Mist

Chapter 19- The final plea.

"Mmmmpphhhh!"

"Good morning Kasumi-chan!"

"MMMPPHH!"

Kasumi pushed Tobi away and took several deep breaths. For a while she thought she was actually going to suffocate to death.

"What's wrong? Is Kasumi-chan hurt?" he asked innocently and she gave him a dark glare.

"Oh, no nothing's wrong... I just nearly died because you wouldn't let go of me!" she had started out calmly, but in the end she began screaming.

He chuckled slightly, but she suddenly stiffened and froze. Then she clutched her head and muttered something along the lines of 'damn it, I'm so pathetic'.

When she turned to look back at him she gave him a fake smile and asked, "Is there a training room in the Akatsuki base?"

Tobi narrowed his eyes, so she had finally realized how weak she was. "Yes! Tobi will take you there!"

A few minutes later, they were in a large cave with training dummies and all sorts of weapons. Kasumi took a second to soak up everything around her before walking over to the weapons.

She chose a long katana and she was going to go over to the training dummy when she heard a voice behind her.

"Want a training partner?" Turning around, she saw Itachi standing in the doorway with a katana of his own.

She gave him a smile and nodded. Practicing with Itachi was perfect and she knew he would not go easy on her.

They began in the middle of the cave with a few simple lessons on how to hold the katana, what stance to use and different motions of attack.

After that was done, they began to spar and Kasumi saw just how hard it was. Either she couldn't block his attack, lost grip of her sword, or used the wrong stance and fell.

Another hour of embarrassment passed and she was exhausted. Itachi, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't even lifted a finger.

"Thank you for that... experience...," she said with a lopsided grin on her face.

He nodded and left to go do a couple of errands, thus leaving her and Tobi alone in the large cave.

"Kasumi-chan got beaten by Itachi-meanie-san! Nooooo!" he yelled and she chuckled.

Then she put her katana back in the place she had found it and made her way to the main battle ground.

Tobi gave her a curious glance and she said, "I've realized I have two main weaknesses. Strength and speed. I doubt I will be able to get strong enough within three months, but speed is something I can work on."

After stretching a bit she continued, "If I get as fast as Itachi I might stand some sort of chance. In escaping at least."

After taking one last deep breath, she began running laps around the cave. Sure it was a slow way to start, but if she kept running and running every day, eventually she would be faster.

He sat down in a nearby seat and watched her run intently. She would never be able to catch up to him in strength, but she was correct to try and improve her speed.

These would be a very interesting three months.

...

"Goodnight Tobi!" Kasumi said and closed her eyes to get some much needed sleep.

Tobi jumped into his bed and yelled, "Goodnight Kasumi-chan!"

She chuckled and the room fell silent. The sooner she got to sleep the better because she planned to do the same training schedule the next day.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew and she shivered. She reached to grip her covers tighter, but she gasped and opened her eyes when she realized they were gone.

Impossible! She had just been covered with them!

Looking to the door, she saw a dark figure standing there and she frowned.

"What's this? Another nightmare? Go ahead, kill me and let me get back to sleep," she grumbled and glared him right in the eyes.

She simply didn't have the energy to deal with this right now.

"What makes you think this is a nightmare?" Madara questioned and she chuckled. "You wouldn't show yourself to me now and plus your just a figment of my imagination."

He frowned and stepped closer to her. "If I was really your imagination... don't you think this wouldn't leave a mark?"

Then he pulled out a dagger and stabbed her in the arm. She grit her teeth through the pain and said, "It won't... I'm going to wake up any second now."

A cruel smirk formed on his lips and he said, "Sure you are."

Just like that, he was gone and she was alone in the room. She glanced at the wound and narrowed her eyes when she didn't wake up.

But... it was all a dream... she had to wake up.

"Kasumi-chan! What happened!" Tobi yelled suddenly and startled her out of her trance.

"Nothing, it was just another nightmare," she said and he continued, "Then how did you get that injury?"

She froze and stared at him before looking down at her arm.

No... that can't be... it was a dream... right?

Tobi rushed over to her and began inspecting the wound before he said, "Tobi will help Kasumi-chan!"

He pulled her into the bathroom and after cleaning the wound he bandaged it.

