Bonds and Fates | Chapter 2

She watched the young man next to her out of the corner of her eye and sighed inwardly. He was definitely handsome, and certainly didn't seem like the type, but that nail polish on his fingers was just enough out of the ordinary for Kagome to be on guard. Now, however, her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"So, why purple, of all colors?" the priestess asked out of the blue, "Are you in a group or something?" She noticed he jerked just slightly, one hand straying to his leg in an almost instinctive fashion. Her senses screamed danger.

'Is he a ninja, then?'

"It was not my choice," the raven-haired male replied off-handedly, his other hand clenching briefly before relaxing. He carefully set down another bottle of varnish and moved to the next group of small bottles. It brought him a step closer to her. Kagome shrugged and held up a light violet colored bottle to the light.

"Too bright. It needs to be darker," he stated as she opened her mouth to ask about the color. She blushed and set the bottle down, then huffed and turned to face him.

"Let me see your hand," she hissed in annoyance, snatching the closest one before he could protest. She gazed down at the color currently chipping off his fingers in concentration, vaguely noting the strange heavy-looking ring he wore on his hand, before letting out a breath of triumph.

"What are you-!"

"You need this one!" Kagome then proceeded to drag him over to a display farther down the aisle to a set of square-shaped little bottles. She cheerfully plucked a bottle from the stand and presented it to him with a flourish. Had he been in a different situation, he would have laughed at her enthusiasm. Instead he took the bottle with a small smile and held it up to the light.

He was still attempting to figure out an decent answer to her question without giving away vital information when she jerked him down the aisle to another collection of bottles. The strange girl then presented him with a small bottle with a smile on her face.

'She's one of those people that want to help others no matter who they are,' Itachi thought, accepting the vial and holding it up to the light, 'An innocent that most anyone would want to severely protect. Does she not have someone to keep her safe?'

"... This will suffice," he stated, nodding before glancing at the name of the color. 'Rum Raisin is so unoriginal. But it's just the right color too.'He glanced at her as she twirled happily, her long dark hair dancing in the fluorescent light and her blue eyes sparkling delightedly. And when she graced him with an enormous smile, the Uchiha felt the telltale signs of attachment stir in his thought-to-be-dead heart. It bothered him... a lot.

"I've got that kind at home in a dark green color. It stayed on my nails for almost two weeks before I resorted to scrubbing it off with an S.O.S. pad," she commented off-handedly, grinning at what was probably the memory of the moment. He nodded absently as he collected a bottle for each member of his little "group", as she called it.

"Stocking up?" she teased lightheartedly. Had he been anyone else, the former Clan heir probably would have rolled his eyes and snorted in indignation.

"I am purchasing for other people as well," he answered back, a slight bite to his quiet voice. She either heard it and didn't care, or she didn't let it affect her, because she just laughed again and held out her hands to help him. He was not used to the amount of kindness this strange girl was paying him, but he also found that he didn't really mind either. Slowly, they gathered the right amount and began to head to the checkout up front.

"Ahh, you're 'group thing', right?"

"... Yes."

"Well... good luck with that." She accepted her bags of groceries and stepped aside to wait for him. Itachi was unaccustomed to someone waiting for him and quickly paid for his purchase while avoiding the questioning look the cashier was giving him. They left the drugstore and stood outside in a strained silence.

"I... guess this is goodbye. Um... If you're ever in town again, you should stop by the tea shop down the road. I work there and..." she trailed off and grimaced in embarrassment before a determined glint entered her blue eyes and she locked gazes with him, "My name's Kagome. So stop by and say hi if you want to."

'Ahh, the exchange of names. It would make things more difficult... however...'

"Itachi." Kagome glanced up at him sharply in surprise, obviously not expecting him to give his name so freely. Let him be surprising for once.

"R-right... Itachi-san," she smiled happily and began to turn away, "I think we'll definitely meet again."

"... Perhaps," the Uchiha muttered, turning and walking away. He refused to turn back to see what he perceived to be her oddly distinctive chakra-signature moving away.

'Such a strange girl... Kagome.'

"You sent Itachi to get Nail Polish!" the flamboyant blonde exclaimed, staring in shock at his brightly-colored Leader. The orange-haired man nodded and pinned Deidara with a withering look.

"Is there a problem with that?" Pein asked delicately, raising a brow in the artist's direction.

"Yes! Itachi is typically homicidal at best! We'll never be able to go into the village if he kills someone!" Deidara answered in a dramatic fashion, waving his arms around for emphasis.

"Don't be so foolish, Deidara," Pein scoffed, waving a hand in dismissal, "Itachi wouldn't kill people because they get on his nerves."

"I'm not that homicidal, thank you," Itachi muttered, stating his arrival back at headquarters.

"That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would," the Uchiha's , Kisame Hoshigaki, said as a bag was deposited on the table.

"Indeed. The girl that helped me find these said it wouldn't chip for almost two weeks," Itachi replied, snagging a bottle of their new nail polish and disappearing towards his room. Everyone was silent for about two heartbeats before one of their newest members, Hidan, broke it.

"Did he just fuckin' say a girl?" the Jashinist exclaimed in horror.

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