Self-Control

Onyx and Ivory

"Enter."

Tsunade called out, her amber eyes never leaving the scroll that was unfurled on her desk. She heard her office door creak open, and strong footsteps approach her desk.

"You sent for me, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade finally lifted her gaze after scribbling her signature at the bottom of the page. She flung the scroll into Shizune's awaiting hands as her assistant fumbled with it for a moment before catching it. Tsunade studied Kakashi for a brief moment before folding her hands under her chin.

"Yes. There's been a new development that I feel needs to be brought to your attention."

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. Shizune rolled up the scroll and then swiftly left with Tonton hot on her heels. When Shizune had shut the door behind her Tsunade sighed heavily.

"I need any and all information you have on Ginyoru Hoshiko."

Kakashi held the Hokage's gaze for a long while, not sure if he had heard her clearly. When Tsunade made no move to correct her previous statement he finally spoke. "What?"

It was the only intellectual thing that he could say. He had assumed that maybe she might be sending him on a mission to tail Naruto and Jiraiya—making sure that they were safe while they travelled, or even trying to locate Sasuke. Or something to do with the village, he never expected Hoshiko's name to ever be brought up again. Tsunade sighed and rubbed at her temples tiredly.

"Kakashi…this may come as a shock to you…but she is alive—she has been this entire time."

"Hokage-sam—"

"I know that you thought she was dead, the entire world did…"

"Hokage-sama…"

"…but I've been given valid information that she is indeed alive…"

"Can I just—"

"…apparently she was skilled enough to fool even the Root agents who were instructed to find her…"

Kakashi sighed. "Hokage-sama…"

"…not only that but she killed some of Danzo's best men. It's why I need all the information you have about her. We need to know how she thinks, how she works. What are her weaknesses?"

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi exclaimed. Tsunade reeled back slightly from his outburst.

"What is it?" She asked him.

Kakashi stared her in the eye and gave a lofty sigh. "I know."

Tsunade frowned at him. "Know what?"

Kakashi wanted to run himself through with a kunai then and there. What is it with dense blondes? He could feel Tsunade's penetrating stare, it was like she was trying to leap into his mind and take the information herself. "I know that she's alive."

Kakashi waited...

...and waited some more.

He expected her to yell, throw punches at him. What he didn't expect was her face to scrunch up in a furious scowl as she bench-pressed her table into the ceiling. Then again, she could have bench pressed him into the ceiling.

"What the hell do you mean you know she's alive?" Tsunade roared at him. Papers were scattered around the room, her desk crashed to the floor in a pile of toothpicks. Kakashi had been in dire situations before. But this was the first time he ever truly feared for his life. He didn't dare take a step back from her, it would just entice her more to belt him with her fists.

"I exposed her when she returned to the village for the Chuunin exams."

Tsunade stalked towards him. "You've known about it for that long…and you didn't think to make it public knowledge?" Her tone was calm, but Kakashi knew that she was far from it.

"She feared for her mothers life."

"I fear for this whole village, Kakashi!" Tsunade bellowed at him. The Jounin winced at her volume. "Do you know where she is now? She is apart of the Akatsuki!"

Kakashi's eyes widened at her statement. "What? That's not possible."

"Why do you think I asked you in here to tell me about her weaknesses then? Ginyoru Hoshiko was spotted as Uchiha Itachi's partner in the Land of Lightning. Danzo's men fought her and died. He revealed that on that night Itachi and Hoshiko conspired together to eliminate the Uchiha's."

"That's not right!" Kakashi exclaimed. "Hoshiko wasn't that type of person."

Tsunade's gaze hardened. "We never thought that Uchiha Itachi would be capable of mass genocide but here we are."

Kakashi shook his head from side to side. "I spoke with her Tsunade-sama. Danzo was the one who tried to have her killed."

"Yes, I know." Tsunade agreed solemnly. "She infiltrated Root to learn the movements of all the higher ups in preparation for the massacre. Once Danzo learned of her treachery it was already too late."

"I still can't believe it…" Kakashi muttered. "Sasuke!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Sasuke said that he heard them arguing that night before he passed out."

Tsunade let out a little 'tsk'. "That doesn't exactly help matters, does it Kakashi? You've placed her at the scene of the crime."

Kakashi wanted to bash his head against the wall for saying that. He was smarter then this. If it wasn't true he had all but just condemned her to death. Kakashi flinched when Tsunade placed her delicate hand on top of his shoulder. He didn't know if he flinched because she could punt him through the wall with said 'delicate' hand or if it was the human contact.

