Sometimes Itachi really hated Kisame.

He could tolerate his less than polite eating habits, he could deal with picking up after the older man when he left his clothes scattered all over the place. He could even put up with Kisame calling him "Tachi." What he could not tolerate was the needless killing. He understood why Kisame was part of Akatsuki, but was it necessary to go and kill every civilian who had the misfortune of crossing their path? Itachi would sigh and complain, passively pleading to his partner to leave the civilians alone, but he wouldn't stop him. He couldn't; not because Kisame was stronger than him, but because he would bring up unwanted questions.

Itachi folded his arms across his chest, frowning disapprovingly at Kisame, who was seated across from him. He was cooing at Samehada, whose sharp scales quivered excitedly from its previous meal. When he was partnered up with Kisame, they had mutual respect for each other with Itachi genuinely not minding Kisame's presence, but he despised seeing him coddle that demonic sword of his.

"Careful; you're spoiling it...and my appetite." He remarked dryly, letting his displeasure be known.

Kisame waved a hand at him, stroking Samehada's blade. "No one's making you watch, Tachi."

"Hn." Itachi closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree he was resting against.

It was nighttime, the fire Kisame had made crackling. They were on the border of the Land of Earth, just far enough away from the village Kisame had single handedly desecrated. Itachi internally snorted. Yes, he had nothing to do with that; he suffered from the bystander effect. He merely stood out of the way, looking away and pretending he couldn't hear the screams, the cries for mercy.

"Hey, how far away from Suna are we?" Kisame suddenly asked.

"About a four day's journey nonstop. Why?"

"Their shinobi are legendary, I was just wondering how tasty their chakra would be." Kisame grinned and Samehada quivered more.

"We must report to Pain about our last mission." Itachi replied crisply.

Kisame sighed. "Man, you're so straight-laced. It's boring! Maybe I should have asked to be partnered up with Hidan instead."

Itachi snorted to convey his amusement. "Now I'm insulted. You'd rather work with that bigmouthed bigot than me?"

"Heh, when I think about it, the worst I have to deal with you is your scary Sharingan. Hidan would probably offer me up to that god of his."

The raven grunted in agreement and the two fell back into companionable silence. Kisame wrapped Samehada back up, resting it beside him. Though his eyes were closed, Itachi remained alert to the presence of any chakra nearby. He could only sense Kisame's and, oddly enough, his sword's. His stomach growled. They had had a very small meal (his idiot of a partner had gone on his rampage before they could buy any food). He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of pocky. He stuck one between his lips, nibbling on it slowly.

"Hey, the fire's starting to get low. I got the firewood last time." Kisame broke the silence.

Itachi opened his eyes and got to his feet, wiping any dirt off his clothes. He quickly finished his pocky.
He turned his back on Kisame and paused for a moment, eyes staring intently forward. Kisame, noticing his partner abruptly stopped moving, began to reach for Samehada.

"What is it?" He asked, looking in the same direction as Itachi as though he could see into the darkness.

Itachi didn't respond for a couple heartbeats, mouth pressed into a firm line before he relaxed it.

"...Nothing." He walked into the darkness, his pace unhurried and calm.

When he was far enough away from Kisame, he zeroed in on the chakra flow that had unwittingly wandered into his range. It was normal, indicating a civilian, and roughly thirty meters ahead of him. He moved forward quietly, stopping when the civilian was in his sights.

It was a little girl, probably no older than seven. She was covered with dirt and blood, her clothes torn. Her hair was disheveled and she looked exhausted, but her eyes were wild. She stumbled, leaning against a tree. Tears streaked her dirty cheeks and she whimpered.

Itachi knew where she came from, but hoped he was wrong. Perhaps some other missing-nin destroyed her village. That was one thing that made him hesitant to reveal himself to her. The second was what would he do with her? Kisame would probably kill her and Akatsuki was no place for a civilian child.

It didn't even register to him he was thinking of taking her with him. Ever since he first laid eyes on a baby, he had been fond of children. He was thrilled when his parents told him he would be a big brother. He had hoped Sasuke would be a girl, he thought baby girls were especially cute, but he was content with the outcome. He had someone who relied on him, looked up to him, not because he was a genius, but because he was their older brother. He missed that feeling.

