Bonds and Fates | Chapter 14

Title: Fearless

Kagome hummed quietly to herself as she got ready for the day. There was a list of chores she needed to get done, and grocery shopping was at the top of her list. Along with laundry. Her cupboards were becoming scarce and she needed fresh vegetables; She would only resort to eating that ramen if it was the last thing in there... and if she was starving.

'It's a shame Itachi's not here. I'd ask him to help me carry things,' the priestess thought, smirking at the mental image of her friend laden down with shopping bags, 'Though, if I have to be honest, he would probably refuse.' She shrugged and looked in her closet before frowning. All of her normal clothes were dirty, and the only things left were her more traditional clothes. She disliked wearing those. It reminded her too much of the Feudal Era.

"Well... They aren't going to clean themselves," the girl mumbled, pulling out the first thing she saw before hastily shoving it back into the depths of her closet. She was not wearing those traditional priestess robes. She'd rather lose an eye. Plus the attention would be ridiculous. Kagome stared down her closet in a showdown, glancing from one thing to the next before finally sighing and deciding on that.

A pair of dark blue hakamas and a matching sleeveless haori came out of the closet after her initial decision. Flipping through her tank tops, she chose a light pink one that would accent the blue nicely. Finally, she chose a matching pink obi that she would tie in a butterfly shape and would have long tails hanging down to her knees.

"I'm doing laundry as soon as I get back," she grumbled, pulling the silky fabrics from their hangers and starting to dre

Itachi wasn't quite sure if he would accomplish it or not without being detected, but, taking present company into account, he was sneaking out. And there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

'They're driving me crazy with all their blathering and questions,' the Uchiha thought, glancing around carefully before sliding along the wall towards the door. His fingers barely brushed the knob before a hand snatched his wrist. He jerked and brandished a kunai, Sharingan whirling and baring his teeth in a snarl before relaxing slightly. He hated it when the Leader sneaked up on him. It made him feel... inferior; like a child all over again.

"Going out again, Itachi?" Pein asked, releasing the younger male and smirking. The Uchiha just stood there silently. The Leader shook his head. "Just remember where your loyalties lie, boy."

"Of course, Leader-sama," the Sharingan user bit out, sarcasm lacing the last two words heavily. He turned, pulled open the door, and stalked out. This was a complete waste of time. He had better things to do.

Pein stared after the Uchiha before letting out a sigh and running a hand through his bright hair.

"He's beginning to rebel. What will you do if he turns?" the orange-haired man said to the shadows. Something shifted in them, giving him the impression that he wasn't alone.

"He will not. He's much too mature for fits of teenage rebellion. Besides, there's far too much at stake for Itachi to do something so... juvenille," a dark voice answered, malice coating his words. Pein nodded, only slightly reassured, and left.

"There is, however, the possibility of the boy finding something to protect," the voice continued quietly, musing out loud for the benefit of no one, "and that is unacceptable in a puppet."

'If worse comes to worse, I will remedy the situation myself.' The candle in the room flickered ominously, revealing piercing Sharingan orbs for an instant before the light was snuffed out.

Something wicked this way comes,' the priestess thought, suppressing a shiver and glancing around in paranoia. The marketplace was bright and full of happy shoppers. The day was beautiful, and for once there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Kagome sighed and pushed the 'bad feeling' to the back of her mind to analyze later.

'I can't let it get to me. Right now, I have shopping to do!' The girl smiled, waving at one of the neighbors she recognized. The woman waved back and smiled, jostling her young child and pointing in the direction of the priestess. The little girl grinned hugely and waved back enthusiastically. Kagome laughed and pointed at her basket. They smiled and moved on, each making a silent promise to catch up with the other later.

"Okay! Let's see what I can find," the priestess muttered to herself, glancing around with bright eyes, "I hope they have mangos!"

He huffed in annoyance and paced in front of Kagome's front door. On one hand he wanted to just ring the bell and go in. Maybe have some of that herbal tea the priestess had taken to feeding him. On another hand, the words that Pein had left him with put him on edge. Not to mention Madara's presence had been downright chilling. The last thing he wanted was to lead his ancestor straight to an innocent civilian's door.

Still, another part of him wanted to be done with Kagome altogether. It was his most logical side, and the one he usually listened to the most, but for once, he wanted to have something for his own.

'Something to... protect.' Itachi shook his head and cleared his mind. He'd think on it later. Right now, there was a priestess to annoy.

He opened the window and slipped in undetected, immediately noticing that she wasn't home. The Uchiha glared at the wall, once again annoyed at the fact that he had wasted so much time debating when she wasn't even here. He really didn't like waiting, but he absolutely refused to go out there and find her. Not when it was so bright out and the people were everywhere. He hated crowds almost as much as he disliked sweet things.

"So, waiting it is."

Oh how the mighty have fallen

It was afternoon before her strange chakra signature buffeted his senses. it was odd, but it seemed as though he could... feel it. Itachi narrowed his eyes, concentrating briefly and memorizing the feeling before making his way towards the door. Yes, she was out there, and yes, she seemed agitated, but why didn't she just come in already?

"Must I do everything myself?" the Uchiha sighed, opening the door and leveling the girl outside with a look that screamed annoyed. He would not comment on her outfit, which suited her just as well as her other clothes would.

'I daresay had she chosen red and white she'd be dressed in Uchiha colors.' His eyes darkened briefly at the thought before he got a hold of himself. There were no Uchiha colors; Just like there was no Uchiha Clan anymore.

"Itachi? How'd you get in?" He restrained the urge to blink. Something was off about her. She seemed almost... jittery.

"... No honorific? And through the window." She had the decency to blush while muttering under her breath about ninjas and using the front door.

"Sorry. If it bothers you I can-!" Kagome started but he interrupted her for once.

"It's fine. Are you coming in?" he asked, waving off the lack of respect. Such things didn't matter to him anymore; Had stopped mattering after the massacre.

"Umm... Yeah. I'm coming." There it was again! That flash of fear that had his stomach bottoming out and looking around for traps and danger. Her eyes jumped to the upper corner of her door then back to him in paranoia. He glanced up... and finally noticed the spiderweb up above them.

'Is she...'Itachi shrugged and reached up to pluck the 'monster' from its place.

"You're afraid... of spiders," Itachi deadpanned, holding the tiny eight-legged creature up for inspection. It wasn't even poisonous. Just a common house spider that had made the corner of the door frame it's home overnight. How was it that she wasn't scared of him, a ninja that could easily kill her, and yet she was terrified to death of a minuscule thing like an eight-legged creepy-crawler?

"NO! Um... Maybe a little?" Kagome responded, cringing away when the Uchiha flipped the arachnid over to check it's belly. She shuddered, which he noticed immediately, and followed the spider's path with her blue eyes as he tossed it aside in a careless fashion. It disappeared into the bushes a few feet away and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I never pegged you as the type to let your fears get to you," the Sharingan master stated, whisking the web away from the corner and beckoning her inside again.

"They normally don't. It took me by surprise. I just... don't like them," the priestess muttered, shuffling inside and setting down her groceries. "Thank you... for getting rid of it."

"Makes me wonder what else you're afraid of," Itachi countered softly, patting the frazzled girl's head before snatching the refrigerated food and putting it away.

"... Centipedes," the raven-haired girl replied a moment later and absentmindedly smoothing down her messy hair. He glanced up just in time to see a haunted look flit across her face before it was gone.

'Note to self: Check for bugs around the house.'

He'd be damned if he ever saw that kind of fear on her face again. Not if he could prevent it. If he was going to do something right for once, he would do his very best to keep this girl happy. Even if it killed him.

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