"Kakashi…" Tsunade sighed regretfully. "I know you cared for her, but you need to see the facts. She is not the person you thought she was. They concocted this entire plan under our very noses, and they fooled us all, not just you."

Kakashi frowned. He didn't want to believe it, but why would she be with Akatsuki if she were innocent?

But it was also easy to believe as well. She had been close with Itachi, and they were both incredibly smart in their own rights. It wouldn't have been hard for them to execute their plans and continue on in secrecy.

"It's difficult, I know." Tsunade removed her hand. "It's like when Sarutobi-sensei tried to tell us what Orochimaru had done. We didn't want to believe it either…but sometimes we have to put our emotions aside for the sake of the shinobi world."

Hoshiko stood at the bottom of the stairs, studying the slate blue ring that adorned her pinky finger. It was disturbing that it fit snugly on her finger, considering how Orochimaru himself used to wear the damned thing on his own spindly appendage. It was also serving as a distraction from the pounding ache she had in her head. She swore she hadn't drunk that much, but all she could remember was Itachi manhandling her out of the booth and then walking outside before it all went black. She had woken up in one of the beds in Pein's tower, curled up under the covers fully clothed, but her shoes had been removed. She didn't have to think hard about who would've done that for her. It made her roll her eyes.

She was waiting for her two companions to make themselves known for the day. She could have just gone ahead by herself, but really she didn't know where to start with her Bijuu collection. Seeing as Kisame and Itachi would know about Pein's plan, she was hoping she could get information off of them about some of the already known Jinchuuriki.

She didn't have to wait much longer before Kisame and Itachi arrived together. If Hoshiko was in a better mood, she might have tried to make some form of innuendo about the two. You know, for payback purposes. Instead, she greeted them both with a grunt.

"How's the head?" Kisame asked her, smirking. Hoshiko stuck up her middle finger at him.

X

To say that Hoshiko was in a better mood would be an overstatement, but she was less hostile then before so it was something. She was still hurting over the truth. The fact that Itachi had lied to her face to try and 'protect' her. That he had shouldered all her hatred, the hatred of his brother and the entire village to safeguard 'peace' for the village. Why did the village deserve peace anyway? What had it done for her in her life? She had been brought up to be a tool for power hungry men, and when they found no more use for her they cast her away like trash.

So yes, Hoshiko was still bristling over the fact that Itachi had slaughtered his family for the sake of the 'village'. She was still livid at the fact that Danzo had been the one to drive Shisui to end his life, and that said man had also been the one to make Itachi choose between his family and the village. She swore to herself that if she ever saw that crippled old man again she would do everything in her power to end his life.

Her attitude towards Kisame had warmed greatly. She had no hatred towards him, so every so often they would comment about the weather or other ridiculous things like that. Itachi was still receiving her cold shoulder. It wasn't like he was jumping up and down to make conversation with her in the first place. He kept his distance from her, and they never really spoke. If Hoshiko ever caught him staring at her for too long she would make a point to grind her teeth together and send him the most vicious glare that she could muster.

Hoshiko wasn't paying attention to where they were heading. She vaguely remembered Kisame talking about some business he had back in Kusa, so she assumed that they were heading in that direction again. Hoshiko was just happy that they were finally getting out of Ame. The constant barrage of rain was really doing her head in.

It was when they were nearing the border between Ame and Kusa that the rain finally stopped. Hoshiko smiled gleefully and turned her face up to the sky that was beginning to show faint sunshine. Kisame and Itachi were walking up ahead so she was thankful for this moment to herself. She would never whine about hot weather ever again. She could already feel her toes warming up from the heat and her hair was beginning to frizz out. She wasn't complaining though, she relished in it.

They travelled for most of the day before they stopped in a small village in Kusa. Small was a relative term. For Hoshiko it was a small village, compared to some of the one's in Fire Country. But in Kusa it was probably classed as a large village. And it looked like it predominately traded in bamboo, as the whole village was surrounded by the large, thick bamboo tree's that only grew in these parts of the world. Hoshiko didn't take note of the name of the village, it wasn't important anyway. She followed her two companions silently as they stalked the streets. Civilians watched them with weary eyes, but none made a move against them.

They soon headed into a small inn as Kisame asked for three rooms. Each of them offered up their share of allowance to pay for it. Hoshiko had also been gifted with a monthly allowance, courtesy of Kakuzu. It was pretty standard, every month Hoshiko would be allocated a certain amount of money that she would need for food, shelter and anything else while on her travels. All she had to do was report each month at one of the bases and then he'd send her more by way of bird or in person if he were there. It was surprising that they operated in this way, but at least it allowed them to travel in luxury sometimes.

