Chapter 5
They stood off against each other as the world around came to a standstill. Kaiya gazed at them blankly her face giving nothing away, except for the Sharingan glowing in the starry night. It was Goro, her trainer, who spoke first in the heavy silence “A Sharingan when all of the Uchiha are dead, all but two and you are not Itachi.” Kaiya only stared at him, but she knew what was coming, Goro had been a brilliant sensei. He tilted his head at her before his mask began to crumple slightly, “Kaiya…” The kunoichi smiled bitterly the certainty was there, Goro just didn’t want to believe it. “They found your weapon style in some of the wounds in the Uchiha massacre, including your parents, but according to your little brother; you’re dead.”
Kaiya let out a sigh and took off her hat, hooking it to her cloak idly before staring at him, no emotions passed along her face. “I’m sorry you’re right Sensei, I have no choice in matters now.”
In an instant his body fully tensed, but his eyes shut quickly hand signs forming to block her genjutsu; it didn’t stop his teammates from falling prey as they collapsed on the ground limply. Goro’s head shot around to them, “Genjutsu can’t kill.” Kaiya’s voice was bitter with false glee in her response. “Not yet anyway.”
Kaiya shot towards him, but was forced back and away as a gust of wind was send shooting sharply towards her face. She flipped, her body twisting in the air until she perched lightly on a tree branch her hands already moving in a quick blur, “Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower Jutsu!” Multiple fire balls shot away from her mouth towards Goro only growing larger in the gust of wind he’d sent towards her. She jumped away from the blast still coming going onto another branch and suddenly a silver blade shot out held by sure hands, the tip pierced her stomach. Her body erupted into butterflies and a flying roundhouse kick charged with chakra made contact to Goro’s face sending him flying down to the ground. Kaiya’s body formed completely beside Goro’s as he stared into his student’s eyes unwaveringly.
Her hand appeared out of her long sleeves a kunai gripped in white knuckles. Kaiya crouched down beside him, “Kaiya Uchiha is dead Sensei, as are the Uchiha, I can’t have the Leaf knowing of me.”
She fell silent after that and poised her kunai over her Sensei when suddenly he spoke softly his voice suddenly changing with some emotion she couldn’t describe, “You’re brother is well, he’s still top in his class. He’ll probably graduate in another two years.” Kaiya’s breath caught just as she struck sending the blade through his heart, she watched as the light faded from his eyes. Her head then bowed to the ground and Kaiya bit her lip nearly making it bleed. He’d always known her too well and Kaiya definitely hadn’t thought he’d figure her out.
Pulling herself back up Kaiya flashed back over to his teammates whose breaths came shallow and faint in the stress she’d put them into. Making the quick decision Kaiya killed them as well with a kunai before disposing of all three bodies through flames, watching as the bodies burned to nothing. She knew they’d soon be deemed MIA in the village. With nothing left Kaiya put out the fires before hiding all signs of the battle.
Her trip back was quick throughout the night, she refused to stop to sleep or break. Heading back to the hideout would be enough for her. Kaiya knew she’d done what she had to do, no one would ever find out she was alive; she’d be deemed the murderer and self-killer of the Uchiha. That fate had been accepted–what she hadn’t quite realized–months ago. A part of her hadn’t realized it had been nearly two months since the massacre, but her fate was sealed. So when Kaiya made it back to the hideout she ignored the pain shooting through her that her mom wasn’t there to greet her and motherly check her for wounds. Instead she was met with a deadening silence that hung over her head as dawn began to break and she handed in her scroll to Pein’s empty office. Uncaring for the time of day Kaiya went back to her room to sleep, pausing a moment briefly to go into one of her other bingo books and deliberately cross out Goro’s picture in her red marker.
Kaiya woke up with her eyes blurry and sore, her body feeling the effects of travelling and lack of sleep. When she checked the time she realized it was barely past noon. With a frustrated sigh Kaiya sat up throwing her cloak over her shoulders and made her way down the silent corridors. She made it all the way to the training rooms without running into anybody, making her faintly wonder who the rest of the Akatsuki were.