The girl let out a little sob and he saw her shiver. He couldn't leave her there. She would die if rogue ninjas didn't get to her, or wild animals. He vaguely thought of Zetsu, subconsciously wrinkling his nose when he imagined his teammate preying on her.

She wouldn't know anything of his organization and he had left his robe back at the camp. To her, he would just be a ninja with a slashed hitai-ate. Well, she wouldn't know what it signified.

Itachi purposefully stepped on a branch to alert her of his presence. She gave a cry of shock, landing on her bottom. She glared up at him fearfully as he drew nearer. He held his hands palms facing her in surrender, though she posed no threat, his steps slow.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" He asked quietly, balancing himself on the balls of his feet when he was close enough.

She looked at his hitai-ate and sniffled. "S-someone came and killed everyone in my village. I got away because my mom hid me. I need to get to Amegakure; my uncle lives there."

Itachi sighed. "Figures. I am traveling there and my camp is nearby. If you'd like, I will escort you to Amegakure."

She stared at him almost distrustfully and pointed to his hitai-ate. "Why is it crossed out?"

He touched the clean cut across the Konoha symbol, recalling the feeling and sound of his kunai slicing through his beloved protector. "An accident. You have nothing to fear from me; an honorable shinobi would never harm an innocent."

Or sit back and watch them be slaughtered, he thought bitterly, standing up, and extending a hand out to her. The girl still seemed unwilling to trust him, but seemed to decide her chances of survival were stronger being with him than alone. She placed her hand in his and he automatically clasped hers. He gently helped her up and stood still for a minute, reactivating his sharingan. He found Kisame's chakra signature and started off in the direction of it.

"My name is Itachi, by the way." He said as he stepped over a branch.

She stumbled slightly as she stepped over the same branch, nearly running into his back when he bent down to pick it up. "Toki."

He tucked the branch beneath his free arm and continued moving, stopping once in a while to pick up a branch. When he had enough wood, he focused on continuing to the campsite, a thought worrying him. What would Kisame do when he arrived with a child?

Itachi wasn't going to let him kill Toki, but part of him would rather let her be killed than give Kisame a reason to laugh at him. He didn't need word spreading amongst the Akatsuki Itachi Uchiha, slayer of his own clan, was going soft. He had been soft to begin with, hiding it behind the stoic exterior, but he would strike anyone down who dare say it to his face.

He saw the dying glow of the fire and paused. Toki looked up at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"My companion isn't fond of children. It would be best if you make yourself scarce." He released her hand and walked into Kisame's line of sight.

The blue skinned man's eyes were half lidded, indicating his readiness to sleep, his arms folded. He had shed his cloak, his mesh shirt the clothing he preferred to sleep in. His right eye opened wider when he heard Itachi and gave a grunt of approval when he began to feed the fire.

"Was wondering what was taking you." Kisame said, settling back against the tree he was still leaning against.

Itachi didn't say anything, wordlessly gesturing to Toki. She shyly stepped out and stood by the tree Itachi's cloak was. Kisame rose an eyebrow at her.

"You pick me up a snack, Tachi?"

She instantly tucked herself behind Itachi, sticking her tongue out at Kisame. Itachi paid her no mind as he replied flatly, "No. Some rogue attacked her village and killed her parents. I'm escorting her to Amegakure, so she'll be coming with us. You are not to harm her in any way, Kisame."

Kisame flinched when he saw the Sharingan flare. "Yeah, yeah. I won't touch a hair on her head."

Itachi turned the Sharingan off and turned around to look at Toki. "It's alright. He won't hurt you now. I won't let him."

She looked up at him, then came out from behind him. He sat down, reached for his cloak, and pulled out the box of pocky. He pulled two out and offered one to her. She took it gratefully and sat beside him, nibbling on the stick. As she ate it, she looked over at Kisame, noticing his slashed hitai-ate as well. It was suspicious, but she didn't dwell on it for long as she took in his entire appearance.