Their rooms were on the third floor of the inn. Kisame and Itachi's were across from hers and they all silently disappeared into their rooms. Hoshiko was happy with her room for the night. It was simple, but it had a proper bed and not a lumpy futon on the floor like that inn in Ame had. It even had it's own washroom. She definitely liked Kusa more then Ame at this point. She decided that she wasn't going to bathe just now; she'd wait until later tonight. Instead she sat on her floor and tipped out her bag and began organizing it once more. She sharpened her kunai's and counted her shuriken.

It wasn't until sunset that she sensed movement. She hadn't been completely focused on keeping track of Kisame and Itachi's chakra signatures, but they had been in the back of her mind. And it piqued her interest when she could sense Itachi leaving his room and heading towards the entrance of the inn. Hoshiko wanted to let it go. She didn't need to enquire as to where he was going. He was a big boy. A big, scary, mean, stupid, antagonizing boy, that didn't need a slice of her attention for anything.

But of course, her curiosity won out. She scrambled to her feet, whisking up her weapons pouch as she did so and tied it around her waist. She opened her door and, masking her chakra, threw herself out into the hallway and followed the path that Itachi had taken.

X

The streets were slightly crowded as she stalked the revered Uchiha. She kept herself a few meters away from him. She knew that she could mask her chakra from him completely from a distance, but if she got too close he's be able to sense her. He was walking slowly, but with an obvious destination in mind. It wasn't long before he entered a small building near the edge of town. Hoshiko waited a few minutes before approaching the same building. She glanced up at the sign on the roof and found herself frowning as she read it.

It's a medical facility. She stated to herself. There was only one reason she could think of about why he would go in there. She thought back to the memories that Itachi had shown her. Back then, he had been given medicine to help slow his illness. Was he getting more? Or was he in pain?

She knew it was none of her business. She should just turn around, walk back to the inn and forget about the whole thing. Whatever Itachi was doing in there was no concern of hers. He didn't need her help, and she didn't want to give it. But yet again, she found herself completely disregarding her own mind and moved to enter the facility.

Inside, it smelt distinctly of disinfectant, something that made her nose crinkle. She gazed around the room. It was set out like a small reception, but there wasn't anyone at the desk waiting for her. Hoshiko quickly used her senses and managed to locate Itachi down in one of the rooms to the left. Hoshiko didn't want to wait around to be kicked out by a receptionist so she hurried down the narrow corridor. She paused outside the door and pressed her ear against it. She could hear quiet muffled voices but nothing distinguishable. She huffed in annoyance. Movement on her right caught her attention. A lady was back at the desk and had spotted her. Hoshiko paled. Crap, now she was caught.

She was about to run out of there when suddenly the door she was leaning on was opened from the inside. Hoshiko stumbled, a gasp leaving her mouth as she stared up into the bright eyes of a male doctor. "Uchiha-san said that his partner would be arriving shortly, please do come in." He swept his hand out to the side and allowed Hoshiko to pass him.

Hoshiko glowered. "Partn—" she cut herself off. She mentally kicked herself. Of course Itachi had known she would follow him. She slid her eyes passed the tall doctor and to the Uchiha who was perched atop the bed gracefully. His back was straight and he was staring dead ahead at the wall in front of him. The doctor moved back towards Itachi as Hoshiko hovered at the back of the room. She was surprised that he had even allowed her to come in. What was he playing at?

The doctor placed the stethoscope against Itachi's clothed chest (his cloak was folded neatly to the side of him) and instructed him to breathe in deeply. Hoshiko found herself looking away. She felt like she was intruding on something that Itachi probably wanted to keep private. The doctor then walked around the table, shooting Hoshiko a tightlipped smile as he did so, and then placed his hands against Itachi's back. His hands began to glow an ethereal green as the chakra was sent into the Uchiha's body for examination.

"When did you first get diagnosed?" He asked Itachi.

"Around three years ago."

The doctor moved his hands slightly down, and then back up again. "And you've been on medication this whole time?"

"Yes. I recently ran out. I thought it prudent to come and acquire some more."

The doctor finished his examination of Itachi and slowly moved back around to the front of the table. The doctor's gaze flicked over to Hoshiko once more, as she awkwardly looked away. She really felt like she shouldn't be in the room now.

"When did you run out?"