During the entire time, she hadn't made a single sound and she looked like she was in a deep, deep trance.

Finally, she muttered, "No... it... it was a dream... why am I hurt?"

Behind his mask, he smirked and prided himself on his success. It had been hard, but he had gotten a clone to look like his old self and attack her.

"Tobi doesn't know, but who hurt Kasumi-chan in her dream?" he acted innocent.

She narrowed her eyes and said, "Madara. Who else is there?"

He gasped and yelled, "Madara is here! He came here and hurt Kasumi-chan! Nooo Tobi couldn't protect Kasumi-chan! Next time he will protect Kasumi-chan! He will! He will!"

She smiled at his childish antics and said, "Thank you Tobi, that makes me feel much better."

Then they went back out into the bedroom and Tobi convinced Kasumi to sleep in his bed for the night.

The next day she went to the training room and Itachi was already there. "Ready for a re-match?" he questioned and she grabbed her katana before announcing, "Anytime, anywhere!"

They began slowly, but as things got faster she found she was restricted by the injury she had sustained that night.

Itachi seemed to notice too because he asked, "Are you hurt?"

She gave him a small smile and said, "It's just a simple stab wound, nothing to worry about."

He didn't seem to accept that and he demanded to see the wound. As he inspected it he asked her how she had gotten it and she reluctantly admitted, "I thought it was another nightmare, but this time he really came into my room and stabbed me."

"Who stabbed you?" he pressured and after a pause, she whispered, "Madara."

The large cave went silent until Itachi changed the subject by saying, "Let's get back to training."

After a couple of hours of sparring, Itachi left and Kasumi ran laps for the rest of the day.

Her muscles hurt from the previous day, but she knew she couldn't make any excuses.

If she got a mission any time soon she wouldn't be able to train, so she had to use all the time she could get.

Tobi came to watch her half way through her run, but he had been listening in on her conversation with Itachi right from the start.

By the time she was done she was completely exhausted and she said, "Tobi, how long do you think I have to run before I really begin to improve?"

He wanted to tell her the statistically correct number he had memorised, but instead he said, "Tobi doesn't know! Tobi never counted how long he ran."

She nodded and looked away. Of course Tobi had been training before, how else would he be so insanely fast?

...

"Yes! In your face Itachi!" Kasumi yelled as she stared at the tiny cut in his sleeve.

"It took a month of non-stop training, but I did it! I finally cut you!" she continued and began jumping up and down happily.

Though he didn't show it, Itachi was happy for her as well. He had seen her running laps and gradually getting faster and he begrudgingly wanted her to improve.

"Good, now your training with me is over, Kisame will take over from now on," he said and her face changed into a look of confusion, then sadness and finally horror.

"You... you want me to train with... Kisame?" she whispered as she remembered his giant sword and the fact that he towered a head and a half over her.

At least Itachi was her height!

He nodded, "You have trained your speed and now you need to improve your strength."

She seemed to accept that for a second, but then she asked, "Wait... Itachi, I never got to ask you why you started helping me in the first place. Surely you had better things to do than watch me pathetically struggle for a month."

The Uchiha patted her shoulder and said, "Before you came, I was worried about who would have the job of getting rid of Madara. I could never do it because I have to deal with Sasuke, but you can."

Her eyes widened and he leaned in closer to whisper, "You have to kill Madara, and save us all... or he will take over the world and we will be doomed."

Then just like that, he was gone... and Kasumi never saw him again.

That day, Uchiha Itachi died at the hands of his brother.

...

Tobi walked into his and Kasumi's room with an annoyed sigh.

Itachi had left him a dying present and when he tried to show his face to Sasuke he ended up getting burned by Amaterasu.

In short, he wasn't in the best mood to have to pretend being all cheerful and happy.

A few minutes later, Kasumi walked into their room and whispered, "Itachi is dead."

Then she flopped down on one of the beds and said, "Another death caused by Madara... if he hadn't tried to kill the clan, Sasuke would have never come after Itachi and he would still be alive."

He looked at her, but found it hard to try and comfort her when he knew she was right. However, none of that mattered, she already hated him and another reason wasn't going to change anything.

She would still be his in two months and the world would follow suit shortly after.

The rest of the day passed solemnly and in the evening everyone gathered in Itachi's room to say their goodbyes.

