Return Of The Madness

Chapter 17

"Yuma..."

The charcoal haired teen jolted, sitting bolt upright as her rusty red eyes flashed glowing crimson, darting around the room she didn't recognise, landing on two forms that certainly didn't belong there.

She blinked a couple of times, not quite believing her eyes. When she was sure she wasn't imagining it, her eyes welled with crimson tears as a broad smile turned up her lips.

"Tachi-nii... Kisa-nii..."

The blue tinted man sent her a sharp grin, as the Uchiha set his hand on her head. "Hn..."

"We need to talk," Kisame whispered, holding a finger to his lips. "Somewhere else, preferably, to avoid waking Papa-bear."

They saw her hesitate.

"We're not taking you," Itachi muttered. He held up a pinky, and she wrapped it with her own, nodding without another thought.

She clambered out of bed, and Kisame frowned at her attire, the dull grey sweats she'd been given before leaving the hospital.

"They couldn't get you some better clothes?" He grumbled as he swept her into his arms, leaping out the window with his partner close behind.

They had to be extra careful. The village would be on high alert since Yuma's return, so the trio took as many backstreets and alleys as it took to reach the forest outside the village undetected. During their trek, it had begun to rain, so by the time the group stopped in the shelter- a small, earthen overhang- Yuma was wrapped securely in Itachi's cloak, with Kisame holding his sleeve over her head to keep her dry.

Kisame set to finding some relatively dry wood when he saw Yuma shivering, and Itachi took a moment to set a genjutsu over their hideaway, so the fire he set wouldn't be seen in the darkness.

"I've missed you guys!" Yuma sniffed, diving into Itachi's arms in a tight embrace.

Kisame shushed her softly as she turned to hug him, smiling softly down at her. "Quiet down- we've missed you too, kiddo," he muttered, ruffling her hair. "Let me get a look at'cha."

He held her at a distance by her shoulders, looking her up and down for injuries or evidence of malnourishment. Once satisfied, he nodded once, and hugged her again.

"It's good to see you, Squirt."

Sniffling slightly, Yuma buried her face into the Shark-man's chest, reveling in the warmth of his hug and the comfort of his presence.

Once she'd calmed down, the three sat about the fire, and Yuma looked to Itachi.

"Tachi-nii, why did you change my memories?" She asked, and was surprised to see an expression of discomfort pass over the usually impassive man's face.

"Hn..."

Kisame rubbed the back of his neck, also looking fairly anxious as he offered an explanation. "We, uh, needed you to hate this village as much as you did the one you slaughtered..."

"Why?" Yuma asked, her chest tightening with suspicion. "Why did you take me from this place? The memories I'm recovering... they're so happy..."

Kisame averted his eyes. "We didn't really take you from here, per se... we took you from that asylum you went to after running away from here..."

"Why?" Yuma asked again, beginning to grow frustrated with all the stalling.

"Well... you, see, kiddo... we originally wanted you for... well."

"A weapon." Itachi's voice cut through the air like a blade, causing a similar amount of pain to settle in Yuma's chest. Kisame sighed at the hurt that swept over her expression, his shoulders falling as shame and guilt left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Oh..." Yuma muttered, though she couldn't say she was surprised. Deep down, she knew she was nothing more than a weapon. "So... all that time..."

"No, no!" Kisame hurried to cut in, leaning forward. "Yuma, we do care about you!"

"Why should I believe you?" She asked softly, and the significantly larger man flinched at the dull glaze over her normally sparkling eyes. Her hands closed, her nails digging into her wrapped palms, but they'd been cut shorter, he noted, so they wouldn't cut into her hands. "You made everything I believed a lie... Why should I believe this?"

"Please, kid," Kisame pleaded, standing and approaching her slowly. It was a strange sight, to see this giant, dangerous criminal, so desperate for her to forgive him. "It started out that way, but all the fun we had? All of that was real. You've got to believe me..."

Yuma turned her head from him, and he stopped as though he'd run into an invisible wall.

"Yuma."

Rusty irises flickered to Itachi, meeting with his dark gaze. "We were wrong. You aren't a tool to be used, we know that now. But now, you're in danger."

Frowning softly at him, she leaned forward. "Pein wants me dead." It wasn't a question, and the two before her nodded. Her stomach twisted unpleasantly, and she looked up at them, speaking again quietly. "That's why you're here... isn't it?"

"We're not going to kill you," Kisame assured immediately. "We're here to warn you. We're going to try to get Leader off your tail. You should try and change your look or something, and stay on the down low. Change your name, too- take Hatake's name or something."

"And one more thing," Itachi said, standing and swinging a backpack Yuma hadn't noticed before off his shoulders. He moved closer, kneeling beside her and setting it into her lap. "You had this with you the day we took you. I kept it safe, and you probably want it back." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, and it had Yuma's eyes widening.

She looked dazedly at the bag in her lap, and wrapped her arms around it tightly, as though all the answers it held would vanish should her grip on it prove too weak.

"What are you going to do...?" She asked softly. "He'll kill you."

Kisame gave a half-hearted chuckle and pat her head, relieved when she made no move to push him away again. "Don't you worry about us, Squirt. We'll manag-" he grunted when she suddenly dove into his chest, her arms winding tightly under his arms as she trembled against him.

"I love you guys," she sniffed and he felt her unique tears seeping into his shirt as he gave a soft grin, and wrapped his arms around her securely to return the embrace.

"We love you too, Runt..."