"Few months ago." Itachi replied tiredly. Hoshiko cast her mind back a few months. Around that time, her and Itachi had been travelling through Kumo and Frost country; both had been freezing at the time. Had he run out then? Was that why he had that attack in Frost?

"Any attacks?"

"One."

"Hm." The doctor replied. He reached for his clipboard and scribbled something down. "What were the symptoms of the attack?"

"Coughing. Blood. Chest pain. I passed out shortly after."

The doctor continued to scribble on the paper. Once he was done he set the clipboard down and gave a weary sigh. "It seems that the attack has sped up the disease slightly. When I examined your lungs I could feel that a few clusters of Alveoli have ruptured. Your bronchioles are also thinning out. It's also started to spread to different parts of your body now. The chest pain you felt during the attack was because the blood vessels connecting your heart to the rest of the body have become inflamed and started to bleed out."

Hoshiko bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from making a noise. It sounded horrible, and incredibly painful. She felt vulnerable slightly; she didn't know why as she wasn't the one with this disease, but she wrapped her arms around her stomach in an attempt to comfort herself.

"How long?" Itachi asked him sourly.

The doctor sighed. "I can only give you a rough estimate. I'll prescribe you a stronger steroid and a few antibiotics. They're common in all the nations so when you start to run low see another doctor."

"How. Long?" Itachi demanded.

"Two years…maybe."

Hoshiko couldn't help the shaky breath that fell passed her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand quickly and turned away. She shouldn't care. She shouldn't care. It wasn't her problem. He wasn't her problem. So why in the hell did she want to cry so badly right now?

"I'm sure you're aware, but the steroids don't actually heal your lungs. They just stall the disease. The antibiotics will help fight the infections in your blood vessels but overall this disease will progress to the point where they won't work anymore."

"I am aware." Itachi commented coolly.

The doctor regarded him regretfully. It was never easy to talk about the time someone had left in this world. He reached for the clipboard. "I'll go and get the medications, please wait here. I'll be back shortly." And then he left the room, leaving Hoshiko and Itachi alone.

Hoshiko strode around the table so that she was in front of the stoic Uchiha. His onyx gaze slid down to hers. She looked furious at him. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"I assure you, I find no comedic value with this disease."

Hoshiko glowered at him. "I'm not talking about your disease!" She hissed, keeping her voice low but her tone deadly. "I'm talking about you telling me all this truth stuff about your clan, and Danzo all because you're gonna die in two years. What? You wanted to die knowing that you managed to throw a wrench in my life once again?"

Itachi continued to stare at her. "You believe I told you all those things because I am facing the imminent prospect of my death?"

"Why else would you tell me?" Hoshiko released an exasperated sigh. "I get it, ok? It's a shitty burden to bear. And you were sick of baring it alone so you told the one person who is essentially 'dead' to the world."

Itachi scoffed lightly and turned his face away from her. "You are a fool, Hoshiko." She hated the way her name sounded when he said it. She had only heard it a few times over the past few weeks, ever since he had revealed the truth to her. She hated how her stomach did little flips each time he said it.

"If I'm a fool, then so are you." Hoshiko snapped at him. Just as soon as she had finished her sentence, the door opened and the doctor walked back in. In his hands were three different bottles of pills. He could sense the tension between them both, his eyes flickering from one to the other. Hoshiko sent Itachi a dark look and then strode out of the room, muttering under her breath.

Itachi took his time returning to the inn. The sun had set; and the small lamps lining the streets illuminated the village. His new medication was tucked safely away in his cloak pocket. He had strict instructions on when to take his medication and how many times each day. He needed to make sure he stayed alive long enough for Sasuke to get stronger. That meant he would need to limit how much he used his Sharingan from now on. He would also request to Kisame that they stay away from the colder countries. Kisame didn't know the extent of his illness, but he knew a little. He would keep it that way for as long as possible. Hoshiko already knew, and he was surprised that she hadn't blabbed it to his blue skinned companion.

He climbed the stairs at his own pace. He was well aware that something like this shouldn't wind him like it currently was. Further enforcing to him that he really should be taking his disease a lot more seriously. He should've refilled his medication before he had gone on the mission to Kumo with Hoshiko—but back then he didn't want her to find out. The irony being that she found out anyway.

Itachi could sense her in her room. Her chakra was a low hum. He passed her door and noticed that it wasn't closed properly. In her haste to get back she had undoubtedly tried to slam it shut but it had popped back out. Itachi suddenly felt a flare of her chakra and then a crashing sound from within her room. His concern for her grew and without much thought of the repercussions he silently pressed his palm against the grainy wood of her door and slid inside.

