Scream

[45] Behind

Kagami walks through the Root base slowly, her arms stock still beside her, and eyes straight ahead. Her mask is still clad tightly to her face, even as she walks into the deepest parts of the base, where the chance of infiltration is slim to none. Her katana makes an ever so slight clanking sound against her back, having been damaged during her mission.

She would have to request Danzo-sama to get someone to take it to be repaired, as she is currently restricted in the locations she can visit once again. She turns the corner into a room full of Root Anbu Nin. They stand in groups, placing on all their gear and restocking before they disappear off to missions, their captains watching them carefully for mistakes.

Kagami wanders through them, trying to make it to the back of the room, where a door leads to who she wants. As she presses further into the room, and a hand comes down on her shoulder. She freezes immediately but doesn't retaliate to the hand, catastrophic damage could be done if a full-blown fight breaks out in the Root.

She turns her head to look at the person holding her back, following the arm to the owner.

"Yes?" She asks, shifting he body ever so slightly to face the man a little more.

"Where are you going?" a captain holds her gaze, grip on her shoulder tightening.

"Where I am going does not concern you, Captain." Kagami turns away from him, she is aware that she could get in trouble for such blatant disrespect, but she was determined to make it to her destination before the next missions leave.

"It concerns me that you spend a lot of time with one of my team members," The captain's hand does not move from the girl.

Kagami shifts her shoulder forward, hard enough for the hand to fall off, "If you have a problem, bring it up with Danzo-sama."

Kagami continues forward, opening the door in front of her and disappearing into the next room. The captain turns from her, readjusting the bandages on his wrist before glancing back at Tenzo, who is diligently filling his pouch with kunai.

Kagami looks into the room, not seeing anyone. She tilts her head slightly before disappearing behind some shelves. She is in a data room, where any tangible information about information is stored in case Nin have to prove they have been working under orders. But only Root is aware of this room, no outsider would be able to plead for information to be retrieved from here, and if they did, no one would ever find it this deep into the complex.

Itachi often ends up here before a mission, trying to find any information he can on his targets, finding minute details is enough to give the boy the upper hand.

"Itachi?" She mumbles, weaving through the shelves, still not seeing the boy.

She turns around a shelf, seeing a dark figure in the corner, tucked away. Relief fills the girl and she heads towards it, happy that she caught him before he left with his Captain and team.

She swings around the shelf, "Ita–"

Her eyes widen, her pulse spiking and head pounding. Itachi is sitting, slumped against the wall behind the shelf, eyes sockets bleeding. The soft drip of blood hitting the ground fills the girl's head as she tries to step back but trips on her feet, hitting the ground. She tries to take a deep breath in but her mask seems to be suffocating her.

Itachi's glassed-over eyes stare into the distance, this mask in his hand as if he had just taken it off.

"Itachi?" She asks softly, her voice wavering.

She needs to get out of here, she needs to get someone, needs to tell someone. She pulls herself to her feet and turns around, only to be met with the Captain from before, standing right behind her back.