To her, Kisame looked like a monster. She pointed at him and asked Itachi, "Why does he look like a fish?"

Kisame's brow twitched. He'd heard it all before, but that didn't mean it didn't anger him. He was curious to hear Itachi's response, though, and remained silent. Itachi pulled his pocky from his mouth.

"His father was a very sick man." Kisame sputtered with indignation, almost tempted to wipe the nonexistent smirk off Itachi's face. The joke went over Toki's head, which was for the best, but she laughed anyway at Kisame's reaction.

"Oi, Itachi, I dare you to say that to my face." He growled.

"Maybe tomorrow." Itachi responded, finishing his pocky.

Kisame huffed, shot Toki a heated glare, and shut his eyes. Itachi watched with amusement as the man sulked before grabbing his cloak. He draped it over Toki, who he noticed had been shivering.

"Get some rest. We'll be leaving rather early." He suggested before closing his own eyes.

Toki glanced at Kisame, who was already asleep, then up at Itachi. His breathing was slow and deep, but something told her he wasn't asleep yet. She closed her own eyes and let sleep embrace her.

She woke up to Itachi removing his cloak from her body and pulling it over his head. Kisame was already awake, his sword strapped to his back. He stretched languidly, a mighty yawn coming from him. Toki rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got up. Dawn was just arriving, the sun peeking timidly over the mountains. She grumbled and latched onto Itachi's waiting hand.

"Hold on; with the brat with us, it's going to take us double the time to get to Amegakure." Kisame scowled.

Itachi sighed. He hadn't thought of that. He looked down at her. "Do you think you can hang on tightly?"

Toki bragged bemusedly, "My dad could never pry me off his leg when he was going out."

He nodded. It was good enough for him. He picked her up and ordered, "Hang onto me."

He slung her on her back and she wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and waist. Kisame snickered. "You look like a mother monkey."

Itachi glowered at him, but chose not to reply to the jibe. "Shall we get going?"

Kisame nodded and the two shot off. Toki nearly fell off, startled by the abrupt movement, and tightened her grip to the point she was nearly strangling Itachi. He felt her duck between his shoulder blades, shielding herself from the wind. Beside him, Kisame snickered. He ignored him.

"Amegakure is half a day's journey. We should make it there by tonight." He called.

"You're sure we can't stop by Suna?" He silenced Kisame with a halfhearted glare.

When they were about an hour away from Amegakure, they stopped. Toki slid down from Itachi's back, her legs wobbly. She fell and sat there, dazed.

"How can you guys move so fast?" She asked incredulously, taking Itachi's offered hand.

"We're Shinobi." He answered simply, letting her use his arm to support herself.

Kisame added, "We can do almost anything."

Itachi glanced down the road. "There's a cafe up ahead. We'll stop there to eat before continuing on."

Toki clung to his hand, her steps slowly becoming sure, and glanced around. The vegetation was thick and luscious, the sky gray. She had never been in this country where it always rained, but her mother had originally been from here. Her uncle was a chunin of Ame, the only one in her family. Her mother left because she couldn't stand the constant rain.

"Hey, Itachi?" He looked at her expectantly. "Why does it always rain here?"

The question surprised him. "Because this is a very sad place. It only recently began to become more joyous, thanks to Pain."

"'Pain?' Isn't that a bad thing?"

"To some. To the people of Ame, though, it is a good thing."

The cafe came into view and Toki's stomach growled excitedly. She hadn't had a decent meal in nearly two days. She released Itachi's hand and rushed forward, beaming up at the building. Kisame watched and said, "She's hungrier than both of us, I guess."

"I wonder whose fault that is." Itachi replied, quickening his pace. A waitress was already speaking with Toki, who was chattering affably.

"...Tachi saved me! He's a friend now!" He heard her say. Kisame grinned.

"Looks like you got a fangirl." Itachi grunted indifferently.

He held three fingers up for the waitress, who led them inside. Toki sat between him and Kisame, kicking her feet energetically. She was filthy, her hair still tangled, but she was happy. Itachi picked a leaf out of her hair.