His dark eyes scanned the room. The contents of her bag were strewn about. Her cloak was tossed on top of the bed and her sandals were sitting on opposite sides of the room. He heard a snotty sniff come from the washroom to the right. His head snapped over to it and he hesitantly took gentle steps towards the door. It was barely open; he could see bottles carelessly tossed to the floor. It must have been the crashing sound that he had heard.

All of a sudden, Hoshiko was slamming her hands down on the counter in the washroom. She was facing the mirror on the wall, her dull silver eyes staring at herself. Itachi halted in his movements. She made no move to speak to him or acknowledge that he was there at all. Did she not realize he was there? He appeared to be angled in such a way that she couldn't see his reflection in the mirror.

Itachi knew that he should leave. He knew that if she so much as turned her head slightly, she would see him standing there, staring. If she so much as tapped into her chakra senses she would find him.

He could see tear tracks down her cheeks. She had been crying again, the one thing she hated to do—or show. He watched her curl her fingers into the counter, her nails digging into the wood as she bowed her head slightly.

He shouldn't be here. She wouldn't want him here. She was upset like this because of him. And he didn't want to imagine the look on her face if she saw him. So Itachi made his decision, he turned on his heel, and as quietly as he had entered her room he began to leave it.

That was until he heard her quiet, stuffy voice say, "Why him?"

He had spun around so quickly that he had for sure given himself whiplash. His dark eyes narrowed as he assessed her. She was staring at herself again, a frown creasing her brow. Fresh tears were trailing down her cheeks as she ground her teeth and let out a quiet sob.

The realization hit him like a bag of bricks. The air was sucked right out of his diseased lungs. His brain was scrambling to keep up with his train of thought but all he could focus on was that fact that Hoshiko wasn't crying because of him.

She was crying for him.

It made something well up in his chest. He didn't have the brain capacity to figure out what it was, but it was something that had him frozen to the floor. He felt the warmth in his chest spread all the way to his fingers and toes. It consumed him for a brief moment, and he couldn't figure out the last time he had felt like this. He knew he had felt this feeling before, a long time ago but he couldn't place when.

Something else developed in him when he saw Hoshiko wipe her tears away with the back of her hand and then reach down to the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head. He clamped his eyes shut just as he felt his Sharingan burn to life. Now he really needed to get out of there. It had been bad enough that he had been spying on her as she was crying, but now he was there while she was undressing…he'd be taken to an earlier grave by Hoshiko herself if she found him.

He heard the shower turn on, and knew that it was his moment to exit. He precariously opened his eyes, expecting her to be gone from the space between the door and the frame so that he could will himself to leave. But of course, she was back…and this time she had no pants on.

This time, Itachi couldn't close his eyes, even if he wanted to. She had resumed the same position, staring at herself in the mirror. It was like she was having an inner monologue with herself. He was desperate to know what she was saying to herself, but obviously now was not the right time to ask. He was still near the door. He could just turn around and leave. It was easy. It was simple…but when was anything ever easy and simple in his life?

His Sharingan infused eyes greedily drank her in. Her long hair cascaded in soft waves down her back, ending just below her ribs. She reached up a slender, pale hand and tucked it behind her perfectly round ear. His eyes followed her arm down; lingering over the white binds that kept her bound. His eyes traced the curve of her chest. She wasn't the most endowed woman in the world, but they were ample in his eyes.

His eyes moved lower, studying the thinness of her waist. In the reflection from the mirror he could see the defined lines of her stomach. No doubt from the rigorous life of a shinobi. He gazed over her back, following the concave of her spine and hovered over the curve of her behind, hidden by a pair of plain black underwear.

Hoshiko shifted slightly, leaning over the counter to grab something as her hips swayed. Itachi felt all coherent thought leave him. Heat was surging through him. His blood was pumping loudly in his ears. He could feel certain areas of his body coming alive that had remained dormant for a long, long time. He knew this was totally wrong. It was disrespectful to Hoshiko to peep on her like this. He wasn't some creep like the renowned super pervert Jiraiya. But he didn't have the will strong enough to look away.

Her legs. Kami—her legs. They were two, perfect, pale appendages. He could see her muscles rippling as she shifted weight from one to the other. Steam had begun to curl from the heating shower. The heat was drifting into the room where Itachi stood, and he so desperately wanted to rip his cloak from his body. His hand had unknowingly gripped the door at his side, his fingers digging into the grain painfully. He had the sudden want to drag his hand up her pale leg. He wanted to feel her skin under his, to see if it was as soft and creamy as it looked from afar.

