Youth (Itachi Uchiha)

Chapter Seven

Mara's Pov
"You're a Kazekage? But you look so young." I wasn't too sure if those were the right words to choose. A small wince took over my face feeling his pale hands lightly wiped at the cut across my cheek, his eyes rounded in surprise for a moment, I think the first emotion I had seen across his entire face since my arrival. A quiet like chuckle left his lips for a moment before he shut his eyes briefly.

"I should be saying the same thing about you, you seem oddly young looking to be wandering the desert sand, you are quite lucky that you weren't killed." I found myself scowling at the pain in my cheek, as I spoke.

"Hmph I'm fifteen I'm not that young." I found myself whining quite a lot getting a soft laugh from the male who tossed away his tissues.

"You are the age of what should be considered a chunin Mara." I blinked once then twice so confused by his words feeling him place a bandage on my cheek focusing on Gaara quickly speaking meekly by my no knowledge.

"What's a chunin?" He looked startled for a moment before he lowered his gaze down for a moment nodding towards the guards I was assuming to leave.

"Mara... Now don't take this the wrong way, but it seems like to me your knowledge and mind is slightly stunted? Where were you raised." I found that it shoes were more interesting at the moment as I recalled Itachi's words, it was like they were bouncing around my head.

I promised myself I wouldn't cry again but here I could feel the tears pooling over at the edge of my eyes watching at fast speed as Gaara handed me a tissues over concern flashing over his face.

"I... Promised I wouldn't say anything but I'm so confused... I don't know anything yet at the same time I feel overwhelmed." Gaara kept his heavy set of eyes on me.

"I am young.. I was sworn in to be the Kazekage at almost fourteen, I'm seventeen almost now. Mara you wandered here, so it's my duty to protect you now, I promise no harm will come to you." I found his voice oddly calming wiping at my cheeks more I spoke quietly.

"They are.. Bad people... But they can't be bad because they raised me.. A person can be bad with good intentions can they?" The red haired male looked so startled for a moment before he was nodding his head at me.

"Of course a good person could be good, with bad intentions, and vice versa." I sniffle a bit as I kept speaking in a daze.

"I was raised by the Akatsuki.. I never knew they were bad till I was old enough to learn but... They were evil to me they were my family that raised me, I didn't know they hurt people Gaara. I didn't know Itachi.. Had all this guilt I never went to school.. I just was always told the world was a bad place to live in and that one day I would learn." I felt more hot like tears stinging my eyes feeling my body shaking.

"Does that make me bad for not knowing?" I wanted to sob... I felt like all this weight had came crashing down on me so suddenly.

"No that doesn't make you a bad person Mara they raised you so it would only make sense that they taught you what they knew, so you could grow up the best you could." A heavy sigh left the male as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose a few times as he muttered his breath.

"I have to contact the leaf though, Naruto has to know a little about this. Mara you live in a world of Shinobi and your family are what we call almost like runaway shinobi they did bad things unforgivable in their hometown village, they are black listed in a book of criminals." I weakly nodded my head.

"I know... I just learned about that the other week." He once again nodded firmly before he relaxed in his own seat, pressing his back more firmly into it shifting his eyes more.

"Don't blame yourself okay? Family is well.. Family but for now we don't need you stressed and causing a fainting spell. You'll stay here and I'll teach you all I know how does that sound." I felt I had wiped away most of my tears taking a deep breath in before I held out my pinky for him.

"Promise?" He shut his eyes for a moment another light smile growing before he wrapped his pinky around my own wiggling it.

"I pinky promise Mara, you are safe here. And I never break my promises."