Akatsuki Princess

We got to the hotel and I was surprised as we simply bypassed the man at the front desk. Itachi led me up some stairs and down a hallway before stopping at a door. He looked at me and I directed my gaze to my feet once more. He unlocked the door and I followed behind. I gasped at the sight before me.
The room was obviously for a couple. A single queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room with a nightstand on each side. A painting of a couple kissing under an umbrella hung on the wall directly across from the bed. A quick look in the bathroom revealed nothing more than a toilet and a double sink. Itachi had set up his suitcase on the luggage rack and took the liberty of putting mine on the small loveseat in the room.
“Well I don’t know about you, but I need a bath. Come on.” I looked at the man quizzically. I didn’t need to follow him everywhere; I was quite capable of taking care of myself in a locked hotel room.
Itachi noticed my uncertainty and sat on the bed. “You must’ve noticed that this is a honey-moon suite of sorts.” I nodded and he sighed. “It’s your father’s sick idea of a joke. He booked us a newly-wed hotel.”
I stared confused. “A what? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It’s very common. Basically, it’s a hotel where the ‘couple’ must do everything together. And I mean that quite literally. Therefore, if one of us wants to take a bath, we have to go request one of the several, most likely themed, private bathhouses located on or near the premises. Luckily, this hotel has them right downstairs.”
It took a few moments for me to process the bizarre absurdity of our situation, but when I did, my eyes widened. Itachi simply nodded and threw a towel at me. “Exactly. Now go get undressed and wrap this around yourself.” He shoved me into the bathroom.
Once the shock wore off, I did as Itachi said and walked out of the bathroom. Itachi was now dressed in a similar fashion. He caught me staring at his bare chest and smirked. “Like what you see?” I blushed at his words and looked away towards the door. He took the hint and walked out of the room to the front desk.
I stayed quiet and listened as he requested a bathhouse. “Hello, we would like one of your more soothing bathhouses please. Nothing too fancy, just a place to wash up.” The man nodded happily and led us to a door marked ‘VACANT’. When the door opened I couldn’t help but gape at the incredible sight that lay before me.
Itachi steered me through the seemingly vast forest that existed beyond the door. In the middle was what looked like a small lake. Steam rose from the water’s surface. As I was admiring the scene, Itachi stripped beside me and slid into the lake, disturbing the glass-like surface and making it ripple.
The red-eyed man looked at me expectantly. His stare made me shy and I held my towel tighter against my body. “Don’t look,” I demanded and he scoffed.
“As if I haven’t seen a naked woman before. And you’re barely a woman anyway.”
I felt my face heat up. “That’s not the point! Please just close your eyes.” I begged. Itachi looked amused, but complied and closed his eyes. I dropped my towel and as soon as it hit the floor Itachi opened his eyes. I squeaked and slipped into the water as fast as I could.
My actions caused Itachi to laugh. “So anyway,” he said, regaining his composure, “you were going to tell me something.”
“I was?” I asked, confused. I didn’t remember wanting to tell anyone anything, let alone him.
“You don’t remember?” He sidled closer to me. I stepped away from the wall out of reaction and immediately regretted the action. The water was deep away from the wall; it was easily over my head. I hugged the wall as I walked away and hoped Itachi didn’t notice. He continued to advance on me until he pushed me up against the wall with his arms on either side of me.
“You were going to tell me what you and Sasori were talking about on Monday,” he continued. My eyes widened and I looked around. He chuckled darkly. “Don’t even think about ducking under my arms. I have wicked fast reactions.”
“I wouldn’t even dream of it. You’d probably drown me you murderer!” I covered my mouth as soon as I said the words. His eyebrows arched high in surprise.
“What are you talking about?”
I whimpered and tried to lift myself out of the bathing pool, but Itachi pulled me back in roughly. “Is that why you hate me?” He seethed.
“I don’t hate you.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m terrified of you. You’re extremely intimidating and after what I’ve learned about you…” I let my voice fade completely as his grip tightened on my arms.
“What have you learned?” he growled. I squeezed my eyes shut and cowered, but I could feel him bring his body closer to mine in an intimidating fashion the longer I stayed quiet.
“Sasuke told me everything.” I confessed.
The hold on me suddenly vanished. I looked up to see Itachi slumped against the side of the tub. “You don’t understand…. I did what I had to do.” I stared at him astonished. His eyes met mine and he continued his explanation. “You haven’t been in Konoha long, so you don’t know much about what goes on there. Do you know who the Hokage is?”
I nodded. “He’s like the king or the president right?”
Itachi smirked. “Essentially.” His face turned serious again. “He’s the highest person in the government of the village. But there are several factions. One is top secret. The ninjas there are called ANBU.”
He paused a moment and I could see he was trying to find a way to explain this branch of the ninja government. “So they’re like CIA agents?” I suggested. “Or maybe like the secret service?” Itachi looked completely perplexed so I explained the agencies. “The CIA is a group of people who are undercover agents and they keep America’s secrets and stuff from other countries. They go on missions to help our allies and keep our enemies at bay. Their missions usually contain secret documents that need to be transported and stuff.
“The Secret Service, on the other hand, protects the president. They’re supposed to be super-duper secret and blend in with crowds and stuff and they follow the president everywhere so he doesn’t get assassinated by crazy people. They also protect the first family.”
Itachi pondered my suggestions. “ANBU are kinda like the CIA I guess. But some of their missions are right at home.
“I was part of the ANBU when I was very young. I got in when I was 12. One of my missions was to destroy the entire Uchiha clan. Corrupt things were happening with the Uchihas, which I don’t want to get into detail about, but they were doing pretty terrible things.
“I hated killing the innocents. It wasn’t there fault; they had nothing to do with it. But when it came to Sasuke….I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill my baby brother. He was too precious to me. So I left him alive and I gave him a goal. As long as I live, he will only continue to grow stronger in order to kill me. My goal is for him to surpass me and take down the men who are now corrupting my home.
“When I first was part of the ANBU, I really thought I was going to make a difference in Konoha. Before I knew it I was completely brainwashed. I did everything my superior asked. Now that I look back I realize that it is a completely immoral branch of Konoha. In fact, they plan to off the Hokage and take over.” He sighed and stared out at the trees. We were both silent for a while. I was in too much shock to speak, and just let it sink in.