With you till the End - Uchiha Itachi Fanfic [Edited]

Chapter 11 - First Mission

Deidara pov:

Joining the Akatsuki wasn't as bad as I had initially thought it would be. Though I ignored and was ignored by most of the members, Sasori Danna and I often argued about the truth about art. He believed that art was eternal but it wasn't. Art only ever lasted for a second and had to go out with a bang! My jutsus were pure art!

I spent a lot of time with Emiko since I came here, since Danna and I were yet to go out on a mission and there wasn't anything else to do while in the hideout. It felt good to not be shunned by every single person in the world, and Emiko was the first friend I ever had.

In the time I had known her, which had been barely a little more than a week, I had come to like her. She was not like the others of the Akatsuki, let alone like anyone I had met before. She was like a light, a warm presence who welcomed everyone without bias on their past or abilities. She treated everyone as equals, respecting them, though she did seem to be a bit bitter with Hidan. He was an ass, and it was highly possible that her run-ins with him hadn't been the best. Well, he was annoying and I disliked him too.

Just like the past few days, I had helped Emiko with cleaning the hideout and preparing food - although, the only thing I did in the latter was stir the curry or set the table. She was incredibly skilled at cooking, cutting the vegetables swiftly and precisely, keeping her workspace clean all the while, and getting the quantities of salt and spices precise every time with just intuition. The food she cooked was always so delicious and everyone, including me, always had second helpings.

"Damn, something is wrong with me," I thought, unable to stop thinking about her or remember the way she worked while humming a slow tune. I had been doing this far too much off late, all while feeling a strange tightness in my chest. Perhaps I was being a bit delusional but I was certain that I liked her.

I had to tell her how I felt. I doubted that she would push me away since she had been so friendly with me. She spent nearly all of her time with me when she wasn't busy with chores so I was certain that she liked me too. Even if she didn't like me the same way I liked her, we would still be good friends and surely things would progress over time. I wanted to make her mine.

Nodding to myself, I headed towards her room. I stalled though when I spotted the Uchiha b****** and his shark partner stepping into the room. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what they were doing entering Emiko's room, however, I frowned when it elicited and unexpected reaction from Emiko.

"Itachi, Kisame kun, you're back!" she said, sounding excited. Why was she so excited to see that damn Uchiha?

"Hey, Emi, it's good to see you too. Although, I'm sure you missed Mr. Serious here more than you missed me," Kisame san teased her just as he shut the door. Frowning more, I stepped closer so I could hear Emiko's answer.

"Don't tease, Kisame kun, although, it is true that I missed Itachi a lot," she answered.

Surely it wasn't possible that she liked the Uchiha...she couldn't. He was a heartless jerk who had slaughtered his clan and someone as nice as Emiko deserved someone far better than him! On that note, that b****** didn't deserve someone as nice as Emiko to like him! I had to get her away from him somehow. I couldn't let Emiko be tainted by the likes of that Uchiha.

"Tch, just you wait, you Uchiha, I'll get back to you for making a fool of me, in. And the first way to that is making sure that Emiko hates you...after seeing you for the true person you are," I muttered while walking away from the door, my determination blazing

Itachi pov:

I was finally back and in Emiko's arms. My eyes were closed as I embraced her with my face in her hair that smelled of fresh flowers, and she held me with her arms wrapped around my torso. How much I had missed her this time - more than I had on any other mission.