That thought soon faded away from importance as she set out to working her chakra, building it up. Instead of practicing the butterfly technique she switched to her genjutsu, the Death Illusion. Holding it over a person’s body like she’d done on her first mission with Sasori was still a work in progress. Someday she’d find a way to make it permanent and master what no other Uchiha had; kill someone with just a genjutsu. She just had to figure out how to do so.
That was a bust sadly. Kaiya’s focus was off and she couldn’t gain any enough to do anything worthwhile so soon she was switching instead to fire jutsu, making sure to not set the training room on fire. She could’ve gone into the woods, but that would only bring more attention. The training continued for hours on end until Kaiya was lying in her signature defeated position, laid out on her back across the floor.
And that’s how Konan found her when she came looking for the young Kunoichi.
Konan felt something off when she saw her, but couldn’t pin it immediately. So instead she made her presence known, leaning over Kaiya’s face letting her amusement show in her eyes. She shook her head down at her pulling out a scroll and placing it beside Kaiya’s head.
“That’s for you to give to Kakuzu when he comes here with his newest partner; if the partner is already dead you’ll be going with him on the mission with him.” Kaiya nodded lazily in reply keeping her eyes shut as she pursed her lips wondering about this Kakuzu. He didn’t sound particularly friendly but she’d deal with it if she had to. Konan spoke into Kaiya’s odd silence, “He’ll be here in few more days. Meanwhile Pein is done with his business in this region, he and I will be heading back to Amegakure today,” she paused eyeing the Uchiha warily before shaking her head turning back towards the door, “Anyways I just came to say goodbye, we’re leaving.”
Then to her surprised Kaiya suddenly shot up eyes widening, Konan spun around completely bewildered. Kaiya stormed over to her and began ranting almost hysterically. “No! Don’t do that! Don’t say goodbye, you’re not allowed to say that, ever!” Her shouts lessened but she continued while pacing, her hands were trembling with an emotion Konan couldn’t name.
“Saying goodbye means going away, and going away means leaving, leaving means forgetting. It means going away forever. So you’re–” her breathing hitched strangely. Then Kaiya just looked at Konan pleadingly a tired look forming in her eyes, “Just don’t say goodbye, okay? Please?”
As she spoke finished an aged look going through the eleven year old made Konan pause before forming her lips into a smile hiding her worry.
“Of course Kaiya, it’s fine. I’ll be in Amegakure and I’ll see you there on mission reports, good?” Kaiya’s lips pulled into a bright smile she flashed to the elder Akatsuki member, but her bottom lip trembled with an uncertainty. She picked up the scroll by her feet, the smile still there, “All good, have fun in the rain Konan-Sama.” Then with nothing more, not even a look back Kaiya ran off, disappearing out the door and down the hallways, away from sight. Leaving Konan stunned looking towards where she’d run off to. Never had the woman imagined she’d be caring about a member to the S-rank criminal organisation, but she truly was and she just hoped Kaiya would survive being a Kunoichi in this world.
For the remainder of the day Kaiya kept herself in her room, not even going to bother Sasori. In the end it was the puppet master who sought her out. It surprising her slightly as he came to the door, letting himself in, except it wasn’t Sasori. He was inside Hiruko, the name of the puppet he hid in, as he’d finally told her. His voice was back to its regular gruffness hiding the age he truly appeared, “I’m going on a mission.” As he trailed off Kaiya had a feeling he didn’t even really know why he was here. She nodded grinning at him, “Have fun then Senpai. Say what do you know about Kakuzu?” He turned away heading back out the door calling out lowly, “He has a temper levelling mine, don’t get killed by him.”