The Uchiha may have been quiet and occasionally rude, but everyone still liked his clam, poised presence.

Out of everyone there, Kasumi and Kisame looked the saddest, but neither of them shed a tear.

Itachi wouldn't have wanted that.

...

"I'm going to tell you this now and now only. I am frustrated about Itachi's death and I am going to take it out on you," Kisame warned as he stood a couple of feet in front of her.

Kasumi smirked and replied, "Bring it on, and I'll show you just how much I've improved."

He ran at her with a loud battle cry and she jumped out of the way to avoid the blow. She knew if she got hit even once by his weapon she would be in big trouble.

Luckily, her speed had improved greatly over the last month and she had little trouble parrying any of his blows.

However, landing a hit on him was much, much harder.

Whenever she got close enough to even try and hit him, he swung that ridiculously large sword at her within the second.

How he did that was a mystery she would never solve.

Once again, she had to jump out of the way as another hit was directed at her.

An hour passed, and then another, but still neither of them was getting anywhere.

Kisame was trying to smash his sword down on her, yet just as he thought he had her, she jumped out of the way.

At first, Kasumi had just tried to avoid getting hit, but then she began trying to hit him.

So far, every single attempt had failed and she was starting to get tired. This training was much harder on her than Itachi's.

With Itachi, she had to constantly be on the move, like with Kisame, but the difference was that if Kisame hit her she would be down for good, whereas Itachi stopped right before he hit her and she was unharmed.

Another hour passed and at the end of it they were both breathing hard and at the brink of exhaustion.

Just as he was going to charge at her again, Tobi ran into the room and yelled, "Tobi made cookies for everyone!"

...Before proceeding to chuck black, burned cookies at them.

Kasumi quickly ran out of the way and out through a back door. Over the month she had learned perfectly well that when Tobi made 'cookies' it was just a metaphor for baked shuriken and kunai covered in dough.

Then, she quickly made her way to the kitchen and confiscated any other cookies Tobi might decide to throw at unsuspecting victims.

As she was leaving with a bucket full of the black abominations, Konan walked into the kitchen and gave her a long curious stare.

"Oh... um... this isn't what it looks like," Kasumi offered when the blue haired woman raised an eye brow at the bucket.

Konan shook her head and said, "A month ago, I warned you to stay away from Tobi, and I am warning you again. He is nothing but trouble and you will regret it in the end."

Then she quickly turned around and left the kitchen before any questions could be asked.

Kasumi furrowed her brow, but pushed the warning out of her mind. Tobi was her friend and what did Konan mean by 'end'?

Shaking her head, she walked out of the kitchen to go hide the cookies. Sure everyone in the base, except her, was an S-Ranked criminal, but no one expected to be pelted by sharp, crispy cookies.

When she came back into the kitchen, Tobi was running around in circles screaming, "Tobi's cookies came to life and ran away!"

She sighed in relief and pulled out a sandwich she had prepared earlier to eat.

Suddenly, Tobi fell silent and began to stare at the very appetizing salami, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, cheese, pickle and ketchup sandwich.

Kasumi took a huge bite out of it, but stopped chewing when Tobi stood right in front of her and screeched, "Tobi wants a bite!"

She shuddered at the high pitch intensity at his voice and with a glare, she cut a piece off and gave it to him.

He turned around, lifted up his mask and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth before putting his mask down and turning around again.

"Yummy!" he exclaimed before ripping the rest of the sandwich out of her hands and running out of the kitchen.

Her mouth hung open for a second before she jumped out of her chair and ran after Tobi at break neck speed.

She was hungry and she was going to get her sandwich back even if it was the last thing she did.

Tobi darted down the hall like a bullet and Kasumi was right there behind him. At first she didn't think much of it, but then she remembered that a month a go she was unable to keep up.

With a grin, she increased her pace on her mission to save her food.

He too increased his pace as he got closer and closer to his destination. Of course he didn't just steal the sandwich for the fun of it.

Turning a sharp corner, he ran into the largest cave in the base and suddenly began to scream, "Kasumi-chan! Help!"

She ran into the cave and she saw Madara with a blood thirsty grin on his face, holding a kunai to Tobi's throat.

"Hello Kasumi, we need to talk."

To be continued...