We're All Made Of Stardust

Chapter 50: Aid From Monsters

       Itachi didn't agree or deny what she told him, but it gave her enough time to weave her Chakra into the air in order to break the Genjutsu. She raised her hands to perform one last Jutsu, attempting to light the air on fire. It was dangerous, but she didn't know how else to win. Before she could, he wound her arms behind her back and kicked her forward, his foot slamming right against her spine in so hard a manner that if she didn't have such talented footwork and fighting instinct enough to gather Chakra in her back, she might have been paralyzed. She caught her fall, her hair gathering around her cheeks as she glanced back over her shoulder to see he was gone.

      The Genjutsu still messed with her senses, so she wasn't prepared for his speed when he knelt in front on her and gripped her by her chin so her eyes could connect with his. "Is this your attempt to bait me? How pointless."

      "You didn't deny it," she reminded him, her eyes searching for some glimmer of his gentle nature that she fell in love with, but it was nowhere to be found. His head tilted to the side, his face blank and his voice in a monotone.

      "You misunderstand. I killed my clan for the thrill and to know the limits of my power. I spared Sasuke on a whim. It means nothing, least of all what you imply," he told her, and her brows furrowed. She didn't want to believe it, especially since it proved her judgement in his character was so intensely flawed, but she had no choice but to listen since she had no facts present to deny it.

      "I see," she couldn't deny the disappointment that filtered in her heart, especially since, to her, nothing was more important than family. She would sooner die than hurt them. Perhaps that was what she liked about Itachi and his brother. It hurt to know how wrong she was, and he slowly, almost gently, released her chin.

     "Even if I could help you, more than likely you would die. I didn't do much. It was Genjutsu, mixed with a bit of suggestion and hypnosis," he told her, and his sudden soft tone forced her to look back into his eyes, finding that his Sharingan was gone and she was once more staring into his dark gaze. "It's still there, all that power and ability. If you let it out, it could continue where we left off and try to kill you again."

      Reira had expected as much. When Itachi sealed off her Kekkei Genkai all those months ago, it had been during its melt down. She was never good at controlling it, especially since it wasn't an ability her family had ever been able to control, and her grandmother before her had lost her life to its instability. "What good is life...if you have nothing you're willing to die for?"

       Her gaze was intense and unwavering, and like always, she wore her heart on her shoulder as he scrutinized her every move before raising a single brow. Like always, she had no idea what he was thinking, but it hardly mattered when his next words were exactly what she wanted. "If I help you, will you stay as far away from me as possible?"

      His ultimatum was confusing, and normally she would agree quickly and without hesitation. However, despite her mixed feelings about his morals, she couldn't forget the spark of his lips or the fact that something had been in his eyes when he pulled away. "What are you so afraid of, Itachi?"

      "Deal or no deal," he told her and she leaned forward so their faces were only centimeters apart. She could feel his every small and regulated breath. However, she had no other intentions as she bowed her head.

       "For my brother, I will honor all deals. Even the ones I don't fully agree with."

      "First, you should leave," Itachi glanced around, his Sharingan once more activated and any sign of the gentle expression was gone. She saved it to memory, and glanced around the smoke and noticed Itachi had covered the area in so thick a fog that if he wasn't right in front of her then she might not have seen him at all.