Itachi Randomness, Part 2

I spent the afternoon attempting to escape the hospital and being thwarted by the nurse. She seemed to have an uncanny sense of when I was doing something I shouldn%u2019t.

Escape attempts ranged from tying sheets together to blasting a hole through the wall with charka. The latter attempt failed due to the fact that I was almost completely drained of power.

In conclusion, it was a very angry, very tired Itachi that met Ayame that night.

%u201CWell you%u2019re in a good mood.%u201D

%u201CShut up.%u201D

I glared at her over the collar of the straightjacket. The nurse deemed it necessary after my last escape attempt.

%u201CHave you stopped being difficult at any point in time since I left you?%u201D

I didn%u2019t say anything and looked the other way.

%u201CI%u2019ll take that as a no.%u201D

Ayame sat down with a sigh. I could see her out of the corner of my eye. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes.

A slight tugging at the back of my neck made me look around. Ayame was carefully un-doing the straightjacket so that I could pull myself out. Once this was achieved, she sat back and watched me dis-entangle myself.

%u201CI still don%u2019t like you,%u201D I informed her.

%u201CI didn%u2019t expect you too, Itachi-chan,%u201D she replied with a laugh.

%u201CStop calling me Itachi-chan,%u201D I snapped.

%u201CWhat would you rather I call you, Itachi-chan?%u201D

%u201CUchiha-sama.%u201D

%u201CNot happening. How about%u2026 Ferret-chan!%u201D

%u201CNo.%u201D

%u201CWeasel Boy?%u201D

%u201CNo.%u201D

%u201CWolverine-kun?%u201D

%u201CNo! What is wrong with you?%u201D

Ayame acted as if she hadn%u2019t heard me.

%u201CItachi-san?%u201D

%u201CUchiha-san.%u201D

%u201CUchiha-chan.%u201D

%u201CNo!%u201D

%u201CItachibi?%u201D

%u201CIt%u2019s a bloody no!%u201D

%u201CI thought it described you quite well. How about Itachi-kun?%u201D

%u201CYou%u2019re not my friend.%u201D

%u201CNo, according to you, I%u2019m your mother. It%u2019s either Itachi-kun or Itachibi.%u201D

%u201C%u2026. Itachi-kun.%u201D

%u201CGood boy.%u201D

%u201CI hate you.%u201D

%u201CI can live with that. Eat your dinner.%u201D

%u201CNo.%u201D

%u201CYou like that word, don%u2019t you? Eat it, or I%u2019ll pry your mouth open and shove it down.%u201D

%u201CYou wouldn%u2019t dare.%u201D

%u201CI would.%u201D

Somehow, I got the idea that she would too. I ate my dinner.

While I ate, Ayame cleaned and re-strung her bow. I watched, but tried not to seem too interested.

%u201CJust say it,%u201D She finally said with a sigh, putting down her bow.

%u201CSay what?%u201D I asked haughtily.

%u201CI know you want to know, so just say it.%u201D

%u201CFine. Why did you help me?%u201D

%u201CCould you resist helping a sweet little boy who was crying his heart out, bleeding to death, and called you %u2018Mommy%u2019?%u201D

%u201CWould you please drop the mommy thing? And yes I could. And I wasn%u2019t crying.%u201D

%u201CYes, you were.%u201D

%u201CIt was the rain.%u201D

%u201CThere was no rain. Anyway, I couldn%u2019t leave you there all alone, I have a heart, so I brought you here. You were asleep for almost three days, just so you know.%u201D

%u201CWhat were you doing in the woods?%u201D

Ayame laughed.

%u201CNosey little bugger, aren%u2019t you? Why I was out is my business. I notice you didn%u2019t deny that you don%u2019t have a heart.%u201D

I shrugged and stirred the soup around the bowl.

%u201CI%u2019m not little,%u201D I muttered to the broth.

%u201CPoetic license. You%u2019re not very sweet either. I was trying to make a point.%u201D

I glared at her and pushed away the tray. I decided to ignore her, which was easy, as she didn%u2019t say anything.

Five minutes later, neither of us had said anything. For some reason, Ayame%u2019s silence made me uneasy. I looked slowly in her direction. She was leaning her head against her hand and was just watching me. When our eyes met, I scowled and looked away.

After another moment, she leaned in toward me. She gently put a hand on either side of my face and forced me to look her in the eye. I scowled and tried to pull away, but she wouldn%u2019t let me go.

%u201CI%u2019m not your enemy,%u201D she said softly. %u201CYou could be a little nicer.%u201D

%u201CFeh.%u201D

I pulled myself away from her touch and looked away.

I heard her sigh and stand up.

%u201CI%u2019ll see you tomorrow, Itachi-kun,%u201D she said quietly. I heard just a little hurt and reproach in her voice. It was just enough to make tendrils of guilt curl around my stomach. I turned my head to say good-bye, but Ayame was already gone. I sighed and looked back out the window.