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

Reality Check

Itachi wakes up to an empty bed and instantly sits up. Maeme had been dealing with the reality of Sasori's death for over three weeks now, meaning she rarely ate, spoke, or left the bed. He gets to his feet and quickly pulls on a pair of pants as he checks the bathroom for her. When it turns up empty, he knocks on his partner's door for help. Kisame offers to help look and they part ways as Itachi moves down the hall to Deidara's room. To his dismay, Tobi opens the door. Most of the members already found Tobi's childlike nature to be annoying, so they spent most of their time trying to get him to leave them alone.

"Senpai isn't here. The broken lady took him away."

Itachi sighs. "Where did they go?"

Itachi and Kisame open the doors to the training area and softly smile as Maeme's laughter echoes around the room followed by Deidara's screams. They find Maeme hovering above the ground on a chunk of the floor, the remaining earth rolling in waves after Deidara as he runs away.

"This isn't fair Maeme-kun!"

"I told you a hundred times not to call me that!" She calls after him, cheering as he trips over his feet.

"I wasn't sure if I'd ever see her this way again." Itachi mumbles, watching her torture Deidara.

Her eyes are still dull and circled with dark rings, but the smile on her face is genuine.

"It's definitely a welcome change, but I wonder if she's faced reality yet."

"Sasori would've been so disappointed in your incompetence." Maeme tells Deidara as she jumps down to land beside him. "I can hear him now, complaining about how terrible and annoying you are and that your art is garbage." She pauses, a pained look crossing her face as she whispers the last line. "True art is eternal."

"Real art is an explosion." Deidara grumbles in response. "You are definitely right though, he hated me."

"I miss him, Deidara."

"I know, un. We're all just glad that you're still here." He glances up and notices the intruders watching them.

He smirks before leaning in to whisper in her ear. Itachi's eyes widen slightly as Maeme suddenly disappears from the center of the room and Deidara flings a small clay bird at Kisame.

"No! Screw this I'm out of here!" Kisame yells, backing away toward the door.

Itachi scowls as Kisame trips over something behind him and grabs onto Itachi's arm to catch himself. Both men fall to the floor as Maeme scurries out from behind them, laughing hysterically at their misfortune. Deidara comes to stand beside her, happy that he'd managed to keep her spirits lifted. Maeme helps Itachi to his feet as he threatens to murder Kisame for knocking him over.

"Good morning Itachi." she greets, standing on tiptoe to kiss him.

"Good morning Maeme. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," she answers as Kisame chases after Deidara shouting threats of mutilation. "it's still a little hard, but I think I've finally accepted what happened."

"Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer, but I would like to know."

"Sure, what is it?"

The pair leave the training room and enter the kitchen to eat.

"The day you came back, Kisame said that you told him you loved Sasori. You had told me you didn't love him and-"

Maeme holds up a hand to cut him off.

"I did love Sasori, but I did not know it at the time. It was not a recent feeling though. I believe that I loved him when we lived in Suna up until shortly after we arrived here. I didn't know or understand love then. Nothing changes how I feel about you. I think my love for him after became a familial instead of romantic."

Kisame and a disheveled Deidara enter the room, the latter complaining about his injuries before asking about food. Maeme offers to cook for everyone since they took care of her for so long. Itachi tries to fight her on it, but after a sharp look, he offers to help prepare ingredients instead. As the smells of eggs and bacon fill the air, Maeme hums absently to a song in her head.

"You seem so nice right now, un." Deidara says, watching her happily.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She retorts.

"Maeme, your presence has been requested."

The group turns to the doorway where Konan is standing, her expression blank. Maeme nods and wipes her hands on a towel before handing control of the breakfast over to Itachi. She follows the woman through the base to the door of Pein's office. As she grabs the knob, Konan stops her.

"Make your decision carefully."

"I will?" She answers hesitantly before stepping inside.

Maeme bows before the Akatsuki leader once the door is closed, then waits for him to speak after she straightens. Over the years she hadn't had to deal with the leader very often, all of her assignments handled by Sasori since she was his charge, but she did treat the man with the respect he deserved. The desire to fidget with something as a distraction fills her mind, but she bites it back by lacing her fingers together, the silence in the room deafening.

"You were allowed entrance into this base as Sasori's subordinate only. You fulfilled any assignment given and have aided the organization over the years. With the death of your master, we have encountered a problem, Maeme." He starts, his soft voice filling the room.

Maeme's heart sinks at the mention of Sasori's passing, but suppresses the tears threatening to fill her eyes as he continues.

"You are left without your master and I have a non-member in my organization. Normally, I would simply have you executed but you have proven your worth. The choice is yours Maeme. You can either join the Akatsuki as an official member or face your execution. I will give you three days to decide and until then you will be kept under close supervision."

"Yes Sir, thank you for your kindness."

He dismisses her and she numbly finds her way back to the kitchen, her thoughts swirling around his ultimatum. Kisame and Deidara call out greetings between mouthfuls of food as she stops in the doorway, her eyes passing over the group. Itachi instantly notices the shift in her personality and pulls her into a hug and asks what happened. She wraps her arms around him before pulling away and sits at the table.

"I am currently considered an intruder upon the Akatsuki base. I am to remain under close supervision for three days until I make my decision."

"How are you an intruder?" Kisame asks. "You've been with us for years now!"

"I was never an official member. I was just Sasori's subordinate. He says now that Sasori is-" she pauses, blinking back tears. "-Sasori is gone... that he would normally have me executed, but is offering me the chance to swear my allegiance and join instead."

"That's an easy decision though, un. You just tell him now that you want to stay and everything is fine, right?"

"I'm tired, I am going to rest for a while." she says, kissing Itachi before getting to her feet and leaving the room.

Itachi heads to his room an hour later to check on Maeme, Pein's offer to Maeme repeating in his head. The three men continued to talk about it after Maeme left, worried about what she'd choose. Maeme's life purpose had been taken from her and to their knowledge, she hadn't found a new purpose yet. He quietly opens the door and steps inside, lighting the candles on his table so he won't disturb her. The blankets are undisturbed and the bed empty except a folded piece of paper. As his eyes scan the words, his heart sinks.