"You'll need to bathe before I bring you to your uncle. A little girl shouldn't be running around looking haggard."

She nodded sheepishly, her face lighting up when their food was brought to them. Kisame dug in immediately, scarfing down the food as though it would be the last time he would ever eat. Itachi wrinkled his nose with distaste. Toki was no better. He turned his nose up at them and grabbed his chopsticks, eating at a more patient pace than his companions.

"Don't eat too fast or you'll get sick." He chided Toki. She pouted but obeyed, grumbling, "Kisame's eating fast."

"He'll pay for it later." Itachi answered, taking a bite out of his omusubi.

Kisame, unsurprisingly, finished first and rubbed his stomach contentedly. Toki finished next and chirped, "Thank you for a good meal!"

Itachi set his dish down and looked pointedly at Kisame. "I paid last time."

Kisame grunted and pulled his wallet out, placing a few ryos on the table. The trio stood up and left the cafe. Toki took Itachi's hand again.

"We'll walk the rest of the way to let our stomachs settle." He said, setting a leisurely pace.

It had started to sprinkle and Toki glared at the sky. Kisame sighed happily, the only one in Akatsuki besides Zetsu who actually liked the rain. Itachi found the rain to be sad, like the sky had all it could take of seeing bloodshed and hatred, and just wept. He thought that was why Ame was such a rainy, melancholy place. Toki didn't seem too thrilled with rain either as it began to pour heavier. She was sulking beside him, kicking a stray pebble out of her way.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Mom never liked the rain. I can't help but think about her right now." She murmured, almost too softly to be heard over the rain.

Itachi's mother never liked the rain either. She feared it, if anything. "Rain brings bad news," She had said once when he asked her about it. When he got older and he left on a mission and it was raining, she would cry, thinking this would be the last time she would see her eldest son alive.

"Mine either." He whispered. Toki didn't hear him, but Kisame did; he looked momentarily bewildered.

The Shinobi guarding the gates of Amegakure let them through, albeit they sneered suspiciously at them when they saw Toki. Toki found them scary with their rebreathers making their voices strange sounding.

"Toki, do you know where your uncle lives?" Itachi queried.

She shook her head, biting her lip. "I...I only met him once."

He sighed and she hastily apologized, "I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He turned to Kisame. "Go on ahead. Tell Leader I will be there in a while. He'll understand."

"Okay. See ya, brat." He grinned toothily at Toki, who smiled apprehensively back, before he walked down the waterlogged streets.

"Come on; we'll go get you new clothes and then we can go to a hot spring." He tugged on her hand, leading her to a shop.

They entered, the woman behind the desk smiling at them, eyeing Itachi's cloak. The Akatsuki weren't feared in Amegakure. Thanks to Pain and Konan, Ame was an ally. They were free to walk the streets without having to conceal their identities. Some weren't thrilled with the idea of housing S-rank criminals, but Pain was their god. They wouldn't dare go against him.

"Could you help her find an outfit?" He asked the woman, gently pushing Toki toward her.

The woman nodded and took Toki's hand, leading her around the store. Itachi leaned against the wall, watching the two. Kisame's probably already reached the base. Pain was aware of his location, he knew. He must approve, otherwise one of Konan's paper scouts would have come to him. He liked Pain, he was respectful to the members and took their needs and opinions into consideration.

Toki was standing in front of the desk, calling his name. He straightened up and went over to pay for the bagged clothes. The woman bade them a good day and he politely bowed his head at her.

The rain had let up, returning to a light drizzle. The air was humid, uncomfortably so, and Itachi tugged at his damp cloak. "Let's go to the hot spring now."

"I've never been to one before."

"They're nice. They're my second favorite place to go to." He said, opening the door to the spring resort.

He left Toki with a girl a few years younger than himself before going to the male side of the resort. Only a handful of other men were in there. He undid the towel he had knotted around his waist and stepped into the steaming water. He dunked himself under the water, closing his eyes.

"Kisame told me you brought a pet with you, un." Itachi opened an eye.

