For shiz, I don't own Naruto, or any of these characters.

I want to make a warning: facts will be fudged, on purpose or accident. In order to maintain continuity, I will not go back and fix them unless it's a glaring mistake that's getting in the way of plot progression. (Can you tell I've been chewed out before for a wrong age?)

I'm not allowed to post lyrics, like I used to do, but I listened to "Up All Night" by Blink 182 while writing this, and it set the tone.

*Bows* Enjoy.

Itachi raked a slim hand through his hair. Insomnia again. It was pretty much inevitable. Pressing his palms to his eyes, he sighed, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He clicked on the light, squinting a little.

Kisame cracked open a bleary eye, glaring at his partner. "Light. Off." Itachi curled his lip and shut it off. Kisame could get pretty violent when he was awoken prematurely. Itachi wasn't particularly in the mood to get into a fight.

He left the room, snatching his Akatsuki robe and his belt as he went. Slipping his shoes on at the genkan of the hideout, he swept into the night, cloak billowing in the soft breeze. It felt good whipping through his still-untied hair. It wasn't until he met the forest that he pulled his hair back and fastened his belt with his ninja tools.

Up into the tall trees he went, leaping in long strides from branch to branch. Where he was going, not even Itachi knew. He ran and jumped without thought, traveling for the sake of moving, of doing something other than laying on his futon, sleepless.

Itachi didn't even know what kept him up these days. It used to be what he'd done to Konoha, then it was how Sasuke was doing, then it was…..he didn't know. It's as if his brain had become a churning cauldron at that point, so many thoughts and feelings swirling and bubbling like so much boiling poison, he must have blocked it out. Now there was nothing he thought about. His mind was blank, meditative. Yet, sleep refused to come.

On impulse, Itachi changed his direction, curving to the west, dropping from the trees to run on the damp grassy ground. As he dodged tree roots and rocks, Itachi continued to stew. All this insomnia. Was it affecting his judgment? It was definitely affecting his ability to use his Sharingan. His eyes were tired and sore all the time, and using the special technique made his head throb.

He wasn't aware of how long he ran, until a familiar sight loomed in front of him. He stopped and stared at it. What had led him here? There was nothing here for him. This was dangerous, even for a S-class criminal like him.

The faded Uchiha sign was barely visible on the side of the gate, which was wide open, as if inviting him in. Itachi turned on his Sharingan, wincing slightly in pain as his irises soaked in red. He felt a migraine coming on, but he persisted.

Sensing no life in the compound, he slowly stepped into the courtyard. It had clearly been abandoned for a while. The grass overgrew, the hedges needed trimming, and the lanterns that used to light up the compound with a fiery red glow were in tatters from the rain. He continued through the space, looking at the crumbling architecture. It used to be so beautiful.

It was also a testament to the corruption and greed of his clan. To invent a jitsu that required you to kill your best friend? Itachi closed his eyes against the memories. His face would never show it, but inside, he was crying. Weakling. Coward. He scolded himself.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open, looking around in what would be called panic in anyone else. He swept around the corners of the buildings, so fast it would take another Sharingan user to see him. He came to the last structure at the far northeast corner of the walled community. His back landed up against one of the sides, ears pricked and listening. How did he not notice someone was here?

Crying. He heard crying. Was he going insane? Was he so far gone, that he heard his 15 year old self sobbing like a small child after the massacre? He shut his eyes once more. Get a grip. He concentrated harder on the sound. It was a girl, not a child, but not grown. His age when he- He stopped there as the sound changed. A sniffle, and a shaky breath. She was calming down. Itachi opened his eyes and stood still, waiting. She was moving. Closer to the door, closer…..wait, wait.

Now.

Itachi's hand shot out, knocking the girl firmly at the base of her skull, shocking her brain. She gasped, eyes wide, before she fell forward limply. Kneeling, Itachi turned her over, brushing her pink locks away from her face. Still breathing.

Her eyes snapped open and she took out a kunei, quickly going in for a kill strike. Itachi dodged back and grabbed her wrist. God, was he totally blind? First he misses her being here, then he misses that she's still awake. The girl snarled, her sea foam eyes boring into him. The moonlight glinted off the blade, shining brightly into Itachi's eyes. He didn't let himself blink.

The girl's eyes widened, her mouth dropping in shock. The kunei slipped from her fingers, falling with a dull thump on the overgrown lawn. Their eyes were locked on each other's. There was a long silence that unsettled Itachi. He could feel her deep anger, but it was being buried under other emotions. Shock. Fear.

As he looked into her eyes, red from crying, all he felt was sadness. Her anguished sobs he had heard reflected what he had buried long before, and now a crack appeared in the dam, a trickle of old emotions seeping through.

She blinked and the ugly expression returned to her face, stronger than before, twisted with rage. Her other hand moved to form a seal. Seeing this, Itachi twisted into her head, placing a genjitsu over her.

Her eyes went blank and she slumped down into unconsciousness. Itachi gently closed her eyes.

No doubt her intense fury had alerted anyone sensitive enough to feel chakra. People would be arriving soon to the compound. He could leave her here. It was obviously the easiest way to escape and disappear. But a question burned deeply in him.

Who was the kunochi that cried so fervently for the Uchiha clan?

Unmasked chakra signals began speeding in his direction. He had to make his decision quickly, before any shinobi appeared. Only a select few would accept his presence here. His gaze turned to the pink haired girl again. He needed to know, but now was not the time. His foolish mistake could not be undone, but it needed to be covered from the Akatsuki. Explanations would not be easy if he showed up with a Konoha girl in his arms.

With a hand symbol, he released the genjitsu over the girl. Before her eyes fluttered open, he was over the wall and into the forest, erasing his chakra trail as he went.

Back to the Akatsuki, back to his futon, and back to his insomnia.

Please review! The more I see people reading this, the more I remember and am motivated to post another chapter.