Itachi needed to leave, now. This was dangerous. He was dangerous. Hoshiko was dangerous to his self-control. He knew that if he didn't leave now, he never would. He would stay, he would approach her and he would give into his selfish desires that had reared their ugly head.

And the worst part was that he knew that she would give in too. She may say that she hated him, that she wanted nothing to do with him…but her eyes spoke differently.

Itachi was many things. He was a liar, a murderer and a traitor. He was forever tainted with the blood of his family. But he would not taint Hoshiko. She would remain innocent, pure and whole. He would not act on his selfish desires, he couldn't do that to her. He had already hurt her too much…

So with his resolve in place, Itachi forced himself to close his eyes. Her image disappeared from view as he maneuvered around the door and left. He only opened them once he was positive that she was out of sight. His hand lingered on the doorknob. He could so very easily enter her room once more, but he didn't. He closed the door quietly, making the greatest effort in his life to make sure that he didn't make a single sound. His Sharingan faded into onyx eyes as he placed one foot in front of the other and moved towards his own room.

He knew, that it would be a long time before he could remove the image of an almost naked Hoshiko from his mind. His Sharingan had forever burned it into his memory. Something Itachi knew was a blessing, but also the worst curse.

ahem.

I really don't know what to say about this chapter except I hope you all like it! xD and I told myself I wasn't gonna angst this chapter out...well that didnt last long, did it? hahaha anyway it was actually super fun to write Itachi's perspective of this scene. Expect some more of this for a little longer, I want you all to suffer before they give in to one another hehehe (im actually satan) but it won't be too long, promise as I gotta get back into canon stuff soon otherwise we'll be here forever!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, means the world to me! Im glad you all enjoyed drunk Hoshiko as much as i loved writing her, maybe she'll pop up again another time!

REPLIES

addresskorskiruiz - Thank you! It was pretty fun to write it as well! :D

Janeth16 - aw thank you! I'm so happy that the aftermath of her finding out has been so well received! was literally my biggest worry about the previous chapter! Kisame does care about her, in his own way but he's still a bad guy so he can't care too much xD I'm glad that i can help you relax with a new chapter, makes my day! And never be sorry about english not being your first language. Anyone is welcome to read and review no matter what language they speak! It makes me appreciate you all the more so thank you!

Kris XD - If you thought last chapter was intense how about THIS ONE!? lol i'm kidding you can react however you choose xD i agree that they do need a break, and it'll come...just uhhh...not yet...

Nostalgic29 - hahahaha aww this made me grin so hard when i read this! I happy that you love this story as much as I do! I wish i could get chapters out a few times a week, but most of the time i really dont have spare time to write until the weekend. sad face. I agree if she forgave him immediately it wouldve been so cliche and completely disregarding her character development. like cmon, she spent 4 years hating this kid, wanting him dead. there would be no possible explanation for her to just jump him straight away xD glad you loved drunk Hoshiko! she was a blast to write!

Banks - You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed!

TheProcrastinatingPerfectionist - Hiya! I actually live in Australia so things are pretty ok over here compared to the rest of the world! Thank you for that and I hope you're staying safe yourself! Im glad i could make your day! :D

MK - Thank you! They've still got a while to go but i've got a few things up my sleeves (grins mischievously) drunk hoshiko was literally a fan favourite of everyone! yay~

Doodlebugs - oh god checking daily?! i wish i could post every day it would be my dream! But its generally on the weekend that i post as its the only time i get to write normally! this one is a little lighter then the past couple but uhhh well (cough) poor itachi lol she is quite the opposite to the village right now and it will come up in conversation between them soon! Thank you again and i hope youre staying safe too!

Guest - Thank you!

asianuruknan - You're welcome and I'm super glad! :D

Hikari Heidi Haruki - all shall be revealed in good time about the outcome of Itachi! I have said time and time again that i PROMISE you all he will have a happy ending, that has not changed. we just have to get there first! :D

Lala Maryama - You're very welcome! Hope you enjoyed this one!

Lotus48 - Aww im glad you love the story! thank you so much! :D im excited for the sasuke part cause thatll be fun as hell to write xD she has been through so much its so sad, her eyes will be opened to the factt of what itachi has done for everyone. shes just being typical dense hoshiko right now xD god i love angst too and i love torturing people (not the bad kind)

Thank you so much everyone! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter and our poor poor itachi xD