Deidara was seated beside him, his hair completely down, smirking at him. Itachi didn't mind Deidara, but found him annoying in large doses, especially with the irritating way he spoke.

"Deidara." He greeted coolly, shutting his eye once more.

"Oi, you gonna answer me, un?" Deidara sounded irate.

"I'm not fond of animals. I have no pet." Itachi replied.

Honestly, couldn't Kisame keep that between them? Perhaps he should have told his partner to keep quiet about Toki. Deidara looked around the spring expectantly. "So, where is the brat?"

"Don't you have anything better to do, like, argue with Sasori about art?" He kept his voice composed, but couldn't stop the twitch of his eye.

"My man Sasori is back at the base working on Hiruko, un. I think he's working on a new poison."

Deidara shrugged. "C'mon, Uchiha, I wanna meet your pet, yeah. Kisame said she's cute."

Itachi snorted. Kisame wouldn't call anything but his precious Samehada cute. Seeing he wasn't going to get any peace, he stood and got out of the spring. He wrapped his towel around his waist and went inside to get his clothes. He heard Deidara get out, hastily following him.

"Hey, don't ignore me, un!" He sighed and dried himself. He yanked his pants on and grabbed his shirt.

He walked out of the locker room to go to the lobby. He asked a woman to go get Toki for him and pulled his shirt over his head while he waited.

Deidara appeared a few moments later, huffing, his cloak slightly askew.

"You're a dick, Uchiha, yeah. You're lucky I don't turn you into art." Deidara scowled at him.

Itachi chose not to respond, perking up slightly when Toki skipped out from the woman's locker room in her new outfit. It was a light gray T-shirt and black 3/4 pants. Her black sandals were in place and her wet brown hair was braided, probably thanks to the girl he had left her with. She smiled when she saw Itachi, but faltered when she noticed Deidara. He was grinning and Itachi had a feeling he wouldn't hear the end of this.

"Aw, she is cute, un. What's her name?" Deidara asked.

Toki opened her mouth, but Itachi cut in, "Don't answer that. He's an idiot. Come on."

She took his hand and the two left the resort. Deidara was still following them, much to Itachi's chagrin. The blond just didn't know when to quit. He decided to ignore him until he got bored. And Deidara got bored quickly. Itachi looked down the street.

"I don't suppose you know your uncle's name." He tilted his head at her.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Um, I think it's Hageshi."

"Right. Let's ask around." He went over to a jounin, who had been eyeing him. The Jounin stiffened and glowered at him. "What do you want?"

Overlooking his tone, Itachi queried, "Do you happen to know where Hageshi lives?"

"Why?"

Toki piped up, "He's my uncle and big brother Itachi is bringing me to him."

Both Itachi and the jounin looked surprised at the title. Itachi kept his face impassive, but internally he was pleased. Hesitantly, the jounin pointed to the west. "Follow the road for a hundred meters, turn left, then right, and his house will be the one with the blue roof. Left side."

Itachi dipped his head in thanks and turned around. Deidara was no longer around, thankfully. He led Toki down the road.

"Itachi? How come you helped me?" She asked, looking up at him.

He thought about it for a minute. "I suppose it's because I still have my honor."

She blinked questioningly, but he offered no more than that. "Will I see you again?"

"Perhaps." He looked at the roofs, pausing in front of the door of the blue one. He knocked.

A man around the same age as him answered, looking alarmed. "Can I help you?"

Itachi released Toki's hand. "Your niece's village in the Land of Earth was attacked. Her parents were killed, so I escorted her here to leave in your care."

Hageshi's eyes widened and he looked down at Toki. She smiled shyly up at him. "Hi, Uncle."

He bent down to hug her, all the while looking up at Itachi. He said gratefully, "Thank you for protecting her."

Itachi shrugged. "It was nothing." He turned to leave, but something grabbed his cloak. He swiveled his head and raised an eyebrow at the girl.

She grinned at him. "Bye, big brother."

He smiled slightly and balanced himself on the balls of his feet. He poked her in the forehead. "Until next time...little sister."