Kaiya squinted muttering after Sasori “Doubt he beats your impatience…” “I heard that, brat.” Her eyes widened and she spit out a curse trying hard not to laugh while he could hear her. As soon as his chakra signature was faded she burst out laughing, but too quickly the laughter died away leaving her frowning and just staring at a wall once again blankly. Her void sulking didn’t last for long though. Since not long after the disappearance of Sasori, Konan and Pein’s chakra, two new ones appeared that pulled her out of the mindset momentarily. She found herself automatically leaving her room, going after the pair.
When she ran out into the halls and made her way to the living room, she spotted Itachi there immediately. Itachi turned around to face her raising a brow oddly towards her. It took a minute for Kaiya to decipher the look he’d given her; she hadn’t jumped onto his back. Instead Kaiya had come in and stopped once she found him, Kaiya mentally hit herself over and over again, but she wouldn’t let Itachi notice something was wrong.
She jumped forwards standing on her tiptoes in front of him, still barely managing to come to his shoulders in height while ignoring Kisame. Kaiya’s hands gripped onto his as he watched her with that kind amusement shining past his criminal façade. She began tugging him forward slightly before exaggeratedly frowning at him, “Are you seriously going to make me drag you to the training room?” “Yeah Itachi, go play with your Imouto,” Kisame chimed in mockingly.
Kaiya glared up at him challengingly, he only bared his sharp teeth in a grin at her, and said “Sorry twerp you’re too small to be scary.”
The kunoichi rolled her eyes at him, making a note in her mind to get back at him for that only saying mysteriously “Watch it; I don’t get mad, I get even.” Not giving him another look she actually did begin dragging Itachi towards the training room, falling blissfully into the routine of their time together growing. Kisame followed after them going and leaning against the wall of the fight area, his curiosity of the siblings getting the better of him.
The pair faced off and Kaiya’s excitement shot through her true as the stars, filling her with relief. She held her stance even as Itachi came at her. The first move she made was a simple duck and dodge, slipping past the blur of a kick he sent her way until he suddenly pulled making Kaiya stumble back out of the way. As she regained her balance he was coming right at her a blow she knew would hurt, a lot. The attack landed and before Itachi’s eyes he watched her disappear into a fog of her signature. He smirked spinning around to face her as she materialized once again behind him. He caught Kaiya’s wrist and in a smooth motion flipped her over onto her back. The move left Itachi bending down leaning over her his bangs hanging over his face. Kaiya mumbled unintelligibly before raising her voice, “Just couldn’t give me that could Onii-san?”
“Maybe you would have if you weren’t laughing and giggling,” he retorted. But his face lost the seriousness and he lifted her up off the ground. He kept going from there, bringing her up into the air. Kaiya laughed happily as he did so, gripping onto his arms tightly. Itachi smiled for her gently, “Congrats Kay, you did it.” “Now what shall I master next?” she replied. A deep part of her was rejoicing, the pride he held let her know she would keep pushing because it was what needed to be done.
And no one understood that better than them.
So when the rest of their training ended she expected it completely. He pulled her off and into her room separating quickly from Kisame. Kaiya followed into the room behind him, ignoring the ache in her bones. Glancing briefly at her brother Kaiya looked away and sat by her desk, keeping her back to him.
For a long while there was just silence. Itachi broke it when she heard a faint shifting from her bed and an even fainter sound of pages crinkling. Her eyes widened to saucers and she shot around onto her feet staring at Itachi. He held the book calmly in his lap, no expression passed over Itachi’s face as he stared down at the crossed out picture of Goro-Sensei. Very slowly and deliberately he moved the book away, closing it softly and hiding the pages. His open face was enough for her when he looked towards her again. Kaiya’s heart lurched and in another second she had buried her head in his chest. A single sob broke out from Kaiya but other than that she stayed wrapped in his arms and silent. But no words needed to be spoken between the pair, they didn’t need any. So just in that moment she felt protected and safe again, but that was the most alluring illusion of all.
She knew it couldn’t last.