't disprove them. She blinks back the tears filling her eyes and shakes her head.

"It was no one important. I'm not dead so it's irrelevant."

"You're lying to me Maeme."

"So, how was your mission?" She asks, avoiding the truth and his eyes boring into her.

"It went as planned. We are in the village we passed along the way and we are staying here for the night. You need to rest before we head back. Get some sleep."

Itachi helps her to lay down before getting to his feet, choosing to leave the conversation where it is. As he turns to leave, she lightly grabs his arm.

"I-uh, will you lay with me? Just until I fall asleep, of course?"

"Sure."

He climbs into bed behind her before reaching over her to turn the lamp off.

"Goodnight Maeme."

"Goodnight Itachi."

Maeme and Itachi start their trip back to the base shortly after sunrise. Her ribs still caused pain when she walked but after Itachi released the seal, she used some of her chakra to speed up the healing process before they left the hotel. Yesterday's incident added to her reasons for not wanting to return to the base quickly. She lets out a sigh and begins to braid her hair as she walks, her thoughts returning to Orochimaru's words.

"Alright," Itachi starts, pausing to let her catch up. "What are you thinking about?"

"The complications of life and the best ways to avoid said complications."

"Why don't you tell me about it? Perhaps I can help."

"I don't really even know where to begin."

Itachi suggests a break, for Maeme's health and to allow them to eat, so they settle in a clearing a ways away from the path. As she tries to heal herself further, he pulls some fruit and rice cakes from Maeme's backpack, treats they'd picked up at a stand in a previous village. He passes her an apple and a rice cake before telling her to start at the beginning.

"The beginning beginning or before we left the base beginning?" She asks, peeling the apple with a kunai.

"The first I suppose?"

"Well, it has come to my attention that my parents were spies working for Orochimaru and were going to give me to him for experimentation purposes but changed their minds so he killed them. That's why he's obsessed with me..." she trails off, trying to wrap her head around the words coming out of her mouth.

"When did you learn this?"

"Yesterday." She replies.

"He didn't say anything about that when we saw him?"

Maeme shrugs as she continues to fiddle with the apple core in her hands, an excuse to not meet Itachi's gaze. She gets to her feet and starts to walk once he joins her.

"Sasori kissed me before I ran into you. I don't know why." She says, breaking the silence. "We were arguing about me trying to leave to stay out of his way and it just happened. I punched him, then ran into you."

"So that's why you looked so pissed."

"More confused and upset than pissed. It wasn't pleasant though."

Itachi leaves Maeme once they enter the base, reminding her that his door is always open. She hesitates in the hall before slowly heading toward her room. Maeme stops in front of the door, hand reaching for the knob but she can't convince herself to open it. Opening it means seeing Sasori and facing what happened that day.

"Did you have fun on your honeymoon?"

Maeme rolls her eyes as she turns to face Kisame who'd appeared beside her. She opens her mouth to make a snide comment but he cuts her off as he grabs her head and tilts it around.

"Woah, you look terrible!"

"Gee thanks. My broken ribs thank you too." She bats away his hands, hissing from the pain of moving.

"What did you do?"

"I got the shit beat out of me. What does it look like?" Her eyes drift back to the door and she sighs. "I really need to shower and get some clean clothing but I don't want to go in there."

"Where are your clothes?"

"The dresser to the left. Why?"

She watches as Kisame enters the room without knocking, then returns a moment later with a handful of clothing.

"Here you go. He's a little cranky, but he wants to talk to you." Kisame snickers.

"I can't right now..."

He jerks the door open and loudly informs Sasori that she said no before slamming it shut again.

"You hurt my brain." She sighs. "Well, where am I supposed to shower since my bathroom and soaps are inside?"

"Puppet man! I need her soaps!"

As Kisame disappears into the room again, she shakes her head, wondering what she did to deserve this.